Merlin

Chapter 5

     Sam glared at Merlin, his hatred for him as clear as day. 

"Revenge?" repeated Arthur, confusion evident in his voice, "Revenge for what?"

    Sam chuckled, turning away from Merlin to glance at the Knights in amusement.

"Of course Merlin wouldn't tell you about me- about how he ruined my life!" Snarling like a rabid dog, Sam whipped around so fast that Merlin didn't even see the fist flying towards his face until he felt an explosion of pain. The Knights all yelled out, struggling against their restraints as Sam's fist hit Merlin over and over again. Flailing around like a rag doll and unable to shield himself because of his own restraints, Merlin let Sam take out his anger. The only thing that could save him at the moment was his magic, but he was facing Arthur and the Knights and there was no way they wouldn't notice. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Sam stopped and Merlin hung from the chains limply, trying to catch his breath. He could feel blood running down the side of his face, and every intake of breath was like a dagger to his lungs. The Knights were silent, afraid that anything they said would set him off again. With eyes still blazing like fires of hatred, Sam stormed out of the cell and barked out an order for a guard to lock it before disappearing.  

"Merlin, are you okay?" asked Lancelot worriedly, his forehead creased in concern.

    Merlin smiled weakly, glancing up at the Knights, "Just dandy."

"Why did that man say he wanted revenge? How do you know him?" Asked Arthur.

"That's not important." Protested Merlin. 

"Of course it's bloody important!" Arthur ground out, his frustration and worry presenting itself as anger, "If we know more about him and what he wants then we have a better chance at escaping."

   Merlin sighed, and forgetting for a moment that his hands were chained up, tried to wipe the blood off of his face only to be stopped by an explosion of  pain in his shoulder and wrist. Scrunching his face up in pain, he tried to turn his head away so nobody would see, but they all caught it clear as day. Merlin was used to hiding his pain from everyone; from hiding everything from everyone. There was very little he could reveal about himself that would not lead to his magic, and over time he had gotten used to that. Letting the Knights see him so vulnerable and in pain was uncomfortable for him; he was used to dealing with it alone. 

"Merlin," said Arthur with a new sense of urgency, "we have got to get you out of here." 

    Groaning, Merlin turned his head back to the Knights and scowled. 

"Fine. Sam and I grew up in Ealdor together. He wasn't too fond of me, and made it quite clear to me and just about anyone else who would listen. When we were about fourteen, a group of Cenred's men were passing by the village and Sam was sent out to greet them. Since Ealdor is an outlying village, Cenred rarely ever acknowledges it. When Sam didn't come back, we assumed that they had killed him, and the Knights never stepped foot in Ealdor so we had no way of asking. I haven't seen him since." 

"So why does Sam want revenge on you? It doesn't sound like you did anything wrong, it was the village that sent him out." Stated Gwaine.

"Hold on," Said Arthur, looking confused, "why was a fourteen year old boy sent out to meet a group on Knights? Why wasn't someone older or more in charge sent to greet them?"

"It was his punishment. Cenred has never cared for his villages, only for the citizens living in his citadel. Sam had made the village angry, so they sent him to greet the Knights." Merlin sighed, moving his gaze from the Knights to the floor before muttering his next sentence, "He was being punished because he nearly killed me, and the village doesn't take kindly to attempted murder." 

    Merlin heard a collective intake of breath as they tried to absorb the information. He kept his gaze steadily on the floor, feeling more vulnerable than ever. 

"What do you mean he tried to kill you? On what grounds?" Ground out Arthur angrily, "You told me you left Ealdor because you didn't fit in anymore. Not because you feared for your life."

    Clearing his throat awkwardly, Merlin gave a lopsided grin, finally looking up at his friends. 

"Oh, come on Arthur, I'm sure you can think of a million reasons someone might want to kill me."

    Arthur's glare made it very clear that this was not the appropriate time for joking.

"I'm a bastard, Arthur." Merlin said blandly, his smile dropping off of his face, "I brought shame upon my mother and I. People don't like take kindly to children born out of wedlock." 

Merlin felt  Arthur and the rest of the Knights staring at him, but he wasn't focused on him anymore. He was more worried about the tray of weapons Sam was carrying as he was walking towards their cell.