The moment the door of the physician's room shut behind them, Gaius turned on Merlin.

"How could you be so stupid?" He yelled, obviously exasperated and extremely concerned. "What have I told you about using magic, Merlin? I told you that it is only to be used in times of need, not for stupid tricks! And now Arthur is in the dungeons and Uther is going mad! This has to stop! I warned you, why couldn't you have listened to me for once? Why, Merlin? I told you this would happen-"

"Gaius!" Merlin shouted, equally exasperated as the old man finally heard his protests and halted his tirade. "It wasn't me." He dropped into a chair, exhausted by the confusion of it all. "I didn't use magic, Gaius. It wasn't me."

He sighed in frustration at the situation he had found himself in. Merlin simply couldn't fathom how Arthur had been accused of magic. He was sure that Dextrin had believed what he had told Uther; he had seen it in his eyes, and besides, no one would lie to Uther about sorcery. Except of course him.

Worry and anxiety churned together in Merlin's stomach until he felt ill. What would Uther do? The penalty for magic was death, but was he really prepared to kill his son on the word of a farmer? The king's words echoed ominously in his mind, haunting his thoughts and plaguing him constantly.

"You know the penalty for practising magic."

That was what he said. Merlin felt questions burning up inside of him, welling up in his head and gathering like a stormcloud.

"Gaius?"

The man in question let out a frustrated sigh of his own at his ward's endless speech. "Merlin."

"You don't think Uther will really, you know..."

Gaius' frustration evaporated in an instant and he turned sympathetic eyes on Merlin. "I'm sorry Merlin." Was all he said. "I don't know."

Merlin rose, mind too active to sit still. Nervously, he paced up and down the room until Gauis had to look away for fear of hurting his neck following Merlin's form. He attempted to coax the boy back down, but was disappointed when he was met with a determined "I'm going to see him."

Gaius gasped. "Merlin you can't, the king will have your head-"

The door slammed.

Merlin raced down the corridor, skidding round the corners and pushing past servants in his haste to reach the lower levels of the palace.

When he eventually reached them, he saw the usual pair of guards, playing cards. Frowning, he made his way down the stairs until he was level with the soldiers, before turning to a tapestry hanging on the far wall of the room. It was well made, and Merlin couldn't help but feel guilty as, with a few muttered words of magic, it began to burn.

Simultaneously, both guards jumped up, knocking the table over in their haste to reach the blaze and sending cards sliding all over the floor. Whilst they were distracted, fumbling with the fire, Merlin easily slipped past them and into the dungeon levels. He doubted they would come down here any time soon, with all those cards to pick up, but even so, he made all haste down the corridor to the cells.

It was a cold, dark, dank place, the dungeons. The air was stale and stuffy, and smelt of mouldy hay and rotten wood. The corridor was lined with thick, wooden doors, the only opening a small, iron-barred window near the top. It gave the impression of a large inn that had fallen so far into disrepair they had given up all hope of it ever being inhabitable again. It had succumbed to mould and rust long ago. Merlin couldn't help but shudder at the thought of all the sorcerers that had been kept here, dreading the day the pyre was built up in the courtyard or the executioner sharpened his axe again. He thought of all the tortured souls that had been confined here. And then he thought of Arthur and his pace quickened.

But which cell was his friend being kept in? There seemed to be infinite heavy doors and infinite side-turnings and passages. Merlin knew his time here was limited, and he couldn't waste that time looking in every cell here. Damn, they couldn't just put name tags on the doors, could they? He thought in exasperation.

"Arthur?" He called quietly, hoping to alert his friend but avoid catching the guards' attention. "It's me, Merlin! Where are you?"

"Merlin?" Arthur's voice whispered down the corridor.

"Arthur!" Merlin smiled into the gloom. "Where are you, Arthur?" He muttered loudly.

"Here."

"Oh very helpful. Care to elaborate?" Merlin's voice rang with sarcasm as it echoed down the stone corridor.

Arthur's hand reached between the bars. "Here, Merlin."

Quickly, Merlin moved to see in through the small window of the cell he could now see Arthur in. Curiously enough, there seemed to be the remnants of some kind of furniture against one wall. Probably the reminder of some old and angry prisoner's wrath. Not dwelling on the thought too much, he spoke. "How are you feeling?" It was a pathetic question to ask, really. But what was he supposed to say? "Oh, hello Arthur, what a bright and sunny morning it is today! Just perfect for your father to execute you, right?"

Pointedly ignoring the utterly senseless question, Arthur answered with one of his own. "What are you doing here? You know what they'll do if they catch you!"

"Your concern is touching, but I'll be fine, honestly. I've come to see you and ask if there's anything we can do to change your father's mind. He won't even listen to Morgana!"

"Tell Morgana to stop trying; it's pointless. Once my father's made up his mind, it's set in stone. There's nothing any of you can do."

Merlin was shocked by Arthur's willingness to accept his fate.

"So you're just giving up, like that? You want us to sit by and watch this kingdom's only heir be executed? Because I have a lot of faith in you, Arthur, and this does not sound like the king I saw inside you." He smirked slightly through the bars. "Or should I say, the king Gwen saw inside you?"

"Shut up, Merlin, I don't know what you're talking about."

Merlin feigned surprise, glad that Arthur seemed at least a little more like his old self. He raised his eyebrows. "You mean you two never..."

"No!"

"Are you su-"

"Shut up, Merlin."

The servant bowed. "As you wish, my Lord."

He turned to leave but was halted by Arthur's quiet "Merlin?"

He turned to face his Prince again. "Thank you." Was all Arthur said before turning away. Merlin nodded, more to himself than to anyone else, and smiled as he left, glad to return back to his room and a very relieved Gaius.