Gradually, Arthur became aware that he was lying face down on a freezing cold floor. He tried to move but even the slightest movement sent pain flaring through most of his body. He groaned and then tried to compose himself. After a while Arthur gritted his teeth, gathered his courage and rolled over onto his back. Pain, everywhere. He cried out in agony as his whole body exploded in a pain he had never come close to experiencing. It took him several minutes to bring himself to open his eyes and when he did he imediately regretted it. Even the dim light of the cells was too much for him and it felt like someone had lit a fire inside his head. He cried out again and sheiled his face with his hands but this only sent pain shooting through his arms and down his sides causing him to cry out even louder. Slowly, his cries dimmed to groans as he lay there with his hands over his face. Even breathing hurt and he could practially feel the stares from his companions baring deep into his flesh but he couldn’t bring himself to care. To keep up his appearance of being in control and hiding his pain and fears was simply too much.

Leon sat and watched Arthur for what felt like a life time. His king simply lay there with his hands hiding his face and groaned. Leon had been awake to see Arthur drink the poison but he hadn’t been able to do anything to help and something inside him had said that if the guards had attacked him he wouldn’t have been able to stay strong like Gwaine had and he knew that Merlin couldn’t have. The only people among them who had been anything like normal had been Arthur and Gwaine but Arthur was now a complete wreck and Gwaine had collapsed soon after arriving back in the cells. Fear clutched at his stomach as Leon considered what could happen to his friends.

Merlin was slowly going crazy. He could feel himself losing his grip on reality. His chest hurt like crazy and every movement sent yet more pain spreading to part of his body Merlin hadn’t even known could hurt this much. On top of the pain, Arthur was groaning almost without stopping for breath and from where he was, Merlin couldn’t see him so the only hin the had to show that Arthur was alive was his constant groans which couldn’t come close to conveying the amount of pain Arthur must be in. And so he lay there, trying not t move, listening to Arthur’s non-stop moaning and feeling his grasp on reality slip furthur and furthur and he couldn’t help but wonder if he would be better off losing his mind.

Arthur remained in his position for what felt like a very long time until he finally felt that he didn’t have it in him to even let out the slight groans anymore and he fell silent. The silence bounced of the walls and was even more distracting than the non-stop moans of a man in unbearable agony. As Arthur lay on the floor the silence became unbearable and he somehow found it in himself to move his hands from his face open his eyes. He was greated by the worried face of Leon, staring at him through the bars. His body exploded in pain again and he cried out and bolted upright, clutching his head. Eventually the pain began to ebb enough for him to look up into the eyes of his concerned friend. He tried to give him a reassuring smile but even this slight movement sent a stabbing pain through his face causing his features to contort in pain which only succeeded in making Leon more worried.

Gwaine woke up lying under his blanket. It was scratchy and rough against his bare skin but it was warmer than nothing and he was grateful. He lay there for a while before he managed to rouse himself and look around. Arthur was lying on the floor with his hands on his face and was leting out the ocasional moan. Gwaine was filled with anger at what Morgana had done to his friends. He walked up to door and threw himself at the bars, releasing all his anger and fear on the metal. Something rattled in a way that a cell door shouldn’t rattle. Gwaine shook the bars again and the rattle echoed around the cells and now Gwaine was certain that it shouldn’t rattle like that. He leaned closer to the lock and shook the bars again. The rattle was definitely coming from there.

Percival had been watching Gwaine and thought now was the right time to queery it “What are you doing?”, He asked.

“Shhh”, Gwaine said and continued to rattle.

“Why?”

“Because I think my cell lock is broken”, Gwaine replied before sticking his arm through the bars and hitting the lock with his fist. There was a sickening crack. Gwaine gave the door a slight push and it swung open. He looked at Percival with a childish grin on his face. “Bingo!”, He said

“Am I brilliant or what?”. And with that, he pushed the door furthur open and snuck out of his cell and towards the stairs.

“Gwaine! Where are you going!?”, Leon hissed and Merlin looked up to see his friend heading off. “Gwaine!”, he whispered “Oi! Gwaine”

Arthur was roused by the comotion and managed to lift his head enough to see. When he saw Gwaine out of his cell he bolted upright, big mistake. Pain flared in his whole body and especially in his head. He cried out and clutched his head. When he looked up again, Gwaine’s expression had changed from mildly childish to deadly serious as he watched his friend, unable to do anything. “Gwaine, what are you doing?”, Arthur somehow managed to ask.

“I’m going to find us a way out of here”, Gwaine said before he disappeared up the stairs and out of sight.

Gwaine crept up the stairs, placing his feet on the stone with barely a sound. The staircase opened out into an eerily quiet corridor. He peered around and established that there were no guards. “I guess Morgana wasn’t expecting an intrusion”, He muttered to himself before heading off down the corridor.

Soon, he reached a door. It was slightly ajar and Morgana’s voice was coming from behind it. She sounded annoyed and it sent a chill through his bones. Gwaine felt a sudden surge of courage and before he could stop himself he stuck his head through the door to listen.

Morgana was sat in front of a mirror, brushing her hair. She was muttering to herself and it seemed to him that she was fighting a battle inside herself and she didn’t seem to be winning. He saw her face reflected in the mirror, it was as pale as snow and he was struck by how beautiful she was. She was waring a black dress with red lace at the back and down the sides.

Gwaine looked around the room and saw that it was elaborately furnished with vases of flowers covering fancy dressers and tables. In one corner there was a large bed draped with dark fabrics and covered with rather uncomfortable looking cushions and a glimmer of a smile crossed Gwaine’s face as he remembered times on his bed back at Camelot, after tankards of mead, but he quickly supressed the memory.

There was a small table right next to the door and as he looked at it he noticed a dagger, gleaming in the candle light. The handle was almost pearl white and inlayed with various gems and the blade looked like it could split a hair. It was, all in all a lovely weapon and Gwaine stretched out his hand and rapped his fingers around the handle, afterall a weapon might come in handy.

Just at that moment Morgana looked up and saw Gwaine’s face reflected in the mirror. She span around to face him and her eyes flickered to his hand clutching the dagger. She smiled sweetly at him. “Gwaine, it’s lovely that you came to visit me but I would ask that you put my knife down, it was a gift from a friend”. Gwaine stepped into the room but didn’t put the dagger down. Morgana got up from her stool and began to walk slowly towards him. She slipped a hand into a small bag she carried around her waist and as she reached him she lifted her hand out and brought it up to caress his face. “It really isn’t polite to refuse a lady”, She murmerd to him as she brought her hand slowly down to his bare shoulders. He shrank away from her touch, her fingers were as cold as ice. “I would have thought that Arthur would have tought you that, you being one of his knights after all”, She brought her face close to his and placed her lips next to his ear. “I always liked you Gwaine, I really did”

Gwaine felt a stapping pain in his arm and looked down to see Morgana had cut him with her nail. She then took the top from a small bottle in her hand and poured a few drops of the scarlet liquid inside onto the cut which was now bleeding slightly.

Morgana held the bottle up for Gwaine to see and as he looked at it, his vision blurred slihgtly. She brought her face close to his and whispered to him “One of my new toys. You may not believe me, but magic can get rather tiresome. I thought I would try a more hands on approach to get me what I want”. She took a step backwards and put the bottle on a table, drifting her hand towards a rather sinister looking whip which lay there. “Now, are you going to give me my dagger?”. Gwaine’s hand tightened on the handle and he managed to shake his head.

“Good”, Morgana said, smiling “Now the fun can begin” She brought the whip down hard on his right arm. He staggered but regained his feet again but as soon as he did, there was a wooshing sound and a sudden pain on his left leg and he stumbled to his knees, still clutching the dagger. There was an eveil gleem in Morgana’s eyes as she brought the whip down again. The tough leather mad contact with Gwaine’s bare chest and he grunted. Morgana let out a harsh laugh as she whipped his left arm and then his right. Gwaine swayed and then fell to the floor as whatever drug morgana had put into his blood stream begin to really take effect.