Merlin 1. Chapter 1

**Warning: Includes references to non-consentual sex.**

"Merlin, into the house, now. Go!"

Her little son paused on his unsteady legs but Hunith shooed him along, hearing the sounds of horses. Heaven knows who it was but she didn't need them seeing her son.

"Cenred's men!" Cullen yelled as he ran into the village, the young boy had been watching out. Raiders moved in the area and the villages were best prepared. The women went indoors and the men came out. Hunith lingered in her doorway. She had no man, just Merlin, who stayed quiet in the corner as the men rode in.

Their new king made himself at home, his men roaming the village. Hunith had to come out to retrieve Merlin's blankets from the line and they looked at her, she could feel their eyes and she hurried back into the house. But that didn't stop one of them as she had just settled her son.

She stood up and turned around as Cenred walked into her home, as if he owned it. He could probably claim that, he was the king, she lived in his kingdom. Hunith gave a very clumsy curtsey.

"My Lord?"

"Strip."

"Please, My Lord."

Her hand was already moving on the laces of her dress, she was willing to do what he wanted, she just didn't want to disturb Merlin. The last thing she needed was Merlin upset.

"Did you not hear me?" Cenred snapped. Hunith cowered, glancing up at him. He was what could have been considered attractive, the trace of a beard laced his jaw, and his hair straggled in his dark eyes.

"Yes, My Lord, but I just need to consider…."

Cenred jerked as something hit his shoulder. He turned and glared in Merlin's direction. Hunith's head snapped round to look at her son, tucked up in his bed, but he had pushed the covers down and around him the bed, the herbs drying over his head and the nearby pans were shaking under his anger. His eyes were flashing gold.

"Merlin!" Hunith hissed, but it was too late, a pan lifted into the air and flew in Cenred's direction. He caught it without a flicker and he stared at her little boy.

"Merlin!" Hunith reproved again, far more forcefully. The rattling stopped and Hunith suddenly stood before Cenred, her bodice now loosened, the material falling off her shoulders.

"I'm sorry, My Lord, he did not mean to."

"You son knows magic?" Cenred said.

Hunith moved again, so she was between them, not just for Merlin's protection but also, Cenred realised, his own. She was pressing herself against him, not so much willingly but desperately.

"He doesn't know anything, he doesn't mean it, My Lord. Please, I'll do anything, he's only a child. He doesn't understand."

Cenred stared at them both calmly before leaving the hovel, walking away from it.

"Are you not interested Sire?"

Cenred paused, turning to look at the man who had asked.

"Leave the woman alone, I've yet to make up my mind," Cenred announced before going to his tent to sleep it off.

The next night, Hunith wasn't surprised by his return. He had watched her all day and also Merlin as he had tottered along with her. Some of the anxiousness his mother was feeling had transferred onto him and her usually biddable son had been fretful all day. This time Cenred came later, and Merlin was sleeping.

She was quiet, nervous, but willing and desperate for her son to sleep through what happened to her. Cenred found her tight, compliant and satisfying. As he left he turned to look at her, going to check that Merlin was sleeping while trying to straighten her clothing. The boy's name had stuck in his mind, so had the mother. She wasn't that special to look at but appealing enough. When he returned the following night, just before he left, he looked down into the blankets that made up the boy's bed to see him sleeping soundly. So soundly that Cenred knew, she had given him something so he would not attract attention, or hear what happened.

It was too late for that, Cenred thought. As attractive and compliant as Hunith was, it was not the reason he was using her. He could have taken her and left her, easily, if not for the boy. It wasn't Hunith he really wanted, it was Merlin.

The last night the army stayed Hunith was not disturbed by Cenred, instead one of the soldiers came to her, barging into the house and dumping a set of saddlebags on the floor of the house. Merlin glared at him, but the man paid no heed instead the soldier focused on Hunith.

"Pack what you and the boy need, we leave at dawn."

There was nothing Hunith could do. She put what Merlin needed, and carefully tucked the few carvings she had that Merlin's father had given her into the pack, before adding her own clothes, fitting what she could. She was packing up, kneeling on the floor of the hut she called home when the door opened. Half expecting Cenred she rose up but slumped back as she realised it was Randolph the village elder.

"It's true then?"

"Yes," she said.

"We can try and stop him."

"How? It's not me, not really, he saw Merlin. It's not me he wants, I think it's Merlin. At least… at least I get to stay with him. He could walk out of here with my son and no one could stop him."

"We could try."

Hunith looked up at him. "We both know that's not possible. I always though…" she looked away again.

"What?" Randolph asked.

"I always worried that it would be Uther who came for Merlin, he's already been here once before. At least this way… Cenred has no intention of hurting Merlin… far from it."

"What will he make him instead?" Randolph demanded.

And with one shrug of fate, Hunith became almost a queen, and Merlin became a prince.


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning: Contains mild references to non-consentual sex. **

Hunith looked around the bed chamber that would be hers. She was carrying Merlin, holding him tightly and Merlin clung to her. It was his tight little fists that were preventing their separation. He had learnt early on in the journey, if he clung then the dark haired man didn't take him away. Merlin didn't understand what Cenred was doing to his mother, while he pressed her down on the bed, something that left them both panting, but he could sense his mother's nerves. That in turn made Merlin nervous.

The travel bags containing their things lay at the end of the bed. Hunith put Merlin down and slowly began to open them up and unpack what they had brought. Merlin watched her, bobbing up and down on the bed, an action that served to distract him when he realised how springy it was. Carefully he got to his feet and tried bouncing lightly. Once he decided it was worthwhile he put a little more effort into it, springing about the bed, rising up in a way that wasn't entirely natural. Hunith could see the flashes in his eyes.

"Merlin, take your boots off," Hunith ordered him. She didn't think, in the scheme of things, she could really order him not to do magic. Cenred had shown an interest in what Merlin could do and on the journey had been trying to coax the youngster out. Sensing his mother's worry Merlin had not complied and it had angered Cenred, although he had kept the feelings clear of both her and Merlin.

She pulled out the carvings and put them on the mantelpiece. Merlin had stopped bouncing and was now lying on his back, his shoes sliding off his feet of their own accord. Once they had tumbled over the edge of the bed he was up again and attempting to bob up and down again. He paused and dropped onto his rump as there was a knock at the door. It opened a moment later and a girl stepped over the threshold. Hunith judged her to be of a similar age to herself, perhaps a year or two older. Her dark blonde hair was drawn away from her face and waved down her back. She was dressed in a simple grey dress, Hunith wondered if that was just the age of the material, some of the edges were frayed. The girl bobbed a quick curtsey and then saw what Hunith was doing.

"Let me do that, My Lady."

The address so startled Hunith that she didn't respond immediately. The girl stepped forward and took the small pile of clothes from her to put them in the wardrobe. Merlin watched with wide eyes, and Hunith recovered herself.

"I don't need help, and I'm certainly not a lady."

The stress of the situation made her sound sharper than usual. There was a brief flash of anger in the girl's eyes before her face became neutral again.

"I have my orders My Lady, my name is April, I'm your maid."

Hunith blinked, April went back to what she was doing. There was a creak as Merlin started bobbing up and down on his rump. April looked at him, a flicker of fear entering her eyes. Hunith could certainly guess who had given the orders. Cenred was not someone who could be disobeyed, so Hunith guessed she was stuck with April whether she liked it or not. At least she was company. Hunith had had no one but Merlin, Cenred and the soldiers for days.

"Well, for goodness sake, call me Hunith."

It had taken the girl no time to efficiently store away her clothes. She came back and rummaged in the other pack, removing Merlin's possessions to put them away.

"The king may not like that, My Lady."

"So don't do it when he can hear," Hunith announced, a little waspishly. April gave another curtsey, her eyes flickering.

"Yes, My Lady."

It made her shiver, realising that perhaps somebody was watching them. More than likely it was Cenred, who had been a little possessive. The soldiers had soon stopped looking at her too much, seeing the storm clouds brewing in their leader's eyes if they looked too long, or with too much lust.

Hunith sat down at the end of the bed, watching April work, which was a strange feeling for her. Behind her Merlin was still bouncing across the bed. He bounced in her direction at a second knock at the door.

"Come in," Hunith called after a short pause.

When the door opened a small, middle-aged woman bustled in, smiling as she looked at Hunith and Merlin. She was another who gave a light curtsey in greeting and Hunith wondered if that would get on her nerves, or would she eventually become accustomed to it. For as long as this lasted anyway. Cenred would no doubt get bored of her, it was only because Merlin was still very dependant on her that she had been brought along.

"My Lady, I'm Mary."

"Hunith," said Hunith very firmly, by her tone making the introduction also an enquiry at to Mary's position in the scheme of things.

"I'm your nurse, for your son."

"I do not need help with my child!" Hunith snapped. There was a short, slightly embarrassed pause, only punctuated by the bed creaking under Merlin's bouncing.

Merlin had dismissed Mary, she looked like the women he was used to, in the village, all of them caring for each other's children as and when it was needed. He was bouncing as he had looked and seen the carvings. Merlin giggled and crawled to the side of the bed, lifting his hand and all three women saw one carving float towards Merlin. He grabbed it in two hands and stuffed part of it in his mouth, chewing on it happily as he looked at the women. At least he had given them something else to focus on.

"You must be Merlin," Mary said, which caused Merlin to stop gnawing and he stared at her. Mary turned to Hunith, wary of but able to brush past Merlin's nervy hostility.

"It has been a long journey for you, both of you. We'll prepare a bath," Mary said, nodding at April.

"Thank you," Hunith said, giving in to the inevitable.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Hunith became quite used to Mary and April, so did Merlin. It was a happy troop. Cenred was almost distant, although he saw them regularly, Hunith submitted to sex and Mary stayed with Merlin in his room during those times. She was owned and she accepted that, all she could do now was guide her son. Cenred's interest in Merlin was minor, until he was old enough to be of any use, it would stay that way.

"Merlin," she reproved without much enthusiasm as he ran around. She had a headache and it was pressing hard behind her eyes. But she turned as Merlin yelped, Mary had caught him. He hung in her grip without fear, as she turned him towards his mother.

"Look at your mother, she's tired, and you're making noise. Shall we take a walk, and your mother can have a nice lie down."

Hunith saw Merlin stare at her and then nod, letting Mary take his hand as she put him back on the floor.

"Just an hour," Mary said, to reassure Hunith.

Hunith nodded, lying back on the sheets. Cenred had lost a part of his kingdom, he was marshalling to get it back, but it had made him irritable. Thankfully he had spent some time away from the castle, but when he was there he had worked his frustration off on her, hardly realising sometimes that he was rough. There was nothing Hunith could do.

Merlin however was quiet and watched, and waited.

Mary walked him down the corridor, two of the guards discreetly accompanying them. Merlin's hand in hers as he trotted along.

"We'll go and have a nice walk…"

"Where?"

The sharp tone pulled Mary up, she curtseyed low down and then glanced up.

"I was taking Merlin for a walk."

"Oh," Cenred said, looking in the direction of Hunith's chambers, where he had intended to go.

"Mother's tired, she needs to sleep," Merlin said, speaking loudly but pressing into Mary's dress. His blue eyes stared up at Cenred, who looked back at the little boy.

"Well, then, would you like to come and see the horses?"

Merlin stared up at the man. He was quite used to him, but Merlin still behaved warily towards him. Hunith had started to work out how to handle Cenred, and he came regularly to see his mother, but Merlin could sense something about Cenred made his mother tired. Merlin was a little confused. So now, at the question, Merlin nodded. The man might tell him what people meant.

"Come on then."

Merlin tensed as Cenred picked him up, tucking Merlin against him, as he had seen people do with children. Merlin didn't like it very much, he liked walking and moving. He grizzled and kicked, causing Cenred to pause.

"Merlin likes walking, Sire," Mary said.

A second later Merlin's feet met the ground and he turned to look into the courtyard.

"Oh," Merlin said. He put his bottom down on the top step and started to slide down.

"It's his favourite way of dealing with stairs, Sire," Mary translated for the king.

Merlin stayed aware of Cenred's boots in the corner of his left eye. He slumped on the bottom step and then slid down to meet the cobbles of the courtyard, yipping before stilling down and staring.

"Merlin."

He looked up and then reached up a hand to take Cenred's. Cenred then lifted him. Merlin looked around to see Mary following along behind and Merlin relaxed, looking at the horses, while Cenred carried him. He glanced at him now and again. Cenred had never paid him this much attention before. As his eyes roved around Merlin decided to test the theory. He pointed.

"Stripy!"

"It's called a blaze," Cenred said, petting the horse's nose. The horse snuffled against his arm, going towards Merlin, who pressed into Cenred as he watched with wide eyes. Cenred carefully deflected the questing nose and ran a hand down over the horse's neck and back with his free hand. He moved position as Merlin reached out to copy the action.

"He's a good horse, Sire, steady but very good," the nearby groom said.

"What about this one Merlin?" Cenred asked, as he turned to the next horse. Merlin put his finger on the horses muzzle and she lifted to snap at him. Cenred felt Merlin press against him, unsure after the show of aggression.

"No, want stripy!"

Cenred nudged off the mare and went further along. He would probably buy most of the horses, the breeding season had been that good this year, and Camelot's men had tried to push over the boarder. Cenred had enough men to push back, he just needed to get the men mobile.

"Oooh," Merlin said as he met the next horse. Cenred looked them over and he put Merlin on the back of some of them with Mary and the grooms to make sure he didn't fall. Merlin seemed delighted by the attention but Cenred was not surprised by Merlin's eventual conclusion.

"I like Stripy best."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Hunith felt better after a rest. Merlin had been worn out by his afternoon with Cenred, although over-excited by it at the same time. Hunith was tidying the room a little when April, looking just as over-excited as Merlin had, came into the room.

"My Lady," she said, bobbing a curtsey, something which Hunith had got used to over the last few months.

"April, what…?" she asked as the girl unfurled a beautiful sweeping gown. It was dark blue in colour, the material a rich velvet with gold lacing on the bodice. April held it out to her.

"Complements of the King, he wishes for you to dine with him this evening."

"Oh," Hunith said. "I'd better get changed." However politely Cenred phrased it, the request was still essentially an order, and despite herself Hunith felt more than a little curious by the sudden courtesy.

April carefully laid the dress out on a nearby divan.

"I'll get some warm water My Lady, and some pins to style your hair."

Hunith could hardly believe the transformation. The dress didn't fit entirely perfectly but certainly flattered as April tightened the lacings to bring in her waist and emphasize her bosom. From somewhere she found some light blue material which she tied around Hunith's arms to draw in the sleeves and left sweeping trails of material, which Hunith was fairly certain would get in the way. Then April had pinned up her hair, leaving trails loose, which she carefully curled around her fingers.

"Goodness," Hunith said to her reflection in the dressing table mirror. April smiled.

"You look… well…" April said, sounding awed as Hunith stood up, shifting the material about a little. April stepped forward to help.

"It's all your work," Hunith commented, she felt so different, and she looked it. Both of them turned from the mirror as the door to the adjoining bed chamber, used by Merlin, flew open. Merlin had evaded Mary by the use of flying clothes and flung the door open. There was a giggle as he ran into his mother's room, running around the bed, wearing only his undershirt and one sock, which was flopping off his foot. As usual, Merlin carried the carving that he generally used as a chew toy. He paused, skidding to a dead halt as he looked up at Hunith, stuffing the carving into his mouth. Around it he announced, in awe.

"Oohhh."

"Are you all right Merlin?"

Merlin nodded, still chewing and staring.

"Did you have a nice time today?"

Merlin nodded again. Hunith crouched down, taking his free hand.

"I'm going to go and have dinner with Cenred now, you stay with Mary and April, and be good."

Merlin nodded, but his eyes went a little dark, assessing her carefully.

"Actually," April corrected. "The Lady's maid should accompany to wait on her mistress's every whim."

Hunith looked up and laughed. Merlin gave a murmur and hopped on his sock clad foot.

"That will teach you to go running off without your socks on young man!" Mary announced, reaching down to tap Merlin's bare backside. Merlin giggled, continuing to chew.

Hunith smiled, leaning over to kiss Merlin on the forehead.

"You be good for Mary, and I'll be back later."

Merlin nodded, his eyes serious. Hunith straightened up and looked down at her son. Both of them, in their own ways, realising that something around them, and perhaps by them, had started to change.


	3. Chapter 3

**Warning: Some reference to non-consensual sex. **

Hunith had the same effect on everyone she passed as she walked to the dining room. She knew the room, but she had never really dined in it before. As she walked towards it several of the kitchen staff saw her, bowing and curtseying as they realised she was there. They stepped aside for her, being polite because Cenred lay in the room beyond, able to perhaps see what might occur. Hunith smiled, nodded politely and said.

"Thank you."

It appeared as well, to have the same effect on Cenred. He had half risen up at the sound of her voice. Having enough manners to know to stand up when a lady entered the room, but he nearly fell back into his chair as he saw her. Instead he, rather clumsily, banged into the table, causing a few of the items on there to rock. A servant dived forward to prevent any major catastrophes then he gawped. The other boy was gawking a little, but he managed to pull himself together enough to step forward to move her chair. He back-peddled violently when Cenred glared at him and stepped forward to move Hunith's chair himself.

"Thank you, Sire," she said. Cenred looked too shy to say anything. Hunith wondered, despite his obvious sexual experience, or at least she realised, he certainly made use of women before herself, had he really engaged in a relationship beyond the physical act. It seemed to tip the balance in her mind. She had experience of that, albeit a short one, her relationship with Balinor had been something shared.

"You look lovely," he managed to pull himself together long enough to say, as he sat down again, still staring. The servants provided something of a distraction moving forward to pour wine into goblets and start putting things onto plate, carving the meat up.

"Thank you," Hunith said again. There was a short pause, the servants slowly started to step back, April gently laid a napkin over Hunith's lap, unfurling it as if she had done it all her life, then she did the same to Cenred, before stepping back. She stood closer than the other servants, on Hunith's right and a step away.

For a moment they could at least concentrate on their food, but that couldn't last, and Hunith felt a small, but significant stirring of power. Merlin was the reason she was here, mostly. Cenred, however, had shown an interest in her, and his reaction now displayed perhaps a desire that had not occurred to him before. To really get to Merlin, he had to go through her, and she was the one that could perhaps prevent Merlin becoming nothing more than a weapon. His magic would eventually become something Cenred would make use of, but Hunith could instil something into Merlin as well, given the chance.

She opened the conversation casually. They couldn't sit there dining in silence, so she picked a subject that Cenred would talk about, and couldn't cause any issues.

"Merlin enjoyed himself this afternoon."

"He seemed to, he liked the horses," Cenred said. Hunith looked up, and smiled, it looked genuine, she couldn't help but smile when she talked about Merlin. But she calculated it carefully as she looked at Cenred. In her new guise, she saw the effect. His gaze drifted down to her breasts, but it snapped back up as she carried on talking.

"Merlin has always been very fond of animals, he sounded very fond of one called Stripy. He was thoroughly over-excited."

"The colt had a very prominent blaze. It looks like a good horse, although I'm not entirely certain about the name, but it appears the animal is stuck with it now."

Hunith laughed. Again Cenred's gaze lowered, to her breasts and the smooth exposed skin, before returning to her face.

"Thank you for the dress, it's exquisite."

Cenred stared at her again.

"You are the lady of this castle, you need decent clothes."

Hunith nodded, and the conversation paused again. Then they both looked up.

"Merlin…" Hunith started and then stopped as Cenred had also said.

"Has Merlin…?"

She dropped her head. Cenred looked angry, and a little embarrassed, he drank back the wine in his goblet and a serving boy ran to fill it, Hunith sipped her own. April filled it, making it look like she had filled it from empty even though Hunith had hardly taken anything.

"I'm sorry, Sire, you were saying?" Hunith dipped her head again. Cenred recovered.

"Has Merlin been using magic?"

"He does occasionally," Hunith confessed. "I worry about the affects of him using it too much. It's not something I understand."

"It appears to be a natural talent," Cenred said. "You have no such power."

"No, Sire."

"And Merlin's father?"

Hunith glanced up, then down, then up again. She knew it was too late, she had given something away, and Cenred could have asked in the village, he could already know something. He stared at her expectantly. There was nothing else she could do.

"He escaped from Camelot."

That if nothing else gave a succinct explanation.

"For sorcery?"

"Yes, Sire." Hunith paused again, both telling him and not telling him had their own pitfalls. She was trying to calculate which one was worse.

"Was he a Druid?"

An intuition in Hunith stirred. He was testing her, he could already know the truth, maybe. She didn't know. It was a risk, but as she had said to Randolph, Cenred would not hurt Merlin. He could, however, hurt her.

"No, he was the last of the Dragonlords."

Cenred put down the wine goblet without drinking from it.

"Merlin is a Dragonlord?"

Hunith inwardly cursed, but she had put herself on the course.

"I do not know, there is no way to know until he faces a dragon."

Cenred snorted in irritation. "Then there is no way to know, since the only one in existence is locked up in the caverns beneath Camelot. Merlin's father is dead?"

"I believe so, although I do not truly know, and there is no guarantee that Merlin will be able to control a dragon. As for his other powers, I know not why he has been given them."

Cenred looked at her and Hunith held the gaze for as long as she dared before she took a delicate bite of food. She didn't feel that hungry now. After that part of the conversation, she felt confused and worried. At least she had been honest with this man, someone she didn't really know now, quite as she thought. It was safe to say he wanted Merlin, when he was older Merlin could be of use. That was another thing, as long as Merlin loved her, and cared for her, she was safe, she could be a hostage to make sure Merlin complied. Cenred was still testing the waters.

"Your child is unusual, I don't think I've ever heard of such natural power."

"I do not know, but I wouldn't. I've never had help with him, nothing that can make me understand what he can do, or could be." There was a plea to her words. This way she could try and understand what was going on with her young son, who found acts of magic so easy. They were almost commonplace to him. The one person she could have talked to was in Camelot, and she couldn't have taken Merlin there. Cenred at least had an interest in understanding what Merlin had. Hunith had a horrible idea that she was already trying to justify why her son could be a monster. Cenred could turn him into a tyrant. Hunith felt power, fear and confusion as she tried to get a handle on her emotions.

For the moment Merlin was a sweet natured little boy, who didn't understand, or have control of, the power that blessed him. She had to keep him as a sweet little boy. Against so many odds Merlin had to remain kind. That was what she needed to do for him.

Cenred walked with her to her rooms and Hunith knew what he wanted, as he touched her, lightly, pressing to her. She would acquiesce, what else would she do but as they entered her chamber, Cenred went to the door on the left, opening it up to look in on Merlin. Mary was sat in a chair by Merlin's bed, sewing as she fixed a rip in one of his tunics. When she saw Cenred she rose and dropped her head.

"Sire."

"Why are the blankets off him?"

"It is a warm night Sire, he doesn't like them."

"How do you know?" he snapped at her and she cowered, huddling back as Cenred came into the room and drew the cover back over Merlin.

Merlin lay face down, arms over his head but he stirred as he felt the weight, his legs kicked out and the blanket lifted off the bed, rejected by Merlin's instinctive senses. It was too close, he felt too warm and he pushed the bedding away, leaving it floating in the air. Mary put her work down and moved the blanket again.

"He exhausts himself if he does that all night, he wakes up cranky."

Cenred blinked, Mary bowed her head, but she still tucked the blanket away from her young charge and he settled again, sleeping through the disturbance. Cenred watched her, realising that, however much she feared him she would do what was best for Merlin. Hunith had come in to help her settle the bedding and leaning over she kissed Merlin goodnight. April had taken some of the pins out of her hair and it was tumbling around her shoulders in a way that aroused Cenred, as he looked at her tiny waist, strong arms and neat hips. As she straightened up he took her hand and pulled her back into the main bed chamber.

"That will be all April," Hunith said, giving her maid licence to run.

Hunith stayed still as Cenred started to unlace her bodice.

"His power is strong, he needs training," Cenred mused, his eyes locked on her cleavage, then he lifted Hunith and dropped her on the bed.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Hunith had realised, her weeks in the castle had become months. They passed by well enough. Cenred had learnt that Carleon was pushing in from the north-west so he went to deal with that. Before he had left Hunith had suggested, tentatively, than an expansion through to the nearby chambers would be useful. April and Mary were better off close to her, but the chambers had not been used for years.

Eventually Hunith learnt; she was living in the queen's apartment. All the rooms were for her use. Bed chamber, morning room, drawing room, sewing room, maids rooms, rooms for her ladies in waiting, nursery. One of the old women in the laundry room told her in the end. Hunith went out, met people, learnt the names of the kitchen staff, the grooms, the soldiers the maids. They all treated her politely, fear of Cenred's retaliations if they did not made them very courteous.

Then they started to do it because Hunith listened to them, dealt with them and even though she knew nothing of how to run a household, she took the reins. The cook would refer to her, so did the household maids. The soldiers benefited from that, so they were polite when they guarded her. Without even realising she was doing so, she became mistress of the castle. It became very telling one morning as she sat with April sewing the material for some new curtains. They had found a swath of thick, dust ridden cloth as they explored the castle and the rooms around them. Much shaking and washing, with some help from Merlin, had exposed a beautiful, if moth ridden, purple brocade.

"My Lady."

"Yes?" Hunith asked.

"There is a merchant to see you, he has some dress material you might be interested in."

"Oh?" Hunith said, putting her work aside.

"The king advised him that it would be in his interest to visit you."

"Very well, Ladies, shall we use the morning room?"

With April and Mary in tow; Hunith couldn't get into too much trouble with those two around, so she saw the man, discussed with him the nature of certain material. Hunith bought some to make a new dress and then calmly asked, after a prompt from Mary.

"Tell me, do you have anything that might be good for quilting?"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It started, slow, almost subtle, but many people heard that the Lady Hunith could be persuaded to buy wares, then other people in the castle could be persuaded, then the traders talked to each other. A few of them stayed longer than planed, to wait for others of their kind to reach the castle, and the trading continued.

Hunith let those people stay. Those that set up to stay longer, Horiace, one of the councillors said, could perhaps pay a tax. And so a system was set up, and seemed to work, and three months later, just over eighteen months since Hunith had left Ealdor, Cenred returned to find his castle to be not just a military outpost, it was also now, a working town.

Thankfully Hunith had had the sense to touch nothing in the cold, austere throne room, and his own personal rooms. Cenred found it just as he liked it, cold and intimidating. He dealt with his immediate business and then went to see Hunith.

The ladies chambers, on the other hand, were transformed. April and Mary holding court with a trader in one room while Hunith calmly sewed in another. Merlin was sat on the floor, moving big wooden blocks about, piling them up with a serious expression on his face. Cenred sank into the nearby chair.

"You smell like a horse," Hunith informed him after a moment.

"They have a good sense of smell," Cenred said. Hunith raised her eyebrows.

"So then you know you need a bath," Hunith informed him. Cenred frowned then he looked down. He was still in his travelling clothes, sat in a rather delicate chair, while the woman opposite him wore a dress of blue silk – she often chose blue – with her hair pinned up, and the needle moved swiftly through the material, although she was hardly looking at what she was doing.

"You have maids for that!"

"I enjoy it, Sire."

Cenred grumbled but he still, for some reason, obeyed and went to bathe. April stayed on hand to order people to get the bath ready, and when he felt respectable enough he sent the command through that he wished to dine with Hunith that night.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Despite the fact he was damn glad that Hunith had left his own area of the castle alone, he did often, while he stayed in the castle, find himself heading to the queen's apartment to sit with them. It was quite companionable. Hunith usually sewing, April and Mary, often simply waited on them, or helped their mistress; and Merlin, now almost five, played on the floor.

He was going through a phase of copying people. For the last few months he had only had his mother, Mary, April and the guards and servants to follow. Cenred for now had his interest. He was on the floor by Cenred's chair, while he looked over the maps and reports from the various areas of his kingdom.

Merlin had shuffled closer, playing with his building blocks and the old, now very well chewed, carving. He had piled them up and left the toy on top like a guard. Then he had tried peering over the table at Cenred's papers. In the end, Cenred had passed him an old map he had no use for, and a spare piece of parchment that had some rough notes on. Merlin sat on the floor, studying both carefully, playing with a quill as he pretended to make notes, as Cenred was doing. Merlin kept glancing up, trying to mirror Cenred's serious expression. Sometimes he caught the little boy's eye and Merlin would carefully check Cenred's mood. If he scowled Merlin scowled back, if Cenred smiled Merlin beamed at him.

At the fourth smile they both looked up as Hunith gave a light snigger.

"What?" Cenred demanded, feeling a little embarrassed; an emotion which often turned to aggression.

"Nothing," Hunith said, calmly going back to sewing, but obviously watching them in amusement. Cenred lifted on parchment to compare it with another. One which suddenly shot off the table and hovered in front of Merlin.

"Hey!" Cenred snapped, irritation rising up in him, his natural antagonism taking over for a moment.

"Merlin!" Hunith reproached him. The parchment fell to the floor and Merlin picked up the chew toy to stuff it into his mouth. Cenred stared into his wide eyes, now a little fearful.

"Sorry!" Merlin said around his toy. The parchment floated back up and Cenred took careful hold and placed it back on the table.

"You'll get splinters in your mouth," he informed Merlin, thinking that perhaps Merlin should be past that phase by now. Merlin frowned, took the toy out of his mouth and looked at it. Cenred reached down and removed it from Merlin's hands, putting it on the table, and then he pushed back his chair and reaching down lifted Merlin onto his lap. He felt a little bad that he had frightened Merlin, when he had been quite enjoying the emulation.

"Why don't you come up here and help me?" Cenred said, trying to ignore the flicker of a smile that crossed Hunith's face as she watched them.


	4. Chapter 4

"What's going on?" April asked as they watched a group of soldiers riding in. They were going at a brisk walk, one of them, Hunith noted with a sinking heart held a rope, while he led a man, with his hands bound, behind his horse. It saddened her sometimes that she couldn't intervene. There were times she could, and others where Cenred would just not tolerate it. She tired to press an influence onto him, but it could be futile. Hunith however glanced at Michaneck, one of her regular guards. He was older, no use to Cenred in the field but he trusted him with Hunith, and Merlin.

"I'll see what I can do, My Lady."

Hunith took Merlin's hand. Even he understood the reality. At least he knew it made his mother sad, and he didn't like it when she was sad. The one remaining guard and April headed back towards the castle with Hunith, Merlin holding her hand as they moved through the crowds. People greeted them politely, and Hunith smiled at all of them as they moved through the crowd. Merlin looked around in interest, his face serious, glancing up at Hunith on occasion as he felt the tension in her hand. Something about the soldiers had upset her.

On entering the castle Michaneck intercepted her, giving her a sweeping, formal bow as he always did, treating her with respect. Hunith wished he'd stop now, he had been part of their circle for almost a year. He was more a friend now than a guard.

"What is it?"

"Captain Cyranus would like to speak to you, in the throne room."

Hunith frowned in mild confusion, and prepared to pass Merlin's hand to April. However, Michaneck added.

"He said Merlin should be in attendance."

Hunith clenched her jaw tightly. Eyes flashing with anger. Michaneck looked apologetic, but his hand was resting on the hilt of his sword in a hint that he would do what might be required to protect her. Hunith didn't like Cyranus. There were people in Cenred's army, that captain one of them, who thrived on the strict laws that they enforced. Hunith knew she had been something of an influence on Cenred, but there were others around him that preferred the crueller routes he could take. Cyranus was one of those men. Hunith also had the feeling he was lying in wait, for Cenred to get bored of her. Ignoring the flutter in her chest Hunith straightened up. It would probably come as a shock to most people in the castle if Cenred suddenly rejected her. He seemed to be entirely inclined to keep her, even though it was Merlin who was his main interest.

None of them spoke as they walked through to the formal room. Merlin pressed tighter to Hunith as they entered and she paused at the foot of the dais. There was still only one throne in the room. She had no power, and she wouldn't dare to take the seat. Cenred would most certainly not appreciate the assumption. Cyranus gave a bow that intended to mock. Hunith kept her expression calm.

"You wished to see me Captain Cyranus?" she said calmly, aware of Michaneck lingering close to her. Merlin watched warily from his position, staring at the man with untrusting eyes. Cyranus regarded Merlin in much the same way, then he looked back up at Hunith and indicated to the two of his men holding their prisoner. Without warning they gave him a hard shove. The man fell forward, crashing to the floor, wincing as he landed. He had been beaten somewhere along the way, dried blood on his face, and his clothes were stained. As he sat up a little he flinched, glancing up to briefly meet Hunith's gaze, and then look at Merlin. She watched him frown, just briefly before her attention was drawn back to Cyranus.

"A present for you," Cyranus said.

"You call this a present?" Hunith asked.

"The King does," Cyranus said. Hunith felt the flutter in her torso again, no doubt Cenred will also get a very in depth run down of this conversation, hearing it from Cyranus first. Cyranus indicated to the man on the floor.

"He's a Druid. Cenred wants him to teach the boy."

Hunith glanced down at Merlin. Merlin's gaze was fixed on the prisoner, and, Hunith realised, despite the fact the man had his head down, the angle told her that the Druid was looking back at Merlin.

"Thank the King for his gift," Hunith said, her mind working. She had mentioned it to Cenred as a concern, and Cenred wanted to make use of Merlin. Druids, what she knew of them, were peaceful and used their magic carefully. The man could be more of an ally than a worry. Cyranus smirked but it faded as the Druid's bonds suddenly snapped, the ropes falling away from his wrists. He shifted again, wincing in pain, rubbing his wrists as they throbbed. Lifting his head he met Merlin's gaze more directly.

"Thank you."

Merlin peered around from the folds of his mother's dress, but there was a trace of a smile on his face. Michaneck stepped forward and helped the Druid up. He took the man's upper arm and hoisted him up. He wasn't exactly gentle, but he did so without causing the man any more pain.

"We'll take it from here then," Michaneck said, blocking out Cyranus and his group from having any more involvement. It made the Captain's expression darken.

"I can have some men stay. If you are concerned for the boy's safety," Cyranus said, staring at her intently. Michaneck glared at him and so did Hunith, she felt Merlin's hand tense in hers.

"That will not be necessary, I am sure if Cenred was unsure of his gift he would not have sent it."

Cyranus looked fairly displeased by Hunith so easily putting him off, but it made sense to her. If Cenred had any concerns over Merlin's, or indeed her, safety he would probably had not sent the man in the first place.

"I'm sure the King is more than happy with my abilities to protect Merlin," Michaneck added.

Cyranus straightened up, hand drifting to the hilt of his sword. Michaneck pulled the Druid towards the small group, yanking him a little, but most of them knew it was more show than threat. The prisoner moved without any complaint. Cyranus looked very directly at Hunith and bowed again.

"My Lady."

Hunith blinked, and turned as Horiace came in carrying several documents, his gaze fixed on Cyranus. He paused as he saw Hunith and the group around her, looking confused. Cyranus stepped forward.

"The Lady Hunith was just leaving."

Horiace looked confused but Hunith knew better than to make an issue of it. Instead it was best to beat a retreat. She turned Merlin, and had to physically force him, because her son was glaring at Cyranus. Hunith literally moved his head, and he went so far, until his eyes met the Druid's. After a second, Merlin seemed to relax and happily trotted along as Hunith led him. April went behind the pair of them and Michaneck dragged the Druid along with him, at least he was making it look like dragging, he was actually holding the man up. They got as far as the corridor that led to Hunith's rooms when she turned and stared at the Druid.

"Cenred captured you?"

"He caught us crossing the boarder from Camelot, My Lady."

Hunith guessed he used the address because Cyranus had. However, this man used it far more respectfully than the Captain did.

"My name is Hunith. You said us?"

"They escaped, with my help. He said he would not kill me, or chase them if I followed whatever command he gave me. My name is Iseldir. I will do what you command of me, and your son is in no danger from me."

Hunith paused and looked at him. His hair was matted and filthy and she could smell him, even though he was stood almost six feet away from her. Very carefully she looked him in the eye, over the last two years, while she and Merlin had been with Cenred, she had become good at reading people, at seeing the subtle hints behind their eyes as they spoke. She didn't think she was wrong, something had passed between her son and this man, and in response Merlin had seen fit to snap the ropes holding him. For some reason, he had come willingly, even though that had probably been hidden from Cenred's men, and Cenred himself. Iseldir looked just a little older than herself, she turned and looked down at Merlin. He looked perfectly calm, and even gave her a slight smile.

"Very well, perhaps you are better coming back when you have bathed and eaten," Hunith mused, she turned and glanced at Michaneck.

"I can get someone to see to it."

"My Lady, I will help," April said. Hunith nodded and then tugged her son's hand, pulling him away. April and Michaneck hustled Iseldir away, and he went with them without complaint. Hunith took Merlin into the morning room. The sun had faded away, but she knew no one expected her to be in there this late on. She wanted a moment with Merlin, in complete privacy. Sitting down on the window seat she lifted him gently and settled him next to her.

"Merlin, was that you, who untied him?"

Her little son nodded, his face solemn. "He said he wouldn't hurt me."

"I know he said that, but you sometimes have to be careful."

Merlin nodded again. "He said I was special."

"When?"

"When we talked, in my head," he told her, his voice still very serious. Hunith frowned.

"What do you mean Merlin?"

"I could hear him, but no one else could," Merlin said, his little voice bright, sounding pleased about the whole thing. Hunith took his hand, looking at him seriously.

"Merlin, you have to be careful, showing people your magic."

"But he can do magic too," Merlin said, sounding confused. Hunith looked pained and hugged her son close to her. Merlin gave a little murmur of confusion, but he snuggled against her, enjoying the hugging, as he always did.

"You're too young to understand now, you just have to remember, I love you, and I don't want anything to happen to you."

She was, Hunith thought, going to have to make very sure of that.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Iseldir returned to the apartments with Michaneck behind him, and April leading. He had put up no resistance to any of the orders. He had been bathed, given decent clothes and fed. The guard was a lingering, slightly threatening, presence but again it was simply something to accept. There had been nothing he could have done about his capture and he had been intrigued by his meeting with the little boy.

However, when they returned to the rooms, Merlin was not present. Instead Hunith sat calmly sewing and with one glance April and Michaneck left the room. It surprised the Druid but he sat down in the chair as Hunith nodded it at. She continued to sew for a moment, hardly even registering his presence.

"Merlin said he could hear you talking, in his mind."

"It is a talent we have, to communicate in such a way, but only through practice, as well as some talent."

"But you could to Merlin."

Hunith carried on sewing, not looking up but Iseldir got the feeling that she was watching very carefully.

"Yes, his talent is… extraordinary."

"Cenred believes so," Hunith said, her eyes drifted up for a moment.

"I cannot argue with that. I do not believe that Merlin will need much training to develop the control he needs. It appears to come as naturally as his magic."

"I don't believe Cenred has simply control in mind," Hunith said, sounding to Iseldir very honest about her opinion.

"He plans to use the boy as a weapon?" It wasn't really much of a question, although Iseldir made it so.

Hunith's sewing paused, she pushed the needle into the fabric and left it there, lowering the material to her lap.

"I would think so, however, he seems fond of Merlin."

Iseldir raised his eyebrows, but he did not comment. He possibly couldn't on such a thing. There were things he could have said, so many things, but considering the nature of the interview, he did not think that too many revelations were a good idea.

The things he could say, he did.

"That may be true. However, I will do no harm to your son, and will attempt to show him how to use his magic, as a gift like that should be treated, with care. Powers such like that are not bestowed lightly, I will do my best to make sure he understands such a thing."

Hunith's eyes stayed on him the entire time he spoke. He certainly meant what he said, and he tried to convey that. She regarded him for a while before she eventually spoke.

"We'll see."

Two years later they certainly did.


	5. Chapter 5

_**This is a run down of a few years of Merlin's life, before I hop a little further along and start to bring in some other characters. **_

**Seven Years Old**

Time had moved on a little. Cenred remained a presence around the castle. The kingdom seemed to have settled down. Merlin had taken quite well to Iseldir, and the Druid had proved to be an able teacher, teaching Merlin to read as well as helping him with his magic. The castle librarian followed on as a second tutor.

On Merlin's seventh birthday Hunith hadn't planned a great deal, but as with every year, Merlin received a gift, and was fussed over by the small group of people around him. He had remained a happy boy, but there was a sliver of aggression that was cultivated by Cenred.

Cenred's sudden appearance in the apartments came as something of a surprise to all of them as he strolled in. Merlin sat in the middle of the group, looking at the shirt that his mother had sewn him. He put it down as Cenred came in, and got to his feet. Another thing he had learnt was manners. All of them treated Cenred carefully, at least until they could be certain of his mood that day.

As he entered he gave Merlin an appraising stare. Merlin looked back. He was used to where he lived, and the occupants of the castle. It was now all he really remembered, and he knew Cenred.

"Sire," Hunith said, giving a little curtsey. Cenred glanced at her and then looked back to Merlin.

"It's your birthday today."

"Yes," Merlin said brightly. Cenred took Merlin's shoulder, squeezing a little which made Merlin's brow furrow, but he didn't resist the grip.

"You're getting strong; come on."

Cenred released Merlin and turned to walk out of the room. Merlin glanced at his mother and then went after Cenred. The command was not to be ignored, Cenred expected utter obedience. After a moment Hunith followed, with April, Mary and Iseldir in tow and they went down into the courtyard. A few of Cenred's guard were in attendance, including Michaneck. Some of them mounted and the grooms were holding two horses. One a new horse of Cenred's, the other Merlin recognised immediately.

"Hello, Stripy," Merlin said, petting the horse's nose. It caused a few of the grooms and soldiers to smile to themselves. The horse had never been given any other name, it had just stuck. Stripy obligingly nibbled at Merlin's sleeve.

"You like him don't you?" Cenred asked.

"Yes, he's nice," Merlin said.

"It's about time you had a horse of your own," Cenred informed him. Merlin petted for a moment and then turned to Cenred, processing the information.

Cenred watched Merlin's face light up with happiness, and he looked up at Stripy again. Then he went back to Cenred.

"I can keep him?"

"Yes, you can, it is about time you learnt to ride. He can be your first horse."

Merlin looked delighted. Merlin had met Stripy when the horse was a three-year-old colt. Now he was entering his eighth year, it wasn't too old, but the horse had also received a sword wound on his loins and it meant he was not as strong as he was. Cenred's normal reaction would be to simply sell or slaughter the animal, depending on that year's income, and the circumstances of the injury. Stripy, however, was different and Cenred hadn't wanted to contemplate Merlin's reaction to the absence of the horse from the stables. And an idle comment had made him think of a solution. He now reached down to pick up Merlin, something that was still possible, Merlin was tall, but slight. Cenred put him in the saddle and started to adjust the stirrups for him. Merlin grabbed the reins, and a concerned Michaneck stepped forward to show him how to hold them.

"Mother, I've got a horse for my birthday!" Merlin yelled at her. Stripy's ears twitched but the horse remained still.

"That's nice, My Love, remember it's a nice present."

"Thank you," Merlin said to Cenred.

"And if you are going to go riding, you need to make sure you have your sword, to protect yourself."

Merlin frowned and then his hand reached to the hilt of the small sword that was buckled to the saddle. Cenred ducked as Merlin yanked the weapon out. Hunith exhaled heavily, thanking Cenred's fast reflexes.

"Merlin, be careful!" she reproved her son. Merlin bit on his lip and looked apologetic. He had seen the damage weapons could do.

"Sorry."

"The blade is blunted," Cenred said, half turning to Hunith to announce it. "It is for him to practice with, as a Prince he should learn to fight with weapons. His training will start tomorrow."

Hunith's eyes widened. She probably wasn't the only one who started at the casual words. However easily it was said, it stood out. He had called Merlin a Prince. Over the years people had become used to referring to Hunith as a lady but at the beginning that had been indulgence, and a fear of Cenred. No one had wanted to be heard insulting his latest plaything. Merlin was different. Hunith watched Cenred move around Merlin, checking the saddle which the king had had made for him, and realised, that without doubt, he meant what he said.

Merlin was heir to Cenred's throne.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Mother, I fell off!" Merlin announced later that day. He came back sweaty and covered in mud.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, I like Stripy, and father said I need more horses."

Hunith blinked, her head jerking sharply.

"That's good, you'll have to look after them, if he's kind enough to let you have them."

"I will mother, I will!"

"Well!" Mary announced from her chair by Hunith after April had taken Merlin off to get cleaned up. Michaneck put a hand on Hunith's shoulder.

"There have been reports from Camelot, of Prince Arthur starting his training. Uther is very vocal in letting the other kings know of his son's progress."

Hunith huffed.

"My son is now a pawn in a competition."

"I do not believe that is entirely true," Michaneck said calmly. "He was concerned when Merlin fell, and he kept a close eye on him. Cenred enjoyed the time with him…. I think… "

The rest of what he had to say never came out as Cenred walked into the room. Hunith slowly stood up and with a quick glance dismissed the people around her. Cenred watched her, a frown slowly forming.

"You do not like my gift."

"I find it, a little unusual. My son has suddenly become a prince."

"It's hardly that sudden. He will become my heir. When I die, he will take the throne. From now, he will learn what that means."

"There are times, Cenred, I wonder what that means with you!"

Cenred looked furious but Hunith clenched her fists. She was not about to back down.

"It means he must learn what it is to be king!"

"As well as being useful for his magic!"

"And when have I ever denied that I found that useful?"

Hunith couldn't argue with that, it was the one reason she and Merlin had been brought to the castle. She never found a decent answer. Merlin did for her.

"Mother, can I…?"

He came running in and paused at the scene, his eyes widening. Merlin stopped waving the sword and he backed up, staring at them both with wide eyes. Neither Cenred nor Hunith dared turn their head to look at each other.

"What My Love?" Hunith calmly asked Merlin. He looked from one parent to the other, clearly trying to process what was happening. Then he went back to exactly what was on his mind, which was far simpler than the complex relationship between his parents.

"Can I ride Stripy tomorrow?"

**Eight Years Old**

In the spring of Merlin's eighth year, a day before the equinox, Cenred was trying to get through the scouts reports, the reams of paper concerning the kingdom's taxes and fend off Merlin's incessant hovering by the table.

"Where's your mother?" he eventually snapped.

"Sick," Merlin informed him, trying to peer at the papers, which were moving about of their own accord. Cenred looked up sharply.

"What do you mean sick?"

"Sick," Merlin said, and then he opened his mouth, stuck his tongue out and gargled, "yurrgh," in a vague representation of Hunith. Merlin left his tongue out for a few more seconds and then realised Cenred wasn't finding it amusing. He stepped back away from the table and stared at his father.

"How long has she been sick?"

"All week," Merlin told him.

Cenred had been so absorbed with what he needed to catch up on that he hadn't been around them too much. When he had seen Hunith she had said nothing to him. He stared at Merlin for a few more seconds, Merlin's clear, blue eyes stared back, widening as Cenred suddenly stood up, pushing his chair back. It would have toppled but stopped halfway as Merlin's eyes flashed gold, freezing it. Cenred hardly noticed it, normally Merlin got praised for any acts of sorcery, even the time he demonstrated a fireball that accidentally set fire to one of the hangings in the throne room. Instead Cenred turned and stormed off. Merlin, surprised, ran after him, the chair crashing to the floor as he released his hold on it.

The servants moved out of the way as Cenred went from his own apartment to the queen's rooms that Hunith had always occupied. April was tidying up in the morning room when Cenred burst in, a panting Merlin in tow.

"What's going on?"

"Sire?"

Cenred growled, spun on his heel and stormed through to the dressing room, which would then take him through to the bedroom. He walked in without any warning, causing both Hunith and Mary to jump. Hunith sat on the side of the bed, still in her nightdress, with Mary holding the chamber pot that Hunith had been vomiting into. Merlin came to a halt in the doorway, staring at his mother, realising she looked pale. A shred of worry started to stir in his stomach.

Cenred stalked across the room, going to the far side to get a close look at her. Mary backed off a little, but moved so she was still close enough to Hunith. Not that she could do much if Cenred chose to act.

"Merlin says you're sick."

"It will pass," Hunith told him. Cenred scowled at her. "It will," she added in response to the look.

"Merlin can be moved until after that, I don't want him getting anything," Cenred snapped at her. Hunith looked up, glaring at him. Cenred glared back before turning to Mary.

"Take Merlin out of here."

Mary obeyed. She did not like leaving Hunith alone with Cenred, especially when his mood was erratic. When there was just one thing on his mind it was fine. Other than that he often didn't mind what Hunith did, or said, because she was a by product of his desire for Merlin. As Mary turned Merlin to shoo him from the room she glanced back. Hunith gave a discreet nod as she slowly rose to face Cenred.

"Merlin will be perfectly fine."

"You don't know that, the physician had better take a look at you."

Hunith huffed, her temper flaring and her hands clenched at her sides. She had already assessed the problem with Mary, and Iseldir had enough information to make something to calm the sickness. Still, there was now no way to control her temper.

"I believe this, My Lord, is not something Merlin can suffer from. It is morning sickness; I am with child."

Cenred was on the brink of bellowing back, at the first sentence, but then the second one registered.

"What?"

"I believe, Cenred, I am pregnant. In fact I am certain of it."

Cenred opened his mouth, Hunith could easily read exactly what his next question would be. One that would have been entirely stupid. At the last moment, as if he read something in her face, Cenred prevented himself from asking 'how?' Hunith's mouth quirked upwards into a brief smirk, which caused Cenred to glower.

"I seem to be over two months pregnant," she added.

"Why have you not said before?"

She raised her eyebrows. "It seemed a wise idea to be certain."

Cenred glowered, trying to work out if that was a good thing or not. His eyes drifted down to Hunith's navel. She waited carefully, another reason for waiting was that she didn't feel entirely certain of how he would take the news. It also put her son's position in precarious balance. Although she doubted he would be dismissed from Cenred's court. His title as Prince had only just been really established, the new development could throw everything into the air. Hunith also didn't feel entirely sure how Cenred would now feel about her. She stayed still as he took two steps forward, to stand directly in front of her and he put a possessive hand on her stomach. It made her tense, just a fraction, and he paused, noticing the mild tension in her body. He blinked as he looked down at her, realising that she wasn't frightened of him, instead she just didn't seem to know quite what to make of the situation, with regard to him.

He glanced down again, looking at his hand on her stomach, contemplating the fact that his child now lived, and would grow inside her.

"My child, my son," Cenred said.

"It could be a girl," Hunith announced.

"You know that for certain?"

"No," Hunith said, refusing to rise to the antagonistic tone. "But it remains a possibility."

Cenred shrugged, clearly putting the thought from his mind, and he sensed another ripple of tension run through her. Merlin's piping voice reached them both as he demanded to know what was going on, and Mary's more soothing tone followed. Cenred looked down at her, smiling, genuinely. He seemed pleased with the development, but also, it appeared, aware it would change the balance of the small family he had.

"Merlin will have his place. Is there anything you need now? You should rest, you'll need more servants."

"I had Merlin while working in the village, there was never a problem with him, a fail to see one occurring now."

Cenred frowned, but in the end he had to concede, and do something that he had never really done before.

Trust someone else to know what they were doing.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It paid off, Hunith's pregnancy passed as easily as when she had carried Merlin. Both Merlin and Cenred tiptoed around her, Merlin picking up Cenred's cautious vibes. When the day came, and Hunith's waters broke, she retired to her bed, with Mary and April in tow. Cenred hung around the throne room. Merlin trailing along with him, for want of something better to do. He kept quiet, realising his chatter would probably not be appreciated.

As they returned to Hunith's rooms April came out, carrying a wrapped up bundle in one arm. She looked up at Cenred, a trifle apprehensive as he came towards her, but Hunith had sent her to do the job that needed to be done.

"Well?" Cenred snapped. The little bundle moved, giving a murmur.

"It's a girl, Sire, you have a daughter."

With that she passed him the baby. His reaction was automatic as Cenred took it, glancing down at the well wrapped up form, with only a tiny face showing. A small seed of rage began to germinate inside him. It wasn't a boy, which was what his mind had set it's sights on. For a moment the child's life hung in the balance, until there came a distraction in Merlin, who was bobbing up and down beside Cenred.

"Let me, let me, let me!" Merlin demanded over and over again, wanting to take the baby from him. Cenred allowed it, feeling a sudden disinterest in the whole thing.

"Careful now Merlin, you've got to hold her steady," April said.

"She won't fall," Merlin said confidently and he took the baby, opening the blankets around her so he could get a good look.

"Hello," he said to the baby. The little girl gave another murmur. "I'm your big brother, I'm Merlin. What's her name?" he suddenly demanded of April.

"I don't know, that's down to the king."

Merlin looked up at Cenred expectantly, his eyes wide. Cenred looked back at his adopted son and felt something quite strange. Utter relief. Hunith could have this thing, the child. He had given it to her, and so he could lay more claim to Merlin. It occurred to him that the worry of having a second heir had made him anxious about this pregnancy. Merlin would become a force to be reckoned with. Cenred had spent time making sure Merlin was ready, and there were years to develop him further. He would be king, and he would be powerful. Merlin had magic on his side before he even started, and he was turning into an able warrior.

He could let the child go, he had a daughter, who did nothing more than strengthen Merlin's position. A very helpful rumour had started that Cenred had been a regular visitor to Ealdor before he had arrived to take possession of Hunith and Merlin; and that Merlin was a child of his blood. It would get complicated if Merlin ever took the powers of a Dragonlord, but that was unlikely, so Cenred let the rumour run. It did no harm. Nor did this child, this daughter.

"Father?" Merlin demanded, far more concerned about names than his claim to the throne.

"What do you think?" Cenred said, easily passing the burden of the child over. Merlin bit down on his lip and the looked at the baby he was carefully holding. Cenred felt little for his daughter, a feeling that might improve as time went on, but Merlin loved her from the moment he saw her.

"Evelyn!" Merlin announced. "I want to name her Evelyn!"

"Okay, let's see what your mother thinks."

As they took the baby back to Hunith, Princess Evelyn she became.

**Nine Years Old**

Merlin paused in the shadows, waiting patiently as one guard passed, then a sound came from the far side of the dungeon. Merlin's eyes faded from gold back to their usual blue.

"What was that?" the guard asked.

As they turned their gaze Merlin moved easily through the shadows and down the steps. His feet made no sound as he went barefoot, carrying his boots so he would not be caught. He turned and went down to the cell at the end. It was hardly lit, there was nothing but shadows; only one that moved significantly as Merlin came into view. He eyed the nearby torch and whispered. A moment later it burst into flame and he could look into the cell.

The boy within shuffled back, trying to move into the shadows and he stared at Merlin with wide, frightened eyes. Merlin looked back, his head hurt a bit from the blow he had received but the boy had a bruise on the side of his face where Merlin had thrown him against a wall.

"Hello," Merlin said, frowning as his attempted friendly overture was ignored. The boy turned, looking away from him, but then his breath hitched and Merlin realised the bigger boy was trying not to cry. He glanced up at the torch that he had just lit and considered sitting in the dungeon in the dark. Shuffling forward he crouched by the bars of the cell.

"It's all right, I know you didn't mean it."

"You're the prince," the boy said.

Merlin paused and thought about that. "Yes," he eventually said.

"They're going to kill me."

"Why?" Merlin asked.

The boy shifted his head, and one eye caught the light as he looked at Merlin.

"'Cos I hit you."

"I hit you too," Merlin said.

"I'm not a prince."

The boy buried his face again. Merlin pouted and considered it, biting on his lower lip. He hadn't really meant what he had done, throwing the boy against the wall, but Merlin thought that, in reflection, he had started the fight. He hadn't really thought about killing. That seemed horrible.

"Don't worry," Merlin said. "It will be fine, I hit you too."

It clearly didn't mean the same thing. Merlin bit down on his lip.

"I'll stay here, I'll explain," he said. He could stop it.

"The light will go out," the boy said.

Merlin glanced up at the torch and shrugged. "That doesn't matter."

He held out his hand and whispered gently. Merlin watched the boy's eyes widened as the sliver of light started to glow. The torch suddenly flared stronger, the flame turning blue and Merlin realised the boy had shifted back in the cell.

"It will be fine, I'll make sure, I promise."

Merlin shuffled forwards, pressing himself against the bars to hold out his hand.

"I'm Merlin."

A shy, shaking hand met his.

"I'm Percival."

"Can you play crosses?" Merlin asked.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

That was the way they had been found, playing games when the king had come for them. Percival bit on his lip, he used to feel so big and strong, almost as big as the men. Now he didn't feel quite so strong. His family was leaving, he was left behind, a servant to the Prince. It was a fitting punishment, it was agreed, but that left him here. Percival felt big and strong in his home village, now he was just tiny.

He had to be brave, biting down on his lip he remembered what his mother had said to him. To be brave and do as he was told. That was fine, he could do that, he didn't know what else to do, with his parents trailing out of the castle, and Percival felt cold. They had left some things for him, including his blanket to sleep on. When they were travelling he had cuddled against his mother for warmth. Now he didn't even know where his belongings had gone. Percival felt cold, all over. He had never felt this cold before, right down to his insides. Except, he slowly realised, for one tiny part of him.

His left hand felt warm, because it was encased in Merlin's. The prince had stepped forward, staying close to him and holding his hand. Percival couldn't stop shivering but his hand refused to obey the rest of him. Merlin stood just in front of him and to the left, hiding the intertwined hands from his father. Merlin attention lay on the group of people leaving Percival behind, his face creased into a frown, trying to work out how that would feel. Percival felt that warm hand tighten on his, until Cenred turned his attention to his son. Merlin subtly released the hand.

"You need to go for your weapons training. Your new servant can carry your things."

"Yes, father," Merlin agreed. "Come on, and afterwards we can see Stripy." With that Merlin trotted off.

For Percival, there was no other way to go.


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm not entirely keen on this chapter, but it adds another little snippet before we move on. **

And that became the pattern, where Merlin went, Percival followed.

He had started out as a slavish servant, then as the years progressed became a solider, a bodyguard, a knight and through all that - one thing that Merlin treasured above everything else - a friend. Percival had been left with no choice but to serve the prince, now he could not imagine doing anything else.

He had learnt with Merlin, trained with him, hunted with him. The skills Merlin had learnt, Percival had picked up too and Merlin didn't care if his big, strong friend could beat him. Percival was there for him, and that was all that mattered to Merlin.

At sixteen Merlin was old enough to patrol, and they were following up reports of a creature that had been seen in the forest area in the east. Eighteen year old Percival had also gone with the hunting party, staying in Merlin's wake. They were followed by four other knights, the twenty strong group had divided to cover as much of the woods as possible. Two more parties were combing the area, looking for any sign of the beast.

"Look at that," Merlin mused putting his hand around a broken branch. It was not a small limb, but it looked to have been neatly snapped off. Percival analysed it as Merlin measured the limb, he could just about wrap his hand around it. Percival looked around and took a small step, crouching down.

"And this." He put his hand into the footprint, splaying his fingers, and still not reaching the far sides of the imprint. Merlin leant over, looking at the same thing.

"It looks to be in the shape of a cat paw."

"A rather big one," Percival mused.

"The reports we got said that whatever it was, it was big. I think my original thought was right, it's a griffin. The descriptions certainly are accurate."

"I thought it was a bit of an exaggeration, maybe not… perhaps we should…"

Percival paused turning to look into the forest as they heard the sound of branches rustling. Merlin frowned, tightening the grip on the spear he was holding, and his other hand shifted the hilt of his sword. Standing up Percival did the same. Both of them realised, the creature was now directly in front of them, somewhere through the trees. Percival raised his eyebrows at the sound of more branches snapping.

"We need to circle and try and draw it out," Merlin said, heading forward a little way before pausing again.

"It's heading east," Percival said, identifying the creature's direction without hesitation. He glanced at Merlin who nodded in assent, they both listened again, and Percival shivered as he felt the breeze against his back. Whatever was in the forest seemed to shift again, without doubt it had picked up their scent in the air. Merlin stepped forward, giving Percival and the others a series of curt gestures, so they could split up and circle round. Percival headed left with two of the knights, and Merlin himself headed right with the others in the group.

"Why don't we leave it some nice bait, an ox maybe," one of the knights behind Percival muttered, his companion responded by sniggering. Percival clenched his jaw heading in the direction Merlin had instructed him to go and not reacting to the insult; one that was, as usual, delivered when Merlin was out of range. The prince did not appreciate any sort of insults towards his best friend but none of the nobles liked the prince's closeness to Percival. He was not one of their own, of noble birth, but none of them had got close to Merlin.

Merlin moved carefully, sensing something on the air, he could almost smell it, his senses rising as he moved out into the clearing and swung round. The beast he was faced with was huge; lion body, eagle head. He backed up, the two men taking flanking positions.

"Down!" Merlin yelled. Both men ducked and let Merlin face off with the creature.

It didn't really help as the beast flew at him. Merlin flung up his defences, knocking the animal of course but he felt the breeze as the creature came dangerously close to him. His senses flared again as something hit him, and he could have almost stabbed the man, except he rolled off on landing to sprawl out in the ditch that he had pulled them to.

Shaking his head Merlin looked around to locate the beast and then he turned his attention to his saviour. He looked pale, hunching his right shoulder, but still trying to hold his sword.

"You fool, I could have dealt with it!" Merlin snapped, pulling off his cloak. He bunched up the material and pressed it against the claw wounds on the man's shoulders.

"I thought you were in danger."

"I'm not."

"Say again?" the stranger asked as there was a low growl and the huge beast tensed, lowering itself to pounce. It loomed over them rather ominously. Merlin crouched, keeping his hands on the wounds, he glanced around to locate the spear he had been carrying, whispering under his breath before he said.

"It's just a griffin," Merlin said. "Percival, distract it!"

Merlin raised his voice. Percival had appeared from the undergrowth on the far side, running forward as he had heard the shouts. At the command he started yelling and waving his spear, hardly reacting as the weapon burst into flame. It caused the beast to turn and Merlin ducked to dodge the tail as it moved again. He carried on pressing down on the stranger's wounds and the beast swung again as Cenred and four more men ran onto the scene.

"Merlin!"

"I'm fine father, hang on!"

Merlin muttered under his breath again, the spear flying across the clearing, slamming into the griffin's side. It roared in fury, the sound causing everyone to wince.

"Percival, to me!"

He did as he was told, running towards Merlin. The griffin reared back on it's hocks and turned, his eyes locking on Percival. He ran without fear, trusting Merlin implicitly. He let his spear go, it dropped and then floated just above the ground before Merlin let it fly, straight into the creature's chest. The griffin roared again, flailing in the air as the force of the hit threw the beast backwards.

"Prepare to fire!" Cenred roared. The men readied the rest of their spears, the third group crashing onto the scene. Merlin kept the pressure on the stranger's wounds, jerking slightly as Percival landed in the ditch next to him. The man under them hissed with pain.

"Keep the pressure," Merlin ordered Percival who did, causing the man to hiss again as Percival's strength pressed on him. Merlin stood up and whispered again.

Lancelot, now trapped under Percival, lay still watching with wide eyes as the youth's eyes flashed. Shifting upwards he tilted his head to watch the action as the rest of the soldiers circled the griffin. Merlin muttered under his breath and the spears burst into flame, his eyes fixed on the beast that was now bearing down on his father.

He hissed out the next words and as the men threw their weapons Merlin took control of them, speeding their flight as they shot towards the griffin, stabbing into the torso. The creature roared, paws flailing in the air as it reacted to the impact. All of them heard the crunch as one spear smashed through the ribcage. The griffin gave something of a groan before toppling over, crashing onto it's side and laying still. It gave another slow groan and then went still, it's final breath almost knocking the advancing soldiers off their feet.

Cenred left them to it and glared down into the ditch.

"Merlin?"

"I'm fine, father. You know I can handle it."

Cenred jumped into the ditch and Lancelot winced as he glanced up at the king.

"Who's this?"

"Someone who thought he was helping. He might have been what the griffin was following when we started to track it."

Merlin carefully lifted the material of his cloak and looked at the wounds. The claws had punctured the stranger's chain mail and the wounds were bleeding heavily.

"Well?"

"They're deep, but I can slow the bleeding. It needs cleaning and stitching, we can't do it here though. Loxford isn't far away, we could take him there."

One of the soldiers gave a low mutter, and there was some laughter. Looking up Lancelot saw Percival's jaw tense, but it was the only reaction he gave. Merlin crouched down again to look at the wounds.

"Can you walk?"

Lancelot nodded slowly. "I think so."

"Percival, help him."

The bigger youth carefully lifted Lancelot up, while Merlin supported him to help him steady himself.

"Merlin?"

"He helped me father, I didn't realise he was there, and he got injured."

"So he could have hurt you?"

"No," Merlin shook his head as he faced Cenred. "I protected myself, he just crashed in and I didn't have time to spread my defences. I was in no danger. I've dealt with griffins before. He reacted selflessly, we need to take him somewhere he can rest."

Cenred looked at Merlin and then slowly nodded.

"You're right; Loxford is probably closest. We can stay there for the night, and leave him before we head back. The griffin is dealt with now. We'll go ahead, the soldiers can deal with the body."

"Yes, of course."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The villagers of Loxford were pleased to see the cluster of knights and soldiers, of them in particular anyway. Lottie had been digging one of the growing patches as she had looked up and seen her brother, with Merlin. She had gone running in to tell her parents that Percival had come home, if only temporarily.

The inhabitants of the small village went out of their way to make the party welcome. Merlin supervised, making sure that Lancelot was well cared for. Iseldir had taught him the basics of healing and Merlin knew what to do. He settled the injured man in the home of Percival's family, and they rushed around to gather what Merlin needed.

"Sorry, I didn't ask your name," Merlin eventually said, as he washed the wounds out and then started to stitch. Before he started his pressed his hand to the wound and his eyes flashed. "That should make it less painful."

"Lancelot, and thank you."

"I'm Merlin," Merlin said assessing Lancelot for a moment. "You're bold, I suppose. A little lacking in manners, and intelligence. I was entirely capable with dealing with it. I'm sorry, I didn't manage to protect you at the same time."

"It's fine, I thought you were going to be hurt."

Merlin smirked and shook his head. "No, not at all, I was safe. I can protect myself, I didn't expect someone to try and rescue me. Most people know I don't need it."

"Sire, your father wishes to talk," Percival said.

Merlin smiled and patted Lancelot's good shoulder. "You'll be fine, Percival can finish treating this."

Merlin stood up and nodded at Percival, who smiled and nodded back glancing around the small cottage where he had been born, noting what was similar and what had changed. He might enjoy his life at the prince's side but it didn't remove the bruising ache in Percival's heart which told him he missed his family. It was probably not so bad when they came to the citadel to deliver and sell the harvest. In that scenario they were out of their environment. When the hunting parties stopped in Loxford Percival stood outside and watched his family getting on without him, and it hurt him. Merlin knew that. Sometimes being there made Percival feel like a stranger.

"Sir Percival," a polite voice said. Lancelot looked up in confusion. Percival took the poultice that was offered.

"Thank you," he said, just as politely to the other knight. Lancelot's eyes narrowed but as Percival turned to him he gave the injured man a steady gaze. Lancelot glanced about sensing a sudden ripple of tension in the air. The knight paid no attention to Lancelot's scrutiny instead he nodded at Merlin, who headed out with the man. Percival's mother, who had also bustled in, gave a light curtsey as they left.

"I brought the bandages," she said. Percival paid no heed to Lancelot's steady gaze as he concentrated on applying the treatment to the wounds. His mother pottered around behind him, looking like she was getting ready to start cooking.

"You're one of King Cenred's knights?"

"Yes," Percival said.

"But you're not of noble birth?" Lancelot said looking around the tiny cottage. Percival sensed his mother's work slowing. She picked up a bucket.

"I'll just get some water," she said. Percival waited until she was gone.

"Actually, I'm also the Prince Merlin's servant, I have been since I was eleven."

Lancelot nodded, musing on that. "But the others insult you?"

"Like you said, I'm not of noble birth, they feel it their duty to remind me of my place."

"But not in front of the prince?"

Lancelot watched Percival's jaw tense with anger and his eyes darkened. He didn't like this line of conversation.

"Sorry, it just seems odd," Lancelot said.

"They are the sons of the noble houses, and the rich, in this kingdom. The King does not want them alienated, and Merlin won't stand for any insults he hears. It would cause too much disturbance if Merlin excluded them over such a matter."

"He must know it happens."

Percival shrugged, glancing up as his mother came back with the water. Percival started to wrap up the wound, making Lancelot wince on occasion as he applied pressure. Lancelot took the hint and left the conversation alone, it was not something Percival seemed keen to discuss.

"This should be fine now," Percival added as he finished off, he hadn't done an entirely bad job, again having learnt everything Iseldir had taught Merlin about healing, but he didn't want to continue this conversation.

"How did you end up as the Prince's servant?" Lancelot asked. Percival raised his eyebrows. His mother stopped to listen, looking slightly anxious.

"We had travelled to the castle, I got into a fight with Merlin and hit him, he was nine and smaller than I was. I would have been executed over it."

"But you weren't."

Percival looked at Lancelot steadily. Many people knew the story, but this stranger clearly didn't.

"Lady Hunith intervened on my behalf, she said a more fitting punishment was to become the Prince's servant."

Lancelot frowned but the conversation ceased as two soldiers and then Cenred came over the threshold. Percival rose to his feet.

"Sire."

Cenred eyed Percival carefully before nodding his head. Taking the hint Percival left without a word, taking his mother with him. Lancelot sat up, wincing as his shoulder throbbed, and he nodded his head.

"Sire."

"I suppose I should thank you, for trying to help Merlin."

"I believed he was in danger, it would appear my assessment is wrong."

"My son knows how to care for himself," Cenred said. Lancelot shifted under the intense gaze. "Were you just travelling through or are you from this area."

"Just travelling," Lancelot said a little evasively. It caused Cenred's eyes to narrow.

"To where exactly?"

"I don't have a particular destination," Lancelot said, truthfully. Cenred looked at him, his gaze steady, trying to assess what exactly Lancelot's intentions were. Merlin, in their discussion, had seemed more than satisfied that Lancelot spoke honestly. That he had truly thought that Merlin was in danger from the griffin. Cenred felt less inclined to believe that but he also put some trust Merlin's judgement.

"You should at least perhaps be rewarded for your bravery," Cenred said. Lancelot shook his head.

"There is no need."

"At least you can avail yourself of the hospitality of Loxford until you are well again."

"Thank you, Sire."

Cenred decided that was enough, he could see to it that Percival's family would care for Lancelot until he had recovered. He headed out of the cottage and looked around, spotting Merlin sat with Percival, deep in conversation. A few of the other knights were lingering around them, while Percival kept a careful eye on his sister.

The king was aware of the flack Percival received. It didn't particularly bother Cenred, but neither did Percival's friendship with Merlin. The boy took his role seriously enough, and had proven himself willing to do anything for Merlin. There was more to the teasing, and insults, than met the eye. Despite all rumours it was a known fact that Merlin had been born in a village, his mother a commoner. His adoption didn't completely change those facts. But people couldn't, wouldn't dare, confront Merlin about it directly, so they chose another target. Again Percival did Merlin another service. He did so many.

It had taken Cenred a little while to work out what Hunith's motivation had really been. True enough, she had wanted to save Percival's life, he had only been a child when he had nearly been executed. Hunith also believed that Merlin hadn't been entirely innocent when the boy's argument had started.

Cenred watched Merlin now, talking to the knights, the villagers and Percival's young sister, who had been subject to several lustful stares from the soldiers. They wouldn't dare touch her, Percival would kill them, and Merlin would back him up.

Hunith had been clever on that day, Cenred had to admire her for it. Merlin's arrogance and aggression had shown itself, and because of it, he had nearly been responsible for Percival's death. In one careful move, Hunith had made sure Merlin had been left a permanent reminder of the consequences of his actions.

At least Cenred knew, after that had occurred to him, exactly where Merlin had inherited his cunning streak from.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm bringing in a bit of series one now, and don't worry a certain prat will be turning up soon. **

Merlin walked back to the castle, Hunith's arm linked through his right and in his left hand he held Evelyn's. Behind them Mary and April trailed along behind carrying all that had been purchased that afternoon. Merlin had nearly lost the will to live as he had been dragged around the market stalls. He hadn't even had Percival to back him up, his servant had several chores he needed to catch up on, and Merlin was starting to think that helping muck out the stables was far more preferable to shopping. Quite wisely he kept that opinion to himself, letting his sister swing his arm as she skipped alongside him.

Princess Evelyn had grown into a pretty looking girl, with gleaming chestnut hair and hazel eyes. Merlin also held the opinion she was a little bit spoil, but every one of her family played a role in being responsible for that, as were April and Mary. Merlin could hardly complain. Now and again it just irritated him that at her age he had been learning how to become king. Nothing appeared to be expected of Evelyn.

"I can wear my new dress for the spring feast, can't I mother?"

"We'll have to make it first," Hunith said trying not to smirk at Merlin's eye rolling. At least if he delivered them safely back to the royal apartment, he could escape to the tavern with Percival, at least for a couple of hours. Hunith patted his arm and he gave her a narrow-eyed look.

As they reached the main entrance they paused as a man and an older woman tried to gain entrance to the castle. The soldiers on duty clearly were not about to let them in. Hunith pulled the group to a halt, staring at the people with a mild frown on her face. Merlin watched her, especially as the confusion smoothed out into shock and she released her grip on Merlin to step forward, heading towards the two people.

"Raina?" she asked in disbelief, the woman turned and then Hunith blinked again as she looked at the man. He was older now, so was Raina. It had been sixteen years since she had last laid eyes on them, but the memories asserted themselves, of a time that seemed so long ago.

"Hunith," the woman sighed, looking relived at the sight of her. Reaching out Hunith took the woman's hands and then looked at the man again. He had grown up, but she did recognise him, seeing features that were familiar.

"Matthew?"

"It is you, I didn't even recognise you."

In the rich dark blue gown, her hair pinned up, a small silver coronet holding it away from her forehead, she probably didn't look as she had when they had last seen each other.

Merlin had stepped forward, bringing Evelyn along with him. She was eyeing the people with just as much curiosity, but had no idea how her mother could know them, clearly so well. Merlin could only assume one possibility. With one wave of his hand he made the two guards back off, and they retreated back into their position by the gate, still eyeing the two newcomers with suspicion but staying out of the ongoing proceedings. The woman looked at him, blinking once and then looking at Hunith again, and then back to Merlin. Recognition had sparked in Raina's eyes, but she said nothing, feeling shy under Merlin's impenetrable gaze, turning her attention back to Hunith.

"What in heavens are you doing here?" Hunith asked, staring harder she realised that a fading bruise marred Raina's face. "What happened?"

Both of them looked stricken at the question, which caused Hunith to frown deeper.

"You must be tired if you have travelled all the way from Ealdor," she said. It had taken her two days by horseback. Moving closer she put her arms around Raina to gently support her and lead her into the castle. Matthew followed, looking around nervously as he passed the previously aggressive guards. Merlin followed, Evelyn trotting along next to him, hissing up at him.

"Who are they?"

"People that mother know," Merlin said, giving his best answer, and one that was short. Evelyn frowned, stepping away from him as she walked along, Merlin tightened his grip on her hand to steady her, the reaction automatic.

"But they're peasants!"

"Evelyn!" April snapped at her. "That is no excuse to be rude."

Evelyn pouted, looking very put out at April telling her off. Merlin tugged his sister closer and squeezed her hand, this time affectionately.

"Evie, hush now."

They met Percival on the way to the royal apartment. Hunith's rooms took up one entire corridor. They had spread a little over the years, with Merlin growing up and the addition of Evelyn. Raina and Matthew gawped at the surroundings that Hunith lived in. Merlin had moved from there over five years ago, taking his own set of rooms on the floor below with Percival in situ nearby. Evelyn stayed in Hunith's apartments, and would probably never move Merlin thought. Percival looked curiously at the woman Hunith was leading and the man self-consciously trailing behind them. With one jerk of his head Merlin got Percival to follow. He had some of Merlin's shirts draped over his arm, having finished the stables and then cleaned Merlin's armour, and also his own, and then collected Merlin's laundry.

"What's going on?"

"Not sure," Merlin said. Percival shut up and relieved Mary of some of her packages.

Hunith chose the larger drawing room to settle her guests. It had a slightly more formal air to it, since Cenred and Merlin sometimes sat in there to go over any administration during the evening, a huge table taking up one end of the room for that very purpose.

"April could you fetch some refreshments," Hunith asked as she got Matthew and Raina settled. Merlin stayed standing, lingering by the fireplace. Evelyn plonked herself on the rug by his feet, playing with her two dolls, while she watched what was going on.

"I'll help," Percival said, and then paused as Merlin coughed. "Or not," he said, putting the packages and shirts down and hovering in the background. Matthew and Raina looked stunned by everything.

"What's happened?" Hunith eventually asked them. She could have asked them so many things, memories rushing back to her. Those lost thoughts hardly seemed real but the two people in front of her brought them into sharp focus.

"We don't know what else to do," Matthew said, eventually breaking the silence. "This was the only thing we could think of."

"Do about what?" Merlin demanded. Matthew stared at him, lowering his gaze to the table.

"Sorry, Sire, they came just over a month ago… and…." Matthew tailed off.

"Who did?" Hunith asked, glaring at Merlin and quelling him into silence. He kept his gaze on the newcomers, staring at them intently with an unreadable expression.

As the conversation went on the expression went from anger to fury, although his face didn't seem to change that much, but his jaw tensed, and his eyes almost started to burn. Matthew and Raina stammered an explanation of what the raiders had done to the village of Ealdor.

"They've taken almost everything My Lord, we can't afford to lose what we need to get us through the winter, what we have left will barely do that," Matthew said.

"We begged him but he said he could solve the problem," Raina added, her voice sounding increasingly stressed, but more as if she desperately wanted to tell him what she needed to say. Merlin raised his eyebrows, and let her, asking.

"How exactly?"

"He'll kill anyone of no use, the children, the women, the elderly," she said. Hunith gave a sharp intake of breath. Evelyn paused playing with her dolls, stopping their odd little dance to stare at the two strangers before looking up at Merlin. Percival thought that if Merlin got any angrier he was liable to accidentally ignite himself.

"How many men does this Kanen have?" Merlin asked.

Matthew frowned, pausing for a moment to think. "Forty maybe, I'm not sure. We didn't know if you could help, it's only a tiny village, we don't have much."

He stopped talking as Hunith reached out to grip his arm. She turned to look at Merlin, who was thinking it through, he glanced at Percival. The bigger youth had rested his arms on the back of a nearby chair as he had listened but he shrugged as Merlin glanced at him.

"You take the twenty on the left, I'll take the twenty on the right."

It caused a quirk of humour to flicker over Merlin's face and Matthew frowned in irritation, although he said nothing, not daring to challenge Merlin. He couldn't help feeling angry at the slight joke, but as he looked around, he thought it might not entirely be one. They heard stories and rumours about Merlin, from people passing through. By the expressions on the faces of some of the people in the room, there was a hint that Merlin and Percival were entirely capable of such a thing.

Merlin snapped his attention back to Matthew and Raina, and then eventually his mother. She was one reason they had come, Hunith had lived in Ealdor, she knew what it was like. They had travelled across the kingdom in the hope that she could influence Cenred to help them.

"I'll talk to father," Merlin announced abruptly. He stepped over Evelyn and as he passed Percival put a hand on his shoulder. Taking the hint Percival straightened up and turning followed Merlin out of the chambers.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"The village is in one of the outlying regions," one of the councillors said.

Cenred had started the afternoon meeting early on account of what Merlin had told him, or more accurately the way he had told him. The outlying regions offered little, they sustained themselves, the little villages trading with each other to survive, and their problems didn't often get noticed, unless a patrol happened to be around at the time.

"What's that got to do with it?" Merlin said from his place at the table, right of Cenred. Percival stood behind him, as he always did.

"It's still our side of the ridge," he continued. "Which makes it our concern."

"We can't go shooting off every time there is even a hint of a problem. Our forces cannot be spread that thinly."

Merlin looked steadily at the man who had spoken, raising his eyebrows a little.

"There is a point there, Merlin," Cenred said. Merlin glanced at his father.

"We don't have a hint, there are two people with an eyewitness account."

"It's taken them four days to travel here. By the time you reach the village it could be too late," Horaice argued. Merlin took a deep breath, exhaling heavily.

"I'm aware of that, but we might not be, and if this Kanen thinks he can take one village, then he may move to another, and the more time he's given, then there is a possibility that he will push further into the kingdom if we do nothing about him."

"If it gets to that point we can do something about it."

Merlin glared at the man at the end of the table. "Then what is the problem of making sure it doesn't get to that point. And I hardly think giving out the message that raiders are allowed to do what they like is something we should be doing."

Cenred raised his eyebrows. "Merlin does have a point there."

Merlin pressed his advantage. "We don't tolerate other kingdoms pressing in on our boarders, so I don't see how this is any different. If this man get's a foothold he'll be harder to get rid of in the long run."

Horaice smirked across the table at Merlin, who ignored him except for a quick, subtle wink. The council still, however, seemed prepared to argue.

"The area over the ridge spreads out into forest, the boarder with Camelot lies within there. If these raiders flee they may seek refuge there."

"Good, then they can be Camelot's problem," Merlin said. "If we leave a boarder patrol of enough men there, we can stop them from returning."

"Uther will not take that kindly, especially if there is any hint that we may have crossed over."

Cenred snorted with laughter. "How will he ever manage to substantiate such a claim? He'll risk war making too much of an issue over it. How many soldiers will you need?"

"Against forty men, no more than half that, probably only a dozen; and Percival of course."

"Of course," Cenred said, glancing at Percival, who hadn't flickered when Merlin mentioned him separately. "If you set off at dawn, you can probably be there in a day and a half."

"I'll gather the men I need," Merlin said, standing up.

"Take Captain Cyranus with you, he'll be competent in such a venture."

Merlin's jaw tensed, eyes flickering with mild fury but Cenred's stare back was even more resolute. Merlin had won the argument to get out and deal with the raiders, to make an issue of taking one of the army's best men would be idiotic. He gave a curt nod.

"I'll speak to him now. Gentlemen," Merlin nodded at the councillors who all stood up as Merlin spun on his heel and left the room to head down in the direction of the barracks.

"You can't complain that much, he's a good soldier," Percival murmured.

"I know that, I just don't like him."

"Why? He's perfectly friendly to you," Percival said.

Merlin glanced at Percival, who knew when to leave well alone, so he changed the subject and said.

"At least you get out of the council meeting."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Since Percival had his own packing to do April came down to help Merlin, who didn't really need any help, especially since April had brought Evelyn with her. She was jumping around on Merlin's bed, her dolls now playing at knights and raiders.

"It must be exciting, going and saving people," Evelyn said.

"I hardly think it's as simple as that Evie," Merlin replied. Evelyn stopped jumping up and down, pouting in confusion, at ten she couldn't really expect to entirely understand it. She had lived a very sheltered life, within the castle, always surrounded by people who cared about her and provided for her. There was nothing precarious about her world.

"But that's what you'll do isn't it, go and stop the raiders and save people."

"You should take your warm cloak," April informed Merlin, going to his wardrobe and rummaging for it. Merlin stared at his sister.

"The raiders have already taken some of their food, they still might need more help. And they'll still suffer."

"They can get more," Evelyn said dismissively.

"They can't!" Merlin snapped, more sharply than he intended. "What they had, they had grown themselves. It's not so easy to replace, they can't grow much more now, which means some of them may die. We might even be too late to help them."

Evelyn blinked at him, her eyes wide. April stared at him steadily and Merlin winced inwardly. He reached out to take Evelyn's hand and she bounced out of his reach, then bounced back again, hopping into Merlin's arms and letting hug her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to shout at you."

"That's all right, although knights in fairytales don't shout. Will you meet a princess?"

"I might do," Merlin said as Hunith opened the door. He released Evelyn and she dropped back down onto Merlin's bed. She decided one of her dolls was a prince, and the other a princess, and off they went on an imaginary quest. Hunith looked at Merlin questioningly.

"I need to check the armour," Merlin said. Hunith smiled.

"I'll help you."

They left April packing and Evelyn playing.

"I heard shouting," Hunith said as they stepped into the corridor.

"That was me, at Evie, she doesn't get what's going on."

"She's only a child, she won't."

"I did at her age."

"That's because it's different for you Merlin."

They reached the end of the corridor and Merlin opened the door on the right. He wasn't entirely sure what the room was meant to have been but he and Percival had turned it into a makeshift storage room.

"I don't see why you just don't use the armoury in the barracks."

"Because if Percival goes down there to do any cleaning or repairs half the knights appear to make him do theirs as well. This way he doesn't get all that dumped on him. Not that he said anything to me when it was happening."

"You know he wouldn't."

"Well, it's not fair!"

"Life isn't, dear, not for anyone and not all the time," Hunith said. She stepped forward and took Merlin's arm, his hand froze on his chainmail. It had already been cleaned anyway, Percival had only done it that morning. There wasn't a great deal to check.

"Please tell me you'll be careful."

"You know I will, I'll be fine. It's nothing I can't handle, I've done it before."

"This time you don't have Cenred with you."

Merlin thought about that. This time he was in charge, there would be no one to defer to.

"I have Percival, and Cyranus."

Hunith huffed in irritation. "You really need to let that go Merlin."

"I remember it very well."

"I know that my love, but sometimes it's not worth bothering to be angry about things you can't control."


	8. Chapter 8

They pushed hard and reached Ealdor within a day and a half. Hunith had tried to persuade Raina and Matthew to stay for longer, to rest, but they were anxious to get back, their loved ones still remained at the mercy of Kanen. As they rode closer to the village a scream travelled on the air towards them. Merlin jerked the horse to a halt, his eyes widening. There were crashes now, other screams and yells, and the sound of horses. He turned to Cyranus, who rode slightly behind him, on Merlin's left.

"Take half the men and circle round. Come in from the other end of the village."

Cyranus nodded, waving at the group of men behind him, who separated as commanded. The rest lingered behind Merlin. Merlin glanced at Matthew and Raina.

"Stay here," he ordered them. "You two, stay with them," he ordered two of the soldiers. Both of them nodded, dismounting off the horses and helping Matthew and Raina down, guiding them clear of the road. Merlin kicked his own horse, sending it flying forward, and the remaining four men, plus Percival thundered after him. He took the main road down into the village, not bothering to be subtle about it. Cyranus could do that when the raiders scattered. Merlin urged his horse on, running into the village. The first raider he met Merlin slashed in the neck, knocking the man down and leaving him bleeding on the ground. He pulled up his horse and gazed around. Percival did the same, his intention to stay as close to Merlin as he could. At a signal from Merlin two of the men dismounted, the rest stayed on horseback, to match the raiders. Merlin urged his horse forward, into the centre of the village. The people of Ealdor had scattered, and the raiders had no choice but to let them run, they were suddenly facing another threat.

The group in the centre of the small cluster of huts turned. Merlin glared at them, but a quick sweep told him, it was not the entire band of raiders. There were twenty or so in the village. Perhaps they hadn't though them much of a threat, not now they had slaughtered the village leader, Randolph, the first of the elderly to be killed. Raina's husband, Matthew's father, the people that had thought their last resort was to struggle across the kingdom and ask for help. They had gone to seek out someone they had not seen for years, knowing that Hunith might be the only person that could help.

A surge of white hot fury went through Merlin. This was part of his kingdom, for half of his life he had been taught about it, and what his responsibility was towards it. His magic rippled under his skin, and so did something else. Merlin clamped his legs around his horse's sides and the beast under him, Blaze, Stripy's son, reacted, throwing his head. Merlin tightened his grip on the reins, but not to keep the horse under control, that was the last thing he wanted.

Like his sire, Blaze was a damn good warhorse, he saw what was needed and as Merlin urged him on, Blaze thundered into the battle. Nothing would touch him, Merlin threw up the defences that Iseldir had taught him years ago and he crashed through a cluster of raiders. Two went down under the horses' feet. One died as Merlin's sword sliced across his chest. Merlin swung his leg over, dropping to the ground and turning the horse so he left the field. Blaze cantered off, pausing by the edge of the village and he peaceably dropped his head to a grass verge and started to graze, the sounds of battle not disturbing him one iota. His ears moved, keeping track of the noise, and if Merlin called he would come, if someone advanced on him Blaze would deal with it. But for the moment, there was nice lush grass, and that had the horse's attention.

Merlin sensed Percival at his back as four more men ran at them. Percival went right, Merlin left, swords clashing, the sound ringing in the air. But the raiders were no match for them. Merlin killed one within seconds, and then his eyes flashed gold. The last man staggered, flinching as his sword became too hot to hold, and he couldn't help but drop it. Merlin paused, waiting until the raider looked up, and he stepped away, back-peddling from Merlin, but it was too late. Merlin sliced his sword through the man's ribs and dismissed him as he fell to the ground.

Cyranus had sprung in from the far end, forcing the raiders back into the village, they were chasing them now, running them down. Merlin turned at the sound of a scream. He ran towards the cottage and saw a woman and two children running away, towards the woods. Merlin ran in their direction, indicating to Percival to circle around the small little hut.

Merlin tracked the other way sword raised intending to meet whoever it was head on. His blood was up, and he couldn't kill everyone. Not all of Kanen's force was in the village, by the look of it. Merlin needed someone who could guide him to the rest. He didn't think any of the raiders would act with much loyalty but Merlin could get the information one way or another. He needed to pin one of them down.

However, as he circled and met the raider, he paused, frowning as he stared at a familiar face. There was a body of another raider on the ground, and Lancelot's sword dripped with blood. He lowered the weapon as he saw Merlin, looking just as confused as he stared at the prince.

"My Lord?" Lancelot said. Merlin's frown deepened. The sounds of the battle were slowly fading. The raiders were on the run, but none of them were getting far. Merlin's men had circled the village, effectively hemming them in. The skirmish had lasted less than ten minutes. It was an easy victory for Merlin's men. He could have felt quite proud of himself, but for the moment, all he felt was baffled.

Lancelot backed up, clearly having no intention of fighting Merlin. He glanced down at the body by his feet, and a realisation came to Merlin that it was Lancelot who had killed him. Before either of them could react further, Percival appeared from the other side, and a moment later Lancelot's eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the ground as Percival neatly bashed him on the back of the head with the hilt of his sword. He stared at Lancelot's crumpled form and then looked up at Merlin.

"What's he doing here?" Percival asked.

"That's something I think we need to find out."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Lancelot woke to a throbbing headache and an inability to move. A swift assessment told him that his hands were tied behind his back, his ankles were lashed together and he was gagged. Blinking slowly he brought his vision into focus. Since the knot of pain was low on the back of his head and just a little behind his right ear, he assumed that someone had knocked him out.

Looking around he realised he was in one of the village stables. He lay in the straw, and inhaling carefully he picked up the scent of pigs. It did nothing to quell the slight nausea he was feeling and he lowered his head again, hoping that he wasn't actually lying in anything horrible. He eased out a low breath and listened as he heard someone stirring behind him.

"Looks like he's woken up," a voice announced.

Lancelot supposed he could have turned around to see what was going on in the doorway, but the state of his head made him think that moving too much probably was not a good idea. In the end, he got no choice in the matter, someone grabbed him by the neck of his tunic, and lifted him, shifting him so he was sat up. Whoever it was, then put their boot on his shoulder to keep him upright. Glancing up he didn't need full focus to identify Percival. The figure was too tall and broad to be anyone else. Lancelot cleared his vision again as someone crouched in front of him. The figure was Merlin, looking Lancelot up and down steadily. The blue eyes were unreadable as Merlin assessed him. Since he was still gagged Lancelot couldn't say anything, all he could do was wait. Merlin toyed with a dagger, the one that perfectly matched his sword. Both of them had been a sixteenth birthday present from Cenred, especially made for him.

Merlin had noticed that, Cenred often gave him weapons, and horses. Hunith contrasted with clothes and books. Merlin had long ago learnt to balance the two, which was why Percival knew that Merlin hadn't been about to kill Lancelot, and so had knocked him out.

It took a lot of Lancelot's effort to stay still under that impenetrable gaze, but he did so, and met it. Only flinching as Merlin lifted the knife, bringing it up to Lancelot's face. He slid the blade between Lancelot's cheek and the material of the gag. Merlin performed the procedure very slowly, eyes on Lancelot as he gauged the reaction. It wasn't the simplest of ways to remove the gag, but Merlin had a purpose to everything he did. He watched Lancelot's reaction to the proximity of the knife, and actually felt quite impressed that Lancelot didn't flicker while he cut the material. Merlin pulled the gag clear and dropped it into the straw, sheathing the knife carefully into his boot.

"I'm sure there's a very good explanation as to why you were with those bandits," Merlin said calmly. "Several of the villagers identified you."

Opinions had ranged a little, regarding Lancelot.

"You helped the woman and her children."

Lancelot nodded. "He intended to slaughter the children and take the woman."

"So you killed him."

"I've killed four of them so far."

Merlin raised his eyebrows. "And did you think they weren't going to notice. What were you really doing?"

"Raiders killed my family when I was young."

"So becoming one became your life's ambition."

"They didn't give me much choice at the time, when I ran into Kanen. At least if I stayed with them, got them to trust me, I could…"

"What?" Merlin asked. "Kill them all one by one?"

"I thought if I was patient enough, then I could get close to Kanen and if I killed him."

"One of the others would just take his place, any potential alpha dogs would probably scrap over the privilege but one would come out on top in the end. What would you do then? Start making another plan."

Lancelot blinked. "If I had to."

"Unless of course you got yourself killed in the process. Did you hurt any of the villagers?"

"I didn't kill any of them," Lancelot said.

"No, you just left that to others," Merlin snapped. "And you didn't answer the question. Did you hurt any of them?"

The prince watched as Lancelot hesitated. Percival prodded Lancelot's shoulder with his foot, in a hint to answer. Trapped between Merlin and Percival Lancelot guessed that probably honesty was his best policy.

"I joined in the attack, but I didn't use a weapon against anyone, only my fist, and none of the women and children."

"Very admirable," Merlin said, his voice hardening with a trace of sarcasm.

"I did my best," Lancelot said, not sounding even the least bit insulted by Merlin's tone.

"There was only eighteen of you in the village, and none of them Kanen. They'll all dead now," Merlin added conversationally, he most certainly wasn't going to care about them. "Except you."

Lancelot said nothing to that. He didn't really feel like finding out why Merlin had saved him. Judging by the look on Merlin's face it wasn't out of the kindness of his heart. Percival gave him another nudge.

"You could at least be grateful," he informed Lancelot. Merlin didn't react to the interruption, he just continued to stare at Lancelot. Lancelot looked back.

"I'm not sure if I ought to be," Lancelot said, earning himself a cuff around the head from Percival. Merlin's eyes lifted.

"Enough," he ordered Percival, who shifted his foot a little, but he didn't do or say anything more.

"Where's Kanen? And how many men does he have remaining?" Merlin asked.

"Twenty-four. They were scouting the surrounding area, there are two more villages south of here, he was hoping to spread further, establish himself and then move beyond the ridge."

Merlin raised his eyebrows.

"That would take him over the boarder into Camelot," Percival said to Merlin. Merlin's jaw tensed, and he debated the outcome of that scenario.

"He's trying to establish himself permanently here?" Merlin asked. Lancelot nodded.

"Presumably he's camped somewhere nearby, he hasn't been using the village as a base."

"He moves around a little, until he finds somewhere to set up, he's camped half a days ride from here."

"Is he expecting this force back there?"

Lancelot nodded. Merlin smiled, lighting his eyes, but not in a friendly manner.

"You can lead the way then, can't you?" Merlin said.

"My Lord, that will take us close to the boarder," Cyranus commented from the doorway. Lancelot didn't bother to turn his head. It was hurting too much for him to really want to bother. Merlin did, pondering for a minute.

"What are the chances of coming into contact with a Camelot patrol?"

"It is unlikely Sire," Cyranus confessed.

"But if we do?"

"I'm fairly certain, considering the circumstances of the situation, we can handle it."

Merlin glanced back at Lancelot, and his eyes flashed gold for a brief moment. As that happened Lancelot felt the ropes around his wrists and ankles loosen, and Percival, with one last shove removed the support. Lancelot pitched sideways, landing a little heavily but he took a deep breath, steadying himself. The moment he had done that he slowly started to get to his feet. Merlin straightened up, taking a step back to give Lancelot room. Neither Merlin nor Percival made any attempt to help him.

He staggered a little as he steadied himself and then waited. Percival grabbed his shoulder and propelled him towards the door. Lancelot stumbled, his stomach churning a little as the pain in his head increased. It was only Percival's grip that kept him upright.

"I think you hit him a little too hard," Cyranus told Percival.

"Sorry," Percival said.

It wasn't lost on anyone that the apology was directed solely at Merlin.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The camp had only eight men in it, and they were easily dispatched. Merlin kept one alive long enough to work out where the rest of them might be. Lancelot helped as well, although he was starting to look a little pale, his skin almost veering into green. Merlin felt a little concerned about the blow to the head that Percival had given him. So much so, he had put his palm on the lump which adorned the back of Lancelot's skull and put the most powerful healing spell he knew to it.

Lancelot looked a little better after that, but Merlin knew the best thing would have been to let Lancelot rest, but Merlin didn't want him out of his sight. They had started to slowly spread out into small groups, moving easily through the forest. They had left a handful of men in Ealdor, just in case, but the rest of the bandits appeared to be tracking south, away from the small village. Kanen probably wasn't expecting any resistance, and certainly not a contingent of the King's best men.

"Even if we can't locate them all today Sire, I think we have damaged the force enough to dispel them," Cyranus said.

"But if we leave, they may return to Ealdor."

"Several of the men can stay. In actual fact, the only one who does need to return to the castle within a few days is you, My Lord. Should myself and the rest of the men need to stay longer we can do."

Merlin turned to stare at him. He didn't trust Cyranus an inch, he never had since he had encountered the soldier when he was a child and he and Hunith had first arrived at the castle. Now, the captain looked back at him, his expression calm, and Merlin knew he would do exactly what he was ordered to do.

He didn't have long to contemplate the thought that perhaps things, perceptions, had changed, because there was the sound of a scream. It was distinctly one of fear, and distinctly childlike. In a split second, Merlin was up and running. Percival, Cyranus and the group of soldiers tearing along behind him, trying to keep up and Merlin shot off through the trees, in the direction of the call.


	9. Chapter 9

**While writing this I made a slight change to part of this chapter, and I have made one tiny (it was one word) alteration to the previous chapter because of it. The scream in the last chapter, is no longer female - now it's childlike. For obvious reasons, if you read this chapter. Make sense? Good! **

Arthur Pendragon heard the same thing, and crashed through the woods to find the Druid he had been pursuing had been caught by four burly looking men. As he ran onto the scene, with four of his knights behind him one of the men grabbed the boy, holding him around the waist, lifting him up in the air.

The rest of the bandits froze as the group of knights crashed onto the scene. For a moment they did nothing but stare at each other. Arthur wondered what to do. Was it even worthwhile trying to rescue someone that would be taken back to Camelot for execution?

As they paused their attention turned. Arthur blinked as someone else ran onto the scene. They appeared over a fallen tree, rather impressively leaping up onto it and then lithely dropping down the small ridge into the clearing. The man was slight, but looked strong, wearing armour and, Arthur noted with a flare of anger, the colours of King Cenred. Which meant the soldier had strayed into Camelot.

Arthur watched the man take in the scene and then Arthur tensed in shock as the knight's eyes flashed gold and the four bandits flew in all directions. Arthur watched one crash into a tree, his neck breaking on impact, landing heavily on the floor, causing the dried leaves scattered on the forest floor to fly into the air with the force.

The young druid had fallen to the ground, landing safely in the dried leaves. The boy stared hard at Merlin for a second or two before swiftly getting to his feet and running towards Merlin, past him and up the ridge, using the incline by the side of the fallen tree. He stalled momentarily as Percival came running around the spindly roots of the tree, exposed to the air, stretching up like spiders limbs. Percival couldn't make the same entrance Merlin had, leaping over trees not being something he was particularly adept at.

As he saw the Druid boy he reached out and pulled him up the incline, pushing up his sleeve to expose the markings that left no doubt as to his origins, and explained why he was making his way into Cenred's kingdom. Percival held onto him for a moment until Cyranus and Lancelot caught up with them. Percival then pushed the boy past Cyranus, who bundled him along further, and since Lancelot still looked like he would be no use in any sort of confrontation, he was given the boy to look after. Lancelot stayed by the exposed tree roots, moving so the boy was behind him. The druid crouched and peered through the remains of the fallen tree to watch the unfolding scene.

Arthur watched the whole thing happen in a dazed shock. No more than a few seconds passed as he stared at the intruding soldiers, especially the one that had burst in first. Arthur felt something in his stir as he looked at him, especially as he saw the display of magic. For a moment neither side spoke, they just looked at each other.

"Any particular reason you're chasing druids over our boarder?" Merlin asked. It caused the blond leader wearing the Pendragon colours to glare.

"You are in the Kingdom of Camelot," Arthur snapped back.

"I don't think so my friend, the boarder is behind you," Merlin said, smirking as the blond man glared.

"Have we ever met?"

Merlin shrugged. "I don't think so."

"Then I fail to see how I can be your friend."

"You're probably right," Merlin mused after a moment, before adding. "I don't think I'd have a friend who would be such an ass."

Arthur gawped, at the insult, at the casual way it was delivered, and the fact that the large man lingering behind this verbal sparring partner gave a low snigger.

"How dare you? Do you know who I am?" Arthur demanded.

"I think we had established that I don't, and I can't say that I am very interested," Merlin said. "And I'm not the one chasing innocent children."

"He's a druid," Arthur snapped back. "He performed sorcery and that is illegal in Camelot, under sentence of death."

Merlin glanced behind him, Percival lingered close by, Cyranus had stepped to Merlin's other side. Lancelot stayed a little way behind, still looking a little unwell, and Merlin concluded he probably wouldn't be of any use. Lastly he looked at the boy. Merlin guessed he couldn't be that much older than Evelyn and knowing the druids as he did, he knew the boy would not have been travelling alone, unless something had happened to his guardian. In Camelot there was only one thing that could have happened. Merlin turned back to face the knights of Camelot.

"Since they are no longer in your kingdom, I don't think there is much you can do about it."

"This land is ours," Arthur protested. Merlin looked around.

"I'm not entirely certain you can prove that, and I know that the border lies close to the river, which you have crossed. And it's a little beside the point now, I wouldn't let you get to him whether he's in our kingdom or yours."

Arthur's hand tightened on his sword, glaring at his antagonist. Merlin didn't move as Arthur tensed, he was about to step forward when the knight closest to him, who had been watching the confrontation intently, reached to grab his arm.

"Sire," he said in warning.

Arthur paused, and Merlin's eyebrows rose up, as he realised exactly who Arthur was. He stared at him again, looking him up and down. So this, Merlin thought to himself, was Prince Arthur, the rival he had never actually laid eyes on until this moment. He had somehow been competing against him through the rumour, and gossip, that passed between the kingdoms.

"This cannot go unchallenged," Arthur snapped at Leon, feeling a little outraged and chastised at his intervention. He turned back to Merlin; frowning as he realised Merlin wasn't paying attention to him. His head had inclined slightly, eyes moving out towards the forest.

Then what happened next baffled Arthur. It was a blur.

A second before Merlin had been stood several paces away from him. Then a moment later, Arthur jumped as he realised Merlin was next to him, a firm hand on Arthur's arm, and Arthur realised he had been pushed sideways, with Merlin flanking him. Merlin's other arm stretched out, holding an arrow, which, if he hadn't been moved, would have embedded itself in Arthur's neck. Arthur tensed as the bushes parted and several men stepped out. The one in the lead held a crossbow, which had been fired. Arthur would have been dead, if it hadn't been for Merlin.

Merlin twirled the arrow in his hand before letting it go and dropping it onto the forest floor.

"Can I presume that you're Kanen?" Merlin asked.

"I am honoured, the little sorcerer Prince coming all this way."

"I'm not sure your men feel the same way, considering they are now not feeling anything at all," Merlin said. He released Arthur's arm, stepping away from him. Seeing the dozen or so men step from the trees, Arthur moved to Merlin's left, shifting the grip on his sword. The Camelot patrol flanked Arthur, while Percival and Cyranus shifted closer to Merlin, the two lots rival soldiers grouping together to face the raiders. The ragged bunch of men stirred nervously, their odds greatly reduced by the sudden shift. Arthur glanced at Merlin, who glanced back.

"Who are these guys?" Arthur asked.

"Raiders, they attacked a village just over the ridge."

"I never though Cenred would pay so much attention," Kanen drawled. Merlin turned back, eyes narrowing.

"Perhaps you shouldn't have picked on the village where I was born," Merlin told him. "And if you're going to start killing the people in my kingdom, expect me to pay attention."

Kanen snorted. Merlin wondered if the man was slightly unhinged, since he was undisturbed by facing men from two well known armies.

"Of course, you are nothing more than a peasant brat, from a village whore."

Arthur felt the heat of anger flare from Merlin. His jaw tensed, eyes flashing with a trace of gold, although it did nothing more than stir the leaves at Merlin's feet and send the nearby branches shaking. Arthur stepped back as the light, warm breeze caught his cloak. Merlin didn't seem to notice, his eyes were fixed on Kanen's. He slowly drew his sword and took several steps forward, towards the bandits, away from the soldiers. Percival tensed, eyes watching the men flanking Kanen. All of them sensed that the fight was about to start.

The way Merlin started the battle didn't sound like a mature way to do so, but his words were heavy with menace.

"Come here and say that."

Kanen was happy to oblige. He discarded the crossbow and drew his sword, stepping swiftly forward to meet Merlin. Despite the fury he was feeling, Merlin didn't look like he was in danger of losing his temper. As he lithely stepped forward he looked utterly in control. It was something Merlin had been taught for years. Kanen grinned at him, Merlin just shrugged and started the battle. Their swords clashed with a loud ring and that seemed to be a signal for the rest of them. The raiders rushed forward, Percival casually punched the first one that ran at him sending him flat on his back with the force, the second he clashed swords with.

Again the fight took no more than a few minutes. Arthur felt pleased that he killed three of the raiders, although they were nothing to do with him or Camelot. It seemed ridiculous to retreat, and leave the small number in Cenred's force to fend for themselves. Arthur turned, his eyes widening.

"Leon!"

The knight stumbled on a tree root, falling backwards as the raider he fought stepped forward, sword raised to stab him. Leon scrabbled for his own weapon, but it had landed just a short distance out of reach. Arthur started running, even though he knew he would be too late. Then suddenly the large man, who had arrived with Merlin, suddenly moved behind the raider and lifting his sword neatly took off the man's head.

Merlin had been aware of the periphery, and also that Percival had stepped in to assist. The prince focused all his attention on Kanen, the man who had insulted his mother. For years he had known that people spoke about her, that she was a commoner, and his father had never married her. Merlin did not like it when people insulted her. Sometimes he couldn't do anything about it, this time he could. He dodged a blow from Kanen, dropping down on one knee. Merlin saw the gleam in Kanen's eyes as he thought he had Merlin at a disadvantage. Arthur seemed to think the same thing, as he swivelled away from Leon and then attempted to go to Merlin's aid. Merlin, however, didn't need it. His eyes flashed gold and Kanen's sword flew from his grip, a moment later Merlin's sword sliced into Kanen's chest, going in low, just below the sternum and Merlin angled upwards into the man's heart.

Arthur stopped running, realising that Merlin didn't need any help. Very slowly Merlin rose to his feet, pushing the sword further into Kanen's torso as he did so, until the tip slid out of the man's back. Standing up Merlin locked eyes with Kanen. The raider's jaw had dropped, no sound coming out, but a trail of blood dribbled from his mouth. Merlin stared at him, eyes locking with Kanen's as if he wanted to make something very clear to him. After Merlin had satisfied himself with that, he yanked the sword back, drawing it out with one smooth, well-practised, move and Kanen toppled from the floor. The raider appeared to be gone from Merlin's mind before the body had even hit the ground, as he turned to Percival and said.

"Do you have to keep doing that?"

Percival shrugged, waving his sword. "At least you can be sure they're dead."

"Oh, for…" Merlin spluttered; it was the least composed that Arthur had so far seen him. "Are you still going on about those ghouls?"

"It's not natural," Percival said. Merlin rolled his eyes.

"Necromancy is a black art, of course it's not natural!"

"You practice necromancy?" Arthur snapped. Merlin turned to look at him, eyes widening in surprise and amusement.

"No, although we did run into a sorcerer who thought it might be a good idea. We persuaded him it wasn't."

"How?" Arthur asked.

"I chopped his head off," Percival informed him, as he walked behind Merlin to head up the incline, around Lancelot to pull the druid boy clear of the tree, intending to lead him away.

"Hey, he's ours!" Arthur yelled.

Percival shrugged. "Not anymore."

Arthur looked furious. Merlin shifted his stance, to draw Arthur's attention to him. Arthur glared at him instead.

"He committed a crime in our kingdom."

"So you say, but I'm not going to let you anywhere near him. Especially since we can't agree on where the boarder actually is and I am not in the habit of letting people kill innocent children."

"You don't know he's innocent."

"I suspect that you are assuming he's guilty of something simply because he's a druid," Merlin said.

Arthur glared at him. "And everyone knows druids get an easy life in your kingdom."

Merlin frowned, "I wouldn't have exactly said that, but they don't get persecuted out of fear of association."

"And if we just decide to take him?" Arthur demanded. Merlin noticed the knight behind Arthur looked decidedly more worried as the conversation went on.

"You can try, but I think I can probably handle it," Merlin informed Arthur.

"Really? I've been trained to kill since birth."

"Really?" Merlin asked, he had almost been capable of killing since birth. "And how long have you been training to be a prat?"

At that point, Percival and Leon prevented a war, by wisely separating them.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arthur didn't feel that he had come out best from that initial confrontation. And it was a feeling he didn't like very much. It left him brooding inwardly. He had reported the events to his father, who had been less than pleased with the loss of the druid boy.

After that it had taken all of Arthur's powers of persuasion to get Uther to release Morgana from the dungeons. It was she who had protected the boy, and snuck him out of Camelot. Since she had, thankfully, kept quiet over the fact she had probed Arthur over the movement of the guards on that night, Arthur had made the effort to help her. Although relations between his father and Morgana remained strained.

Even though Arthur couldn't prove it, Arthur also thought that Gaius might have helped along the way. He didn't report that stirring consideration to Uther just in case it hadn't occurred to him. Arthur thought things were unsettled enough, he didn't want to make it worse. The whole thing had troubled his conscience from the start. Mordred had just been a child, Arthur couldn't comprehend how he could be evil. It occurred to Arthur, although he often fought it and had seen what horrors the use of magic could wreak, he didn't actually know all that much about sorcery.

And it had been strange meeting his unspoken rival in such a manner. Messages, gossip and stories had been filtering through the two kingdoms – and the neighbouring ones - for years, comparing the two princes who were so similar in age. Arthur had been pitted against Merlin from the beginning, hearing of his aptitude for magic, his battle skills and his charm – although Arthur didn't think he had seen much of the latter.

Arthur had felt the pressure from Uther to be the best. To rival Merlin as well as learn to become king of one of the strongest kingdoms. He won tournaments, trained hard and now he had discovered that if Merlin suffered the same kind of pressure he could certainly handle it better. Arthur had felt like a complete idiot compared to Merlin, by the end of that confrontation, where Merlin had seemed far more composed and competent.

When he had reported the incident he had played that part down, but he couldn't remove the inferior feeling he was suffering. Perhaps, after mulling it over so much, he was building it in his mind, drawing it out of proportion. It had been a short meeting, filled with so many issues and complications that perhaps he was viewing it wrong. Maybe Merlin felt the same, was feeling the same at this very moment.

"Arthur, are you listening?" Uther snapped, cutting through his thoughts.

"Yes, of course," Arthur lied wondering what the hell his father had been discussing, one-sidedly. Was he still talking about the taxes or had he moved onto something else? Arthur couldn't get an immediate hint and quite frankly wanted to kiss the person who at that moment knocked on the door, which diverted Uther's attention.

"Come!"

Arthur still wanted to kiss Leon as he opened the door and came in, looking nervous at having interrupted the private meeting. He didn't care what Leon had come to say, it gave Arthur a moment to gather himself together. It didn't last long as Leon spoke, addressing Uther.

"I'm sorry, Sire, but I presumed you would want me to bring this straight away. A messenger from King Cenred arrived with a letter a few minutes ago."

Uther straightened in his chair, Arthur frowned. Leon glanced at it again.

"Actually, it's from Prince Merlin, to Prince Arthur."

Arthur blinked in surprise, looking blankly at his father, before turning back to Leon and holding his hand out to take the document. Uther's hand snaked out and grabbed Arthur's forearm. Leon, who had been moving around the table to hand it to Arthur, paused.

"Open it," Uther ordered Leon.

The knight looked startled, Arthur gave his father a sharp look. The king returned it with a steady gaze of his own before looking back to Leon, in a hint that he should do as he was told. Leon was already carefully peeling open the seal on the parchment. Arthur watched, a frown on his face, relaxing his arm so Uther would release his grip. He understood his father's logic. Merlin was a sorcerer and Camelot, and Arthur, had been subjected to magical attacks on more than one occasion. Uther probably had every right to be suspicious. Arthur on the other hand wasn't. From the impression he had of Merlin, Arthur didn't think it was the sort of thing Merlin would actually do.

Leon opened the parchment, easing it open warily, and he stared at it. Nothing dramatic happened, he just looked down at a page of neat writing, the lettering elegant as it swept across the page. At the bottom Merlin had placed his seal again, to verify the authenticity of the letter.

After a few seconds, since nothing terrible appeared to have happened to Leon, Uther snapped out.

"Well?"

"It's… erm… Prince Merlin is suggesting a meeting, with Prince Arthur, to discuss the issue of the boarder between the kingdoms."

Arthur raised his eyebrows.

"And exactly how is he expecting to do that, and where?" Uther asked.

Leon scanned the letter again, and decided, instead of summarising to simply quote, he couldn't get into trouble for anything he said, if he was reading Merlin's own words.

"It says here _'__for __the __accuracy __of __such __a __discussion, __and __since __there __are __some __significant __differences __between __the __laws __of __our __two __kingdoms, __I __suggest __any __negotiations __should __occur __in __the __area __of __our __previous __meeting.__'" _Leon paused reading.

"I presume the clearing we encountered them then?" Arthur said, glancing at Uther. It was a shrewd move on Merlin's part. If he came to Camelot it was likely that he would be tried and executed for sorcery, prince or not. And Arthur guessed that Merlin had also accurately surmised that Arthur, and Uther, would not be keen to enter his kingdom. A kingdom that openly accepted sorcery, considering Merlin's presence there, the population couldn't do anything else.

"Does he say when?" Arthur asked, openly curious. Leon scanned the page again, and started reading again.

"_Time __is __of __essence, __I __will __be __with __a __party __riding __to __the __nearby __village __of __Ealdor __in __seven __days __time, __if __the __terms __I __suggest __are __agreeable __reply __forthwith.__" _

Uther scowled, he looked at Leon and then glanced at Arthur. Turning his gaze back to Leon Uther snapped.

"That will be all."

Leon gave a swift bow and turned to leave. He took a step and then turned again, looking mildly embarrassed, he hurried around the table and handed Arthur the letter. Arthur gave Leon a brief smirk and then Leon scurried out, releasing a heavy breath as the door clicked shut.

Arthur laid the letter out on the table scanning it again. He looked at the signature at the bottom, and the royal seal carefully imprinted next to it. Judging by the sweep of the lettering in the signature, comparing it to the rest of the words, Merlin had written the letter personally, the letters curving across the paper. Arthur felt an inward flicker of irritation. Even Merlin's handwriting was competent, almost elegant.

Arthur jumped as Uther whipped the sheet of paper away from him and read it himself. Arthur waited, wondering what his father's reaction would be to the whole thing. As much as Uther would launch himself into a negotiation like this, always wanting to be the person that came out on top, Arthur didn't think his father would be quite as enthusiastic about this one.

"The impertinent child!" Uther snapped, reading Merlin's words. "Cenred has to be behind this!"

"I presume he agreed to the negotiations," Arthur said.

"This could be nothing more than a trap, for you!"

Arthur blinked, he glanced at the letter and frowned. Slowly he shook his head.

"I don't think so."

Uther stared at him. Arthur didn't know what to add. The meeting had been so brief, and antagonistic. But looking at it in hindsight, running over Merlin's actions, Arthur didn't think that Merlin would be so underhand. Arthur couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something about Merlin. Whatever it was, Arthur felt himself gripped by the need to get his father to agree to this. He didn't say anything for a moment, wondering how to phrase it.

"That area has always been under some contention," Arthur said.

"It's a forest Arthur, it's a little hard to find a boundary," Uther snapped.

"Perhaps, it's worthwhile having the meeting," Arthur said carefully, not wanting to sound too eager.

"Do you think you are ready for that responsibility?"

Arthur blinked, "yes, and it is a concern, we do have patrols that pass through that area, it's large enough that confrontations don't often happen, but they occasionally have. Some of the men are wary of going too far into the forest because of it."

"In which case we lose prisoners."

Arthur tried not to visibly wince. Uther probably kept referring to that incident because of his shaky relationship with Morgana. Arthur wondered if he could get her to make at least some little compromise to help control Uther's bad temper. They could both be as stubborn as each other, making each other worse at times.

There was a short, tense pause. Arthur wanted to say something, anything that could influence his father to agree to it. Part of him wondered why he had to wait for his father to do so. Merlin had addressed the letter to him, surely that meant it was for him to deal with. Not saying anything, however, gave Uther time to think.

He didn't particularly want to get involved with Cenred's adopted, sorcerer son, but getting to know the opposition might not be such a bad idea.

"They will have to send someone to finalise the details, we can send a messenger out in the morning. Draft a reply," Uther said, shoving the parchment in Arthur's direction. "I'll check it before it's sent."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

While Arthur spent the evening working on the reply, Merlin sat with his family at the dinner table. He sat on Cenred's right, with his mother opposite him, on Cenred's left. Normally Evelyn, who at ten was considered old enough to occasionally join in, sat next to her mother, but tonight she had insisted on sitting next to Merlin. None of them turned a hair at any of her whims, Merlin just shifted the cushion which she sat on to the chair next to him, and Evelyn slid into place next to him.

"The messenger should have reached Camelot by now," Cenred commented. "Do you think Arthur will agree?"

"I don't think it's Arthur that will be hard to convince."

"Uther's the problem. He may not allow a response, he may not trust your motives," Cenred said.

Merlin shrugged. There was nothing he could do about that. He had related the incident to his father, more honestly than Arthur had to his. Cenred had found some of Merlin's answers funny. Hunith, by her silence towards the pieces that Merlin had told her, did not approve of his actions quite so much. It was that more than anything that had prompted Merlin to get on and attempt to sort the mess out.

"You need to be prepared for the issue of escaping prisoners to come up," Cenred said.

"Yes, a lot of the druids travel that way."

"We do seem to have a good number of druids in the kingdom now."

Merlin shrugged, reaching for his goblet of wine, he took a sip, ignoring Evelyn leaning into him with interest.

"They have a quieter time here. Uther appears to execute anyone who so much as has a conversation with a druid, even if it is unwitting. Since we do not, the druids are not so persecuted here. In fact they make themselves very useful."

Cenred thought of Iseldir and shrugged. "True."

"What's wrong with the druids?" Evelyn asked.

"Nothing, people are just sometime scared of those that can do magic," Merlin said patiently.

"Why? You can do magic and no one is scared of you," Evelyn said reaching for her own goblet filled with water.

Merlin turned to look at her, and then he looked back to Cenred and then Hunith. Hunith took a breath and calmly asked.

"How much in the way of supplies do we now have for Ealdor?"

Merlin breathed a sigh of relief at the change of subject. "The food will be enough to keep them through the winter, and we have added some blankets and clothing. Plus we will add enough presence to scare off any lingering bandits."

"Before we get to that, we still need to find out what's happening in the northern farmlands," Cenred said.

"I'm taking a patrol with me tomorrow," Merlin told him.

They moved the subject on, but Merlin and Cenred shared a long look. That was another thing they really wanted to know. It was the first time any of them had clashed face to face. Both of them wanted to know, how hard had Merlin rattled the Pendragon's sensibilities.


	10. Chapter 10

Merlin stared hard at the tracks.

"Well?" Percival asked.

"They make no sense," Merlin told him.

"It's not ghouls is it?"

Merlin slowly straightened up. "Oh, do stop going on!"

"I don't like ghouls."

"Percival, I'm not to keen on them either, but unless someone has taken to raising large cats, we don't have ghouls."

"It's not another griffin is it?"

"The tracks look too small."

"A baby griffin?" Percival asked.

"Maybe," Merlin said. "Let's keep tracking."

The group followed along behind him, the twenty men in the patrol. Including Percival, Cyranus and Lancelot, who was wearing chain mail but Merlin refused to let him carry weapons. Merlin still felt unsure as to what he really wanted to do with Lancelot. He didn't feel he could entirely trust him, after his involvement with the raiders. On the other hand, he had tried to help some of the villagers. For moment he was treated as nothing more than a servant. Most of the men were sending Lancelot wary glances, but Merlin's careful acceptance of him meant that Lancelot was left fairly alone.

It had become easier, Merlin though, since the defence of Ealdor, when had ordered the men himself, without Cenred lingering in the background, ready to take over if he disagreed with any of Merlin's decisions. Not, Merlin thought in hindsight, that his father often did. And the subsequent confrontation with Arthur Pendragon had done him no harm, since he had appeared to have come out on top.

Merlin led the men into the ravine that lay just by the western forest, when his horse tensed, hesitating, ears flattening to her skull and the mare gave a snort. Merlin gripped her harder around the girth as he felt her haunches drop, a sure sign she wanted to run. Behind him he heard some of the other horses shift nervously. Riding Blaze Percival had a slightly easier time, although the stallion reacted to the other horses around him. Percival shifted his grip on the reins and looked around.

"I think we need to clear the ravine before we start wondering what frightened the horses."

"Good idea," Merlin said. "I'm sure there is a small hamlet just beyond here, on the edge of the forest, if there is anything they might know."

Merlin's glance drifted past Percival to Cyranus, who often travelled out with them now. Merlin guessed it was on Cenred's orders, so the king had someone keeping an eye on Merlin. Merlin guessed he couldn't complain too much, he was still treated as the leader and Cyranus was nothing more than respectful towards him. Although Merlin remained fairly convinced that Cyranus still desired Hunith, he had to accept there was no way that Cenred would discard her now. If nothing else, Merlin would never allow it.

He kicked the mare, sending her running forward, holding her steady as she cleared the ravine, and he slowed her down. Her ears remained flat to her skull, and her nostrils flared as she snorted heavily.

"They can certainly sense something," Percival said.

"Presumably something predatory," Cyranus said. Merlin looked around and sighed. Lancelot paused as he followed the tracks, which Merlin had originally spotted.

"There's nothing more My Lord, the tracks end."

Taking a breath Merlin looked around again, his eyes focusing on the small cluster of huts that lay down the incline, a rough road leading to them.

"Let's see what we can find out, take it slowly, we don't want to go thundering in and terrifying the locals," Merlin said setting the mare forward at a walk. The men on foot looked glad of the slower pace, so Merlin kept it steady, he didn't want them worn out before they got to anything interesting.

The tactic also worked. As they neared the dwellings three of the women disappeared into the huts, but the men working outside stayed, one walking out to meet the approaching group. They all looked wary, even of some of the king's men. Merlin pulled up the mare and dismounted. Percival and Cyranus did the same, staying close to Merlin, but letting him go ahead. Lancelot eased in behind them. Merlin smiled at the man he presumed was the village leader.

A quick glance around made Merlin think that even village was an overgenerous term. There were five clustered hovels, a few plots set out for growing crops, and two goats grazing in a small pen. Merlin looked at them, in the almost bald space, when there was lush grass spreading across towards the stone of the ravine and the range beyond. The goats bleated, one dipping it's head through a gap in the pen to try and reach some blades of thickly growing grass.

The man smiled back, but nervously.

"Greetings," Merlin said. "We were following up rumours of a creature moving through this area."

"Merlin, we have a few old tracks here," Percival said.

"Same as before?"

"Looks it."

Merlin turned back to the villager, who looked at him entirely differently now. A different sort of nervousness had taken place, but the villager also relaxed, recognising Merlin's name. The man gave a slightly inelegant bow and the other men clustered closer. There were six of them in total.

"The beast passes through sometimes; we haven't ever seen it, but we hear it, it comes close. The village beyond the forest has encountered it as well."

"Has anyone had a clear look at what it is?" Merlin asked.

The man shook his head vigorously. "If they have, they've ended up dead. It's killed some of the animals too. Those are the only ones left." The man paused and gestured to the goats. "It killed one that got lost in the forest three days ago. We couldn't find it in time. It's best we're in by dark."

"Is that why they're penned up?" Merlin asked.

"We bring them in the hut of a night, there's nothing else we can do, we can't afford to lose them. We can only hope the youngest is in kid, it was the billy we lost."

"Do you have the carcass?" Merlin asked.

The man nodded, inclining his head. "We found it yesterday, when we were gathering wood. Animals are not all it's had, it's killed people too."

"Show me," Merlin said.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It did not make for a very pretty sight. The carcass hung in a hut a little way into a cluster of trees. Merlin leant in, trying to ignore the smell. The small room was dingy, and stunk of smoke and rotting meat. He guessed it was where the villagers smoked their meat, and made charcoal to burn.

"It's been eviscerated," Cyranus commented.

"And not much else, it's not been eaten."

"Is it a griffin?" Percival asked, speculating. "I really want to know what we're fighting."

"No, there are claw marks, which would make it consistent with the tracks we found, but a griffin has a beak." Merlin paused, tentatively poking the flesh, getting a wave of stench as he did so. He turned his head, not that it did him much good, and he probed the edge of the wounds. "There isn't any other particular sign of damage, if it was a griffin you could expect some evidence of pecking."

"Would a griffin leave this much food?" Cyranus asked. "This looks like it's just been killed and left at that. Even if it was nothing more than a large cat, it would certainly make a meal out of it."

"This doesn't ring a bell," Merlin said. "I can't think of anything, although I can't have gone through the entire library. We need to get a look at this thing."

"According to the villagers," Cyranus said, them paused and added in a strained voice. "Shall we talk outside?"

"Yes," Percival said. Both of them went to the door, Merlin stared at the corpse of the goat for a moment longer before following them, taking a deep lungful of air as he got outside.

"They only hear it at night, in the forest and around the ravine. And I can't really see any sign of other animals, apart from those two goats. It's like everything else has been scared away."

"If it is still around, we need to lure it in," Merlin said. "That ravine would be a good place for a trap, I can seal it in and hold it, and then we can plan from there."

"Hold it how?" Percival asked.

"A cage."

"We don't have a cage," Percival said. "And I don't think wood will hold."

He glanced around at the trees around them. Merlin smirked.

"Magic will," Merlin announced smugly. "We'll need to borrow one of those goats."

"Like they said, I don't think they can afford to lose either of them."

Merlin gave Percival a grin. "They won't, we also need some dung."

"Dung?" Percival asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Yes, as much goat dung as they can provide. They have to be making mess somewhere, we'll need to make a clear scent," Merlin said. "Get Lancelot to gather some."

"Would you care to tell us what you have in mind, Sire," Cyranus asked. Merlin grinned.

"I think it's time for a little experiment."

Percival glared at him. "Oh, I hate that look."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Merlin chose the eastern end of the ravine, and he spent some time carefully drawing on the ground before incanting and then tethering the goat on the symbol. Lancelot found some dung and then frowned as he said.

"Would horse do?"

"Yeah, anything that gives off scent," Merlin said. Lancelot went off to do as he was told. As usual refusing to complain about the lowly tasks he was being given.

"Are we sure we need the goat Sire, we could use one of the horses, save the villagers losing another animal."

"We don't need the goat, as such," Merlin said to Cyranus. "At least not as the actual bait, as soon as it starts to get dark we'll give it back. Have we got that rope?"

"Are you sure a rope will hold," Cyranus asked taking it off the soldier who appeared with it.

"It will when I've finished with it," Merlin said. Percival leant in closer to him, so he could murmur.

"Have you done this before?"

"No," Merlin whispered back in amusement. Percival glared at him, nose to nose with Merlin.

"You know I hate you, right?"

Merlin smirked, which did nothing to help Percival's mood, being the one person who was impervious to Merlin's grinning.

"Now you know that's not true."

"It is when you are thinking up ridiculous plans."

"Are you calling me ridiculous? That's a bit rude."

Percival scowled. "Oh, shut up, Merlin."

Merlin laughed as Percival stomped off.

"He may have a point Sire," Cyranus said.

Still laughing Merlin put a hand on Cyranus' shoulder. "Trust me, it'll be fine."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The sky burnt red as the sun set. The goat bleated again, a corresponding call coming from over by the hamlet. Merlin glanced up and around.

"Percival?"

"What?" Percival snapped, still entertaining his bad mood.

"You can take the goat back, get it out of the way before we start."

"What? Don't we need it?"

"Not any more," Merlin said. Percival frowned, trudging over to the goat to grab the twine. As he did so he recoiled, hesitating and blinking dramatically. Merlin smirked as he watched. Percival turned and glared at him before reaching out again, with caution, to take the rope, staring again at the goat, which seemed to have a shadow of itself flickering through it. Percival took the tether and released it, pulling the goat away. It pulled back for a moment, before he tensed his arm and hoisted hard, dragging it before it started to run. The soldiers in the ravine paused, looking at what were now two goats. Percival didn't look at Merlin, knowing full well that his friend would have such a smug look on his face. Instead Percival put his hand out and passed it through the neck of the second goat. The goat paid no attention, it looked around and bleated. On the end of the lead the real goat bleated back.

"That's amazing," Lancelot said from where he was winding the rope as Merlin was instructing.

"How did you do that?" Cyranus asked.

"The symbols hold the image of what was there, like a ripple. Give that goat to one of the men staying down in the village, and get them down there," Merlin ordered, as he did so a sound rent through the air, almost like a scream, turning into a yowl. Behind Merlin the horses snorted nervously, the soldiers around them trying to keep them calm. Percival gave the goat to the nearest soldier and sent the group on their way.

"What if this thing does go to the village first?" Cyranus asked.

"Then we run down there really fast," Merlin said.

"Great," Percival said sliding into position next to Merlin, jostling Lancelot out of the way.

"The horses got nervous here, more than anywhere else, which makes me presume that this is where it will head first. If needs be, we'll use better bait."

"Like what?" Percival asked.

"Me," Merlin said, and then with one curt hand gesture he stopped all conversation. "Now all we need to do is keep looking, and wait."

"For how long?" Percival asked.

The area continued to darken, as the last rays of the sun disappeared over the horizon. Merlin muttered a spell and several light balls appeared, casting shadows across the ravine. The sound echoed around again.

"As long as it takes."

It was several hours into the night when Merlin sensed the shift in the air, his instinct lighting as he looked around. Behind him he sensed both the horses and the soldiers shift nervously. Very slowly Merlin lifted himself up onto the jumble of rocks, which had slid down the ravine at some point and staying slow crawled forward. Behind him Merlin heard Percival and Lancelot start to move and he raised his hand to stop him from following. He heard Percival's huff of irritation but he stopped moving, tensed ready in case Merlin needed help.

Merlin's attention jerked upwards as he saw movement at the top of the ravine. The goat image bleated, which caused the creature to hunch, shifting carefully as it assessed the prey. Merlin saw a set of wings, and the cat-like shift of the creature's back, the low light caught the animal's eyes, making them glitter. Merlin spread his magic, feeling the ripple of his aura and his eyes glowed, a light which appeared to draw the beast's attention. It gave a low growl, it's wings flexing as it lowered it's shoulders ready to strike.

"Merlin," Percival murmured, keeping his tone low.

"Just be ready," Merlin murmured back stepping carefully across the boulders, slowly drawing his sword. He kept his steps as careful as possible but he slithered on some loose rocks, the sudden movement caused the prowling creature to react, with a loud snarl it swooped down. Merlin lowered his head and his eyes flashed as he whispered a word. The image of the goat bleated again, turning around in a movement that the animal had repeated all afternoon. It caught the swooping creature's eyes and it pounced, snarling as it landed on nothing. Merlin jumped, and the beast tensed before diving for him.

"Now!" Merlin yelled. Percival grabbed the rope and hauled on it, Lancelot dived to do the same at his designated point and Cyranus helped him, jerking the rope from up off the ground, and Merlin's eyes flashed again, the rope lashed around the creature, winding around it's limbs and haunches, tightening as it tried to fight. Merlin blinked as he felt a ripple wash back as his magic strengthened the ropes. Several of the soldiers ran forward, following in Percival's wake. He leapt up onto the rock, sword ready to jump down to attack the prone beast.

Merlin hadn't moved, which caused Percival to hesitate. The winged cat writhed on the floor, unable to free itself from the enchanted ropes. Even Percival had to admit Merlin's plan had been flawless, except now, since Merlin was wearing an expression of confusion.

"My Lord?" Cyranus asked, also seeing the hesitation. The soldiers were carefully advancing, swords at the ready, waiting for the order to strike. Merlin didn't move, and the creature thrashed on the ground, sensing the approaching danger. Merlin lifted his hand.

"Wait!"

The command made the men stop, they looked from the creature to Merlin. Merlin didn't move, he sent out his sensors again, pushing his magic out, and feeling something shiver in the air in response. He moved his hand to direct his power and he muttered. Percival frowned, watching as Merlin's eyes glowed, his gaze drifting around, a small wrinkle of a frown crossing his features.

"What's he doing?" Lancelot whispered to Percival.

"It's a searching spell, so he can sense any enchantments."

Cyranus frowned in disapproval, glancing at Percival who shrugged and clambered over the rocks to reach Merlin. Merlin's eyes were still moving, sensing around the area.

"There's magic, the beast is enchanted."

"Isn't it just a magical creature?" Percival asked. The creature continued to struggle against the ropes but Merlin's trap was holding. As much as Percival hated to admit it Merlin very rarely failed, he was far too well trained to allow anything to go wrong.

"No, there's an enchantment here."

"What kind?" Cyranus asked. Merlin shrugged.

"No idea, let's watch in shifts, and get some rest, I'll see what I can do in the morning."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Cyranus took the last shift. Dawn started to break over the horizon, the first shafts of light fighting the gloom of the ravine. The beast had long ago ceased to struggle, and Merlin's trap had held firm.

"Sir?" the soldier on watch duty said nervously as the creature suddenly started to shift, it's limbs jerking, and the wings flapped, slapping against the ground. Cyranus watched the subtle fluid movement as the body rippled with change. He didn't take his eyes off it as he inclined his head, feeling the muscles in his neck as they ached from the position he had slept in all night. He was getting too old for this kind of life.

"Get the prince, now!"

The paws shifted, claws withdrawing and the pads lengthened into fingers as the fur retracted on the body. The wings slowly folded in and melded into the body as it shrank, the back arching. Merlin ran over the rocks and paused, tilting his head as the cat changed into a girl.

"Oh," Percival said with mild surprise. "Is that the enchantment?"

They all watched as the girl looked around frantically, struggling to move. The change in body gave her some leeway under the ropes, and she got up into a kneeling position, looking around as the armed men surrounded her. Wriggling again she pulled one arm free of the bindings, attempting to pull them off her. She paused as the men moved closer, some of them drawing their swords.

"No!" Merlin ordered, eyes flashing to tighten the ropes, just to keep her in place for a moment. The men stopped, and Merlin stepped forward. The girl's wide dark eyes turned to look at him; she stared at Merlin, blinking rapidly, the tension in her body clear to everyone. Percival shuffled closer, staying behind Merlin, the girl's eyes flickered to him until Merlin gave Percival a wave to indicate he should stay put. He did as he was told but kept his hand on his sword hilt, just in case.

"It's all right," Merlin said, his tone changing as he addressed the girl. She gave a hitching breath and shuffled back as he advanced, going as far as the ropes would allow, but she hesitated, glancing at the men lingering in a semi-circle behind her. Merlin took a few steps closer and crouched down, looking the girl up and down. His eyes fell to the exposed skin of her forearms below the ragged hem of her dress sleeves.

"You're a Druid?"

At the question she moved again, her head shifting from side to side. Merlin wasn't entirely clear if that was a no, or if she was just looking around again. She looked back at Merlin. He could feel the tension rising in the air, the men were not happy with his close proximity to her.

"Careful Merlin," Cyranus warned. None of them wanted Merlin getting hurt. What Cenred would do if that happened didn't bear thinking about. Percival took a couple of steps closer, to bring himself further into range. Merlin's eyes assessed the men, she now looked harmless but it was a dramatic contrast from last night. Merlin stared at her again, meeting her eyes.

"What's your name?"

Again he got nothing really as a response. He waited a moment.

"Merlin," Percival growled in warning, as Merlin went even closer. She stared at him. Merlin gave a heavy sigh, which drew her attention back.

"If you want me to help you, you really have to talk to me," he said. "Right now."


	11. Chapter 11

Uther sent a reply asking for a representative to come to Camelot to finalize details of the talks. Merlin elected Percival to travel to the neighbouring kingdom. He did so riding his own mare and carrying his armour on a pack horse, and Merlin had given him Stripy for the job. He didn't want to stand out too much while travelling alone until he could see the tops of the towers of the castle. He paused in the forest finding a small concealed coppice of trees to change into his armour. He had become adept at doing it himself. Quite often he had Merlin's help, or April and Mary. None of the other knights ever deigned to help him.

Percival shrugged himself into his mail shirt and put the king's colours on over it. He had managed to evade a couple of patrols, but hadn't forseen a problem if he ran into them. On the flip side he assumed if he did meet a patrol they would insist on accompanying him to Camelot. Percival might not have minded the company, but he knew the reason that Merlin had sent him.

After carefully fastening his belt, and sliding his sword into position he turned his attention to the horses. The mare he was using was fine enough but looking at the big bay warhorse Percival made a further decision.

When he rode into the town he was on Stripy's back, relegating the mare to pack horse. As he entered through the archway of the outer wall he felt the eyes of the people on him. Those on the road had stared as well but here it was busier. Some of the gazes were subtle, some less so. A group of soldiers also paused to stare at him. Percival paid no attention he had no doubt that his approach had been reported to Uther. At the audience Stripy arched his neck and pranced a little, giving a deep impressive snort.

"Your hocks will pay for that, you know," Percival murmured at him.

Stripy gave another snort and ceased his prancing, however he kept his neck arched and lifted his hooves as he trotted.

"Show off," Percival added as he guided Stripy up towards the castle. On the way he grinned at a group of children who were running along next to him, which sent them all scurrying away. He shook his head and carried on, pulling Stripy to a halt as he reached the bridge leading into the castle and the guards stepped forward to block his path. Percival raised his eyebrows in an unspoken question.

"What is your business here?" one of the guards demanded.

Percival gave him a steady look, there was no possible way the man could not know the reason why one of Cenred's men happened to be casually riding into Camelot. At least it certainly told Percival what the mood of this trip would be. But one reason he was sent was the fact that such behaviour was something he never rose to.

"Well, if you don't know, then you are obviously not important enough for me to be dealing with," he announced calmly. "However, to speed this up a little, I'll tell you I have business to discuss with King Uther and Prince Arthur."

"You'll have to dismount and hand over your weapons."

"And all your visiting knights are required to do this?" Percival asked staying firmly on Stripy's back and not even moving his hand to his sword hilt.

The question seemed to throw the guard and Stripy, sensing the impending confrontation flattened his ears and snorted, his feet shifting impatiently as the stallion picked them up and stomped back down onto the cobbles. The guard stared at the horse, shifting his spear in a threatening manner.

"And just to warn you," Percival added. "Killing Prince Merlin's favourite horse will no doubt make you responsible for starting a war."

"He'd go to war over a horse?" the second soldier asked in sneering disbelief.

"No," Percival corrected. "He'd go to war over this horse."

Stripy gave a loud snort of agreement and Percival decided they had had quite enough of being messed about. He let the congenial expression slip and moved in the saddle, tensing his arms to flex his muscles. Even sat on a horse, he was big and could be threatening. The first guard blinked as Percival's entire demeanour changed and his eyes hardened.

"Get out of the way," Percival rumbled, lowering his voice, and enunciating every word carefully. He squeezed his legs into Stripy's side and the horse went forward, prancing again. The two men got out of his way and Percival rode into the courtyard, taking a bit of time to look around at the impressive castle. Stripy continued showing off across the courtyard, drawing more than a few stares, Percival gave him a nudge.

"Stop it."

Stripy slowed his pace and came to a halt by the castle steps. Percival recognised the knight who had been with Arthur during their meeting in the woods come down to greet him. Percival dismounted and took Stripy's reins. Leon hesitated as he reached the bottom of the steps.

"Oh, I don't think I got your name when we last met, Sir…"

"Percival." He held out his hand, since at least Leon was attempting to be friendly. Leon met the hand.

"Sir Leon. I trust your journey was satisfactory."

"Fine."

"You didn't run into any patrols."

"No, but I stayed out of my colours until the last moment. It was nicer to travel without any trouble."

Leon gave a slight frown of confusion and irritation. Instead of addressing it further he waved to one of the lingering grooms.

"They'll take the horses and a servant will deliver your saddle bags to your guest room. The king is waiting."

Percival nodded, he unbuckled and flipped open one of his saddle packs, pulling out a soft cloth bag that had been tucked into the side. Stitched on the front of the bag was Cenred's coat of arms.

"I'd better bring these with me," Percival said. More than anything because Merlin had put a mild enchantment on the bag so it wouldn't open for anyone but Percival. Even the mildest of spells could cause him an issue. Leon at least didn't question it and instead he headed up the steps, glancing back to check Percival was following him. Percival paused at the clatter of hooves. Stripy had resisted the grooms pull and reaching out latched his teeth onto Percival's arm, just above his elbow. Leon turned to watch as Percival gazed at the horse, who slowly blinked and then released him. Percival patted Stripy's nose.

"Stop it," Percival ordered him. "And be nice," he ordered the stallion glancing from Stripy to the groom. The groom looked increasingly nervous at the sudden interaction but as Percival walked away Stripy sedately followed the young boy. Percival shrugged and jogged up the steps to meet Leon.

As he followed Percival looked around in interest.

"The king is in the throne room, Arthur is with him."

"All right."

"The request came as something of a surprise," Leon said, not feeling entirely comfortable with the silence. Percival looked as if he could take it or leave it.

"Merlin thought it up, once he'd calmed down."

"Yes, Prince Arthur can be a little hot-headed too."

"Actually Merlin just thinks he has an answer to everything," Percival said. "Although I'm sure Lady Hunith gave him the idea to begin with."

Leon looked surprised but said nothing further as they reached the throne room, and Percival smirked to himself. The room was huge, with a dais at the end. Uther sat in the centre throne, Arthur on his right and on the left sat a dark haired girl. In between them and the doors Percival saw a very full room, some of the council and courtiers stood and a good number of Camelot's knights. Leon led the way and Percival ambled after him turning his expression neutral while he looked around in interest. He guessed that his approach had given them time to prepare for him, the only problem was, Percival – or rather Merlin – was ahead of them.

This was the reason that Merlin had sent him. It was unfortunate, but Percival was used to it. Cenred's court, and his knights, had always treated Percival with some derision. He was a commoner, a peasant, while the rest of them were rich, owned land, and even with that, they couldn't gain the same status. It made Percival quite placid in his dealings with them, and he could do the same now. He was safe enough, he was an emissary of his king. He settled his shoulders back as he walked, smiling politely at a few people and judging by the look on some of their faces, his casual confidence did what he wanted it to do. Offend them.

Leon stopped at the dais and gave a quick bow before introducing Percival.

"Sir Percival, Sire."

Then he stepped aside. Percival didn't look much at Uther, instead he gave a bow and then straightened up.

"My Lord."

"Sir Percival, I trust your journey was uneventful."

"Perfectly Sire, the countryside is quite peaceful," Percival said amiably, watching as Uther raised his eyebrows. Percival rummaged in the bag, breaking the slight spell and pulling out the letters that Merlin and Cenred had written. Percival held them out.

"Both King Cenred and Prince Merlin have written regarding the arrangements. The convoy will be setting out from the castle within a few days."

Uther opened the letter and scanned it, and then he glanced up at Percival.

"It was stated the prince would be in the area, why?"

"The raiders took a significant amount of the harvest from the village of Ealdor. Lady Hunith is overseeing the gathering of supplies for the villagers, with enough to see them through the winter, and help any others in the area that have sustained losses. She will be travelling with the prince."

Uther raised his eyebrows. "The prince is travelling with his mother?"

It was lost on none of them that Uther managed to avoid addressing Hunith properly. In the technical sense she was not a Lady, not being of noble birth. If nothing else Cenred would never thought to give her that power, but her hold was strong enough. It was habit, and the fact that she was well liked, meant that she held the title of Lady. The inhabitants of the castle and the kingdom were quite used to it now.

"Yes, Sire."

"And will his sister also be attending?"

Percival watched the reaction to that question. Arthur kept himself together his eyes only flickering slightly, but Lady Morgana gave it away. She had turned to look at Uther, glaring at him, which told Percival that Uther – although not openly showing it – was in fact bordering on rude. Percival kept his expression calm and answered, quite seriously.

"The King decided she was too young to make the journey. The area in question is where Lady Hunith was born, so the king consented to let her make the journey with Merlin. King Cenred also feels it will give the talks a more friendly atmosphere."

Again that was actually Hunith's idea, or what she used to get her own way, as she often did with Cenred. Merlin had been quite pleased at the thought of spending time with Hunith, without Cenred or Evelyn getting involved as well.

Percival watched the affect of his words, Morgana gave a slight smirk, but also gazed at Uther with speculative interest. Arthur raised his eyebrows. Uther hesitated.

"And Cenred has left Prince Merlin to do all the negotiating?" the king eventually asked.

"Yes, Sire," Percival said. Uther looked up at Percival, staring at him properly. Percival waited.

"And you have served the prince long?"

"Nine years My Lord, since I was eleven, when I was chosen as a companion for the prince." Percival was not, under any circumstances, going to tell Uther that he had been the prince's servant. Uther raised his eyebrows and scanned the letter again.

"Will there be any discussion over the issue of prisoners escaping over the boarder?"

"If you wish to discuss that, it will have to be directly with Prince Merlin, however under certain circumstances he may not be easy to sway."

"Yes, he has some sympathy for the Druids," Uther said. Morgana looked at him sharply, even Arthur shifted uncomfortably. Percival sensed the mood in the room shift. Uther's views were well known, but openly saying anything to a knight that served Prince Merlin could be risky. However, again, Merlin and Percival had drawn up a plan on how to handle this.

"The prince does have a good understanding of the druid's ways and customs, one of his tutors was a druid."

Merlin had the feeling that was not a huge secret, Iseldir had been part of the royal household for years. Reports filtering back and forth through the kingdoms had to have passed on that fact. They could talk quite openly about things, without giving anything away. Percival, rightly, thought this would lead on to another subject.

"And taught the prince sorcery."

"Of a fashion," Percival said. "Merlin didn't need particular teaching, he has been able to perform magic since he was a child. The prince was born with the ability, he's a warlock."

Uther raised his eyebrows. Again it had to be a known fact, it was the reason Cenred had adopted Merlin in the first place. Percival had the feeling that the relationship hadn't been how Cenred had originally intended it. Merlin, initially, was to be nothing more than a tool, a weapon. Nobody had really foreseen how Cenred's feelings would change. Uther had been partly responsible, bragging about Arthur, his heir to the throne. Cenred had just decided he could use Merlin to pit himself again Uther. So far, it appeared Cenred was winning, although Percival had no intention of judging Arthur just yet.

However, the prince suddenly intervened on the conversation.

"It has been a long journey for you, Sir Percival, we have accommodation ready for you. You are welcome to stay if you need to rest."

"Only for one night," Percival said. "Prince Merlin wishes me back to help escort the convoy and return with any further replies you have."

"Of course," Arthur said. "Sir Leon will show you to your room."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Considering the way the grandeur of Camelot often got mentioned in conversation about the kingdom Percival guessed that the room he had been given had been intended as another mild insult. It was small and the bed, although easily big enough to accommodate him, had been covered in plain rough sheets, the quilted blanket on top looked very worn in places. His saddle bags had been placed on the chest at the end of the bed, looking rather forlorn.

Percival went to the window, one of the turrets prevented a clear view and also stopped the sun from getting into the room. Percival glanced at the fireplace, it had at least been swept and made ready, a few extra logs stacked to the side. It appeared to be the only gesture that had been made, the room was devoid of candles so Percival guessed he would have to find one or two. His best option would be to locate a tavern to eat and then go to bed soon after it was dark. He could then be up at first light to head back. It had been made perfectly clear that his presence was simply tolerated.

He rummaged in his pack, pulling out his shirt and leather jerkin. If he intended to look around the town it would be best to be a little inconspicuous. He still had one more errand to run for Merlin and he had promised to bring Evelyn a present. He could look around the market for that. And he had better also check the horses.

As he mentally complied his list, also slotting it into order he started to shrug himself out of his chain mail. He was in the process of wriggling it over his head when there was a knock at the door, followed by the latch clicking as it opened. If it happened to be an attacker, Percival thought, yanking harder to free his head, they had perfect timing.

Gwen opened the door and paused in shock as the first sight she was treated to was Percival's well muscled torso, then his head and as he dropped the clothing on the bed, his strong arms.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Percival recognised her as the pretty girl who had been lingering behind Morgana's chair in the throne room. Percival put on his best imitation of Merlin's charming grin, which never seemed to fail the prince when he used it.

"That's all right, I just wasn't expecting anyone."

Percival reached for the white shirt which he had pulled from the packs and dropped it over his head, he noticed the faint flush to Gwen's cheeks as she watched him. Then she seemed to pull herself together, once he was clothed.

"The Lady Morgana sent me, I'm her maid, Guinevere. She wasn't sure if there was anything you needed."

In other words, she knew Uther's hospitality was lacking and Morgana intended to make up for it. Percival smiled the charming smile again.

"No, I think I'm fine, although I may need some candles in the room later, and directions to the physician's chambers would be welcome,"

"Oh, of course, I can get the room ready for you."

"And which is the best tavern to eat it?"

"Oh, are you not dining with… oh," Gwen said. "The Rising Sun, just on the edge of the lower town. If you take the west bridge out and just follow the main road, and turn on the third left, it's just on the corner. Some of the knights go there of an evening."

"Thank you," Percival said. Then he rummaged into his pack, pulling out some material. "And could I get a heating stone from somewhere?"

"I can have one in the bed ready for when you return," Gwen said. Percival smiled.

"Not quite what I need it for, I just need to heat some material."

"I'm sure the kitchen staff won't mind if you hang it in there," Gwen said. She bit her lip and paused, hesitating for a few moments, and glancing briefly at the door before she added. "Lady Morgana wished me to ask, about the boy."

"Mordred, the druid boy."

Gwen nodded. "Yes, she wondered, what had happened to him."

Percival smiled. "He's fine, he was taken to the druid camp that lies in the eastern forest. You can tell Lady Morgana he's quite well, and he thanks her for her kindness, as does Prince Merlin."

Gwen smiled. "She'll be pleased that he's safe."

"He is, and he will be. So… where would I find the physician, Gaius it is?"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Percival knocked as he put his head into Gaius' room. He peered in, looking at the old man who was stirring something.

"What is it?"

"Sir Percival."

Gaius greeted him and put down what he was doing, turning to face the knight. Percival took that as an invitation, so he stepped into the room and carefully closed the door behind him.

"What can I do for you?"

"Prince Merlin asked me to speak to you, and the Lady Hunith asked me to look in on you, she wrote a letter."

Percival held out the paper, which had been carefully tucked into the material of his jerkin, which Gaius took, looking at it carefully.

"She is well?"

"Very," Percival said. "She expressed a great interest in you. Although she presumed you would not be one who would attend the talks, but she would like it if you do."

"I haven't seen her for so long."

"No, the situation is not simple. However, Prince Merlin also asked me to see if you have any information on such as thing as a Bastet."

Gaius lifted his head, frowning but Percival saw the interest.

"Really?"

"Yes, any information you could give would be helpful. Especially if you can find a way to at least control, if not lift, the curse."

"I'm not sure about that."

"As I said, any information you can give would be useful."

"What are the bandages for?"

Percival looked down at the wrapped up material under his arm. "Just for one of the horses, he's a little old, and his joints ache."

Gaius gave a smile. "I know that feeling, I'm sure I have some comfrey ointment, that should help with any aches. Take a seat, it won't take long even if I have to make some up. You can tell me a little more about this bastet, where the devil did you find one?"

"There were reports of it in the northern forest. When we caught it Merlin sensed the enchantment, we waited until dawn and it turned into a girl."

"And how did she get cursed?" Gaius asked, rummaging around in a cupboard. He pulled out two jars and brought them back to the table.

"Apparently Freya was attacked by a man, he was killed in the confrontation. His mother, a sorceress, but the curse on her, so she became a bloodthirsty killer every night. Merlin can be a sucker for a sob story."

"You don't believe the girl."

"Well, she is a tiny little thing, pretty too, nice eyes. Merlin has a soft spot for a pretty face, well, certain spots aren't soft but…" Percival stopped talking as Gaius looked at him with mild disapproval. The knight gave an embarrassed cough. "Sorry. Suffice to stay, if this man did attack her, it wouldn't have been an even contest."

"Do you know where to find the sorceress?"

Percival shook his head. "No, the girl was a druid, but they abandoned her."

Gaius mixed the ointment up, stirring vigorously. "And they have no idea how to lift the curse."

"None, there might not be a way to do it. Lady Hunith said you might be able to think of something."

"Her recommendation is appreciated, but this is a kingdom that does not advocate even the study of magic."

"It's not study, it's research."

"I do not believe there is that much of a difference. This should help your horse, if you apply some of this to his joints, it may help the stiffness."

Percival took the vial, if nothing else out of politeness. He could certainly try on it on the old stallion. If it worked he could return for the formula.

"Thank you, you've been most helpful. If you have a reply for Lady Hunith, I can certainly take it for you."

"Thank you, Sir Percival. If I have anything at all for you, I'll be sure to pass it on."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Gwen had clearly primed the kitchen staff for his arrival. Percival took the bandages away with two warming stones carefully wrapped up in them. Then he went to the stables, which was where Sir Leon found him, after being surprised by finding Gwen tidying up Percival's guest room. The stable master lingered close by as he watched Percival with interest.

"It's not something I've heard of before."

"Neither had I," Percival said, crouching by one of Stripy's back legs. "But his leg joint seemed to lock up, and one of the stable hands guessed that it might have something to do with the cold weather, and the joints probably needed warmth. So by the end of the day Merlin had found something to wrap up Stripy's lower hind legs and he's been fine since."

"The bandages are interesting," the stable master said. Percival huffed and shoved his shoulder into Stripy's leg, which he had rested up, shifting the bulk of his weight to the other side.

"Put your foot down properly you stupid animal."

Stripy snorted in response but gave into Percival's insistent pushing.

"I believe Lady Hunith designed them, most of the horses in the royal stable now have their own."

Leon frowned as he watched Percival wrap the material expertly around the horse's hocks. Percival rolled his eyes as Stripy, having lost the first round to Percival, who still leant against his leg to prevent him lifting his hoof, stuck out his cock.

"Thanks, Stripy," Percival snapped him as it appeared in his eye line. Stripy gave a loud snort.

"Stripy?" Leon asked. Percival looked up, carefully winding the ribbons around to secure the bandage.

"Merlin named him when he was three," Percival said and then to clarify added. "Merlin was three, Stripy… was probably about the same age."

"He looks quite old," Leon said, placing a hand on the horse's flank. Stripy snorted again, and Percival shifted to the other side to bandage up Stripy's other hind leg.

"He is now I suppose, Merlin's had him since he was seven, most of his stable is sired from Stripy's bloodline."

"So he's fond of him then."

"Very."

Leon raised his eyebrows, he had heard what Percival had said to the soldiers on the bridge, not entirely believing it at the time. Now he felt a little inclined to.

"I'm amazed he let you bring him."

"He was only acting as pack horse, I think Merlin wanted to be sure he would be fine for the distance, he'll be one of the horses Lady Hunith will be using."

Leon said nothing for a moment, and Percival finished bandaging Stripy, who snorted again and flicked his tail at Percival, who lightly batted him back.

"It's unfortunate that the king and prince Arthur have been caught up with other issues, but if you are interested I was planning to dine in the barracks with some of the others."

Percival raised his eyebrows and then shrugged. If nothing else, he could find the evening informative.

"Thank you."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Percival arrived back the day before the convoy was due to set off to Ealdor. He found Cenred and Merlin in the throne room.

"How did it go?" Merlin asked.

"Interesting, and rude."

Cenred raised his eyebrows.

"The king is rather blatant about being rude, without being obvious about it."

"Such a talent," Cenred drawled.

"I think he's interested in these talks to try and get some leverage over people passing the border."

"You mean druids passing the border," Merlin sniped.

"Possibly," Percival said. "I have a reply from Gaius, and a recipe for a comfrey ointment for Stripy's legs, it made him very sprightly the next day."

Percival found himself rather jolted as Stripy pranced his way out of Camelot.

"He seemed to have found quite a bit of information on bastets, he's not sure how much will be useful though," Percival said. "And he's written a letter for Lady Hunith."

"So they are still willing to go ahead with this, even if their agenda is different to ours," Merlin said.

"You certainly can't allow them to take advantage," Cenred warned him. Merlin glanced at his father.

"No intention of it, and definitely not when it comes to protecting the druids," Merlin said, skimming the information that Gaius had given them. "From what we hear from Camelot, this is not an area that Arthur is entirely used to. Uther deals with most of the negotiating and diplomatic affairs, Arthur just seems to be a glorified soldier."

"Don't underestimate him though, plus looking at this Uther wishes to finalize what is decided between you two with me once he had seen the agreement."

"Could be fun, and certainly interesting," Merlin said.

"What's more," Percival added. "I have the feeling that Lady Morgana plans to invite herself along."


	12. Chapter 12

It was not something that Arthur was entirely happy with. He got the impression that Uther was less than keen, but it meant staying in the unspoken, and probably childish, competition that seemed to be running. So Morgana calmly road next to him, while the six other knights, Gwen, two more servants and pack horses travelled along with them.

"What's the matter with you?" Morgana asked as Arthur shifted in the saddle for what seemed like the hundredth time. She herself was attuned enough to the forest to know there wasn't any danger. For years she had ridden out and hunted with Uther, Arthur and the knights. They were well protected, she even carried her own sword just in case.

"I just…" he started and then paused, giving Morgana a careful look. He leant towards her, just so he could minimise who heard what was said. "Just don't start about the druids, you know father is still angry about what you did."

Morgana glared at him. Arthur leant back a little.

"You can't honestly agree with him!" she hissed back. Behind them Gwen pretended to be very absorbed in admiring the scenery. She happened to be the only one within hearing range of the conversation.

"Morgana, you can't exactly disagree with him! Look what happened when that thing got into the water supply. That was sorcery, we were just lucky Gaius happened to identify it!"

"And you got to kill it," she hissed back at him.

"That's my job," Arthur murmured, moderating his tone carefully, glancing guiltily back at Gwen. She gave him a light smile to accept the apology, her father having died from that disease. With that settled he turned back to Morgana, who was glaring at him.

"And what about that old man, Aulfric, and his daughter, they had magic and they tried to kill you!"

"I was protecting you," Morgana snapped.

Arthur gave her a sharp look. Gwen hid the small smile that threatened. Morgana looked around, staring at the scenery. Gwen wasn't entirely sure what had suddenly put Morgana's mind onto attending this meeting. The information Percival had passed onto Gwen had certainly put her mistress' mind at rest. Gwen didn't think the knight was lying, it was a well known fact that many druids had migrated into Cenred's kingdom. The king and Merlin didn't seem to openly defend them, but nor did they persecute them in any fashion, which meant nobody feared their presence.

There was only a small suspicion in Gwen's mind, regarding Morgana and magic. Although there had never been any overt signs of Morgana having any talent, she had sometimes known things, dreamt things. The incident with the girl Sophia and her father had been a clear point. Morgana from the start had been suspicious of them and their motives. The point had been proved when Morgana had tried to take them both on. It was lucky, Morgana had been lucky, the man had been caught using magic, nearly killing her in the process. The pair had both been dealt with by the guards. Morgana had perhaps regretted the results of her actions, but she had seemed convinced that Arthur's life was in danger.

"Well?" Morgana demanded into Arthur's silence.

"Just don't rock the boat."

"I hardly intend to do that, but I'll be good, and polite to the prince and Lady Hunith."

Arthur gave her a careful look, again his gaze moved to Gwen who pretended to be reaching for the water skin that was hanging from her saddle, and seeming to have nothing to do with the conversation occurring in front of her.

"Water, My Lady?"

"I'm fine, Gwen, but help yourself."

"My Lord?"

"No, thank you," Arthur said, then after a glare from Morgana added. "Guinevere. We'll take a short break once we reach the river," he said loudly to the men. Most of them looked quite relieved. They had pushed towards the meeting place. They had made good time and would no doubt reach the assigned spot by dusk, if not before. It seemed sensible to stop now, not that Morgana afforded him much peace.

"What do you think I am likely to do?" Morgana asked while they paused.

"You've made your opinions quite clear over the years, you need to think more carefully."

"Like you do! You just agree with Uther, you don't say a word to him as he slaughters people."

"And you've seen what sorcery can do. Over seventy people in the lower town died because of that thing in the water, and you were convinced that Sir Valiant was up to no good, although we won't know now."

Morgana looked away, her jaw tensing. Arthur decided to leave it alone. Gwen scurried off to offer the knights some fruit and more water.

"He was and you know it!" Morgana hissed at him and walked away. Arthur knew she would refuse to talk to him for the rest of the journey. A very big part of him felt nothing more than relief.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It reset itself into a tight knot of anxiety as they got closer. The sun was fading and they had to make camp. Through the trees there was a glimmer of light that meant Merlin had already established his position. Arthur bit down on his lip, there was another shred of level ground, just close by, and they could use that to set up.

"They have made provision for us Sire," the knight who had scouted said.

Which became the point that Morgana set her jaw and kicked her horse.

"Then to stay anywhere else would be quite rude, and rather unsafe. Come on Gwen, we'll go say hello."

Arthur clenched his hands and rode after her, pulling level and then deliberately slowing down.

"Morgana, we're not riding into battle."

To prove that point Arthur dismounted a short distance away. The horses would have been heard so he walked up, taking the lead and moving through the trees, and despite her annoyance Morgana jogged to catch up and walk alongside him. But she was not entirely trusting, since her hand strayed to the dagger on her belt.

Moving close to the circle of light they paused for a moment. A hearth had been set up for cooking, and Arthur's stomach rumbled as he smelt the deer that had been spitted and currently roasted. He watched the woman carefully moving around organising two servants, she looked very well dressed but competent at what she was doing. Arthur guessed her to be Merlin's mother, but he couldn't make any assumptions, until she looked up and shouted.

"Merlin, I will not tell you again!"

Over the far side of the clearing Merlin huffed, he started to pull the thick woollen material onto his shoulders. Morgana sniggered as a woman with dark blond hair appeared from a tent and casually smacked Merlin around the ear, causing the prince to drop his jaw. Percival sitting nearby gave a snigger, shifting the warm coat he was already wearing around on his shoulders. Merlin glared at him, but then smirked as April wandered past Percival and smacked him across the back of the head as well.

"Don't be smug!" she snapped at him. None of the other men looked surprised by what was occurring, they looked as if they were entirely used to seeing the unfolding scenario. The blonde woman stepped away, heading towards the hearth, when suddenly she looked up, which caused both Percival and Merlin to follow her gaze.

Realising they had been spotted Arthur and Morgana led their entourage into the camp. At a signal from Arthur the two servants they had brought with them took his and Morgana's horses.

"Bring them this way, we're set up," Lancelot said, stepping forward. He was dressed as a servant. Merlin was still trying to work out how to deal with Lancelot, but for the moment he made a nice innocuous servant, but one that could, if called upon, fight. It allowed Merlin to hedge his bets and Lancelot acquiesced to the order, looking almost as confused as Merlin felt. He let those servants head away as he took the reins of Guinevere's horse.

"Thank you," Gwen said carefully dismounting, Lancelot reached out to take her arm to steady her.

"My pleasure," Lancelot said politely. Morgana smirked as she watched the interaction, seeing Gwen blush even in the dim light. Merlin saw Percival scowl, although it only lasted a moment, but Merlin guessed that was Morgana's pretty maid, who had made quite an impression on the knight.

Merlin walked across the camp to greet them. Hunith, a little nearer, got there first, going straight to Morgana and taking her arm.

"We were getting worried about you, come on, you must be tired, let's get you settled."

Morgana smiled. "Thank you."

She let herself be led away. Percival moved past Merlin to get to Guinevere before Lancelot could come back, he reached out to take her arm.

"You must be tired too," he said.

"Thank you," Guinevere said letting Percival lead her behind Hunith and Morgana. Merlin could see his mother talking, Morgana answering her, looking polite but almost confused. Merlin turned back to Arthur and held out his hand in greeting.

"I'm not taking your arm, this will do."

Arthur smirked and met Merlin's hand, they shook tentatively, testing each other's grip before they let go.

"Merlin, don't leave Arthur getting cold over there!"

"No, Mother. Please tell me you brought a warm coat."

"I've got a cloak," Arthur said following Merlin as they headed down into the clearing.

"Put it on when you are told," Merlin advised him. Arthur raised his eyebrows, then he was distracted as Hunith, having settled Morgana by the fire came to him, she reached out to gently grip his arms just above his elbows and then leant in, reached up to kiss his cheek. Arthur's eyes widened at the familiarity. For a moment his mind reeled, until as she pulled back he thought, she wasn't brought up as nobility, and she had never been trained. It was her instinct and natural friendliness that made her behave as she was. That was possibly why Morgana had been thrown for a moment. Both of them had been expecting something formal, they were used to that. It explained why Morgana was now sitting quietly by the fire, taking a goblet of wine from the dark blonde woman who appeared to be Hunith's maid. They had also sat Guinevere down, giving her water, just to momentarily revive her before she dealt with Morgana's things.

"Come and sit down for a moment."

"Not for long," Arthur said. "I need to supervise the setting up."

"Just take a moment. You've had a harder journey than us, we've been in the area for the last two days, we've had time to settle," Hunith said.

"We spent time in Ealdor," Merlin added. "I sent two knights out to set up and a few of the villagers came to help."

"The village is nearby?" Arthur asked.

"It's past the ridge," Merlin said, putting it firmly in to his territory. "While the knights were resting the villagers rode over to help."

"That was good of them."

Merlin smiled, almost indulgently. "They were happy, they had enough food to see them through winter, and they got to see my mother. They hadn't laid eyes on her for years. Come on, it's won't take long if we help, let's get the tents set up."

He turned and whistled and his knights, and servants came over, realising that Merlin expected them to help.

"Come on, it won't take us long."

Arthur stood up, a little stunned, and nervous. He had never done anything like this before and it wasn't happening as he had been taught. His father had always told him how to behave, openly friendly but show some contempt and arrogance. You couldn't give ground to anyone. But if this was some kind of subtle plan Arthur couldn't fathom it. Merlin was openly friendly, his mother was organising everything. Everyone appeared to be pitching in to help them set up, their camp was organised in no time, Arthur almost dazed as he requested certain things and then were done. As his servants had said what needed to be done Merlin's entourage obliged.

"Right, are we sorted?" Hunith asked, as Morgana reappeared with her hair pinned away from her face but flowing down her back, wrapped in a warm gown. "How about dinner?"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Dinner proved pleasant. Hunith didn't allow any separation between the two groups of knights. She had Morgana sat next to her, with Gwen assisting April and Hunith made sure they sat down to eat, as she did everyone else. Merlin and Arthur sat side by side, thankfully managing to concentrate on eating rather than saying anything.

"Sorry about my mother, it's kind of her trip to, I don't want to say anything."

"It doesn't matter," Arthur said. "I wouldn't know about mothers. It looks nice though."

He had no idea what possessed him to suddenly say that. His father would have seen that as admitting weakness. But Merlin turned and looked at him, staring at Arthur with sympathy. It wasn't pity, there was just something that made Merlin consider what it would have been like.

"The area is clear of bandits now?" Arthur asked, deciding to go back to practicality.

"Appears so, but I don't think that if you cut off the snake's head you'll kill it. There are hundreds out there just like Kanen, they'll take their chance, I think we just killed off everyone, and none of it was a loss."

Arthur turned to look at Merlin in surprise, who appeared quite calm when talking about the slaughter of over forty men.

"You think more might come?"

"The council is right, there is a limit to how often we can stretch the forces to the outlying areas, we need to make sure the problem won't reoccur."

"You start sending more patrols through this area, then my father is bound to do the same."

"Probably why it's a good idea to sort the border out," Merlin said. "Otherwise the raiders will get away with it because our forces will be too busy clashing with each other."

Arthur shrugged. "Which seems idiotic. Besides, on our side, there isn't anything but forest. Most of the villages are far enough in that the border issue hasn't been important."

"If they are using the forest it might be," Merlin said. "We do have two settlements this side of the ridge, which makes it a concern for us."

"You're just trying to get us to pay attention to this so we will increase our patrols through the forest. That will make your life easier."

Merlin gave him a sidelong glance and then turned his gaze back to the fire.

"Maybe," he drawled, before giving Arthur another sidelong look and the corners of his mouth quirked up in a smirk. Arthur tried to look disapproving but the smirk proved slightly infectious and he couldn't seem to help returning it. Arthur controlled it by biting down on his lip and decided, since the moment seemed right to try and bring up a rather more delicate subject.

"There's also the issue about other people using the forest to cross from our kingdom to yours."

The phrase 'other people' was broad enough, but on the other hand it made the subject quite obvious. Merlin's face darkened. Arthur shifted uncomfortably, looking away from him. He steeled himself, and got ready with something to say, in his defence. Truthfully he could say that he didn't agree with his father. The druids didn't seem like a threat to him, but people that went to them, for help, for medicine, were then put under suspicion of sorcery. It didn't always mean that they were dragged in for questioning or executed. Uther wanted to use them to track the people he really wanted. But, Arthur asked himself, what was wrong with seeking help to save people's lives.

Merlin didn't answer, instead Hunith interrupted them.

"You'd better not be talking business now, Merlin. Arthur's bound to be tired, they've travelled a long way."

"We've travelled to," Merlin pointed out

"I don't mind," Arthur said, a little chagrined at not being able to get what he wanted to say across.

"Nonsense!" Hunith said. "Merlin, we've only come from over the ridge from Ealdor. We've had more time to get ready. Arthur and Morgana have ridden from Camelot. They'll be tired…"

Arthur backed that up by giving an involuntary yawn. "I'm fine," he managed to mumble afterwards.

"No, the pair of you are not. You can talk in the morning," Hunith announced cutting Arthur off. He felt oddly stricken. He had wanted to say something about their previous meeting, and the boy he had been chasing. However, Merlin, as he always did, obeyed Hunith, saying something about bandaging up the horses legs. So Arthur, frustrated and defeated, never got to say his piece.

As Hunith sternly said, they would have plenty of time in the morning.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Morgana simply bided her time. There was something around the horses, which Merlin seemed to take interest in. Then he went to his tent and didn't come out. Morgana picked out the thickest of her nightgowns to sleep in, just so she could make her move when she needed to. She didn't want to Gwen to worry, and she did not want to annoy Lady Hunith, who seemed to have control of the camp. Something which didn't worry Morgana, she had other things on her mind.

She stayed awake and waited, keeping an eye out on what was happening in the camp. The guards changed over, the camp stayed quiet, until quite suddenly Merlin left his tent, carefully looking around before heading toward the horses and then to the left, walking into the shadows around the campfire.

Morgana grabbed her cloak and pushed aside the tent flaps, leaving Gwen sleeping inside and she followed him, looking at Merlin as he walked. She stepped carefully, not wanting to make any noise, but Merlin moved as if such stealth was natural. It was not the gentle sway that Arthur had when he hunted, this was something else, almost predatory. She watched Merlin walk up the incline that sheltered them and tensed as she realised, to her embarrassment, that she had almost walked into one of the guards; one of Merlin's. She had been so focused on Merlin, she hadn't seen him. For a moment she hesitated, unsure what to do, however the guard looked at her and then Merlin, who had crouched down at the designated boundary of the camp. The soldier glanced at her again and then nodded at her politely heading away. The soldier either expected no harm to happen to her, or he realised she was following the prince. She dragged the cloak tighter around her body and walked up towards him. Merlin glanced over his shoulder, turned slightly and then stood up, bowing to her.

"Lady Morgana. Are you all right?"

"I was curious. I couldn't sleep, I don't sometimes. I was curious as to what you were doing."

As she spoke a series of barks rang through the air. She jumped, taken by surprise, Merlin hardly flickered.

"Foxes," Merlin said. "They ran over the boundary."

Morgana frowned, tensing a fraction as Merlin's eyes glowed. The foxes danced into view, Merlin's gaze turned to follow them. One of them paused to assess them, the animal's eyes glittering in the moonlight.

"Boundary?" Morgana asked tentatively.

"It's just a security precaution," Merlin said in a reassuring tone. Morgana raised her eyebrows.

"Sorcery?"

"Yes," Merlin said. "They're a mating pair."

"What?" Morgana asked. Merlin nodded in the direction of the two foxes, controlling his amusement at her shocked tone.

"Those two."

Morgana turned to look at the two animals. They were barking as they pranced around the trees, the bigger one dashing to prevent the smaller one from getting away. Morgana felt an odd shiver, and she pulled her cloak tighter around her, aware of Merlin glancing at her. He stepped back and leant against a nearby tree, as if sensing her sudden discomfort.

"It's nothing to worry about, the boundary," Merlin said.

"What is it? Where is it?" Morgana asked. Merlin indicated to a point on the ground just ahead of her.

"It goes around the entire camp, I always do it."

Morgana stepped forward, passing over the point that Merlin indicated. She felt nothing but glancing up she saw the glitter in Merlin's eyes and as she backed up again the flash happened again. Merlin could sense it.

"Why do you do that?"

"It's useful," Merlin said.

"And you could sense the foxes."

Merlin shrugged. "I knew they weren't a threat, but they kept crossing over, so I just came to look."

"Doesn't that get a bit irritating, if things keep crossing it?"

"Not really," Merlin said. "Most of my men know I do it, so they are careful to stay within it."

"You didn't tell Arthur though."

"I know how… sensitive… people from Camelot can be about sorcery."

Morgana raised her eyebrows. Merlin smirked.

"But you just told me, what if I tell Arthur?"

"Are you planning to?" Merlin asked her. Morgana frowned.

"No," she said, sounding a little irritated.

"Well then," Merlin said with a shrug. "If you wish I can remove it."

"It doesn't matter," Morgana said. She turned back to look at the foxes, they were almost lost to the shadows. The smaller one, presumably the female, looked less like she wanted to run away, staying still as the male moved around her, watching him carefully as he paced, sniffing her on occasion. Morgana felt very aware of Merlin watching her, watching them. She turned back to him.

"I know Sir Percival told Gwen, but I just wanted to ask…"

"Mordred?" Merlin asked, in a low tone, not sounding surprised. Morgana looked around, wanting to make sure that no one could hear, that no one could see. Arthur would not be happy if he heard that she had sought Merlin out. He would no doubt know the topic of conversation.

"Yes."

"You saved his life," Merlin said.

"Not everyone in Camelot thinks like Uther," Morgana said with more than a little venom. Merlin raised his eyebrows.

"I didn't presume that they did."

"He's all right then, Mordred?"

"Perfectly, he's living in a druid camp within the northern forest. My old tutor is looking after him."

"You were taught by a druid?"

Merlin nodded. "I didn't need much instruction in how to perform magic, but learning some control was fairly useful. I don't think my father wanted me to keep randomly setting fire to the hangings in the throne room."

Morgana blinked, eyes widening in shock. "How did you do that?"

Merlin, this time, was the one that carefully glanced around. The soldier who had been on duty had removed himself from the immediate vicinity, and he had been chosen for his level of discretion. Crouching down Merlin picked up a small branch, and staring at it whispered a word. Morgana jumped as the end of the branch ignited. Merlin looked up at her, his face caught in the light of the fire he had created.

"I was only six at the time, and kind of got a little enthusiastic about igniting the torch. The nearby hangings were unfortunate victims."

Morgana giggled. "I dare say that didn't go down well."

"Father was fairly impressed with the force I used, especially as I was only little, but I don't think he wanted me randomly destroying the kingdom in the process."

"What about other kingdoms?" Morgana asked.

"I'm not a fool," Merlin said dropping the branch and standing up put his foot on it to stamp out the fire. He didn't say anything more, so Morgana didn't quite understand what Merlin meant. She never got a chance to ask him, Merlin's gaze shifted and Morgana turned to see Leon walking towards them. There was a frown on his face, his gaze moving from Morgana to Merlin.

"My Lady, are you all right?"

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Merlin raise his eyebrows, probably guessing what Leon might be thinking. She knew the knights had been given strict instructions about her, and her protection. Arthur had not been allowed to have anything to do with the conversation. Uther himself had delivered the orders, although Arthur had also heard them.

"I couldn't sleep," Morgana said. "I thought some night air would help."

"Did Gaius not provide you with a sleeping draught?" Leon asked.

"Yes, but I haven't taken it yet, and I heard the foxes," Morgana added, determined to deflect Leon. Merlin said nothing, simply waiting, Leon frowned.

"Foxes?"

"There was a mating pair, they moved quite close to the camp," Merlin explained. "I heard them as well.

Leon frowned as he glanced out into the darkness, but the foxes had run out of range, although their calls could still be heard.

"I'll escort you back," Leon said, holding his arm out to Morgana. She gritted her teeth and put her hand on his arm. Merlin gave a polite bow.

"Good night, My Lady," Merlin said politely. "Sir Leon."

Merlin moved away, deciding to check the rest of the boundary. He guessed that he probably shouldn't rock the boat too much. Morgana decided the same.

"You should be careful, My Lady," Leon murmured.

"Why?" Morgana asked in an innocent tone. It made Leon look uncomfortable. She wasn't stupid, she knew why. The last thing Uther wanted was Merlin learning of her sympathies towards people with sorcery. Morgana couldn't help but feel intrigued by Merlin, who was clearly powerful, and seemingly very aware of it. Yet on the flip side, he didn't appear to use his power in the ways she had seen other sorcerers do.

Leon delivered her to her tent.

"Should I wake Guinevere, My Lady?" Leon asked.

"No, thank you Leon, I can look after myself." Morgana disappeared into her tent and let the material close behind her. Gwen remained asleep, which was fine with Morgana. She wanted to think in peace. Unfastening her cloak she settled down by the table, where Gwen had carefully placed a mirror. Morgana picked up her hairbrush and began running it through her hair. Gwen had also carefully left the sleeping draught on the table. Morgana didn't feel like sleeping, she wanted to think, considering Merlin's words.

As she pondered, the distant sounds of the foxes rippled through the darkness.


	13. Chapter 13

"The river has always acted as the boundary," Merlin insisted, pointing along the line drawn on the map.

"I'm not disputing that," Arthur said trying to keep his voice under control. Leon had informed him of what he had seen the night before, but there wasn't much Leon could really tell his prince. Morgana often couldn't sleep, she had suffered nightmares for as long as he had known her. Merlin could have simply run into her as Morgana had said. Oddly Arthur found himself trusting that on Merlin's part it had been accidental, whereas he felt far less sure of Morgana.

"But it only works there, once it splits, and the tributary flows that way, the issue gets complicated," Arthur added.

Arthur glanced up, Merlin bit down on his lower lip, a frown on his face, seriously considering what Arthur was saying. Uther had always taught him to be able to read exactly what people were thinking, as well as listening to what they were saying. It was part of this scenario that Arthur had learnt, because he often didn't get to involve himself too deeply with the negotiations, but despite the opinion that he just looked bored during these things, he did actually watch everyone very carefully. Every aspect of this, Merlin appeared to be taking very seriously, including everything Arthur said.

"Your original map, lets just look at that," Merlin said, waving a hand to get the servant to bring Arthur's map. He politely restrained his urge to use magic, which is what he usually did, often not even thinking about it. Now he made sure to not be so casual about it. If nothing else, he didn't want Arthur assuming he was doing it deliberately, to annoy him.

The servant passed it over, and Merlin looked at them again.

"There is a chance, because of the split, that has caused the problem. There, look, the boundary is marked on the maps, but using different tributaries."

"And each one means that, this section of forest is in dispute," Arthur said, getting the point.

"Quite naturally, each time, we've used that river to gain more land and on yours Camelot has done exactly the same, using the other river. That's quite cheeky really," Merlin said. "Because if either side questions it they are both right."

"So what was the original decision?" Arthur asked.

"Good question, do we have any idea about that?" Merlin looked up at Percival who was reading the old treaty, looking very bored as he did so.

"It just states the river," Percival said. Morgana leant over to look. Percival passed the parchment to her. Morgana took it, reading intently.

"Well, that's helpful," Merlin said sarcastically.

"Can't you just redraw it?" Morgana asked. She and Hunith were sat in on the discussions, although Hunith calmly sewed while Morgana paid attention. Merlin wasn't fooled by his mother's actions. She was listening to everything that was said.

"Where though exactly?" Merlin said. "I don't think we can draw a line through the middle, the whole point of using the river in the first place was presumably to make an easy boundary, rivers are a bit hard to move."

"Oh, something you can't do," Percival muttered under his breath, but loud enough for people to hear. Merlin gave a snort of laughter, which he turned into a cough, glancing at Arthur in a mildly guilty fashion.

"Sorry," Percival added.

"It's only half a mile of forest," Arthur said.

"Is it?" Merlin asked, he leant forward and grabbed another map, leaning over the table to peer at it. For a brief second Arthur thought that Merlin was being sarcastic, but as Merlin shuffled papers around Arthur got the feeling that Merlin was being quite serious, although for a moment Arthur couldn't work out why. A quick glance round made him realise that neither could anyone else, including Percival who was watching Merlin with ill concealed irritation.

"Hold on, look at that, the trees on our map are bigger."

"Yes," Arthur said. "So?"

"But they appear to fit in the same sort of space, and look at that area there, the one indicated by the ravine, and then the edge of forest there."

Merlin lifted up both maps, holding them so Arthur could look at them. Carefully Merlin overlapped them a little.

"These weren't draw at the same time, by the same person, they have just gone by what was written in the text, and they've made a bit of a mistake."

Merlin shifted them again and Arthur stared, suddenly realising what Merlin was getting at.

"They're different sizes, they aren't the same distances."

"Exactly."

"And look at that, on yours, that line there, it indicates a river, that must be the smaller tributary," Arthur added.

"Exactly," Merlin said again, lowering the maps to put them down on the table.

"The maps were drawn, using the descriptions in the treaty. They just worked from what they had, and they have managed to completely work out the distances wrong because they used that as a marker for the rest of the boundary."

"That's why it's all wrong."

"And nobody checked it," Arthur said. Merlin looked up and rolled his eyes.

"So, we are essentially concluding," he announced slowly. "That the only reason this is currently an area of contention is the fact that the maps that were so carefully drawn from the treaty are of two entirely different scales."

"Yes," Arthur said, feeling slightly embarrassed. He glanced at Merlin, who was already giving him a sidelong glance, the corners of his mouth already lifting. Merlin snorted, gave a half laugh and attempted to control himself. He brought his hand to his face and giggled behind it, a sound that caused Lady Hunith to look up and smile. Merlin sniggered again, glancing at Arthur, his eyes shining with humour.

"It's not funny," Arthur said, trying to sound serious.

That didn't help Merlin in the slightest, he burst out into gales of laughter, and Arthur couldn't help but be infected by it. He put both hands over his face to hide his reaction but everyone could see his shoulders shaking. Merlin started to laugh so hard that he fell against Arthur, who discovered that, when it came to Merlin, there didn't seem to be that much weight to support. Arthur shrugged his shoulder to off-load him. Merlin went with the gesture and instead put a hand on the table. For a moment Merlin and Arthur did nothing but laugh, until eventually Arthur, whose training had to kick in at some point, took a deep breath.

"It's not funny," he informed Merlin, while also wiping developing tears from his eyes.

"Not even a bit. Quite frankly it's ludicrous," Merlin said.

Arthur could have laughed again but he took another deep breath, coughed heavily.

"I have reports of about six incidents where patrols have been slaughtered for allegedly crossing these lines. We shouldn't find it funny."

Merlin flipped emotion instantly. His men, Hunith and April were entirely used to it. Morgana blinked, tensing just a little as Merlin straightened up and his face sobered. He took his own deep breath and looked back at the maps.

"You are entirely right," Merlin said to Arthur. "But we need to look at that. The area by the tributary isn't that far. If we set off just after dawn we can reach there mid morning. By your scale we are looking at assessing half a mile by three?"

"Less than that."

"By mine a mile by four or so."

"Who drew your map?" Arthur asked.

"To be perfectly honest, I think these might be copies of the originals. I don't think either kingdom has thought to talk since. If we get an idea on that area, we might get some scale on the rest of the border."

"Good idea, maybe we can go hunting as well."

"We've got enough food to last, do we need to?" Merlin asked.

"Don't you hunt for fun?"

"Only if it's something dangerous. It doesn't seem fair otherwise."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

They rode out the next day, Arthur and Merlin leading, Morgana went along too. Hunith chose to stay at camp. Merlin knew she was not good at travelling, or riding, although she had made the effort to go to Ealdor. It would not have been something that Cenred encouraged in her anyway. She was happy where she was, although Merlin knew it baffled Morgana.

Morgana rode behind them, Leon with her. Gwen trailed along, Percival carefully staying with her, having managed to manoeuvre Lancelot out of her line of sight Percival felt quite pleased with himself. Merlin had to go back and inform his friend, he really needed to talk more if he wanted to get anywhere.

"Do you hunt wild boar?" Arthur asked.

"Sometimes," Merlin said. "Especially if there is a feast on. I've never really thought about. People do hunt but it's to provide food."

"Everything I hunt goes on a table somewhere," Arthur said. "It's never wasted."

"It seems silly otherwise," Merlin said.

"You don't do it, just to test yourself? Your kingdom doesn't have tournaments either. You don't invite others."

"Nor have I gone anywhere else. I could send other knights from our kingdom. Certainly Percival, jousting with him is the equivalent of jousting against a wall. I just have one problem."

"What?" Arthur asked in confusion.

"If I win, however fair I am, I'll be accused of using magic. I could learn to be the best swordsman in the world. I'm not bad, but I'm not entirely built for it, that was hard work on my part. But my hard work will just be passed off as magic."

"You used magic in that fight with Kanen, I saw it."

"That's different. It's not only fighting for your kingdom, it also really puts your life on the line. Magic is part of me, it's part of my arsenal. As Mickanek, my weapons tutor said, to not use it is short of idiotic."

"You don't even need to use the sword."

"I know that, but the rest of my men have to. There is no way I cannot. And if it was a competition I could be fair, I'm unbeaten except for Percival. But no one will accept that and I know it. If I win, I'll be accused of magic, even if I don't need to use it. I wouldn't anyway. And if I lost they'd all mutter that my magic isn't up to much."

Arthur looked away. He had fought for his position, against the knights of his kingdom and from others. It was accepted that he was good, to be accused of cheating after what he had invested in it would have killed him. He utterly understood what Merlin was saying.

"I might even be guilty of that," Arthur said.

"Sorry?"

Arthur looked embarrassed. "It was a tournament I was fighting in, one at Camelot. There was this knight, Valiant. He was accused of using magic. I accused him, I swear I saw it. It wasn't a trick, I swear. His shield, the snakes on it, seemed to come alive, and Gaius said Sir Ewan was suffering from poison, like a snakebite. Morgana backed Gaius up, she helps him sometimes," Arthur said in a low tone.

"It was your word against his," Merlin concluded.

"My father didn't believe me. It was so awful. But I don't know. If you say using magic is wrong, if it's like that…."

"What happened to your knight?"

"Gaius couldn't get the poison to make an antidote. He could have tried to draw the snakes to life but the practice of magic is forbidden. Sir Ewan died. Valiant faced me in the final, I killed him without a second thought, where I would have normally given him a chance to get up. All I can say is I was also worried about Morgana. She remained convinced of it."

Merlin mused for a moment. "He either wanted to win or wanted to kill you. Probably he wanted to win, otherwise he would not have played his hand in another round. As a swordsman how would you have rated him?"

"Good enough, but by skill, he would have made the semi-finals if he was lucky."

"What was the prize?"

"One hundred gold pieces and the honour of escorting Morgana to the feast."

Merlin pulled a face.

"You think his target might have been Morgana?"

"Maybe. Danger is something acceptable in your life. To Morgana maybe not."

"She seems more informed than I am most of the time."

Merlin shook his head. "There is no way I can even hope to tell you what Valiant might have wanted. Maybe just to get close enough, to impress the court enough that he could put himself into the running to win Morgana; as simple as that. I'm not even going to try and work it out, but it sounds like you were right. People use magic for good reasons, but they also abuse it. It is something to be wary of, there is a price to pay."

"But you seem to use it so easily."

"I was born with magic, it's part of me, I can't get away from it. To a point, I can't choose not to use it," Merlin said. "I haven't studied, much, sorcerers do use it for good means, but the balance required is a very fine line."

"You've killed sorcerers before? I remembered, what you said, about the one Percival killed."

"Raising ghouls is not a good thing, if nothing else they are flesh eaters, and they very much prefer human."

"Ew," Arthur said.

"Quite. I didn't like it much either."

Arthur fell silent, not sure how to carry on. It appeared to be becoming quite clear that even Merlin didn't tolerate the abuse of the power that he had been given. Arthur didn't particularly want to compare Merlin to his father, that just seemed peculiar. But it was the only thing springing to his mind.

"But the druids…" Arthur started tentatively. Merlin raised his eyebrows, studied Arthur's expression for a moment before nodding.

"Contrary to a clear belief, not all druids have talent, or even train to use magic. It's quite true that many of them have talent. They came together as a group, people who had certain levels of magic wanting to reach an understanding. Many continue to try, in the safety of that bond."

"But they don't all use it."

"Some people just can't learn it. It takes levels of concentration, and discipline, to harness the power. Percival can probably recite every incantation I've ever done, but he can't actually do anything with it."

"But what about people like Valiant?" Arthur asked. Merlin shrugged.

"I could create a spell, and make it so with a word, it would respond to Percival, and him alone. But he can't just pick up a magic book and read something or recite things he knows I have used. It doesn't work like that. Because it's a natural gift, I find it far easier than anyone else. I don't have to incant and plan and really go through the years of training that others have done to develop my mind to do it."

Arthur frowned. "And the boy… Mordred?"

He sensed Morgana, who had stayed back from the murmured conversation suddenly lunge forward, eyes on the two men riding in front of her.

"He was born to the druids, he has a natural ability for telepathy and empathy. With enough training he may develop further power. He and his guardian were passing through Camelot when they were discovered."

"You think they would have learnt to avoid it," Morgana said. Arthur turned and glared at her, Leon looked shocked. Merlin turned his head again, looking quite calm and composed. He was far more intrigued by the fact that Arthur had instigated the conversation rather than the content. Morgana's eyes flashed with defiance as the three men looked at her.

"The druids long ago learnt, there is no avoiding Camelot," Merlin said.

Arthur turned back to look at him. His fellow prince was eyeing him steadily and Arthur got the feeling there was far more meaning to what Merlin was saying than just their persecution. Merlin, however, decided that was all he was going to say as he pulled his horse up.

"We've found the tributary," he said.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Two days later Merlin smiled as the castle that was his home came into view. Considering some of Percival's descriptions of Camelot Merlin guessed the slightly bleak looking castle was not something to be admired, it had been built for defence rather than beauty, but it was home. He had been to Ealdor twice, looking around, trying to bring something to mind of his early years there, but he had been a toddler when Cenred had taken them away. Merlin couldn't really remember anything.

He could bring to mind elements of the journey and his arrival and deep down he knew that his mother had not been a willing bed partner. She had acquiesced to keep him same, plus how could she say no to the king. Merlin noted to himself, she didn't say no now, when Cenred went to her, which seemed to Merlin as regularly as he remembered it being throughout his life. Although he remained a acutely aware that his mother was legally nothing more than an acquisition.

Still, his smile widened as a riding party that had come from the castle came into view. Cenred was leading them and on a little chestnut pony Evelyn followed him. As she saw the others she waved. Merlin tensed and Hunith gasped as the pony, despite it's calm temperament, jumped under the excited, shouting girl. Cenred reached out, and Merlin realised, his father had thought ahead. He took hold of the lead that tethered the pony to his own stallion, holding the pony steady as he turned and talked to Evelyn. Her hand dropped and she took careful hold of her reins.

Merlin glanced at Hunith before nudging his horse on and letting her run. The mare grunted and Merlin felt the power under him as she jumped forward. Merlin galloped over the open ground, making his way towards his father. Percival rode behind him, but the rest of the group stayed with Hunith, who had no desire to cover the ground, as much as she wanted to see her daughter, and Cenred. Hunith suddenly looked at him from a distance and realised that she missed him.

She watched Merlin pulled up in front of the king. Cenred smirked in response to Merlin's grin.

"I presume all is well," Cenred said, stopping the party he was riding out with. He would wait for the rest of them to catch up.

"Did you bring me a present?" Evelyn asked.

"Yes," Merlin said to Cenred and then "no," to Evelyn.

"Percival brought me a present when he went to Camelot."

Percival had thankfully found a potter, who had been making small pots as decorative pieces. The man in question had been quite pleased when he had sold the item. He made most of his money with practical items, but enjoyed the more delicate work. When he had learnt that his small pot had been a present for the Princess Evelyn he had been both frightened and overjoyed by the news.

"We went to the middle of a forest, Evie, what could we have brought you?" Merlin asked.

"You could have got a lock of Prince Arthur's hair. You could find a spell to make someone love me. If we had that you could make the prince love me."

Evelyn tossed her hair back as she spoke. Cenred smirked but Merlin's face contorted into fury.

"Don't be so ridiculous! You don't do things like that to people."

Evelyn stared at him, her eyes widening. Cenred tensed, reaching for the rope that held his daughter's horse close to his. Merlin took a deep breath and relaxed, quite consciously.

"You don't do things like that, Evelyn."

Evelyn tensed. Merlin using her full name was a serious thing.

"You do," she said.

"No, I do not. I would not make somebody do something they didn't choose to do. That is bad!"

Evelyn bit down on her lip.

"Merlin!" Cenred growled at him.

Evelyn watched them and crumpled a little further under the gaze that locked her father's and brother's eyes together. A tear ran out of her right eye.

"I got you a present," Percival said with perfect timing. Evelyn looked up, turning to Percival eagerly.

"What?"

"These, from Lady Morgana."

"Gloves?"

"Yes," Percival said. "Gwen made them for you."

"Who's Gwen?"

"Lady Morgana's maid," Percival said. Evelyn forgot the horse again and both her father and brother rolled their eyes.

"Evelyn, don't let go of your reins," Percival admonished taking the gloves back off her, making sure she took the lengths of leather back in her hands. "You have to pay attention when you are riding."

"Sorry."

"You can have a proper look at your present when you get back," Percival said. "And Merlin is right, you can't go around making people fall in love with you, at least not like that. You have to be nice, and charm them, and not use cheap tricks."

"Merlin does."

"Not to make people feel things they don't feel deep down. Merlin does not do things as dishonourable as that."

Evelyn stared up at him, with wide eyes.

"And you need to talk more," Merlin advised him. Percival turned and glared at him.

"What?"

"It's all very well manoeuvring yourself near Gwen, but then the next requirement is usually a conversation," Merlin informed him. Evelyn listened to them with utter fascination, still remembering to keep hold of her reins as Percival had told her.

"What do I talk about?" Percival asked in bafflement.

"Yourself perhaps," Merlin said.

"I want to charm her, not bore her," Percival said. "Every story I could tell her ends up with you being so helpful, and powerful or just there!"

"She might be very interested," Merlin said, while he tried not to smirk. "You could always get her to talk about herself."

"She did," Percival said, and then said nothing more, clearly not willing to expand on the subject any further. Merlin caught Evelyn frowning at Percival, looking quite put out that he could even think about anyone else.

"You like Gwen," Evelyn accused him. Percival looked at her.

"I think so, but she does live in Camelot. I don't know how much liking I can do."

Evelyn pondered this, and she stopped pouting, and tossing her hair back announced.

"Well, that's all right, since I can't have Arthur, I can still marry you."

Hunith blinked, smirking as she just came in range of the conversation. Percival looked startled, Merlin controlled his sniggering. Cenred looked like he wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or chop Percival's head off.

"Erm, thank you," Percival said, unsure what the correct response to that actually was. Merlin rummaged in his saddle bag and pulled out the map he had on him, handing it to the king, who unfurled it carefully.

"You're not holding your reins father," Evelyn criticized. Cenred gave a murmur and gathered them up with one hand while he briefly glanced at the map.

"I thought you let Arthur take the map?" Percival said.

"I did, I copied it."

"But you're expecting him to send you a copy," Percival said.

"I know, I just thought that using magic to reproduce the map might not go down so well. This way we have a copy and when we receive one from Camelot we can compare it," Merlin reasoned. Cenred rolled up the map and handed it back to Merlin, who stowed it away again.

"You think they might try and cheat us?" Cenred asked him. Merlin bit his lip and considered the idea as they walked the horses in the direction of the castle.

"I wouldn't have thought that of Arthur," Hunith said. Merlin shook his head.

"Me neither to be honest," Merlin said. Cenred glanced at them both and shrugged.

"It will be down to how Uther views what you two have done."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Morgana moved quietly through the castle. She didn't need to dine with Uther tonight. Uther had made the excuse that she probably needed to rest, having had such an arduous journey. Annoyingly he didn't say the same to Arthur. Morgana didn't comment, instead she retired to her rooms, ate the supper that Gwen provided and pretended to take the sleeping draught that Gaius tagged on. The bottle waited in her room for later on, she had had a slightly restless night previously, and she knew it could get worse as the nightmares built. That was not the reason Uther had dismissed her though.

He and Arthur needed to discuss the terms of the treaty that had been made between Arthur and Merlin. Uther probably also wanted to know how she had behaved. She still wasn't trusted by him, and their relationship lay on very shaky ground. Morgana huffed, it didn't concern her too much. They were never going to see eye to eye on the subject of sorcery. Uther's hatred didn't just anger her, it frightened her, if he ever knew the truth she dreaded to think what might happen. Her fear always turned into aggression around him.

Arthur had looked slightly uncertain of how the evening might go. He had not got as far as discussing the issue of people crossing the border with Merlin. At least he could argue that perhaps establishing it clearly was more important, and making sure that rival patrols did not clash. Uther wouldn't see that part of it, Morgana decided. All he would comment on was what Arthur's hadn't achieved.

She navigated her way through the castle, her tread sure and confident as she went down the last few steps and paused. The torch hardly made any impact in the darkness, flickering as the breeze rippled around the huge space and the large beast settled on the nearby fissure of rock that he had always used as a perch. His head tilted to the side as he looked at her. His prompt arrival meant that he had been waiting for her visit.

"My little witch."

Morgana's jaw tensed, she hated that term, and the dragon probably knew it. She looked up at him, staring up at the huge beast. He looked back with a calm expression.

"You know why I've come?"

"Do you plan to fulfil your promise?" he asked her. Morgana hesitated.

"Why should I do that?" she demanded. "You promised to help me!"

"Have I not?" the dragon asked calmly. Morgana frowned.

"I have told you, you have power but those gifts mean nothing without the balance of your equal."

"You mean Emrys?" Morgana said.

"What did you think of the prince?" the dragon asked.

Morgana hesitated. She had only really seen Merlin alone that first night, when she had followed him. The rest of the time Merlin appeared to be completely focused on what he wanted to achieve and he had done so.

"I'm not sure," Morgana said. The dragon blinked and waited patiently for her to continue. She glanced up, wondering what to say, about what she had seen.

"He doesn't entirely match his descriptions. I've heard so much, he hardly did any magic."

"That was unlikely around Arthur. How did they get on?"

Morgana frowned, "why does that matter?"

"It matters a great deal, Morgana. The fate of Albion may rest on such a matter. They are two sides of the same coin."

Morgana frowned, looking even more confused. "I thought Merlin was my equal."

"That he is, or rather that will be what you become. For the moment the young warlock has no equal. The balance is precarious. Merlin is greatly advanced to Arthur. Cenred's interest in the boy caused their destiny to become almost undone."

"But they are equal to each other, they are both princes."

"They need not be equal," the dragon said, with peculiar emphasis. "That is not the purpose of the tie between them. The entire world works in balance, there is life and death, love and hate, light and…."

"I know!" Morgana suddenly yelled. "You've told me all this! That's why I went with Arthur."

The dragon's expression changed, a flickering of anger sparked in his eyes.

"You, I believe, had your own agenda for wanted to see Merlin."

Morgana shivered.

"It wasn't just that."

"Certainly not. I have tried to teach you what you need to know. What you might find out, may not suit your palette."

Morgana reared back as the dragon leant forward flexing his wings.

"And you still have not promised me what I asked. You say you care about the abuse that he doles out, he has done so to me. You can resolve that."

"I cannot!" Morgana said.

"Beware little witch of saying what you can and cannot do. You play a dangerous game my girl. So do not toy with me!" The dragon raised his voice, glaring down at her. Morgana dropped the torch and turned to flee, running up the stairs as if he was right on her tail. Kilgharrah huffed and sat back. It would some soon enough, all he had to do was wait. The time was right, destiny would not be denied.

And neither, Kilgharrah decided, would he.


	14. Chapter 14

**Some sexual content in this chapter...**

The scouts spotted Leon as he rode towards the castle. He was riding swiftly, the tunic that showed Camelot's colours was dirty and ripped, but he never thought to remove it, even when entering the other kingdom. He hadn't had much trouble getting past the nearby patrol of Cenred's men. Relations with Camelot had been going well since the two princes had worked out an agreement, which clarified where the patrols were meant to go and neither side had started any serious confrontation since.

Merlin remained temporarily unaware of Leon's sudden appearance. Instead he made his way through the castle, going down towards the library. The object of his hunt looked up in surprise as she saw him, but Freya smiled as Merlin appeared.

"Hello," Merlin said.

"My Lord," Freya said, getting up from her chair. Merlin waved her back down, dropping into the chair near hers.

"What are you doing?" Merlin asked, sifting through the pile of cobweb and dust ridden books on the table. A spider ran over the spine of one book, across the top, and over Merlin's hand. Freya jumped, leaning away slightly. Merlin caught up the spider and getting up put it over on a shelf a little distance away. It ran over the top of the books, it's spindly legs moving swiftly as it disappeared into the darkness at the back of the bookcase. Merlin came back and sat down again.

"No harm done."

Freya gave another smile, looking mildly embarrassed. "I'm not that frightened, I just don't want to touch them. I'm better with mice."

Merlin grinned at her. "Probably makes you think about a snack."

Freya looked equally amused and pained by the comment. Merlin leant forward and took her hand lightly.

"Sorry."

Freya shrugged, her head dropping, before she glanced up at Merlin from under her lowered brow.

"It's all right. You know what I become."

"We will find something, a way to help you."

"You're doing that already. It's almost normal, I don't mind the curfew. I'm dangerous, I'll hurt people. I didn't think there was any way of… everyone I knew cast me away."

Merlin squeezed her hand. The druids would still not acknowledge her. Iseldir at least had been forthcoming with some information but that was because he knew Merlin. But even he had been wary. Merlin however could not believe that Freya's crime had been anything other than self defence.

"I won't. But I think I am right, that perhaps the beast taps into the aggression you felt when you retaliated. The beast part of you lives in shadow, in the place between worlds. I think that maybe, it isn't to do with lifting the curse, but more to do with cutting off that connection."

Freya looked up. Merlin leant forward, rubbing his thumb over Freya's knuckles. She sat up in the chair, looking at him seriously.

"So," Merlin asked. "What are you doing?"

"Horaice is looking through some of the lost areas of the library, some of the books are worn. He wants me to check through them and clean through the redundant sections. There's so much he can't keep track of it."

She was still leaning towards him, their faces coming closer together.

"How long does he want you to stay here?" Merlin asked.

"I suppose as long as I can."

"But if I said I needed you for something, he wouldn't mind if you left."

Freya smiled, looking at her hand entwined with Merlin's.

"I suppose not."

"What's your favourite food, what would you like?" Merlin suddenly asked, causing Freya to look up in surprise. Her dark, wide eyes blinking in surprise. Merlin raised his eyebrows. "Well?"

"Strawberries," Freya said with great confidence. Merlin smiled and lifting his other hand, open his fist and revealed one small delicate rose bud. Freya looked at it, nestled in Merlin's palm. Angling his hand he let it roll to his fingers and took hold of the stem, holding it out and carefully concentrating. She watched as his eyes ripped with gold and the little bud gently unfurled it's petals. Merlin held it out to her.

"At least it's red."

Freya smiled, taking it from him. Merlin would have leant in closer but the thunder of feet down the corridor warned him that Percival was heading their way, at speed. Merlin leant back a little as his friend burst into the room, almost skidding to a halt. He looked at the scene and then focused on Merlin.

"Sorry! But the watch has just reported there is a rider heading to the castle at speed. He's in Camelot's colours."

"Just the one?"

"Yeah."

Merlin got up as Percival turned away heading back, sure in the knowledge that Merlin would follow. Merlin did, keeping hold of Freya, so she got up and followed him, running close to him, but a little behind as they went down the corridor, up to steps and then down a small spiral staircase out into the main hall and out of the door.

The moment that Merlin came out Sir Leon made it to the courtyard. No one stopped him and he felt grateful for that. He got into the courtyard of Cenred's castle and dismounted, his knees almost going out from under him as his feet met the floor. He gripped the saddle of the weary horse. The animal lowered it's head. Leon could feel the mare's sides heaving from the exertion he had put it under. His own breath came in short ragged gasps.

A soldier ran forward to take the horse and Percival reached to take Leon's arm, to help hold him upright.

"Sir Leon?" Merlin said. "You look like you need to rest."

Leon shook his head, resisting Percival's attempts to lead him inside.

"No, I cannot, I came at Arthur's request but he is making his way through the forest. He asked me to come to tell you he has been forced to enter your kingdom."

"Whatever for?" Merlin asked. He had released Freya's hand, almost without realising, until she came forward with some water for Leon. He took the cup gratefully, gulping it down.

"Get some more for him Freya, and some food, Percival bring him to the council chamber."

At Merlin's order Percival didn't take no for an answer and Leon felt too tired to resist, although he knew he had to go as soon as he could. By the time he was sat, drinking a little more water, and eating a little food Cenred had joined them. He stood at the far end of the room, not taking his chair but facing Leon standing up. Merlin sat down, and Percival lingered by Leon, not sure if he wanted to protect or threaten the exhausted looking knight.

"I do apologise, but this was of the utmost urgency. I have to catch up with Arthur, he's injured, and I need to get to him. I know he says the injury is not serious but…"

"What injury?" Merlin demanded. "What is going on?"

"The dragon," Leon panted. "The Great Dragon is loose; he's attacking Camelot, every night for three nights. The walls are falling, people are fleeing the town for the woods, or cowering in the citadel. If the beast carries on, Camelot will fall within the month."

"So Arthur wants us to help, me to help?" Merlin said. He glanced at Cenred, who said nothing. The king's hands clenched at his sides, but no one noticed.

"No, not exactly, we just needed to enter the kingdom. Gaius told us, in the forest, we could find him."

Merlin raised his eyebrows at the emphasis. Then Leon clarified.

"Balinor. The last Dragonlord."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Hunith found her entire world shaken to the foundations. Neither she nor Cenred had ever informed Merlin of his parentage, and now it hit them right in the face. Hunith felt angry, and frightened. She felt angry at Gaius, who knew, who had known that Balinor might have been alive. She could have gone to him, been with him, when she knew she was with child. If that had been the case, Cenred would never have found them. She stopped walking as that thought occurred to her. For a moment she tried to imagine what her life would have been like, would she have been happy? Was she happy now? She was content, of that she was certain, but did that mean the same thing?

At that moment Merlin was readying for the journey, Leon resting, and Percival dispatched to catch up with Arthur. Percival would find it easier to locate the prince than the knight of Camelot. Percival would demand respect or fear, whichever was necessary, to locate the trail and find the injured Arthur, and then Balinor. The rest of them would catch up in time.

Merlin still remained ignorant. Hunith had not spoken to him yet. The only two people that knew were herself and Cenred. She felt compelled to speak to the king first. He was planning to accompany Merlin, it settled and frightened her to know that. Cenred was more than capable of killing Balinor, giving Merlin the powers of a Dragonlord. But then Merlin would know the truth, in the worst possible way. He forgave his father a good deal, ignoring some of his baser traits, Merlin possessed some of them himself. This she wasn't sure of, and she somehow didn't want Merlin to hate him, even if such an emotion could be easily found where Cenred was concerned.

Opening up the door to Cenred's bedchamber, a place she had only seen a handful of times, she dismissed the servant with a wave of her hand.

"I'll do it," she informed the boy, who left willingly, already sensing the king's tension and feeling it rise as Hunith came into the room. For something to do she packed in a spare undershirt that the boy had folded, all the while she remained aware of Cenred's angry eyes on her.

"You have what you want then, don't you?" he growled at her.

Hunith paused, looking up.

"And what is that? You think I want this? When are you even aware of what I want?"

"Merlin's father," Cenred said humourlessly, the smirk on his face went nowhere close to his eyes as he walked towards her. "The one you wanted, even when you told me. You think you can have him, you whore."

Hunith's eyes widened, she stepped to meet Cenred without even thinking about it and bringing back her hand delivered him a sharp blow to his cheek. He recoiled under the impact and straightened up, his eyes glistening. Hunith gritted her teeth as she saw his reaction, and registered the body language. In the early years she had watched him carefully, very unsure of him, and beyond that had continued to do so without meaning to. She knew him so well; his next instinct, the one that was rising, would be to strike back. He was perfectly capable of it, but she didn't feel a flicker of fear. She just dealt with him the best way she knew. Before he could hit her, she hit him again, putting the same amount of force into the blow.

"Don't you dare, Cenred. Don't you dare do anything, and don't you imply anything!" she hissed at him.

He stared at her, the heat flared across the skin of his cheek. Hunith had been entirely right, the second blow had knocked him off his stride. He would have hit her back, but Merlin would have been furious with him, Cenred would have been furious with himself, for if nothing else, he had admitted a weakness that had been obvious to both of them for years.

"You think that because he is Merlin's father there is still something between us. He left me in the middle of the night to protect me, just as I had started to realise I might be carrying his child. He left to protect me, and if you really want to look at that coldly, he didn't do a good job. What am I really except the whore of a king?"

She stepped forward, Cenred held himself still but the venom in her voice made him lean back slightly.

"And in case you have forgotten, I have given you a child, not to mention seventeen years of my life. Almost half my life. And you dare to dismiss that as nothing!"

She lifted her hand to hit him again, and he lashed out, grabbing her wrist, his grip tight. Her arm and body remained tense. She wasn't about to give in to him.

"Don't you dare think that this is meaningless, you bastard!"

Cenred stared down at her, she was tense with fury, eyes glistening with fear and anger, face flushed, tendrils of hair were falling free of the sliver coronet that she wore in her hair, one that he had given her, one of many. He took in every inch of her, the tension, the anger and the determination in her entire being.

It couldn't be denied as a rather clear point. She had been with him for seventeen years, though which she had acquiesced to him, accepted him, tolerated him and bullied him. The last one was subtle, but it remained.

He felt the heat of his anger rush to his groin. After two heavy breaths he used his other hand to grab her hair and he pulled her close, pressing his lips down on hers with force. There was tension for a moment before she yielded to him, and more than that. She kissed him back, putting as much force into it as he was himself, almost making it a battle. One she appeared determined to win.

Eventually they both needed to come up for air, pulling away from each other. They stared at each other almost with shock, and most definitely lust. Cenred released his grip on her wrist, flinging her arm up as he did so to prevent it from being in his way as he wrapped his arm around her waist. Hunith responded by grabbing his shoulder and pulling on him to draw him into another kiss. Cenred slammed his lips back down on hers, using the grip he had on her waist to push her back. As she stumbled against the bed Cenred held her to stop her falling and instead lifted her up and threw her backwards. Some of the careful packing scattered as Cenred clambered onto her, kicking the saddlebag aside and taking the hem of her dress lifted it up, pushing it out of the way, the thick heavy folds gathering up around her waist.

Hunith lay back, a little stunned but totally willing as Cenred dealt with the delicate material of her underwear as swiftly as possible, simply ripping it off her, exposing her lower half. She spread her legs in invitation, and gasped as Cenred buried his face between her legs. Her back arched and she gasped, her body quivering as her nerves responded.

Cenred's hand worked on his own trousers, giving a brief flicker of thanks to the fact he hadn't yet dressed in his battle leathers. He tore the lacings and as he rose up he pulled them down, kicking them off. A moment later his lips met hers again and he was inside her.

The coupling was brief, violent and for both of them, satisfying. Cenred took her without any real care, and Hunith responded, almost demanding it of him. As he felt Hunith's body clench, his own followed, until they dropped into a panting heap, Cenred collapsing on top of her.

Neither of them could move for several minutes, they both lay there processing what had just happened. Cenred pressed his face into her neck, his breath damp and hot against her skin. Somewhere along the way his fingers had intertwined with hers. He made no move to separate his hand from hers. They lay together quietly for several minutes, the sound of their breathing the only noise in the room. Until Cenred raised his head, looking down at her as if he couldn't quite believe she was there. Hunith decided she probably looked much the same. They carefully looked at each other before she broke the silence. She went directly to practical matters, to the one subject they could easily talk about, and always had been able to.

She didn't even think about saying any words of affection, and neither did he. It was something they had never done, and it would be foolish to start now. The sudden physical act said all that needed to be said between them.

"Merlin will have to be told," Hunith said.

"You should do it, you know more than I do about what happened. It could be Balinor is dead. We should wait until he know if he is alive or not."

"I don't think we should," Hunith said. "If Merlin had developed the power of a Dragonlord, I think he might have noticed. It should be done before you both leave."

"It's not always the case that the power is passed on," Cenred said. Hunith raised her eyebrows.

"All things considered, I think it likely that Merlin will inherit Balinor's gift."

Cenred considered that. His adopted son carried so much magic in him. He had to concede that Hunith was right. Quite often, in her own subtle way, she ended up being right. Cenred nodded, looking down at her, carefully lifting himself off her. Hunith winced slightly as she sat up. They both stared at each other, half dressed and dishevelled, smirking at each other as they realised the state they had got themselves into.

"Merlin wants to leave as soon as possible," Cenred said.

Hunith nodded. "I'll talk to him."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Percival was not happy. He was wet. The weather had started to turn as he followed the quickest route, picking up Arthur's trail, and one quick conversation with a farmer told him he was catching up. It was dark as he rode into the large village, which seemed, all things considered as the rain continued to fall, a likely place for Arthur to stop. As much as Arthur wanted to find Balinor, stumbling around in the dark would be stupid, and Percival didn't think Arthur was that.

Plus Arthur would also need information on locating Balinor. Gaius had only known that he was living in the forest somewhere, but that didn't mean anything. Somebody had to know something.

He headed into the stable, sighing with relief as he got out of the rain. The horse behind him snorted with the same feeling. The mare dripped onto the stable floor, shaking herself to dislodge some of the droplets. Looking around Percival located the stable boy dozing on a pile of straw. He led the horse over and nudged the boy with his foot. The youth gave a little grumble and settled down again. Percival rolled his eyes, which made him carefully note the horse resting in one of the stalls, the tack placed nearly was most definitely familiar. Percival nudged the boy a little more forcefully, he rolled and his eyes flashed open.

The mild irritation in them faded away as he looked up at Percival. The boy scrambled to his feet, as Percival held out the horse's reins.

"I'm sorry, My Lord."

He took the reins off Percival, leading the mare into a stall, running a rope around her neck to secure her in position while he removed the bridle. Percival watched him for a moment, and then stepped over to look at the horse in the nearby stable. There was definite quality to the animal and Percival remained convinced he had seen it before.

"Tell me, the man riding that horse, is he staying in the tavern."

The boy paused, staring up at him. "I believe so, My Lord."

Percival nodded. "Rub her down and feed her, I'll be back to check on her in a while, just leave the saddlebags to one side, I'll collect them when I come back."

The boy nodded eagerly, his face brightening as Percival handed him a silver coin, which the boy swiftly hid away.

"Of course, My Lord."

Percival left him, and walked the short distance to the tavern entrance, ducking his head as the rain lashed down on him. He opened the door and walked in shutting the elements out. Percival swiftly surveyed the room. There were only a handful of people, clustered in little groups, and a young woman tidying up around the bar. All of them turned to stare at him. Percival settled his shoulders back and flexed his arms, striding across the room to the bar. The girl looked at him warily.

"The man who arrived on that bay gelding in your stable, where is he?"

The girl blinked, staring up at him. She was drying a tankard, which seemed to require an inordinate amount of concentration. Most of the time Percival would be polite, but he was dripping wet, and he wanted to find Arthur as soon as possible. He put his hands on the bar and leant forward.

"He took a room here. Which one? He's a little shorter than me, blond hair…"

Percival stopped talking as he watched the girl's eyes flicker, drifting to a point just over his right shoulder. It was all Percival needed. He straightened up, swayed to one side and spinning on his heel intercepted the hand that was holding a long knife. He grabbed the man's wrist and then latched his other hand around the man's neck, lifting him up onto his toes, and swivelling again slammed his back against the bar.

"Now that's not very nice," Percival said with mock amiability. The man struggled in his grip, his hand grabbing at Percival's in a futile gesture. He glanced from the struggling man to the wide eyed barmaid. "Now, as I was saying, the gentlemen whose horse is in the stable, which room is he in?"

Percival tensed, turning his head a little as someone in the room behind him stirred, clearly planning to intervene. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a man trying to stand up, and another reaching out to restrain him, leaning forward to urgently whisper to his friend.

"Are you mad? That's Sir Percival, Prince Merlin's bodyguard!"

Percival turned his head, the man who had been intending to get up sat back down again, dropping into his seat, and the rest of the room stirred in an uneasy fashion. Merlin had his own reputation, and Percival often found himself caught on the coattails, but his own could rival Merlin's. Percival felt the tension in the air increase, each person in the room eyeing him warily. He was not someone to be taken lightly.

"Now," Percival said, his voice gentle but firm as he turned his attention back to the barmaid. "The gentleman whose horse is in your stable, what room is he in?"

She pointed in the direction of the stairs.

"Up the stairs, second on the right," she informed him, her voice shaking audibly.

Percival nodded at her, while he clenched his hand on his opponents' wrist, forcing him to drop the knife. He probably would have gasped with pain, but it was busy trying to breathe through Percival's restraining hand. Percival partly let him go and as the man's knees buckled Percival rapped the back of his head against the bar. His attacker dropped like a sack of potatoes.

"Thank you," he said to the girl before striding to the stairs and walking up them.

He went straight to the door she had mentioned. He didn't think anyone would be foolish enough to lie to him. He wouldn't take it very well if someone did. If nothing else, where he went Merlin was bound to appear at some point. The first clue he had was the door, slightly ajar, where the rest were closed. Percival didn't bother to knock he just opened the door and strode in.

Neither man in the room got a chance to acknowledge him. The first they knew of it was Percival again grabbing someone around the throat and then the wrist that was holding a knife. Arthur had been struggling to hold it away from his throat, gripping the man's wrist with both hands, while attempting to bring his knee into place the knock the man away. Percival lifted him off without any real effort, holding Arthur's attacker in place the same way he had his own.

"I have to say, this isn't a very friendly place," Percival observed. Then he glanced at Arthur. "Are you all right?"

Arthur slowly sat up, and he nodded, but Percival didn't feel inclined to agree with that. There was an almost green tinge to Arthur's skin, and his face was damp with sweat. Lank tendrils of hair hung over his forehead, sticking in patches. As he was shirtless Percival could assess the bandage that had been secured around Arthur's shoulder. It also looked dampened with sweat, and the wound had bled through. Percival waited a moment to let Arthur get his breath back and instead turned his attention to the man who he casually held, squeezing again to encourage the man to drop his knife.

"I can't wait to here the explanation for this."

"He's just a thief, I woke up to find him rummaging through my pack."

"Who's the landlord here?" Percival asked.

Arthur nodded at the man Percival was holding. "He is."

The man's eyes widened as Percival clenched his hand on the landlord's throat.

"Nice little scam, just wander in and see what your guests have that's of value. Business going well?"

"I meant no harm," the man coughed. "It just pays to be careful."

Percival raised his eyebrows, dragging the man to the door. "Well, why don't you carefully go downstairs, otherwise I might be inclined to throw you."

"Wait!" Arthur said, or rather gasped. He stood up, moving slowly and wavering on his feet. "I think he knows where I can find Balinor."

Percival paused, and then shook the unfortunate man, loosening the grip on his throat to allow him to talk.

"Trust me, you want to tell him," Percival announced. The man looked from him to Arthur and back again. As he met Percival's eyes again he gave the man's throat an encouraging squeeze.

"He lives in a cave by the river, been there years" the man eventually managed to squawk. "Best place for him!"

"Why?" Arthur asked.

"Balinor hates everyone and everything."

Percival shrugged. "Go away, and if you feel an urge to try again, or even consider going anywhere near our horses, talk to your friends downstairs, and they'll explain why it's not a good idea."

With that Percival bundled him out of the room and closed the door. Arthur sat back down on the end of the bed.

"You look awful," Percival commented. Arthur huffed, his face trying to smile but it seemed to contort into a grimace.

"Thanks," Arthur said. "Leon reached you?"

"Yes, he looked little better than you do. Merlin sent me on ahead, Leon was worried about you." Percival went over and lifted a section of the bandage to peer at the wound underneath. "Now I see why."

"It's not been an easy few days."

Arthur tensed as Percival manhandled him a little, pushing him up the bed and encouraging him to lie down.

"I've brought some supplies, when Leon said you were injured Merlin made sure I came prepared. I doubt our friend will be back, since his clientele know exactly who I am. I'll get my stuff, and get that treated. You shouldn't be travelling at all by the look of you."

"I had to, if I don't do this there won't be anything left."

"We'll find this Dragonlord, Merlin is on his way as well, and the king."

That caused Arthur's eyes to flash open, looking mildly alarmed.

"King Cenred?"

"The fact that a Dragonlord has been living in his kingdom for so long came as quite a shock to him. I would say he wants to protect his interests. Look, just relax, I'll be back in a minute, you should be fine now. No one will bother us. I need to check that wound over."

Arthur nodded, lying back as Percival went out of the door. He closed his eyes and relaxed trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his shoulder. It had saved his life, keeping him just on the point of wakefulness, so he had heard the creak of the floorboards as the man had crept in. At least he had got a little further, he could find Balinor, but with Cenred on his tail that meant that he would protect the Dragonlord and no doubt attempt to use the dragon.

If Cenred took control of the beast it would put Camelot in an increasingly shaky position. The kingdom had always been the central point, the strongest of all the kingdoms. Over the years that control had felt like it was slipping. Cenred's power had slowly risen, with Merlin as his heir, openly using magic, becoming strong enough to rival Camelot. Arthur clenched his teeth, he understood why his father had been against his journey, and more clearly against informing King Cenred of what they were doing. But if he didn't do something, then Camelot would be lost. Arthur sighed heavily, closing his eyes again, he felt tired, the wound throbbing making him feel sick.

He jerked out of his half doze as he heard the footsteps on the stairs. Quite instinctively he put out a hand to reach for his sword, taking the hilt and holding it loosely, just in case. Although, he was disinclined to think that any would be attackers would be quite so noisy. An assessment that became entirely accurate as Percival nudged open the door, his saddlebags draped over one shoulder, and he raised his eyebrows as he saw Arthur release the grip on his sword.

"Sorry I took a while, I thought I might as well bandage up the mare since I was down there."

Arthur raised his eyebrows. "I come after the horse do I?"

Percival dumped his bags down on the second bed. "You get to make a choice over whether you dash madly across the countryside, she didn't and I ran her pretty hard. I want her to be able to move first thing in the morning."

"Fair enough," Arthur said, sitting up as Percival rummaged in his pack, pulling out three vials, some bandages and a pot. He settled them all on the bed and pulled a small dagger from his boot.

"Let's cut those old bandages off, they look like they've had their day. I asked the barmaid to bring up some water."

"You think she will."

"I've knocked one customer out and nearly strangled the landlord. They know who I am, no one will cause any trouble."

Arthur frowned as he looked at Percival. Percival raised his gaze from his work as he cut Arthur's bandages and gave a little shrug before going back to what he was doing. Arthur felt a low shiver of fear, which he carefully contained as he realised it might be entirely possible that Percival was capable of anything. Whatever Merlin ordered him.

A moment later there was a timid knock on the door.

"Come in," Percival said.

The little barmaid shuffled into the room with a water jug and bowl, she eyed Percival nervously. Percival however looked up at smiled, which Arthur saw, immediately put the girl at ease. Arthur watched her reaction as she gave a coquettish smile.

"Could you just put that on the table for me, my lovely?"

Arthur almost rolled his eyes at the term of endearment. The girl blushed and Percival kept his smile in place. She settled everything and then turned to them.

"Will there be anything else?"

"Not for the moment, thank you," Percival said gently. She gave a little curtsey and hurried out of the door. He reached over and poured some water into the bowl, and then he turned back to Arthur.

"What?"

"How very charming you are?"

Percival shrugged. "I don't mind picking on people who start it, but she's about a quarter my size. How the hell did you get this close to the dragon?"

Arthur winced as Percival carefully started to wash the wound, pouring something from one of the vials into the water.

"It will help clear out any infection," he informed Arthur.

The prince nodded and then winced again. After a moment he spoke.

"Gaius needed water for the infirmary, the well is out in the courtyard and everyone had been ordered to stay in the castle."

"Gaius went out there?"

Arthur shook his head. "No, Guinevere did. She and Morgana were assisting Gaius with the casualties. She's fine," Arthur added as Percival looked at him in alarm. "She had just got the water when the dragon came down. I just happened to be there. I pulled her clear but the beast caught me on the shoulder."

Percival gave Arthur a grateful look.

"I wouldn't have wanted anything to happen to her," Percival said.

"No," Arthur said. "I dare say you wouldn't."

Percival scowled as Arthur smirked at him. Then the prince's face turned serious again.

"And nothing works on the beast. We've fired everything we have at him."

"He's an ancient creature of magic, good chance is that nothing mortal will work on him."

"If we can't find Balinor, will Merlin help?"

Percival shrugged. "Probably, but I doubt he will allow you to kill the dragon. It's the only one in existence." Percival turned and picked up the jar, opening the top to expose the thick cream inside.

"This should help treat any infection, and I have something to help bring down your fever. With any luck you should feel well enough to travel at first light. I can leave Merlin word of which direction we are heading in. You want to find Balinor as quickly as possible."

"I need to. The citadel can't hold against the dragon for much longer, it will be at least another night the dragon will be free to attack. Even if Merlin won't allow it to be killed, it will need to be contained again."

"I doubt Merlin will allow that either, but he will prevent the creature from attacking. Killing or trapping it will be in either case the last resort."

Arthur said nothing for a moment.

"It's not ideal, I've seen the damage it had done, but I'll take whatever I can to stop it."

"You can't blame the dragon all that much."

Arthur frowned, glaring at Percival.

"He's attacking innocent people."

"King Uther, your father, slaughtered all of his kind, and all of the Dragonlords, bar one. You're quick enough to retaliate when someone attacks the kingdom, how would you react if someone slaughters everything and everyone you have ever known?"

Arthur said nothing as Percival applied the poultice and carefully wrapped the wound up again.

Putting it like that, there was nothing Arthur really could say.


	15. Chapter 15

Merlin was reeling from the conversation he had just had with his mother. She had stated her case calmly, only occasionally sounding emotional. Merlin had stared at her, hardly really seeing her. She didn't seem like herself, her hair loose, and her dress didn't seem entirely straight. On hearing that prior to her seeking him out she had been with his father Merlin didn't want to think about it. Their relationship had spent so long being painfully complex that Merlin had carefully pushed it from his thoughts, and he got used to doing so. They were just both there, he knew them both, had grown up with them both, and Evelyn saw it in exactly the same way.

Possibly like most children, he didn't want to think about his parents actually having their own relationship. As far as any child could be concerned, parents were put there for their own use. It made certain memories stir in Merlin's mind. Namely, the journey from Ealdor, his nerves as they arrived at the castle, the birthday where he had been given Stripy and the tension that Cenred's arrival in the queen's apartment usually caused.

Deep down he knew his mother had not been willing, when they had left Ealdor. But Cenred had never removed her from her position, Merlin wouldn't allow it now anyway. His mother certainly could now confidently push Cenred aside if she wished. He couldn't work it out, but he could understand why the information he had just learnt had put their relationship out of kilter.

He found his father on the balcony, looking down over the courtyard. Lancelot moved around readying the horses. Merlin had supplied a new mount for Leon, his own horse in no fit state to keep going. In all honesty Leon appeared to be in the same state but he insisted on going with them, worried about Arthur. Percival could most certainly look after him, and Merlin didn't doubt that the big knight could find Arthur in time.

Merlin stepped onto the balcony, having seen Cenred's shoulders tense, knowing he was there, knowing Merlin's careful tread as he heard it. Merlin stepped into view, leaning back against the balcony, looking at the tension in his father's face.

"We're almost ready to go," Merlin said.

"Your mother spoke to you," the king said, eyes staying on the activity in the courtyard.

"Yes, she did. Neither of you were expecting to ever have to tell me."

"It would come one day. Whenever this man dies you will take his power, I don't think we can assume otherwise."

"I'm amazed mother told you when she did."

Cenred huffed. "She had no idea what I might know, and your mother isn't stupid, the last thing she really wanted to do was lie to me and be caught out."

"And it was another asset, since you had me," Merlin said. Cenred turned his head to stare at Merlin. Merlin gave a sad smile.

"I'm not stupid. My magic was the reason you brought me here, you wanted to use me to strengthen your kingdom," Merlin turned his head to look over his shoulder at the landscape. The castle was built in a rather bleak place, but the roads made for easy access, the town below almost homely as it huddled in the lee of the castle walls. It was also impossible to attack, the landscape meant no army could sneak up on them, not that anyone would dare.

"We've certainly done that," Merlin concluded.

"This kingdom is capable of rivalling Camelot, that is no easy feat. If we allow the dragon to continue it's assault we won't have a rival to worry about."

"We're hardly worried about them anyway," Merlin said. "Did you ever plan to push over the border?"

Cenred shrugged. "It's still possible."

"Having a dragon would help," Merlin mused. Cenred glanced at him, his lips quirking into a smile.

"Possibly, but you wouldn't advocate any attack, would you?"

"Probably not," Merlin said. "Arthur didn't necessarily have to tell us he was entering the kingdom."

Cenred pondered that. "But if he can't find Balinor, then he would have to come to you. In which case it's better that he did tell you. He can't be accused of hiding anything."

"Balinor's hidden for a long time, he can't be that easy to find."

Merlin turned and looked at Cenred, staring at the man who had raised him. There were reasons that Cenred had wanted him, Merlin would have been a fool if he didn't accept that. He didn't know if Cenred had a particular plan in mind when he had forced them to leave Ealdor. As far as Merlin's memory served, there hadn't been any agenda.

"Your father," Cenred said. Merlin frowned.

"Just because he is the man responsible for my existence it does not make him my father. He has no idea I exist, until ten minutes ago I hadn't even considered him."

"You never thought about it?"

Merlin shook his head. "Why would I?"

Cenred looked away. Merlin reached out and took Cenred's arm, holding onto him lightly. Like the relationship Cenred had with Hunith, they had never been openly affectionate. There had been little moments, but nothing that could make something physical now feel real. Merlin just waited a moment.

"I didn't. Whatever this man is, he is not my father. I've heard stories about the Dragonlords. They are meant to be noble and wise, to understand the beasts that they control. If I am a Dragonlord, then I need to understand it. If we refuse to allow the dragon to be contained, then it needs a sanctuary, and if this man is willing to go to Camelot to help them, then he cannot go without our protection. I trust Arthur to do the right thing, but if what mother says is true, we cannot trust Uther."

"Balinor was somewhat naïve if he believed that Uther wanted to make peace with the dragon."

"We all want to believe the best of people."

"And you try to do that," Cenred said.

"And I take it unkindly when people do not. This man has been a citizen of our kingdom for twenty years, it would be foolish to ignore him now."

Cenred smirked, straightening up but he didn't move far enough that Merlin would be forced to take a tighter hold to keep his hand in place.

"I won't deny I'm curious, but I have a father, this man is not that person."

"You wouldn't want to upset your claim to the throne."

Merlin raised his eyebrows. "It's not something I have ever worried about."

He watched the reaction to that. Merlin knew he had power, to the point he had it over his father. Merlin wouldn't take it down to that much of a fight, he could win, but it wouldn't be much of a victory. He loved Cenred, the man who had been his father for so many years, and Merlin would not deny that fact, which was why he would never fight him.

Cenred nodded, smiling a little. "No, it wouldn't be."

"Chances are we might have to enter Camelot."

Cenred's smile widened, causing Merlin to smirk. "Not only do we have to be careful, we'll have to be tactful," the king said.

"It should be interesting."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arthur ran his hand over his shoulder again, feeling the bandages under his shirt and he glanced at Percival. "I feel great, I can't believe this." He gave the knight a mildly suspicious glance.

"No magic, the fever was caught early, you sweated out some of it by your mad trail from Camelot. And the wound was clean. Decent food and a good night's sleep, that's more important than anything else."

"Merlin tell you that?" Arthur asked.

"No, Iseldir, our tutor, he's a Druid."

"You and Merlin had the same tutor."

"Where Merlin went, I went. I was his companion when we were children. I rarely left his side."

"Oh?" Arthur said, frowning in confusion and then looking around. Percival thought that he might have overdone the painkiller. He had been forced to sneak it to Arthur in some water that morning as the prince kept insisting he was fine. Arthur pulled his horse up and looked at the trail.

"I think we're walking from here."

"If the information we got is accurate then we don't have far to go."

"For someone who's living as a hermit in a cave, the local town seem to know him well," Arthur mused.

"It's the only place he can go for supplies. Living in the forest can give you enough but now and again you might need more. After so long they must just be used to him. Funny thing is, they have never let slip he is there."

"If Cenred knew there was a Dragonlord in his kingdom he wouldn't be living like this," Arthur announced getting off his horse and rooting through his pack to take a few things with him. Percival did the same, carefully tethering the horse so she could graze while they were gone.

"Perhaps not," Percival said. Arthur gave him a long look but Percival said nothing further and simply concentrated on what he was doing. He was not about to tell Arthur of the sudden, inexplicable tension that appeared to be rippling around the royal household. He had known all of them for so long that he didn't miss any of it. He couldn't be certain, but a suspicion stirred in his mind, moving slowly at first, but as he had travelled along with Arthur, it had gained some momentum.

It had been King Cenred, and Lady Hunith, that had reacted to the news. Merlin had remained concerned, mainly for Arthur, but also for the dragon. However, Merlin's reaction had not been as drastic as his parents, and Merlin hadn't seemed to entirely realise. Watching from the sidelines Percival had always found it easy to read their reactions. At the beginning his life had practically depended on it.

Then as they had travelled, Arthur had told him some of the back story. When it came to the part about Gaius saving Balinor, allowing him to flee Camelot, then the stirring in his mind had intensified. Lady Hunith knew Gaius, they were friends, even if they hadn't seen each other for years. Ealdor lay beyond Camelot's reach, but made for an easy journey, once you reached the forest any trail could be easily lost.

Percival took almost no effort at all to work out the timing. They were perfect to place Balinor in Ealdor at the time that Merlin had been conceived. Which would not only mean that Merlin would be about to come face to face with the man who was his father, it also meant that Merlin would be a Dragonlord. Percival had heard all the stories that Merlin had been told. It made him wonder if Iseldir had somehow known the truth. The Druids had all kinds of myths and prophecies.

"What do you think he's like?" Arthur suddenly asked breaking Percival's train of thought.

"Still angry by the sound of it. He's been alone for so long."

"And you think that's Camelot's fault."

"The great purge probably wiped out a good many people abusing magic. The druids do tell of a time when the natural order lay in peril, but hounding people like that, and destroying the dragons in such a way. They were the guardians of magic, creatures who had lived through the ages, and seen so much. And their wisdom wiped out, almost."

Arthur blinked. It seemed, to him, as if Percival had delivered some kind of warning. The prince stopped on the trail, looking at the bigger man. Percival, however, ploughed on through the undergrowth, pausing as he saw the cave. The low fissure in the rock gave nothing away. Percival saw the shelf of rock that ran into the cave, the small river running it's way through.

"It has to be it," Percival said.

"Where will he be?"

"Perhaps I should do the talking," Percival said. "I mean, I am representing my kingdom."

"So am I," Arthur said, he pushed past Percival and walked towards the cave, he ducked his head down to go through the entrance and then straightened up, walking into the darkness. Percival rolled his eyes, looked around for a moment before following Arthur into the cave. Percival's reaction was instantaneous. He grabbed the man who had his arm around Arthur's throat and Percival clenched his hand.

"Let him go," the big knight rumbled squeezing hard in warning.

The man did, and Arthur staggered forward, holding his arm to his side as his damaged shoulder throbbed. Percival pushed the man back a few steps and then let him go. He hadn't used his full strength, he was not about to resort to violence.

"You must be Balinor."

"I must," the man growled. "And what are you two doing here?"

"Looking for you, the last Dragonlord," Percival said. "I've heard much about your kind. It's an honour to meet you."

Balinor huffed, turning away. "Is that right?"

"Yes, the druids speak very highly of you."

It caused Balinor to turn again, looking at Percival, who straightened his shoulders and spoke very seriously.

"I come on behalf of my kingdom, and King Cenred, and Prince Merlin. It would appear the great dragon needs your help."

"That's hardly the case, he's destroying my kingdom," Arthur interjected.

"And he has right to!" Balinor snapped. Percival inhaled and then sighed. But he said nothing, he let Balinor turn on Arthur. "Camelot killed all of his kind. Uther betrayed them, betrayed the Dragonlords, I was a fool to listen to him."

Percival turned as Arthur wobbled, sitting down on the nearby rocks with a thump.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, it's just starting to hurt a bit," Arthur said, groping his shoulder.

"More likely the painkillers wearing off," Percival said, and then he turned back to Balinor. "I need to treat him, he's wounded, and my king is on his way to speak to you."

"I can't see him wanting to change my mind."

Percival frowned. "Don't dismiss everything that easily, Prince Merlin will be with him. With your leave, I need to treat Arthur."

Arthur sat on the rock, shaking his head and looking as if he was having trouble staying upright.

"I may be able to give you something that can help him."

Percival, who knew when to retreat, simply nodded. "Thank you."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It didn't take the others long to catch up. Percival, as usual, left a messenger in the form of the stable boy, who had never been rewarded so much for so simple a task. Percival had taught him the message, which he recited back perfectly to the big knight, for which he had been given another silver coin. Percival had left him another coin in the morning, and Merlin had also rewarded the young boy. The boy had carefully secreted the money away, hiding it from the stable master. Feeling pleased that he had done something to help the king.

Percival had headed back to check the horses when the others appeared. Merlin hopped off his mare, while Percival took the reins to secure the horse.

"Where's Arthur?"

"Up at the cave, resting I hope, and probably also talking to Balinor," Percival said.

"You found him then?" Cenred asked.

"Yes, Sire, although I don't think it will be easy to persuade him to help."

"Why not?" Leon asked. "He has to help."

"I think it isn't as easy at that for Balinor," Percival said. Merlin pushed Percival up the pathway, easing him away from Leon. Cenred acted as a barrier so Merlin could murmur to Percival in peace. It frustrated the knight of Camelot a little, but he said nothing and endured it. What he really wanted to go was get to Arthur and see how the prince was faring. The fact that Percival had at least found Arthur, and treated his wounds gave him some reassurance. But Leon wasn't sure if he could trust Cenred. Arthur made for a prize hostage, but again, Leon didn't think Merlin would really allow that.

"How's Arthur?" Merlin asked Percival.

"Completely fine, I treated the wound and there's no sign of infection."

"And… Balinor…" Merlin added, hesitating as he said his father's name. Percival watched the reaction, wondering if Merlin would say anything more.

"Angry, I'm not sure how you are going to talk him into this."

Merlin's eyes darkened, his expression serious as he said. "You've probably worked it out."

"It's none of my business, Sire," Percival said carefully, seeing the storm clouds brewing in Merlin's eyes. But at the same time, the answer told Merlin that Percival had gone so far as to work everything out. They said nothing more to each other, simply heading up the track and downwards to the edge of the river. Arthur sat on the rocks, with his head down, but as he heard the sounds of someone approaching he looked up, relief flickering across his face as he saw Merlin. He slowly stood up, wincing as he moved his shoulder. Merlin covered the distance to meet him.

"Are you all right?" Merlin asked him. Arthur nodded, tensing as Cenred followed Merlin. Arthur inclined his head.

"Your Highness."

"Prince Arthur," Cenred replied, looking Arthur up and down. "Interesting that you violated the agreement you made with my son, merely months after you made it."

Arthur tensed, his eyes flashing with anger but he restrained himself.

"That was why I sent Leon to inform you of what I needed to do. I couldn't afford to hesitate. The longer I am away from Camelot then the more danger the kingdom is in."

Arthur didn't feel too surprised when Cenred looked fairly unconcerned by such a thing. Merlin however, seemed to have entirely different feelings on the subject.

"We can deal with this, has he…" Merlin tailed off, turning his head to look at the man stood in the shadow of the trees. He wasn't looking in their direction but he had to be aware of them. Cenred turned and headed up the small incline towards him. Merlin gritted his teeth and let him.

Balinor turned as Cenred made his way towards him, his eyes straying to the young man who was deep in conversation with Prince Arthur. Leon hurried onto the scene, wanting to hear assurances directly from Arthur that he was fine. Balinor straightened up, squaring his shoulders as Cenred moved towards him.

"My Lord Balinor," Cenred said smoothly.

"I'm no lord," Balinor growled. "Certainly not anymore."

Cenred eyed the man carefully, containing every innate instinct inside him. He had never bothered to think about this man, beyond what Hunith had told him. In hindsight the cursed the fact that he had never tried to find him, although what he would have done should he had found Balinor, he couldn't be sure of. A Dragonlord would be useful, but Merlin would be a Dragonlord when this man died. It would be simple enough to kill him, but then Cenred would have to deal with Merlin, who would not accept such a simple solution.

"Yet, you are the one Camelot needs."

"They can go on needing," Balinor said. "And if you don't mind my asking, why would you want to help them?"

"It concerns me neither way. My son," Cenred emphasized that in such a way that Balinor frowned in confusion. "however, has a different opinion on the subject."

It caused Balinor's gaze to drift to Merlin, who remained deep in conference with Arthur while Leon, Lancelot and Percival lingered close by. Merlin seemed to feel the gaze as he turned his head, looking at Balinor, his brow creasing as he looked up at him. Merlin turned back and said something to Arthur before heading up the slope. Arthur watched Merlin, a hopeful expression crossing his face. Cenred smirked, Arthur appeared to believe that Merlin would be the one to help him. Whatever happened in the scenario, Uther's son appeared to be more than willing to allow the power to shift in their direction.

As Merlin reached them, he gave Balinor a polite nod.

"Balinor."

"My Lord," Balinor answered, looking back at the young man who appeared to be regarding him with an intensely curious gaze. Cenred reached out and placed a hand on Merlin's shoulder before walking away. He didn't want to be there for this conversation, although he was not about to move out of line of sight.

"Arthur tells me he has put his case to you."

"There is no reason I should help him! His father killed all of the Dragonlords but me, and he lied to me. He asked me to bring Kilgharrah so he could make peace with him, and instead he betrayed us both!"

Merlin raised his eyebrows. "I can understand your anger at Uther, but Arthur is doing this to save innocent lives."

"No one in Camelot is innocent."

Balinor turned away as Merlin raised his eyebrows, for a moment he felt at a complete loss at to what to say. Which was, Merlin reflected, a very rare thing for him. The situation felt nothing like anything he had envisioned, and his mind had been full of it ever since his mother had spoken to him. Despite his protests to Cenred, Merlin had felt curious about the man who his mother had been with, and had loved. Merlin didn't doubt that she loved Cenred. Hunith and Cenred also appeared to have worked that out for themselves as well.

"That's a very sweeping statement, and probably a reason why things never get changed," Merlin said. "I've heard a lot about the Dragonlords, their nobility and wisdom."

"Really?"

"Yes, my mother, Lady Hunith, spoke very highly of one in particular."

At the mention of Hunith Balinor turned back, staring at Merlin with wide eyes. He said nothing.

"Lady Hunith?" Balinor said her name hesitantly, the doubt in his eyes clear.

"Yes, we were originally from the village of Ealdor, before Cenred adopted me when I was a child."

Balinor continued to stare at him. He had heard the gossip, of Cenred taking a young village boy as his heir. A move that had caused much curiosity, but became clear when Merlin's powers had become known.

"I heard the stories, but I never realised who…" Balinor tailed off, his gaze drifting to Cenred. He had ordered Percival and Lancelot to set up for a meal. Merlin glanced their way, watching as Arthur raised some objection. Cenred quelled him, talking curtly, although Merlin couldn't hear what was said. Technically the king outranked Arthur, plus he was in Cenred's kingdom, so he was easily subdued. He glanced in Merlin's direction and Merlin lifted his hand to indicate to Arthur to just wait. Then Merlin turned back to Balinor, who had spent those few seconds carefully watching Merlin.

"You can see your mother in you."

Merlin wondered if Balinor could see anything else.

"I was two years old when Cenred adopted me," Merlin said. If he was going to be technical about it, that occasion had occurred on his seventh birthday, Cenred had just acquired Merlin and Hunith prior to that, but it was more the times than the actual facts Merlin wanted to hint at. Balinor looked at him, realisation dawning in his eyes.

"I never knew," Balinor eventually said.

"I don't think mother did, when you were forced to leave."

"Uther did that!"

Merlin could entirely understand the vehemence in Balinor's voice.

"I don't particularly care about Uther's part in this."

"Yet, you seem happy to ally yourself with his son."

Merlin glanced at Arthur, who surreptitiously watched the exchange. Cenred appeared to be doing the same. Merlin could see the tension in both of them.

"Arthur is not Uther."

"His father has influence over him."

Merlin had to concede that point.

"Arthur is not as blinkered with hate as his father. He has no reason to be."

"You think he will be any different, in the long run?" Balinor asked. Merlin glanced over at Arthur and then back to Balinor. The young prince looked utterly certain as he said.

"Yes, I think he will."


	16. Chapter 16

Arthur felt riddled with tension as they made camp. He would reach Camelot tomorrow, but he had to suffer another night away while the dragon battered the citadel. Merlin had persuaded Balinor to help, and Cenred had arranged for a patrol of his soldiers to meet them, and travel with them. Arthur felt unhappy with that, but couldn't really object. Cenred and Merlin in all propriety shouldn't travel without some kind of escort. It didn't take much thought on Arthur's part to realise they were going to keep Balinor safe. They didn't trust Uther. Arthur just accepted the fact that this was the only way he could save his kingdom. Without Merlin he could not have persuaded Balinor to help. Arthur didn't know what had been said, but he didn't want to push to hard asking. The Dragonlord had avoided talking to him, and the man now sat on the far side of the campfire using a knife to carefully carve a piece of wood. Arthur wanted to talk to him, to explain something but he was a Pendragon, and he wasn't to be trusted.

Instead Arthur watched as Merlin crossed the camp to sit down next to Balinor. So absorbed with watching them Arthur didn't see Cenred's tension and anger at the move, the king felt as helpless in the situation as Arthur did. Merlin's curiosity would not be denied. Balinor gave Merlin a smile as he sat down and Merlin examined the piece of wood in Balinor's hands. It had no real form at the moment, but Balinor appeared to be making something from it.

"I still have a few of your carvings. One of them became my teething toy when I was little," Merlin said.

"I'm sorry I left your mother. I couldn't risk Uther knowing about her."

"Would he have hurt her?"

"If he had discovered she was pregnant, he wouldn't have wanted to risk a potential Dragonlord entering the world. This is the man you are dealing with."

"We can handle it," Merlin assured him. Balinor looked at him, then glanced over the fire to look at Cenred. He remained out of hearing range, but watched the interaction.

"Is your mother happy?"

"Yes, I think so. I have a sister, Evelyn, and mother has friends around her. They love each other," Merlin said of his parents. "Even if they don't want to admit it."

"People become accustomed to things," Balinor said. "She wouldn't have loved him at the beginning."

"Neither of us have ever been that naïve. Father wanted me, when he saw what I was capable of, as a child. Mother was nothing more than a perk, I think. But she lives in the queen's apartments, she has Evelyn, she runs the castle. I think my father relies on her more than he realises."

"At least she found some happiness then," Balinor said, he carried on carving for a moment.

"Will you be able to control the dragon?" Merlin asked. Balinor lifted his eyes again.

"If I speak, he will listen, and obey."

"And I'll inherit that?"

Balinor smiled. "You will only know that when you face your first dragon. It is not something to be taken lightly. The dragons are a proud race, were a proud race. There is only Kilgharrah now."

"I don't think there is much doubt that my son will become a Dragonlord," Cenred said, moving closer.

"Then it is his duty to learn what that responsibility is," Balinor told Cenred, looking at him calmly. "There is only the great dragon left, and he is not some weapon to be wielded."

"You wish him to remain contained in Camelot?" Cenred asked.

"No, I do not. Do you trust Arthur?"

"Merlin does, but I do not believe that Arthur will be the issue."

There was a momentary pause before Cenred turned to Merlin.

"Merlin, Percival planned to see to the horses, go and help him."

Merlin blinked, opening his mouth to object. Cenred gave him a level glare, one that ordered Merlin not to disobey him. Merlin snapped his mouth shut and got up, heading over to where the horses had been tethered. Seeing him go Arthur got up to follow him, going after Merlin. If he couldn't talk to Balinor, Merlin was the next best thing.

Balinor watched Cenred warily. He could feel the simmering anger radiating from the king, although Cenred appeared to be watching Balinor as carefully as Balinor watched him. With Balinor present then Cenred could simply be relegated to Merlin's step-father. Not that the king was about to let that happen. Merlin was his.

"Sire," Balinor greeted him. Cenred nodded.

"Is Merlin a Dragonlord?"

"There is no way to tell until he faces his first dragon, and the power will only pass to him when I die."

Cenred raised his eyebrows.

"However, I do not think that the powers of this world will leave the last dragon without a master."

"With all of Merlin's ability, it's likely your power will pass to him."

"Which will be convenient for you, control of a dragon will be a formidable weapon. That's why you took an interest in Merlin in the first place."

"He has strengthened the kingdom, not many will stand against my son," Cenred said.

"You still see him as a weapon. He carries a great responsibility to those with magic."

"He knows that," Cenred said. "Merlin understands what is required of him."

"And Hunith, what of her?"

Cenred's face darkened. "She understands in the same way."

"She was not willing when you took her."

The king took a deep sharp breath. Hunith had not been, but that thought overlaid itself with the memory of their last coupling. Violent, passionate and most ultimately understanding. Again Hunith had been right. They had shared so much time together that it was hard to imagine a time when they had not known each other.

"She is now."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Merlin glanced up from checking Blaze's offside hock, thinking that perhaps bandaging the legs might be a good idea, as Arthur wandered over. Merlin straightened up, looking Arthur up and down, seeing the restlessness within him, wanting to get back to help his kingdom.

"Are you all right?"

"It's just hard to be away, thinking what might happen, we can't hold against the onslaught. Not for long."

"It will end tomorrow."

"You don't have to do this, and travel all this way."

"I do, thanks Percy," he added as Percival gave him Blaze's bandages. Merlin put one on the horse's rump, balancing it there, while he unravelled the other and crouched down.

"The last time Balinor went to help you, your father nearly had him executed. He had lived our kingdom for so long that it has become our responsibility to protect him."

"And when you leave you will take him and the dragon with you."

Merlin looked up, his hand still worked competently, winding the bandage around the animal's leg.

"The dragon is a creature of magic, Balinor has the power to control him. It's natural that you might see that as a threat. This is the only surviving dragon, from the Great Purge. No one has any right to treat him as a threat, or an example, or a weapon," Merlin said.

"Do you think others will see it like that?"

"I don't care. I have a responsibility to the creatures of magic in this world, I intend to uphold it."

Merlin fastened off the bandage and then stood up. Picking up the bandage from where he had left it on Blaze's rump Merlin moved to the horse's other side and started on the other hock. He glanced up, gazing over at the camp at his father talking to Balinor. Merlin frowned as he watched the intense discussion occurring between the two men, and he shivered. Cenred would not want Balinor too close, but Merlin wondered, would it be him or Hunith that Cenred would feel jealous over. Merlin realised, Cenred wouldn't want the Dragonlord coming anywhere close to Hunith and the safe family unit that existed. Merlin had to, Cenred had to endure that, but on occasions like that Merlin wondered how far his father would go to get what he wanted.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arthur felt nothing more than relief when Gaius had insisted on taking him away from the throne room to check on his wounds. He didn't often like to show any weakness, but whatever Merlin had given him that morning, to help with the pain, had started to wear off after the frantic ride to Camelot.

Merlin and his men, including Balinor had chosen to stay some distance away from the citadel, in the Darkling woods, they had found a clearing suitable to allow the dragon to land. Cenred, however, rode to Camelot with Arthur to speak to Uther directly. The two kings had not laid eyes on each other for over fifteen years, and the confrontation had been icy at best. Cenred had no intention of allowing Merlin to go anywhere near Uther. It would have caused a major diplomatic incident if Uther had tried to execute Merlin, but Cenred was not going to take any chances with his son.

Arthur said nothing as Gaius removed the bandage and looked over the wound.

"There seems to be no infection at least, which is a good sign. It's probably just the exertion that has taken it's toll. You lost a lot of blood."

"I haven't slept much while I was away," Arthur said. Gaius set about making up another poultice for the wound, just in case. He raised his eyebrows as he gave Arthur a pointed look.

"So, I can assume you've not eaten either."

Arthur frowned, Gaius glowered.

"I know you all too well. It won't do anyone any good if go around passing out all over the place."

"I haven't passed out!"

"You might well do, after I've treated that wound I want you to eat something substantial, and get some rest. You'll no doubt have another long night tonight."

Arthur said nothing for a moment, looking away from Gaius, staring out of the window. He couldn't see any of the damage, but somewhere a fire still burnt, sending black smoke spiralling into the air. The air around the castle stunk of smoke, nothing seemed to get rid of it.

"Do you think I did the right thing?" Arthur suddenly asked.

Gaius shrugged. "If I remember correctly, finding Balinor was my idea."

Arthur frowned. "How did you know where he was? Not even Merlin and Cenred knew that."

Gaius brought the bowl over and turned his attention to applying the paste to Arthur's wound. Arthur tensed as he felt the cold substance against his skin, but it soothed the pain.

"I'll give you something for the pain as well," Gaius added. He turned away to gather up a bandage when both of them jumped. The door crashed open and Uther strode in, slamming the door in the guards faces, in a clear hint that he did not want to be disturbed. Arthur looked up at his father, quailing slightly as the icy look in his father's eyes. His emotions were well controlled but quite clearly, Uther was furious.

"Do you have any idea what you could have done?"

Arthur blinked, his gaze flickered to Gaius, who paid no attention to Uther, but continued to bind Arthur's wound. Uther ignored Gaius, as a servant there was no reason to concern himself with his physician's presence.

"What else could we do?" Arthur asked. Uther paced up and down the small room.

"What you should not have done is so openly handed the Dragonlord over to Cenred! I would rather see Camelot fall than leave it answerable to that man. As it is we are left with no choice."

Arthur blinked, dumbfounded by what his father was saying. He related it against what Merlin had said.

"They will not use the dragon against us, or anyone else!"

Uther, who had been pacing in the other direction, whirled round to glare at Arthur.

"Whether or not they use the beast is immaterial, you foolish boy! It is enough to have the damn thing. Contained it acted as an example! With it's freedom the situation will be something else entirely. Cenred has used that sorcerer brat to consolidate his power base, if he has the dragon that will only make them seem stronger. Especially when word gets out that they aided us in containing it! I have even been forced to compromise to that man! I do not, Camelot should never, compromise!"

Arthur flinched inwardly, also feeling Gaius' similar reaction to his father's anger. Glancing sideways Arthur saw an odd expression of pain on Gaius' face. He didn't concentrate on it for too long, it seemed unfair to include Gaius as a reciprocator of Uther's anger.

"I just couldn't watch Camelot destroyed like that!" Arthur said.

Deep down he knew his father was right. From the moment he had met Merlin, however friendly Merlin had been, Arthur could feel some level of control slipping away from him. Camelot had always been the strongest kingdom, and he had fought to become the best knight, to win the tournaments, and defend the kingdom that would one day pass to him. Merlin left Arthur feeling inadequate. Arthur knew he was a good knight, but Merlin seemed to be so much more. He could fight, even if he did use magic, and he deliberately didn't sometimes. That first fight Arthur had seen with Kanen, Merlin had not used magic until it had become entirely necessary, and simply to win. Arthur couldn't fault Merlin's skill with a sword. But he also seemed so confident, a quality that Arthur didn't think he entirely possessed, hiding it behind a brashness that wasn't really him. He was brave, but that meant fighting, and Arthur knew he could do that.

"We cannot begin to show any weakness. And I cannot condone them freeing the dragon, they have seen the devastation it has wrought," Uther mused to himself. "Be ready by nightfall, thanks to Cenred we can bring that beast to heel."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The court was in an uproar. People clustered into the throne room, shocked, but also relived by events. Arthur staggered in, his armour scuffed and dirty. George, his servant, tried to fuss around him but Arthur brushed him off, heading to the dais where his throne sat, on the right of his father's. Morgana, still awake and dressed in her battle clothes, had taken her own chair on Uther's left. She sat rigid, her hands clamped tightly on the arms as she watched the chaos. Tendrils of her hair had fallen around her face and she looked as shell-shocked as the rest of them. Soldiers and knights milled around the huge room, even some of the servants and citizens had found their way in. The council members huddled in one corner.

"Enough!" Uther roared as he stalked in and stepped up to stand in front of his throne. The crowd fell silent immediately, they all stared at him as he stepped forward. Uther stood in front of his throne but did not sit down. Arthur, feeling dazed and weak, would have liked to have dropped into his seat but now did not dare. He had to stand with his father. His gaze moved, and he glanced over at Morgana. She looked pale but as generally composed as usual. Arthur noted that she didn't look at Uther, or at him, but stared off into the middle distance, not appearing to really see anything.

Uther stared out at the crowd of people. Arthur felt the tension in the room. In this mood Uther could be capable of anything and Arthur didn't know what could happen. There had been far too many shocks over the course of the night. He hadn't even comprehended the agreement that Uther and Cenred had come to; Uther to retake the dragon, Cenred to take the Dragonlord. It did not exactly cement as an alliance, but more a hostage agreement.

But no one had accounted for the fluctuations. Balinor, at the sight of Uther's army, had refused to let the dragon land. Instead he had ordered the beast away, to be free. Arthur hadn't understood the words, at least Balinor's. But as the dragon had flown, Uther had made himself heard.

"This was not the agreement, Cenred!"

One king, one prince, one Dragonlord, one devoted bodyguard, one servant and six soliders had been surrounded by Camelot's army. Yet, not a single one of them had looked frightened. Balinor had looked defiant. Arthur saw that in his stance, body straight and tall, chin lifted. He had no intention of letting the dragon be taken again. Cenred and Merlin had flanked him. Percival lingered on Merlin's right, Lancelot staying close to him and the six soldiers had moved to cover the rear as the opposition had surrounded them.

"Then I suggest we change it," Cenred had shouted back, his voice loud, but calm. Merlin's head snapped round to look at his father, and a short murmured conversation had occurred. Then the disaster happened. Balinor had called the dragon back, and the army reacted. They fired everything they had at it. The fear of the last few nights peaking.

One of the arrows appeared to have gone astray. Arthur had seen the situation clearly as he tried to order the men who were close to him to not fire, and make the command spread. Balinor had stepped in front of Merlin. Arthur wasn't sure why. He watched the whole scene play out as if it was happening slowly, but the Dragonlord had met the arrow, that perhaps would have hit Merlin, had he not stepped to meet it.

Balinor fell backwards, the shaft protruding from the lower part of his chest. The wound did not kill him instantly, Merlin jumped to catch him, wrapping his arms around the man and carefully bringing him to the ground. Arthur mind flitted with a thought that Merlin's slight stature hid how strong he really was, or he had used magic to strengthen himself, as he lowered Balinor gently.

"No!" Merlin screamed the word, the force of it sending one of his men flying forwards to land flat on the ground, the rest of them seemed to lurch under the power of it.

"No!"

The second scream did not hold the same amount of force but Arthur heard the horror and loss within it as Merlin cradled Balinor in his arms. Overhead the dragon circled again, his growls riding on the wind. Arthur tensed, holding out his hands to still the actions of the soldiers around him and crouching as he watched the beast fly. With a wave of his hand he ordered the men to reload the crossbows. The gesture would be futile. They had been firing arrows at the dragon every night and nothing seemed to get though his skin. A group of soldiers carried spears and they held them up, ready for Arthur's signal. The last of the Dragonlords was dead. Nothing could hold the beast, but then Merlin lifted his head. He cradled Balinor against him and called out.

Again the words had no meaning to Arthur but he frowned as the dragon reacted. He paused in the sky, wings beating, the sound loud and heavy in the air and he listened, whatever Merlin said, the dragon listened. The power of his wings increased, the breeze brushing against every man who stood there as he lifted higher into the air and then took flight, away from Camelot, disappearing over the crest of the trees and he was simply gone.

"I think anything further, Uther Pendragon, can be considered an act of war!" Cenred had suddenly roared.

Arthur hadn't known what to do, especially when Cenred stepped forward, stabbing the sword he was holding point first into the ground and he walked towards the clustered group where the king of Camelot stood. There was a pause, a long strained heartbeat until Uther copied the gesture and went out to meet him, waving Arthur away as he started to follow. Instead all Arthur could do was watch and as Merlin lifted his head and met his gaze, Arthur hoped he conveyed something close to sympathy, if not regret.

What had passed between the two kings Arthur didn't know, Uther had ordered the army to retreat and Cenred, Merlin and the rest of them had taken Balinor's body and gone on their way. Judging by the look on his father's face, the resolution had not been a happy one.

"We have lost the dragon, but it will no longer attack our kingdom. However," Uther paused, turning round, glaring at every person in the room. "There is still the issue of how it became free in the first place. We cannot be allowed to be complacent. This kingdom is strong because it does not tolerate the use of magic, and that is a law that will remain. Someone freed the beast, and that someone will be subject to Camelot's laws. Magic will not be given a free rein in this kingdom!"

"I can investigate the matter Sire," Arthur said stepping forward. It had been the least of his concerns once the dragon was loose. Arthur had not given how it had got out the slightest consideration.

"No!" Uther snapped. He turned on Arthur and glared at him. Arthur blinked, almost stepping back but he stopped himself before he could react and instead carefully acted, staying still.

"No!" the king added, his tone lower but just as forceful. "This needs something else, something more… intensive."

Again there was a pause, a long painful heartbeat before Uther looked around and gave his final order.

"Send for the witchfinder!"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

They had travelled silently. Balinor's body a significant presence over Blaze's withers, Merlin couldn't bear to look at it, and he avoided his father's gaze when Cenred had turned to look at him.

As dawn broke they stayed by the lake, to give Balinor a decent funeral. Merlin settled the body in the casket and looked down at it. Percival politely backed off to leave Cenred and Merlin to talk. Merlin crouched down and put his hand lightly on Balinor's forehead. He whispered the gentle prayer that Iseldir had taught him to bless the dead. Then as he stood up the reed casket had floated out across the lake. Merlin let his magic flow and the casket ignited, the flames strong, flaring up high.

"I'm sorry, Merlin."

"What for?"

"I did not want him to die, because if nothing else, it hurts you."

"Is that what you said to Uther?"

"I had nothing to negotiate with, taking you into his kingdom. The dragon is an ancient beast, although he has been confined for twenty years, he can sleep that and let the time pass. He is ageless. I tried to protect Balinor, I would have given the dragon back to Uther for that."

"That is what you said to him, when you went into Camelot?"

"Not exactly."

Cenred stepped close to Merlin and looked out at the flames, still strong and bright on the water. He couldn't regret Balinor's death, he had not known the man well, and there had been a jealousy. This man had created Merlin and Merlin had been interested in his origins, but it was not where Cenred's jealousy lay. He had sometimes looked at Merlin, as a child, as he had run freely through the castle and enjoyed the fact that Merlin had become his. Cenred had wanted no constraint on Merlin, and Cenred had known he had wanted this boy, for what he could do, for what he could become. Merlin was becoming everything Cenred had hoped for.

Balinor threatened something else entirely. Merlin had never known him. Hunith had. Cenred had dreaded the moment they would meet again. He trusted her, the mother of his children, the woman he had taken as his mistress. He would never marry her but it felt as if it had no consequence. She was his and he wanted her, he loved her, he would not cope without her. He could easily admit that to himself even if he hid the fact from others. But she had been someone else's first, and she had loved Balinor. And it stung Cenred so oddly that he could not cope with it.

"I would not want this. You would take his power, that was inevitable, but I am sorry, I can't control everything and you should not pretend that it is otherwise."

Cenred hadn't planned it. He had organised for Balinor to stay alive. The man had stepped in front of Merlin, without knowing that Merlin's defences, the magical barrier that he held up had been ready for anything. Balinor had broken it, stepping beyond it and had walked into his death. Cenred had seen Merlin's reaction and the power had surged from Balinor to Merlin.

It had stunned him, even though it appeared as nothing more than an accident. He had been forced to meet Uther on the battlefield. As he had walked out, having discarded one sword, the other staying in it's sheath, on his back, he had felt the power of Merlin's protection. It was so subtle that you could disregard it and almost assume it was an effect of the battle, of the adrenaline surging through the body, heat rising to the surface. The touch was a faint warm trace, the slow movement of air like a gentle breeze, curling around while it tried to cling on, staying with the person it protected. Cenred had walked out to meet Uther encased in Merlin's magic. Merlin wouldn't want to lose him.

Cenred had felt well protected as he had stood to meet his opponent. Uther had walked out and they had stood alone, calmly facing each other.

"You cannot take the dragon."

Cenred smirked. "Camelot's reclaiming of the dragon lay dependant on our acquisition of the Dragonlord. You have taken the Dragonlord, of a fashion, so we take the dragon. It seems only fair Uther, although I must thank you."

"For what?" Uther snarled. Cenred smirked.

"For bequeathing the last of my son's powers to him."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Sorry, My Lord," Lancelot paused as he saw Merlin, hidden within the shade of a tree by the water's edge. His eyes fixed on the distance, at the smouldering remains of Balinor's casket.

"It doesn't matter," Merlin said, his tone distant, half expecting Lancelot to move away. He carried several water skins, planning to fill them before they carried on. And Merlin would have to return to his mother and explain Balinor's death. Lancelot stayed where he stood for a moment before asking,

"Are you all right, Merlin?"

Merlin blinked, turning his head to look at Lancelot in surprise. Not even Percival would have interrupted him in such a retrospective mood. Lancelot looked at him calmly, but with concern and sympathy.

"It's been a long night," Merlin said. Lancelot gave a brief smile, again conveying sympathy, before heading to the water's edge and crouching down to fill the water skins. Merlin watched him, before suddenly saying.

"You don't really need to stay around, if you want to carry on travelling. I feel I should relieve you from the obligation."

Lancelot turned and looked up at him, giving a light shrug. "I like it here. I was planning to travel to Camelot, to try and become a knight, but…" Lancelot trailed off with another shrug and went back to what he was doing, before adding. "This feels purposeful enough and I'm not sure about Camelot any more."

"Unless you're a nobleman you'll have trouble being knighted in Camelot," Merlin observed. "I suppose it's slightly better than taking up with bandits though."

"I just…" Lancelot paused, turning to look up again. "Ever since my family were killed by raiders, I suppose I wanted to become a knight to protect people from things like that, as you do."

"I don't seem to do very well," Merlin said dryly, staring back out over the lake. Lancelot followed his gaze.

"You can't protect everyone, people make their own choices. Balinor chose to try and protect you. He was your…" Lancelot hesitated before finishing, "father?"

Merlin nodded, not really wanting to say anything at that moment, feeling as if he couldn't entirely trust his own reactions. Lancelot finished what he was doing, and stood up, scuffing the dry mud with the toe of his boot.

"It's hard losing people."

"I don't know if I really lost him, I didn't know him. Now I never will."

"And you still have your family."

"Yes."

"And you did save everyone in Camelot."

"I'm not sure they will be that grateful, being saved through magic."

Lancelot hefted the straps of the water skins onto his shoulder.

"I very much doubt that everyone sees it the same way as Uther. From what I can see, I don't think even Arthur agrees with him all the time. I don't think Balinor's death was deliberate."

Merlin looked down, then back up again. Not looking at Lancelot as he said.

"Tell my father I'll be there shortly. We need to head back."

"Yes, My Lord."

Later on, as they made camp, safely back in their own kingdom Lancelot felt disconcerted as, while he tended to the horses, Percival walked up to him and without a word grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, dragging him to a quiet spot near the campsite, where Cenred and Merlin waited.

One shove and Percival's foot against the back of his leg put Lancelot down on his knees in front of Cenred and Merlin, who also, disconcertingly, held a sword. For a moment Lancelot wondered if he had crossed a line with his conversation with Merlin. But Merlin's expression conveyed no anger.

It was done with no ceremony, and without any preamble. Percival remembered his own knighting occurring in the same fashion. The king decided it was time, and well deserved, and half an hour later, Cenred had knighted him.

As the short ceremony concluded, with Lancelot looking more than a little stunned, Merlin felt it again. The odd trace of energy in the air, something he had long ago been trained to look for. Seemingly insignificant moments telling him something significant had occurred.

Sir Lancelot, it appeared, was another piece of the infinite puzzle that was Merlin's destiny.


	17. Chapter 17

Morgana stumbled as the warning bell rang out, echoing around the confined space as they travelled through the tunnel. Ahead of her Arthur helped Gaius along, and Leon moved up from behind her to catch her arm and stop her falling.

"We must be quick, Sire!" Leon said, rather unnecessarily, such a statement was fairly obvious. They had to get Morgana and Gaius clear of the castle and then go back to Arthur's chambers, where the Prince had earlier been confined.

"I know!" Arthur snapped. They reached the end of the tunnel and Arthur looked at the grill that covered it. The thick metal bars looked impenetrable and Morgana, seeing them, felt a surge of despair. However, Arthur released his gentle hold on Gaius and Morgana and Leon stepped forward to take the old man's weight. Gaius took a sharp breath, containing the moan of pain that threatened. Arthur reached out and grunting as he lifted moved the grill clear. He had broken it free a long time ago, but unless it was inspected intimately, any patrol passing would think it secure. It had helped Arthur on more than one occasion.

"Come on, the horses are nearby," Arthur said, he took Morgana's arm while Leon helped Gaius. From a short distance into the trees came the sound of snorts and stamps where the two horses waited, having been carefully tethered up earlier that day.

"I can't," Gaius gasped. "Get Morgana away, that's more important."

"You're important to," Morgana said.

"I can't make it."

"You have to, please. No one wants to watch you burn," Morgana added. Arthur pulled her along and Leon stayed behind them, taking almost all of Gaius' weight as they forced their way through the undergrowth. No one said anything further as they made their way. They just huffed and panted as they went along, the sounds of the bell and the muffled shout of the massing soldiers sounded in the distance behind them.

Arthur released Morgana as they reached the horses.

"I put your travelling clothes, and food into the packs, and some medicine," Arthur said, glancing at Gaius. "Everything should be there,"

Next Arthur forced her up onto the horse. Leon boosted Gaius up on the pony and he grabbed at the reins. They could only hope that the small docile animal would follow it's companion. Leon was of the opinion that Gaius had no energy left after what he had suffered at the hands of the witchfinder.

Morgana took the reins, to stay was suicide, she had no other option.

"Where do I go?" she demanded of Arthur, fear suddenly gripping her.

For years she had longed to break free of Uther, and the horrors that she had seen at his hand. People killed for magic, people like her, who had no control of what they could do. She felt sick to her stomach, unsure if it was fear or horror. Everyone knew she had unleashed the dragon, and had brought such misery and destruction to the people of the kingdom. She was a witch, she could not deny that fact. Last night she had woken screaming as the dream of her own execution played out, Uther's cold, expressionless face the dominant scene in her mind.

"Just go," Arthur ordered her. Then he suddenly said, his hand tightening on hers. "Go east, ride east, over the border. Go to Merlin!"

Arthur felt the rush of words, the thought coming to him in a hurry. Morgana would be safe with him, he felt sure of that.

"I can't. The treaty is broken, I can't."

"Get to Merlin, say anything to have to, just get there. Find him. He won't let anything happen to you! I trust him," Arthur said. His head turned as he heard the sounds of the soldiers intensify. "Go, Morgana, go! If I have to I'll try and delay them."

"Leon, make sure he gets back. There is no use Arthur getting into trouble for me."

"Yes, My Lady," Leon said. "Good luck."

She had no choice, Morgana turned her horse and rode off. Gaius clung on as the little pony took the same steps and galloped after her companion.

Neither of them spoke, and neither of them knew if Arthur had been forced to head the soldiers off. Uther would punish him for his actions. He would have no choice. Morgana worried about Arthur, because it was easier than worrying about herself. And she worried about Gaius as she carefully navigated her way through the forest.

She didn't want to ride too hard, Gaius didn't really have the strength for it, but they had to gain enough distance to be safe. Morgana didn't want to leave him behind, she didn't want to be on her own, unable to really comprehend what to do. For the time being she followed Arthur's instruction, heading east; it being the only thing she had to go on. If she tried any of the other kingdoms they would probably just contact Uther. She would be returned to Camelot. All she could do, while travelling, was rack her brains, for someone, anyone else, someone that had known her father or her mother. But she had only been ten when her father had died, leaving her an orphan in Uther's care. Anyone she could think of now would not be powerful enough to stand against the King of Camelot. She felt her lower jaw quiver, and she clenched it hard, determined not to show any weakness.

Glancing back she checked on Gaius. He still clung to the pony's mane, but she could see him swaying in the saddle. The witchfinder had hurt him, torturing him for information. Not that Gaius had known anything. Morgana suspected the physician just made for an easy target. He had practiced magic before the Great Purge, Aredian could easily use him as a scapegoat. Morgana had tried to help. After all, she had been the one to free the dragon. She had just not truly foreseen the consequences of her actions. Which seemed more than a little ironic considering how prophetic some of her dreams could be. Now she was alone in the world, with only a severely sick man for company. For the time being it was down to her to lead. She would just have to follow Arthur's instruction, there was nothing else she could do.

She knew the forest well enough to avoid the trails, and she kept going for as long as possible, until in the end, finding a quiet, sheltered clearing they stopped. Morgana tethered her own horse and then helped Gaius down. Although he was slight, she found herself struggling to support his weight as he dismounted and a flicker of dread started in the pit of her stomach as she contemplated getting him back up.

Ignoring her flickering fears, she focused on settling him against a tree and finding a water skin that Arthur had attached to the saddle. There were four of them in total, two on her saddle and two on Gaius'. Morgana made the decision to use one now and ration the rest carefully. Although she had kept a good distance away from the main route, she knew where they were in relation to it. If they could keep going long enough, they would cross the border, by the river, the following morning. That meant they had to find somewhere to shelter tonight, and they could gather more water when they reached the river. As they went through the forest she could keep a look out for any food they could forage, and preserve what they had. Arthur, or more likely Leon, had packed a bag with what food he could, they had bedrolls and her sword and dagger. Also strapped to the back, wrapped in the bedroll she found her battle clothes.

Taking out a chunk of bread and another of cheese she took them and the water skin over to Gaius, crouching down.

"Here."

"You should save that for yourself," Gaius said, his voice tired and weak.

"You need it more than I do."

"It would be better if you went on without me."

"No it wouldn't!" Morgana snapped. "Please Gaius, I can't do this without you!"

Gaius looked up, at her pale face, eyes filled with worry. Slowly he reached up and took the food and water from her. He hadn't eaten for days, and he didn't think he would be strong enough to make the entire journey. But he saw her relax as he took the food, at least preparing to make the effort for her. In all conscience he could not leave her alone in the world, especially as she intended to head into what was now, essentially, enemy territory.

"I need to get changed, I won't be long, and then we'll carry on."

"I'll save some for you," Gaius said taking a sip of the water.

"Not too much, as long as we are careful, we can probably get there in three or so days," Morgana said. "I won't be far."

Gathering up her clothes she went to change, swiftly stripping off her ruined dress, stained and ripped from her stay in the dungeon. Her wrists were reddened from the shackles that had been put around them. She shook her head, trying not to think about it. Instead she swiftly donned her trousers and slid the light, chain mail shirt over her head, and then wrapped the belt around her waist. Once she was decent she moved back into the clearing, so Gaius would be in view, and she attached her wrist protectors and checked herself over.

Gaius had started to eat the bread, and had half the cheese. She watched with relief as he sipped at the water, looking better than he did before. It could have been the short rest, and the food that had helped him, but Morgana got the feeling it was more show than anything else. He couldn't, after her desperate pleas, now leave her. She didn't want to be alone, and she most certainly did not want Gaius to be dragged back to Camelot to be burnt at the stake.

Nor could she leave him to fend for himself. If she did that then he would no doubt die alone in the forest. She couldn't bear that either. The physician had always been so kind to her, and deep down she knew he had been aware of her talent, trying all manner of tonics to help her sleep. Nothing had truly worked, the powerful dreams had always come, filling her mind until she could hardly breathe.

Deep down Morgana always knew it would probably come to this. She would be found out as a witch, and nothing would save her. Uther loved her, but he hated magic more. She had seen the look on his face as she had confessed, in front of the entire court, naïvely thinking that she could save Gaius. But the witchfinder wouldn't rest, he had condemned them both.

She smiled, trying to convey some level of confidence, as she sat down next to Gaius, taking the remainder of the cheese and bread. Until she started eating she didn't realise just how hungry she was. Food had not been a paramount consideration the previous night, as she had awaited her fate, locked away in the dungeons. The way she felt she could probably eat everything that Arthur had stored away in the pack, but that would be foolhardy. They still had a long way to go, and no guarantee they would make it.

"You know Lady Hunith, don't you?"

Gaius nodded. "Yes, I grew up close to Ealdor, so I knew her very well. I came to see her when she was close to time with Merlin. I helped deliver him."

"I suppose she'll remember you?"

"I hope so, I haven't seen her since Merlin was a year old, and I came to see them. His talent was unsettling to say the least."

"He was that young?" Morgana finished eating the bread and brushed the crumbs away, taking another sip of water.

"Yes, the power he has is extraordinary."

Morgana nodded, she had seen a little of it when she had met him. She turned her head to look at him.

"Was that true, what the witch finder said. You helped Balinor escape Camelot during the Great Purge."

"I did, there were many, I saw the lists. I couldn't help them all, but I tried my best."

"You still agreed with Uther," Morgana said, venom creeping into her voice. Gaius reached out to take her hand. Hers remained tense for a moment but she eventually uncurled her fingers from a fist to let Gaius hold her gently.

"You don't understand Morgana. There is a balance in magic and that entire order was in danger, too many people used magic, for their own ends. It is a gift to be treasured, and used wisely."

"Didn't I do that? I saved Arthur."

"Of course you did, more than once I believe," Gaius said. "Maybe I should have…" he paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Possibly not just ignored what was happening to you. It was easier to make the tonics to help you sleep, rather than face the fact that sat right in front of my eyes. That you had magic, and you needed help."

"It wasn't your fault," Morgana said firmly, something in the conversation making her feel strong. She at the rest of the cheese and took another mouthful of water feeling fortified by the food and short rest. They could get to Merlin and then perhaps, Morgana thought to herself, it would be all right. If nothing else, there was no other way to go.

"Come on, if we can try and get as close to the border as possible, without catching the patrols. I saw the work that Arthur and Merlin did and I know what routes they will likely take. They rode over the area enough while they worked it out, I can probably recognise the trees."

She stood up, going over to the horse to hang up the now empty water skin. She glanced at her now re-rolled blankets and frowned, remembering her discarded dress.

"I'd best take the clothes with me, otherwise, if someone does pass here, we'll end up leaving clues," Morgana said. She helped Gaius to his feet and then turned. "I'll get it, just in case."

They both paused as the rustle of leaves and Morgana gently pushed Gaius back, so he was behind her, as a man stepped from the undergrowth, her discarded dress clenched in his hand. Morgana looked left and right as four more men, two on either side of their leader came through the trees. Morgana tensed as she felt their eyes on her. The leader grinned, eyes moving up and down her body, Morgana's hand slid over to the hilt of her sword. To a low round of laughter the leader asked, never taking his eyes off Morgana.

"Well, well, what have we here then?"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Morgana gripped the sword tighter, holding it expertly. She knew how to use a sword. Something the lead bandit had just found out. He staggered back one hand over the gash she had made in his thigh. The other four men stirred restlessly, spreading out and moving in closer. Morgana shifted, keeping Gaius behind her. There was nothing he could do in the fight. Her eyes moved from one man to the next. Morgana didn't think there was much she could do either. However expert at swordsmanship she was she couldn't fight all five of them. She gritted her teeth and glared. It wouldn't be through want of trying.

The staring contest broke up as a sixth man crashed through the trees, not bothering to conceal his approach. He looked at the scene and smiled amiably.

"Hello, need any help?"

"I'm fine," Morgana snarled taking a small step back to level her stance and flank Gaius better. The interloper grinned brightly.

"Well, of course you are. I was offering my help to the gentlemen, since they don't appear to quite know how to deal with a lady. You'll find flowers a little more effective you know, and I don't think that's your colour."

He indicated to the green dress the lead man still held in his hand. A couple of the bandits sniggered, making the interloper's grin widen.

"Kill that idiot," the leader ordered two of his comrades, who were nearest to the stranger. They both drew their swords, which caused the man to raise his eyebrows. He discarded the pack he carried over his shoulder and whipped his own sword out of its sheath, stepping forward and to one side, closer to Morgana. He shifted the sword expertly in his grip and as the first bandit reached him the man met him, their swords clashing loudly. His companion lashed out with his own weapon, the interloper danced to the side avoiding that, while fending off the other man.

"Get the girl!" the leader ordered the other two bandits.

"Oh, get them to do your dirty work," the interloper interrupted after he punched one of his attackers in the face, sending the man staggering backwards. He deflected the sword of his other attacker, wincing as it caused his ribs to flare with pain. Gritting his teeth he tensed his body, flicking his wrist so the sword flew up into the air. The interloper casually kicked his opponent in the stomach and caught the sword as it came down. Moving sideways he stepped closer to Morgana, keeping both the swords up and ready.

"Now, I suggest," the interloper announced, gasping a little. "That you go on your way before someone really gets hurt."

Morgana glared at him. "I can handle this."

"Nor does it hurt to accept a little help now and again."

"And I can trust you, why?" Morgana snarled sarcastically at him.

"You can always take a share of her, after us," the bandit leader announced. The interloper glared at him.

"I may not be the most honest person in the world, but I draw the line at forcing women. Then again," the man grinned, looking the bandit up and down. "I think I have something of an advantage over you there."

The interloper's grin faded and he recoiled in shock as Morgana suddenly lunged at him. He fell over, grunting as the pain rippled through him, he dropped to the floor and losing his grip on one of the swords. A crash rang through the air and he stared up in shock at the two swords over his head. One held by Morgana, preventing the bandit's sword from reaching it's target. Morgana flipped the sword aside, stepped forward and sliced her weapon across the bandit's stomach. The interloper rolled out of the way, cradling his ribs, as the bandit crashed into the dried leaves of the forest floor.

"Thanks," the man said.

Morgana gave a slight grin. "No problem, that's your one."

"What?" he asked, and then as Morgana nodded her head he turned, eyes widening as another of the bandits retrieved the dropped sword and ran at them. "Oh, right, yes!"

He clashed with the bandit, knocking him to one side and thrusting his sword into the ground as the man rolled away. He snarled with irritation, moving forward to strike as the bandit rolled to his feet. Morgana advanced on the leader, who had been slowly backing away. On her left her saviour suddenly deflected his opponent's sword and yanked out the knife tucked in the bandit's belt throwing it across the clearing. It slammed into the neck of the bandit who had suddenly turned to run at Gaius, seeing an advantage in attacking the weakest member of the group. Morgana turned, eyes widening as the force of the strike sent the man flying sideways to crash into a tangle of bushes and lay still.

"Evens the odds a little," the interloper said, before kicking out his opponent's leg and as he fell he sliced his sword into the bandit's neck. The leader lunged at Morgana, who was more than ready for him. The last man simply turned and ran, self-preservation clearly more important than standing with his comrades. The interloper watched him go without much interest. The bandit leader had turned as his friend fled and Morgana took advantage by slashing across his ribs. The bandit gasped, before crashing down, his body collapsing as the blood gushed from his chest. Morgana glared as his fell, feeling a red hot surge of satisfaction as he died at her feet.

Then she spun round, stepped forward with her sword raised as she realised the interloper had started to walk towards Gaius. He paused as she moved towards him, most definitely in a threatening manner. As she advanced he took a careful step back, raising his hands, grimacing again as the gesture pulled on his right side.

"I meant no harm," he told her.

"Well, then, you can just go on your way."

He blinked in surprise, looking at her carefully and then glancing at Gaius. Morgana moved forward, so he would look back at her.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but I think your friend is in need of a physician."

"I am a physician!" Gaius informed him irritably. "And by the look of it you're no better. What is wrong with your ribs?"

"A little bit of a fight, no harm done."

"I'd suggest you've cracked one at least."

The stranger put his hand to his side, giving up on the pretence. "It's a good suggestion."

Again he tried to move forward but Morgana flanked him again. The stranger paused again and then backed up.

"Okay, I know when I'm not wanted."

"Morgana!" Gaius suddenly commanded. The stranger raised his eyebrows. Morgana turned to glance at Gaius, then back to the man stood in front of her.

"It's not a good idea to drag someone else into this," Morgana said. The stranger shrugged.

"I'm usually in trouble one way or another, and I'm certain you two should not be travelling on your own. Especially this close to the border."

"What do you know about it?" Morgana asked rudely.

"Only what gossip I've heard in the taverns. Wherever you are going you look like you might need help to get there."

"Like I said, this is trouble you don't want to get caught up in," Morgana warned him, but she carefully lowered her sword.

He looked at her for a moment, assessing her carefully. She was well dressed, although a little the worse for wear. Her companion seemed in an even worse state. If it came to it, he could probably back off and maybe follow them at a distance. He didn't consider himself to be particularly honourable, but on the flip side, he found it a little hard to just abandon a woman and a clearly injured old man in the middle of a forest.

"I don't have to stay long, just maybe a little of the way."

"I can certainly treat those ribs for you. Arthur left some medicines in the packs. I hope he picked out something useful," Gaius said. "Morgana, you can't do this alone."

She lowered the sword, and turned to Gaius. "If he's caught with us, they'll execute him as well."

"Well, then, we make sure we don't get caught," the interloper announced amiably. He skirted round Morgana and reaching down helped Gaius up, wincing as the pain in his ribs caught him again.

"You need to be treated," Gaius said.

"So do you I think," the stranger said, then he looked around. "However, I think that it might be a wise idea to do so a little further on."

Morgana looked around, brushing stray strands of hair off her face as she nodded, sighing in resignation.

"I think so. I'm Morgana, this is Gaius."

The stranger smiled, inclining his head at her. "Gwaine, at your service, dear lady."

Morgana seeing the flirtatious glitter in his eyes, as well as the polite gesture, gave a short laugh.

"Let's get moving shall we," Gaius announced.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Morgana's concern about getting Gaius back on his horse was at least assuaged, as Gwaine helped Gaius mount up and then taking the reins led the horse. As a general courtesy Morgana stayed on foot as well, leading her own pony. They had been riding the animals hard, the relaxed pace would do them good, and they at least kept moving. As the light started to fade they found a small, sheltered spot to make camp and they set up a small fire to cook on, carefully rationing their meagre supplies.

"So you're planning to go over the border?" Gwaine asked.

"Yes, it's the only way we can go."

"The patrols are pretty heavy in the area, if you are trying to avoid them."

Morgana gave him a sharp look, Gwaine shrugged.

"It's doesn't take a genius," he started.

"Clearly," Morgana snapped acidicly. Gwaine just smiled.

"I realise you are staying clear of the main routes, and don't want to be found. Going east is risky. I wasn't sure I wanted to try that way, perhaps you should head north and go round."

"We can't and anyway, I'm familiar with where the patrols go, and their rotations. I was there when Prince Arthur and Prince Merlin drew up the treaty, and I've lived in Camelot for years, and I've been around the knights. I'm King Uther's ward."

Gwaine raised his eyebrows, his suspicion confirmed, although he didn't dwell on the issue and could now certainly understand why she hadn't wanted him too involved.

"And why would the king's ward need to avoid the patrols?" Gwaine asked.

It's a long story."

Gwaine smiled, poking the fire with a stick. A few sparks lifted into the air and the flames flared a little higher.

"If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. And I know you don't want me around because you think I might get tangled up in whatever is going on."

"It's not your problem," Morgana told him.

Gwaine nodded, staring into the fire for a moment. He couldn't deny that he liked travelling, with no ties, and no concerns. But he could never be that heartless. As much as he liked to think he could be casual with his emotions, it was not that easy. He stopped staring into the fire and stared at Morgana's serious face.

"Maybe not, but leaving you alone, trying to travel east, in this area of all places, that would be my problem. I'll stay with you as long as you need."

"Thank you."

"Where are you headed anyway?" Gwaine asked, reaching to take a small drink of water.

"To Prince Merlin."

The fire gave a hiss as Gwaine's mouthful of water landed square on it. If nothing else, Morgana had to appreciate his aim.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Could we stop in one of the villages? They know you Gaius," Morgana asked.

"I haven't been here for a long while child. And they know I have lived in Camelot for years. Even if they only know of the breakdown in the treaty, it might be enough."

"So we're safer staying clear for now. When we get nearer there will be no hiding our approach," Gwaine said. "I've been to Cenred's castle, it's built on open ground. Is it just easier to locate a patrol of soldiers? We'll get taken to them directly."

"Maybe," Morgana said. "I'm not exactly going to be given much of a welcome by them."

Gwaine shrugged. "Let's just keep going. We've caught some food so we should have enough to keep ourselves going. I think we just have to accept the inevitable, when it happens."

As it happened, it occurred later that morning. Since they didn't know the area well enough, beyond the border, they moved to a road. Morgana remembered everything Arthur had Merlin had discussed, and although relations remained edgy, the patrols simply did not cross over the river. They had and as they slowly moved down the road, Morgana and Gaius on horseback while Gwaine led Gaius's horse, they were stopped as six men baring Cenred's colours rode towards them.

"What is your business?" their leader demanded.

"Just travelling along," Gwaine said.

"This is the main road from Camelot," the solider said.

Which was, Morgana belatedly realised, why the road was so quiet.

"Yes, that is where we came from," Gwaine said.

Four of the soldiers swept out to flank them and Morgana slowly dismounted from her horse, stepping up by Gwaine.

"And we're heading towards the castle, to see the Prince."

"On what business?"

"That is none of your concern," Morgana snapped.

"But you don't deny you rode from Camelot."

"Many a person has used this road to travel," Gwaine said. "Why would we deny it?"

"And what would a citizen of Camelot want to speak to the Prince about?"

"Like I said, that is none of your business!" Morgana snarled.

The leader of the patrol stepped forward, moving towards her. Gwaine stepped forward but paused at the sound of a sword being drawn, the point thrust under his chin. Gwaine raised his hands and another soldier stepped forward to take Gaius' horse.

"Get down!" the soldier ordered.

"He can't, leave him alone!" Morgana shouted. She turned to help, only to be grabbed by another man, and pushed towards the leader who grabbed her arm and pulled her close. Gwaine almost stepped forward but there came the sound of another sword drawn and the man on Morgana's right lifted it up to her back. She turned to look.

"All right. She's a woman, leave her alone," Gwaine ordered. Behind them they heard the sound as Gaius slowly dismounted.

"I'm down."

"There was no need for that," Gwaine said.

"Search them!" the leader ordered stepping away, eyes roving as he intended to walk a circle around them. The first thing the nearest soldier did was grab at Morgana's backside. She turned and punched him and Gwaine stepped forward.

"Hey!"

He only took one step and then the hilt of the sword holding him hostage crashed on the back of his head and he went down onto his hands and knees, his shoulders jarring as he put his hands out to break the fall. The sword slid down against his neck, pressing in, forcing him to tilt his head.

"Stop it!" Morgana snapped.

"I just don't think she is keeping any weapons hidden there. If you are going to search her then do so, that is not a reason to grope her."

"We'll do it as we choose."

"Is that the orders of your king?" Gwaine asked, hissing as the blade pressed into his neck, his body inclining as far away as he dared. He looked up and glared at the leader.

"I know how people are searched, that is not how you do it. Morgana, give him your weapons."

"But…"

There was a scuffle behind them and whatever Morgana turned to see it was not good for Gaius.

"Morgana, do it now."

Morgana threw her sword and the dagger clear. The leader stepped forward and searched her anyway, his hands staying clear of anything too inflammatory, under Gwaine's watchful eyes. Gwaine snarled as the man pressed his hand between Morgana's breasts and she tensed but he pulled away a moment later.

"Tie her hands. What about the old man?"

"No weapons, just supplies."

The leader turned his gaze down to Gwaine, who glared up at him. "What about this one."

Gwaine gritted his teeth as hands grabbed at him, another holding him still but keeping the sword blade to his throat.

"Whose are the horses?" the leader asked, looking them over.

"Mind, both of them are mine," Morgana snapped. "This man was simply travelling with us to protect us."

The leader of the patrol turned back to look at her, as he stood at her horse's flank.

"Oh, I can imagine what he was protecting," the leader announced to a few laughs. Gwaine snarled, tensing against the hands that held him. He winced as he felt the slow cold flow of liquid down his neck. The leader turned away and lifted the horse's back hoof. The animal allowed it, and he almost dropped the foot but then he clenched his hand, lifting the back leg higher, peering downwards at the hoof and swearing. He let the horse' leg go and he rounded on Morgana.

"I know those horseshoes. This horse is from the royal stable of Camelot! You stole them!"

Morgana lifted her chin.

"No, I did not. I am the Lady Morgana, of the House of Gorlois. Ward of Uther Pendragon. That horse is mine, as of now!"

"You're the Lady Morgana. Really?" the leader asked stepping towards her. Morgana lifted her chin, again she clenched her jaw. Gwaine snarled.

"Yes, I am."

"And what business would you have with our prince?"

"That is no concern of yours," Morgana snapped. The patrol leader drew his knife, levelling it at her breast.

"It is, if you are lying."

"She's not!" Gaius said only to be slapped. Gwaine snarled again. Morgana looked horrified.

"Leave him alone."

"Why should we?"

"Because beating up an old man is a bit pathetic," Gwaine said earning a punch.

"I am King Uther's court physician, I am escorting Lady Morgana," Gaius said weakly.

"And do you have anything to prove these claims."

"No!" Morgana said. "But…"

"Prince Merlin has met you, hasn't he?" Gwaine asked, addressing Morgana.

"Yes!" Morgana said.

"Then I suggest you men reserve your judgement until you present her to Prince Merlin."

"And Gaius is a friend of Lady Hunith's. She speaks highly of him!" Morgana added.

"And what of this one?"

"Like she said, I am escorting them," Gwaine said.

"There is no need for you now then is there," the patrol leader announced.

"But then I'll tell Merlin, I'll tell him what you did to my escort!" Morgana announced. It had crossed her mind to say that Gwaine was a knight of Camelot but that would be more of a death sentence. She watched the leader of the patrol hesitate.

Morgana turned, thinking she could win and could at least extract the innocent party from his fate. As she caught Gwaine's eye however she realised he saw it differently. He was not about to leave her to this fate. Glaring back at her he warned her to keep quiet, because whatever she said, he'd find a way to counteract it.

"I don't know much about Prince Merlin," Gwaine announced. "But I do hear he is a gentleman, who would not take kindly to a lady being without her escort."

There came a slow few seconds of silence, before the leader of the patrol said.

"Tie his hands, and hers. She and the old man can ride."

"Thank you," Gwaine said unresisting as they wound a rope around his wrists before yanking him to his feet. The leader leant in.

"Don't thank us yet, you still have to face Prince Merlin and then King Cenred."


	18. Chapter 18

They were a sorry little trio as they were led into the council chamber in Cenred's castle. A servant had run off to inform Merlin that a patrol had arrived back with prisoners. They stood together as a team with Gwaine trying to do his part to support Gauis, despite his bound hands.

"I'm sorry," Morgana whispered at him.

"Don't you worry about me," Gwaine said, as they talked over Gaius's head. Gaius had been tired out by the pace, even though he had been riding. The breaks for food and water had been short and he needed more. Gwaine and Morgana had both tried to give Gaius their share only to be rebuffed by their guards. If he did nothing else, Gwaine was going to make sure that Prince Merlin knew exactly what he thought of him.

His chance came quickly. The double doors opened and Gwaine's eyes widened. He looked so young, if nothing else. Tall and slender with thick dark hair, it made him seem like nothing more than a child. His eyes, however, told a slightly different story. Merlin looked around, staring at the scene in shock, eyes drawn to Morgana.

Her hair trailed over her face in loose strands. Her travel clothes were scuffed with traces of dirt. She tried to brush her hair aside, only lifting her hands so far until she realised they were tied. Gwaine watched as a moment later, the ropes around Morgana's wrists snapped.

"Morgana?"

"Merlin, I'm sorry, I didn't know… Arthur just said to come here…" she tailed off, she felt too tired to offer much in the way of an explanation.

"Gaius?" Percival asked, sounding just as confused as Merlin.

Merlin eyes flared again as he looked at the old man. Then his gaze drifted. Gwaine felt the shift of emotion in the room. Anger flaring from the Prince as he looked at the members of the patrol, then he looked back at a sorrowful Morgana and a shattered Gaius.

Gwaine sensed the men in the patrol group stir restlessly. They didn't dare move, he caught that much of a hint, and Merlin's eyed them with a flat, angry gaze. Even Gwaine, who didn't ever thing he had been particularly intimidated by anyone, even people bigger than himself, felt a shiver of nerves as he watched Merlin.

"Well?" Merlin demanded curtly of the patrol leader.

"They were caught crossing the border from Camelot. We have orders that anyone suspicious be taken into custody."

Merlin's eyebrows lifted, just a fraction.

"And we asked to come here," Morgana informed them, enjoying a slight moment of satisfaction as the guards stared nervously at Merlin. Even Percival gave Merlin a long, quizzical look, trying to read the reaction on his friend's face. Merlin's face changed again, as he looked at Morgana.

"What's going on?" Merlin asked her, frowning in concern as her jaw quivered again.

"I think it's a long story," Gwaine interjected, slightly wishing he hadn't as Merlin's eyes drifted in his direction, regarding him with mild hostility. "Neither Gaius or Lady Morgana are up to it at the moment."

He added her title, although he had not used it throughout the journey. Gwaine had an intuitive feeling that in front of Merlin, however, it might be a good idea. Morgana watched, seeing the suspicion in Merlin's face as he stared at Gwaine. Who had, over the course of the journey, kept the guards distracted so nothing further happened to herself or Gaius.

"Gwaine escorted us through the forest, he came upon us when we were accosted by bandits," Morgana said for his defence. Merlin blinked, the anger fading as he looked back at her. Gaius sagged, and Gwaine winced as he took the old man's weight, which pressed onto his sore ribs, which were sorer after two days with the patrol of guards.

"Sorry, my boy," Gaius murmured to him.

"Not a problem," Gwaine said, realising Merlin had turned his attention back to his own men.

"We could only bring them to you to identify them," the leader said.

"I suppose that's only fair," Gwaine said, starting to feel a shred of sympathy for the increasingly nervous soldiers. There was no guarantee that they had been telling the truth, at least from the patrol's point of view.

"There wasn't that much harm done," Gwaine added, as he glanced at Gaius he grimaced slightly. "Just the odd bruise." One of which was fairly prominent on Gaius' left cheek. The six soldiers stirred again, as Merlin stared them down. He knew exactly what some of the men were like. His father could be less than fair when dealing with some people, and the soldiers picked that up. It occurred less frequently when Merlin was around.

"Get out," he growled in a forced tone. The bedraggled little trio blinked, until they realised that Merlin had dismissed his soldiers. Gwaine looked up at him, staring at Merlin in shock. Again he had to marvel at the power the youth projected. Although tall, he looked so slight that there didn't seem to be any physical strength in him at all, but the darkness behind his eyes and sheer power of Merlin's aura told of an entirely different story. Gwaine glanced in Percival's direction, the huge knight had stepped forward to gently extract Gaius from him. Gwaine allowed it, he couldn't do much else with his hands still bound.

"Merlin," Percival said, nodding his head in the direction of the ropes.

The prince had followed Percival gently taking Morgana's arm. She kept herself steady, not wanting, never wanting, to admit any weakness, although she felt herself wanting to lean on him. Merlin looked down, his eyes flashed gold and Gwaine started in shock as the ropes broke. He knew magic was possible, and everyone knew Prince Merlin was a powerful sorcerer, but to see it first hand, done so casually, left Gwaine slightly awed.

"Thank you," he said, randomly pulling the strands free and wincing as he looked at the bruising underneath. Merlin didn't respond, instead he started to lead Morgana out of the room, taking her towards the large doors at the back, which led deeper into the castle. Percival followed taking Gaius the easiest way he knew, picking the old man up and cradling him in his arms.

"I'm not in my dotage yet!" Gaius complained. Merlin turned and grinned. Percival murmured under his breath as he put Gaius back down and instead propped him up as the old man insisted on walking. For the want of something else to do, Gwaine followed along. He had been neither acknowledged nor dismissed, and he still felt as if he didn't want to leave Morgana. At least until Morgana herself said so.

Gwaine followed them out into the corridor, where Merlin paused and turned as he looked down a passageway. Cyranus had heard that Merlin had been called to the council chamber and had headed that way. He met them on the corner as the two passageways intersected.

"Get my mother, now!" Merlin ordered. Cyranus nodded and headed off striding quickly down the corridor.

It was about the time of day that Hunith would be working her way through the castle, checking on the kitchens and domestic rooms. She knew most of the staff by name, could ask about husbands and children, brought gifts and assurances and all the staff loved her. There were problems, and disputes, for her to manage and all of the servants in the castle knew if they talked to Hunith they would get a fair hearing, and an honest answer, plus help if they needed it.

Cyranus started in the kitchen and eventually tracked Hunith down in a quiet area beyond the stables, dealing with a young serving girl and a slightly older stable boy who appeared to have got the girl into something of a predicament. Hunith had been talking to both of them in a low tone as he found her, coughing discreetly to attract her attention. One look at him told Hunith that whatever Cyranus had to say was important.

"You two come to the open sessions tomorrow, you have to put your case forward, if you wish to marry," Hunith informed the couple in front of her.

"Will the king say yes?" the girl asked nervously holding tightly to the boy's hand.

"I should think so," Hunith said. Cenred generally glanced to her for the answer in these matters. One movement of her eyes and he would say yes or no. Hunith intended yes, they were both at close quarters in the castle and she could keep an eye on both of them, whatever happened.

"Now go about your work," Hunith ordered them, sending them scurrying away. She turned to the man who was now her chief bodyguard.

"I'm sorry My Lady, Prince Merlin requests you on an urgent matter. He was heading to the royal chambers."

Hunith nodded, picked up her skirts and walked swiftly in the right direction. Behind her April and Cyranus had trouble keeping up.

"What's the matter?"

"The Lady Morgana has been brought to the castle," Cyranus said as he followed her up the stairs. "And the physician Gaius. I presume Merlin would take them into you apartments."

Hunith nodded striding quickly up the stairs. Cyranus followed. Cyranus let April follow behind Hunith and he brought up the rear. There was no danger for Hunith while she was in the castle. Although he tried to stay close to her as Cenred would not tolerate even the slightest risk to his family.

Despite Merlin's prejudices, Hunith found Cyranus to be a tolerable presence, certainly as Michaneck's replacement. Her first bodyguard had died three years ago and she missed him. Cyranus had no desire for her anymore. If Cenred had discarded her then perhaps he would have taken Hunith for himself, but she had sired a daughter by the king, and to take Hunith you didn't just take on Cenred, you took Merlin on as well. Cyranus knew Merlin still harboured anger and suspicion towards him but he let it go. He respected the prince enough to not concern himself with trifling emotions. Cyranus tensed as they met the party, as they entered the queen's apartments. Hunith gasped and then ran forward.

"Gaius!"

She met the sorrowful looking troop, pushing Percival aside, who let her but he still supported Gaius as Hunith wrapped her arms around him.

"What are you doing here, what's happened?"

Gaius didn't answer, and Hunith, taking one look at Gaius' face didn't press any further. Instead, as she glanced around, she started issuing orders.

"April, find Freya and get her to warm some water. You'll need to fill a bath for Gaius, and one for Morgana. And send down to the kitchens for some food."

April nodded, heading off down the corridor to get what was needed.

"I'll get something to treat any wounds," Merlin said. He turned to head off, almost walking into Gwaine. Gwaine stepped back, eyeing Merlin carefully and glancing over his shoulder at Morgana. Hunith expertly herded Morgana ahead of her, taking them into the queen's apartment, already mentally planning which rooms to open up. There were several that would be suitable. Morgana glanced back, giving Gwaine a semblance of a smile. Gwaine stayed where he was, unsure what to do. Morgana was obviously safe, but she still looked as if she didn't want him to leave.

"Thank you for helping them," Merlin said.

"I was hardly going to abandon them," Gwaine told him. Merlin looked Gwaine up and down before turning to a lingering Percival.

"Could you look after…?" At that point Merlin faltered, having not actually heard Gwaine's name. Gwaine conceded holding out his hand.

"Gwaine."

Merlin met the hand, grasping Gwaine's forearm in a grip that surprised the other man. Merlin might have looked slight, but years of training had given him strength.

"Percival will look after you. Captain, you'd best ride out to my father, he'll want to know of this situation immediately."

Cyranus had been left out in the corridor under Hunith's orders, without anything else to do but head back down to Merlin. He nodded curtly.

"Yes, My Lord."

"Do you need any injuries treating?" Merlin asked Gwaine.

"A few bruised ribs. Your men didn't do that though. That's a whole other story."

Merlin nodded. "I do apologise if their treatment was overzealous. They will be disciplined for it."

Gwaine's memory replayed the scene in the council room. "I know that relations between your kingdom and Camelot are not sound at the moment. But I do rather think that they need a lesson in manners when it comes to dealing with women, and the elderly."

Again Merlin nodded, then he glanced at the big knight lingering close by.

"Make sure Gwaine has what he needs."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Morgana felt as if she had been swept up in a whirlwind. She had not expected Merlin to be that welcoming, or concerned. But she had yet to tell the full story. Hunith settled both the new arrivals in her private boudoir while they waited for the water in their baths, as supervised by April and Freya. Mary, having been alerted, appeared with food. Morgana picked a little, Gaius did the same.

"Please, you must be hungry," Hunith said. "Gaius you look awful."

"Thank you," he snarled. The venom in his tone made Hunith smile and reach out to take his hand.

"You're still the same, but why are you here, what happened?"

Merlin discreetly let himself into the room, stepping over to stand by the fireplace. He had carefully made sure that Evelyn would not disturb them, although she had been curious about the newcomers.

"I think Gwaine answered that one, it's a long story. But I released the dragon, and caused everything. I'm sorry, I just…" Morgana stopped talking. Because the dragon had been released Balinor had been killed, so many people had been killed. Gaius reached out to take her wrist. Merlin said nothing, he just stared in shock. It was Gaius who picked up the thread of the story. The situation with the dragon did not need to be dragged up; Merlin knew that part of it.

"After you had gone, Uther summoned the witchfinder."

"Aredian?" Merlin snarled. Gaius nodded. "I've heard of him," Merlin added, his tone indicating what he had heard, he didn't consider good.

"He condemned us. Well, Gaius really, until I told Uther what I had done," Morgana said. "I had no idea that Kilgharrah would do that. He just asked to be free."

"There is no reason for you to think that he would have done that," Gaius said.

"But why wouldn't he. I should have seen it Gaius! Surely whatever cursed me would have let me see it!"

Morgana gave a strangled sob, putting her head in her hands. Gaius kept a firm grip of her wrist.

"You couldn't have known, child."

Morgana said nothing, but she shook her head, still hiding her face behind her hands. Gaius looked up, Hunith looked shocked and sympathetic. Merlin just glared, his jaw set firmly while a mass of emotion seethed behind his eyes.

"You can't know what it was like for her, growing up in Camelot," Gaius told him.

"She had Uther's protection," Merlin said.

"Not when he found out the truth. Maybe love blinded him to some of what she clearly knew, but not enough. Not enough that when he knew without doubt she had magic, when he realised it was a part of her, that he would refuse to save her," Gaius said.

"But you got out," Merlin said.

Morgana raised her head.

"Arthur helped us. He got us out of the dungeon and helped us escape the citadel. He said we should come to you," Morgana's voice was dull, utterly resigned. "You'd know what to do."

April broke the silence, sliding into the room.

"The baths are almost ready."

"Can you and Freya set up two bedrooms? And find one of my nightgowns for Morgana," Hunith asked handing out orders with casual confidence.

April nodded and disappeared. Hunith stepped away from the pair sat at the table and took Merlin's arm, drawing him across the room. Gaius tried to persuade Morgana to eat. She had no appetite but she ate a little to appease him, and Gaius did the same for her.

"You can't seriously blame her?" Hunith hissed at him.

"She released the dragon. Whatever destruction she brought down on Camelot was more than likely well deserved, but you know what happened."

"It's all very well for you Merlin. You've had licence to use your talent, you don't have to live in fear. You've heard some of the Druid's stories."

"Exactly."

"Don't you dare Merlin! This is not her fault!" Hunith snarled at him. "How would you feel, growing up around Uther Pendragon knowing exactly what he truly thought of you? Because of his own personal prejudice. You don't have any right to behave in the same fashion."

Merlin stared at his mother. Knowing she was right, but Balinor's loss still felt like a raw wound. By the look in her eyes his mother felt the same. She would have at least liked the chance to see Balinor again. She didn't blame him for running, when Uther had come for him. Hopefully he knew that, had known that.

"April and I will look after Morgana. I don't think she's been physically hurt. Gaius might need some attention."

"I think he was the witchfinder's main victim, so I think so," Merlin said, conceding to her. Hunith would not allow him to persecute Morgana for anything.

"Just look after him, I'll deal with Morgana."

Hunith squeezed her son's hand in a hint and they went their separate ways.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Morgana wore a borrowed gown of blue silk. Hunith had given it to her that morning and April had fitted her into it and then had done Morgana's hair, so she could present herself to the court that morning. It appeared to be a stipulation of her stay to ask King Cenred for sanctuary, something she apparently had to do in front of the entire court during the morning council session.

At least Gaius would be next to her. He still looked tired, and a little frail, but better than he had previously. And somehow Gwaine had managed to get himself into the small ante-chamber where they were waiting. When the king arrived they would have to walk through the entire length of the cold austere throne room to speak to him. Morgana had seen the crowd. She wondered if it was always that busy, when the court was in session. Or, more likely, had word got round and they had come to stare at her, while she threw herself on Cenred's mercy.

She didn't think she could entirely blame him for playing his game, for making her grovel. Whatever had happened, she was still Uther's ward, she had come from Camelot, and she had inflicted a good deal of hurt and pain on others. One of those had been the king's son. Morgana had not seen Merlin since that brief, tense session when she had explained her arrival. She had been whisked away by Hunith's close servants who had helped bathe her, dress her in a borrowed nightgown and then Hunith had gently ordered her to rest.

Morgana hadn't thought that was possible, but Gaius had clearly spoken to Merlin and a vial of sleeping tonic had been delivered to her. April had stayed close enough to make sure that she had drunk it. Morgana had found it to be the most effective she had ever taken. There had not even been a flicker on the edge of her consciousness. One moment she lay back in the bed, looking out at the late afternoon sun and the next moment the room was darker, only slightly catching the dawn's rays as the morning began. She couldn't honestly remember ever sleeping so soundly. It made her wonder what Merlin had done to the potion to make it so.

There had only been given a very brief glimpse of Merlin this morning, and she had no idea of how he was feeling, over what she had done. He had been talking to the pretty dark haired girl Freya, who had flitted in and out of Morgana's room, helping with the bath and setting the room up.

During the conversation she had seen, Merlin had been leaning in towards the girl, and she had looked up at him, smiling in a way that lit up her eyes. They were definitely close and watching them stirred a feeling in Morgana that she didn't think she felt entirely familiar with. It was jealousy. For them it looked so easy. The girl was a Druid, Morgana recognised the tattoos on her arm. Living in Cenred's kingdom it had to be easy for her. She could practice her magic, and although she appeared to be a servant she clearly had Merlin's attentions.

"Are you all right?" Gaius asked her, reaching out to still her fidgeting hands. Morgana nodded, not wanting to say too much as Percival lingered in the room with them. She couldn't be sure if he had been ordered to stay with them for support, or as a guard. He had not really spoken to them, or indicated anything close to an opinion. All he had done was bring Gaius into the room, which could easily explain his presence. Gwaine had carefully positioned himself to flank Morgana and partially block her view of Percival.

"I'm fine," Morgana added, wanting to say something. She couldn't think what to say beyond that. Gwaine reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, simply trying to say that he was there. She reached up and took his hand. Percival shuffled sideways to watch the interaction, and then as Morgana looked at him he said.

"I'll go out, and wait for the King to arrive. I'll come and get you when he calls for you."

Percival slipped out of the door without another word. Morgana sighed heavily and clenched her teeth together.

"I hate this, I always have. I always felt so sorry for the people who had to do this."

"We'll be fine Morgana. Do you want me to do speak?" Gaius said.

"No, I'll do it," Morgana said. "I suppose Cenred wants to gloat. I just don't know what he will do after that. He might just deliver me back to Uther like everyone else would."

"I don't think Merlin will tolerate that," Gaius said.

Morgana didn't get a chance to answer and to point out that she had angered Merlin by being indirectly responsible for Balinor's death. Merlin had become a Dragonlord and the only way for that to happen was for the talent to pass from father to son. Uther had said at much. And the destruction the dragon had wrought on Camelot felt like far too much to bear.

There came a light tap on the door and Percival came in, looking directly at Morgana.

"The king is waiting."

Morgana stood up, helping Gaius and Percival almost stepped in but Gwaine moved to Gaius' other side. The little trio stayed together as they walked out quietly and turned to their right to head down the corridor. Morgana saw the open doors of the throne room and the people clustered within. The aisle to allow petitioners to walk down stayed open and every set of eyes turned to the door as she stood there. Gaius stood with her, for the same reason, and Gwaine lingered close on Gaius' other side, refusing to allow Percival to help. But Morgana knew the gauntlet was for her.

Lifting her chin she stared at the faces who stared back. Gaius reached out to offer his arm and Morgana took it. Gwaine let go of Gaius but stayed by his side, a pace back, so he could be there if needed. Morgana stepped forward slowly, she had to move at Gaius' pace and made no attempt to leave him. The feel of his fragile arm under her hand strengthened her resolve. She could not be entirely sure of what Cenred expected of her as she presented herself but she knew enough to be eloquent, evasive and as the crowd around the expected.

Merlin sat on the throne beside Cenred, on his father's right. There was no space for Hunith, at least on Cenred's left. He had no queen and had, as had been clear for years, no intention of taking one. If anyone ruled with him it would be Merlin. Hunith sat in a small group at a right angle to the main dais, close to Merlin. Princess Evelyn sat next to her, swinging her legs and looking around, most of her attention on Morgana. She looked almost a child still, her body just blossoming, and her eyes innocent. Morgana had encountered Evelyn briefly, before Hunith could intercept them.

"You're a lady!" Evelyn had said.

"Yes," Morgana answered.

"I'm a princess," Evelyn informed her.

Morgana had nodded. "Yes, I know that."

"Why did you run away?" Evelyn demanded.

It had been at that point that Hunith had retrieved Evelyn. She had glanced at Morgana with a trace of apology, but Morgana got the hint. Evelyn knew nothing of hardships or worries. She was a princess, kept safe, housed away from the harsh reality of the world. Something that was done so, Morgana thought, at the instigation of all three of her immediate family. Her additional thought contemplated if that would that do more harm than good, in the long run. Yet, there the girl sat, with her mother, watching as Morgana walked towards the dais. Morgana stopped, making sure Gaius was steady before curtseying.

"Your Highness."

"Lady Morgana," Cenred almost growled her name. As she glanced up she saw Merlin turn his head and frown at his father, although Cenred paid no attention, he looked directly at her. Morgana didn't bother to hesitate, she had to ask, so she did.

"I am here to ask for sanctuary, for your protection, from Camelot, the place where I have lived as the king's ward. I have committed a crime that I am guilty of, and can hardly prevent. I have magic and that is suffered under sentence of death. I am cast from my home and have nowhere to go. Gaius nearly suffered at the hands of the witchfinder for a crime that was not his, and also seeks the same. We offer ourselves to your mercy and judgement."

Morgana made the short speech and felt the entire audience hold it's breath. It was almost as if there was a shocking gush of air as everyone exhaled, in relief, or surprise, as Cenred, considering her words, suddenly smiled. It looked utterly genuine, even as Morgana gazed into his eyes. Merlin frowned even deeper, not in anger, but instead, utter confusion. Cenred rose from his throne, opening his arms and stepping forward.

"My dear Lady Morgana. I know such a thing as this may be a trial, but it is necessary. The formalities of our office must be contained. However, there is no doubt that this court will offer you sanctuary. Yours is known to be a noble family and none of us here, in this kingdom, consider the power of sorcery to be a crime."

Cenred paused, allowing that part of his speech to settle. He went down the steps to Morgana, reaching out to take her hands. If he felt the sudden tension in her, he gave no sign of it.

"However, you are the ward of Uther Pendragon, so formalities must be dealt with. I will need to inform him of your plea and my decision to accept it. And of course Gaius is welcome at our court as well. As many of us know, that may increase the tension between our two kingdoms, but do not doubt My Lady that you are with friends here."

Cenred turned his head and nodded. Morgana watched as a servant appeared to put a chair in the area where Hunith and Evelyn sat watching the council. There were a handful of other nobles in situ and Morgana appeared to dispose them as her chair was carefully set close to Hunith's. Even Hunith frowned in confusion, staring at Cenred. Morgana couldn't feel too surprised at the quick appearance of the chair, it had to be exactly what Cenred had planned. Although she didn't entirely believe his explanation for making her almost beg, it was obvious the king had a plan in mind for her.

"And what about you?" Cenred suddenly asked, turning to Gwaine. He had passed Morgana's arm to Cyranus, who carefully escorted her to the chair. Gwaine shrugged.

"I have no need of sanctuary," Gwaine said. "I just thought it wise to escort Lady Morgana, especially considering the manners of your soldiers."

That comment caused a mild ripple of gasps through the council chamber, which quickly hushed as they waited for Cenred's answer. He eyed Gwaine carefully, and then turned his gaze to Merlin.

"The men in question will be disciplined," the prince answered.

Merlin's tone hinted that such a thing was not entirely pleasant.

"Well, we are grateful that you were so thoughtful," Cenred said. "Of course you will be rewarded."

"There is no need for that."

Cenred raised his eyebrows. "As you wish, however, you are welcome to stay until your injury has fully healed. Merlin can of course assist with your treatment."

"Of course," Merlin said.

"Thank you," Gwaine said, backing up, sensing the conversation was at an end. He moved back into the crowd, glancing over at Morgana, who had been settled close to Hunith. On Hunith's other side Evelyn had turned her head to stare at Morgana.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It was unusual, but not unheard of, for Hunith to go to Cenred as the council broke up. Quite often she simply left, taking Evelyn with her, while Merlin and Cenred conversed with those people who remained for a short period of time afterwards. Merlin generally stayed longer than Cenred, letting people chat and talk.

Evelyn however wanted to stay by Morgana and Merlin, directly as Cenred ended the council, walked over to speak to the tall, dark-haired girl. The conversation looked momentarily tense, Gaius and Gwaine again moving to Morgana's side helped ease the situation.

Hunith walked over to Cenred, who, with a wave of his hand dismissed Horaice in favour of her, but his eyes moved to the conversation happening a short distance away.

"Was that entirely necessary?" Hunith asked.

"It's merely a formality. We can't account for everyone in the room, there could be spies from other kingdoms. Word will pass on anyway, when the people here leave, they'll talk to others. Word will spread. Uther cannot claim we have kidnapped her, or forced her. And of course there is no question of her being taken in. She's perfect."

"Is she really?" Hunith asked, her voice tightening.

"Of course. I know something of her father, Gorlois and her mother had fairly good breeding. Perfect age and certainly attractive."

"Of course," Hunith snarled, repeating Cenred's words. Cenred nodded, his eyes not moving from Morgana. Throughout the council session Hunith had noticed Cenred occasionally letting his gaze drift to glance at Morgana.

"And she may distract him from that cursed Druid girl," Cenred added. "That's not a decent match for him."

Hunith frowned and then glanced at Morgana now listening to the conversation occurring between Merlin and Gaius. Evelyn hung at Morgana's side watching her carefully.

"Oh," she said in startled surprise. "Oh! You mean Merlin."

Cenred turned his attention to her, looking down at her. "Of course I mean Merlin, what did you think I meant?"

His voice filled with humour, as he did entirely realise what Hunith had originally thought. She looked up at him while he smirked down at her.

"What were you thinking?" Cenred persisted, grinning from ear to ear. "Really?" he asked, answering a comment she hadn't even uttered. Hunith glowered at him, which did nothing to control his humour.

"Oh, don't start!" Hunith snapped at him before walking off, heading towards the small group. Cenred, still grinning, walked after her, laughing gently as he asked again, and caused her shoulders to tense in a way he knew so well.

"Really?"


	19. Chapter 19

The message came as something of a shock. Arthur hadn't been entirely sure what to expect when he had advised Morgana to run to Merlin. He had been ordered to see his father in the council chamber the moment he had left the training field. By the expression on the face of the servant bringing the message Uther's anger was still something to be wary of. Arthur opened the door, closing it behind him. His father sat alone in his chair, not even looking up as Arthur entered. However, he proved to be quite aware of him as he threw the letter across the table towards him.

Arthur picked it up and before he could even comprehend the words Uther summarised for him.

"Morgana has sought sanctuary with King Cenred!"

Arthur read the words.

"You're her guardian, you can object to that!"

The moment the words left his mouth Arthur wished he hadn't spoken. Everyone, including himself, had walked a very tight line with Uther since Morgana's escape. Uther saw suspects everywhere. It had taken all of Arthur's powers of persuasion to save Gwen from trouble, almost literally putting himself in the firing line first. He had been the one to instigate the plan that freed Morgana, those that helped deserved some protection. Leon had almost suffered Uther's wrath, but no one had seen either him or Arthur ever leave, or return to, the prince's chamber.

He winced at Uther slammed his hand down onto the table, standing as he did so, his other hand crashed against the table top and Uther leant forward, glaring at him.

"Don't be so ridiculous! We can't send our army against them!"

"Our soldiers are just as good as theirs!" Arthur said, his voice raising, even though his common sense told him such a thing would be a very bad idea in the long run.

"Cenred still has that brat!" Uther snarled starting to pace up and down. Arthur tensed at the mention of Merlin. A thought appeared, lingering in his head as he wanted to say that Merlin wasn't like that. The situation wasn't like that.

"You're too young to know! I saw Cenred, when he took power, nothing more than a mercenary. There should have been no way he could have held that seat of power for long, certainly he should not have been able to consolidate it as he has. Now he has the threat of that sorcerer! He controls one of the largest kingdoms, I cannot dare risk the army to him. Certainly not for a witch!"

Arthur flinched inwardly at the reference to Morgana. Uther stopped pacing and turned to glare at Arthur.

"They are making us look like fools! Camelot has always been the stronghold of the kingdoms, now we are starting to look weak. This cannot continue. I want the lists looked through, anyone suspected of any associations with sorcerers must be questioned."

Arthur opened his mouth and then closed it again. What could he say to diffuse his father? These were the times he relied on Morgana, she would say something, or even just smiled and Uther would be distracted, not wanting to upset her. Sometimes, she simply argued and then Arthur's gentler approach worked better. Now he had nothing to work with, other than his father's anger.

"Is that necessary, father?" Arthur asked.

"We do not tolerate the evils of sorcery," Uther growled. "And make sure patrols are increased by the border. I want this kingdom secure."

Arthur blinked again. Despite the increasingly tense relationship between the kingdoms, Merlin had not deviated from the agreement. However, Arthur knew when to retreat and keep his head down.

"Yes, Sire."

He had done the right thing, Arthur was sure of that.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Merlin, Percival and Lancelot sat in Merlin's chambers sharing a quiet moment.

"How many dresses is your mother going to sew?" Percival asked.

Merlin glared at him. "Morgana arrived with nothing. My father is seeing that she is provided for."

"There has been no answer from Uther?" Lancelot asked, not really asking as he spoke. The lack of communication was quite obvious. Merlin shook his head.

"No," he answered. "Not that we expected anything. He can't really retaliate. I just wish I could find a way to speak to Arthur without going through this rigmarole."

"You probably could," Percival said.

"I don't think appearing to Arthur using magic is the best method. I could probably get into Camelot, but that could make the situation worse. Rumours are that Uther's targeting anyone with the slightest associations with magic."

"What else can you do?" Lancelot said.

"I want to, if nothing else, send a real message to assure Arthur that Morgana is fine and maybe open up some lines of communication. I need to get someone into Camelot, someone who can stay there."

"What for?" Lancelot asked.

"I've got some good reasons," Merlin said.

"For that you need a complete stranger, someone that none of them have ever seen before, and to be someone that you can trust," Percival said.

"And even if we find someone, how easy would it be to get to Arthur?" Lancelot said. "I know he patrols and is seen around the town but you need someone who can get close enough for a private conversation."

They paused for a moment and Percival raised his head.

"What about Gwen?"

"Gwen?" Merlin asked. Percival rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Yes, Gwen. She's a servant in Uther's household. She was Morgana's maid, she has to have interacted with Arthur. From what Morgana said, Gwen helped in the plan Arthur hatched to help her escape."

"If she's been implicated, Uther won't trust her. She would have been dismissed, if not worse."

Percival glared at Merlin. Merlin stared back into Percival's eyes and realised he was worried. The same thing had occurred to his best friend, and he wanted to find out if something had happened to Gwen.

"So we need someone to get into Camelot, locate Guinevere and somehow try to find a way to get to Arthur," Merlin decided.

"It could be risky for Gwen," Percival said.

"We don't necessarily need to use her," Merlin said. "But as a servant, she could probably move around the castle fairly easily. If we are trying to get in, then maybe using her may work."

"But that brings you back round to who you send to see her," Lancelot said.

Merlin sat back and sighed heavily, drinking a large swallow of mead while he pondered the situation. All three of them were distracted as someone knocked on Merlin's chamber door. A moment later it opened, whoever wanted to see Merlin, knew they could simply walk in. Merlin smiled as Freya stepped through, staying by the door, leaning against it.

"Sorry, Merlin."

"That's fine," Merlin said still smiling. Percival glanced at Lancelot and they both rolled their eyes, suppressing knowing smirks.

Freya smiled back at Merlin, ignoring both smug looking knights. She bit down on her lower lip and frowned slightly.

"Merlin, I think you'd better come with me."

Neither Percival nor Lancelot were surprised when Merlin stood up immediately. He also looked mildly concerned.

"What's the matter? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, I think this might need you," Freya said. Merlin turned and frowned in Percival's direction. The bigger man took that as a hint and he followed Merlin, with Lancelot directly behind him. They followed Merlin and Freya down the corridor.

"Morgana's fine," Freya said in response to further questioning from Merlin. "She's with Lady Hunith in the town. I was on my way back to the kitchens when I passed the tavern against the eastern wall…"

Merlin frowned, interrupting her. "You should be careful walking around there on your own."

"I'm fine Merlin," Freya said. "But there looked to be a bit of a skirmish going on. Gwaine appeared to be involved, he looked a little drunk."

Behind him Merlin heard Percival huff and then groan.

"I knew that idiot was trouble."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Five minutes later, when they reached the tavern, Merlin decided that Freya had used something of a euphemism. Gwaine wasn't a little drunk, he was very drunk, swaying on a bench, his lip bleeding and one eye swelling. Several of the town guard had been called and two had managed to subdue Gwaine, taking the precaution of tying his hands behind his back. Merlin stepped carefully through the chaos of broken furniture and crockery in wonderment. On the far side of the room six men had also been corralled, sporting various bruises and cuts, and all of them staring balefully in Gwaine's direction. Each gaze promised more than a little retribution on the drunk man. Until they saw Merlin and decided to find various other parts of the tavern interesting as the prince stared them down.

"Merlin!" Gwaine exclaimed delightedly, almost attempting to get up. The guard on his right grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back down again. Gwaine landed with a thump, blinking owlishly and staring up at the man. Merlin raised his eyebrows.

"Leave him, and you can untie him."

"Yes, My Lord," the guard said, obeying the instruction immediately. Gwaine blinked again, turning his head as he felt the ropes around his wrists loosen. The guard stepped away as Merlin closed the distance between himself and Gwaine. Percival followed, but none of the guards got in Merlin's way. The glint in Merlin's eyes told them to stay clear of anything that occurred.

"Merlin, my friend, have a drink!" Gwaine said, addressing Merlin as if he was on the other side of the town. Merlin gave a mild wince and briefly assessed Gwaine's bruised face.

"No, thanks," Merlin said.

Gwaine lurched to his feet, swaying violently, saving himself by wrapping an arm around Merlin's shoulders, bumping into him. Merlin stayed steady, putting a hand on Gwaine's torso to gain some distance.

"Surely you do. It's a good way to make friends."

"You don't really seem to be doing that at the moment," Merlin informed him. Gwaine frowned, looking confused. Merlin carefully extracted himself from Gwaine and Percival reached out and grabbed Gwaine's arm to stop him from toppling back as his support walked away. Merlin turned to the landlord of the tavern, who looked both worried and angry in equal measures.

"What happened?"

"My Lord," the owner stammered. "They were drinking together, and being a little rowdy but nothing I couldn't handle."

One of the guards lifted up a heavy length of wood. Merlin raised his eyebrows, glancing at the group of corralled drunks, guessing that most of their damage had been done by the large landlord. He looked to be more fat now than muscle, but Merlin guessed he could do some damage.

"Then one of them tried to grab Alyssa," he nodded in the direction of the barmaid hiding behind the bar and staying as clear of the scene as she could.

"Your friend there…."

Merlin turned his head in Gwaine's direction. Percival had pulled back a little as Gwaine hiccupped loudly.

"He tried to intervene, then they just started getting rough," the landlord ended. "I intended to throw them out, but one of them needed to pay first."

Merlin raised his eyebrows. He glared at the sullen men and then at Gwaine, who beamed at him, flopping onto Percival, burping as he did so, and wrapping an arm around the big knight's shoulders. Grimacing a little Percival extracted himself and deposited Gwaine back on the bench. He landed with more force than he should have, toppling backwards and landing in a heap on the floor. Gwaine started to snigger to himself. Percival rolled his eyes and hefted Gwaine and the bench back into position.

Merlin watched the interaction, eyes scanning the room. Percival turned to look at Merlin as his gaze returned to Gwaine, staring at him steadily. Gwaine appeared to be utterly oblivious to the attention. Percival sighed.

"You're kidding Merlin. There is no way he could be the least bit reliable."

Merlin ignored him and turned to the landlord. "How much do they owe?"

It made even the prince blink as the landlord told him, informing him how much the group had drunk. Merlin turned to Lancelot.

"Arrange for the bill to be paid, including any damage, and that lot can be dumped in the cells overnight. Percival, you can bring Gwaine along."

Lancelot nodded, while Percival hoisted Gwaine up and helped him along, making sure he didn't drop back to the floor again. Merlin paused as he reached the door to the tavern, dropping his shoulders a fraction and announcing over his shoulder.

"Percival! Don't mutter!"

"Fine," Percival said, raising his voice. "Merlin, I don't know who's the worst idiot, you or Gwaine."

Gwaine sniggered, before sliding down Percival back onto the floor.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Gwaine woke to a very painful headache, and the sunlight didn't help, coming through the window onto the bed. He rolled over, putting his face into a soft fluffy pillow. Gwaine gave a murmur of confusion, slowly lifting his pounding head, and putting his face into his hand, groaning as he did so.

"Good morning," a voice announced drolly. Gwaine jumped and rolled over, groaning again as his head throbbed under the pressure. Very carefully he opened his eyes and looked at Merlin, who sat in a chair, his feet propped up at the foot of the bed. He smirked as Gwaine grimaced again.

"What am I doing in this bed?"

"Snoring," Merlin said, rubbing his right ear. "Loudly."

Gwaine groaned again, dropping his face into the pillow, and asking in a muffled voice. "How much did I drink?"

"Four barrels of ale and several quarts of mead, although you had help with it."

Gwaine narrowed his eyes. "I vaguely remember. There was a girl as well."

"Yes, one of your new friends grabbed the barmaid. At least you made something of an effort to defend her. Although, you damaged the tavern a little in the process."

Gwaine eyed Merlin apprehensively, the over-pleasant tone of Merlin's voice making him feel more than a little wary.

"I'm amazed I'm not in the dungeon then."

Merlin shrugged. "I could have done, it's where your friends ended up, although I dare say I'll let them out later on today. And you really shouldn't drink if you don't have the funds to pay for it."

"I did, although I think I lost some."

"The whole lot apparently," Merlin said.

"Ah," Gwaine said, grimacing again, reaching up to probe his face and flinching as he found his bruised eye.

"I paid your bar bill, and for the damage."

Gwaine stopped prodding his eye and looked at Merlin warily.

"Why do I get the feeling that has some strings attached?"

Merlin raised his eyebrows. Five minutes later, once Merlin had explained himself Gwaine looked even more hung over.

"I feel sick," Gwaine announced.

"Do it in the chamber pot," Merlin advised, nodding his head in the direction of the floor. "You mess up the bed and Percival will even up your eyes. Suffice to say he was not impressed in having to give up his bed for the night."

Gwaine hung his head over the bed, taking deep breaths to calm the sickness. It made his head hurt even more.

"Why did he then?" Gwaine asked.

"I told him to. It was better to keep you under wraps until I told you what I wanted."

Gwaine lifted his head. "You mean your father doesn't know?"

Merlin shook his head. "This is my concern. I can simply have you work off the debt here, although you won't find that as pleasant. I can make sure of that."

Gwaine blinked at the threat in Merlin's words, and meeting Merlin's steady gaze Gwaine realised the prince was not lying. Merlin had managed, by a little bit of luck, to back Gwaine into a corner. He gritted his teeth and glared at Merlin.

"I'm not going to get a great deal of choice, am I?"

"Morgana will probably want to send a message to Arthur, and to Guinevere as well no doubt. I can certainly provide you with patents, should you need them to gain access to the castle."

"No need for that," Gwaine groaned, rolling over and sitting up against the bedstead, gritting his teeth as his stomach churned. He smiled as best he could, trying to show some measure of confidence against the relaxed looking prince.

"My father was a knight, in Caerleon's army."

"Really?"

"Yes, he died in battle, leaving my mother penniless. When she went to the king for help he turned her away."

"When was this?"

"I was young," Gwaine said. "But old enough to understand."

He watched as Merlin's eyes narrowed. The calm, almost mocking, face flickered momentarily with sympathy.

"It could have been when Caerleon tried to advance into the kingdom. My father had only been king a year or so, and my mother and I had only recently been brought here. I know some of the stories. My father caught a party of fifty knights and soldiers escorting some women and children, from Caerleon's kingdom and his own."

Gwaine raised his eyebrows, saying nothing for the moment. As he expected Merlin carried on talking.

"Caerleon's knights didn't want to be in a battle while they has so many innocents in their midst, they surrendered."

"I take it that wasn't good."

"Not for them, my father executed all of them and laid their bodies out along the border to remind Caerleon where it was. The messenger added that next time my father would use the women and children, but only the ones from Caerleon's kingdom."

"He didn't kill them straight away?"

"They were lucky, it was close to harvest time. Even my father had to consider the fact that if he slaughtered villagers there would be no one to collect the crops."

"And I presume Caerleon backed off."

"It was not exactly an amicable end, but it was an end. If you become a soldier, you have to know the risks," Merlin said.

"And he doesn't exactly need to resort to tactics like that now?" Gwaine said. "That's why he adopted you."

Merlin smirked. "And I just need to bribe drunken idiots."

Even Gwaine had to laugh at that.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Esmeralda perhaps…" Gwaine persisted keeping pace with Gwen as he followed her down the street. He watched as Gwen rolled her eyes, she looked irritated but amused with it as she tried to move past him. It had just been sheer luck that he had seen her walking down the street carrying a basket of mending.

"No, not that," Gwaine said, deciding to throw in his final play. "How about… Guinevere."

Gwen stopped walking, staring at Gwaine in shock. There was no way he could have really known that. She had only seen him briefly the previous day, when Arthur had brought him back, after a fight in one of the village taverns a little way out from Camelot. And at that point Gwaine had been falling into unconsciousness. Gwaine grinned and he pulled her unresisting a little way clear of the people still walking past, watching them carefully.

"I have to say Sir Percival was very eloquent in his description of your beauty."

Gwen again gaped, her eyes shuttling around to see if anyone was in hearing range. Percival had been very flattering, clearly quite besotted with the young serving girl. And it had also helped that Merlin had used a scrying bowl to bring up a clear picture of Gwen so Gwaine could easily identify her.

"People are staring!" Gwen hissed.

"In a minute just remove your hand from mine, and walk away," Gwaine told her, his voice serious but the smile on his face and his stance told anyone passing that he was simply trying to charm her.

"A message from Morgana," Gwaine said kissing her hand. Gwen carefully extracted it before he could complete the action, but he moved to make sure she couldn't quite get away, still looking utterly charming.

"She says thank you for helping her, and wants to reassure you everything is fine. I presume you suffered no repercussions."

"Arthur covered for me," Gwen hissed. Gwaine nodded.

"Can you get to Arthur for me, tell him what I said to you, and I need to speak to him directly, and privately."

"I'll try," Gwen said, she handed Gwaine back the flower he had given her.

"Keep that for the next one that takes your fancy," she announced, raising her voice a little.

Stepping back gained enough space to move swiftly around Gwaine and head on her way. Gwaine spun on his heel watching her progress as he let her go and then turned his head to glance at the two men watching the interaction. He raised his hands and shrugged in a helpless gesture, again playing the charmer who had not succeeded. Both men started to laugh and Gwaine tucked the small white flower into his clothing before walking back the way he had come to the castle. He knew their might be a chance he could run into Arthur himself, but no doubt it would be too risky to try and have a conversation directly with him. If nothing else, the prince appeared to be almost constantly surrounded by people.

Either way, Gwaine had at least made contact with Gwen. As he walked back up towards the castle he turned at the sound of hoof beats and watched as two knights rode through the town. With lightening reaction Gwaine reached out and grabbed the arm of a young boy who would have been caught under the horse's hooves. The knights hardly even looked.

"Careful!" Gwaine warned them. One of the knights turned and glared at him.

"You too!" he snarled. Gwaine narrowed his eyes, releasing the boy's arm as a frantic looking woman ran up to grab the youth instead.

"Thank you," she said to Gwaine.

"No problem," Gwaine said giving her a brief glance before his attention turned back to the two men riding up towards the castle. The woman walked away berating her young son. Gwaine's eyes narrowed and he carried on his way walking slowly, following in the wake of the two mounted knights.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

A day later Gwaine took his horse out, on the pretence of exercise. In reality he headed for the forest and located the small spring that ran though, one of the many streams that ran to make up Camelot's water supply. He found a large enough area of water, where the ground dipped down and years had worn away the soil to create the pool. Sitting down he pulled out the crystal Merlin had given him. Lifting it to certain lights made it glow blue, even though to most it would look clear. Gwaine had no idea what Merlin had done to it, or how long it would last, or how many times he would be able to do this. He dropped it into the water, letting the surface ripple and staring as the stone fell to the bottom, making sure he could still see it.

He had been told by Merlin the best option was to simply place it in a bowl, but he didn't feel safe doing that in Camelot, not when so many people were wandering back and forth, due to the melee.

Sitting back he waited, enjoying the peace of the forest. Merlin would sense the ripple, but he would need to find somewhere to answer the call. It didn't take long, Merlin had clearly been waiting for him.

"Gwaine."

Gwaine jumped, looking down into the pool. The image looked indistinct, but it was Merlin. His voice sounded clear but also sounded like running water, as if Merlin had become part of the stream.

"Hello?"

"Where are you?"

Again Merlin's voice seemed to ripple in time with the gurgling of the stream. Gwaine guessed the running water was still affecting the use of the stone, even though he had chosen as still an area as possible. No doubt that was the reason why Merlin had told him to use a bowl of water.

"Just outside Camelot. I didn't think using anything within the castle would be safe, it's teeming with people."

"The melee."

"A yearly event at Camelot. They don't seem to do much else."

"Uther likes showing off Arthur," Merlin snarled, the edge to his voice sounded almost musical under the effects of the water.

"I've spoken to Gwen, I've not got to Arthur yet. Someone else might before me."

"What?" Merlin snapped.

Gwaine didn't think he had time to go through the entire thing. Having found Arthur's servant George pinned against a wall, two knights standing over him. The boy had been looking for a way to escape, Gwaine could see that a mile off.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, stepping forward, staring at the two men.

"Nothing you need concern yourself with," one of them announced. Gwaine looked at George, and then looked back to the man in front of him.

"I wasn't talking to you. Are you all right, George?"

"I need to make sure Arthur's chambers are ready."

The boy did not appear to be as stupid and devoted as he seemed. Arthur had ordered him to look after these two guests but he didn't appear to be happy around them.

"Go and do it," Gwaine said. George had bobbed his head and muttered a 'yes, my lord' at him before running off. Gwaine glared at the knights. The darker haired one stepped towards him.

"I'd be careful if I was you. We're respected knights."

Gwaine raised his eyebrows, moving closer, his eyes flickering down for a moment to the man's chest then back up again.

"Are you now?" Gwaine said, and then did something he didn't do very often when it came to an impending fight. He walked away. He hadn't when he had met Arthur and George in the village tavern.

"Gwaine?" Merlin's voice rippled out, irritated by the pause. Gwaine decided to get to the point.

"If someone happened to be wearing a crystal around their neck, quite large and clear looking but there seemed to be something about it, could there be something magical?"

"Around the neck? How large?"

Gwaine told him, reiterating what he had glimpsed. Merlin's voice blended even more with the water as he turned to talk to someone else. Gwaine sat back and waited. A few moments later Merlin's voice came back.

"There are stones that can be used to cause illusions. Something of that size could change someone's entire appearance. Has there been anyone threatening Arthur?"

"When we met briefly in a village tavern. He and his servant had come in for a drink. I'd stopped there to get some information. A couple of big guys came in to get protection money from the owner, a woman. Arthur took them on, I helped him out, and when I was injured he brought me back to Camelot. I don't know for certain Merlin, but there is something not right about those two knights."

"And if they join in the melee, their only aim is to kill Arthur," Merlin said. "Can you get yourself invited in?"

"There are too many competitors, some of them are being disposed. I'd be one of them. I've not been knighted, so I won't get a look in. All I can do it take someone's place, forcefully."

By the sound of the violent ripple Merlin appeared to be swearing.

"I can do it Merlin. I have enough credentials, and if I can expose them as using sorcery, Uther won't react that badly."

"Gwaine, you don't have to go that far," Merlin said.

Gwaine felt himself frown, and his temper rise. He could do it.

"I can Merlin. I'll do this. Arthur will be fine. Just leave it to me."

Merlin appeared to huff and snarl before eventually saying.

"All right Gwaine. Make sure Arthur survives."

Gwaine plunged his hand in and removed the stone from the water. It continued to glow for a moment, feebly. He got the feeling it wouldn't last much longer. Neither would he, Gwaine assumed, if he failed to deliver what he had promised.

"Damnit!"


	20. Chapter 20

There hadn't been any further word from Gwaine, but news filtered through that Arthur had won the melee, saved by a rogue knight. He had exposed two men using sorcery. Merlin guessed that was Gwaine. Another surprising snippet of information had been added that Uther had officially knighted the man in question. Merlin would have to wait for Gwaine to contact him to see if that was fact or fiction. It would not be easy for Gwaine to do so, he couldn't risk using magic carelessly in Camelot. As a guest there he could come and go as he pleased, as a knight that made it more difficult. Still, from what he could ascertain Gwaine remained in position as close to Arthur as Merlin could allow someone to get.

He still felt utterly frustrated by the situation. Something which had left him a little short tempered of late.

"Maybe you should get out of the castle, go hunting or something," Cenred told him at the end of a particularly long, and stressful, council session.

"I'm fine!" Merlin snapped while he looked through some papers, refusing to return his father's gaze.

"Well, if your mood doesn't improve soon I'm sending you on a very long patrol, of several weeks, before your mother kills me; since she thinks it's my fault."

Merlin lifted his head and glared at him. "Why?"

"Because your mother generally likes to blame me for things," Cenred informed him. Merlin opened his mouth to respond to that, part of his mind in the process of telling him that perhaps any answer he gave would probably not be wise, when Lancelot walked through the open door.

"Excuse me, My Lords."

"What?" Cenred snapped.

"A woman has just arrived Sire, she demands to speak to Lady Morgana."

"Really?" Cenred drawled. "And this demanding woman would be who exactly?"

"She says her name is Morgause, she claims to be from the house of Gorlois. She also appears to be a high priestess of the old religion."

"Oh yes?" Merlin asked. Lancelot shrugged.

"The four men with her are wearing the symbol of the blood guard."

Merlin blinked, and Cenred slowly raised his eyebrows. He turned to Merlin.

"I thought the Blood Guard were all but wiped out."

"All but wiped out, a few remained. There are still some of the priests and priestess' of the Old Religion, so stands to reason that some of their guard would have survived," Merlin said. "Where is she?"

"I left them in the throne room. Percival is keeping an eye on them."

"Where is Lady Morgana?" Cenred asked Lancelot.

"I believe she is with Lady Hunith, on her usual rounds."

"You think this could be some kind of trap?" Merlin asked his father. Cenred sat back, clearly mulling the development over.

"It's intriguing, her arrival here. If she is of the old religion then trying to get to see Morgana in Camelot could not be easy. Word has got round of the situation regarding her. She escaped Camelot under sentence of death for sorcery."

Cenred paused for a moment before looking up at Lancelot.

"Horiace is probably in the hall of records by now anyway. Go and find him first and get him to check what records we have on Morgana's parentage, and any further possible siblings. Then find Lady Morgana. We'll greet our guests."

Lancelot nodded, heading swiftly out as Merlin and Cenred got to their feet.

"Are you sure getting Morgana involved is wise?" Merlin asked.

"You'll be in the room, so Morgana will be in no danger. As her current guardians we are obliged to keep her well protected. We could easily assume this is a trick by Uther."

Merlin snorted with laughter. "I think that might be stretching it. Uther wouldn't use anything related to sorcery, even as a deception. The man is so bloody blinkered."

Cenred chose not to respond to that. The tone of Merlin's voice warned him that his son would not appreciate any kind of placating words. Cenred didn't care that much anyway, he thought Merlin was getting far too deeply involved in Camelot and the Pendragons. They said nothing further as they walked down the corridor and Cenred opened the door, letting himself into the throne room. He walked past the pillar that concealed the private doorway and walked up onto the dais staring down at the woman stood with the four guards. She was attractive, long blonde hair trailing over her shoulders. The dress fitted tightly to her form and jewels glittered within the material. Cenred felt his desire coupled with a mild form of revulsion. Hunith drifted into his thoughts, which both stirred and calmed him.

"My Lady, you wish an audience," Cenred said. Rather than taking his seat he walked down the steps to meet her. Merlin followed his lead. Cenred watched her smile and lower her head in deference.

"Sire; Prince Merlin. I came to see my sister."

"As far as I knew Lady Morgana had no siblings. You'll naturally forgive our caution. All things considered we have to ensure her safety."

"Naturally," Morgause growled.

"Officially King Uther is still her guardian. We have just taken her into sanctuary. However, we will protect her."

"I mean no harm to her. I can prove my claim. Morgana and I are siblings."

"How then have you never met?" Merlin asked.

Morgause inclined her head again in respect. Merlin tensed, lifting his chin to stare down at her.

"When I was a child I was removed from Camelot, given to those of the old religion to raise and care for me. My safety was a stake if I stayed longer."

"If Uther had suspected your magic, you would have been killed," Merlin said.

"As nothing more than a child. You understand what that would mean. Uther would have ordered me drowned, to purge me of my affliction. I have been forced to remain in hiding. Now things are changing. You are a force to be reckoned with, Prince Merlin."

Merlin felt his father tense. The comment had not been directed at his father and Merlin felt the insult.

"This kingdom has proved it's power, but I fail to see your point. Anyone who abuses magic especially if the talent is given to them will get no leniency here. I may be fairer than Uther, but that does not make me more tolerant."

"Yet, you took Morgana in. She released the Great Dragon, Balinor died for that."

"She is untrained, unaware of what her magic might mean…" Merlin said and then stopped whatever else he planned to say as Lancelot came through the main doors, with Morgana on his arm. He walked her past Morgause and her guards to deliver her to Cenred, passing her hand over to his arm. Cenred's slight inclination of his head meant that Lancelot backed off, standing to the side, opposite Percival who stood on the other side of the room.

"Lady Morgana. Lady Morgause has requested that she speak to you. She claims to have been birthed from your father's house."

"How is that possible?" Morgana asked, her expression confused. She turned her troubled gaze towards Merlin for help. Before he could say anything Morgause answered.

"I was taken from Camelot as a child, our mother decided I would be in danger when the Great Purge began. The court physician smuggled me out of the citadel and gave me to the priestess' of the old religion." Morgause said.

"And you have papers to prove this," Cenred said.

"They are lost to Camelot. Uther may have well destroyed them."

"So you have very little to back up your claim," Cenred said.

Morgana frowned, still looking confused. "I never knew any of this."

"It was kept hidden, sister," Morgause said. "I have grown knowing the ways of magic. It was sensed in me from a young age."

Merlin tensed his jaw. He knew the stories, small little talents seeping out of children. He knew his had not been so subtle when he had been a child. Merlin had observed the difference.

"I was raised by the priestess' of the old religion, on the Isle of the Blessed, when the world simmered with magic. Until Uther destroyed it."

"You cannot destroy what is there. It remains in some form," Merlin said.

"However you see it, he has repressed our kind, he has destroyed all forms of magic."

"And why is it now that you choose to make yourself known. All magic users are welcome in this kingdom," Cenred asked.

"Not all, My Lord," Morgause snarled at Cenred, glancing at Merlin.

"It is not taken lightly when the power is abused. If you have learnt anything from the priestess' of the old religion then it is that what is taken must be returned, that is the balance of the order," Merlin said.

"Of course. It is Uther who knows nothing of such a thing," Morgause said.

Morgana listened to the exchange, unsure what to make of the sudden development. She turned to stare at Morgause again, as if trying to see something hidden beneath the surface. Morgause reached into a small pouch that appeared from nowhere. She pulled out a bracelet, which she held out to Morgana. Morgana stood close enough to be able to take it, but as her hand stretched out Merlin moved faster, stepping close to her and taking the item from Morgause's hand.

It caused the blonde priestess' eyes to darken with anger, her upper lip curling back. The gesture slight, but un-missable nonetheless. Merlin looked at the design on the thick band of metal before glancing up at his father.

"It displays the symbol of the house of Gorlois," Merlin said.

"That means nothing, she could have acquired it anywhere. She could even have made it."

Despite her irritation, Morgause did not allow it to affect her outwardly.

"However, I did not. It belonged to my mother," she paused and looked at Morgana again. "Our mother, Vivienne. She gave it to me when I got taken away. I have kept it ever since."

"There is magic in this, I can feel it," Merlin said. Morgana reached up and carefully took it from his hands. Merlin relinquished it, he could feel nothing malicious within the enchantment.

"It was forged by my mother, with the help of the high priestess' to control her dreams. Her powers of premonition were strong, as they are in you, sister."

Morgana's head jerked up at the term. Her fingers worked over the design on the bracelet in an unconscious gesture.

"Our mother was a seer?" Morgana asked. Morgause nodded.

"A strong one, able to see, and manipulate, future events."

"It is not a power to be taken lightly," Merlin said.

"No," Morgause agreed sternly. "I have seen it drive people to madness. I'm sure our mother would want you to have it, to help you."

Morgana smiled. "Thank you. I have never really had anything of my mother's before." She looked down at it again and then back up, glancing at the two men and seeing the scepticism on their face. Then a thought seemed to occur to her.

"You said the physician smuggled you from Camelot. That must be Gaius, it has to be. He's bound to remember."

Cenred raised his eyebrows. Merlin glanced at Lancelot and nodded. Without a word he left the throne room to find the physician. For the time being he was still resting, Hunith feeling overly concerned for his health. What had happened to him had been a huge strain, and although, as far as Merlin could tell, he would recover, he needed time. Which was at least something he had now.

"Perhaps we should move to the council chamber," Merlin suggested after they had stood for a moment. Cenred looked at him and the rest of the group, and nodded.

"Very well."

They didn't say anything much as they retired to the nearby chamber, where they could at least sit and wait. Ten or so minutes later Lancelot escorted Gaius into the room. He looked around in confusion, his frown deepening as he saw the symbol on the clothing of the four guards lingering on one side of the room. Merlin had stood as Gaius entered and now he offered him the chair.

"Please sit down."

"I'm not that feeble," Gaius objected, but he did as Merlin asked. If nothing else it seemed like excessive bad manners to refuse. Plus, sitting down did feel far more comfortable to him at the moment. Not that he would ever admit it but he did think he was getting too old for all this drama.

"Thank you for attending, but we need your clarification on something," Cenred said politely. Merlin's face didn't give anything away but he felt surprised. So far Cenred had treated Gaius as if he didn't exist. The king's main focus had been in Morgana. Gaius had no interest for him. The court did not need a healer, when they had Merlin, and also a regular influx of druids to help with any medicinal issues. Gaius had no use, so Cenred paid no attention. He stayed in the castle at Hunith's wishes and since he was no more than a harmless old man, Cenred raised no objection to him taking rooms in the queen's apartment.

Gaius frowned and then lowered his head in a deferential fashion.

"I will assist in any way I can."

Cenred smiled, it didn't entirely reach his eyes. He turned his gaze to Morgause, which caused Gaius to also glance in her direction.

"We need clarification on a matter which you were involved in, at the beginning of the Purge. Did you, or did you not, help smuggle a child, a child born of Lady Vivienne of Gorlois out of Camelot."

Gaius tensed a little, looking back towards Cenred. His eyes again shifted to Morgause, whose expression remained stony, eyes locked on Gaius, but she said nothing. Looking at her seemed enough as Gaius turned back to address Cenred.

"I do admit, I did Sire. The child had shown some aptitude for magic, the Lady Vivienne had been training her, in secret."

"So, she had the child removed from Camelot?"

"She asked me to help protect her. Lady Vivienne wanted her raised to understand magic. She believed it was important for her to do so."

"Out of interest, what did Gorlois think of such a matter?"

"At the time Gorlois was a general in Uther's army, away fighting, so he could do little to protect his family."

"Did they require protection?" Cenred asked his tone turning the conversation into something of an interrogation.

"It was a difficult situation. Lady Vivienne had been previously married, the child had come from that union. Although I know he cared for the girl, emotionally as well as a responsibility, he also agreed with Uther on many issues, especially regarding magic. I don't believe he was entirely aware of the depth of Lady Vivienne's talent."

"He would have allowed the child to be purged?" Cenred asked.

"I cannot tell you, I was not privy to any thoughts that the nobles had. However, Lady Vivienne knew that I was familiar with many of the high priestess'."

"Yes, you practiced magic, did you not?" Morgause suddenly asked. Gaius looked at her again, frowning as he stared at her. The line of conversation turning his mind.

"I did, however I stopped such a practice before the Great Purge. The natural laws were out of balance, to a point that it could become dangerous."

"Does that excuse the slaughter?" Morgause demanded.

"Not all users were cautious."

"Uther himself being one of them," the priestess snapped. Gaius stared at her.

"Gaius, you were the one to smuggle the child out of Camelot?" Cenred asked bringing the conversation back to the point.

"Yes, I was."

"Would you be able to identify the child now?"

"It was twenty years ago, Sire," Gaius said, but he looked again at Morgause. He stared at her hard. The blonde woman stared back at him, meeting his gaze calmly. Merlin extended his senses out, as he had been taught, not pushing against Morgause but easing his magic around Gaius, just to see if something tried to come close to the physician. Merlin felt nothing throughout the long moment as Gaius slowly said.

"She could be, her colouring, even her eyes are familiar."

"I remember," Morgause said, "that I didn't want to go into the tunnel and you told me the story of the birth of the dragons to distract me. Then you gave me to three women, who said they would take me and care for me. You told me that I should go with them because they told far better stories than you could. You had to prise my hand off your own."

Everyone listened to Morgause with interest and then looked to Gaius, who nodded slowly.

"That is true," Gaius said calmly. "That is how it happened."

"So you can vouch for her story?" Cenred asked.

"I can. I have to say, you look familiar My Lady, even though my memory is not what it was. It is if I have seen you before," Gaius said.

"Thank you." Morgause carefully nodded her head. Cenred stood up drawing attention to himself.

"Your story has been verified to the best of yours and our ability. However, relations are difficult in this time, so you cannot be permitted to be alone with Lady Morgana. We have her safety, and the wishes of her guardian to consider."

"Uther? You care what he thinks?"

"I am willing to say that I rarely do, but Morgana remains his ward, by law. He has not relinquished that right to me, even though he knows he can do nothing about her request for sanctuary. Therefore I am still required to answer to him."

"I wish to speak to my sister."

"You cannot do such a thing alone but I am willing to allow you time to get to know Lady Morgana. Gaius has been willing to verify your story, but of course you have to accept we have to ensure her safety."

Morgause inclined her head, giving in, although the tension in her body hinted that she was not entirely happy. "Of course."

"Are you happy with this?" Merlin said, moving closer to Morgana and putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"I never thought for a moment that..." she paused and turned to stare at Morgause. Then she looked back up at Merlin. "Is this really true? "

"I cannot say, but Morgause seems able to verify her story."

"It is true sister. I have been forced to remain hidden from you for years, while you yourself lived in fear. I'm sure if we could talk then perhaps you may sense what bonds us."

Merlin raised his eyebrows and shrugged.

"You are welcome to talk, although Lancelot must remain with you. My father is right, we have to make sure we consider your safety."

"You think I am a danger to my sister?" Morgause snapped at him. Merlin looked up, aware of Morgana watching him. He didn't appear to be offended by the harshness of her tone.

"No, My Lady, I do not think you are a danger to Morgana," Merlin carefully said. "However, my father is right, Morgana's safety is one of our concerns, and guards are with her at all times to ensure nothing happens to her."

Morgause's eyes narrowed, and Merlin felt sure of one thing. The woman was not a danger to Morgana, but that didn't mean she wasn't dangerous.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"It is a little bleaker than Camelot," Morgause commented as they walked through the grounds of the castle, looking up at the tall, dark structure.

"Yes," Morgana said, walking with her. Lancelot trailed behind them, politely giving them enough distance so they could converse. He didn't appear to be attempting to overhear what they were saying. Although with a low whisper Morgause made sure that he couldn't take in anything. Morgana looked startled by the sudden flash in Morgause's eyes.

"Do not worry sister, I simply do not wish to be listened to."

"What did you do?"

"It's a simple enchantment. He won't think anything is wrong," Morgause said. "You have not trained any of your powers yet. I assumed Merlin would have taught you something."

"Not yet, I have been spending time with Lady Hunith."

Morgause snorted. "You have the capability to become one of the high priestess' of the old religion. I would have thought that the prince might at least offer you some encouragement."

Morgana said nothing, she pushed the bracelet in a circle around her wrist, turning it again to look at the design.

"You said my mother, our mother, could have gone mad."

"The power of a seer may vary. Hers was a gift of great power. The dreams could be overwhelming, you have a similar talent, perhaps even stronger than hers. You have experienced it?"

"Several times, I have used them. I have saved Arthur's life more than once."

Morgause's eyes narrowed but Morgana didn't see. When she glanced at Morgause again she looked as composed as ever.

"So you know you can use your power to influence events. It can be a great asset as much as a curse. I am just sorry that you were trapped in Camelot for so long."

"I was not trapped," Morgana said. "Life was pleasant enough, I had friends."

"Until they turned on you," Morgause said. Morgana stared out into the distance, looking over the bleak landscape that she was now surrounded by. It did not have the beauty that Camelot did, but there was something reassuring in it. She was accepted here, but she had also been in Camelot.

"None of my friends did, only Uther. Arthur and Gwen helped us escape. If not for them I don't know what would have happened."

"You know what Uther would have done to you."

"He might not have," Morgana said. "He loves me, I used to sometimes think he loved me more than he does Arthur."

"Yet he would have killed you, and if he didn't he would have been a hypocrite in stead of a murderer."

Morgana said nothing.

"I can stop him," Morgause said. "End his reign of terror. We could be free, all of us. All of those who are oppressed by him."

Morgana didn't reply immediately, then she turned her head to look at Morgause.

"How?" she asked.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Gwaine did not like being dragged into things, but it was all that seemed to be happening to him since he had met Morgana and Gaius on that road. He had been dragged into their problems, which he hadn't minded. They were a woman and an old man travelling alone and unprotected. That, Gwaine didn't mind.

It was everything else that followed that annoyed him. He had been stuck helping Merlin, and agreed with him in parts. Now he was stuck with Arthur, mainly because Gwaine was also stuck with Merlin.

"Are you sure this is the way?" Gwaine asked.

"It's the way the horse is going."

"The horse? Your horse is taking us. Tell me again why I agreed to this."

Arthur turned in the saddle, his hands loosely on the reins, but his horse walked along contently, very decided in the direction she was going.

"I asked you as a friend, and you agreed."

Gwaine gave a cynical smile and directed it at the trees around them.

"Believe me, I am not your friend at this moment, if ever. When did we become friends."

"You saved my life."

"That does not make people friends, My Lord. This is trouble and you know it."

"Morgause said she knew something about my mother."

"And when did she say that, before or after she killed six guards, defeated you in a dual or after she asked you to go on this damn silly quest."

"I want to know!" Arthur snapped.

"Doesn't your father know?" Gwaine asked.

"He never tells me!" Arthur snarled, anger in his tone. Gwaine looked at the scenery again.

"There are times, Arthur, that knowing is the worst thing you can do."

"You don't have to come with me. Just return to Camelot."

It was tempting, so very tempting but Merlin had been warning him all the way. He had been furious on realising that Morgause had appeared in Camelot telling Gwaine who and what she was. But he had wanted to see the scenario play out. Merlin would not want Arthur left alone, Gwaine didn't want to leave him. This was, he thought to himself, a trait that Arthur had inherited from Uther. A single-minded, almost blinkered, determination. It was probably what had caused the purge. Uther had decided something and seen it through. Arthur was the same, either by blood or by training, maybe even both. He would make his way to see Morgause and see what she had to say. Gwaine couldn't leave him. Not only would Merlin inflict all sorts of hell on him, Gwaine felt a responsibility to Arthur, especially since he had been the one to help Arthur go on this damn fool mission.

Gwaine didn't reply to Arthur, he just kept his horse on the same path.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Merlin!"

Gwaine was on his hands and knees, having flung the stone in a puddle. Mysteriously he had been sold a few nice gems once, and Gwaine had taken them, especially when such a small amount had bought so much. The girl had been a druid and Gwaine wouldn't be surprised if there were more where she came from, at just the right time.

"MERLIN!"

"Enough! Gwaine!" Merlin's voice blasted back from the puddle, which was the only thing Gwaine had to hand. Muddy spray hit Gwaine in the face causing him to rear back, wiping it roughly with his hand and swearing in the process.

"Thanks for that!"

"Sorry, it sounded urgent," Merlin replied a little more moderately.

"It is, Morgause has put it into Arthur's head that Uther killed his mother. That he was born from magic and because of that Arthur killed her. Merlin he's going to kill him! I can try and catch up with him but I don't know if anyone can stop him."

"Catch up and try. If you can't, I will."


	21. Chapter 21

She gave a scream as she woke, eyes wide, rolling in her head. The dream stayed with her images flashing into her mind, refusing to let go. She brought a hand to her throat, groping at it until she realised there was no sword there. And it had been Arthur that had done it anyway. She had felt his pain, and his reaction. An over-reaction she thought, but still gasping for breath she pushed the sheets aside. The cool air caused her to shiver, her entire body damp with sweat. She didn't even think to grab her robe as she opened the door and ran out into the corridor, wearing nothing but her nightgown.

The guard lingering at the end of the corridor jumped as Morgana pushed her way out and ran for the stairs. He shared a look with his companion before following after her. The guard couldn't be sure where she was going and he had no idea if he should try and stop her. For now it was easy enough just to follow, if she looked to be in danger, or be a danger herself, he could act.

Morgana didn't even realise he was there. She just felt something akin to relief as she burst into Merlin's chambers, her mind and heart racing. Lancelot and Percival gallantly looked away when they realised she was wearing nothing but a nightdress. Merlin looked her up and down momentarily and getting up grabbed a blanket to put around her shoulders.

"What's the matter?"

Morgana gasped for breath again, trying to speak, unable for a moment to make anything coherent. Once Merlin had secured the blanket around her he guided her into the nearest seat. Percival and Lancelot risked glancing and seeing that she was a little more covered, turned to look properly. However both of them carefully kept most of their attention on Merlin and not her.

Merlin crouched down, taking one of her hands, cupping it in both of his.

"A dream, a premonition?"

Morgana nodded. "Yes, I saw them. Arthur, and Uther." She struggled to talk and looked around warily as she seemed to calm down from her panic.

"A fight, they were fighting, in the council chamber. Arthur looked so angry, he..." Morgana paused, her voice tailing off.

"He dies?" Merlin asked. Morgana shook her head.

"No, he kills him, he kills Uther." Morgana didn't sound as if she particularly regretted that. She looked up at Merlin. "Arthur can't live with that... Merlin. He doesn't live with that, I saw it. You have to stop him. You have to save Arthur."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Gwaine rode hell for leather, catching Arthur but not quick enough as he ran into the hallway. Arthur slammed the door to the council room and Gwaine rattled at it until Leon pulled him away.

"You can't go in there! You are under arrest!"

Two guards grabbed Gwaine and he guessed they knew he was culpable for the crime of helping Arthur out of his window. He couldn't break free so instead he shouted at Leon.

"Get in there! They are going to kill each other!"

At the same time the guards on the gate got the shock of their life as someone ran across the bridge. The two men trying to stop him flew to the sides, landing a small distance away. The dark-haired youth kept running, knocking people out of his way and sending guards flying as they ran to try and stop him. Nothing was going to stop Merlin. He made it to the courtyard and ran up the steps two at a time. Recovering their senses the guards set off in pursuit, one of them ran to order the warning bell to be rung.

In desperation Gwaine elbowed the guard on his right and slammed the other into the wall. He broke free and then reared back as Leon's sword almost impaled him. Gwaine looked down at the tip of the weapon, close to his neck. From the council room they could hear crashes and bangs.

"Leon, if you won't let me in there, get in there yourself."

Gwaine reared back as Leon jumped, when the bell started to toll. He narrowly missed cutting Gwaine's neck, which caused Leon to back up, then he recoiled another step at the sound of running, and his eyes widened as Merlin dashed around the corner, intent on his mission. Gwaine swung round in shock and managed to bite his tongue at the last minute as he exclaimed.

"What the hell…?"

Just in time he stopped himself from saying Merlin's name, since he wasn't supposed to know him. Or at least, no one in Camelot realised he knew him, except Gwen. In the end they had managed to keep Arthur in the dark over some of it. Gwaine didn't need it getting out any further or, knighthood or not, his neck would be on the block. Gwaine stumbled out of the way as Merlin dashed to the door, one of the soldiers, who had almost got back onto his feet crashed back down as Merlin pushed him out of the way. Leon, with his eyes still wide and an expression of disbelief on his face, tried to intercept Merlin but it wasn't quick enough. The doors to the room burst open and Merlin dashed in.

He skidded to a very ungraceful halt automatically using his magic to slam the door behind him. Raising his hand he uttered several words and Arthur, who had hardly registered the interruption, froze in the act, sword in the air. Uther had fallen back in his chair, his sword skittering across the floor to clank gently against the wall. Arthur's eyes widened as he realised he couldn't move and take the final swing. Merlin held the scene for a moment. He didn't feel surprise that Arthur had overpowered his father. For a start he was younger and fitter, but Uther probably hadn't fought in the same way Arthur had. The king would not want to injure his son. Arthur, however, had entirely different feelings on the subject of his father. Merlin couldn't blame him, considering what Arthur had learnt, and he was far too emotional on occasion.

Perhaps the way he had grown up had made Merlin pragmatic about things like that. He had always been well aware of his father's faults and the reason that Cenred had adopted him in the first place. He could have been angry, he could easily take that anger out on the world. However, Merlin didn't, Cenred's influence had been counterbalanced by Hunith, Iseldir, practically everyone in the household. Merlin knew he had power, and he knew he could use it to protect people.

Still, he also knew he could use his power for his own agenda. What else had he be given it for?

"Arthur, what are you doing?"

Merlin released his hold on Arthur, but at the same time he pushed him away from Uther, and the sword hung in the air for a moment before clattering to the floor.

"This is nothing to do with you!" Arthur snarled, he was not of a mind yet to question how Merlin knew what was happening, he just sounded furious about the fact that he had stopped it.

"Arthur, you don't want to do this, whatever Morgause said."

He watched Arthur's face flicker with confusion. "How do you know about Morgause?"

Tricky, Merlin thought to himself. He didn't want to give too much away. It wasn't the right time, Morgause had forced his hand.

"I know a lot of magic users, she is a high priestess of the old religion."

"So you knew as well?"

"Knew what Arthur?" Merlin asked. He took a few steps around the table, moving towards Arthur, pausing when Arthur glared at him. Merlin suppressed the smile, realising that Arthur didn't want the risk of Merlin subduing him.

"About my mother, about what he…" he pointed an accusing finger in Uther's direction, "did to my mother!"

"And you are going to take Morgause's word for that?" Merlin asked. He moved a little closer, Uther stared at him with what seemed like a cross between horror and confusion. He almost looked like he was about to get up and call for the guards, but then his gaze moved back to Arthur, and Uther's brow furrowed.

"Arthur?"

"Shut up!" Arthur roared at his father. Uther sat back in the chair and Merlin blinked in surprise. He took another step forward and Arthur rounded on him again.

"She showed me! She conjured the ghost of my mother, she said that my father used magic to conceive me and he killed her! He didn't care about her at all."

Uther's face flickered again, with anger and pain. Merlin had heard the stories, in his position it was impossible not to have done, but he didn't think the situation was as simple as that; not by a long shot. Plus Merlin knew a good deal about magic and what could be done.

"Arthur, think about it," Merlin said, but by the look on Arthur's face, all he thought about was revenge. "Have you ever seen a picture of your mother? Do you know what she looks like?"

The sudden, rather odd, question threw Arthur off his stride. He blinked in confusion and frowned.

"No, everyone says I look like her though."

"Okay, but bringing someone's ghost through the veil is a very tricky enchantment," Merlin announced. "I could conjure an image of someone who looks a bit like you Arthur, and make it say anything I want. You really need to consider why Morgause would want to suddenly tell you anything. She might have known your mother, and be able to produce an accurate image, but it would just be an image; one that she controlled."

He watched Arthur's expression change, he glanced at his father, and then looked back to Merlin. At least he turned his head, his eyes didn't meet Merlin's as the realisation of what Morgause had done dawned on him.

Whether or not Morgause was telling the truth was irrelevant to Merlin. What Uther had done did not touch his life now; it had prior to that. Breaking it down into pieces he could have surmised that Uther was responsible for bringing him into being as much as he was Arthur. Gaius had saved Balinor, Balinor had run to Hunith, and Merlin had been the result. Merlin rolled his eyes, such thoughts were pointless.

"But..." Arthur's subdued voice said. Merlin inched forward, behind him the sound of guards gathering at the door, trying to open it, increased in volume. Closing his eyes Merlin secured it with magic, only opening them when he was sure his eyes were clear.

"Arthur, there is no way she did this to tell you the truth." Merlin glanced in Uther's direction. "She has another agenda, and now you need to really think about that."

Arthur shuffled backwards. Merlin took a few steps forward, getting close enough to reach out and grip Arthur's arm.

"Arthur, it's fine, all right."

"Merlin, she..." Arthur whispered, his voice stumbling as he spoke. "She said she knew my mother, and..."

Tears were starting to fill Arthur's eyes. Merlin drew Arthur to his right, pulling a chair out and sat him down in it.

"How could she...?"

"Conjuring an image is not that difficult, it will say whatever you like."

"Why?" Arthur asked, looking down. Merlin sighed.

"I don't know, I can't..."

Merlin stopped talking as Arthur's eyes lifted, and widened. Merlin turned raising his hand, the protection he always used surrounding himself in his magic, flared up by instinct, as Uther attacked him. Someone he had managed to stand and reach for his sword. Merlin felt his power surge as the sword connected with his aura. Uther recoiled, dropping the weapon again. Merlin's eyes remained wide, power still flickering as he felt it from the weapon. Slowly he rose to his feet.

"I wouldn't," Merlin warned Uther. The king hesitated, behind him Merlin heard Arthur give a breathless gasp.

"You threatened me," Uther snarled.

"I did nothing of the sort. I came here to stop Arthur doing something he would regret. You are no concern of mine and..." Merlin paused and frowned. "Where did you get that sword?"

Uther back-peddled as Merlin reached down for the sword. He held it up, staring at it in shock. Arthur tensed, realising Merlin was no more than six steps away from his father, holding his sword. However, it became clear that he had no intention of using it, and in fact what he had said about Uther remained utterly true. Merlin turned his back on the king and looked down at Arthur.

"How did you come by this sword?"

"It's my father's," Arthur said. Merlin turned to look up at Uther.

"Really. Uther Pendragon with a sword forged in the Great Dragon's breath. Kilgharrah would not have forged it willingly, how did you get him to do it?"

Merlin rounded on Uther. The king glared, Merlin glared back, harder.

"How did you get this sword?"

"Morgana!" Arthur suddenly snapped. "Someone, something, attacked the knights, a dead thing. It challenged some of the knights, aiming for me I think."

"It was meant for me!" Uther snapped at him.

"I picked up the gauntlet, I was to face it. Morgana had the sword made for me, but my father went to the battle... to protect me," Arthur's voice lowered, dropping to a whisper.

"Morgana got it from the dragon?" Merlin asked. He stared at the sword and felt the magic. Somehow Morgana had made the dragon forge the sword, to protect Arthur. It probably hadn't taken much persuading for the dragon to do it, the more Morgana ingratiated herself with the dragon, the harder it would have been to refuse his request of freedom. Like everyone else, the dragon had his own agenda.

"Was it Morgana?" Arthur asked. Merlin turned looking at Arthur's dazed expression as he studied him, wondering how Merlin had managed to turn up. "Did she see something?"

At least now, Merlin could tell the truth, and disregard the facts. Gwaine had proved an invaluable asset as a set of eyes in Camelot. Merlin, it appeared, couldn't afford to lose that.

"Yes, she did. She wanted me to protect you from something you might regret."

"But he..."

Merlin gritted his teeth. "Arthur, your father didn't do anything."

As Arthur turned his head to look at his father so did Merlin sending Uther a knowing glare. It was not the case. Uther had been instrumental in the situation, and it had snowballed out of control. A good deal of blame laid with him, but not for deliberately sacrificing his wife Igraine to produce his heir. Ignorance on Uther's part had been his undoing. Merlin knew that, and he knew where Arthur's blinkered beliefs came from. It would take time to change it but Merlin knew he could do it. If he learnt nothing from this confrontation, he now knew that.

"I'm sorry," Arthur whispered. Merlin wasn't sure if Arthur was talking to him or Uther, or both. Merlin backed off, taking the sword with him.

"I think I need to take this. It was made for Arthur, and you corrupted it," he told Uther.

The King of Camelot seemed to recover himself, glaring up at Merlin.

"Guards!"

Merlin ran, to the end of the hall where he knew a door lay, to allow for escape, should there be an attack. At the same time he let go of his hold on the door. So many guards were trying to batter the place down that they all fell in, causing a pile up and it gave Merlin the time he needed. The warning bell clanged over his head as he took a corridor, knocking two guards away and dodging down a flight of stairs.

"Merlin!"

He skidded to a halt at Gwaine's voice. The knight gestured at him and then disappeared. Hearing the sounds of footsteps echoing around Merlin ran in Gwaine's direction and ducked down the corridor. Gwaine grabbed him, pulling him into a dark alcove as the footsteps came closer, thundering around.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"You warned, I told you I'd stop it. Morgana had a vision as well."

Gwaine huffed. "Give it a minute, we can make our way down to the vaults, you can get out through the cavern."

"What about you? You were with Arthur, you could get into trouble."

"I went with him to keep him out of trouble. Much good it did me."

"You don't have to stay Gwaine. You did what I asked you to do. You are under no obligation to carry on. I can relieve you of that duty."

"Yes, you can. However, you did not make me a knight of Camelot. I am under no obligation to leave with you. Come on, now!"

Gwaine pulled his arm, dragging him out into the corridor. Merlin went with him as Gwaine pulled him into a darkened area, heading towards the dungeon. At times he suddenly stopped, backtracking, hiding and working his way around the men rushing around. Merlin let him, realising that Gwaine knew the layout of the castle intimately. He wanted to take Merlin clear of any men of Camelot. It made it obvious, as Gwaine flinched back on occasion, who Gwaine was protecting. Not Merlin but the men they might come across.

Eventually they ran down an old stone staircase into a huge open cavern. Merlin looked around in awe.

"Wow."

Gwaine huffed. "This is where the dragon was kept, I don't think much of the wow. I dare say you can find your way out from here. The pathway gets a little slim but you don't need to worry about falling. It comes out in the Darkling Woods."

"Gwaine, you don't have to stay."

"No, that decision was out of your hands when I delivered the message and finished my job. And Gwen and I decided to keep Arthur ignorant of most things, including the fact that I am talking to you still."

"So why are you staying, not because Uther made you a knight."

"If anyone gets blamed for anything, it will be Gwen. Uther thinks nothing of servants and he thinks nothing of killing them for things they are not guilty of. I know the story of what happened to her father. Anyone that so much as looks as a sorcerer gets killed. You can be ignorant of what they are and still die for it. I shouldn't have called you. With Uther dead, Arthur would be king."

"Yes, you should. Because Morgana saw it. If Uther died at Arthur's hand, he would have killed himself directly afterwards. Arthur loves his father, we just need to make him aware of his faults."

"Like you know your father's?"

"Yes, Gwaine, I do. I know what he wants, he has it; and I love him, faults and all."

"Good for you," Gwaine snarled. "Now go, I'll clear up the mess, somehow!"

"You could be in trouble for helping Arthur."

"True, but I'd be in more trouble if I hadn't gone out of my way to protect Arthur from himself. What about Morgause?"

"I will deal with her."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Merlin had promised that and he intended to follow through. He walked into the Darkling Woods and came out through the small tunnel. Heading east he jogged a little and then paused, waiting until the dark shadow unfurled and the dragon's head dipped. Kilgharrah's nostrils flared as his nose moved to Merlin's right hand.

"You acquired it," Kilgharrah said and then reared back, nostrils open as he breathed heavily. "It stinks of Uther."

"We can't destroy it, we need to make it ready for it's true owner."

"You think that is possible?"

"It is your magic."

"And it cannot be moved, it cannot be destroyed, it can only be corrupted."

"You made it for Arthur."

"The witch promised that it would only be wielded by him. Uther took it, used it, and held it."

"In his defence, I don't think Uther quite realised what it was, or what it meant."

"The witch did. She should never have been allowed to know the truth."

"She doesn't know anything, and for what has occurred, you are culpable as much as she is. I guarantee I will keep the sword safe until I can hand it over to the Once And Future King."

"You mean Arthur."

"I do, but it will be a while before I can do that. For now, you and I keep the sword safe, and we have one last thing to do."

Kilgharrah dipped his head.

"What is that?"


	22. Chapter 22

Morgana sat still as Freya brushed her hair. She felt restless and disjoined. Merlin had been gone a day and Morgana didn't know what was happening.

"Are you all right My Lady?" Freya asked. Morgana shrugged, she looked up at the dark haired girl in the mirror. Cenred had spoken to her regarding the girl, hinting that she was a rival for Merlin. Almost hinting that Morgana should do something about the threat. Morgana didn't know what to do, but it made her understand what Cenred saw in her, and why he wanted her to stay. Morgana didn't think Merlin was that interested in her, and she didn't blame him considering all the trouble she had caused. Maybe her sister was right. Morgause had wanted her to leave, but Morgana didn't see how she could. Cenred stood between her and Uther's wrath. Despite her bravado, that remained something to be feared. She had seen so many executions, she knew what to be frightened of.

"I'm fine, just tired," Morgana said, using her usual excuse. Freya frowned, looking worried.

"Did the sleeping draught not help? Merlin ordered it made specially."

Morgana looked a little rueful as she raised her eyes to meet Freya's in the mirror.

"I didn't actually take it last night," she informed her daytime maid. She had no answer as to why April took over in the evening to look after Morgana and Hunith. Hunith looked after Evelyn herself. "I wanted to see if... something else happened."

Freya looked dubious as the idea.

"Did it?" she asked as she efficiently started to bind Morgana's hair up in a plait. Morgana huffed.

"No, it didn't. I just hope Merlin got there. I hope Merlin's all right."

"Don't worry about that. Merlin can take care of himself, and he won't falter in taking care of Arthur."

Morgana frowned, turning her head. Freya inclined so she didn't lose her grip on Morgana's hair.

"What does that mean?"

Freya looked up and started to wrap up the end of Morgana's plait. Morgana waited, staring at Freya. The Druid girl met Morgana's gaze and then shook her head.

"Nothing, it's nothing."

"It doesn't sound like nothing. What do you mean?"

Morgana stared up at her and Freya bit down on her lip, her face creasing into a frown, and her eyes flickering with worry.

"I shouldn't have said, anything... I'm sorry My Lady. Perhaps you should speak to Merlin."

Morgana blinked, and then as she considered retreating, and leaving a nervous looking Freya alone they both jumped. The mention of Merlin seemed to conjure him up. Both of them turned at the curt knock at the door and then it opened on Merlin. Freya stepped back as Morgana stood up, turning to face him.

"Merlin! Did you...?"

She tailed off. Merlin looked tired and rather irritated. His hair had turned a little wild, sticking up in clumps, his clothes were rumpled and his jaw had darkened under the growing stubble. His eyes glared for a moment before softening, and his lips turned in a semblance of a smile, especially as he looked at Freya. She had stepped forward to put herself between Merlin and Morgana.

"Arthur's fine," Merlin reported. "So, is Uther, despite his desire to hit me with a sword after I had just saved his life, and his son's sanity."

Morgana snorted and rolled her eyes. "That sounds typical, he doesn't see what's under his nose."

"That seems to be common in the Pendragon household," Merlin sighed. Morgana blinked, straightening up and her face started, annoyingly, to heat as she blushed. Merlin made it quite clear that the comment included her. Merlin's gaze looked her up and down, dressed in a gown of dark purple that Hunith had made for her.

"Dress in some riding clothes, once I am washed and changed we'll head out."

"Where are we going?" Morgana asked as Merlin turned on his heel to leave the room. He quite clearly expected to be obeyed, in a pattern of behaviour that seemed very like his father's. Both of them acted the same. Morgana thought that sometimes if you didn't know that they had no blood connection you could be completely fooled into thinking they did.

"You need to see something. Your horse is being made ready, be down as soon as you are changed."

With that Merlin left, closing the door behind him. Morgana blinked, feeling confused, and for some reason highly chastised. It might have been better if Merlin had come in and yelled at her. Even Freya had the decency to look baffled and embarrassed.

"Which riding gown would you like?" Freya asked turning to the wardrobe. Cenred had forgotten nothing, and had been scarily knowledgeable about her type of dress. She had several riding gowns specially made for her. Morgana clenched her teeth.

"None, I'll wear my armour."

Freya turned. "I don't think Merlin is going to take you into a battle."

"I doubt he would be allowed. It might just help with whatever metaphorical fight we might have."

"I'm sure he's not angry. You don't need to worry about that."

"I'm not," Morgana said, and then after a pause she shrugged. "Maybe I am, it might give me a bit of help."

Freya smiled. "Very well My Lady."

There was something in Freya's face that told Morgana that her maid understood more than she would ever want to tell.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Morgana felt her strength return as she walked into the courtyard and Merlin had the decency to widen his eyes at the sight of her. The light chain mail shirt and armour plating had been diligently cleaned by Freya after Morgana had staggered into Camelot, and it had been no issue to commission a pair of trousers in strong material, and high leather boots to match with. Morgana felt very aware of the soldiers and knights who turned to look. They looked away just as quickly as they turned, not risking the ire of Merlin; or Cenred if he ever found out.

She had also made sure of bringing her sword with her, and she carefully looped the leather belt around the pommel of her saddle. Again the horse, for her, had been provided by the king. He almost mirrored Uther in every way when it came to what she wanted, not just what she needed but what she wanted. It could have been creepy, but Cenred's only interest lay in her catching Merlin's eye.

"You're not going to need that Morgana," Merlin informed her. She turned to look at him, lifting her leg to put her foot in the stirrup. The stable boy holding her horse's head moved to put a hand on the stirrup on the other side in preparation for her mount.

"You're carrying yours," Morgana informed him curtly before putting her weight into the iron and swinging herself up into the saddle. The boy held the iron steady so she could put her other foot through and then she moved in the saddle, leaning down to check the girth while he took a grip of the bridle. Once she had done, and Merlin put his hand under the saddle flap. Morgana lifted her leg at the hint and let Merlin tighten the girth. The mare tensed and shifted her feet about, maybe sensing the awkwardness of the situation.

"I have no idea where I am going," Morgana informed him as Merlin finished and lowered the flap and Morgana settled her leg back into position. Merlin stared up at her, and he smirked as he sensed a challenge.

"Very well."

Merlin left her to mount his own horse. Morgana took the reins, using them to pull the mare's head clear of the stable boy and she pressed her legs to the side to send her on. Merlin rolled his eyes as he launched himself into the saddle. Percival sniggered but obligingly nudged his horse to keep close to Morgana while Merlin settled in the saddle. Looking up Lancelot Merlin scowled as Lancelot grinned at him.

"What's so funny?"

"I think you've so met your match," Lancelot informed him. Merlin glowered at him.

"You have no idea how accurate that might be," Merlin informed him, which caused Lancelot to look confused. Merlin kicked his horse's sides and the animal snorted leaping off into a canter. Lancelot's followed behind and they rode to catch up with Percival and Morgana.

After a while Morgana felt relaxed as they urged the horses on, letting them run. Morgana had always liked riding, feeling the horse running underneath her. The activity even seemed to improve Merlin's mood, so as they rode towards the forest, slowing their horses to a sensible speed he appeared far more relaxed.

As the path narrowed they wound their way through the trees, Merlin taking the lead and Morgana directly behind him, then Lancelot and Percival brought up the rear. Morgana looked around, taking in the scenery, the atmosphere relaxing her. Getting out of the castle felt good, although Cenred had attempted to tailor to her every need, she had felt slightly restricted riding out with the guards. They had been somewhat overzealous in their treatment of her, making sure she remained safe. Morgana didn't think it was just on Cenred's orders, but also related to the punishment that had been doled out to the patrol that had brought them. Although Merlin hadn't physically hurt them, he had forced them to spend three long weeks digging new ditches and latrines for the barracks, with them working like slaves throughout.

Merlin however didn't seem to mind her letting the horse gallop, and he didn't hover over her like the guards. Neither did Percival or Lancelot. Both of them had her in line of sight, but Morgana didn't doubt that somehow Merlin had her protected. She knew he could do it for himself, and anyone else in close proximity.

She paused, watching as Merlin suddenly turned the horse off the track. It didn't look as if he even planned it. She glanced back towards the two knights. They had paused, since she had stopped, and they would wait for her. Lancelot regarded her calmly, Percival gave a half-smile and shrugged indicating that Merlin was doing, what Merlin did. A good portion of that Morgana found unfathomable. In the end she turned back and nudged her horse, gripping the rein to guide her horse after Merlin's.

Instead of following the track they weaved their way through the trees and Morgana swore as her horse tensed, shying sideways as a shadow moved. She gasped as something shifted, a huge tail, the dark shadow glinting. Two heavy clicks echoed around the forest as the beasts huge claws snapped together. Morgana clamped her legs around her horse's belly, tensing on the reins to hold the animal still. The mare snorted, shifting her feet, her instinct clearly to run from the danger. Morgana didn't blame her, she felt very much the same.

The others were having the same issue with their horses but Merlin's gaze fixed on the creature and he held out his hand speaking in a level tone. Morgana didn't entirely know the words but she recognised the language of the old religion. At whatever he said the large creature slowly started to back away disappearing into the shadows, the glistening exoskeleton fading into the trees.

"What was that?" she hissed, she ran her gloved hand up and down her horse's neck to settle her down. The mare gave another snort and Morgana felt the body underneath her relax.

"A serket," Merlin said. "Not the most pleasant of magical beasts."

"What are they doing here?" Morgana asked.

"They keep away unwanted or uninvited guests," Merlin informed her. "They won't bother us, we're nearly there."

"Nearly where?" Morgana asked. Her horse quite willingly went on, trotting away from the scene of the confrontation. Merlin didn't answer her, and Morgana didn't press him. She knew he wouldn't tell her, instead she had to content herself to wait, until they crested a hill and looked down into a small valley.

Intermingling with the trees were several tents, smoke rose from a cooking fire in what appeared to be the centre of the small community. Merlin took a low incline down towards the nearest end of the encampment, bringing his horse to a halt.

"It's Merlin!" a high-pitched voice announced.

Morgana, dismounting from her horse watched in shock as a dozen or so children descended on them. The adults in the camp watched in amusement as they carried on with their tasks. Several of the children clustered around Merlin, all of them talking at once, over each other and squabbling as they gathered around him. Merlin allowed it, smiling indulgently. Four of the children bypassed Merlin in favour of someone else. Three girls and a wobbling little boy of no more than three descended on Percival, and proceeded to try and climb him. Percival allowed that, with the same indulgent look that Merlin had. Eventually the children ended up occupying his shoulders and clinging to his back, giggling as they hung onto to the tall man with Percival making sure that none of them were in danger of falling.

Merlin slowly attempted to wade through the sea of children as five more hurtled in their direction. Morgana watched the whole thing curiously. Lancelot didn't seem to be part of the same thing, instead he concentrated on trying up the horses. Morgana was so absorbed in the scene that she jumped a mile as a voice echoed around her head.

"Hello Morgana."

She spun on her heel, eyes widening in shock at the sudden intrusion into her mind. At the same time she also recognised it, gasping as she came face to face with the calm looking youth.

"Mordred!" Morgana gasped.

Although he didn't really seem to smile, a lightness glittered in his eyes, and he looked, Morgana thought, relatively pleased to see her. He stepped a little further forward, looking up at her.

"How are you?" his voice echoed in her mind. She was about to open her mouth to reply when something made her pause, a gentle echo in her mind caught her attention and rather than saying anything she attempted to direct her mind into answering. She seemed to manage it as Mordred smiled, moving closer to her, close enough that she could reach forward and hug him. Somehow she knew that was okay to do.

"You look better," she said, speaking out loud this time.

"He is well looked after here," a voice announced. Morgana looked up at the druid who had followed Mordred. Mordred turned to smile at him, but he leant against Morgana, staying within her embrace. Iseldir turned and glanced at a swamped Merlin.

"Sire."

"Hello, Iseldir," Merlin announced, then he looked down at the children, who were to varying degrees demanding to see magic, or hear stories, and then one little voice, from the top of Percival's shoulder announced loudly.

"Dragon!"

Merlin raised his eyebrows, and the children went into another round of demanding, some of them shouting.

"We saw him, we saw him, he flew over the forest! Can we see him?"

The jabbering started up again until Iseldir raised his voice. "Enough now!"

All of the children fell silent, although they stayed clustered around Merlin, Percival hefted two of the children who had started to slip off him and they all readjusted themselves to stay on.

"It's fine," Merlin said.

Iseldir's eyes narrowed and Morgana felt the echo again, the voice wasn't clear to her, she couldn't hear the words as Iseldir and Merlin talked.

'We saw him fly, I presume you called him.' The familiar voice echoed around Merlin's head.

'Yes, I needed to get to Camelot in a hurry.'

'Is all well?'

"For now," Merlin said out loud, then he looked down at the brood clustered around him. Morgana watched the children stare up at Merlin, waiting for something, attentive and ready. Merlin smiled at them and his eyes flashed gold. The smoke on the nearby fire suddenly billowed, surging up into the air and forming into a dragon. It lifted it's head into the air, wings flapping. The women around the cooking fire glanced up but then carried on preparing food as if such a thing was nothing out of the ordinary.

Morgana stared at the casual display, blinking as Merlin looked at her. His expression calm but certainly not as gentle as the one he gave the children. The group of children eased back, sensing something and Merlin held out his hand.

"Lady Morgana."

She felt a little self-conscious as all the attention suddenly turned to her. The children's eyes all turned to look at her, staring at her openly. She felt Mordred tighten his grip around her, but he also moved forward, giving her no choice but to go to Merlin and put her hand in his. Merlin hardly took note of her as he took her hand and looked around.

"Come on then," he said to the children, and as they ran off, darting around them, Morgana followed Merlin, wondering what was about to happen next.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Merlin's voice echoed. Morgana shuddered at the power of it. Percival stayed close by, still with several children attached to him. He had walked up the path with them clinging to him like limpets and it hadn't slowed him down in the slightest. They had headed to where the trees thinned out and grass sprang up in the open area, and Merlin had called out.

The children squealed in excitement as the dragon glided over the trees, circling once before coming in to land. Morgana watched in amazement when the dragon landed and the children surged forward the cluster around him, calling to him.

"Kilgharrah! Kilgharrah!"

"Go on, there is more of him than me," Percival murmured to his entourage. All of the children, apart from the small boy slithered off Percival to play on the dragon. Percival patted the boy's leg and let him continue to cling.

"I don't suppose you'd see any child of Camelot doing such a thing," Merlin said, turning to Morgana.

"Probably because twelve children died and five became orphans," Morgana announced to him. Merlin turned to look at her, the look in his eyes told her that he was about to say it was partly her fault. Morgana returned the look with one that told him he didn't need to. For a set of long painful seconds they stared at each other. Percival, standing back from the pair, watched the dragon surveying the scene, almost oblivious to the children using him as a climbing frame. Although as one adventurous boy made it up his back Kilgharrah tilted out one wing, just in case the boy lost his grip.

It was, eventually, Merlin who looked away first, although Morgana didn't seem to derive much satisfaction from the victory.

"That shouldn't have happened," Merlin eventually said. "Yet, I can't blame Kilgharrah for wanting revenge."

"It's hard for people to accept there is nothing wrong with magic when all they see is hatred and animosity," Morgana informed him.

"And what do you think, my little witch?" Kilgharrah's voice rumbled, lowering his head to her. Morgana glared up at him.

"It's not something I can really argue with," she informed him.

Kilgharrah tilted his head as he looked down at her. "You choose to think that your own nature is evil. No wonder it seems that things are lost before we have even started."

"What things? Because of Uther everyone will always believe that magic is evil," Morgana argued.

"Do you believe such a fact?" Iseldir asked gently. Morgana turned to stare at him in shock.

"I caused enough destruction, I unleashed the dragon."

Iseldir looked up at Kilgharrah, who listened with interest.

"You cannot control what others choose to do."

Kilgharrah's expression remained impassive but his eyes swivelled round to regard Merlin. If he chose to Merlin could maintain complete control of him. Kilgharrah glanced back at Morgana, who glared up at him.

"You killed innocent people."

"So did Uther," Kilgharrah announced.

"And that makes it all right does it?" Morgana asked.

"All right," Percival said, suddenly interrupting. He waved his hands at the children on Kilgharrah, who had paused clambering about to listen intently to the conversation. "Come on, you've seen the dragon. I'll tell you all a story. We need to leave Merlin to talk."

There were a few grumbles and groans, but the children obeyed, sliding off the dragon's limbs and body to reach the floor. They all congregated around Percival who herded them away. Mordred slowly trailed after them and Iseldir somehow managed to disappear, leaving Morgana alone with Merlin and Kilgharrah.

The dragon slowly sat down, settling carefully and he folded his wings in close to his body.

"There are many arguments that could be made, for either cause."

"It doesn't make any of them right," Morgana said.

"Perhaps not, that is a hard path to find, what is truly right."

"We can try and find it though," Merlin interrupted. Then he turned to Morgana. "I brought you here for a reason."

"Which is what? I don't understand."

"The vision you had, of Arthur killing Uther, and then himself, that almost happened because of what Morgause did. That was her plan, turn Arthur against his father, you saw that Arthur could not live with the consequences. You didn't want him to. You wanted to stop it, so did I."

"Why do you care about Arthur?"

Merlin blinked. "Well, for one reason, I don't particularly dislike him, but he is necessary for what should happen. I cannot allow anything to happen to him."

"Why not? I love him like a brother, but how is he different from Uther?"

"He saved you, and Gaius. He helped you save Mordred. Arthur is not that tightly tied by the sins of the past, as I am not."

"They are two sides of the same coin," Kilgharrah said, dropping his head lower. "The Once and Future King and his mentor cannot achieve anything alone, but together Albion will be united and the balance of magic restored to the land."

Morgana frowned. "What does that mean?"

"One of us born of magic, and one of us born with magic," Merlin explained. "I have been told the stories since I was a child, and Iseldir came to tutor me. I've long ago believed that he deliberately got himself caught, so he could get to me."

"Why?"

"The Once and Future King will bring Albion together, heralding a reign of true peace, no treaties, no tense agreements; true peace. He will unite the nation."

"And you are this king?" Morgana snapped.

"No, Arthur is," Merlin said, then he turned to look up at Kilgharrah.

"Even before the Great Purge happened a time of darkness was foretold. So many things lay out of balance, and Uther did nothing to rectify that, he just pushed the balance in the other direction, his grief corrupted him," Kilgharrah said.

"His grief?" Morgana asked.

"His queen could not produce an heir without help, they turned to magic. But for a life to be created, one must be taken. Igraine died, for Arthur."

"That is what Morgause said happened?" Morgana snapped, looking from the dragon to Merlin. "Uther killed innocent people over this, people who did not deserve to die."

Merlin looked up at the dragon and then back to her. "Indirectly so did you."

"I made a mistake, I should never have unleashed it!"

"I'm not so sure of that," Merlin said, a shadow of grief crossed his face.

"The only way for a Dragonlord to rise to full power is the death of his father. It was time for Merlin to take his place," Kilgharrah said.

"Was that why you wanted me to let you go? Why you attacked Camelot? To get Balinor there? Just to die?"

Kilgharrah lifted his head. "As many people do, you try to give rage higher meaning. My action was anger, what it caused, I regret."

"Why? Because he forces you?" Morgana snapped, nodding in Merlin direction. She stepped back, gasping and Merlin reached out an arm to guide her behind him as the dragon roared.

"I saw my kind slaughtered! Centuries of magic and knowledge destroyed because of one man's grief! He had no right and because of it his son will pay the price! It is his destiny to rectify what has been damaged, as it is the fate of Emrys to be tied to him!"

The ground shook as the dragon's tail slammed onto the floor.

"Enough!" Merlin snapped, although his voice remained calm. He raised his hand and looked up at Kilgharrah. As he shouted the dragon had lifted his shoulders, sitting back on his hindquarters and flicking his head into the air to stare down at them. Merlin lowered his hand and the dragon moved downwards with it, settling down again. Morgana tightened her grip on the back of Merlin's tunic as he tried to step sideways to bring her forward again. Turning his head slightly he reached out to take her hand and force her to step forward.

"It's all right, but I need you to understand this."

"Why? This is to do with you and Arthur, why do I need to know?"

Kilgharrah gave a low growl. "All of us are destined to play our parts, witch!"

"Don't call me that!" Morgana yelled at him.

"But that is what you are! Witch!" Kilgharrah snarled. "You hate when Merlin loves; you will try and destroy! That is your fate, witch!"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Morgana screamed. She gasped as she felt it flare, and as she did she tried to control it but her eyes filled even more as the forest around her burst into flame. Someone grabbed her and she kicked out and from somewhere in the blackness she heard Merlin's commanding tone.

"That is enough!"


	23. Chapter 23

"Just a little Morgana. A few sips."

Someone pressed a cool cloth against her face. She tried to brush it away but she couldn't seem to make her arms work. The cool metal of a goblet pressed to her lips and she felt the touch of water as someone angled it slightly. Compliantly she drank a little and the pressure released for a second before returning. The cool cloth disappeared for a moment and there came the sound of trickling water before it returned, pressing against the left side of her neck.

Very slowly she opened her eyes, they felt heavy, her entire body seemingly sluggish and hot. She blinked to help clear her vision and looked up at Merlin. Looking around she started to orientate herself.

She had been moved, sat up and settled back against a tree. Merlin knelt by her side holding a goblet in one hand and his other pressed the cloth to her skin. Iseldir lingered behind him, holding a bowl, which presumably held the water that Merlin had been using to bathe her.

"What happened?" she asked weakly.

"Your magic burst out," Merlin said calmly turning slightly to hand Iseldir the cloth. The druid placed it into the bowl and then lifting it out squeezed it in his fingers before handing it back to Merlin. Morgana tensed as Merlin placed it against her skin again, on the nearside of her neck this time. After a second or so he shifted it towards the nape of her neck.

"Drink a little more."

Merlin pressed the goblet to her lips again. Raising a hand she wasn't sure if she wanted to take the drink off him, or try and push it away. In the end Merlin insistently got some more into her, until Morgana turned her head away.

"I'm fine," she insisted.

"I beg to differ, has anything like that ever happened before?" Merlin asked. Morgana looked away. The children were still playing, with Percival and Kilgharrah had resumed his role. He sat on the ground, letting the children climb on him, while Percival appeared to be telling several others, tucked in the curve of the dragon's tail, a story. Morgana felt an odd surge of jealousy, over the children who easily accepted magic, they would grow up safely able to develop their talents.

"Morgana?" Merlin's concerned tone brought her back to her present situation. She rolled her neck, feeling the tension in it.

"Once, I think. I set some curtains alight. The flame of the candle flared up, I know I did it. I'd had a nightmare and I just couldn't control it."

"Her power is strong, but raw," Iseldir commented. "You've had no training?"

Morgana shook her head. "No, how could I?"

"Maybe I should have thought this through, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

Merlin sounded, and looked, genuinely contrite. Morgana gave a weak smile.

"I don't think it's your fault. And I'm not a witch."

"But you are," Iseldir said. "Your power is a natural part of you. You are a witch as much as Merlin is a warlock. Your rage cannot be denied, it just needs to be channelled."

"You make that sound so easy," Morgana informed him. Iseldir's lips quirked into a smile.

"There is no need to make it complicated. You are Merlin's equal, and opposite. There is need for a balance between you."

Morgana frowned, but said nothing. She looked at Merlin.

"I just needed you to understand how important Arthur is. People will try to deny what is happening. Some of those from the old religion fear the prophecy of the Once And Future King."

"Why?" Morgana asked. "If it means that magic will return."

"Despite the promise of the restoration of magic," Iseldir said. "The old ways are threatened. They will die out in favour of something new, something that Merlin and Arthur will create together."

"And there is no room for anything else?" Morgana snapped.

"There is no reason to think like that," Merlin said. "The whole purpose is to create, not destroy, and things never go away, not entirely. I just wanted you to understand why protecting Arthur is so important. You saw it as such, even now, when you saw what he might do to himself."

"You also saved Uther though."

"The vision was yours, you saw what would happen if Arthur had killed his father. Imagine what he might do if someone with magic succeeded in killing Uther Pendragon. Arthur would hate the potential of magic. He would see it as evil. I cannot allow that."

"He knows you have magic, and he doesn't hate you."

"Or you," Merlin said. "He saved you, he saved Gaius. He does not see magic in the same way that his father does, and I have to preserve that. Without Arthur the future the kingdoms needs does not exist. He has to see what his father is blinded to, and he will not if magic, by any means, takes his father as it took his mother."

"Morgause said that..." Morgana paused, looking at Merlin warily. "My sister caused this."

"That is not your fault Morgana. She has chosen her path. Morgause has offered it to you, but you do not have to take it. You can decide what you want to do. Have no fear of your magic, I can help you, the Druids can help you. It is yours to control Morgana."

"I've never before," she said.

Merlin looked at her with his steady, calm gaze. "Start now."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"I brought you a change of clothes My Lady," the druid girl said as she came into the tent. It had been decided that it was too late to travel back to the castle and they would stay in the camp. Morgana turned and smiled at the woman holding a dress of light material. There was no way Morgana could stay in her armour for the rest of the evening.

"Thank you." She summoned up a smile, but she still felt tired, and a little confused over what had happened.

"Shall I help you change?" the girl asked. Without waiting for an answer she came over to Morgana and started to unfasten the plates of metal that protected her mid-section. Morgana let her, as much as she wanted privacy she did not think it a luxury that she could have immediately. She allowed the woman to strip her down to her underclothes and another girl entered with a bowl of water and some toiletries, leaving them to hand without a word.

Morgana remained compliant as the girl washed her and helped her dress in the simple gown. It had none of the luxury that she was accustomed to. The simple light material looked worn in places. She was wearing a hand-me-down probably donated by someone in the camp. Morgana found she didn't mind, while she allowed the woman to brush out her long dark hair. The druid made no move to pin it up, as would normally be done. Instead she wound a simple strip of material into the front sections to keep it back off her face and let the long waves tumble down her back.

"I wish I had hair like this," she said. Morgana smiled.

"Thank you."

The girl smiled and then jumped, turning her head at a loud cough from just outside the tent.

"Are you decent?" Merlin asked.

"Yes, My Lord."

Morgana slowly rose to her feet, smoothing the slight wrinkles out of the front of the dress. Merlin entered, ducking his head to avoid the swaths of material over the doorway. As he straightened up he looked at her and Morgana watched with some satisfaction as his eyes widened.

"My Lady, you look..."

There clearly wasn't a word for it as Merlin tailed off and simply stared at her for a moment. Morgana smiled and waited, she glanced at the druid girl out of the corner of her eye. She saw her eyeing Merlin with amusement, and some surprise.

"Lovely," Merlin eventually added. Morgana smiled, which caused Merlin's pale cheeks to infuse with colour. Then he seemed to pull himself together, he straightened up and pulled his shoulders back, he turned slightly and offered out his arm.

"If you would do me the honour of letting me escort you."

"Thank you," Morgana said taking his arm, smiling slightly. Merlin smiled back, his cheeks darkening as he blushed. Morgana smirked to herself, letting Merlin lead her to the central area of the camp where the evening meal had been set up.

Supper appeared to be a very communal affair. The entire camp gathered to eat, chatting between themselves. Morgana felt a little overwhelmed at the beginning. Dining at Camelot it had just been Arthur and Uther she spent time with. It appeared to be similar in Cenred's court, Morgana joined the king and his family as they dined.

She sat and watched, talking to some people, and Mordred came to sit with her. It reminded her of the negotiations when Arthur and Merlin had met on the boundary. She watched him now, looking far more relaxed, as if he could forget about his kingdom for the time being. Merlin chatted, people wandering up to him, all of the camp members seeming to want to say something to him. Merlin listened to them all equally and delighted the children by making shapes in the smoke of the fire.

Eventually Merlin did retreat, watching Morgana talking to a group of druid women. Morgana appeared to be listening avidly to the conversation, as well as occasionally interjecting. Merlin watched her, as much as Morgana watched him, seeing her relaxed and smiling. It had been a tense time, since her arrival at the castle, while she tried to settle in to a new environment. Merlin still inwardly flinched sometimes, when things reminded him of Balinor, and what had happened with the dragon. Still, Merlin found it hard to summon any blame towards Morgana, at least now the emotional scar was less raw. Now he could also feel for her growing up in Camelot, fearing what she was, because it was so hated.

"She's a pretty girl," Percival said, sidling up to Merlin and drawing him out of his contemplation.

"Yes," Merlin agreed.

"It's not like you to be so reserved when you see a girl like that. That's usually my job."

Merlin turned and glared at Percival through narrowed eyes. Percival shrugged and grinned at Merlin.

"You're blushing."

"I am not!" Merlin growled. Percival shrugged again and glanced back over at Morgana.

"Do you really think you can persuade her to help you?"

"She grew up in Camelot. Everyone there has the opinion that magic is evil. Maybe even those with power."

"That's a bit of a sweeping statement Merlin. I know Uther enforces it as law, and he doesn't give anyone room to manoeuvre. It doesn't mean that people share his opinion. Arthur certainly doesn't."

"He still enforces Uther's laws."

"You don't tolerate the abuse of magic either. I think that has given Arthur more to think about than anything else. You accept it, but you won't allow people to push the boundaries."

"It's complicated. The dragon says that she is meant to be my opposite, and equal. She's very emotional, and as much as she fights it, Uther's influence over her is very evident."

"She might fight you, but that doesn't necessarily mean she has to be your enemy. It's the same thing as why your mother saved my life."

"You were a child, of course she saved your life."

"And made sure that you had to look at me every single day, just to remind you."

"Yeah, it's a devastating punishment looking at your ugly mug."

Merlin giggled as Percival shoved him with his shoulder causing Merlin to stagger and Percival felt the push of Merlin's magic against him to do the same.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Percival said, righting himself. "But I've noticed it, you're getting stronger, maybe you need more than just me to teach you your limits. I don't know about the magic thing, maybe teaching Morgana will help you work out your own boundaries."

Merlin didn't say anything, and Percival didn't add to what he had said. Whether or not he accepted it out loud, Percival knew Merlin would see sense in what he was saying. He knew his friend's raging emotions and reactions all too well. Merlin remained a contradiction of sympathy, kindness, anger and power. Merlin intimidated people, but no one more than his best friend who knew every facet of that behaviour and Percival knew, really knew, what Merlin could be capable of to get what he wanted.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Deer tracks," Percival announced. "We could hunt for the feast."

"Could do," Merlin said, with slight longing. "To feed all those fat nobles who come to fawn over my father and insult my mother."

Percival snorted.

"What?" Morgana asked.

"Lammas feast. You must have something similar at Camelot. All the nobles come to feast, they spend time currying favour with my father, and out of his and my earshot manage to give my mother badly veiled insults."

Morgana straightened up. "No doubt they would like to turn up and stare at me as well then."

"Possibly," Percival said. "Although they won't dare be rude to you."

Morgana raised her eyebrows. "Why not? I'm practically an enemy in your lands. I dare say they will throw some insults about Camelot around."

"You are born of noble blood," Merlin said. "My mother and I are not."

"They wouldn't dare say anything to you though."

"No, they don't," Merlin said in anger. Morgana looked at him.

"Shall we hunt a deer then?"

Morgana knew she had done something right, as Merlin smiled.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

For the night of the feast Morgana wore red silk. The dress fitted her tightly, cinching in at the waist, and although April plaited up the front of her hair Morgana insisted she left most of it loose. Merlin seemed to like it that way. April carefully wove a red ribbon into it, similar to how the druids has styled her hair that night. Morgana walked out, meeting Hunith and Evelyn in the corridor.

They were just as well dressed, although Evelyn's dress had been cut looser, to almost hide her slowly maturing body. She wore light blue, and her hair had been pinned up, a gold coronet added to it. Morgana noticed the finely wrought metal with small jewels attached to it, denoting Evelyn's status. Hunith wore her usual royal blue, to match Cenred's colours, but the coronet on her head was silver, as always. This one looked just as carefully made, the workmanship delicate, arcs of metal looping over as if it was almost plaited. But Morgana noted the lack of jewels and the metal less precious that what her daughter wore. Evelyn was a princess of Cenred's bloodline, Hunith was his mistress. Hunith smiled at her and Morgana saw the strain in her eyes. She didn't like these moments. Hunith ran the castle, and was well respected within it's walls, but beyond that petty hatred muddied the waters for her. To all intents and purposes she was Cenred's wife, but not one noble house in the kingdom would truly accept that.

"My ladies," Cyranus said, interrupting Morgana's contemplation. He held out his arm to Hunith and she took it. Morgana fell into step behind them and Evelyn skipped up next to her. On impulse Morgana took Evelyn's hand and followed Cyranus and Hunith. As they went down the short flight of stairs from the queen's chambers they met Cenred, Merlin, Percival and Lancelot.

Cenred stepped forward and took Hunith's hand off Cyranus' arm, looking downwards into her cleavage. Then he looked up and she smiled at him. Cenred grinned at her.

"My Lady."

"Sire." Hunith curtseyed slightly, dropping her head. Cenred leant in, inhaling deeply as Hunith straightened up. Morgana watched, seeing the easy familiarity the two people had. They both knew what happened between them and around them.

Merlin stepped forward and offered his arm to Evelyn.

"Princess."

Evelyn giggled and reached for him. As she put her hand on Merlin's arm, and Percival automatically stepped to Morgana's side to escort her Cenred turned, his gaze sweeping over them.

"Merlin, you can escort Morgana."

Merlin turned to stared at him. Evelyn looked up in confusion, then she turned to glance at Morgana. Morgana looked just as surprised. But Cenred's tone of voice hinted that it was not a request, but an order. One that Cenred expected to be obeyed.

For a moment all of them glanced around at each other. Hunith raising her eyebrows as she looked up at Cenred. But by the look on her face as she glanced behind her, she knew exactly what Cenred was thinking. She said nothing and waited while Merlin released Evelyn and Percival moved back from Morgana. Morgana carefully stepped forward, letting Merlin take her arm. His blue eyes had darkened with anger, but he didn't direct it at her, as instead, he turned his head to look at his father. Evelyn settled in behind them, linking arms with Percival and looking mightily pleased by the development, having always liked the big strong knight, who was as much a member of her family as her own blood relatives.

Cenred didn't allow for further pause, he walked forward and the two soldiers on the doors opened them up further to allow Hunith and Cenred to walk through. Morgana looked around as she followed, keeping careful pace with Merlin. They walked through the centre of the room, glancing to look at the deer roasting in the large fireplace on the left. Servants ran about placing plates on the long tables, but all of them paused as the king's entourage entered.

Morgana didn't glance about too much but she felt very aware of people staring at her, and the heads ducking to whisper comments. Morgana raised her chin, keeping her eyes steadily on Hunith's back, until Merlin very gently squeezed her hand. She glanced at him.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, I know they are going to talk about me."

"It's the first time they have seen you, they will pay attention."

Then Morgana's head shifted to her left, hearing some comment that caused a titter through a group of ladies. All of their eyes stayed on Hunith, until they turned to look at Morgana, who eyed them steadily, distain slowly seeping into her face. Then she lifted her chin, turning back to Merlin, she had nothing really to say, but made sure she made him laugh.

"I bet you I can wipe the smug smiles off their faces."

Merlin smirked. "How?"

"If I don't, you can drag me hunting again, if I win you teach me two of your best spells. The very best."

"I saw you in the hunt, how is that me winning?"

"Because I saw you as well, you get to go hunting too. You are, as far as I can tell, just as bad as Arthur."

And Morgana did it. As he helped her to her seat and took his own, everyone in the room noted, Merlin shook with laughter.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Are you all right, Morgana?"

Morgana bobbed a neat, very elegant curtsey as Hunith came up to her, which left the women around her no choice but to do the same. Morgana knew, very well, exactly how the etiquette worked.

"My Lady, you must be thanked for a wonderful feast. It must take so much organisation on your part."

Morgana used her best respectful tone. She did have one, and she used it when necessary. When using it with Uther she often balked at it, with Hunith it was easy. She saw the older woman's eyes glittering and realised that Hunith knew what she was doing. On the far side of the room Merlin smirked, trying not to snigger. Morgana had won her bet.

"Thank you," Hunith said. "Although, you must excuse me," she added as there came a clatter from the far side of the room as one of the girls dropped a tray. "Just let April know if you need anything."

"Of course My Lady," Morgana curtseyed again. She had attended events like this for years, mainly as his ward and she had been the recipient of the same respect because of it. Morgana had been the only woman in that household, which was why, when Uther held his open council, she had her own chair, slightly behind his and on his left. Arthur's lay on Uther's right, as even since he had been through the ceremony to title him as Crown Prince, it had been shifted up level with Uther's.

Morgana's remained slightly back because she was not queen. Technically she was not even a princess, but Uther gave her that standing. It might have been because there was no one else, but she knew that Uther loved her, or at least had loved her, after the disastrous revelations she wondered what he felt. She also officiated at the feasts, and if a tournament had taken place the winner usually escorted her. For the last few years that had always been Arthur, which was actually less awful than some of the others she had been escorted by. Many of them were courteous but a good number had an eye on her hand in marriage. Not that Uther even considered that for a moment.

Now Morgana treated Hunith with the same respect. She knew exactly how to behave, and she had done it in such an exaggerated fashion the other women of the court had no choice but to follow. Cenred appeared to have realised the same thing, as he watched her with just as much intensity as the nobles. The king's however, had a slightly more predatory edge. Morgana was no fool. And she knew that was why he had ordered Merlin to escort her.

"Are you all right Morgana?"

Morgana turned and smiled at Gaius, she glanced back to nod at the group of women she had been stood with.

"If you will excuse me?" Morgana said politely. She reached to take Gaius' arm and walked away from them. All of the women murmured, 'My Lady' and nodded just as politely as she turned away. Morgana felt very aware of Cenred watching the interaction, a smirk twisting his mouth and his eyes glittering with amusement.

"Morgana?"

"I'm fine Gaius."

He turned to look at her, giving a look of mild disapproval as they walked slowly across the room.

"You look to be playing a very dangerous game."

Morgana looked at him, and then nodded politely at a few of the nobles as they passed by. "I'm not playing any sort of game. I just don't like the way these people treat Hunith."

"I know," Gaius said, sounding as if he agreed with her. "But she has dealt with it for nearly eighteen years. I think she can handle herself."

"So can I. I know the correct etiquette for such a social gathering, and I am following it perfectly."

"I know you are. I just want you to be careful. We are here under Cenred's protection. He can choose to take that away."

"Merlin, and Hunith, would not let him. Besides, I'm not a fool Gaius, the king has no wish to cast me aside, whatever I do."

Gaius glanced at Cenred, now talking to a group of nobles from the northern area of his kingdom. They looked like vicious warriors, some of the knights gazed at Morgana with undisguised lust.

"I know, and be careful. Cenred certainly has some plan in mind for you. I don't want you getting caught up in any political wrangling. It's already complicated enough considering the strained relationship with Camelot."

"I know. But I think what he wants from me is very simple," Morgana said. "He wants me as a wife for Merlin."

Gaius blinked. "You can't be sure of that."

"Actually I can," Morgana said. "He's not exactly subtle with his hinting. Merlin's made use of several of the serving maids, and Cenred hints that he also very attached to Freya. He keeps insinuating that I should intercede on their 'friendship'."

"Like I said Morgana, it's dangerous for us here."

Morgana stopped walking and turned to look at Gaius. She gripped his arm tightly.

"I think it's dangerous for us anywhere. This just happens to be the least dangerous. Until Uther is dead, that is the way it will have to remain."

Gaius stared at her, almost flinching at the harsh tone of voice. Morgana watched his reaction, feeling a stirring of sorrow. The situation was too much for Gaius really. He had probably hoped to live out the rest of his life in Camelot, in the place that had been his home for so long.

"I'm sorry," Morgana found herself saying. "It's my fault you're here, and stuck in this situation."

Gaius smiled at her, patting her hand gently. "You cannot take all the blame."

Just some of it, Morgana thought to herself.

"And if we can't be where we want to be, at least we do have some friends here."

Gaius' eyes moved to glance at Hunith, who had turned to walk over to them. Evelyn skipped along behind her mother, nodding at people who greeted them, trying to act like the rest of the ladies around her, although she didn't appear entirely oblivious to the tensions in the room. Her family protected her furiously, but Evelyn, like her brother, was observant enough.

"Are you two all right?"

"Fine my dear," Gaius said smiling. "The banquet seems to have been a success."

"They always are," Hunith said.

"That's down to you, I don't know why you bother with this lot," Morgana added, letting her eyes run over the crowd around them. Hunith smiled.

"Oh, I win in my own way."

Morgana blinked, suddenly feeling hot, and fed up. She often did by the end of a night like this. Times like this she really missed Gwen.

"I'll think I'll get some air," Morgana said.

"Shall I come with you?" Gaius asked.

"I'll be fine," Morgana assured him.

"Can I go with Morgana?" Evelyn asked looking up at her mother. Hunith blinked, glancing at Morgana.

"Of course," Morgana said. At the same moment Cyranus appeared at Hunith's side.

"Princess Evelyn and Lady Morgana wish to take some air," Hunith informed her bodyguard. "Would you please accompany them?"

Cyranus nodded. "Of course My Lady."

Hunith smiled and taking Gaius' arm walked away while Morgana and Evelyn walked out, Cyranus following a few paces behind them.

"Mother says I can have a dress like yours when I get older," Evelyn said brightly to Morgana as they walked out. "You look pretty."

"Thank you," Morgana said, and smirked to herself, wondering how Cenred and Merlin would feel about Evelyn growing up. Morgana knew what it was like, she had seen it as the nobles had looked Evelyn over, perhaps prospectively thinking that marriage to the princess of the kingdom would be advantageous. Morgana doubted that neither the king nor the prince would see it in quite the same way.

"I'm sorry about Morgana tonight, she really is rather... forceful."

Hunith smiled at Gaius' words.

"Don't worry she was certainly the belle of the ball tonight. Cenred's had more than a few enquiries as to whether she is betrothed. I think he found her quite amusing."

"I don't know if that is a good or bad thing," Gaius said. "Don't think that we are not grateful for the sanctuary that we have been offered, but I know this could be very precarious. I don't worry for myself, I think I am a little old for that, but I feel very responsible for Morgana. I don't want anything happening to her. She could get away with pushing Uther's boundaries, he loves her like a daughter."

Hunith listened, her face thoughtful. "I don't think you need concern yourself Gaius. Cenred wants Morgana here. I know how he thinks, he will not cast her aside, and Cenred knows how I think. Whatever is said about us, we understand each other in our own way. There are times he would not dare go against me."

Hunith smiled and squeezed his hand at that point in a hint that he was perfectly safe. Gaius smiled. Cenred would never openly give her power but that did not mean to say that he did not let her have any. Gaius smiled back.

"I would like to think you are happy."

Hunith nodded. "I am, I have my son, my daughter, and my husband, of a fashion. And you are here now, you could teach Merlin so much. He needs guidance, and I have always tried to give him that, but others can sometimes do more for him."

Gaius smiled at her, feeling a little reassured by the conversation. Then suddenly the light hubbub of conversation around the room faltered as a scream rang out. The silence that followed lay across the room as the sound rippled again.

"That's from outside!" Hunith announced, she turned to look at Cenred, whose jaw tensed. Gaius frowned. The sound seemed to be known but something appeared amiss. "Evelyn is out there, with Morgana!"

Cenred turned, dropping his goblet. Merlin was already across the room, running for the door with Lancelot on his heels. Cenred got to the door and turned, eyes moving to Hunith without pause, knowing exactly where she was in the room.

"Stay in here!"

Hunith's jaw clenched but she nodded, her hands tightening on Gaius's arm.

"What's going on?" Gaius asked.

Screams and shouts erupted as a shadow flitted by the window. Hunith looked pained and frightened as she turned to the guards.

"Secure the doors, now!"


	24. Chapter 24

Morgana turned at the sound, hearing the scream ring out across the courtyard. She scanned the area from her vantage point on the east battlement. The scream had been loud, sounding human and inhuman at the same time. She frowned, reaching for Evelyn to pull her close. Cyranus stepped closer to them, his hand going to the hilt of his sword.

"What was that?" Morgana asked.

"It's fine My Lady. It just happens sometimes."

Morgana exhaled, looking up. She tightened her grip on Evelyn as the scream sounded again. Cyranus jumped and pulled back.

"It's outside!"

"Yes, I heard that the first time." Morgana snapped. "What is it?"

"We need to get you two inside now!" Cyranus turned and Morgana yelped. She pulled Evelyn with her as she ducked down and with her left hand Morgana grabbed the front of Cyranus' armour and pulled him down. The huge beast swept over their heads and landed on a nearby roof, slates skittering as the beast sought purchase. Morgana, staying crouched, watched the beast with wide eyes.

The large cat crawled over the low roof of the stables. Within the building the beasts snorted and screamed. One of them broke free galloping out of the shed, pulling a stable boy with him and leaving the servant prone and helpless as the cat turned. Morgana watched the huge wings flex as it's gaze fixed on the helpless boy. She shoved Evelyn into the shadows and ran along the battlement towards the stable roof.

"Hey! How about here!" Morgana yelled. She knew she stood out in her dress and she waved her arms. The beast looked up, and it's shoulders dropped, muscles tensing as it sized her up. Morgana looked back, staring at the eyes and frowning. She had seen them somewhere before she was certain of it. The cat's brow furrowed as it snarled, looking both bemused and angry.

"Come on then!" Morgana snapped at it, she backed up slightly, pulling her skirt up with her left hand, so she could run when she needed to. As the beast pounced she ducked and something, at the same time, crashed into her. Cyranus pulled her clear dragging her into the shadows with Evelyn. The wind rushed out of her lungs as she crashed into the high wall, and then Evelyn grabbed her tightly, clinging to her.

"I need to get you two to safety," Cyranus gasped. Morgana frowned as she looked at him. Hunith's bodyguard looked desperately pale, blinking rapidly. She put a hand out and touched his shoulder, causing him to wince. Lifting her hand she looked at the blood staining her palm.

"You're injured," Morgana said. Evelyn whimpered in panic, tensing as the scream resounded again. Morgana and Cyranus both looked up, hearing the sound coming from above.

"We need to get you indoors." Cyranus began herding them towards the steps.

"But we can't go back to the castle, the main route takes us across the courtyard, and the servant's door will be secured by now," Morgana said.

"Perhaps not My Lady, with the banquet still going on," Cyranus said.

"Perhaps might not be good enough," Morgana informed him. She looked up, searching the sky for the large cat. It was something she had never seen the like of before. Cyranus followed her gaze, but for a moment the creature was gone. Both of them, realising that, looked around, trying to think of the safest place to hide. They rushed down the steps, Morgana going ahead, holding Evelyn's hand as she led the whimpering princess down. Cyranus took the rear, sword ready in his left hand, his right arm throbbing with pain.

"There," Morgana nodded at the archway that lay a hundred or so paces away from them. "That's the nearest shelter."

"That leads to the lower areas My Lady, where the sewage and waste is dropped."

"It will have to do!" Morgana hissed. She caught the smell from the area on the light breeze and wrinkled her nose. It was not somewhere she particularly wanted to go but they seemed to be left with little choice. The patrol of men who had been punished by digging the area out had smelt for weeks.

"Wait!" Cyranus snapped, his eyes roving. Morgana stayed still as several soldiers ran into the courtyard, all armed and ready. As they appeared the creature screamed again, swooping across them. They flailed at the beast, shouting orders. One man crashed onto the cobbles blood gushing from the gash in his throat.

The cat dropped to the ground, landing heavily, it's claws scraping on the cobbles. Morgana snarled, gritting her teeth as Evelyn screamed again. The cat's head snapped round, it's upper lip curling back to display sharp white teeth. Morgana saw it's wings flex and the muscles tensed. Cyranus pulled Evelyn back, pulling Morgana along since Evelyn's hand remained tightly latched on hers.

"What is it?"

Cyranus didn't answer, instead he backed them up along the wall.

"We can't get to the archway, the stables is the next best option. With any luck the King and Prince Merlin will know what has happened. We just need to delay the beast until then."

Cyranus staggered as they slowly backed up and Morgana reached out to steady him. The knight blinked and swayed on his feet. Morgana looked at his deathly pale face and knew he was in no fit state to be useful. It took some effort but Morgana pulled her hand from Evelyn's grip and the terrified princess started to cry. Morgana quelled the urge to snap at her and instead took Cyranus' sword holding it steadily.

"Evelyn, you need to help Cyranus, support him so he doesn't fall over."

In response to the order Evelyn clamped her arms around the knight, holding him tightly. Privately Morgana thought that it might hinder more than help but at least the girl has stopped whimpering. Whether it was because she had something to do or simply Morgana's calm, controlled tone soothed her she didn't know. Morgana didn't care. She could take care of herself, she had faced things before. Exhaling slowly she held out her left arm to guide the two people behind her backwards.

"Don't move!"

Her tone remained low and calm but it carried across the courtyard. The soldiers hesitated, turning to look at her as she guided Evelyn and Cyranus back.

"Flank outwards, towards the rear, move slowly. No advance on it unless necessary."

Morgana snapped out the orders. She was not entirely sure if the soldiers would understand it. If they had been from Camelot then it would have made sense. The men stirred restlessly, glancing at each other as they processed Morgana's words.

"Don't waste time!" Morgana hissed through gritted teeth. The creature lowered it's shoulders and hissed back. It snarled again.

"My Lady, I can distract her," Cyranus said.

"You are free to so some ridiculous suicidal gesture as a last resort. You've lost too much blood to be useful for anything else. It's not exactly the first time I've had to face danger, I do have some training in this."

"Not in dealing with things like this."

Morgana flinched. If she had control of her magic, she would be useful. The best thing she could do now is hope for enough of a delay to allow reinforcements to arrive. She watched the beasts nostrils flare, it's nose rising as it sniffed, whiskers twitching.

"It can smell blood," Morgana said.

"Me," Cyranus said. "Take Evelyn and run for the stables, I can hold her off. Please Morgana, listen to me, this situation is..."

He got no further as the creature dived forward. Morgana held up the sword.

"No, Morgana! I can..."

Cyranus stopped talking, his voice suddenly locking up. He couldn't move, he held Evelyn close and the young princess clung to him desperately. Protecting her was his job. Morgana stepped forward to protect the pair, her body shifted in reaction as she realised, the creature tried to jump over her to follow the scent of blood. Morgana stabbed forwards, aiming just past the creature's front leg and the blade slid in through it's ribs. The creature roared, flailing in the air as Morgana struck. Morgana yelped as the beast lashed out on reflex, the claws catching her arm. She flew sideways, losing her grip on the sword, and the cat-like creature crashed to the floor, slowly righting itself.

Morgana raised her head, feeling a little dizzy, scrabbling to grab the sword while the beast lumbered to it's feet. The sounds behind her seemed to mute down as there was crashing and banging. Instead she locked eyes with the creature, who blinked and staggered as the wound caused it to falter. Morgana's fingers thankfully touched the cool, smooth leather binding the sword hilt, leaning over she took a firmer grip, eyes staying on the injured cat. The beast snarled looking almost apathetic as it did so, and it's head ducked. It gave another snarl as Morgana tried to stand up, keeping the sword in her hand.

Then the beast ducked it's head, snarling again, not in an aggressive tone. Morgana stepped forward, holding out her free hand, as she heard something close to regret in the animal's tone. The creature blinked and moaned again as the voices behind Morgana snapped into reality and she turned.

"No!" Merlin screamed, running towards her. The beast limped away and Morgana blinked as she watched Merlin run into the darkness, hot on it's tail. Percival picked up a screaming Evelyn, holding her close and hugging her gently, as if she was still a child. He shifted the girl to one hip, his muscles rippling as he held the twelve year old as if she was a baby. Evelyn sobbed onto his shoulder as Percival, at the same time, tried to help steady her.

Morgana dropped the sword with a clatter and flinched as Cenred took her arm.

"You're hurt."

"Captain Cyranus is worse," Morgana said trying to fight off Cenred, although he didn't let her go and Percival shifted Evelyn's weight again to help the man onto his feet. Cyranus swayed and lowered his head.

"I have failed you Sire."

"On the contrary, I think you did well," Morgana said. Cenred tightened his grip on her arm.

"Let's get back into the hall."

"What about Merlin?" Morgana asked.

"The Prince can look after himself." Cenred's voice rose, sounding angry and resolute. The soldiers shifted again, some following and three staying to pick up their comrade. Cenred walked Morgana and drew her closer to Percival who still held the sobbing Evelyn. Cenred reached out to stroke her hair.

"It's all right Evie."

Evelyn slowly lifted her head. "Father? I was frightened. Morgana was brave."

"It's all right now Little Princess. Come on, your mother will be worried. Take her in."

Percival nodded and did exactly as he was told. Cenred paused, holding Morgana's arm but he glared at Lancelot.

"Find out why she was loose!"

That was when it occurred to Morgana. Cyranus had also referred to the beast as she.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Morgana!" Gaius bustled forwards seeing the seeping wound and blood running down her arm. Cyranus allowed himself to be put down into a chair.

"I need something on the wound to help control the bleeding."

"Here," Hunith said offering a cloth. It was clean, and plentiful since she had ordered spare linen from the kitchen in readiness of the banquet.

"Captain," Hunith added, taking more linen to press against his wounds.

"They both need their wounds washing, let me look," Gaius ordered lifting the material back from Cyranus' wounds.

"You deal with Morgana," Cenred ordered.

Gaius looked up in shock.

"I can deal with Cyranus," Hunith said.

"Don't wash the wound directly, the bleeding is slowing, you will take away the body's good work if you do. He's lost a lot of blood, I'm amazed he still standing."

"I had to protect the Princess, and Lady Morgana."

"Now they are safe and well," Hunith said gently.

"And two of my men are dead!" a man snapped storming into the hall.

"Lord Richmond?" Hunith asked in shock. He didn't even acknowledge her, instead he focused on the king.

"They were found in an alleyway, ripped to pieces by this creature that appears to be something to do with your household."

Cenred growled at the ripple that occurred, Morgana looked up, wincing as Gaius dabbed her wounds.

"Hunith, I need more linen and silk thread to stitch the wound."

"Honey will prevent infection," Morgana added.

"Yes, it will," Gaius said.

"Percival! Show Gaius where Merlin's apothecary is, I dare say Camelot's finest physician will understand what is in there," Cenred announced.

"Yes, My Lord."

Percival led Gaius away and the rest of them lingered around the hall. Morgana watched warily. Evelyn clung to her mother.

"This thing was kept here! Is this some plot to remove us?" a noble shouted. Morgana watched the hall ripple with tension. That was why it was so easy to blame those with magic. Camelot's influence had spread over the years.

"Sire," Lancelot stepped forward, having eased his way into the halls, past the clusters of shocked, whispering people. "I do not believe this was Freya's fault."

Morgana stared up, eyes widening. Evelyn also stared, while she stayed as close to her mother as possible. Gaius came scurrying back, without Percival in tow and Morgana hardly noticed as he started to clean her wound, assessing it carefully. Cyranus flinched as Hunith started to do the same, but he made no complaint.

"That beast has a name, what were you planning?" Richmond demanded.

Cenred said nothing for a moment, staring at him with dark eyes. The sheer stillness of the king as he glared at one of his subjects seemed to remind people of who they were dealing with. Even Richmond swallowed heavily as Cenred stared at him. Then the king, without warning, suddenly seemed to snap out of his psychotic contemplation and he turned to Lancelot.

"What's your report?"

"Freya was in the alleyway, there is no doubt that she killed Lord Richmond's men. It is along her route to... her room," Lancelot paused, and used a slightly more tactful word, "along the western wall, she passes some of the taverns that way."

"What relevance is this?" Richmond demanded.

Lancelot's eyes glanced in the Lord's direction but only for a split second, he returned his gaze to the king to add.

"The tracks in the dirt are clear enough, they dragged her into the alleyway, and their clothes, as I found them, were in disarray."

Despite using euphemisms Lancelot's intonation appeared clear enough.

"And it too soon for Freya's affliction to have come upon her, I believe she panicked and caused the shift sooner."

"And killed my men!"

"They attacked her first," Hunith announced calmly.

Richmond turned to glare at her, then blinked as Cenred stepped closer to her, and his daughter, who still had her hands latched on her mother's gown. Evelyn's dress looked rumpled and her coronet had fallen askew on her head. Hunith now had her hands and dress covered with blood where she tended to Cyranus. Evelyn appeared to sense something. Morgana watched as the girl's face changed. She had Hunith's colouring but at that moment Morgana realised she had Cenred's features, her jaw set in the same way as her father's, and her hazel eyes turned flat. King and Princess both glared at Richmond daring him to say anything. Cenred again suddenly seemed to snap his attention to something else, he turned to Lancelot.

"Make sure the bodies are dealt with, have the soldiers patrol but if she's found no one should approach."

"And the prince?" Lancelot asked carefully.

"My son can take care of himself."

Morgana winced slightly as Gaius drew the needle through to sew her arm and she gritted her teeth keeping silent and forcing the threatening tears back.

Again; in a roundabout way, she had managed to clash with Merlin.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Merlin ran without thinking, his heart pounding as he took a corner. He let his senses flare out, almost knowing where Freya would run. And he was right.

She lingered at the entrance to the dungeon, at the short staircase she took to the place she locked herself into every night, to keep people safe. To keep herself safe. If she willingly imprisoned herself then she could be accepted. She had been.

Merlin winced as Freya hauled herself into the cell, crashing against the side of the bars before righting herself. He hurried in after her and she turned, snarling. Merlin paused, holding out his hand and she looked at him, her teeth still bared. After a moment she snarled and then lowered her head, looking up and giving a low growl. Merlin stepped closer hearing no aggression in her tone, just a note of sadness. He touched her shoulder gently, stroking down her back. Freya moaned again and fell onto her side. Merlin knelt beside her, watching her twitch, then he reared back as he saw the signs of her change.

It was too soon, he knew that, which meant that something was wrong. Everything seemed wrong. Especially as her sad, dark eyes stared up at him.

"Merlin."

"It's all right, you'll be all right, I can..."

He pressed his hands to her wounds. Even as he did so he could feel the life force flickering, trying to stay, survival instinct running through her body, but it wouldn't be strong enough.

"No!" Freya snapped, her hand clenched on his wrist.

For a moment they fought, Freya putting all her remaining strength into stopping him. She snarled, feeling the beast inside her rise again.

"I won't let you, I know the penalty."

"I can heal you!"

"Only at cost to yourself, I am too far gone and you are more important than I am."

"Not to me!" Merlin hissed.

"Don't you do this. Not for me. I was lost before you even found me. This was going to happen. You can't change what happened to me. If you could, you would have done so."

Freya pushed his hand away feeling his body relax in shock at her words. She was right, she knew it. Worse than that, Merlin knew it, and could hardly accept it, but he had to.

"I tried."

Freya closed her eyes, sighing heavily. "I know you did. I know. But you couldn't, and you can't now. Even if you save me, you cannot change this, and you are too important for me to let that happen. Who would you kill in my place?"

Merlin's breath hitched and he pulled her close. Freya rested her face against his chest, breathing in and taking in his scent. Her senses were heightened, the beast in her close to the surface but too weak to break out. Freya's hand clenched on Merlin's clothes, her knuckles turning white as she gripped on.

"Take me out of here!" she whispered desperately. "I don't want it to be here!"

She felt Merlin move, felt the power rippling within his lithe body as he shifted his grip to lift her up in his arms. Merlin cradled her to his chest and felt Freya rest her head on his shoulder. Turning on his heel he walked out of the cell and made his way back up the stairs and into the open air. The soldiers that saw him, patrolling for any sign of him, or Freya, took one look at his face and wisely backed off. Several of the men went to inform the king and more than a few also told Percival what they had seen. Three of them deliberately told him first.

Cenred headed for the courtyard, reports telling him that Merlin had been heading that way. When Cenred reached it he saw no sign of his son until he heard the clattering of hooves.

Merlin rode out of the stable, astride one of his younger mares Patience; a name that seemed rather ironical given the animal's personality. As a soldier moved too close she flailed a hind leg at him as Merlin cantered past. He held Freya in his arms and he thundered towards the main gate. The men guarding the archway fell away, a few of them flying several feet, which told Cenred that Merlin wasn't letting anyone near. He clenched his jaw and then turned as another set of hoofbeats echoed across the courtyard.

Percival had brought Blaze out and as Cenred turned he swung up into the saddle. As he settled on the stallion's back he glanced at Cenred, who nodded. He probably couldn't stop the huge knight anyway. He would follow Merlin and Cenred didn't doubt that Percival would bring him home.

In his own mind, Percival wasn't thinking about the getting Merlin home part. He just decided that Merlin needed keeping an eye on. It made Percival wonder when he had suddenly become the dispassionate one. Most of the time Merlin acted in a calculating fashion, making decisions without emotions getting in the way.

Freya, however, made Merlin something of a loose cannon. He was in love with her. Percival had decided that a long time ago, and he knew, in the end, it would come something as abrupt as this. Now he eased Blaze out into the open ground beyond the castle, following in Merlin's wake. The moon was not full but close enough that it illuminated the way and Merlin had lit his own path with an orb that danced close to him. Percival didn't rush in, he stayed behind Merlin, taking his time, losing him on occasion, and finding him again. He didn't need to worry, he could pause, take safer longer routes.

He knew Merlin well enough to know where he would take the dying Freya.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Merlin held her, keeping her still, peaceful form against his body, trying to take some of the acceptance she had into himself.

He couldn't. So he did what he needed to do, and Percival watched from the shadows.

"I know you're there!" Merlin eventually yelled.

At that Percival stopped lingering in the trees bringing Blaze with him and tying his reins on the same branch as Patience's. The mare jerked her head up and tried to bite Blaze's nose. Blaze flattened his ears and snorted at her. Percival ignored them, grandfather and granddaughter would work it out on their own, he walked down and stopped two paces behind Merlin, and just to his left.

"I know you know," Percival said. "I just thought I should wait until you wanted me, or until you tried to do something stupid."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. When you do it, I'll know. I usually do. Remember that water incident?"

Merlin gave a short giggle which drifted close to tears. "Yes. This isn't like that though."

"No. It's not. I'm sorry."

Out of the corner of his eye Percival saw Merlin's jaw clench, his eyes fixed on the burning casket drifting across the lake. The only ripples on the water's surface came from the movement of the boat as it drifted across the water. Seeing the expression on Merlin's face Percival did something he hadn't done since he was fourteen, and Merlin twelve, he reached out and put his arm around Merlin's shoulders, pulling the prince to his side. Merlin's head dropped onto his friend's broad shoulder and Merlin took several hitching breaths.

He probably wouldn't cry, not yet anyway, Percival thought, not like that last time, when the old dog that Merlin had adopted from the kennels had died. Merlin's hadn't shown any reaction when his father had been around. It had only been at night when Percival, obeying some instinct in him that knew Merlin well enough, clambered into Merlin's bed and cuddled him, letting Merlin sob into his chest.

As Merlin shifted position, although he didn't pull away from Percival, what he said, didn't surprise the knight in the slightest.

"I suppose my father sent you."

"No," Percival said placidly, ignoring the aggression in Merlin's tone. Now he was upset, he wanted a fight. Percival was very good at not giving him one. "I followed you and then realised what you were doing. Blaze was in the other stable so I saddled him up to follow you. I am capable of choosing to do things for myself you know."

Merlin sniffed. "Is everyone all right?"

"A few wounds and three dead, two of those were Richmond's."

He felt Merlin tense. "That wasn't Freya's fault."

"No, I saw Lancelot on his way back to make his report to your father. They clearly tried to... take advantage of her. She changed early, from that she wouldn't have been able to control anything. None of it was anyone's fault."

"This shouldn't have happened!"

"You can't even try to blame anyone, and certainly not Morgana. If she had known then maybe she wouldn't have inflicted a fatal wound."

He felt Merlin tense against him.

"All she saw was Freya in that form, and she had Evelyn behind her. You can't blame her for what she did. You should have told her, I don't doubt Morgana would have understood."

"She's from Camelot!" Merlin snarled. Percival blinked at the venom in Merlin's tone.

"And has known she had magic, while she was there. And quite frankly it's not like you to make assumptions like that."

That was when Merlin's breath did hitch violently and Percival tightened his grip drawing Merlin close again as his friend started to sob. Percival clung on, rubbing his hand up and down Merlin's back, doing the only thing he could in situations like this.

Be there.


	25. Chapter 25

**This is a bit of a feeble chapter but if I don't post it then this story does not move on and I need to kick it up the arse to get going from now on. **

Morgana turned on the bed, a small whimper escaping from her mouth as she gasped. Her hair had been neatly brushed before she had gone to bed, Hunith had taken extra care to spend time with the traumatised young woman who had defended her daughter. Merlin, after two days, remained absent. He and Percival had come across a patrol and sent word back of where they were. Merlin did not want to be at court but would patrol instead, for a few days at least.

What Morgana had done nagged at her mind, and her head turned on the pillow and she moaned again. She writhed on the bed and then her eyes flashed open.

She screamed. Sitting up in bed Morgana hollered and then looked around. The candle that April had put out before leaving now flared into life, the flame exploding upwards, bursting red, sending sparks into the air. It danced about on the end of the wick as Morgana screamed again. The flame shot up again and she screamed and screamed, the dream still with her as she reacted in panic.

It brought the household running. Hunith, flung the door open, staring with wide eyes at the flames rippling over the curtains. On her heels April took swift action grabbing a nearby jug of water and pouring it onto the flames. Gaius ran in from his own rooms, staring at shock at the damage and then at a screaming Morgana.

Her eyes stared into the middle distance, as if she wasn't really aware of what was around her. As Hunith reached her Morgana flinched back, but Hunith still managed to take hold of her and pull her close.

"Get more water!" April ordered the guard who had hurtled down the corridor at the sound of screams. Hunith left them to limit the damage as she held the distraught woman. By then Morgana's screams had increased and Hunith struggled to keep her under control. April and the soldier got the fire under control and as soon as he realised the female members of the royal household were safe he ran off to wake, and inform, the king of what was occurring.

Gaius shuffled quickly across the room, reaching for Morgana to help Hunith try and contain her. Morgana continued to struggle, her eyes unfocussed as she fought them. April glanced at the damp, now fire damaged curtains, to make sure there were no traces of embers before turning to the bed and clambering on the opposite side helped Hunith settle a screaming and sobbing Morgana back into the bed.

"Is there something you can give her," April asked glancing up at the physician.

Gaius frowned, then nodded, having spent a bit of time familiarising himself with the contents of Merlin's pharmacy.

"I think so, I'll find something. I thought her bracelet was helping."

Hunith frowned, moving the covers to draw out Morgana's now limp arm. Wrapped around her wrist was the bracelet that Morgause had given her. Lifting her gaze Hunith eyed Gaius in concern.

"Shouldn't it work, has Morgause done something to it?"

Gaius shook his head. "I do not know. Let me find something to calm her and then I can perhaps research the issue. I presume it was helping her, she had not dreamt for weeks."

Hunith nodded. The best thing to do was deal with what was happening now before looking deeper into the issues. Gaius took Hunith curt nod as agreement and he hurried away to get what he needed.

Once he had gone Hunith concentrated on soothing Morgana, who had settled slightly but still stirred restlessly. Looking at her now, her eyes closed, eyelids flickering, Hunith wondered if she had even been awake when the drama had occurred.

She pulled the blanket up, to cover Morgana up more fully as she heard a set of familiar footsteps. Cenred stalked into the room, glancing at the damage done to the curtains and then at the restless girl on the bed. He assessed her carefully, almost detachedly, before looking to Hunith.

"What happened?"

"I can only assume a nightmare. Gaius has gone to find her something to help her."

"What about that damn bracelet?!"

"She's still wearing it, and lower your voice," Hunith hissed as Morgana shifted again giving another low moan. Cenred glared at her but did as he was told. April ignored them and moving away from the bed concentrated on clearing up the mess of burnt material, and she would need to mop up the water that she had thrown everywhere.

"Merlin never did anything like this."

"He's set fire to things before," Hunith said.

"While he was conscious and that was an accident."

"So was this," Hunith said. "I don't think she's even aware of what just happened."

She ran a hand over Morgana's forehead, tightening the already tight covers.

"I can send out a patrol to bring Merlin back," Cenred said. "He needs to keep a better eye on her. Captain."

Cenred turned to glare at the head of the royal bodyguards, who had just appeared, closely followed by Gaius, carrying a small vial. Gaius hurried across the room and Hunith helped sit Morgana up to get her to drink the potion. She did so quite willingly, although her eyes never opened and she never acknowledged either person. As Cenred started to talk in a low tone to Cyranus Hunith left Morgana with Gaius and went over to them, just catching the tail end of Cyranus' explanation of why he was absent.

"I left Harry here, I had to check on the guard rotation."

"And he needs to sleep occasionally," Hunith added. "The rest of the guards as just as competent."

Cenred decided not to argue with her, just at that moment anyway. Huffing heavily he turned his gaze on Cyranus.

"Lancelot's still in the barracks isn't he?"

"Yes, Sire."

"Send him out to fetch Merlin. He knows the rotation of the patrols so he shouldn't have any issue finding him."

"Yes, My Lord." Cyranus turned but then stopped as Hunith added her own instruction.

"And find someone to go to the druid camp in the northern forest, tell Iseldir we could probably use some help."

Cyranus glanced at Cenred, who didn't even look at him, instead he stared at Hunith. The captain of the guard made his way out. Cenred hadn't immediately contradicted the order so Cyranus knew he was free to follow it.

"What do we need him for?"

"He was good enough for Merlin, and he has other considerations, especially at the moment. Iseldir should be able to help her in the same way."

Cenred didn't look too pleased, but he didn't appear to want to argue with her either. Quite often, in her own quiet way, she ended up being right. Staring down at her calm face he couldn't even begin to argue with her. He continued to look at her as she turned her head as Gaius cautiously made his way towards them.

"Is she all right?"

"Sleeping deeply now. I've never known anything like this before."

"Did she say anything? About the dream she had?" Cenred demanded. Gaius glanced at him.

"Not really, My Lord. I don't think she was entirely awake when what happened happened. Although she said something about being cold."

"I can find some more blankets," Hunith said. Gaius shook his head.

"No, it didn't sound quite like that. I think she was talking about someone else, or something else, she said it felt cold."

"You have no idea what that could mean?" Cenred demanded. Gaius shook his head.

"None Sire."

"Could this be something to do with Morgause? That bracelet she is wearing is supposed to control her visions. Quite frankly I wouldn't put anything past that sorceress."

"I cannot say for certain," Gaius said. "If we have any books in the library, I may be able to find out some information."

"Merlin or Iseldir may be able to answer that," Hunith said.

Cenred glanced at her, again being right and he sighed.

"We'll get word to both of them, in the meantime Gaius can try and find out something."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Lancelot didn't have much trouble locating Merlin, because Merlin had been riding back towards the castle, Percival, as usual, trailing behind him. When Lancelot had met them on the road, having asked a few questions in the nearby hamlet to find out if the patrol had taken the route he suspected, Merlin met him along the way. One look at Merlin's face told him something had happened. He filled Merlin in on Morgana's nightmare, concluding with.

"Hunith sent for Iseldir as well."

Merlin nodded.

"So the bracelet doesn't work, or Morgause is planning to use her somehow," Percival said.

"Morgana's power is natural," Merlin informed him. "The bracelet is an enchantment designed to subdue the dreams. However, she can still dream but the force of them will be diminished, and strong premonitions will still manifest. Still, let's not rule Morgause out of anything."

Percival subdued into silence, glancing at Merlin. Lancelot frowned, seeing the odd look in the knight's eyes.

"Is everything all right?" Lancelot asked looking from one to the other.

"I need to speak to my father," Merlin said.

Lancelot didn't say any more, instead he let his horse fall in behind Percival's and they galloped back towards the castle. By the time they returned, Cenred had already learnt what might have caused Morgana's troubles.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"I had word from Gwaine," Merlin said from his place at the council table. Word was a mild term for what Gwaine had done. He had used one of the stones practically hurling it into the water to get Merlin's attention. Merlin hadn't even bothered to look for a water source, instead he just conjured enough himself, to reply to Gwaine.

"Did he give any information on what happened?" Cenred asked.

It had been concise but with enough detail.

"What the hell Gwaine?!" Merlin had started the conversation.

"I thought you might need to know that Uther is dying!"

Even Merlin lost the power of speech for a few seconds. "What? How?"

"That attack was aimed at Arthur, an assassin moved in after the banquet to celebrate Arthur's birthday. Uther stepped in to stop the attack, and he was wounded. Nothing can be done for him."

"Is Arthur all right?" Merlin asked.

"As well as can be expected," Gwaine had snapped. "What do you think Merlin?!"

"I think it's too soon. Keep an eye on him! I'll get back to you!"

Whatever rude retort Gwaine yelled at him Merlin didn't have time for, he cut off the connection and he and Percival had ridden back as fast as they could.

"It's something we could take advantage of," one of the councillors announced. "Arthur is too young to really take charge. Camelot will weaken under his rule."

Merlin had been looking down at the time, thinking of his own plan. At the words, and the murmurs of agreement that followed, his head rose and his icy gaze swept the room of nobles that made up the council.

"It will do no such thing," Merlin snarled, "Because I will not allow it."

"You would save Uther Pendragon?"

Merlin paused. He probably could, he knew enough healing spells, but it broke the natural order. Uther was dying from a fatal wound, Merlin could heal it, but he had no affection for the king of Camelot. Arthur was Merlin's concern, with Uther out of the way, Merlin could get what he wanted.

"Uther is not the concern, Arthur is. If he takes the throne then it's time."

"For what?" Horaice asked.

"Me," Merlin said. He looked at Cenred. "I need to go to Camelot."

"We'll discuss this privately," Cenred said and then glared at the council. "Gentlemen."

Neither king nor prince waited for the men to disperse, instead the pair of them stood up and left the room. Percival moved from his position and followed, as did Lancelot. They tailed the king and prince into the private corridor which Merlin had warded so nothing and no one could overhear.

"Are you sure about this Merlin?"

"Arthur will be vulnerable, and he trusts me. Camelot may be a strong kingdom, but we're stronger in some ways. He may be susceptible to suggestions."

"It will strengthen us further if Camelot falls into line with us. Do you think you will be safe heading into Camelot? As far as the law there is concerned you are it's enemy."

"Arthur knows I am not," Merlin said. "It cannot hurt to try a little friendly overture."

"How long will you need?"

"A week maybe two. The other kings will start to circle like vultures."

"You'll just do so in a closer proximity."

Merlin smirked. His father did not need to know his whole agenda. Merlin knew it would not harm his kingdom to ally it with Camelot, getting straight to Arthur made for the easiest option.

"What of Morgana?" Cenred asked. "She still needs guidance."

"Iseldir can help, the best thing for her is to probably go to the druid camp. It may give her a better understanding, and they can control any emotional disruptions."

"We also have to consider her safety."

"Lancelot can protect her, and the druids can look after themselves. Plus Kilgharrah can watch over her, he no doubt already does."

"There is the issue of Morgause," Cenred snarled. "She will try again to manipulate Morgana, or any situation she finds herself in."

"I will deal with her if it comes to that."

"You should have killed her when you had the chance."

"If I regret what I did, she will regret it more."


	26. Chapter 26

Arthur walked to his chambers, head pounding. He didn't know what to do. What he wanted was to get ready for a hunt and ride away forgetting all the nuances of what needed to be done to run the kingdom. Now he couldn't escape it. He had all of an hour in his chambers, on his own, to get his thoughts together and go back to the council with an answer.

"Sire?"

Arthur groaned inwardly as George hurried down the corridor towards him. He didn't turn around as he stood by his chamber door. He didn't open it, Arthur didn't want George coming in with him.

"Do you require anything My Lord?"

"George, I'm fine, I don't need anything."

"Shall I bring some refreshments?"

It took all of Arthur's self control not to spin round and yell at the poor servant, who didn't deserve it; but as he spoke the edge in his voice hinted just how close he was to losing his temper.

"No, thank you George. All I want is five minutes to myself."

He heard the shuffling of George's boots as he shifted nervously, and with some confusion. However, the young servant was wise enough to know realise that Arthur didn't want him hanging around and the king's shoulders dropped as he heard George's feet shuffle away.

"Yes, My Lord."

Arthur didn't need to look round to know that George was bowing respectfully, even though Arthur couldn't see him. The sudden respectful behaviour was even getting on his nerves. He couldn't remember any of the servants being this careful around him. They had been around Uther but he was the king. Arthur closed his eyes, ignoring the flicker of pain that the thought of his father always brought. Instead he opened the door and walked through it, shutting it behind him. The sound of the latch clicking seemed almost blissful, a hint that he now had peace and quiet. Arthur closed his eyes, resting his head back, then brought his hands up to his head running his fingers into his hair. He crossed the room and went to the window, dropping his forehead against the glass with a thud, looking out over Camelot, severely having to remind himself exactly why he had to suffer in this way.

"Bad day?"

Arthur tensed, head lifting. He yanked his fingers free of his tangled hair, hand going to his sword as he spun on his heel to scan the room and locate the person who had clearly broken in. Arthur's eyes widened as he stared at the familiar figure sat at his desk, the papers brushed aside so Merlin could rest his feet on the wooden surface.

"How the..," Arthur started and stopped, then tried again. "What are you...?" That one failed. Stepping closer in Arthur frowned and attempted a third one. "That's my wine you're drinking!"

"It's very good," Merlin announced taking another sip and looking entirely unrepentant. Although at that point he had the decency to pour some into a second goblet. Dropping his feet off the desk Merlin slowly stood up. Arthur tensed, hand clenching on his sword. Merlin either didn't noticed or wasn't worried about it. Instead he answered Arthur's stumbling questions.

"I snuck in past your guards, and I came as soon as I heard what happened. I would have been quicker but a nest of Wyverns were causing some damage on your eastern range. I thought it was best to deal with them first."

Arthur blinked, unsure what he wanted to feel. On the one hand it didn't say much for his security that someone had broken through, on the other Arthur felt a surge of relief at seeing Merlin. A Merlin who looked calm and reassuring. Arthur stopped gripping the hilt of his sword as Merlin held out the goblet and said.

"And if I was attacking, I'd have done it by now."

"If you're not you are the only one who isn't," Arthur mused taking the goblet and swallowing a mouthful. He backed up and slumped down onto the nearest window sill. Merlin shifted closer, leaning his shoulder against the wall, glancing out of the window to look at the town below.

"That bad?" Merlin asked.

"I've got Caerleon moving in over the border, and the council want to retaliate against Odin."

Merlin frowned. "Odin?"

Arthur looked up, and sighed heavily. "He sent the assassin. The attack was aimed at me, but my father..."

Merlin winced as Arthur's breath hitched.

"Stepped in. He was stabbed in the attack."

"I'm sorry," Merlin said, his voice genuine. He doubted he would lose much sleep over Uther's death, but Arthur was still grieving, and upset over what had happened. Arthur nodded, but he didn't speak for a moment.

"Why would Odin attack you?" Merlin eventually asked. Arthur drew his gaze away from the view and looked at Merlin.

"You don't know."

Merlin shook his head.

"I killed Odin's son. He challenged me to a duel. It's not something I am very proud of. He looked so scared."

"Did you have to kill him?" Merlin asked. Arthur winced and swallowed heavily.

"He would have killed me if I hadn't. He left me with no choice. I guess he wanted to prove something."

Merlin didn't comment. It was something Uther had often boasted about. Arthur's prowess with a sword. Many sons of the nobles came to Camelot in order to join the ranks of the knights, and all of them had to prove themselves to Arthur. When it came to knights and nobles who were considered to be expert swordsmen around the kingdoms Merlin hardly ever got a mention. He tried not to let it irk him, although constant digs about Arthur had made him quite resentful of Camelot's prince, until he had met him. Merlin considered what Arthur had said and then asked.

"Don't you want to retaliate?"

"I think the grievance is entirely justified. But I can't just let it go, he tried to kill me, and he's killed the King of Camelot. It's not a small thing. The council wants to go to war, but with Caerleon making a move I can't have the army in two places at once."

"What do you want to do?" Merlin asked.

Arthur turned and looked at Merlin, there was surprise in his eyes and Merlin saw the semblance of a smile flicker over Arthur's lips.

"You know, you're the first person to ask me that."

"Even your own council think they can bully you," Merlin mused. Arthur gave a short huff of laughter, but it faded quickly and he reached up to rub his forehead.

"They keep telling me what my father would have done, and that I can't afford to show any weakness. I'm not good at this sort of thing. If it hadn't been for my uncle I don't know how I would have even got through this week."

"Your uncle?" Merlin asked, feigning ignorance.

"Lord Agravaine, my mother's brother. He came to Camelot when he heard. He and my father never got on."

Merlin nodded. He had a version of events from Gwaine, who had reported his first instinct of Arthur's uncle very succinctly.

"I don't trust him as far as I could kick him," Gwaine had announced.

Merlin decided to reserve judgement, but it seemed an interesting co-incidence that Agravaine decided to turn up so soon after Uther's fatal wound. He knew the stories about the animosity between Uther Pendragon and the house of du Bois, consisting of Igraine's brothers. One dead by Uther's hand during a duel, the other banished. Merlin didn't comment.

"Caerleon tried the same thing when my father took the throne," Merlin mused. "He used rather drastic action to get him to back off."

"I know the stories. I'm not sure I want to go that far."

"It may not be necessary. Caerleon will test your boundaries, but it's not just a measure of how strong you are, it's a case of maybe pointing out that not every kingdom is prepared to take advantage."

"You mean you," Arthur said, Merlin watched the smile start on Arthur's face again.

"Maybe," Merlin drawled. "We are the two most powerful kingdoms, it will make any of the others think twice before taking any action. Besides, Olaf, Alined and Godwyn all signed the peace treaty that Uther drew up. None of them can make a move without violating that and it could not only bring them into conflict with you but the others who signed the treaty."

"I just want to go hunting," Arthur said staring at the woods longingly. Merlin smirked.

"Killing wildlife solves everything."

"I wish." Arthur paused and looked at Merlin, who regarded him steadily. "Thank you for coming. It means a lot."

Merlin smiled. "I know it's not easy."

Arthur's eyes tensed, a flicker of pain visible for a moment. "No, you understand that."

He watched Merlin tense, something more than pain passed over his face, and for that moment Arthur felt vaguely disconcerted, then a frown and comprehension appeared to dawn on Merlin. For a moment he had thought of Freya, but then he realised Arthur knew nothing of that. He was talking of Balinor. Arthur shifted uncomfortably, assuming that Merlin was considering the circumstances of Balinor's death.

"I don't think," Merlin said slowly. "That it is quite in the same league. I don't want to contemplate how I would feel it if was my mother, or my adoptive father."

Neither of them spoke for a moment, instead they stared out of the window. Arthur watched the people wandering to and fro. They had all mourned his father, but now they carried on, their lives went on and Arthur had to be there for them, to lead them. He wondered if they really thought about it, considering him having to take over, flailing around, not entirely certain of what he was doing. Thinking all the while that he wasn't his father, and knowing that others thought exactly the same thing.

"I would think Caerleon is the first thing to deal with, at least directly yourself. What do you want to do about Odin?"

Arthur sighed. "I don't want to go to war with him, maybe just try to make peace with him, somehow."

"You presumably have someone who could draft a letter to him. I don't think even Odin is stupid enough to leave Camelot without any sort of leadership. He has taken revenge on you in a way. Two wrongs don't make a right but you might be able to salvage something."

"Geoffrey can probably draft something, he did most of that sort of thing for my father."

"Get him doing it for you. Anything else ongoing?"

"My father was in talks with Nemeth, over the disputed lands of Gedref. Although he was trying to hint at perhaps sealing the treaty with a marriage; mine, to Princess Mithian."

"I thought he had his eye on Princess Elena, as a suitable match," Merlin said.

"What?!" Arthur yelped. Merlin grinned.

"You didn't know that?"

"No; gods, I sound like a stud stallion."

Merlin sniggered.

"If you want help with Caerleon... I can stay for a while."

"Don't you have your own kingdom to run?" Arthur said and then blinked. "Sorry that sounded a bit rude."

Merlin shrugged. "I've probably got a couple of weeks before my father would want to call me back. Quite frankly I don't want to be at court for the moment."

"Morgana causing trouble?" Arthur asked, his eyes darkening as he looked troubled. "How is she?"

"She is well. She's staying at one of the druid camps for the moment. There is no doubt she needs some training, I think my old tutor can handle her."

"Her magic?" Arthur asked nervously.

"It's growing, and it's better to get it under control now. She needs to learn not to be frightened of it, if nothing else."

"Growing up here didn't help," Arthur said grimly. "Is Gaius with her?

"No, my mother is fussing over him, and he's making himself very at home in my pharmacy."

"I keep thinking, that if he'd been here then my father might still be alive. He wasn't the same, after Morgana had gone. It was like something had died inside him, he was harder and..."

Merlin frowned as Arthur paused, looking as if he was battling himself. He waited a moment to see if Arthur would say anything further. Whatever it was clearly bothered him, but in the end he seemed to push it aside. Judging by the look on Arthur's face Merlin realise it wasn't something that he ought to push.

Before either of them could say anything else they both turned as someone knocked on the door. A second later Leon walked in, Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, Sire but the council are..." Leon paused, frowning as he looked at Merlin. Merlin grinned.

"Sir Leon."

"My Lord," Leon said with a polite bow, his manners asserting themselves even though he sounded confused. "I didn't realise you were here."

"Neither did I until I came in," Arthur said. "I think we need to reassess the security and what do the council want?"

"They wish to reconvene early Sire, and I can check into the security and see where we are lacking."

"Nowhere really," Merlin said slouching against the window and taking another sip of wine. "For anyone generally sneaking in you have most places covered. I have a few advantages."

"So we are fine as long as they don't have magic," Arthur said.

"Actually, they still have to be fairly good. I can put wards on the weak spots, so they focus on those with magic, they will either be trapped or rendered unconscious."

"Including yourself?"

"It would be rather idiotic of me to create spells to attack myself."

"So... there is no getting rid of you really?" Arthur asked. Merlin grinned at him.

"Trust me, you are not the only one who doesn't like that idea; which reminds me."

Merlin lifted his left hand and his eyes glowed, a small spark seemed to flicker an inch or so above his palm. Arthur frowned as a small circle of light seemed to uncurl from the tiny light, coalescing into a ball of what looked like blue smoke. Turning his shoulder Merlin blew on the ball and it shot through the window, floating out onto the air with what appeared to be distinct purpose. Once it was on it's way Merlin turned to Leon.

"Sir Leon, could you inform any guards to let Sir Percival through when he arrives. I don't want him having to start bashing people on the head. It does rather hurt."

Leon frowned, glancing at Arthur. The king of Camelot gave a curt nod. It left Leon with no choice but to do exactly as he had been told. With a brief bow.

"My Lords. Arthur the council are waiting for you."

"I will join them," Arthur said through gritted teeth.

"Shall I as well?" Merlin asked.

"Your opinion will be much appreciated," Arthur said. Merlin raised his eyebrows. He didn't think the council would think the same but Arthur had already followed Leon out of the door. Merlin jogged to catch up to him and walked next to Arthur. During the walk they didn't speak, but Merlin decided the silence felt companionable enough. He had got himself into Camelot, now he just had to stick by Arthur. Arthur didn't seem inclined to throw him out, or try and kill him, which seemed a good sign. The guards on duty by the council chamber gave Merlin curious looks, but since he was side by side with Arthur there wasn't really much they could do. However as they walked into the council chamber, the group of men stood around the table stared at Merlin with ill-concealed shock.

Arthur ambled around to the head of the table indicating for the council members to sit. Merlin lingered a little way in over the threshold, but didn't look uncomfortable, in fact he looked utterly self-assured. The councillors stared at Merlin. Although they probably didn't entirely recognise him, he had only been to Camelot once, to stop Arthur from killing his father. Not that the story had been told in that fashion.

"Gentlemen," Arthur said as he reached the head of the table. They all stared at him curiously. Arthur's gaze moved to Merlin. "Prince Merlin will be joining us."

Merlin didn't do much to conceal the smirk on his face as the councillors started to whisper amongst themselves. He moved to the other end of the table.

"George, would you please get Prince Merlin a chair."

Arthur's servant had been eyeing Merlin with shock, but he jumped to attention at Arthur's words.

"Yes, Sire."

George scurried across the room to bring the chair over. Merlin waited until George had placed it for him.

"Thank you George."

"Sire."

"Arthur, this is most irregular. I didn't even know you had invited him."

"Merlin invited himself, uncle."

Realising who he was Merlin studied Agravaine carefully. He sat on Arthur's right, which made him singularly important, and seemed a swift move considering he had been in Camelot for no more than a couple of weeks.

"Sire, our laws to not tolerate sorcerers."

Merlin frowned at the man who had spoken. " It's good then that I'm not a sorcerer, I'm a warlock."

"You are a magic user."

"I have absolutely no control over whether or not I have magic. You might as well start persecuting people for having birthmarks."

Merlin got a shred of satisfaction watching the older man squirm. Judging by his age a man who had probably been present in Camelot during the great purge.

"Although I hear that used to be definitive proof of magic. Which it's not, so I wonder how many innocent people died."

Arthur coughed. "Merlin. Our laws were put in place for a reason."

"I entirely understand that Arthur," Merlin said smoothly. "Perhaps it is better to stick to the subject at hand."

"I agree," Arthur said with some relief and then turned to his uncle. "You wished to convene the council early, for what reason?"

"We had word," Agravaine said. "Caerleon has taken a village in the valley that runs along the border. He appears to be making his way further into the kingdom. We need to take strong action, or other kingdoms may follow his example."

Merlin glowered at Agravaine as he glanced towards the end of the table.

"Don't look at me. I've got a big enough kingdom, I don't need any more."

"We can take a force out to meet them," Arthur said. "We'll assemble the troops."

"I can lead them," Agravaine said.

"No, I'll do it."

"Sire your place is here," one of the council men announced.

"Chances are," Merlin said. "That Caerleon is leading that force himself. He generally does and Queen Annis tends to take care of the home front."

"I don't have a queen, Merlin," Arthur announced.

"You have a council," Merlin said, eyeing the men around the table carefully. "If you really want to confront Caerleon, go yourself."

"On the other hand," Agravaine said. "We cannot risk the king being in danger."

Arthur frowned, looking put out by that suggestion. Merlin was about to answer, but before he could there was a loud clang from outside, and the sound of something dropping to the floor.

"Percival!" Merlin yelled in reproach. The door opened and the massive knight came though the door, behind him on the floor a soldier sprawled unconscious. Leon didn't appear to know where to focus his attention, his hand rested on the hilt of his sword, glaring at Percival but now and again he glanced at the unconscious man, especially as he stepped over him to follow Percival. As he walked into the room Percival looked thunderous, although the affect was slightly tainted by the cluster of wildflowers held in his left hand.

"The whole point of having Leon meet you was so that you wouldn't have to crack someone over the head," Merlin informed him curtly.

"I am not," Percival rumbled, "an inbred oaf."

Merlin grimaced and sent Arthur a look of apology.

"And what's wrong with my flowers?"

"Nothing Percival, they are very nice," Merlin said, and then turned swiftly to Arthur as Percival's face darkened further. "You don't happen to know where Guinevere is, do you?"

Arthur looked surprised, then glanced at Percival. A flicker of humour appeared in his eyes.

"I'm not sure..." Arthur tailed off and glanced at George, who stopped staring open-mouthed at Percival with shock, and awe. He snapped his jaw shut for a split second and then said.

"Sire, I believe she will be in the wash room, today is laundry day."

"I'm sure Leon can show you the way," Arthur said, rather wanting to get Percival out of the room, while the royal council regarded the furious looking knight with shock.

"Thank you, My Lord, I'm sure I can find my way," Percival said, managing to sound somewhat polite as he spoke to Arthur.

"Go on then!" Merlin urged him. Percival nodded, backed up, stepped over his unfortunate victim and went on his way. Leon stepped back to let him pass, still looking at him uncertainly. He glanced at Arthur.

"Should I accompany him?"

"Leave him, he's better on his own. He's got some news for Gwen and he won't want an audience," Merlin said. He got up and went to the prone man. Crouching down he carefully removed the man's helmet, checking his head over. He gave a groan and Merlin gently turned the man's head to finish his examination. The guard's eyelids fluttered and he opened his eyes, staring up at Merlin in shock. Merlin stared back, examining the man's pupils, then he lifted his hand.

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three," the guard announced looking confused before asking groggily. "What happened?"

"For future reference, never call someone that big and well-muscled an inbred oaf. They are not likely to be very tolerant of it."

The soldier groaned.

"Leon, you'd better take him back to his quarters to rest," Merlin said. "He's going to have a nasty headache for a few hours, but no harm done."

"But there could have been," Agravaine snapped. Merlin looked up.

"Don't worry, Percival knows what he is doing. I've survived his moods long enough."

"Has he ever done that to you?" Arthur asked as Merlin slowly stood up and two other guards came to help carry their comrade away.

"Occasionally, and I've put most of my men through it for good measure."

"Really?" Arthur asked. Merlin grinned.

"Trust me, a few rounds of Percival dodging really sorts the men from the boys."

The council looked close to shocked when Arthur stared at Merlin for a second before he started to laugh. As far as Merlin was concerned, that was a fairly good start.


	27. Chapter 27

"Oh," Guinevere gave a start and almost dropped her washing basket as a huge figure suddenly rounded a corner and appeared in front of her. She reared back, blinking in shock as she stared up at Percival, who looked a little red-faced. As he realised he had her attention he held up the flowers, which thankfully hadn't yet started to wilt. Guinevere blinked as she looked at them.

"They're for you," Percival clarified. "I know you said you liked wildflowers. Please take them, I'm starting to feel like an idiot."

He had just walked through the castle with them, and his angry glare had worn off as he got closer. Percival did not want to greet Guinevere with a bad mood. So then he had just gone red as people stared at him, carrying the flowers. Gwen smiled and put her washing basket down, which did feel heavy and instead took the flowers.

"Thank you, Percival. I didn't think you would have come here."

"Merlin wanted to see Arthur," he said. "And I wanted to see you."

Since Gwen had taken the flowers Percival reached down and picked up the basket of dried washing, frowning as he tested it's weight. He could manage it without any strain but looking Gwen up and down he said.

"You shouldn't be carrying this, it's too heavy."

"I can manage a washing basket, Percival."

"Well, I can carry it for you. Where are you taking it?"

"Back up to Arthur's room, I'm helping George," Gwen said, pointing in the right direction. Percival turned and taking the hint Gwen started to lead the way, Percival tailed her then as they took a corner he moved to walk level with her.

"The flowers are lovely," Guinevere added, which made Percival smile shyly.

"Morgana advised me which ones to pick."

Gwen raised her eyebrows at the confession, and she remembered her lost friend.

"Oh, that was nice. Is Morgana all right? When did she tell you that?"

"She's perfectly well, she's living with the Druids for a while," Percival said. "She told me what you liked before she left. She knew we were coming here to see Arthur."

"I didn't think you would ever come back to Camelot."

"Neither did I but Merlin was worried about Arthur," he said. And Percival was worried about Merlin, not that he had any intention of voicing that concern. It was not like Merlin to avoid his home as he was doing. Freya's death had upset him more than Merlin would ever admit, but Percival could read the signs, and Merlin knew he could. For the most part, Merlin let him.

"It's not been an easy few weeks," Gwen conceded.

"No," Percival agreed.

They walked up a flight of stairs and, turned on the half-landing.

"Who's George?" Percival suddenly asked, looking out of the window rather than at her to hide his blushes. Although, Gwen heard the mildly possessive tone in his voice.

"Arthur's servant. I don't really have a job since Morgana... left, and Uther tried to banish me. He blamed me partly for what happened, and the witchfinder..."

Percival reached out his free hand and gently gripped her arm. "Has it been that bad?"

Gwen paused as he took hold of her and she kept her head down as she answered.

"I'm fine."

That didn't really answer the question. Percival presumed it wasn't meant to. By the look on her face Gwen didn't want to talk about it. Having met Uther once, and once was enough for Percival, he could understand that Gwen might not have had an easy time of it. She had been Morgana's maid, and she would have done anything for her. Including help Morgana escape. There was, Percival presumed, only so much that could be done to Arthur, which meant that other people had probably paid the price.

"We're here. I can take that now."

"Or I can help," Percival announced refusing to relinquish the burden. "There's something I wanted to tell you."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Elyan, are you daydreaming or working?"

"Working," Elyan said pulling the lever to work the bellows. The coals gave a low, dull glow and he thrust the metal into the heat. His body ached, his shoulders, arms, legs, every part of him seemed to moan about working from dawn to dusk, but he couldn't get out of it. If nothing else, he would end up back where he started, and he would have the added burden of Percival's anger.

He now daydreamed while he worked, shoeing one of Merlin's horses. Percival had organised the job. Elyan had spent the last few days trying to work out what that really meant. He had tried building his own forge but although it had looked good at the beginning it had failed, leaving him with too many debts to even contemplate. The money from several sources had failed to turn up. Those debts, the ones that many nobles refused to pay because there was no one to force them, were slowly starting to get paid back. But that had nothing to do with Elyan. He had landed himself in jail.

From that point it hadn't looked as if he was ever getting out, and like every other debt ridden person, he had been arrested and dragged to the court.

It hadn't been an entirely dreadful experience. For a start, he never saw the inside of the courtroom. Instead, when the cell door had opened, a tall, muscled knight wearing Cenred's colours had wandered in. Elyan had slowly got to his feet, feeling a little shaky from lack of water and food. It had been a hard three day journey. However, he had stood as straight as possible, trying to meet the other man's gaze. He didn't make it easy as he looked Elyan up and down intently, eventually bothering to look at his face.

"You're Elyan?"

Elyan frowned, hearing his name spoken with an odd familiarity. It left him speechless for a moment, plus his throat felt a little sore, so he merely nodded. The guard lingering behind the man looked disapproving of him but the knight hardly seemed to register the lack of manners.

"And you're originally from Camelot?"

The lingering guard looked even more disapproving as the neighbouring kingdom was mentioned. Although they were not exactly clashing, relationships were tense to say the least. Elyan had heard some of the gossip, and had felt some concern over the fate of his sister. Even now, as the man stared at him intently, he felt concern. He wasn't quite sure what to say. As he hesitated the knight scowled at him.

"Well, are you?"

Elyan blinked in shock at the irritated tone of voice and without even really thinking about it he nodded, then after coughing to clear his throat he managed to croak out.

"Yes, My Lord."

He wasn't quite sure if that was the right answer as Percival glowered at him, then he turned to glare at the guard behind him.

"You can leave us."

"That's not normal procedure Sir Per..."

Elyan watched Percival's shoulders swivel further round and the guard's eyes widened, and he stepped back, one hand reaching to take a grip of the door to back out of it and carefully pull it until it almost closed. Elyan regarded the scene with wide eyes, leaning back a fraction as Percival turned to glare at him again. It caused a ripple of tension down his spine as he saw Percival's face, and Elyan concluded that the man in front of him had a serious amount of influence. Elyan didn't even know who he was. After looking him up and down again Percival eventually said.

"You're Guinevere's brother?"

Elyan frowned. "What's Gwen go to do with anything?" He heard his voice hardening. He was hardly in a position to do much about the situation, but he felt his defences rising, the usual protectiveness over his younger sister. At the tone of Elyan's voice Percival looked less irritated and more confused.

"She told me about you, and your inclination for getting into trouble."

"I do not!" Elyan had snapped back which had caused a smirk to flicker across Percival's face and he looked Elyan up and down again.

"Really? It's not seeming like that. From what I can see you are in serious debt."

Elyan huffed and bit down on his lip, stepping back as Percival moved forward. He fiddled with something on his belt and Elyan blinked as he produced a key reaching for the shackles around his wrists to release him. The chains dropped to the stone floor with a heavy clatter and Percival turned and walked to the door, pulling it open. He turned and glowered at Elyan, who had stood frozen and silent as the procedure happened.

"Well, come on then. Unless you want to stay in here."

Since Elyan didn't, and considering the fact that one of Cenred's knights appeared to be releasing him, it seemed stupid to cause any trouble he had followed him. No one stopped them until they reached the upper level and Elyan recognised the money lender he had borrowed from.

"Hey! Where are you taking him?"

"That is my business," Percival rumbled. "The money you are owed will be paid."

"Not by him it won't be," the man said glaring at Elyan. Percival straightened up and glowered downwards at the smaller man.

"It will by me."

"Until then you're not taking him anywhere."

"Stop me," Percival challenged. He turned his gaze on Elyan and inclined his head in a hint for Elyan to follow him. Elyan had done as he was told, looking around. The moneylender did the same but not a single guard seemed inclined to want to get involved. All of them glanced at Percival and stayed a good distance away.

It took Elyan an entire day to find out who Percival was, and why no one dared to tangle with him. Percival had arranged for a bath, a clean set of clothes and a room in the barracks, followed by a fairly decent meal.

All things considered, Elyan had to concede, as he lifted the mare's back hoof to fit the shoe, it could have turned out worse.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Is he all right?" Arthur asked as Merlin walked beside him, relaying the tale.

"I think so, I have to say I didn't have much to do with it."

Arthur frowned slightly. "You must give your knights more coin that we do."

"Probably not," Merlin said with a shrug. "Most of Percival's money goes home to his family, but he's has a sideline that keeps him fairly flush."

"Sideline?" Arthur asked. He paused to look at the man in question, talking to Gwen as they walked across the courtyard. As the pair paused Gwen said something and then stretched up on tip-toe, using her grip on Percival's arm to pull him down slightly, to kiss his cheek. Percival went red, looking startled and almost shy. Merlin grinned.

"Ah, young love," he announced, making Arthur smirk. Then almost in the same breath Merlin wiped Arthur's smirk away. "He collects bounties, the first one he picked up by accident, taking the bandit's head off. Bayard had issued a fairly large bounty, so Percival took him the head."

"Gods," Arthur murmured, looking at Percival with some concern. "I thought he was your bodyguard."

Merlin snorted in irritation, but he continued to grin as he watched Percival's stumbling conversational attempts. "I'm not entirely certain how that title came about. I have never really needed a bodyguard. Most of the time he's with me though so I suppose that's why. If I'm trapped at court though, he does get out and about."

"Collecting bounties?"

"Among other things. Don't worry," Merlin said, seeing the expression on Arthur's face. "Gwen will be perfectly safe with him. Percival's careful about who he picks on."

Arthur blinked, his memory turning over, shifting back to the one and only time he had been alone with Percival, in the inn on the way to find Balinor. Arthur remembered the fear that Percival had instilled with the tavern's patrons, and the gentle way he had handled not only the tavern maid but also the little stable boy who he had employed to relay a message to Merlin when he passed through.

"Some of you has rubbed off on him then?" Arthur asked.

Merlin raised his eyebrows, regarding Percival carefully before glancing at Arthur.

"Actually, that's probably the other way round," Merlin mused.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Sire," Gwaine said politely, and very neutrally, as he ran into Merlin in the stables, just as he was leading his horse out. Merlin glanced around, no one was in earshot, and Gwaine probably knew that judging by the look on his face.

"Sir Gwaine. How are you?"

"Fine," Gwaine snapped, glaring at him. Merlin stared back steadily.

"I'm sorry for what I did. What I made you do. At least, I wouldn't have done it if I had any other choice. There was no way I could enter Camelot and deal with Arthur myself."

"You can now it seems, now Uther is gone."

"It was you who wanted to tell me that fact so urgently," Merlin said, smirking slightly. Gwaine's expression darkened, glowering even more.

"I'm not stupid Merlin. You had me over a barrel and I know I have to do what you want of me. All Arthur thinks I did was deliver a message from Morgana. He doesn't even realise that you intervened. As far as he is concerned everything I did here was because I chose to."

"I had to trust that you would tell me what I needed to know at the right time."

"To think that you wouldn't want to know about Uther as soon as possible would be a little daft. But don't think that I agree with it, and I will be keeping a close eye on you. Whatever you have in mind Arthur probably won't deserve."

Gwaine paused long enough to take a breath and let Merlin glower at him. Merlin watched the other man remain utterly unmoved. Despite having backed Gwaine into a corner he was now well settled in Camelot. It gave Gwaine a measure of safety. Not that it would last if his close association with Merlin became known. After a moment Merlin's glare faded, and he looked slightly ashamed of himself.

"I have absolutely no intention of hurting Arthur," Merlin said. "I just needed someone to keep an eye on him, as got proved. Although, there is no reason now to carry on here if you have no wish to, I can relieve you of your obligation."

This time it was Gwaine's turn to glower. "Thank you Sire," he snarled with an obvious sarcastic edge. "That's good to know, however, I have to confess, I am fairly content here. It's not such a bad life."

"Despite all your moaning and groaning," Merlin said. Gwaine's face flickered with humour.

"I suppose. I have no intention of leaving. I am just curious as to why you are so interested in Arthur, and Camelot. To be fair, they are not exactly tolerant of your kind."

"No. Or at least Uther wasn't. I can hope that Arthur is not the same."

Gwaine sighed. "I don't truly believe so."

"Has he been all right?"

"He's coping," Gwaine said. Merlin raised his eyebrows and waited. After a moment he sighed and his shoulders dropped a little. "We're worried about him; the knights. We hardly see him now and he's doing his best, but everyone keeps telling him how his father would have done things. Arthur looked up to Uther, he could end up going the same way."

Merlin rested his shoulder against the wall, folding his arms across his chest.

"And you don't want him to?"

"I've seen him try to do the right thing," Gwaine said, and then looked at Merlin with a slightly resigned expression. "And I can't honestly say that I believe that magic is evil. I got to know Morgana pretty well when we travelled," Gwaine didn't miss the slight narrowing of Merlin's eyes. "And I have to say I don't think you are as bad you are made out to be sometimes."

"Thanks, I think," Merlin said.

"I have seen the bad side though, look at what Morgause did to Arthur. He nearly ended up killing Uther."

"That wouldn't have turned out well," Merlin said, Morgana's description of the vision she saw was fairly graphic. "And what about Agravaine. Arthur seems to trust him quite openly."

Gwaine's jaw tensed. "I don't know. You would think as Arthur's uncle he could be trusted, but there's just something about it, Merlin. Maybe I'm wrong but he moved in fairly quickly when Uther was injured. Arthur is overly trusting of people, I've seen that before."

He sent a slightly accusing gaze at Merlin.

"Despite what you might think, Arthur can trust me."

"I'm curious as to why anyone would believe you," Gwaine said. Merlin shrugged, he looked annoyingly un-offended.

"Fair enough, I have no reason to argue with that. I won't force you to stay in Camelot if you don't want to, but if you are happy to stay, someone who is willing to look out for Arthur is probably what he needs."

"I will do, but I don't have to trust yours or anyone else's motives."

Whatever else Gwaine felt he ought to say he didn't finish. Instead he stepped back away from Merlin and Merlin straightened up again, turning to look as Sir Leon walked into the stables. He looked at Gwaine and then blinked in confusion as he glanced at Merlin, then back to Gwaine again a frown crossing over his face as he realised the pair had been talking until he had walked in on them.

"Sir Leon?" Gwaine asked.

"Sir Gwaine, you are due out on the patrol, they are waiting for you."

"Very well," Gwaine gave Merlin a curt nod. "My Lord."

"Sir Gwaine," Merlin returned politely, watching as Gwaine walked out of the stable with his horse. Leon regarded Merlin with mild suspicion.

"Is there something I can help you with, My Lord?"

Merlin held up the rolls of material that he carried in his left hand. "Percival didn't get time to bandage up the horses, so I came down to do it."

Leon frowned, but he didn't think he could entirely object to Merlin wandering around. Arthur appeared to have no problem with the idea. Merlin casually went to the two horses that he and Percival had ridden to Camelot on and which were now safely contained within the royal stable and he set about wrapping up the horses legs.

"When you are done My Lord, I'll show you to the guest quarters, refreshments and clean water will be waiting for you."

"Thank you, Sir Leon," Merlin said, concentrating on his work.

Leon waited patiently until Merlin had finished and the pair of them left the stable, Merlin asking general questions about Camelot and it's history as they went. Once they were gone Blaze lifted his head and turned, staring at the flicker of the shadow as Agravaine moved forward from the shadowed area at the back of the stable, a frown on his face as he considered what he had just heard.

For a moment he stood still pondering the situation before his eyes darkened and he strode purposefully from the stable.


	28. Chapter 28

The following morning Arthur and a number of knights and soldiers headed out for the border. Merlin and Percival rode with them, as did Agravaine. It surprised Merlin a little but he made no comment to Arthur. Agravaine had argued for Arthur to stay in Camelot to run the kingdom while he dealt with Caerleon. Merlin would have expected Agravaine to have stayed instead.

"He seems to have no intention of letting Arthur off leash," Percival murmured quietly. He kept his voice low but didn't whisper, no one would hear the conversation; Merlin would make sure of that.

"And I don't think Arthur realises that he is on a leash, but I'm starting to think that he is. He takes much of what his uncle says to heart."

"And you don't trust him?"

"Gwaine doesn't trust him," Merlin said. "Leon, I think, doesn't entirely trust him however polite he is."

"Gwaine doesn't trust anyone," Percival murmured.

"What do you think?"

"I don't know enough to comment directly, but Gwen is wary of him. All of them are. Arthur sees too much in him, and everyone is afraid of challenging that."

"Yeah. Arthur feels too nervous to do anything on his own and Agravaine is far too friendly."

"Not to anyone but Arthur. Why does Arthur not see it? Why am I even asking when you have an answer?" Percival raised his voice at the last moment as the head of the convoy started to converge and he knew people would come in range. Merlin looked back and said.

"I always have an answer. Stop being such a girl."

Percival scowled at him, and a few of the knights around them watched warily and with some confusion, seeing the casual familiarity that Percival had with Merlin.

Arthur paused, looking around. "We'll skirt through the woods, I don't think we want to be on open ground just yet. The scouts can move further out, if they see anything they need to report immediately."

Arthur directed the last comment to Agravaine who nodded and turned his horse to go an issue orders. Merlin watched him carefully, and then glanced back at Arthur, who nodded at the troop to get them underway again. For a moment Percival and Merlin were silent, until Percival after several sidelong glances asked.

"Are you all right?"

Merlin glared at him. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You know why, and don't look at me like that, you know it won't work."

"Why don't you just stay out of it, all you are is my servant and bodyguard."

There was a distinct amount of venom in Merlin's voice, and he meant what he said. Percival knew that. He knew how awful Merlin could be and he knew why he was trying to be exactly so. Percival also knew better than to take it seriously.

"Merlin, there is no point in starting that. I know you are trying to upset me, and I won't have it. I just asked if you were all right and I presume you know why."

Percival turned his head and looked very directly at Merlin. Merlin glared back for a moment. Percival watched the conflict in Merlin's eyes. As much as he wanted to take it out on Percival, Merlin did know better. Sometimes he just did it anyway, it was how they had met in the first place. Percival had been hurt by it at times, especially when they were children and Merlin felt the need to put Percival in his place. Quite hypocritically he detested it when other people had tried to do the same.

"I'm not going to ask any more than that," Percival said.

Merlin tensed his jaw and then consciously relaxed himself.

"I'm fine, I'm not completely all right, but I'm fine. I can handle it."

Percival nodded and left it at that. They rode in silence until Arthur called another halt as one of the scouts, Gwaine, returned.

"Sire, there is a patrol of Caerleon's men just over the rise."

Merlin nudged Patience forward and moved closer to Arthur.

"If we draw them in we can no doubt get some information."

"The ravine over that way, it's small but would be enough of a space to trap them."

"We need to draw them in somehow," Merlin said. "If they saw a scout from a patrol that could draw them in."

"I could take the route through the trees and head them off, once they see me it will be a straight run in," Arthur said.

"It should be someone else Arthur. You can't be put at risk," Agravaine said.

"I agree," Merlin said, he glanced at Percival, who shrugged.

"I've met Caerleon."

"Anyway, he's not going to chase someone with Cenred's colours," Gwaine said. "I can do it."

"No need," Merlin said. He looked down and muttered under his breath. Arthur tensed, leaning back in the saddle as Merlin's cloak rippled with light and the dark fabric lightened, turning red, and a moment later Merlin wore his armour with a bright red cloak and a gold dragon emblem lay on his shoulder.

"Same as the goat?" Percival asked. Merlin shrugged, his mood improving under his magic.

"Kinda."

"There is no need," Arthur said. "I have men who can do it, and there is no need for you to be at risk. I certainly do not want to offend your father."

"You wouldn't. It is my choice, and the fact of the matter is, there is a chance that whoever does this might get caught before the ravine. You can't account for every scenario, but I am better equipped to deal with things if I end up outnumbered. In that situation my arsenal is better."

Arthur frowned.

"He is right," Percival said. "If something does go wrong, Merlin can protect himself better than anyone. I'd do almost as good a job, but I've met Caerleon twice."

"Which means, that if he is there, you can tell us."

"Yes."

"So, if I bring them down through the woods into the ravine."

"They are making a pass through the pastures. They'll see you," Gwaine said. Merlin smirked and looked at Arthur.

"Trust me, I can do this, and there will not be a scratch on me."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Merlin couldn't help but smirk as he ran. The patrol ran behind him, determined to catch up. Merlin didn't let them, he made it to the shadow of the trees and went straight for the ravine. Slowing down a little he let them catch up and then as he ran into the enclosed space he paused, as he reached the steep incline at the end he spun on his heel to face them. As he turned the lead man threw an axe. Merlin felt his magic rise, his eyes flashed and he watched each turn as the weapon flew. Raising his hand he stopped the axe in the air, letting it hover.

"Sorry, I don't think so."

The men in question stared at him, looking confused. Merlin watched the leader tense his jaw, anger rising in his eyes.

"A sorcerer in Camelot's colours!"

"No, a warlock in disguise," Merlin said. The magic rippled through him again and he let the colour fall away from him turning the Camelot red back into his own colours. Merlin grinned, eyes moving upwards to look at Arthur. The patrol of his own men flanked both sides of the ravine and Percival casually sauntered to the far end blocking any escape. The frown on Percival's face had no doubt been caused by Gwaine and Leon being at his back. As if, Merlin thought, Percival needed it.

Arthur looked around and then started the battle, lifting his sword and jumping directly into the middle of the enemy men. Merlin let the axe drop and pulled his own sword, Percival, Gwaine and Leon ran in and the rest of the men crashed into the battle.

The tactic made it short and, not so sweet. Certainly not for the rival king as his men were rounded up and Percival casually indicated to the man who had led the chase.

"Sire."

A quick search located his identifying pendant. Agravaine ripped it from the king with such a violence that Merlin frowned. Caerleon made it clear he had no intention of backing down, which left Arthur with something of a quandary.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arthur didn't need to know about the boundary that Merlin had set. Percival knew it was there, and Merlin made it wide enough that it would take a long walk for a Camelot knight to accidentally cross it. Arthur took a long walk that night and Merlin waited until enough time had passed before he joined Arthur on the edge of the small ravine staring up at the quarter-full moon.

"Are you all right?" Merlin asked.

"Fine," Arthur said, not sounding fine. "You know, if my father was here, this would not be happening."

"No. If bad things didn't happen, nobody would do anything. They motivate more than good times, the bad ones."

"Are you going to tell me that Caerleon is having a bad time?"

"No, there are people that try to take advantage of them. The bad times, that is. Like I said, if it wasn't for them, nobody would do anything."

"Caerleon would never take on my father," Arthur huffed.

"Don't think about your father. Not like that anyway. He's not the one making the decisions, you are."

"My Uncle keeps telling me what my father would have done, that he wouldn't show weakness. That if Caerleon refuses the peace treaty then there is no going back. I have to do what, is necessary."

"What is necessary is to prevent further conflict, and causing more harm than good. That is what I had in mind after we met on the border and I sent that offer to discuss it."

"Percival said your mother had a hand in that decision."

"She did, after I ranted for a while, about how rude you were. She told me I didn't behave much better since I called you an ass."

"You told her that!"

"No, I told my father that and it got back to her. She was less than impressed with me. You need someone like that."

"I never had my mother," Arthur said.

"You can have Percival if you like, he's extremely good. My mother knew what she was doing when she saved the life of the boy who stood up to me."

"Did he?"

"Yes, and we got into a fight, and that nearly got him killed. I look at him every day and I never stop thinking about that. My mother did a good thing putting him right where I can see him."

"You care about him," Arthur said. Merlin smiled.

"I love him. He's my best friend, and he knows me inside and out. It's annoying, having someone know you that well, but reassuring at the same time."

Arthur listened, with a serious expression on his face. He stared at Merlin intently and then turned to look out around the forest.

"I've never really had anyone like that. Well, there was Morgana," Arthur paused, biting down on his lower lip. Merlin frowned as he watched the emotions flicker over his face. After a moment's contemplation Arthur shook off whatever appeared to be on his mind and he turned, smiling at he looked at Merlin. The distance in his eyes told Merlin that Arthur was still thinking of Morgana.

"She was never backwards in coming forwards. She defied father on more than one occasion. It was never the same after she rescued that druid boy."

"Mordred."

"Sorry?" Arthur asked, looking confused.

"His name is Mordred. He's at the same druid camp where Morgana is. I dare say he's looking after her now. And Morgana could never have pulled that off on her own."

"She had Gwen," Arthur said. Merlin raised his eyebrows and continued to stare at Arthur steadily. He gave it enough time and Arthur, as Merlin expected, went further.

"And me. She was hiding him in her room. I was searching the castle. She was furious that I was searching her rooms and then she almost ordered me to look behind the screen, which I didn't. That was where she had hidden him."

"So you didn't know?"

"Not until she realised she couldn't hide him there forever, and couldn't get him out. They tried once and had to retreat. She pleaded with me, so I got them through the tunnels so he could get out. But they were spotted by the guards, Morgana made sure they saw no one but her."

"And they sent you to catch him?"

"Which I didn't."

"What would you have done if you had?" Merlin asked. Arthur turned to look at him, a semblance of a smile playing on his lips.

"I didn't have to make that decision, so there was no point thinking about it."

"And you got the pleasure of meeting me." Merlin grinned.

"I wouldn't have said it was that," Arthur retorted, although it didn't wipe the grin off Merlin's face, if nothing else his smile seemed to widen.

"Thanks!"

"I didn't mean it like that. Well, I did, you called me an ass! But... I don't know. You just seemed far more eloquent and composed and..." Arthur looked down at the floor, and then up to the stars, giving a sigh as he said. "I just felt that I came off worse."

"Yeah, you did, and my mother got very cross at my smugness. So did Percival, I ended up head first in a lake."

Arthur snorted. "He didn't!"

"Oh, he did," Merlin said.

"But, you could stop him, couldn't you? I mean, with your magic you could stop him laying a hand on you."

"I could, and sometimes I have. As much as I have a reputation for my magic I don't use it as often as is talked about. And when Percival's right, and he's that angry with me, to the point that I know he's right; no... I don't stop him."

"Wow. I wish I had your family."

"You can, all of them if you like."

Arthur snorted. "I'm not certain how your father would feel about that."

"Don't worry about him, my mother will work her way round. She adores you. Anyway, you have your uncle, he's been helping."

"I know, and I don't know what I'd have done without him, but some of things that he suggests, that my father might have done, that he thinks are right. I never always agreed with my father. He never took it that well when I disagreed, but I have my own opinion."

"If you do, then use it. You're the king, and as far as I can tell Arthur, whatever you choose to do will be the right choice; for you and your kingdom."


	29. Chapter 29

"I'll do that!" Cenred snapped causing Cyranus to back away from Hunith. Instead he concentrated on holding Stripy's head as Cenred took Hunith gently around the waist and lifted her up into the saddle. Stripy snorted and stamped one foot, but Cyranus knew his place holding the horses' bridle was pointless. Stripy wouldn't move, he understood every person who sat on his back. With Hunith up there he was as gentle as a lamb. The horse had appeared to understand his role regarding different people. Plus he was so old now that Merlin could no longer use him on patrols and in battles. But he had no intention of getting rid of the old horse. Passing him on to others to use seemed a good option.

He had offered the old warhorse to Evelyn to learn to ride on, but she refused something so tame. Her own little pony had strength and speed, Merlin having carefully selected it for her. But much to Evelyn's chagrin the little thing never really strayed when she rode out. If the other horses ran, her pony kept up, but she knew this would be a sedate ride. Already mounted she fidgeted impatiently while Cenred settled her mother on Stripy and then swung himself up into the saddle.

As the king urged his horse on the rest of them fell into step. Hunith and Evelyn rode with him. The guards settled in around them forming something of a cordon as they went out of the courtyard and out into the open.

"What do you think Richmond wants?" Cenred asked Hunith. She turned to look at him in mild surprise. If he asked her anything he often kept it confined to her chambers, not that any of the men around them would pay attention, or care. Hunith kept their lives in order, feeding and clothing them and assisting their families where needed. None of them commented on her to anyone but that didn't mean they didn't have an opinion. Cyranus, close to her, also didn't react. The only person to display any open interest was Evelyn.

"I could not say My Lord."

"We get many invites to attend the noble houses, this is an unusual one," Cenred mused.

Hunith looked around at the scenery as the horses gathered speed. She could manage on Stripy who kept his pace smooth as they moved to a gentle canter.

"I do not see how, we often get invites, more so now that Evelyn is growing."

"Richmond has no sons, only daughters. He might wish to tighten his relations, but he can only do that one way."

Hunith huffed and concentrated on holding Stripy's reins. He could try offering one of his daughters in marriage to Merlin. However, Merlin was not easily turned by such things. The first noble that tried received flack but others followed his example.

With her status as it was Hunith had no say in what Cenred might engineer, but she knew it would be stupid to try and force Merlin into anything. Merlin had surpassed Cenred's wishes in strengthening his kingdom but Cenred had learnt that he was a victim of his own success. He couldn't order Merlin to do anything that Merlin didn't want. Now and again he had no choice but to fall into line with what his adopted son decided. Such as the situation now, when he had gone to help Arthur. Securing relations with Camelot was no bad thing but how it was done had been taken out of Cenred's hands. To argue now would reflect badly on him.

Over the years Hunith had started to feel sorry for the man she had shared her life with, and now found that her role was reversed. She had stopped trying to prevent Cenred imposing things on Merlin and instead now stopped Merlin from forcing his father into things. She noticed she left the castle more, she went on social outings such as this more often. Cenred seemed to be feeling his fading power and clearly hoped to hang onto something by taking her away from Merlin. Merlin loved her unconditionally, he loved Cenred in the same way, and Evelyn. All three of them were his family and Merlin genuinely felt affection for all of them. He understood that others did not have that security and support, Hunith had seen to that. Merlin empathized with many people, the only problem was with Cenred that Merlin sometimes only saw the damage once he had inflicted it.

Cenred was not old, he would be secure on the throne for years, more than likely decades; because Merlin would never casually depose him. He would ensure Cenred reigned until he died and Merlin would morn him, Hunith knew she would feel his loss keenly, if she lost Cenred first. Looking at him now she didn't doubt he would feel her loss far more. Again she felt that shiver of power, the one she had first felt trapped in the castle in those first few tentative months when she realised Cenred had no idea about relationships. She was the first woman he had been forced to court; to keep her on side, to keep Merlin.

"Richmond is not stupid," Hunith said. "He knows he cannot try such a thing. Most of them know you are keeping Morgana in mind for that."

"Merlin is not so receptive."

"He has taken care of her, and do not be put off by his decision to pass her on to the Druids. They taught him well, and he trusts that. She is naturally powerful, Merlin wants her to use it. He is not ignoring her."

"She is vulnerable there."

Their horses started to slow as the terrain became uneven, the path slick with mud. Cenred moved closer to Hunith to make sure Stripy didn't slip. The old horse didn't, he was far too sure-footed for such a thing.

"I think the Druids in this kingdom are not vulnerable. Yes, they are peaceful, but they are not passive. They will protect her and Merlin left Lancelot with her. I was thinking, perhaps, when we return we could make a detour to the forest to see her. I'm sure Morgana would appreciate such a thing."

"Perhaps," Cenred said curtly. Hunith glanced at him, but said nothing more. His mind appeared to be firmly fixed on what Richmond might want. Even Hunith had to admit the invitation had come as something of a surprise, considering what happened during the banquet.

Hunith said nothing more, turning her head to glance at Evelyn, who had drifted behind them to chatter to April. What she didn't doubt about his trip was that Richmond, whatever he wanted, would not be glad to see Hunith in tow. At first the nobles had been quite dismissive of her, and even Merlin. He was to have been a tool, nothing more than an asset. Hunith certainly wished she could have thanked Uther Pendragon for what he had done, in boasting about Arthur.

It had taken a few years for the nobles of the kingdom to realise that not only was Merlin gaining ground, but so was she. Cenred listened to her. He did, she thought, trust her advice at least on some matters and in others, she had her ways to make Cenred listen to her.

The sky slowly started to tint red as they rode towards Richmond's home. It would not turn dark just yet, but the sky hinted that it was not far away. Cenred had picked up the pace of the convoy so they could be there before it got too dark. Normally such a thing would not concern him, but with Hunith and Evelyn accompanying him, he had no desire to leave anything to chance.

Having said that, the kingdom was almost blessedly free of bandits and thieves. Merlin listened to any reports that came in and could deal with anything. One thing about him, he could easily manage any threat, especially with Percival in tow. Between the pair of them they seemed to have cleared the entire countryside of threats.

Still even Hunith was glad when they reached their destination. As nice an animal as Stripy was, she did much prefer to have her feet on the ground. On entering the small courtyard of Richmond's home she paused and looked around, waiting for Cenred to dismount and help her. Because of that she caught a flicker of movement at one small window, which swiftly disappeared and then as Lord Richmond rushed through the main door to greet them she saw an odd flicker of emotions run over his face. For a moment he looked almost dismayed at seeing her, at having to entertain her, and then he seemed to pull himself together, summoning up a congenial smile.

Cenred distracted Hunith for a moment as he paused close to her, reaching up to take her firmly around the waist. She put her hands on his shoulders and allowed him to lift her off the back of the horse, moving her gently as he lowered her to the ground. Hunith looked up at him and smiled, Cenred frowned at her quizzically but didn't get a chance to question her as Richmond greeted them.

"Sire, thank you for accepting my invitation. Princess Evelyn."

Cyranus had helped the princess down from her horse and she had moved closer to her parents. Because of that Richmond could not really ignore her. He glanced at Hunith briefly but had looked away as he said.

"My Lady."

He almost choked on the word, and then focused back on Cenred, bowing.

"We have made arrangements to accommodate you in the east wing. There are refreshments available, and hot water. Supper is being prepared, it should be ready before full dark."

"We've had a long journey," Cenred snarled. "We will rest and be ready for supper."

"Of course My Lord," Richmond said leading them into the castle. Evelyn stayed on her mother's heels and April walked behind them. In the courtyard the soldiers and servants that Cenred had brought scurried about and the two serving boys carried in the luggage.

"This way My Lord," Richmond said. Cenred nodded and followed him, but he glanced at Hunith, frowning a little. She had never been here before, but with that one glance he conveyed confusion and a hint that something in the household was not right.

As they were taken to their rooms Richmond stumbled again.

"I will have another room organised. I anticipated that it would be you and the Prince, I did not expect the ladies. Our maids will open up some more chambers to accommodate the Princess and her mother."

"The princess will be easily settled in the chambers you prepared for Merlin. Lady Hunith can easily be accommodated in mine."

Richmond looked thoroughly shocked at the casual suggestion. Cenred felt Hunith shudder and rushed her into the room, staying long enough to dismiss Richmond and leave April to organise their party and supervise Evelyn, which she could do with utter competence. Cenred went into his chamber to find Hunith sat on the end of the bed her shoulders shaking with laughter. He went to the table near the fireplace and located the fruit and wine that had been left out for them. Pouring them both a drink he walked over to hand Hunith's hers. She had recovered from her fit of the giggles and looked up at him with a thoughtful expression.

"That was interesting. He did hint at me bringing Merlin."

"He looked terrified to see me, but almost pleased at the same time," Hunith mused. "Something is going on here."

"Do you think we should be wary?"

Hunith shook her head. "As rude as he is, he wouldn't do anything stupid. He knows he had a good stronghold in this portion of the kingdom, there is much farmland in his area and it's productive. To annoy you, or Merlin, would mean a retaliation and you could take it from him."

"I may do so anyway," Cenred said. "If he has dragged me out here on a triviality."

"It's not something trivial, at least not to him," Hunith mused. Cenred frowned, expecting her to expand on her comment but instead she stood up briskly. "He is certainly right that we have had a long journey. I'll call Kieran to help you wash and dress. April can deal with me and Evelyn in her rooms until they sort the others. I'm sure Richmond will be accommodating of us."

Cenred raised his eyebrows. "I'm sure he will."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It was not until the end of the meal that they had learnt the reason for Richmond's invitation.

Hunith sat in the bedchamber that Cenred had been accommodated in. He didn't seem to want to allow her to move to the other room, so she sat at the dressing table in his room, carefully unfastening the coronet and pins in her hair. Cenred paced up and down the room, pausing to turn and also watch her as sections of her hair slowly tumbled down onto her shoulders.

"What do you think?"

"I think he's frightened," Hunith said. "Yet, I fail to see why." She turned to look over her shoulder to meet Cenred's gaze directly. "He's not in Camelot. Yes, from what he said, Eira's display was dramatic but hardly anything out of the ordinary."

As she turned back to the mirror to continue to remove the pins from her hair he caught sight of the scar on her neck. It had long ago faded to a light silvery line making it of almost no consequence, but Cenred knew where it had come from. From Merlin; from a young Merlin in the throes of a nightmare. He understood why Richmond feared his youngest child, but Hunith had never feared Merlin, never blamed him, he had been sleeping at the time, frightened by his dreams like any child was. Only with Merlin, that had sometimes been a dangerous thing.

"That's why he wanted Merlin here," Cenred mused.

"I need to speak to her," Hunith said.

"You had your chance to."

Hunith shifted on the stool to look at him without straining her neck. "What I have to ask is not something that I can say in front of you, or Richmond. The Druids may be very open on matters such as this but they also understand who should speak and when."

With that Hunith stood up shaking her head to release her hair so it tumbled down in ringlets around her face. She watched Cenred's intense concentration as he watched her. Before he could be completely distracted, and distracting, by the sight she reached to wrap herself up in the fur shawl that April had brought for her.

"I'll do it now, we can probably sort the situation and make use of us visiting the Druids on our way back."

Cenred raised his eyebrows, watching as Hunith decisively headed for the door. She flitted out of it and walked lightly down the corridor.

"Keiran," she called in a low tone. The young man lingered around, but could do nothing while Hunith also occupied the king's chamber, Cenred would never allow it. "See to the king while I am gone."

Hunith walked out of the wing into the main area of the house and she looked around calmly, halting one of the serving girls that happened to be wandering past.

"Take me to the mistress of the house."

"They'll be in the bed chambers," the girl said looking stunned that Hunith appeared to have approached her.

"Well then, take me there," Hunith ordered. She watched the girl frown in confusion. "Now."

Her tone seemed to motivate the girl and she did as she was told, leading Hunith through an archway and into a short corridor. The girl paused by a door but looked reluctant to enter. Hunith gave a curt nod.

"Thank you."

As the serving girl scurried away Hunith gave two curt knocks on the door and then opened it. She walked in on Lady Richmond and Eira as the young girl undressed for the night. Both of them turned to regard her with shock, the maids in attendance froze, Hunith walked in feeling no fear. These people were rude to her, but they could do nothing else. She was Cenred's mistress, she was Merlin's mother, they hated her simply because of the power she had obtained, a peasant woman who happened to have a boy with magic. Merlin was much more than that, and so was she.

"I am sorry, but this area is out of bounds to guests."

"However," Hunith said, addressing Lady Richmond. "What I need to ask must be discussed in private. Eira, did the surge of magic coincide with your first bleed?"

Eira looked stunned. Hunith looked back to Lady Richmond to say.

"The question is pertinent to the issue."

"No, not directly. She bled first... the signs came on her third time."

Hunith nodded. "They are linked but it doesn't always happen directly, at least not in any obvious form. Have you just moved objects, or have you suffered dreams?"

"Just the objects, and I tipped the cart."

"It takes at least four men to pull it. Eira tipped it onto it's side."

Hunith shrugged at Lady Richmond's words.

"Panic can make the surge of magic stronger, it is something that can be controlled. Ensure you have a bag packed for the morning and your horse ready, you'll travel with us."

Lady Richmond moved closer to Eira, putting her hands on her daughter's shoulders and pulling her close.

"She'll be taken to the prince."

"No, the prince has other concerns, however I can speak for my son. As it happens we intended to stop by the druid camp on our return. Iseldir, my son's former tutor can help you in this matter. And then, when he is satisfied you understand your gift you can either return home, or you will be accepted at court."

Hunith threw the latter part in. They wanted rid of their child. Throwing the court invitation was a small sop to make Richmond feel better. Hunith would not dismiss the girl as easily as her family intended to although she did wonder if they hoped to achieve anything by using Eira's magic. Richmond could have thought to use it to gain ground at court, he had to know he had lost favour after the behaviour of his men and Freya's death. She looked at Lady Richmond's face, it registered both shock and relief, but she still held onto her daughter's shoulders.

"Will that help? The Druids," Eira asked nervously, wincing as her mother's hands tightened on her shoulders.

"My son trusts them, as does Cenred." That was probably not entirely true, but Cenred understood enough to know they could be useful. Lady Richmond's eyes widened at the easy, familiar use of their King's name. It always inwardly amused Hunith that people looked surprised at her casual use of it. Lady Richmond used her final last shard of defence.

"And the king allows you to make that decision for him."

Hunith shrugged. "Yes, I am Merlin's mother, and I am well aware of what is best for my son. I made the same decision regarding Lady Morgana, she is currently with the Druids."

Looking at the expression on the other woman's face, Hunith wondered which fact had surprised her more. In the end she added a warning.

"Naturally, such things are kept private. Lady Morgana's location is something the king does not wish to be discussed."

And if it got out, Hunith would know exactly where it came from. That would also put Eira in danger and as much as Lord Richmond wanted his daughter out of the way Hunith doubted that he would want anything to happen to her. There wasn't much else Hunith could do now except leave them to think about what she had said. She gave a curt nod.

"I'll bid you good night."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Kieran exited as Hunith returned. Cenred had stripped down to his underwear, and had been staring out of the window while Kieran tided up and set out Cenred's clothes for the morning. Hunith took over where the boy had left off, Cenred didn't turn round but Hunith thought that more than likely he was looking at her reflection in the glass.

"Well?!" he eventually turned to demand. Hunith stopped tidying and slid the fur off her shoulders. Cenred immediately looked less irritated. Hunith moved over to the bed, Kieran had already turned down the covers.

"I've told Eira to be ready to leave in the morning. Her mother was with her when I did so."

"And do you think they will do that?"

"I do not see why not," Hunith said. "It was their entire reason for bringing you here."

"It seems like nothing more than a waste of time," Cenred growled. "So the girl has a few powers, she's hardly up to Morgana's level."

Hunith raised her eyebrows. "If you want me to be perfectly honest."

She paused long enough for Cenred to voice an objection to such a thing. He didn't, instead he waited patiently for her to continue, so she did.

"I think Morgana will eventually only have one equal, and that will be Merlin."

Cenred raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Knowing what I have heard the Druids say about Merlin I find that hard to believe."

"Some of that is open to interpretation," Hunith mused.

"That would explain why Morgause is so interested in her sister."

Hunith frowned at him. "That still concerns you."

"Yes," Cenred spoke flatly. Hunith slowly lowered herself down to sit on the edge of the bed staring at him in shock.

"You've never been this worried before."

"No I haven't. And you are right, despite what people think of me, and my boorishness, I am not stupid."

"Should we just take Eira to the court and send word to Merlin."

Cenred mulled that one over. "No, you've already spoken to them."

"And you have every right to overrule me."

Cenred clenched his jaw and shook his head. "They won't believe it, this is an area they will think that I will turn to you. Bringing you speaks volumes anyway. Lancelot is with Morgana and Iseldir is there. I need to speak to him."

"You think this is something of a threat?"

"Not directly. I don't think Morgause would hurt Morgana, but she wants her. I just don't like the fact that Merlin is off being friends with Arthur while this is going on. That leaves it down to you and me."

"Both of us know how to deal with this," Hunith said. "We can speak to both Lancelot, and Iseldir, and even Morgana."

Cenred paused, his jaw clenched and unclenched. "You are right," he said with some effort. "There is no reason to assume that something underhand is happening."

Hunith settled back into the bed and wasn't surprised when Cenred swiftly moved to join her.

"But planning for such a thing might not be a bad idea?"

"Exactly," Cenred said before he kissed her. Every night he was with her Hunith knew his mood. This was showed worry, but also contemplation.

With that in mind, Hunith intended to be vigilant.


	30. Chapter 30

Caerleon was proving to be something of a stubborn prisoner. Arthur felt more than a little inadequate when faced with the power of his personality. Even bound and forced to kneel there was something intimidating about his rival king. He had ruled for years, and everything he said seemed to make him sound older and wiser than Arthur. Arthur himself was desperately trying to find a compromise but Caerleon frustrated him at every turn.

"I will not be dictated to by a child!" the older king growled. Arthur blinked.

"You invaded my kingdom, that is an act of war."

Caerleon snorted. "So? It's only your kingdom if you can hold onto it. I will not give in to you, and I will sign no treaty."

At the last minute Arthur stopped himself from biting down on his lower lip, which he knew was a gesture of nerves. He had hoped the swiftness of the skirmish, and the power of the knights he had brought might have given Caerleon pause for thought. But he showed no fear of what Arthur would do. Arthur had to give consideration to the fact that perhaps he was showing weakness by trying to negotiate with Caerleon, but he had no desire to kill him. But he couldn't just let him go.

As he battled with his thoughts, Agravaine stepped forward.

"You have no choice Sire. You have to consider what your father would do."

Arthur sighed. To kill the king of a neighbouring kingdom would not be as simple as it sounded. His father never had these problems.

"If you do not do this swiftly, other kingdoms will try and take advantage," Agravaine said. Arthur looked up at that comment and watched as his uncle's gaze drifted to Merlin, who lingered close by but out of the way of the conversation. Merlin seemed entirely unconcerned by what was happening, but then his father, Cenred, had lined the border between Caerleon's kingdom and his own with the bodies of Caerleon's men. It was not something easily forgotten. And if Merlin took power, when Merlin took power, it would be hard to fight against him, he was already well established. Now, for some reason, he didn't seem to be as concerned for Arthur as he had been.

Caerleon snorted. "As if they haven't already," he snarled before turning his attention to Merlin, raising his voice to get Merlin's attention. "I know about you, I've heard enough, and what is said about you. Those with magic talk about you."

Arthur turned his head and looked at Merlin. On hearing the comment Merlin turned, raising his eyebrows, looking more amused than concerned by whatever Caerleon seemed to be implying.

"I should imagine they do," Merlin said. "I have rather a reputation."

"As a murderer if nothing else. You slaughter your own kind without question."

Arthur gaped at the sudden snarling words. He looked at Merlin, whose eyes had narrowed a fraction, but that was the only reaction he gave. When he replied, his voice remained perfectly calm and steady as he talked.

"There is always a question," Merlin said. "There are repercussions that people do not always see. The abuse of magic is not something to be taken lightly."

Merlin sent a brief, meaningful, glance in Arthur's direction. Arthur frowned. He could safely say he knew about that. His mother had died as a result of magic, he had seen how people used sorcery. One of those people was Merlin, who never seemed very overt with his power.

"And it's down to you to control?" Caerleon snapped. Merlin continued to look unperturbed.

"Yes, people with magic live without persecution. Although I fail to see why you are conversing with me. This situation involves you and Arthur."

Arthur's stomach clenched as Caerleon snorted in derision.

"I've heard from the druids, and others, of what you are up to. The stories of the Once And Future King have been bandied about for years. The one who will rise up and lead Albion. I know there are those that believe you have a role in it."

"Quite possibly," Merlin drawled. Arthur frowned.

"I've never heard this," Arthur said. He glanced at Agravaine. "Have you?"

"They are just stories, Sire. Some people choose to believe them, there is one who will unite Albion and restore magic to the land. It is not true, although there might be some who would exploit such a thing. My Lord, it is not worth talking about such a thing now, we need this situation dealt with. If he does not agree to the treaty, then you must send a message to the people of his kingdom that we will not tolerate such things. You have to do this, Arthur."

"No, he doesn't," Merlin contradicted. "Since when has executing someone been anything but a last resort."

Arthur's frown deepened as he looked from one person to the other.

"Arthur, do you really want to do such a thing?" Merlin demanded.

"I cannot leave my kingdom at risk from incursions."

"That's not really answering the question," Merlin quibbled.

"And you've settled yourself nicely," Caerleon snarled. "A peasant brat as prince, although your father's breeding isn't much better, and now you seem to have the ear of the king of Camelot."

"And you have an issue with our kingdoms being on friendly terms?"

"I wouldn't have said it was exactly like that Merlin," Arthur said.

"It will remain amicable enough, and we are certainly not about to violate the border agreement that is in place with you," Merlin said. He had no intention of doing so, in fact he had made sure the patrols along that area had been careful to stay within the negotiated area.

"Sire, I didn't wish to mention this," Agravaine stepped forward. "But I do not believe that is the true case. He has corrupted one of your knights."

Merlin's eyebrows shot up. Arthur frowned at his uncle and then looked to Merlin, then to the knights. Out of the corner of his eye Percival had noticed that Gwaine had gone very still, trying not to give anything away. Which he was not overtly, but Percival knew who it referred to. He measured the distance between them and logged the fact that only Leon stood within the gap. Then Percival let his gaze slide back to Merlin and only by the merest movement of his head acknowledged the fact that he could get to Gwaine and protect him if necessary. Merlin blinked in receipt of the information but did no more than that.

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked Agravaine and then he looked at Merlin, frowning in confusion. Merlin didn't get a chance to say anything, instead Agravaine carried on talking.

"I overheard a conversation between Prince Merlin and Sir Gwaine. It appears your knight entered your service as a spy for another kingdom."

"No he did not. At least not willingly," Merlin said.

"Leon, don't do that," Percival said as Leon turned to Gwaine and his hand went to his sword. Arthur frowned, looking around as the tension in the small camp suddenly seemed to surge upwards. He pulled his own sword and stepping around Caerleon he levelled the tip of his sword at Gwaine. Gwaine leant back slightly but he made no move to pull his weapon, or step back.

"Is this true?"

"Arthur..."

"I'm asking him, Merlin!"

Merlin fell silent and waited letting the magic stir under his skin, although he didn't really want to use it, he didn't think in this situation it would resolve anything.

"I thought you came with a message from Morgana."

"I did, that is true, she asked me to deliver it."

"And how do I even know that? How do I ever know you have ever met her? For all I know, she might not even be alive now!"

"Yes, she is, and yes I did."

Arthur's face darkened and he advanced on Gwaine, pressing the tip of the sword into his neck.

"When you were fifteen Uther ordered that Morgana could spar with you, so she could learn to defend herself. The first time you two did, she put you on your backside, because Uther didn't know she had been training with her father since she was about seven years old and had been training in private since she came to Camelot."

Arthur paused, hesitating slightly at the accuracy of the information.

"She told me a few stories while we travelled. That part is true."

"And the spying?"

"I was someone you or your father had never met. Morgana wanted to at least tell you that she was all right, and she wanted to know that you and Guinevere were well."

"And the rest of it? Merlin showed up, when...?"

"I warned him, and I told him a few other things. He seems to be concerned about you, but if Agravaine heard the entire conversation then he knows I actually stayed because I wanted to, not because Merlin forced me."

Arthur glared, his breathing heavy, eyes rolling as he tried to work out the issue. He stared at Gwaine, eyes darkening with anger.

"Leon, arrest him," Arthur snarled getting his anger under control and stepping back. Gwaine blinked but didn't resist as Leon grabbed him. Two soldiers stepped forward to restrain him and Gwaine winced as his arms were tied behind his back.

"I'll deal with him later."

"Arthur, none of this was his fault. Apart from the moments where he wanted to keep you alive."

"Sire, we should discuss this," Agravaine said, overriding Merlin.

"Take him away," Arthur added. Leon gripped Gwaine shoulders and pulled him back. Gritting his teeth Gwaine fell back with the pull and allowed Leon and the soldiers to pull him away.

"We should discuss this Arthur, and in private," Merlin said.

Arthur turned to glare at him and then looked around. Percival pulled Caerleon onto his feet. The king smirked, glaring at Merlin. Who ignored him in favour of Percival. Agravaine murmured something to Arthur, who nodded and Agravaine followed Percival as he led Caerleon to the tent where he had been held overnight. Percival felt no surprise to find Leon had installed Gwaine in the same place, forcing him down onto his knees.

Percival pushed Caerleon down into the same position, and as he stepped back Percival paused as he felt a sword point jab into his back. He frowned and glancing at Gwaine saw the concern on his face. Percival knew why as he heard Agravaine's smooth tone.

"Leon, restrain him."

Percival risked turning his head to see what Leon made of the sudden development. He looked just as shocked and Percival tried to turn further to look at Agravaine but a sharp jab in the back warned him not to, especially as the tip of the sword then moved to his neck pressing under his jaw.

"My Lord?" Leon asked sounding uncertain.

"The kings orders," Agravaine said. Percival looked at Leon and gave a shrug. Leon frowned but taking that as some sort of hint to do as he was told Leon moved behind Percival and took his arms, tying them behind his back. Percival carefully flexed his muscles and realised that although the ropes were firm they were not something he would have difficulty extracting himself from. As Leon pushed him down Percival went surprisingly easily.

"Keep watch on them!" Agravaine ordered before stalking out of the tent. Leon looked highly uncomfortable with the task he had been given deciding to avoid looking at all three of them. He looked at the two perturbed soldiers.

"Wait outside," Leon ordered.

As they distracted the others by leaving Percival shifted slightly, easing the ropes further apart.

"That went well," Gwaine said with mock humour, glaring at Percival.

"Shut up Gwaine, Merlin can handle it," Percival told him. Leon narrowed his eyes. "And he has no intention of doing Arthur any harm. Come on Leon, you know that."

"I don't know anything."

Caerleon snorted. "Your master doesn't seem worried about you."

Percival shrugged. "You don't know Merlin very well. He won't let anything happen to any of us."

"What are his intentions then, if he is this Once And Future King?" Leon asked, clearly unable to stay out of the conversation. Percival gave a snort of laughter.

"One thing I know for sure is that Merlin is not the Once And Future King."

"So who is?" Gwaine asked. Percival glared at him.

"Who do you think?"

Gwaine opened his mouth, his first thought was to say Cenred but then he suddenly understood the intonation of Percival's voice. He glanced at Leon and frowned and then looked back to Percival again.

"Oh."

It appeared to be the best that Gwaine could come up with as he considered the idea.

"So, why is Merlin so bothered? Surely he'd be trying to stop it."

That put Leon on alert. Percival stared up at him.

"Don't get overexcited, Leon. Merlin has a vested interest in making sure Arthur does exactly what he is destined to do."

"Why should he care?" Caerleon snapped. Percival stared at him steadily.

"If you have heard the first part of that prophecy, then you surely know the rest of it."

"Of course," Caerleon said. His gaze drifted off to the middle distance, clearly thinking through the information he knew. His frown slowly deepened. "Then he's... that's not possible."

Caerleon sounded both awed and angry. Percival nodded.

"The druid's prophecy is something that Merlin has known about since he was a child."

"The druids are fools to believe such a thing. As if Cenred would allow Merlin to relinquish power to Arthur."

"Nothing in the prophecy suggests that such a thing will happen," Percival said.

"And your king believes this?"

Percival grimaced. "He knows the story, he's interacted with the druids long enough. I don't think he gives it much credence, but he understands Merlin's reasons for seeking an alliance with Camelot. They are the two largest and most powerful kingdoms."

He left the hint hanging. Caerleon looked furious at the reminder that between them, as rulers, Arthur and Cenred held a great deal of sway, particularly together. Percival said nothing further, he had no intention of revealing the private antagonism that lay between Merlin and Cenred over the prophecy. Cenred certainly knew it had some basis in fact, that something behind the scenes was in progress, and he also knew that his adopted son would not allow him to interfere with that agenda. It had put them at occasional odds, but in the end Merlin tended to lessen the impact before the antagonism could go too far.

Percival and Hunith generally buffered themselves between the two and both knew neither man wished to bring the confrontation to a head, so their ability to mediate went relatively smoothly. None of them, however, had any intention of letting that snippet of information go any further.

"Just don't panic, all we can do is wait it out and let Merlin and Arthur deal with this."

Percival wasn't surprised that none of them looked particularly convinced.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Merlin hadn't gone so far as to offer any explanation, but it was blatantly obvious he was furious at Agravaine taking Percival hostage. Although there was nothing more than a clear smouldering temper stirring in his eyes Arthur felt quite unnerved by Merlin.

"That was hardly necessary."

"I have to ensure the safety of my king."

"And do you think if I wanted to harm him you could have stopped me at any of the occasions that have presented themselves."

Merlin's voice matched his eyes. Agravaine's hand drifted to his sword. Arthur reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"That won't be necessary Uncle."

Merlin flinched inwardly at the trace of fear in Arthur's tone. He looked worried, he certainly didn't want anyone getting hurt. Merlin didn't move. He could trust Percival to take care of himself, and he could probably look after Gwaine and Caerleon at the same time.

"Threatening Percival is no different than threatening a member of my family. He is part of my family."

Merlin put conviction into those words. It was entirely true, he loved Percival like a brother. There was no one else who could occupy that position in Merlin's heart. Not a single person could come close to it. He knew at times that it was close to the point of obsession.

"I'm sorry Merlin, but I don't understand this."

"Then let me explain it," Merlin said. "There is no need to go around threatening people, least of all Percival, and also Gwaine. He did nothing more but get caught up in it. He's also slightly stupid and easy to blackmail."

"And you did that?"

"I couldn't get into Camelot, at least not that easily and what Morgana had done, and her escape, meant I didn't want to make it any worse. Certainly not for the people that have their names on the lists."

Arthur winced at the reference to the lists that kept track of people who might know sorcerers, or interact with them.

"Gwaine brought Morgana and Gaius to us. He got drunk and caused a fight in a tavern with a considerable amount of damage and debt. I used that to make him do what I wanted. I needed someone to keep an eye on you, at least while I was not able to gain access."

"You didn't have any trouble when... with my father."

"That was an emergency."

"What did you do to Morgause?"

"What makes you think I did anything?" Merlin asked frowning.

"I've heard the same things as Caerleon. You kill anyone who crosses your path."

"Really? Is that so? The druids live in our kingdom without any fear of retribution. The dragon exists without persecution in my land. I took your father's ward... actually now Morgana is your ward; without any prejudice. I react the same way you do when someone could be a possible threat and I only use fatal force if that is the only option.

"Arthur, despite my reputation, I am the only one that champion's their cause. But I know what is right and wrong. Morgause is another matter entirely."

"In what way?" Arthur asked.

"She came to us, before you met her in Camelot, carrying a token from the house of Gorlois. She was Gorlois' step daughter, from his wife's previous marriage. She arrived laying claim as Morgana's sister."

"That's not possible."

"It is entirely possible Arthur. It's fact. Lady Vivienne was married before her union with Gorlois. There was a child, one that was smuggled from Camelot since it lay at risk from persecution. Gaius helped in the extraction and took the child to be raised by the High Priestesses. I have not encountered her since that time she presented herself in our court, and then she proceeded to attack you. Gwaine warned me that she had appeared and I acted accordingly. Since then she has gone to ground, but she has backing."

"What backing?" Arthur asked.

"The Blood Guard are loyal to her," Merlin said, he watched Arthur frown and knew he didn't entirely comprehend. "They are those with minimal power but as they cannot increase their skill they protect and remain loyal to the High Levels of the Old Religion. Arthur, this is not as simple as it first looks. Nothing about this situation is easily resolved."

"No."

"So I suggest you deal with the situation you have, and Caerleon, as much as we can at least."

Arthur nodded and frowned. "You still haven't explained this Once And Future King matter to me."

Merlin gave a light sigh. "It's not that complicated, Arthur. Trust me."


	31. Chapter 31

**Hooray! I appear to be shifting my rather annoying writers block. I don't think this story is taking the direction I planned and I'm not entirely sure of it, and parts of this chapter I'm not sure are too good, but it starts to put people in the place I want to get them so hopefully it will get better, and I'll start shifting some of the others stories on as well now. :-)**

Hunith saw Morgana look up and smile brightly as she saw them. She put down what she was doing, extracting herself from the cluster of druid women to walk over and greet the new arrivals. Lowering her head she gave a curtsey.

"Sire. My Lady. It is a pleasure to see you both."

Cenred noted that Morgana smiled more at Hunith than she did at him, although she tried her best. He didn't care, looking her up and down he noted that she wore clothes that were simpler than the gowns he had ordered to be made for her, but she looked happy and relaxed. Her hair rippled down her back, the front sections plaited with ribbons to hold it away from her face. Despite the lack of adornments she looked confident, and powerful. As Cenred put out a hand Morgana politely reached for it, curtseying again.

She rose up quickly as she felt the hand holding her squeeze tightly but Cenred just smiled at her, having found what he was looking for. When he laid a hand on Merlin he could feel it, a simmering heat to the skin that spoke of magic. It took time and technique to know what to look for but Cenred had made sure he knew how to do so.

"Sire, and My Lady Hunith, this is an honour."

"Hello Iseldir," Hunith said stepping forward to kiss the druid on the cheek. Cenred's jaw clenched and all of them in the vicinity noticed.

"I would hope that you wish to stay. We will assist you with your camp and you are welcome to dine with us. Our foragers have collected many special delicacies that can be offered tonight."

"Thank you," Cenred snarled.

Morgana frowned slightly as she watched the blonde girl slowly moving up behind Hunith. Iseldir also seemed to see the same action. He stared at Eira intently for a moment, nodding at whatever he silently found.

"You have brought someone needing help?"

"Yes, she appears to have magic, and her family wished for Merlin to deal with it. However, as Merlin is busy with other affairs I am quite sure he is happy for the responsibility to be passed to you."

"Of course," Iseldir said smoothly. "She will be made welcome."

Hunith stepped back, closer to Cenred, who put a hand on her shoulder squeezing lightly. Iseldir held out his hands to Eira.

"You are welcome child, and feel no fear, your gift is something we understand, and can help you do the same."

She blinked and slowly put her hands into the druid's. Morgana watched the interaction in fascination. It was not exactly the greeting she had received but then again Merlin had introduced her, and she had shocked the druid leader with the flare of power. Cenred moved closer to Morgana as Iseldir led the girl away. Evelyn stuck close to her mother looking around the camp with disdainful awe.

"Where do they all live?"

"In the tents," Morgana said. Evelyn wrinkled her nose. Morgana smiled, slightly patronizingly. She had been introduced to such a life when she had been with her father. Gorlois had taken her, when it was safe, to the military camps. "It's quite nice, I like it."

That piqued the princess' interest. Morgana reached out to take the younger girl's hand.

"Come and have a look, and you can meet the dragon."

Evelyn looked slightly disdainful of such a thing. "I've met the dragon before."

Morgana smiled, however she paused as the little boy, who had been watching with interest, said brightly.

"Dragon!"

"Yes, do you want to go and see Kilgharrah?"

The little boy wobbled towards her and Morgana let go of Evelyn's hand while she reached down to pick the little boy up and settle him on her right hip. Then, again, Morgana held out her hand to Evelyn, who took it, her face flickering with curiosity.

Cenred watched the interaction carefully, and followed as Morgana led the way deeper into the camp, speaking to others and the children slowly started to follow her. He assessed her with an almost detached air. She was a beautiful woman, ripe enough, and he planned to save that for Merlin. Instead he watched the way she moved, not lustfully, but seeing the confidence, and power, that she possessed.

Morgana was strong, and sure of herself. More so now that she had spent time with the druids. Although they never overused sorcery, and often refrained from any use of magic, that did not mean they had no power. Cenred only knew as much as they allowed him to know, even Merlin kept his secrets, but Cenred watched, and waited for things to reveal themselves. Having been allowed to flourish within his kingdom the druids were a force to be reckoned with, and Merlin saw no fault with that. The population had grown, when many had realised they were safer within his kingdom than any other.

The king smirked to himself. Although he had balked at the decision, moving Morgana was no bad thing. It caused a slightly bitter taste in his mouth for Cenred to admit it, but Merlin always seemed to know what he was doing. Cenred just had to make sure that Morgana, with enough hints, could be guided in Merlin's direction. Combined, they could harness power only dreamed off.

Cenred continued to watch her carefully. Hunith, however, spread her net differently.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"You expect me to believe that?!"

Merlin sighed as he looked at Arthur. In the end Merlin just shrugged.

"I'm going to say no, since you don't. And it doesn't matter. I mean you no harm, neither does Gwaine; and Percival certainly wouldn't."

Arthur's eyes narrowed as he took the hint. Percival's capture seemed to sting more than anything else. Merlin didn't like anyone taking advantage of Percival, in this case most especially because Agravaine had done it to subdue Merlin. It was not possible physically, Merlin could deflect any attack with ease, so he had gone an indirect route, knowing that Merlin would not allow any harm to come to his best friend. The only thing about the situation that eased Merlin's mind was Leon having been left as a guard. He would hesitate before doing any harm. Merlin's anger still simmered, but it calmed knowing that Arthur had probably issued that order, and that meant he could be reasoned with.

"And what is this prophecy meant to mean?"

"That the Once And Future King will unite Albion, and bring the balance of magic back to the land."

"You know I would never condone that!" Arthur snarled.

"Are you sure?" Merlin said. "You seem quite happy to be friends with one of the most powerful warlocks to ever exist."

Arthur glared at him. "Who says we're friends?"

Merlin shrugged. "Fine, I consider you a friend; you can think what you like. There is no changing this situation. Gwaine had no obligation to stay as long as he has. He did what I wanted not just because I had him backed into a corner but he also wanted to help Morgana get a message to you and so she could find out that Gwen was alright."

"Oh, so she wasn't worried about me!"

Merlin's eyes narrowed. "Your father was not likely to execute you for helping her escape. Morgana didn't seem to think that Uther would be lenient with anyone else."

Arthur did, at that moment, flush slightly and he looked uncomfortable. From what Merlin had heard from Gwaine, via Gwen, it had been close; uncomfortably close.

"And whatever Gwaine found when he came to Camelot, he chose to stay. I haven't really questioned his reasoning."

"You spoke to him in the stables."

Merlin glared at Agravaine.

"I did, but I still didn't question his reasoning. I told him he had no further obligation. I probably wouldn't have held him to anything further than what he initially did. Maybe he assumed he was trapped until I said anything, but he had laid good groundwork. However, he is also well travelled, and I think he understands more than he lets on. Plus, he happens to like you, Arthur; and probably a lot more than he likes me."

Truth be told, Merlin didn't think Gwaine had any affection for him. It was Arthur, and Morgana, that had his loyalty. Merlin didn't know what had passed between Morgana and Gwaine as they had travelled, but whatever had occurred had swayed Gwaine's allegiance towards the dark haired girl. And Merlin couldn't dispute that Arthur could easily have earned Gwaine's respect. He had Merlin's.

Arthur frowned, Merlin watched the troubled expression flicker over his face as he looked from his uncle to Merlin. There was no denying that Arthur felt as if he was in over his head. He was still grieving for his father, and Merlin knew how much Uther had pushed his son. So many reports had come from Camelot regarding Arthur's achievements. Compared to him Merlin's progress had been well concealed. Cenred didn't shout it from the battlements, and Merlin had never really been forced to perform in the arena. In a way Merlin's reputation was far more solid, because it had occurred in real situations. Although strong and able to fight, Arthur had not really proved himself, and most importantly he hadn't to himself. And in that lay the real crux of the situation, because it meant he could be swayed by people like Agravaine.

Merlin glanced at the other man, who glared at him from under lowered brows. Agravaine hadn't gained the advantage he hoped from revealing Gwaine and Merlin's association. Merlin could get the three prisoners out with a minimum of damage, but it would mean using his magic against Arthur. Although Arthur was not as prejudiced as his father when it came to magic, he knew many unsavoury stories, including what had happened to his mother.

But as Merlin watched now, he knew it was not going to work. The only thing he could do was call Arthur's bluff, and retreat. Merlin's problem was making sure Arthur didn't make any mistakes regarding Caerleon. The way that Agravaine wanted to take the situation, it would end with Caerleon's execution and his queen would not take that situation lightly.

"There is clearly nothing I can do to change your mind, so the best thing I can do is leave, but I won't go without Percival, Caerleon or Gwaine."

Arthur stared at Merlin with wide eyes. He said nothing, too stunned to respond to Merlin's sudden change of mind. Merlin shrugged.

"I won't let you make any mistakes here. I can deal with Caerleon."

Merlin's eyes narrowed as he watched Agravaine move closer to Arthur, about to say something. Merlin decided enough was enough.

"If you need me you know where I am."

Merlin spun on his heel and left the tent. He tried not to let his feelings show, he had done what he could to prove himself, and his intentions, to Arthur. Sadly Arthur didn't seem inclined to trust his word. He clenched his jaw and strode purposefully towards the tent where two of Arthur's soldiers stood outside. He didn't give them a chance to question him, he brushed past them and stepped inside. Percival tensed the moment he saw him and shifted one shoulder. Merlin looked steadily at Leon.

"Don't try and stop us."

Leon looked confused but he tensed, stepping back to position his weight and his hand strayed to the hilt of his sword. Percival pulled one hand free of the ropes and Leon jerked his own arm, so his sword blade started to slide clear of his belt. Percival stayed kneeling and turned to release Caerleon. The king smirked.

"You won't get out of here without my help," Merlin informed him. His eyes flashed and Gwaine jumped as he felt the ropes around his wrists release.

"What do you want?" Caerleon snarled rubbing where the ropes had chafed his skin.

"Nothing, I just intend to get you out of here because I don't want Arthur to make that mistake. It will not make us allies by any means."

"Not after what your father did," Caerleon snarled.

"He made the point quite clear; do you wish Arthur to do the same? We could spill your guts over the boundary, although I doubt your life will be the only one lost, your queen would no doubt go to war over such an action."

The king looked at Merlin uncertainly. Merlin shrugged, looking increasingly irritable. Percival knew the signs. The situation wasn't going the way Merlin wanted it to.

"I won't let you die for no reason, and I won't let anyone draw Arthur into a war. I can take this out of both your hands and you won't like it but tough."

"We'll thank you in the long run?!" Caerleon snarled with sarcasm.

"I don't care either way. Percival, where are the horses?"

"Corralled with the others, just on the boundary of the camp."

"I don't have any intention of going with you."

Merlin turned to the owner of the voice. "Gwaine, if you could rely on only Arthur's judgement then that would be possible, but Agravaine may twist his feelings on the subject. I would not feel happy leaving you to that uncertainty. It is my responsibility that you are in this mess."

"Like you said before, I could have refused to do this, and Arthur doesn't have that many friends." Gwaine glanced at Leon, who frowned. "I wouldn't feel happy just walking away."

"Arthur may not be lenient considering what I am about to do. I have to get Caerleon over the border. You may be giving yourself up for nothing."

Gwaine slowly stood up, "I understand what you need to do Merlin."

"Very well. Arthur won't trust you after this, sometimes it is better to retreat and wait."

"For you maybe. I can take care of myself."

"Merlin," Percival growled as he pulled Caerleon onto his feet. "If we are going, we have to go now."

Merlin glared at him and then turned back to give Gwaine a curt nod. Gwaine returned it and said nothing as Merlin turned and left the tent, Percival brought up the rear, keeping Caerleon ahead of him. The two soldiers on duty outside the tent were sprawled a short distance away and Percival kept Caerleon moving as Merlin led them towards the horses.

"Merlin!" Arthur's voice rang out. He came towards them, flanked by the men he had brought with him. Merlin turned.

"This is not your situation to deal with!"

"That is where you're wrong," Merlin said. "I'm not going to let you start a war. I am going to prevent one."

Caerleon chuckled. "And you really think this will stop me from..."

He was cut off as Percival abruptly smacked the king on the back of the head, causing Caerleon's eyes to roll before his knees buckled. Percival caught him before he fell and the large man casually lifted the now limp body and dumped it across the saddle.

"He's going to annoy me otherwise," Percival told Merlin. Merlin only shrugged in response and turned back to a stunned Arthur.

"Like I was saying. I don't think drastic action is the way to go about this."

Arthur frowned. "Who says I would do anything drastic?"

"You might not," Merlin said, and he suddenly grinned, completely changing his face, lightening it and making him seem as young as he looked. "We'll find out."

Merlin launched himself into the saddle and kicking his horse's sides let it run. Percival followed leading the horse which carried Caerleon. Arthur watched the soldiers around him tense up and Agravaine stepped forward.

"Let them go," Arthur snarled. "You couldn't stop them if you tried."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Leon made his way down into the dungeons. He knew the guards who were currently on rotation and knew he could get past them easily enough. Even so, he carried a tray with a small amount of food on the pretence of bringing Gwaine's supper. Any one of the castle servants could have performed the task, and would have just left the tray and departed. Leon didn't want that, he wanted to talk to Gwaine.

There had been no chance for anyone to talk to him. Arthur had ordered the break up of the camp not long after Merlin, Percival and Caerleon had departed. Agravaine had been all for going after them but Arthur, instead, had turned and headed for Camelot. It wasn't, Leon thought, simply because Arthur had no intention of risking anyone against Merlin's power. He thought it had something to do with Arthur not really wanting to fight with Merlin.

Now they had been left with a quagmire of a situation. Arthur had thoroughly interrogated Gwaine in the morning council meeting that day. In fact it had been the only thing discussed, Arthur had fired question after question at the chained and kneeling Gwaine, so quickly that the scribes were almost unable to keep up. Arthur had rephrased questions and gone over Gwaine's answers relentlessly but the knight had refused to change any part of what he said. And he did nothing to play down his part in any of the events.

In the end Gwaine had been returned to his cell and there he had remained for the rest of the day. Arthur had made no clear hint at what he intended to do with him. Technically he could be tried for treason, and the sentence for that was death. Leon knew Agravaine would want that. Many of the knights did not. Despite their confusion over Gwaine's intentions, many of the knights liked and respected him.

Taking the last flight of steps he paused, the two guards on duty looked up, standing as they realised it was Leon. He greeted them with a curt nod.

"I've brought the prisoner some food."

"Oh," the guard on the right said looking mildly confused. It was a job that one of the serving maids could have usually been sent to do. Despite the confusion, the guard reached for the set of keys and walked down the short corridor towards the cells. Leon followed him his heart thudding slightly heavier than normal and his hands feeling a little slick as he gripped onto the plate.

Having heard the footsteps Gwaine was in the process of moving to sit up. He had been sprawled back on the sleeping platform, trying to get comfortable on the hard surface. It was not easy but he managed to look settled enough as the guard appeared, and Gwaine raised his eyebrows in query as he saw Leon lingering behind. The guard unlocked the door and Leon stepped through, turning to the soldier now stood by the door.

"You can lock it, I'll call when I need you."

The guard blinked, so did Gwaine, but Gwaine kept the surprise off his face.

"I wasn't given any orders that the prisoner could have visitors."

"It won't be for long," Leon said, with the hint that no one would know except the four of them currently in the dungeon. Gwaine watched the guard wrestle with the idea, as he looked at Leon, who was respected, and trusted, among the men. In the end, without further comment, the guard shut the door and hurriedly locked it before walking away. Leon's shoulders dropped as the tension released, he had at least got this far. He turned to a curious looking Gwaine and he held out the plate, almost as if it was a peace offering.

"I brought you some supper."

Gwaine's eyebrows stayed raised, and his lips quirked in a smile. Reaching out a hand he took the plate off Leon and carefully placed it down on the platform next to him. He didn't eat anything for a moment, instead he regarded the uncomfortable looking Leon.

"Presumably you have been demoted then. Or is this a new method of interrogation?"

Leon frowned, looking uncomfortable. "Neither. I wanted to talk to you. If Agravaine knew I was here..."

"What about Arthur? He's the king, not Agravaine." Gwaine huffed, while finding a spot on the wall intensely interesting. "Although sometimes I wonder."

"Gwaine!"

Gwaine looked up. "If Agravaine overheard all of the conversation I had with Merlin, then he knows full well that neither of us trust him, and are highly suspicious of his motives."

"Are you saying he is using the information to gain ground with Arthur by discrediting you?"

"Would you be here if you trusted Agravaine?" Gwaine challenged with a mild shrug. Leon looked uncomfortable.

"I care about Arthur. And you seemed to as well."

"I do. But I also can't lie, Merlin wanted me here, so did Morgana. I'm not sure that I believe this Once And Future King prophecy stuff but Merlin does, and if he does, then others will, and many of them will not be in agreement with Merlin."

"Are you saying Arthur could be in danger?"

"As far as I can tell, Arthur is always in one type of danger or another, but this situation is on a new level. Not that I think it will concern me for much longer."

Leon winced at the hint.

"Although, I've not heard the execution platform being built," Gwaine added. From where he was housed, he would have heard if something was being set up in the courtyard.

"Arthur has no wish to execute you," Leon said truthfully. Gwaine nodded.

"I got that impression. Presumably that's what Agravaine wants."

Looking uncomfortable Leon nodded. "He can't seem to persuade Arthur on that one."

Gwaine smirked in mild triumph.

"Arthur's other option is to banish you from Camelot, but he doesn't think that is a good idea, since you will run to Merlin."

"Like hell I will," Gwaine snarled. "If that's what Arthur thinks then he is sorely mistaken."

Leon looked started at the venom in his voice.

"I don't owe Merlin anything, and the last thing I want is to be anywhere near him."

"So what would you do? Where would you go?"

Gwaine shrugged, again finding a random spot on the wall interesting.

"Nowhere, just go back to what I was doing, wandering where the mood takes me. Mind you that's what got me into this mess in the first place, since I ran into Morgana and Gaius."

Leon frowned at him.

"It's true. And this isn't just about me, you know."

Leon's frowned deepened, by the look of it he knew what Gwaine was thinking. Gwaine, however, voiced it.

"If Agravaine can make me look untrustworthy then he can implant the seed that perhaps the rest of us, on some levels, can't be either. If he distances Arthur from his knights, even slightly, it will give him more leverage."

"I know. I'm going to talk to Arthur."

"If you can."

"Agravaine is managing the night watches tonight. Arthur's alone in his rooms."

"Good timing. What exactly are you planning to say?"

Gwaine watched Leon's thoughts shift behind his eyes. It was not always obvious but although he followed Arthur, obeying without question, Leon had enough ideas, good ones, that he got listened to. If he was planning to talk to Arthur, then there was a good chance, what he said would be heard, especially without Agravaine to muddy the waters.

"What's in question is your loyalty to Arthur," Leon said steadily, in a tone that meant Gwaine, perhaps, would not like the solution Leon was thinking of.

"And?"

"Then perhaps the best way to resolve this is to have you prove it."


	32. Chapter 32

Conversation had been rather limited on the journey. For the first part Caerleon had been unconscious, and they had paused for a rest when he had roused. Percival's threat to knock him out again if he was irritating meant the king stayed silent, occasionally sending baleful glances in both Merlin's and Percival's direction

They bounced off Percival's relatively thick hide quite easily, and Merlin didn't even seem to notice. He just led the group as they travelled towards the border of Caerleon's kingdom. It wasn't often Merlin had been forced to retreat, with his tail between his legs. Things had been relatively easy for Merlin, he got what he wanted, and this time Arthur was not proving to be as simple to manage as most other things Merlin dealt with.

Percival understood Arthur's anger, and disbelief, as well as understanding Merlin's desire to help. They could be, Percival thought, as bad as each other.

The discussion only started as they settled down for the night, having found a sheltered spot to camp in, just over the border in Caerleon's kingdom. The king eyed Merlin steadily for a while, watching him as he stared into the fire while Percival set up, cooked and generally did all the donkey work as was nothing more than habit. He forgot occasionally the old days, when they had been children and he had been Merlin's servant, but the habits of those times still held. Percival did the work. Merlin was the prince, and although he could look after himself competently enough, why should he when he had someone to do it for him. He had made a small contribution by lighting the fire, almost with a dismissive wave of his hand, the moment Percival had finished setting it up.

Now the smell of meat drifted around the camp as three pigeons roasted over it. Percival had also rummaged through the packs to find some supplies to bulk out the meat, so a pot of root vegetables stewed on the side. It was enough to feed them, and Percival didn't think the other two would mind a lack of seasoning.

As Percival served up Caerleon broke the tense silence.

"Why do you care anyway?"

Merlin looked up at the blunt question. Caerleon shrugged and idly chewed on a piece of meat.

"I'm curious. You have your own kingdom, and one that easily rivals Camelot. Cenred used you for that, and you, from what I hear, could easily take it from him. Why are you busy playing lackey to either of them?"

Merlin glared at him. Caerleon looked back without fear.

"I'm not the only one to ask the question."

Merlin continued to stare for a moment. "You may choose to believe it or not; so may Arthur, but I have no desire to take anything from anyone. True, I'll inherit the kingdom when my father dies, and I'll do my best to protect it."

Merlin gave Caerleon a very pointed look, and the king heard the warning in the tone. No one would probably dare to try and take advantage of Merlin they way he had Arthur. By sheer reflex Caerleon leant away from the prince, his eyes wary. Merlin stopped glaring at him, feeling a little irritated by the reaction.

"I no doubt won't have much trouble, but I'd be doing it the same way that you protect your kingdom, and the way my father did when you tried to invade, with violence and threats. The only reason you are taking advantage of Arthur is because he is trying to do it differently."

"A peace treaty?" Caerleon snorted dismissively. "Hardly something the son of Uther Pendragon would think of."

"Really? Uther made peace with Bayard, and several more of the kings attended the peace talks he organised. We know the reason why my father didn't get an invite, I don't know about you."

Caerleon narrowed his eyes at the comment but said nothing. Merlin carried on talking.

"That was what Uther did, why should Arthur try to do any different?"

"Arthur is not Uther."

"I don't see that as a bad thing."

"Your kind can be grateful for that I suppose."

Merlin's eyes flashed with anger, the flames of the fire flaring as they caught the edges of Merlin's power. It drifted around him like a subtle breeze, but Percival knew the signs of it spreading.

"Merlin," Percival warned as he tried to get the fire under control.

"Sorry."

The fire calmed and Merlin continued to glare. Realising that he was, despite Merlin's moods, in no danger Caerleon watched him steadily, seeing the magic stir, and assessing it carefully. If he was ever of an inclination to do so Merlin could take the whole of Albion if he chose. As he let that thought drift through his head Caerleon felt a shiver of fear. Merlin probably would do such a thing, but he wouldn't use force, or even his power, his tool for that appeared to be Arthur.

"My kind," Merlin said, emphasising the words. "Are distrusted everywhere. Uther might have led the pack, but the rest of you followed willingly when the Great Purge started."

"I did not," Caerleon snarled. "I have no grudge against magic, but make no mistake, you let people know just how dangerous that power is. Everyone knows the reason Cenred took you in was to use you."

"Not being a fool, I know that. And yes he has, you're not wrong, our kingdom can not only rival Camelot, in a battle of wills we would be stronger. But as Arthur knows, such things are pointless. Why would you really want to push him so far as to give him no choice but to kill you?"

"Good question," Percival said. Caerleon turned to glare at him.

"You're not stupid," Percival added. "Why do that? What do you have against Arthur to make him do that?"

"I will not bow down to Camelot."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "For heavens sake, what possessed you to even invade in the first place, you knew he would retaliate. It's what you did when my father took power, and it was ridiculous then, and after that you did nothing about the consequences."

"What do you mean?"

"Gwaine, the man we left with Arthur. His father was a knight in your army, he died in battle and I'm fairly certain it was probably during the conflict you had with my father. He left his wife penniless with a young child to bring up. She went to you, her king, for help and you turned her away."

"I cannot throw funds at every waif that ships up on my doorstep!"

"But your knights are given no loyalty?" Merlin asked. "And you clearly then do not help those in need. I don't doubt for one moment that Arthur would think nothing of helping."

"He's weak, and gullible."

"He cares and he listens," Merlin countered.

"Agree to disagree," Percival advised into the next tense silence. Caerleon looked at him in amusement before turning back to Merlin.

"All I am saying is, you can't solve Arthur's problems for him."

Judging by the put out look on Merlin's face Percival guessed that Merlin had already worked that out. Merlin ended the discussion on a final note.

"Maybe not, but this problem I'm already working on, so I'll finish it off."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Gwaine sighed heavily and rolled his shoulders as he entered the small room at the back of what used to be Gaius' chambers. The sun had just started to set, which meant that Gwaine now couldn't leave the physician's quarters until sunrise.

He leant back against the door and groaned, dropping his skull against the wood with a thud when he realised in his exhaustion he had forgotten to go by the kitchens to get something to eat. Unless he had left something from earlier then Gwaine was unlikely to have anything, and he hadn't eaten since breakfast.

Gwaine lifted his head and looked at the glow through the window. Considering the sun had only just dropped he might be able to get to the kitchens and back again. But on the other hand wandering after dusk meant a spell in the dungeon and he had only just escaped a day in the stocks the last time, thanks to Leon's intervention.

With a sigh he pushed himself away from the door and opened it again to look out into the main room. At first glance it didn't look hopeful as he assessed the cluttered surfaces of Gaius' workbench, plus if he did find anything there was no guarantee that it had been put there that day, since he had, quite often, a tendency to put things down and forget about them.

Thinking about it Gwaine decided he didn't really have the energy to bother looking, having spent a day mucking out the stables and cleaning every set of boots the army appeared to own.

"Oh, forget it," Gwaine muttered to himself. He backed up and shut the door again. At least if he was asleep he might not notice that he felt hungry. With a sigh he started to pull off his clothes. Just as he was dragging his shirt off someone knocked on the door. So involved with getting the uncooperative material over his head he didn't hear it and only realised someone was there when Gwen, at the sight of him almost shirtless, gave a light yelp.

"Oh! I didn't realise!"

Gwaine turned in shock. "Gwen!"

He yelped her name, partly in shock and partly in delight. He let his shirt drop down his arms and then gathered the material to drape it across his torso. Gwaine himself didn't mind his state of undress but since Gwen had clapped her hand over her eyes Gwaine guessed he had better cover himself. Very carefully Gwen splayed her fingers and peered through them. Gwaine hesitated between just leaving his shirt or slipping swiftly back into it.

Gwen, however, seemed to recover herself, lowering her hand.

"Sorry, I didn't realise."

Gwaine very carefully slid his hands out of the bunched up material of his sleeves and dropped the shirt onto the end of the bed.

"That's all right, I just didn't hear you come in. Are you all right? Arthur doesn't need me again does he?"

Gwen shook her head. "No. I brought this for you." She held up a small pot, opening up the lid. "It's cream, for your hands. I know you said they were sore after the other day."

Gwaine grimaced, lifting his right hand to look at the reddened, cracked skin from spending an entire day washing what seemed to be the cloak of every knight in Camelot. Except his own of course, which had been taken from him.

"It's the one I use. It works…" Gwen tailed off as Gwaine's stomach gave a loud rumble. She gave a light, knowing smile and indicated into the room behind her. "I also brought you some supper."

Gwaine grinned at her. "Have I ever told you that you are the light of my very bleak at the moment life?"

Gwen rolled her eyes. "I'm sure. Come on."

A short while later Gwaine felt better. At least he had eaten and his hands felt better as Gwen carefully rubbed cream into them.

"I don't know why you didn't ask someone. We all know what it's like," Gwen said. Gwaine shrugged.

"I just didn't. I'm meant to be suffering after all."

Gwen frowned and rubbed cream into the knuckles of Gwaine's left hand.

"You shouldn't have to do this. I don't know what Leon was thinking."

Gwaine raised his eyebrows. As punishments went it had been quite innovative and solved the issues Arthur had. With Gwaine accepting the conditions offered Arthur didn't need to consider execution or banishment.

"At least my head stays on this way," Gwaine reasoned while flexing his hand. Gwen tutted and tightened her grip, rubbing harder. "Plus I don't think Arthur wants to make it easy, that's the point, and he's angry."

"At you?"

Gwaine shrugged. "Maybe me, but more likely Merlin, and himself. I'm just convenient to take it out on. Being a servant in one of Arthur's training sessions is not fun. It's no wonder he goes through servants the same way he goes through socks. I should know, I've been washing and mending them."

"The socks or the servants?" Gwen asked with a slight smile.

"Both. He threw a gauntlet at poor little George the other day and clipped him on the back of the head."

Gwaine winced as he recalled the incident. Despite the fact that George had devotedly carried on working he had clearly been rattled by the sudden outburst. Gwen glanced up as she felt him tense.

"Sorry," she said, thinking that her treatment had hurt him. Gwaine smiled.

"I'm tough."

"How long is this going to last?" Gwen asked. Gwaine shrugged again.

"Who knows. The only thing I do know is there is no way I can give in. I know Arthur feels betrayed since I was reporting some things to Merlin, but I can't let that influence the trust he has in other people."

Gwen stared at him, listening intently, her dark eyes serious. Gwaine continued talking.

"There's you, as well as Leon, who can make him see that."

Gwen looked down, concentrating on what she was doing.

"I'm not sure about that."

"I am, and we have to try. Arthur feels isolated enough as it is, and Agravaine will take advantage of that."

Gwen's head lifted and she stared in shock as Gwaine's frank pronouncement. Her eyes scanned the room as if looking for any dangers of anyone listening in to the conversation.

"I know this seems like we are still working behind Arthur's back, but you might be able to influence him."

Gwen shook her head, looking down again. "I don't see how."

"He trusted you enough to help him get Morgana out of Camelot. And he knows that you and Morgana were close. He certainly helped you when Uther tried to lay the blame over Morgana's escape at your door."

"I know but, he's the king... I'm just a servant..."

"No, you are not, Gwen, and you know it. You were Morgana's friend, you **are **Morgana's friend. Arthur knows that, and the fact that you are working for him means he trusts you. Don't say anything to him... Don't be obvious.. just be there for him."

"I am," Gwen said. "I bring him his food and clean his chambers."

Gwaine closed his eyes as he heard the edge in her voice.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean... It's not your problem to deal with."

Gwen reached for some more cream and turning over Gwaine's hand started to rub it into his palm.

"I'll try. I don't think I can promise anything but... everyone knows what you are trying to do... even Agravaine."

Gwaine sighed and didn't comment as the door to the room suddenly, abruptly opened. Leon stalked in, slamming to a halt as he realised Gwaine was not alone. His eyes widened as he looked at Gwen, carefully holding Gwaine's hand and his eyes then narrowed as he eyed Gwaine's bare torso.

"I'm sorry... I..."

"No, it's fine," Gwaine said extracting his hand from Gwen's. "Gwen brought me some cream for my hands. And my supper."

Gwen had risen to her feet. "He keeps forgetting to go to the kitchen before he comes back here."

Leon still frowned and Gwaine turned back to Gwen. "Thank you for the cream, and the supper. You should have gone home hours ago."

"It's fine," Gwen said.

"I can have one of the night watch escort you home," Leon said. Gwen shook her head.

"There is no need, I will be fine. I have done it often before." She turned back to Gwaine. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Gwaine nodded. "Thank you Gwen."

Leon watched her leave, trying not to feel tense, and certainly not angry at her. Gwen was kind, and would take pity on someone in Gwaine's predicament. Gwaine, however, might see it differently.

"That is not appropriate, her associating with you."

"Why not?" Gwaine demanded, his voice hardening with anger.

"Your status is..."

"That of a servant! It's not inappropriate for her to associate with George!"

"That's different. George is a servant and you are..."

"No different at the moment."

"And George it not as... worldly... as you."

Gwaine raised his eyebrows, taking the hint, and for the first time that day Gwaine's face quirked into a genuine smile. Leon's frown deepened.

"Don't worry about that. Gwen's virtue is safe from me. I can imagine what a certain Sir Percival might do to most of the bones in my body if he had the slightest hint that any relationship had been inappropriate."

Leon blinked. "Sir Percival is not here."

Gwaine rubbed his hands together, finishing off Gwen's work. He had to admit his hands did feel better, although how long that would last depended on whatever work Arthur and Leon thought up for him next.

"And you don't think that at some point Merlin's going to reappear, no doubt with Percival in tow?"

Leon frowned, eyeing Gwaine sceptically.

"And before you ask, no I haven't been sending messages to him. But I think we can safely say that Merlin is not going to let this situation stay as it is."

Leon still looked at Gwaine uncertainly. There probably wasn't any way to prove what Gwaine said, or disprove it. Gwaine huffed and rolled his eyes.

"What is it you wanted anyway?" Gwaine asked. "I very much doubt you bothered to come round this way just to check on me."

Leon looked irritated, which was always a bonus, since Gwaine rather enjoyed how easily he could rile the other knight. Gwaine kept his face openly pleasant, trying not to look as amused as he felt.

"I'm leading a ten-day patrol, we'll need a servant. Arthur's allowed me to take you."

"How big of a patrol?"

"Ten. You'll need to have the horses ready and the saddle bags packed for mid-morning."

Setting off that early didn't sound too bad, at least if you were a knight. As the servant however Gwaine knew he would have to be up at dawn to get the horses groomed and ready, the stables cleaned and then deal with the packing to make sure each knight had the correct kit. Gwaine sighed and slowly rose to his feet.

"I'd better get an early night then. Goodnight Sir Leon."

"Goodnight Sir Gwaine."

Gwaine clenched his jaw, but he didn't turn round as he heard Leon leave. When they were alone Leon still called him by his title, almost as if he wanted to remind Gwaine of what they were trying to achieve.

"As if I need you to," Gwaine muttered to himself before stepping into the small chamber and closing the door behind him.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Lancelot followed the blonde haired girl as she walked. He stayed a discreet distance away from her, and the girl hadn't realised he was following her. There was nothing abnormal with someone taking a stroll around the forest, close to the boundary of the camp. Eira had done it several times, just as the shadows were lengthening, and dark almost covering the forest.

However, tonight she had come out later, carefully looking around and avoiding several groups of druids, to make her way out. Lancelot didn't want to be suspicious but if he was, then the previous walks made good groundwork for this one. Eira moved at a slightly quicker pace, looking around occasionally, and aware of her increased furtiveness Lancelot stayed back and merely followed her trail.

Instinct made him pause as he heard birds fly into the air, disturbed from their roosts. Lancelot listened carefully before crouching down to crawl his way through the undergrowth. It was not the most dignified way to approach but could be the safest. Lancelot eased up the incline, lying on his belly, reaching out to gently part the bushes and peer through.

Eira stood a short distance away, her body still, but relaxed as her head turned, scanning the darkness. The entire stance hinted that she was waiting for something. Lancelot settled down to wait, to see what she was about to do.

He didn't have long to wait and Lancelot tensed, pressing himself to the ground and inhaling sharply as he watched a slim, hooded figure suddenly glide through the trees, as it reached the clearing he watched Morgause throw back her hood. He moved his hand carefully to his sword hilt, although he would never be able to pull it without attracting attention. Still he wanted to be ready, should his presence be discovered.

The moonlight had started to filter through the trees, although it did not seem to affect Eira as much as Morgause. The sorceress seemed to shimmer in it's light, her hair and skin almost glowing to leave a nimbus of light around her. In comparison Eira seemed untouched by the same glow, as if the light didn't reach her. Lancelot blinked, letting his eyes resettle as Morgause moved closer to the young girl. She gave a brief curtsey.

"My Lady."

Lancelot watched Morgause's lips quirk upwards in amusement. Eira didn't see the sneer, and didn't realised that Morgause was using her for something. Lancelot could make easy assumptions as to why Eira's family had made such a big thing of her talents.

"I must admit, I was surprised when you told me where the king had taken you."

"The Lady Morgana is here also."

Morgause glowered. "I know that, girl!" she snapped. "This is not what I imagined. My sister is well?"

"The Druids are teaching her magic."

Morgause snorted. "She has the power to be a high priestess, there is no reason for her to be taught in such a trifling way."

"The Great Dragon has taken an interest in her also." Eira said as she watched Morgause pace up and down. Morgause turned, staring at Eira in such a way that Lancelot felt a sudden surge of concern for her safety. But then again, Morgause had put too much effort into putting her in place, to do any damage now was fruitless.

Morgause's eyes flickered around. "The beast is not here now?"

Eira shook her head. "He flew out from the cave yesterday, and has not yet returned. He only does so, I have heard, when he is called."

"Merlin is not at his court?"

"No, I overheard the king talking. He went to Arthur, on hearing of Uther's death. He has been away almost two weeks."

"I know when Uther died!" Morgause snapped. "I must think... I cannot have peace between them."

Lancelot's eyes widened and he took a low breath. Tilting his head he heard the light brush as someone moved behind him. For a moment he couldn't concentrate on the two women. Instead he moved onto his side, slowly pulled the dagger from his belt as he turned his head. As the shadow moved Lancelot tensed, rising up slightly to ready himself. Then his eyes widened in shock.

"My Lady!" he whispered. Morgana looked embarrassed and Lancelot looked around. The two women in the forest were still talking and had not heard Morgana's approach. Lancelot abandoned his etiquette and reaching up took a firm hold of Morgana's wrist and pulled, gently enough to encourage her down on her down. Morgana went and Lancelot rolled his eyes as that exposed Mordred. The young boy crouched and sidled closer.

"My Lady, you should not be out here!"

"I followed you," Morgana said. "You've been odd the last few days, I was concerned, and I wanted to know what was going on."

"That I do not know!" Lancelot said. He turned back to the scene he was watching and Morgause had thankfully not seen, or heard, anything. Morgana took a sharp breath as she saw the women who turned and walked away.

"That's my sister!"

"Yes, My Lady!" Lancelot hissed, putting his hand out to indicate her to stay down. He did not want to insult her, or hurt her in any way, since Cenred would take his head, but he had been given the job of protecting her. It was Morgana's turn to hiss as Lancelot shifted the grip on the dagger he held just in case Eira as she passed heard them. Lancelot felt Morgana's hand on his arm, and she pressed herself down, resting on his legs as they waited for the girl to pass and head back to the camp.

Once she was certain the girl was gone Morgana tightened her grip and rose up over Lancelot, pulling her own knife and lightly jabbing it against the knight's ribs as a warning.

"What is going on?"


	33. Chapter 33

**To the guest reviewer who recently nagged me to post, you were lucky I was just close to. Now... where's my metaphorical toast?**

Morgana overruled Lancelot's suggestion to bring Iseldir into their small conference.

"I think the fewer people that know about this the better," Morgana said sternly. Mordred nodded, breaking his usual steady silence to answer openly, presumably because Lancelot sat with them.

"We may be able to call on some discretion on his part, but he will do what is best for the community, which may mean removing her, or at least containing her, even if Eira remains unaware of it. However, if she tries to contact Morgause, or more significantly, if Morgause contacts her, as High Priestess she will be aware of something wrong."

Lancelot blinked as he heard such concise intelligence from the youthful boy. However, looking at Mordred's eyes Lancelot knew there was more to the boy than just his simple form. Morgana nodded.

"It is true."

"If this is a threat towards Arthur, she might not just look to him, but the one person protecting him, a person with magic."

"Emrys can look after himself, and Arthur," Mordred said. "It is his destiny."

Lancelot looked uncomfortable and instead turned to Morgana.

"But it doesn't just mean that Merlin might be at risk by associating with Arthur. The only reason that I was following Eira was because I had been given my instructions by Hunith. The king didn't think anything of this, Hunith had her suspicions. We have to do something; warn someone. We must find a way to speak to Hunith. There has to be a way to stop Morgause. She won't attack here, or at least, it won't be aimed at you. Morgana, you are the best weapon we have."

Morgana sighed, fiddling with the bracelet around her wrist.

"I know, but I don't know. She's my family, my sister! I felt... when we met... I felt something."

Morgana looked down at the bracelet and pushed it around on her wrist. The two men watched her for a few seconds.

"She appears to have no intention of hurting you. She's tried for Arthur before, it's logical that Camelot is her target again."

"Uther was her target. He's dead," Morgana stated.

"But her plan included Arthur. You had a vision of what the outcome of that would be."

Morgana flinched. "Merlin stopped that."

They paused and looked at each other again.

"My Lady, my I be honest with you?" Lancelot asked.

Morgana looked up and nodded her head. "Of course."

"You have met Morgause only once. And I suppose what evidence she gave means there is no doubt she is your sister. But you came to Camelot when you were ten, you grew up with Arthur, and whatever happened, Uther loved you. He no doubt loved you after you were forced to flee. Your father was his best friend, as close as brothers is what you told me. Arthur is like a brother to you. Those are the connections you know."

"I wonder sometimes. When my father needed reinforcements in battle Uther didn't send them, my father died."

"Battles are never so simple as that. And Arthur put himself at risk to save you, and Gaius. Guinevere did the same, she helped you."

"Yes, she did."

"How long have you known her?"

"Since we were children, at least since I came to Camelot. She was so nervous on her first day, she shook so much she spilt water everywhere."

"That is what you must think of, My Lady. They risked their lives to help you, they know you, they love you. You know that. You love them, do you not?"

"Of course," Morgana said, not sounding entirely convinced.

"My family were killed by raiders. I swore that I would not rest until I had avenged them, but that is something futile. I don't know who it was and I cannot keep that promise to them unless I become something they would hate. I would have to kill anyone and everyone in my path, I cannot know who did the deed so it would become the only thing to do. I nearly did, but Merlin stopped me, he thought I could do better."

"And this is something better?"

"I believe so, I protect people and they are people that I have come to care about. Merlin is vulnerable, and Hunith was right, if you had known about Freya, and the truth of that situation, you would not have given a killing blow; at least not so readily."

Morgana bit down on her lip. "I acted like someone from Camelot when it comes to magic."

Lancelot frowned. "I don't think that is entirely true, My Lady. You had Evelyn to consider."

"And Cyranus," she added.

"You cannot be blamed for what you did. However hard Merlin finds it, he does not blame you."

"I think he blames me for a great many things."

"You do him a disservice, I do believe that."

"I don't doubt however that we should act to protect him, and others, and," Morgana sighed heavily at this point. "And Arthur."

"You do not wish to protect Arthur."

"Arthur helped me, he tried to, he talked to the druids when he wanted answers as to what was wrong with me, even I was too scared to ask but he found someone, he looked and he tried to get answers, to help me."

"Do you feel obligated to help him; or do you want to?"

"I want to do what is right," Morgana said.

"I know Morgause is your sister, but Arthur is your family," Lancelot said slowly. "Sometimes these things are nothing to do with blood, and much to do with feelings."

"I don't know that. I cannot believe my sister would see me harmed."

"Consider this. Does she wish to use Eira to see you harmed, or is she to prevent you from acting?"

"That," Morgana said after another moment's pause. "Is a good question."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Percival felt the king grinding his teeth at being led into his own throne room. Annis sat on the throne and looked composed, but she was entirely capable of finding the whole thing amusing. Percival had met her before and knew that well enough.

"What is this?" she asked.

Merlin pushed a bound and angry Caerleon forward towards his throne. Caerleon snarled at Merlin who shrugged. Both of them looked towards Annis as she coughed lightly.

"I am still waiting for an explanation."

"Your Highness, I would request that you keep your husband at home. If you have trouble containing him, than perhaps keeping his tethered would be your best course of action."

"And what is it, Prince Merlin, that my husband is supposed to have done?"

"No 'suppose', he violated the borders of Camelot and proceeded to take control of the villages in that area. I think that you would find that such behaviour is unacceptable."

"We have no treaty with Camelot."

"Then you are foolish, and I will not allow this."

"Merlin," Percival growled. Merlin turned his head, leaning over to murmur to Percival.

"Do you think that these people scare me?"

"No, they don't, you can defend yourself and you can use the dragon to get us out of here but I think even your father might consider provoking them to start a war foolish."

As Percival spoke a servant ran into the room and jerked to a halt as he saw his king in a rather embarrassing position. It was only when Annis waved her hand, to motion the servant forward, that he recovered and running over hurriedly whispered into his queen's ear.

"You would use the dragon against us?!"

"No, he would not!" Percival said, his eyes still locked with Merlin's and he lowered his voice again so only Merlin could hear him.

"What was the point of calling him in the first place?"

"I'm well known to be a Dragonlord, what many people do not know is how strong my magic is. Rumours are all very well, but shall we retain a small advantage, just in case we need it later."

Judging by the set of Percival's jaw he couldn't actually argue with that tactic. Merlin could display his power and leave no doubt as to just how strong he was but the dragon could do that and Merlin use no magic whatsoever. He would always easily use magic on his home turf, surrounded by people loyal to him, even though information always leaked out, but he didn't openly display the entire force of his magic in front of others.

"No," Merlin said, addressing the horrified court. "As long as we leave here unharmed."

As one of his men freed Caerleon he turned to Merlin. Merlin stayed where was but Percival stepped forward, drawing his sword. The men in the room tensed. Annis sat up straighter on the throne. Caerleon glared at Percival and then past him to an unconcerned looking Merlin.

"You won't even fight me yourself."

"Percival is my bodyguard. He is doing his job."

"From what I have heard you hardly need him."

"Oh, I need him. He's exactly what I need."

"He's impressive, I'll give you that."

"He's more than that."

Percival growled, looking from Caerleon to Merlin. "**He's** going to bang you both around the head in a minute!"

The king snorted in disbelief. Merlin looked around Percival to address Caerleon.

"I have to say, that is actually quite painful. I will advise you it is best to take steps to avoid such a thing."

Percival growled again. Merlin took a step back, easing himself away from his increasingly irate friend. He then stepped sideways to look around Percival to address Annis, also catching Caerleon in his line of sight.

"Our business here is finished. You cross Camelot's border again the conclusion will not be so amicable." Merlin took another step back, turning his attention to Percival. "I'm leaving."

Merlin turned and walked swiftly to the door. Percival paused and turned to regard the king and queen before jerking his head in Merlin's direction.

"I reiterate what he said."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

There was one virtue of having Leon around, however disapproving he might have been on other subjects, he did not allow any abuse to be directed towards Gwaine. Some of the knights understood Gwaine's stance, others were just angry, and baffled, by what had happened. Some, he knew, just didn't like him, and how he had got himself knighted. Those ones found ample opportunity to get back at him now he was no more than a servant, stripped of his title and banned from using weapons, although he still cleaned them.

Leon had suggested Gwaine's punishment and quite often decided when it had gone too far as he observed the knight's reactions to their former comrade. Gwaine finished cleaning up the breakfast dishes and came back to camp.

"Break camp. We'll ride out and head towards the castle. As we need to move swiftly, Bors take two men and ready the horses, and I'll help pack up. The rest of you scout out and we'll decide on a route then."

Gwaine said nothing as Leon gave orders, he kicked soil into the fire to kill it and started to pack up the saddle bags. That was his job, even if three of the knights readied the horses, it was still his job to clear up, and if he hadn't left the tack set up to their satisfaction then he would hear about it. Bors was not one of the worst when it came to picking on him but if he got something wrong he pointed it out.

"Hurry up now," another knight snapped as Gwaine started to attach the saddle packs to the relevant horses.

"Yes, Sir Maleagant," Gwaine said buckling the straps as swiftly as he could. Maleagant went off as Leon moved closer.

"I'll finish that. You start on those others."

"Yes, Sir Leon."

Gwaine turned away and carried on filling packs, kicking at the fire again as he saw embers.

"I'll need to go the stream again before we move further out. Most of the waterskins are low," Gwaine added.

"Very well. The day looks damp so it might not be much of an issue if we need to find other sources."

Gwaine said nothing. He didn't intend to point out that the knights might be deliberately picky. That was his problem to deal with. He ran off down to the stream to get the water. As he did so he looked up, as the bushes on the far side of the bank rustled. By instinct his hand went to his left hip, to take his sword. It clasped onto empty air and Gwaine exhaled carefully, waiting to see what happened. He supposed that he could call for help, but the derision he might receive over that, on top of everything else, was not something he wished to contemplate. He waited until the bushes parted on the far side to decide on a course of action. As the man appeared Gwaine realised he had nothing to fear, he was dressed in simple clothes; a farmer, Gwaine thought. He looked shocked to see Gwaine there, pausing uncertainly on the far bank. Gwaine's face probably mirrored the cautious expression he faced now.

"Is everything all right?" Gwaine asked, rising up from his crouch, the man frowned and backed up a step. "Don't worry, I'm a servant, for Camelot. I'm with a patrol of knights."

The man hesitated, looking at Gwaine, his expression still uncertain. Gwaine waited a moment, not wanting to push the issue but he knew enough to realise something had disturbed his man. If that was the case, telling a contingent of knights was probably the best course of action. The man stepped further back, shuffling away from the stream as someone stepped up behind Gwaine. Turning his head Gwaine felt no surprise at seeing Leon appear behind him. The man watched them warily, but appeared to relax at the sight of Leon wearing Camelot's crest.

Gwaine slowly rose to his feet, keeping the waterskins in one hand, eyes drifting back up to Leon.

"What's going on?"

Gwaine shrugged, turning to glance at the man over the other side of the stream.

"I was heading to Camelot, after I saw…"

He paused, Leon and Gwaine both frowned in concern.

",,,from the castle, back over the ridge. The fires are burning."

Gwaine felt his stomach flop slightly.

"That's impossible," Leon said looking down at Gwaine.

"Unlikely is not the same as impossible."

Leon grimaced at that and looked back up at the man in front of them.

"What were you doing there?"

"I'm from one of the villages nearby, we graze our sheep over the moor. I was herding them through when I saw it. I didn't dare go too close but it came from the old castle of Idirsholas."

"The Knights of Medhir are buried there," Gwaine mused.

"It's just a legend, from over 300 years ago" Leon snapped at him. "Still, if there is a fire then it may mean that someone is occupying the castle. As it's been abandoned for years we are best to take the patrol that way. You will be best advised to stay clear of the area," Leon added to the shepherd. The man nodded nervously, eyes darting from Gwaine to Leon. Leon looked down at Gwaine.

"We had best get moving."

Gwaine had a bad feeling about this.

He did not, however, voice it, although he did spent a little time displaying his disquiet with some pointed looks in Leon's direction. Leon paid him no heed. Gwaine's gut instincts didn't count for much. They might have if he was a knight, but he was not. He rode near the rear of the group with only Maleagant and Bors behind him.

The knights kept a swift pace, and as they cleared the wooded area, and took the incline up to ride across the moors the dark, forbidding castle came into view. The fire in question burning against the darkness. Gwaine gritted his teeth as he looked at it.

"That's not a camp fire," Gwaine informed the rest of them. Several of them glared at him and he could feel Malaegant's eyes almost burning holes in his back.

"Gwaine!" Leon snapped to quiet him, before urging his horse forward. The other knights followed and Gwaine had no other recourse.

It seemed to take no time at all to cover the distance, the dark structure looming upwards as they reached it. Leon sent four of the knights out to scout round and indicated for the others to follow him. Then he turned his attention to Gwaine.

"Stay with the horses."

Gwaine gritted his teeth and said nothing, turning to tether some of the reins he was holding. None of the animals would stray, they had been run hard over the last hour as they went to their destination. He tried not to feel annoyed and humiliated about being left with the animals, as if he was nothing more than one of the beasts himself. Leon didn't want him directly in danger, as he was forbidden to fight. Or use any weapon in an aggressive manner, as Arthur had phrased it.

For a few seconds he watched the knights flank out in their familiar formation and then glanced back to Leon's horse, and more to the point, the sword attached to the saddle.

Not one knight has openly commented on the sudden precaution of taking a spare sword, and it happened more often than when Gwaine travelled with them, but again the speculation made that a simple cover. Leon had only started doing so once Gwaine had been sentenced. Gwaine looked around again, the four knights sent to scout had circled the building, now two entered the main way and Gwaine knew by the signals that the other two would go via the other entrances that had been discovered. He watched them go and without even realising it happened, his hand drifted to the sword hilt. The snort Leon's horse gave brought him back to reality.

Slowly he pulled the weapon a few inches out of the scabbard, looking at the exposed section of blade as it glittered in the sun. Gwaine gritted his teeth. He could be wrong and the punishment for it could be harsh. On the other hand he did not trust what they were walking into. He had often suffered mental moral debates, and knew the power of deception. Over the months he had informed Merlin of certain facts he had come to understand that. He had not spied on Arthur, or Camelot; Merlin had not demanded to know any secrets, all he had wanted to know about was Arthur's well-being. Gwaine had told him that during that long painful interview in the throne room.

There was only one fact that Gwaine had omitted to mention, and it hadn't been to protect Merlin, but to protect Arthur's feelings, and that had been over Merlin's lack of concern about a dying Uther. He certainly felt concerned over Arthur's feelings and how he was coping, but never once had Merlin asked about Uther, or expressed any particular sorrow over his death. Gwaine didn't think that Arthur, in those painful early days of grief, had noticed that. When Merlin had turned up in Camelot, Arthur still hadn't appeared to notice, so Gwaine made sure he didn't mention it.

All things considered, it hadn't been too relevant.

Gwaine looked around at the open landscape, the grass and heather rippling in the breeze. There was nothing in sight for miles, no movement other than that of the foliage. Still, there was something in the air that Gwaine didn't like, a ripple of tension, as if something was out of sync with the rest of the world.

Unable to ignore it Gwaine made sure all the horses were secured before reaching for the sword on Leon's saddle. Everyone knew it's purpose, knowing Leon he had probably told Arthur exactly what it was for, even Arthur was not blinkered enough to leave someone unarmed if they could be useful. The punishment would be for not waiting for Leon to hand it to it, but Gwaine didn't think he could wait for that. Something was wrong, he was sure of it, and he was not about to risk Leon's life. Or anyone's for that matter, he added to himself, but it was Leon who was doing his best to balance the difficult situation, and who was trying to do his best for Gwaine.

He jogged towards the entrance of the castle, trying to ignore the feeling of elation he had at the leather hilt in his hand. A surge of energy ran through him and he picked up the pace as he heard the sounds of a battle.

"Bors!" Gwaine yelled the name as the knight came into view, staggering back as his attacker pressed forward. The knight fell to the ground and Gwaine ran forward, meeting the sword that dropped downwards towards the prone man. Gwaine gritted his teeth as the swords scraped together and he tensed his arm to prevent the blade from slicing into Bors. The man managed to struggle back. Gwaine shifted his sword, freeing himself from the impasse and he struck out, forcing his opponent backwards. Gwaine kicked out, sending the knight flying backwards so he crashed down into the main hall of the castle. Gwaine jumped after him, looking at the chaos that had been wrought. He plunged his sword into the body of the prone knight, yanking it out swiftly and stepping back in shock as he suddenly stirred.

Gwaine exhaled in shock as the knight slowly rose to his feet. In those few seconds Gwaine studied him, he was dressed in plain black clothing and wore a mask over his face. Gwaine's stomach stirred uneasily, and he got the feeling he didn't want to particularly see what lay under the mask and hood.

"Leon!"

He dodged the knight getting up and ran to aid Leon as he received a blow to his hip which almost toppled him. Gwaine deflected the fatal blow and lashed out at the attackers neck. He reached out his free arm, bracing himself as Leon crashed into him, unable to support himself, his face pale, and he gasped for breath.

Gwaine fought as best he could, moving backwards. He turned and saw Maleagant fighting another, struggling to win. They couldn't win, Gwaine thought to himself as Maleagant slashed his sword into the dark knight and there was not even a flicker of an injury.

"Retreat!" Gwaine yelled at him. Looking around he realised the rest of the patrol were dead. Only four of them remained. Leon braced himself, pushing away from Gwaine as two of the enemy came towards them. Gwaine stepped in front of Leon.

"Get back, get to the entrance, find a way to secure it!" Gwaine ordered him. Leon hesitated and Gwaine slashed his sword, fending off the two creatures, they weren't men, they couldn't be he thought in shock. It was the only description he could make up at the time as he backed up, flanking Leon as he stumbled away.

"Sir Maleagant!" Leon shouted, the pain in his voice obvious. "Retreat! Now!"

He obeyed Leon, moving backwards, going swiftly, pausing at Sir Bors now unmoving body. However, the injured knight had not been idle, his sword had been embedded in the workings of the portcullis.

"Has he loosened it?!"

"I don't answer to you."

Gwaine snarled. "Just tell me. Watch out!"

Maleagant already turned, sensing the attacker closing in on him. He ducked the sword and brought his own up into the body of the knight, pushing him back. His sword slid cleanly out as the force of the push sent his attacker toppling back into the courtyard where they were fighting. He lay still for a moment before starting to stir. Gwaine ran, dodging around the prone knight and darting up the stairs. Leon lingered at the bottom, sword still ready and propping his shoulder against the archway. Gwaine checked the mechanism.

He turned, Maleagant ran up the stairs, leaving Leon flanking the doorway. Gwaine's eyes widened.

"Leon!"

Gwaine went down the stairs two at a time, almost loosing his footing in his hast to get down to help Leon. He didn't bother to engage with any of the attacking force moving slowly to meet them. Instead he grabbed Leon.

"Come on, you can't fight them!"

"I can long enough for you to get away!"

"Don't be idiotic. Bors has rigged the portcullis, we can bring it down. It should buy us enough time."

"I'm injured," Leon gasped, although he started to allow Gwaine to drag him back up the steps. Gwaine had to brace himself, Leon remained very unsteady, his face damp with sweat and eyes dull with pain. As Gwaine put his arm around Leon's waist, he could feel the wet patch where the sword had struck him. The blood flow was heavy, which was not a good sign.

"You're not dead, so I'm not leaving you," Gwaine said, dragging Leon up with him. He didn't want to comment that Maleagant had. It seemed entirely possible that the knight had ridden off and left them. However, as Gwaine reached the top of the stairs, the knights below starting to follow Maleagant reappeared with what looked like a sturdy branch.

"This should help," he put the wood in to help increase the pressure and tried to force mechanism. The portcullis gave a groan, jerking on the chains that held it, but Maleagant couldn't shift it. Gwaine gently sat Leon down and went to add his own weight to the task. As he stepped closer Maleagant jerked his head round to glare at him. Gwaine kept his own gaze steady, but saying nothing, it was hardly time to be bringing up their differences now. After a moment Maleagant went back to what he was doing and Gwaine eased his way in to add leverage to the wood. Both of them groaned as they applied as much pressure as they could. Dust drifted down into the air as the structure around them seemed to object to their actions.

Glancing down Gwaine realised that the dark-clad knights were slowly starting to make their way up the steps. Both men spotted the movement at the same time, increasing the pressure. They heard the mechanism groan and a second later the portcullis fell, grinding against the stone as it fell unevenly. Gwaine jumped forward, dragging the thick metal gate down, heaving on one side to get it to drop. It fell with a resounding crash, Gwaine dropping with it, cracking his knees against the stone.

Maleagant had put an arm around Leon to keep him upright and had started to make his way out of the castle. Gwaine ran along behind them, panting with exertion. The three of them stumbled out of the ruins, Leon staggering over the rough ground. Gwaine moved to his other side to help keep him steady.

"Go without me."

"Not a chance," Gwaine contradicted tightening his grip, ignoring Maleagant's glare for daring to speak. It was hardly the time to be enforcing the petty rules of his punishment. Leon made no comment, instead he gasped with pain as they stopped by the horses and Gwaine eased himself away from Leon to free up the horses. He yanked the reins, freeing all the animals, hoping that the rider less ones would just follow. Leon groaned again as Gwaine, as gently as he could, helped Leon to mount his horse.

"We'll stop in the forest and I'll look at that wound, I don't think we can afford to linger," Gwaine mused. "Just hang on to the saddle, I'll lead her."

Leon nodded at Gwaine, one hand gripping to the pommel of the saddle, the other stayed pressed to his wound. There looked to be a significant amount of blood staining the clothing and armour around the gash. Gwaine tried not to look worried as he mounted his own horse and reached over to gather up the reins of Leon's mare. Maleagant paused long enough to ensure they were moving before leading the way as he urged his horse on. As Gwaine predicted the other horses followed along, they would probably separate at some point, their instinct to find food would soon spread them out. It would not be an entirely bad thing, possibly confusing the trails to make it harder to search them out in the forest. Gwaine, however, didn't think such caution would matter, the knights were not a natural creation and would no doubt have more than simple means to follow them, plus it would be quite obvious where they would head.

All they could do now was get to Camelot before them.


	34. Chapter 34

On reaching the forest they slackened their pace slightly. The terrain meant the precaution was necessary and Leon had started to look increasingly pale, but out of the corner of his eye Gwaine could see Maleagant grimace with pain when the track became rougher.

It was, Gwaine calculated, early afternoon when they reached the stream again. Neither knight argued when he suggested they pause.

"Let me look at that," Gwaine ordered kneeling beside Leon. He looked reluctant but conceded. Leon hissed as Gwaine carefully lifted the chainmail and eased the material of his trousers away from the wound. Blood smeared the area, staining the clothes. Gwaine didn't have a huge amount of knowledge, he had picked up things along the way and knew enough to realise that the wound, although serious, would not be fatal if it could be treated. Leon gritted his teeth and his breath came in short, heavy gasps as Gwaine carefully started to clean it up while he racked his brain for any information that would help him.

He wasn't sure if there was anything in the supplies which would help, other than him sacrificing a spare shirt to bind it and hoping that Leon could hold out until Camelot.

"You should go on ahead," Leon gasped through the pain. Gwaine wiped the dried blood around the wound. Thankfully it looked like the bleeding had started to slow. Gwaine concentrated on what he was doing, while he answered Leon.

"I'm not leaving you."

"You should, and that is an order."

Gwaine lifted his eyes to meet Leon's. "Nice try, that won't work."

"You are a servant!"

"No, I'm a knight who is being made to be a servant, and the whole knight thing was rather sketchy to begin with, so I might even go so far as to disregard that and change it to me being who I was before I accidentally walked into this whole mess via Morgana."

Leon glared at him. "It's your duty to protect Camelot."

"If it is, then you are the part of it my duty currently extends to. You and Maleagant, wherever he's gone," Gwaine trailed off, looking around in concern. He didn't think the knight would wander far but he was not in line of sight. Gwaine turned back to Leon, who pressed his own hands onto the packing that Gwaine had put onto the wound. After a moment Gwaine reached to tie it off and then Leon nodded at him.

"Go."

Gwaine didn't hesitate to draw his sword as he skulked off, moving carefully through the trees. He paused as he heard the sounds of splashing water, and he stepped carefully through the trees to the stream, where he found Maleagant. Gwaine pushed the branches aside and stepped out.

"My Lord, we should..." Gwaine paused and looked at the wound. It was far worse than Leon's and Gwaine went cold as he looked at it. Maleagant looked up, anger and pain fighting for dominance in his eyes. Gwaine stabbed the tip of his sword into the soil and stepped forward.

"I should help you with that."

"I think it's beyond help."

Gwaine grimaced and tried not to agree with that as he knelt down in front of Maleagant and looked at the wound in his navel. As Gwaine looked at it he realised he went deep into Maleagant's gut. Even if he didn't bleed too much outside, Gwaine knew that something worse could be going on inside.

"This is bad."

"Leon is right. You need to leave us and get to Camelot."

"Just had that conversation. Not doing it."

"I am a walking corpse."

"I'm not leaving you, you or Leon. You are both getting back to Camelot."

Maleagant winced as Gwaine gently washed the wound, not that it was going to do much good.

"This is no time to be stubborn Gwaine!"

Gwaine stared at the wound and then slowly looked up, meeting Maleagant's dark brown eyes.

"Oh the contrary, this is the very moment I need to be stubborn."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Leon lay still watching as Gwaine carefully wrapped up Maleagant's body in his cloak.

"Will you bury him?"

"I said I would get you both back to Camelot. That is exactly what I am going to do. I am not risking leaving him here. It's bad enough that we left the others behind."

"What does that matter?"

"It just does," Gwaine said, keeping his hand on Maleagant's body in something of a gesture that meant nothing. Maleagant couldn't feel it, he had ridden far enough with them and Gwaine knew he had done that in case the knights of Medhir had come upon them. He would have used himself as a distraction. Such a thought made Gwaine feel very over protective of the knight.

"You need to ride out first thing and..."

"And I am taking you and Maleagant with me. Nothing else is an option."

"Camelot could be at risk!"

"I am not leaving you Leon, end of story, don't waste your strength arguing. You need to eat... I'd better cook and I don't care how it tastes, you're eating it."

Leon huffed, shifting and then wincing at the pain rippling out from his hip.

"It was never that bad."

Gwaine huffed and rolled his eyes, remembering all the complaints his cooking had received. "Now you tell me."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Gwaine knew he had to push and one of his companions wouldn't complain. The other he had to carry. He sat Leon in front of him, as he was not able to sit steadily in the saddle. He rotated the three horses but all of them were lathered up and heaving for breath by the time he reached Camelot.

Once there he could safely leave Leon's care to Gwen to run to the council chamber and see Arthur. He didn't wait, they had been surrounded the moment he had clattered into the courtyard. Gwaine slid off the horse as three other knights moved in to help Leon. Leon, breathless and pale, had turned to glare at Gwaine. Gwen had been crossing the courtyard at the time, with a basket of washing. It had fallen to the floor the moment she had seen the state Leon was in, and she had abandoned the sheets in favour of the knight.

"Go!" Leon managed to gasp and Gwaine didn't hesitate. He ran up the stairs two at a time and headed into the castle. Considering the time of day Arthur's location was likely to be the council chamber. As he reached the closed doors the two guards outside eyed him curiously. Gwaine didn't bother talking to them, he just hauled one of them out of the way and kicked the doors open, running in.

The sounds had attracted the attention of the men inside. As he staggered through Gwaine suddenly felt very tired of the whole situation. Arthur's eyes widened as the sight of him, and his eyes dropped to the sword that Gwaine still carried on his belt. Something which he probably should have put down before he entered.

"Gwaine? Explain yourself."

"Leon is injured and Maleagant is..." Gwaine took a breath and exhaled. "They were the two that escaped the attack. Maleagant was fatally injured, Leon doesn't seem much better now, but... the fires of Idirsholas have been lit, and the Knights of Medhir are awake. Six of them at least."

Arthur frowned as he listened and then looked to Agravaine and the Geoffrey.

"And what is this?"

Geoffrey looked troubled. Agravaine watched Gwaine with narrowed eyes. Gwaine watched back just as carefully. Geoffrey slowly started to explain.

"Medhir was a sorceress, several knights of Camelot were sent to deal with her. She corrupted them and although she was eventually killed, she took those knights loyal with her, into a deep slumber. Legend said those that could ignite the Fires of Idhirsholas would be able to bring them to life."

"Who would do such a thing?"

"I think that is obvious Sire," Agravaine said. "Cenred and his sorcerer of a son. They would take advantage of..."

"Don't be stupid, Arthur you can't believe that..." Gwaine snapped stepping forward.

"Seize him!" Agravaine yelled and Gwaine lurched to a halt as two guards grabbed him. Another removed the sword. "He's one of them, take him away!"

"I am not! Neither is Merlin! Arthur, you do not seriously believe that Merlin would do something so underhand! Arthur!"

"Do not address your king in such a fashion! Gag him as well."

Gwaine felt his heart thudding in his ears. "My Lord, listen to me. If Merlin had wanted to take Camelot from you he would have done so already. Get off me!"

Gwaine struggled as the two men dragged him away, one now clamping his hand across Gwaine's mouth and he roared in anger. Arthur had not lifted his head, he only did so as he heard the unmistakable sound of a sword being pulled from it's sheath. Gwaine still fought, oblivious to the sight of another guard advancing on him. Arthur slammed his hands onto the table and abruptly stood up.

"Enough! Put up your sword!"

The soldier hesitated. Gwaine went still, the hands restraining him remained firm but they stopped dragging him to the door. Agravaine looked annoyed by the reaction.

"Sire, I don't think..."

"I am king here!" Arthur snarled. "What **I** think is what concerns me now! Release him!"

The soldiers did, Gwaine felt the hands withdraw, the man who had drawn his sword almost fell over to get away from him. Gwaine straightened up, pulling his clothes straight and trying to regain some semblance of dignity. Arthur helped with that as he glared at him and said.

"Your report please, Sir Gwaine."

"As I said, we encountered a farmer who had seen the fires lit. The patrol investigated only to find several knights present, and they attacked us and they cannot be killed, they are not natural."

"If they are created by sorcery..."

"It was not Merlin, Sir Agravaine, he would not use something like this, he would not advocate the use of this, to resurrect old knights of Camelot to use against us. I know the legend. It would violate every moral code Merlin has."

"You are not an agent of Prince Merlin, as you have said before, how do you know he would not do this, if you do not know him."

"Because the one thing he used to get into Camelot was me," Gwaine said. "And the one and only thing that concerned him was Arthur's welfare."

"For the purposes of this 'Once and Future King' prophecy," Agravaine said looking around the room and shrugged at the audience.

"I don't believe it, and clearly neither do you but Merlin does, he thinks that Arthur is the king that will unite Albion and as foretold will bring peace to the land. It's not our belief that is in question. You suggest the one person that believes in this will attack Arthur and that makes no sense. Merlin would not do this, Arthur, you know that."

"You were carrying Maleagant's body and riding with Sir Leon, against men who are apparently not men. There has been no report of anything unusual close to Camelot. Are you sure we, I, am the target?"

"If not you, then there is only one other," Gwaine said, then his eyes drifted to the empty seat that lay on Arthur's left. "Or a third. I do not think we can take Lady Morgana out of the equation."

"Are you well to ride? You need to take a message to Merlin. We may be too late but... if we can warn of some disaster."

"Sire. I believe we can be swifter than a day's ride."

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "How?"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"You left a potentially dangerous magical item stored in your possessions?"

Gwaine winced as he pulled out the pouch of stones and opened the bag.

"They are not dangerous. As far as I know their only use is to allow me to communicate with Merlin. If they can be put to some other purpose he didn't mention it, or make them do so."

Arthur glared at him.

"Do you really think that Merlin casually hands out things like this? Especially to people like me."

Arthur debated that in his mind, he could see Gwaine's point.

"And why did you not tell me about these before?"

Gwaine grimaced, that was a little tricky. In retrospect it would have been wiser to have told Arthur. It seemed now to be a slight breach of the trust that Gwaine had been trying to rebuild, but something in him had kept this one thing back. And Gwaine did have a reason.

"For a moment such as this. You may have had them destroyed or..." Gwaine stopped and shrugged. "I didn't want you totally burning your boats with Merlin. Not that I think that is actually possible."

Without allowing Arthur a chance to response Gwaine dropped the stone into the bowl of water. He heard the slight chime ring through the air as the stone connected with the liquid. Arthur tensed beside him as he watched the ripples on the surface of the water lap outwards to the edges of the bowl, then they seemed to run back again, converging at the centre before rippling out again. Gwaine blinked and shook his head, it was a little hard to watch. He glanced at Arthur, who had looked away from the ripples.

Gwaine's attention turned back as Merlin's voice echoed into the room.

"Gwaine?" His voice sounded a little uncertain. Not surprising, he wouldn't have expected Gwaine to use the stones again.

"Yes, although it's not me that wants to talk to you." Gwaine looked at Arthur, who opened his mouth, paused and then coughed before shakily speaking.

"Merlin?"

"Arthur!" Despite Merlin's concern about the sudden contact there was no denying the delight in his voice in hearing from Arthur. Then he seemed to realise it had to be serious, his tone changed as he added. "What's the matter? I presume it's urgent."

"Gwaine went out on a patrol with some knights, they've discovered the Knights of Medhir are active. All the men in the patrol were lost, apart from Sir Leon, Gwaine got him back to Camelot but he is severely injured."

There was a pause, the water continued to ripple but Merlin said nothing. Arthur's eyes widened before he glanced at Gwaine with concern and anger. Gwaine opened his mouth, to try and get something from Merlin. If there was any indication that Merlin had woken the knights then Gwaine would be dead within minutes.

"When was this?" Merlin's voice caused everyone in the room to shiver with it's iciness.

"We encountered them yesterday, the patrol ran into a farmer coming to Camelot to inform of seeing the fires lit," Gwaine said. "We went to investigate and the knights were there. I got two of the knights away, Sir Maleagant died on the way back. Leon is in a bad way."

"You have no healers there?" Merlin asked.

"None skilled enough to help Leon," Gwaine said coldly. Arthur winced.

"With Gaius gone it's..." Arthur started and then tailed off. The death toll had been hirer in the citadel, and surrounding area, without the physician's skills.

"The knights can be raised with no defined purpose, and can just follow anyone they attack, but this is unlikely in this scenario," Merlin said.

"There is no guarantee it is Camelot they intend to attack," Arthur reasoned. There was a pause, in which Merlin clearly pondered that.

"No, that is entirely true. There is virtue in killing either of us. It depends on where whomever did this sees the weakness, or the advantage."

"You two aren't the only ones, Morgana is just as much a part of this. How vulnerable is she?" Gwaine asked.

"Hardly that. The druids have their own protection, and Lancelot is with her."

"That's one knight and a group of peaceful magic followers," Gwaine said. He was aware of Agravaine staring at him angrily, but as Arthur did nothing more than listen intently there was little he could do. Although Gwaine didn't think Arthur's uncle would let it lie that easily. Gwaine would have to watch his back.

"Morgana can also take good care of herself. But she lives in the shadow of the Great Dragon. I can call Kilgharrah; he will be watchful of her anyway. His trust in her is limited," Merlin said. "I'll ride immediately to Camelot's border and take the northern pass up to Idirsholas."

"I can ride out and pick up the trail at the top of the pass," Arthur said.

"Putting us in the same place my be what they want, but... it is to our advantage to be together. Whoever arrives first should wait for the other, whatever the signs around may say; agreed?"

Arthur ground his teeth for a moment, but two forces, and Merlin's magic, would be stronger combined. It was something Arthur could not argue with.

"Agreed."

"I will send someone to Camelot to tend to Sir Leon. They will be well skilled in the healing arts."

"Sire!" Agravaine snapped, in a way that made Gwaine want to punch him. Arthur looked up, but Merlin seemed to pre-empt the argument.

"There will be no magic involved. If Sir Leon dies that will be the nature of his injury and nothing can prevent that. Should there be any other medical needs in Camelot they will be willing to stay and see to them. Losing Gaius could not have been conducive for you."

"His skill is missed," Arthur said. "As is he."

"I'll see you soon Arthur," Merlin said.

The rippling in the bowl ceased. Arthur stared at it for a moment longer.

"Sir Gwaine," his voice said steadily, his eyes staying on the bowl of water.

"Sire?"

"Assemble a patrol, I'll make myself ready. We'll ride out within the hour."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The guards couldn't argue as the pair arrived at Camelot's gate. Both of them had the symbol of King Cenred stitched onto the right breast of their cloaks. They were emissaries of another king and were therefore protected.

They were also expected.

Gwen stood up in shock as the door to Gaius' room opened. She had been sat by Leon's bedside and again had been placing a cold cloth to his forehead to reduce the fever. All she could do was clean the wound and bathe him. Those were the skills she had. Everyone else had looked at the deep gash on Leon's side and given up. It was all they had done in Camelot since Gaius had fled. There were others who knew a little of healing, but not enough to produce all the potions and tonics that the elderly man had done so competently, and no one had thought to find a replacement, to be trained by him.

Gwen had, more than once, frantically wondered that. She could have done so, rather than being a menial servant, taken in by Arthur to protect her from Uther, fetching and carrying after George. George had never been arrogant about her loss of status, but others reminded her that she used to be a ladies' maid, and now, she had been reduced to scrabbling for jobs to keep a wage.

Even if he had stayed Gaius could not perform his duties forever. Gwen decided, when this mysterious healer arrived, she would learn. It might even be Gaius. Merlin could send him back, and it might almost feel normal again. Camelot had not been the same since Gaius and Morgana had gone.

Her hopes were shattered as she saw the man cross the threshold. It was not Gaius, but the intruder looked around the room and the man on the bed, assessing the situation. As he crossed over to the cot where Leon lay he started to remove his cloak. Gwen saw the insignia upon it. The man discarded it and moved around the cot to the far side rather than push Gwen away from her position next to Leon. As he moved level with her, on the other side of the cot Iseldir gave her a reassuring smile before he reached down to carefully assess Leon.

"They're the healers," the guard who had escorted them informed Gwen. She nodded, trying not to look at the other person who had arrived, fearful of giving away any hint that she knew them. She nodded at the guard.

"Thank you."

"Will you be all right with them?" he asked gruffly. If he was aiming to insult either of the two arrivals, it fell on deaf ears. Neither of them acknowledged the guard that had brought them.

"Perfectly. I will give them any assistance they need," Gwen said.

"I'll be outside," the guard announced, glaring at the pair of druids for a moment before he left, the door latch clicking into place loudly. Neither Iseldir nor Mordred paid him any heed, used to the aggression their kind could receive, if they were not safely within Cenred's kingdom. Mordred turned his gaze to Gwen. She tried not to shudder as the boy's eyes landed on her, they had creeped her out last time, when she had helped Morgana look after him, hiding Mordred in her chambers. He seemed to realised how unsettling he was because he looked away and turned his attention to Iseldir as he peeled the bandage away from Leon's wound.

"There is some infection here, and I think some bleeding inside the body."

"Will he be all right?" Gwen asked.

Iseldir looked up at her. "I believe so, Mordred, look for willow bark, rose hips and also honey. I may need some thread, and for the time being he may need to lay on his side."

"You'll hurt him," Gwen said as the two druids moved Leon so he lay on his wounded side. Iseldir looked up.

"It can be assumed as so, but I believe there is a small bleed in his side, this will allow the blood to drain from him rather than building up inside. That is better. Sir Gwaine may have saved his life in making him ride, it has kept the blood flowing through his system and it has had no time to collect around the wound. When he became still, that has caused the damage; odd though it sounds."

As strange as it sounded, Gwen trusted the confident way the man spoke.

"Will you need anything else?"

"Some fresh water. And Mordred, we'll need a fire."

"I can do that," Gwen turned to the hearth.

"Mordred can deal with that, I presume there is a well within the castle, could you please bring more water, and then we may require your assistance further if you do not mind."

Gwen looked down at Leon.

"No, of course. I'll help you with anything you need. I'll fetch some water."

Turning she grabbed the bucket and hurried to the door. "Do you need me to bring anything else."

"Not for the moment, we shall see when we have checked the wound thoroughly."

Gwen nodded and scurried off. On her return she didn't stare too closely at the fire burning in the hearth and the smaller one carefully set on the table heating some water while Mordred watched and crushed some leaves at the same time. Iseldir had just finished carefully removing Leon's bandages and had started to carefully probe the wound. Leon shifted on the bed, giving a low groan. Gwen hurried to his side, crouching by the bed and easing Leon's sweat damp hair back off his face.

"Leon?"

"Gwen?" his voice remained faint, and he struggled to open his eyes. When he did so Gwen realised he couldn't see her very clearly.

"You'll be all right," she ordered him.

"Where's Gwaine? Did he...?"

"He brought you back to Camelot, and he's gone with Arthur. Merlin will be there as well, he'll look after them."

They were not facts Gwen felt very sure of. But she wanted to reassure Leon that everyone was fine, would be fine. Leon blinked frantically, trying to stay conscious.

"Those knights can't die. Arthur..." Leon paused, frowning as he tried to think. Iseldir reached up and put a hand on Leon's forehead, easing his head back down onto the pillow. He turned his attention to the man, staring at him in surprise. Then his eyes flickered to the other side of the bed.

"Gwen?"

"He's a healer. Merlin sent him."

Leon frowned. "Merlin?" he asked weakly, turning his head to stare at Iseldir. The druid looked up from the wound and nodded calmly.

"Yes. When King Arthur informed him of your circumstances he asked me to assist. Prince Merlin is aware that Camelot has been lacking a healer for some months."

Leon looked as if he was having trouble trying to comprehend that. Iseldir said nothing further. Instead he glanced at Mordred.

"Is that ready?"

Mordred nodded bringing the small bowl he had been heating over to Iseldir.

"We'll need some more of that for later, Mordred."

The boy nodded, heading back to the table, he started to move a few bits equipment around calmly setting up to make some more of the tonic. Iseldir poured the contents into a goblet, adding a small amount of water to cool it and he sipped at it to check the temperature.

"Drink this, it will help bring down your fever."

Leon looked uncertain, but he had just watched the druid drink some himself so it wasn't likely to harm him. Gwen reached out.

"I'll help him."

Iseldir nodded and left Leon to Gwen and instead went to where Mordred worked.

"We'll need to make enough of that for this evening and the morning. Is there enough?"

Mordred shrugged and held up the jar.

"And what other stocks do we have?"

Mordred shook his head. "I don't think enough. Some of it is just not... adequate."

Iseldir nodded. "I will ask Guinevere to assist me in finding the correct items, no doubt there are merchants in Camelot who Gaius used to purchase his supplies from. You can keep an eye on our patient."

Mordred nodded. "I'll finish the rest of the poultice."

"You know how to apply it."

Iseldir felt confident of Mordred's ability and soon enough he arranged for Gwen to accompany him into the town for what he needed, and also she promised to arrange some food to be delivered from the kitchens. It seemed simple enough and Mordred merely needed to bide his time, until, as Iseldir left his voice echoed around the boy's head.

_'And when I return you can tell me exactly what you, Morgana and Lancelot are planning..'_


	35. Chapter 35

Arthur knew the logic of setting camp. He just wished he had managed to be closer to the meeting site. He hoped Leon would be all right. He prayed that meeting Merlin again would not be as awkward as he was imagining it would be.

Arthur knew he was the one at fault throughout that entire confrontation over Caerleon. Merlin had kept the rival king alive and enforced peace between the two kingdoms. No further incursions had occurred.

Arthur, on the other hand, had taken Merlin's most trusted friend prisoner, proceeded to make a fool of one of his own knights and spent far too much time listening to other people about what he should do, and about how his father would have dealt with it, despite the fact his father was unlikely to have had the problem in the first place.

Now everything seemed ten times worse with this sudden circumstance which Arthur didn't really understand. Even though he fought against the use of magic he didn't really know anything about it. Merlin did the same thing, when it was needed, but he understood magic, it's dangers and limits. Scores of magic users lived safely within Merlin's kingdom. Arthur presumed they did so within the limits that Merlin deemed acceptable.

It made Arthur wonder how strong Merlin's power was, and if he was capable of feats such as raising the Knights of Medhir. Agravaine remained convinced that Merlin was some part of the conspiracy but Arthur agreed with Gwaine, it didn't seem in character for what they knew of Merlin. His uncle didn't seem pleased with the developments around Gwaine either.

"Sire?"

Arthur didn't register Gwaine's voice.

"Arthur?"

He blinked, jumping in surprise. Gwaine held out a bowl, the stew steaming slightly.

"You should eat something."

Arthur took the bowl, stirring the spoon apprehensively.

"I can't vouch for the taste."

Taking a mouthful Arthur grimaced.

"It's fine," he said as he swallowed. Gwaine smirked, watching as Arthur stirred the stew again before taking a slightly smaller mouthful.

"Are you all right Arthur?"

Arthur wondered if Gwaine deliberately waited until he had a mouthful of food to ask him. He swallowed again.

"I'm fine. Stop asking me things."

"It's the first time I've asked you anything," Gwaine told him. Arthur paused swallowing another mouthful of stew, he was starting to find it a little more appetising.

"It just seems like everyone is asking me questions and making requests."

Gwaine smiled. "You're the king, it comes with the territory."

"My father never had any of these issues."

Gwaine said nothing for a moment. "You don't know that," he eventually mused. "More likely by the time you were aware of things he appeared to have no issues. You don't know what it was like when he was first king, or even when you were young."

"He always seemed so in control."

"And he probably had to learn how to do that. You are not giving yourself enough credit Arthur. And why would you do everything the same way, it's not as if you always agreed with your father's choices. Let's face it, Gwen wouldn't be in Camelot now if you hadn't defied him."

"She wasn't involved in the escape, he couldn't blame her."

"Yes, she was, and he could. If Uther tried her she would have been found guilty. You stopped that happening."

"I was more guilty," Arthur said.

"Because you didn't agree with Uther about hurting Morgana, or Gaius."

"I couldn't let that happen."

"To be honest," Gwaine said, after another pause. "I think your father might have suspected you would do something, and let you."

Arthur looked surprised.

"Really?"

"He loved Morgana, and Gaius had been loyal to him for years. Do you really think he would want anything to happen to either of them?"

"He could have stopped it."

"Could he?" Gwaine asked. "After so many years of ruling as he did could he honestly act in such a way?"

Arthur paused eating for a moment, considering that. Uther had always clamped down hard on magic, and Arthur hadn't agreed with him. He had not wanted to hunt down the druid child Mordred, when Morgana had rescued him from the soldiers, and he had helped Morgana, who had always been like a sister to him, and Gaius had been someone Arthur had known all his life. Occasionally Arthur had publically argued with his father on the subject, much to Uther's anger. Morgana had respected him for that, for standing up for what he believed in, but she had magic, so it seemed obvious that she would.

"And," Gwaine started, very carefully, "things might have been entirely different if your mother hadn't died."

Arthur's jaw clenched. Gwaine leant back slightly, but carried on.

"Don't get me wrong. I don't believe your father would have let her die willingly. Most certainly not judging by his reaction to it, but he used magic himself, and realised the consequences of his actions. On the other hand I think he blinkered himself to some truths. He had to have known on some levels that Morgana might have magic, and he certainly knew Gaius did."

"He trusted him not to use it."

"But how can he ignore evidence, he had killed people for a lot less than what Morgana had done, and openly confessed to. His only option was to let her escape if he wanted to keep her alive."

"And that just makes him a hypocrite," Arthur said angrily. Gwaine shrugged.

"One way or another most people are," Gwaine turned to walk away and then paused. "And I don't think Merlin is the type to hold a grudge. At least not if it's you."

Arthur frowned and stared down at his stew stirring it slowly. He'd find out if that was true. It was the only thing he could honestly make sure of.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

And despite Gwaine's casual assurances he still felt nervous when they saw the riders on the horizon. It had been Gwaine who had seen them first.

"Sire."

Arthur had turned, noting that Gwaine, when others could hear them, spoke very respectfully. As Arthur paused to watch he presumed they saw his patrol at the same time as the group immediately veered towards them. Feeling his stomach rippled Arthur turned his own men to intercept. Judging by the scenery they would meet in the small valley nestled below them. He spurred his horse trying to ignore his uncle's disapproval which seemed to hang around him like a cloud. It increased Arthur's nerves at the meeting, after everything that happened.

All of Arthur's apprehension faded as they met, both groups slowing as they came closer. Merlin smiled brightly at Arthur, looking incredibly pleased to see him. He nudged Patience's sides to jog her forward, moving ahead of his men. Percival eased his horse back, keeping the rest of Merlin's men back. Gwaine mirrored the action, sensing Percival's intention.

Either Agravaine was oblivious or he had no intention of being courteous. As he watched him move forward with Arthur Gwaine decided it was probably the latter. He stayed close to his nephew, giving Gwaine an unnecessary signal to stay back. Percival glanced at Gwaine pointedly and Gwaine shifted his eyebrows slightly in return.

If Merlin noticed any of it he gave no indication, he just looked incredibly pleased to see Arthur, easing Patience close to Arthur's horse. The mare's ears flattened down on her head and she gave a loud snort. Arthur's stallion returned the gesture and snapped his teeth at the mare. Patience was far quicker biting Hengroen's neck causing the stallion to jump sideways.

"Sorry!" Merlin said pulling her head away from Arthur's horse. Arthur's legs tensed on the stallion's sides and he kept a tight grip on the reins to prevent the horse from reacting further. Merlin eased his horse further sideways still keeping her head averted, and he put the reins into one hand, holding out his other to Arthur.

"Arthur."

The king smiled, reaching out his own hand to Merlin's.

"Merlin, it's good to see you."

Merlin's smiled brightened, and the two horses interrupted the moment by shifting again and the two men were forced to break their hands apart.

"Perhaps we should do this without their help," Merlin said. "We are probably due a rest and it would be good to discuss the issue before we go any further."

Despite the concern Arthur felt, he couldn't help but agree with Merlin. He did want to stop and chat, and just suddenly being in Merlin's presence made him feel as if the situation was now entirely manageable.

"That's probably a good idea, the stream runs into the valley from that coppice, that's a good place to stop."

"I agree," Merlin said, still beaming happily. Arthur couldn't help but grin back, he nudged Hengroen's sides.

"Let's see if your mare can run as quickly as she bites."

Percival watched Merlin race after Arthur, and a few of the others followed. He held onto Blaze's reins, turning him slightly to stop him from chasing off. Seeing him Gwaine did the same, backing his mare down. Agravaine looked between them and the two men racing across the open valley, glaring at the pair of them before turning to head after Arthur. Percival nudged Blaze into a slow canter and Gwaine kept his horse level. They took their time, bringing up the rear, looking around, although there were no visible threats within the valley.

"What, no 'it's good to see you too Gwaine'?"

Percival glowered at him. "You're trouble."

"But good fun, Merlin seems to appreciate that."

"No, Merlin appreciates the fact that you stuck by Arthur."

"That had nothing to do with him. I actually like Arthur."

"So does Merlin, surprisingly."

Gwaine frowned. "Surprisingly?"

"When he was younger he was not best impressed with the stories Iseldir used to tell him about the Once And Future King, and who it was."

"Oh."

"And they nearly killed each other the first time they met."

"Yeah, I heard about that."

Percival glowered again.

"That's not a becoming look Sir Percival."

Percival snorted.

"I don't trust Agravaine," Gwaine said after a moment's pause.

"Are you really that certain he would betray Arthur?"

Gwaine's eyes darkened as he watched the horsemen ahead of them, they were almost at the stream, Arthur just slightly ahead.

"To be honest?" Gwaine said, almost asking, as he looked at Percival. Percival nodded for him to continue. Gwaine debated the idea of confiding in Percival, and almost immediately decided it was the most logical thing to do. Percival generally acted in Merlin's best interests, which currently coincided with Arthur's best interests. Plus, Gwaine also thought that he could trust Percival to be discreet.

"I don't think there is any betrayal to be done, I don't think he's been on Arthur's side the entire time he's been in Camelot. He loathed Uther, Uther banished him."

"But Arthur's still his nephew," Percival reasoned.

"He's Uther's son, I think that is considered the most important factor."

Percival considered this. "He needs watching. Most definitely he does not want Merlin getting close to Arthur."

"I wonder if he knows something about this prophecy," Gwaine mused. Percival's face darkened even deeper. Gwaine watched him curiously. "What?" he asked.

"They've reached the stream, we should catch up," he turned his brooding glare on Gwaine. "We should talk about this later."

Percival urged Blaze on, causing the horse to leap forward. Gwaine swore and dug his heels into the mare's sides and he felt her pick up pace. Much to his annoyance and Percival's pleasure, he didn't manage to catch him.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The camp could have been rather constrained but Merlin prevented that, at least his delight at seeing Arthur, his constant need to seek him out and talk to him relaxed the Camelot knights. The fact that Percival and Gwaine appeared to be getting on well also helped. Merlin and Arthur took that with approval and although Arthur wished it was Leon instead, that was nothing to do with Gwaine personally.

"Are you all right Arthur?" Merlin asked, as they settled down. Somehow Merlin had managed, or at least thought to, bring some mead with him which had obviously not been used until this evening. It relaxed the atmosphere.

"I just hope Leon is all right. He's normally with me."

"It feels like you are without your right arm without him?" Merlin said, nodding steadily. "I get like that when Percival's not there. It's so rare, it's the most disconcerting thing to happen."

"Gwaine is just as good," Arthur said hurriedly, realising that he was in hearing distance.

"Thank you, I think," Gwaine said. "Although, I'm not Leon. I'm disconcerted without him."

"You've known Leon most of your life though?" Merlin asked Arthur.

"Yes, especially through training. He's a few years older so when I started he was already established, but still new. Some of the knights were too scared to say anything to me and they picked on Leon. Some were and Leon stepped in."

"Similar with me. Actually nobody touched me, they just kept on at Percival until he was too big to beat in a fight and he started to discipline me."

"Really?" Arthur asked.

"Well, dunking me in streams, smacking me round the head and once he made me clean out the latrine."

"But you could have stopped him."

Merlin looked at Percival warily. "He's also my servant, responsible for my clothes, my armour and many other things, sometimes you really do have to cow to his judgement because the consequences are worse. Plus it was generally well planned by us both. People stopped picking on him soon after."

"They didn't make that much of an impression," Percival said. "And I still get extra pudding."

"It's occasionally very noticeable," Merlin said, looking wary as Percival glowered.

"Tell Gwen if he's mean to you," Gwaine said. Percival's face darkened even further.

"What?" Arthur asked.

"I think our big knight here is very fond of your Guinevere."

"Well, yes, we know that Gwaine, don't go there or I will start the lake dumping."

"I don't need you to protect me!" Percival snapped at Merlin. Merlin glared back.

"I know you don't, but you are putting money into helping her brother to make sure that Gwen's dowry is acceptable. I don't see why you are worrying, it doesn't need that."

Percival stood up abruptly and walked away into the darkness. Merlin grimaced.

"Oohhh, I'd better check my saddle over tomorrow before I get in it."

"What? Why?"

"It's a sensitive subject," Merlin told Arthur. "Percival's liking of Guinevere."

"Why?"

"He doesn't feel he's good enough."

Arthur blinked in shock. "Why not? He's a knight; he's a close advisor to a prince; what's wrong with him?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all. But, he's never really been interested, he's not been given the opportunity to be interested and now he has the time to be he falls in love with someone in Camelot so he can't get remotely close to her. As a defensive move it would be brilliant... could Morgana send a letter to bring her over to our court for a while?"

"Erm, I'm sure we could. Morgana would love to see her, I didn't realise that..."

"Oi!" Percival shouted as he ran back. "We have company. Let's get this dealt with and... oh never mind! The Knights of Medhir are on their way!"


	36. Chapter 36

**Yes! I have finally worked out how to plot this section of the storyline, and get to the point that I want to move this onto. Thank God! More chapters will follow... hopefully sooner than the last few. ;-)**

"Are you sure about this my Lady?"

Morgana nodded as she studied the rabbit and vegetables roasting over the fire. She felt hungry, but not at the same time. The exercise of a hard ride had done that to her, but also, her eyes had seen things in an entirely different way. As she had travelled she had spotted things that would help her, herbs to add to stews, root vegetables which were now cooking, things to help heal wounds should they need it. They had chose to pause and eat early afternoon, far enough away from the Druid's to be sure no one would catch up and also so they could travel further as it got dark. The moon was full enough that they would have light to work by. It would be slow, but constant.

"Yes, we planned well enough, unless the Druids can get word to the court or Merlin then..." Lancelot shrugged. The reaction would probably not be good.

"You know the way?" Morgana asked, not thinking about what Cenred's reaction might be. Uther had had no qualms about putting her in chains, Cenred might be more civilised by that turn, but he would have her confined and guarded. Lancelot would probably be the one to suffer.

"I have heard the stories My Lady and from what we have learnt from the druids, we should be able to find what we are looking for."

"The Isle of the Blessed," Morgana said. "You did not need to come with me."

"I am your bodyguard My Lady, I cannot not follow you."

"You could have stopped me."

"I do not believe My Lady that you can be stopped from doing anything. And my worry was, if you continued with your plan, you would also evade me. I couldn't let you go alone, despite the consequences."

Morgana nodded.

"However, I will protect you with my dying breath."

"So if we don't die I can defend you."

Lancelot looked very uncertain of that fact. Then his face changed to one of mild alarm. He held his hand out to order Morgana into silence as he started to scan the tree line of the safe clearing they had huddled in. He drew his sword out with his other hand, easing his way towards the shadow that even Morgana could see coming. She reached out for her own sword, worry and anger gripping her.

She had planned it so carefully. For the last few days, even weeks, even before Iseldir left, Morgana had gone riding every day, she had a horse given to her from the royal stables, and the mare needed treating with the respect she deserved. And Morgana wore practical clothes as she rode through the forest, she wore her armour. So it was nothing new when she and Lancelot had taken to the horses that morning. However, this time they had reached the edge of the forest, where they had stores some supplies, taken what they could carry, and ridden hard.

Morgana pulled her dagger, holding it tightly. Lancelot tensed and thrust his sword one way and Eira fell from the undergrowth, looking dishevelled and out of her depth. Morgana stood up, holding her dagger steadily and she indicated to Lancelot to keep his sword up.

Between them Eira looked shocked and more than a little worn having struggled through the forest to keep up with them. Her little pony trotted into the clearing and whinnied happily as it saw the two bigger animals, hobbled and grazing a little way from the fire.

Eira looked up, realising that her reception was not quite as welcoming as she expected. As Lancelot eyed her warily, tensing as she rose onto her hands and knees, she stayed down, making no effort to get to her feet.

"I'm sorry, My Lady Morgana, I was curious!"

"All the way across the valley and through the forest?" Lancelot asked.

Eira looked up at him with fear, and anger. She looked to Morgana. Morgana looked at the ill-dressed girl. Morgana herself had prepared for this, spending days riding out in her armour, just so it was a normal thing for her to wear, on the day she took off. Lancelot had not liked it, but still he followed. Not blindly, Lancelot knew what dangers he walked into. Eira was a different kettle of fish altogether.

"I just wondered, and then you went so far and I couldn't find..."

"You should have had the sense to turn back," Morgana said scathingly. She eyed the girl with ill-concealed irritation. "Sit down."

Eira looked shocked, but no less than Lancelot did. Morgana indicated to the space Lancelot had sat in earlier.

"Sit," she snapped, as if talking to a recalcitrant dog. Eira looked shocked but did as she was told, even crawling over to the space. Morgana almost laughed at her.

"Lady Morgana?"

Morgana watched Eira as she answered Lancelot. "We cannot take her back, that would waste too much time and then we will not be allowed to leave again. She comes with us but one sign of you faltering and I will leave you where you fall."

The blonde girl stared up at Morgana in wide-eyed shock, and then her eyes drifted to Lancelot.

"It's no good looking at him. As much of a gentleman as he is, he serves Cenred and what the king desires is me alive and well. Lancelot will follow me, with no concern about you. So as I said, if you want to stay with us, you keep up, and earn that keep."

By the look on his face Lancelot didn't like that one little bit.

For the rest of the night Eira determinedly kept up, although she was clearly not comfortable being in the saddle for so long. Morgana gave her no encouragement, nor did she let her fall. They strove towards the Isle of the Blessed, because Morgana knew she had to do it.

That didn't stop her dreading what she would find in such a place.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"I don't like this," Percival announced.

"Your dislike is noted. And I can deal with the dark if necessary," Merlin said.

"Can you make the sun rise?" Agravaine asked, rather sarcastically.

"No," Merlin said but he did mutter, let his eyes flash gold, and a ball of bright white light appeared in his palm before drifting up into the air above their heads. The group of knights from Camelot shifted nervously, Merlin's men just picked up the pace of getting the horses ready now they had better light to work by. "Should have done that earlier," Merlin mused.

"Do you think they are easy to behead?" Percival asked, again so used to the light ball he didn't react to it.

Merlin glared at his best friend. "If only things were always that simple. Although we may have one advantage."

"What's that?" Arthur asked as he shifted nervously next to Merlin. He watched the knights moving on the skyline. "They don't appear to be heading towards us."

"From that angle I would say they are going towards Camelot," Gwaine said.

"So they are aiming towards Arthur," Agravaine snapped, he glared at Merlin, who had moved towards his horse, unfastening something from the back of his saddle.

"That was always going to be obvious," Merlin said.

"In what way?" Arthur asked.

"Of the two of us you are more vulnerable to a magical attack. Getting rid of either one of us would serve their purpose."

"And putting us both in the same place is wise?" Arthur asked.

"That depends," Percival said.

Merlin frowned, turning to glare at him, at the same time he pulled the sword free of the saddle, allowing the cloth which had been wrapped around it to fall free. The blade glittered in the white light. Arthur's eyes widened.

"That's the sword you took from my father!"

"It wasn't his," Merlin said, he reversed his hold, offering the hilt out to Arthur. Arthur frowned, looking confused.

"How is it mine then?"

"It is a sword forged in a dragon's breath," Merlin explained calmly. "When Morgana asked Kilgarrah to forge it you were due to fight a wraith knight. This sword can destroy the dead, but generally dragons will only do this for particular reason, or a person. In this case it was for you, but your father took your place. Kilgarrah was not pleased with that development. It carries a lot of power, and he would not want it in the wrong hands."

"My father was the wrong hands."

"Yes, this sword, however, was forged for you. But I want you to return it when we are done."

"Why?" Arthur asked tentatively taking hold of the hilt and lifting the blade from Merlin's grasp.

"It's worries me."

"Will it kill the knights?" Arthur asked as he moved the sword in his grip. "Wow, this thing is amazing!"

"Perhaps," Merlin said. Arthur stopped staring at the sword and stared at Merlin.

"You're not sure?"

"It kills the dead, and that is what these knights are, but as far as I know they will only die if you kill the person that resurrected them."

"And who is that?" Agravaine demanded glaring at Merlin. At the sheer hostility Percival moved closer, easing himself in front of his prince, glaring back. Agravaine looked startled by the sudden move. Merlin put a hand out and took Percival's arm.

"Steady."

"He's accusing you."

"He is not." Arthur sounded shocked.

"Who has roused the knights then?" Agravaine asked making it very clear that he was in fact accusing Merlin. Arthur frowned at him, looking almost horrified.

"Merlin would not," Arthur said, sounding very sure of himself.

"Others would," Percival said, and he glared at Merlin again. Gwaine frowned as he watched the surprise, and something else, flicker across Agravaine's face.

"It's possible," Merlin reasoned. "I know some who might."

"Like Morgause?" Gwaine asked. "Merlin intervened on her last plan. This might work on the both of you."

"Could she do it?" Arthur asked. "We know she has attacked me once before."

"This seems too complicated for so simple of an agenda," Percival said. Merlin winced, looking sheepish as he met Percival's gaze.

"How do you mean?" Arthur asked. Percival turned to look at him, although he then turned back to Merlin, something passing between the two friends, which no one else understood.

"She sends the Knights of Medhir after you, Merlin comes running, which is easy enough to predict, you did it once before."

"With good reason!" Merlin snapped.

"I never said it wasn't," Percival told him. "But it's a pattern and she's a High Priestess of the Old Religion, she'll be familiar with the prophecy. All of those from before the Great Purge are frightened of that."

"The Druids aren't," Merlin said.

Percival glowered. "The Druids are not under threat from it. Yes, they have magic, but they are not tied to the Triple Goddess in the same way that the priestesses, the Blood Guard, and most of the old orders are. The way I read it, they are called the Old Religion for a very good reason. You and Arthur bring in something new."

"So..."

"So, if she's read all that, she knows Morgana's role, and we know how that will be interpreted by her. She is the last Priestess of the Old Religion, not that I think it is as simple as that." Percival's voice was heavy with an emphasis that only Merlin could understand.

"What do you mean? Morgana wouldn't do anything...? Would she...?" Arthur stepped forward, looking around for any hint of what was going on.

"No, I don't think so," Merlin said, glaring at Percival, not wanting that to be a topic of discussion. Percival glared back in a warning that his comments were not going to be dissuaded.

"The information on Morgana is glaringly ambivalent. There is no reason why the old religion cannot continue to exist, although by the look of it the practice appears to fade."

"How do you mean ambivalent?" Arthur asked. "Morgana's always been a friend, she's like family to me."

Merlin frowned as he heard Arthur's tone. Percival shrugged.

"She is said to be Merlin's equal and opposite."

"So, her powers are then as strong as Merlin's and presumably people will see the word opposite to mean she's his enemy," Gwaine interrupted. "And we are getting off topic. Those knights are not heading directly towards us, they are using the main path through, that will take them through the forest, and their first point of call may be the tavern."

"The Hog's Head?" Percival said.

"And it's hunting season, and the traders use it as a stopping point. It's going to be busy," Gwaine added.

"That's the one with the flirty tavern maid," Percival grinned.

"Flirty?" Gwaine asked. "That's not what I remember."

"She didn't like you then," Percival said. "She thought Merlin was handsome."

"Really?" Arthur asked looking at Merlin.

"Yes." Percival smirked, Merlin frowned.

"And?" he asked his best friend.

"When did you stop there?" Arthur asked.

"After your father died, and we travelled over."

"She's never said anything to me," Arthur added sounding a little offended. Gwaine shrugged.

"Me neither. She must just like Merlin."

"Enough!" Merlin snapped, trying not to look embarrassed. "Pay attention to the fact that the Knights of Medhir are heading that way. Which is the quickest route to cut them off? We need to know if that sword will do it's job, and if not, we then need to divine the purpose these creatures have been given."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

They rode the horses hard, moving through the woods by Merlin's light. Arthur noted that Percival stayed close to Merlin, and that Merlin wavered on occasion. His mare stayed where it was, although it had been stamping and snorting at every other beast that came to close to it most of the time, it seemed to know now that it's cooperation was needed, and Patience lived up to her name, moving alongside Blaze, as Percival rode the old warhorse.

Arthur wondered about that, as they rushed to meet the knights. Uther said a horse was beyond his prime after five years old. But Merlin kept his horses for years. He used them, gave them to others but there was something of a bond. Arthur's stallion had been with him for six years, and if his father was alive, he would have probably ordered the horse to be taken from the royal stables. No doubt put to grass, and gentle work, a squire's mount, or trained to pull carts. Arthur didn't want that, another thing that caused him to rebel against Uther.

If they survived this, he resolved to keep Hengroen for as long as seemed possible. He urged the stallion onward, knowing his way through the trees, where he hunted so regularly. He rode out into the clearing and looked down the hillside. The little tavern and it's few outbuildings had been joined by several carts and tents, the little clearing making a perfect congregation area for traders and hunters, who not only took their excess wares to Camelot, but also used little posts like this to meet others and trade. Arthur remembered the time he had met Gwaine here, when the bandit had tried to extort money of the tavern owner, the one who had liked Merlin. In the open air, the moon gave them enough to see by, and the torches and fires in the clearing gave focus to their goal as Merlin's light snapped into nothing, suddenly contracting. It brought Merlin into alertness, his eyes scanning the area.

The scream made them all tense and the horses shifted nervously, stamping and snorting. Arthur's eyes widened as he watched someone run through the camp. The knight that followed, didn't hurry, as if he didn't feel the need to, but the sound drew others, bringing them from the tents and the tavern. Arthur watched a man, by the look of him a bodyguard for one of the traders, slash at the knight, who parried the attack and cut into the man's side a second later.

Arthur's response was a snarl, and his heels into his horse. The stallion leapt forward, thundering down into towards the campsite. Even over the short time it had taken them to reach the tavern the site had turned into chaos, and all they really appeared to be were more men with swords. Arthur didn't even slow down, he urged the stallion forward, barrelling him into the knight, knocking him over. By rights the horse's trampling hooves should have killed him but as Arthur swung the horse round he realised the knight kept moving, jerking upwards as if pulled up by string. Arthur swung himself off the horse and stepped forward.

The knight jerked round. Arthur couldn't read anything about his opponent. A dark mask covered his face, and it was almost impossible to see his eyes, if he had any, Arthur thought to himself with a shudder. Bringing up his sword it clashed with the knight's, the sound of metal on metal ringing in the air. The connection caused a ripple up his arm, not just from the clash, but something from the sword itself. He lightly lifted it to parry at the knight again, moving swiftly, stepping back as the knight pressed forward.

He felt aware of the fight around him, and the people scattering in panic.

"Le..., Gwaine, get these people clear."

Gwaine had snapped round at the first sound Arthur made, knowing what it was, and how automatic the call was. To give Leon orders. But Leon wasn't there, Arthur felt a moment's panic at the though. Leon was always usually behind him and hopefully he would be again. However, Arthur didn't have time to mourn the immediate loss, he had other things to handle, as he heard another scream.

Diving forward he drove one of the knights away from a small group huddled close by. Arthur cut and slashed at one of the knights in front of him, while dodging another. He felt very unsurprised when, after one close slash, the second creature flew off to smash hard into a tree trunk. It made Arthur remember the first time he had seen Merlin do that and it had broken a bandit's neck. Again the knight stirred, jerking onto his feet.

"We need to try that sword on one of them," Merlin said. Arthur looked around. Most of the travellers and tavern occupants were getting clear, running behind the safety of the armed men. Percival was organising getting people onto horses to start moving them away, Gwaine started herding people into the forest, the other men taking their lead. Camelot's men mostly, who knew what their King would want of them. Some of them still kept close, their aim to also try and protect Arthur. Gwaine knew, however, he could leave that to Merlin. And Merlin, he mused, could look after himself.

Arthur took Merlin's advice, moving in he parried the first knight he had fought, ducking down and slicing upwards, the blade almost drawn towards the body. It sliced into the knight's side, and he lost his balance under the blow, staggering sideways. But that was, Arthur realised a split second later, not going to work. He knew what if felt like to drive a sword into a person's side, having fought and killed before. There was something solid about a person's body, but in this case, it felt, to Arthur, like he was cutting into dried leaves; something old and frail. The only contradiction to that was the fact that the soldier didn't fall, despite his stumble under the impact; he appeared to have no other reaction to the wound. Arthur yanked the sword back, not wanting to lose his weapon, and he backed away, watching the knight stagger, putting a gloved hand to the wound as if it really hurt him. Arthur blinked as he watched smoke, or dust perhaps, drifting from the wound.

He almost swung round and struck out at Merlin as he felt the hand on his arm. Merlin pulled him back even further.

"It's not going to work, we need to pull back."

"But, I've hurt it."

Merlin was still dragging, Percival and Gwaine moved forward to flank them. The people had hurried into the trees, encouraged by the rest of Arthur and Merlin's men.

"You remember when your father fought the wraith?"

Arthur nodded mutely. "I didn't see it, but Gaius told me. It just fell apart."

"This isn't doing that," Merlin said. "The power of the sword can clearly hurt it but it's not able to kill it. We can presume that it affects the spell in some way and therefore the person that cast it, but…"

"But we could be at this forever, we have to get these people away," Arthur said.

As the knights of Medhir moved together, and started to advance on them he allowed himself to be pulled back. By mutual agreement Percival and Gwaine carefully flanked their sovereigns as they backed into the trees, watching as the knights of Medhir slowly started their advance again. As they reached the tree line Merlin flung his power out again, bowling them all over, sending them flying in all directions. Then Percival almost picked him up, spinning him round and sending him running into the safety of the trees, following the line of stunned citizens, herded by the soldiers.

As they moved Merlin staggered when the whispering voice rippled through his mind, brushing over his consciousness like a breeze; and a low, familiar, voice urgently called his name.


	37. Chapter 37

Morgana eyed the island tentatively, Eira lingered on her heels, eyes wide as she followed Morgana's gaze. Lancelot located the jetty where a boat floated, looking almost innocuous except for the hooded figure lingering at the prow. The ferryman didn't look up at them, or acknowledge them in any way, but by the way the man held himself he appeared to be aware of their presence. Morgana's gaze eventually drifted down to regard the man – if it was even a man she was looking at – and she eyed him nervously.

"What do you think we do?"

The man didn't stir. Lancelot eyed him just as carefully as Morgana. He didn't understand it either, but he presumed that the boat, and the man on it, were there to take people to the island. Beyond that thought Lancelot didn't want to analyse it too closely. Having been in Merlin's service for a long while he was used to magic, and it's odd foibles. Parts of it were not to be feared, but others he considered warily. However, he was also practical enough to assess what was required. He rummaged in his coin pouch and produced three coins. One for each of them.

"Pay him, I presume." Lancelot stepped forward, balancing carefully as he stepped into the boat. Morgana lingered on the jetty behind him, Eira almost clinging to her. But as Lancelot reached out to hand the man the coins, he reached at the same time to take them. Rather than risk touching him Lancelot dropped the coins into the open palm.

"Is that enough?" Morgana asked as she joined Lancelot in the boat, both of them tentatively sitting down, huddling on the same seat. Eira flopped in with them, but she had to huddle on the floor at their feet. She glared up at them somewhat sullenly, as Morgana and Lancelot sat close together, and ignored her. It had been that way for much of the journey, she was tolerated, ignored and looked down upon.

Such things would not always be like that. Morgause had made her promises, she would become a High Priestess, she would learn the old ways, and have power. Eira clung to those promises as she sat at Morgana's feet. They would treat her with respect, people would fear her, they would revere her.

The thoughts ran through her mind as she watched the mist slowly start to clear, revealing the dilapidated castle, looming over them as they slowly became closer.

Morgana reached out, grabbing Lancelot's hand, and she clung on tightly. He looked quite startled at the gesture but didn't try to remove his hand from hers. Instead he gave it a light reassuring squeeze, and gave a brief flickering smile.

The ferryman gave no indication he was even aware of the people he was carrying. Instead he steered the boat, the water rippling beneath the barge as it glided towards the island.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arthur turned as Merlin seemed to stop dead, his eyes glowed, but that could have merely been a reflection of the torches that some of the people now carried. Arthur paused in concern, thinking Merlin injured, but he could see no wound and Percival merely steadied him and kept his sword ready.

"Keep them moving Uncle," Arthur ordered, and there was no way that Agravaine could defy such a direct order, so he did as he was told. Arthur glanced anxiously back into the forest, aware of the shadows moving in the moonlight.

"Merlin!" the voice whispered again as Merlin focused.

"Dragon," he responded to the dragon's voice, wondering how close he was, and why he was in proximity.

"It is happening. Fate is choosing it's path."

Merlin got a shimmer of an image in his mind, it told him most of what he needed to know, and a ripple of something else came on the wave of Kilgharrah's thoughts.

The flickers in his mind took only a minute before Merlin regained his senses, snapping back to attention, eyes glittering in the moonlight, and torch lights of the frightened people.

"I have to go to the source. Something is happening, and it can only relate to this."

"What, and Where?" Percival asked.

"The Isle of the Blessed, Morgana has almost reached it."

"She hasn't done any of this," Arthur said, refusing to believe that, as he refused to believe it of Merlin.

"No, but it may not just be for our benefit. What has suddenly made her go that way?" Merlin snapped.

"She is the last High Priestess, she has to go there eventually," Percival said. "Just very convenient that it is now."

"I must get there," Merlin said. Then he seemed to look around and realise where he was, and who he was with. They were still moving, the convoy of shocked people safely corralled by Arthur and Merlin's knights.

"Go. If this is the source of those things, then you going there is going to be more effective," Percival said.

"How can you get there?" Gwaine asked. Merlin did rouse a grin at that.

"Don't worry about that."

"The clearing is your best bet," Percival said. "Double back through the woods and you should stay safe."

Merlin nodded, turning away but swinging back as Percival grabbed his arm and pulled them nose to nose.

"Be careful!"

"I always am."

"I mean it!"

"Stay with Arthur. Don't let anything happen to him!"

"And I know you mean that! Merlin go, if you can fix this, go and do it."

Percival released him and Merlin stepped back with a nod. "I'll be fine."

"You had better be," Percival snarled at him. Merlin turned to look at Arthur, his eyes trying to say what seemed to be so many things but he just didn't have the time. In the end he just turned and ran away and Arthur shuddered as he heard the voice echoing through the forest, deep and commanding.

"He's calling the dragon. Kilgharrah will take him where he needs to go, and look after him."

"You want to go with him?" Arthur said. Percival turned to stare at him, glaring at Arthur as if he had never heard a question so ridiculous in all his life.

"Merlin told me to protect you."

And apparently that was all Percival needed to know. He grabbed Arthur's shoulder and pushed him along and they hurried after the convoy, and Arthur stayed as close as he could to the people who had been attacked by the knights. In the forest they would have a chance to lose the Knights of Medhir.

Their pace, however, was too slow. The Knights of Medhir appeared to be in no hurry, but they couldn't shake them. They had just entered another clearing when a young woman shrieked, as a figure stepped from the shadows, sword raised. Arthur dived forward and the knight turned to meet him.

"Keep them moving!" Arthur roared at his men again as he parried against the knight. Percival, eyes narrowing slightly, stepped forward to meet another of the knights as it detached from the shadows. The others dived forward to take on what they could. Arthur felt his sword bite into the knight's neck, causing it to stumble, head hanging to one side. He backed up, slightly repulsed by the strange angle. The knight shambled after him.

"Arthur move left!" Percival bellowed. Arthur's head whipped round. He had been easing right, towards the convoy. Percival glowered at him, stepped back and reaching out gave Arthur an almighty shove, sending him left, and sprawling onto the ground. He almost lost his grip on the sword, but ended up in an unceremonious heap. The knights of Camelot all turned a malevolent eye on Percival. Merlin's men watched, aware that Percival was up to something.

"Look at them, Arthur!"

Getting into a slightly more dignified position Arthur watched. All of the knights had turned their heads in his direction, moving towards him. Arthur blinked.

"Me! They're following me!"

Percival hefted one out of his way, slamming it into a tree.

"These people will be safe if you are not near them!"

Arthur saw the logic of that, he backed up, watching as the knights shambled after him.

"They were heading to Camelot."

"To find you," Gwaine said. "It's the most obvious location."

"And once they found me, they would just..."

"Keep coming, until they killed you. That appears to be the purpose they were raised for," Percival said.

"I should go alone, if it's just me they are after."

"Not a chance!" Gwaine said.

"And not without me," Percival added. "Merlin told me to stay with you, but we have an advantage if it's just us. We can move quicker, and with a little more purpose."

"Sire! You should stay where we can protect you!" Agravaine objected.

"No, Uncle, that will put everyone in danger."

"And it gives us an advantage, if we are moving without the others," Percival said. "And you know the layout of this territory?"

"Of course," Arthur said, backing up, Percival and Gwaine following him.

"You men, stay with these people and keep them safe. They can probably return to the tavern," Percival ordered the men with him. None of them were prepared to argue with him, because at that moment in time, he stood in for Merlin, and Merlin very much disliked people disagreeing with Percival. Arthur glanced at Agravaine.

"You stay with them. One of us should stay safe, and in case..." Arthur trailed off, looking nervously at the knights as they advanced. Agravaine nodded, looking far too pleased at the prospect Arthur was considering. "You know what to do," he told his uncle. Percival narrowed his eyes as Agravaine nodded.

"Yes, Sire."

"Go, come on!" Percival urged Arthur to run, Gwaine ran on their heels, the three of them paused, assuring themselves that the Knights Of Medhir were all following them. The little convoy huddled together, watching the scene as the three men headed into the forest the seven knights in pursuit.

"I need to know anything about the area that could be useful," Percival panted as he ran.

"Like what?" Arthur asked, just as breathlessly.

"Ravines, streams, inclines, dead trees," Percival told him. "Any locations which might prove useful."

Arthur wasn't entirely sure how any of that could prove useful but he paused and looked around. He knew the forest well enough that he could orientate himself even in the moonlight.

"If we head west from here, there is a long gully, although it's a little perilous, there are several areas with loose rocks. From there we could veer sound towards the Valley Of The Fallen Kings."

Percival nodded. "Let's get to this gully, we'll start from there."

"Start what?" Gwaine asked as the trio started to run.

"Evening the odds," Percival said.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Do you think it's haunted?" Eira asked from her position on the boat's floor. She had hunched down lower as they had moved closer to the island, and now they glided through a small channel close to the castle, looking up at the formidable turrets. Morgana had seen bigger structures, Camelot for one, Cenred's castle another, but Camelot had been as beautiful as it was commanding, and Cenred's castle had been placed out on a stretch of flat ground, the town around it clustered close to the walls, looking so forlorn on the open stretch of countryside. Camelot had been surrounded by forests, and fields, and life.

This structure had an entirely different feel to it. It rippled with something but Morgana would have been unable to define it, if asked. She could have supposed it had something to do with magic, but Morgana had felt magic in the air before, around the Druids, and being around Merlin. This was something less than that, and in fact she didn't think Eira was far off the mark. It felt as if something lingered in the ruins, it wasn't alive, it was nothing more than a memory of what had been.

Quite frankly, haunted was not a bad word to use. Morgana felt her hand tense again on Lancelot's, who seemed prepared for such an event, she had been clinging to him since they had clambered into the boat. She turned to glance at him as he stared up at the tower looming over them. He was probably not just awed by it but also calculating where attacks could come from, assessing the risk she was under. He wouldn't care about himself, Lancelot had been charged with keeping her safe, and he would to that, until he could physically no longer do so. He had put himself at risk by merely agreeing to come here with her.

The boat glided under a low bridge and came to halt by a stone jetty which had been built into the fabric of the building. Lancelot clambered out first, helping Morgana and Eira climb out. All three of them looked around warily. Morgana shrugged her shoulders as she felt a shiver run down her back, and then she straightened up. She was the one that had brought them here, to find something, to learn something, she wasn't sure. But she was here and she couldn't start acting like a wilting violet. She had to lead the way.

Lancelot stayed close by as she walked up a flight of stairs, the stone worn as if many feet had at some point walked up and down the same way. No one had walked on the stones for a while, dust layered up in corners, cobwebs had been spun overhead and Morgana had to reach out several times to break ones across her path. Their feet made self-conscious sounds on the stones as they walked up, the sounds echoing around, and almost echoing back on them, almost fooling them into believing there were others close by. Occasionally they paused, and the air around them would fall silent. Morgana looked out of a high, thin window. The lake surrounding them hardly rippled, the mist hanging low over the water, crowding around them and hemming them it. It was as if the world beyond no longer existed. They were the only three people, and the castle the only structure.

"My Lady?" Lancelot asked uncertainly. Morgana looked upwards, she couldn't see around the curve of the stairwell, but the light drifted into the gloomy spiral, hinting that the end was not far away.

"Let's go."

She moved cautiously upwards, hand on her sword hilt, but again, as she walked upwards, there was no one to be found. They came out of the stairwell into a courtyard, and looked around uncertainly.

"It seems so desolate." Again, without probably meaning to, Eira described it almost perfectly. Morgana moved into the middle of the courtyard, stopping by a large stone cauldron. Glancing down into it she grimaced, the water within was stagnant, slime and moss covering the inside of the bowl. It no doubt had purpose, years ago, now it probably did nothing more than give birds something to bathe in. Morgana looked upwards, staring at the sky, grey clouds hung overhead as if predicting a bad outcome, and it was then that Morgana noted the lack of wildlife, no birds, no vermin. The place was completely devoid of life.

Lancelot moved around the outer area of the courtyard, looking for threats as well as information. He paused by an archway, easing his shoulders through and staring up warily. Then he backed off and turned to look at Morgana.

"I think this way."

Morgana looked around. "I think it is the only way," she said, keeping her voice low, hardly daring to raise it. It seemed obscene to lift her voice, when everything seemed so... haunted. Eira was right, that was exactly what this place was. However, that would not deter Morgana. Ghosts were only what people created, they existed for those that wanted them; that was what her father had always said when she had asked about her mother. Morgana wanted no ghosts, so they had no meaning for her. She had never really asked Uther about her father for that reason. For some reason, her ten year old self refused to supply her with decent memories.

She would have liked them now. Her father had always seemed so strong, picking her up even when she was ten, before he had left for that fateful battle.

"You'll always be my baby, as long as I can carry you."

He had said that to her, carrying her as if she was a toddler, not a child of ten, when she should have been learning to be a lady. And then he was gone, and Uther was there, telling her that he would look after her. But he was not her father, he wouldn't carry her, or make her laugh, or show her how to put on armour and teach her sword play. She learnt things that a lady ought to know, her sewing, beauty and etiquette, but not from her father, he wanted her strong and sure, able to wield a sword as well as a needle, and talk to a lord as well as smile at them prettily. Her father had never had a son, he had wanted his daughter, but Morgana had needed to be both. Morgana's breath hitched and the grief felt stronger than ever.

"It is known as 'the wailing'," a sharp voice cut through her grief filled memories.

Morgana forced her way up the stairs and through the archway. Lancelot dragged Eira along, dropping her in a heap past the archway, and she curled up. Dark eyes looked at her in contempt.

"Self-pity is treated harshly."

Morgana recovered her breath, looking up at the woman who spoke, and staring around. They stood in what looked like a graveyard. Stones, and slabs littered the area, as if placed there for a reason. Grass grew roughly around them, tufts clinging to the edges of the graves, strands forcing their way up through cracks in the stone. Again, it had a very desolate look about it. The woman who dominated the scene looked out of place, but quite clearly belonged, her red dress a stark contrast against the moss covered stones and green grass. Her eyes stayed on Eira, causing Morgana to look at the grief stricken girl. Lancelot looked a little wild around the eyes, but he inched closer to Morgana, sword at the ready. Morgana looked back to the woman.

"What's the matter with her?"

"The memories are too much for her. She is weak, that one. Easily led."

Morgana winced inwardly at the undertone in the woman's voice. Eira seemed to retreat into herself further. Morgana felt a twinge of pity and stepped between Eira and the woman's malevolent gaze.

"She is of no consequence," Morgana snapped. "I came here for answers."

The woman walked forwards, also moving across the area. Morgana kept her eyes on her, Lancelot still had his sword at the ready. Although her hand rested on the hilt, Morgana kept her own tucked into her belt. She got the feeling that swords would be useless in this scenario.

"And do you believe that you will like what you hear, or even want to hear it?"

"What is this place?" Morgana asked. The woman raised her eyebrows.

"It is the Isle of the Blessed. The centre of our magic, the home of the High Priestesses of the Old Religion."

"But there is only you here?" Morgana asked. The woman's face creased up with anger, and the air around her almost seemed to bristle with heat.

"And I will remain here, on the warlock's whim. He thinks he can cheat destiny by trapping me here, thinking it leaves me helpless."

"Did you call me here? I heard... something."

The woman snorted in contempt, and she pointed at Eira tucked up on the floor. "She is the source, a seed planted by another."

Morgana turned to glare at the blonde girl, who looked up, slowly pulling herself to her feet. Staring back at Morgana, a flicker of defiance building up in her eyes. Lancelot leant over and whispered in her ear.

"She promised me. She promised me that I would become a High Priestess. I am her apprentice."

Nimueh's face twisted with contempt. "You are her fool!"

"Morgause," Morgana said as she felt the blood drain away from her face. She felt light-headed, and oddly hot. Lancelot took a step towards her, seeing her waver. "This is what Morgause wanted. She led me here."

"Who else? Sister."


	38. Chapter 38

"What was the plan again?" Gwaine asked as the shadows moved through the trees, reaching the far end of the ravine which they had run down. Gwaine moved to stand in front of Arthur, which Arthur didn't argue with. For some reason they were both doing what Percival had ordered. Arthur wasn't entirely sure how he had managed to put himself in charge but as he was the one who appeared to have some kind of plan in his mind, he and Gwaine were following him like foot soldiers.

"Percival says to stay here to draw them through the ravine."

"Why did we have to walk through it?" Gwaine asked, eyeing the rocks at the top of the tall sides.

"He thinks they are on my trail, like dogs," Arthur said.

Gwaine eased back, directly in front of Arthur as two figures appeared at the end of the ravine, and slowly started to walk down the slight slope. The others were following behind.

"So these were knights of Camelot, originally?"

Arthur was forced to take a step back as Gwaine shifted his feet to steady himself.

"So legend says. They were seduced by a sorceress by the name of Medhir and were only stopped when she was killed. I guess it's true that they will only stop now if Merlin can break the spell. This thing is good, but it isn't enough." Arthur tightened the grip on the sword. It didn't seem to kill them, but it appeared to be able to hurt them, so perhaps it was hurting whoever was powering them.

"Arthur, be ready to run," Gwaine said swinging his sword as the knights moved through the ravine.

"I won't leave you."

"The point of this is to keep you alive, you're the important one."

"None of my men are more important than me."

Gwaine huffed with laughter. "We would all beg to differ on that."

Arthur responded with a smile but both of them tensed, stepping back as loose rocks suddenly shifted at the top of the ravine. Although dust started to drift down, pebbles scattering, the knights paid no heed. Both Gwaine and Arthur looked up, in time to see several huge rocks waver on the edge and then pitch into the gully. The identity of the figure above their heads was clear. Percival looked down as the boulders crashed into the gully, slamming down on two of the knights.

The crunch as the rocks landed was sickening and Arthur could see movement as the knights underneath struggled to move. The ones behind started to scramble over the rocks. Arthur and Gwaine backed up as Percival turned and disappeared from the edge of the ravine. Gwaine herded Arthur round and they almost ran into Percival coming to find them.

"Two of them, I think," Percival said, he paused and looked back the way Arthur and Gwaine had come, seeing the relentless approach of the other knights. "I don't think they are going to stop to help their comrades, and unless they can heft rocks, they are staying there."

"You're just going to leave them there, trapped under the rocks, still alive," Arthur asked as Percival tried to push him along.

"They are not alive Arthur. Three hundred years ago, they were alive. They are animated by sorcery, we can't stop that, but I've had enough practice finding ways to hinder that. I can't kill it, but I can stop it getting to you."

"If all else fails, I'll give you this sword, and you can chop their heads off," Arthur said, as they resumed running.

"That's not a bad idea. You said there was a stream along here somewhere, how deep and how fast does it flow."

"It's fairly steady."

"There have been rains recently," Gwaine added. "It will be fuller than usual."

"Good, we can try that."

"Seriously?" Arthur asked Percival as they ran.

Percival huffed. "Let's see how well their bodies do with their heads floating down the stream."

As gruesome as it sounded, it seemed like a good option. The rocks had whittled down their numbers, and if they could do so further, it would help their cause.

"If we go by the river, then cut up across the hunting trail that leads east we can get to the Valley Of The Fallen Kings. There are enough places there we can use to divert and trap them."

"That place has magic, maybe they might not even dare to enter it," Percival said.

"How do you know?" Gwaine gasped.

"Merlin's been there," Arthur said as they hurried round a coppice and slithered down an embankment.

"How do you know?" Gwaine repeated his question to Arthur.

"It's a fairly well known monument. I would have presumed Merlin would have paid it a visit on his way to Camelot," Arthur said. Percival shrugged.

"Of course. But let's see if we can minimise the numbers even further before we get there. The stream?"

Arthur nodded and took the lead. They carried on running, following the embankment for a short distance before scrambling up an incline. As they reached a higher point, with Arthur still in the lead, a shadow suddenly appeared above them. Arthur slashed with the sword. The knight of Medhir stepped back, his sword clashing with Arthur's.

"I think they might be guessing our plan," Gwaine mused as he turned to see two knights behind them and the remaining two coming in from either side.

"I don't know how intelligent they are. They may retain their knowledge as knights of Camelot."

"Which means they might know our battle strategies," Arthur said, stumbling back under a heavy blow, knocking into Gwaine, who braced himself to prevent both of them from tumbling down the incline. That gave Percival his next idea. He grabbed the knight fighting from above and threw him down the incline, bowling him into the two making their way up. They crashed down in a tangled heap.

"Two to deal with. Gwaine hold that one off."

Gwaine stepped forward, meeting the knight coming in on their right. Percival turned his attention to the left and the tree close by. With a roar he stepped forward, slashing at the knight. As far as Arthur could tell there was no real technique to his moves, he was aiming for brute strength, slamming his sword against the knight's. Arthur lingered between them, looking at the three on the ground, slowly starting to rise and the two being fought.

"Arthur!" Percival yelled. He had dropped his sword and latched onto the knights arm, wrenching it hard. As he pulled Arthur took the hint, wincing as he did so, he struck the knight's arm, just below the shoulder. As he felt the blade bite in Arthur again got the same feeling that he was cutting into something dry. Solid but flaking slowly away. But still, although the sword felt like it was doing a thorough job, he only half severed the arm. The knight recoiled, and Percival took advantage. Arthur's stomach rolled as he watched Percival strain to his upmost, his entire upper body clenched and he braced his legs, yelling out as he yanked the knight's arm from his shoulder. Percival hurled the limb a short distance away and Arthur choked as it started to wriggle in the undergrowth. Percival roared again as he lifted the knight and slammed him bodily against a tee, impaling the knight on a branch, shoving him onto it.

"Arthur!"

Percival had taken hold of the other arm, pulling out away from the knight's body. Trying not to show any weakness, although all he wanted to do was throw up, and curl up somewhere in shock, Arthur lifted the sword and hacked off the other arm. It took him three hard blows to break through and Percival hurled that arm away. Gwaine backed up away from the knight pressing on him and Percival snatched the sword from Arthur's nerveless fingers.

An objection lodged itself in Arthur's mind. He was the only one supposed to be wielding the sword. Although his father had used it as well. He didn't get much chance to vocalise anything before Percival parried with the knight, knocked his sword away and with a sweeping blow, took the man's head off. Percival practically threw the sword back at Arthur and grabbed his own, as well as the knight's head.

"Come on!" Percival urged.

Arthur and Gwaine hesitated, looking at the knight now impaled in the tree and the headless body slowly following them. The other three, still intact, knights were now in pursuit.

"Move!" Percival yelled at them. Gwaine pushed Arthur along and they ran to catch up with Percival.

"Never mind a knight," Gwaine said. "Cenred should employ you as an executioner."

Percival paused, looking at Gwaine steadily, while he lobbed the head into the fast running water. "Sometimes he does."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Morgana spun on her heel, staring at Morgause with wide eyes. She glanced back at the dark-haired woman, who regarded both of them calmly. Lancelot moved closer to Morgana, eyes moving between the two sorceress' unsure of which was the threat he needed to contend with. Even Eira didn't seem to know what to make of the situation, and she moved behind Lancelot and Morgana, her eyes wide.

Morgause's eyes fixed on Morgana.

"Sister." As Morgause stepped forward Lancelot shifted his shoulder to put himself in front of Morgana. Morgause's eyes narrowed.

"You think I would hurt someone of my own blood."

"I don't know that," Lancelot said. He turned to glance at Morgana, as she stepped around him.

"She's not going to hurt me," Morgana said. "What do you want?"

Morgause slowly started to walk around. Looking at the run down castle, and the gravestones that littered the floor.

"I remember when this place was filled with people, and magic sang in the air."

Morgana said nothing. Morgause turned to slowly look at her.

"Those moments could come again, with your help, sister."

"In what way?" Morgana asked. Morgause stepped forward, her eyes filling with zeal.

"We could take this place. Your powers have hardly started to grow. You have the potential to become stronger than any of us, certainly stronger than the Druids. You are better than them, they merely pander to a prophecy while huddling in a kingdom that tolerates them."

Morgana frowned in confusion. "That's not true. They are well accepted in this kingdom, and Merlin sent two of them to Camelot, as physicians. Arthur accepted them. He's not..."

She paused, looking around uncertainly.

"You think he is any better than Uther? He will turn on you. Do you think he will accept what you are?"

The frown increased on her face, she glanced at Lancelot, who hovered protectively at her side. Eira lingered behind them, looking just as confused as Morgana felt. Clearly it was not what the blonde girl had been expected. Finally Morgana glanced to Nimueh, who raised her eyebrows but took a calculated step back.

"This battle is not one to involve me child. My own affairs are similar, perhaps, but I cannot help you with this."

Morgause glared at her. "You! Who huddle in this hollow! You're just as responsible for what happened!"

"Perhaps so, but nor do I play any part in your decisions. My destiny is separate, as it has been for years. I know the stories and prophecies, the ones you fight, and the more you fight, the more things turn towards that which you fear."

With that Nimueh backed off even further, and the shadows of the building slowly moved, shielding her from view. Morgana could just about make out her vague form. She had no intention of leaving, but in contrast she had made it plain that she was not getting involved.

Morgana turned to her sister.

"Who is she? What is she responsible for?"

Morgause paid no attention to the lingering shadow, although her malice was clear in her words.

"She is the one who made a pact with Uther Pendragon. She used magic, at his request, to give his barren wife his heir. What Arthur learnt was true! What I revealed to him, was the truth!"

"But, he would never..."

"Wouldn't he?" Morgause snapped, her anger almost seemed to ripple out into the air. "Didn't he do what he wished to achieve his aims, with no care of the cost to others!"

"Then why did he fight magic, if he used it?" Morgana asked. "He wouldn't. Arthur doesn't."

"He will."

"But there's Merlin," Morgana said. "Arthur doesn't hate him. Merlin's his friend."

"You believe that? Merlin desperately wants to believe it, but in the end Arthur will hate magic, and all that it stands for, and that means you, my sister, and Merlin. What he believes is a folly, it is down to us to take back what was denied us. We can avenge ourselves on the regime that tried to destroy us."

"Arthur doesn't hate me," Morgana said.

"Does he care about you, has he ever asked to see you, to ensure your wellbeing. You're his enemy Morgana, that is all he knows now."

"That is not true!" Lancelot snapped. "Morgana, what I said..."

Morgana screamed as Lancelot flew sideways, whipped violently by a sudden, sharp gust of wind. Morgana turned to glare at Morgause. Morgause however had her eyes on Lancelot.

"You dare to address a priestess!"

The next attack didn't meet it's mark. As Morgause's eyes flickered gold and Morgana felt the magic rise in the air she reacted instinctively. Something within her uncoiled, and she imagined it carefully, using the techniques the Druids had shown her. A moment later she had lashed out, her eyes rolling as her power clashed with Morgause's. Her knees buckled slightly, but she forced herself to stay upright. Morgause rocked back on her heels, and she turned her gaze back to Morgana.

"You are growing stronger," the blonde woman commented. "And it is just the beginning. Why should it be Arthur's destiny? You can return magic to the land. It is your gift, and people will follow you."

She paused as Lancelot slowly struggled to his feet, wavering as he righted himself, but keeping his sword ready. Morgana stepped sideways, so she flanked him again.

"Don't you touch him," she warned her sister. Morgause smirked, eyeing Lancelot with amusement.

"He has no power, but he is loyal, and strong. Such a one could be useful. The Blood Guard could rise again, they served the priestesses with devotion. Your little guard seems to do that."

Lancelot looked dazed as he listened to the conversation. But he retook his position flanking Morgana, staying by her side, as he did, as he always had since Merlin had ordered him to protect Morgana. He would do so, with his life, and not just because his prince and king had ordered him to. Morgana liked to think that Lancelot liked her, enjoyed her company. It had been rather foisted upon him, but they had become close confidants, as they worked out what was going on around them.

Clearly they had been very, very wrong in their assumptions. Morgana glanced to Eira, and then looked back to Morgause.

"She helped you. Did you mean for me to see that? You two talking, planning things."

Morgause looked genuinely surprised by the accusation. Still, Morgana was not about to take anything on face value.

"My concern was you, sister. The king and prince had no intention of allowing me close. They wanted to poison you against me."

"Like you poisoned Arthur against Uther?"

"I tried to show him the truth. All I gave him was the truth. Can you deny it, my Priestess?"

She turned to glare at Nimueh.

"I cannot child. I assisted Uther and Queen Igraine in Arthur's conception, but not his birth. I warned Uther, what would happen. He could cull any one of the hapless men in his dungeon in her name, they would perhaps die anyway, but if he used that life, taken for that cause, his wife would have lived. She could have lived, but her child, the heir that Uther wanted was important to her. Igraine wanted to please him."

"But Arthur did no wrong in that. Why hurt him?"

"I exposed him to the truth," Morgause snapped. "What he did with it was his choice."

"Arthur is over emotional and always sensitive about his mother. Saying what you did to him is little more than fanning a flame," Morgana snapped. She remembered the tensions in the household, following that confrontation. Merlin had stopped a bloodbath, but she didn't think either Pendragon had recovered from the information.

"I brought her to speak to him, he heard it from his mother, not his lying father," Morgause said.

"You must have known the consequences of that! I saw them, I dreamt it. I told Merlin. That's not the first time my gift has saved Arthur. Why would I have visions of dangers to him, if I'm his enemy?"

"You're not," Lancelot told her. "You don't have to be."

"But I always seem to be," Morgana said with some despair. She had clashed with Merlin, without meaning to. She had killed Freya, someone that Merlin loved deeply, she had released the dragon, which in the end had caused the death of Balinor. She had put Merlin's entire kingdom at risk by running to him, away from Uther. Was it always going to be like that? she wondered to herself as Morgause stepped forward.

Lancelot move a second later, putting himself between Morgana and Morgause, lifting his sword. Because as far as he was concerned, Morgause was a threat, and Morgana was his to protect.

And in the end, Morgana's conscience made up it's own mind on what was the right thing to do. It wasn't for Arthur, or Merlin, or any kingdom. Or any part of the right or wrong that Morgause was talking about.

She did it for a friend.


	39. Chapter 39

**I'm having a bit of trouble getting past this part of the story, so I'm going to write it, not think about it too much and then get back on track asap**

Merlin ran into the graveyard and skidded to a halt. Morgana looked up, eyes wide, glassy with tears, horror evident on her face as she held her blood stained hands palm upward.

"I..." she looked down at Morgause. "I didn't meant to... I just... I had to..." she gave a heavy sob and Lancelot reached an arm around her, both to hold her and to try and get her up. The effort didn't work and he stumbled again, falling to his knees, using his good hand to prevent himself from falling further. His sword arm hung uselessly at his side, his face pale and pinched with pain. Morgana wasn't even sure what happened in the blur, other than the fact that she had pulled her dagger and stepped forwards.

Morgana hadn't even thought, she had just reacted on instinct to protect the man who had been charged with protecting her. He had lain on the floor, his arm damaged, vulnerable as Morgause had raised her hand again.

So focused on her sister Morgana hadn't registered the ripple of movement close by, but Morgause's head had turned sharply, but Morgana's course hadn't altered. She lurched upwards, dagger in her hand. Morgause had whipped her head back to look at her, her hands wrapping around Morgana's as she thrust the blade un under her ribs, the angle taking it up to her heart. Morgause gave a gasp of shock as Morgana wrenched the knife back and blood gushed from the wound.

"Sister," Morgause gasped as she toppled. Morgana caught her as she fell and they crumpled to the ground, Morgana on top of the blonde woman.

"I'm sorry," Morgana gasped.

She had jumped in shock, almost accidentally stabbing Lancelot as he struggled to lift himself up and pull her away from the priestess. Morgana dropped the knife and tried to get up, but Morgause latched onto her, pulling her close, which caused Lancelot to fall. Lancelot this time saw the blur of movement, trying to reach his sword with his left hand, then relaxing as Merlin crouched next to him, checking the stunned man over. Morgana gaped at him, pressing her hands on Morgauses' wound.

"Merlin?" Morgana gasped.

"I'm fine," Lancelot murmured groggily to Merlin.

"Your arm is dislocated," Merlin pointed out to him.

"Oh Gods," Morgana muttered. Merlin stepped over Lancelot and carefully reached out to take Morgana's wrists.

"Morgana, stop now."

"I can... isn't there something we can do? I didn't meant to?"

Merlin's face stayed expressionless.

"Sister," Morgause rasped.

"I'm so sorry, I..."

"There is something you can do."

Morgana lifted her head and looked at Nimueh, who held an ornate chalice in her hand.

"No," Merlin growled.

"The Cup Of Life," Nimueh explained, ignoring Merlin. "It can be used to save a life."

Morgana looked at her and then turned to Merlin. He shook his head emphatically.

"No, Morgana, not that. Just accept what you did."

"But, I didn't mean to. If I can..."

Merlin kept a tight grip on her wrists, keeping them palm up, so the blood remained visible.

"And whose life would you sacrifice to take her place."

Morgana looked up, frowning in confusion.

"Have the Druids taught you nothing? There has to be a balance, Morgana. You save a life, then it will be taken somewhere else. Even the smallest spell needs energy. We have an advantage over so many others, the elements respond to us, give us power. Others drain the life from the very ground. The world would be in chaos if that was allowed."

"Uther thought it was acceptable," Morgana snarled.

"And he learnt the cost. He hurt hundreds of people, because he tried to take revenge. But you need to think Morgana, consider this. You have to live with your decision for the rest of your life. Will you save her, when you did this to protect someone who you love and trust?"

Lancelot still looked pale, his skin almost turning green as he cradled his damaged arm and tried to get to Morgana. He had been left with her, one of Merlin's most trusted knights, and he had put himself in her way to protect her, had followed her when he knew the only way was to do so, otherwise she would have been here alone.

"Would you trade his life? Sometimes the magic, without enough guidance, will take what it thinks is right. You saved Lancelot but now you would save Morgause. Do you think the magic would be careful?"

"Merlin, I... What do I do?" Morgana looked at him, but Merlin's face seemed closed to her. Only his eyes burned with any emotion, and she wasn't sure of what she was seeing. She looked down at Morgause, staring at the woman as if trying to see something. Then she turned her head to Lancelot, who was wavering slightly as the pain rippled through him.

She remembered what he had said about family. He had commented on Morgause, a woman she didn't know, whom she had never met before. Morgana only vaguely knew her mother, she had known her father, Gorlois, and he had died when she was ten, and died because Uther Pendragon had failed to send reinforcements in time. Her father had died supporting his friend, and had wanted Uther to care for Morgana should anything happen to him. Morgana had known that, she had known Uther, only vaguely, as an adult who passed through her father's household, and whom she was polite to. He was the king, so her father wanted him treated respectfully. But even Uther had loved her. And had, perhaps, allowed Arthur to spirit her from Camelot.

Reports had come back that he was less than pleased over her plea for sanctuary, but she had been left with no choice, if nothing else to protect Gaius, who had tried to look after her, and even suppress her visions. She felt a flare of anger at that and Morgause tightened her hand on Morgana's arm.

"Sister, help me!"

Morgana felt the anger flare harder and then she took a breath. Her anger abated, but didn't leave her. But how could she blame Gaius for trying to hide what she was, he was trying to protect her, conceal a talent that would have lead to her condemnation. In the end the power would not be denied, and she had used it, to save Arthur. She had seen visions of Arthur's death; warnings she had thought, but maybe it had been there to hint at some form of triumph.

Had she got those messages wrong? What would be the point of them? They had been trying to tell her something. But if whatever power which had sent the visions had wanted Arthur to die, why show her in the first place. She had moved to prevent those dangers from hurting him.

Arthur stayed in her mind. He had also been like family. Not just like it, he loved her, as much as he would never admit it. At the start he had hated her, seeing this girl suddenly appear in the royal household, fussed over by his father, while he was practically ignored. In the end he had made sure Morgana couldn't ignore him, and she hadn't, and he hadn't ignored her. He helped her train. Uther had advocated her learning to defend herself, but in the end he had wanted her as a lady. It was Arthur who let her continue. Arthur who had not wanted to see her die. Who had risked what he thought was everything to get her out of Camelot, and been the person who had told her to go to Merlin.

Those that been his last words to her, when she had asked him what she should do, once out of Camelot. He had trusted Merlin to care for her. Morgana turned her head and looked at Merlin, staring at him. Merlin blinked and looked back.

"What?"

"How did you know to be here? Did you have a vision?"

"Not exactly. Arthur is in danger. The Knights of Medhir are active. You raised them, against Arthur!"

He turned to accuse Morgause. Morgana looked down and watched her glare at Merlin. She started to feel as if she was floating, she was not the person with her hands on Morgause's wound, using her magic to hold everything in place. While she floated, she looked down, seeing the glow resonating around the graveyard. It didn't even need the cup she thought to herself.

"Did you?" Morgana asked. "Why would you do that?"

"He is a Pendragon! He will do nothing more but persecute you! Do you think he is any different from his father, Uther Pendragon. He saw to the destruction of our kind and I will not..."

Morgause's words cut off and she screamed as Morgana's hands were wrenched away from her. Lancelot had wrapped his arm around her and yanked Morgana back. They tumbled to the floor. Lancelot jerked in pain and slumped down.

"Stop!" he managed to whisper before he slid away from her. Merlin left her to check him. Morgana turned her own head, glad to see him breathing before she turned to look back at Morgause. The sorceress' head had tilted, so she was looking at Morgana, but she no longer saw anything. She had died.

"Oh," Morgana said, putting a hand out and touching her, but she felt cold, the skin resilient to the touch as she felt it. She could probably even work with that, Morgause' death had only just happened.

"You could, child. Should you wish to."

In retrospect, Morgana wondered if the action was deliberate, since Merlin chose that exact time to reset Lancelot's shoulder, causing the knight to yell in pain, sagging back as Merlin tested the joint. Lancelot huffed heavily.

"I'll need to bind that," Merlin said, he looked up at Eira, who had momentarily been forgotten. "Give me your cloak."

Eira looked shocked but she pulled at the material, her fingers moving clumsily.

"Now!" Merlin roared at her.

"It's not her fault," Lancelot said, he looked at Morgana as he spoke. Merlin turned to glare at the pair of them.

"This part isn't. I think my sister used her, to get to me."

Merlin's face went still, he stood up slowly and looked her up and down. Eira wilted.

"You're Richmond's daughter?"

"Yes, My Lord." She gave a clumsy curtsey, still trying to pull her cloak to pieces to make a sling.

"Merlin," Morgana said his name warily, but as he took a step towards Eira, Morgana reached out to grab hold of him. He turned and looked down at her.

"Merlin, it's not her fault, please, don't."

Morgana clung to the material of his tunic, holding him back, on her knees in front of him and she knew she could behave better. But it always seemed as if she put herself above him, without meaning to. Cenred had taken her in, almost casually. Hunith fussed over her, as the Druid's had done, only Kilgharrah seemed to put up objections to her. Morgana often thought that the dragon was right. She always clashed with Merlin and she always seemed to be in the wrong. But at the same time she was right, she had protected Evelyn against Freya and Cyranus had been right, if Morgana had known who it was, she would never have dealt a killing blow. If she had known what would happen, she would never have unleashed the dragon, Merlin could have done that in his own time. She needed him to listen now, to not feel at odds with him, to feel as if she was having the wrong conversation at the wrong time.

"Please don't, it was not her fault that we came here. I chose to do that."

"The spell around her meant that you chose to do so," Nimueh said. Morgana snapped her head round.

"And Lancelot? Morgause made him agree with me? To advise me in what I should do? And to stand by me in whatever fool thing I did? You can't control everything!"

"No, you can't Morgana, only a fool thinks they can."

She turned to look back up at Merlin.

"Have you? Have you ever thought that?"

Merlin blinked. Unknown to Morgana he was having very similar thoughts to her, only his mind continually drifted to think of Arthur. Percival was with him, and would keep him safe. Arthur had his own knights to protect him. Merlin hated the fact that he couldn't always be there for Arthur. It should have become easier, now he was older, and able to make his own decisions, but so many things seemed to keep getting in the way.

"Sometimes, but you can't Morgana. You did this, and you did it for good reason, you protected Lancelot."

"She was my sister," Morgana said sadly. Lancelot reached out, taking her arm, still looking pale, but he knew he needed to remain strong for her.

"That doesn't make her family."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

By the time they staggered into the Valley of the Fallen Kings even Percival felt ready to drop. They had whittled down the number of knights to three.

"One for each of us," Gwaine had said with sarcastic brightness, but that was not going to stop them coming. For all Percival knew the others had somehow made a recovery and were on their heels. He didn't know if they could re-grow heads or if it just went on as a headless body.

He reached up to bat a trailing vine away, then he paused, turning to stare at them. Giving one a hard yank he sent a cloud of dust down onto Gwaine.

"Hey!" Gwaine yelled at him, trying to bat the dust from his eyes, blinking rapidly as he did so. Percival's focus remained on the vine, which seemed to be holding. Arthur watched him, getting the idea as Percival said.

"If we tie a few of these together, we may be able to net at least one of them."

"And then one of us can rest while we fight the other two," Gwaine said, sneezing loudly, he rubbed his nose and then brushed dust out of his hair.

"It's an idea," Arthur said, glaring at Gwaine, who sneezed again before looking up at the vines and giving a shrug.

"Best one we have," Gwaine mused. He looked at Percival. "You've done this a few times before?"

"Yeah, the only problem is, I don't know if the ones we have taken out can somehow recover. Is there anywhere defensible in this place, completely."

"There's a temple at the back, the entrance is narrow, but it means, once we're in, we may not be getting out," Arthur said.

"We could keep running," Gwaine said. "All we need to do is stay ahead of these things."

"And for how long can we do that?" Arthur asked. "Merlin's gone to deal with this at the source, so surely whatever he's doing will kill these things."

Percival frowned. "From what I remember of the tales of the knights of Medhir, you need to kill the person who raised them, Merlin will do that. Kilgharrah is with him, if nothing else he can command the dragon to do something. And we can't keep running, we'll be overtaken soon."

"So a stand it is," Arthur said lifting his sword, and exhaling heavily. "I'm not one for running anyway. Let's set this trap and get ready for them."


	40. Chapter 40

Percival pushed Arthur back, hearing the heavy thunk and gasp as the King of Camelot slammed into the stones behind. Gwaine shifted sideways so he was shoulder to shoulder with Percival. It was going to make fighting difficult but they glanced at each other in mutual agreement, the remaining two Knights of Medhir didn't get to Arthur until the pair of them were dead on the floor.

"Tell you what, you take the first killing blow, and then I can use you as a human blockade, then when I die Arthur can use the pair of us," Gwaine suggested.

"Good plan," Percival said. Gwaine glanced at him, unsure if the huge knight was joking or not. His face looked serious, but his eyes glittered.

"Neither of you should be risking your lives for me," Arthur pointed out to them both as he lingered behind him, unable to find a way past. Gwaine elbowed him back again, so Arthur banged into the wall for a second time.

"I'm fairly certain that is my job," Gwaine told him.

"Merlin's orders," Percival announced curtly.

Both men were entirely used to the risks of their daily lives, and quite willing to accept it now.

"And he's never let me down yet," the big knight added as the knights moved in and Percival raised his sword. Lashing out he knocked the first knight back, sending him down the small flight of steps. The other knight moved in on Gwaine, while the prone knight recovered. Percival exhaled and shifted his shoulders to allow Gwaine to strike a blow. The big knight was just about to aim for a head blow, but his sword passed over harmlessly and Gwaine was forced to duck to avoid being an unwitting recipient of the strike. It clanged against the stone doorway, jarring Percival's arm up to his shoulder. Gwaine stayed low for a moment watching the two collapsed figures on the ground. Arthur inched forward, once he was certain that the force of Percival's blow was not going to collapse the archway, so he could stand directly behind them.

The bodies on the floor slowly started to wither, the bodies sinking and slowly the clothes and chainmail began to crumble.

"Is that normal?" Arthur asked.

"I think it means they're dead," Gwaine commented inching forward, heading down the steps and tentatively prodding one of the disappearing corpses.

"They were dead anyway, whoever had raised them is now dead," Percival said with grim satisfaction, he dropped the sword, sliding it back into his belt. He took a careful step over the bodies and walked over to the carefully wrapped up vines. The knight trapped within them also melted away. He turned to look at Arthur and Gwaine.

"I'm guessing it's happened to the others."

"Well, that was a bit of an anti-climax," Gwaine said.

"Are you kidding? I'm exhausted," Arthur said.

"And we had just got to the big end fight and this is it, we did nothing."

"I wouldn't say that," Arthur said. "I need to get back and make sure those people were safe."

"The Knights of Medhir followed you, no harm came to them," Percival said. "The rest of your men would have taken them back."

"I think they would probably like to see that no harm came to Arthur," Gwaine said. "Plus if we head back to the Hog's Head there's drink; and food."

Percival glanced at Arthur. "I noticed which one of those he put first."

"On this occasion, I think I agree with him."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

He got neither, instead they just met a furious Merlin.

"What were you thinking?" Merlin roared at Percival. He seemed to have lost all of his usual decorum and could almost have breathed fire, when he found out that they had separated from the group.

Oddly Percival offered no defence. He just hung his head like a frightened child. Most of the time, when Merlin went at him Percival went back, there was joking and banter and Percival usually looking irritated. Now he watched as Percival let himself be backed into a corner, cowering under Merlin's anger. Most of the time Merlin was so affectionate towards his best friend that Arthur just thought it was always fine. Now he saw something he didn't like, something in Merlin, and he darted forward as he saw Merlin raise his hand. This time Merlin was seriously angry, he was a prince displeased with one of his subjects.

"Don't you dare!" Arthur roared. He put himself between Merlin and Percival without even thinking about it and he shoved Merlin back a few steps. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"He put you in danger!"

"I was already in danger!" Arthur shouted back. "Do you think I was better protected by surrounding myself by frightened villagers because if you think I would let that happen you are deluded! And you thought Percival would do that didn't you? Would you?"

He turned to glare at Percival, who raised his eyes to meet Arthur and gave a helpless look. Arthur growled and whipped his head around to glare at Merlin again.

"Because his plan was far better! And quite frankly what Percival did was little short of amazing! Whatever you, and your precious sorcery, can do he can do better! He's learnt how to fight it with his own resources!"

Arthur took a breath, realising he was yelling and the members of the small camp, the huddled and terrified citizens that he had protected, by his own actions, were watching fearfully. Arthur didn't want that, he didn't want them scared of him, he didn't want them scared of Merlin.

"Look," Arthur said, leaning in, his voice lower, but just as stern, carrying the authority he hadn't yet realised now existed in his tone. "Percival was right, I was in more danger trying to protect other people from this threat."

"They were in no danger, the knights were focused on you."

"And they were brought back to life by Morgause, she knew enough about me, probably enough to know that if there were other people around me they could be used. We're in my kingdom Merlin," Arthur snarled. "It is my job to protect these people!"

He indicated to the huddled groups, which caused Merlin to turn his head, he looked almost as if he hadn't even realised the people were there.

"You left Percival with the job of protecting me, which he did, you can't then moan about the fact he did a good job because you don't like the way he did it."

"If you had died!" Merlin hissed. Arthur's eyes narrowed.

"What?" he snapped back. "You wouldn't have had what you wanted, me; as this Once and Future King from this prophecy that is so damn important to you. It means nothing to me!"

Merlin recoiled as if Arthur had hit him. He blinked owlishly as Arthur carried on talking, he had hit a nerve, and something in him, after the stress of the night, decided to prod harder.

"I seem to need to remind you, we are in my kingdom, and I am the king! You left Percival with me, and he would therefore follow my orders. And as you are also subordinate to me, then you should clearly do the same. You can leave Percival alone."

Merlin stared at him with wide eyes, and Arthur could see why Percival was backing down, something radiated off Merlin, something that Arthur hadn't noticed before. Maybe because it had never been shown. Percival was clearly aware of it, and knew it was something he couldn't argue with. He was Merlin's best friend, but he was also one of his subjects, and some of the stories he had heard were not just about Percival and Merlin having childhood rows. There were also stories of Merlin's temper, of Percival's reputation. That anger, and power, had to have been nurtured somewhere.

It gave Arthur the first inkling of Merlin's true nature, and why his father was so frightened of it. He had been aware of that for a long time. Some of what Uther had said was true. Even Merlin would no doubt agree with it, he deal with people who abused magic just as harshly as Uther had done. The magic seemed to ripple from him in threatening waves. Arthur steeled himself, safe in the knowledge that Merlin wouldn't hurt him. Why would he have gone to such lengths to protect him if he was merely going to do the harm himself, he could have left it to others and saved himself a huge amount of trouble.

"He was entirely willing to die simply to give you time for whatever it was you needed to do, which I presume you did, just before your best friend gave up his life for whatever cause you are pursuing. And if that is anything to do with me, give up on it now, if you are going to turn on him."

Arthur took a breath, and then added.

"Quite frankly you don't deserve him."

Merlin looked as if he didn't know what to do. Arthur winced inwardly, wondering if he really meant all of that. Some of it he did, most certainly.

"Yes, your Majesty," Merlin eventually snapped, his eyes turning cold as they glanced at Percival.

"Shall we?"

"Sire," he added to Arthur before turning away. Arthur blinked, hardly believing what had just happened. He jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Percival eased past him, nodding his head, his face serious, and eyes just as cold as Merlin's.

"Thank you Sire."

And it didn't sound as if Percival was the least bit pleased to be saying that. As Gwaine moved closer to them Percival gave him a curt nod before following Merlin. Soon after that they heard the sound of horses.

Arthur blinked listening to the beats as they faded away. He turned and looked around, his expression one of bafflement. Gwaine eased towards him, putting a hand on Arthur's arm.

"What was that about?" Arthur asked him.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The Isle of the Blessed seemed as still and tranquil as always when Merlin walked into the courtyard. But the scene was deceptive. He could feel the fury and anger rippling through the air, and he turned his head to stare at the dark haired woman.

"Nimueh."

"Emrys!" she snarled through gritted teeth.

"Where are they?"

"In the main tower, I did them no harm."

"I wouldn't let you," Merlin said, turning away from her to go and fine Morgana and Lancelot, and Eira. His father would not be pleased about that development.

Nimueh's upper lip curled back. "Do you think you can keep Morgana from her destiny, as you have me from mine?"

Merlin stopped walking, his shoulders tensed. Nimueh watched the reaction with some satisfaction. She watched him turn back to her, his eyes cold as he regarded her.

"I hardly think I'm keeping her away from that. All I need to do is keep her away from you."

Nimueh stepped forward, walking around the courtyard. Merlin turned to follow her, she kept her distance from him.

"She is the last priestess of the old religion. Do you think you can do that? You failed this time, and look at the result."

"Morgana can handle the consequences of her own actions."

"How can you know that? This could be exactly what is required of her."

"You cannot see that in the pathways," Merlin snapped at her. Nimueh smirked.

"Not clearly, and not all of them, but many are the same."

"And what do you see?" Merlin asked her.

"You think I would tell you?"

Merlin snarled and clenched his fists, the instinct to strike out rising in him. He glared at the priestess, breathing heavily as he controlled his emotions, forcing his temper down.

"You cannot avoid her Merlin, she is the darkness to your light, the hatred to your love," Nimueh said.

"I'm aware of that," Merlin snapped.

"And do you think you can stop that. It has already begun, you cannot prevent what is to happen."

"I have, I can," Merlin told her.

"Because you haven't killed me," Nimueh snapped. "You think by tethering me here, you can avoid what is to come."

"If it is your destiny to die by my hand, then I will not do it willingly. You have given me no cause to."

Nimueh smirked, stepping forward. "I tried to kill your precious Arthur. The afanc nearly succeeded."

"And who was it helped Arthur prevent that?" Merlin snapped. "And who protected him from the sidhe."

"She is still finding herself, her destiny will not be denied so simply."

Merlin stared at her for a long moment. "And was it my destiny to become the Crown Prince of Essetir? To be adopted by Cenred. He turned Morgause away because of me, he already had me. Was my mother ever destined to become his queen?"

"She is not his queen, she is his..."

Nimueh never got to the final word, the fireball flew by her head, so close that she smelt her hair as it singed. He had come close that time.

"She is in essence," Merlin snapped. "And that was never her destiny was it. She was destined to produce me, with Balinor. Beyond that whatever it is that drives destiny didn't think about her. It didn't really consider the implications did it. And whether or not anyone believes it, my mother influences Cenred, to the point that she can control the kingdom. It is one reason that my father has never made war on Camelot."

"Are you saying he would not wish to?" Nimueh asked.

"He has no personal reason to."

"Nor do I. I played my part correctly. I held Arthur's life in my hands, it was my choice to help Uther."

"And he didn't like the consequences," Merlin said flatly.

"He could not be warned. And he learnt the true price of magic."

"That seems almost as necessary as Arthur's birth. I've heard the stories, there was too much magic in the world, the natural order was in danger of falling into chaos. It had to be stopped, and now it has to be restored."

"And you think you are the only person involved in that. You are as arrogant as Uther. You think you are the only one that matters."

"I am starting to learn otherwise. And I cannot control everything, I accept that. But if it is Arthur I am here to protect, then I will do so with every resource I have. And that includes Morgana."

Nimueh smirked at him.

"You may find that a little more complicated than you think. Now, unless you wish to conclude our business, we have nothing more to say."

"I will not kill you Nimueh, and it not simply to defy destiny. I don't wish to kill anyone, too many people have been lost, for no reason."

"I am old Merlin, and past what I wish to be. You may soon enough understand and will do what is needed to be done. I can only die by your hand."

"If that is my destiny, then I intend to defy it."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Are you all right Arthur?"

Arthur gave a heavy sigh, slowly rising up from where Gwaine had, for the third time in the training session beaten him down. It was clear to everyone the king was distracted. For some reason the knights had decided that Gwaine could get an answer. Their response to his reinstatement as a knight had been relief, respect and caution. Gwaine felt he could handle all three of them. He watched Arthur for a moment as he hefted his sword, the one he always trained with. Merlin had taken the dragon's sword back with him. In the end Arthur looked up, giving an apathetic shrug.

"Every time I part from Merlin, it's always on a bad note."

Gwaine winced, rotating his shoulder at the same time.

"I don't think it's bad. You stuck up for Percival and put Merlin in his place."

"I know. I should have said thank you. He did save us, and Morgana and everything else as far as I know."

"Having a go at Percival was uncalled for," Gwaine said. "When it came to keeping you alive, and the way he dealt with those guys, it was exactly what needed to be done. I can't even understand how he thought Percival was putting you in danger."

"I know." Arthur rubbed his hand against his forehead. "And I didn't want him angry at Percival but after the last time we didn't seem to talk and I thought this time, we could end on a better note."

Gwaine reached out and put a hand on Arthur's shoulder, turning him to walk across the training field. Seeing the king leaving, the rest of the knights started to pack up, but they kept a careful distance from Arthur and Gwaine.

"You're over thinking it. Percival did right but he couldn't argue with Merlin like that, not this time, and you could. It was weird but... it wasn't like you two were... you."

"That doesn't make any sense."

George rushed out to take Arthur's sword and scurried off to gather the rest of the equipment. Arthur watched him go and then turned back to Gwaine, who carried on talking.

"I've heard all this stuff, so have you. You are this Once and Future King and Merlin is this Emrys, who protects you and if you are the King Of Albion, he is subordinate to you."

"I know I'm a king and Merlin is still a prince."

"You are the Once And Future King, and you just told Emrys to do something; to follow your orders. I don't think you were just Arthur and Merlin at that point, you were something else. I think Merlin knew that. Plus, he can't not know what Percival was doing."

"He didn't seem to," Arthur said.

Gwaine shook his head. "I've been listening to things, stories and talk I have heard on patrol, in taverns." Gwaine paused as Arthur glowered in disapproval. "You learn useful information."

"Do you really?"

"Yeah. I might chat away, but I never give anything away I don't want to. Other people do."

"And?"

"I heard stories about Merlin, even now I listen. You can't help but be fascinated by them. People gossip all sorts of things about him. If I go somewhere without my colours on, I hear stuff about you; mostly women swooning, if it makes you feel any better."

Arthur huffed, Gwaine rolled his eyes.

"All right, okay, forget that. They've never met you."

Arthur gave Gwaine a sharp glance but Gwaine carried on talking.

"I've heard stories about Merlin, and Percival. You know he's a bounty hunter?"

Arthur nodded. "And an executioner."

"I think Percival is the type to be very sure of his facts before he starts chopping people's heads off, although it does seem to be a very integral part of his repertoire."

"Some paranoia about ghouls," Arthur mused. Gwaine frowned, and shook his head.

"Point being, he wouldn't have left Percival to protect you without knowing that Percival would do something like that. But bounty hunting, and executing, they are sort of solitary activities, so he must have known something of Percival's battle plan. Besides, he's one of the reasons people don't break the law in Cenred's kingdom. I heard a mother once telling her child off, before I came to Camelot, she told him to be good or Sir Percival would get him."

Arthur winced. "Percival would hate that. He's careful about who he picks on, women and children are out of bounds."

"Yeah, the reality doesn't match the legend," Gwaine said. "It came as a surprise when I met him, and Merlin. He's got the same sort of reputation, and you listen to what some of the people in Camelot say, he's considered little short of a daemon."

"So I wonder what they think of me, I'm consorting with him."

"I hate to say it Arthur, but they didn't exactly love your father either," Gwaine said.

"They mourned him when he died."

"They did, but I think your father knew, what he had to do to make the kingdom work would make him unpopular, but the worst part, he didn't need to have done. He killed children who showed signs of sorcery, anyone who consorted with those who did magic would be put to death and some of them were ignorant of the facts, they were just trying to live their lives. You have a better perspective on that. Even Merlin knows the dangers of his own powers, and knows they should be controlled.

"Your people love you, and trust you," Gwaine said. "You know we do that. And they wonder about Merlin, but as far as he is thought to be a daemon, people have seen him, they've seen Percival. They're just people. It's not an easy thing to rule, Arthur, which ever way you go you upset someone, if it's just one person then maybe that's better than your entire kingdom."

Arthur pulled off his gloves and offered a heartfelt counter-argument.

"But it's Merlin!"


	41. Chapter 41

Hunith couldn't stand it anymore. And she made no secret of that as she walked into the drawing room of her apartments and slammed a bowl down in front of Merlin.

"You take it this time!"

Cenred and Evelyn went very still. Cenred didn't care if Arthur was hurt, he didn't care that Percival wanted out of the castle to collect bounties, but he did care that his little, quiet family unit was rippling with a tension that had never been there before. Even Hunith couldn't seem to sort it out. She was part of it after what had happened on the Isle Of The Blessed.

Now she had worked out the way, to at least deal with one part of the equation.

"Go on!" she snapped at Merlin. "Before he leaves!"

Percival was not heading out until the morning. Merlin stayed where he was.

"Where's he going?!" Evelyn piped up in panic, knowing exactly who Merlin had fallen out with. "Merlin can stop him!"

"Merlin is not Percival's king," Cenred growled. "He asked me for permission to leave and follow up the bounty. Why would Merlin have any say in that?"

Evelyn stared at her father in shock. Hunith shushed her daughter, her child's open, forthright, way of speaking was not always appropriate but it came from Cenred himself, he often disregarded basic tact to speak his mind and thought that he had every right to do so. Hunith often thought that she was the only person in the castle who ever said no to Evelyn, which made doing so such hard work.

"Enough, I don't want either of you starting. Merlin made this problem, Merlin can fix this problem, and he's probably wise to do so, now!"

Merlin looked at his mother with a mulish expression on his face. Despite his clear desire to refuse Merlin got to his feet picking the bowl up and he left the room without a word. Hunith huffed, pulling herself up to her full height, smoothing her dress down.

"Don't follow him! Stay here woman!"

Hunith spun on her heel and glared at Cenred, who decided it was, quite possibly, all things considered, in a good cause.

"You heard me!" he snapped, before she had a chance to retaliate. "He will not appreciate an audience, and you would be wise to leave them alone. You will do as your king commands you!"

In the room he was sat in, in the queen's chambers where Hunith had made her home for so many years, that was a fairly feeble threat, and she knew it, Cenred knew it. But at that moment, it suddenly made her smile. Cenred liked it when she smiled, half the reason his castle ran so well was simply down to the way Hunith smiled.

"Do you really?" Hunith asked him.

"I do, and don't tease. Evelyn is in the room."

"They cannot be at odds with each other. It just isn't right."

"I very much doubt it will last," Cenred said. "Even if you hadn't intervened I doubt Merlin would have let him go, that or he would have run after him like a frantic puppy."

"You would not let him do so," Hunith pointed out. Cenred had ordered Merlin confined to the castle, as he had not been seen for a while, since he had been dealing with Arthur. Morgana was now under the same restrictions, and it was only his severe warnings that kept either of them in place.

"True, but then he'll be even more frantic when Percival returns. He's taking that boy with him isn't he?"

"If you mean Elyan, yes he is, and he's hardly a boy."

"Strange choice," Cenred mused. "There are a hundred soldiers in the barracks who would work with Percival, for the reward they would receive."

"I believe that is why he is taking Elyan," Hunith told him, which caused Cenred to frown. Hunith huffed, and Cenred realised he was missing the point of whatever she was saying. He stared at her for a moment longer, as she looked quite riled up, a flush on her cheeks. As she realised he was staring quite blatantly, she gave a scowl.

"Evelyn is in the room!"

"Call April," Cenred said carelessly, pushing aside his papers and standing up. "I wish to take you for a walk."

Hunith raised her eyebrows. "You've never taken me for a walk in my life!"

Cenred grinned at her, and she got the hint of exactly where this walk was going to be.

"In which case, it is about time I start."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The walk had been ridiculously short, but for the second time in her life she lay dishevelled on Cenred's bed. However, in contrast to the previous occasion, when she had had to then go and speak to Merlin, of his father Balinor, this time she could lay still, with nowhere to go. Merlin was dealing with his own issues.

She had caused some of the problem, underestimating what Eira was involved in. All she had thought was that Lord Richmond was using his daughter to gain more power with Cenred. It was quite clear to all the nobles of Essetir that Cenred planned to somehow engineer a marriage between Morgana and Merlin. It was a good match, she was of a noble family, and her magic was strong. If they had children, their powers were likely to be a guarantee. It secured his line and perhaps erased the issue of Merlin's low birth.

There was no hiding the fact that Merlin was a Dragonlord, and Cenred was not. Balinor had died so dramatically, that the parentage could not be ignored, and gave Merlin good standing. It was Hunith herself that caused the problems. The people that lived in the castle, that worked there, liked and respected her. They saw how Cenred looked at her, took her advice and she had always been given the title of Lady, because insulting her would have, perhaps, drawn Cenred's wrath. Others before her had enjoyed and enforced the privilege. Hunith had never thought to, she was hardly a courtesan; she was a woman whose child had been born infused with magic. Because of that humility she had been treated better. April and Mary had always shown her in a good light. And Cenred hadn't been stupid enough to try and overthrow her. He had slept with others in the castle, but none of them had brought him Merlin.

Then it had been merely a pattern, and then there had been Evelyn.

The odd thought that Cenred had never seemed to get any others with child made Hunith wonder. But then again, the others never lasted long and sometimes left abruptly. Hunith dreaded the idea that perhaps, if Cenred had realised any of them were with child he had taken drastic action. How could she love a man who had the potential to do that? And he did. She couldn't, wouldn't ever, hide the knowledge of what Cenred was, and he was capable of such action.

She knew that, but he was the father of one of her children by birth, and he had helped raise Merlin. Sometimes even by showing Merlin how he did not want to be. Her son could be just as ruthless as Cenred, and even Percival could be as such. Hunith had raised him as well, to a point. But both Merlin and Percival had been tempered by her, and Evelyn.

Hunith could see how things could go wrong, as it had for Morgana. She was so confused, and had almost convinced herself of her own evil, concluding that by killing her own sister. She was defending others, but Morgana could not excuse her own actions, and Uther had, while acting as her guardian, made her think that what she was, and everything she did as a result, was evil.

Cenred's fury had not helped, when he realised what had happened. He had been angry at Lancelot for colluding with her, angry at Merlin for his choice of action towards Morgana, angry at Eria, who was lucky to not to have been executed. Hunith had managed to do the same for her as she had Percival so many years ago. She now attended to Morgana, and Eira seemed almost grateful that she had not been sent home.

"I'm sorry," Hunith said, out of the blue.

Cenred, who had been quite contentedly enjoying the familiar scent of her hair lifted his head.

"For what?"

"For what happened. I didn't see it coming. I thought I had Richmond's motivation so right. I just thought... I didn't even see Morgause in that."

"Probably not. The High Priestesses have learnt to hide themselves. Uther made certain of that. It is no loss."

"It is for Morgana. Morgause was her sister."

"She hardly knew the woman," Cenred announced dismissively. "Granted she might have made a useful ally, but I could hardly look to be going against another kingdom so obviously."

Hunith frowned, she shifted on the bed, propping herself up on one elbow to look down at Cenred.

"An ally."

"She was powerful, and could have been useful, but Merlin, and Morgana, are stronger than her."

"And I doubt Morgause would be as biddable."

"I'd hardly call either Merlin or Morgana biddable," Cenred snapped. Hunith sighed and put her head back down on his shoulder, sensing him turn his head to press his nose back into her hair.

"They can both, however, now stay at within the confines of this castle."

"Merlin needs to sort his issues with Percival."

"He usually does," Cenred said.

As far as he was concerned, Percival did his job, he always had, ever since he had been forced to stay at the castle as Merlin's servant. Many of them in the castle might have attended the new prince, but Cenred hadn't felt entirely inclined to trust them. Percival, an unknowing boy from a rural village under a threat of execution, had been a safe bet. He could be controlled, and trusted to behave. It had been what Cenred had needed, early on.

At the beginning of his reign he had had a tenuous hold on the kingdom, and he had planned to use Merlin to strengthen it. That plan was obvious and anyone hoping to curry favour with a rival could have done so by eliminating Merlin from the picture, or even taking him for themselves. One had tried, not that Merlin remembered, but he had killed the man, for no other reason than he had tried to kill Hunith.

The show of power had pleased Cenred. If Merlin, as a six year old child, could do such a thing, as an adult he would be unstoppable. But it also made Cenred aware of his own vulnerability, and it was why he had not tried to remove Hunith, or separate Merlin from her. Merlin loved her, and she had good control of him; Hunith had clearly seen the need for that from a young age. In her own way she had warned him of that, in the beginning, knowing what might happen, if Merlin because too emotional, or upset.

It had mapped out their lives. And then Uther, in the end, had caused Merlin's rise to his title, talking about Arthur as he had. His young son starting his training, he would be a strong powerful heir, was what Uther essentially had said to the other kings. Cenred's reaction had been to pit Merlin against Arthur, if nothing else the idea that the prince of the neighbouring kingdom was a powerful warlock would grate on Uther, and had probably caused the breakdown in peace between their kingdoms. Ironically Merlin and Arthur had restored that, and had perhaps made it stronger. Too strong, as far as Cenred was concerned. Camelot had been the strongest kingdom for too long, his own now rivalled and he intended to keep it that way.

But for that he needed Merlin, which meant, he needed Hunith. A fact which had long ago ceased to bother him. Turning his head he breathed in the scent of her hair.

He needed Merlin, but by the same token, for what Merlin wanted for himself, he needed Cenred.

For both their strengths to remain, they had to rely on each other, and Hunith lay in the centre of it all. Cenred mused, if she really put her mind to it, she was a woman who could rule the world. Which was the reason that the next thing she suggested, as they lay together in his bed, he agreed to without even thinking about it.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arthur walked into the council chamber, pulling his gloves off as he did so, handing them to George scurrying along beside him. The council members started to rise to their feet, although as one struggled to do so Arthur glared.

"Sir Leon, I'd rather you did not injure yourself, stay seated."

Leon put himself back in the chair, he still looked very surprised to be there. The rest of the council seemed shocked by the sudden announcement that Arthur was putting Leon among them; however, Arthur was adamant about it. He could have said it was an impulse reaction but he didn't think it was. On reflection, after the sudden shocking bust up between Percival and Merlin, he had thought about their relationship and how Merlin had always said he relied on Percival to pull him into line. Arthur had decided he felt jealous. Not because of Merlin and Percival's closeness; quite clearly Merlin felt very responsible for Arthur, but Arthur could claim no favours with Merlin, although Merlin had a skewed view of that. Arthur had seemed to rank over Percival, or at least he had seemed to, during that last dramatic encounter.

But Arthur had looked at Merlin and Percival's relationship for years, since he had met them in the forest. And he wanted something similar. He wanted someone to disagree with him at every turn, and tell him he was stupid and dump him head first in lakes. Perhaps Leon was not up to the last two but the first had been his remit for his place on the council. Arthur had made that very clear.

"Gentlemen, sit down," Arthur said as he took his seat. George shuffled off to stand to one side, waiting for Arthur.

"Leave the door open!" Arthur called to the guards. They both turned, pausing as they reached for the handles. "Let some air flow in, leave them open!"

The rest of the council looked very confused at that. Arthur behaved as if such an instruction was entirely normal. He didn't know why he was doing it, other than the fact, before Mordred left, the little Druid boy had come to find him just before he and Iseldir were due to leave and gave him some rather cryptic words. Arthur couldn't think what else to do with them but take them literally.

"First issue will be the loss of a physician, now the druids have left us," Geoffrey said.

Arthur clenched his teeth, he had been bad-tempered since then, although he had said a peaceful goodbye to the Druids at they packed up. He worried about them leaving, because there would be no one to manage Camelot's illnesses again.

"Yes. Gwen has learnt something while assisting them but not enough," Arthur said.

"I'm sure we could find someone competent enough," Agravaine said, as if the subject was the last thing on his mind. "We really need to see to these store lists, especially with the harvest due to be ready soon."

"That very much runs itself," Geoffrey argued. "That does not need much attention."

"Although Iseldir and Mordred had to go, could we not find some other Druids, if we invite them to Camelot? They still visit some of the old camps in the woods," Leon offered.

"Only to honour their dead!" Agravaine snapped, which caused Leon to sit back. "They will have no interest in helping us."

"They may, there is no reason why they cannot live peacefully in Camelot as they do in Cenred's kingdom. They have proven to be friends," Leon said.

"As long as they have someone to stand for them, to prove that we can trust them. Arthur, you may have to be discreet about this, we cannot just allow anyone to take such a position, they will be treating you," Geoffrey said. "Could we trust Merlin, or Iseldir, to send someone they know?"

Arthur sighed. "I don't know. I mean, Gwen can help, for now. Can't she?"

"Iseldir spent time teaching her. The basic ailments of the castle she can manage, she was there assisting him make some of the potions, and understands basic herb lore, but anything more serious and we may need someone more knowledgeable," Leon said in response to Arthur's question, directed at him.

"Even so," Geoffrey said. "None of them are Gaius."

There were a few murmurs of assent.

"Well, I'm very glad to hear that!" a voice echoed around the room. All the council members looked to the door. Arthur, who had his head down, jerked it upwards in shock.

Gaius made his way further into the room. Arthur half got up, and then sat back down again, hardly trusting his own eyes, although he smiled brightly.

"Gaius!"

He hobbled further into the room, carrying his kit, struggling with it a little. Arthur glanced at George, who was already moving. He hadn't wanted to put Arthur's gloves down so he had tucked them into his belt to then have his hands free to take Gaius' medical box and travelling bag.

"Thank you, George," Gaius said.

"Gaius!" Arthur said again, unnecessarily he realised. He tried to pull himself together and he stood up. "Are you...?"

"I heard Iseldir had left and I presume you have a vacancy for a court physician."

"Of course. Of course there is, but you, were..." Arthur tailed off. Gaius had been a hostage at Cenred's court, as far as Arthur had known, until this moment, he still was. Gaius smiled at him.

"It was pointed out that Camelot was rather in need of a full time physician, and I really thought it was time I came home."

It was that last word that did it for Arthur. Despite everything that had happened, it was Gaius' home and it had never been the same since he had left. Not even, Arthur thought, for his father. Gaius had been there ever since Arthur had memories. Something seemed to slot into place as Gaius said that word, so Arthur was up and moving and before anyone could react, Arthur had reached Gaius and dragged him into a hug.

Gaius felt slightly startled by the gesture, but he returned it, patting Arthur on one shoulder.

"Oh, my boy," Gaius murmured. Hearing the sounds of the people behind him Arthur realised he ought to pull himself together. But he held on for a little moment longer. Eventually he had to pull back.

"Of course, you are welcome back."

The short round of applause was started by Geoffrey, and backed up by Leon. Agravaine looked less than pleased but had no choice but to follow everyone else's lead.

"There are still some other things to discuss," Arthur said, turning to look at the table, glaring at Leon as he tried to stand up again to give Gaius his seat. In the end Geoffrey, who had been sat on Arthur's left, stood up.

"Here, you must have been travelling hard. To reach us so soon."

"Not too much. I decided several days ago to make my return. Merlin had no plan to let Iseldir stay too long," Gaius said as he took a seat. "I actually thought our paths might cross."

"George, another chair," Arthur said. Geoffrey walked down to the end of the table, where there was a small amount of space, to wait for the chair. George went scurrying off, while Gaius settled down.

"And I'm surprised Cenred released you," Agravaine said in a challenging tone.

"I do not believe he considered either myself or Morgana a hostage. In actual fact, Morgana made a plea for sanctuary, in his court."

"And Lady Morgana has not returned."

That was likely to be because Merlin didn't want to let her out of his sight. He was angry, but also worried. Morgana said nothing as she was told she would remain at court rather than go back to the Druids. For the time being she needed looking after. What she had done to Morgause, despite being told it was the right thing to do, weighed heavily on her mind.

"No," Gaius said, not wanting to elaborate in front of the rest of the council members. "I was told that Gwen had made a very good apprentice."

"She has been learning," Leon said. "I think just because she wanted to look after me."

"She is not a physician," Agravaine snapped.

"But she could be," Gaius said. "It is quite clear that I will not be here forever, I will need to begin training an apprentice. Perhaps it is something I should have started before now. The last year has made me quite aware of my own mortality."

Arthur winced. Gaius had nearly died. He hadn't been here when Uther had passed away, and Gaius might have managed to save him. Arthur would have probably tried anything. Not that Gaius would have let him, Arthur suspected.

"But she is female," one of the other council members announced.

"How does that stop her being a physician?" Arthur asked. "There are women trained in healing."

Arthur said that and then glanced at Gaius for confirmation.

"Of course," Gaius said. "I know many who are most excellent at healing."

"But would the knights accept her. She would be dealing with them regularly."

"Of course they would," Leon said sharply, with a hint in his tone that he intended to make them if they didn't. Gwen was one significant thing he really remembered during his injury and Iseldir had said to him that one reason he had lived was that Gwen had worked to help him before Iseldir himself had arrived in Camelot.

"So there are no objections?" Geoffrey said as George struggled back carrying another chair, he huffed and panted as he put it down and Geoffrey took it. "She did well making the balm for my knee joint. I have no complaints."

"Anyone who wishes to object to Gwen's appointment as apprentice physician say so now," Arthur said, glaring around the room. Gaius watched Agravaine twitch slightly but he couldn't very well put his hand up. It was quite clear Arthur wanted her appointed and as Gaius, Geoffrey and Leon all backed him up it would be impossible to fight without looking stubborn for no reason.

"Well, that's that then," Arthur said, looking incredibly happy. "Now the harvest reports."


	42. Chapter 42

**God this chapter took me ages! I am going to move it on two years now and shift the story along a little, so I can hopefully get a few more chapters turned out quicker than this one!**

"Come in!" Percival yelled as he heard a knock at his door. It could either be Mary, Hunith, April or perhaps Elyan. A few other people ran through his mind but the last one he expected was Merlin. Who never knocked, he was used to wandering around the castle and knowing he could do so because he was the prince; he could do what he liked. He had taken Percival's life away from him.

He thought that in his angrier moments. What his life would have been like if he had not got into that fight with Merlin and he had gone home and grown up in his village. He would not have known any of the things he did now, have done any of the things he had and was about to do again. Percival wondered if his violence would have worked it's way out somehow, would he have hurt someone close to him, by accident, instead of finding a way to take it out on someone deserving.

His jaw dropped as Merlin shuffled through the door, looking uncertain and holding a bowl almost as if it was a shield. Percival stared at him and Merlin bit his lip.

"I brought pudding."

He said that almost as an offering, but mostly a challenge. Percival's eyes drifted to the table under the window, where as children they had used to huddle and he sighed before looking back at Merlin.

"I don't think I can fit under the table anymore."

Merlin's mouth lifted in a smile, taking that as an invitation to enter the room properly.

They ended up sat at the table, at right angles to each other as they took turns spooning out the pudding. For a long while they didn't talk, until they started to reach the end of the bowl. Merlin looked at the remaining stewed apples and saw there was one large chunk left.

"I'm sorry," Merlin said.

"That's mine," Percival said as Merlin's spoon moved towards the last bit of apple. He drew it away with his own spoon and then clumsily cut into it, hacking it into two bits.

"I see you take the biggest," Merlin sniped.

"This pudding is my apology, of course I get the biggest bit. Plus I'm bigger than you."

"I can't argue with that."

"What that I'm bigger or that this is my apology."

"Both," Merlin said. "I am sorry. I know you did what you thought was best."

"I didn't do what I thought was best. I did what was best!" Percival corrected sharply. "You know what Arthur is like, he said it himself, he would have protected those people, putting himself in danger. Without them to worry about it was easier to protect him. May I point out I managed to take out four knights of Medhir, who are apparently immortal, and unstoppable."

"I think you shocked Arthur and Gwaine a little."

"They seemed surprised that I act as executioner."

"Only if it needs a beheading."

"I'm good at beheading," Percival said. He frowned a moment later. "That doesn't really sound very flattering does it."

"You might not want to put it in a list of your good points, if you're talking to Guinevere. Maybe you shouldn't mention it to Elyan either."

Percival poked the last of the stewed apple in the bottom of the bowl. "Maybe not. He might end up seeing it though."

"You don't have to take him. There are other people if you need a second person."

"The king won't let you."

"There's always Cyranus."

Percival eyed Merlin steadily. "I need someone less known, and someone who can take care of himself. Plus there's another reason."

Merlin knew that tone of voice, and knew what it related to. Percival dropped his gaze back to the pudding, but then glanced at Merlin suspiciously from under lowered brows. Merlin could have made a joke about it, but their current relationship seemed too fragile for that. Still, he could hardly ignore the fact that Percival was carefully setting Elyan up with enough money that he could probably take any path he wanted.

"I think he wants to head home to Camelot. He talks about his father's forge a bit. It has been rented out, but I get the feeling he would want to take it in hand."

"And I would presume that would be down to Arthur, ultimately."

"As long as Arthur isn't mad at us."

Merlin grimaced and pushed his spoon around the small amount of apple sauce still lingering in the bottom of the bowl.

"It's not you he's mad at, is it?"

Percival stuck his own spoon in the bowl, so they had a little spoon battle while they talked.

"I don't think he's that angry with you. I doubt he wanted to leave it the way he did. Why don't you just write to him? I don't know why you didn't send a letter with Gaius. The fact that you allowed him back to Camelot spoke volumes."

Merlin shrugged, looking down at the spoons, as the battled it out.

"That was my mother, not me."

He continued to fight Percival's spoon as they had done years ago as kids. Percival was now doing it automatically, knowing without having to think about the best way to hamper Merlin.

"What would I write?"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, just write anything," Percival said. "You'll feel better, and you'll probably get an answer. I don't think Arthur is the type to hold a grudge."

"He was really angry with me."

"I get really angry with you. I get over it Merlin, no doubt Arthur will do the same."

"Really?" Merlin asked, looking very uncertain. It was a long time since Percival had seen that sort of nervousness on Merlin's face. Still, Percival knew when he was right, and he was right now. So he answered confidently, putting a big beaming grin on Merlin's face as he said.

"Really."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Gwen had paused to talk as she had gone to fetch the water. People did that now. At the beginning they had been sceptical of her new role and treated her warily. Even Gwen felt a little unsure of herself, but she had persevered. Arthur had seen the logic of the suggestion, and advocated it. It gave Gwen a little more purpose, and for that she felt glad.

It was as she turned away, bucket in her hands that she saw him, as she looked up, scanning the market and seeing the familiar face, even though she hadn't laid eyes on him for years.

"Elyan!"

Her brother beamed as he saw her, giving a wave and hitching the pack on his shoulder a little higher, and he jogged towards her. Gwen put the bucket down and as Elyan reached her she hugged him tightly. The people Gwen had been chatting to slowly started to disperse, seeing that she would be far to distracted to continue the conversation. Gwen turned to wave at them before turning back to Elyan.

"What are you doing here?"

Elyan smiled at the almost accusing tone of voice. "You're here. I can come and see you, can't I?"

"Well, of course, but... I wasn't expecting you."

Elyan grinned. "That's the whole point of a surprise. You don't expect it. Is it nice though?"

She reached out to hug him again. "Of course it's nice. I have to get this water back to Gaius."

Elyan reached out and took the bucket off her. In retaliation she relieved him of his pack and they strolled slowly through the streets towards the citadel. Elyan looked around with interest at the place where he had grown up. Some things hadn't changed and others parts now differed, rebuilt after they had been destroyed.

"That's new," Elyan pointed out as he looked at part of the soldier's garrison.

"A few things were changed, and rebuilt, after the dragon was released."

"What about father's forge?"

"It's been rented out, the king - Uther - let someone take it over. I couldn't... I still have the house."

"But if it's just rented, then you still own it?"

Gwen shook her head. "It was taken by the crown, after father was accused. The house would have been taken as well, except Arthur stopped that."

"So taking it over would be down to Arthur?" Elyan asked. Gwen frowned, her brow furrowing slightly.

"I suppose, but Arron, the man who rents it won't want to give it up. He even tried to claim the house. Uther would have let him, but Arthur had already taken steps." Gwen bit her lip, Uther had not been pleased by Arthur's actions, asking bluntly if there was anything going on between them. As much as a pretty face Gwen was, Uther had said, she was not worth that. Morgana had gone spare at that, which might have been the reason that Uther had backed off, instead of Gwen ending up banished.

Elyan huffed, and re-adjusted his grip on the heavy bucket of water.

"I think I might be able to change his mind."

"How?" Gwen asked.

Elyan looked please, but also a little disturbed at the same time. "I'll explain later, could you get me in to see the king?"

He wasn't surprised to see the expression that passed across Gwen's face, knowing he had always had a capacity for getting into trouble.

"I've only got a few errands to run for Gaius, and then I was going to help George anyway, I may see Arthur this afternoon, so I'll mention it."

The casual way she said it made Elyan grin. "Friends in high places?"

Gwen gave a shy smile. "Sometimes, as long as his uncle isn't with him."

"Great." Elyan's grin widened, and he concentrated on looking around the palace as they made their way to Gaius' study.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

One friend in a high place, it turned out, as Elyan got his audience the following day. And the blacksmith, Arron, fumed next to him. Elyan decided, in the last week he had faced much worse than him, and held his ground carefully.

"It is the forge my father built," Elyan objected.

"Not any more," Agravaine told him. "Your father was a traitor!"

"He was not!" Elyan snapped through gritted teeth. The soldiers in the room tensed as Agravaine signalled to them. Elyan felt his own shoulders draw up, and then, lifting his hand, Arthur intervened.

"That's a matter of perspective, Uncle."

The soldiers relaxed but looked slightly confused. Agravaine looked furious, glaring daggers at Elyan.

"I have paid the rent on that forge! Can he afford to?" Arron snapped.

Elyan blinked and pulled the pouch he had been carefully carrying from his belt. He opened it slightly and tipped several gold coins into his hand. Several of the nobles and other merchants in the council chamber started to murmur.

"Yes," Elyan said. Arron looked furious and also a little baffled.

"And how did you come to be carrying that amount of gold?" Agravaine asked him.

It was a question that needed answering. Elyan winced as he thought of it.

"I worked for Sir Percival," Elyan said.

"I know he employed you to work in the castle forge," Arthur said. He had heard that information from Merlin. Elyan could read the query in the tone, that he could not have earned that much money as a mere blacksmith. Arthur, however, was for more polite than the rest of the people in the room.

"I also helped him collect a bounty, Sire."

Arthur raised his eyebrows, looking vaguely impressed. "I heard a group of bandits had been taken, in a village just over the Essetir Ridge."

Elyan nodded. "It was only the leader who had a price on his head. Percival offered to deal with them, but he needed help."

"And he took you?" Agravaine asked in derision.

Elyan nodded again. "I'm not a soldier, but I know how to fight and Percival didn't want anyone too obvious." He didn't look at Gwen as he spoke, he knew she would be worried, by what he had done, and by what Percival had dragged him into. Elyan had rather mixed feelings about the large knight, who had gone out of his way to get him out of, and keep him out of, trouble. He was wise enough to realise that it had nothing to do with him directly, but because Percival liked Gwen, and he felt he had very few ways to impress her.

But over the course of the time that he had been alone with Percival, he knew it was more than that. One of the most simple seeming people was a mass of morals, contradictions, violence and gentleness. He couldn't even work out where to start when it came to explaining Percival and his motivations.

"And he paid you?" Agravaine demanded.

"He paid me half the bounty," Elyan said. "Enough to pay for my father's forge."

"It is mine!" Arron snapped at him. Elyan glared back, his shoulders tensing again.

Arthur watched the interaction, saying nothing as he watched it. He knew what his father would do. There was no way he could accept Elyan's claim, his mind would have been set on the fact that Thomas had been a traitor. Arthur had never felt as sure, he still wasn't, but that had happened, and he couldn't have stopped it. He felt guilty about that. Since he had become king he had understood some of the decisions his father had made before him, but he also found he disagreed with just as many as he agreed with. Merlin had told him he couldn't be guided by what someone else did, he had to make his own decisions. As Arthur mused the argument flew back and forth before him.

"Sire, I have paid rent on that forge for several years, I have never been late paying, even when we have struggled to do so," Arron said. "I have lived in Camelot all my life, and my family has been here for generations."

"So has my family," Elyan snapped.

Arthur glanced at Gwen, then back to Elyan. He looked up at his uncle, knowing exactly what his decision would be, he would take Uther's line. It baffled Arthur, that somehow who disliked his father so much, was so like him. Agravaine tried to keep it to himself, but Arthur was perceptive enough to see it. Arthur decided to look at things a little differently. Before the clearly simmering argument could get into full swing he interrupted.

"I believe I have a solution to this," he announced.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"So how was your first day, in your own forge?" Gwen asked him as she put supper down on the table the following evening. Elyan sighed, he ached a little, but in a good way, as he often felt after a days work, even if it was just shoeing the king's horses, while he was in the castle in Essetir.

"Not bad, a little fraught at first."

"I don't suppose you can blame Arron."

"I guess not," Elyan said stirring the stew around before taking a mouthful. "This is good!" he announced through said mouthful and dove in for another one before he had even swallowed the first. Gwen tutted and sat down to eat her own bowl a little more elegantly.

"Well, he's been paying his rent to the king for years and then all of a sudden Arthur sells the forge, so Arron is paying his rent to you."

"It was what I wanted, to have the forge, although I'm not running it."

"But you're working there as well. Eventually Arron will give it up, then it will be yours."

"It's mine now. I just can't tell anyone what to do."

"How did you get on with Arron?"

"Stayed out of his way. I helped one of his apprentices. He's not brilliant, he got taken on because he's Arron's nephew, but he's a good worker, despite the others giving him a hard time."

"Might be because he's a good worker," Gwen said. Elyan shrugged.

"That as well, it's not easy, when you are an apprentice, being related to your employer."

"They weren't so bad to you," Gwen said.

Elyan prodded a piece of meat in his stew. "I didn't let them be."

Gwen gave a murmur, there had been more than a few fights among the four apprentices that her father had trained, Elyan being one of them. It was one of the reasons he had moved away as soon as he could.

"Still, it's different now, you own your own forge, no one can take that away from you. Renting to Arron will bring you an income, if you work at the forge or not."

"I can't not work," Elyan said. Gwen looked down at her meal and then slowly back up at Elyan, who knew the range of questions that were coming, that she had carefully not asked since the previous day, when she had found out how the money had been acquired. Elyan didn't regret it, Percival had done it with the best of intentions.

"And you collected a bounty?"

"Percival asked me," Elyan said slowly. "I think so he could justify giving me a large sum of money and send me back to Camelot."

"But you were happy in Essetir, working for the royal household."

"I hardly ever saw them, only Prince Merlin when he wanted a horse shoeing, but, yes, it was good, the people were nice which is something you wouldn't really expect around Cenred."

"Lady Hunith seemed nice, and Percival..." Gwen tailed off and Elyan's eyes narrowed as he realised his sister was blushing. She poured more wine to distract him, as Elyan stared at her, weighing something up in his mind. In the end his conscience won and he went over to the small cot and pulled a package out of his pack bringing it over to Gwen.

"This is for you."

"Oh!" Gwen said. She carefully unknotted the wrapped up material, gasping as she exposed some of the intricate pattern on the shawl. "Elyan, it's beautiful, but you didn't have to."

As she spread it out to look at it, a cluster of dried roses fell into her lap.

"I didn't," Elyan said quickly. He supposed he could have lied, but in the end, he knew, as so many of his lies had before, they would be found out. "Percival did. Percival bought it for you."

Gwen's eyes widened even further. She picked up the delicately dried flowers, bound together with a thin red ribbon, and then looked back at the elegant shawl, the silky material trailing through her fingers.

"It's so beautiful!"

"He bought three, one for you, one for Princess Evelyn and one for his sister."

"Oh," Gwen said, looking slightly disappointed, and somewhat confused. Elyan sat back down again.

"He picked the nicest for you, and I don't think he put flowers into the Princess'. He didn't for Lottie."

"Really?"

"Really," Elyan said. "He bought them in one of the villages, one of the tavern owners daughters makes them." Elyan stirred his stew again, before pensively asking. "Gwen, do you... have feelings for him?"

Because one thing Elyan did know about Percival, was that he certainly did for Gwen.

Gwen fingered the light material. "I'm not sure. It's hard to say when I've hardly ever seen him; although I've seen quite a bit of him."

As she smiled at the memory, Elyan frowned at the innuendo. When Gwen realised what he was doing she giggled.

"Sorry, but when he came to Camelot as Merlin's envoy, Morgana sent me to see if he needed anything and he was changing as I walked in. The sight I got was of his chest, his head was stuck in his shirt."

Elyan laughing, knowing, at least, how embarrassing that would have been for Percival. He sobered after a moment.

"He's strong, I'll give him that."

"Does he...?" Gwen started.

"Yes," Elyan said, his voice certain, as well as apprehensive.

"You don't approve?" Gwen asked.

Elyan studied his stew. "I don't know. I mean, I can't not be grateful, but all things considered, if I didn't..." Elyan paused and huffed. "I don't know. It's not really my place to approve or disapprove."

"No, it's not," she informed him. Gwen looked down at the material in her hands, running it over her fingers.

"Is there anyone else? I mean, anyone here?"

Gwen looked up, clearly startled by the query. "No. Gwaine tries to be charming, but not in any serious way. But I don't really have time to think about it. I don't even know if anything could happen between me and Percival. He's Prince Merlin's bodyguard, he lives in Essetir. My place, my life, is in Camelot. How can that work?"

"You've thought about it."

"He's been kind. He helped you."

"Yes," Elyan said. "He doesn't help everyone Gwen. I saw him, executing the bandit. He doesn't enjoy it, I'm not going to say that, but there's something so... violent about him."

"You think he'd hurt me?"

Elyan's eyes widened at the question. "No! No, of course not! Gwen I don't think that! He wouldn't hurt you, I wouldn't believe that for a second."

"But?"

"But..." Elyan paused, wanting to make sure he phrased what he wanted to say very carefully. "He's Prince Merlin's bodyguard, he's a bounty hunter and I know he helped me, but he only did that to get into your good books, and it was a good deed, but he did it for his own purposes, and that still somehow makes it manipulative."

Gwen frowned slightly. The last word she would have ever really used to describe Percival was manipulative.

"It's not that," she argued. "I just don't think he knows quite how to deal with me. He's in Merlin's shadow, and I think that makes him a little insecure."

"And he makes up for it with violence."

"Again it sounds as if you think he might hurt me."

Elyan shook his head again, emphatically. "Not deliberately, but with what he does, he makes enemies, even his own family look scared of him at times. I just worry, if you did..." he gave a shrug. "You'd be a target; I don't think..." Elyan paused. "I don't think I'd want that for you."

Gwen smiled, reaching out to take his hand.

"I don't think Percival would want that for me. But he's in Essetir, and I'm in Camelot. I can't see how anything will ever happen, it's just a dream."

As Gwen took her hand away from his, carefully lifting the swath of material that Percival had bought to wrap it around her shoulders, Elyan got the feeling that it was not going to be as simple as that.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Can I see it?"

Percival jumped at the voice, and he cursed himself for not being more careful. He didn't really need to take Cenred the head, if he went back and told the king that he had killed the bandit in question Cenred was liable to take Percival at his word. He never lied, and he always delivered. But instead he had buried the head in the river bank, so it would stay preserved while he visited his family. He had no intention of taking a bandit's head to his home. Not after the first time and one of the village dogs had almost got at it, and his mother had been hysterical at the sight.

He pulled the head, wrapped in a cloth sack, clear of it's hiding place.

"No," he informed his sister sternly tying the thing to Blaze's saddle, tucking it out of the way. Blaze turned his head to give it a sniff, snorted and then went back to nibbling at leaves. Percival patted his neck affectionately. Lottie pouted at him.

"I only wanted a quick peek."

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be helping mother."

"I came to say goodbye to you."

"I said goodbye," Percival said, and something in him had wanted to be gone. A feeling he couldn't properly define had seized him once Elyan had left, heading home to Camelot.

"Not properly," Lottie said, she jumped down the bank, springing across the running water to reach him, Percival automatically put his arms out to catch her. She fell against him and he realised she had grown a little more since he had last seen her. Lottie certainly took after their father, as he had done. She was a tall, strong, girl, her muscles developed from years of working in the fields.

"You could stay longer," she said.

"No I can't, you know that."

Lottie pouted. "No, I don't. Merlin doesn't need you to guard him, he can look after himself. You don't need to stay there anymore if you don't want to."

"And do what instead?" Percival asked with a scowl. "Come back here and set up home, marry and settle down."

As he said the last two, Gwen flitted into his mind, wondering if it was even possible that he was capable of doing so. Lottie stared at him in shock, easing out of his arms. Percival winced inwardly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to shout. But I can't do that, not now, not anymore. It's not as if I never wonder what that would be like," Percival paused and shrugged helplessly. "I'm who I am now, I can't be anything else. You should go home, mother will be worried."

"And Ryan," she added. Percival's scowl deepened.

"What does it have to do with him?"

"You don't like him do you?" Lottie said, sounding angry.

"It's not about whether I like him or not. You like him."

Lottie put her hands on her hips, looking very much like their mother did, when she was irritated by one of the men in her family.

"He's scared of you."

Percival winced. He had known that the moment he had met the young man who was now courting his sister. To some extent he had done it on purpose as he had walked into the village to see her sat with him. The moment she had seen Percival she had jumped up and run to him, hugging him enthusiastically, but the boy had been wary. The other youths in the village taunting him with what Percival might be capable of, for going near his sister.

However, Percival was not naive, he knew his sister would grow up, and marry, have children and settle in the village she had known all her life. What made Percival prickly about the scenario was how much moments like that pointed out how little he belonged now.

"A lot of people are scared of me."

"I'm not," Lottie said.

"Good."

She eyed her big brother carefully. "Are you all right?"

Percival sighed, running a gloved hand over his cropped hair. He sat down on the river bank and looked up at his little sister.

"Did anyone ever think that? That I would return home, and farm."

Lottie bit her lip, a frown forming on her face.

"What's wrong? It's not just Ryan."

Percival fidgeted slightly, Lottie slowly sat down on the bank next to him, watching him curiously.

"It's just... Elyan... he wanted to go home and take over his father's forge, he wanted to go to Camelot, his family is there."

"So?" she asked with a shrug.

"I wonder where my family is now."

Lottie looked slightly angry. "Here, where it's always been!"

Percival sighed. "I know it was different when I was a child, when they left me to serve the royal household. You were only four then, you won't really remember."

"Yes, I do!" she countered venomously. "I always used to snuggle up with you for warmth when we travelled, and then you weren't there. When I asked mother where you were she just cried. I think... I think they thought that they'd kill you anyway."

Percival frowned. "Lady Hunith would never let that happen. Neither would Merlin."

As young as they were at the time, Merlin never seemed to want anything to happen to Percival.

"I don't think they quite believed it, when we came back, with the harvest next year and you were still there. I remember Merlin was awful to you, you were cleaning out the stable and he kicked you into a pile of dung."

Percival smirked. "We'd worked out a routine to get extra pudding, or I got the extra pudding and shared it with Merlin."

"He probably made you."

"It was his idea."

"But after that, it seemed different," Lottie said, she picked a flower and started to pull petals from the head. "The first year you were away, they were sad; all the things you had left in the cottage, your toys and clothes, mother always cried when she touched them. You're right, I didn't understand what had happened, I just knew you weren't there."

Percival reached out and took one of her hands. The other held the half picked flowered. She regarded it for a moment before tossing it into the air, watching it drift down into the water to be gathered up by the current.

"Things were better after that, when we saw you again. You were a servant in the royal household, you were Prince Merlin's servant. When you kept coming back you were something else; training to be a knight, his bodyguard. He liked you, we could see that."

Percival swallowed heavily. "And the more that happened, the further away I seemed from you. And this time, almost every time I have been here recently, I don't feel like I belong."

"Maybe you don't. Not anymore. If you had stayed here, you would have belonged; maybe if you had come home after a few years, it would have been different. Father was ready to petition the king, but you never seemed to want to come home."

"By then, where I was became my home. Lady Hunith looked after me for longer than mother did. It's just..."

"What?" she asked. "Because you've never talked like this before. Is this something to do with Elyan. It's nothing to do with Ryan."

"No, yes... no..." Percival said.

"Elyan said..." Lottie started and then stopped as Percival raised his head sharply, looking at her warily. "He said he didn't know why you helped him, except the fact that you seemed to care about his sister."

Percival shrugged. "She told me she worried about him, and..."

"And when he got in trouble you rescued him. You do that. The only reason we sometimes survived was because we had the money and supplies you brought us. Sometimes we would never have got through the winter without you. Not just us, but the entire village. We don't keep it to ourselves, you know, what you send us helps the village, and sometimes the others, at Mereton, and Yale."

"I know. Mother tells me."

"And you helped Elyan, because of Gwen?"

"She was worried about him, and he just turned up, in debt. I helped him. I knew he wanted to go back and set up in his father's forge, but he wasn't going to be able to afford that."

"So you helped him again?" Lottie said. "For Gwen? Do you love her?"

Percival snorted. "She lives in Camelot, whether I love her or not is meaningless. I just want to do something right."

Lottie regarded him for a moment, her eyes looking older than her years suggested as she carefully said.

"Or maybe it is to do with her being in Camelot."

"What?"

"You don't think you can do that. Settle down, and marry and have a family. Your life revolves around Merlin, and that won't change, I don't think ever. And no one at court really..." Lottie shrugged, she had seen the way they treated her brother, like they treated Lady Hunith, who was considered, by the nobles, as little more than the king's mistress.

"It's safe, loving Gwen. You can love her without any danger of it being real, despite your efforts to help."

"I know," Percival said sadly. "I'm not sure I want it like that."

Lottie got to her feet, brushing herself down as she did so. "I know, and when it's like that, you have to do something about it, or not. That's for you to choose. For you to decide."


	43. Chapter 43

**TWO YEARS LATER**

The May Day celebrations were a big thing in Camelot. Arthur had grown up seeing them, enjoying them, and competing in them. There was the tournament, which he had won the previous three years, and the hunt and banquets and celebrations.

"It would be a good time for it Sire, perhaps," Agravaine had eventually commented. "The celebrations are a joyful time, it may make negotiations easier."

Which was why Princess Mithian of Nemeth now sat in the stands surrounding the jousting arena. Again it seemed like a good idea to make her the May Queen, although it caused far too many rumours that Arthur was intending to marry her to seal the treaty. Arthur would have just liked to have sealed the treaty and not put marriage into it, but no one else seemed to see it that way. He had tried to subtly voice his thoughts to Merlin, in one of the letters he had written to him. Their relationship was cordial enough, having sent letters back and forth over the last two years, but they had been too busy with their own affairs to really get close. So Arthur had used the excuse of May Day and not exactly invited Merlin, but hinted that he was welcome to visit. He had also extended the invitation to Bayard and Olaf, if they wished to send knights to join in the competition. Two from Bayard, and a young knight in Olaf's court had taken up the offer, he wondered if Merlin would send anyone...

As Arthur mused the ripple of voices caused him to look up and blink in surprise. He put down his sword and realised several people, especially the knights around him, glanced his way to gauge his reaction.

On the horse at the far end of the lists the figure was unmistakeable. Clad in Cenred's colours the slim, lithe person had to be Merlin. His horse shifted and stamped underneath him and Arthur watched him shift his weight, drop the tip of his lance and charge forward.

Arthur had never actually seen Merlin joust, or act in any sort of tournament. He watched as Merlin's lance caught one of the hanging rosettes and he yanked it clear. There was a light smattering of confused applause which increased as the nearby spectators saw Arthur clapping. Merlin gave Arthur a brief nod of acknowledgement but with his visor down it was impossible to know what the mood of the visit was.

Merlin trotted his horse to the royal stand and offered Princess Mithian the rosette. She took it graciously and said something to the surprise arrival. Merlin had handed his lance to a nearby squire and removed his helmet. Looking up at the princess he smiled, appearing relaxed and easy as he spoke to her. Whatever he said caused Mithian to laugh, just as easily. A few others in the royal box joined in. Arthur felt a sting of envy.

When he had presented the first rosette he had been polite and formal, a little unsure of what to say. It had seemed like a good idea to set things up the way he had, with Mithian in place as the May Queen. His uncle was all for the idea of his marriage to her, but Arthur wanted to get to know her first. Every step he made seemed to make him look more boorish and ridiculous.

Merlin finished what he was saying and turning his horse he cantered towards Arthur with a big grin still covering his face. He pulled Patience to a halt, almost falling as he dismounted and Patience took the opportunity to lash out and try and bite Arthur's horse. Merlin yanked her back.

"Stop that you horrible mare!"

Arthur waved as his squire to take his stallion away. Merlin tightened the grip on Patience's reins to hold her still, a dull flush rising up his face.

"Sorry," Merlin said to Arthur, offering his hand out.

"She seems to dislike him," he answered, taking the proffered hand. "She didn't like him the last time we met, with the Knights of Medhir."

Merlin looked a little wary, making sure he kept a tight grip on Patience. He glared at her.

"I'm starting to think that you were sired by a mandrake," he informed the horse. She gave a snort and her ears perked forward as she nuzzled his arm.

"And now you ask for an apple."

He elbowed her gently and she snorted again. Merlin fished into his sleeve and pulled out, what seemed to be from nowhere, a sliver of apple that Patience munched on happily.

"She's always been like that then?" Arthur asked, trying to distract from what looked like a tiny show of sorcery. Patience's ears flicked back as Arthur gave her a tentative pat, but she stayed focused on Merlin's hand.

"Yes, Percival's given up hoping she'll grow out of it. He won't ride her."

Merlin turned and grinned. His mention had coincided with another knight riding into the ring. Again the stature and colours made him unmistakeable. Riding Blaze, Percival looked so formidable the crowd hushed. The warhorse stomped in place, snorting and arching his neck. Percival let the horse show off for a few seconds before spurring him forwards. Blaze thundered down towards the rosettes, and Percival shifted the lance as if it weighed nothing.

He took the rosette easily, sitting back in the saddle and easing the horse down to a trot. He wrapped the reins around the pommel and with his hand now free he reached up to pull his helmet clear, throwing it vaguely towards Merlin. Patience aimed a kick at Blaze as he passed and Percival headed towards the royal box. Merlin smirked, looking thoroughly over-excited.

"What's so funny?" Arthur asked.

Arthur soon got an answer as Percival reached the royal box. Mithian had stood up to accept the rosette but she frowned as Percival inclined his head and spoke to her. Then he nudged Blaze sideways and tilted the lance towards a cluster of people by the box, glaring at a few as he offered the rosette to Gwen, who had been on standby in case of any falls or injuries. Gwen glanced around for a moment before stepping forward to take the rosette.

Mithian had sat down but leant forward to watch the interaction. Gwen gave a light curtsey and stepped back, holding the prize that Percival had given her. She smiled at a clearly dumbstruck Percival. After a moment he smiled shyly, and turned away, riding over to where Merlin and Arthur stood, still holding the lance as if it weighed nothing. He looked a little flushed as he handed it to a waiting George. Percival glared at Merlin, daring him to say something.

Merlin dared.

"How did that go?" Merlin asked.

"Fine," Percival snapped as he dismounted. The horse flattened his ears and snorted at Patience. Percival rummaged in his gauntlet and pulled out some slivers of apple, giving them to Blaze, who nuzzled Percival's hand, hoovering up the treat.

"Do you always give them apples?" Leon asked.

"Of course," Merlin said. "I remember sneaking in to feed them when we were little, until the stable master chased us out, whacking us with a girth strap."

"No, he used to whack me with the girth strap," Percival informed him.

Merlin pondered that.

"But then he would always tell mother and you would get extra pudding."

"Of which you got half."

Merlin grinned. "It was worth it."

Percival patted Blaze's nose and glowered at Merlin. "For you maybe."

Merlin's grin widened, which caused Percival's glower to deepen. It gave Arthur a feeling of relief to watch them behaving as they always did. The last time he had seen them 2 years ago the pair had been at odds with each other. The letters they had exchanged reassured Arthur that everything was fine, but seeing it was far better than merely reading about it.

Arthur had hoped that Merlin might have attended the last peace conference, held in Mercia, as Cenred seemed to use Merlin for such things. However, instead Cenred had sent one of his council members, which had put the whole thing slightly on edge. He hadn't seemed like a man interested in peace and when Arthur had enquired about Merlin he had been told the prince was fine, and his query about Percival had been met with some confusion.

Merlin now ducked as Percival tried to cuff him around the head.

"Do you have anyone else competing?" Arthur asked.

"No," Merlin said. "We had to rush a little to get here, the rest of them will arrive this afternoon." He looked very pleased with himself. Percival kicked his ankle.

"I'll get some rooms organised for you," Arthur said waving his hand to beckon George and he rattled off a list of instructions. At the same time Leon summoned two stable boys to take their horses. Merlin patted the mare's nose as her ears flattened and gave the boy some apple to appease Patience's temper. Percival did the same, patting Blaze's neck appreciatively before following Arthur and Merlin.

"I wasn't sure you'd come," Arthur said to Merlin.

"You invited me, I think," Merlin said still grinning. Arthur couldn't help but grin back.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Arthur then had a tedious later afternoon as the throne room filled up so the knights could mingle and late comers could be greeted. That had become rather significant since Merlin had turned up. The minor nobles had been ferried through and Arthur now waited for the Prince to show himself. Mithian, as the May Queen, sat to the side, close to the dais, and Arthur half wondered if he ought to have set a place for Merlin somewhere. Then again that could possibly mean presuming too much, especially as Merlin had said his sister was in the entourage. Agravaine had been moaning to Arthur over some kind of plot to try and marry Princess Evelyn to him. And therefore damage the negotiations between Camelot and Nemeth.

The King hadn't commented. Princess Evelyn was still young and Arthur didn't think Merlin would feel the need to marry her off to consolidate their friendship. The more Arthur thought about it the more he started to feel that he didn't want to marry anyone, under those circumstances at least. He gave Mithian a sidelong glance.

She was talking to three of the noble women, and also Gwen was close by, combining her physician duties with attending to the Princess. Mithian seemed nice enough, and beautiful, and none of the odd things that Arthur did seemed to phase her, but was that anything that you could base a marriage on?

He ceased debating that as the herald announced Merlin's arrival at the far end of the hall.

"Prince Merlin and Princess Evelyn of Essetir!" the herald sounded nervous. He paused and glanced at what lingered out of sight. Arthur frowned as Percival waved his hand for the boy to continue, and Arthur wondered, briefly, if Hunith had also travelled with them; someone who had no official status. It would have been hard to announce her, however what the man did shout, his voice wavering, took Arthur's breath away.

"And Lady Morgana of the house of Gorlois!"

Every eye turned to the end of the hall. Merlin appeared with Evelyn on his right arm and Morgana on his left.

"Are you sure about this?" Morgana asked again, her tone low so only Merlin would here. The silence in the hall was deafening, all eyes fixed on her, some of whom she recognised. All the occupants of the hall had no idea what to make of the sudden development. As far as Camelot was concerned, she was a criminal, she had released the dragon, and the witch-finder had condemned her.

"Yes," Merlin announced calmly, starting the long walk to the throne at the far end of the room.

Morgana had been in the hall hundreds of times and she knew how large it was. However, as she made her way down it now it seemed a hundred times longer. Whispers rippled through the crowd as they passed. Morgana did occasionally move her head, but for the most part she kept her eyes on the end of the hall, and Arthur, who looked stunned.

On Merlin's far side Evelyn stared around, assessing everything and clearly aware of the undercurrent in the room. It was something she was used to, knowing the way some of her nobles felt about her mother. She watched the reaction of the audience, also aware that she was another subject of curiosity herself.

She had blossomed over the last two years, her body starting to mature. The dark blue dress she wore was not revealing but gave hints of her development. The dress's gold decoration matched the coronet in her hair, and chain around her throat.

In contract Morgana had dressed dramatically in a deep green silk dress. The colour suited her, it highlighted the pale skin and dark hair. The green matched her eyes, and the redness of her lips added to the effect. In contrast to Evelyn's demure style of dress, Morgana's highlighted her slim waist and full bosom. She gripped Merlin's arm, keeping pace with him, her walk light and elegant. On the other side Evelyn forwent grace to stare around, her dark eyes so like her father's, unafraid to look and judge. She had never been in a situation such as this, and probably it would be down to Morgana, as well as Merlin, to rein her in. The young princesses tactlessness would perhaps be a strong distraction from Morgana, or so Morgana hoped.

Merlin watched as Arthur tensed, it was a risk, bringing Morgana in, but she could not be ignored forever. Arthur was her guardian, since Uther's death. Merlin could have written to explain the responsibility that Arthur had but that seemed to be a way to inflame the situation. And taking Morgana right into the midst of it was not... Merlin told himself.

"Breath," he said to Morgana.

"Easy for you to say."

"Yes. You are protected. I won't let anything happen to you."

"I escaped from the dungeon. I am a criminal. I deserve to die according to the laws of Camelot!" Morgana's tone stayed low, she fixed a smile on her face and tried to feel confident.

"Same here, Well, apart from the getting out of the dungeon, most of the time I'm using my powers to break into Camelot."

Morgana snorted with laughter and couldn't help the smile that Merlin always seemed to cause, at the most inappropriate moments. At that moment her eyes shifted to Arthur, who still looked stunned and unable to handle the situation. Morgana steeled herself. She had often helped him and could do so now, getting herself off the hook at the same time. As Arthur looked at her his heart tensed, she looked so happy, as she looked at Merlin. He had seen Morgana happy before, but never so stunning and radiant, how long had her secret been hidden before the dragon had caused her to reveal it. That had been his greatest revenge, Arthur though, the dragon was old, knowledgeable, had he known the truth about Morgana and used that against Uther. But would that be all of the truths...

Arthur slammed a door on those thoughts as Merlin, Evelyn and Morgana reached the dais. Merlin inclined his head and both women curtseyed, with Merlin keeping them both steady.

"Your Highness, may I introduce my sister, Princess Evelyn."

"Your Highness," Evelyn piped up. Arthur inclined his head.

"Princess, it is my pleasure to receive you."

Evelyn smiled, seeming to find that wonderful. Arthur watched her face, her features seemed to be quite close to her father's, but something in her, as she smiled, harked of Merlin; and Hunith.

"Thank you," Evelyn said looking pleased with herself, frowning as the audience started to murmur. She looked around, staring at the people who had spoken, muttering amongst themselves.

Merlin let her, and instead shifted his attention to Morgana, who felt her back tense in response.

"And you know your ward, Lady Morgana."

Arthur looked shocked, the audience rippled with conversation again.

"It would seem the case," Merlin said smoothly, entirely unruffled by the controversy he was causing. He caused it everywhere so he was entirely used to it. So was Percival, who had followed the royal entourage, standing behind Evelyn. Lancelot, standing close to Morgana, watched carefully. He knew there might be a danger at this moment, not that he could really do anything if Arthur chose to condemn her.

Arthur didn't know what to do, Merlin had suddenly pointed out something that Arthur ought to have known, and thought about. In all their letters, although he had sometimes asked about Morgana, he had never considered it idea. Of course he was her guardian, all of Uther's responsibilities had passed to him. Merlin had now put it under his nose in the worst circumstances possible. He could have damn well warned him.

Merlin, at that moment, watching the expression flickering in Arthur's eyes, realised that. His ankle was bruised because of it, where Percival had kicked him so hard earlier. He should have said something, rather than surprising Arthur. Merlin did trust that Arthur would not suddenly condemn her, he had saved her life by getting her out of Camelot, and he had taken Gaius back easily, but then Gaius had not been guilty of anything, the Witchfinder had merely moved the facts to fit, making him Morgana's accomplice. Morgana had confessed to her crimes.

Arthur only moved as Agravaine started to step forward. He stood up so abruptly that Agravaine had no choice but to slam to a halt. Morgana saw the utter hatred flicker over his face as he glanced at Arthur. She knew Agravaine was about to cause trouble, Arthur knew the same but clearly didn't in the entire same thought. She assessed those fact in the seconds she had, understanding just how deep Agravaine's hatred and need to control went. Her father had told her, even as young as she was, certain things that concerned him about members of Uther's court. He had always been one of them. Her father had known, as a general in the battlefield that she might be lost, and although he had trusted her welfare to Uther, he had not trusted anyone else, he had armed his young daughter and she had always followed his advice.

"You're entirely right, Merlin," Arthur spoke his friends name with the hint that he was not entirely happy, but he had to cover this and he had no intention of accusing Morgana of anything at this point. She saw that and knew to leave it alone. She smiled at Arthur.

"I never did thank you," she said.

"I think you did. Are you all right?" Arthur asked, wanting to move forward, but not daring for the moment.

"I have been thoroughly fussed by the royal household of Essetir. Lady Hunith was very sure of that. Even in the slightest breeze I am forced to put my furs on."

Arthur grinned. "She is a somewhat formidable woman."

"Indeed, Sire. I am sorry that my arrival was such a shock. However, King Cenred thought that perhaps it was time."

Merlin gave her a sidelong glance, but Morgana knew some of the game better than the rest of them. Arthur glanced around the hall before moving down the steps, Merlin released Morgana's arm and he let the pair of them stand face to face. The crowd within the room stayed hushed, unsure what was to happen next.

"I never thought that one attack would come from inside Camelot."

Morgana winced. "I never thought the dragon would do that, when he had helped me so much."

"Helped you do what?"

"Save your life," Merlin interjected. "You are the Once and Future King and creature of magic knows that."

"He did," Morgana said.

"Maybe we should talk about this later," Arthur said in a lower tone. Morgana nodded, her eyes shifting around unsure of what to do next, and she was even more surprised as Arthur reached out to hug her gently, she returned it gratefully.

"It is good to see you," he said to her. She smiled brightly as they pulled apart. Arthur turned to grin at Merlin.

"And I shall look forward to seeing you joust."

Percival gave a derisive snort of laughter, which Merlin backed up.

"Trust me, you won't."


	44. Chapter 44

Neither Percival, nor Merlin himself, were surprised when he was unhorsed in the first round. A knight of Nemeth took him down on the second run. On seeing him drop Percival jogged over to him, he could see Merlin moving, which was a good sign. Gwen also ran on. Percival had heard a few titters from the crowd both over Merlin's failure and Gwen's involvement as assistant physician.

Percival clenched his jaw, he wasn't going to let any insults slide. First he needed to make sure Merlin was all right. It looked as if he was, he was already pulling his helmet off. Percival reached him as Merlin dragged the metal off his head and squinted up at him. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Arthur running into the ring, half-dressed for his own bout.

"Are you all right?" Percival asked.

"Ow!" Merlin said loudly, causing more laughter, this time of a more congenial nature. Percival smirked. Merlin added, also loudly, "I've remembered now why I leave this sort of thing to you."

"Sire? Are you injured?" Gwen asked, about to kneel down next to him.

"If he can be facetious, yes he is," Percival said taking her arm to stop her from kneeling down.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked.

"He's fine," Percival said.

Merlin raised an arm. "Help me up then."

Both Gwen and Arthur readied themselves to help. However, Percival wedged his foot against Merlin's, took his hand and then crowd murmured as his muscles flexed and he hoisted Merlin up so hard that Merlin crashed into him. Percival stayed as still as a rock.

"Ow!" Merlin said again. Percival let him straighten up and steady himself on his feet.

"You'll live," Percival said, and then his head turned and he glared at the knights of Nemeth. Merlin had also heard what they had said, so had much of the crowd.

"Glad to hear it," Merlin said in response to Percival, with a tone of warning in his voice.

"Okay," Percival said, as if he had just decided something.

"Yeah, I don't think anyone else will be. My honour can take it."

Percival turned back to look at him, walking with Merlin as they got out of the way of Sir Leon and his Nemeth opponent. Percival kept his eye on the Nemeth knights.

"Theirs won't," Percival assured Merlin.

"We'll see," Merlin said.

And they certainly did. After Leon, Percival was due to joust. There was a large contingent from Nemeth. Leon won his bout, much to the delight of the citizens of Camelot.

Merlin decided to stay on the ground, rather than retreating to the royal box. He had wanted Lancelot to stick as close as he could to Morgana and Evelyn, so Merlin took on some of the responsibility of squire for Percival. He watched as Percival rode into the ring. His opponent was making a show of positioning his horse and laughing with his fellow knights. Merlin knew better than to even move, as Percival rode in on Blaze and pulled him to a halt.

The horse stood still, as did Percival. Neither man nor beast moved an inch. Merlin held the lance, and he knew Percival was aware of him; when he wanted the weapon he would let him know. For now he just stared at the man at the other end. Blaze stayed as he was, steady as a rock, until he snorted loudly. It was the only hint that he was actually alive, the rest of him didn't flicker. It caught the knight's attention, his horse still prancing, and Merlin saw the slight frown on his face as he looked at Percival.

Quite a good number of spectators were now watching Percival and Blaze. Percival kept his eyes on his opponent, not even looking at Merlin as he held his hand out for the lance.

The Nemeth knight clearly realised that his delaying was making no impression. He slammed his visor down and snatching up his lance spurred his horse forward. Percival left it a second before shifting in the saddle. Blaze took the hint, dropping his hocks and jumping forward, galloping down towards his opponent. Percival lowered his lance and aimed carefully pressing his leg into Blaze's side so the horse shifted slightly. Percival felt the blow from the other lance but it didn't make an impression.

His own powered into the Nemeth knight and Percival proceeded to almost casually unhorse him. The crowd gasped as the knight clattered to the ground. Percival resettled in the saddle and rode to the end of the arena. He dropped his shattered lance and turned Blaze round.

Gwen ran into the arena with Gaius. Percival rode back on the far side, catching Merlin's eye as he did so. Blaze trotted over to him and Merlin reached out to hold his reins, unnecessarily, as Percival dismounted.

"That was a bit..." Merlin said.

Percival glared. "No, it was a lot..."

"They weren't that rude."

"Rude enough."

"And sort of truthful about my ability."

Percival continued to glare at him. Merlin reached out to pat his arm.

"It's very nice of you to defend my honour."

"It's my job," Percival informed him eyeing the stretchered knight, surrounded by his comrades, with great care. The prone man's companions all stared at him warily. The slight stand-off broke as Evelyn came running up to Percival.

"You were wonderful!" she enthused to him, "but you didn't have a token!"

She waved the ribbon she was holding as she danced to his side and reached up to wrap his right bicep. Percival gave a slight smile.

"Thank you, Your Highness," he said extremely formally.

Evelyn beamed at him, then she turned, watching the procession as the injured man was brought past. Percival's smile faded, and Merlin's eyes narrowed, as Evelyn glared triumphantly at Gwen, tilting her chin up in a clear challenge. Gwen looked surprised at the venom in the girl's gaze, then Gwen was swiftly distracted by her patient. It had, however, been made quite clear to her that Evelyn saw her as a threat, and had scored a point over her in claiming Percival. A fact that Percival clearly thought that he could do nothing about. His obligation was to the royal family of Essetir, Evelyn had known him all her life, and as behaved as possessively as her father and brother did to things that they thought were theirs.

Happy with what she had done, Evelyn turned and put her arm through Percival's, again making her statement quite clear. Merlin watched her carefully for a moment before looking at Percival, who tried to smile, but his eyes were following Gwen. Evelyn clung to Percival's arm.

"You'll win, I know you'll win."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Ah Gwen, just the person," Merlin said. "How is our Nemeth friend?"

"He will be fine," Gwen said. "Gaius says it was lucky the lance hit where it did."

"Not luck, just Percival. Let Sir Leon know the second round will be kinder."

"He is worried about his cousin."

Merlin shrugged. "Percival pulls no punches, but he doesn't pick on those who aren't deserving of it. I apologise for my sister's behaviour earlier."

"That's fine. It doesn't matter."

"Actually, it does," Merlin said flatly. "If I arranged, for Sir Percival to stay here, would that be something you would find agreeable?"

Gwen felt her jaw drop, then she snapped it back upwards, staring at Merlin in shock. Merlin looked back at her, steadily assessing her.

"I do not mean that with any idea that such an agenda could be fixed, I would just like to know if, should he be here, you would express favour to it. Or rather, are you interested in him in such a way?"

"Oh, I... I hadn't thought about it. It was a bit, he was so far away and the Princess..."

"Will never marry him, or get any further than the crush she has maintained for years. This will be excruciatingly painful for her, but she is playing a delusion she needs snapping out of. I have painfully learnt my lessons, my sister needs to do the same. Most of us have had painful times," Merlin said, pausing as he gasped for breath. "If I could lessen them and make someone happy, I will do so."

"Sir Percival can not leave your side."

"I have other servants, and I do not need a bodyguard."

"You need a friend."

"I'll know where he is, and I think he has done enough for me. If I can arrange it so, would you be acceptable to the idea?"

Merlin was not going to put Percival's heart into the firing line without an extreme amount of care. He could not ensure a relationship between Gwen and Percival. Merlin knew how his friend felt about Gwen, and there was no guarantee that he would even find himself compatible if he spent any time with her. Gwen may feel the same, but if she was seriously not interested then Merlin had no intention of deliberately breaking his heart. Gwen remembered the token that Percival had delivered to her, he had made his intentions clear, passing over the May Queen for her.

"I cannot say what may happen, but I enjoy Sir Percival's company, and would endeavour to make him feel welcome should he stay."

She wondered if that sounded too formal, but Merlin could read between some of the lines. He smiled at her.

"I do not expect anything, neither would he, but time together might develop into something. If it does not, then that will be that. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some plans to make."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The rest of the bouts passed easily. Percival very gently won the second round against the Mercian knight, who was a cousin of Sir Leon's competing in his first tournament. After seeing the way Percival had dealt with his Nemeth opponent Leon had been worried. But while Percival made it very clear, in no uncertain terms, how physically painful a real joust could be, he did it in a way to leave the young knight shaken but uninjured.

He slammed his way through the rest of the tournament, as did Arthur, who won his semi-final bout, to much cheering from the watching crowds. They wanted to see their King win. Now he just had to see who he would be fighting in the final, Sir Leon, or Sir Percival.

The way the bouts had been placed had risked there being no Camelot knights in the final, however, not a single person had noticed that, as no one doubted that Arthur would get through.

Now everyone was interested to see what Percival and Leon would make of each other. Even Arthur felt curious, as he made his way to the royal box, still wearing his chain mail. He felt a little self-conscious seating himself between Mithian and Morgana. Evelyn sat on Morgana's far side, leaning forward, eagerly awaiting Percival's arrival.

Mithian smiled at him, as did Morgana, although she looked slightly apprehensive. She had ensured, over the last two days, that she had not been close to him. Arthur had been busy, but this was the first time he had really seen her since she had arrived.

"Princess," he said to Mithian as he sat down. She smiled at him again. He turned to the other side, and Evelyn turned her head, glancing at him, but then she became distracted as Percival rode out, with Merlin walking next to the horse.

"My Lady," Arthur said acknowledging Morgana.

"Sire," she said, just as formally.

Both of them passed over the awkward moment by looking at the stir as Leon entered the ring.

"Who do you think will win this?" he asked her.

"Percival will win," Evelyn informed him tartly.

"Leon is just as capable," Morgana informed her gently. "However, having seen both of them," she said, knowing that she was one of the few people who had. "I think Percival has the edge."

"You haven't seen Leon for a while."

Morgana shrugged. "I've been watching him now. Percival has the advantage of power as well as accuracy. It's interesting watching him against others, he doesn't often get a chance, other than with his own men."

Arthur said nothing as the two knights rode towards each other. He considered Morgana's words as Leon smashed his lance into Percival's shield and Percival shifted at the last minute to hit Leon's shoulder. He rocked with the blow but stayed in the saddle. The crowd clapped, quite politely, but as Percival won the first clash, it seemed to cause some disappointment to the crowd. If it had been Leon the crowd would have cheered as enthusiastically as Evelyn was for Percival.

"Percival's good," Arthur conceded to Morgana.

"Worried?" Morgana asked with a familiar smirk. Arthur shrugged.

"No, of course not."

"Not thinking that you might have actually met your match?"

"I've proved myself."

"But only me and Gwen know that."

As the two jousting men rode back to prepare for their second run Arthur glowered at Morgana.

"You never told anyone about that did you 'Sir William'?"

"Shut up Morgana," Arthur said watching the joust carefully, particularly Percival. The entire crowd groaned as Percival slammed his lance into Leon again, splintering it to pieces, and he easily deflected Leon's own blow. Arthur winced. Morgana grinned at him.

"Still not worried?"

Evelyn paused clapping and cheering, instead she scowled as she saw the ribbon on Percival's other arm.

"What's that?"

"It's from Gwen," Morgana said. Evelyn's face darkened dangerously. Morgana could clearly see Cenred's features on her face. Morgana carefully ignored it and kept her attention on Arthur.

"Apparently it's like jousting a castle wall," Morgana added.

"Something like that," Lancelot said from his position behind Morgana. She turned to grin up at him.

"Yes, you'd know."

"Very much so," Lancelot said earnestly, although he also watched the action below wistfully. Arthur watched the pair of them carefully.

"Is that why you're not competing?"

Lancelot shook his head. "No, My Lord, Prince Merlin preferred that I stay with Lady Morgana."

"I'm fine Lancelot," Morgana said. "There's no need for Merlin to worry."

"About what?" Arthur asked. "No one would hurt you here."

Morgana looked slightly pensive. "I don't think the situation is that simple." She reached out to lay a hand on Arthur's arm, aware that the guard behind Arthur shifted nervously. Arthur looked resigned and he looked at Morgana intently. Then they both jumped as the crowd gave various levels of shocked shouts. Arthur turned just in time to see Leon hit the ground, but Arthur immediately realised Leon's foot had caught in the stirrup. Arthur half rose to yell some orders, Percival pulled up Blaze, clearly realising something was wrong. A moment later Arthur heard an incomprehensible shout and the leather of the stirrup snapped.

Merlin ran on, dodging around the horse as it cantered off, a squire reaching out to try and stop it. He reached Leon before Gwen, who had also reacted to the incident. Percival dismounted, ripping off his helmet as he ran towards them. Morgana was also up and moving, Arthur a pace behind her.

Merlin reached Leon first. "Stay still a moment. Percival, hold him steady."

Leon seemed to increase his attempts to move as Percival started to hold him down.

"Leon, you need to stay calm a moment, just wait!"

"He's moving all right," Percival observed. There was a muffled protest from Leon, still trapped in his helmet. Percival put his hands on Leon's neck to keep him still.

"Is he all right?" Gwen asked kneeling opposite Merlin.

"I think so, keep hold of his hand. Leon grip on. Let me know if his grip slackens."

Gwen nodded watching anxiously as Merlin reached up to remove Leon's helmet. She had seen Leon's head strike the ground several times, his body flailing as he had been dragged.

"Leon?" Merlin eased the visor up, the metal grating where it had dinted.

"I'm fine," Leon croaked.

"The horse dragged you, just stay still until I can get this helmet off. Keep the pressure on Gwen's hand, if you feel as if something is wrong, let me know."

"Okay," Leon said, looking less than reassured by Merlin's words. His eyes flickered up to Percival, kneeling at his head as Merlin nodded at his friend. Percival held Leon's neck as Merlin eased the helmet off.

"Is he all right?" Arthur asked, reaching them just as Merlin pulled the helmet clear.

"Just a precaution," Merlin said as he put the helmet to one side and Percival let Leon go. Very slowly Leon lifted himself up. Percival supported his shoulders as he sat up. Two servants had run on with a stretcher, and on seeing it Leon started to try and stand. Seeing his intention Percival tightened his grip.

"Perhaps you should let them carry you," Merlin advised.

"No, I'm fine."

"Here," Percival said taking Leon's arm to help him up. He put the arm across his shoulders, letting Leon rest against him.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Gwen asked, moving to his other side.

"I feel like I have run into a wall, but I'm fine."

Merlin grinned. "Percival has that effect on people."

Percival glowered and slowly he helped Leon out of the arena. Gwen stayed on Leon's other side.

"You stay with Morgana," Merlin ordered Evelyn as he saw his sister about to trail after Percival. She glowered at him but stomped off after Morgana as she returned to the royal box to assure Mithian that everything was all right.

"I have to say Percival is quite impressive," Arthur eventually said into the silence.

Merlin raised his eyebrows. "Even I am a little surprised. He doesn't get a chance to test his skills this way. He's either demolishing my troops or practicing alone. There is a limit to how many soldiers we can allow him to smash. He did joust a griffin once."

"Really?" Arthur asked.

Merlin shrugged. "I used magic to reinforce the lance so it wouldn't break but Percival delivered the blow. I think that is what he thinks about when he's training; and demolishing knights of Nemeth."

Arthur grinned. "I think they are revising their opinion of Essetir, if your men are all like Percival."

"I don't think anyone is like Percival," Merlin mused, then he eyed Arthur with a look that told the King of Camelot he was after something. "I know you said in one of your letters you were getting more knights wanting to train at Camelot."

"Yes, Leon is getting a bit stretched organising everything."

"There was something I wanted to talk to you about," Merlin said. "I may have a solution to your problem."


	45. Chapter 45

Morgana knew all of the routes to escape the hall, her memory of Camelot hadn't failed her, many things she remembered with perfect clarity. It had been strange to return, but as Merlin had pointed out, she had to do it some time. At least this way, with so many other people around, she was not quite so obviously stared at. And with such a crowd she had managed to evade even Lancelot. Eira had been easily distracted by the ladies and knights in attendance, blossoming in the social atmosphere. It would do the girl good, Morgana thought to herself, as she made her escape.

She had been aware of a few eyes on her as she left, both curious and suspicious. As she moved out onto the balcony she looked up at the night sky, the moon glowed, it's face almost full, a slight haze around the edges.

"Is that true about you and Merlin?"

Morgana spun to face Arthur. She wondered which bit of the information actually hurt him, the fact that Merlin might take her away or that she might take Merlin away. Morgana smiled at him.

"Don't take Evelyn too seriously, she's trying to get back at Merlin over the arrangements he is making for Percival."

"Merlin looked furious."

"Because he knows what she's doing. She made a huge scene earlier today."

Arthur gave a slight smirk. "I heard, most of the castle did."

Morgana smirked back, easing the moment a little. It had been uncomfortable as Merlin, during the speeches had loudly joked about Arthur's attempts to impress his May Queen, Mithian.

"You could have given her flowers and written a poem, but what does she get? A load of armoured, sweaty, men knocking seven bells out of each other!"

The crowd had given an appreciative ripple of laughter. Despite everything Merlin's manner seemed to have eased everyone, until that moment, as the laughter faded and Evelyn's voice piped up.

"Is that what you'll do for Morgana?"

Perhaps it might have passed away as another flicker of humour if not for the look on Evelyn's face, and also Merlin's as he turned to look at his sister. The two had locked gazes and something was clearly going on between them. Morgana hadn't known where to look until Merlin had turned back to the crowd and started joking to Percival about Gwen.

It had smoothed over, but clearly not left anyone's mind, least of all Arthur's. And he was waiting for an answer, moving closer so they were less than three paces from each other. Morgana sighed.

"I do not think we are to that point," she said. "It is clear that such a thing is what Cenred wants."

"It's not down to him."

Morgana shrugged. "He will no doubt bring it to your attention if he has to. You are my guardian, and I am the sole heir of one of Camelot's foremost noble families. The marriage may help secure Merlin's claim to the throne, he is not of Cenred's blood, unless he's hiding the talents of a Dragonlord."

"But no one can dispute his claim, Cenred named him as heir. It does not necessarily have to be by blood."

"Many of the noble families still murmur it," Morgana said. "He is of a noble line, being a Dragonlord, but not of noble blood."

"And Cenred thinks a marriage to you may quell that."

"Plus I'm powerful enough in my own right. Combined Merlin and I..." Morgana trailed off with a shrug. Arthur stepped forward, reaching out to take her hand, holding it in his. Morgana looked down and then back up at him.

"But you do want that? Do you love Merlin?"

Morgana's face creased into a slight frown. "I don't know. I think my destiny is just as linked to his as yours is, but so much has happened. Merlin and I, we have clashed over many things."

And whatever it was, caused Morgana some pain, Arthur could see it in her eyes. He had known her for so long that it couldn't be hidden from him.

"Maybe too much has happened, Freya, Morgause, the Great Dragon..." she tailed off, looking out at the night sky. Arthur lifted her hand and kissed it gently. Morgana felt quite startled.

"If it's meant to be, then it will work out. Would you want it to?"

"It's not been something I've thought about, at least not often. Cenred is the one wanting to make plans. I'm not sure what Merlin thinks."

"Agravaine is of the opinion that Merlin has a plan to marry me to Evelyn."

Morgana snorted with mild derision. "Hardly. I'm amazed Agravaine isn't pushing the idea."

Arthur raised his eyebrows. "Why?"

"Marry the true daughter of the royal household of Essetir to the king of Camelot. By law, you would be able to claim the throne by right of marriage."

"I wouldn't try," Arthur said.

Morgana shook her head. "Cenred would never allow it. In many ways letting her marry Percival would solve everything. There would be no challenge for the throne, at least from within the family."

"Is that happening?" Arthur asked.

Morgana shrugged. "A little. Cenred's cousin Lot has already asked for Evelyn's hand. He would certainly challenge Merlin."

"Cenred refused then?"

"Of course. He'll have to make provision for Evelyn at some point. I think it's one reason he never married Hunith. It makes Evelyn illegitimate."

"But she's his true born child. No one doubts that I presume?"

"Whatever else they say about Hunith, they don't doubt that Cenred has been her only lover. And the challenge would be something Evelyn could not control, she is a spoilt little princess, certainly not able to rule the kingdom."

"Sounds like someone else I know," Arthur said with a smirk. Morgana glowered at him and retrieving her hand smacked his arm.

"I was never that bad."

"No, much worse," Arthur giggled. Morgana smacked him again, which made him wince through the laughter. He pulled himself together.

"Seriously Morgana, do you have feelings for Merlin?"

Morgana sighed and turned to lean on the balcony and stare up at the sky. Arthur shifted so he could also rest on the ledge, but he looked at her instead. She looked stunning, she always did, but now there was something else, a glow of strength that came from within. Arthur decided Merlin would be mad to turn her down if Morgana wanted him.

"So many things have happened, Freya, and Morgause, and the dragon and this whole destiny thing."

"Destiny be damned, your own choices are what matter. Does he love you?"

"I don't think so. He feels responsible for me, but knowing what we know, I think he is wary."

"Do you love him?" Arthur asked. Morgana stared up at the night sky.

"You always were a romantic Arthur," she told him. "For you it has to do with love, and that's strange, since you are thinking of cementing an alliance with a marriage."

"No, my uncle is. I don't have any intention of marrying just for that reason. And we're not talking about me. Do you love Merlin?"

"I don't know. I feel as if I can't do without him near. I know Uther would have had to arrange a marriage for me. He wouldn't have allowed me to marry just anyone. But the marriage would have to have been advantageous to him. I wonder what my father would have made of all this, he was a romantic as well, I think."

Because she was looking up at the sky she didn't see Arthur tense, quite violently. He quickly composed himself.

"He loved you." Arthur kept his expression steady but his realised there was an undertone to his words, that Morgana, thankfully, didn't hear.

"He loved Morgause, I presume, and my mother. That was why Gaius helped to see my sister safely out of Camelot to the Isle of the Blessed. Look how that ended."

"Merlin never really told me what happened, just that she had been stopped."

"I killed her. I made a choice and I killed her."

"Oh Gods, Merlin never told me that. I'm sorry Morgana." He reached out to take her hand again. "I'm sorry. I won't say that she didn't deserve it, but you certainly didn't."

"She was my sister. My family."

Arthur hesitated, opening his mouth and then pausing, wanting to say what was on his mind. Morgana, too lost to her memories, didn't see the emotions shifting across Arthur's face.

"I'm sorry," he eventually said, once he had managed to compose himself, and meaning what he said. Morgana turned to look at him.

"For you, not for her," Arthur added.

Morgana frowned. "I don't need you feeling sorry for me."

"I don't mean it like that," Arthur said awkwardly as Morgana withdrew her hand from his.

"She had magic," Morgana said, as if that was the reason that Arthur was glad she was dead.

"So do you," he said. "So does Merlin. You don't hurt people deliberately, or trick them into doing something that will destroy them."

Morgana winced at the memory of the vision she had been given, of what Arthur would have done to himself, had he killed Uther, in the rage of knowledge of what had happened to his mother. Thankfully Merlin had got there in time to save them both, and Morgana had begged him to, not just for Arthur, but also to save Uther, a man she thought she hated. Were the reasons real or imagined, or so badly mixed it was hard to tell, she wondered.

"You've used it to help me," Arthur pointed out. "You knew Sophia was..."

"A Sidhe," Morgana prompted.

"Yes, that, and there was that afanc, you did something to it, not me! I just waved my sword around, ineffectively."

Morgana blinked. "You knew that?"

"Yes. And I knew that you had dreams that were true, or telling you something."

"You never said anything."

Arthur shrugged. "You never seemed to want to really talk about it."

"I meant to Uther."

Arthur frowned. "I didn't think I could talk to him about it. I tried Gaius as well, he managed to answer me while also failing to actually give me any facts. Most of it I had to read about."

Morgana's eyebrows shot up. "What?!"

"I had to read it. I went into the library and found it, after many, many, hours of looking."

Morgana giggled. "Really?"

"I gave Geoffrey that line about looking up history in Camelot. He put dusty tomes all over the place thinking he was helpful, when in actual fact he just made me sneeze... a lot."

Morgana continued to giggle. "And what did you learn?"

"That sorcery is no more evil than my sword," Arthur said. "It what you use it for that matters."

"A sword just kills."

"Depends who you kill," Arthur said. "If you think it is someone who is a danger to others, then maybe yours is the right decision. the knights of Camelot fight and kill on my orders, how do I decide who deserves that?"

"You mostly look for a peaceful solution. So did Uther."

"You said that reluctantly."

"I dealt with your Vivian obsession."

"You did a lot for me."

"Is that why you didn't have me arrested?"

"You didn't commit a crime Morgana. You released the dragon as an act of kindness, how he chose to interpret that was his decision. He's not an unintelligent beast, he knew what he was doing, he chose to attack, and kill the citizens of this kingdom, not you."

"You sound very certain of that."

"I am. The fact that Balinor, and Merlin, had to control him, says that he would not have stopped otherwise, but what you, Merlin and other people tell me, he has the ability to control himself, he is an intelligent beast and instead he behaved..."

"He behaved as Camelot saw him," Morgana said.

"Wasn't there better power in proving us wrong?" Arthur asked.

"Maybe. I don't think it's a simple answer."

"I never thought it was."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Percival was surprised when Morgana appeared in the tent. Lancelot had been helping him into his armour, ready for the final joust. As he turned it appeared that Lancelot didn't seem the least bit surprised to see her.

"I'll finish that," she said.

"Are you sure My Lady?" Percival asked. He was quite used to Merlin, or even Evelyn, coming to help him. But Morgana had never really bothered to seek him out. Until now.

"I used to help my father, and Arthur sometimes," she said. "One time I helped Arthur no one knew it was even him. He was pretending to be someone called Sir William of Deria."

Morgana conversed in a casual tone, that clearly had a purpose.

"Really?" Percival asked, sounding confused at to the true purpose of the conversation.

"Everyone thought Arthur was off patrolling the northern area of Camelot. Gwen and I found a farmer to act as Sir William when he needed to have his helmet off and then Arthur jousted in his stead."

"What for? No one was likely to ban Arthur from jousting."

"The week before he was practicing with Leon and Leon didn't take advantage of an open strike on him."

"He wouldn't," Percival said.

"Arthur wasn't sure if he was winning by merit or by the fact that knights were too nervous to strike him."

"He is the king, they do him any damage they'd be in trouble. Plus it does the people good to see him win."

"Which is the conundrum you have now," Morgana said, quite accurately. "You're jousting Arthur in a final at Camelot. You could win, you're perfectly capable but Arthur is the king. It might not be, in your eyes, appropriate to win."

Percival sighed. "Arthur is capable of winning."

"He is, but he would much rather know it was his own skill than your misguided sense of loyalty."

"Merlin said the same," Percival told her.

Morgana shrugged. "Merlin didn't ask me to do this, he's not said anything to me. However, I know Arthur, and I know you. This isn't just about Arthur being king, or you winning favour with Gwen, this is about doing something for yourself."

Percival frowned as he looked down at her. Morgana continued to buckle his armour in place.

"What do you mean?"

She paused, looking up at him steadily. There was sympathy in her gaze, and also practicality.

"You were forced to leave home when you were ten to serve Merlin. It started as a punishment and I know it became something you chose. I know you haven't seen it this way but you've never competed against other knights before."

"I have."

"Only Cenred's, and most of them don't want to now. You've certainly made the other knights think twice about you, and Essetir."

Percival continued to frown and Morgana moved behind him to buckle the last strap.

"What I am trying to say is that you will do yourself, and Arthur, a disservice by thinking that letting Arthur win is the right thing."

Percival didn't say anything. Morgana patted his shoulder and swept away. Percival turned, blushing a little as Gwen came into the room and Morgana left. She turned to give Percival a knowing smirk over Gwen's shoulder. Percival glowered, and Gwen looked startled.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

Percival pulled his face together and Morgana tactfully went away. The knight managed to summon up a smile, which he hoped looked friendly.

"Yes. I'm just getting a lot of stories this morning."

Gwen frowned, processed that and her face smoothed out. "Oh, I haven't got one. I brought you this."

She held up the ribbon, an intricate blend of Cenred's colours, so it matched perfectly with his tunic. She reached up and peeled off her old makeshift token and wrapped the new one around Percival's arm. He let her without comment. As she finished knotting the material, she gave his armour a careful check.

"Where's Evelyn's token?" she asked as she realised his other arm was unadorned.

"Merlin took it," he said bluntly. Gwen's careful checks slowed down, he felt her tug a strap to check it was secure.

"Isn't that a bit excessive?" she asked. Percival sighed.

"He says he's making a point."

"You think he's being excessive."

"A little," Percival said.

Gwen finished her checks and moved to stand in front of him.

"He's doing what he thinks is right."

"That doesn't make him right."

"Nobody can be always right."

"Merlin likes to think he is," Percival snapped. Gwen frowned, leaning away from him slightly. "Sorry," Percival said. Gwen smiled, she reached out to take his upper arms to steady herself as she went on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. Percival blinked, and blushed again.

"Anyway, good luck."

"Thank you. And thank you for the token."

Gwen smiled, looking a little embarrassed, stepping back as Lancelot appeared. Percival glowered. Lancelot ignored that as he asked.

"Are you ready?"


	46. Chapter 46

Lancelot had asked, in fact, a very good question. Percival was not blind to Merlin's machinations, and knew exactly what rested on this final bout. He had wanted to impress Gwen, which was the whole point of handing her his rosette at the beginning. But other things had taken over as the competition had gone on.

The second thing had been getting back at the Nemeth knights for insulting Merlin. Insulting Merlin's battle skills was easy, but they clearly hadn't reckoned on Percival, whose reputation had not stretched that far. Now they were extremely knowledgeable on the subject of Merlin's bodyguard. Percival knew Merlin's talents lay elsewhere and no one really knew Percival's. He hadn't entirely known them himself, he had mown through the ranks of Cenred's army, and many others joining tried against him. Percival knew he was good, but his skills had been honed by Merlin, and the things he had needed to do to protect his friend, which meant going against magical creatures. The posturing of a tournament meant nothing to him, Percival fought to survive, to protect people, he wondered about the other nobles Arthur had taken on to train. They had no idea what a real fight was.

That thought ran through Percival's head as he rode into the arena. Blaze kept his gait smooth, the old war horse knowing exactly what Percival wanted of him. He came to a halt and snorted. Lancelot lingered ready to hand the lance over. Merlin had taken his place in the royal box to watch the outcome.

Arthur rode in from the other end and Percival had moments to decided. His entire life seemed to linger on a knife's edge as he looked at the king of Camelot.

Then the flag dropped and they both spurred their horses forward.

Seconds later Percival cursed. They had both struck well, but Arthur's had been the far better blow. The lance had struck Percival's chest. It hadn't shifted him in the saddle but it was better than the hit to Arthur's shoulder. The crowd clapped, and cheered as Arthur won the point, and looking to the far end of the area, Percival saw Arthur's pleased reaction. Underneath him Blaze snorted and Percival relaxed in the saddle, reaching out to take the next lance.

He didn't need to instruct Blaze on what to do. As long as he stayed in the saddle, thinking about his strike his body would, somehow, unconsciously, transmit the information to the horse. He had ridden the old warhorse for so long that it was no effort when they worked together. He had two other horses, of the same bloodline, Stripy's bloodline, that Merlin had gifted to him. But at the moment, they were not what Blaze was. He let the horse run, and let him do the work to assess the other animal as it charged towards him. At the very last moment Percival felt Blaze shift his hindquarters and he responded to what Blaze had seen.

The strike was perfect, he slammed into Arthur's breastplate, causing the king to reel and his own lance just glanced off Percival's arm, it didn't even break. Percival took the point, and better than Arthur had on the first run. He could have left it at that, but Percival's mind interfered, telling them - because Blaze sensed it - they had never met an opponent they couldn't unhorse.

It was probably very unsporting. Arthur looked a fraction unsteady in the saddle as he took the lance for the final run, but Percival had already made up his mind and knew, Arthur would exploit any weakness he saw in Percival. This was nothing to do with anyone but himself and Arthur. He didn't lose to people and Percival was not about to start now. Grabbing the lance he went on the final run, lowering his lance and aiming at what was, he knew, Arthur's weak point. He had watched as many bouts as he could, seeing the flaws in each knight's techniques, and he had Arthur's. He caught the king low down, pushing the lance so Arthur, who tended to lift himself out of the saddle and go forward with his shoulders, committing himself to the strike, lost his balance . Percival stayed deep in the saddle and hit Arthur's centre of gravity, hard. Clenching his shoulders he tilted the lance and pushed Arthur off balance and out of the saddle.

Arthur knew he was falling as he felt the pressure. He had no choice but to drop the lance, unsure of his strike as he couldn't correct the momentum and he fell from the saddle.

The entire audience gasped as Arthur toppled, his armour rattling violently as he landed on the sand. His horse cantered on, but he had not caught himself on the way down so the animal ran free, to be caught by a squire. Merlin didn't hesitate, he got up and jumped out of the royal box, landing lightly on the sand, too lightly, if people stared hard enough. Gwen ran on at the same time and Percival eased Blaze up, and the horse responded, so Percival could jump off. A squire ran to take the reins but Blaze snorted at him and trotted after Percival.

Arthur rolled on the ground, his first instinct to breath, the second to get the helmet off. He felt fine, he knew his body, and it's reactions, to know that he was not seriously injured, just winded.

"I've got it Arthur," he heard Merlin say and then a second later the helmet came off. Arthur gasped for breath, looking up at Merlin, who looked Arthur up and down as if he could see beyond the armour.

"Sire?" Gwen asked.

"I feel like I just jousted the castle wall."

"Yeah, that happens," Merlin said.

"Help me up, I need to congratulate the winner," Arthur said.

Merlin scratched his head then looked up. "He's fine," he said to Percival. "Help Arthur up, will you."

Percival reached out his hand and Arthur took it, feeling the nudge as Percival put his foot against Arthur's to brace him, then Arthur felt himself lifted up, as if he weighed nothing, as Percival yanked him upright. Arthur gaped as he looked up at Percival, who looked a little embarrassed.

"Congratulations, you're the champion."

Percival didn't feel like one, until Arthur moved away and waved at the crowd, proving that he was all right, then he went back, grabbed Percival's wrist and drew him into the centre, lifting his arm. The crowd clapped again, but the cheers died away. Blaze snorted and pranced, moving to stand close to Percival, clearly to remind him that the horse had done some of the work. Arthur turned.

"Your prize was to escort the May Queen to the dance but you made your preference known," Arthur said, and Percival started to blush. Arthur released Percival and held out his hand to Gwen. Percival busied himself giving Blaze some apple slices.

"Guinevere?"

She looked just as embarrassed as she held out her hand and let Arthur draw her forward.

"You are the May King, Sir Percival, and this was your chosen queen."

"And this is yours," Mithian said. She had come down from the royal box, and she lifted the crown of flowers from her head and put it onto Gwen's.

"You are the May Queen now," she said. Gwen blushed even further and Arthur realised it was the last thing that the two people in question really needed. Being stood in the centre of the arena to be stared at.

Blaze took charge and nudged his owner violently to get him to pay attention, he also put himself between Arthur and Percival. The crowd watched the interaction of the bossy seeming horse.

Percival decided to take Blaze's hint, and ended up leaving the crowd wondering if the horse was enchanted, as he seemed to know exactly what to do. They crowd watched as Percival took Gwen around the waist and lifted her onto the saddle as if she weighed nothing. Then he mounted, wrapped his arms around her and trusted Blaze to go the right way, which he did, out of the arena, at a steady pace, but making sure he lifted his feet up, arched his neck and looked impressive.

Merlin watched them go, and knew, it was the only choice he could make.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Percival reported to the training field at the correct time. It was oddly quiet, which put his senses on alert, and he wondered if he was paranoid. He could perhaps take it out on one of the dummies on the training field, but he was beyond that, if he had to use that to kill time then he was better off somewhere else.

It had been odd saying goodbye to Merlin the previous day, because they knew they were leaving each other for a length of time, which they had never done the entire time they had known each other. Their separations had previously lasted no more than three weeks. They had hugged and held on for a long moment, they hadn't done that since they were young, and Merlin had suffered a nightmare.

Now it felt worse, not strange, just worse. He had accepted the position to help train the new knights Arthur had, as a friendly gesture between the two kingdoms. But that was, and everyone knew it, nothing more than a ruse to leave Percival here to romance Gwen. And quite frankly, Percival had no idea how that would go. It also got him away from Evelyn, who had been even more upset by the idea of Percival not being there.

She had known him all her life, and he was just as constant as her family. Percival felt sorry for her, she would marry someone, but it would be of Cenred's choice, and considering the fact that they could contend for the throne, it would be a hard one, or a non-existent one. That was another reason for Merlin's move. Evelyn had romantic notions about Percival, take him away and they would grow stronger, the idealisation of him would increase, and as she matured, she would not see his flaws if he was absent. He would remain the perfect image of the knight that she saw him as. It would put any other suitor at a disadvantage, dealing with a saintly image that they would never be able to compare with.

And now Percival had a chance at a relationship with Gwen, which again, worked on the same ideal when they were in different kingdoms. Percival wondered if it would stand up to the scrutiny it would be given at close quarters. As May King and Queen they had both coped but felt uncomfortable in the spotlight, hardly talking to each other throughout the banquet, although they sat together, other people talked to them, they remained unable to deal with each other.

Percival was musing that, and wondering if wearing his tunic, with his King's colours on was actually a good idea when he heard the sniggers behind him. He turned to look at cluster of newly knighted nobles and a few contenders. Almost twenty in all, and all thinking that their numbers gave them strength. Percival kept his face still, regarding them steadily.

"You think because you unhorsed our king that you are any good."

"There are not many others who have, so it says something. And Arthur really doesn't need you to defend him."

He watched the various expressions of confusion and anger. Using Arthur's name in such a familiar way caused them to stir. Percival took a deep breath, trying to remain calm and he identified the leader, a new knight, a couple of years older than the others, who had been glaring at him at the banquet two nights ago.

"Can you fight like a knight, Sir?" he asked.

Percival stepped back to give himself some space.

"Let's see if you can."

That was all the encouragement the knight needed, he ran forward to attack. And it was meant. Percival watched the neat, well-ordered attack. It was good, he conceded that as he watched, and was forced to take some serious evasive action occasionally, which caused a round of cheers and calls from the spectators. He supposed he was out of his depth when it came to a nice, civilised fight between knights. In the end as his opponents' sword clashed against his breastplate, slashing his tunic, and he supposed that was an end to the fight. The young knight turned to grin at his friends. Percival stared at him steadily, waiting a moment before saying.

"Well, we've done your pretty little prancing about. How about we do it like a real fight?"

With that he crashed his hand against the side of the boy's head, just by his ear. The boy went reeling, and then the fight really started. One of the others had his sword ready and he ran at Percival in defence of his friend, which Percival had no problem with. However, he left himself open to an easy attack. Percival deflected the flailing sword, grabbed the boy's arm, yanking him up into the air - irritation gave Percival an extra surge of strength - to dump him on his back, the youth screamed as he saw the point of Percival's sword, go down towards his neck. The tip pressed into the soil and the blade lay flat against the skin.

"And, you're dead," Percival informed him. His sword flashed up and he swiped at the youth who had originally attacked him. The blow glanced the breastplate but prodded into a vulnerable gap. The boy yelped as he felt the prod of the sword.

"So are you," Percival added throwing the boy to the floor. And so he carried on. They ran at him. But they could only manage to flail at him before Percival 'killed' them, slamming them into each other to throw them all off balance. Then a few of Camelot's knights came along, including Gwaine; who watched as Percival methodically ploughed through them all. He was just prodding his sword into the last one as Arthur, Leon, and a few straggling recruits came on the scene.

"What's going on?"

"I'm killing your knights," Percival said, also knocking out one who was persistently refusing to take the hint. They all winced at the clang and then the knight slumped to the floor. Percival glared down at him. "He was annoying."

Arthur looked around at the devastation that Percival seemed to have wreaked on his men. A few recovering on the floor looked at him hopefully, then looked baffled as Arthur grinned.

"This must be the infamous Percival dodging I have heard about," Arthur said. Percival frowned, then he grinned, looking far more menacing smiling than he did angry.

"Oh no," he drawled. "That is much, much, worse."

Arthur smirked and looked around, the knights who had appeared eyed the whole scene warily. Most of the ones Percival had taken out were new, some of them yet to be knighted, but they were of noble blood, trained since they were young and Percival had casually taken out sixteen of them without blinking.

"You hit me!" the original attacker whined as he ran his fingers along his split lip. "Nobles don't behave like that."

Percival turned to glower down at him. "Nobles die on the battlefield just as easily as foot soldiers. It isn't a neat and tidy tournament, it's a fight. You win and kill your opponent, or you die."

Again, they stared from Percival to Arthur. Arthur could see they expected him to react, against Percival. But there was one thing Arthur couldn't ignore.

"He's right about that," he informed the bashed up group. "I would suggest that Percival would rival Sir Leon for battle experience."

Leon raised his eyebrows at that.

"Possibly," Percival conceded, then he turned to look down at the group. "You might need to remember who your opponent is before you start taking them on. I am far more than a knight of Essetir. I rank above all others. I am Merlin's bodyguard, I am a bounty hunter, an executioner and I've killed more than just men."

Arthur winced at that, remembering the knights of Medhir.

"My battle experience is extremely varied."

A silence hung over the training area as Percival finished making his point, and he had seriously made it. Most of them knew the reasons Merlin had for leaving Percival here, and Arthur realised, they were beyond the obvious. Merlin had infiltrated Gwaine into Camelot's ranks, and even Leon saw that Merlin cared about and would protect Arthur, but he couldn't guarantee their reliability for such a task. But he had watched Percival since they were children, he had helped form him into what he was. Even Arthur had seen it on that tense, fraught, night when the knights of Medhir had chased them down. Percival was capable of anything to protect those he had been assigned to look after.

"Well," Gwaine said brightly, skirting around the prone group. "How about us grown ups go and play properly," he said to Percival. "And Leon can patch up the children."

Percival grinned and backed up away from the young knights, following Gwaine across the field. Leon directed a few of the other knights out to start sparring and Arthur looked around.

"Were we ever this hopeless?" he asked Leon as the battered knights and trainees slowly got to their feet.

"Probably," Leon sighed. "However, we never had to dodge a Percival."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It probably was not the fault of Leon's cousin, who had waylaid Percival and they had ended up eating in the Rising Sun tavern. As they had walked home through the dark he had sensed the boy's increase in nerves, until Percival realised something was seriously wrong. At which point he had suddenly turned to cut down an alleyway. He had no particular direction in mind he just knew something had changed.

"Sir Percival?"

The voice had been lost the moment Percival had turned, as he heard fast approaching footsteps, the blow took him on the side of his head, sending him reeling. His hand reached up to try and block the next blow and it slammed onto his arm. Then they seemed to come from everywhere. He calmed his mind, feeling the pain as it rippled on his body, curling up for a moment he protected himself, then he thought and rolled smashing into the legs of three people, coming to his feet, aching, bruised, but fighting. Then he had really started and the city watch had come upon them.

Unfortunately for them, Percival had still been a little bit angry. And Arthur had been somewhat confused when George had woken him.

The throne room had been chaos as Arthur looked at two bruised knights, a slightly battered group of guards and a chained and gagged Percival.

"What is going on?!"

Percival looked slightly ashamed of himself, despite the simmering anger.

"Unchain him!"

"Sire he..." Agravaine had started to object.

"Whatever went on, he will not do it in here!" Arthur roared, because despite everything Arthur knew Percival respected authority, even Merlin's when he was not trying to dump him in lakes and the like. 'Percival dodging' clearly had different levels.

The guards looked uncertain until Arthur got bored, he stepped down from the dais, fuming, since he had been dragged from his bed to deal with this. He snatched the keys from the guard and unlocked Percival's wrists, then as he crouched to unlock his ankles Percival pulled the gag from his mouth.

"Thank you Sire. I do apologise, they could have left me in the dungeon and dealt with it in the morning."

"Nine recruits have been sent to Gaius for treatment!" Agravaine announced. "One of them suffered a near fatal blow. An inch over and you could have killed him!"

"I know that," Percival said calmly.

"What did they do?" Arthur asked, almost the empty air, Agravaine opened his mouth, assuming Arthur was talking to him, until the king, oblivious to that, looked at Percival.

"They jumped me after I left the tavern, they came at me with clubs and tried to beat me... to death... although that probably wasn't their direct aim, they might have actually done that."

"Are you saying that knights, and recruits, of Camelot attacked a visiting knight?"

"He is not of noble blood!" One of the bruised knights snapped. Arthur glared at him.

"He is a knight, chosen by King Cenred of Essetir to protect the prince, he does not attack randomly and he protects those who are deserving of it; one of those people on one occasion was me. There is not a more noble person, and you think I would find this acceptable?"

"Take those two to the dungeon, Gaius can treat them in the morning. You took out nine of them, again!"

"Broken bones, and two men of the watch, I think one of them got a broken jaw, but I did not mean for anyone else to get hurt," Percival said.

"Are you injured?" Arthur asked looking Percival up and down. He was certainly severely bruised and blood trickled from a cut on his right eyebrow. "We'd best get Gaius to look at you."

"He's a bit busy at the moment," Percival informed him. "I can wash in my rooms, and I have some medicines in there I can use."

Arthur nodded, Percival knew enough about healing and no doubt when she heard Gwen would go to check on him. Arthur actually decided, if she was caught with Gaius, he could put Gwaine on the job to make sure Percival was all right. Percival had turned and walked away, quite slowly, clearly in pain, but he paused and then turned back to Arthur.

"Sire, I presume you will be speaking to the recruits yourself."

"Of course I will. This will not happen again."

"Thank you, Sire." Percival's face darkened. "Because, if it does, I will kill them."

Arthur only winced because that was the moment Gwen walked into the room.


End file.

Merlin, Family, Friendship