Danger Magnet

by Bohdyna

It took one first disaster to make Merlin and Arthur meet and separate. How many disasters will it take to reunite them and make them stay? Overcoming challenges, hurt seeking comfort and secrets revealed... A journey of two souls meant to be together...can they really be together?

1. Part I

IMPORTANT NOTE: For those that have been following Danger Magnet, the first five chapters have been put together to make a whole part, which is now Part one.

Danger Magnet has got three part, I decided to upload in parts instead of cutting them into smaller chapters. Part two will be up in a moment.

Forgive me for the incontinences

A/N: Thank you guys for reading or just viewing. I love reading reviews, please don't forget to tell me what you think. [ Hate comments are welcome].

Warning: Possible mpreg

Disclaimer: I won't dare make Arthur die, So, It obvious I don't own Merlin, It's just a BBC series that stole my heart.

Hunith was surprised to open the door and see Detectives on suit each of them wearing a long black jacket. They were both tall so that Hunith had to raise her head to look at their faces. They looked as if they were after a Serial killer. A lot of police cars and police officers were standing behind their cars holding their guns in a defensive position with the sound of sirens filling the air. A curious Crowd had started forming on the road that used to be a quiet one.

Hunith looked behind the Detectives scanning the crowd, she could see the press has already arrived pushing through the crowd with their cameras to get a better view. She felt panic building inside her, everything was happening so fast. Some police officers tried blocking the crowd from moving any further.

The two Detectives raised their ID cards to Hunith's face introducing themselves.

"I'm Detective Investigator Cavalier" The blonde one said "and this is Detective Investigator Bayard" he added indicating his partner who looked much older and a bit intimidating.

They entered without waiting for Hunith to invite them in. Hunith quickly closed the door and walked closer to the Detectives trying very hard to keep her now forming anger in control.

"We received a signal from this house" DI Bayard said looking around the living room. He went back to the door and signalled for four other police officers on uniform to enter. "Search everywhere" he ordered

Hunith felt anger boiling inside her "A signal of what? And you can't enter my house just like that". Hunith couldn't believe what was happening. "My husband is not yet back from work. And what have you brought the whole police officers of the UK to do? I've got two little kids. And this is my house, and there are thousands of people outside my compound. There are press with cameras and... " She froze when she saw one of the police officers climbing down the stairs with a grumbling Merlin held on one hand and Merlin's computer held on the other.

"Let go off me" Merlin struggled, trying to get free from the tight grip.

"Oh dear God!" Hunith panicked. "Merlin what have you done?" she asked already crying "He is only 9 years old" She cried to the blonde detective.

The police officer released Merlin who quickly ran to his mother. Hunith held in one arm a five years old Freya who had been disturbed in her sleep, and she pulled Merlin closer with the other hand.

The police officer handed the computer to DI Cavalier. "Sir, you need to see this"

DI Cavalier held the small grey Acer laptop scrolling through the opened document on the screen with wide eyes. He passed the laptop to DI Bayard and turned his attention to Hunith.

"Your son need to answer some questions" DI Cavalier said gently to Hunith

"What?" Hunith asked incredulously holding Merlin even tighter.

"You should come to station" DI Cavalier added.

"No, he's just a boy. You can't take him away" Hunith said pulling Merlin behind her.

DI Bayard moved closer to Hunith giving her a deadly look which she boldly returned letting her mother instinct to take control. "Your son opened a document under Pendragon's care. A document that is supposed to remain top secret. I can't believe we're here because of this little thing. Now tell me, why we shouldn't suspect you either.?" DI Bayard snared.

Hunith eyes widened when DI Bayard mentioned Pendragon. " My son is not a thing. And I know the Pendragons. We could sort things out in different way" She said hopefully. "He's a friend of my husband"

Merlin stood still piping at the Detectives from behind her mother. He knew what he has done, and he wished he had never come across any of those informations.

" Well, he ordered us to get whoever is responsible, and he was actually coming himself and that wouldn't have turned out good" DI Bayard said impatiently.

" Your son will be well treated at the station. We just have to ask him few questions that's all" DI Cavalier added throwing a hard look at his companion who was being too mean.

Maybe Bayard was right to be mean. Uther had promised to make their life a living hell if they couldn't get whoever was responsible in less than an hour. They had sprinted into action tracking down Hunith's house in 5minutes.

Hunith sat Freya on the sofa. She bent to Merlin's eye level and cupped his face looking at the little boy wondering how on earth he was able to get to those documents. It was a document under Uther's care and perfectly understand why Uther would be furious. "Sweetheart" Her voice was hoarse from shouting "You need to go with these men okay?. Mum will be driving right behind you okay? And dad will be coming too" She said smiling at Merlin who only nodded to everything she said.

Turning to face the two Detectives who were still standing patiently. "I think the crowd outside need to go away and all those journalists with cameras. I don't want my son's face on TV" Hunith said folding her arms over her chest. She wants to protect her son and having Merlin's face on TV won't make things easier.

DI Cavalier asked the police officers to make sure the crowd disappeared in less time possible, and that they were not to answer any question or give away informations.

The officers were able to send the crowd ignoring the questions being asked by the press who were talking at the same time stretching out their microphones. "What is happening here?", "There are more than ten police cars. Can you tell us what's going on". "Is there someone we could interview at the moment?" The police officers ignored their non-stopping questions asking them to leave. There was a lady dressed I grey suit with a microphone standing in front of a camera held by Man. They were both sweating in spite of the cold weather.

"…we still don't know what's going on. As you can see there are many police cars behind me…and now some police officers are trying to get rid of the crowd and..."

"You have to go away" A police officer shouted interrupting her.

About 20 minutes later, the crowd was gone. Silence came reigning as if nothing had happened. Merlin left with Bayard and Cavalier in their car without making any resistance. Hunith followed immediately with Freya sitting quietly at the back seat. Hunith called Balinor asking him to come immediately to the station because Merlin was there and that she would explain everything when he arrived.

Hunith and Balinor Emrys has always known about how intelligent their son was, and his passion for computers and technology. They found out he has an IQ of 148. At only 8 Years old he was already in his first year of Junior secondary school. He has always been the smallest in class and was loved by his teachers and classmates. Merlin's parent got him all he needed only on one condition.

"Promise you won't do anything stupid?" Balinor asked him

"Promise, promise!" An 8 years old Merlin squealed enthusiastically. His eyes were staring dreamily at the new laptop Hunith was holding. They'd promised to get him one for his personal us. Since that day, he's been doing a lot of research trying to create something he thought might be useful. He'd once thought of creating some mega machines that could stop earthquakes because he didn't want Earth falling apart. Merlin wasn't sure of what he would like to become, unlike many other kids of his age. He'd thought of doing every profession.

Bayard and Cavalier took Merlin to the interrogatory room where they tried asking him about how he got to open the document.

"I was trying my level of intelligence " Merlin simply replied staring at the large poster on the wall with "SAY THE TRUTH AND CLEAR YOUR CONSCIENCE" written on it and with a picture of a man staring thoughtfully at his hands.

"Oh really?" Bayard asked raising both eyebrows . Merlin turned his attention from the poster to the Man talking to him. He was dressed in a black suit trouser with a with shirt and a black loosen tie.

"You broke a code securing private documents! Nobody is able or have you got a magical brain? " Bayard was at the point of shouting.

"Calm down Bayard" DI Cavalier intervened. He was dressed as Bayard but was very much younger "Merlin, my name is Leon " he said smiling "You opened a document under protection… I need to know how you did it and why. Did someone ask you to…"

"No" Merlin said shaking his head. His thoughts went back to where he had seen the informations that has caused this disaster. He and his Family had gone to Gaius to spent their Christmas holiday. He'd came across a document containing numbers and letters he couldn't understand. Merlin spent most of his time trying to decipher the codes but failed. He'd always loved challenging himself and wouldn't stop until he'd solved the problem. That was how he made a copy and took it home . "I was just curious" he added. Merlin didn't want to put Gaius in trouble now that he found out that Gaius wasn't just a doctor, he was probably working for the Pendragons too. And whatever work it was has to be very private Merlin thought. They could accuse him of being careless of important information.

"What were you curious about?" Leon asked gently

"erm…well…I was…" Merlin stammered "OK fine!" he said when he saw the expression on Bayard face. Like I said before, it was just an intelligence test. Okay? I read about the existence of documents that nobody could erm open... I did some research and I found this Camelot stuff …that's it " Merlin explained not sure if he was making any sense at all.

The detectives were left without word after listening to Merlin's short explanation… It made no sense.

"You guys should do this your own way. I'm getting nervous and I'm not sure Uther will take this as a motive" Bayard said and stormed out of the room

"How old are you again?" Leon asked Merlin after few seconds of silence

"9" Merlin said turning his attention to the posters on the wall again. Staring at Leon's face wasn't helping. The man was just too gentle and his facial expression could make anybody breakdown and spill every truth.

"So Merlin how did you do it ?" Leon asked gently

"I've answered this question more than I don't know how many times. I was bored okay. I'm really sorry for…for…disturbing your peace" Merlin said still staring at the poster. He didn't trust himself to look at the man in the face.

"Okay. Merlin . You might be small but you're very intelligent. You know that right. And you don't have to let anybody use. You could…" Leon was interrupted by the sound of the door being opened. Bayard entered looking exhausted.

"You need to stop the interrogation. Order from Pendragon" Bayard said to Leon "We need to get back to Camelot"

"You guys are not real detectives." Merlin said . It was more an affirmation than a question

" We are more than being detectives Merlin. Now your parent are waiting for you" Leon replied

Balinor and Uther had been good friends since college, and thanks to Gaius who had kept good relationship with the Pendragons, it took two meetings at Uther's to solve the problem. Though Merlin had refused to give a decent explanation to how he get to open the documents sustaining it was a mistake and that it won't happen again. Gaius might have been suspecting more though.

In those two occasions, Merlin met a 17 years old Arthur. Arthur had felt strangely attracted to the boy since their first meeting though he wouldn't admit it. Merlin eyes were so crystal blue that Arthur will never get tired of staring in them.

Merlin sat himself at the far end of the divan with Freya beside him paying no attention to what Uther and his parent were talking about. He would shyly glance at Arthur now and then. Arthur's black jeans trousers fit perfectly with a white Jumper. He couldn't tell what was written on It as Arthur was too far from him. But Arthur's blonde hair could never go unnoticed. Merlin had thought he was really cute. He froze when he saw Arthur moving closer to him.

Arthur stopped in front Merlin smiling widely. "You'll catch fly if you don't close your mouth, Merlin" Arthur said sitting on the divan so that Freya was the one separating him from Merlin.

" Your sister is really beautiful just like you" Arthur commented making Freya to smile widely.

Merlin blushed. "Thanks". He said quietly. Arthur thought he was adorable.

Arthur tried and succeeded in engaging Merlin in a conversation. They talked about school and their favourite subjects. They found out they had similar interests than expected and in some part they were completely different. They both love computers and technology. Arthur said he'd love to go on an adventure in Africa hunting down wild animals while Merlin has openly shown how disgusted he was by that. He told Arthur that animals were supposed to be protected and not killed. Merlin was glad Arthur didn't ask him about the documents. Lying to Arthur would have been really difficult.

Well nothing could be hidden from the media though. They were determined to find out what has caused the gathering of so many police cars in front of one house. The event had been on first pages of many newspapers for weeks and remained public talk for months. Even the BBC were interested. Uther had made sure Merlin's identity remained unknown to the public. It's the least he could do. School were prohibited to give out any information. Uther also threatened the press preventing them from publishing any private information they had. Uther was famous, and he stubborn at the same time, he gets what he wants. Headlines such as "9 years broke a security code", "computer warlock, opened private documents", "Government top secret document opened by a computer genius...- could be seen on every newspaper.

Many countries from around the world were interested in knowing who the genius was, and they had offered thousands of pounds to get the computer genius-as Merlin was called- in their most prestigious school.

Hunith decided it was best for them to leave the country. Keeping Merlin locked in the house didn't help much. She was tired of having journalists as a shadow.

Arthur didn't feel happy about Merlin going far away but it was for Merlin's safety. He had written in his diary how he felt sorry not having to know more about the mysterious kid with such beauty. Arthur promised he was going to find Merlin in the future.

Merlin and his family went to Ealdor a quiet city in the northern Ireland where Merlin started his last year of junior secondary school and where he met Will who became his best friend and saviour in many ways. Together they went to the Lisburn university, they studied computer since while sharing a flat.

Hunith has always refused to let Merlin participate in TV documentary were life story of children with the highest IQs were told. "I want my son to leave a normal life" she'd always told Merlin's teacher.

Except Merlin was far from having a normal life.

Merlin's intelligence is not the only thing that differentiate him from others. At 11years, a full female reproductive organs was diagnosed inside him.

He woke up in the morning with strong headache, and decided to go back to sleep since it was Saturday. He slept all morning but the pain in his stomach woke him up. He went to use the toilet. The pain became unbearable, his urine turned from yellow to reddish colour. He felt dizzy. "MUM" he called before falling to the ground unconsciously. They rushed him to hospital, but the Doctors couldn't find the cause to why Merlin was peeing blood.

Gaius who was Hunith's uncle and their family doctor had requested Merlin to be brought to Oxford hospital where Gaius worked. A very desperate Hunith had called him explaining how sick Merlin was, and that the Doctor at the Ealdor hospital couldn't find a solution to Merlin's pain. Gaius was determined to find out what was wrong with little Merlin. Merlin was taken to oxford where Gaius made several test and research. He was shocked about his diagnosis. Merlin was the 7th boy to be born with a very rear mutation that made it possible for a male to get pregnant. In 1878, One of the boys had committed suicide at 17 when he found out he was pregnant and most of the rest were used as an experiment where only two were able to survive. They first one was just 19 years when delivered a baby boy unfortunately it was a still born. The last one successfully gave birth to a baby girl in 1986. Gaius found out the man recently lives in Florida with his daughter. The experiment had been closed since then and every document has remained top secret.

The cause of Merlin's pain was the same as that in women during menstruation.

Hunith had sat terrorized in Gaius' office with Balinor sitting next to her while Gaius explained.

"What are we going to do. I don't want my son to be an experiment for the government Gaius" Hunith said breaking into sobs

"Then everything has to stay in this room" Gaius said.

"Merlin don't have to know about it . At least not now. I'll just tell him he's got a type of sickness that can't yet be cured. What can you do about the stomach pain?" Hunith asked.

Gaius took a paper and wrote on it. He handed the paper to the Hunith. " Get this. As you know, menstruation is monthly. He has to start taking one a day as soon as he starts having the symptoms."

Hunith will probably regret ever making such decision because there will never be the right time to tell Merlin the truth.

First they have to pass through all the security alarm in the house. It was a bungalow with lot of glassed windows. The with borderline was covered with white lilies. In that very house dwells the Emry's family.

" Okay, I've deactivated the alarm. now you guys I've got less than 10minutes" came a voice through the micro earpiece each of them had.

They all nodded looking from one face to another.

"Everything has to be done silently and quickly" the one leading whispered "We don't want Irish war".

Moving quietly and rapidly, the men dressed in black with a mask covering their faces, entered the compound. Moving closer to the door, they could hear sound coming from the TV. They were able to get into the house in the right time when The Emrys family were all at home. Perfect.

He was 18 and his already finished university. Merlin loves everything about life well maybe except those moments when he had to take medicines for his "monthly sickness" as Freya used to call it. His father Balinor is an architect who decorated their current home, his mother Hunith is a secondary school teacher. Merlin's little sister Freya is a 14 years old secondary school student, Gaius , Hunith's uncle , he was the Emrys' family doctor, and Merlin has known him all his life. He's got other relatives here and there and sometimes go on visit.

Everything about Merlin drew people to him. His slim shape and pale skin makes him look tender and fragile, soft ebony hair faded on the sides with a long angular fringe ,perfect white teeth enclosed in two pumped red lips and his dark framed glasses made his crystal blue eyes, shaped with thick long lashes, bigger. People who don't know him thought he was shy. But Will would call Merlin the most troublesome and talkative person to ever live. It's 9 years since Merlin been living in Ealdor, a small town in the Northern Ireland.

After they graduated ,both Will and Merlin's parents gave them tickets for New York as gift. About six months ago they arrived home from their long holiday at New York city. Merlin and Will visited so many places that they couldn't even list them. They would never have missed to visit the empire state building for anything in the world. They visited the Statue of liberty where Merlin had stood still staring up at the statue with a thoughtful look on his face. Will asked him what he was thinking about. He was expecting Merlin to show off how much he was intelligent explaining the story of how the statue was a gift from the French but instead

"I'm thinking about what mum will be cooking" Merlin replied still staring at the statue. They also visited the 9/11 memorial. They went to Time square where Will dragged Merlin to one of the many discos. Merlin wouldn't leave New York without seeing the New York public library. They stayed in the Hornblower sightseeing cruise before coming back to Ireland.

Will got a job as a system developer. Merlin chose to continue his studies while doing a par-time job. At least that was his plan.

It was a quiet Saturday of April. Merlin was in his room with his black laptop: Every part of the room was painted white even the floor was shining in plain white tiles while every other furniture were black. His neatly made king-size bed is placed close to the window covered with a black soft curtain, from where he'd climb to the soffit carrying his personalized telescope connected to a camera he used for viewing and taking pictures of things he found interesting. Only two people are allowed in his room, Freya and Will. There is a small red triangular board saying "DANGER, NO ENTRY" on his door. Merlin spent most of his time in the Attic. He's got every of his invention in there and nobody was allowed to enter.

Freya was on the sofa reading "girls out late" written by Jacqueline Wilson while Balinor and Hunith were in the kitchen. Merlin heard Freya screamed, closing his laptop he jumped off his bed not minding his glasses had fallen off, and quickly opened his door but to be grabbed by too strong hands, he felt a sharp pain to his neck, and then he was swallowed up in darkness.

Merlin woke up few hours later on a soft bed. Too soft. He thought, and then he realized it wasn't his bed and this wasn't his room. He sat up looking around. Where on earth could he be?. His head felt as if it was being drummed on. The room was white and empty except for the bed and a small bedside table. One small window that allows the light of the sun in. A surveillance camera at one corner was directly pointed at him, and that when memories of what happened rushed in his brain. They kidnapped him? He panicked. He jumped off the bed ignoring the throbbing in his head and ran to the door . He knocked as hard as he could, screaming and shouting "FREYA, MUM, DAD". His screaming lasted few seconds because the door was suddenly flogged open. Merlin staggered backwards and was dumbfounded when he saw the person standing in front of him, Arthur Pendragon of all people!. The super model Arthur Pendragon!. What on earth will he be doing here? Merlin remembered he was just 9 years when they first met. Arthur had become famous, and Merlin has got a sister who is a super fan of the Knights of the round table as they called themselves. Merlin wasn't really a fan but Freya made him watched every of their videos, read their tweets and follow them on every social network they had.

Merlin's eyes remained wide open .He felt tears running down his cheek, he didn't realize that he had been crying…like a baby in front of Arthur. well who cares I just want to be out of here right. he thought . Merlin could feel his legs shaking.

Ok the silence was extending too much now. Someone has to break it. Merlin moved closer and gave Arthur a slap across the face and started punching him on the chest shouting and screaming every insult he could think of. He didn't care who Arthur was or who his father was. Right now Merlin was ready to kill anybody that has kidnapped his family. They had no right

Arthur was brought back to his mind when he felt the sudden impact on his face. He was dumbstruck when he first entered the room. Merlin eyes were bright and lively has he remembered but now they were filled with tears. His lip were so red he had been fantasizing of kissing them. He has grown so beautiful Arthur marvelled. He can't really believe he called the young man beautiful. Merlin was just 9 the last time he saw him, he was shy and fragile and somewhere in this matured beauty those characteristics still remained. Arthur had felt really sad when he heard about Merlin's parents decisions to leave the UK. In these 9 years they've been apart, in Arthur's heart Merlin has always been present, and he has alimented his feelings that he fear they might explode at the moment. The slap actually brought him out of his world of fantasy, he didn't realize Merlin had got closer. He grabbed with one hand the two smaller ones still punching him.

"Shut up and stop screaming like a girl" Arthur said calmly with a cheeky smile playing on his lips making Merlin to look at him wide-eyed with mouth a gape. The phrase actually slipped out before Arthur could think and he didn't know what to say now that Merlin was directly staring at him as if he was a ghost. Those eyes were just too beautiful that Arthur could stare and get lost in them. He has never been left without words, well not until now. He dropped Merlin's hand and left the room quickly before he could do anything stupid.

The sound of the door closing brought Merlin out of his shocked state. He can't really believe that... Prat called him a girl. He abandoned his body on the bed and cried himself to exhaustion, falling asleep few minutes later.

Arthur entered the room to find a sleeping Merlin. He was so peaceful, like a sleeping angel, so cute and fragile and so innocent. He left a small device with a single red button on the table and a note saying "ring if you need something".

The drug they first gave Merlin was still running in his veins which made him sleep for another hour. He woke up with a migraine and sat himself on the bed wondering how long he has been out. It probably one of those Pendragon cells for torturing people he thought looking around the room not really sure about what he was looking for. Merlin remembered having opened a top secret document in the past. Could that possibly be the reason they had brought him here?. His eyes landed on the small device and the note. He snorted. The only thing I want is to get out and meet my family safe and sound he thought. He went to the door and tried opening it. Not that he was expecting to be opened, there is nothing bad in trying and hoping. He started pacing about thinking of something valid to do. He could just ring the bell and say want he wanted and that was what Merlin did. He felt adrenaline flowing through his body. Staring patiently at the door. He ignored the non stopping pain in his head. He had to survive. He hasn't watched all those thrillers for nothing's sake. The rule is to survive. Merlin thought. The door opened and for the second time Merlin froze seeing who it was. Gwaine Grettir! . Is this a joke, or was he dreaming or Has Merlin become so famous that even the Knights of the round table are now after him because Gwaine can't possibly be here standing in the same room with Merlin who had always wanted to touch the Man's hair to see how soft it was.

"What can I do for you?" Gwaine asked after staring at Merlin for what looked like eternity.

OMG Gwaine can't possibly be putting himself at his service. Merlin felt he could faint at any moment. First it was Arthur Pendragon and now Gwaine. Freya would be screaming if she were here. Merlin thought . He opened his mouth to reply but there was no sound coming out great! This is the right moment to lose your voice he thought. He cleared his throat and went for another attempt "I want to go home with my family" he replied his voice sounding childish and strange to him. This wasn't the right time to drool and play fan boy. If he had meant them in a different occasion he'd definitely asked for an autograph and selfies.

Gwaine signed loudly " I'm sorry you can't. at least not now. Is that all?" Gwaine asked.

Merlin felt his heart beating fast. He couldn't tell if he was scared or just happy that his kidnappers weren't some serial killers.

" Why can't I? " Merlin blurted out of anger this time. Good don't show weakness Merlin mentally told himself. "what have I done this time?" Merlin was frustrated.

Gwaine signed again running his hand through his hair " You want me to tell you a bed time story?" Gwaine said grinning. After few seconds , he thought Merlin wasn't going to say anything and went for the door.

" Wait" what! Bed time story! yeah right!. He was joking. Gwaine has always been the funny one "I can use the toilet though? " Merlin asked irritated

" I'll get one of the girls " he replied without turning back and he didn't see the shocked expression on Merlin's face.

Merlin didn't know if Gwaine was possibly joking again or if he just called him a girl. For the second time today a knight of the round table called him a girl. Merlin was brought out of his shocked mode when he heard his name. A girl was smiling at him. She was as tall as him and had a beautiful skin tone, she wasn't really white, just a bit darker with long wavy brunette hair. It took few seconds before Merlin registered who she was. Guinevere Smith! Lancelot Du Lac's Girlfriend. What could be going on?. Merlin started believing it was a joke except it wasn't.

"Hi, I'm Guinevere but everybody calls me Gwen. You look so cute in person! " Gwen squealed smiling widely

In person? What on earth did she mean by that? " thanks " Merlin replied not sure of what to say .

" Gwaine thought you would feel comfortable with girls. You know , you don't have to mind him. I could just get someone else... "

" No! " Merlin cut in." I mean, you're okay ". This would have been the most beautiful day of Merlin's life if he wasn't locked in this room.

Once out of the room Merlin studied his surroundings. Everything in there was made of glass, he could see the inside of each office. Each table had a computer with brown files neatly placed.

"You're in the UK Merlin. This is Camelot . We're in the deepest part of the building. " Gwen briefly explained.

Merlin nodded still studying his surrounding "so what am I doing here? And are you really you or it's just my imagination?" Camelot! Great. Has Uther possibly changed his mind and has decided to punish Merlin for what he did 9 years ago? Has he waited for him to be matured enough? A thousand of thoughts were running through Merlin's head, and he thought it could explode.

"Here is the toilet" Gwen said ignoring Merlin's question "No wasting time please, you know you can't get anywhere " she added smiling.

" I hope the bathroom is not transparent cause it's no one business what I do in there " Merlin said feeling irritated before entering the bathroom.

The toilet was warm and neatly kept. There were no windows but the air was clean and fresh. In front of him were two sinks, one still with small balls of water from recent use. The mirror sparkled in the artificial light. There were two doors, he entered the one with the "MEN" sign on it. After releasing himself, he washed his hands staring at himself in the mirror. There were still tears mark on his face, "I look terrible" . He commented before splashing some water on his face and dried himself with tissues throwing them in the waste bin. He glanced at the mirror a second time before going out. Was he going to meet the rest member of the knights of the round table. And then what?

He found Gwen talking with another man and he could tell he was Lancelot. He was as tall as Arthur and also very handsome. Why did he have to compare everyone to Arthur?. Merlin frowned. He blushed when he saw them kissing. Freya would have gone crazy. Who knows where they had kept her. Merlin thought .

"Oh Merlin, this is Lancelot. He works here too, and he is my boyfriend " said Gwen smiling sweetly at Lancelot

The whole world knows that he is your boyfriend. Merlin thought. And why were they acting as if they weren't famous. And what does she mean by "he works here too"?

" Hi Merlin, Gwaine was right when he said you look so girly" Merlin saw Gwen gave him a slap across the head

"Erm sorry, we've been longing to see you " Lancelot said offering his hands hoping he didn't offend Merlin with his first comment.

" Thanks " Merlin said accepting the hand shake and turned to staring at his shoes wondering why they might have been longing to see him. And nobody is willing to tell him anything.

Merlin shot his head up when he heard Gwaine calling Lancelot.

" Princess calls" said Gwaine once he got nearer.

Princess was referred to Arthur. Freya had made him watched ha video where Gwaine was saying their nicknames.

So these guys are famous models but they seem to be hiding something. Merlin came to a conclusion. Were they working for Uther?

" I'll take Merlin to the room and meet you guys" said Gwen.

And that was how Merlin found himself in the empty room again. He was really bored. He hasn't got his phone, computer, nothing! His best friend Will must be trying to call him now. Who knows where they kept Freya. She's only 14 he thought.

About 15 minutes later the door opened revealing Gwen carrying a trail. is she going to torture me now after being so kind earlier . Merlin panicked. She didn't see Gwen as someone who could torture another. What would they want from him?

"Calm down Merlin, I'm not going to hurt you" Gwen said reassuring Merlin with a smile.

Merlin relaxed a bit still staring at the content of the trail, it was a syringe with a liquid inside.

"Its few minutes past six. You must be hungry. You'll be going home with Arthur Pendragon. Your parents and sister are fine. They are currently in Uther pendragon's house. I just need to give you this, it won't hurt it that much. It'll make you rest for few hours. "

" Can I see them? My mum, dad and my sister, she's only 14. She is one of your fans. Seeing any of you will make her day, and she'll probably forget that she has been kidnapped and…"

"Merlin, of course you can see them, but not now " Gwen chuckled.

Gwen injected Merlin with a quick movement. Whatever the content was had a quick effect. At first, he felt relaxed and then dizzy. He abandoned himself to sleep hoping everything had to be a dream .

Camelot. Even a 5years old child could tell you what Camelot is. Camelot is one of the most popular hotels with about 150 branches around the world owned by the very well known Uther Pendragon. Who won't be interested in the life of one of the richest people in the world?. Everybody knows that Camelot has been running for years. Everybody knows that Camelot has had many Pendragons as Director. But there is one thing only few knows, a secret that has been right from the beginning. Camelot is not just a Hotel. Only few knows that behind that name, Camelot , there are knights in shining armours that have been playing superheroes.

Building hotels has been useful to distract the public eyes from the main substance just as Arthur Pendragon being a model and an actor is a way to entertain fans while he secretly plays superheroe "because superheroes d not have to show off" Uther has always told him. It been quite difficult for the now 26 years old man to keep two parallel lives. Arthur can't remember one moment of his life when he hasn't been famous, being the son of Uther Pendragon was enough for people to be curious about his daily activities. He has always wondered if his elder sister, Morgana , was receiving the same attention from the public. Well, Morgana was a carefree person. She's always told Arthur to cheer up and that he would get use to the attention despite unwanted. Deep down inside him, Arthur knew he could never get used to it. Signing autographs, posing for selfies and being bombarded by a thousands of fans messages from every social network, messages Arthur never read. The management were doing a great job posting new photos and updating his tweet. Instagram was the only social network Arthur and the rest members of the Knights of the round table personally control mostly posting photos of them together. One of the most occurring questions people asked him-other than if he liked boys- was why he had chosen to be a model. A question that Arthur has been ignoring for years. He's never dreamt of becoming a model, it was just necessary. He'd never wanted to stay home hands stretched out on the divan because he was a son of a rich man. Arthur loved his father's job and has worked hard to get this far. He has always wanted to take over his father's company. And no, it's not Camelot hotels, Arthur has always wanted 'the real Camelot'.

'The real Camelot', Arthur used to call it, was the secret behind Camelot Hotels. It has always been operated by a group of selected people. Arthur was only 15 when Uther asked him to start forming his group that will be running the whole Camelot. His had father explained to him how it all started and how his predecessors had worked hard in keeping Camelot on the run and how he was expecting the best from Arthur. Arthur promised he would never let his father down. He had felt very excited and nervous at the same time. The future of Camelot was in his hands.

Arthur hasn't got a childhood friend except if Morgana counts or Leon who is now married to her. Well he hasn't really got a childhood friend of his age. He started having real friends (those that were not your friends because you were famous) in secondary schools. It all started with Gwaine. At 13 Arthur had hose to change his school to one with less rich bullies. He didn't like mingling with other children from a rich family. They were just too different and false. They were arrogant and the least thing Arthur wanted was being seen as one of them. At his new school, he decided to enter the school football team.

On arriving at the football field accompanied by one of his guards, everybody on the field froze. Though, Arthur was more interested in the two boys in a deep conversation, one holding a ball, both of them completely ignoring his presence. Arthur thought it was a good idea introducing himself.

He cleared his throat. " erm... Hi, My name is Arthur Pendragon" his voice was bold and firm. Maybe that was too formal, he thought, but at least he was able to get the attention of the two boys. The rest of the team murmured "Hi" in chorus.

One of the two boys moved closer to Arthur bouncing the ball on his hands. A had string of brunette hair falling on his forehead. He was wearing a jersey with the name of the school on it, and a dirty blue short. He had a pair of studded black football boots covered in dust, and brown stockings running up to his knees. Arthur would have told the boy how much he looked ridiculous, but he decided to stay shut seeing the wolfish look the boy was now giving him. He stared at Arthur attentively from head to toe and then continued bouncing the ball. Arthur felt transparent under the boy's gaze. He wouldn't denied he had felt a bit intimated by him. Arthur stood his ground putting on a fixed expression. He thought repeating his name was a good idea.

"I'm Arthur pendrag..."

" And I'm Gwaine Grettir." Gwaine interrupted him. "So? princess, do you want special treatments?" Gwaine wasn't really kin to those rich bullies who think they own the world and that they could just enter anywhere expecting to be treated like god. There were murmurings from the rest of the team except the other boy who burst out laughing. He moved closer and clapped Gwaine on the shoulder.

Arthur was startled. Nobody has ever talked to him like that (well, except for Morgana. With Morgana it was different, right?). Arthur was wide-eyed and didn't know what to say. He has always encountered kids who couldn't wait to play with.

Arthur's bodyguard stood still behind him staring fondly at the scene taking place in the front of him. He was really interested to know how it would end.

"Oh Gwaine, you've frightened the poor kid" the other one said once he'd stopped laughing. " I'm Lancelot Du Lac" he breathed stretching his hand to Arthur who awkwardly accepted the hand shake. " I'm the co-captain and Gwaine is the Captain" Lancelot continued. "Gwaine is not always like this. I mean he is ever like this" Lancelot said placing a hand on Gwaine's shoulder, who was now holding the ball to his waist looking straight-faced. " I-m sure you're not here to just show off. So why are you here?" Lancelot asked.

The question startled Arthur. He had thought Lancelot was just joking because anytime he entered a place, they seem to magically know why he was there. He noticed the rest of the team were moving closer , they seemed interested in what he had to say.

"Have you lost your tongue?" Gwaine's irritated voice brought Arthur back to the present.

Arthur wanted to ask if it wasn't obvious about what he wanted, but he thought it was too imposing. "I want to join your team" He found himself saying. His voice sounds strange he had thought it wasn't his. "Can I join your team?" He found himself asking trying not to stammer. This was his first lesson of how humbleness works.

Gwaine had interrogated him right there asking him how old he was, why has he decided to change his school , why does he think he could become a member of the football team. Arthur had replied to the questions willingly. Gwaine had even made him swore loyalty. The words were so childish that Arthur still laugh when he thought of it.

Gwaine studied him for another few seconds as if evaluating Arthur's answers and then nodded in satisfaction. Gwaine pulled Arthur so that he was standing beside him facing the group.

"We have a new team member. Arthur Pendragon" Gwaine addressed the group. They all started clapping and Gwaine pulled Arthur into a surprise hug. Lancelot shouted for a group hug and the rest of the team joined in the hug that later became too tight and they all ended up falling to the ground laughing.

Arthur had felt quickly at home. With Gwaine and Lancelot started a friendship that became stronger day. And that was how he ended with the nickname princess. Percival arrived in their last year of secondary school. He was the new kid in town and he'd quickly got along with the trio. And ever since then, they've always been together as thick as thieves. Arthur explained to them about the real Camelot and they were all determined to help him. Before going to University, Uther took them on tour to the real Camelot. They weren't only thrilled by the fact that it was situated underground of a skyscraper, every equipment inside were just wonderful. The meeting hall had captured their attention, and they all agreed it was no doubt their favourite part of the building. There was a big round table with chairs around it. The four of them took a seat each, wiping their hand across the table and examining it curiously. Gwaine stood up pushing his chest out. "We are the Knights of the round table" he shouted trying to make his voice thicker. And that was how jokingly they ended up calling themselves the knights of the round table.

Uther had asked them to get a job that could get their fans engaged enough to not worry about other matters. Morgana had asked them to become Models because they all were good-looking and that their fans will be really pleased to see them half naked.

Girls started joining in the group at university. Gwen was the first girl who later became Lancelot's girlfriend. Through Gwen, Elyan, Gwen's brother became one of the group. And Lamia, Eira (who Gwaine has been secretly dying for), and Mithian who became Arthur's girlfriend, but they felt they weren't really meant to be together and that they were better off as friends. (They all knew about the mysterious boy Arthur had never seized talking about). Only after two years of university, the Knights of the round table were taken to a school specialise in computers where they studied for three years. After three years of advance computer training, they went to china where they did a year of combat and how to defend themselves. They had made their fans believed that they had been hired by a famous clothes company in china. Their chummy and clannish long-lasting friendship had blown the minds of their fans. There had never been any other groups as close as that The knights of the round table not even a musical band. After a year in china, they had one last year when they were thought how to use very type of guns and other weapons. " I didn't know we needed all these formations. At the end we are going to look like a bunch of super spies" Gwaine had once commented making the rest roared in laughter. With Gwaine nobody ever gets bored. That man has always got something hilarious to say.

The knights of the round table was formed

Looking back through all those years, Arthur Pendragon wondered how he'd gone this far. He'd do anything to protect what he's worked for. And the fact that he himself is the one causing his own downfall wasn't helping. And he had pulled the rest of the group into the mess he had managed to make. And the worst of all, the life of an innocent man is in danger. How could he have been so stupid?. Well grieving at the moment won't solve anything. They had to sort things out before it's was too late.

"You guys did a great job today" Leon voice interrupted Arthur's thoughts. He brought both hands to his face, took a deep breath and then released it slowly. The meeting hall was dead silent, they all look equally deep in their own thoughts except for Leon who has been doing the talking since when they started the meeting. Leon had been working in Camelot for a very long time. He had a lot of experience and he had gladly accepted to tutor the new entries. Gwaine had nicknamed him DaddyK (daddy of the knights). Leon was the oldest and they ware his responsibility. Making sure they did their works as expected and keeping them safe was part of his duty. Leon was a classy man and this made him gained their respect.

"Lamia you're with Arthur right?" Leon said to the dark haired girl who looked up vacantly at Leon.

Leon signed. He looked at each faces in the room, they all had that same vacant expression. It was clear none of them has been listening. " You will be the first to keep Merlin a company. It will be good to have someone else other than Arthur around" he explained. Lamia nodded dumbly. He looked around one last time, no doubt they were all tired. " Go home and relax your brains and by that I don't mean drink yourself to sleep" he said looking directly at Gwaine who gave Leon a quizzical look and then grinned remembering a past episode when had fallen asleep in his office. "We've got a lot of planning to do. So come here on Monday with your brains fully refreshed."

Arthur carried a sleeping Merlin in a bridal style and journeyed towards BMW M2 with Lamia walking slowly behind him. Merlin was too slim, he weighed less than a sheet of paper and, Arthur thought he could break Merlin's bones if he should hold him any tighter.

"I'll be driving right behind you" Lamia said in a gruff voice, but loud enough for Arthur to hear. Lamia was Elyans girlfriend or she could say ex. Her relationship with Elyan was in a brittle state in that period. They'd decided to take, but seeing Elyan at work wasn't really helping.

Arthur drove into the night with the chilly spring air squeezing itself through the half open window. The early sun of spring had succeeded in melting the sugar/frosted coating of the winter. It should be few minutes past 7 now, the road was busy with different cars being driven by their owner who can't wait to get to their cosy home by their family. Arthur glanced at Merlin who was still deeply asleep. He could look at that angel face all day but now has to pay attention to the road. Arthur was so thrilled having to keep Merlin at his house where he would be safe . His long entrenched feelings for Merlin threatened to explode at any moment. Arthur couldn't tell how it was possible to have such a skin-deep feeling for someone he hadn't had time to know better. And it wasn't a romantic situation for Arthur to reveal his feelings. It would look sick Arthur thought. His friend would think he-s gone mental. Unfortunately he-s been placed at the wrong side of destiny since the only thing that make Arthur and Merlin meet has to be a disaster.

Arthur drove in the well familiar road slowing down as he could see his house getting nearer.

Avalon could be described as saints' dwell. It was a civilised and peacefully quiet town where parents would love to bring up their children. It's got a school that covered from the primary till the further educations, a large playground and amusement park. At the centre of the town was a circular fountain with a statue of a lady standing in the middle holding upwards a sword. The statue celebrates the Women's rights and strength in the community.

Arthur waiting patiently for that black gate to open. He nodded a greeting towards the security gatekeeper, and drove into the large compound. The property once belonged to Arthur's grandfather. He had been very fond of the old man and Arthur had promised his grandfather that he would have taken over the house.

He drove through the trees shaded passage diving the small pine forest into two halves. There were 58 trees in total. Arthur remembered he'd enjoyed counting them when he was younger. Arthur had spent most of his holidays here when his grandfather was still alive and healthy. He loved watching his grandfather shooting at the birds flying to and fro in the woods. Few seconds later the grey giant construction came to view. It was an appointed baronial 4 storey building showing off the beauty of the antique architecture. It was an Italianate styled house with too many rooms that one could get lost in them. Arthur had taken his time upgrading the house to a higher security level without really altering the natural splendour of the building. He parked his car and walked around to the passenger's seat where Merlin was still fast asleep. He unfastened the seat belt and lifted Merlin up easily. Coming out of the garage, Arthur's yes landed on the large rectangular blossomed garden that was few paces to the left of the building. Other than covered in flowers of different colours, there was a path tiled in marble ,making it easier to walk through, and there was also a small wooden bench where Arthur loved to relax when in need of fresh air. He climbed the few steps to the main door with Merlin secured in his arms, the guard that was standing at the entrance greeted Arthur and pushed the giant maroon wooden door opened. A burst of warm and clean air welcomed Arthur in. Lamia followed quietly behind him feeling the same warmth.

" I'll take Merlin up" Arthur said quietly to Lamia who nodded in return. He climbed the big "Y" shaped stairs turning to the right, he passed the first and second floor till he got to the 3 floor. He gently kicked the door to the room that will be Merlin's in the few days he would be staying there, laid him on the king size bed and took off his shoes. He pushed a string of hair off Merlin's forehead and let his hand caress the soft pale skin of Merlin's face.

"I'm sorry" he whispered.

After glancing at Merlin one last time, Arthur turned off the light and left the room locking the door behind him.

About 30 minutes later, Merlin woke-up. He stretched his muscles groaning and yawning loudly scrubbing a bit too hard at his eyes. He yawned for the hundredth time thinking when last he had had such a good sleep, probably when he was still a child and had nothing to worry about. He slowly blinked his eyes opened, there was no trace of light in the room. After his eyes have adjusted to the darkness, he tried getting down from the bed but fell and hit the ground making a loud thud "ouch, freak!" He groaned. He remembered sleeping in a lower bed. He pushed himself up back to the bed rubbing at his sore knee. He tried straining his eyes to get a better view off the room. He found a lamp on the bedside table, searched blindly for the switch and turned it on. Merlin looked around the room slack-jawed. The room was larger three times than his own back in Ealdor. It could be a hotel he thought. He climbed down from the bed, his eyes fell on his shoes. He thought of Who might have brought him here. Taking a good look around, he noticed there no windows. Why would a hotel room be without windows he wondered. He moved closer to the large Mahogany wardrobe. After he'd stared at himself in the clear mirror, Merlin opened to find inside clean and empty. He turned his attention to the door and quickly went for the handle. He tried opening it several times before he lets go. He rested his back against the door and then lets himself slides to the brown tiled floor his legs pulled up to his chest. He couldn't put any thoughts together, there were just too much passing through his head. " It would be great if someone could just tell me what's going on" He murmured to himself .

Few minutes later, Merlin heard someone unlocking the door. He pushed himself into a standing position moving far away as possible from the door preparing himself for the worse. His heart was beating so fast he thought that he might faint. To his surprise, a young lady entered holding a tray. She switched on the light and the room became brighter than before. Merlin recognised who she was. Lamia Misceo!

" You're awake" Lamia said in a guff voice. She placed the tray on the free bedside table. "It's one-pan salmon with roast asparagus." She said staring at the tray. " The cooks are good. I'm sure you'll like it" she added and smiled flatly at Merlin who was still trying to recover from his shock.

Merlin cleared his throat , his eyes fixed on Lamia. It was clear she wasn't happy about something or was in a situation she doesn't like. Well at least she's not the one being locked in a room with no windows .

" Why am I here?" Merlin asked in a taut voice.

"You need to eat something" Lamia said completely ignoring Merlin's question.

" What makes you think I want to eat?" Merlin snapped. He had no idea where he was or where his family was. That was when his stomach rumbled filling the short silence that has started to form. He felt his cheek burning out of embarrassment.

" Well, that answered your question" Lamia said in a less flat tone and started towards the door.

"Lamia Misceo" Merlin called.

" Yes?" Lamia turned to face Merlin

Merlin would have loved to know where he was . " Thank you" He heard himself saying. Thank you for what?! Merlin wondered. Definitely not for keeping him in this room and worst of it with no windows.

" It's a pleasure Merlin" Lamia replied and quickly left the room locking the door before Merlin decided to call her again.

Merlin sat himself on the bed staring at the plate of food on the tray. It had a good aspect and smelt nice. But the thought of eating why his family is suffering somewhere made him lost his appetite. Has his past finally caught up with him? Is Uther really going to make him pay? And was Arthur really siding his father's decisions?. Something in Merlin told him Arthur wouldn't side such act of ignorance, not that he knew the man so well but his gut feeling always turns out to be right. Merlin wished his gut feeling shouldn't fail him this time.

On the fourth floor, Arthur laid on his bed staring at the ceiling thinking of different possible ways he could start a conversation with Merlin. How would he start explaining to Merlin everything that was going. Arthur knew Merlin was terrorised, he deserves to know.

He took his GS7 edge phone and swiped a finger across the screen to unlock it. He opened the whatsapp application and clicked on Morgana.

Ar u coming tmw 4 d meeting dad's? He wrote.

Morgana reply came almost at once. " sure, of course"

How is Merlin boy doing?. Sorry I couldn't come to office today. Morgana wrote

Well how do you except him to feel, his definitely terrified Arthur replied a bit too harshly

Poor kid. You better sort things out. Goodnight Morgana wrote going offline after Arthur had sent his own goodnight.

Merlin woke up at 6. After trying and failing to go back to sleep, he decided to take a shower. He stood in the shower for more than an hour, he dried himself clean with the white clean towel that was neatly hanging from the small towel hanger. He tied the white towel around his waist and entered the room wondering what he was going to change into. He hadn't thought about it now he has to put on the once he removed. Surprisingly though, there were a pair of black trousers and a white shirt neatly folded on the bed and more surprising is that they fit perfectly! As if they sown them on him. He laid patiently on the bed after trying and failing to open the door again.

Merlin felt a bit at ease when he heard the door opening. It only means they haven't left him to rot in there.

Lamia piped inside the room and spotted Merlin sitting on the bed staring back at her.

" Merlin" she called softly.

Merlin sat still , staring at her expressionlessly, not moving an inch. Lamia let herself in walking over to Merlin. She was wearing a pair of denim trousers and a beige V-necked top. Her was packed in a pony tail style and her face make-up free. Merlin has never seen a picture of the star where she had no make-up on.

" Merlin" she called again. " Let go and have breakfast. Arthur is already waiting." Merlin noticed her voice wasn't as guff as yesterday. Maybe she was just a bit tired he thought.

What?! Breakfast with Arthur? Merlin looked wide-eyed. He swallowed hard nodding at Lamia and slowly stood up waiting for her to lead the way.

He was excited about getting out of the room for the first time, but also nervous about meeting Arthur again. Lamia opened the door and Merlin found himself in the most spectacular corridor he'd ever seen. It was large and long. Merlin turned around on his spot, there were thousands of doors. The whole corridor was adorned with crystals and chandeliers. It could be a 5 stared modern castle hotel he thought.

" Where are we?" he asked still looking around admiring the lights decorations.

" Avalon" Lamia replied impatiently

Avalon?! " Avalon with the woman statue?" He asked looking at Lamia with his bug-eyed. He'd always wanted to see that statue.

" Merlin , there is just one Avalon" Lamia giggled shaking her hand in disbelief.

" Which hotel is this?" Merlin couldn't stop himself from touching the well smoothed wall.

" This, Merlin, is Arthur's house" She pulled at Merlin ignoring the shock expression on his face. Arthur's bragging was right. Merlin was very cute. " So if you have any question, you should ask him" She laughed for the first time, dragging Merlin along the corridors.

Merlin found himself climbing down stairs with Lamia still holding his hand. He was sure he wouldn't remember the way back. So This was Arthur's house? Arthur owns this mansion? Arthur lives in Avalon? Everybody knew he had a flat in Albion. That was credible as Albion was one of the most popular cities where famous people could be meant at the supermarket.

" What floor were we?" Merlin panted.

" Third floor. Merlin." Lamia replied non showing a sign of fatigue.

" Well it seems you're used to it." Merlin continued. " some people like me will need a lift".

" A little exercise won't do you bad Merlin. Now, what did I say about whom to ask questions?" Lamia said in a warning tone.

Could Freya, or maybe his mum and dad possibly be in one of those rooms?

They finally climbed down the last few steps. He found himself being pulled across the most well-appointed baronial styled living room he'd ever seen. The room was lofty and big casement windows allowed a huge amount of natural light. Collage of framed pictures covered one part of the walls. Merlin could see clearly the large centred one with a golden frame. There was Arthur's family picture with a younger version of Arthur and Morgana. He needed his glasses. A large dark piano at the far end of the room caught his attention but he found himself being pulled away through a large opening to another room.

The dining room was huge. There was a large long rectangular mahogany table surrounded by chairs. Arthur was seated though at a smaller table by the window. The sight of Arthur made him froze pulling back Lamia who turned to him with a questioning look. Arthur was stunning as always. Merlin didn't know if Arthur was smiling at him, or maybe at Lamia or perhaps at both of them. Was is really important? And why was his heart beating uncontrollably?

Lamia pulled a bit harder and in a few seconds, only the small squared table was separating him from Arthur. Lamia took a seat and started eating.

" Good morning Merlin! You had a nice sleep?" Arthur's fruity voice echoed in Merlin's head.

What was so good about the morning Merlin would have loved to ask. But he stood still eyes downcast staring at the content of the plate that should be his. The smell of bacon filled the air with sausages placed near to the bacon. Knife ,fork and spoon carefully lay still beside the plate. At the centre of the table was a white tea mug with " Have a good day" written on it. He watched the vapour escaping from the small opening on the mug and vanishing into thin air.

" You know Merlin, staring won't make the food enter your stomach. Or you've found a way to make that possible too? " Arthur broke the silence.

Arthur's voice made Merlin flinched a bit. He glanced at Arthur meeting his eyes for a few seconds and then looked down to his plate. He slowly pulled a chair, sat down, and picked up his fork with shaky a hand.

Arthur watched fondly every movement Merlin made. Is he always this timid? Arthur wanted to know the part of Merlin that would laugh freely with his head thrown backwards. He watched as Merlin brushed his long fringe from his face stocking it at the back of his butterfly ear.

" Merlin you need to eat something." Arthur said in a worried tone. He knew Merlin didn't eat what Lamia had brought up for him. Merlin was just too slim to jump a meal.

All Merlin wanted at that moment was for Arthur to stay shut because he was getting really nervous.

"We don't want you getting sick now. Do we" Arthur continued. "You know you could..."

" You can't keep on ordering me about, you're not my father!" Merlin snapped and his Irish accent could be clearly heard. "Just tell me the hell I'm doing here already." Merlin's outburst of anger shocked as him as it's shocked the other two people in the room. He took a long deep breath and released it slowly feeling his anger die down, and left him to drown in his sense of guilt. His mother had always told him to stay calm, anger won't solve anything but will only make it worse. Merlin couldn't bring himself to look at the two pair of eyes staring at him.

He wiped away the angry tears that had started to fall down his cheek. "I'm sorry" Merlin murmured. "I'm so sorry I didn't mean to shout" .

" Oh Merlin" Lamia called with a sweet gentle tone that reminds Merlin of his mother's reassuring him everything would be okay. Lamia reached out for Merlin's hand across the table rubbing her thumbed on the back, and Merlin felt himself relaxing.

Arthur didn't know what to do, and it hurt to see Merlin crying. And it even hurt more knowing it was his fault.

" You look cute when angry" Arthur blurted out.

Merlin chuckled " Will tells me that all the time" he smiled sadly . gods, he missed Will.

Arthur wished he could kiss away that sad smile. He gulped down his cup of tea in one go. A strong coffee would have been better he thought. He pulled his chair backwards and stood up .

He turned his attention too Arthur who was now standing with an expression Merlin couldn't read on his face. Arthur was about 6 feet tall. His sky-blue shirt fit perfectly showing off Arthur's Well built body. How could some be so perfect? Merlin thought

" Merlin?" Arthur soft-spoken voice brought Merlin back to the present. His crystal blue eyes meant Arthur darker ones. " Everything happening now is my fault.". Arthur paused and cleared his throat. Lamia quietly watched the scene in front still holding Merlin's hand. Arthur was getting emotional was very rare. " I promised to tell everything when time comes. Your parent and Freya are at my dad's. They are fine and you'll meet them soon. But now you just have to trust me and stay here. And, please, it's not an order. Just try eat something."

Merlin nodded as if he'd been hypnotised. He'd listened to him without once breaking the eye contact, and Arthur had managed to give him the sense of security.

" I'll go to Lancelot's and then to my dad's" Arthur turned his attention to Lamia. "I don't know when I'll be back, depends on how the meeting goes."

" Okay" Lamia nodded.

" see you guys later" Arthur said before living the dining room.

The room suddenly felt empty . Merlin picked up his fork and started eating feeling suddenly hungry.

Lamia preferred not commenting.

After breakfast, Lamia asked Merlin if he would like to see the house round. He would have loved to but Merlin refused, he was tired and wanted to sometime alone. The journey to the room was in a blur. He wasn't yet comfortable calling it his room.

" Thank you Lamia" he said in nothing less than a whisper.

Arthur wasn't as bad as he'd thought. Well, Merlin was still mad at him. He could have found a better way other than kidnapping him and his family. Merlin couldn't help feel responsible even if Arthur had told him none of it was his fault. He knew it had to do with incident of 9 years ago. And now he is a burden to everyone and a danger to his own family. He let himself cried. That's all he could why other people fight his battle. At least his kidnappers weren't serial killers. Falling asleep after crying had become a routine lately.

Her legs stood straight in her high heels, and she moved in a slow and steady way. Her little red dress hugged her tightly showing off her perfectly shaped body, and it hung right above her beautiful knees.

" It's not good to stare, Arthur Pendragon" She shouted over the loud music that was booming from the two large speakers in Gwaine's living room. Even her shouting sounded angelic. That maybe too exaggerating, but it was the truth.

Arthur dragged his head up, his blue eyes met darker ones. Her face was covered in make-up, leaving very little space to her natural beauty, her lips coated with red gloss making her smile look brighter. Her long black hair fell softly backwards. She was...beautiful.

Arthur cleared his throat. " It's would be a crime not to admirer your beauty, Milady" Arthur said with a slight bow of his head.

She chuckled. " I'm Nimueh" she shouted again stretching her hand to Arthur. He accepted the hand shake willingly. They were now very close, and Arthur could smell her sweet perfume.

Friday evenings were holy to the knights of the round table. In turn, they would choose what to do on each Friday evenings. It has been a tradition since the early start. And this Friday, it was Gwaine's turn to choose the entertainment.

Gwaine had called for an urgent meeting the last Wednesday because he had an important announcement to make. They all knew nothing good was coming from it

They were all seated around the round table except Gwaine.

"Always the late comer. Even if, he was the one who said he had an impor..." Percival didn't finish before the glass door flogged open revealing a grinning Gwaine.

" Sorry, sorry. I know I'm late" he said as he took his seat. " Where is Leon?... And Morgana?" He asked looking around.

"Morgana can't be here all the time. She's a lawyer. And Leon has got something important to do. Now get on with what you have to say" Arthur knew nothing good was coming seeing the wicked grin on Gwaine's face.

" " Gwaine sat up and cleared his throat. " It's my turn to chose what to do on Friday. And we are going to have a PARTY!" Gwaine shouted the last part sounding like a child. He was expecting the rest to merry along but emotionless faces and dark glare was what he had in return.

" A party?" Elyan found his voice to ask.

" Yes. It's been a long time since we partied on Friday." Gwaine's voice sounded appealing.

" But we weren't working then." Mithian argued. " And you've got just today and tomorrow. And partying means partying with other people. It's not going to be possible except you've been planning it for a long time"

"If I remember clearly, Planning has never been in Gwaine's dictionary" Percival commented

" Gwain , you know Leon won't like this" Eira said

"Why don't we just stay together and drink something instead?" Lancelot suggested

" That's a good idea" Gwen said, and they all nodded in agreement.

" Well, are you guys done?" Gwaine asked looking around. " Lamia have you got something to say too?"

" Oh no" Lamia replied shaking her head.

" So ladies and gentlemen. You guys have just broken the only rule we have. But to everyone surprises, I've got a plan. Not really a plan but well I think we've got someone who can make wonders" Gwaine said with a grin. They all groaned in reply knowing who he was referring to. "Oh yes, Morgana is going to plan the party, and we are just going to party. And Leon, I'll get him drunk before he could start complaining" Gwaine said and continued saying they haven't got a lot do on Saturday. They only work for less than four hours.

"We could do without going to on Saturdays. I think it's a waste of time" he concluded

" This is not going to end well" Arthur groaned

Well, except it had worth coming to the party having to meet a lady like Nimueh

"So how did you come to know about this party?" Arthur asked

" What?" Nimueh shouted. The music was too loud and room was crowded."Maybe we should go to somewhere quiet"

Arthur found himself being dragged from the crowded living room to a more quiet place he recognized as Gwaine's kitchen.

"So what did you say back there?" Nimueh said turning around and smiling sweetly at Arthur.

"I've never seen you before." Arthur said forcing himself not to look at Nimeuh's exposed chest.

" Well, Albion is a big city" She smiled. "Not everyone is as famous as you"

" Yes, right" Arthur said quietly feeling a bit embarrassed. Nimueh was right but a lady like her would never go unnoticed.

" We'll meet again Pendragon" Nimueh said. She dipped her fingers into her small pulse and pulled out a small card. " My card" she said and handed to Arthur who accepted the card without taking his eyes away from Nimueh.

Nimueh smiled sweetly at Arthur and worked away.

Arthur had stood there staring at the small white card caring Nimeuh's name, her e-mail and phone number.

He couldn't wait to meet the mysterious lady again.

They started a relationship a week after the party.

Morgana though had never trusted Nimueh. She knew Nimueh wasn't all sweet and caring as she seems. Arthur hated it when Morgana turns out to be always right and this time again she was.

Arthur could have done some research about Nimueh. He didn't. Everybody had secrets, even Arthur himself hadn't been so truthful to Nimueh.

Nimueh could always answer question for herself, she was perfectly fine with her simple way of being, or maybe Arthur was too busy to see things. His fans weren't really supportive of their relationship.

Arthur had thought they were fine together.

Nimueh turned out to be Arthur's nightmare. Only he found out a bit too late.

Nimueh was a spy and daughter of Cenred Essetir, Uther's greatest rival. Her mission was to get the "Dorocha" that was under Uther Pendragon's protection. Her plans was to use Arthur to get to Uther, but she found out Arthur was the one she really wanted.

She had surprised Arthur at the house in Avalon. She waited outside the gate because the security man didn't allow her in even if he knew she was Arthur's girl friend.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Arthur asked once he got out off his car with a shock look on his face. He walked rapidly towards Nimueh who was standing behind her car.

Nimueh folded her hands across her chest complaining about how the security man had treated her badly. Arthur ignored her complaint and insisted on knowing how she had got there. Nimueh put a smile on her face while she explained her little story. She had been following Arthur. Arthur had always looked absent and would only meet her on appointment. They had spent few nights together but it was definitely not in this mansion. She wanted to know what Arthur was hiding. Nimueh explained, except it was just part of the truth, and being worried about Arthur wasn't on her list.

Arthur had quietly listened to her rumbling trying not to be nervous.

"I thought you were cheating on me. You always want me to call before meeting you" Nimueh explained

Arthur stared at Nimueh wide-eyed, he thought his eyes might popped out." What?! Everybody knows you're my girlfriend, and I'll never cheat on you.". His relationships had never lasted much, but none of his ex had ever accused him of cheating: He wasn't romantic, he wasn't present, he wasn't willing to give, they'd told him lot more but cheating?, no. Arthur signed and ran his hand through his hair. " Okay. Let take the cars inside and I'll tell you everything you want to know"

Nimueh smiled. She had followed Arthur and found out that he was working for Uther which was really perfect. Her mission was almost finished, her time was running out, and she couldn't leave without getting any information. Arthur had it all. She was sure Arthur wouldn't give her private information of his free will.

She had other plans.

" Wow, it's huge" She in an emotionless voice. Arthur nodded in reply. That was the shortest compliment someone has ever made about the living room. Not that he wanted to show off, but Nimueh's sounded a bit forced. Maybe she was really mad at him, she didn't seem mad, Arthur had never seen her upset, and he wasn't really comfortable having Nimueh in Avalon even if he trusted her, but maybe not enough to tell her everything about him, at least not yet.

" These guys seems to be everywhere" she said turning to face Arthur, her smile never leaving her face. That was one thing liked about her. She was smiley, and her smile could brighten one's day.

" They are guards." Arthur replied, he placed his hand around Nimueh's waist and tried kissing her.

Nimueh pulled away from him. " Your room. I'm not comfortable having them around" she said, because they would obstruct my plans, she added in her mind. " And we may need a bottle of wine"

"This is your room" Nimueh said looking around the large well appointed room.

Arthur hummed in reply placing a bottle of wine and two glasses on the bedside table. He excused himself to the toilet leaving Nimueh to roam about. Her eyes landed on the small metallic-like box placed on the right bedside table. It had a small keypad with numbers and a space where the typed numbers could appear. A pin is needed to open the box. What she needed could probably be inside. She thought. And why will Arthur be so careless about it. She decided on putting her plans into action, and very quickly. Nimueh filled the two glass cup, took a white substance from her back and dropped it in one of the glasses. The small round shaped substance dissolved rapidly and disappeared silently in the wine.

Few minutes later, Arthur came out of the toilet to find Nimueh in her underwear holding two cups filled with wine. He gulped the content of the cup Nimueh gave him without taking his eyes off her. He dropped both cups on the table and pulled Nimueh in for a deep long kiss.

" I drank that a bit too quickly." Arthur said once they broke the kiss. " I feel... weird" He closed his eyes tight and then blinked them open. He felt weak.

Nimueh smiled. It was working perfectly. " Lay on the bed Arthur" she said as she helped Arthur lay on his back.

Arthur was confused. It was just a cup of wine, why did it feel like he'd drank bottles?. But he felt strangely wide awake, and he couldn't think properly.

" I know a lot about you Arthur Pendragon" Nimueh said tracing her hands on Arthur's chest. " About Camelot. You just have to answer some simple questions." She paused and stared at Arthur who stared back at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. " Tell me what's in that box" Arthur's followed her out stretched to where it was pointing.

" I can't tell you what's in there. It's looked with pin because it has to remain secret." Arthur said sluggishly. He felt he wasn't controlling his mind. " Except you've got someone like Merlin to open it" The thought of Merlin brought a smile to his face.

Nimeuh felt interested. " Oh really? Tell me about this Merlin". Whoever this Merlin was, he could be useful. She's got few minutes before Arthur started feeling the side effect.

Arthur told everything he knew including Merlin's recent address in Ealdor. He hadn't been stalking the boy, definitely not. Okay, maybe not physically. Arthur had always told his friends that he was just interested in knowing how Merlin doing was doing because the boy seems to get himself in trouble all the time. The idea of meeting up with Merlin terrorised him, he didn't know how to make it possible and what was he going to say: " Hi, I've been tracking your whereabouts for the past who knows how many years". Gwaine had said it wasn't a bad way start with. That was Gwaine trying to be helpful. Talking about Merlin always made him excited, and he would never get tired. The boy had managed to enchant him on their first meeting that he couldn't but always think about him. Maybe that has been the reason to all his never lasting relationships. His mind was always somewhere else, always to picture Merlin doing anything. Arthur didn't realise he was giving a bit too much information to Nimueh. Except Nimueh was the wrong person he'd ever talked to about Merlin.

Nimueh listened carefully . She'd had heard the story of the mysterious boy who was able to open private documents, her father had been obsessed about the news, and now she had a name and, she knew where exactly to find him.

" Don't worry Arthur. Your Merlin will be safe with me. You should have listened to your sister about me" Nimueh whispered, she moved away from the bed and started putting on her cloths.

" What did you do?" Arthur tried pulling himself up but failed. He couldn't move his hands and his legs were heavy. His eyes started closing against his will, and he felt he hadn't slept in ages. He groaned.

Nimueh kissed Arthur on his forehead. " It was nice being your girlfriend for the past few weeks, and you weren't totally useless." She paused and stared at Arthur for few seconds. " My name is Nimueh Essetir not Greenwich. Thank you for telling me about Merlin."

Arthur wanted to say something. Something like "don't go near Merlin." But he was just too tired, even to think.

"You can't fight it Arthur. Sleep" Nimueh whispered again. She left not without taking the metallic box.

Arthur woke up hours later to find the room empty. Memories of what had happened rushed in his brain making him dizzy. He looked at the bedside table , the box wasn't there.

He jumped down from his bed ignoring the pain in his head. He picked up his phone, called Morgana, and explained to her what had happened in one breath.

" How could you possibly be so stupid. I knew you were stupid but not this far." Morgana was shocked and angry at the same time. " Why would you tell her about Merlin? Now she thinks Merlin is a genius who knows everything because that's how you've always presented him."

" I know. I screwed up." Arthur said running his hand through his hair. " She drugged me Morgana. Now what should I do?" He asked. Morgana always know what to do.

" Call the knights of the round table. It's an emergency. Merlin is clearly in danger. You need to get him before Nimueh does. Leon will meet you guys at Camelot. I'll take care of the press about your breakup with Nimueh"

This is one thing about Morgana, she would always think of some solutions even in the most surreal situation. Morgana had saved him many times from being punished, in turn he had had to do what Morgana said. Better than being locked in the house and not going out with friends?. Yes.

Some hours later, the knight of the round table found themselves on the helicopter embarking on their not so well planned mission.

That was how it started all started

Arthur shook his head trying to clear his head from the memories of what had happened , they seemed to be coming often and now he needed to concentrate on his driving. He regretted ever meeting Nimueh. And the meeting he would be having with his father and Merlin's parent won't be any pleasing either.

Arthur and Morgana arrived at the same time. Neither of them has ever loved participating in family meetings when they were younger. Listening to their parent talk about the bad things going on, and telling them to be careful with who they are friends with has never been the best way to spend their time.

"You look terrible" Morgana greeted. Her lips coated with red parted in a teasing-like smile revealing her perfect whit teeth

" Hello to you too Morgana. Sweet as always " Arthur replied opening the door for her to let her in first.

"Ready to meet the devil?" She said as they walked into the well too familiar living room

Everything in the house remind them of both their good and worst childhood memories.

Ygraine came hugging both." You guys look so sweet " she said kissing them on the cheek

" Thanks mum" They replied simultaneously. The meeting won't be starting at the moment. Morgana went with ygraine to the kitchen while Arthur went upstairs to his used to be room. It wasn't like other teenagers room covered with posters. But he had a secret storage, only Morgana manage to find out. It was a wooden box where he kept everything about his childhood and youth: his diaries, posters, pictures... Morgana had promised not to tell anyone only because Arthur had promised to do whatever she wanted, even going shopping with her and her caring, obviously caring their shopping bags. Another thing Morgana is good at: Blackmailing.

A knock on the door brought him out his thoughts. "Lunch will be ready soon. Bring yourself downstairs and stop thinking about how stupid you were, you're still very much the stupid type". Morgana said peeping through the half opened door. Arthur stocked out his tongue at her playfully. He remembered asking his mother if stupid was his second name when he was a very little boy. Morgana had called more stupid than his real name.

Everybody were already sitting at the table when Arthur finally got down. The tension in the air made breathing difficult. He took a seat opposite Balinor who gave him a deadly look. He was sure his father has told them the stupid thing he did. Maybe Morgana had been right all this time, maybe he was really stupid. The silence was deadly, nobody daring to make noise, not even with their forks. Hunith busied herself trying to make Freya eat something. Arthur knew Freya was one of his fans. She had been staring at Arthur with the "Fan-look" plastered on her face, and she seemed she was going to jump on Arthur at any moment. Who knows why she wasn't yet screaming. Perhaps things were happening too fast. Her brother was missing, and she was staying at Arthur's parent house with the very real Arthur Pendragon in person seated just across the table. There were too many things to process at the same time. Nobody could finish their food. Someone has to break the silence though.

Uther cleared his throat . "I'm really sorry for all this... I think your son is a threat to the ..."

"My son is no threat to anyone" Hunith cut in. "Your son caused it all, and now my son's life is in danger' she added sobbing. "Why is he not here?" Hunith asked looking at Arthur for answer.

And now there is a crying Hunith, a wide-eyed Freya, Morgana and Ygraine trying to keep Hunith calm, while Uther and Balinor emerged themselves in a not so heated conversation.

"Your son is in a safe place" Arthur said loud enough for everybody to hear. Six shocked faces stared at him as if his got something on his face. Freya was daydreaming. Well, at least he was able to get their attention.

" Thanks for the attention. I'm very sorry for all this. I didn't mean any of it to happen. I promise to protect Merlin with my life. We are already working on it, trying to get enough information, and very soon everything will be over. " Arthur tried not to meet his father's eyes the whole time. He had always wanted to please his father right from time. Uther had never seemed please for all the good works Arthur did, let alone now that Arthur had let the worst happened. Arthur left after murmuring a silent excuse me. Morgana followed after him.

"You really like the boy" Morgana stated once they got out.

" Morgana for the hundredth time , no " Arthur said. Yes, he really liked Merlin. Who wouldn't? Merlin was cuteness himself: his sharp cheek bones, his kissable red lips, crystal blue eyes .

" You've been in love with him all your life" Morgana teased.

Arthur chuckled. " I'm going home. Why are you not with them" Arthur stopped walking once he got to his car.

" You can't just leave me with those hungry wolves. I'm going home too" Morgana replied. She pulled Arthur in for a surprise hug. " We'll do this together" She whispered.

Arthur hugged her tightly in return. The few moments when they were not insulting themselves, they were being sentimental. And the both loved those moments. They were rare moments, but every time was always special.

Now Arthur has to get home and maybe explain everything to Merlin.

A/N: Read and Review, thank you.