Authors note- Hi! Ok, so i'm actually really bad at writing but had nothing to do this evening as my friends were all doing homework. I decided to write this as its an idea I came up with when I had nothing better to do in a lesson. I know it's not very good and probably full of errors but if you have time please review, it'll help my writing for my exam. I have no idea if I'll put more depends how my school work ends up going- hope you enjoy and sorry for wasting your time on my bad writing :) Just to clarify I don't own Merlin and my story has no links to any stories with the same name or a similar idea, so if I rewrote what someone else came up with sorry but I didn't mean to :)

Merlin blinked, he didn't know where he was but it wasn't home. The constant dripping and darkness were the obvious give aways that he was no longer in his room at home where he wanted to be.

Slowly he sat up, carefully looking around him. All there was in this room was a small stack of blankets and a tiny window located so far up the wall it gave in the smallest amount of light. He had certainly never been here, as far as he remembered that was. He searched through his foggy memory hoping for some idea or at least theory to how he ended up here, maybe a joke, or the aftermath of a battle or morgana's next plan for him to ruin.

No memory's turned to light.

...…...…...

Gwen was cold. Beyond cold, freezing in fact. Instinctively she turned to grab the sheets back from Arthur, only to grasp at nothing. Puzzled she called his name determined to regain the warmth the sheets would bring.

No response.

She rolled over. It was hard. The surface was too hard. She wasn't at home; Arthur wasn't next to her. 'Strange' she thought yet to panic. She sat up to see nothing; she blinked a few times waiting for her eyes to adjust to the lack of light around her. It definitely wasn't night, the sounds of the world outside was the expected midday tunes and yet it was dark; she puzzled.

Gwen began calling out, the fear started to bite at her heart. She started with the names closest to her 'Arthur?' 'Merlin?' 'Gaius?' Soon it grew into a full on panic. She began to scream for whatever names she could recall to be in the castle of Camelot, even names she knew would never answer, those belonging to the long deceased.

Soon the screaming evolved into loud crying. She aimlessly ran around the room hoping for an escape that she couldn't see and yet hoped was there. Eventually she sat down in the stop she had awoken in. 'Where is Arthur?' She whispered quietly to herself, he had promised to always be her protector when she needed him.

…

Arthur walked around the castle. It was normal for merlin to go missing, often going down the tavern or 'collecting herbs' or simply over sleeping, but Gwen going missing was a different matter. She would never leave the castle without letting someone know now all he had to try and do is track down that one person in the whole castle who knew where she was; a mammoth task of it's own.

Many hours later and after several circles of the castle Gwen was still missing. Now he was worried. Why would she leave? He had woken up to an empty space next to him and no one had seen her since yesterday.

He needed to find her.

'I'll stared by alerting the knights', he thought to himself, 'they will help me search, Gwen is nearly as important to them as she was to him.'

He was determined to find her.

…

Finally merlin heard a voice. He had sat there for hours, thinking about how these events had occurred. Another voice was welcoming, even one that he knew could bring as much pain as it could hope.

The door opened.

A hooded figure walked over to him. Motioned for another person to enter. Together they grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the door and into the unknown.

Merlin was pushed onto the stone floor, he raised his head. Gwen was next to him. He carefully studied the tear marks staining her face and the relived expression when she notice Merlin sitting next her; but he could still see the fear in her eyes.

Merlin stood up, not caring what eyes bore into him, he walked over to Gwen and enveloped her in a hug trying to protect her despite him being just as scared and confused. Gwen turned into Merlins chest, she needed the support of her friend, and she sensed he needed it from her as well.

A loud cough eventually drew them apart. They clutched hands like two frightened children and turned to face their audience.

Merlin drew a breath and asked the question they wanted to know 'why are we here?' He announced, 'do you not realise this is the queen of Camelot?' 'How dare you take her?!' 'You will regret your actions'

Gwen clutched Merlins arm trying to stop him shouting at the spectators, they all looked far too dangerous to be upsetting, they would hurt them both if they could.

Merlin sensed Gwen's panic at his actions. He fell into a silence.

Minutes passed before Merlins questions were answers.

'Your location cannot be disclosed to you. So where 'here' is you will not be told. However, the motives for you being here are simple. Arthur must choose between his wife and his manservant with the secret that will save Camelot. Whatever one he does not choose will die'

Gwen and Merlin looked at each other. They knew Arthur's choice would sever Camelot, and kill one of them. And yet they knew it would be a choice he had to make. They shared the same exchange of fear before Gwen's turned into one of confusion.

'What secret?' She asked the figure who had spoken, attempting to keep the fear out of her voice.