AUTHOR NOTE- See everyone? I'm not dead! I was just writing another story for you all. Lately I've been obsessed with Merlin, and for good reason. It's an absolutely AMAZING series on BBC! although I watch it on SyFy. so here's an extended summary of the story.

*Arthur is still oblivious to Merlin's magic, and yet he is pulled into the utter chaos that is Merlin's life. Arthur just thinks of it as bad luck: Morgana taking control of the Camelot, being summoned by a dragon he thought to be dead, being unyeildingly hunted by Morgana and her men, and Merlin, his best friend, coming down with a mysterious, deadly ilness. Will he find the source of all this? Will he begin to understand the situation before he's completely pulled under?*

*DISCLAIMER- I DO NOT OWN MERLIN! BBC OWNS ALL RIGHTS!*

"It's getting dark; we should stop here for the night," Arthur said.

"Agreed," Gwaine sighed. His usual upbeat and taunting self faded and was replaced with a weary expression. "I can't walk another step. I'm exhausted!"

Arthur nodded at the two knights who'd fled with Merlin and Arthur: Sir Leon and Sir Gwaine. The young king raised his eyebrows at his servant for guidance.

"Do you think it's safe to stop here?" he questioned. Merlin looked around surveying the dark perimeter.

"Yeah, I think we should be safe here. It's hard to tell though."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see, now won't we? We'll set up camp here. Nothing too big, we don't want Morgana and her men to be able to track us easily. Merlin, set up a small fire would you?" he asked sighing.

"I'm on it," the servant replied, looking around to spot a small, dry patch of dirt. He began to move toward it when suddenly Arthur grabbed his arm.

"A small fire, Merlin," he said through his teeth.

"Of course, my lord," Merlin replied, bowing his head. Then, Arthur left to help the two knights find firewood. It seemed that all four of them knew exactly what they were supposed to be doing. Merlin knelt down by the patch of dirt and clawed at it, making a small hole big enough for the fire they'd need. Gwaine returned and presented some small twigs and kindling, along with the flint to start the fire. Next to Merlin were the small, yet thick, sticks that Arthur and Leon had found.

Merlin began to try and light the fire, but his attempts were unsuccessful.

"What's taking you so long? Don't you know how to start a fire?" Arthur shouted impatiently. It was obvious to see that the weariness and irritability that everyone had obtained while on the long run to escape Morgana and her men, was finally letting itself be known.

"Yes my lord, I do but these sticks are damp and they won't light easily." Merlin struggled to keep his own irritation in check. He knew he could light it easily, but not with everyone else looking, especially with Arthur watching. All he needed was a few seconds.

The knights groaned with exhaustion as they headed back into the forest immediately surrounding our site to find some drier, more ignitable twigs. Arthur had his back turned. Now's my chance! Merlin thought to himself.

He positioned his hand above the small pile of twigs, "Beal on byrne," he whispered as quietly as his voice would allow him to. Instantly, they burst into a small flame and the young warlock smiled with satisfaction at the completion of his task. "Got it," he said louder so that Arthur could hear, and set a few small sticks on top of the now flaming pile of twigs.

"Well, it's about time!" Arthur shouted as he waddled over to the fire and sat next to it for warmth. He wrapped his arms tightly around his knees to try and sustain all the heat that he could.

Leon and Gwaine began to approach, but their footsteps slowed with caution, noticing the young and now extremely irritable king's temper.

"What's got you all upset, princess?" Gwaine played. He was only trying to lighten the mood, but to no avail. Arthur threw him a menacing glare of irritation that said, 'Lay off the name calling or you're dead!' Merlin frowned at his friend, and Leon too, disapproved of Gwaine's comment. Turning to face Arthur, Merlin said,

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Arthur sighed and rubbed his hand over his face.

"I've let my people down, Merlin. I'm not worthy to be their king."

"But you are their king," Merlin retorted, and Arthur simply let out another sigh.

"Not anymore." Arthur stared at the ground, face blank, Arthur's spirit, truly nowhere to be found. There was a long, thoughtful moment of silence that was eventually broken by Merlin's voice.

"So what you're saying is that if I walked into Camelot and sat on that throne, I'd be the king?" he asked. Arthur's face twisted into an expression of what seemed to be horror.

"What?" he shouted. "Merlin… that is probably the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my entire life! And trust me; I've heard some pretty stupid things come out of your mouth over the years." The knights laughed as the loyal servant to the king began his humorous pep-talk.

"Oh, well okay if what I'm saying is stupid then correct me if I'm wrong, but you are still. The. King!" Merlin spoke loud and slow in an attempt to really get his words to sink into Arthur's mind.

"Well, you're wrong. Morgana's defeated me. She-"

"Marched into Camelot and sat on the throne! Let me tell you; if I can't just sit on the throne and be king then Morgana sure as hell can't!" Merlin laughed slightly and the two knights sat gaping at the way the servant spoke to his king. They'd know that they were friends of a sort, but how close the two were had been a mystery to them. Arthur was allowing Merlin to talk to him like that, and Arthur was taking every word Merlin said to heart.

"I… guess you're right… Merlin!" the king laughed. The mood around the fire had suddenly lightened at the sound of the once very depressed king's laugh, but Arthur's face soon fell again. "Even so, how would I take my kingdom back from this false queen if I can't even defend my life, let alone the lives of my men? She is just… too strong."

Merlin joined Arthur in sadness, as Merlin knew Arthur was right. They didn't possess the strength to defeat Morgana. Their swords were no match for her magic. Merlin, however, knew he could at least attempt to bring her down for a short time. At least long enough for Arthur to strike, anyways. Merlin was all that they needed. The answer sat idly beside them all, but he wouldn't dare tell Arthur that. Not now. Not yet.

Arthurs face had begun to soften as he got further and further into thought.

"You know Merlin, you never cease to amaze me," Arthur finally said. Merlin's deep, blue eyes stared at him with confusion. "What I mean to say is that I just can't understand you Merlin. One minute you're a total buffoon and the next…" he opened and closed his mouth trying to find the appropriate way to say what was on his mind. "Well, the next, you sound like one of the wisest men I've ever known," he finished with a serious tone. Merlin smiled.

"What? Who me, wise? Arthur I'm worried you've come down with a fever," he laughed. They both glanced over at the two knights across from them and upon noticing their outrageously hilarious looking expressions, fought to muzzle themselves. Glancing at each other, they could no longer help it. They burst into a frenzy of laughter and the knights joined in so not to feel left out of anything. Their laughter definitely seemed to be contagious though.

After the seconds turned to minutes, the laughter began to die and fade, and the four fell silent around the fire.

"We should get some rest," the king said as he pushed himself back to a tree. All nodding in agreement, Merlin put the fire out and covered in completely with the dirt he'd dug from the hole.

Merlin had lain himself down on the cold forest floor, but very little sleep came to him that night. All the thoughts and fears running through his mind would not allow him to sleep, making it impossible for him to close his eyes. He kept thinking about Morgana and Agravaine. Though he'd killed Agravaine, he'd figured out he was Emrys. He'd killed the man by using magic and feared more than anything that Morgana, who'd followed close behind Agravaine, had seen him do it. 'She couldn't know that I'm Emrys! She just couldn't! How on earth would Morgana know that I'm Emrys?' he kept thinking. He kept telling himself that there was little chance that Morgana knew who he really was, but he could help the feeling in the pit of his stomach that bubbled and churned, making him feel sick. Someone was after him. His senses were screaming at him, telling him to run, to hide, that she was after him.

"Emrys, she's coming for you," a voice suddenly said, and Merlin sprang up, eyes scanning the entire perimeter. Finally his eyes fell upon a hooded figure, staring at him from the edge of their campsite.

"She's coming."

END NOTE- So who do you think this mysterious character is? Tell me what you thought of the story so far. How soon I update next depends on how many reviews I get by the way, so please review. *gives puppy-dog eyes* even if its only just a few words.