Morning comes across Camelot, fresh dew on the grass, crisp morning air, and clear skies. All was calm as the town and castle was preparing for the day. All was calm except for one boy, running through the halls of the castle, late. Picking up a breakfast tray the young man hurries to his master's chamber. He enters the chamber and is just about to let out a sigh of relief when…
"You're late"
Merlin looks up shocked to find Arthur already awake. "Only by a little." Merlin moves and sets down the tray on Arthur's table. Arthur gets up and heads over to the table and sits down. Merlin goes about cleaning the room as Arthur eats.
"Why are you always late? Do you just not know how to be on time? Or is it your goal to keep me waiting."
"I am not always late." Merlin defends himself as he makes Arthur's bed.
"Oh yea, please state the last time you were on time." Merlin straightens up trying to think. "See even you can't remember."
"But I can remember you have a meeting in oh negative five minutes." Merlin say cheekily.
"Negative five minutes? What does that- OH!" Arthur gets up from the table and quickly heads out the door.
Gwen enters the bedroom shortly after Arthur's departure. "Merlin, where was Arthur off to in such a hurry?"
Merlin looks at Gwen innocently, "Oh he is off to a meeting."
"But there are no meetings today, at least that I am aware of." Confused Gwen looks at Merlin to see him smiling broadly before it registers in her mind. "oh," Gwen chuckles to herself.
"I better get going before he comes back."
"Yes you better," Gwen laughs as Merlin leaves.
With the sun lowering, the sign of the ending of another day, a group of knights, a king and his queen, and a manservant head back towards Camelot. Merlin is walking beside his horse which is carrying all the spoils of another excellent day of hunting.
Gwaine is talking as the others don't even bother to pretend to listen. "And as he picked up his last drink, he gave me this smirk, all cocky but I knew what was coming…and sure enough as soon as he finished it BAM he hit the ground. And that is the story of how I outdrank the great bandit Lor."
"Gwaine, if we have to hear one more of your drinking stories I will personally close the taverns for a month," Arthur muttered.
"Awe princess you wouldn't want an uprising on your hands now would you?" Gwaine asked sweetly.
Elyan laughed, "It would be only be a one man uprising."
"Only matters who the one man is," Gwaine remarked.
"Are you threatening the King?" joked Elyan, "That is punishable by death you know."
"No Elyan, not threatening the King, but the princess. Don't you agree Merlin?" Gwaine turns to Merlin.
Merlin laughs at Gwaine's remark but shakes his head, "I dare not offend the King, I think he might still be a little upset about this morning."
The Knights howl with laughter at the memory as Arthur turns red in the face. "Merlin when we get back to Camelot I will give you a list of chores so long that it will take you until your death bed to finish." Arthur threatens.
"Oh cheer up Arthur, its not everyday we get woken up by the King shouting orders running around the castle frazzled trying to put together an imaginary meeting." Gwaine laughs.
Gwen chuckles alongside the knights as Arthur gives her a betrayed look. "Oh cheer up Arthur, it was only a bit of fun."
Merlin who was laughing behind them as they walked back to Camelot suddenly become silent, the smile leaving his face. A feeling came, one that could only mean one thing, trouble. Merlin looked around trying to find out where it was only to here a battle cry as bandits came from all around. An ambush.
The Knights instantly dropped their joking demeanor and grabbed their swords shouting their own battle cry as they charged towards the oncoming bandits.
"Get Gwen out of here Merlin," Arthur gives the manservant a quick order before joining the rest of the knights.
Merlin heads quickly over to the Queen. "Are you alright m'lady?" he asks.
"Of course Merlin." Gwen says though her voice quivers slightly, something that Merlin does not miss.
"We should go for cover," Merlin says as he makes sure Arthur and the Knights are all right fighting and no danger is imminent. The bandits seem to be lacking in skill as the Arthur and the knights easily overtake them, but the number of bandits are greater than originally thought. Arthur turns back and sees Merlin and Gwen still in the same spot. He motions for Merlin to go away with Gwen.
"I would prefer not to leave my King," Gwen says to Merlin, who turns his attention back to her. Gwen was watching Arthur and saw the motions he was giving Merlin.
"We will be no help to the King here, he will find us when the danger has passed" Reluctantly both Gwen and Merlin go towards the forests. But not quick enough to pass by unnoticed by the bandits. Several break away and head off in the direction of the Queen and manservant. Arthur and the Knights try to follow but there are too many bandits.
Merlin and Gwen hurry through the forest as the sound of approaching footsteps become louder. An arrow passes by Merlin's ear. Before he can shout warning to the Queen an arrow pierces him in the back, with a cry Merlin falls.
All Merlin can feel is a burning in his shoulder. In the distance he can here a cry, his name. The Queen. Merlin tries to look around but all he sees are bandits. He can see the queen being pulled off her horse and tries to make for her. He feels a kick to the stomach and falls back. His tries to use magic but his mind can't concentrate. He can feel his body shutting down as a burning runs through him. He tries to cry out in pain but his mouth won't move. A flash of red goes before his eyes, Arthur or the Knights, they were hear they were saved. At this point Merlin can't have another concrete though as his blood feels like hot oil as it courses through his veins, he can only hope for darkness, sweet darkness, and it does not disappoint him.
Gwen watches fearfully as Merlin becomes limp. The bandits are tying her hands together but her thoughts are only with Merlin. When he was hit with the arrow he fell, which was expected, but not what came after. It seemed Merlin was having a spasm. He was jerking on the ground as he tried to look around. At that time the bandits were upon the pulling Gwen down from her horse. She could see Merlin try to get up but one of the bandits gave him a swift kick in the stomach. Merlin falls back as Gwen cries out in protest.
The bandit tying her hands looks back at what she is crying at. He looks at Merlin, no sympathy in his face. "Oh don't worry about him, he can't feel anything except the poison right now."
"Poison?" Gwen is horrified at the word being used in the same sentence as Merlin.
"Yea, nasty poison," the bandit says with glee, feeding off Gwen's horror. "First you're hit with it, and you don't think nothing of it until you find out your mind is fuddled, cant concentrate on nothing. You try to figure out what is going on but your body is shutting down until you can't feel nothing. And that's when the real pain starts. The poison spreads through your body hot as fire, but there is no escaping it, until it consumes you whole." The bandit laughs as he finishes tying Gwen's hands. Gwen can only stare at Merlin, who seemed to be fighting a battle within and now she knew he was losing it.
