Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin nor any of the characters. This work is purely entertainment for the fans. No profit is being made from this work. All rights belong to the respected owners.

Chapter One: Return of the King

"There's been no sign of them, M'lady." Leon bowed his head upon entering the throne room where Guinevere sat, tense and waiting. Leon looked up, addressing her with a reluctant expression.

"Neither of them?"

"I'm afraid not." Leon licked his lips uneasily. It'd been two days since the battle of Camlann and neither Arthur or Merlin were anywhere to be seen. "My knights and I will keep looking, M'Lady."

"Thank you, Leon." Guinevere nodded and he could tell she was trying to keep her composure in front of him. He bowed and turned, his red cape swishing to the side with the movement. Before he exited the throne room, he paused, turning slightly.

"M'Lady?"

Guinevere looked up sharply, eyes soft and kind, "Yes?"

"We will find them."

At those words, Guinevere's lips trembled and she nodded, hope filling her kind eyes. Determined, Leon left the throne room. Standing outside the doors, the knights waited and all looked up when he appeared.

"What'd she say?" Gwaine questioned first.

"We keep looking, at least until we find something. Whether it's something that means they're dead or alive." Leon pushed passed the knights and started down the hall.

Gwaine shared a look with the other knights before following after Leon.

"We leave at first light!" Leon called out behind him.

The world was faded, cold, and comforting. He tried to inhale, but his lungs felt restricted as if someone was placing a constant pressure on his chest. Something urged him to open his eyes, whispering softly in his ears. It was soothing and the cold darkness that entangled him kept him suspended in a void. He had no worries and it was lulling him to sleep, yet the whispers in his ears were pulling him slowly from the sleep he desired. He couldn't quite make out what the whispers were saying, but they pulled him up as if lifting him with invisible hands.

With a heavy tug, he suddenly broke through the surface of the cold darkness. A sharp inhale brought oxygen to his lungs and upon opening his blue eyes, he found himself waist deep in water. Dazed, he pushed through the water, heading toward the bank.

Water dripped from his body as he freed himself from the cold fingers of-

He paused, turning his head to gaze out at the water. It was a lake. The lake of Avalon to be exact. He blinked, confusion coming over him as the early morning light casted a stream of golden light down on him. He huffed out a breath, turning away from the lake and gazing around the clearing. It was quiet with only the sound of birds chirping their morning song.

He then took a glance down at himself. He remembered being stabbed, the pain-

Mordred.

He slowly reached up, touching the area where the sword had gone through him. There was no pain, nor blood for that matter.

"Just….just hold me."

"I CAN'T LOSE HIM!"

"HE'S MY FRIEND!"

The memories came back sharp and almost had him stumbling backwards.

Merlin

Arthur whipped his head around, looking for Merlin, yet there was no sight of him. He almost called out, but stopped himself in the realization that there were probably still enemies or bandits in the area and he had no sword (another realization).

Camelot. Merlin probably made it back to Camelot, he figured. Yes, that's where he had to be. Merlin had to be smart enough to have made it back to Camelot. Now he just had to get back.

Arthur inhaled sharply and with much discomfort, headed for the forest in front of him. He was still fully dressed in his chainmail and armor, which was good considering if he got attacked he'll have some protection, but also not so good, because he was wet. Everywhere. The water soaked into the fabric felt heavy on his shoulders, but he trudged forward, trying to get his bearings of the land around him.

So far, there had been no sign of enemies or anyone for that matter, which both relieved him and worried him. The air had a slight chill to it, but Arthur took to ignoring it as he side-stepped a few trees. He'd been walking for awhile now, perhaps an hour or so and the forest was slowly beginning to look familiar. Some part of him knew Camelot was still many miles away and he had a long ways to go.

Pausing to rest, Arthur leaned against a tree and slid down it, taking a seat on the dirt. He swept away drying strands of blond hair from his forehead and sighed. His limbs were sore and so was the now healed wound in his side, which still baffled him. How was he even alive?

Shaking those thoughts away, since they brought nothing good to the table, Arthur closed his eyes just for a moment. He'd let himself rest only for a couple minutes then he'd continue on his way. He sagged against the tree, his back pressed firmly up against it.

A twig snapped. Arthur's eyes flew open, startled to find that the sun had disappeared from the sky and the moon decided to take its place instead. Alarmed, Arthur scrambled to stand. He didn't even realized he dozed off. What if someone had attacked him?

"You fool." He muttered to himself with eyes expertly scanning the area, ears straining to listen for any sounds. He reached for his sword only to grasp at nothing. Arthur glanced down, remembering he didn't have his sword. He didn't even know where it was.

Another twig snapped, alerting Arthur, who pressed himself up against the large tree he'd napped on, only to see a deer step out. Relief washed over him in waves and he visibly relaxed.

"Dumb animal." He grumbled to himself and dusted off his armor, now content with the knowledge that he wasn't in any real danger at the moment.

Arthur knew he shouldn't travel at night. He never did it with his knights, so why should he do it alone? He could easily get lost or worse, have bandits attack or Morgana's men find him, but Arthur had no idea how long he'd been away from Camelot. He had no idea how long he'd been in that lake. It could've been days or weeks by now, possibly even months? The last thing he remembered (besides the battle and Mordred) was Merlin trying to drag him into the lake. After that, it was nothing. Just cold darkness.

Arthur shivered and shook his head. He decided to continue on, despite it being night. He had to make it back to Camelot.

Turns out, the nap gave Arthur a good boost of energy. He was careful in his movements, making sure not to disturb the forest with unusual sounds. He tried to keep his steps light and moved at a quick pace, being sure not to get himself lost. Arthur trudged on for awhile. He took small, five minute breaks as to not exhaust himself and found this tactic worked quite well because as soon as he pushed through some prickly bushes, he lifted his head to find the tip of his kingdom in the distance. He was close. Relief flooded his bones and he laughed quietly, knowing he was near.

Another hour or so and Arthur found himself stumbling closer and closer to his kingdom. He kept telling himself he was almost there and that seemed to keep his feet moving until he finally saw the entrance. A breathy, relieved sigh escaped him as he stumbled forward, feeling desperate at this point.

As Arthur walked forward, his eyes strained and focused on the guards at the gate entrance. He held up his arms, waving at them frantically as he drew nearer to them.

"Guards!" He called to them, his voice breathy and hoarse. He stumbled and finally, finally, he caught the guards attention. The guards hesitated at first, but after seeming to recognize him, both rushed forward toward him.

"Sire!" They both called out to him.

When they got to him, Arthur collapsed into their arms, exhausted once again. "Thank the gods." He muttered, a light and airy chuckle escaping him.

"Hurry, go inform the Knights!" One guard told the other and Arthur honestly didn't care at this point. He just wanted a warm bed, some water (dear gods he was thirsty and not to mention starving), and a bath. Definitely a bath.

"M'Lady!" Leon burst into the Queen's chambers, flustered and hair wild, "Excuse the intrusion, but it's...it's-"

At the intrusion, Gwen jolted up in her bed, heart racing, "What is it, Leon?"

"It's the King. He's alive, he's here."

Without a second thought, Gwen bolted out of bed, not even bothering to throw on shoes and followed Leon out the door.

Leon lead the way with Gwen hot on his heels when they found the guard that notified Leon about Arthur's return trying to help the other guard drag their King inside the castle.

"Arthur!" Gwen cried out, rushing passed Leon and toward the two guards. Arthur lifted his head at his name and couldn't help but smile when he set his eyes on Gwen. "My gods! I thought I lost you!" She exclaimed, helping the two guards to get Arthur on his feet.

"You won't get rid of me that easily." He said with a half-hearted smile.

They managed to get Arthur to his room and Leon instructed for one of the guards to go get Gaius. Gwen helped Arthur to lay on his bed and he groaned loudly as he did so, his limbs sore and aching.

"I feel like I've been subjected to being someone's practice dummy." He grumbled as he shifted against the comfy mattress.

"Come on, we need to get you out of that armor."

Arthur groaned.

"She's right, sire." Leon pipped in, glancing at Gwen.

"Can you sit up?" Gwen questioned and Arthur answered it by slowly, but surely (and with little help from her) sitting up. "Good."

With help from Leon, Gwen unbuckled and unstrapped the armor, letting it drop to the floor with a clang just as Gaius walked through the door.

"Sire!"

"Gaius, it's good to see you. I'm glad to see you've made it back safely." Arthur greeted, feeling a bit better now that the heavy armor and chainmail were no longer restricting him.

"I could say the same thing, my lord." Gaius said with a relieved smile, "How are you feeling?"

"Exhausted. Sore. Like I've been to hell and back. Not to mention, I just walked for gods know how many hours."

"Let me take a look at you." Gaius said and approached Arthur, "If you don't mind removing your shirt-"

Without a complaint, Arthur, with help from Gwen, pulled his tattered shirt off. As Arthur began to get inspected by Gaius, Gwen asked, "What happened to you, Arthur?"

Blinking, Arthur found he didn't have a response. He glanced toward Leon, who looked on warily and then to Gwen as her kind, worried eyes studied him. "I...don't know."

"You've been missing for three days now." Gwen informed him, "I was...so worried. When Leon came back day after day, saying they couldn't find you-" Her voice cracked at the end and she dipped her head, putting a hand against her mouth. Arthur could tell she was holding back tears.

"Worry no more, Guinevere. I'm here now." Arthur soothed her worries away and she nodded slowly.

"We...looked everywhere, sire." Leon spoke, standing up straight, "Where were you?"

Arthur was quiet for a moment as he felt Gaius's warm fingers prodding at his skin gently, most likely checking for broken bones. "In a lake."

"A lake?" Gwen echoed.

"The lake of Avalon, M'lady." Gaius interrupted, "It seems Merlin was successful."

Relief washed over Gwen visibly and she couldn't hold back the tears that slid down her cheeks. Arthur placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and she resisted the urge to hug the life out of him.

"Speaking of Merlin," Arthur began, glancing around, "Where is he? He has a lot of explaining to do, not to mention, a lot of my armor to clean now." He said, half jokingly as a light chuckle escaped him.

A tense silence suddenly washed over the room as Gwen and Leon shared a glance and Gaius focused on a particularly tender spot on Arthur's side. Raising an eyebrow, Arthur looked to Leon, who pointedly looked away. Confused, Arthur looked to Gwen instead.

"He's here, isn't he?" Arthur questioned slowly, "He had to have made it back before me. I've been gone for-"

"Arthur…" Gwen said softly, placing her hand on his forearm. Arthur stared into her eyes and the answer to his question dawned on him.

Merlin wasn't here.

Merlin never made it back.

"We were hoping that...once we found you, sire…" Leon began, "That we'd find Merlin as well."

Arthur tore his gaze away from Gwen and stared at the concrete floor.

"I'm sorry, Arthur." Gwen whispered, her head lowering, "We've gotten no word from him. That's why we were hoping he'd be with you."

Arthur blinked, swallowing thickly at the news. "You mean to tell me that…" Arthur inhaled slowly, "That Merlin is still out there somewhere…."

Leon looked ashamed, Gwen looked worried and Gaius, well, looked torn.

"Why didn't he come back, that dollophead!" Arthur shouted, yet there was no heat behind the words.

"Sire," Gaius stood, finished with inspecting Arthur, "We both know now that Merlin is more than capable of handling himself-"

Arthur's mind flashed back to the moment Merlin told him he was a sorcerer. He remembered the glowing embers of the fire rising up and turning themselves into an outline of a dragon. He remembered the way Merlin's blue eyes had flashed a beautiful gold as he spoke a foreign language. It had felt so surreal. Arthur looked up at Gaius, meeting the old physician's eyes.

"But, I'm afraid something terrible might've happened to him."

Hearing the words out loud brought a sort of sickening feeling to Arthur's stomach, one that began to hollow him from the inside out. He swallowed again, exhaling slowly. "The last I saw Merlin was right before I went into the lake." He said quietly. "When I came out, Merlin was….no where in my sights."

Gaius visibly sagged and Leon ducked his head in disappointment.

"I saw no sign of him on my way back here. I thought for sure he'd made it back. If I'd known…"

"There would've been nothing you could do." Gwen interjected as she gently, but firmly gripped Arthur's forearm. "You're exhausted and you need to rest, Arthur."

"Tell me how I'm suppose to rest, Guinevere, when I know the man that saved my life is out there somewhere in that godforsaken forest with bandit's, Morgana's men or even Morgana herself-!" His voice began to rise and he winced, cutting himself off as a sharp pain scattered down his side.

"Because being exhausted, thirsty, hungry and clearly not in a well rested mindset is not going to help you or anyone and it's especially not going to help Merlin." She shot back at him.

"As much as it pains me to say it, sire, she's right." Gaius spoke softly, "Not being at your full strength will do Merlin no good nor yourself if he is in danger."

Arthur closed his eyes slowly and then reopened them, glancing at the three people surrounding him. "I can't just leave him…"

"You're not leaving him, Arthur." Gwen said and Leon gave a reassuring nod.

"The Knights and I will continue searching the forest. We won't give up till we find Merlin, you have my word." Leon spoke, determination settling in his eyes.

Arthur nodded slowly, "Thank you, Leon."

"For now, Arthur, you must rest. Regain your strength." Gaius said, motioning for Arthur to get under the blankets and settle into bed.

"Gaius is right and we will be here if you need anything." Gwen gave his forearm a reassuring squeeze. Arthur laid back, head resting on the soft, plush pillows as Leon took his leave and Gwen stood up from the bed with Gaius at her side.

"I will bring you some fresh water and food." Gwen leaned over and gently placed a kiss atop of Arthur's forehead, "Rest now."

"Later, I will bring you some medicine to help with the soreness." Gaius nodded as Gwen hurried out the bedroom doors, leaving only the physician and his king. Gaius headed for the door, but was stopped by Arthur saying his name: "Gaius."

Gaius straightened a little and glanced over his shoulder at Arthur, "Yes, sire?"

"I will find Merlin."

There was a short pause.

"I will bring him home."

Another pause and Gaius smiled.

"I know you will, Arthur." And with that, the bedroom door clicked shut and Arthur was left to rest in a room that suddenly felt too big and too empty. He turned his head, eyes looking toward the window and the forest that lay beyond the castle walls. Arthur blinked.

"Where'd you go, Merlin?"

A/N: Hello! Thank you for taking the time to read the first chapter of my story! I hope you enjoyed! This is my first story in the Merlin fandom and I'm super excited to start it! Please tell me your thoughts on it! Reviews are welcomed and encouraged! (: I also have this story posted on Archive of Our Own under the username: ShushStark.