"Arthur...what exactly are we doing here?" Merlin asked as they journeyed through the valley of the fallen kings.

"Really Merlin, I would think you would know a shortcut when you see one, but perhaps you really are dumber than you look."

"I just want to know why we're going through the valley of the fallen kingdoms just to cut a day off of our journey to the village that you say has had reports of magical activity, which by the way even Gaius said was a bad idea to inspect."

"I respect Gaius, you know that, but you also know that..."

"If a village is in trouble, you won't just leave them that way. Yes I know." Merlin groaned out. "But what exactly is happening in the city? One minute I'm having a great dream and the next you're throwing a sack at me telling me to get up and get dressed. Then when I asked about it all you said was there was magical activity. So, what exactly is going on?"

"Merlin..."

"No, Arthur...tell me." Merlin stopped his horse and for once he seemed to get the attention of his king, but it wasn't quite the attention he thought he was going to get.

Arthur looked at him with equal measures of shock and dismay. "There is a sorcerer who has been hunting certain types of people..."

"Alright...what is this Sorcerer's type then?"

"Well...He seems to go after two types...Either black hair or blue eyes and well..."

"I don't believe it...you're using me as bait!"

"Merlin...come on..."

"No, you come on! I thought I was your friend, Arthur!"

"You are...but we need to stop the sorcerer before he moves on to another village." Merlin couldn't even look at him as he shook his head and it slightly pained Arthur.

"Fine..." Merlin sighed out. "What is the sorcerer doing to the people in the village."

"He seems to be cursing them to be infants. Helpless and alone unless someone looks after them...and he robs them blind. This is the third village he's done this too, but those were over our boarders."

"Let's just get this over with." Merlin stated as he rode ahead of Arthur and was fully aware that his king did not object to this action. "I can see the village."

Once they arrived to the village they were both surprised and angered by what welcomed them. It was a group for women who were all carrying children. "How many of these children were once adults?"

"All but two, Sire." A woman holding a set of twins. "These two to be exact."

"There's at least ten new infants." Merlin stated. "Did any of you happen to see anyone suspicious?"

"Sire...who is this?" One woman asked.

"He is my servant and I will allow him to ask you questions considering my knights are not with me. Please answer the question."

"Well...there was a man, but he was dressed as any normal traveler. He said he needed a place to stay for the night so we showed him to our inn."

"That's probably where he casted his spell on everyone. It's the perfect place to curse unsuspecting men and women." Arthur whispered to Merlin.

"I think you're right."

"Alright, could we ask you to please show us to your inn?" Arthur asked as he got off his horse.

"Certainly, Sire."

Once they were shown to the inn, they also noticed that there was a tavern on the first floor, which wasn't uncommon, but it only proved Arthur right that it was the perfect place to prey on the innocent. He told the women his thanks and walked into the tavern part of the inn and ordered a room for him and Merlin. "Thank you for our rooms. May I ask you a question?"

"Of course, Sire." The inn keeper answered.

"I'm here to try and catch a sorcerer who seems to have been reducing your town folk into infants. Have you seen any suspicious looking men?"

"Sire, this is a tavern. After all the men are done with their work in the fields or in their shops they all looks suspicious. Suspiciously tired, suspiciously lonely, suspiciously humorous, suspiciously pleasant...the list goes on, Sire."

"Well, we're looking for someone who was probably in here who...suspiciously didn't want anything to eat or drink. He probably just want to sit and enjoy the noise or watch the people...or perhaps he did order a drink but only one and he may have not finished it..."

"There was a fellow like that yeah..." She said as she searched for a room key of sorts. "It seems he's still here. His room key isn't here."

"What room was he in?"

"Room ten. Here, I have the keys double." She said as she handed Arthur the key to the suspicious man's room.

"Thank you." Merlin said for Arthur as his king immediately snatched the key and ran up the stairs.

"Merlin...come in here."

"Working on it, Sire." Merlin answered with heavy sarcasm. However, once he made it up there he saw what Arthur saw, and they were astounded by the state of the room. There were books everywhere, many different herbs, strange crystals, and many more magical looking items. "I think we may have found what we're looking for."

"Yes, but not who we're looking for."

"Which means he could be out there right now."

"Glad to see your brain does in fact work, Merlin. Get us set up in our rooms. Ironically enough our room number is nine."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"This is the last of it, Sire." Merlin said as he placed Arthur's bags on the floor next to his bed.

"Good, thank you, Merlin. Now, we need to go downstairs and partake in one of your favorite pastimes."

"What are you talking about?"

"The tavern, Merlin. We're going to go drinking. You go often enough, I would think you'd at least be able to understand that much."

"Actually I don't go that much." Merlin muttered, but he knew Arthur heard it and chose to ignore him. Once they made it downstairs Merlin felt a heavy presence. It was dark, twisted, and sickeningly amused. He looked around for the source of what was making him nauseous with the presence's nature, and he found a man standing in the corner holding a mug of ale, but he was merely watching the crowd. "Arthur...there, that man in the corner."

"Are you sure, Merlin?"

The man looked directly at them and started running. "Yup, I'm sure."

They began chasing after him and were soon brought back into the forest, passed where they left their horses. "Well well...you've caught me, Arthur Pendragon..." He held his hands up as he stopped abruptly. "...Now what will you do?"

"I'm going to take you to Camelot where you will face the consequences of your use of magic."

"So, execution then..." The man in front of them feigned a sigh with a dramatic hand over his heart. "Well, you know...my type really is much more like your friend there, but I guess I could make an exception for you." The man grabbed a crystal from his necklace and spoke into it as he held out his hand, and a bright blue stream of light started coming from his hand, and was heading straight for Arthur.

"No!" Merlin shouted as he jumped in front of the spell's stream, and was knocked back with the blast topping both him and Arthur over.

"Well, well...have fun with that, little king." Arthur tried to get up and chase him, but when he moved he felt something roll off his lap and then he heard a loud cry that would normally only come from an infant. He looked down in front of him as he sat up the rest of the way and there laid an infant with skin as white as snow, hair black as ebony, and eyes as blue as the clearest ocean. His eyes went wide as he came to only one conclusion that the infant in front of him was Merlin.

"Merlin?" He asked the screaming infant, and just his name alone seemed to make him stop his crying, and now he was looking up at Arthur with a small smile. With shaky hands he used Merlin's shirt to wrap him up and hold him. "You can't be more than a year old..." Arthur said to his small friend. "Well, Merlin...I can't exactly catch him without help now...since he tried to attack me, and I can't exactly have you carrying my stuff now."

Arthur gave a heavy sigh and made his way back to the inn, but when he got there he noticed that there was a man holding his and Merlin's stuff. "Sire, I saw what happened, so I loaded up my horse to help you back with your things. I suspect you'll want to get your friend to safety before pursuing him again."

"You assumed correctly, however, that does not mean you can just collect my things."

"I-I apologize my lord."

Arthur wanted to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration but there was a baby Merlin in his arms and he didn't exactly have a lot of options. "No, it's fine. Take the brown horse over there, and we will trade. Here..." Arthur pulled out his coin purse and gave the man five gold coins. "As thanks for collecting our things, however...if I find that there is anything out of place or missing you will be accused of stealing."

"I-I understand, my lord! Thank you!"

"Don't mention it...truly, don't."

"At least allow me to hold your friend as you get onto your horse, Sire."

"Fine, but do not harm him." Arthur growled out in an almost threatening manner.

Arthur mounted his new horse and once he was on he took Merlin from the man and noticed that he was asleep, softly snoring. "I have also taken the liberty to pack a few infant items. For when he needs to be fed or changed. I know it's only two days ride back to Camelot, but in that time the infant will require certain things."

"Thank you." Arthur said, but he was thinking, 'I have no idea how to take care of a child!'