Hello Everyone, i havent given up on 'Gwaines Problem' just taking a break as i get my thoughts in order. This is set just after S4. I am thinking of making this into a looong story though at the moment i have only smoothed out my ideas for a couple of chapters so it can be read as a two-shot really. Im not even certain it will become a long chaptered story it will depend if you like it or not. Please read and review, tell me what you think, and what you think is going to happen! I'll be very interested.

Enjoy!

Merlin could hear Gwaine laughing loudly from the other side of the clearing. The knights were sitting around the fire finishing off the meal Merlin had made, they were all in good spirits. The trip they were on was a routine check on the borders of Camelot and an excellent excuse for Arthur to get away from his Kingly duties for a couple of weeks. They had set off about ten days ago and with everything seemingly fine and would be setting off home tomorrow.

He was just feeding the horses and sorting out their packs before he went to collect the knights' empty dishes and wash them before he could turn in. He was glad they had gotten away from Camelot for a while, Arthur had been very stressed lately and the knights had grown restless from being cooped up helping their king. But Merlin had enjoyed the trip for other reasons.

He liked the woods, he could get away from the knights and walk around the woods and the streams pretending to go off on some chore or other and instead sit somewhere quiet and use his magic. He felt almost free out here. Almost.

He was smiling at the banter being thrown around between Gwaine and Arthur as he collected the pot and the dishes to head off to the stream. It was dark now but it wasn't far. The knights were just settling down on their bed rolls, Merlin knew they would all be asleep apart from the man on watch by the time he got back. Excellent, he could sit by the stream and mess around for as long as he wanted before anyone came to look for him. Freedom tasted good.

He arrived at the stream and sat down on the rocky ground placing the dirty dishes on the floor beside him. He leaned back against a rocky boulder as he slowly began to wash them. He finished them and placed them higher up the bank as he didn't want them washing downstream as he lazed here.

He gently cast his magic out around him briefly, just to the line of the trees on either side of the bank to make sure he was alone before he started to cast spells he had been practicing and play with the water from the stream.

He didn't know how long he was sitting there when he felt it. Letting the ball of water he was making float around drop, he sat up quickly. He looked around and strained his ears to try to figure out what had brought him from his trance.

Nothing.

No one was there.

But he could feel it. Feel something. And whatever it was felt wrong. There was something wrong. He turned back towards the camp meaning to go check on the others when he realised that it wasn't coming from that direction. It was coming from across the stream, the other side of the bank.

He stood up, feeling suddenly indecisive. He should go back to the others, if there was something wrong he couldn't risk leaving them defenceless. He chuckled. Well defenceless to a magical threat. And it must involve magic somehow or he wouldn't have sensed it so easily.

But.

What if it was something dangerous and it was heading towards the camp? If it was some sort of magical threat then surely it would be best if he knew what he was facing, plus if he had to use magic then wouldn't it be best also to use it away from the camp?

Yes, best if he at least knew what the problem was and if it had to be dealt with he could deal with it away from prying eyes. He would keep the camp at his back so he was always in the way between any dangers his friends would face.

Merlin picked his way over the stream carefully, not wanting to fall on the sharp rocks, and up the other side of the bank. He hesitated slightly as he reached the tree line, looking back over his shoulder towards the camp he was leaving behind.

But no, it would be fine, he would see what the problem was and be back at camp before anyone missed him. Nothing would go wrong. It was his destiny to protect Arthur and it was becoming harder to hide his magic from Arthur when they were attacked. Both Arthur and the knights were his friends and he had become closer to them all now he was seen more as an advisor to Arthur rather than just a servant, though he continued to serve him. It would be difficult to protect them from a magical threat if they kept looking over to check he was alright.

He told himself he would be back in no time and set off through the trees, being careful of where he put his feet and staying quieter than he ever did on any of Arthurs hunts.

As he crept through the foliage he could feel the waves of magic hit him. Getting more intense as he moved on, closer, closer to whatever this was. It felt bad, wrong and for some reason he knew that whatever this was wasn't a threat to Arthur, the knights, it wasn't a threat to Camelot.

It wasn't his destiny screaming at him that this was wrong, that it felt so wrong. It was his magic.

That thought stopped Merlin in his tracks as another wave of magic hit him. He realised that it wasn't just that he was getting closer to the source, his magic was reacting to it, pulling at him, panicking. It was wrong. But Merlin couldn't turn back now. Even though he knew this was no threat to his friends he had to find out what was happening.

He forced himself to move closer as his senses stretched, trying to find any clues as to what this was. He felt as if there was screaming in his head but he couldn't hear any, as if he could see someone's lips moving but could not hear the words that were being spoken.

He saw a ridgeline in the trees up ahead and crouched down even further till he was on the ground then he proceeded to drag himself up to the edge of the tree line.

The closer he got to the ledge the more his mind was screaming, unheard voices and silent warnings accosted him and made it harder to put one foot in front of the other as he teetered closer and closer. He was hidden behind a bush just a meter from the edge now. Steeling himself for what was out there below the ridge in the valley, he took a breath and crawled from his hiding place.

At the sight spread out below him his heart stopped, the breath sucked from his lungs. Because he suddenly understood, the screaming that he felt but couldn't hear, his magic flaring and pulling at him.

His magic wasn't pulling him away, it was pulling him to. The sight below him was horrible. It wasn't his magic screaming silently at him, it was the people below him. Bound and gagged and caged like animals. There were druids and sorcerers and people he couldn't even feel magic emitting from. Innocent people. Men, women and children. All caged. They were screaming with their minds, screaming for help.

His help.