Hello, readers! I'm Wheezy.

Firstly, I would like to thank those who chose to read my story. This is my first Merlin fanfiction and I hope to write it well. This fic DOES NOT take into account, the events that occurred in the TV series Merlin. I've taken their names, their nature (behavior) and a few snippets from the series. This is an entirely different story which includes the characters of Merlin. If at any point in time, should you ask me why I'm not mentioning the events that occurred in the TV show, this is my answer to you now.

Also, this fic contains EVENTUAL MERTHUR. M x M. For now, it is Arthur/Gwen. I will not write explicit scenes though. My fic is a slow-paced fic. So, to all the Merthur fans out there, you're in for a very long ride. At times, you may find my characters a bit OOC. That is because of the plot I've written out for them.

Warnings - Evil Merlin for a few chapters, possible mind control, OOC characters at times, Graphical torture sometimes, not deeply sexual but you may find forced intimacy that'll be limited to kissing and touching, SELF HARM as the story comes down from its peak, ANGST (to those who don't like it), a few deaths here and there. RATING WILL BE CHANGED TO AN M IN A FEW CHAPTERS. This is a Dark fic, so be warned. If you do not entertain Merthur or Dark fics, please heed the warnings and press the back button. Thank you.

So, here you go and I'll be happy to have you guys review and discuss your thoughts with me. Thank you.

Words: 2182

1. Forest grounds

"For the love of God, Merlin! Would you stop staring daggers into my back?!" Arthur screamed for the umpteenth time, not even caring to cast a glance at a forlorn Merlin.

Guinevere cast a pitiful look at Merlin though, albeit smiling. Poor Merlin, Arthur never went easy on him. Always chiding for the pettiest of things, always overworking the gaunt young boy. She might've been a couple of years older than the boy yet she always felt a motherly instinct to soothe the boy of his hurt and underlying grief. It wasn't in her to guess why Merlin always looked so laden with distress when he was around Arthur. Probably, it had something to do with Arthur's brashness towards Merlin. It was surprising, actually, because Arthur was never impolite towards anyone, not even a servant. He wasn't like his Father, Uther Pendragon.

"I wasn't staring, Sire," Merlin calmly shot back, a small mischievous grin grazing his sunken cheekbones.

Hasn't Merlin been eating? Why is he so pale? Gwen thought, knitting her brows into a frown.

"Now you're lying, Merlin," Arthur said off-handedly, his eyes alert, his right hand close to his sheath in case of an attack.

Merlin chose not to reply.

They were in enemy territory and had to tread carefully. Earlier in the day, an informant rushed into their court, informing them of a band of sorcerers inside the woods, towards the Caves of Peril. Those caves have been harboring Dark Magic for centuries and no one dared to venture so far into the woods. According to their informant, a few sorcerers who escaped from Uther's Great Purge by hiding inside the Caves of Peril have now made their move into their peaceful world, trying to disrupt its harmony. They haven't done anyone any harm as of now. But his Father, Uther Pendragon, wants to curb and kill dangers of magic even before they had a chance to begin.

And so, they set on a journey. A week-long journey to the Caves of Peril. This was one such expedition which did not guarantee their lives in return. It was almost goodbye to the knights that rode towards these doomed caves. So on the night before their journey, Arthur paid a visit to the abode of the love of his life, Guinevere. He tried to soothe her nerves as she broke down in his arms, begging him to withdraw this suicidal quest. But Arthur was never one to turn his back on his duties towards Camelot and her people. Camelot always came first for Arthur. Even Gwen couldn't compete.

"I promise you, Guinevere, I'll do my best to come back. For you and for Camelot," Arthur assured, pressing a long kiss on her quivering lips.

"Take me with you," Gwen pleaded.

"No! Please do not make unreasonable demands. Do not make this harder for me than it already is," Arthur requested.

"Please, Arthur. I cannot lose you too," Gwen hugged him tightly.

"And you won't. Can I have that trust from you, Guinevere?" Arthur asked, pulling away from the hug and looking straight into Gwen's eyes with unadulterated love and affection.

"Yes, yes, Arthur. I trust you," she said and now? Here she is, riding alongside him, his knights and his useless manservant.

Arthur couldn't even be furious with her when he found out halfway through the day about her presence amongst his crew. She was hopelessly in love with him and so was he with her, he believed.

They were traveling in a pack divided into two – one, the front pack, looking out for dangers on the front end; two, the rear pack, keeping dangers that lurked behind them at bay. The front pack was led by Prince Arthur; his manservant, Merlin and his love, Guinevere, a few paces behind him on his either sides, followed by Sir Vidor and a group of army men. The rear pack was led by the brave Sir Leon along with Sir Caridoc and another group of army men. In total, they summed up to around 25 in number. Arthur hoped they weren't outnumbered. He didn't fear the brawn of sorcerers but their brains. They had magic and no brawn of his soldiers could stand a chance against a sorcerer, should he choose to unleash magic upon them.

Distantly, Arthur heard Merlin groan and he sighed.

"What is it now, Merlin?" he asked in exasperation.

"How much further is it? Can't we rest for a while? We've been traveling for hours! Also, we're losing light," Merlin sagged on his horse, curling in on himself.

"Are you alright, Merlin?" Guinevere cut in. She was really worried because Merlin looked pale. Very pale indeed.

Arthur chuckled heartily. "Wouldn't be the first time you had a sore bottom and you're still not used to it."

And for the first time in all day, Merlin smiled genuinely.

"Not everyone has a fat bottom like you, Arthur," he retorted and Arthur chuckled again.

This 'fat' insult was getting old. It wasn't an insult but a friendly gesture that only Arthur and Merlin could understand. Probably, no Royalty would ever treat their servant like Arthur does. He might be arrogant and condescending but he cares for Merlin. And, Merlin knows that. Though Arthur complains about his non-productive work, his laziness, his tasteless stews, and his clumsiness, he wouldn't replace Merlin. And, Merlin wouldn't want any other master besides Arthur. They were meant to be together – till the end. It was their destiny.

"Fine! Let's stop here for tonight. Merlin, help the others in collecting firewood, building a fire for the night, distributing dinner to everyone, setting up their blankets – mine first, then polishing my armor, my sword and my boots. Oh, and see to it that our surprise guest here, Guinevere, is treated well with all the supplies," Arthur ranted with his back to Merlin, who groaned in unconcealed displeasure.

"Merlin, I'll help you," Gwen said with a smile, shaking her head at Arthur.

"Oh, no, it's okay, Gwen! I can do it all," Merlin tried to convince her as Arthur was glaring at him. If he now allowed Gwen to help him in any of the works Arthur delegated for him, Arthur would make sure to teach him a lesson and he didn't want to deal with Arthur's silly temper tantrums right now.

"It's alright, Merlin. I'll give you a hand," Gwen insisted.

"Um, then you can just distribute food while I go and fetch firewood and start a fire. Everyone must be hungry. Especially Arthur because he usually isn't overbearing," Merlin chuckled.

"Really?" Gwen asked knowingly.

"He is. Very. But it gets worse if he's hungry," Merlin whispered in Gwen's ear.

"Merlin!" Arthur screamed as he walked towards them.

"I'm going!" Merlin yelled back, casting a smile at Gwen and shuffling into the woods, looking for firewood.

After taking a few strides further, Merlin stopped and cast a glance over his shoulder. Arthur was talking to Gwen and they were holding hands. Merlin felt a pang of pain in his heart as he looked at the scene. Now, Arthur hugged Gwen.

He sighed again for it could never be him in her place. Arthur was just an unattainable star in his life.

He knew that his feelings were wrong. Besides being a servant, he was a man! And two men never settle down together. It was a man's right to have a woman by his side. It was a man's destiny to mate with a woman alone. Yet, his darkest desires involved Arthur. In his dreams, he wasn't Arthur's manservant but his only man. Never in his life would Arthur look at him the way he looked at Gwen. Merlin knew that. So, he has been trying to find happiness in his and Arthur's routine. Being a manservant has its own perks. He would bathe Arthur, dress him, feed him and look after his every need. Merlin wanted to do that. He wanted to be of use to his master, to the one he loves. Till death, he wanted nothing more than a place by Arthur. If not as his man, then as his manservant.

"I suppose this would do," Merlin looked down at the firewood he had collected and walked back to their campsite. It was crowded with army men. Prince Arthur, Sir Leon, Sir Vidor, and Sir Caridoc were dispatching groups of army men to guard their periphery. They were planning on who will guard when and for how much time.

"Sir Leon and I will keep watch first. Sir Vidor and Sir Caridoc, you'll follow up later. Make sure to let our men get plenty of rest. In a couple of miles, we'll come across the tunnels which will lead us to our destination in less than three days. Going over the mountains now will delay our mission and the sorcerers might escape by then. We need to launch a surprise attack," Arthur spoke to his knights and Merlin couldn't help but stare in awe and fondness.

"Yes, sire," everyone acknowledged.

"Disperse and good night all," Arthur wished and turned around, facing Merlin, while everyone moved to their formations.

Arthur looked so fierce, so good and Merlin went into a trance - like he always did around Arthur. That was what caused his laziness and clumsiness. He was so lost in Arthur that when he felt a hand slap down on his shoulder, he squealed in surprise and let go of the firewood.

"Ow, Merlin!" Arthur yelled. All the firewood fell flat on Arthur's right leg.

"I'm so sorry, Sire!" Merlin exclaimed and sat down to pick up the wood.

"What would it give for you to stop being so clumsy for once, Merlin?!" Arthur never ceased his yelling.

"I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention," Merlin squeaked as he stood up.

"Then pay attention! Or you'll get killed since you're the weakest of the lot," Arthur commented.

"Oh, no, Arthur, I'm not weak at all," Merlin said as he walked past Arthur to set up a fire for the night. He has magic and it saved him and Arthur many times. So, even if Arthur didn't know about his magic, Merlin knew that he wasn't weak at all, given his advantage.

"Clearly, you've lost your mind," Arthur followed Merlin and sat down on a log while Merlin clacked stones to start a fire.

"No," Merlin looked at Arthur's blue eyes fondly, "I haven't."

"It's cold. Light the fire, you idiot," Arthur said without bite and Merlin got to his work.

Merlin cherished these moments. Where he and Arthur are the only ones and no one else interrupted their conversation. In these moments, he felt as if he was invincible, as if no one could penetrate the circle he built around him and Arthur.

"There you go, my Lord, a fire to keep you warm," Merlin said sarcastically.

"Yet you still haven't your other chores, have you, Merlin?" Arthur smirked. Merlin's smile morphed once again into displeasure as he set out to finish his chores.

"Idiot," Arthur smiled, warming his hands.

The next day, even before the sun rose, they set out to find the Doilor Tunnels that would lead them straight to the Caves of Peril.

"You haven't eaten yesterday," Gwen remarked and Merlin tore away his eyes from Arthur's back to look at Gwen.

"I did," he chuckled nervously.

"Don't lie to me, Merlin," Gwen said.

"Gwen, I can't eat when I'm not hungry, can I?" Merlin acknowledged.

"You look sick. I'm worried about you," Gwen's voice was filled with pure worry and sadness. Merlin felt guilty for making her feel that way.

"Don't worry. I'm good," Merlin reassured her.

And in silence, they rode. Merlin groaned sometimes complaining about a sore bottom. When the sun was high up in the sky, they reached their first destination in the vast forest grounds, the Doilor Tunnels. They looked intimidating but not dark. Arthur supposed that there were holes in the roof of the tunnels for them to be so lit and not dark. But, at night, they would have to fight not only their enemies should they attack but also the Darkness and cold.

"Have you some of the firewood from yesterday?" Arthur asked Merlin, coming to a stop at the foot of the tunnels.

"Yes, sire. I packed plenty," Merlin puffed his chest proudly.

"Very good, Merlin! You're finally using your poor excuse of a brain," Arthur remarked.

"Dollophead," Merlin whispered just so that Arthur couldn't hear. Gwen caught his words and gave him a puzzled expression. Apparently, Gwen didn't know that dollophead meant "Prince Arthur" in two words.

Merlin shook his head as if to say 'It's nothing.'

"We've reached the Doilor Tunnels! I advise you to be alert. Trouble may find us in any direction and we cannot afford to lose. For the love of Camelot!" Arthur raised his sword in the air.

"For the love of Camelot!" everyone followed suit, raising their swords high up in the air, including Merlin and Guinevere.

"Let's go!" Arthur ordered and in they rode.

Now, they left the Forest Grounds. Next chapter - "Doilor Tunnels".

What did you think so far?

Please do review, follow and favorite!

Bye!

~ Wheezy.