Hi this is my first Merlin fanfic so enjoy.

"Merlin, Merlin wake up you dozy oaf!" Arthur shouted when he noticed Merlin asleep on his horse, again. Merlin gave a small jump, losing his balance in the saddle sliding to the side and landing with a thud on the hard ground.

"You really are a clotpole aren't you Merlin," said Arthur, exasperation evident in his voice. Arthur halting his horse and looked over his at Merlin.

"That's my word," Merlin protested, pushing himself onto his elbows.

"Then it suits you perfectly," retorted Arthur. Merlin opened his mouth to say something else but was silenced when Arthur lifting up his hand, telling him to be quiet. There it was again but Arthur was positive now when a high pitched scream broke the silence of the woods. Arthur swung down off his horse, took his sword and went off in the direction of the screams. Merlin watched in disbelief.

"Every time, every time. Why can't we just have a nice quiet ride though the woods without bandits, mercenaries, kidnappings or fights?" Merlin grumbled getting to his feet and followed Arthur into the trees and down a steep leaf littered slope. When Merlin and Arthur were in sight and ear shot of where the screams had originated, they saw solders. He and Arthur crouched low to the ground and swiftly moved to watch what was happening from the safety of a decaying fallen tree. Arthur recognised who the men were by their clothing; they where Morgana's men, but what were they doing here so close to Camelot? Merlin scanned their company and saw that three of the men where trying to get a girl into a wagon. The kind of wagon that slave traders used with bars and shackles not the most pleasant thing to ride in; this girl was doing everything she could to stay out out of that wagon.

"Arthur look," Merlin said in a hushed voice, pointing to the young girl,"What would Morgana want that girl for?"

"I don't know. But we have to help her. We go on the count of three",.Arthur said. He counted to three and on the last number Arthur leaped over the fallen tree trunk that was concealing them both from view and running down the slope sword drawn, plunging right into the midst of the solders.

"Great, just what I need," Merlin muttered sarcastically, voting the tree and hurrying down the slop, instead going to help the girl. One of the men trying to get the girl into the wagon came at Merlin, sword raised high to kill him. Merlin looked directly at the man. A surge of energy flowed through him, Merlin's eyes turned gold and the man who was coming at him went flying into a tree. Merlin gave a sigh and a small smile of satisfaction, he then moved on to the two men who were coming at him in the same manner as the first. Merlin made one hit the other on the head with a simple movement spell, confused they both stood there. Merlin looked up at a tree branch that was over the heads of the men. His eyes turned gold. With a loud snap the branch broke off landing heavily on their heads with a loud crack, knocking them out quite effectively. Merlin rushed over to the girl laying on the forest floor, she had been knocked out so that she couldn't run away. Kneeling by her side checking her pulse and examining her head for any injurers that might make it hard for her to stand. But there was nothing of conscience a few scrapes a couple of old scars. Looking up Merlin counted and noted, that there ware fifteen men including the three that he had taken care of. This left twelve for Arthur to deal with. Merlin took out three more with movement spells, just for good measure. Merlin mused that nine was a good number for Arthur to prove that Merlin was right a moment later Arthur joined him having successfully defeated the soldiers that, now lay about on the ground.

"How is she?" Arthur asked tucking his sword into his belt, it made a soft sound of steel on leather.

"It's just a small concussion, I think, she should wake up soon," Merlin said, noticing Arthur reach down and lift up a pendent that he had seen round the girl's neck.

The girl's eyes flickered open, seeing Arthur holding the pendent made her panic. She gave a small gasp snatching it from Arthur's hand and tried to get away from them, but failed as her legs buckled and she fell to the ground. Frightened she looked at Merlin and Arthur, clutching the pendent close to her chest.

"It's alright you're safe now my name is Arthur Pendragon King of Camelot," Arthur said taking a step towards her. She flinched, staring at him with eyes that practically screamed fear.

"Wow, it's okay this is Merlin, why not let him tend to your wounds?" Arthur said gently, trying to show that he wasn't a threat. The girl looked at Merlin and the fear in her eyes slowly faded to that of a more, quizzical look. Merlin took a small step towards her reaching out his hand.

"May I?" Merlin asked if he could examine her arm. She slowly lifted her arm for him to see. As Merlin delicately held her arm, he saw that there were long gashes on the underside of it; which indicated that she had been dragged by her legs for some distance beforehand. Arthur and Merlin set about getting a small camp fire going. Merlin let the water they had set to boil over the fire cool before cleaning the girl's wounds with it. Then spread some ointment on them to keep infection from the wounds, she flinched at the slight sting the ointment left, but Merlin ignored her sudden movement and held on to her arm with a steady hand, raping her arms with a torn up, clean linen shirt from his bag.

They set up a fire to boil water more water to drink, and clean her wounds on her legs.

"We need to get her to Gaius there's only so much I can do for her," Merlin said to Arthur.

"Then we ride for Camelot at dawn. She needs rest," Arthur nodded at the girl. She was staring into the flames of the small fire that they had made. Merlin sat across the flames from her.

"What's your name?" Merlin asked kindly, trying to look into her eyes but her gaze didn't shift and she didn't answer.

Well so much for that idea. Thought Merlin shifting his weight, where he sat.

"Castiel, that is my name," the girl said softly her eyes were still fixed on the fire. Merlin looked up at her.

"That's quite a lovely name you have there," Merlin smiled, then a question came to his mind "What does it mean?" he asked, a moment passed with no reply, and Merlin gave a sigh.

"It means bringer of flames," she said looking up at Merlin and with the fires light flickering in her eyes; he did not doubt her for a moment.

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