Title: Targeted
Rating: T
Timeframe/Info About This Fic: Let's just pretend that Uther wasn't completely insane in the gap between Season 3 and 4, because this is when this crazy ole fic would happen
Disclaimer: If I owned Merlin, we'd all be in trouble.
Authors Note: So after writing, what, three Merlin short little drabble fics, I've decided to try a full length story. Yeah, be terrified.


Prince Arthur was more irritable than usual that day. Which meant Merlin more than noticed, since he was forced to polish the armor, feed the dogs, and muck the stables.

All before breakfast.

While idly polishing an already spotless vase, Merlin decided to politely inquire as to what was bothering his superior.

"What's wrong with you? You've been acting more prattish than usual."

Arthur sent the boy a withering glare from his desk. The future king was currently pouring over various shreds of paper pieced across his desk. Instead of ignoring Merlin's sarcastic question, the prince actually answered it, much to the surprise of the manservant.

"There have been reports of hired assassins in Camelot."

"Really?" Merlin raised an eyebrow and nearly dropped the vase. He caught it before it shattered, but his ungraceful fumble earned him another glare. If he could exchange Arthur's glares for gold coins, he'd be richer than the king himself.

"Yes, but I don't know why I'm telling you this. You're clearly an idiot." Arthur returned to his notes.

Just to be safe, Merlin set the vase firmly back on the shelf. He rubbed absently at a spot on the shelf with his tunic hem before opening the conversation again. "So, who are they after?"

Arthur sighed loudly and set the document in his hands down. It was clear that he wasn't going to get anything done with Merlin's constant prattle. "We don't know," he started slowly, "but obviously they are either targeting my father or I. Why else would assassins be sent to Camelot?"

Merlin looked thoughtful. "They could be sent after me?" he offered.

There was a quick beat of silence in the room before Arthur burst into loud, obnoxious laughter. It took him a good minute to finally catch his breath, a tear of laughter trapped in the corner of his eye. "You?" he was able to gasp out.

"I've saved your life plenty of times," Merlin sniffed, looking highly offended.

"Right," Arthur rolled his eyes. He tried to force a hard expression on his face, but his wide smile still betrayed him. "Thank you, Merlin. I believe that was the best joke I've heard all week."

The manservant crossed his eyes and huffed slightly. "I wasn't joking."

"Sure you weren't," Arthur shook his head, the smile still not leaving his face, and looked back to his notes. Clearly the prince wanted the conversation over.

Subtly, or at least he hoped it was subtle, Merlin made his way over to the desk where Prince Arthur was still examining the various scraps and tip-offs. He peeked over his future king's shoulder as he pretended to straighten the curtains by the window. Several words caught Merlin's eye, but he wasn't familiar enough with the underground lingo of the Five Kingdoms to know who exactly the assassins were. Apparently though, Arthur was worried. The young warlock could tell by the way the prince's jaw clenched as he read each name, and the way his eyes darted back and forth across the list, trying to plan their next move. Merlin could only remember Arthur being this tense after an argument with his father, or before they were about to set off on a deadly and foolhardy quest. Whoever these people were, they spelt doom for the intended victims. Merlin scanned the list again, this time catching a name that he recognized.

"Hey! I know him!" The manservant all but draped himself over Arthur's shoulder as he eagerly pointed to an obscure name.

"Merlin!" Arthur shoved the manservant off of him. In one quick movement, Arthur drove the boy away from the table with a sweep of his arm. "What are you doing?!"

The manservant darted to the other side of the desk, careful to stay out of the reach of his prince. "I know him," Merlin repeated. He pointed at the same name again.

Arthur knocked the boy's hand away, but scrutinized the name a bit closer. "Eyog of Alder? I've never even heard of Alder before. Where is it?"

"Not Alder, but Ealdor. Clearly your scout couldn't spell," Merlin muttered as he looked at the names around Eyog's. None of the others looked familiar to him.

Arthur leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Really? You know one of the assassins sent to kill my father or me? I'm interested in knowing this story, Merlin."

The manservant glanced up to see Arthur's cross expression. Maybe I've said too much. "Well, you see, Sire, I don't really know Eyog. I've heard stories about him while growing up, but I kind of know him since I met him once, but not really in person, you see, and is that some calling your name, Sire…?"

"Merlin…"

"No, I seriously think someone is calling your name. You may not hear it, since I think you're be—"

"Merlin!"

Luck was in the warlock's favor, saving Merlin from getting a very painful tongue lashing. Sir Leon poked his head in the open door just as Arthur was opening his mouth to yell.

"Prince Arthur? I was calling, but I'm not sure if you heard…"

Merlin shot the prince a triumphant look, and was rewarded by a sharp kick under the table. He winced, and jumped away, wary of another kick. Arthur had a straight face on the entire time. "What is it, Leon?"

"We are relatively aware of the whereabouts of most of the assassins. Only two are unaccounted for. The knights of Camelot are preparing to ride out to hunt down the known assassins."

"Very good, Leon. I knew my father and I could trust you to stop this affair."

"Two?" Merlin sputtered, unable to stop himself. Arthur's foot lashed out at his shin again, and Merlin was grateful he moved that extra step. "You mean there's more than one assassin trying to get into Camelot?" He glanced sideways at Arthur. Things could get potentially sticky in a very short time. What was that prat saying about me not saving his life?

Sir Leon hesitated before answering. "By the information we've received and the calculations we've made, it would seem that there are over a dozen different hired mercenaries." Arthur's eyebrows rose dramatically; this was clearly higher than he had thought.

"I was under the impression that there were no more than half a dozen."

Leon cleared his throat. "It is very possible that we've been counting the same men twice or three times. I suggest you not worry too much, Sire. Soon the majority of the assassins will be apprehended, and they will be forced into revealing who sent them and how many there are." Leon paused again, struggling to come up with the right words to use. "In the meantime, I have doubled the guards around your father's quarters and your own bed chambers."

Instead of claiming that he was more than capable of taking care of himself, which was what Merlin was expecting the prince to do, Arthur simply nodded. "I understand. Thank you."

Deciding that was an appropriate dismissal, Sir Leon dipped his head in respect and quickly disappeared through the open door.

It only took Merlin five seconds to comment on the knight's briefing.

"Someone certainly wants you or the king dead. Maybe they're going for bo—Oaw!" Merlin ducked as a container of quill tips went flying towards his head. He popped back up, brushing down his tunic and shooting the prince a quick glare. "That wasn't very ni—Hey!" One of Arthur's ink wells collided with the wall behind the manservant, exploding in a thousand pieces. Black ink sprayed everywhere, some of the dark liquid catching Merlin in the back. He clicked his tongue disgustedly, but did not say a single word.

"Clean it up," Arthur barked, "and stay quiet."

While Merlin busied himself with clearing the black, gunky mess that Arthur had made, the future king of Camelot was staring off into space. It was a good fifteen minutes later before either of them spoke again. Merlin dumped the last of the glass shards in a random pot and had already wiped clean as much of the ink as he possibly could.

"Is there something else you require, Sire?" The manservant's voice was tired and dull all of a sudden.

It looked as if Arthur didn't hear him. The warlock shrugged and turned to leave.

"You never did say how you knew this Eyog."

Merlin paused with his back to the king. A toothy smile slipped across his face. He was listening to me. "It's a long story," Merlin shrugged again. "I'm kind of tired. Can this wait?"

"Merlin."

The boy spun back around and was suddenly standing directly across from Arthur. "Alright, back when I was living at Ealdor, there was this man named Eyog who used to live there. He had been kicked out of the village for killing another villager. It was a stupid argument, I think. Something about a pig and where it should, uh, relieve itself. Eyog thought that his pig sh—"

"Merlin."

"Anyway, Eyog was banished from Ealdor. This was before I was born, but everyone knew the story. About ten years later, Eyog returns, determined to 'take revenge' on those who had wronged him before. The family of the murdered farmer had already moved away, so he didn't stay long, but we all got to see how Eyog had changed." The manservant shivered. "He was scary. I wouldn't fancy meeting him in a corridor at night. My mother later told me that he became a sort of a mercenary." Merlin suddenly frowned. "It's weird though…"

"Why?" This certainly sounded like the right Eyog to Arthur. "Is there something about your Eyog that wouldn't match up with this one?" He gestured at the name on the list.

"I…just don't get what he'd be doing here in Camelot." Merlin shook his head. "It must be a different Eyog, since my mother told me that he only kills a certain rank of people."

Arthur tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Merlin shrugged nonchalantly, glancing up at the ceiling. "Eyog doesn't go after kings and princes; he only kills commoners and peasants. Apparently it's less intense to murder farmers, and he wouldn't be in danger of being exposed or found out."

Arthur frowned as well. "I'm not sure if this Eyog is the one you know then. He seems to enjoy lower risk jobs, though who would ever go through the trouble of having a commoner assassinated? There must be a small market."

"I don't know, Sire," Merlin was halfway to the door when a gaunt faced man appeared in the doorway. He was wearing a servant's uniform, but neither Arthur not Merlin recognized him. The man was trembling slightly, and his eyes seemed way too wide to be normal.

"Who the hell are you?" Arthur managed to choke out, his hand flying to his belt to pull out his sword. Merlin took a cautious step back, readying his mind for magic if it was needed.

The man didn't answer, but surveyed the room with two quick sweeps of his head. His gaze settled on Merlin for a second before passing over to Arthur. A knife suddenly jumped into his hand; the very next second, it was whizzing through the room, slicing the air between the two boys. It was a close shave, barely nicking the side of Merlin's jacket and sliding across Arthur's shoulder. This delay was all the time Arthur needed to pull out his sword. He jumped over his desk, landing neatly beside his manservant. Another knife appeared in the assassin's hand as if by magic. It spiraled through the air, screaming as it hurtled towards the boys.

"Get down!" Arthur shouted as he shoved the pale boy beside him to the ground. Merlin let out a surprised yelp as he hit the ground, the dagger implanting itself in the wall behind them. While the man fumbled for another knife, Arthur took his chance to charge the assassin. By the time the dagger was out and ready to throw again, Arthur had knocked the blade from the man's hand. It spun off and clattered as it bounced against the stone floor. Arthur forced the tip of his blade against the now defenseless assassin's neck.

"Pull out another blade, and it'll be the last thing you ever do," the prince growled.

Seeing no other option, the man gurgled something incoherent. Arthur lowered the blade slightly, confused as to what the man was trying to say. Suddenly, the assassin tipped backwards, eyes rolling in to his head, white foam leaking from his gapping mouth.

"No!" Arthur reached for the man, but it was too late. He was already dead. He cursed and kicked the cooling body.

Merlin sat up slowly from his spot on the floor. He ran a hand nervously through his hair. "One down?" he offered in a shaky voice. With a grunt, the boy climbed to his feet and walked towards his prince. "It's not your fault we lost him," he muttered, placing what was meant to be a comforting hand on Arthur's shoulder. "He knew he failed, so he killed himself." Arthur shrugged Merlin's hand off and knelt down to examine the body. Merlin looked down at his freed hand.

"Arthur! Are you hurt?" Merlin's entire palm was dyed red. He glanced at the spot on Arthur's shoulder where there was a red handprint. "I think the assassin's blade might've have hit you."

Arthur stood up, shrugged the shoulder of his shirt off and frowned. Unbroken skin was underneath the stained shirt. He glanced over to his manservant and his frown deepened.

Merlin slowly lifted a hand to his forehead and pressed against his temple. A light pain smarted where his fingers applied pressure. He lowered his hand and looked at the freshly painted fingers.

"Oh."


Gaius was called immediately. As was the king, various guards, and a very flustered Sir Leon.

"How did this man get into my son's chambers?" Uther roared. "This assassin would have succeeded if his target was anyone other than my son. It's pure luck that he's still alive."

"Now, Father. I think I co—" Arthur's annoyed objections were cut off.

"I thought you said the guards were to be doubled! Why were they not there to apprehend this criminal?"

If there was ever a time when the brave knight of Camelot was frightened for his life, this was it. A very angry Uther was more terrifying than any magical or monstrous foe Leon had ever gone up against. "I…"

"There are no excuses! I should have all of you executed for your faults. My son almost died."

"Father, please. It wasn't Sir Leon's fault. This man was disguised. With the number of servants we have that travel through this castle at once, there was no way for the guards to have known who was an imposter. Besides, I fought him off easily enough. No harm done."

"No harm done?" Instead of calming his father's raging temper, Arthur only managed to divert it to himself. However, it was highly unlikely that Uther would execute his own son. Sir Leon looked almost weak with relief that he was momentarily free from the fire. "You're bleeding."

"No, I'm not. Merlin just bled on me." He shot an unreceived glare at his manservant.

While the king was placing blame and Sir Leon looked as if he wanted to go crawl under a rock, the court physician and his apprentice were busy inspecting the body of the assassin. Hearing his name mentioned, Merlin popped up into attention. "Sorry, My Lord. Won't happen again, My Lord." Merlin bowed slightly.

Arthur rolled his eyes as Uther shook his head at the boy. The king of Camelot turned to Gaius. "I hope you're having a better time inspecting this body than curing that boy of his mental affliction." Finally seeming to grasp that the danger was over, Uther smiled faintly. "I fear his injury may have further damaged him. Keep your ramblings to yourself, boy."

Merlin wasn't sure if he was going to comment or not, but Arthur's next action decided for him. The older boy looped a strong arm around the manservant's shoulder and pressed firmly into the warlock's collarbone with his thumb. Merlin winced and tried to wiggle away.

"Don't worry, Father. Merlin's not going to say another word. Isn't that right, Merlin?" Arthur's thumb dug deeper into Merlin's skin.

"Wouldn't dream of it," the manservant muttered, finally able to wriggle free from the prince's grasp.

Gaius waited patiently for the exchange to end before he revealed his results of the autopsy. "As expected," the doctor started, "the cause of death was suicide. It seems as if he took a pill made of," Gaius sniffed the white drool that had tricked down the man's cheek, "hemlock and wolfs bane. The hemlock's potency would have been increased by the wolfs bane. Whoever this man was, he was prepared to die." Gaius pried open the man's stiff jaws and peered inside his mouth. "The capsule was broken prematurely. It might explain why he missed twice." Gaius looked solemnly at the two boys. "If he hadn't been suffering from severe muscle spasms while trying to throw those daggers, both of you would probably be dead." Merlin struggled to swallow. The assassin was deadly enough with the disability. The warlock hated to find out what a perfectly healthy assassin could do to them.

"Search him," Uther commanded, his bad mood returning. One guard bent down and dug through the assassin's pockets. After removing two more daggers, he found a creased letter. The guard frowned as he read the opening line.

"What does it say?" Uther snapped, grabbing the letter. "Does it say who sent him? Who the target was?"

The guard shook his head, but wasn't able to verbalize his thoughts. Uther scanned the letter to find out what had the guard speechless. With a strangely satisfied expression, he tossed the letter behind him. Arthur bent down to pick it up.

"It seems as if we were worried over nothing," Uther announced. He strode out of the room without any sort of explanation. The guards followed behind him, none questioning their king. Gaius and Sir Leon remained in the room with the two young men. The former two exchanged nervous glances. Arthur unfolded the letter and read it with a rapidly changing expression. It faded from confusion to unconcealed dread in a matter of seconds.

"What's it say, Arthur?" Merlin pressed, leaning to try to get a glimpse of what the troubling letter said. The warlock was very confused as to why Uther didn't care, and yet his son was obviously worried.

Arthur swallowed and thrust the letter at his manservant. "Read it yourself. It's addressed to you."

"Very funny," Merlin smirked as he unfolded the letter. The smile promptly dropped off of his face as he read the greeting. Merlin. "I guess it was for me," he mumbled as he continued reading the short note. You've been a thorn in our side for too long.

"That's not good."


Thank you so much for reading, and thanks again to anyone who has supported my other "On blank and blank" stories. I really appreciate it :D
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