I've decided to try and carry on with this but I have no idea where it's going - thank you for the reviews. I was suprised I got any :)

In the next chapters I might put in some flaschbacks to why Merlin left.

--- 2 Days Later ---

MPOV

How?! How has Uther Pendragon found out about this place? This, one of the last places where magic can be practiced openly and he's coming to destroy it!

"Calm" Mordred called to my mind and fixing me with an annoyed glare.

"How can I be calm at a time like this! We're going to be attacked!" To anyone else this would have seemed like a very one-sided conversation; I still wasn't comfortable talking in someone else's mind.

"No matter how many men Uther brings he will never defeat us all, and we will know the numbers once Eve returns"

"How can you be so relaxed..." I sighed, Mordred had a very straight forward view of the situation a.k.a attack anyone who attacks us. I thought we should leave, spare any bloodshed, but a lot of the people here are eager to get revenge on the man who destroyed their lives. Especially if the rumours are true and he's coming personally.

"Merlin if you carry on pacing you'll wear a grove into my floor, which I would not appreciate"

"Eve! What happened? How many are coming? W-"

"Calm down, and call a meeting we have matters to discuss. Now." the look in her eye scared me - I had seen it before, the night she saved me from Uther's men. Death. I ran off to gather the leaders.

APOV

.... We have been trekking for 3 days through this damp wilderness. My father was informed of a possible gathering of sorcerers in the forest, but so far all we had found was rain.

"Let's make camp!" I called to the handful of knights I'd brought with me to scout the area. Father wanted a definite location before sending an army,I could have carried on for another hour but none of my men looked up to it. They set up camp without a word.

"I'm going to catch something to eat!" I only got grunts or nods in return. "No need to get up" I muttered under my breath.
Hunting was surprisingly easy in this part of the forest; I'd caught several rabbits by the time I made my way back.

- The yells I heard from the camp came to late -

By the time I'd got there 3 men were dead, leaving only me and Owen. But what surprised me most was that the attackers had stopped, the first slipped gracefully from the saddle and walked towards me. Her walk was smooth almost flowing, and her eyes were constantly flickering to different shades of blue.

"Are you Arthur Pendragon?" her voice held authority, and lying didn't seem like a good idea.

"Yes, and you are?" I was trying to match her tone but she didn't seem convinced.

"I am Eve; you will deliver a message to your father. Tell him; if he attacks us we attack him - and it is NOT a war he can win. Also if he wishes to contact us, he is to send a messenger alone, anyone else will be killed" she turned to leave.

"Wait! Why spare us? Why not the others?" admittedly it was a stupid question to ask, she might change her mind, but I had to know.

"They tried to take the life of a friend of mine, I have no reason to kill your friend and have been ordered not to kill you." she said the last part with a slight smile

"Merlin sends his regards"

Before I could even think to reply she had mounted her horse and cantered away.

For the trek home I was ecstatic, but of course I couldn't show it. Owen was a mess, his brother was one of the knights killed, I did my best to console him but my mind was elsewhere: Merlin was alive! He was safe somewhere, I hoped that he was laughing, oblivious to these events - but doubted it was true.

Did he miss me as much as I him?