Thank you so much to all of those of you who have taken the time to review, means so much to me. :) Here comes the next part...
Whether he actually went to sleep, or whether he just past the time in a slumber, Merlin was not sure. All he knew was that he hadn't been aware of anything for at least some time and it was only a snuffling sound in his hair that bought him back to reality. Opening his eyes slowly, the warlock found himself eye to eye with Drift. Blowing impatiently into his hair again, Drift snorted and tried to nudge the relaxed boy up. Merlin frowned; something was clearly troubling the mare. Climbing awkwardly to his feet, Merlin grimaced as his back protested at spending so long on the hard but damp floor. Using Drift as a support as he clambered up, Merlin immediately began stroking her again, anxious to calm the obviously frightened horse.
Whilst calming her, Merlin increased all of his senses, trying to work out what was spooking her. There were no sounds nearby. Although this reassured Merlin because it meant that they were not about to be attacked by something, it also made him wonder just how far Arthur had followed the stag. Shaking off the thought, Merlin looked skywards for inspiration. Even though he was expecting a clue in the sky, he wasn't expecting the actual answer. No longer was the sky clear blue: big, black, ominous clouds had obscured the sun. To start with, Merlin was surprised that he hadn't noticed whilst lying down, but then realised that he hadn't noticed anything until Drift had stirred him.
Groaning inwardly, Merlin made sure that everything was properly secured on Drift's back and that the saddle was fastened securely. He wasn't planning on going anywhere without Arthur, but knew that as soon as the storm hit, he needed to be ready for anything. What was it Gaius always said about the spring-rain and shine? Well, that was certainly occurring. How the weather could change from so glorious to so threatening in such a short space of time was beyond the warlock. All he knew was that he needed to find Arthur and that they needed to get back to the castle, now.
Standing anxiously by Drift's side, her reigns held loosely in his hand, Merlin scanned the surrounding area. He really hoped that Arthur had enough sense to return now that the weather had turned, but there really was no telling what went through that prince's mind. It wouldn't have surprised Merlin if Arthur went even further, because the weather had turned, trying to prove some strange point to some unknown person.
After the bushes all starting to merge together because he had been staring at them for so long, the first spots of rain started to fall. At first, it was only the odd droplet here and there, but before long, it was pouring. Drenched, Merlin resumed stroking Drift's nose, noticing that she was trembling slightly. Before he had time to do anything to reassure the horse, an almighty clap of thunder vibrated through the forest, making the warlock jump. Instantly, the sky flashed in response, the lightning tearing through the air. Hypnotised, Merlin simply stood, watching in awe for a few moments, before a noise closer to home bought him out of his daze.
The sound of hooves could be heard thundering through the forest and Merlin felt a relieved smile slip onto his face. Only one horse galloped that way: Thunder. Trying to think of some witty comment to make to the prince, Merlin turned to face the sound. To his astonishment, Thunder soon emerged from the bushes, but alone. With growing horror, Merlin just about registered that the horse's back was empty before the animal bolted past. So much for being a fearsome warhorse, it was clear that the creature was absolutely terrified. As he cantered past, Merlin automatically stuck out an arm and grabbed the flying reigns, grunting with the effort of trying to still the beast. He was almost torn straight off his feet and his arm wrenched out of his socket, but by digging his heels firmly in and an added golden flash of his eyes, Thunder was brought to a stand still next to Drift, although he was breathing heavily and his eyes were rolling in their sockets.
"Arthur!" Merlin called into the surrounding area, hoping that a wet and bedraggled prince was going to suddenly come running out of the trees after his horse.
However, the silence that met Merlin's inquiry was almost expected. If Arthur had been nearby, then Thunder would have been a lot calmer than he was. Groaning at what could have possibly happened to his friend, Merlin clambered up onto Drift's back, feeling proud of his mount for how calm she was compared to Thunder.
Once mounted, Merlin reached over and grasped Thunder's reigns in his other hand, but the horse refused to move. His terror was so great that it didn't matter what the warlock attempted to do, he couldn't get Thunder to move. Not wanting to dismount only to remount again, Merlin flashed his eyes and sent the lead rope tying itself neatly to a branch nearby. With Thunder secured, Merlin urged Drift on and took off into the forest in search of his lost prince.
Dripping wet, Merlin was soon trying to shake his hair out of his eyes where it had plastered itself. The continuous thunder and lightning was starting to take its toll on Drift, but the mare bravely plundered on through the trees. The sound the rain was making on the leaves above his head and the amazing crashing of thunder meant that Merlin couldn't hear a thing, but still attempted to call for Arthur nevertheless.
His spirits soon began to sink. He was wet, cold and had left all of the food and water back in the clearing with Thunder, so no doubt they would be trampled by now. And he had no clue as to where the prince was and didn't seem any closer to finding him than when he had set off from the clearing. Cursing himself for allowing the prince to go off on his own, Merlin continued his frantic search.
It had been what felt like hours when Merlin finally saw something that gave him renewed hope. Squinting through the torrential rain, Merlin was sure that he could make out something red lying in the mud in front of him. A second look, along with the pricking up of Drift's ears, confirmed his suspicions: it was Arthur's jacket that was for sure. Allowing his gaze to wander, Merlin let out a sigh of relief, he had finally found Arthur. However, his relief was short lived when he realised that the figure was not moving.
In his haste to climb down from Drift's back, Merlin got his foot caught in the stirrup and was sent sprawling. Landing awkwardly, Merlin groaned as he found himself with a face full of mud. Lifting his head, he noticed that he had ended up right next to Arthur. Scrambling the last few yards on his hands and knees, Merlin reached his friend, calling his name the whole time.
Gently rolling Arthur over onto his back, Merlin could see a deep gash in his forehead, probably the reason that he was unconscious. Checking him over quickly, Merlin was relieved that there didn't seem to be any other apparent injuries. But the fact that he was out cold, had a nasty gash on his head and was soaked through was more than enough to create a cause for concern for the manservant.
Rising himself to his knees, Merlin attempted to lift Arthur. The fact that the prince was far more muscle than Merlin on the best of days made this no easy task, but with his dead weight and the sodden clothes, the warlock could only lift him a small way before dropping him back onto the ground with a squelch. Drift trotted over and nudged the back of Merlin's head gently, clearly indicating that he needed to get a move on.
"I know, I know," Merlin told her distractedly, not really noticing that he was talking to a horse again. "I can't lift him though. Unless..."
An idea sprung, unbidden, into the warlock's mind as he gazed down upon the prince. If Arthur really was unconscious, then it was adamant that he got back to the castle and out of the wet clothes as fast as possible. And to do that would have to involve some form of magic.
Checking once again to make sure that Arthur was aware of nothing, Merlin muttered a quick spell under his breath and with a flash of his eyes, levitated Arthur into the air. The effort involved was tremendous, so it was with a thankful sigh that Merlin finally released the spell, with Arthur slumped precariously over Drift's back. Climbing up more awkwardly than normal, Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur, allowing him to hold the reigns and the prince up at the same time. Drift needed no prompting, as soon as both of the boys were on her back, she set off back in the direction of the clearing.
Trotting slowly so as not to dislodge Arthur, Drift navigated her way through the trees. Merlin was amazed; he had been so focused on finding his friend that he had paid no attention in what direction that had come. Drift, it soon transpired, knew exactly where she was going. It took them not nearly as much time to reach the clearing than it had to find the prince. Thunder was still tied to the tree, pawing the ground in fright every time the thunder echoed throughout the forest. Lowering Arthur gently to the ground, Merlin noted with relief that the rain had started to ease and the thunder was not quite as regular. The storm was beginning to pass, although how much damage it had caused still remained to be seen.
Deciding that there wasn't a lot that he could do until Arthur woke up, Merlin set about lighting a fire. Although, in all honesty, it only took a flash of his eyes, and the flames started to dance merrily, their warmth sinking into the warlock and making him feel a lot better. Positioning Arthur closer to the fire, Merlin sat watching his friend, feeling hopeless. He knew so little of healing that he could do nothing, whether by magic or not, apart from waiting and hoping that the fire was drying the prince in the same way that it was for the warlock.
The storm had completely blown over by the time that Arthur began to stir. The sun had reappeared, although it was only to stay for while. They had been out for a lot longer than Merlin thought, and the sun was beginning to glide over the horizon, making the shadows from the fire twirl mysteriously around the makeshift camp. Merlin had been watching the flames, mesmerised, when he heard a soft groan coming from the prince. Crouching by his side almost instantly, Merlin was immensely relieved when Arthur's eyes started to flutter.
"Arthur? Arthur, can you hear me? Can you open your eyes?"
"Stop shouting, Merlin," Arthur groaned, the words pounding through his already sore head.
With an amazing effort, the prince managed to force his eyes open and almost jumped in surprise when he saw Merlin's vivid blue ones only inches from his own. Luckily, as soon as Arthur opened his eyes, Merlin rocked back on his heels, distancing himself from the prince. His normal goofy smile was in place, but Arthur had seen the look in his eyes. He had obviously been out of it for quite some time.
"What happened?" the servant asked curiously. "Thunder returned on his own at the beginning of the storm and it took us ages to find you. I finally found you face down, unconscious, in the mud, and between Drift and I, we got you back here. How did you end up out of it in the first place?"
"The stupid horse reared," Arthur muttered, glaring at the said horse, who was now quite happily munching on a fresh clump of grass now that the storm had passed. "The first clap of thunder spooked him and he reared. Before I realised what he was doing, I found myself thrown off. Then I woke up here."
"Now who is the damsel in distress?" Merlin responded cheekily, the reference going back to when Arthur had been trying to teach him to ride. Arthur shot him a mock glare as he struggled to sit up, but found himself grinning anyway. After weeks of boredom, the day had certainly made an interesting change.
"How come Thunder reared, and yet Drift was fine?" he grumbled, more to himself than Merlin, but the servant responded anyway.
"Because she's a much better horse than anyone gives her credit for. Aren't you, sweetie?"
Arthur turned to look at his servant, his eyebrows raised in amusement, but Merlin didn't notice; he was too busy stroking Drift and talking to her gently. A snort of amusement erupted from the prince before he had time to cover it up and Merlin turned to look at him, the accusation burning in his eyes.
"Just because your horse is too frightened -" he begun, somewhat viciously. Arthur quickly raised his hand, cutting off the warlock, and smiled gently at his friend.
"Come on, you idiot. We need to be getting back before the king sends out the search parties. It's getting late."
Motioning to Merlin, the servant crossed the clearing and grasped Arthur's arm, attempting to pull him to his feet. What he hadn't banked on though was Arthur not even attempting to help, and so resulted in Arthur raised to a crouch and Merlin lying face down in the mud.
"Now no one will ask questions if we're both muddy," Arthur stated smugly, and with one fluid movement, rose himself to his full height. "What are you doing lying down, Merlin? We need to go!"
"Yes, sire," Merlin grumbled, pushing himself to his feet and gazing down at the mud splattered clothes with an expression close to disgust.
Grinning, Arthur walked slowly over to where Thunder stood tethered, practically glaring at the horse. Stretching up to untie the rope, Arthur frowned. Merlin may be slightly taller than him, but it was so high that there was no way that even he could reach it.
"Merlin?" he asked, looking back to where his servant was putting out the fire and collecting the rest of their belongings. "How on earth did you tie these all the way up there?"
"Err…."
