Hey guys here is chapter 2 :) hope you enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or any of the characters, Merlin belongs to the BBC.
Once Arthur and Merlin had caught up with the rest of the knights all was quiet in the surrounding forest. The party lent against rocks, hands on knees and backs against granite as they caught their breath, the silence broken only by panting. Merlin was the only man not bent double or sitting down, he was tense and upright, eyes roaming his surroundings, hands nervously fisting and un-fisting beneath his sleeves. A hand slapping his shoulder made him jump as he spun and came face to face with Gwaine.
"You alright there Merlin?" he asked, worry crinkling his brown eyes. Merlin managed half a smile "yeah, just-" he broke off looking thoughtful "what is it?" Gwaine asked "just, don't you think that was too easy?" Merlin said slowly, shifting his weight nervously between his worn boots "I mean they had a sorcerer with them and yet we managed to outrun them with no trouble".
Gwaine considered him for a moment "well I like to think it's my charm and handsome face that get us out of these situations" he said a cheeky smile playing across his face. Merlin visibly relaxed as he returned the smile with a chuckle "oh of course". Gwaine once again slapped him heartily on the shoulder "don't worry Merlin, those bandits know better than to fight a battle they simply could not win" he winked and strutted off to where Elyan and Leon were resting. Merlin smiled weakly at his retreating back, if only he shared Gwaine's optimism.
Arthur had been watching the exchange between his servant and knight from a distance, noting the tense set of Merlin's shoulders and the way his eyes kept darting apprehensively around. He would be lying if he claimed that this didn't bother him. As idiotic and clumsy as Merlin was, he seemed to have become a bit of a good luck charm on hunts and patrols, things always seemed to go strangely in their favour when Merlin was around so to see his manservant looking so jumpy was unsettling and certainly unnerving.
As if on cue to Arthur's musings, the sharp sound of a twig snapping echoed through the greenery followed by an unnatural silence. Everyone froze, all previous calm replaced with almost palpable tension. Arthur reached for Merlin's arm keeping his eyes fixed on the forest and deliberately pulled him backwards to where the rest of the knights had grouped together.
"Stay alert" he hissed, his hand still fisted in the brown of his servant's jacket, the other held his sword in a death grip, the knights mirrored his stance. The group continued to edge towards the path as a flock of birds shot from a nearby tree, spooked by something not in their lines of vision. From years of training and keen eyes watching the movement of the surrounding forest Arthur had no doubt they were surrounded, but why were they not being ambushed? It was as if they were being watched, yet their observers were making almost obvious mistakes in giving away their positions.
"What are they waiting for?" Percival growled under his breath, the lack of movement made the knights more jumpy and nervous than if the bandits had hurled another tree trunk at them. Arthur made a split second decision, he quickly turned and mouthed the word at his comrades before launching Merlin in front of him as the other men followed his lead, hurtling for the path behind them they began to flee. The thunderous sound of heavy footfalls followed their wake as the bandits took up pursuit, Arthur was more than confused as he chanced a glance over his shoulder, these bandits were not acting in the usual way, it was almost as if-.
It was all he could do to keep running and not stop in shock as it dawned on him what was going on, the tree trunk, the silent observers. They were being herded, but towards what? Adrenaline pushed Arthur in front of Merlin and his knights "we need to lose them" he shouted, panting with the exertion of running "we're being herded like sheep to the slaughter".
Merlin's head snapped up to look at his master, hoping beyond hope he had just misheard the prince. "What do you mean?" Leon shouted, the uncertainty in his voice mirroring that on all their faces "I don't know" Arthur yelled back "but we need to throw them off, find somewhere to hide". With new purpose the group pushed on, each man scanning every nook, cranny, rock feature and tree line for any form of hiding place.
Merlin pushed his weary legs to keep moving as his chest began to burn with exertion and a whole new panic that was slowly seeping into the rest of his body. What could sorcerers want with them? Where could they possibly be being driven to? Caught in his own reverie, Merlin almost didn't notice Gwaine careen sharply to the left, disappearing through a narrow entrance in the rock face. The knights stealthily followed, Merlin darted in quickly behind the towering form of Percival.
Then it hit him.
A wave of such powerful, familiar yet hostile magic hit him like a physical blow to the gut. He abruptly stopped, his breath coming in ragged gasps that had nothing to do with the previous effort of fleeing. A push behind him forced him to stumble further into the foreboding place as Elyan bringing up the rear staggered in behind him. Merlin spun around, face paling as he looked at the breathless knight, bent double trying to give his body the oxygen it so craved. Out of the pure instinct his magic was born from Merlin bolted for the entrance to the cave, he had to get out of here, everything about this place felt wrong.
He managed one quivering step towards freedom when shock rooted him to the stony floor. Outside the entrance of the cave stood one of the bandits, the same man who Merlin had seen conjure magic before, forcing them to turn tail and run. He stood almost casually, watching the young warlock with a strange curiosity in his green eyes, Merlin returned his gaze with a wide eyed one of his own, as the man continued to watch him. There was no hostility in the man's stance or expression and Merlin allowed this puzzling fact to register in his whirling brain for a split second before he came back to his senses and took another step towards the mouth of the cave.
In a flash the sorcerer threw his hand out, eyes burning gold in their sockets as a rumble began resounding through the earth. Merlin realised a moment too late what was happening, he felt powerful arms wrap around his chest and haul him backwards as a choking cloud of dust obscured everything from sight. They were all momentarily deafened as the rocks crashed down over the entrance of the cave, plunging them into darkness. Merlin's ears rang as he coughed and spluttered, groping in the darkness for something solid to hang on to. His fingers made contact with something soft and warm "Ow, whose poking me in the eye?" came the hoarse voice of Gwaine as he too coughed the dust from his lungs. "Sorry" Merlin gasped, slumping back against the wall of the cave, trying in vain to calm his haggard breathing.
The dust finally began to settle and Merlin could now make out the fuzzy silhouettes of his friends sprawled around him "is everyone ok?" Arthur's voice echoed through the darkness, gravely from choking. The prince sighed in relief when everyone seemed to be unharmed, even the clumsiest of them all. As their eyes adjusted to the gloom a strange blue haze seemed to hang over the group, tinting the air with a peculiar glow.
Leon, who was the furthest from Merlin, glanced over his shoulder "there's something down there" he murmured, gesturing to the passage which ran deeper into the cave. "Well" Gwaine huffed, getting to his feet "it's not like we're going anywhere" he sheathed his sword and began making his way down the passage followed by the rest of the knights. Merlin stood but did not move "maybe we should just stay here" he called after their retreating backs "try and shift these rocks" "Merlin that was no ordinary rock fall" Arthur called back to him "it was caused by sorcery so chances are we won't be able to move any of those rocks, we might as well try and find another way out" Merlin hesitantly took a step forward "I really think we should stay here" he tried again, voice wavering slightly, revealing the panic bubbling beneath. "Don't be such a girl Merlin" was Arthur's response, continuing down the passage. The gentle giant that was Percival doubled back, gently putting a large hand of the servants shoulder "don't worry Merlin" he said gently "we'll find another way out and be back to Camelot in no time". Merlin smiled weakly at the tall man, appreciating his kindness. The young warlock reluctantly began following his friends down the passageway. Right now, getting back to Camelot was the least of his worries.
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it :) chapter 3 coming soon!