A/N: So here it is. Chapter 1! I really hope you enjoy it. I would also like to just note that I will probably not be able to update this story as fast as I did for In Darkness, although I will do my best to get out at least one update a week.

And also, I was completely overwhelmed by the response to the Prologue. My e-mail was absolutely flooded with messages from Fanfiction. Thank you so much for all of the support! I'm so glad that so many of you are interested in a sequel. I'm looking forward to writing it! It should be a lot of fun! :)

"I'm happy to be your servant, 'til the day I die." The words that he had spoken to Arthur all those years ago echoed in his mind now. When he had said them, he had been so sure that the day he would die had already arrived.

Perhaps now it really had.

*Two weeks earlier*

"Rise and shine, Sire!" Merlin said with as much energy as he could muster while trying to suppress a yawn. He hadn't slept very well at all the previous night. Some old nightmares, terrible dreams that had haunted him months ago, had returned to him last night. As a result, he had gotten very little sleep and had risen far earlier than he normally would to go rouse the King from his slumber.

"Wha' are you doin' 'ere?" Arthur groaned, his voice slightly muffled by the pillow he was speaking into.

Merlin raised his eyebrows. "Just doing my job, Sire."

"But it's too early," Arthur said, raising his head off the pillow.

"Actually, I'm right on time today."

"Exactly, Merlin. You're too early."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "I thought you'd be pleased, Sire. You're always complaining about my tardiness."

"Yes, but of all of the days that you could have picked to decide to show up on time, it just had to be today now, didn't it?" Arthur was now sitting up in bed and watching Merlin as the manservant moved around the room, picking laundry up off the floor.

"There is just no pleasing you, is there?" Merlin asked exasperatedly, as he dumped an armful of clothes into the laundry basket. "Now hurry up or your breakfast will get cold."

"Breakfast? But I'm having breakfast with our guests this morning."

"I know that. But you're really cranky in the morning when you haven't had anything to eat. So I just brought you something small."

Arthur grabbed one of his pillows and launched it at Merlin's head. Merlin dodged it easily enough and smirked at the King.

"See?" he said. "I told you."

Arthur grumbled to himself as he pushed the covers back and stood up, stretching his arms out before walking over to the table where Merlin had left his tray of food.

"Something small, huh?" he asked, gazing down at the large pile of food. "You call this a small meal?"

"Well, the more you eat, the less cranky you are," Merlin reasoned.

"What happened to trying to keep me in shape?" Arthur inquired.

Merlin shrugged. "I think I was fighting a losing battle with that one, Sire."

Merlin almost wasn't able to dodge out of the way when a goblet soared through the air in his direction.

"That wasn't funny, Merlin."

"Of course not, Sire."

Arthur picked up an apple then and took a large bite of it as Merlin, who was still smiling to himself, moved over to the wardrobe to pick out the King's clothes for the day. Then, as he began to feel more awake and became more aware of everything around him, Arthur frowned and glanced around the room.

"Where's Guinevere?" he asked.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, Sire. I met her on the way here. She just got up early. Not everybody in this castle is as lazy as you-"

"Excuse me?" Arthur said, dropping the apple back on the tray. "You are the most incompetent, incapable, useless servant in the world, and you're calling me lazy?"

Merlin smirked but did not answer. He turned back to the wardrobe.

"What was she doing?" Arthur asked after a few seconds had gone by.

Merlin sighed. "She was looking for Ella."

"There's still been no sign of her?"

Merlin shook his head.

Ella had been Gwen's maidservant for a couple months now, and in that time, the two girls had gotten really close. It reminded Merlin a little bit of the relationship that Gwen had once had with Morgana, all those years ago. But Ella had not been seen since yesterday morning, and Gwen was now really worried.

Arthur sighed. "That's not like her." This was really the last thing they needed to worry about right now. Not with everything else that was going on.

Because yesterday, Lord Walter and Lady Amelia of Berradon had arrived in Camelot. It was the first time in many months that they had had visitors, and Arthur couldn't help but be anxious about the whole thing. For one thing, his father had never been on very good terms with Berradon, and now it would be up to him to build a better relationship with the kingdom through the Lord and Lady, who were here as representatives.

But that wasn't the only reason for his nervousness.

Because the last time they had had visitors, things really hadn't gone too well. He glanced over at Merlin, who was currently laying his clothes out on the bed. The dark circles under the manservant's eyes did not go unnoticed by the King.

"You didn't sleep last night," Arthur stated. It wasn't a question.

Merlin looked over at Arthur. "What makes you say that?"

"You look dead on your feet," Arthur responded.

Merlin shrugged. "I may have been a little – restless, I suppose."

Arthur crossed his arms. "How come?"

"I don't know. I just was."

"Is it because of our new guests?" Arthur inquired.

"What? No!"

"Oh, really? Tell me, Merlin. Where exactly did you go off to yesterday when I was greeting them in the courtyard?"

"Gathering herbs for Gaius."

"And later on, at the welcoming feast?"

"I was doing chores for you! Maybe if you didn't give me so many-"

"Merlin," Arthur interrupted. Then he hesitated before speaking again. "Is this about James?"

"No!" Merlin answered quickly; perhaps a little too quickly. He immediately averted his eyes away from Arthur and did his best to suppress the shiver that usually travelled down his spine whenever the Prince of Varelia was mentioned.

"Are you sure?" Arthur pressed. "You went through a lot, Merlin. No one would blame you for feeling uncomfortable with more visitors in Camelot."

"I'm fine. It's not like he's here again. There's just been a lot to do lately. That's why I wasn't around yesterday."

Arthur raised his eyebrows and decided to just glare silently at Merlin.

"What?" Merlin demanded, throwing the shirt he was holding down on the bed and crossing his arms.

"You've been acting strangely, even more strangely, I should say, ever since I told you that we had visitors coming."

"I don't know what-"

"And now you look like you didn't get any sleep last night. The first night that we have guests in the castle."

"So?" Merlin asked.

Arthur just continued to stare at him pointedly.

Merlin had to wonder how it was that Arthur had not yet discovered his secret. The prat could be extremely observant when he wanted to be. Fine, if he was going to be so persistent on the topic.

"The nightmares came back last night," he finally admitted.

Arthur nodded, completely unsurprised. "Which ones?"

"The one where he shoves me down the stairs. And then the one where I'm just groping around in the dark, and I can't find my way out." Merlin said, his stomach clenching at the memory.

Arthur sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He had been afraid that this would happen. "You know, I've been thinking, Merlin."

"Oh, no," Merlin said, trying his best to sound normal. "That can't be good."

Arthur shot Merlin another glare before continuing. "I was thinking that it's been a while since you've seen your mother. It's been several months since she was here."

Merlin nodded. It had been several months now. And yet, everything that had happened back then was still so fresh in Merlin's mind. Like it had only happened yesterday. James. The sorceress. Losing his eyesight. Not knowing where his mother was. If she was safe. Merlin sighed at the sudden onslaught of memories.

"And?" he finally managed to say, attempting to pull himself away from all those thoughts.

"And...I thought it would be nice if you went to visit her," Arthur said.

"You want me to leave?" Merlin asked in amazement.

"I just thought you might want to go visit your mother," Arthur said.

"Why? Because we have visitors? I told you, Arthur, I'm fine."

"So you don't want to visit her?"

"Well, of course I want to visit her! But I know why you're making the offer, and the answer is no. I'm staying right here. I'll go see her after our guests leave."

Arthur sighed and rolled his eyes. Why did Merlin have to be so stubborn? "Fine. Just...stay away from staircases, would you?"

It was Merlin's turn to roll his eyes. "That'll be pretty much impossible. Why? Do you really think Lord Walter or Lady Amelia would push me?"

"No, but you're clumsy."

"But I've always been clumsy."

Arthur shrugged. "I know."

"Then why-?"

"Don't you think it's time that I got dressed, Merlin? If you refuse to take some time off, then I'm not going to tolerate any slacking."

Merlin scoffed. "I'm ready when you are, Sire."

A short time later, Merlin and Arthur were walking through the castle, on their way to go meet the Lord and Lady of Berradon for breakfast. Merlin was lagging slightly behind today, as so many thoughts were swirling through his mind.

He hadn't been entirely truthful about what had happened yesterday. Yes, he had had plenty of chores to do, but the truth was that he really had wanted to avoid greeting the new visitors, and sitting, or in his case, standing, through the welcoming feast.

But he was not scared of the new visitors, despite what Arthur seemed to think. There was no way that the Lord and Lady could possibly be as bad as James. He was just anxious, and he didn't want to stir up old memories of the last time there had been visitors in Camelot.

His thoughts turned to his mother, then. He really would love to go see her. It would be nice to get out of Camelot for a few days and get some fresh air. But Arthur had only offered to let him go because he thought Merlin wanted to avoid the new visitors. As true as that may be, Merlin was determined not to show any weakness. He was still working to move past all that had happened when the royal family of Varelia had come to stay. But that was likely never going to happen if he ran off every time new guests arrived.

"Merlin!" Arthur said exasperatedly, coming to a stop and looking behind him. "What are you doing? You're even slower than usual, today."

"Coming," Merlin said, quickening his pace. But a moment later, he came to a stop once more.

Arthur crossed his arms as he watched Merlin peering behind the statue in the small alcove he had just passed by. "Find something interesting back there, Merlin?"

Merlin didn't answer. Instead, he moved closer to the statue so that he could get a better look.

"Merlin! We're going to be late."

"Arthur," Merlin said, his tone of voice suddenly very serious as he dropped to his knees.

Arthur suddenly felt nervous as he hurried over to where Merlin was kneeling and looked behind the statue. He visibly paled at the sight he was met with.

It was Gwen's maidservant, Ella. She was lying on the floor, pale white and unmoving, with sightless eyes gazing up at the ceiling. Merlin's hand was shaking as he reached out to check for a pulse, but before the manservant even had the chance to announce his findings, Arthur knew the truth.

The girl was dead.

A/N: So what do you think? Any feedback would be appreciated. Until next time! :)