Oh my- *faints*

15 reviews and countless alerts and favourites for under 1000 words? I love you guys, seriously I do.

Here we go then, the first proper chapter that isn't a prologue. As ever, tell me what you think!


Chapter 1

"Gwaine would you hurry up?" Arthur called back to the knight.

It was just the two of them that had gone to search for Emrys, Gaius had said that it would be better that way and the two didn't question him.

"Ok, we need to stay unrecognised so if anyone asks I'm Lancelot and you can be my servant."

"Well what's my name?" Gwaine asked.

"You don't need one, no ones going to bother much with a servant."

Gwaine pulled a face at his back and decided to think up his own name.

Just as he was on the verge of a breakthrough on the name front Arthur held up his hand and brought them both to a stop.

They both dismounted their horses and proceeded through the forest on foot.

"So where are these Druids then?" Gwaine asked.

"I don't know do I?" Arthur replied indignantly before marching further into the forest.

Gwaine shook his head and followed him.

"What was that?" Gwaine asked stopping in his tracks.

"What was what?"

"That noise."

"What noise?"

"Honestly? You call yourself a good hunter? That noise right there! Listen!"

This time Arthur did here the strange hissing sound that seemed to be oozing from the very trees around them.

As it turns out it wasn't the trees, it was giant scorpions (people more knowledgable than the two in the forest would correctly identify them as Serkets).

The two men began to fight off the beasts as they started attacking them left, right and centre. But of course it wasn't enough and soon enough one of them fell.

"Arthur!" Gwaine shouted as he saw his friend fall, a puncture wound new on his back.

"Help!" he called to the surrounding forest on the hope that someone (preferably one of those damned Druids) would appear.

Without warning the Serkets were all thrown back into the surrounding trees and this time they didn't return. Gwaine looked up to see a figure approaching.

"Please, it's my friend. You've got to help him."

The man looked down at Arthur and Gwaine thought he saw his eyes widen slightly but he ignored it. The stranger nodded. "Pick him up then, unless you think I'm going to be able to carry him?"

Gwaine looked over the man's slight frame, he would give him that actually. This person looked like he'd have trouble carrying Gwen let alone Arthur.

He picked him up and followed the man through the forest.

He lead them to a small hut made from wood deep in the centre of the forest. It wasn't much but it had a homely feeling to it, Gwaine felt safe here and for some inexplicable reason he trusted this man completely even if he was a stranger.

When they entered the man gestured to a bed in the corner and Gwaine lay Arthur down on it before taking a seat on a nearby stool himself. There was silence as Gwaine watched the man carefully tend to Arthur's wound. When he was finished applying some sort of ointment he threw a wary glance towards the knight before placing his hands gently over the injury and whispering ancient words that sent warm shivers down Gwaine's spine.

"What are you doing here?" the man asked as he sat down on a stool opposite. Now they were in a better light than the dappled shading of the trees Gwaine could get a proper look at him.

He had a thin, gaunt face that was hugely disproportionate to the size of his overly large ears. His blue eyes looked like they may once have held a spark of something different but now they were empty, cold and hard. They looked out of place on such a young face. Because it was a young face, he was obviously someone that had faced the horrors of life full on from a young age. And yet, there was something vaguely familiar about the way that his black hair fell across his forehead, or the way that he held himself.

As a knight Gwaine was trained to notice things and he now saw that the man's hands were worn in a way that did not come just from living in the woods. They were the hands of a servant.

The clothes were no clue, a long blue cloak which had now been hung up by the door was covering up a completely brown ensemble which did not suit the man in the slightest.

"We're looking for someone, we were told that there may be people here that know where he is." Gwaine replied.

"Who are you looking for?" he asked

"Are you a Druid?" Gwaine asked instead of replying.

"Not technically no... Why?"

"We were told that the druids may know his location."

"Who is it that you're looking for?"

"A sorcerer by the name of Emrys."

"Warlock."

"What?"

"Emrys is a warlock, not a sorcerer."

"Is there a difference?"

"Very much so."

"Do you know where he is then?"

"That depends."

"On what?"

"Why are you looking for him?"

Gwaine signed and leant forward placing his forearms on his knees, "We need his help."

"Who doesn't?" the man muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing. Who are you two anyway?"

"That's Sir Lancelot of Camelot" Gwaine pointed to where Arthur was lying unconscious, "And I'm his servant..." Damn it he still hadn't thought of a name. Quick, think fast Gwaine, "... Merlin."

"And you expect to get my help by lying to me?" The man stood and walked over to check on Arthur's condition.

"What?"

"Sir Lancelot was a good man, don't besmirch his name by comparing him with this. This is King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot and you're certainly not Merlin, you're not even a servant Sir Gwaine."

"If you knew who we were then why did you ask?"

"I like to know if I'm helping honest people or not."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm Emrys. And I don't really appreciate people lying to me about something as petty as a name."

"Sorry, but you have to be careful around these parts."

"Why? Surely if someone knows your name they would know your face. Especially this one over here." He nodded to Arthur.

"What have you got against Arthur?"

"History." Emrys said simply.

"So why help him if you hate him so much."

"I don't hate him. I pity him and the way he was raised. Having his beliefs forced upon him from the moment he was born."

"So you don't hate him?"

"Isn't that what I just said?" Emrys snapped.

"But you don't like him."

"Of course not. I have every reason to hate him but I choose not to act on them. There once was a time that I would've trusted this man with my life."

"Do you know each other?"

"I thought we did. Turns out I was wrong."

"What happened?"

"It doesn't matter, it was a long time ago now. He won't even recognise me. I don't even recognise me sometimes."

"How can you not recognise yourself?"

"I wasn't always some old hermit living in a hut. I once had friends, family, a home. I even fell in love." Emrys sighed, "But that was in another life. It's all gone now."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. If I wanted people's pity I'd ask for it."

"You're rather bitter aren't you?"

"I'm an almighty warlock that has been degraded to living in little more than a hovel whilst a witch that isn't even half as powerful as me is currently sitting undeservedly on the throne of Camelot which is - technically - the place of the Once and Future king. I think I've earned the right to be bitter."

"You know what's happened in Camelot?"

"Of course I do. What do you take me for?"

"Then why haven't you helped?"

"You didn't ask. I used to help people without being asked and look where that got me." He gestured around him.

"For someone that doesn't want pity you're awfully whiney."

Emrys glared at him.

"Yes, yes I know. You've earned the right and all that."

"Here," He plonked a bowl of food down in front of him (Gwaine hadn't even noticed him cooking) "Eat up."

They spent the rest of the evening in silence.

"Will you help us?" Gwaine asked as they were settling down to sleep.

"Probably."

"What do you mean probably? Yes or no?"

"I want your king to ask me first. But don't tell him about this conversation, otherwise I won't."

"You're a bit strange, you know that?"

"Says you, the noble of noble birth that hates all nobles."

Gwaine chuckled, "Alright, I'll give you that one."

Emrys smiled as he curled up to sleep, he always knew he'd see them again at some point.

XXX

When Gwaine awoke the next morning he noticed that Emrys wasn't there anymore. He glanced behind him and saw that Arthur was still exactly where he'd left him so they hadn't gone off for their talk yet.

He got up and stretched out his joints (the floor was not the most comfortable place to sleep) before deciding to have a little poke around. He'd never been in a sorcerer's house before and he was curious. He began opening drawers in the mismatched furniture finding nothing that he hadn't expected to find.

Magic books full of spells, more herbs then he thought even Gaius could name, clothes, weapons, alchemy equipment. The last draw was the strange one though. Inside was small vial of potion clearly labelled in handwriting he recognised but he wasn't sure where from. It said 'Anti-Dragoon'. "That's funny," thought Gwaine, "Isn't dragoon that old guy that killed Uther?"

He continued looking through the draw and found another magic book that looked like it was the most well thumbed of them all, he flicked through it and saw little annotations in the same handwriting as the bottle in the margins.

'Good against griffins.'

'Works with concentration, find un-animation spell for dog.'

And the most interesting of all...

'Must use on prat.'

What was that about? And why was this all so familiar?

Also in the draw was a staff that looked very magical so Gwaine quickly moved it aside not wanting to cause any damage and a small wooden figurine of a dragon.

The strangest of all in the draw however (for it was a big draw and could hold many things) was a piece of red fabric. It looked old, at least a decade old. And it looked as if it was regularly used all that time. But what was it?

He heard a whiny of a horse from outside and quickly placed everything back where he found it before going to investigate.

He opened the door and saw Emrys standing outside tending to his and Arthur's horses which had been left in the forest overnight.

"You really should look after these horses better, those poor stable boys in Camelot are the ones that will have to de-stress them after all. Now, is the lazy king of yours up yet or does he still need waking up by someone after all these years." He strode past Gwaine and into the house shutting the door behind him, the knight took this as a sign to stay out and went to spend time with the apparently stressed out horses.

"How do you de-stress a horse?" he muttered to himself.

XXX

Arthur looked around groggily as he awoke.

"Morning Arthur, how's your back? I'm afraid healing was never my forte but I did what I could." A voice said from his left.

"Huh?" He grunted not very eloquently.

"Still not a morning person then?"

"What?"

"Here, drink this. It'll help." The man handed a cup of warm liquid. Arthur looked at it warily, "If I wanted you dead I would already have killed you so just drink the tea."

Arthur took a tentative sip before smiling slightly and taking a bigger one.

"How do you know who I am?" he asked after a bit, he was sure he could remember telling Gwaine to lie to anyone they met. Speaking of which, where was Gwaine?

"Gwaine tried to lie and say that you were Lancelot and he was... merlin." He watched Arthur carefully to see if the last name gained any reaction. He wasn't disappointed, the king's eyes narrowed slightly.

"But I already knew who you were." He finished.

"Errm... Where is Gwaine?"

"Outsids with your horses, you really shouldn't just leave them out in the forest by themselves you know."

"And... Where are we?"

"You're in my house." Arthur noticed that the man did not call it a home, "You were stung by a serket so I healed you, I'm sure I've already said this."

Arthur shook his head slightly

"No? Oh. Well now I have." The man took back Arthur's now empty cup.

"Who are you?" Arthur asked a bemused smile playing on his face.

"The Druids call me Emrys."

"And is that your name?"

"Of course not, what sort of mother names their child Emrys? Honestly."

"Who are you then?"

Emrys turned to look Arthur in the eye, properly looking at the king for the first time since he woke up.

"Who do you think I am?"

"I don't know that's why I'm asking."

Emrys sighed and his previously cheerful nature seemed to fade slightly.

"Then I suppose I am Emrys to you as well." He said sounding rather forlorn.

There was silence for a moment before Emrys looked up again, "You're a long way from Camelot, what are you doing here?"

"Didn't Gwaine tell you?"

"I'm asking you."

"I - we - Camelot needs your help." Emrys turned away slightly to hide his smirk.

"Why should I help you?"

"Innocent people are dying!" Arthur said astonished that the man hadn't picked up on that yet.

"It must run in the family."

"What?"

"Morgana is killing innocent people, you're father killed innocent people and even you've done it a few times. The Pendragon family has cause my kind decades of pain. It's because of your father that I grew up without mine, it's because of your laws that I had to hide who I am for my whole life, it's because of people's fear of magic that I had to leave my home."

"So you won't help us." Arthur said, it wasn't a question but a statement.

"I did not say that."

"You will help us?"

"Of course."

"But why?"

"Why shouldn't I? I'm feeling charitable."

"I thought you hated me."

"Don't be so self-centred. I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it for the people that have got caught up in something they don't need to be."

"Thank you." Arthur said sounding genuine.

"I haven't done anything yet." Emrys sounded a little taken aback.

"But you're planning to, that's what matters." The two shared a small smile.

"Come on then, let's go. We need to pick some people up on the way. Well, I say people... They're not all people I suppose." Emrys walked out of the hut grabbing an already packed bag on the way.

Arthur smiled, he was always going to help.


So I've already done my author's note for this chapter but I just wanted to quickly let you know that I'm doing some beta reading for JXeleven who has A-MAZE-ING stories so definitely go check them out :)