AN-Thanks for all the reviews of the last chapter, I really appreciate them and it's nice to know that people are enjoying my story. I'm really looking forward to the next chapter so you can expect that soon. Not that I'm making any promises.
It took Merlin a while to process the words that had just been said to him. How did this man know who he was? Who was this man? What had he done wrong this time? After a few moments of speculation, Merlin lifted his head so his eyes met with the slave trader's. He was about to open his mouth to speak, when the large man started talking again.
"You see Emrys, I am Mark, a former Druid. When I was a Druid, the tales about you were long and tiresome, always the same thing. Wait for Emrys and he will save us from being persecuted for our crimes. I've waited long enough and I am ready to take matters into my own hands. I've searched for you for years and years and now I've found you, servant to the king of Camelot. A man who would kill you if he saw any trace of magic within you. You're going to help me Emrys, to make Camelot a place where magic is king."
Right, Melin thought, this is bad. He needed a way to stop this man from taking over Camelot and killing Arthur. But what could he do? His arms where still tied behind his back and since this man knew of his powers, he was pretty sure he would have done something to prevent any kind of magic being used. He looked up again, his eyes cold and hard.
"What if I refuse?" Merlin asked, wanting to push the man's boundaries.
"You won't refuse." Mark almost laughed as he said it.
"Why not?"
"That would be telling"
"I'm the most powerful warlock of all time tell me!"
"No!"
"Just what are you going to do to me?"
"I'm going to make you to fulfil your destiny, nothing more."
"Oh really, that's why you have me tied up"
"Yes."
This was getting out of hand, Merlin thought. He had to get out of here. He tried to cast a silent spell, his mind whirring with various plans and ideas, all awful ways of trying to survive. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't free himself from the bindings. He must have the wrong spell he thought, but he couldn't work out any other spell that might do the job better. He looked up, ready to get some answers.
"What have you done to me?"
"Nothing"
"What have you done to my magic then?"
"I've just blocked it for a while."
"What do you mean that impossible!"
"Obviously not."
Merlin stopped talking then, realising with a heavy heart that there was no way of him escaping. He had no plan and no magic. Before, he though that he was going to be made into a slave, but now he had no idea what was going on. It would have been so much easier to escape if he knew what was going on. But he didn't.
Lost in his thoughts, Merlin almost forgot where his was. Cold in the middle of a forest. But a slap round the face soon brought him into action again. Well. Back to glaring at his captor.
"Are you listening Emrys?" Mark asked, anger seeping into every word. "I'm going to start the process now, test some things out, I just thought I'd tell you, don't worry if you feel a bit sick."
Merlin was about to argue when a spell was whispered and the world started spinning.
It had been too long. They'd gone too far. Merlin was lost. Arthur always thought of himself as a calm man, however losing your best friend could always cause a slight worry. Although they'd found various broken twigs and fallen branches, nothing was to suggest that Merlin had been the cause. It could have just been a rabbit or a deer. They'd seen plenty of them.
They were back at camp. Trying to pack up as quickly as possible so they could have a really good search on horseback. So far they'd only managed to put one tent down and that was by sheer luck. How did Merlin manage this? Arthur wondered as he fought a losing battle with a very stubborn tent pole.
It took them another hour to get everything packed away, longer than Arthur had hoped it would take. Once everything was packed up they mounted their horses and rode at a slow speed, so they could catch any sign of the missing manservant. Every tree was inspected and every bit of the ground was scanned for a Merlin sized footprint. But no matter how hard they looked, they could not find a scrap of evidence that Merlin had even been in the forest. As night fell their only option was to abandon the search for the day and go back to the castle.
When they arrived back, the streets of Camelot were deserted. Arthur decided to put off telling Gaius about Merlin until the following morning, because he couldn't bare to imagine the look on the physician's face. He went straight to bed but didn't sleep. He just couldn't. No matter how much he tossed and turned, sleep was not coming, with the knowledge that Merlin was out there somewhere.
He got out of bed and walked to Gwen's room, finding her sobbing silently into her pillows. Without a word he slithered into bed next to her, feeling the warmth of her body next to him. They curled up together, holding each other tightly. He didn't sleep particularly well, but sleep did eventually come as he and Gwen laid in bed, missing their best friend.
