While Looking for Her
Chapter 3
Shortly after dawn, they are attacked by a group of bandits. In the first few moments of chaos and confusion, the knights accompanying Arthur are killed. Arthur rouses immediately when he hears the disturbance, and shakes Merlin awake. Arthur leaps to his feet, sword at the ready to engage the bandits as they attack. Merlin takes up a sword from a fallen knight, and stands a little ways from Arthur, clumsily trying to defend himself. The attacker easily disarms him, and Merlin is grabbed from behind by two other bandits.
Merlin struggles with the two men who are holding him in a tight grip; he's unable to free himself to help Arthur. He watches helplessly as Arthur wields his sword against two opponents at once. Arthur falls, and Merlin sees that more men are on their way. He cannot allow Arthur to fall this way, here in the forest in the middle of nowhere, unmarked and unremembered. Arthur is scrambling to regain his feet, slashing with his sword at one of his attackers. As the other assailant raises his sword to deliver a fatal blow, Merlin ducks his head to hide his eyes, making a quick spell that causes Arthur's attacker to drop his sword and stumble to the ground, cradling his hands. He can't manage a release from his own two captors without being seen using magic and divulging his secret.
When Arthur jumps up to his feet having killed his attacker, Merlin screams, "Arthur! Run! Now!" Arthur's head whips around to see where Merlin is, losing precious seconds needed to make his own escape. The men who had been approaching reach him, and overpower him. Arthur falls again. He's unable to fend off the attack of the group that now surrounds him.
Merlin and Arthur are restrained, and forced to kneel on the hard ground, hands bound.
"Arthur, why didn't you run? You could have gotten away."
"Right, and then what would you have done?"
"I dunno. But you would have been safe."
"Merlin, you idiot. You could have been killed."
"I hate to interrupt," another voice does just that. "But who are you? And what are you doing here?"
"We're looking for two women who were seen riding east on the road to the capital," Arthur says. "Who are you?"
"Name's Cuthbert. And you're my prisoners. I don't know nothing about two women."
"What do you want with us, Cuthbert?" Arthur demands.
"Arthur. I heard the servant call you Arthur. Who are you?"
Arthur answers, "let my servant go. He's useless anyway."
"No, Arthur! Don't . . ."
Merlin starts to protest and is struck across the mouth by one of the bandits. "Shut yer yap."
Another bandit walks up holding Arthur's saddlebag with the crest of Camelot embossed on the flap. He hands it to Cuthbert who holds it up to show Arthur and smiles.
"No, I think he'll prove useful, Arthur Pendragon." Cuthbert sneers. "You both will prove useful – and profitable."
Merlin and Arthur are kept in separate areas of the bandits' encampment, bound hand and foot, and gagged. The bandits know of the value of Arthur Pendragon as their prisoner, so they treat him with some degree of care. But Merlin doesn't have that measure of protection, and bears the brunt of their anger for the deaths of their comrades. His protests and struggles earn him a swift kick after he's thrown to the ground. Merlin curls up on himself, whimpering as he breathes through the pain in his ribs and belly, his ears and magic alert for any sounds of pain from Arthur. He hears none; he feels none. He closes his eyes in relief.
xXx
One of the bandits rides into Camelot, mounted on Merlin's horse. He trots up to the guard at the main gate. "I bear a message for the King," he declares to the guard. "About the Crown Prince." He leans down from the horse to give the guard a sealed letter. Then he turns and gallops out back through the gate. The guard looks at the letter, then over to his fellow guard, who nods. The first man leaves his post in search of someone to whom he can entrust the message for the King.
He walks quickly toward the training field where he knows the knights are at practice. He sees Aurelius, Sir Leon's squire standing closest, watching the exercises. "Aurelius," he calls. The young man turns around to see who called him.
"What is it?" Aurelius asks.
"A rider just came to deliver a message about the Prince for the King. Please can you see that it is delivered?"
Aurelius hastens over to the guard to retrieve the letter he's holding out. "Thanks for this," he says. "I'll take it to the King myself." He leaves the training area and heads into the Citadel to find the King. The guards admit him into the council chambers where Uther sits at the head of the table studying a parchment, quill in his left hand. Other documents are strewn about, and an open inkwell at the ready is nearby.
"Sire, forgive the intrusion," Aurelius says breathlessly, "this was just delivered." He holds up the letter for Uther to see. "It's about Prince Arthur." He walks down the length of the room to give it to Uther.
Uther drops the parchment and puts the quill into the inkwell; he reaches out his hand with an impatient gesture to Aurelius for the letter he bears. "Do you know what it contains?" he asks.
"No, Your Majesty, only . . . only that a guard said a rider came bearing it and saying that it must be delivered to you," he stammers. Aurelius is the only son of Uther's brother Ambrosius, and he had come to Camelot almost a year ago to squire for Sir Leon. King Uther always made him a bit nervous
"It's written in Arthur's hand. I'd recognize it anywhere." Uther turns the message in his hand, reluctant to open it. He looks up at Aurelius, "thank you, nephew, you may go." Aurelius bows and turns around to leave the room. "Wait," Uther says. "Please find Sir Bors and ask him to attend me immediately."
"Yes, Sire." Aurelius bows again and this time makes his exit. Uther breaks the wax seal on the letter, unfolds the paper and reads it twice through, frowning.
A few minutes later, the guard at the door announces Sir Bors, who enters with a bow. "You sent for me, Sire?" he asks.
Uther says nothing, but gestures for Bors to approach. When he reaches Uther's side, the King hands him the letter, saying, "it's a ransom note."
Sir Bors quickly scans the contents of the letter. "It looks like Arthur's hand."
"Yes, it appears that he was used as scribe to write a ransom and for himself and his servant."
"Arthur is in Mercia," Bors reasons, "but I don't think that this is Bayard's doing."
"No, this lot appears to be motivated by the hope of a reward. The note says we don't pay, they'll kill Arthur and his servant." Uther looks at Sir Bors, "respond as they instruct and arrange for the money to be delivered only for Arthur, not his servant."
Bors bows and leaves the room, holding the letter and thinking of the cruelty of forcing Arthur to pen the note threatening his own life.
xXx
In his castle in the Mercian capital city, King Bayard has also received a message from the bandit leader holding Arthur and Merlin, seeking a payment. Cuthbert stands before him in the Mercian throne room, held by the two guards that had brought him in. He waits, looking around at the courtiers and soldiers gathered before the throne as King Bayard reads the parchment he had just been given. At Bayard's gesture, the guards release the man and step back. Bayard rises from his throne and walks a few steps to his chamberlain, one of the courtiers standing nearby, and hands him the note to read.
"Where is he now?" Bayard asks.
"Safe and sound in our camp, a day's ride away." Cuthbert smirks. "I thought you might be interested. You're no friend to Camelot I hear, Your Majesty."
Bayard sniffs. "Why should we believe you?"
"The note your friend holds was penned by the Crown Prince of Camelot himself. You see his signature."
Bayard glances at his chamberlain who nods back at him. If this is true, then Arthur would be in his grasp to wreak his revenge on Camelot and on King Uther. Bayard has waited a long time to retaliate for his own imprisonment in Camelot's filthy cells. He had been accused of lacing with poison the wine in the goblet gifted to Arthur, on the word of a serving boy. Bayard and his retinue had been released ultimately, but the insult was never redressed.
With Arthur is in his hands, he would hold the advantage over Uther and could demand concessions from Camelot. With information Arthur possessed, he could even attack Camelot and defeat her, should he wish to do so. He could ransom Arthur himself and demand recompense. But one way or the other, Uther would pay for the insult that Bayard was forced to endure.
"Come see for yourself. If we haven't the goods, you don't have to pay." Cuthbert adds.
"Arrange for payment," he tells his chamberlain. "For Arthur only. I don't care about his servant," he says to Cuthbert.
xXx
At the appointed hour, Sir Bors and another knight, who is leading Llamri ready to carry Arthur home, arrive at the meeting point to deliver the ransom for Arthur as instructed. In subsequent communication with the bandits after the original note, also written in Arthur's hand, Cuthbert had set the terms and price for Arthur's release. His servant was not included in the arrangement.
Bors consults the map he holds in his hand. He has reached the designated location, and he looks around apprehensively. He is on a broad windy hilltop overlooking a fast moving river swollen from spring rains and snowmelt from the mountains. Commanding the hilltop is a configuration of large stones, forming a lopsided circle. Many of the stones had fallen over. In the center of the circle was a large rectangular stone, shaped like a giant's grave. The wind swirls around the stones, ruffling his hair and lifting the edges of his cape. He shivers and draws his cloak closer around himself. It is cold in the wind, despite the sunshine.
The instructions had said to leave the ransom on the large center stone in a leather pouch wrapped up in a knight's cloak. Bors dismounts, and lifts the bundle from the back of his horse, placing it on the stone in the middle of the circle. He mounts his horse again, and rides back to the edge of the circle to wait with his companion knight, who is holding Arthur's horse. For a while, nothing happens.
Suddenly, seemingly our of nowhere, a masked man rides in at a gallop, leans down to scoop up the package off the center stone. He wheels around and rides away back where he came from. On the far side of the circle, Bors sees another horseman push a body from his horse letting it drop to the ground, and then spur his horse away.
Bors rides toward the body lying on the grass at the other end of the stone circle. As he approaches, the man manages to get to his knees. His hands are bound in front and he is wearing a hood. But it is clearly not Arthur. Bors jumps from his horse when he reaches the man kneeling on the ground and removes the hood. He lowers the gag over the man's mouth, and Merlin gasps, "where's Arthur?"