Hi everyone!

First many thanks to those who reviewed the second chapter! As you see, I kept promise and updated earlier.

I guess many who had only reviewed the first chapter were too disappointed to review again because I didn't continue where the first chapter ended. However, I've chosen this path now and not to go on with it would be a waste of all the hours I spent to write this extended story. I would be glad if you stay with me until the end and value my efforts.

So, I hope you'll still like the next chapters even if it takes more time until the story is finished.

Please enjoy reading.

They rode about two hours without talking until Arthur slowed his horse down, leaving the road in order to make his way deeper into the forest.

Fearing various dangers that Merlins strange feelings predicted especially in such unknown dark places Merlin made his horse walking closer to Arthurs.

"Why do you want to hunt here? We've never been to this place before."

"That's exactly why. Don't you think it's boring always doing the same thing?"

"Not really."

"You're such a slowpoke!"

"Better a slowpoke than a …"

But before Merlin could end his sentence Arthur gazed warningly at him.

"Careful, Merlin! Watch what you say! You've had enough unpunished insulting today. So what was it that you wanted to call me?"

Again Merlin remembered that Arthur wasn't in his best mood today so he reminded himself to care less for ominous feelings inside his stomach and be more careful towards the prince.

Merlin bit down the remark his mouth had already formed and shook his head.

"Nothing."

"Come on, I want to hear your answer!"

Angrily Merlin looked at the prince as if his eyes could translate what his mouth wasn't allowed to say.

"No, you don't."

"Excuse me? How come you claim to know what I want?"

"Oh Arthur, stop fooling around. No matter what answer I give, you'll yell at me again anyway."

Like an innocent monk, Arthur replied.

"But my dearest Merlin, how could I? Just say what you like. Am I not the most understanding insightful man you know, considering how often I leave your daily impertinences unpunished?"

Merlin looked at the prince's smirking face and halted his horse, forcing Arthur to stop as well. Confused Arthur turned his horse towards his servant.

"What is it?"

"You're such a prat, you just can't stop provoking me!"

"Me? Provoking you? Isn't it more the other way around? Besides, can't you think of something better than 'prat'? It's getting old!"

Merlin felt how he was at the end of his tether. This strange feeling he had since they had entered the forest made him sick, caused him headache and now Arthur didn't stop acting arrogant. How much had he done for Arthur, he had risked his life so often and the prince just didn't see it. Enough was enough!

Angered Merlin breathed in and out deeply just to fill his lungs with enough air to shout out the next words.

"Prat sophomoricon!"

Arthur startled and needed a moment to regain his composure as the words still echoed through the forest. Nearly the prince had fallen off the horse by this sudden outburst of his servant.

However, watching Merlin breathing a little bit exhausted from the effort of yelling, it made Arthur strangely calm.

He steadied his horse which was shocked as well and looked as neutral at Merlin as possible.

The servant meanwhile realized what he had just done. Of course it wasn't the first time that he had insulted the prince but he had never yelled at him so loudly. Thinking about it, to dare something like that would be reason enough to kill a servant at once. What had gotten into him?

Realizing his fault Merlin meant to apologize immediately, reminding himself that he had sworn not to let himself be bothered by Arthurs ignorant remarks.

"Arthur, I ..."

But Arthur waved his hand to silence him, so Merlin fell silent, not daring to speak any further.

Arthur needed another moment to settle his mind. Merlin had gone too far, that was clear. But Arthur also knew that he had provoked his manservant enough to shake up his otherwise calm nature. Besides, the prince could clearly see that his manservant wanted to apologize.

No, Arthur wouldn't be unreasonable, doing what every other noble would do and kill the servant right away. Merlin just needed to be taught a lesson – for his own safety.

Arthur dismounted, tied his horse to a tree and gestured at Merlin to do the same. Merlin followed this command without any objection and turned hesitating to the prince after he had finished.

Arthur took the crossbow from his shoulder and held it towards Merlin. For a moment Merlin already feared that the prince would aim for him but Arthur turned it around so that Merlin could take it.

"This time you will hunt."

Merlin was shocked.

"Me? But I never did, I have no skill for that."

"You can't be sure if you don't try. So go for it, I'm just too ... sophomoric today."

"But Arthur, I don't want to kill animals."

"You had no problem with the rat."

"That was something different! We were starving. Nothing we must be afraid of now."

"You will do it or I will have YOU as prey!"

Merlin wanted to disagree but as he saw the severity in the prince's eyes he knew that Arthur was too serious about it to let any discussion happen.

Hesitating Merlin took the crossbow.

Arthur knew exactly that his servant would need at least hours to track down an animal, not to mention to actually shoot it. But he knew that this was a real punishment for Merlin as he would never do this voluntarily.

"Fine, now go ahead, I'd like to see your hunting skills."

Merlin would have laughed about it if he hadn't felt the tense atmosphere around Arthur which clearly forbid such things.

"What about the horses?"

"I doubt that you could shoot an animal from the backside of a horse. They will wait here."

"But it might take a while to find some wild."

"That's just relying on you. The quicker you track and shoot one the quicker you'll be able to go back."

Merlin couldn't hide his horror, knowing that it could take days to find something. Would the prince really want to walk around for such a long time?

Arthur seemed to guess Merlins thoughts.

"Don't be concerned that I would bother taking a day's walk or maybe two if it has to be."

As Merlin wanted to answer something, Arthur raised his hand to make him silent.

"And you won't speak until you've succeeded!"

Merlin realized sighing that Arthur wouldn't let him off the hook, so he went deeper into the forest to challenge his luck.

The silence between them was awkward while they walked through the dark forest. Though Merlin didn't appreciate to be yelled at he definitely liked it much better than this situation.

Arthur was fed up and he wouldn't allow anymore chatting, so much was clear. There was no meaning in trying to get the prince into a better mood.

Merlin could have slapped himself for losing his temper because of something stupid like that. After all these years that he knew the prince he really should be used to Arthurs behaviour. But maybe Arthur would calm down if Merlin just tried this one time to really be successful at hunting.

About an hour had passed since Merlin had started his search for some wild, Arthur always close behind him but still silent.

Suddenly Merlin felt a strange presence. Alarmed he looked around. There, again, this time it was a noise. It sounded like a human voice but Merlin couldn't make out what was said nor if it was a man or a woman.

He had to get closer to understand. There, this direction, somehow the magic inside him sensed where he had to go. Merlin walked on cautiously but still quickly, forgetting everything around.

Arthur was perfectly used to hear wild even if it was in some distance, so he wondered about Merlins odd behaviour.

'What is he doing now again? There's nothing to hear.'

Arthur was close to give his servants head a little chop to make him snap out but suddenly Merlin just ran out of his reach, making Arthur hit into nothing like an idiot.

Irritated and slightly more angered Arthur followed his servant, watching how Merlin remained staying as if he tried to listen to something while his eyes were closed. Then the eyes shot open again and Merlin went further, never allowing Arthur to keep up quick enough before the servant escaped again.

The voice inside Merlins head grew louder but still he couldn't figure out what it said. But for some reason it just lured him further to a certain spot. Walking on with sharpened senses Merlin went on until suddenly a hand grabbed his shoulder, making him startle and forced him back to reality. He had lost the track.

Merlin was pulled around by Arthurs firm grip.

"What the hell are you doing? Don't tell me you track wild with eyes closed!"

Merlin needed some time to realize where he was. This unknown voice had taken him into a strange kind of trance that he couldn't escape. If Arthur hadn't just jolted him back, he didn't know how much further he would have gone.

But there was no time to think about that, reality personated by Prince Arthur demanded to be recognized.

The prince looked at his servant with a strange mixture of being bothered, irritated and a little hint of concern, though his voice clearly said that he was annoyed.

Although Merlin was forced to think of some good explanation for his odd behaviour, still there was a bright side of this situation: Arthur had ended his punishing silence and allowed his servant to speak.

"I ... no ... sorry, I thought I heard something."

"I didn't."

Arthur stated this as if it was an undeniable fact that if he didn't hear something it also wouldn't exist, case closed!

Merlin swallowed down any occurring remark about that cockiness.

However, Arthur was right. Now that Merlin was back to his normal senses he didn't hear anything as well. So the origin of all this had to be magical. And it was no good idea to face whatever it was with an ill-tempered prince on the rear. But Merlin couldn't just send the prince away; Arthur would never listen to any advice, especially not today.

"Right, I guess I was wrong."

Arthur was surprised.

"That's all? No strange explanation for your stupid behaviour?"

Merlin shook his head and couldn't help but to let his eyes focus on a tree for not looking at Arthur instead. He had to shake that strange magical influence off at once.

Arthur realized of course that Merlin avoided to look into his eyes. Obviously Merlin was hiding something. But what was that? Wait, was Merlin shaking?

Arthur shifted his attention to the temperature. Okay, it wasn't a sunny day but surely not cold enough to feel freezing, even not for Merlin. So what was it? Fear?

Merlins eyes went back to Arthur for a second and he realized his ominous gaze.

"Arthur?"

Arthur forced himself back to some composure and let his voice sound harder.

"What?"

This time it was Merlin who looked at the prince irritated.

"Nothing, I just wondered why you didn't say anything."

"What should I say to an idiot like you who runs through the forest in some strange movement for no explainable reason?"

Before Merlin was able to answer, suddenly the voice reappeared and made his vision lose focus. The world around him blurred as his legs started to move again.

Arthur felt teased when his servant's eyes went somehow blank and he turned around to move away. But no yelling at him helped, Merlin just went further without turning back.

Rarely Arthur had seen Merlin walk so quickly, soundless and thereby sort of gracefully without any stumbling.

"Merlin, what the heck is it now?"

But Merlin didn't react and kept walking.

Sighing Arthur followed him until Merlin suddenly vanished within the thicket of the trees and bushes.

Already worried Arthur did his best to go after him.

"Merlin, where are you? Don't think you could run away from me!"

But again there was no answer.

Arthur held in for a moment to listen for any sounds. Only minutes ago Arthur never would have thought that Merlin could ever be able to outdistance him like that without leaving any obvious signs of his direction.

It was unbelievable, there were noises around unless the normal wind rushing through the leaves and the regularly birds twittering.

Arthur already felt little signs of panic that he wouldn't find Merlin anymore. This clumsy idiot would never find the way back to Camelot on his own. And even if, chances were high that the wolves would get him before Merlin even thought of what the crossbow was useful for.

Dammit, he had to find him, quickly.

Okay, this will be all for now. If you like I'll try to update within this week.

Please tell me your opinion about this chapter. I really look forward to your reviews!

And I hope, you got along with my attempt to create a new word like Merlin does sometimes. I'm referring to "Sophomoricon". I just stumbled over the word "sophomoric" a couple days ago and had to use it. Was it understandable?

Have a nice week!

Bye, Cennamae