Hi, I'll be brief before I leave. Thank you to all of you who reviewed, favorite, or followed my story! YOU GUYS ARE EPICALLY AMAZING FOR HELPING ME:)

Update: Today, the 21st of February, is the birthday of none other than Eoin Macken! HAPPY BIRTHDAY GWAINE!

Onward my friends!

The Darkling Woods were unsettlingly silent. The nightingales had picked up their evening hymn and sung songs of both beauty and ill fortune. Leaves fluttered to the forest floor in jumbled heaps of mismatched colors. Bony branches knocked together from the chilly wind rattling them. The air felt cool, but not musty or damp. Inhaling deeply, Merlin let out a tired sigh as he rested himself against his horse's sturdy neck. Breathing slowly and deliberate, the ears of the animal twitched at the unwanted feeling. The manservant felt his horse shake its tame head, the mane whipping his arm. Wakefullness shot through him, and the boy sat up tiredly. Kicking the animal's sides to nudge it forward, he caught up to Leon, who was in line behind Arthur and Gaius. Elyan was behind them, trying to shift into a different position on his own steed. Mordred gave a stare that showed his tired, dazed stare and his determination not to ask Arthur to stop and rest. Steeling a glance at the younger knights' discomfort, Leon smiled and chuckled softly. Merlin raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

Leon caught the look and rolled his eyes halfheartedly. "I just like seeing them actually behaving themselves without Gwaine here. Interesting, isn't it?"

"Actually not. Don't forget, you were the one who let them do those pranks. Still not very happy with pushing me into the stream by the way." attempting to do his best "Gaius" look, Merlin promptly failed and started grinning. Elyan perked his head up at the thought of an escalating argument and listened attentively. Mordred stared ahead confusedly. The former druid tried to ask the dark skinned knight to ask him why he was spying on Merlin and Leon's conversation, the older of the two promptly shushed him.

"There's nothing else entertaining in this forest. Gwaine's too drunk to even go, so we're without the prank master. He always starts prank wars. For some reason, it escalates until Merlin gets involved. By then, everyone just has enough and stops for a few days until someone starts it all over again." Elyan explained, and then after another moment, he whispered again to Mordred,

"I've been wondering why Leon hasn't stopped it, so of course it's peaked my interest."

Meanwhile, the most experienced knight in the party stared indignantly ahead at the manservant's accusation, while not hearing Mordred and Elyan's hushed words. . Leon was trying his hardest not to start smiling like Arthur's manservant. Merlin could still see the lines near Leon's eyes form and the ends of his lips pointing slightly upward. Then the two started laughing. But after a few moments, Leon sobered up and turned to Merlin.

"That wasn't my doing! Arthur was the one who suggested it! He ordered us to!"

"I heard that!" the King's voice rung out in the quiet wood, echoing like tolling bells. Mordred was the first to snort at the King's lie, covering his face with a gloved fist. Once the King turned to protest, all of them end up laughing, including the crotchety old physician known as Gaius. Arthur finally gave into the party's hysterics, but drove his horse forward, trying to speed his band of knights faster to the Eastern shores.

Then the manservant rode closer to Leon's horse, his voice soft and as quiet as a shadow. "It could be that Gaius is here. He usually doesn't like dealing with pranks."

"Merlin, you're not lollygagging and distracting a knight, are you?" Gaius didn't even have to turn around for Merlin to know that the old man was doing the eyebrow that shows his mistrust of his ward. Many a time has Merlin gotten at what everyone calls it the "Gaibrow." Mistakes and truth alike, every day Merlin saw it directed towards him. Swallowing his retorts as the knights snickered behind him, he answered solemn and truthful.

"No."

Well, half truthful at least. A half lie is better than a full one isn't it?

"Alright then, behave yourself Merlin." Gaius urged his old stallion forward into the thick brush where Arthur had escaped to earlier. The rustle of foliage was audible for a split second more, then was lost as the sun disappeared over the tree tops. Cicadas clicked in the night and an owl flapped its wings in preparation for a midnight flight. A calm enveloped the forest in the dark veil of moonlight.

Glancing overhead, Merlin picked out swirling clouds of winking stars. Breathing in night air, the manservant urged his horse ahead to meet with the others. Yet the warlock felt something amiss. Nothing felt this easy before, so something is going to happen soon. Magic rose up with the unsettled emotions he felt. Power beyond reckoning, yet never corrupting him. The magic has tempted him a great many times, but he kept it only for use in emergencies. One should be coming about soon, Emrys could just feel it through every step his horse took in these woods. Merlin knew he was bound to have a sleepless night with the 'funny feeling' back in the pit of his stomach.

As soon as Merlin's horse stepped through the brush, his magic flared. An arrow that was meant for Arthur's heart was redirected, hitting the trunk of a tree near Merlin's horse with a dull thunk. It reared and whined, its chestnut eyes alight with terror. Merlin was thrown from the saddle. He landed on his arm, hearing the bone snap into pieces. But Merlin only winced as pain erupted from his limb, burning with raging infernal fires. A short spell was uttered that bound his arm with his jacket, the cloth like a cast.

"Ambush!" Arthur's call to arms rang powerful. Swords were drawn in a blink of an eye, a single heartbeat. With his heart thudding against his chest, Merlin dove for a gnarled tree trunk and whispered spells were ringing out silently as quick and accurately as the young warlock could. Mordred saw what Emrys was doing, and nodded thankfully towards the warlock. Surprised, the pale sorcerer hesitated a moment and his golden eyes dispersed. A rustling crash emanated behind Merlin, and before he knew what was happening, Mordred had leapt in front of him. His sword looked as merciless as an icicle, frozen in a deadly point.

"ámundae mín fréawine!" Mordred shouted above the melee taking place behind the pair of magic users.

Merlin was pushed up against the tree, his arm throbbing painfully. He hissed as he tried to move, Mordred's magic keeping him in place. Glancing up at the Druid-turned-knight, he saw what Mordred was doing. A foreign man, looking much like one of the Saxons, had appeared from behind where Merlin was positioned. A large ax was held in his brutish, hairy hand. The warlock swallowed, he could've been cleaved in two if it hadn't been for Mordred.

The former Druid leapt forward and brought his sword to meet the blade of the ax. The wood holding the brutish instrument to the shaft was shattered, the metal falling to the forest floor. A harsh screech emanated from the assassin, and he drove the splintered rod toward Mordred like a spear. It for a moment looked like it had missed, but Merlin saw that it had caught the chain mail.

It had pinned the young knight to a sapling near Merlin.

Mordred clasped the wood quickly, and tried to pull it out, but Merlin saw the fear seep through the young boy's demeanor. For a moment, Merlin forgot destiny. He reached out, fighting the spell holding him back to reach Mordred. Glancing back at the manservant, Mordred looked at Merlin with pure terror.

I don't want to die Emrys. Please...

The assassin by then had lumbered from his cover of trees and threw a punch that cut off the telepathic connection. The boy was then hit in the head, and his innocent blue eyes dimmed as he fell unconscious. Emrys in response roared as he broke through the spell, shouting his own. The assassin was thrown into the brush, and a sickening crunch was the end of it. Merlin jumped towards Mordred, helping him up by putting him over his shoulder.

Inching forward, Merlin took a glance at the brawl going on in front of them in horror. Blood stained the frozen ground in large amounts. Elyan sported a long gash over his right eye, Arthur held his arm as he hacked one of the attackers, and Leon looked unhurt. Once he parried against a rival sword, Merlin saw an insignia on the chain mail. It was a red tree, the roots spreading like veins.

"Morgana..." the warlock hissed as he set Mordred by a lone bush hidden from view. Merlin grasped Mordred's blade and followed into the fray. Emrys bit his lip to stifle a scream as he fought with a man about twice his size. After a few hesitant moments, Merlin's eyes glowed a musty gold. The blade his foe held burned with unearthly heat. Screaming, the man dropped the sword and in that weak moment, Merlin stabbed him through and the warlock looked again to observe the surroundings.

By this time, Elyan had already begun wrapping Arthur in a bandage that cover much of his upper torso and his left arm up to his elbow. The cut on the darker skinned knight had been hastily bound by a bit of Leon's shirt. Leon however, helped Mordred out of the bush and lay him near the foot of a tree. Arthur limped to the youngest knight and checked to see if he was breathing. Letting out a sigh, the king nodded and sat back.

But Merlin's breath caught. The knights turned once they heard Merlin's sudden intake of breath. Giving a quizzical look as Merlin looked up, genuine fear appeared on Arthur's face as he realized why Merlin was so scared.

"Where's Gaius?"

The two words spread worry like a wildfire, and the party exploded in worried shouts. Merlin ran towards the edge of the clearing, shouting in desperate fear. When the moments past tediously Gaius answered back,

"Help me!"

It was the young Physician's Ward who broke from the group first, running as fast as his thin, injured frame could carry him. Once the group met up to see Gaius, they were frozen in paralyzing shock. The old man hung from his gnarred ancient hands over a steep prepiece overlooking a river frothing below. Merlin launched himself towards Gaius, his injured limb grasping Gaius with all of his waning strength.

The old man looked at his ward, fear undermining the mask of calm that the aged physician used to wear. Arthur inched forward, but was held back by Leon and Elyan, the two knights knowing it couldn't support the three of Gaius, Merlin, and the king. Merlin had tears leaking through his eyes. He screamed in frustration as he wasn't strong enough to pull up the old man. Once he realized that Merlin would die if he didn't let go, Gaius looked at Arthur and nodded, all the while mouthing words that even brought Arthur to tears.

Please take care of Merlin.

Gaius then released himself from Merlin's tight clasp, and fell to the sharp rocks below. All the time he heard the scuffle as the knights held Merlin back. The last thing Gaius heard was Merlin's scream before the light vanished into infinite darkness, encasing him into a world where Gaius couldn't even breathe.

ámundae mín fréawine- protect my friend

I know I'm evil, two of the most popular characters close to death or dead. Please don't kill me! But I do hope you liked it!

Review Question: Do you hate me for this?

Dragon Out!