Hello people

I will not be posting next week as I am going away to Denmark for a few days for Karate.

But there is some good news.

I am planning on posting this story on Tuesday and not Wednesday when I get back.

Chapter 3

It had been a year since Morgana last saw Merlin and even she had started to lose hope that they would ever see him alive again.

Uther had made it impossible for the Prince and Ward to go looking for the servant.

Arthur had decided that it would be a good idea to get out of the castle, to try and get away from it all.

He said that he knew of a place where they would be able to relax and be safe enough that they wouldn't need guards.

It was going so well.

Morgana laughed for the first time in a year.

She hadn't realised how close she had become to Arthur and Gwen due to what had happened.

They had hardly talked about it and if they did it was called the incident.

Arthur had tried to look for him under his father's nose but was caught out.

Morgana had thanked him for trying.

"I mean he looked like an idiot." Arthur said.

"You always make everyone look like an idiot." Gwen said.

"Well some people you can't help." Arthur replied.

"Like you." Morgana said, sipping on the wine they had brought.

"I am not an idiot." Arthur said, sitting up a little straighter.

Gwen and Morgana started to laugh but stopped as they heard the snap of a twig.

Arthur jumped up and unsheathed his sword.

He gestured for the girls to stay where they were.

The snaps got closer and closer and Morgana started to worry.

Maybe Morgause has come back. She thought.

Morgana felt her breath catch in her throat as the figure showed themselves.

"I found you." Merlin sighed with a smile before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fainted.

Arthur managed to catch him before he hit the ground.

"How is he?" Morgana said as Gaius left the little room.

Gaius looked at all of them.

"He should be fine. He is more resilient than you think."

"Do you think he will remember anything?" Arthur said.

"It is hard to say." Gaius said.

"I don't want him to." Morgana said.

She felt their eyes on her.

"Whatever she did to him would have affected him. Gaius, you may say that he is resilient but he won't be the same person we knew."

"Maybe." Gaius said. "We will just have to wait and see."

"Do you remember what happened that day?" Uther asked.

Merlin sighed.

"I realised early on that something wasn't right and when Morgause showed up, it was easier to understand what was happening. Somehow she had managed to enchant one of the Lady Morgana's bracelets. As I took it off her, the spell must have backfired as I felt as though I had been poisoned. The next thing I remember is waking up in a forest."

"Where you not with Morgause?"

"No milord. I believed this strange too but I have not seen her since."

Uther turned to Morgana before looking back.

"We are grateful for you sacrifice. Once again you have shown how loyal you are to this kingdom and this household."

"It is nothing milord."

Merlin's eyes flicked to Morgana and he smiled at her.

"Merlin, how are you?" Morgana heard Gwen say.

She knew that she needed to speak with him. She needed to know how much he knew.

"I am fine thank you. Would it be alright if I had a few moments to speak with Morgana?"

Morgana placed down the book she was reading and watched as Merlin walked awkwardly into the room.

"Hey." She said.

Merlin's eyes lit up.

"Hey." He scratched the back of his neck. "I'm sorry if our stories didn't match. I did have enough time to ask Arthur what you had already said."

"It's fine. I never went into detail to what happened. Is it easy?"

Merlin looked up at her.

"Is what easy?"

"Lying."

Merlin sighed. "When you live a lie, it becomes easier. I have had to lie since the cot."

"Don't know whether it is better that I have had to lie for less." Morgana said, giving him a small smile.

"One day, hopefully, we won't have to. One day we will be free."

"Maybe." She whispered.

They fell into silence.

"It's good to have you back." Morgana said.

"It's good to be back." Merlin said, giving her a wide smile.

Everything seemed to go back to how it used to be.

Merlin quickly picked up the routine he had made for himself and the castle seemed lighter and nosier with his return.

Everyone had missed the serving boy.

Morgana didn't want to be but she was extremely suspicious of him.

Morgause had to have done something to him. She wouldn't have let him go if she hadn't.

Morgana had realised over the year that Merlin had probably kept Camelot and Arthur safe all this time.

If Morgause knew of that as well then it would be crazy not to try and turn him against Camelot.

Merlin had been back a week when Morgana noticed something different about him.

Gwen had mentioned that it was a beautiful day and Morgana had said that it would be nice to get of the castle for a little bit.

That's how they made their way down to the training ground.

"It is good to have him back." Gwen said as they approached the training ground.

"It is." Morgana replied.

She was too busy watching Arthur bully Merlin, as usually. Merlin holding up a shield as Arthur tried to hit is as hard as possible.

"Hailed a hero but Arthur still bullies him."

Gwen shrugged. "I think it might be Arthur's way of telling him that he cares about him. Merlin has been his longest serving manservant. I swear he use to have a new one every two months."

Morgana snorted. "Remember the time when he had five in one month just to rehire the one he had in the beginning."

And that was when Morgana noticed it.

Arthur had finished having his fun and started to walk towards the tents, either to change or to get something else to train with, when Merlin walked behind him holding up the shield as if he was going to hit Arthur over the head with it.

Luckily Leon came from the other direction and Merlin quickly dropped it.

Morgana now knew that she and to watch Merlin very, very closely.