Wow! It's been a week! I meant to update earlier...but the person in charge of lights in our musical was gone for two days, so I got slammed with taking over, and I'm completely new! So from 2:30 to 8:30 I've been trying to run lights from a light board I don't know very well...maybe that's why I'm sick and coughing up a storm. Stress. OH well, you guys made me feel so much better

BECAUSE YOU REVIEWED LIKE...A TON! Thanks to all of you- Anishine, FireChildSlytherin5, rawr52, twilightfan052294, nycorrall, Kool Kato, asdf (times 3!), MerlinFan1996, SpangleyPony (Times 3!), Alaia Skyhawk (By the way, you are like my idol! I LOVE YOUR BROTHERHOOD series! ahh!) Sacred3, WithEveryBreath, Tuli-Susi, SilverMoonEyes23, Deamonslayer576.

A lot of you loved the tattoo idea! So do I!


Chapter Four

The crystal vials glittered in the moonlight, calling for their master to come and claim them. Waiting to be used for the purpose in which they had been collected.

And then he was there, waiting in the night for someone. His cloak covering his face, the eerie silence hanging over him. He was getting impatient. His irritation was growing in the quiet. But then, the soft sound of footsteps could be heard from the other side of the courtyard, the sound of someone approaching.

"You're late," The smaller of the two figures accused, as the taller appeared from around a pillar.

"This wasn't exactly an easy task you asked me to perform. Do you realize Camelot is high and in arms searching for a servant? It's terribly complicated to slip past them and get to the caves," The other snapped, venom in his voice was strong.

"Did you get it?" The smaller asked, dismissing the irritation of the other.

"Yes…but what is it for? What happened to those children?"

Mordred refused to listen to him, and held out his hand to receive what he had sent him out for. Gilli, the taller of the two sorcerers's stepped back, and pulled out the small cloth that held the item Mordred wished for. Mordred's impatience grew, and he stepped forward to snatch it from his grasp.

"Doesn't matter, all that matters is that we are one step to magic being returned to the land. That's what you want isn't it? Magic to come back, so you can be who you really are,"

Gilli frowned, uncertain with his partner. He had been still unsure whether to trust him or not. Watching over Mordred's shoulder, he watched as he placed the small cloth with the object inside into a bag that contained several small crystal vials.

"Soon, Gilli we will have Emrys out of our way and we will have exactly that," Mordred turned in triumph only to watch as Gilli's face turn dark. Mordred raised an eyebrow wondering what the sudden change of emotion was about.

"Emrys? He's involved in this?"

Mordred shrugged passively,

"We can't progress till he is removed,"

Gilli knew Emrys well, and respected him very much. The minute he heard this, he stepped back in fury. All this time, Mordred had him planning against him. Never did he mention this part of the plan towards him. He had to warn Merlin that Mordred was planning against him…But Mordred just merely smirked.

"You'll never get to him in time, had I known where you're loyalties lie I would have killed you already,"

Gilli jumped at the sound of the other's voice in his head.

"You will do as I say, and if you don't you will join the children in that cave," Gilli gulped. "Travel to the Lady Morgana's camp, inform her that I will need her assistance tonight for a special task. You fail in that boy and I will see to it that you never see another dawn. Am I clear?" Mordred's eyes flashed in a threatening way.

"F…fine. But I refuse to do anything else!" Gilli shouted, turning on his heel. Thus the reason he missed what Mordred did behind him.

With a devilish smirk, the younger boy grinned at the other's back.

"We will see about that,"

0o0

Merlin tugged on the reins and dismounted. Dropping to the ground, he waited a moment before beginning to crawl forward in the grass. Just as the druids had taught him, he was finding their skills to be quite useful.

Looking down in the forest valley below, his eyes widened at just how big the camp had grown. Morgana's camp. There were now several hundred tents and campfires below. And they were only a few miles away from the border of Camelot. Just enough so no patrol would ever find them.

He backed up, his eyes narrowing at the camp. He needed to return to Camelot as soon as he could, and make sure Arthur was prepared.

Slipping back to his horse, he pulled his hood up over his face and mounted. Turn roughly; he kicked the mare into full gallop.

Little did he know Morgana watched him ride away with a small smirk.

He was better at hiding, she had to give him that, but even pathetic little druid tricks couldn't hide him from her magic detectors.

0o0

Guinevere watched as Arthur paced back and forth throughout the room. He was getting increasingly agitated as the day went on. And it was barely past dawn.

"Damn it Merlin! Where are you?" Arthur exclaimed looking out the window. Gwen wished she could offer him some kind of comfort, but knew the only relief Arthur would accept would be Merlin walking through the gates of Camelot. That looked less likely at the moment, as Arthur plopped down on his throne unceremoniously.

"Give him time Arthur, it's not like Merlin is aware that he is expected. He's missing for heaven's sake," She gently prodded his hands away from his hair. Arthur frowned and shook his head.

"Where could he be?" He asked, looking again out the window.

The young queen sighed again, and rested her hand upon his. He looked at her miserably.

"I'm sure he'll show up some day. Chances are he will show up tomorrow or something ironic like that, he's always late remember?" She joked, trying to lighten the mood.

There was a tremendous knock upon the fine wood doors to the throne room, causing both royals to jump. Sir Leon burst into the hall with a grave face as he entered, speaking almost immediately as the doors opened.

"Sire, a suspicious figure was seen approaching Camelot. He had no companions, covered up with a cloak. None of us recognized him, but we are worried on why he has arrived," Arthur sat up straighter in his throne, looking out the window. As if he was expecting to see this questionable figure standing in the courtyard waiting on him.

"Where is he now?"

"Only a few minutes away from the gates, we saw no true threat so we didn't stop him. It's just…" Leon paused, the end of his sentence dropping off slightly. It was Guinevere he pressed him to continue further.

"What is it Leon?"

The knight sighed, his stature slumping a little as he finally told the full report.

"We are worried that he may be in league with Morgana. He comes from the same direction that we last saw her…acting up in. You told us to be careful with any suspicious figures coming from areas that Morgana has been associated in," Leon completed. Arthur frowned, and then stood up.

"Then let us ride out to meet him, we can never be too careful, besides I could use a good hunt."

Leon and Gwen both knew the hunt was just a cover story. No doubt the council would be up in arms at the thought of their king ridding out to meet any mysterious figure without having his knights check for safety first.

0o0

"Remind me why I am here again?" Gwaine asked for the umpteenth time since ridding out from the Camelot gates. Several of the other knights all groaned, while Arthur turned back to give him the look.

The forest was much darker then it usually was. The clouds above seemed to reflect the mood of them all as they rode on. According to Leon, they should be meeting up with the man in any time now. Well, they might if Gwaine shut his mouth and didn't clue in the man they were hunting that they were there waiting for him.

"Because you complained at being left out last time I didn't bring you on a patrol, and I brought Percival, Elyan and Leon instead," Arthur hissed in reply. Gwaine scoffed, and looked around the forest.

"I thought you were searching for Merlin without me,"

All the knights exchanged looks at the delicate subject. The last time it was brought up in the forest, they had been sneaking out late at night to try and find clues for the young warlock without anyone on their tails. Clearly, they didn't get very far that night.

Arthur, currently riding in front, raised his hand with a warning glance. Silencing the knights that rode behind him, they all quickly got into position, surrounding him for protection.

Then they heard what Arthur had heard, the approaching sound of a horse.

Elyan looked worriedly at Percival, as the horse got closer. Its hoof beats getting louder, by this point they could all make out the horse was carrying a lighter load. The noise was too soft to be carrying any actual heavy duty luggage.

The horse appeared the rider cover in a long cloak.

"Who goes?" Arthur called in greeting, causing the horse to come to a startled stop. The figure did not remove his hood, but he replied none the less to the king's question.

"Why do you ask?"

Arthur looked at the other knights bewildered that this stranger was asking him, the King of Camelot, why he wanted to know who he was. Wasn't simply being the king of a realm reason enough to ask questions to those who come and go? The young Pendragon straightened in his saddle to look at the stranger a little better. Yet the hood seemed to be a master of concealment.

"I am the king of Camelot; I have a right to confront those who pose questionable threats to my people. By the way you entered my kingdom and your natural demeanor seems to have caused some alert among my men. If you have nothing to hide, answer my question and I will allow you on your way,"

The figure reached for his hood, and took it off. A slow and dramatic reveal to the knights who stood only a few yards away.

0o0

"My lord of the Cathar…A message from the Lord Emrys has just arrived for you,"

Alator sat in a small decorated cave. Well hidden from any magic hater, and deep in the forest, he sat reading a heavy jewel laden book. The man who had currently entered bowed deeply to the priest of the old religion, and held out several folded pieces of parchment. They were all stacked on top on each other and tied together with a delicate string of leather.

"Ah, I expected him to write sooner than this, the meeting was nearly a month ago, tell me on what terms did this get sent to me? During Emrys' time in the druid camps or from Camelot?" He asked, taking the letter into his own hands to examine it closer. His name was written in clear handwriting, one he associated with the most powerful sorcerer of all time.

"His time among the druids Alator, he should be arriving in Camelot today if information I received from the druids can be believed,"

Alator of the Cather nodded, and didn't doubt the fact. The druid's were mostly a peaceful and truthful folk, and when it came to the matters of Emrys he did not doubt them easily.

He chuckled as he opened the letter and found several pieces of parchment filled from top to bottom of the scrawl of his handwriting. Clearly, Emrys did not want to miss a single detail. He leaned back and began to glance through its contents.

"At this rate I may not have to worry about missing the druid council a few weeks ago. Just looking at this, it appears he wrote out every single event, I won't be surprised if he wrote about a druid in the background sneezing at one point," He laughed with the other man at the extent of the letter.

"It also appears…ah, I wondered when this day would come. Emrys is going to be preparing for war soon, and he requests my alliance once again,"

The other man raised an eyebrow at the prospect.

"Will we join him in the ranks?"

Alator placed the letter down and sat in thought for moment. It was always serious business to be thinking of going to war, especially when it was against two very powerful and strong forces. He motioned for the other man to sit down, and he handed him a piece of parchment and a quill.

"We will have to bid our time. Emrys is not ready to enter war quite yet; he still has a few personal agendas to look towards first. But I do believe once they are completed, Camelot will unite with Emrys and give him full support against Morgana. How long that will take, I am not sure. However, I still want to reply to Emrys that I will be waiting anxiously for the battle cry."

The other man looked quite startled at how much Alator knew about this, but kept silent and let him finish his thought.

"Shall I pen him a response then my lord?"

"Oh no not yet," Alator quickly responded, and reached for the letter again. "Let me make sure those are the only two states of business Emrys addresses, and then you will write my response with my seal on it. The letter will be entrusted to you for delivery," Alator explained, placing several answers into one, to eliminate further questions from the other man.

Alator suddenly looked towards the corner of the room, where a small table sat with a large silver dish on top of it.

"I also want you to send our dear Emrys a gift that may make some contact troubles become a little clearer,"

The other man smiled in return to the thought, before quickly walking towards the edge of the room and picking up the small dish.

"Shall I wrap this safely for him, and go get you another?" He asked, and Alator looked over the extremely long letter in thought. He gave a small nod, and returned back to Emry's words. With a smart bow, the man left, and Alator continued reading.

There was a lot to learn from the famous legendary warlock of what was going on.


Ta-Da? I know, no Merlin arrival. That's one chapter away or is it the next chapter? I guess that depends on your response MWHAHAHA!...but hey cheers for more creepy Mordred? Alator return? Gilli return?

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