Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, or Arthur, or any of the characters used in this chapter. Well, I may own Ronald but meh. ;)
This chapter is a little shorter. (Sorry)
It starts from the moment Merlin get's kidnapped and goes on from there. Knights POV
"Merlin!" Arthur shouts as he sees what's happening.
Gwaine, alarmed by the sudden shout of his King, turns around to see how someone has grabbed his friend. He immediately starts running towards the raven haired boy and his attacker but is stopped when one of the bandits jumps in front of him. As he blocks the attack he can see to his horror that the man has started to drag an unconscious Merlin away from the battlefield. He also notices that his other friends are trying to get to the young servant but are all kept back by the bandits who keep coming at them.
The fight keeps on going and when the last ruffian is killed, Merlin is nowhere to be seen.
"No!" Arthur growls furiously.
"We have to go after them!" Gwaine shouts, already running in the direction he had last seen his friend.
"Gwaine, wait! We have to get the horses." Lancelot stops the man.
They run towards where they left their steeds, bind Merlin's mare to Arthur's and ride back as fast as they can.
"The trail is going that way." Leon points out, gesturing to the north.
"Let's go." Arthur says, urging his horse to go faster.
As time passes they are forced to move slower. The trail left behind by the kidnappers is less visible now and they can't afford to lose it. None of them dares to speak. Even the normally chatty Gwaine is silent. The only time when someone says something is to point out where the trail is going. Nighttime begins to fall and darkness causes that they can hardly see where they are going.
"We have to make camp for the night." Leon says with a heavy heart.
"No, we have to keep moving. They can't be that far ahead." Arthur says.
"Sire, we can't see the tracks in this light. We have a better chance if we go on tomorrow." Lancelot informs his King.
The royal looks like he's going to argue but turns his head to the ground and nods. They all descent their horses and bind them to a fallen log. Elyan disappears to find some firewood while Percival starts to get everything out to cook. Lancelot and Gwaine take the bedrolls from the horses and lay them out in a circle. Leon is making a circle in stone, a place for the fire, while Arthur sits himself down, his head in his hands.
"We will find him." Lancelot says softly.
The King nods but doesn't reply. They spend the evening in silence. No one really feels like talking, or eating for that matter. Though Percival's stew smells delicious.
"Do you think he was the target?" Gwaine suddenly asks.
Everyone looks at the sturdy knight, different emotions showing on their faces as they think about what he had said.
"It did seem like he was." Elyan says.
"What would they want with him though? He's just a servant." Arthur asks, not sure if he wants to know the answer.
"He's much more than that." Lancelot says.
"To us he is, yes." Leon agrees. "But to anyone else…"
They all fall silent after that, lost in their own thoughts. After a while they settle down for the night. Percival takes first watch.
"We will find him." Lancelot whispers to anyone who wants to hear it. More to convince himself, he is worried and doesn't get why Merlin hasn't come back yet. There must be something terribly wrong if he can't use his magic.
As Gwaine wakes Arthur in the morning, the King is a little confused about what he's doing in the forest. He looks around for his friend but his memories about the day before quickly return. He gets to his feet as swiftly as possible, breaking up his part of the camp.
"Come on." he says. "Let's not waste more time."
"Sire, we got to eat first. We'll need our strength if we want to be of any help to Merlin." Leon says while Percival gives everyone a plate filled with a grey looking mush. They all eat quickly and break up camp. They are back on their horses in no time and follow the trail that's still clear to see. As the day goes on, they have to slow down. The tracks begin to disappear slowly. They even have to get off their horses at one point and fan out in order to find the right path again. Precious time slowly slips away like that and before they know it, the sun is high in the sky, telling them that it must be afternoon already.
"Sire, we need to rest for a while. Get something to eat and let the horses drink." Leon says.
Arthur nods. He doesn't want to stop searching yet but he knows they can't keep going without a little rest. They settle down close to a river, fill their water skins and eat a piece of fruit. Gwaine is playing with the apple in his hand. As much as he likes to eat apples, he doesn't feel like eating it now. He misses his friend. They all do. It's easy to see on all the men's faces. Losing Merlin felt like losing a part of themselves.
Half an hour later they are back on the road. The undergrowth becomes less and the tracks are easier to spot again so they can pick up the pace. But when darkness is falling over the forest again they slowly begin to lose hope.
"We should have found them by now. It can't be that they are so far ahead." Arthur says sadly.
"Sire, if I may. I know of the ruins of a castle. Neodrach, I think it's called. It's a few hours riding from here if I'm not mistaken. That may be where they are." Lancelot says.
"Would you be able to find it?" the King asks hopeful.
"Not in the dark. But I can find the way in the morning." the loyal knight replies.
The royal nods. "Let's make camp for the night. We need to be rested when we rescue Merlin tomorrow."
They all do as they are told and the evening goes much like the night before. Though the spirits are a bit higher now they have an idea of where they're going. Gwaine even tells a story. It doesn't sound as funny as it would be on a normal day but everyone listens anyway. They go to sleep early that night in order to build up as much strength as they can.
The next morning can't come fast enough. From the second the first signs of morning begin to show, the knights are up and ready to leave.
"How far do you think it is?" Arthur asks Lancelot.
"About three hours riding from here." the knight replies.
They mount their horses and start galloping through the forest. Lancelot at the front of the party. Although it is a guess that that's where their friend is being held, they have to belief that they're making the right choice. None of them wants to lose more precious time.
As soon as they see the remains of a castle, they know that their friend is inside.
"Why's it always when something like this happens, the bandits are hiding in a ruin?" Elyan asks.
"It must be their thing." Gwaine replies.
"Every castle has dungeons. My guess is that that's where they are keeping him." Arthur says.
The others nod in agreement.
"There are only two guards at the door. They're not expecting us." Leon points out.
"You may be right. Gwaine, Percival, take them out. We'll follow once you're ready." the King instructs.
The two knights nod and sneak through the bushes towards the castle. Once they are close enough, they jump in front of the two guards and knock them out before they can shout for help. Percival waves with his arm as a signal for the others. They all come running towards the gate. No other mercenaries are in sight so they let themselves in and walk through the corridors, in search of the dungeons. Suddenly voices and heavy footsteps can be heard. Whoever it is, is coming their way. They quickly hide themselves in a dark alcove.
"Let's see if that little runt has woken up yet." a familiar voice says.
"What was that potion that you gave him, sir?" another man asked.
"I don't pay you to ask questions, do I?"
"No, sir."
"Then shut your mouth!"
The two men pass the knight's hiding place. Upon seeing who they are, Lancelot has to force Gwaine back. Percival is doing the same with Arthur.
"That coward!" the King growls.
"If we follow them, we'll be able to find Merlin." Leon whispers.
Quietly they come out of their hiding place and follow Ronald towards the dungeons. As they see the red haired man stop in front of a door Arthur lets out an angry shout and charges towards the men. His knights follow him immediately, cutting one man down after the other. It is Gwaine who gets to Ronald first.
"Give me the key!" the sturdy knight growls.
"What key? I don't know what you're talking about." the little rat answers with a smirk.
"If you harmed him in any way…!" Arthur shouts furious.
"He only got what he deserved!" the red haired man shouts back.
"What have you done to him?" Lancelot asks as he joins his friends.
All Ronald's mercenaries are lying dead on the ground by now.
The rogue starts to laugh manically and before he knows what's happening, Gwaine drives his sword into the man's gut. The grin disappears from his face as he slides to the ground. The key he was holding falls out of his hand. Arthur picks it up and quickly unlocks the cell door. He hesitates a bit before opening it, scared of what he may find inside. The light from inside the corridor lights up the small cell and the King can make out the small form of his friend.
"Merlin! Thank God you're still alive!" Arthur shouts relieved when he sees his manservant move.
The light of the torch falls on the small form of the boy, making the wounds look even worse. The King gets closer to his friend who's curled up against the wall and shaking like a leaf.
"You're not real, it's not real. Don't look." the raven haired boy mumbles to himself.
"Merlin?" the royal asks uncertain.
He crouches down next to the young man and touches his shoulder to attract his attention. To his shock, the servant flinches away from the touch and backs up a little more.
"Merlin, it's me, Arthur. Look at me Merlin!" The King's voice sounds desperate which makes the boy look up.
"Ar…thur?" he asks uncertain.
"No, you can't be real. You can't be." he shakes his head again and folds his arms around his legs.
"It's just the potion. They're not real, calm down. It's not real." Merlin mutters to himself.
"We are real." Arthur assures his friend. "We're all here. You're save now. No one will harm you. I promise."
The royal tries to touch his friend again in an attempt to reassure him.
"No!" the young warlock shouts in fear and pushes himself against the wall.
"It's alright." a second voice tries. "We're only here to help."
"Lance…" the raven haired boy whispers when he recognizes his friend.
"Yes, Merlin, I'm here." the noble knight answers with a smile.
"We can't stay. We have to get you out of here. Can you walk?" the King asks.
"Don't know." the servant answers softly.
"We can carry you, if you let us."
Merlin's gaze goes from one man to the other. They are all there. Leon and Elyan are at the door, guarding the corridor. Percival is standing right behind them, looking at him from a distance. Gwaine is standing behind Lancelot who is, just like Arthur, crouching down next to him. They look so different than the other visions he had. They are looking at him with concern and definitely look worried. The young servant reaches out to his King. If he can just touch him… He lays his hand against the royal's cheek, the heat radiation from the man telling him that he is real. Without thinking and ignoring the pain emanating from his wounds he pushes himself away from the wall and wraps his arms around Arthur.
"You are real!" he sobs. "I'm sorry, I thought… they… he… I'm so sorry!"
"It's alright, Merlin." the royal says while rubbing his friend's back in an attempt to comfort him.
"Let's get you out of here." Lancelot says as he helps the young servant to his feet.
They take a few steps towards the door but Merlin starts swaying dangerously. Percival dives forward and catches the boy right on time. He holds him firmly in his place as he tries to get away from the sudden touch.
"Calm down, Merlin. It's alright. You're safe." the big knight whispers soothingly.
The young warlock relaxes a bit and lays his head against the man's shoulder. His eyes close almost immediately.
"Let's go!" Arthur orders and they all start running into the corridor.
They ignore the dead bodies of the mercenaries and Ronald. They only stop when they are back in the forest. Luckily it's still light but they can't travel yet. They have to treat Merlin's wounds first and make sure he's strong enough to make the trip back to the castle.
"Gather some firewood, we're making a camp."
_
I looove protective Knights and Arthur. –sigh- anyways, hope you liked this chapter. One more to go. Please, leave your reviews!
- Aaronna: Thank you for reviewing :) I'm glad you like the story. ^^
- f1gymnast: Thank you so much for reviewing on each chapter. I always love to see how people think about what I write. I hope you liked this chapter as well. :)
- Guest: I'm terribly sorry. Honestly, I don't like to hurt Merlin and I have trouble writing about it but I adore protective knights and Arthur. I just think that it comes out better when Merlin gets hurt. Anyway, I do hope you like the story anyway.
- Chatterbox818: Thank you so much for your long review! I think Ronald just wants that revenge so badly… And I don't know how Merlin will react to his friends later on. I still have to start writing on that last chapter. So I'm curious myself. If you have any suggestions though, feel free to message me. :) Thank you for staying with the story ^^