Thank you again for the support! I hope you like this next chapter.
"Arthur?"
Arthur jumped, looking over his shoulder. His queen was watching him, a soft smile on her face. Arthur felt a flush building, knowing by her expression this was not the first time Guinevere had tried to draw his attention. He gave her a guilty grin and turned to look back out of the window. His arms were folded across his chest and one foot was hooked behind the other. But despite his relaxed posture, Arthur was anything but.
Merlin had left Camelot before. Several times, in fact. Sometimes it was for Gaius, sometimes it was for Arthur. Sometimes it was because he had something mystical and magical to do and Arthur didn't ask, knowing he wouldn't understand the explanation. It did make him wonder how many of Gaius' errands in the past had actually fallen into this latter category and Merlin had never told him. He had even left Camelot by force – Arthur could still remember the feeling of helplessness when the rock fall had separated them and Morgana had taken his servant.
But this was different. Merlin had been driven from the castle because he himself was the threat. At least, Merlin thought so. Despite what Arthur had witnessed, he still didn't believe Merlin was a danger. To himself, maybe. But not to Arthur. Never to Arthur.
"He'll be alright," Gwen said softly. She moved closer, putting a hand on his arm. Arthur glanced at her but he couldn't meet her eyes.
"This is Merlin we're talking about. He can't even walk down a corridor without walking into something."
"He has powerful magic, Arthur. He can look after himself. He survived all of these years, after all."
Arthur knew what she was getting at. Gwen herself had come closer to being executed for magic than Merlin had. He had somehow survived, despite being a complete and utter idiot. But Arthur knew Merlin's magic had kept him safe all of this time.
"That's just it," he murmured. He rested his hand over hers, knowing he hadn't been good company since Merlin had gone missing. "He doesn't have his magic."
"I thought you said-,"
"That it was stronger, yes. It's out of control, and you know what Merlin is like. He would rather die than let out of control magic hurt someone again. He won't be using it."
Arthur felt a smile flicker over his face. He had worried when Merlin had revealed his power that he didn't know the man at all. Now he knew what Merlin had said was true: he was still the same person, just with some added power that Arthur hadn't known about. Arthur knew Merlin's reactions because he knew the man…and he knew how good Merlin could be when he wanted to be. If Merlin thought he would hurt someone accidentally, he wouldn't put himself in a position where it could happen.
"He'll be alright," Gwen insisted. Arthur looked at her properly this time.
"You know where he is, don't you?"
Gwen smiled. "Not for sure. But I have a good idea where he would have gone."
"Tell me!" Arthur turned, resting his hands on her shoulders and staring into her eyes. Gwen reached up and cupped his face.
"If you think about it, you'll know as well."
Arthur thought long and hard for a moment. He had ridden out with several patrols trying to find the missing warlock and had demanded reports from the others. None of them had seen even a hint of where Merlin was and they had all put it down to his magic. But with a groan, Arthur realised why. They hadn't been able to find him because Merlin wouldn't have stayed in Camelot's borders. He would have moved on.
"He went back to Ealdor, didn't he?"
"I suspect so."
Arthur broke away from Gwen and strode towards the door, snatching up his sword as he did so.
"Where are you going?"
"To bring the idiot home," Arthur said shortly, buckling on the weapon as he spoke. He had just reached the door, his outstretched fingers brushing against the handle when he heard Gwen gasp. He turned, but his wife was looking out of the window. While Arthur's gaze had been fixed on the courtyard in the hope that Merlin would suddenly appear, Gwen was looking towards the skies.
Frowning, Arthur hurried back to her side and followed her gaze. For a moment, he couldn't see anything. Then he realised there was a shadow cutting through the white clouds, one that was moving against the wind. As Arthur watched, Aithusa spiralled out of the clouds and circled the castle before gaining more height. As she repeated the process, Arthur knew she was trying to draw attention. But Merlin had pressed on her the danger of people so as to avoid a repeat of the past and Arthur knew she wouldn't come any closer unless she saw someone she knew.
But Aithusa rarely came to Camelot unless Merlin called her or she needed the dragonlord. Fear clawed Arthur's stomach and he swallowed.
"I have to go," he muttered. Gwen distractedly nodded, her eyes fixed on the young dragon. She seemed to coming to the same conclusion as the king: something was wrong.
Arthur left his rooms and quickly made his way down to the stables. Leon fell into step with him and Arthur knew in one glance that the knight had seen the dragon as well. Neither of them said anything as they hurried out of the castle and towards the stables. Arthur kept one eye on the sky and knew when Aithusa had seen them as she suddenly banked and flew towards the forest. Although her ability to speak had never recovered, Arthur knew she understood everything that was said. Merlin had pressed on her where was safe to land.
Arthur saddled his own horse, not having time to wait for the stable boy. Mounting up, he touched his heels to the horse's flanks and left Camelot at a canter, Leon right behind him.
He slowed once he reached the forest, making sure he was following the right path. The whole point of the clearing was that it was out of the way and people wouldn't stumble across it by accident, giving Aithusa a safe place to land. But Arthur had to concentrate as he guided his horse through the undergrowth and the focus helped to stop him wondering what could have happened. In a way, he welcomed the distraction.
But all too soon, his horse snorted in distress and Arthur slipped from the saddle. Leon dismounted but stayed where he was as Arthur passed over the reins. The last thing he wanted was to scare the young dragon and Arthur moved forward alone.
Aithusa was waiting for him around a big oak, concealed from view until Arthur was almost on top of her. He stopped and crouched, holding out a hand to the young dragon. He knew she recognised him, but that didn't mean she trusted him. She had been with Morgana, after all. Who knew what hatred his sister had been spouting about him this whole time? Arthur had never been with the dragon without Merlin before and a flicker of nerves shot through him. He was fully aware he was defenceless against her if she decided to turn against him.
Aithusa nudged his hand though and Arthur scratched her head. She moved forward and he knew that she was safe.
"What is it?" He murmured softly. "Is this about Merlin? Do you know where he is?"
At the mention of Merlin's name, Aithusa's head butted against his chest with such force that Arthur almost overbalanced. He put a hand out to save himself and stared at the dragon.
"You do know where he is, don't you?" He said slowly. Aithusa paced the ground in front of him, her claws kneading into the soil. Arthur had seen her move before and knew he was witnessing a dragon in distress. It did nothing to calm his nerves over Merlin's safety.
"Where is he, Aithusa?" Arthur rose as he spoke, a sense of urgency entering his tone. "Can you take me to him?"
Aithusa looked at him before unfolding her wings and taking to the skies with one powerful flap. She didn't go anywhere though, but circled overhead before dive-bombing Arthur and resuming her circling. He knew how to take a hint.
Sprinting back to the horses, he threw himself into the saddle and wrenched the mount around. Ignoring Leon's startled cry, Arthur kept one eye on the sky as he galloped through the forest. Aithusa was clearly waiting for him because as soon as Arthur burst onto a clear path, she turned and flew east. She never moved out of his eye-line though and Arthur knew she was doing exactly as he had asked – she was taking him to Merlin.
When he found the warlock, Arthur didn't know if he was going to hug him or strangle him for making Aithusa – he certainly wasn't going to mention himself – worry in such a way. No doubt Merlin was hiding in the middle of Ealdor and Aithusa was too nervous to fly close to the village.
They rode steadily for a few hours. The horses were breathing heavily, but Aithusa wasn't slowing and Arthur knew his voice wouldn't carry if he tried to call up to her. Besides, he didn't think she would listen even if she heard him, not when she was taking them to Merlin.
The day drew on and Arthur was glad Leon had thought to grab some supplies. Arthur was beginning to wonder if they could keep the pace up when he saw Aithusa bank and drop back towards the ground. She was a few miles in front of them and it took a while before Arthur could make out where she had landed. His horse ignored the smell of dragon this time, tossing his head at the sound of water. Both Arthur and Leon slipped from the horses and led them to the small river that was bubbling through a clearing.
Trusting that his knight had his steed, Arthur once again turned to the dragon.
"Where is he, then?" Arthur asked. He could see no sign of Merlin and the trees surrounding them offered no good hiding places. And this was Merlin. Arthur knew if he was anywhere in the vicinity, they would have heard him by now.
Aithusa blinked at him.
"Were you just tired?" Arthur asked, wondering if she had reached the limit of her flying. The low growl and hiss of flame answered that question for him and Arthur stepped back, raising his hands slightly. He never realised dragons were so proud but it didn't surprise him. Placing his hands on his hips, Arthur slowly moved in a circle, relaxing his eyes and letting them examine the ground, their surroundings, even the forest… If Aithusa had brought him here, he knew Merlin had either been here or was nearby.
Just as he was about to give up, he realised that Aithusa was sniffing at something on the ground. She sniffed again, clawing at the ground before looking up at Arthur and growling. Then she repeated the process. When she did it for the third time, Arthur crossed over to her. He gently pushed her aside and examined the ground for himself.
"Leon!" His shout made Aithusa twitch but Arthur ignored her as his knight hurried over. Arthur straightened up and pointed at the ground. "Blood."
"Merlin's?"
Arthur looked to Aithusa, who looked back at him with big eyes. Arthur sighed.
"I think so. If the idiot is hurt, we need to find him before he bleeds to death." There was concern in Arthur's tone despite his words and Leon nodded. He drew his sword and immediately started exploring the edge of the forest. Arthur crouched down, putting his hand on Aithusa's head.
"We'll find him," he promised.
"Arthur!"
The king straightened up, hurrying over to where Leon was standing. The knight was staring at a tree and – feeling slightly bewildered – Arthur followed suit. It took him a moment to realise what he was seeing, then he groaned out loud.
"Someone tried to attack him," he said quietly. There was no denying the damage to the tree was done by something hitting it with a force. The type of force that Arthur believed Merlin's magic was capable of, especially with how it was acting at the moment.
"So where is he?" Leon asked. "If his magic is that powerful, surely he would have won?"
Arthur shook his head slowly, having no clearer idea than Leon did. Eventually, he sighed.
"Unless he was trying to stop the magic. He would have been more defenceless than usual if he was fighting himself as well." Arthur ran a hand over his eyes, trying to squash the headache threatening to build.
"What have you done, Merlin?" He breathed, lowering his hand and staring out into the forest. One glance over his shoulder revealed the horses were securely tethered and Aithusa was curled up on the ground. Arthur shifted the grip on his sword.
"Come on." He walked into the forest, knowing that Leon would be following him. There was no body, meaning whoever Merlin was fighting must have taken him with them. While it reassured Arthur that his clumsy Court Warlock was still alive, he knew the type of danger Merlin could be in right now. Giving him a position in court had just painted a target on his back and Arthur would never forgive himself if Merlin's title was now the reason he was in danger.
They hadn't been walking for long when Arthur held up a hand. They both stopped, and the audible sound of horses shifting made the two men glance at each other.
"They could be friends?" Arthur said tentatively.
"Waiting for us?"
"Good point," Arthur said. He grinned. "Let's go."
If it was a trap, it was the only clue they had towards where Merlin was. Arthur was prepared to spring it, knowing Merlin would do – and had done – the same for him more than once. They walked a little further, tense and alert.
"Stay where you are!" A voice shouted from the trees. Arthur stopped, sliding his sword through his belt.
"We mean you no harm," he called. He couldn't work out where the men were and his gaze flickered anxiously between the trees. "We're looking for someone. Maybe you can help?"
"What's in it for us?"
"Gold."
"You don't look like you have any."
"I am the King of Camelot," Arthur called, drawing himself up to his full height and lifting his chin. "And I give you my word you will be paid for any information you can provide us with."
"Perfect," a voice sneered. Before Arthur could shout a warning, there was the familiar twang of a bow being fired and Leon fell with a cry, clutching at his leg. Arthur dropped to his knees beside him.
"We mean you no harm!" He shouted angrily, resting a hand on Leon's leg. Leon was gripping it with both hands and when Arthur met his eye, he nodded.
"Do it."
Without a word of warning, Arthur yanked the bolt out of his leg. Leon gritted his teeth but stayed quiet as Arthur stood, sword drawn again. In that time, a dozen or so men had spilled from the surrounding area. Arthur swallowed. He couldn't take this many men alone.
"So, Your Highness," one drawled, stepping forward. He was a brute of a man with ugly scars crisscrossing his face and chest. "I hear you've lost your pet warlock."
"Where is he?" Arthur growled. He stepped forward, but paused when four bows were aimed at him.
"Come nice and quiet now and I'll take you to him."
Arthur frowned. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" he asked, his heart beating uncomfortably hard. The man seemed to be expecting that question though, for he reached down to his belt. He pulled free a scrap of cloth and Arthur felt the fight go out of him. He would recognise Merlin's scarf anywhere. He looked down at Leon.
"If I come with you, what happens to my friend?"
"He'll be free to go. We need someone to deliver the message of your capture and our ransom price, after all."
"Arthur, no." Leon gripped at his foot weakly, but Arthur stepped out of reach.
"This is all about gold?"
"Yes. You'll be returned when they pay."
Arthur didn't believe him. To subdue Merlin for long enough to hold him hostage meant these men were prepared. They didn't intend to just ransom the King of Camelot and his Court Warlock. But Arthur didn't see what choice he had. If he went, he would find Merlin and Leon would be spared. If he struggled, Arthur was fully aware he was signing their death warrants. He would be proud to go down fighting but Leon – and no doubt Merlin – were helpless right now. It would be a slaughter and he couldn't do that to his friends.
"Very well," Arthur said. He sheathed his sword and held up his hands in surrender.
"Arthur, no!"
The men were on him too quickly for Arthur to change his mind even if he wanted to. He didn't struggle as his hands were pulled behind his back and tied and his sword removed. Arthur glanced over his shoulder and tried to smile reassuringly at Leon. But the man only watched in horror, his face pale and his hands clutching at his wounded leg.
Then Arthur's world went dark as a piece of coarse material was tied roughly over his eyes and he was pushed forward.
He only hoped he hadn't committed his friends to death after all. There was nothing he could do to help them now.