Part 6
"This way" Arthur bellowed as he led his knight's forwards through the ever thickening bramble. Sir Gwaine and Mordred were by his side, their arms extended towards the ground as they gestured the king to where they had first discovered the blood.
"This was when we had heard the noise" Percival commented as he stepped forwards closer to his king.
"And I take It you decided to split up at this point?" Gwen asked as she also made her way to the front. The Queen was adorned in rich furs and tight leathers, her hair tied back in a bun as two tendrils hung down framing her angelic features. Bringing himself forth from his reverie Mordred nodded in return.
"Yes, we fanned outwards but each found nothing-" Mordred stated, Arthur nodded deep in thought; his eyes suddenly narrowing as he began to slowly climb through the bramble in the direction that Mordred had passed the other day.
"This was the direction Mordred scouted in Arthur-" Gwaine tried to interrupt the king however Arthur continued fourth. With worry and guilt continuing to eat away at his blackened heart the young druid knight stumbled forwards quickly to catch up with the others.
"There was nothing this way-" Mordred murmured, "Only a few ruins-"
"Ruins?" Leon suddenly quipped as his head reeled in the druid direction, his eyes narrowing considerably. "You never mentioned the discovery of ruins to us?"
"It wasn't important-" Mordred noted back as calmly as he could, one of his eyes still trained on the disappearing shadow of his king and Gwaine. "They held no importance at the time, there was no need to bring them to your attention when more pressing matters were at hand"
Nodding with the answer Leon smiled and clasped Mordred shoulder, "Don't worry Mordred-" The blonde knight bit back at his tongue as he forced his eyes away for a moment, "We are all secretly worrying for Merlin- It's okay to be afraid, as long as it is not in your adversary's eyes"
Mordred forced a relieved smile on his face as he stepped backwards and allowed Leon to pass through. Sighing the druid turned away as he brought his hands through his hair slowly, surprised to find a sheen layer of sweat covering his brow. It had seemed that the knight had passed his anxiousness and guilt off as a fear, a fear for a man's life he had condemned.
"MORDRED!"
Wide eyed Mordred's fears quickly returned as he slowly turned around, running through the thick brambles the young man fell forwards into the clearing which held the crumbling tower. Spotting the rest of the patrol the druid wandered forwards slowly, his eyes taking note of the fallen crumbling stone around them. "Arthur?" Mordred replied honestly as he wandered forwards,
However as soon as he was an arms width away from his king the knight instantly regretted even returning to his side. A fiery storm of anger rose and boiled beneath the Arthur's blue eyes as he stared accusingly at the younger knight; in his hand was the clenched up bloodied neckerchief which belonged to the missing servant. Gasping Mordred suddenly became aware of a tight grip around his throat, Arthur's leather clad hand tightening with ever second as he watched the druid gasp for breath under his power.
"Liar" Arthur growled as he glanced from the neckerchief and then back to his knight, "You lied-"
"I-" Mordred gasped as he felt his mouth begin to dry out, "I- didn't-"
"He was here-" Arthur continued as his grip tightened, "Here and you didn't bother to try and save him"
"no-" Mordred gasped as he glanced around for aid from the knight's, however instead of faces of worry and torn allegiance he was met by the condemning looks from his friends. Gwen's angelic face had turned sour as she allowed a free tear to stroll down her cheek.
"Liar" Gwaine muttered as the others also agreed.
Releasing his hold Arthur pushed the druid knight to the ground as he watched him writhe in pain, "I-I did it for you Arthur-" Mordred gasped as his eyes stung and tears began to rise, "It was a trap- If I had told you sooner-"
"No-" Arthur stated as he raised his hand upwards silencing them all, "You have had your chance to speak Mordred, but instead you chose to ignore it-"
Mordred opened his mouth to try again however found no words come to his aid as he sat at Arthur's mercy, "Arthur-"
"I hereby sentence you to death" Arthur began as he dropped his hand and stared at the neckerchief, "For the Murder of Merlin-"
"I DIDN'T DO IT!" Mordred shouted as he sat bolt upright; With a flash of gold the mirrors which hung the walls of his chambers shattered outwards, the shard falling to the ground with a loud clatter which filled the air. Scrambling upwards the loose linen sheet's tangled around Mordred's legs as he panted in the large bed he was in. Gasping he ran his hands through his tight brown curly hair, His hands shaking as he tried to control his magic after its sudden outburst.
"I…" Mordred muttered to himself as he wiped away his watery eyes, "I did it for the king-"
Suddenly with a jangle of iron and a thudding knock at his wooden doors the knight sat straighter as the door opened without waiting to be called. Strolling inwards walked the king, his armour already adorning his body as he pulled a hand through his hair. "Mordred-" Arthur stated before noticing the mess of his most aspiring knights room. "You- er-"
"Sorry sire-" Mordred exclaimed as he threw his legs over his bedside and scrambled for the dresser, grabbing a fistful of his uniform the young man dived behind the shade as he began to dress himself for the days attire. By the amount of light swimming through the stained glass window he could tell Arthur was planning on leaving soon.
"What happened?" Arthur asked as his voice pitch rose dramatically, "It looks like Merlin's been in here-"
Forcing a laugh Mordred quickly rattled his brain for a liable excuse which drew away from his magic, "Yes sire- No- It was the wind-"
"The wind?" Arthur questioned as he wandered forwards and picked up one of the shards of the mirror, his eyes narrowing as he stared at his reflection.
"Yes-" Mordred repeated as he finally pulled his tunic over his head and stepped away from the shade, "-Sire- Uh, It was strong last night and blew the mirror off the wall-"
"And it shattered?" Arthur questioned as his head turned and tilted towards the wall, "And the Mirror is still on the wall?"
"Yes- I- Placed it back on the wall-" Mordred quickly lied, his cheeks flushing as he instantly regretted saying so.
"Okay-" Arthur raised an eyebrow. Luckily however the king subsided pushing for answers and instead turned back to the knight, gesturing him over to the small oak table which sat to the side of the room. Placing down a parchment Arthur stared at the map before them, Mordred joining him once he had navigated the shards of mirror in barefoot.
"Is this the plan for today sire?" Mordred asked as he stared down at the map, instantly recognising it-
"Yes- There are to be 5 patrol groups, 4 of which will be searching the surrounding areas of the castle while our patrol group shall be scouting the area where you had found Merlin before-" Arthur stated in a commanding tone, Mordred nodded before his eyebrow picked upwards.
"Sire this is a well justified plan but- why are you telling me this?" Mordred asked as he stared at the king in confusion. Smiling Arthur placed a comforting hand on the younger knight's shoulder.
"Because Mordred, you shall be leading our patrol-" Arthur stated as he squeezed the man's shoulder, "You are going to lead us back to the dollop-head" , Mordred felt another wave of guilt crash into his being as he nodded slowly. Arthur's face had lightened with worry, openly showing the younger knight of his true feeling's at the moment. Taking Arthur's own should under his grip, Mordred squeezed it once catching the king's attention once more.
"Don't worry Arthur-" Mordred whispered, forgetting the man's title for the first time in his serving. "We will find him- I promise"
Arthur nodded slowly as his glassy eyes slid behind his powerful façade, "I hope so, for his sake- You know Mordred, I don't think I've never thanked Merlin-"
"I'm sure you have sire-" Mordred stated as he stepped away slightly, His eyes lightening as he smiled,
"No- Not properly" The king muttered as his hand fell to his side and stared off into oblivion, "I don't think he knows how grateful I really am-"
"Arthur-" Mordred interrupted, the mood proving too much for him to take. With guilt hanging like a lead weight in his heart the younger man began to guide the king towards the oak door slightly, "I think he knows-"
Nodding Arthur shook his head as he returned to his normal persona, a cocky smile filling his features as he shook the younger knight's hand his thanks. Wiping away the sweat from his hands Mordred took the King's grasp, returning the gesture.
"Oh and Mordred-" Arthur stated as he turned for the door, his eyes narrowing down on the poorly dressed Mordred before him. "Don't you dare utter a word of this to Merlin-"
"I won't sire-" Mordred smiled, "When we find him I can assure you I will imply the opposite-"
Laughing Arthur shut the door closed behind him, leaving Mordred alone in his chambers once more. Alone and filled with one thought echoing in his head.
"Liar"
a/n- Thanks for reading, don't forget to leave a review because they really help me out in seeing whether you guys are enjoying the plot line.
On another note this is probably going to be the last story I finish before I completely quit writing, so thanks for all the support for my stories and I hope you enjoy! THANKYOU :)