AN: Enjoy this chapter! This has about nine chapters total so around two maybe three more!

Cuilén trailed after Mordred, staying close and eyes darting around nervously. Mordred started to turn a corner when he suddenly stopped and pushed Cuilén to a halt. "Shh." He hissed. "I see Merlin but... I also see two others."

"They… Merlin's in trouble, we've got to save him!" Cuilén tried to lunge forward. "Let me go, please, I'm scared but I think Merlin is too! Please!"

"No, stay here for a minute. I'll get their attention." Mordred stepped out into the alley way.

"Hey!" He called, causing the two older boys to look at him. "What are you doing?"

"Stay out of this, kid," one of the two men growled, glancing once at him. "This is our territory."

"I don't care." Mordred said. "Leave him alone." He motioned to Merlin. "You can have your territory, but I want him."

"Yeah? You're a kid, you've got nothin' so stay back," the other man growled, stepping toward Mordred.

Mordred didn't back up, instead he stood where he was. "You can't intimidate me." He said. "Just give me my friend."

When the two men got closer Mordred pulled a long knife from his sleeve. "I said, give me my friend." He said, looking them in the eye.

"Fine kid, if it means so much to you," one man rolled his eyes slightly, eyeing the knife. "Got any money on you, though? Make it more worth our while."

"Only a couple dollars." Mordred said, showing them what he had. "That's it."

"Fine, hand them over kid," the man snatched the money away and then the two retreated from the alley, a backward glare aimed at Merlin. The young man was shaking violently, his breaths coming in gasps, and he backed away from Mordred, holding his hands in front of him.

"St.. Stay back! I knew you were no good! Stay away, please! I don't have any money, honest! Just leave me alone," Merlin was shaking so much he tripped and tumbled backwards, tears pooling in his wide eyes.

"Merlin!" Cuilén yelled as Mordred set his knife down on the ground. The youngest boy rushed to his older cousin. "You are okay!"

"Cuilén? What are you doing here?" Merlin cried, scrambling to his feet. "You can't be here! Did you come here with him? No! How dare you bring him here he… He can't be here! What was Gwaine thinking… You can't go places together and Cuilén can't be here! You have to… to get out of here!"

"Gwaine..." Mordred said. "Is at work... And since we can't get ahold of him and none of us can actually go in the bar, we came to get you. I'm not doing anything to Cuilén, so you needn't worry about that. My knife, I've had that since day one, it's legal, don't worry. I brought Cuilén cause Gwaine told me to look out for him and the best way I can do that is if he is with me."

"But… Cuilén didn't know…" Merlin whimpered. "Cuilén… you weren't supposed to know!'

"Well, now he does," Mordred said. "We should get home though, it's late, and, as you can see, not safe here."

"Merlin… Why didn't you tell me?" Cuilén spoke up quietly. "Didn't I have a right to know?"

"You're… You're our little cousin, I thought you could but Gwaine didn't want to tell you… I'm sorry you had to find out like this…" Merlin trailed off and Cuilén suddenly hugged him tightly, and then Merlin gave a hiss.

"Are you hurt?" Cuilén asked.

"Just… my side…" Merlin hissed again, trying to force a weak smile on his face.

"What happened?" Mordred asked, walking over to Merlin. "Cuilén, move for a second."

Cuilén frowned but he stepped out of the way, allowing Mordred to get closer. Merlin shied backwards uneasily which caused him to crumple with a whimper.

Mordred reached out to lift Merlin's shirt. "What did they do?"

"Nothing, it's nothing," Merlin stammered, gasping when Mordred probed his ribs.

"What happened?" Mordred asked, looking at the bruising along Merlin's side. "Well, it looks like you have a couple fractured ribs... What caused that? I need you to tell me what happened."

"Nothing! I just fell and then they... Sort of... Kicked me..." Merlin sent a worried glance at Cuilén.

"Alright. Well, I'd say we take you home but I don't think you can walk all that way," Mordred said. "Let's go get Gwaine somehow and he can get you home."

"I can walk," Merlin rolled his eyes, however when he stood and took a couple of steps, he gasped and held his side in pain.

"Don't grab at them." Mordred hissed."You're the doctor, didn't they tell you this? And walking on broken ribs hurts, believe me, I know..."

"You know? How would you know," Merlin gasped out. "And besides, how else am I getting home?"

"How is a story for another time, as for getting home... I saw Gwaine's bike that way, we could go wait for him or I could sneak into the bar, or get someone to get him for me." Mordred said, then pulled a bottle out of his jeans.

"Here," He dumped some advil tablets into Merlin's hand. "Take those, it will help with the pain."

"Why do you have those?" Merlin frowned. "Are they safe? And how do you plan to sneak into a bar?"

"They are from your medicine cabinet, you tell me if they are safe, and I have my ways." Mordred said. "And I won't sneak in at first, I'll ask if someone could get him for me."

"Well..." Merlin snatched an Advil and swallowed it down. "Fine, go find Gwaine. Cuilén, stay close, okay Cui? It's not safe here."

Cuilén nodded and Mordred pointed them in the direction on the bike then slipped off to the bar. When he reached the front he looked to the men standing at the door. "Hi, I'm looking for someone in there, his name is Gwaine? He is a bartender, could you get him for me please?" He asked.

"Fine," one man growled after surveying Mordred. A few minutes later Gwaine appeared, slight fear in his eyes.

"What're you doing here?" Gwaine asked. "Where's Cuilén?"

"He is with Merlin, they are at your bike." Mordred said. "Um, the car broke down I guess and yeah, Merlin is hurt and we need a ride home..."

"Cuilén is here?" Gwaine cried. "He can't come here! You shouldn't have brought him here!"

"Would you rather I stayed at home and let Merlin get mugged?" Mordred asked. "Besides, I can defend us, and I did."

"Wait... Merlin's here too?" Gwaine looked confused. "Wait what's going on exactly? Merlin got mugged? Wait... Did you say Merlin is injured?!"

"Merlin called the house and I answered and he asked you to come pick him up cause he was near your work and the car had broken down. He said he didn't like the people around, you know what exactly goes on to people who come into alley ways alone I came to help him. I brought Cuilén with me cause I didn't want to leave him alone and then I got Merlin and he was hurt... The two guys who were they had kicked him... And I told them to wait at your bike, which is relatively safe while I got you." Mordred explained. "Merlin can't walk home so he needs a ride and none of us have money."

Gwaine stared at Mordred in awe for a moment before he nodded slowly. "Yeah, uh, yeah... Look, it's late anyway, I'll tell my partner to cover for me and... Yeah... Why was Merlin here in the first place?!"

"I don't know, I didn't ask, he didn't really want to talk to me when I scared off the two men with my knife." Mordred muttered.

"Your what?" Gwaine's mouth dropped. "Well... I guess it's good you've got a knife, considering... Fine, give me a second."

Gwaine disappeared for a moment before coming out and following Mordred to his bike. Soon they arrived to find Merlin and Cuilén sitting there uneasily.

"I should call a tow truck for your car," was the first thing Gwaine said to Merlin before half yelling: "Since you brought it here! What were you thinking coming here?"

"I... I was g-going t-to... " Merlin stammered before lowering his head. "I... Didn't mean for any of this to happen... I'm- I'm sorry Gwaine!"

"Merlin..." Gwaine sighed and shook his head. "Now what's this about your ribs? Are you okay? Cuilén, are you hurt?"

"No." Cuilén said. "Mordred made me stay back."

"Good for him." Gwaine said, "Now, Merlin, your ribs?"

"It hurts Gwaine." Merlin said softly, trying not to breathe too deeply.

"Mordred said they're bruised? We should still have them checked out... Now, boys... We need to get you out of here before it gets darker but... My bike only takes two..."

"We walked here." Mordred said. "I can make sure he gets back safely. Merlin should be taken to the hospital."

"You make sure Cuilén gets back safely, you understand!" Gwaine commanded. "Don't let anything happen to my little cousin!"

"I haven't yet." Mordred said. "I'll get him back and then we will call you... On your cell?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Gwaine nodded. "Come on Merls, need help?"

Merlin held up his hand and let Gwaine pull him to his feet, before half collapsing on his cousin. Gwaine frowned and glanced at Merlin once before revving the bike and zooming away into the darkening night.