Chapter 7

Maybe it was just Arthur's imagination, or perhaps this particular night was colder and darker than all the other nights. Arthur paced up and down his chamber as he waited for Morgana as patiently as possible and tried to keep warm. For a moment he thought it might be best if he escaped the castle another night, he might catch a chill or get lost in the darkness, which wouldn't help anyone. But then he thought of Merlin who was outside in the cold and the dark, no food, no water, no warmth.

If he was still alive.

No, he was still alive, he had to be. What would he do if it turned out Merlin was dead? The very thought clouded Arthur's mind with sorrow, how could he carry on with his life if Merlin was dead, and it was his entire fault? Arthur realised that he couldn't afford to leave it for another night, he had to get out of the castle as soon as possible, if Merlin was still alive, he might not be for much longer.

Suddenly, Arthur heard voices outside his door; he went up to it and pressed his ear against it, trying to hear what was being said on the other side. One of the voices sounded like Morgana, she was talking to the guards.

"Unfortunately the servants are busy so I thought I should bring you your supper myself, can't have you hard working boys going hungry!" Said Morgana, Arthur could picture her standing in front of the expressionless guards holding up a plate of food and a jug of water that hopefully contained a dose of sleeping draft.

"Where have all the servants gone?" Asked one of the guards.

"Err, many of our servants have grown ill so were unable to work, all the other servants are in the Great Hall."

"Hmm, alright then." Said one of the guards, they seemed to accept Morgana's alibi, they were probably more interesting in the food she was providing than anything she was actually saying.

"May I see the Prince?" Morgana asked sweatly.

"Yes." Said one of the guards, with a mouthful of food already, he pulled a key out and put it into the lock and opened the door for Morgana, she smiled at him before hurrying inside.

Arthur stepped back as the door opened and Morgana entered, carrying another plate of food.

"Did you do it?" Arthur asked quietly, so the guard's couldn't hear him.

"Yes," Morgana whispered back, "and I brought you some food, I thought you might need it on the journey."

"Thank you." Said Arthur, but he didn't feel remotely hungry.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Morgana asked suddenly, looking Arthur up and down.

Earlier that evening, Arthur had changed from his normal clothes into his armour; his sword and helmet was lying on his bed.

"I thought I might need it for protection." Arthur replied.

"But it will make you stand out." Morgana pointed out.

"Not when I put this on." Said Arthur, picking up his helmet, "I'll look like all the other guards."

"How are you going to get out of the castle?"

"Through the entrance, if I look like a guard people won't look twice at me, I'll just have to avoid people who I know will recognise me, and who I don't trust."

"How are you going to get a horse?" Morgana asked.

"I won't need one, I'll be walking, I think it will be better that way, I think I can remember where I can find Merlin. If I take a horse I'll stand out."

"Are you sure about this Arthur?" Morgana's face had gone slightly pale at the thought of her dream. "I still can't get rid of that…that feeling that someone's going to die."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Just don't do anything stupid." Said Morgana.

"What makes you think I'll do anything stupid?" Arthur asked, slightly insulted by this.

"Because you have done before," Morgana managed to smile through her worry as she said this.

"Well I promise you, I won't this time." Said Arthur, he walked over to the door and pressed his ear against it. "Do you think they're asleep yet?" He whispered.

"Should be." Morgana whispered back.

"Then this is my chance," Arthur suddenly turned and headed to the window, opening it as wide as he could. "When they find out I've escaped don't give yourself away, I don't want you to get into trouble for this. Tell them you thought you saw me climbing out the window. If someone asks why the guards are asleep tell them I stole your sleeping draft and drugged them myself. Don't tell anyone where I'm going."

"But I don't know where you're going!" Said Morgana as Arthur picked up his sword and put on his helmet and put a hand on Morgana's shoulder.

"Goodbye Morgana, I hope to see you again soon, but if I die—"

"Don't say that!"

"No, I'm serious, if I die, I just want you to know you've been a good friend to me over the years, I feel as close to you as if you were my sister. Look after yourself, and if Merlin comes back alive and I don't tell him…" Arthur paused for a moment, he wasn't going to make a little farewell speech, but it seemed to have fallen out of him suddenly and now he didn't know what to say. "Just tell him I'm sorry and…just tell him I'm sorry."

With that Arthur opened the door a crack and peered outside, there was no one around and the guards were fast asleep, slumped against the wall. He opened the door wider and stepped over the two heavily snoring guards.

"Good luck Arthur." Was the only thing Morgana could think of saying as she watched him stroll down the corridor and disappear round the corner.

Merlin was having a bad dream, only he hoped it was just a dream, because there was nothing but darkness and cold, he wanted to get out, the only hope he had left was that he might soon be able to wake up. The only certain thing Merlin knew, whether it was a dream or not a dream, was that soon he was going to die, he was certain of it, but there was no one to help him, to save him from dying. For some reason he couldn't run from the thing that was going to kill him. It was almost as if he had given up living already.

Someone was shouting, Merlin wasn't sure who or where they had come from, so far in the dream he had assumed he was alone, but now there was someone else, and they were angry.

"You're such an idiot! This is all your fault!" The voice cried.

Oh no, thought Merlin, Arthur's words have come to torment me in my sleep as well. Perhaps if it would be best if I just died.

"If it wasn't for you, Anlach would probably still be alive! He cared to much for you, that's the problem!"

Hang on, I've never heard of an Anlach, Arthur never mentioned him.

"You really think this is my fault!" A voice suddenly replied, that was when Merlin realised that the voice was not talking to him.

"Yes, you've been the most trouble since we set out on this journey, and now because of you my brother is dead!"

"It wasn't my fault he died, how was I to know that pompous prince and that sickly sorcerer were going to be creeping around the forest! It was you who said that we should get rid of them while we had a chance, and not just leave them. And Anlach was my brother too. It's all his fault!"

Merlin could almost feel the finger being pointed at him, like an arrow piercing his heart. He suddenly realised that he had been dreaming, and the argument he had been listening to had been seeping into his dreams. Merlin opened his eyes to see the two brothers standing there in front of him; their faces lit up by the fire that was still burning furiously. Adiemus was pointing a low finger at him. Adiemus turned to see Merlin staring at him.

"What are you looking at!?" Adiemus almost screamed at Merlin, who was still confused about what was going on, Adiemus pulled out a long knife and was about to advance on Merlin when Alik held out an arm to stop him.

"More deaths will not solve anything tonight!" He said harshly. Merlin could see Adiemus glare at his brother for a few moments; his face lit up in a yellow glow by the fire, before walking away. His brother paused before following him. They were further away now so it was harder to hear what they were saying, but he could just make it out:

"Why won't you let me kill him?" Adiemus hissed angrily at his brother.

"I don't care if you kill him, kill him tomorrow for all I care, the boy might be right, Arthur might not come. But I think we should just leave it for another day."

"We can't leave it, I hate that boy, he destroyed my face, the two of them ruined everything. He hasn't done anything yet but it won't be long before he makes a move, we cannot trust him."

"Fine, but leave it one more day, if Arthur hasn't come by tomorrow, then this plan is a dead end, we kill the boy."

It took a while for the words to sink in for a while, the only thing he could think was but he said seven days, and he suddenly realised how cold it was.

Arthur had almost made it through the castle without being spotted at all, whenever he heard anyone coming he hid behind a door or round a corridor, so they wouldn't see him. When people did see him they assumed he was just another guards, no one questioned who he was or what he was doing. He was so close to leaving the castle he thought for a few moments that everything was going to work out as planned for once. But then it went wrong.

A young soldier, who was probably younger than Arthur, was more sharp eyes than any of the other older guards or servants that had been walking around that night. The young guard could sense the Arthur's urgency and as he saw Arthur's face, he realised that he was not any of the other guards that he had seen, and yet his face was so recognisable. Arthur saw the guards staring at him, without realising, he stopped and stared back, suddenly he realised what he was doing, he had literally given himself away by staring too long, and the guard was staring back for too long. Arthur panicked and ran.

He just made it out of the castle when he heard the bells ringing out as a warning, suddenly the whole castle was awake. Soon people would have worked out what had happened and what be going after him, he couldn't risk that. Arthur turned and ran off into the night.

By the time Uther awoke, Arthur was gone, all he had left behind was a trail of footprints and two very drowsy and very worried looking guards.

"Do not rest until you find him." Uther growled to a group of ten guards who were about to set out after Arthur, "he doesn't know what he's doing, these are obviously powerful sorcerers at work, for all I know, he could already be dead."