Chapter 8
Merlin was worried about Arthur. He had found a great hiding spot for him, but had expected some resistance when he brought him to the spot. He expected Arthur to insist that he was well enough to go with him, but the fact that he didn't made him want to get moving as soon as the prince was hidden.
The place he had found to hide Arthur was the inside of a large hallowed out tree. It wasn't much, but it was roomy enough for him to spread his body out and lay down. He pulled the cloak from his back and used it to cover the prince up. A pile of leaves would have to serve as a cushion for his head.
He had even managed to find some fruit that would at least provide him with some needed fluids. It would not be able to replenish what he had already lost, but it was something.
He hated leaving him, but he needed to find help and would only been slowed down by having him along. Once he learned which way to go, he would be back to get Arthur and get him some help. He knew he could do this without much effort and time since Arthur's body was definitely more fit than his own.
One he exited the forest he made a mark on one of the trees that would help him know which way to head in order to get back to Arthur.
He took the path off to the right since it seemed to offer a clearer path. The one to the left seemed to eventually lead back to the woods, which is not where he wanted to go. But he knew he had to be careful out in the open. He didn't know where the Duke and his men were and if he were to be seen it would be devastating. He decided to walk the path, but stick close to the edge, in case he needed to fly into the weeds by the side to hide.
Arthur had a vague idea of what Merlin was going to doing, but he had felt totally helpless when he was led to the inside of the tree. He lacked the strength to put a stop to it.
Sitting against the inside of the tree, while waiting for Merlin, gave him plenty of time to think about his current situation. They were no closer to coming up with a solution to their predicament and now they had to get back to Camelot after being abducted by this Duke Dubois. He tried to think why this man would want him, but nothing came to mind.
Some noise coming from outside caused him to jump, leaving him with some very regrettable pain in his leg. He sat as silent as he could while listening for the noise again, but when it didn't happen he figured it was just an animal.
As he rubbed his leg he wondered why it was causing him so much pain. He had been hit with an arrow before but was always able to get around. The only explanation he could give was that he was in Merlin's body, which wasn't in the best shape. He would have to make sure that changed once they were in their own bodies.
Merlin had been walking for awhile. He was starting to get annoyed since the scenery was the same every where he looked. It was flat land with nothing to see. At least the path he was on was starting to go up hill. Maybe this would lead to something of interest.
After about 10 minutes of steady walking he looked back to where he had come from and saw that he had definitely been going uphill. It hadn't looked like much when he started, but inclines in the land could be quite deceptive. This was starting to give him hope. Many towns like to set up on higher ground.
As the path seems to even out, he knew he had to be careful. He didn't know what to expect and the last thing he needed was to be caught off guard.
He saw some trees up ahead and decided to use them as cover. Once inside the trees he kept moving upward.
It was the sounds that made him stop dead in his tracks. He held his breath while he listened. Is sounded like children if he wasn't mistaken. There laughter was the same as he had heard back at the castle on numerous occasions. If there were children out playing then there had to be people who might be able to help.
He quickened his pace as he walked toward the sound. As he got closer he could definitely tell it was children, at least 3 of them by the different tones of giggling.
He slowly exited his hiding place and came out into a small open field where there was in fact 3 children playing. He was hoping to come out unnoticed, but as soon as one of the little girls turned and saw him she screamed and went running to the biggest kid, who, by the looks of it was her brother.
He hadn't planned on scaring them, but he should have realized that a stranger coming out of the trees from nowhere could be frightening. He started to move toward them to let them know he was not there to harm them when a sudden pain in his leg erupted. The pain was so intense it brought him to his knees. When he looked up toward the children he found he was alone.
The pain continued to radiate throughout his leg, but he couldn't find anything wrong with it. It must have been a cramp or something caused by all the walking. He stood back up and started walking to where the children had been playing. They must have run back to their home when they saw him go down. He had to find out where they had run off to if he was going to bring help back to Arthur.
Arthur had managed to fall asleep despite his current position. He had tried to stay awake, but he had finally given in to what his body needed.
It was the sound of an axe splitting wood that made him sit straight up, only to hit his head on the inside of the tree.
Like before he stayed as quiet as he could in order to hear where it was coming from. It sounded like it was close, but he knew that sounds like that could echo from far away and make it sound like it was right next to you. He rubbed his leg before moving closer toward the opening of the tree. At least the pain was not as bad as it had been before; the sleep must have done him some good.
He peered outside and saw that it was still daylight. He wished he knew how long he had been asleep, but as long as he stayed put he would be fine. He looked around from the inside of the tree as best as he could, but didn't see anything. He pushed himself a litter farther out, but the pain in his leg forced him to stop. He rested against the tree before trying it again. This time it worked.
He leaned on his knees ignoring the strain it was putting on his wound. He slowly raised his head and looked around. When he saw nothing, he moved to the other side of the tree.
His eyes went wide as he saw two men with axes hacking away at one of the many trees in the forest. They had their backs to him so he knew they had not seen him. As quietly as he could, he moved back to the shelter of the tree.
He moved back to the inside of tree and hoped they didn't find him. He knew he needed help, but without knowing if these men were good or bad he couldn't take a chance. He had to stay and wait for Merlin.
Merlin didn't have to walk long to see where the children had gone. A small house and barn stood in front of him and from the smoke coming out of the chimney, it was occupied.
He didn't see the children go inside, but he knew this was their home. On the side of the home there was laundry drying in the sun and several of the items were small. He started walking toward the house, but called out so as not to scare anyone again, "Hello, is anyone home?"
When he didn't receive a response he moved in closer and called out again, "Hello?"
"What do you want?"
Merlin heard the voice of a woman, but didn't see anyone. "I need some help?"
"You look fine to me; now go away before my husband gets home".
Merlin thought the voice had come from behind the house. He didn't want to scare her so he slowly moved in that direction. He didn't get far. He stopped when he felt something sharp poking his back. He put his hands up and looked around. When he didn't see anyone he looked down. Standing behind him holding a stick to his back was the oldest boy he had seen in the clearing only moments before. "I'm not here to cause trouble. I just need help with a friend of mine and was wondering if you had any medicine or if there was a town nearby".
This time the woman came from around the house before she spoke. "We don't have anything so why don't you be on your way".
"Please, I don't want anything but some help. I won't harm you, I promise".
The woman looked Merlin over. She took in the way he was dressed and knew he was not the typical traveler. "Where are you from?"
"I'm from Camelot, please is there a town nearby?"
"Shellsburg is the only town around here. Why are you out here?"
Merlin tried his best to smile at the woman to reassure her, but he didn't really know if it looked genuine since it was not even his face she was seeing, "My friend and I were traveling when we got lost. He got hurt and now I need to find him some help".
"Were you out with those other men when you got lost?"
Merlin froze at the words 'other men'. He suddenly felt nervous being out in the open like this, "What other men".
"About 6 of them, but they were not dressed as fancy as you. They said they were looking for someone".
"How long ago were they here?"
"Not long, but they had come from Shellsburg so I suspect they went that way". She pointed in the direction of where he had left Arthur.
Merlin knew he had to get back to Arthur. He gave the woman a pleading look, "Please, I promise I am not here to hurt you, but I need to get moving. Do you think you could have your boy remove that stick from my back?"
"John, go find your brother and sister".
John didn't say anything, but took the stick away from Merlin and ran off toward the barn.
Merlin took a long heavy breath. He knew the boy had not been much of a threat, but he was glad he was gone, "Thank you".
The woman didn't move from her spot, but her face took on an ugly expression, "Now get out of here before my husband gets back. He won't be so nice to ya if he catches you here".
Merlin didn't bother to thank her again. He turned around and made a quick retreat back to where he had come from. He just hoped that the men didn't find the tree with Arthur in it. He should never have left him alone.
What seemed like hours, Arthur held his breath while listening to the men outside. He could tell that they had moved in closer to his hiding place and he was getting worried. He was pretty sure they had not seen him, but he didn't know if he could risk getting caught.
He moved back to the opening of the tree and decided it was best if he found another hiding place before it was too late. A quick inspection revealed that they were not by his tree yet, so it was now or never. He could use the bushes around the tree as covering, but that would mean he would have to crawl. He didn't know how far that would take him, but at the moment he had no choice.
He dashed as fast as he could out of the tree and started moving on his hands and knees. He looked ahead and within a few feet he thought it would be safe to stand up and use the next tree as a shield.
The crawling caused immense pain, but he was glad to see he had finally made it to the tree. He used the base of the tree to lean on as he stood up. By the time he was standing up he was sweating and breathing hard. This had been harder that he thought.
He looked around the area to figure out his next move. He could see one of the men still working on the tree they had cut down, but where was the other guy. Arthur didn't have time to worry about it. He held on to the tree as he made his way to the other side. Once he was on the other side he could see he would have to make a run for it to the next tree. There was nothing in front of him, not even a bush. But if the men were busy with their tree they wouldn't even notice him.
He took a few deep breathes and focused on the closest tree. He started to run, but soon discovered where the other man was. To the right of the path the other man suddenly appeared. Arthur panicked and started to turn away from him, but this was the worst thing he could have done. By twisting his body so abruptly he didn't have time to think about where he was going. His wounded leg didn't twist with him like he thought it would and it caused him to fall. As he fell he thought he heard the man in front of him start to yell, but he never got a chance to find out what he said. He blacked out before his head hit the ground.
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