"Which way did the dragon say from here?" Gwaine asked as they came to a fork in the road.

Merlin rubbed his eyes. "The left," he answered, pointing, but then he drew his hand back in to cover his mouth as he yawned. He blinked. "Sorry," he said.

"Did you get any sleep at all last night?" Gwaine asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Merlin's brow furrowed as he concentrated and then shook his head. "No," he admitted. "I waited until you were asleep to go talk to the dragon. Then I was telling you about… everything…" Well, mostly everything. Merlin would keep his secrets, such as Freya. Gwaine just wouldn't understand.

Gwaine nodded. "No wonder you look so awful. Maybe you should stop to rest?"

Merlin shook his head. "I can sleep after we get Arthur back."

He kept steadily plugging on, taking the left way and walking right past Gwaine. "How much farther is this fortress or whatever it is we're breaking into?"

Merlin shrugged. "I'm not sure. Hours more of walking."

"Wonderful," said Gwaine. "I don't suppose you know a spell that would speed us on our way?"

Merlin didn't answer, and so Gwaine stopped checking out the foliage around them long enough to glance in Merlin's direction. He probably hadn't heard a thing. The warlock was stumbling along, nearly off the road, with his head down in his chest and his eyes probably closed. Gwaine gave a short laugh as he closed the distance between them and straightened Merlin's course, holding onto his shoulders to give Merlin some support.

"Yes, my friend," he said. "I can see you are a very dangerous all-powerful sorcerer."

Merlin mumbled something unintelligible.


Arthur put his head down on his knees and wrapped one arm around himself as best he could, the other arm hanging limply from his side.

He hurt all over. His chest and arm were the worst; his arm throbbed from the break, and his chest ached from the burns, including the spot where his shirt had caught on fire. He wished he didn't have to be in his own body anymore.

He kept his eyes closed, glad he couldn't see anything. He tried to focus on that nothingness behind his eyelids and make it the only thing on his mind, because he knew if he was thinking, he'd be focusing on the fiery pain, or on the one thought in his head that scared him more than anything:

They'll come back.

He shuddered, and his arm protested. He was scared, so scared that his eyes pricked and threatened to fill again, but he had already cried enough. He couldn't believe he'd done that, and the embarrassment was just another thing that was eating at him. But he had cried, and he could feel the tears dried on his cheeks.

Arthur wondered if someone who'd never had a mother could really want her there.


They kept walking until Merlin's knees gave out underneath him and he collapsed. He tried to get back up, but Gwaine sighed and pushed him back to the ground. "No, Merlin," he said. "You're no good this way, you've been walking for nearly two days. Take a nap."

Merlin was too tired to argue, and he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Gwaine sighed and put his arms beneath Merlin, lifting him so that he could move the slumbering man off the road.

Then he looked in the direction they'd been heading and sighed. He might not show it as much, but he figured he was about as worried over Arthur as Merlin was. He too would have liked to go without stopping. But he had to be practical; to save Arthur, Merlin needed to be aware.

Putting Merlin down in some grass that didn't have too many root knots or fallen objects, Gwaine leant back against a tree and waited.

Just hold on a bit longer, Arthur. We'll find you.


A/N: I know, boring chapter of nothingness happening, but Merlin needed that nap and I needed them taking the journey, so that's why this chapter is here but short. Anyway, I'll have a better one next time. Things are about to happen!

Happy day before New Year's/Colin Morgan's birthday.