Sorry for the long wait but I got caught up in school work and planning this entirely different story that I plan to write in the holidays :3 In case you're wondering, it's going to be another Highschool AU (and Merthur, of course. Although I've been tempted to write some Merlin/Gwaine. And yes, Gwaine will be in the story, but no, he will not be gay ;) can't have too much competition for Arthur.) Anyway, this chapter is slightly longer than the rest to make up for the wait, enjoy:

Merlin walked blindly through the tangle of trees, managing to only swat about half the branches that got in his way. His previous show of magic had left him drained and fatigued and though he had a twenty minute head-start, the others were knights that were at their physical peak and Merlin knew that Arthur would have no trouble catching up with him if he allowed himself even the smallest of rests. Arthur. Merlin blinked away the tears and tried focusing on navigating through the dense vegetation that surrounded him but found it almost impossible to go on forward as his emotions rose viciously to the surface, tears refusing to slow. Foot catching against a tree root, he sprawled forward , pale limbs retracting themselves as the sorcerer curled up into a ball, frail body wracking with sobs.

He had avoided the question before; afraid that if he faced it he would crumble down and lose all the functionality he had left. But now that he no longer had the distraction of moving, the question bombarded him: Where would he go?

The thought of staying in the forest was horrifying. Without Arthur confidently leading the way, his stance towards the unfamiliar woods changed from indifference to weary nervousness. But really, what choice did he have? He would just have to hope that he'd walk by a water source soon where he could stay and cast a concealment spell over. That way, even if he didn't manage to find any food in the day, at least he'd always have water nearby.

His thoughts flickered to the messy, yet comforting quarters of his guardian, benches and worktables littered with oddly coloured concoctions and books opened to important pages with detailed illustrations. He whimpered as he realised he would probably never see Gaius again, just wishing that he'd at least had the chance to thank him for everything he'd done in the past years. As he imagined the old physicians kind face marred with grief when he found out about his disappearance... the sorcerer let out a chocked cry as he suddenly pictured the knights returning to arrest Gaius for harbouring a sorcerer, not even caring if he even knew of the magic or not.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Merlin yearned for home, and when he could not bear to think of Camelot and the life he had created there, his mind wandered to Ealdor. As childhood images of thick, familiar forests dotted with wild flowers and his mother sewing a wedding dress for one of the local girls flashed in his head, he felt the need to go to Ealdor and into the comforting hands of the small village grow almost uncontrollably inside him until he felt a sudden burst of magic coursing through his brains.

Gasping, his eyes opened and immediately rested on the tiny village of Ealdor.

-x-

Arthur ran a hand through his hair, doing another quick, desperate once-over of the place before turning back to the small group of knights.

"Maybe if we go back and retrack.." he began before Sir Gawain softly interrupted him, "Sire, we've already done that twice, everything points to the trail specifically leading here."

Arthur said nothing, choosing instead to once again walk around looking for any signs he might have missed. After having all sworn an oath on keeping Merlins magical abilities secret, they had immediately set in the direction the manservant had left in. As knights, they all had plenty of experience and skill in tracking and it had not been too hard to find the tell-tale broken branch or crunched leaves that led them in the next direction.

However not long after, the signs began to disappear and soon they were left with nothing to follow. Having gone back to the beginning to see if they had misinterpreted anything, Sir Leon had spotted a set of faint footprints marking the various patches of dirt that weren't covered with fallen leaves.

Immediately, Arthur recognized the familiar uneven grooving of a servants shoe, something that often dotted the market place of Camelot, nothing like what their meticulously battle-ready boots could have made. With renewed vigour, the group moved quickly alongside the footprints, careful not to disturb the vital clues. However not long after, the prints had abruptly stopped, leaving them at a dead end.

Refusing to give up, Arthur had ventured forward, hoping that something had simply erased the prints and that they would start again further on. But there had been no more prints, not even any subtler clues like recently upturned dirt or slightly squashed ferns.

Turning back, they once more attempted to track, this time following both footprints and the signs of nature. They had ended up again at the same position in which the prints had stopped. They had searched the area, all branching out within a certain radius, but none had found even the slightest trace, and judging by the earlier clues, Arthur's manservant had not in the least attempted to cover up his tracks. There was absolutely nothing and when they all regrouped to report their lack of findings, Arthur could tell his knights were all thinking of the same thing. It seemed as if Merlin had walked through the forest, stopped suddenly and just..disappeared.

Arthur shuddered, no, that was impossible. But then again, just yesterday, hadn't he thought Merlin being a sorcerer was just that?

The prince shook his head, clearing his mind. If he was going to find Merlin, he'd have to stay strong and determined.

So what to do?

Think like the idiot.

Arthur looked around at his hostile looking surroundings. The forest was denser than the ones in the outskirts of Camelot and completely unfamiliar. He thought of what he would do and his mind skipped immediately to food. Yes, it was nearing dinner in a few hours and he knew that Merlin had not had anything to eat since the small slice of bread he had right before they left that morning. Arthur himself would have hunted, but the prince knew for a fact that although his manservant wasn't completely opposed to hunting for food, he would not attempt it himself.

He wagered that therefore Merlin would have headed towards a village where food could be provided for him. However he was also fairly sure that Merlin was as unfamiliar with these woods as he were himself and it would be an almost fatal, risky move to go deeper into the forest with the slim chance of happening across a house or the outskirts of a village.

No, Merlin was smarter than that. A person could survive without food for a few days, Merlin, being the odd mixture of incredibly wise and at the same time completely idiotic, would have looked for water first, then possibly go fishing or try find fruit.

"Men," Arthur spoke, "our next move is to look by nearby water sources. He can't survive without water and he knows that."

Sir Morholt shook his head uneasily, careful not to break the Princes current fragile stability. The Prince to others may have seemed completely fine, but to him and the other knights who had been around him so often, they could tell he was on the breaking point, barely able to mask his emotions like he usually did so well.

"Sire, I've been here with my father and his men before, this place is littered with lakes and streams, more so than a forest usually is. We could walk in any direction and come to one in no time. There's too many possible paths."

Arthur knew that technically Morholt was right. This whole plan was dotted with holes. Even if there weren't that many rivers and lakes, they'd still run the risk of walking in the wrong direction and taking the wrong turns. He wasn't going to give up, so what other choice did he have but to just go ahead anyway?

Arthur closed his eyes, trying desperately to think of where Merlin would be when a sudden flash of Ealdor came into his thoughts.

Opening his eyes, Arthur shook his head, of course, where else would Merlin head than his home town? If he was wrong and they left this forest now in turn for Ealdor, they'd lose all chance of ever picking up on Merlin's trails again, but somehow, he just knew he would have to take that chance.

"Change of plan," said Arthur, this time with genuine confidence, "head to Ealdor."

-x-

Stunned, the sorcerer stood up slowly, not before running his hands through the soft blades of grass as if to confirm their reality. As if he thought moving would destroy whatever this was, Merlin stood shock still, completely content with just inhaling the sweet, woody smell of Ealdor.

"Merlin?"

The raven-haired man locked eyes with the small figure. Illusion breaking, Merlin found his legs carrying him forward. Breaking into run, he crashed into her familiar arms, letting his tears fall freely as his legs began to collapse.

-x-

Hunith sat dutifully beside the makeshift bed of hay and linen where her son currently slept. Her initial surprise at seeing her son standing on the edge of the harvest fields had quickly morphed into concern as he collapsed in her arms.

Without words, she tenderly led him towards their small cottage, wherein she quickly compiled the bed and tucked him in.

He had been asleep for two days, albeit restlessly, tossing and turning in his sleep. During that time, the many villagers of Ealdor, having not forgotten about the help they received during Kanen's pillaging days and also out of genuine affection for Hunith and her kind-hearted son, stopped by to visit and drop off small gifts such as extra bread and satchels of tea leaves. Some of the children had even gathered flowers to put by his bed and one little girl had woven a wreath to hang above his bed.

When he finally woke, groggily opening his eyes, Hunith breathed a sigh of relief, immediately gathering her son up in a comforting embrace. Melting into the embrace, Merlin let himself breathe in the familiar scent of his mother before suddenly pulling away.

"How long have I been here?" Asked Merlin frantically, eyes darting around as if searching for signs of danger.

Hunith frowned, "Merlin you've been asleep for two days, look everyone even stopped by to drop off gifts, they're worried about you Merlin, and frankly so am I. Are you in some sort of trouble? Why are you not in Camelot?"

Looking around the room, a surge of nostalgia and comfort nestled inside of him. Merlin groaned, he so desperately wanted to stay but it had occurred to him that this was exactly where Arthur would think he would be. It didn't help the fact that he knew Arthur knew the way here. By staying here, he'd be putting the entire village in danger for harbouring a sorcerer.

"Arthur knows." Said Merlin quietly, tears beginning to prick his eyes.

Hunith uttered a soft cry before gathering her son in her arms again.

"I can't stay here, he'll come looking for me."

Hunith tightened her grip, "oh, my boy." she whispered, "no, no, no, no."

Merlin gently pulled out of her embrace, wiping away his tears on his sleeve,

"I have to go."

"But where will you go?" cried out Hunith, distressed.

Merlin shrugged, "I have to protect Arthur, I can't let anyone hurt him. I'll hide out near Camelot, but it will be harder than before, I'll need someone on the inside to keep me up to date.."

"Maybe Kay.." he began before trailing off. No, he had severed his ties with Kay and it would be too dangerous to bring him back in. He would not risk Kay's life.

"Stay." Said Hunith quietly, already knowing her sons answer.

"I'm not putting you all in danger."

Hunith shook her head, "you'll die out there." She whispered.

Merlin looked down, "I'm happy to serve Arthur till the day I die."

Grasping at straws, Hunith tried again, "Stay, just for a few days. You need to regain your strength anyway."

Merlin hesitated. The idea was really appealing, in fact it took all his might not to just stay here forever in the wonderfully comforting village of Ealdor. He wagered his options. He had slept for an entire two days, however even assuming that Arthur, Kay and the others had figured out somehow to head for Ealdor straight away, he'd probably still have about a few days head start on them.

"I'll stay for a day, but I'll have to go after that."

Hunith now donned a sad smile, drawing her son in for a quick hug before standing up.

"I'll go get you some tea."

After catching up with his mother's life in the few years he'd been gone (they had both carefully avoided touching on Merlin's life), Merlin headed outdoors, determined to make his time in Ealdor last.

He started by thanking and visiting each of the villagers, helping each of them out with something along the way, for example stripping the stalks of corn with Henry whilst they sang an old tune they were taught when they were younger or climbing up to retrieve a thin dress of Mrs. Rivers that had flown up and caught in the tree branches.

He had just returned to the house after playing with the village children when he was suddenly struck with a brilliant idea.

"Hey mum, why don't I go out and pick some berries for you? It's the right season isn't it?"

Hunith broke into a smile, determined not to cry and ruin her sons current well deserved happiness. When Merlin was younger, he used to venture in to the forests whenever he could to find berries which he knew were his mothers favourite. Hunith had never had the luxury of time to go herself and was often stranded with more important jobs of harvesting and tending to crops.

Venturing into the forest, Merlin found himself walking deeper in than he usually did, finding that his fear of the place had subsided since he had left. Gleaming, as he stood up from a particularly fruitful blackberry bush, Merlin deposited the berries into his pouch.

Turning around, he began walking again when he noticed the sudden change in the forest. What was cheery and bright before had suddenly adopted a quiet, eerie nature. Walking slowly, he felt the urge to go back when he heard the sudden crack of leaves and feet thudding towards him. Before he could react, a cloth was pressed over his mouth. The last thing he saw before his eye lids dropped heavily, was the triumphant smiles of his captors.

-x-

Arthur felt the first smile he had in days grace his lips, however small and short lasting. They had barely rested along the way, stopping only when it was absolutely impossible to go on, either because it was too dark to see or because their feet simply refused to function without making it feel like a knife driving through their foot every time they took a step.

He was not sure if he remembered the way to Ealdor exactly, and when they spotted the village in the distance, instant relief rushed over Arthur.

As they walked into the village, they were regarded with a mixture of cautious weariness and curiosity. Villagers shyed away when they spied them heading their way and the group had almost begun knocking on the door to what Arthur remembered was Merlin's house when the door opened, revealing a very worn out looking woman.

"Prince Arthur," she said, bowing slightly, a stiff smile on her face.

"Hunith," said Arthur warmly, wondering what had caused the radiant, strong woman he had met a few years ago deteriorate to this state. He had a feeling he knew exactly why.

"What brings you to Ealdor, my lord." Said Hunith, obviously faking any casual warmth and surprise in her voice.

"Please, call me Arthur, I'm looking for Merlin -" he began before he was interrupted by Hunith.

"Merlin? I haven't seen him for years, Oh, isn't he in Camelot?" she inquired faintly.

Arthur sensed the fearful tone in her voice, instantly indicating that she was lying.

"Hunith," pleaded Arthur, "please I need to find him. We're not here to hurt him. I just need to tell him that.. I can't lose him Hunith." Ended Arthur in a small voice.

Hesitantly, Hunith opened her door a little wider, still regarding the group with suspicion.

"What do you want with Merlin, who are these people?"

Arthur, as if knowing what she was implying, motioned to his knights.

"They were with me when Merlin revealed his..abilities. They've sworn an oath to keep it a secret and to protect him. This is Sir Leon, Sir Bedevere, Sir Gawain, Sir Morholt, and Sir Kay."

Something seemed to have struck a chord in the woman and she stood up straighter almost immediately.

"Sir Kay..?"

Kay leaped forward, "has Merlin mentioned me ma'am?"

Hunith hesitated before nodding slightly.

"Then you know I would not hurt him. I've known about his magic for weeks, I don't give a rats arse whether he's a sorcerer or not. Please, all we want to do is to bring him back to Camelot, where he belongs."

Arthur had never really liked the close bond that Kay and Merlin had shared, although now he found that he didn't care, as long as it was the bridge they needed for Hunith to trust them.

Caving in, Hunith slumped down on the door frame.

"He came here a few days ago. Yesterday, he woke up and he went to pick me some berries and he.."

Hunith broke into sobs, "some bandits took him and now they're demanding gold for his life. We've gathered everything we could but it's no where near how much they want."

Arthur felt his veins turn to ice, moving immediately into his professional mode.

"Do you know if he's hurt? We'll need medical supplies set up here if so. I don't have that much gold on me but I've got my Pendragon signet ring that's been in the royal family for years, it should be compensation enough at least until I can get gold from Camelot. Did they leave a note telling you where to meet them?"

Hunith, regaining her composure, hurried to retrieve a crumpled up parchment on the dining room table. In messing writing, the bandits had scrawled a warning, the price and the location in which they would be waiting.

"I can take you there," said Hunith, wiping away the last of her tears and moving to step out of the door.

Arthur stopped her gently by the shoulders, "No, you should rest. I know Merlin would never forgive me if I brought you anyway near those bastards. Do you know anyone else who can lead us there?"

Hunith nodded, "Nathaniel next door knows."

Arthur squeezed her arm reassuringly, "we'll bring him back."

He had turned to join the rest of the knights who had stood respectably away when Hunith called out to him softly.

"He still cares for you, you know."

As the million emotions flooded him, Arthur motioned to his knights with new dedication and headed next door and then into the forest.

-x-

Finnigan walked through the forest, whistling good naturedly whilst flipping a coin in his right hand. His small side business had been picking up and he had made a tidy profit the other day when he picked up a pretty little thing who sold almost immediately.

Walking towards the rough looking group of bandits, Finnigan smiled as they dropped they dropped their raised swords and acknowledged him with a nod.

"Any good catches for me today? The slave markets' getting real good since harvest season kicked in and I could use a couple more stock."

One of the men grinned, "We got one who was walking in the forest but we've already got a sale, holding him for ransom you see. His village is the one to the East. Sorry Fin, you'll get the next one."

Finnigan sighed, "that's a shame, could have used a male, especially a strong guy. They sell good cos' they can do all the hard work, ya know?"

The man shrugged, "Well he's skin and bones anyway, take a look for yourself."

They moved towards a sedated figure that was slumped and tied against a tree, kicking aside the bottles of empty sleeping drafts along the way.

Seeing the boy up close, the first thing that came to Finnigans mind was that the boy had a sort of charm to him but really was nothing but skin and bones, the second thing that hit him made him let out an involuntary gasp.

Standing up quickly, he turned to the man he spoke to before.

"Say gentlemen, how's triple the price of whatever you're getting for him sound?"

The bandits looked puzzled. The boy looked as if he could barely lift a stack of hay.

"Sure, whatever Finnigan. Why do you want him so badly anyway?"

Finnigan, who was now examining the boy up close, turning his head from side to side with his hand, turned around, placing his entire money pouch in their hands without hesitation.

"Well besides the fact that I could easily sell him with his high cheek bones and his blue eyes to some of my more *ahem* richer clients, this boy isn't just anyone. In fact, I know someone who would kill to get their hands on him."

Ahh cliffie :D!

WHO'S EXCITED FOR THE SEASON FINALE! I WILL DIE IF ARTHUR FAINTS AGAIN WHEN ALL THE MAGICAL SHIT GOES DOWN.

Speaking of magic, who's seen the new HP movie? :D It was amazing. Watch out for the bit where they infiltrate the MoM using polyjuice potion. It's hilarious, especially Ron and Harry.

Anyway, thanks for the postive reviews guys :) Tell me what you think of this chapter.

(and yes, Merlin totally apparated.)