A/N: Okay so here we are with lucky number ten woop! anyway i just want to say thanks to all those who have reviewed so please continue to!

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or Arthur

Chapter 10 - Swords and Sorcerers

The water was freezing, sapping all his strength but he paid this no mind as he plunged after Kathryn. He could see her now and was steadily gaining on her. Finally when he was so close to being out of breath he managed to hook an arm around her waist and pull her out. He shook violently as he scooped her limp form into his arms.

He saw nothing but the way she looked like a rag doll limp in his arms.

Heard nothing but her shallow breathing

Felt nothing but her soft (if slightly soggy) form beneath his fingers.

Which was decidedly foolish because had he been watching he would have seen the shadow darker that the others watching the steadily, had he been listening he would have heard the steady stream of curses that issued from this shadow and had he been anything but numb he would have felt the crackling aftermath of magic that hung low like a blanket in the air.

He has found us…He has found us…He has found us…

The words had been chasing each other round her head for too long and I was pacing in circles around Gaius' chambers waiting for my mistress to return, who must surely be hurt and not paying attention while the two men tried to get me to calm down and tell them what had happened. Sure enough not 5 minutes later…

"Gaius! The prince demands your presence in the Lady Kathryn's chambers this instant" I rushed out the door and up the stairs I could hear Merlin pounding along behind me and then I all but threw myself into her room.

"Oh my mistress"

"Why weren't you here Marianne" Arthur demanded, I bristled immediately always having been one for a short temper.

"I did not expect her to come back harmed. I was obviously too quick to trust."

"How dare you! You ungrateful little-" his hand was raised as if to strike me.

"Arthur!" Merlin appeared at my side, a warning clear in his tone. "She is very close to her mistress and she is in danger and so Marianne is upset and angry you were simply the one to strike the sparks first"

"Of course" Arthur let his hand drop and hung his head "accept my apologies"

"and you mine my lord"

"She will be fine" Gaius called from Kathryn's bedside. "All we need is to get her out of these wet clothes and administer this potion twice a day for the next week and she will be right as rain tomorrow at the earliest. Arthur why don't you go and warn Uther about the ice?"

"right" he fled

"I am so sorry!" I grabbed Kathryn's hand as she looked softly at me "I should not have said anything, then this would never have happened and you would still be safe and it would only have been I to suffer the consequences! It was he! He came and stood in the courtyard and spoke of your impending doom!"

"Marianne, I would not have let you carry that burden alone. Let him come, I am still alive am I not."

"Marianne" Merlin said softly but with authority "You have a lot of explaining to do." Kathryn squeezed my hand reassuringly and so I began our sorry tale.


The next day Marianne looked decidedly tired. She and Merlin must have been uo talking all night.

"My Lady *yawn* You cannot do this!"

"I can and I am" I said heading to the training field that was set aside for Arthur and his Knights. It was devoid of all life save Merlin and Arthur the latter battering the first.

"Kathryn surely you do not expect…" Arthur began

"That's what I said"

"I'm going to fight you whether you fight me or not" I stood ready. Helmet down.

"Fine" he crumbed after a minute. Marianne and Merlin stood to the sidelines fascinated and horrified.

We began, I blocked all but one as did he and we were relentless in our onslaught. Finally he faked a blow to my head and I leant backwards to avoid it then I saw him shift it towards my feet and I didn't have time to block so I back flipped catching him under the helmet and kicking him to the ground helmet fallen a few paces away. I pressed the tip of my sword to his throat.

"Do you surrender?" he nodded eyeing my distastefully as only a man can after his pride has been bruised.

A hollow clap thundered in the silence of the field and we all spun on our heel. A man in a cloak stood in the direct centre.

"Well done little princess" he mocked in his eerily beautiful voice "but do not expect to have your prince charming there to save you next time" he turned to Marianne "and you my darling. Do not think to be as lucky as your mistress ever" within a flash he was in front of Marianne who did not flinch as a hand grasped her chin forcing her eyes to his. "I doubt even you can survive the kiss of death"

They saw what he was going to do but before anyone could so much as move a muscle he had brought his lips down upon hers.

Merlin reacted worst, he forgot himself totally, anger welling up inside so fierce there was only one way to utilise it and so he threw it all of it at this stranger at Nimhuwa sending him flying backwards but he teleported in mid-flight.

Kathryn had managed to catch Marianne as she fell limp.

Arthur stared dumbfound at his manservant until he realised that Marianne's life was still in danger and put that to the back of his mind carrying Marianne while Merlin and Kathryn ran and helped each other back to Gaius'

Dun! Dun! DUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!!!!!

The kiss of death eh? lol anyway im not gonna post until i get atleast 5 more reviews cmon people

mnm x