A/N: Firstly, before anything else, I want to apologize greatly for the horrible delay in this update. I've been dealing with the last couple months of school and I've had TERRIBLE writer's block... XP I could just never sit down and write like I usually can. But tomorrow's my last day of school, so I should have more time to write and hopefully I cleared out my writer's block a bit with this writing session I just finished up. So, again, terribly sorry for the long wait, but I hope it was worth it with this chapter!

Chapter Ten

Tree branches moved magically out of their way as the three black horses carried their riders through the woods. Arthur's eyes were locked on the pieces of the gray sky he could see above the trees, the man he heard referred to as Kadwyn was frequently looking down at something in his lap, and Oliver was merely staring ahead, his blank expression hidden from Arthur. The prince wanted to be able to do something – anything – to help himself and Merlin out of this situation, but he knew where any mischief would end them both up. Glancing quickly at Merlin's still unconscious form on Oliver's horse, Arthur's breath hitched at the idea of Merlin being killed because of him. The idiot being killed at all would send the prince into despair, but it happening because of him… Arthur didn't think he would ever get over it.

Just as the prince's eyes landed on him, Merlin's own blue eyes started to flutter open, and when the warlock finally came into full focus his eyes went wide. He turned his head to the side to look straight into Arthur's eyes and the prince sent an apologetic look in his servant's direction. Merlin simply shook his head softly before looking up at Oliver. The hooded man turned his gaze downwards and smirked when he noticed that Merlin was awake.

"Rise and shine," he murmured, almost mockingly, and Arthur's eyes narrowed as the man used the line that Merlin used every morning.

"Where are you taking us?" Arthur demanded. Kadwyn pulled on his reins and forced his horse to a stop. Oliver's and Arthur's horses both did the same on their own, but stood still when Kadwyn turned his horse around and trotted slowly over to Arthur. The dark man stared the prince in the eye for a moment while Merlin once again fought against his rising magic.

"Well, you'll find out as soon as we get there, now won't you?" Kadwyn murmured in Arthur's face, resulting in a scowl from the prince.

"Why don't you just tell me?" he asked as Kadwyn started turning his horse back around. "Not like I'll be going anywhere any time soon."

"I have learned to never underestimate you, Arthur Pendragon," Kadwyn responded. "And I want it to be a surprise to both of you."

"I'm sure you'll both enjoy it," Oliver remarked, smirking. Kadwyn let out one loud laugh, throwing his head back with it. Oliver responded with his own set of quiet chuckles, and Merlin and Arthur shared an eye-roll.

The next few minutes of the ride were silent as both Arthur and Merlin tried to think of a way to escape. Merlin, of course, weighed his options of using magic, but for some reason, he was almost afraid to use magic around Oliver. He knew it was an irrational fear, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Oliver could somehow sense it whenever Merlin tried to use any kind of magic. And there was the fact that Merlin had no idea whether using magic would better or worsen his and Arthur's predicament. It seemed to only make things worse for both of them so far, so he decided not to chance it.

Arthur, on the other hand, was completely and utterly helpless. The ropes that were keeping him attached to his horse had been enchanted, he was without a weapon of any sort, and he had no knowledge whatsoever of where they were going except for the fact that it was some kind of "mirror". Who kidnapped a servant and captured his master all in an attempt to see a mirror? Arthur figured it must be some kind of magical mirror, which made everything all the more worse.

Kadwyn kept looking down into his lap as they rode on and Merlin decided to stretch his neck to try to see what the man kept doing. He caught sight of something orange in the man's hands before his neck was snapped back to its earlier position by Oliver. Something small and orange, and from what Merlin caught a glimpse of, it was kind of round. And it may have just been his eyes playing tricks on him, but Merlin could have sworn that he saw it glowing as well.

Some kind of high-pitched squeal rang through the trees that caused Kadwyn, Oliver, and Merlin all to cringe slightly. Arthur was unaffected however, as he wasn't able to hear it, and all three horses suddenly came to a stop. Both Arthur and Merlin stretched their necks to see up ahead, and both saw something glinting through the trees. A grin made its way onto Kadwyn's face as he slipped the round orange object into his pocket and slid to the ground. Oliver jumped down to the ground as well and tied his and Arthur's horses to the same branch that Kadwyn had tied his. Both men ignored their captives for the time being and walked towards the trees where the glint was coming from. Pushing the branches aside, the two sorcerers stepped into a circular clearing bathed in the sunlight that was just beginning to appear. Merlin and Arthur shared a glance as the two men talked quietly amongst themselves before turning and striding back over to Kadwyn's horse. The leather-clad man looked at the confused expression on Arthur's face for a short moment and then gave him a small grin.

"We're here, gentlemen," he murmured quietly.

Sitting down quietly on a rock, Morgana slipped off her shoes and dipped her feet gently into the flowing stream. She shivered slightly from the cold water but quickly became used to the soothing temperature. She heard all the familiar sounds of a forest – birds singing, squirrels scampering, branches rustling – and she suddenly missed the days of her youth when she and her father would go out together on walks in the woods. She would always pretend like she knew where they were going, but in reality she always relied on her father's directions.

A smile graced her lips as the wind softly combed through her wavy hair. She welcomed the warm breeze that danced across her skin, closing her eyes and turning her face skyward in comfort and relaxation. She hardly ever had the time to just take a walk by herself and be succumbed by her thoughts. She liked being able to just think about where life was headed and where it had come from. Past mistakes, present decisions, future dreams…

Looking across the small creek where her feet still waded, Morgana focused on a small patch on grass. She tried to remember the spell that Morgause had muttered on their walk a day before. A few moments later, Morgana quickly let a string of words zip past her lips. The patch of green grass she had been focusing on was suddenly white as lilies sprouted out of the ground and covered it. Morgana smiled to herself, proud that she had been able to remember such an insignificant spell as this one. If she could remember a spell as simple as this one, she should have no problem with the important spells that Morgause planned on teaching her. Well… she hoped she would have no problem.

Just then, a sharp ringing noise pierced her ears. Her feet kicked involuntarily, splashing her slightly with the cold stream water, and her hands both flew to her ears. Despite the fact that she blocked out all surrounding sounds, the ringing noise didn't get any quieter. It was as if she could hear it inside her head rather than with her ears.

And then, a moment later, it disappeared. She lowered her hands into her lap and looked around where she was sitting. She didn't see anyone around her, but she could hear something faintly over the sound of the babbling brook in front of her. It sounded like some kind of creature, or more than one, making its way through the trees. She could hear the sound of the creature's footsteps and the rustle of its backside brushing past the branches of the trees.

Did this creature have something to do with the ringing noise she had heard? Had Morgause also been able to hear the noise all the way back at the castle? Did it have something to do with magic?

Slipping her feet back into her shoes, Morgana carefully hopped two rocks over to the other side of the small stream and then began into the trees on the other side. She could still hear the rustling of whatever was moving, but she could tell that the creature was slowing down or coming to a slow stop. She knew that she probably should have gone back to Morgause and asked if she had heard the same ringing noise, but something told her to continue on into the trees. She hoped Morgause didn't come looking for her – after all, not even Morgana knew what it was she was heading towards.

After a few minutes of walking, Morgana was able to see some light up ahead. As she walked closer, she noticed something glinting in the light, and when she came to edge of the clearing bathed in light, she gasped.

There, in the middle of the clearing, was the Poisoned Mirror itself.

Two men, one completely dressed in leather and the other hidden under a long dark cloak, emerged from the trees to Morgana's left. Each of them had a set of reins in their hand and a horse following them out of the trees. Morgana gasped quietly and spun herself behind the tree she stood next to. Who were those men? And what in the hell were they doing out in the middle of the woods? At the Poisoned Mirror, no less.

Morgana slowly and cautiously poked her head back around the tree to see the men lead their horses out of the trees. The sorceress could just barely see the legs of a body dangling over the side of the cloaked man's horse, but there was nothing on the other man's horse. Morgana thought she understood what was going on here now, according to what Morgause had told her earlier that morning, but when a third horse was led out of the trees Morgana was just as confused as she had previously been when she saw who was in the saddle.

Arthur shifted uncomfortably in the saddle as his horse was pulled through the trees. Merlin's neckerchief, which had previously been used to gag him, was now acting as a blindfold for the warlock. Arthur had watched how careful Oliver had been with removing the scarf from around Merlin's mouth; immediately slapping his hand over the boy's lips in substitution, Oliver had hissed something into Merlin's ear too low for Arthur to hear. Merlin hadn't fought against him when Oliver removed his hand from the warlock's mouth and began tying the scarf around Merlin's eyes. And Oliver had done all this before neither Arthur nor Merlin could get a good look at what was beyond the wall of trees ahead of them.

Now though, they were through that wall of trees, and Arthur had a clear view of the lone mirror in the middle of the circular clearing. Arthur stared at the glinting mirror with interest, wondering what its purpose was. Who would just leave a mirror out in the middle of the forest? But as he thought this, Arthur noticed how the stone arch bordering the glass seemed to grow right out of the ground, as if the mirror had naturally sprouted up where it stood.

Kadwyn now was working at heaving Merlin over his shoulder while Oliver walked over to Arthur, revealing a dagger from under his cloak and starting to saw away at the rope strapping the prince's feet to the stirrups. Instead of carrying Merlin over his shoulder like it looked like he had been planning to do, Kadwyn set the warlock down on his feet and then sliced his sword through the ropes binding Merlin's ankles together. His foot ached terribly from having his weight put on it, but the throbbing ankle was not able to hold Merlin up when his feet were cut apart. His injured leg shuttered as weight was put on it and it suddenly gave out on him. He started falling towards the ground, and Arthur jumped instinctively in a vain attempt to catch his servant. Kadwyn was the one who threw his arms out and caught Merlin before the warlock could hit the ground.

"Clumsy oaf," Kadwyn muttered under his breath, lifting Merlin back onto his feet just as Arthur jumped down to the ground next to Oliver. The cloaked sorcerer drew his sword and held the blade up to Arthur's back, pushing the prince in the direction he wanted him to go. Arthur turned his head back as far as he could as Kadwyn began leading a limping Merlin towards the mirror in the center of the clearing, and the blonde knew that they were in for some serious trouble. He couldn't shake the feeling that this mirror was nothing but bad news.

Oliver stopped them at a seemingly random tree a little ways from where the horses had been tied. He took the sword and sliced it through the ropes binding Arthur's wrists, but immediately twisted both of the prince's wrists behind his back, causing Arthur to yelp quietly in slight pain. The trunk of the tree they had stopped at wasn't very large, and Oliver was easily able to wrap Arthur's arms around it and retie his wrists together behind it.

"Rhwymwch ef â chadwyni," the sorcerer chanted, staring at Arthur. His eyes flashed gold and numerous silver chains began wrapping themselves around Arthur's body and the tree, securely strapping the prince to the trunk. Oliver smiled smugly before raising his sword once again, lightly pressing the tip of the blade to Arthur's neck. Arthur stood absolutely still, barely breathing, and watched Kadwyn still leading Merlin towards the mirror. The prince tried to ignore the fact that there was a blade at his throat, but it wasn't all too easy.

Merlin couldn't see anything except the faint red color of his scarf covering his eyes. He stumbled as Kadwyn led him forward, limping heavily due to the injury he had taken to his ankle the previous day. He'd give anything to just be able to heal it with magic, but he hadn't studied healing spells very much and Arthur was there with them. Despite the situation they were both in, Merlin refused to use his magic in front of Arthur. What if they actually got out of this alive? What if they made it back to Camelot? What if Arthur told his father about a certain servant's hidden talent? Merlin wasn't willing to risk such a precious secret of his, despite how much he wished he could.

A hand was suddenly thrown into his chest and he stopped walking, losing a small breath. He had no idea where he was or what was going on – he couldn't see anything – but for some reason he was suddenly forced down onto his knees. His injured ankle screamed in protest, but Merlin didn't make a sound as he allowed himself to be pushed down. His wrists itched and burned due to the rope that was biting into his skin and still securing his hands behind his back. He desperately wished he could just slip the rope off, kill Kadwyn and Oliver, and get himself and Arthur out of there.

But Kadwyn had known the young warlock would wish this, and was one step ahead.

"One wrong move, kid, and your little prince over there will never see the light of day again." Kadwyn's words from when he had switched Merlin's neckerchief from his mouth to his eyes echoed within the young warlock's mind. One step out of line, and Arthur would be killed. Merlin suspected that Kadwyn had Oliver set up so that he could easily kill Arthur if Merlin were to slip up, but the warlock had no intentions of letting Arthur die.

Suddenly, the scarf was torn away from Merlin's eyes, and he blinked against the blinding sunlight. Once his eyes had adjusted, he looked up at what Kadwyn had brought him to. At first, Merlin raised an eyebrow in confusion. It was just some kind of mirror.

But then the realization dawned on him and he was filled with terror and more confusion. It was the mirror from the dream he'd had only a few nights before, with the little stone table and the silver goblet in front of it. Images from the dream suddenly flashed through his head, and he realized then that he had seen the red scarf torn away from his own eyes in the dream. He saw his eyes widen in the mirror's reflection, and Kadwyn smirked at the warlock's look of horror.

"Don't move," he ordered, and then turned towards the mirror. Merlin's déjà vu experience continued as Kadwyn placed his hand gently on the mirror and the glass rippled under his fingers. Merlin felt his heart rate quicken and his breathing suddenly become ragged as Kadwyn bowed his head in respect and murmured, "My lady."

Merlin couldn't help but hope that this was all just another nightmare.

Slowly, the ripples from Kadwyn's touch all began to form the shape of a woman. Merlin watched in both horror and intrigue as the long crimson dress faded into existence within the glass, followed by her arms and head. Her luxurious brown hair cascaded down her back, gently slipping over her shoulders and down her arms. Her bright blue eyes were full of satisfaction and hate… though the smile on her lips was forged solely by evil.

"Hello Merlin," she said softly but icily, her voice as soft as silk but as dangerous as a wild beast. Merlin felt his eyes widen further, and Nimueh's smile grew.

A/N: I just want to apologize again for the long wait! I will hopefully never have to deal with that kind of writer's block again, and updates will hopefully be a LOT more frequent from here on out.

So I hope this was worth the long-ass wait! I did merge Morgana's third person POV with Arthur's and Merlin's at the end because they're all in the same place now and everything. We're really getting into the exciting stuff now guys! So if you were on the edge of your seats before, you'll be falling out of them within these next few chapters! ;D

Pretty please leave me a nice little review! Reviews seriously make my day, and help with writer's block some of the time! So if you want quicker updates, reviews would be veeeery nice!

(( Claire ))

P.S. ~ ALSO! I made a new poll and posted it up on my profile! Go, check it out, and vote! I'd love to see the results and see what my fellow authors/readers are thinking involving that subject! :)