A/N: Wow, I'm now in my 10th chapter. I can't believe that I've reached this far. It's truly a remarkable feat for me because, like I said before, this is my first attempt in writing a fan fiction and I never wrote anything this long in English (actually nether in my own national language).

I want to thank you all for inspiring and motivating me to write on through your reviews and by adding me to your story alerts, favorite stories list and communities.

I also want to thank my sweet aunt, Mama Letty. She's been reading this fic and she would constantly bug me to finish a chapter. So I dedicate this chapter to her.

I'm not done with my story just yet, Merlin is still being tested. So let's continue on where we left him. Please review. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: BBC and Shine own the rights to Merlin and the characters of the show. I don't get paid for writing this. I only write for fun.

CHAPTER 10

PRESSURE

Merlin charged at the incoming wolf as he cried out like a warrior plunging himself to battle. His sword glowing with magic and his heart pounding with adrenalin filled blood. Fear had left him which was replaced by blazing courage. He didn't know why he was doing this. He could have just used his magic to move the enchanted sword and hit the hideous creature. But an instinctive feeling clicked in his head. He felt this was something he should do with his own strength. And also, he wanted to get even with that wolf for tricking him.

His mind told him that this was absolutely insane, but he pushed that thought aside and let the warrior in him take over.

The beast was about to spring at him but Merlin quickly dodged himself to the right sparing his head from being snapped off by the wolf's mouth. He landed on his side then skidded on the ground. The wolf gave an aggravated snarl, irritated with the fast moving sorcerer.

Ignoring the throbbing on his shoulder and arm Merlin immediately leaped to his feet and bolted towards the side of the wolf. With one swift move, Merlin thrust his sword into its ribcage. The wolf gave out an earsplitting howl and started lashing its body around. Merlin didn't let go of the sword right away, so he got thrown back by the thrashing beast. He flew several meters and gave out an 'Ump!' when he hit his back on the cavern floor.

A dazed from the crash landing he stayed on the ground groaning, but he managed to lift his head to see what was happening to the creature. The wolf still growled and howled as the magic of the sword began to take effect.

After one loud yowl the wolf exploded into a burst of brightness. Merlin covered his eyes from the blinding light.

The light subsided and when Merlin opened his eyes the wolf of nightmares was no more.

Merlin was so bowled over from the stunt he just did that it made his body quiver. But his exhaustion slowly turned into elation when he began to grasp what had happened. He couldn't believe it, he defeated the big black wolf, and he did it with his own bare hands. Well, he did used magic to enchant the sword. But still, he never thought of charging at the beast like that, and he was very surprised and proud of himself. His grin was so wide that it stretched the width of the cavern. Merlin stood up, flung his fists in the air and began jumping for joy.

"I did it! I can't believe I actually did it!", Merlin clamored, his voice echoed throughout the cave. The young warlock had never felt this good about himself for a long time. It was truly a remarkable feat for him.

After relishing the moment, Merlin jogged towards the spot where the wolf disintegrated. All that remained was the sword on the ground. The enchantment he placed on the weapon was gone for the magic had served its purpose. Merlin took the blade and ambled to the body of the knight from Mercia. He laid the sword on the knight's chest and stood thoughtfully over the body.

Merlin began to wonder, was the Mercian knight also a warlock like him? It could explain why the knight was there in the first place. He knew that the kingdom of Mercia wasn't very open to magic, although they weren't as drastic about it as Camelot. Those who practice magic were not beheaded, Mercia doesn't have laws that forbid magic. Instead people looked at them with distrust, and they always get blamed for the misfortunes in the kingdom. Merlin wasn't quite sure which was worse; being distrusted or being beheaded. Either way both fates were a bad thing for a sorcerer.

The young warlock could only imagine how this knight might have lived. He could have been hiding his true identity, his magic, not because he can get killed for it but because people might not trust him. And as a knight, being trustworthy was one of his greatest virtues. He had sworn an oath to serve and protect his kingdom. And maybe, just maybe, this knight could have used his magic secretly to help people and to uphold his sworn oath.

Merlin was beginning to see their similarities, not in their social stature, but how they use their gifts to serve their respective kingdoms. Merlin was not a knight, he was but a simple servant. Yet destiny had pronounced him to be the secret protector of Prince Arthur and of Camelot.

Yes, Merlin's and the knight's destiny were alike. But unfortunately, the knight had to die in this dark cavern and fail his test. Mercia had lost its protector.

The humble servant of Camelot paid his respects to the knight of Mercia, "Thank you for lending me your sword, sir. I am indebted to you.", he said somberly.

After giving homage, Merlin took his knapsack and torch and trotted towards the spot where he fell.

He lifted his cobalt eyes on the forty foot high opening of the cavern. He blew the fringe of hair on his forehead. It was time for him to think of a solution to another dilemma. How was he going to get himself out of the blasted cavern?

"So you're telling me that you haven't found the sorcerer?", Uther said.

The king was busy with his paper works when Arthur and Sir Leon entered the council chambers to give their report on the progress of their witch hunt, and Uther wasn't happy with the report.

The crown prince and the knight exchanged glances. They explained to the king that they have searched high and low throughout the kingdom but the elusive sorcerer, or druid, or whoever it was, was nowhere to be found. They already rounded up all the suspected sorcerers in the kingdom months ago when they searched for the Lady Morgana's kidnapper. They haven't receive any new reports of anyone associated with magic ever since. The only lead they had from the search was a drunken witness who saw someone wearing a blue jacket emerging from the other end of secret exit in the armory. Beyond the blue jacket description there was nothing more the witness could describe. There could be hundreds of men in Camelot who owned a blue jacket so that can't be much of a lead. Arthur and Leon were at a dead end from their search.

"We did our best to look for the sorcerer father.", Arthur said.

The king sighed, "Well you haven't done your very best Arthur. I expect more from you in the search since this sorcerer had threatened you and this kingdom. And you seemed to be giving up the search all together."

"Absolutely not father, I'm not giving up. We're only telling you that in spite of our best efforts we still haven't found him, yet. But we will keep searching. We'll extend our search through the outlying villages if we must."

"Then see to it that you find this sorcerer once and for all.", the king ordered.

"Yes, sire.", Arthur said. Sir Leon gave a respectful bow before both of them left the chambers.

Arthur hated it when he's being pressured by his father. The prince had done so much but still he felt that the king wasn't pleased with his performance. Uther expected more from Arthur and this irritated the prince most of the time. But in the back of his mind he tried to understand his father, he thought pressure will definitely be part of his life once he becomes king so he better get used to it.

But Uther got even more demanding from the time when Morgana disappeared, and this not only affected Arthur but all of their subordinates as well. The king sent out a patrol – more than a dozen men composed of knights, soldiers and royal guards - in search for his ward. He firmly ordered them not to return until Morgana was found. The search for the Lady went on for months, the patrol ventured out of the borders of Camelot and into the neighboring kingdoms. Until one day Uther and Arthur received word that the patrol was ambushed by King Cenred's men.

However this didn't stop Uther, his madness continued when he sent out another patrol to search Morgana. It had been three months since then and Arthur hadn't received any news of their whereabouts. He feared they might have had the same fate as the first.

The two men were both quite as they paced the hallway. Sir Leon was first to break the silence.

"What do we do now sire?", he said jadedly.

Arthur looked at the knight in disbelief, "I've never seen you so worried Leon. Is my father much more fearsome then the Great Dragon we once fought?"

"Well, you know the king. If he gets too desperate about this witch hunt he might make us go to the edge of the earth in search for this sorcerer."

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Come on Leon. I don't think my father would do something as drastic as that."

"The king is serious about this Arthur, that sorcerer was meant to harm you. If we don't find him soon, he could come back, and you might not get lucky this time. If it wasn't for your manservant to take the blow for you then you'll be the one who's bed ridden, or worse dead. Too bad, I don't quite understand why your father had to sack Merlin."

While Leon babbled on the prince suddenly realized something when the knight mentioned his former servant. He turned around to the other direction and sprinted away, "Catch you later Leon."

The knight knitted his forehead, "Where are you going?"

"There's someone I want to talk to.", Arthur said as he trailed off to the direction of Gaius' chambers.

Merlin stood beneath the sinkhole. He gazed up on gap as he thought of a way to get himself out. He could see the sky through the hole, the shade of the heavens was turning dusky blue, an indication that night was fast approaching. He had to get himself out of there if he doesn't want to spend the evening inside the stinking cave. The hole was too high to reach and climbing it would be impossible.

When the boy released his sights on the high hole his eyes wandered around the cavern. He was hoping for another way out. Then flittingly he noticed something from his left, something that he hadn't noticed since he dropped in the cave. He can only dimly see what it was because of the darkness. With his torch on hand he decided to take a closer look.

The light of his torch touched the object of Merlin's curiosity, and he was so surprised to see what it was.

Carved on the rocky wall of cavern was a stone arch and under it was an old wooden door. The arch resembled the design of the stone arch entrance to the enchanted forest. It also looked very ancient, like the forbearers of the Old Religion had put it there a long, long time ago. Engraved rune symbols adorned on the sides, and the door itself had a rune symbol etched on the wood.

Merlin clearly remembered never seeing the door when he fell in the cavern. He could have noticed it from the beginning. But perhaps, the warlock thought, the door only came out when he defeated the black wolf. These could be a sign that he had past his first test.

Relief seemed to fill Merlin's soul. He had past the test, and he was still alive and intact. But he knew very well that his rite of passage wasn't over yet. The ancient door could lead him to another test so he must ready himself for that.

Merlin studied the rune symbol carving on the wooden door. He learned a thing or two from Gaius on how to read rune symbols, and he never realized it could be handy someday. The young warlock knew the symbol right away. It was the symbol for fire. But what could it mean? He thought it could be a clue to his next test.

The boy placed his hand on the door and pushed it. Ominously the door opened. Merlin pushed the door even wider to expose what was behind it. It was a long tunnel, and like the cavern it was dark. Merlin noticed some unlit torches hung on the sides of the rough stone walls along the tunnel. He muttered, "Forbyrne", his eyes flashed and in an instant the torches ignited one after the other.

Merlin stood for a long moment at the tunnel's entrance. He was having second thoughts if he should go in the tunnel or if he should just go back to the hole and look for a way to get himself out through there. He could use his magic to levitate himself up to the hole and he'll be scot-free. But then again, if he doesn't go through the tunnel then he will lose his chance to undergo the next test.

Merlin blew out a gust of air, "You can do this Merlin," he said to himself, "You must go through this."

And with that Merlin stepped in the tunnel and into the unknown.

Arthur knew he was going against Gaius' advice, but this was a matter of great importance. Merlin was the primary witness to the explosion, and any information he could give can be a great help to their search.

The prince just couldn't fathom why Merlin was acting that way as what Gaius said. Although Arthur didn't want to admit it, but Merlin was one of the most courageous persons he had ever met. The boy maybe a wimp but Merlin wasn't the type who would crumple like a trampled daffodil after getting into a life threatening situation. No, Merlin was much more resilient than that. So why did Gaius say that his ward was acting like that after the explosion? Not unless the sorcerer has done something to Merlin that made him emotionally stressed out. This was one of the things that Arthur also wanted to know, if his friend was truly ill and if he can do something about it. The prince made his pace faster through the palace halls.

Without any warning, not even a knock, Arthur stormed in the physician's chambers startling Hunith by the intrusion.

"Sire . . .", was all she said, but Hunith wasn't able to stop the prince from striding across the work area straight to Merlin's room.

"Merlin!", Arthur called out as he swiftly opened the door of the room, but all he saw was Merlin's empty bed.

Arthur pushed the door wider to let himself in. He searched the small room, but there was no sign of the servant.

"Arthur . . .", He spun around when he heard Hunith behind him.

The prince noticed her weary eyes. And from that Arthur knew something was wrong.

"Where's Merlin? I thought he was still sick.", he said in his authoritative princely tone.

Hunith shook her head, "He's not here, my lord."

Arthur crossed his arms on his chest, "I could see that Hunith, now where is he?"

She gazed on the prince's face. What was she going to tell him? Arthur was waiting for her answer. Then it occurred to her that this was something that Arthur should know, because she knew he was the only one who could get her son back home safely.

Hunith exhaled and said, "Merlin went to the forest to meet a sorcerer."

Arthur was taken aback as he stared incredulously at Merlin's mother. Then it dawn on him what she just said.

"What! Is he insane? Does he have a death wish?", Arthur said in exasperation, "He knows very well that consorting with a sorcerer is against the law. Why did he suddenly felt the need to meet one?," then Arthur realized something causing his eyes to squint, "Wait, does this have to do with what happened in my chambers?"

Hunith's mind was working overtime, she tried to find a reason for her son's actions. She thought of making up a story. But, like Merlin, she hated lying. So she thought of telling the prince half of the truth.

"It does have something to do with the explosion sire. He was seeking for some answers to what had happened.", she carefully said.

"And going to a sorcerer is the best way to look for answers?" he said condescendingly, "No offense Hunith but your son is being a complete idiot. And why did you let him wander off to the forest on his own, let alone meet a sorcerer? Gaius told me he was suffering from some emotional stress from the explosion. He should be resting."

Hunith didn't take that as an offense, instead she simply smiled at the prince, "He . . . has his reasons why he had to meet this sorcerer. He believes it's for the good of the kingdom, so I gave him my blessing."

Arthur was surprised at that. He knew Merlin would sometimes go through great lengths to help him out, beyond the line of duty. That's how loyal he was. But consorting with a sorcerer was way overboard, Merlin was endangering his life.

Arthur shifted his gaze on the floor while shaking his head in disappointment, "I still think he's being an idiot. He should have told me about this.", he then looked at Hunith in scrutiny, "Yet you don't seem to be at peace with your decision on letting him go. Why is it?"

She lifted her weary eyes at him, "Honestly sire, I'm worried for Merlin, I don't know why. Although I trust my son that he will come home safely, but there's this ache in my heart that's telling me that something is not right."

Arthur frowned. Even though he grew up without a mother but he understood that a mother's intuition was something that shouldn't be ignored.

"Did he say which part of the forest he was going?", Arthur asked with empathy.

Hunith nodded, "Merlin said he was going to the place where both of you first saw the unicorn."

Arthur's face was a picture of astonishment, "Anhora. He's gone to meet with Anhora."

The prince suddenly remembered the old sorcerer who had tested him a long time ago. He had learned so much from that experience. But why had Merlin gone to meet him?

Arthur placed both of his hands on Hunith's shoulders, "Don't worry Hunith, I'll go to the forest and look for Merlin by myself."

Hunith fretted, "But sire it's dangerous for you to go on your own. Who knows what this sorcerer could do. You should take some of your men with you."

Arthur sighed and spoke slowly, "What Merlin did is against the law. If my father finds out about this he'll have Merlin's head. I'm trying to protect him as much as I can. We must keep this hidden. Is that clear?"

Hunith felt her anxiety washed away from Arthur's words. Her eyes lit up. She was so felled with relief that she embraced the prince, "Thank you so much, sire."

Arthur smiled at Hunith's shoulder. It surprised him how Merlin's mother could hug him like that. He never really knew how a mother's hug supposed to feel, but this was the next best thing. It was loving, warm and comforting. He suddenly envied Merlin for having such a wonderful privilege in his life, something that Arthur will never have.

Although reluctant the prince released his hold on Hunith, "I'll be back with your son, I promise."

Arthur was about to leave the room when Hunith called out, "Arthur."

The prince spun around in attention to her call.

"When you find Merlin and you found out something about him, please don't look at him differently.", she said pleadingly.

Arthur raised his eyebrows. What was that suppose to mean? He didn't know how to make of what Hunith said, he just simply nodded.

With that thought hanging in his mind Arthur left the physician's chambers to start his search for Merlin.