Hi guys! I know, it's taken me ages to update... again... but it's Easter holidays from next week where I am, and hopefully I'll be able to write then! :)

So, without further ado, the next chapter! I'm not really sure where this came from, since it was never in my original plan, but I felt that the story needed a little bit of Merlin/Arthur bromance. :)

Merlin stopped eating. Stopped drinking. Stopped sleeping. After the initial grief had subsided, all he was left with was a terrible, aching numbness. And a question. A question that haunted him day and night. Had Morgause saved her?

It plagued him all day, every day. There was no way that he could even know if Morgana was alive, let alone if he would ever see her again.

Merlin wished he had told her about his feelings sooner; they had had such a brief time together as lovers. And he had not even told her about his magic…

He must stay positive. Not give up hope. But with each day without her it became harder and harder to pull himself out of the abyss of despair he was slowly falling into. He was no longer the cheerful, goofy, clumsy boy everyone knew, but a quiet, withdrawn young man, hardly speaking at all.

Of course, someone noticed his change in character. And that someone happened to be Arthur.

Merlin was in the prince's chambers, silently changing the bedclothes, laying out the sheets and fluffing up his pillows. Arthur was watching him from his desk. Merlin could feel the prince's eyes on him, but couldn't muster up the strength to ask him what he was staring at. The young warlock felt that a lot now; he couldn't be bothered to do anything, to speak to anyone. He just went through the motions of his chores, and then took up residence in a quiet alcove at night, staring out of a nearby window at the moon.

Merlin finished the bed, and went to stoke the fire. Arthur was still staring at him. With a sigh, Merlin turned around. "What?" he asked tiredly.

Arthur seemed to struggle with his words for a moment. "Merlin. I've noticed that you've been acting… different… lately."

Very observant Arthur, Merlin thought sarcastically.

"And I know why; I know how hard it is for you, losing Morgana." Merlin shut his eyes, and suddenly felt unsteady, Arthur's chambers swaying alarmingly. A wave of nausea passes through him. He still couldn't cope with hearing her name, still couldn't cope with the fact that she was gone. Lost.

Just when he thought he would collapse from the dizziness, or maybe throw up, Arthur was there, one hand on Merlin's shoulder to keep him steady, the other guiding him towards the bed, making him sit down. The crown prince sat awkwardly next to him, staring down at his own hands.

"I… I miss her too, you know." Arthur said quietly. "She was like a sister to me; she still is. Because she's not gone, she is still alive out there somewhere."

Merlin said nothing. Arthur took this as a cue to continue. "And I know, a while back, that I told you that you could never have a relationship with Morgana, because she was a lady and you just a servant. But, I was wrong."

Merlin looked up, surprised. What was Arthur saying? The prince continued. "You have made me see that, Merlin. Made me see that you should not judge people by rank, but by character. You should fall in love with someone because of who they are, not which family they were born into. I discovered that for myself, with Guinevere. And you are more than worthy of Morgana's love. These past few months, she seemed so much happier, and I know that was because of you."

A single, silent tear rolled down Merlin's cheek, and Arthur's voice because more confident, louder. "And we owe it to Morgana to not give up on her. We must keep on trying, and stay strong. If she were here now, she wouldn't want you to be like this, Merlin. She would want you to stay positive. I haven't seen that ridiculous goofy grin of yours since Morgause took her, and as much as it pains me to admit it, I am actually missing it." Arthur finished with a small smile.

The young warlock hadn't known before that moment that Arthur's emotional range exceeded that of a teaspoon, but in that moment Merlin saw someone new inside of Arthur. Not the prattish prince of Camelot, but someone else. Some kinder, more caring, wiser. The man who Merlin believed truly would unite the land of Albion one day.

Merlin knew that Arthur was right. He couldn't spend every day in this pit of despair. He owed it to Morgana to try and find her. Like Arthur said, he must stay strong and not give up.

Sniffing, he stood up, still trembling slightly. "I didn't know you were capable of emotional speeches, prat," he joked with a watery smile.

Arthur stood up and cuffed Merlin on the shoulder, offering him a smile of his own.

Uther ordered search parties to be sent out to look for Morgana every day. Merlin knew that there was no way Morgause would be anywhere near Camelot, and that the parties would not be able to find them; the sorceress could use magic to make her and Morgana all but invisible. But even so, Merlin went along with every single one. Because Arthur's words had planted a tiny seed in his heart. A seed that grew and bloomed in his chest, a seed of hope that would become a flower. Because they would find Morgana. It was their destiny.

Who noticed the subtle reference to Harry Potter? :P
Please review, reviews help me update faster! :D