The four of them sprinted almost silently back towards the camp, all filled with a desperate need to get there and make sure everything was alright. Merlin stumbled slightly as they drew closer to the clearing, sensing that something was wrong.
"Wait!" It wasn't him that spoke, however, but Elyan as he pulled up sharp, flinging his arm out across Gwaine's chest to stop the man. Lancelot grabbed the back of Merlin's shirt, almost unbalancing the young man.
"What is it?" Merlin hissed, wondering what the Knight was sensing. His magic was warning him of something, yet Elyan was clearly picking things up in a different way. Maybe it would provide them with more of a clue as to what they were about to walk in on?
"Percival would have picked this spot to stand guard." Elyan muttered. Gwaine and Lancelot seemed to understand what that meant more than Merlin, for both immediately shifted their weapons into a better grip, eyes darting around anxiously. Realising that there was perhaps danger awaiting them, Merlin let his power fill him up. He too was looking around, but not with his eyes. His magic was telling him something strange about the clearing, but what he was most worried about was the use of dark magic. Someone had been here.
"Now!" Unaware the Knights had been planning around him, Merlin swiftly followed them when he realised they were running straight into the clearing. He stumbled to a stop at the sight in front of him. Gaius was sitting up against the tree, Rand crouched in front of him. But the young man seemed to be almost quivering with excitement, and Merlin knew something was very wrong with him. He could just make out the edge of a red cloak to know it was Leon spread against the bottom of another tree, clearly unconscious if his position was anything to go by. Percival too was motionless, almost in the spot Merlin knew Arthur had been in. The prince was nowhere to be seen.
Lancelot and Gwaine seemed to realise this as well. They ran full speed into the clearing. Rand was pushed back and Lancelot quickly freed Gaius, not seeming to realise it was the slave who had been standing guard over the old man as it was. Elyan went to Percival, checking his pulse before turning scared eyes onto Gaius. The physician caught the look, nodded and hurried over.
"There was a man, a sorcerer. Sir Leon has only merely been knocked out, he should be fine. But I'm not sure what he has done to Percival."
"Where's Arthur?" Never had Merlin's voice trembled as much as it did in that moment. Nor did he think he had ever felt so scared. The look in Gaius' eye as he turned to face his ward gave Merlin the answer he had dreaded to here.
"No!" Lancelot shivered at the sheer anguish in Merlin's tone, but was not surprised to see the young man begin to run in the only direction Dunran could have gone. What was surprising, however, was when Rand suddenly leapt up from where he had been crouching, cannoning straight into the unprepared Merlin and sending them both toppling to the ground in a tangle of limbs.
"Find Arthur!" Merlin roared, trying to throw Rand off him. He was vaguely aware of Lancelot and Gwaine sprinting off. He didn't even care where Elyan was, not anymore. Instead, his eyes flashed gold and Rand was thrown off him. Luck seemed to be on his side, for the remaining conscious Knight was over by Leon, trying to rouse the man with his back to Merlin. He had no idea what was going on.
"Rand, what are you...what are you doing?" What had started off as a curious question turned into a slightly panicked shout as Rand drew a wicked looking dagger, beginning to advance on Merlin again. "What happened to you? You were helping me!"
"He's been broken by Dunran." Merlin swallowed hard as he heard Gaius's shout, automatically backing up as Rand approached him, dagger at the ready. For some reason, hearing that, he just felt a greater desire to help the man, not harm him. If Rand had been broken, it meant he was in no way responsible for his actions, not really.
Merlin's empathy nearly cost him dearly. He hadn't noticed Rand steadily getting closer and closer until a sudden flare of pain across his right arm made him cry out.
"Merlin!"
"I'm fine." It was through gritted teeth the answer was spat out, however, his left hand clenched around the long and deep cut on his arm. He could feel the blood seeping through his fingers and tried to ignore the way the world seemed to spin slightly alarmingly as he forced himself to concentrate. Rand had darted out of reach once he had made the cut, his hand scrabbling for something in his pocket. Almost hypnotised, Merlin found himself watching as the slave pulled out a small phial.
There was something about it that was familiar. As Rand moved, the sunlight caught the bottle and Merlin felt his heart leap in concern. It was almost identical to the bottle that had contained the anti-dote Rand had used to save Arthur. But something told the warlock this was no anti-dote.
Rand meant to poison him.
He had seen how much damage it had inflicted on Arthur, and how his magic had done nothing against it. It would surely kill him. Merlin knew he had no time for sympathy any more, not if he wanted to get out of this alive.
"Conicio him tergum!" The words slipped fluently from his tongue, and Rand was suddenly blasted backwards off his feet. Technically, Merlin hadn't needed to use words. But he wanted to keep some sort of control over his power; he wouldn't let himself lash out like that.
Elyan chose that moment to look over. Thankfully, all he saw was Rand beginning to struggle to his feet and Merlin leaning somewhat shakily against a tree, blood seeping through his fingers. Within an instant, the Knight had sped over. Drawing back his fist, he punched Rand squarely in the face, causing his head to snap back as the man passed out.
"Get to Gaius." Nodding, Merlin scrambled over. It wasn't for himself that he sped over though. Leon would be fine, it was nothing more than a blow to the head. For Knights, it seemed to be a curse of the job. Percival, on the other hand, was a different matter entirely.
Merlin could feel the magic even before he reached them. It was almost pulsing out of the man, causing Merlin to shiver as his own magic recoiled in on itself from the touch. It was everything Merlin's magic was not, and the warlock knew that it would be up to him to save the man. There was nothing Gaius could do, and as his guardian turned to face him, he could see in the physician's eyes that he knew that. Crouching down, he glanced over his shoulder at Elyan. The man was in the process of tying Rand against a tree, anger blazing in his eyes in a way Merlin had never seen from the normal gentle man. All that Merlin could see, however, was that he was not looking in their direction.
He placed his hand gently on Percival's forehead, wincing slightly at the burning heat radiating out from the man. He had a feeling that he didn't have long to find the right spell.
"Rid suus somes of atrum veneficus," once again, the words rolled off his tongue without hesitation. It took a few attempts, but finally, Merlin felt Percival's temperature drop under his hand, the man's breathing evening out ever so slightly. He stood back with a nod at Gaius. There was nothing more he could do for the man.
"Be careful." That was all the physician was going to say to the powerful man who had become like a son to him. Merlin smiled tightly, and shot off in the direction Lancelot, Gwaine and – with any luck – Arthur, had vanished in.
There was some sort of commotion coming from up ahead. Merlin found his pace quickening in concern when the noises stopped, however. If he could hear his friends fighting, he knew they were alive and well. The silence was terrifying. He knew what Dunran was capable of, he had seen it firsthand. He knew he could still have easily lost Arthur to this man, who could come back from such torment? He was notlosing either Gwaine or Lancelot!
For a heart stopping moment as he sped into the clearing, he thought he was too late at the sight of the two motionless Knights. A trickle of magic reassured him of the slightly erratic heartbeats and the shallow breathing, but they were definitely still alive. The sickening sound of flesh on flesh drew Merlin's attention.
He had just been beginning to regain a hold over his fury. But seeing Dunran throwing harsh blows at the unprotected Arthur reawakened it even more than before.
"Get away from him. Now." He barely even recognised his own voice as Dunran turned to face him. As soon as he had moved away from Arthur, Merlin whispered a word. Immediately, a powerful yet invisible shield sprang into life over the prince. It would certainly protect him from anything else Dunran tried to throw his way, either magical or physical. Very slowly, Merlin started walking down into the clearing. He smiled reassuringly at Arthur, but his eyes remained locked on Dunran, icy cold, anger pouring out of them. There was no way the other sorcerer would be able to deny the power being radiated from the skinny man in front of him.
"All you had to do was ask, boy." Sarcasm was dripping from Dunran's mouth now, but Merlin wasn't fooled. He could see the flicker of fear in the man's eyes. Merlin had thrown him against a wall and all but strangled the man without even saying a word. And now, once again, he had been caught red handed abusing Arthur. Somehow the man knew he wouldn't be walking away from this. But he was going to go down fighting.
"You have no right to talk." Merlin said coldly. Arthur had ironically curled away from the pair, clearly not wanting to face Dunran. It meant he didn't see how his servant's eyes were burning gold, power almost pulsing out of him.
"And you have no right to even live!" Dunran lunched forward, his fist flying towards Merlin. Instead of the blow that would have knocked the man out, Dunran instead found himself back at the base of the tree in a crumpled heap. He couldn't even attempt to hide the anger and fear pounding through him now as he was literally forced to look up at Merlin. Before he had time to say anything else, he found himself being slowly drawn up the tree, his back scrapping against the bark as he moved in time with Merlin's hand.
"Are you a killer, boy? Can you do it?"
"For him I can." Merlin responded darkly. Part of him had always been afraid of this. Could he take the life of another when it wasn't a purely defensive action? But he knew that if he truly wanted to protect Arthur, Dunran could not be allowed to walk free.
Simultaneous groans made his head snap around from the dangerous sorcerer, his eyes flickering back to blue in relief as he saw Lancelot shakily sit up, Gwaine's hand floating up to his head.
"It's over, Dunran. You cannot stop us." Turning his attention back to the man, Merlin blinked to find that he was gone. Before he knew what was happening, something had grabbed him by the throat, slamming him back against the tree. He clawed for his magic, intending to blast this man away from him in a similar way he had done for Rand – just without the restraint – but as the fist constricted, his concentration slipped and he couldn't get a hold on it.
"Merlin!" Gwaine's cry of alarm had Merlin motion slightly wildly with his arm, trying to keep the man back. Dunran had complete control over his own magic at this moment in time, and Merlin was not going to let the man hurt any more of his friends. He tried to swallow, but even that action was somewhat restricted as Dunran leant in, all but breathing in his ear.
"He'll never be rid of me. I've been so deep inside him he'll bear those scars forever. You failed him, little boy. Every time he sits down, he'll feel me. Every time he swallows something, it will be me!"
Despite black spots dancing in front of his vision through his restricted airways, Merlin somehow managed to deliver a punch that had Dunran reeling backwards. His fury had lent him a strength the skinny servant didn't even know he possessed. He hadn't even used magic in the slightest, that had all been him. Dunran stumbled backwards, and immediately found both of his arms being gripped by two furious Knights.
"Merlin, get Arthur out of here." Merlin had never heard Lancelot's voice sound so cold and frankly terrifying as it did right then. He went to argue, made to make the point he wanted to make sure Dunran paid for what he had done. But then he looked in his friend's eye. They were planning on making him pay. Lancelot, however, didn't want Merlin involved. He knew the young warlock would not hold back in the slightest, but had also seen how Merlin had reacted to seeing what he had done back at the building. He was trying to protect him. Merlin nodded, moving across to Arthur.
For a moment, he thought the prince was going to shy away from him, nerves spiralling through him in a way he wasn't sure he had ever felt. Had this just made everything ten times worse? He had spent so long trying to get Arthur to trust him. But when he gently rolled the battered prince over, he smiled in relief. Arthur's eyes were wide and scared, but only when he glanced towards where Gwaine was attempting to drag Dunran out of the clearing. When he looked back at Merlin, they seemed to soften, an unspoken plea shooting out of them.
"Come on, Sire." Merlin muttered soothingly, his fingers fumbling as he untied Arthur's hands. Wrapping his arm around Arthur's waist, he gently drew him to his feet, deciding that he would get him back to Gaius and let the physician try and get the breeches back on him. Arthur's legs were trembling slightly, but he managed a few tentative steps forward, seeming to grow in strength slightly at Merlin's encouragement.
The warlock was so focused on getting Arthur out of there; Dunran was pushed from his mind. Until he heard a yell of pain and turned his head to see Gwaine fall to the ground, clutching his leg. Lancelot was advancing fast, his sword held in a way Merlin knew was going for the kill. But Dunran was once again one step ahead and threw a spell at the man, knocking him back. As Lancelot stumbled, Merlin put himself in front of Arthur.
"You won't hurt him again!"
"I'll just take you instead then, whelp!" Dunran spat. Merlin swallowed as he saw the sorcerer grasp a dagger in his hand, the weapon almost pulsing with dark magic.
"Forgive me." Merlin whispered, hoping Arthur would hear him. He was not about to die and let Dunran near Arthur again. But for him to be able to stop the man, there was only one thing for him to do. He began allowing his power to fill him up, preparing to blast the man back. He felt as if things were happening in slow motion as Dunran adjusted his grip, clearly intending to throw the dagger. He could feel Arthur pushing against him feebly, trying to get Merlin to move out of the way. But for the first time since he had ever met the prince, Merlin was stronger. He stood his ground as he watched his death be flung across the clearing at him.
"No!" It was the most cracked, hoarse and vulnerable sound that Merlin had ever heard. But it certainly did what the owner of the voice wanted and Merlin turned, completely stunned. It hadn't been Gwaine, Lancelot or even Dunran who had spoken. It had been Arthur. One look at the prince's face for a split second, and he knew it had been pure agony for the man.
But Arthur didn't dwell on it. As Merlin turned to look at him, he gripped the man's shoulders, taking advantage of his distraction to push him to the ground. He allowed his own body to fall with the momentum, and apart from inflicting a small graze across Arthur's arm, the dagger shot over their heads, landing with a thump on the grass.
"Arthur?" Merlin squirmed from where he was trapped under the prince, looking deep into his eyes. Arthur didn't look back though. His eyes fell on the dagger, and with shaking fingers, he picked it up.
"Arthur, what are you doing?" Merlin made to get up as Arthur pulled himself to his knees, but he didn't have time to react when Arthur suddenly threw the dagger. Dunran's mouth formed a small "o" of surprise as he took in the sight of his own weapon suddenly sticking out of his own chest. He locked eyes with Arthur, sneered one last time before promptly keeling over backwards. This time, he didn't get back up.
"Arthur?" Merlin's voice was quiet and uncertain as he crawled up to the prince. Arthur was completely rigid, staring at where Dunran had been standing, slight tremors wracking his body.
"Go back to Gaius?" Merlin glanced over his shoulder at Lancelot and Gwaine. The former nodded, helping his friend up and supported Gwaine back over the hill, leaving Merlin alone with Arthur.
The prince locked eyes with him, and Merlin felt his heart clench as Arthur's filled with tears.
"It's okay. He can't hurt you again. I'm so sorry, I should never have left you." Not knowing what else to do, Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur, holding him close whilst being mindful of his back. Feeling the tears splash on his top, he tightened his grip, his own trickling down his cheeks.
But this time, Arthur didn't cry silently. Huge sobs tore from him as he unburdened himself on his loyal servant. Merlin winced at every sound being torn from him, knowing it must feel like hell. But something inside of him was relaxing. Arthur must have overcome something in order to make a noise.
There was hope for the prince yet. How long they simply sat there as Arthur cried, Merlin had no idea. But he would have stayed in the position forever if it meant getting his Arthur back.