I know I know it's been awhile since I updated, sadly classes have started again and those take precedent. However I will not be stopping the story, just not updating as quickly as I'm super busy.

Eddd12345- aww thank you so much I hate rereading the story for grammar my least favorite part, but I'm glad that it's not awful I worry about that.

Zlitzen321- thank you for the review and thanks for pointing out the knight thing I will try to work on it.

Rest of you reviews, who is more awesome then you? No one!

Somehow in some way, Morgana had coxed Merlin without words over to her bed. Soon she was encased in his arms and they spent the hour talking of Merlin and his magic. Stories of goblins, spells, and trolls, and then Morgana shared some of her magical experiences. None of them however, were as colorful as Merlin's. With all the talk of magic the thoughts of marriage to Prince Erec were put aside. Finally he told her the real reasons behind the hunt he just returned from, and the cloaked man from his dream.

From his description of the cloaked man Morgana turned to look at him, surprise on her face. "What is it?" he asked.

"I dreamed of him also," she replied.

Merlin's attention focused, "What did you dream?"

Morgana told him of her dream in the wood, the archway, the hooded figures, and his practically lifeless bleeding body. Then she mentioned destiny, desire, and doom. As she talked Merlin listened intently, taking it all in and hearing exact similarities from his own dream and from being there in the flesh.

When she finished he thought about what she said and when he thought of the future, their future together, he saw it cloudy and unclear. Eventually he turned to look down on her face and he held her a little tighter and said the thing he was afraid of, "I could be your doom."

"No," she said quickly, running her hand along his face, "I can't believe that, you could never be."

He faked a small smile and nodded, although he was more nervous then she was. With immersed thoughts of her story fresh in his head he asked, "What color were the cloaks of the two figures in the enclosure again?"

"Besides the black cloaked man there was a red cloak and a green cloak, the green one was drenched in blood."

"It's him," Merlin said in barely a whisper.

"It's who?"

"The boy that Gwaine brought in the archway, he was wearing a green cloak, and it had…so much blood." Morgana did her best to hid the fear on her face. She did it well, but Merlin could tell by the slight change in her eyes and her gaze that she had fear.

"Hey," he said sliding his hands up and down her arms to comfort her, "everything will be alright, I'll protect you, although with your magic you probably don't need it."

He felt her relax slightly and then he remembered the next thing he had to tell her that would make her tense again, he considered not telling her. But, he knew he had to.

"I have to leave again."

The feeling of her tense was worse then thinking it and he tightened his hands around her arms slightly.

"What do you mean? You just got back, why would you have to leave again?" she asked rapidly and with anxiety in her voice.

"The cloaked man told me I have to retrieve the boy from the archway and bring him back here. "

"Well, then I'm coming with you," she announced quite sure of herself.

"There will guards everywhere, it's going to be hard enough for Gwaine and myself to sneak out ourselves, let alone the kings ward-"

"Gwaine doesn't even have to sneak out, he's a knight of Camelot," Morgana interrupted him. Merlin saw she was clearly ready to throw every excuse at him as to why she should come.

"The guards will still report our leaving back to Arthur and we would rather he know nothing of his. The cloaked man said he shouldn't know about the boy," Merlin retorted.

"I'm coming with you, even if I have to sneak out after you. This has to do with me also, I dreamed of the man as well," she said straight and sure. A few moments later she added, "don't make me use my magic on you."

Merlin couldn't help but smile, he knew it was useless to argue with her. "Fine, but it only proves what I already knew. You as the most stubborn woman I've ever met," he said playfully.

She gapped at him, "I am not," she fought back.

"You so are."

"Oh really?" she asked beginning to playfully wrestle with him. Merlin quickly responded back to her jibes at him. Eventually he got hold of her wrists and gracefully turned her under him. They both stopped moving upon realizing the currant position they had gotten themselves into, their breaths quickening ever so slightly.

He leaned down and just before his lips touched her lips he said quietly "I love you." Then closed the small distance between them.

Just as they deepened the kiss a loud and anger driven voice yelled out "MERLIN!"

Merlin pulled away suddenly, rose, and climbed off Morgana quickly. "I told him I would be fast, it's been over an hour he's going to kill me."

Morgana shook her head and swung her legs so she was sitting along the side of the bed, "figures when the price calls the lady is always second," she said with humor.

Merlin stopped in the middle of his franticness and gave her a short kiss goodbye, "your not second."

She smiled, "go, he's going to be furious, I'll met you outside your chambers late tonight."

"How are you going to get there undetected?" he asked concerned.

"Just because I'm the king's ward doesn't mean I'm incapable to sneaking past a few guards, now go," she said pushing his shoulders lightly toward the door.

When Merlin finally caught up with Arthur he found a very angry prince and extra chores for the day. He finished the stables and the chores as quickly as he could and barely had time to eat any dinner by the time Gwaine had come to his chambers to leave.

"Ready then?" he asked as Merlin was taking the last spoonful of stew.

"Just about," he said with a full mouth, "just have to wait for Morgana."

"Morgana?" Gwaine questioned.

Merlin then explained the necessary parts of his and Morgana's reunion to the knight, who listened attentively.

"Still Merlin, you really think it's a good idea? It will be hard enough just you and I."

"You want to be the one to tell her she can't come?" Merlin asked.

Gwaine thought a moment, "You said she had magic right." Merlin only nodded. "Nope she can come that's fine," Gwaine said quickly.

"Your scared of Morgana," Merlin teased.

"I am not," he said shocked.

"Sure you aren't," Merlin laughed heading to the chamber door as a knock sounded.

When he opened the chamber door he found Morgana not in her usual gown, but in pants and riding gear, a thin hooded cloak over her head to hide her identity. She slipped through the door as Merlin opened it and removed her hood. The three wasted no time, they said their farewells to Gaius who wished them well and to be careful.

It was surprisingly easier to get out of the castle then Merlin expected. He used his magic only once on two knights that were guarding one of the inside entrances to the castle, all the other guarded areas they passed by unnoticed.

Merlin had snuck out of the castle earlier in the day between his chores. He had gone to the stables and magically released three horses, also putting a spell upon them so they would stop at the place Merlin intended.

They only had to walk a short way until the horses came into sight. The ride to the archway was uneventful, but the three were still on edge, all of them having met the black cloaked man in a dream before.

Once they reached their destination the horses stopped suddenly, not taking a step further.

"They won't go any farther," Gwaine announced more for Morgana then Merlin. "They can feel the healing magic, since they don't need healing it pains them," he said dismounting his horse and bringing him over to a tree in the distance.

Merlin and Morgana did the same. Merlin lit a small fire in his hand and went up to the archway, it didn't seem to affect him the way it affected Gwaine. As he thought, it was probably due to the fact that he had magic. When he stepped closer, just before going through the arch he turned back, "Where is he?"

"What do you mean?" Gwaine asked, "I placed him right in the center."

"He isn't there," Merlin said holding his hand higher and checking again. "No one is in there. "

Morgana and Gwaine stepped forward, Gwaine only going as far as he could and Morgana meeting Merlin. It didn't seem to affect her as highly either. The two of them spread out circling the outside of the archway looking for any traces of a young boy.

Gwaine began searching the outer perimeter. It wasn't long at all until he saw a small light a good distance from him. At first be believed it to be Merlin with the fire in his hand, but as he moved closer he knew it was something different. Not being one to shy away from adventure Gwaine proceeded forward with a bit of eagerness in his stride.

As he got closer and closer he realized, the closer he got to the light the stranger he felt. It wasn't the same feeling as the archway, that was painful and life draining. This feeling was slightly weakening, he could feel his breath deepening and his heart slowing. Gwaine stopped and leaned against a nearby tree eventually landing gently on the ground.

A moment later he felt relief, as quick as a blow from a sword. He got up and glanced unconsciously back at where he had landed against the tree, sighed and threw his arms up in the air slightly. "Not again," he said loudly to the forest as he gazed upon his lifeless body still against the tree. "I'm not even in the bloody archway," he yelled again.

"I needed to speak to you," Gwaine wheeled around and found the black cloaked man behind him, staff still in hand.

"Do you have to bring me close to death every time we need to speak?" Gwaine asked, annoyance lacing his words.

"Yes," the man said simply. After a moment the man continued, "The boy is over by the river where yourself and your fellow knights rested, he left the arch of his own accord before he was fully healed and began to bleed again."

The man stopped speaking and Gwaine asked the obvious, "And you didn't bring him back to the archway?"

"No," the man said simply again. "But the reason of our meeting has nothing to do with the boy, it has to do with the Lady Morgana."

"What about her," Gwaine asked uncaring now and taking a seat on a nearby rock next to himself.

"You need to keep an eye the witch, two eyes would be safer."

It caught Gwaine's interest and he eyed the man curiously, "Why?"

"She is young, unknowledgeable in the magical art, and easily tempted."

Gwaine thought back to his last meeting with the man in front of him and tried to put it together with this meeting, "Do these facts about the King's ward have to do with the difficult times that lie ahead for Merlin?"

The black cloaked man stood a little straighter, "The future is not set in stone, but perhaps."

Gwaine nodded knowing full well that the man was telling him to look out for Merlin, "I think you were wrong before," Gwaine responded.

For the first time the black cloaked man changed his expression to one of peculiarity, "Whatever do you mean Sir Knight?"

"You said you weren't good or evil, you just simply were."

"This is correct."

"You seem to be more on the side of good to me," Gwaine said.

The cloaked man stared at Gwaine longer then was comfortable then responded, "Do not be to sure of yourself." As the man finished his sentence, Gwaine felt a sudden jerk of his heart, his eyes burst open and he was one again and the cloaked man was gone. He stayed at the base of the tree for a few moments to collect himself, his heart still beating rather quickly. When he finally got to his feet he made his way over to the river and as the man said found the boy by the river bank. The boy was still bleeding and unconscious but was much better then when Gwaine had seen him last.

"MERLIN!" Gwaine called out into the dark forest. The next thing he heard were two pairs of feet pounding along the forest ground to him. When they arrived Morgana immediately bent down to the injured boy, concern written along her features. Watching Morgana tend to the boy Gwaine wondered how she could make Merlin's future difficult given her usual caring nature.

"Gwaine?" Merlin asked bringing the knight out of his thoughts, "You alright?"

Gwaine nodded, "I'm fine."

"We need to get him back to Gaius," Merlin said. Gwaine agreed and picked up the boy as he had earlier that day. Bringing him back to the horses he slung the boy gently over his horse and got on himself, Merlin and Morgana in tow. Some distance into the ride back to Camelot Gwaine purposefully let Merlin and Morgana ride ahead of him, so he could do as the cloaked man said and keep both eyes on the witch.