Hey! Sorry that this took so long. Thank you to everyone who gave feedback. BTW, you guys are amazing! Anyway, we have a few things to note about the previous chapter:

-"Dal y tresmaswr" means "Catch the intruder" in Welsh.

-When Merlin caught Arthur in the cave he didn't get cut off. It was our way of showing that he was cussing. The characters might cuss, but we don't.

Oh, and is it wrong that we're proud of this chapter title? We've been excited about it for a long time.

Enjoy!


The prat. The quintessential prat! What did he think he was doing? The idiot prince had been acting frustratingly strange for days now. He wouldn't sleep. He sullenly gave Merlin unnecessary extra work And, best of all, Arthur shadowed Merlin everywhere. What was wrong with that man? Merlin was determined to find out.

That is, he would find out once the prince's paralysis wore off.

Merlin sat with his back against the cave wall. Despite all the warlock's best efforts to reverse the effects of the spell, Arthur was still plastered to the cave floor. Merlin had given up last night. The spell should wear off any minute now anyway.

And when it did Arthur wasn't going to be happy. Merlin didn't particularly care. The prat did bring this upon himself.

But there was one detail that Merlin couldn't decide whether or not to be at all gleeful about.

Merlin's neckerchief was in Arthur's mouth.

Now, of course, Merlin had perfectly good intentions when he put the neckerchief in Arthur's mouth. At least, at first he did.

The prince's mouth was frozen slightly open. The night before, Merlin realized that anything could crawl into the prince's mouth. So, Merlin pushed the smallest possible tip of the neckerchief in.

Then, the servant realized that he could effect both mercy and revenge at the same time.

He shoved the whole thing in.

Now, Merlin was regretting that a bit. He liked the neckerchief. It was probably soaked with Arthur's saliva by now. Merlin wasn't going to want to touch it.

And yes, Arthur certainly wasn't going to be happy when he woke. Well, at least his mouth will be too dry for a minute to express that. Merlin would get the chance to vent about his master's stupidity.

Gross, but effective.


Richard, Kahlan, Cara, and Zedd stood in the throne room of the newly crowned Queen Morgana. Standing between the displaced travelers and the throne was Morgause and Cenred. They all were listening to scout report after scout report. There was no word of the suddenly elusive Prince Arthur, nor was there any of his manservant. Richard was getting restless. From the way these "scouts" gave their reports, Richard really wondered if they paid attention to anything. His experience as a woods guide told him that these men had no experience in doing anything out in the forest.

Currently, two scouts who were watching the same area were giving their reports.

"Neither of you saw any sign of Prince Arthur?" Morgause asked silkily. She walked around the throne, touching it as she passed.

"No, m'lady," one soldier answered, "we would have reported that immediately."

"I do wonder how Arthur and his servant have managed to elude you."

Our quarries have managed this because these scouts are obviously unobservant idiots, Richard thought. I can tell.

"His servant?" The scout asked in surprise. "Our orders didn't mention keeping an eye out for him, or we might have captured him for you."

"You saw Merlin and didn't report it?" Morgause spoke dangerously.

"We didn't think it was important, m'lady." The scout couldn't quite keep a whimpering edge out of his voice.

"Where did he go?"

"Deeper in the woods. Though, I doubt the pipsqueak is still alive."

Queen Morgana perked up at that. "How can you be certain?" she asked.

"He was being stalked by a man in a blue cape."

"We wanted to make bets on how long it would be before the little squirt died," the other scout piped in.

So you finally notice something and you want to make bets. Good job, Richard thought sarcastically.

"We didn't though. We wouldn't leave our post," the first amended hastily.

Richard fought the urge to roll his eyes. For once, making bets on duty would have been useful.

"Has it occurred to you," Morgause said, voice dripping with malice, "that you let the crown prince of Camelot slip right by you simply because he was wearing a big blue cape?"

"N-no," one of the hardened soldiers stuttered. "Please, we beseech you to pardon our foolishness."

"Oh," Morgause's voice drew all the warmth from the air, "I will give you all the forgiveness you deserve." Her eyes flashed gold and, without so much as lifting a finger, she had the men flying across the room. And their landings... there was no recovering from that.

"Morgause, I could have used those men," Cenred sighed carelessly.

Morgana, on the other hand, merely smiled at her sister's murderous action.

Richard, Kahlan, and Zedd fought to conceal their shock and horror. Cara showed to outward sign of caring. But that was to be expected from someone who had been kidnapped at a young age and trained to be a master of torture and death.


Merlin trailed after an angry Arthur. The journey flitted between silence and every threat the prince had ever conceived of. Fortunately, each threat was followed by something to the effect of "And that's what I should do to you."

"I know what I'm going to do to you, Merlin," Arthur began again.

Merlin groaned. The warlock had lost track of how many times the prat had used the exact same phrase today. In any case, it was getting old. Perhaps if Merlin groaned loud enough Arthur would keep it to himself.

"When we get back to Camelot, we are going to be training all day and tomorrow and maybe even the day—"

"Maybe when we get back to Camelot you can go see Gaius. Then, if anything is wrong with you, you can force me to listen to your never ending list of complaints," Merlin snapped irratably.

Instead of desisting, Arthur took that as an invitation to be even more of an imp. "I do not complain! Besides," his eyes twinkled nastily, "this is serious."

"You deserved what happened last night. All of it."

"I decide what is deserved, remember?"

"Yeah. You earned it. You arrogant—"

The words got caught in Merlin's throat. The castle had come into view. But the guards weren't Camelot's. They were Cenred's. All of them.

Except for one.

"That horrible, filthy traitor," Arthur hissed. "I need a closer look."

"Arthur, no." Merlin vainly tried to stop the prince from sneaking off. "We're lucky they haven't already spotted us." The warlock hurriedly crept after Arthur.

Arthur stared at the turncoat intently. "I thought you were loyal. I will make sure you die a traitor's death," the prince vowed to the knight that couldn't hear him.

The knight's eyes were unfocused and blank. Something was wrong... Merlin's eyes went round as realization hit him. Kahlan.

"Arthur, look at his eyes. He's been enchanted."


Merlin wasn't sure how he had convinced Arthur to head back to the cave. The warlock was just relieved that the prince hadn't attempted to gain access to the citadel. Of course, Arthur had to sneak around the outside of the castle. Merlin had mixed feelings about that decision. They'd have to risk entering Camelot at some point. But it was, of course, risky.

Arthur stared at the cave wall contemplatively. His mind worked through their next move. He calculated where Camelot's garrisons were. But what Arthur really needed was information. That settled it. They were sneaking into Camelot tomorrow no matter what Merlin said. He was about to tell his manservant so when he saw Merlin about to leave the cave.

"Merlin," Arthur called.

"Yes?" Merlin turned to face the prince.

"Where are you going?" Arthur strode forward.

"I'll be back in a bit," Merlin evaded authoritatively. He turned on his heel.

Arthur suddenly grabbed the scruff of Merlin's neck and clapped a hand over Merlin's mouth.

"Shh!" Arthur hissed.

Someone was coming. The footsteps drew nearer. More than one someone actually. Arthur and Merlin stiffened as they caught a glimpse of who was dangerously near their hiding spot. The prince released his manservant. The two edged to where they couldn't be seen unless someone walked into the cave. Arthur placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"And why again are we coming this far just to talk?" It was Cara's voice.

"We don't want to risk being overheard by the wrong people. You heard her go on about eavesdropping on the throne room." Kahlan this time.

"This is a landmark that is definitely outside the search radius," Richard said. "Those scouts might be useless, but I don't want to take any chances."

Kahlan spoke again, "Do you think the prince and his manservant might be hiding around here somewhere."

Arthur silently unsheathed his sword.

Zedd replied, "What pampered prince chooses to sleep on the ground when he knows there's a town nearby?"

Merlin smirked at the philosophical tone that Zedd had adopted for the question. Yes, the prince was a stupid, pampered prat. But he wasn't quite that bad.

"And what idiot stays at an inn," Cara quipped scathingly, "where he could be recognized and caught, while on the run?"

The smile slid off Merlin's face. The crazy crew was mere yards from him and Arthur. If they decided to search the area...

"You're right, but we'll worry about that later."

Merlin let out a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. Whatever motivated Richard to say that, Merlin was grateful for it.

"What are we going to do about Morgana?" Kahlan asked.

Both Arthur and Merlin started in surprise. To Merlin's dismay, Arthur looked proud of Morgana.

"We shouldn't have put her on the throne," Richard lamented.

Arthur's face fell into horror.

"It seems she is as vicious as her father and brother," Zedd added.

Arthur's face both lost its color and curled in confusion.

"We need to figure out who to place on the throne. None of the Pendragons will do. Morgana has proven that," Kahlan commented. Merlin wondered if what she just said had sunk into Arthur. The warlock didn't have time to ponder this as the woman continued, "And we still have Prince Arthur on the loose. Who knows what he'll do next."

"Especially with his pet sorcerer to aid him," Richard finished the thought.

Merlin felt the blood drain from his face. Arthur's demeanor, however, changed from horror to amusement. The prince pressed his fist against his mouth. He shook with silent laughter.

"We need to be careful," Zedd cautioned. "Morgause didn't use her fingers to cast that spell."

"Maybe Merlin is able to use magic without his fingers too," Kahlan said ponderously.

Arthur shook even harder. Merlin was beginning to worry that Arthur might accidentally make a noise. Crazy as those four were, they were still formidable. Merlin wasn't sure if he alone could defeat them all at once. Sooner or later he'd have to fight them. But the warlock hoped to arrange the battle on his own terms.

"That would explain how he escaped from us," Richard said.

Arthur abruptly ceased laughing. He should his head vigorously. Merlin braced himself. He didn't know how the prince would react when the realization finally hit him. Maybe Merlin would get lucky and the crazy crew would stop talking about him.

"I wasn't able to block his spell," Cara supplied.

Arthur turned to face Merlin. The prince stared numbly in disbelief. The warlock felt Arthur's eyes bore through him. The look on his friend's face pleaded for him to say that he never cast a spell in his life.

However, the fact that he had unnerved Cara was a comfort to Merlin. It was nice to know that some of his magic would still be able to affect her.

"Merlin is clearly very dangerous," Zedd stated. "He burned down half the forest."

Arthur's face turned stark white. He drew away from Merlin. Then he angrily thrust his sword threatening near his servant's chest. His face clearly demanded an explanation the moment the crazy crew left.

Merlin cracked a nervous smile. He was so dead.

"We need to find a way back to the Midlands," Zedd spoke up again. "Or we won't be able to get the Stone of Tears to the pillars in time. And the land of the living will be doomed."

The group commenced discussing how they were going to get back (and why they needed to get back). They still didn't know what brought them here. There was a theory that getting the right person on the throne could be the key back. The more prevailing theory among them was that there was a magical object that would send them home. They guessed that the vaults was a likely place for such an item to be housed. However, Morgana had already turned down that request. Apparently, she was very upset that Kahlan wouldn't "confess" the rest of the knights. The conversation turned to scheming. By the end of the babble session, it was agreed that Zedd would break into the vaults. The rest of the crew would go searching for Arthur and Merlin while this happened. They would lead Morgana to believe that Zedd was also out searching.

As the crazy crew's conversation shifted, so did Merlin's concerns. He was still worried for his life. But he was now more concerned about the possibility that their tale might be true. As much as Merlin despised that group, he wasn't going to facilitate the deaths of countless people.

The crazy crew finally decided that they needed to return to Camelot. Arthur and Merlin listened to the sound of four sets of footsteps receded.

"So, Merlin," Arthur spoke in a low, dangerous tone, "I'm sure you've cooked up a thousand stupid excuses for this. Save them. I want the truth. Now."

Merlin swallowed. That stupid crazy crew! They never ceased to make life more difficult. The truth did seem to be the only option now. Merlin would make it sound as ridiculous as possible. He knew how to exasperate the prince and make him give up. Merlin didn't really want to explain his great treasonous secret while Arthur pointed a sword at him.

"Well," Merlin began.

"Drop that tone," Arthur said tersely. He raised his sword to reinforce his threat.

Merlin sighed. Who was he fooling? There was no point anymore. The game was up.

"I'm a sorcerer, Arthur," Merlin admitted, "Happy?"

"Happy? This is treason, Merlin."

"Arthur, I could take you apart with less than one blow. Do you really think I want you dead?"

Arthur was taken aback. Merlin had made that same claim when they first met.

"This entire time..." Arthur trailed off. The idea seemed impossible.

"Yes."

Arthur shook his head, "No."

"Arthur, I've been using magic my entire life," Merlin said softly. "Before I could even talk. I didn't choose this."

Arthur remained quiet for a minute. His mind worked desperately hard to process this new information. Merlin was a sorcerer. He always had been. Somehow, Arthur felt as though a part of him knew the whole time. But the idea always seemed ludicrous. Merlin didn't fit with what Arthur knew about magic. Sorcerers were evil. They murdered, gave people donkey ears, and plotted to overthrow Camelot. Merlin didn't do that. He had always fought alongside Arthur to protect Camelot. Merlin had saved both the prince's and the king's lives. The manservant was even willing to lay down his life for Arthur and the good of Camelot. He had proved that countless times.

So, if Merlin wasn't wickedly cursing everyone with death, destruction, and flatulence—the prince lowered his blade—Arthur had to know...

"What have you been using magic for, if not to try to kill me?"

"Mostly? Saving your no-good, royal backside."

"And burning half the forest?"

"I did not burn half the forest!" Merlin protested while Arthur smirked. "I only burned a few trees. Besides, death would have been preferable to what they had in mind."

"And what was that?"

"Most of them wanted to control me. Cara, the blonde one, wanted to 'train' me, whatever that means. But the rest of them thought that was barbaric. Personally, I wasn't interested in either option. Especially not the 'training.' If stealing someone's will is civil, I definitely don't want to know what they consider barbaric."

Arthur shivered. The idea of stealing someone's ability to choose was repulsive to the prince. His mind turned to the knight that was now mindlessly guarding a keep for his enemy. Arthur knew what it was like to have an addled mind. But, somehow, the state he saw the knight in seemed much, much worse than anything Arthur had experienced.

Now, there was another thing Arthur had to know:

"Fingers?"

Merlin chuckled, "That actually is how I escaped. They assumed that I needed my fingers to cast spells. I simply used that to my advantage."

Arthur nodded. His mind whirled. His manservant was suddenly a different person. He wasn't sure what to do next now that he was consorting with a sorcerer.

Merlin gave a big, goofy grin. He no longer had to lie to Arthur. He wasn't going to be executed for his "crimes against Camelot." A huge burden was gone from Merlin's shoulders. Later, Merlin would probably tease about how many of the prince's accomplishments actually belonged to his manservant. But now probably wasn't a good time to push luck.

And the warlock had something more important to do. He nodded to Arthur and turned to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?" Arthur questioned suspiciously.

Maybe Arthur wasn't as accepting as he seemed a moment ago.

"I know someone who might be able to give me some information," Merlin replied carefully. "I'll be back. There's just something I need to know. That's all."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Really? So, you're off to see some sorcerer friend of yours."

"You could say that."

"I'm coming with you."

"No, Arthur. I had better do this alone."

"Don't worry," Arthur said lightly, "I won't arrest him."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

"Then what are you worried about?"

"Something else. You're not coming."

"You might be a sorcerer, but I'm still the one who gives the orders around here."

"Right. You're still not coming. I need to do this alone. Trust me, Arthur."

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Later. For now, I'm coming with you."

"No," Merlin repeated, unmoved.

He was not taking Arthur to see the great dragon. The warlock genuinely hoped that it would never become necessary to introduce Arthur to the dragon. Merlin felt that a best case scenario would allow him to take his dealings with the overgrown lizard to his grave. Merlin couldn't imagine saying, 'Remember when the dragon rampaged through Camelot? Well, I let it loose. Not only that, you didn't kill it. In fact, it's alive, free, and in perfect health!' It couldn't possibly go over well with Arthur.

"Why not?" Arthur demanded.

"Because you're in shock. You need to recover."

"I'm fine!"

"If you say so. But you're still not coming with me."


Arthur finally consented, a half an hour later, to stay in the cave while Merlin left. However, Merlin suspected his friend wasn't being honest. So, right before the warlock left, he placed a spell on the mouth of the cave. He would know if anyone entered or exited.

As the warlock traveled toward the clearing he sighed. The cave was barely out of sight and Arthur had already left it. Merlin stopped and casually leaned against a tree. He waited until the time he calculated that the prince would have caught up with him.

"Arthur?" Merlin called.

No answer.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Arthur, I know you're there. I'm not going anywhere until you show yourself."

Arthur swore and came out of his hiding spot.

"Fine," he said, "but I'm coming with you."

"No, you're going back to the cave."

"I'm in charge."

"Yeah. And if you try to follow again, I'll put a sleeping spell on you and drag you back to the cave."

Merlin escorted Arthur back to the cave. (The prat grumbled and protested.) And when the prat wasn't looking, Merlin cast a spell. The warlock would now know exactly where his impulsive master was for the duration of the evening. He then removed the spell from the mouth of the cave. He didn't need that one taking a toll on his strength as well.

Somehow, Merlin managed to make it to the clearing without any incident.

He called to the dragon.

The behemoth creature soared into sight and landed before Merlin.

"You called, young warlock," Kilgarrah said, sounding a bit bored. "What is it this time?"

Merlin launched into the story about the crazy crew and what they had said and done.

"Is what they say true?" He asked as he finished his story. "Will the world be destroyed if they don't get back to where they came from?"

"Our world will be fine even if they die. But it is true that if they don't make it back to their own world, it will die."

"Their world? They're not even from our world? How did they get here?" Merlin expected to hear something a portal, like the one a manticore came through. Sadly, these people seemed capable of living for long periods of time away from their realm.

Instead, the dragon chuckled, "It was a great cosmic accident. Nothing too serious."

Merlin didn't like the sound of that. "How could that happen?"

"Ah, there are various ways. And they are troublesome things," the dragon answered evasively. "And from what you've told of these travelers, if you don't get them out of Albion, they will destroy her."

Merlin felt a twinge of suspicion. "You wouldn't have had anything to do with this, would you?"

"I have no desire to create a cosmic accident, young warlock," the dragon replied wearily. "It appears that they inevitably result in me having to listen to you."

Merlin bit his lip. Arthur had left the cave, again.

"How do I send them back?" Merlin asked.

"It is very difficult. You'll only have one chance at it. It would be easier to simply kill them."

"I'll keep that in mind," Merlin said dryly. "How do I send them back?" Hopefully they could finish this up before Arthur got here.

The dragon breathed on the warlock. As Merlin processed the information he found that most of the complications came from extensive preparations, ingredients, and kidnapping all four of the trouble makers.

"Farewell, young warlock." At that, the great dragon took flight.

Merlin sat down and waited for Arthur to arrive. As he did so he wondered how he was going to explain that they couldn't have the pleasure of simply dispatching the crazy crew.

When Merlin could tell that Arthur was now within earshot he stood and strode toward the prince.

"Arthur, he's already gone. You've missed it all. Let's go."

Arthur appeared from behind a tree. "How did you know I was here?"

"I put a tracking spell on you," Merlin admitted.

"You!"

"Don't get too excited. It's going to wear off soon. Now, let's go."


We weren't originally planning on doing a reveal. We just realized that the story would be much easier to write if we did that. However, how the LotS people arrived was always going to be a "Great Cosmic Accident." For some strange reason that idea makes us happy.

Please review and tell us what you thought.