I am honestly flattered by the amount of people who have this on story alert and appreciate every single review I get. Even the ones when people don't understand what's happening since I can then think how to correct that in later chapters.

Example; A few people have mentioned they don't understand if Arthur betrayed him or not. He didn't but I will be explaining it properly when Arthur has to explain it to Merlin, so just hold onto your hats and be patient.

I realise this story went a little off from Aladdin so I hope the scene in the cell brought some of that back =) You will eventually find out who that was just like you found out in the movie it was Jafar.

Enough from me, enjoy and R&R if you enjoy this chapter

p.s. Sorry Arthur's part is very small. Just needed a part where he actually saw the old man.

p.p.s. Sorry this Chapter is short XD Thought it would be more dramatic to end it where it was.

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"Touch nothing. Remember boy, first get me that gem stone. Then you will have your reward."

Merlin glanced back at the old man who leant on his walking stick. After dodging a few of the guards, they'd quickly found the tomb he'd been talking about and now Merlin had been told that the man in front of him wanted nothing more than that gem. The rest was for Merlin.

Giving a small nod, Merlin slipped through the door which had been sealed off and found himself surrounded in darkness. "Perfect," he muttered and held out his hand. "Álíhtan."

His companion appeared and flew forwards. In the room he was in, there was but a simple staircase. One that went down towards a small doorway where a bright light could be seen escaping the confinements and Merlin couldn't imagine what could be so bright that it would light up the darkness he was still currently in.

Letting the ball of light lead the way, Merlin carefully took the steps one at a time and descended slowly.

Blinking from the sudden change in lighting as he entered the doorway a few minutes later, Merlin rubbed his eyes and then looked at what he faced. He did not expect to find an entire tomb filled with gold beyond any man's dreams. Piles of the gold coins littered the room, gems and stones filled chests at the base of these piles and Merlin looked up to see that the roof was what he perceived to be made of gold.

Even the King didn't have this much gold to his name.

"The gem boy, hurry!" A yell came from the door in the far distance and Merlin took a step forward, avoiding any loose pieces of gold items that lay on the ground. First he had to get the gem the man wanted, then he could come back for the gold.

"Just a handful of this stuff would make me richer than the King," Merlin commented as he walked down the path. His companion flew near his head and remained silent. "Do you not agree?"

"I think that coming here was a bad idea. You could get hurt and no one would know."

"That man helped me escape, this is the least I could do, it's only a tomb … nothing could happen." They carried on in silence.

When Merlin believed they'd never find this gem, they entered another tomb to find another set of stairs, only to find that these led up to a platform. On the platform rested a gem that shone a light shade of blew, there was no source of light in this part of the tomb and Merlin guessed the gem was creating it's own light. "Stay here," he muttered to his companion and began to go up the stairs.

Only when he was on the top step did he admire the beauty of the gem. He could almost feel the magic flowing through it as he extended his hand towards it, the light inside the outer layer moving faster as Merlin's touch got closer. Only at the last second did he think not to touch it, whatever it was, it was powerful. Who knew what it would do if you touched it.

Ripping some of his trouser leg off, he used it as a layer of protection when picking up the gem and smiled. "This is it? This is what we came all the way down here to-" as he turned to look down at his companion he froze. "NO!" The light had managed to get close enough to a statue Merlin only now saw and with a single movement another gem was knocked from it's grasp, smashing into thousands of pieces as it hit the ground.

"Infidels! You have touched the forbidden treasure. Now you will never again see the light of day!"

The loud voice boomed through the tomb and Merlin had mere seconds to look around for an escape route. Finding none, he gasped as the stairs beneath his feet appeared to melt away and he slid down them a moment later. When he reached the end, he sprinted into the next chamber and ran for his life. Not daring to look back at whatever was happening behind him. It couldn't be good that was for sure.

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Arthur searched the castle, seeking the boy who had taken his heart with him in his escape and found no trace of him. It was like he had never existed. Uther was asleep and the guards couldn't alerted, not if Arthur wanted Merlin to be found alive. The guards would kill him on site alone.

"Merlin!" He hissed as he rounded a corner in the lower parts of the castle. Only to find himself face to face with an old man who was waiting by a wooden door. "Who are you?" Arthur asked.

"A lowly commoner Sire, I came down here in search of my daughter and got lost along the way. Could you tell me where I could find the kitchen?"

"It's nowhere near here, in fact it's at the other end of the castle, even then the kitchen will be closed at this late hour."

"Oh … I must have gotten more lost than I thought," the man smiled and Arthur couldn't help but notice that he kept glancing at the door. As if checking that it remained closed.

"What's through-" Arthur began but suddenly the floor began to shake with such force that Arthur was thrown off his feet. Protecting his head in the fall, he saw the old man remain on his feet with such ease that his eyes widened in shock. How was that possible? The man even had a walking stick.

"That idiot! He touched more than the gem," the man hissed in a younger toned voice and Arthur frowned. Now he was just hearing things.

"I should go check on my Father. You should find somewhere safe too!"

Arthur got to his feet and dashed from the corridor, hoping that his Father was safely tucked in his bed.

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"The carpet! Enchant the carpet! It will go faster!" His companion yelled and Merlin spotted the carpet he meant.

"Aheardung séo ríce sy cwic ond lenctenbryce!" Merlin did the spell without thinking and leapt onto the now flying carpet which did as he commanded. "GO GO GO!" It sped forward as Merlin clung onto the tassels, glancing back over his shoulder to see the gold melting and forming a wave that would kill him instantly. "Faster," he ordered and ducked as part of the ceiling broke off above him.

Merlin looked up to see the door was open where he'd entered, the stairs no longer there and the dark figure of the old man in the frame of the door. "Hurry up boy," he yelled and Merlin instinctively made the carpet slow down as he was ordered to do something. That mistake almost cost him his life.

A boulder fell from the ceiling and caught the back of the rug, Merlin leapt into the air and grasped the ledge where the old man stood. "Help me out!"

"Throw me the gem!"

"I can't hold on. Give me your hand." Merlin held out his hand and waited for the man to take it, except no help was given.

"First give me the gem!"

Apparently the only way Merlin was getting out of this was handing over the gem first, so reaching into his pocket he pulled out the material wrapped around the gem and handed it to the man. He instantly regretted it as the material was thrown off and the old man grinned down at the gem, his eyes transfixed with the light. Suddenly Merlin's wrist was grabbed and the boney fingers dug into his flesh as the man bent down.

"What are you doing?"

"Give you your reward. Your eternal reward." The voice had changed to one belonging to a younger man and Merlin gasped as he recognised it. Cedric.

Merlin was too shocked to fight as Cedric brought out a knife and went to stab Merlin in the chest, except his companion flew straight into his face. The surprise attack made Cedric release his hold on Merlin and the boy fell back through the air, his hand outstretched towards the door that had been his freedom.

A boulder that had already been falling bashed him on the head and Merlin barely registered the soft carpet flying beneath him, all he could see was darkness. Darkness and one face. Arthur's face. As his body slipped into unconsciousness and fell towards the ground, Merlin could only think that he would never again see the young Prince's face smiling at him. He would never again be held by someone who cared for him.

Never again would he see the light of day.