Camelot

Merlin was on his way to Arthur's chambers when he first heard the voice. Not so much a voice as a scream that tore through his mind almost knocking him off his feet. He wondered at first if he was hearing things, as he couldn't see anyone. Just as he was about to dismiss what he'd heard, he suddenly heard it again. But this time he heard the voice actually speaking.

"Help."

It sounded like a child's voice. Merlin looked up and down the corridor, there was no one around other than him. He ran down the steps and entered the court yard outside.

"Help me please."

Concentrating he tried to track where the voice was coming from. He looked around. There where guards moving around obviously looking for someone. He scanned the area with his eyes his determination and focus taking over. The guards appeared to be in much agitation, stopping carts and looking inside them, asking people questions. Who on earth are they looking for Merlin wondered to himself. Then suddenly the voice sounded again.

"Please you have to help me."

Merlin desperately looked around again, attempting to find the voice. Most the people were in the middle of the courtyard in the sunshine. He scanned his eyes over to the shadows, looking hard and urging himself to find where the voice was coming from. He frowned as he still struggled to trace it, then all of a sudden he saw him. A little boy in a blue cloak the hood pulled over his face; hiding by the side of a barrel. His eyes focussed onto the boy, as the boy starred back at Merlin.

As Merlin starred something strange happened, something he could not quite understand. It was a feeling, such a strong feeling almost like a connection as if the two of them were being pulled in the same direction. It made Merlin feel strange, in fact he was struggling to work out what he was feeling at all. But he knew he must find out what was going on.

"They're searching for me." The boy said, his eyes never leaving Merlin's face.

"Why are they after you?"

Merlin asked his voice seeming strange to himself. He didn't even know he could speak telepathically. The whole experience was very weird to him.

"They're going to kill me." The boy's voice was by now becoming desperate.

Merlin wondered what he should do? He had no idea what could off happened to the boy. Why on earth would the guards be looking for someone so young? It made no sense to him at all. He reached a snap decision then, he knew this boy had magic just like Merlin. He felt he had a duty to help him in any way he could.

He had seen with his own eyes how harsh and judgemental the King could be. The boy just by having magic was in real danger. Merlin shuddered as he remembered his first day in Camelot and seeing the magician being executed. Could he really leave this young boy to the mercy of Uther? No matter what he'd done Merlin knew he had no choice.

He looked around the court yard at where the numerous guards were still searching everything that moved. He waited until there was a sllight lull in activity. He knew he would have to get the child out quickly, there was every chance they would be seen. He tried to think where he could take him. Suddenly a group of guards where surrounding a man with a cart full of hay, throwing questions at him.

Merlin moved over to the side of the castle positioning himself inside a doorway. Checking again that the guards were still occupied with the old man, he looked over to the boy and connected with him again.

"This way. Run, run."Merlin commanded. Merlin tried to stay hidden in the door way as the young boy scampered across the yard his cloak billowing behind him. Before long the guards had seen him, and gave chase.

"Over here." One of the guards shouted, and went in pursuit of the boy.

After what seemed like an age the boy arrived in front of Merlin. The warlock grabbed hold of Mordred's hand and pulled him up the stairs. As they got to the top and were running along the corridor, Merlin could hear the voices of the guards chasing after them. He reached the end of the corridor not knowing which way to go, then he realised the guards would automatically come this way. He pulled Mordred back and ran up some more stairs. His mind was in panic, he could only think of getting some were that they could hide.

Seeing the door of Morgana's chambers ahead of him, he burst through it. The door flying open so suddenly took Morganna and Gwen by surprise. Morgana was sitting by her mirror, having a girly chat with Gwen, she stopped and turned round to Merlin in annoyance.

"Merlin have you forgotten how to knock?" she said.

"I didn't know what to do. The guards are after him." Merlin pushed Mordred forward so the boy was in front of him.

Morganna was stunned for a moment, then she looked at Mordred her eyes narrowing in shock, the boy starred back at her his blue eyes wide and innocent. She had never seen eyes so blue as his. Morganna caught her breath, as if unable to function.

Something about this little boy melted her heart. Suddenly she had an overwhelming desire to protect him. It seemed crazy that within a couple of seconds of meeting him she could feel so strongly, but in that moment she knew she would do anything to help him.

Suddenly a knock at the door forced her to focus. Thinking quickly she pointed over to the corner of her chambers.

"Over there." She commanded to Merlin as he pulled Mordred along after him, shutting the curtain behind them.

Morganna attempted to compose herself and went over to the door. A guard stood there, looking concerned.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, my lady." He said nervously. "We're searching for a young Druid boy."

"I haven't seen anyone." Morgana assured him with a smile. "It is only me and my maid." She said looking behind her at a silent Gwen.

"You'd best keep your door locked until we find him." The guard said.

"Yes of course." Morgana smiled. "Thank you."

Morgana quickly closed the door, and along with Gwen hurried over to the curtain where a collapsed Mordred was lying in Merlin's arms. As Merlin lifted his hand from the boy's side it was covered in blood. Merlin, Morgana and Gwen looked at each other with stunned disbelief.

Dungeon in the Basement

Cerdan had been in the dungeon for a few hours now. He paced helplessly his mind on his son. Had he managed to evade capture he wondered to himself? It didn't help that he could hear the guards trying to hunt him down, as if he was some animal, not a mere child.

Not for the first time Cerdan berated himself for bringing Mordred into Camelot. Why didn't he leave him hiding in the forest? Did it really matter that it would of meant them travelling for one more day. He had been so determined to get to the new camp quickly, that he hadn't considered the dangers properly in them both coming to Camelot. It was a mistake he would never forgive himself for. He continued to pace frantically, trying to listen out as to what was going on outside. He could only pray that someone would take pity on Mordred and try and shelter him.

It was then that he heard it, a cry from one of the guards, "over there." Cerdan closed his eyes and the tears fell down his cheeks. Mordred my poor Mordred he thought to himself. He slowly fell down onto the ground as tears poured down his face.

Arthur made his way to the dungeon, still disbelieving that the guards had not yet tracked down the little boy. Where could an injured little boy get to he wondered to himself.

Then suddenly a feeling of disgust passed into his mind. Here he was lamenting the fact that a child, a mere child had escaped him? He wondered about himself in that moment. To him it didn't feel right, to hunt a child who had done nothing wrong other than to be born a Druid.

It was a sentiment he knew his father would not share with him. Uther often raged on about the Druids wanting to overthrow Camelot. It was a subject Arthur had never really understood.

If the Druids where really the danger his father claimed, how come they hadn't already tried to? The Druids that Arthur had come across mainly seemed to be quiet and very secretive. He didn't sense from them an immediate danger either to himself or to Camelot.

Uther though was a different matter, and Arthur knew anything other than the boy's capture would be considered an absolute failure on the part of his son. Arthur took a breath as he unlocked the door of the dungeon where the boys father sat, looking totally dejected and broken.

For a second Arthur looked at him and felt an immense sense of pity for him. In that moment Arthur didn't see a Druid but merely a father worried sick for his child. It was Arthur reflected a situation where there would be no winners.

But despite everything feeling so wrong to him, Arthur knew he would have to find the boy. He closed the door behind him softly, standing in front of the man.

Cerdan stood up quickly, expecting the worse and wanting to be told as soon as possible, so he could get his mouring started.

"You have news for me?" Cerdan asked quietly searching Arthur's face.

"Your son is not captured." Arthur said. "We are still looking for him."

There was a pause for a second between them. Cerdan's mind was suddenly in a whirl. He'd been expecting the worse possible news, but it seemed that someone had indeed answered his prayer. He gave a silent prayer of thanks, and hoped Mordred would be lucky and somehow escape his fate.

Cerdan looked at Arthur more closely. The young man had surprised him in a way. Knowing of how arrogantly Uther ruled and sacrificed people he had expected his son to of been made from the same cloth. Yet he caught an unmistakable sense of compassion in Arthur's blue eyes.

"But you will continue to hunt my son as if he were an animal?" Cerdan said, wanting to test the young man that stood before him.

Arthur thought for a second before answering.

"I don't pretend for a minute to enjoy it, whatever you might think." He said already becoming surprised at how much he was confessing to a complete stranger. "But I must do my duty for my father. He would not understand anything else." Even to Arthur's ears this seemed hollow somehow.

"Look at me." Cerdan said a slight exasperation in his voice. "Do I really look like an enemy of Camelot?"

Arthur didn't answer but stood routed to the spot, his mind curiously questioning his current situation. By the time he'd found his voice again his argument sounded unconvincing even to himself.

"My father rules harshly sometimes but he is a fair King. He sometimes has to make difficult decisions –"

"Your father rules by fear." Cerdan said passionately, suddenly the injustice of his situation ripping him open. "Hunting a child because he is born a Druid. Judging a whole community because they are different. Where is the fairness in that, please tell me."

"He has his reasons for disliking magic." Arthur said his sense suddenly coming alive for a moment. "His experiences I lost my mother to magic."

"I am sorry for the loss of your mother." Cerdan said, "But magic in itself is rarely the reason for such a loss."

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked curious all of a sudden. It was not as if he got anything from his father, about his mother's death.

"It is not magic that corrupts, but individuals. Magic is a pure form it is the centre of the world, and everything in it." Cerdan looked at the young man in front of him, suddenly curiously sorry for him in a way he could not understand."

"One day you will be King. Think about what you would like when that day happens. Is it a world where everyone is living together freely. Or one where fear still stalks the land amongst the fringes? I have sensed from you something your father has never had. Please don't waste what goodness you've been given."

Arthur looked at Cerdan for a moment, and suddenly a look of respect passed between the two men, on opposite sides. Arthur knew that the other man had sensed Arthur's own unease at what he was being asked to do. Yet instead of bitterness the man had offered heartfelt advice.

Arthur instinctively knew that the man who stood before him was a good man, whose only crime was to be born into another way of life from his own. He also knew that much of what the Druid had said was indeed true. Camelot was far from a happy and united Kingdom.

"I must ask you what you where doing here?" Arthur asked quietly.

"I was merely picking up some supplies. My son and I were moving on to another camp that is all."

Arthur nodded believing instantly that the Druid had told the truth. He paused at the dungeon door.

"I'm truly sorry it has ended this way for you and your son." Arthur said.

"So am I. I just pray that he may yet get away, and someone will take pity on a child that now has lost both his mother and father."

All of a sudden Arthur felt the need to leave and let a man who knew his own fate was almost here, a chance to mourn for himself over his sad losses.

As the door closed and the key locked Cerdan was left to his own company again. He closed his eyes helplessly. Suddenly he felt weary how he wished tomorrow was already here, so that he could be reunited with his lovely Jayall.

He knew his son's fate was in the hand of the gods now, as he closed his eyes he blessed his boy's memory and fell into a restless and emotional sleep.