Note: Disclaimer, don't own Merlin nor any of its characters. Hurray, it's the second day of the marathon, are you guys having as much fun as I am? Hope so! You all have been just fantastic readers and reviewers that it fills me with joy and sadness that we are almost at the end of this story. Also I must point out that though this chapter is quite shorter than the few last ones it does have one heck of a cliffhanger to make up for it. But enough of that, on to the good stuff!

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Potion of Love

Chapter Twenty-one: Dangers unseen

Gaius sprang up on his bed; the blanket falling off his shoulders as the warning bell rid him of any chances of sleep. "What in the blazes is that racket…?" the physician asked still half asleep as he looked about the room. He opened and closed his eyes trying to clear the blurry vision of Merlin standing in the middle of the room in his sleeping clothes. "It's the warning bell." Merlin replied as he moved to get his boots and then to the door. "Where are you going Merlin?" Gaius called out at the retreating figure of the young warlock. "To investigate," Merlin stated with a half worried and half teasing look on his face.

Before Gaius could persuade him otherwise, Merlin ran down the steps and slowly made his way to the courtyard. He skidded to a stop and rushed to hide behind the wooden stage that had been built for Evelyn's execution. Arthur, now wearing his armor, was walking down the steps with several guards as he gave out his instructions. "I want the gates sealed and every inch of the lower towns searched. The prisoner must not be allowed to escape." Arthur ordered as he moved past the courtyard with another set of guards and knights in tow.

Merlin stepped back from his hiding spot as the courtyard cleared and looked up at the rope slightly swinging in the stale night air. He swallowed the knot nagging at his throat and rushed towards the direction Arthur had gone, determined to follow. Suddenly a hand shot out of the shadows and grabbed him, pulling him back against a wall where another hand covered his mouth. "Merlin what are you doing here? It isn't safe and Arthur will have your head." Gwaine stated as he looked towards the direction Arthur had gone and finally releasing his hold on his friend. "Go back to your room."

"What's going on? I won't go back until I know." Merlin said with a serious face. "Evelyn has escaped, we don't know how she managed, but we think she had help from the old woman who attacked you and Arthur." The knight explained as he turned Merlin around and led him back towards the opposite direction he had been trying to go. "Now go Merlin, it really isn't safe for you out here." Gwaine said with obvious concern on his face as he fiddled with the hilt of his sword and the uneasy feeling at the pit of his stomach.

Merlin nodded and moved back towards his room; Gwaine quickly ran towards the rest of the search party, giving one last look behind him to make sure Merlin had done as he had asked. Once Gwaine was out of sight, Merlin popped his head back out and followed, making sure to not get noticed this time. He kept to the shadows and hid behind crates and barrels as he slowly closed the distance between Arthur and himself. If Evelyn had escaped and magic was responsible, he needed to be near Arthur if he was to protect him, not matter what had happened until know that purpose was even stronger in his mind. His heart skipped a beat as Arthur came into view, the reminder of the hatred the King had for him spread through his body and he had to close his eyes to push it aside.

Taking a deep breath, he ran to the next object that would provide his cover and tripped over something sprawled on the ground. He knocked a few things hanging on the railing of one of the houses as he came crashing down on what had tripped him, his face landing inches from the dead guard's face. Merlin covered his mouth as he gasped and quickly moved to hide. Another guard came rushing towards the noise and stopped to inspect the dead guard. "Sire..!" He yelled at Arthur who came running to stand next to him.

"Inform the rest of the search party that Evelyn is not armed." Arthur ordered as he sheathed his sword and kneeled towards the dead body to inspect a second trail of blood near him. A yell further behind them soon had them running; one of the guards had spotted Evelyn and given her position away. Merlin gave one last glance at the dead guard before quickly following, making sure to be more careful where he stepped.

Evelyn ran as fast as her tired body could allow taking a sharp turn she found herself in a fork. She moved towards the other end and was forced to halt as Sir Gwaine came running into it, more knights and guards close behind. Evelyn moved back the way she had come to only have it blocked by King Arthur and his group of men. She laughed at her luck as she moved towards the middle of the fork tightening her grip on the bloody sword she held.

Merlin soon caught up with Arthur; his eyes scanned the area as he pressed himself into the shadows the wall a few feet behind the last guard provided. He could easily make out Evelyn as she stood against a wall, blood dripping slowly from a small wound on her side. Arthur and his men moved closer and Gwaine and his group did the same. "You are surrounded Evelyn, there is nowhere to run. Drop the sword and turn yourself in." Arthur ordered as he moved two steps closer.

"So you can have me hanged. I rather go down taking a few of your men with me." Evelyn spat as she raised her sword and pressed closer to the wall, her face contorted with hatred at the King she had only days ago been trying to enchant into marring her. Her eyes desperately trailed from Gwaine to the Arthur as the obviousness of her situation sank in.

Something red behind Arthur caught her eye and as her gaze rested on Merlin, the grip on her sword shook slightly, her rage blurring her vision. Gwaine rushed her taking notice of the shift in her attention, but before he could get a hand on her a bright light burst through the darkness blinding them. Once the light was gone and their sight returned, Evelyn was gone. Merlin silently moved back towards the castle as everyone tried to grasp what had just happened.

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The castle had soon settled down, Evelyn was nowhere to be found and the search was put on hold for the rest of the night. More guards were posted near the gates and all through the castle grounds, eyes were more alert then normal at the lingering whispers of magic being behind the prisoner's escape. The guards outside the King's chambers were doubled and even a guard was instructed to stay close to Gaius' and Merlin's chambers, though those orders remain unnoticed by the once more sleeping Gaius and troubled Merlin.

Moonlight spewed through the small window and fell on the young warlock, who stirred in his recently found sleep. He tossed and turned on his bed at the nightmare that plagued him. Merlin found himself in the Valley of the fallen Kings, the mist was everywhere but he could still make Arthur's form in it. "Arthur…Arthur" Merlin called out to his King, but Arthur still moved further away from him. He was practically running now, the mist was so thick he couldn't even make out his fingers in front of him anymore.

Arthur's scream sliced through the eerie mist and he panicked, "Prosm tohweorfe" Merlin quickly chanted as his eyes flashed a golden hue and the mist began to move. He moved his still raised hand, directing the mist behind him and as the surroundings cleared his lips let out a scream of their own. Arthur lay half kneeling, half held up by some type of horrible creature. Blood trailed from his armor and chainmail to join the pool beneath his feet. Merlin could not move only stare as his King's lips let out one final breath and fell to the ground dead.

Laughter spread from the creature's lips as Merlin stumbled towards the King. Merlin felt the slippery twig move under his boot as he lost his footing and crashed to the hard ground. His golden eyes shut with the impact of the fall and it took Merlin a few seconds to gather himself. He opened his eyes again, their blue haze searching for Arthur's body. Merlin rose and stared at the tree root near his feet, grass and twigs sticking to his hair and clothes. Dusting himself off, Merlin looked around the woods fully awake and completely clueless; he was no longer in the Valley of the Fallen Kings, but in the middle of the woods just outside the castle grounds.

Merlin moved through the woods relieved to be rid of that horrible nightmare, but even more worried on how he had gotten there. As he tried to make his way back to the castle, a rustling to his left made him stop in his tracks. The rustling got closer and before Merlin could find a place to hide behind Gwaine stood behind him, his sword against Merlin's throat. "Merlin, I could have killed you. What are you doing out here?" The knight said realizing who it was he held under his sword; removing his sword from Merlin's throat he quickly sheathed it.

"I'm not sure…" Merlin said as he rubbed the area where the sword had nicked his skin. Another rustling behind them had Arthur standing a few feet off to their side. "Arthur…" He found himself saying as the nervousness started to kick in. Arthur slowly looked at Merlin, still trying to process why his manservant was in the woods they were searching, in his sleeping clothes no less, and not back in his bed where he had last seen him. His face went from serious to enraged, he quickly made his way to Merlin and grabbed him by his white shirt. Arthur pushed him against a tree and brought his face close to Merlin's, their lips almost touching. "What are you doing her Merlin?" his voice shook with a mixture of anger and worry as his eyes trailed to Merlin's plum soft lips.

"Alright Your Highness, you need to cool down." Gwaine said as he pulled Arthur off Merlin and moved to step in between them making it obvious to the King he wasn't happy about his friend being treated that way. Arthur looked at Merlin, then at Gwaine, and then back at Merlin. He clenched his hands into fists as the jealously started to seep in. "Your services are no longer required." Arthur yelled at Merlin as he stepped closer only to have Gwaine reaffirm his unspoken loyalty to his friend and his willingness to protect him.

"You're sacking me?" Merlin asked in total dismay at being discarded and completely missing the mistaken jealousy throbbing in Arthur's heart.

"Merlin I need a servant I can trust and..." Arthur began to scream and then lost his voice as his eyes moved from Gwaine to the tears silently falling against Merlin's cheeks. Merlin affected him in so many ways; it was getting harder for him to control the forbidden emotions he still hadn't sorted out and he needed to keep his distance from his manservant as much as he could until then. "I need you to leave. Now..!" He managed to say as the need to embrace Merlin was replaced with the obvious danger he was in with Evelyn and the sorceress abound, thought of keeping him to his chamber until it passed suddenly crossed his mind.

Merlin slowly moved past Gwaine and Arthur as he made his way back to the castle, his heart shattering into tiny pieces. Gwaine frowned even more at the retreating figure of his friend and then moved his gaze to the King. The expression on Arthur's face was too much for the Knight and he found himself pushing Arthur into a tree. "If you feel so bad about it my lord, then you should go and apologize for your foolishness." Gwaine snared at him as he tightened his hold. "You will learn your place Gwaine and rethink what you are implying." Arthur yelled back as he pushed Gwaine off him.

"My place was escorting Roderick and Ivor back to their little dank hole not scanning the woods for a treacherous woman I had already warned you about." Gwaine threw back as he straightened his armor and continued his murderous stare towards Arthur. "You know very well why that is." The young King stated as he too fixed his appearance before returning an almost equal glare back at his knight.

"You shouldn't have let him go, what he tried to do to Merlin…"Gwaine trailed off as he lost his temper and punched a tree, the pain doing nothing to numb the hatred he could hardly control sweeping through him. "He deserved nothing, but a quick death."

Another knight caught up with them putting a stop to whatever either was about to say next. "My lord we found something." The knight said before running off towards the rest of the group, his red hair bopping up and down.

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Merlin pushed the door and entered Gaius' chamber with little to no desire. He quickly made his way towards his room when he spotted Gaius in his usual spot behind his table. A sad expression crossed his face at the thought of never seeing him again. The physician looked up from the few more translations he had been able to decipher, his glasses half way down his nose. "Are you ok Merlin?" Gaius asked as Merlin stepped into his room, locking himself inside once more.

Merlin broke down as soon as the clasp locked in place creating some extra space between him and everything he had grown attached to. He cried softly at first, trying to sooth the pain and tightness he felt there. Arthur was everything to him and now the one person he could never learn to be without didn't want him or need him. The words Arthur had said to him echoed over and over in his mind until he leaned against the door and slid down it to the floor.

A gentle tap on the door had him muffling his cries with his sleeve. "Merlin…" Gaius said tenderly as he felt his heart go out to the young man, he had no idea how much Merlin was suffering until today. His silent cries had still reached out through the door to tug at the physician's old heart.

"Please Gaius I would like to be alone." Merlin managed to reply as he continued to muffle the few sops that escaped his lips with his hand. "I'm going down to the market to get some Fleabane, Hawthorn, and Sweet pea." Gaius said through the door as he moved to pick up the basket.

Merlin looked sadly around his room and his eyes rested on his table. He rose to his feet and moved towards the seal Arthur had given him, which still lay where he had last set it. But before his fingers could touch it his body froze and Merlin fell back to the bed. He started to convulse as the pain shot through him and the voices returned with full force. "I won't be long." Gaius called across the room, unaware of what was happening to Merlin, and stepped out the door, making sure to quietly close it behind him.

Merlin's shaking stopped and he opened his eyes, they were pure golden. He slowly got up from the bed, opened his door, stepped down the few steps outside his room, and made his way out with one thought coursing through his mind, the woods. A guard was standing on the edge of the stairway when he noticed Merlin coming down the steps; he failed to catch the gold of his eyes half hidden by his downward gaze.

"You're to remain in your chamber, orders from the King." The guard explained as he moved to block Merlin from walking the rest of the steps down and finally noticing the weird color of his eyes. Merlin extended his hand out towards him, "Folge min bebod," and the guard screamed in pain as he was flung down the steps, his limp body now lay at the edge of the stairs. The young warlock's face remained indifferent as he stepped over the dead body and continued on his way.

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Author's Note:

An enchanted Merlin who is still as clumsy if not more was just too hard to resist, I sure missed writing him this way. And I bet you all thought Evelyn was going to get hanged. She won't have the luxury of knowing that her death is coming that is all the hints I am giving on it. "Folge min bebod" means "Obey my command," according to the site I used and I'm not sure what "Prosm tohweorfe" means or if I spelled it right, Merlin used it in the episode Aithusa to direct the poisonous gas away from him. Tomorrow's chapter will have Merlin's and Evelyn's long awaited showdown. It's going to be epic. A ton more twists and turns will follow as this story comes very close to its conclusion. My mind is buzzing with excitement and anticipation as we finally reveal what has happened to Merlin (no he wasn't turned evil). Got to say I love all the feedback everyone has been leaving in response to the questions I have been throwing out there. Also just a nice little insight to my dry humor, the ingredients Gaius mentioned from the top of his head as to what he was going to go buy are herbs associated with chastity (the internet could be totally wrong and it could also be associated to many others).