A/N: Hello everyone! Here is the next chapter for you all, fingers crossed the next one will be up at some point next week! Apologies for any spelling or grammatical errors that may be present.
Arthur didn't know what to say, he was in as much shock as Lillian had been when she had found out the true extent of Hogan's plans. There were tears rolling down her ghostly cheeks, while the Prince refused to let his fall. "Lillian… you can't… you're not really going to…"
She looked at him with so much sadness in her eyes. "What choice do I have, Arthur? If I try to escape, someone will get hurt. If I refuse, someone will get hurt. I'm not going to let other people suffer because of me, so that I can get what I want." Lillian had to hold back a sob. "This… this is the end, Arthur. Hogan gets everything he wants, and we lose everything." She ended up sinking to her knees, no longer able to keep herself standing.
"No, Lillian. No." Arthur told her, kneeling down on the floor of the chamber in front of her. "I'm not going to let this happen. I promise you, he will not get away with this. I am going to get you out of there." All he wanted to do would touch her, to be able to comfort her properly, but he couldn't. "This ends, right now."
"Arthur, you can't. You know what he will do to you if you return. I can't let that happen."
"And I can't let you be forced into a union with him, with anyone." His voice was so soft and soothing, and Lillian really wanted to believe him, to believe that he would stop Hogan and save her in time.
But Lillian knew that there wasn't any time. It would still be a few hours till Merlin arrived in Rolana and explained what he knew. It would take a few more hours to return to where she was if they did plan to come for her. By then, it would be too late. "Arthur, I'm sorry. I am so sorry."
"Lillian, you have nothing to be sorry for. None of this was your fault, you had no idea what was going to happen." He didn't want her to blame herself for anything, she was already going through a tough enough time.
"I… I went out when you told me not to. You told me not to get involved but I did. That was all my fault, I got captured because I didn't listen to you." Nothing anyone could say would make her think otherwise. "You and Merlin went through all that trouble because of me, you got hurt because of me. I have plenty to be sorry for."
"You wanted to find out what was going on. If your brother and I had actually told you, instead of trying to keep it a secret from you, then none of this would have happened." Arthur explained to her. "So if anyone is to blame, then it is myself and your brother for not telling you the truth."
Lillian was still sure that it was all her fault, that she was to blame for all of it. "You didn't do anything wrong, it was me, Arthur it was all me."
He didn't really know what else to say to her. "Lily, why don't you just escape with your magic? Please, just use your magic to escape."
"I… I was going to. But Merlin stayed and messed everything up." She admitted to him. There had been a plan, before Merlin had stayed, before Hogan's plans were discovered. "I was waiting until you and the children were safely back in Rolana, and I was going to get myself out of there."
Now Arthur was confused, as well as concerned. "Then, why didn't you? You took me to the lake using magic, why not take Merlin the same way? I mean, he knows about your magic now. You're brother had to tell him." Although the Prince was certain that Merlin had known about her magic long before that point.
"Because it would have been suspicious." She knew she had to explain it all to Arthur, because she hadn't bothered to explain it all to Merlin. "It would have been one thing for just me to disappear, there would have only been suspicion that I had magic. But with Merlin…" She couldn't have risked it, having Merlin exposed for his magic. "Merlin would have been accused for sorcery, not me. I didn't use my magic to escape because I didn't want him to take the blame for it."
Arthur had never thought about that, about how it would look of Merlin had been there and suddenly disappeared as well. He could understand why Lillian hadn't done it with him there, but he still didn't like it. "But now, Merlin isn't there. Please, Lily, you have to do it."
Lillian just shook her head at him. "I can't Arthur. I barely have the strength as it is to do this. I… I just don't have the energy, Arthur. And besides, there is much more at stake now than just my freedom. You have to be prepared, Arthur, he will attack, and he will use magic. He will go straight for my brother, so you have to protect him."
"Lily, it's not going to come to that, I'm going to get you." No matter how many times he said it, how many times he assured her that he would save her, she just couldn't believe it.
"Protect my brother, Arthur. Hogan will kill my brother so that he can take the throne." Lillian was already resigned to her fate, the fate of being forced into a union with Lord Hogan, a union that would give him rights to the throne should anything happen to her brother.
The Prince shook his head at her rapidly as they sat on the floor. "No, it will not come to that, Lillian."
All she could do was let out a sigh. "Arthur, everything is all set. The union takes place tomorrow, there isn't time to stop it. Just promise me, Arthur, promise me you will look after yourself, don't waste your life. And… and find someone."
"No…" He was in utter shock at the way she was talking, she was talking as if she had given up, nothing like the Lillian that he knew at all. "No, Lily, I will not find someone else. I don't need to, I have you and you have me."
Another sigh escaped her lips. He just did not want to listen to her, like she didn't want to listen to him. "Arthur, you…"
"No. I will do whatever it takes, Lillian. I do not care, there is nothing that can stop me. Do you understand that? Nothing." Yes, there was a fire burning in his eyes, one that Lillian could see clearly, but it still didn't help her.
Lillian just wanted him to be happy, and she knew he couldn't be happy with her. "Arthur, you have to listen to me. You're hearing what I'm saying, but you are not understanding. This is the end, there are too many people that could get hurt, and I have to make this choice. You need to protect my brother from Hogan, and you need to move on with your life."
"I will not accept that, Lillian. You can tell me all of this as much as you want, it will not change a thing. I love you, Lily, and that is never going to change." The tears were rolling down her cheeks again, and she just wanted them to stop. "You can tell me a thousand times that we will never be together, that there is no way to save you from the clutches of Lord Hogan, but I will never give up."
All she could do was shake her head at him. "This is goodbye, Arthur. I'm sorry. Just promise me, you'll live your life, and be happy." With those words, she disappeared from his sight, just like she had the night before.
The prince was full of anger and rage, and he was quick to start destroying his chamber. He kicked at the chairs, threw the table over, the items that had been resting on it now strewn across the floor. He didn't care that he was making a mess, he didn't care that the servants were going to have to clean it all up. The only thing that Arthur cared about was Lillian, and she wasn't there.
He let out a loud growl of frustration, and his chamber door flew open. "Prince Arthur!" A voice bellowed, getting him to stop and finally turned around. "What the hell is going on?" King Irwin was standing there, looking around the room and at the mess that had been made, and at the angered look on the prince's face.
Arthur closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Lillian, she… she was here. Well, she used her magic to… I don't know how to explain it." He was really stumbling over his words, because he was a complete wreck.
"Don't try to explain it, Arthur. I know what she could have done, I've seen her do it before. She must have come to you for a reason, using her magic like that drains her, so it must have been important." Irwin could see that whatever it was had distressed him, so he needed to find out exactly what had happened. "Now tell me, Arthur, what did she say?"
"She came to say goodbye." Arthur told him quietly, trying to reel in all of his fury.
Irwin just looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" He needed a little more than that to understand what was going on.
"Tomorrow, Lillian is to be forced into a union with Lord Hogan." It was taking all of his remaining strength to keep himself together, to get his words out and not lose his temper once more. "From what we understand, he then plans to attack Rolana, to dispose of you and claim the throne as his own." The was the basics of it all. "She refuses to use her magic to leave, she claims that there are many more lives that are at risk if she does. Oh, and Merlin is on his way here to inform us all of what is happening." He could feel his temper flaring again at the reminder that Merlin wasn't there to look after Lillian.
When the prince looked up at King Irwin, he saw a darkness in the man's eyes. "Lord Hogan has picked the wrong kingdom to play his little game with. I shall not let my sister be forced into a union, I will not let her be used as his pawn to claim a throne that he has no right to." Even his voice was different, threatening and scaring Arthur a little. "Tomorrow, that man shall die."
"Lillian has demanded that we do not go to her, she acts as if she doesn't want to be saved." Arthur told him, knowing that Irwin would be on his side and want to get Lillian back, no matter what the cost.
"Then my sister is in a much worse condition than I thought." Irwin said, letting out a long breath. "If she has resigned herself to this fate, then her magic is weak, as is she. No doubt she has not been eating nor sleeping, which will have only aided in this." His explanation made sense to Arthur, because he knew how strong Lillian usually was. "There is no time to waste. We will ride out immediately, we shall surely run into Merlin on the way, and he can join us."
Arthur nodded at him. "I will gather my knights, we will need all the men we can get. Lord Hogan will fight using sorcery, he does not fight fair."
"We need to hurry. Be as quick as you can, Arthur, there really is no time to lose." Irwin told him, before hurrying out of the room.
Arthur didn't waste any time, he quickly gathered his things together, and charged to where his knights were residing. They grumbled and groaned for being woken up, but the moment Arthur told them the danger that Lillian was in, they were up and ready in a flash.
They all seemed to get ready in record time. They helped each other to get their armour on, no one speaking a word as they prepared themselves. Even the Prince was helping his knights, not wanting to waste any time in getting everyone ready.
When they made it to the courtyard, there were people everywhere. Servants had been dragged from their beds as well as the knights, horses were being prepared and everyone was gathering. There was so much hustle and bustle going on, not a single person was standing still doing nothing at all.
Eventually Arthur stopping King Irwin amongst the horses and headed straight over to him. "Camelot's knights are ready, Sire." He told him. Arthur was now in complete warrior mode now. He was ready to go and get Lillian, to save her and bring her home, and as far as he concerned, nothing was going to stop him.
"We should be ready to leave very soon. Tell you're knights to grab a horse, any horse at all. We move out as soon as possible." Irwin told him, before turning to one of his knights. "Sir Dale, I want a small group of you to go on head now. Prince Arthur's servant is out there somewhere, making his way back. Hopefully, you will run into him. Take an extra horse with you for him."
The man nodded and bowed a little. "Right away, Sire." A moment later and the man was going, shouting orders at some of the knights before they mounted their horses and charged out.
The minutes felt like hours as Arthur waited for everyone to be ready, but soon enough they were all ready to go. "Princess Lillian is being held by Lord Hogan. He is known for practising dark magic, as so do many of his men. We must all be cautious on this journey." King Irwin announced to them all. "A small group has been set off ahead, to scout the area and meet with the servant who offered to stay with Lillian. This will be no easy quest, but you are all fine warriors, are you willing to fight for Princess Lillian till your last breath?" There came a loud cheer from all of the knights, not just those form Rolana, but the men from Camelot as well, which did take Prince Arthur by surprise. "We shall not return without her."
It seemed the King Irwin's speech had really woken all the men up, and they definitely seemed riled up in Prince Arthur's opinion. He just hoped that they would be able to make it there safely, finding Merlin on the way, and get Lillian out of there before Hogan had a chance to escape or do anything to her. His mind just kept running over all the things that the man could do to her, and it made him sick to his stomach.
Before he knew it, they were riding out of the city at a rather fast pace. The sun had set many hours ago, and they were riding by the moon light, with Arthur towards the front with King Irwin. "Arthur, do you have the pendant with you?" The King asked him in a slight whisper.
Without hesitation, Arthur opened his hand to reveal the necklace that he had given to Lillian. "I've kept it with me since the moment we found it." He admitted, not ashamed about it in the slightest. He felt closer to her when he had it, because he knew that it was linked to her.
Irwin nodded at him. "It will help us to find her once more. Keep it safe, and keep it hidden. It will show us the way like it did for you and Merlin before." He was still keeping his voice low, because he didn't want anyone else to hear or know about the necklace.
"I just hope we catch up to Merlin soon and that he hasn't gotten lost." The Prince grumbled. It wasn't that he didn't have faith in his servant, he did, but he couldn't send out a search party for him when all resources were needed to rescue Lillian.
"I am sure Merlin will be fine. He seemed to be smarter than he looks, and he is very loyal to both you and Lillian. It is rare to find a man like that, even if he is just a servant." Irwin told him, being completely honest. From what he had seen of Merlin, he knew he was a good man and would do anything for both his sister and the prince. "People like that are hard to find, Arthur, and they are the people worth keeping close."
Arthur nodded at him, understanding what he was saying. "He may act like a girl at times, but Merlin does have some good qualities. He is useless with a sword, but he doesn't run away from a fight. I still haven't decided if he is an idiot or just rather brave."
A chuckle came from the man beside him. "I would say a little of both. There has to be some idiocy to be brave. What Lillian has done was very stupid, but brave as well. She was stupid to go out on her own, to bargain her own life and freedom, but it was also very brave of her as well. She had no idea what she was letting herself in for."
"No, she didn't. I believe that maybe if we hadn't kept this from her, she wouldn't be where she is now." Arthur said, letting out a sigh. He had even told her as much as well. "She was angry and upset with both of us for keeping things from her, so she took it upon herself to find out what was going on. Maybe that was wrong."
Irwin was actually surprised to hear those words leave Arthur's mouth. There weren't many people who would speak against him, well, apart from his sister. And yet, Arthur was speaking against him, most likely without even realising it. There was a grim look on his face now, as he prepared to answer the prince. "I believe you are right, Arthur. If we had kept her involved, she wouldn't have felt the need to sneak off on her own. I am to blame for her current situation."
"No, I had the chance to tell her, as well as stop her." Arthur protested, knowing that some of the fault lay with him as well.
All Irwin could do was smile a little. "Well, it matters not who is to blame. All that matters now is getting Lillian back." Arthur nodded in agreement, there was much more at stake now, and they both knew that.
It felt like they had been travelling for hours when Arthur finally noticed a slight glow coming from his hands. He looked down and saw the stone, the light filtering through his fingers. When he looked up, he recognised the path. They were at the crossroads, but he remembered exactly which way to turn. "We need to take the path to the left." He called out to everyone.
No one argued with him, no one even questioned his order, everyone just done as the prince said and took the path that was heading off towards the left of them. It was easy for anyone who looked at Arthur to see how determined he was to get Lillian back, and none of them were going to question him.
In his head, Arthur was trying to remember exactly what happened next, and where they were going to need to go next. It was only when he looked at the trees lining the path that he remembered. "King Irwin, I believe there is going to be a trail leading away from the path soon, between the trees. It's small, only just big enough for a horse to fit through."
Irwin nodded at him. "Eyes open for a small gap in the trees. We cannot miss it!" The gap was soon spotted, and they all made their way through, moving carefully but swiftly. But once they were clear of that, it was a straight run once again, and the horses picked up speed.
The air was filled with the dust that had been kicked up by the horses, but no one seemed to care. As long as the horses could see and were running, no one seemed to pay any attention to anything else. The only thing that grabbed their attention was when one of the knights from the advance party came back to them.
"So Gregory, what news?" King Irwin asked him, not stopping but slowing down a little so that they could talk better.
"Prince Arthur's servant has been found, My King." Arthur heard this and quickly looked at the man, actually letting out a sigh of relief. "He his fine, rambling, but fine."
Irwin nodded at the man. "As long as the man is alive and well. Inform the rest to stay where they are, we need to regroup and give the horses and very short break." They had been out for some time, and although the horses were doing a magnificent job, they really did need to take a break. King Irwin could use that time to speak with Merlin, to find out anything more about Hogan's plans.
"You can tell him that he can polish my armour when we get back!" Arthur shouted after the man, a small smile tugging at his lips. He wouldn't admit it, but he had certainly missed the skinny idiot that was his servant.
When they finally met up with the advance party, Arthur noticed his manservant straight away, in the middle of the group of knights, pacing around and looking very distressed. When he finally spotted his master, he bolted over to Arthur and his horse. "Arthur! Arthur, I have to tell you…"
But Arthur cut him off. "I know, Merlin. I already know." He growled in a very low and very angry voice. The fire had returned to his eyes, remembering that Merlin had left her there alone.
Merlin just looked at him in shock. "But, how do you…"
Arthur swiftly got himself down from his steed and grabbed a hold of Merlin by the collar of his jacket, dragging him away from the large group of knights. He didn't let him go until he was sure they were away from prying eyes and that no one was going to hear them. "Lillian told me. She used her magic to… I don't know, she just said she was a ghost. But anyway, after you abandoned her there, she came to me, and told me everything. She told me what Hogan is planning to do, to her and to King Irwin." There was a grim look on his face, knowing that Lillian was still there and had no idea they were on their way to her.
"Arthur, I didn't have a choice. She told me I had to leave, that I had to come and warn you." Merlin protested, trying to get the Prince to understand why he had left. "She said that even if she came and told you, that no one would believe you, that they would get suspicious."
The Prince just looked at him. "Well, King Irwin believed me, and here we are, Merlin. How was Lillian when you left? Was she okay?"
Merlin shifted nervously, knowing that Lillian had been far from all right. "She hasn't been sleeping, and she hasn't been eating either. When I left, she was pale and tired. She's exhausted, and her mag…" He stopped and let out a sigh, feeling extremely guilty for leaving her there, even if it was her idea. "She's given up, Arthur."
"Then we need to hurry up and get to her. I'm not going to let this happen, Merlin, I never wanted to leave her there in the first place." The determination was back in his eyes once more, and now it was stronger than before. "We are going to go in there, destroy Hogan, and save Lillian. And there is nothing that anyone can do that will stop me."
Merlin knew that there was going to be no stopping the Prince, not that he would ever even try. He just pitied the man that did try to get in Arthur's way, because there was no way he was going to show them any mercy for what was happening to Lillian. "Lillian is strong, Arthur, stronger than any of us realise." The warlock told him, trying to reassure him, even just a little. "She can hold her own if she needs to, even if she is exhausted. She'll use that to her advantage."
"How can that be an advantage?" Arthur questioned, as they headed back to the rest of the group. Now that Arthur saw them all together, it really did look like a small army was heading out to rescue Princess Lillian.
"Well, Hogan showed concern for those children when they were sick, maybe… maybe with Lillian being tired and exhausted, he will delay the union, giving us more time. He showed compassion before, she might be able to trick him into showing it again." Merlin was right, Hogan had shown compassion and concern for the children that he had kidnapped, and if Lillian was in a bad way, he may show the same to her as well.
"Maybe." Arthur responded, thinking it over a little more. He knew that Lillian was pretty good at getting her own way, she was good at tricking people when she had to, but he just hoped that she was in the right frame of mind to know what she was doing.
A few moments later, and another figure came through the trees and over to the pair. "Arthur, Merlin, we are almost ready to move out once more." King Irwin told the pair. "Merlin, my sister…"
"I didn't want to leave her, I swear. She tricked me, she told me that I needed to come and warn you, she failed to tell me that she was going to tell Arthur herself." The young man said, trying to defend himself once more.
Irwin simply smiled at him a little. "Merlin, I understand, I do not like it, but I understand. When you left, how did she seem to you?"
"Like she had given up. She had no energy left, she was too weak to do anything. She wasn't eating or sleeping." He had to tell him exactly the same as what he had told Arthur.
"We should hurry. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get Lillian back." Irwin said, before leaving the pair alone once more. He had to make sure everyone was ready, that they all knew the plan.
Merlin and Arthur quickly joined them, listening to King Irwin address his knights as well as those from Camelot. The two kingdom colours blending together in the mass of bodies. They were warned of the use of magic, of the potential threat that others there could have it as well. They were ordered to only attack those who attacked them, and to not harm any of the servants that they may come across. Irwin made it clear that it was a rescue, not the start of a war, he didn't want there to be any unnecessary bloodshed.
This was the first time Arthur had really seen Lillian's brother in full on King and warrior mode. He could see what made him such a beloved King. He was determined not to let innocent people get hurt, even if they were servants to Lord Hogan, because he understood that most of them were not there willingly. Although his priority was to free Lillian, they would be freeing many more people in the process. Arthur could only hope that one day he could command his knights and have the same respect that King Irwin did.
A/N: I know you are all just dying to find out what happens, and for Arthur to actually get Lillian out, but you're going to have to wait till next week to find out what's going on. It should be pretty good, at least that's what I'm hoping for.
Anyway, thank you to everyone who has favourited/followed the story, glad you all like it still. And for those of you who have taken the time to leave me a review, no matter how short, thank you so very much! I do enjoy reading them and finding out what you think.
So, the next chapter is almost ready, are you ready for it?
Pippa.