Hey guys, hope you all are having a happy summer. Here's the next chapter!

And thanks to all you lovely people who reviewed, I'm always so happy to see them :)

o}O{o

All of them were clustered around a worn beige tent waiting for any news. Evelyn and Tynan were inside, treating Ethel whom everyone suspected had a broken leg- a devastating prospect for one with so many years. Feeling obligated to stay, Ben tried to ease his frustration by pacing back and forth in front of the entrance, scowling at the trees on the edges of their little clearing. Nyan's dark eyes tracked the younger man's progress, the old sorcerer not bothering to reprimand him. He, Ormod, and Araleigh were all sharing a log near to the tent.

Tension was rigid between them all and not for the first time Ormod and Araleigh exchanged nervous glances. "What should we do about the boys now?" she asked, bringing up the subject for the first time since Ben and Ethel had gotten back.

Nyan sighed heavily, bringing his gaze away from Ben who had finally stopped. "They will have alerted the guards by now. Getting back into the city will be impossible."

"For now," Ben pointed out.

Ormod leaned forward. "We might need to leave. Uther won't take kindly an intrusion into his city."

"You may be right, Ormod," the old man growled.

Araliegh and Ben scowled, both of them starting to protest. Nyan made to silence them but the tent flap opening had them all standing to attention. It was Evelyn to walk out and from the look on her face, she did not have good news to provide.

"I managed to heal her the best I could," Evelyn sighed, all of them sensing the unspoken 'but'. "But her hip was broken. If she walks again, it will not be the same for her."

Ormod swallowed at the news, looking around at his comrades to see their reaction. Ben looked to be the most visibly upset. "But she will walk again?"

"Yes," Evelyn answered though she did not seem wholly convinced.

"What if we bring her to Delma? Couldn't she do something?" Ormod spoke up.

Evelyn shook her head, already having thought of it. "She cannot turn back time. Ethel is old and the damage has been done."

"Damn," Ben cursed quietly and resumed his pacing. "Tynan is going to want to kill Mordred for sure now."

Ormod shifted in discomfort but said nothing, allowing Araleigh to speak. "Well he made it clear that he won't come with us willingly."

"I won't hear this talk," Evelyn snapped, "we are not murderers."

"I didn't say I wanted to kill him," Araleigh said, heavily offended. "Just that we are going to have to find a way around Mordred."

Nyan took his chance to speak, "It matters not at the moment. Right now we shall retreat and plan a course of action." His dark eyes swept over them. "But I think we should consider that we cannot do this alone."

Ormod resisted the urge to clench his fists and did not question the old man in order not to be doubted. No, now that they were growing more desperate Ormod was needed here more than ever.

"But we cannot seek help," Araleigh protested to everyone's surprise, "If we do, Emrys will be revealed. That is a danger we cannot afford."

"We don't need to say anything about Emrys," Ben pointed out. "Hire a mercenary and, bam, Emrys is ours."

Nyan handed him a disparaging glance. "We must tread lightly."

The discussion was over and Ormod wondered if he was the only one feeling unsettled. Evelyn retreated back inside the tent to leave them to their own devices. With no longer a need to linger they drifted away from the tent and to the center of the camp. Ormod took it upon himself to build a fire while Araleigh went to get food. As he was setting the branches they had collected in the fire pit, Ormod was too lost in thought to engage Ben in conversation.

The younger druid did not seem to mind as he laid upon the ground, closing this eyes and sighing. Nyan went to his own tent, likely for a nap and when he was inside Ben spoke. "Maybe we should just leave the little bastards there," he mused quietly. Ormod froze and nearly dropped the branch he was holding.

"Don't let the others hear you talk like that," Ormod advised.

Ben opened one eye to glance at him before closing it again. "Whatever, they're more trouble than they're worth, those brats."

"That's just your shoulder talking," Ormod said as he lit the fire.

Ben sat up and rolled his arm, wincing slightly. "Maybe… who knows, maybe it'll be easier if Mordred kicks it."

Ormod could not contain a glare. "The prophecies say-"

"Yes, yes," Ben spat, "the prophecies should have warned us he's a right little prick."

The older druid forced himself to laugh. "Definitely your shoulder talking."

Ben smirked at him. "Let's see how you feel when the midget lays you out then."

"Three coppers says I'll never get my arse handed to me like you did," Ormod proposed.

"Ha!" Ben mocked but thought for a moment. "Five coppers."

Ormod walked over and sat beside him, holding out his hand. "Deal."

The two friends fell into a heavy silence, each immersed in their own thoughts. Predictably it was Ben who broke it. "This really is a war, isn't it?"

Ormod remained silent, knowing an answer was not needed.

o}O{o

It was growing dark over Camelot with still no sign of the Mordred and Merlin. No suspicious characters could be found in the city and Uther regretfully called off the search, commending Arthur on his fastidiousness, but doubling the guard. Tomorrow there would be patrols sent out in every direction, the king having been livid at magic users roaming the city. He had not been informed of Mordred's and Merlin's unknown whereabouts, something that Morgana wanted to keep from him.

The king's ward had been growing increasingly panicked the longer the two boys remained missing. She strong-armed a group of guards to come with her on another search and convinced Arthur to come as well. "Haven't we searched everywhere?" Morgana cried out in frustration. She whirled around to face the prince who had to stop on a dime or else be run over. "What about the dungeons?"

"We checked the dungeons," Arthur said patiently despite the anger he was feeling. A strange pit seemed to have opened up in his stomach, wholly uncomfortable and growing by the minute.

Morgana glared at him as if it were his fault and it was surprisingly Guinevere to come to his rescue. "Morgana, perhaps they are in the city," the maidservant suggested gently.

"No," she snapped, "they're in the castle!"

Poor Guinevere bit her lip. "I'm worried about them too," she said quietly.

Morgana faltered and looked guilty at once. She took Gwen's hand and the two exchanged a silent conversation Arthur did not understand. "The city was scoured," he said, "lord knows there are more places to hide in here."

The king's ward closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Arthur waited for less than a second before she looked up again. "The lower levels."

Arthur scowled. "We've looked down there, Morgana."

"Not every corner," she whispered and took off once again.

The prince nodded, not wanting to consider the possibility that the boys were gone. "Alright, I-"

"They're down there," Morgana interrupted, "I just know it." She didn't even spare Arthur a backward glance, towing Gwen and the guards away. The prince had no choice but to follow and eventually took the chance to lead by grabbing a torch when they moved underground. The shadows grew darker the further they climbed down, and the air grew cold. Arthur picked up his pace when they reached the dungeon level and was going to leave the stairwell before Morgana stopped him.

"No, let's go deeper down," she insisted. The prince stopped and made to speak but couldn't get a word in. "Go that way if you must." With that she plucked the torch right out of Arthur's hands and blew past him. Arthur let a frustrated expression take over his features but followed Morgana. She and Guinevere were in front of him and while Morgana did not appear nervous at all, her maidservant had an anxious set to her shoulders.

"Not if the druids are still about," Arthur said, "what makes you think they came here anyway? And don't say a feeling."

Morgana did not turn to glare at him, but the prince felt her displeasure all the same. "If I was running from something and came down here, I'd go the farthest I could."

Arthur could not fault her reasoning but picked up on one major flaw. "Please, you wouldn't have the sense to run anywhere." He said distractedly, focusing on landing his feet on the steep steps. "You'd likely take up a sword first."

"Too right, Arthur," she replied airily. No one spoke until Morgana led them to a place that had not been traversed for years. The ceiling was low and Arthur and the taller guards had to duck slightly. "Mordred!" Behind her, Gwen jumped at the sudden noise but Morgana did not notice. "Mordred? Merlin?"

The prince peered through the gloom down the hall, narrowing his eyes to see. The flickering torch was bright and revealed no movement. Deciding that since Morgana gave their position away, it would not matter if Arthur added his voice. "Merlin!" he called loudly, immediately feeling a little relief for having done so. "Mordred!"

There was no answer to his disappointment. Morgana appeared undiscouraged though he and Gwen knew it was an act. They searched three vaults before one of the guards swore in surprise when they were nearing the fourth. Arthur strained his eyes and saw at the junction of another corridor, the edge of a pale face peeking out.

"Mordred!" Morgana called out, dropping the torch to the ground and rushing forward. Arthur sighed in relief as Mordred hurried to meet her. The boy reached out his arms and hugged her tightly, speaking in such a rush that Arthur couldn't make out a single word. "Hush, hush now, it's alright."

Merlin stuck close to Mordred, with the older boy's cloak wrapped around him. It was Gwen who got to him first, and she lifted him and held him close, whispering assurances to the now crying boy. The guards hung back as Arthur joined Gwen and Morgana. His movement made Mordred look up and Arthur pushed away a silly instinct to pat his head.

"Are you and Merlin alright?" he asked gently.

Mordred nodded, still not letting go of Morgana. "Two druids tried to take us. I just ran, I didn't want them to find us. I was-"

"They're gone," Arthur interrupted, "we couldn't find any sign of them. But we are doubling the guard and patrols." Mordred did not respond but he did look around for Merlin, pulling away from Morgana. The lady kept him close however.

Gwen stepped forward, between Morgana and Arthur. "We should get them back home. Gaius is likely pulling out his hair by now."

"I want Gaius," Merlin sobbed. His thin arms were clamped tightly around Gwen's neck in a way that was surely uncomfortable but the maidservant made no complaint.

Arthur noticed that the cloak was slipping off so he moved to readjust it. "Yes, we're going now, Merlin."

The child turned at the sound of his voice and stared tearfully at him. "Gaius." This time, Arthur could not resist and he combed his hand gently through Merlin's dark hair. The action earned him a smile from Gwen and he did not think before returning it. Arthur quickly went to retrieve the torch Morgana had dropped and gave it to a guard to lead the way. The guard bowed and obliged his unspoken order. Arthur stood to the side and waited for Morgana and Gwen to follow after. Mordred looked up at him as he approached.

"How- how long has it been?" Mordred asked tremulously.

"A few hours," the prince answered, and because his servant still sounded scared, Arthur gave him a light punch to the shoulder. "You had us all quite worried."

His attempt at cheering the boy up worked for he gave a little smile. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, Mordred," said Morgana who had an arm around his shoulder as she was leading him. "I just can't believe they got into the castle!"

"Not now, Morgana," Arthur advised and was miraculously listened to. She gave him an unpleasant look before focusing on Mordred.

"Are you cold?" she asked him.

Mordred glanced at Merlin who still had his cloak. "No, milady," he answered, his use of a title indicating that he was lying. Morgana only wore a sympathetic expression but the eventually made their way back above ground. Arthur could tell that the windows were a welcome sight to them all, more than one of them sighing in relief.

Now that the boys were safe, Arthur found himself tired and longing for his bed. But instead of retiring to his chambers, the prince looked to Merlin to see how the young boy was doing. To get a better look he slowed to walk behind Guinevere. Merlin sensed his gaze and raised his gaze from the floor. Despite a no doubt terrifying afternoon, the child fixed a small smile to his lips.

Knowing that it was for his benefit, Arthur couldn't help but smile back. Feeling his chest warm, the prince errantly thought that he was growing soft.

o}O{o

Days of searching led to nothing being found. There were people in the dungeons, Mordred knew but none of them were druids. Arthur had just left for another patrol, this time delving into Forest of Brechffa on a tip a farmer gave just yesterday.

"When's Arthur coming back?" Merlin asked, wandering to his side and staring up at him.

Mordred turned from peering out the window viewing the courtyard and led the child to the table where Morgana and Gwen were sitting. "It will be a few days, Merlin."

Merlin frowned and pulled away from him to run to Gaius. The physician was tidying up the remnants of his potion making but spared time for Merlin. Gaius had been worried about them, more than Mordred had expected. He had felt awful when coming back from hiding to see that Gaius's eyes were moist with tears.

"When is Arthur coming back, Gaius?" Merlin questioned the old man, hoping for a better answer.

Gaius laughed at the boy who was tugging on his hand. "Not for a few days, I'm afraid." Merlin's face fell and he frowned at Mordred like it was his fault.

"He will be back before you know it, Merlin," Morgana called. The boy only seemed slightly appeased but he let Gaius go and went after Mordred once more. They sat at the table, Merlin placing his elbows on the surface and his chin resting on his hands- staring downward in displeasure. Gwen and Morgana traded matching smiles while Mordred gave Merlin a light push.

"Morgana is right," Mordred said cheerfully, "and he wouldn't want you to be sad, Merlin."

The young boy regarded Mordred for a while before nodding and leaning against him. He reached for the wooden horse resting against the flower vase and gave it to Mordred. Assuming that he would want to play, Merlin grabbed the toy knight that was close to Morgana across from him. "We have to find Leafy's carrot," Merlin announced to Mordred. Merlin changed the horse's name every day now.

Mordred adopted the same serious look Merlin had. "Where do you think it is?"

Merlin furrowed his eyebrows, scanning the contents of the table. "Princess Morgana will know!" Merlin suddenly beamed. Morgana could not prevent a grin from springing onto her lips and neither could the maidservant beside her. They had been looking through colours for a new dress Morgana had wanted but put aside the patches of material for a later date.

"Hmm," Morgana considered, "what do you think, Princess Gwen?"

Gwen blushed but answered stalwartly, "Perhaps past the mountain of books," she guessed and pointed to the other end of the table.

Gaius turned around from his work table, eyeing his small stack books protectively but said nothing. As Merlin bobbed his knight (Sir Arthur) across the table with Mordred following with the horse, three knocks wrapped on the door. Merlin stilled and retracted from his stretch staring at the door suspiciously.

Knowing that the guards outside would have stopped any intruder, Gaius called for their guest to enter. A short figure walked inside, stopping when they saw Morgana.

"Oh hello, Emily," Gwen greeted pleasantly. The young scullery maid squeaked and curtsied to Morgana.

"Back again so soon?" Mordred called, amused at the girl's behaviour. She had stopped by before, receiving an unfortunate shock when the Lady Morgana came to visit. The girl had only seen nobles from afar, her like not permitted to be seen by the gentler folk, as she said.

Emily cleared her throat and pretended her face wasn't a lovely shade of red. "Um, yes," she muttered, casting her dark blonde braid behind her shoulder. "I brought Merlin something." Finding her normal self again, Emily smirked mischievously.

"Ooh!" Merlin crooned and hopped out of his seat. "Is it more strawberries?"

"Nope!" Emily said brightly, "something better." Merlin was suitably impressed and grinned excitedly. He waited for the girl to reveal her secret and glanced at her apron pockets when she did not. "You'll have to guess."

Merlin giggled, "No, tell me!"

"Why don't we all try and guess?" Morgana suggested with a smile.

Emily let out a nervous laugh, but smiled at Merlin. "What do you say, Merlin?"

The boy nodded and skipped back to the table, immediately whispering in Mordred's ear. Mordred had a hard time keeping a straight face but managed to tame his lips into a smirk when Emily came to sit beside Gwen. "Don't you have something for me too?"

"No, I like Merlin better," she teased.

Mordred frowned. "You did to bring something." The boy gritted his teeth and did not know why Morgana kept sending amused glances between he and Emily.

"Didn't," Emily countered.

"A honey cake!" Merlin yelled out, bored of the two older children's argument.

The young girl smiled widely. "Nooooo."

Mordred crossed his arms. "Yes you did," he persisted.

Emily grinned. "Your turn, whelp."

Mordred felt his ears turn pink, outraged that she'd call him a name in front of Morgana. But the lady only laughed along with Gaius who found Mordred's nickname endlessly amusing.

"Whatever it is, I bet it's stolen," Mordred pointed out moodily. Emily glared at him, her eyes going wide.

"Mordred," Morgana scolded in a surprised tone of voice. "That's not a thing to be accusing such a sweet girl of."

Mordred faltered, surprised to see genuine disapproval in her eyes. He bit his lip, realizing that he should not have said so in front of Morgana. Especially since it was probably true.

"I'm sorry," Mordred made himself say.

Emily was now fighting a smirk. But when she spoke she was straight faced. "Good, because I've never stolen a thing in my life." Mordred only glared at her but was reluctant to get her into trouble. The only thing she did steal after all was food no one would miss. Well as far as he was aware.

Beside him, Merlin was rocking in his seat, trying to draw attention. When Emily looked at him he immediately guessed, "a apple cake!"

"Think smaller," Emily laughed.

Merlin bit his lip, looking to Mordred for help. "Alright," Mordred said slowly, "a sandwich."

Emily handed him an unimpressed look. "Why would I get you a sandwich?"

Merlin agreed with her. "That's not better than strawberries," he explained to Mordred.

"It was only a guess," Mordred mumbled.

"Jeez, alright," the scullery maid said, "no need to get so upset." Emily smiled at Merlin before reaching into her pocket. The young boy laughed in delight when she revealed two small pastries in her hands.

"What is it?" Merlin asked eagerly.

"Date squares," she announced, handing one to Merlin and talking to Mordred. "The cook just started experimenting… her first ones were awful!"

Gwen giggled beside the girl. "Don't let Audrey hear you say that."

Emily unconsciously rubbed her head. "She already did," the scullery maid said under her breath. Mordred laughed at her. "And you don't get one."

"Hey!" Mordred protested.

Emily had already withdrawn her hand and Merlin was busy wolfing down the pastry. "Stop calling me dwarf and then I'll give it to you."

"You call me whelp," Mordred said blandly.

"Hey, Merlin, do you want another?" Emily asked the child sweetly.

"No!" Gaius answered for the boy. "I think you have spoiled him enough this week, my dear."

Emily grinned bashfully at the physician. To prove her good will, she offered the treat to Mordred who was quick to snatch it out of her hand. A long stare from Morgana prompted him to say thank you.

"Well," she sighed, "I should go." Emily stood up and sighed loudly. "Try not to go missing while I'm gone." Mordred rolled his eyes, fearing that she would never let it go.

"We won't," Merlin sang.

"Good," she said and bid everyone goodbye. When she was out the door, Merlin looked at the pastry still in Mordred's hand. He looked up at Mordred pleadingly, forcing the older boy to check if Gaius was still looking. Finding he was occupied once more with his work, Mordred gave the treat to Merlin. Knowing not to alert Gaius, Merlin tried to laugh as quietly as he could.

"I saw that, Merlin," Gaius called without turning around.

And without further ado, Merlin stuffed the whole pastry into his mouth.

o}O{o

A happy ending with a bit of fluff thrown in. Thanks for reading everyone, and if you could review I'd be so grateful :)