Chapter 5 – The search begins.

The next morning, Merlin was so busy preparing for the journey that he had no time to think about what exactly this trip was about. The night before, Lancelot had come to see Merlin, lecturing him, and making him feel guilty that he was the cause of this, wasting resources, when he was right here!

Arthur had separated the knights into four groups; one (the largest group) was to remain in the city as protection. The other three were equally divided as search parties. Gwaine and Percival would lead one, the other one by Lancelot and Elyan, as the two brothers were supposed to know what the Prince of Ealdor looks like. Arthur himself, who had rightfully guessed that Merlin must know the identity of the 'Emrys Prince', led the last group, so Merlin would remain at his side.

Pretty soon it was time to set off, and with a last glare from Lancelot and an amused grin from Gwaine, Merlin followed Arthur out of the city. Their group was heading northwest. On the way Merlin was deep in thought, thinking up ways he could distract Arthur in their search. He did feel guilty in wasting all their time and resources; no doubt other kingdoms were searching for him too. He thought of what the messenger had told the knights that morning before they got ready, a generic description of what he looked like. Slim, dark hair, blue eyes, pale skin, 16 of years and magic. If the knights came across anyone of that description, they were to bring the young man to Merlin to identify.

Merlin was dreadfully counting the minutes in till someone connected the dots, added 2 to 2, placed the missing puzzle piece and realised that Merlin was the 'Emrys Prince'. Merlin sighed; this was going to be a long and tedious trip.

"You're awfully quiet," Merlin snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of Arthur's voice.

"I'm thinking." Merlin explained.

"Thinking?" Arthur raised an eyebrow, saying, "That's new."

"Yes," Merlin replied. "You should try it sometime."

"Shut up, Merlin" Arthur grumbled and Merlin smiled.

Over the past month, Merlin and Arthur had fallen into a sort of understanding, and had developed a strange friendship of sorts, well if you could call two people who insulted each other on a regular basis, friends. Merlin enjoyed their banters, and could tell that Arthur did too. The blonde Prince would complain that Merlin was a bad servant, and the secret Prince would claim that Arthur was a cabbage head. The raven-haired boy knew that Arthur was enjoying the freshness of Merlin's attitude, which he, as a Prince, wouldn't see everywhere else, Merlin should know. Even Gwaine and Lancelot kept a level of respect for his station, although now he was being a peasant.

When it got to dusk, Arthur signal for them to set up camp. Merlin was charged with getting a fire started, and cooking. All the while listening to the knights bantering and joking around. There was a fond smile on his face that refused to go away. This was an unexpected pleasure that had come from his freedom. He had never had the chance to bond with his knights like this, to know what happened to them when they went on these quests.

"Hurry up Merlin!" Arthur called. "We are getting hungry!"

"Why don't you come and give me a hand, if you want to eat sooner?" Arthur grumbled and Merlin grinned. The younger boy thanked his lucky stars that Freya had taught him a thing or two about cooking, so he didn't have to explain how he didn't know how to cook.

Once it was done, he served the foods then cleared up, and then settled among them, listening to the stories and banters going on around him. It felt like that first night over two years ago, when he sneaked out to the tavern for the first time. The Prince-turned-servant slept well that night, despite being on the rock hard ground. He was still very cheerful the next morning when he woke up. Arthur rolled his eyes at the grin on Merlin's face, obviously thinking it's too early to be so happy.

Later on in the day, however, a slight damper came over Merlin's cheer. They had reached the first village. Soon the knights had dispersed, searching for slim, dark hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and 16-years-old boys. Merlin followed Camelot's Prince to find the village elder, and tell him why they were there. They couldn't tell him exactly why they were there of course, just that it is very important that they find a young man.

The village elder was a kind old man, not unlike Gaius, although perhaps younger. He was very accommodating, helping them round up all the young men that roughly fit the description. Even so, searching the village took the rest of the day. After checking all the young man, (Merlin had to look all of them all over before saying that they weren't him) they had to double-check all the hiding places. By the time they were done, it was dusk and the village elder offered them accommodations and food for the night and they graciously and gratefully accepted.

Merlin, as Arthur's manservant, would spend the night with the blond prince. As they settled for the night, the warlock noticed that also wasn't in the best of moods.

"What's the matter?" Merlin asked him.

"Nothing," Arthur replied.

"Then why have you got that face on?" Arthur raised an eyebrow in question. "The one that makes you look constipated, but I know now it means you're not happy with something." The blonde growled at him, but gave in.

"I just didn't think it would be this hard," he admitted. "Stupid I know. I mean I knew we weren't going to find him in the first place we looked, but I guess I hadn't really thought about it." Merlin felt so guilty, that it took him a few tries before he could speak again.

"If the Emrys Prince isn't found," Merlin said eventually. "It wouldn't be your fault Arthur."

"I know," the older boy agreed. "He might not even be in Camelot." There was a pause before Arthur continued. "If he's kidnapped, I doubt he'll be here."

"What do you mean?"

"If these people were clever enough to be able to kidnap a very well guarded Prince, they'll take him to Essetir, the only kingdom that doesn't accept a treaty with either Camelot, Ealdor or any other kingdom in Albion."

Merlin thought on that, the blonde was right of course, Cenred was a ruthless king, who didn't accept the terms the kingdoms wanted in their treaties. As Essetir was next to the south coast of Albion, Cenred traded with foreign lands via the sea, most believed he traded with Saxons. Another thing Merlin realised was that Arthur didn't think that he had run away, he fully believed that Merlin had been kidnapped!

MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA

As the two princes slept, faraway in the Kingdom of Essetir, King Cenred was expecting a visitor.

She came in quietly through a side door. Her blonde hair glinting in the light of the torches, her red dress sparkling, giving her a look of innocence that contrasted with the expression on her face and the glint in her eyes.

"You have news for me king Cenred?" She said with her harsh musical voice. If Cenred were any other man, he would have jumped in surprise. As it were, he only tensed his shoulders before turning around. If Cenred were any other man, he wouldn't trust this witch either, but as it were he was enchanted with her beauty, (whether that was figuratively or literally, remains to be seen).

"I do indeed, Lady Morgause." He said gravely. "Important news indeed." He paused there looking out the window.

"Do not test my patients, Cenred!" She snapped angrily.

"This news is going to cost you, my lady."

"What is it you want?" She glared.

"I want in on your plans." The King said.

"Fine!" she agreed. "Now the news?"

"Word has reached me that the Emrys Prince," he paused again, to build up the tension. "Is missing."

"Missing?" She stared at him.

"Yes," the king smiled evilly. "Balinor has sent word to the other kings to search for his son." At this a smile sat on her lips, which even had Cenred want to take back a step, but he didn't to keep composure.

"This is excellent news indeed!" She mused.

"Your plans my lady?" Cenred reminded her. She looked at him, realising that she could use his help, more specifically his men.

"We need to find the lost Prince before anyone else does." She told him.

"What are you planning to do with the boy?" She looked him up and down, before deciding to trust him with a bit more information.

"Long ago, there was a prophecy about the once and future Kings, two men who'll unite all of Albion under one rule, their own."

"All of Albion?" He demanded.

"Yes," she told him. "Even your kingdom, which is why we must stop it."

"How do you plan to do that?"

"Some years ago I learned that the Emrys Prince is one of the Kings. He is very powerful, that's why he was hidden. He's young, I will not be surprised if he has escaped, if we find him and give him what he didn't have, freedom, we can train him to be at our side." She gave a sinister grin, "even help find, and kill, the other king."

"That is a grand plan," the King grinned with her. "I will dispatch my men immediately!"

"Don't be stupid!" She snapped. "If he has run away, do you really think he would have come to Essetir?"

"What do you suggest then?"

"We need a more subtle form of searching." She gave him a hard stare. "We also need to find out who the other king is. Mary Collins had sent news that she had found him, but I have not heard from her since, nor can I contact her."

"I do have news of her." Cenred informed her grimly. "She was killed in Camelot, some weeks ago." Morgause hissed angrily at this news.

"We need to find out who that King is!" She looked at the King in front of her, the glint in her eyes brighter than ever. "For the moment we need to find the lost Prince." She grinned her evil grin; she had so many grand plans for the Emrys Prince.

MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA

In the morning, Arthur woke up to the sight of Merlin pottering around.

"Hmm…" He managed to spit out, alerting the younger boy to his almost conscious state.

"Good morning!" Merlin greeted. Arthur groaned, why was Merlin so cheerful in the mornings?

"What time is it?" He managed to get out.

"Just dawn," Merlin answered. "We should get a move on if you want to make good time." Arthur made a face, not really wanting to get up. "Up and at 'em!" The younger boy said loudly clapping his hands. Arthur through his pillow at him, Merlin dodged, before grabbing the bottom of Arthur's blanket then pulling the whole thing off. The older of the two cursed out words that would have caused his mother to faint.

Soon after, Arthur had thanked the elder of the village for their help, and then they set off on their way.

The next two weeks passed the same. They would reach a village or town and search for slim, dark hair, blue eyes, pale skin, and 16-years-old young men. They would then show off the young men they had found to Merlin, before he would confirm that they are not the Emrys Prince, before moving on.

Arthur was getting frustrated. He really didn't think that the lost Prince would be found in Camelot. He wanted to go home, he missed his bed. He missed his family he even missed Morgana! They still had another two weeks before they had to go back.

As they rode through the forest, they came across a group of young girls. They had on the tell-tale druidic cloaks, so Arthur figured there must be near the Druidic Camp. He asked the group for some directions to the camp. Then signalled his men to ride on. He noticed Merlin looking at the girls with a funny look on his face, almost one of horrific realisation.

"Don't worry Merlin," he told the younger boy. "I wouldn't let them get you." He laughed, though he didn't miss the eye rolls.

When they got to the camp, the same routine began again. The Druids were very helpful and accommodating. Like all the others before him, the elder of the camp offered them some food and some tents to spend the night. Arthur thanked him and they settled around one of the campfires.

They had just finished their food, when a teenage girl around Merlin's age approached them.

"Is there anything else I can get for you?" She asked.

"No thank you," Arthur answered her. "It was all very good, you can send my compliments to the cook."

"Of course, sire." But she didn't leave. Arthur looked up at her, but she wasn't looking at him, she was looking at Merlin! The brunette however, had the same horrified look on his face. "Anything I can get for you?" She asked him with a giggle. She was pretty, Arthur could say, blonde and petite.

"N-no t-thank you," Merlin was blushing all over. The girl looked a little disappointed, but walked back over to her giggling friends who were all looking at Merlin.

Arthur was really annoyed; he was the Prince, and a handsome one at that! He looks around the group that was around the campfire, to see their reaction. They all looked amused! Arthur huffed, looking Merlin up and down. The younger boy looked even younger when he blushed.

Noticing Arthur's displeasure, a young boy (younger than Merlin perhaps, about 15 years of age) spoke up.

"It's just because they can feel his power sire." He explained with an amused smile. He was one of the boys Arthur had had Merlin identify, pale skin, dark curly hair and sky-blue eyes.

"His power?" Arthur was confused, and then he looked at Merlin questioningly.

"Err…" The Druid boy said. He was looking at Merlin funny. The servant was looking back pointedly. They were like that for some time, as if communicating with their eyes. Then the Druid said, eventually, "the power of his presence, sire," he looked at Merlin again. "The power of his aura."

Arthur was not happy with this explanation either. He was the Crown Prince of Camelot; he should have power of presence, a powerful aura, not his servant!

"Prince Arthur?" The Druid boy called to him.

"Yes," he looked at the boy.

"I was wondering…" He said slowly, as if choosing his words carefully. "What does someone need to do to become a knight of Camelot?" The blonde Prince looked the boy all over, immediately in leader mode. The boy had good built, if a little on the skinny side, but most peasants were.

"They would need to prove they'd be good at it." Arthur answered him. "What's your name?"

"Mordred, sire," Was the answer he got.

"Well Mordred," Arthur sat up a little straighter, "why do you want to be a knight of Camelot? Druids are known for their peace, why would you want a career that deals with violence… Most of the time?"

"I like being able to help protect others." Mordred answered.

"That is a noble reason," the Prince admitted. "But I want to know the real reason." he looked pointedly at the Druid. The boy gulped, looking down. He seemed to be deciding something. When he looked up, it looked like he had made his decision.

"When I was just a boy," he began his story. "Me and my parents were travelling, when we got attacked by bandits. They ran my father through straightaway. After taking everything we had, they began to hurt my mother. I tried to stop them, but what can an eight-year-old boy do? I got so upset that I screamed, little knowing that I've released Magic. The bandits flew through the air and fell to Earth metres away. I don't know if I killed them or just knocked them out, but it was too late for my mother, that's all I knew." He posed here, remembering. "It was a few days later, I'm not quite sure how many, when Iseldir found me and took me in." He looked at Arthur, eyes determined. "I don't want to be helpless again, sire. I want to know how to protect people, especially my loved ones."

There was a silence following Mordred's speech, which was really loud. Arthur's mind was going from emotion to emotion, not knowing which one to settle on. He was sad for the boy, but angry with the men who had done that to him and his family. He was grateful to Iseldir for taking the boy in, and impressed with Mordred for not letting this cripple him for the rest of his life, choosing to do something about it.

"We should be back in Camelot in two weeks time," Arthur eventually broke the silence. "Come to Camelot then, and we'll see what you're made of." The Druid boy smiled gratefully.

"Thank you sire!" He said.

"Mind you, it will not happen overnight." Arthur warned him. "It will take a long time of training." Mordred nodded recklessly, still smiling. Arthur smiled back. The rest of the night went by smoothly, everyone telling tales or joking around. Arthur was feeling most content at that point among his knights, his people and Merlin. For some reason he couldn't place Merlin into any of the other categories in his head, it was frustrating and unsettling, no matter how much he tried he couldn't understand the younger boy.

Arthur gave a sigh; it seemed that recently, his mind liked to wonder to the boy sitting next to him and the riddle that he was.

MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA

Merlin stared at Mordred across the fire. The boy had nearly given him away, talking about his power. Merlin had been quick to tell the boy with magic shared telepathy to stop. It was mostly a druidic think, this telepathy; Merlin had been surprised earlier when he could hear the Druidic chatter in his head. He was also horrified because the chatter had been a bunch of teenage girls praising him, attracted to his power.

Mordred had been confused as to why Merlin is hiding his power, and Merlin had to come up with something, so he gave the boy a lie based on part of the truth. I'm scared of my power, he had said to the boy. I don't want my friends to be scared of me too.

Mordred had understood, which is strange for one so young. But then again listening to the boy's story, Merlin could see why.

Soon after, they all retired to bed. As Merlin was helping Arthur get ready for bed, the blonde spoke.

"Why do you not apply to be a knight?"

"What?" Merlin stared, not knowing what to say.

"You are clearly as skilled as any knight," Arthur told him. "So why are you a servant? Why not apply to be a knight?" Merlin paused for a bit, not knowing what to say.

"I don't really like the violence," he said eventually. "I don't enjoy fighting as much as anything else."

"Hmm," Arthur contemplated.

As they lay sleep, Merlin's mind ran in circles again. At first he had been surprised when no one had connected him to the Emrys Prince. He fit the description, was the right age, and from Ealdor, not to mention he had come to Camelot when the 'Prince' had 'disappeared'. However after listening to Arthur's thoughts on the subject of the lost Prince, has made Merlin realise a few things. He understood that no one expected Gaius, Lancelot and Gwaine to lie about something so big, well not anyone in Camelot. If they backed up Merlin's story why should anyone question it?

Another thing he had come to realise listening to Arthur speculate on the whereabouts of Ealdor's Prince, was that no one in Camelot thought that he ran away. They all expected foul play. Why would he, they thought, a Prince runaway from a castle and the life of privilege to another kingdom and choose to work as a manservant for another Prince?

What Merlin was doing was the same as hiding in plain sight. No one suspected him, because no one suspected the Prince to be the servant.

End of chapter!

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