I'm back, guys! My exams are finally over!
Merlin? Not mine.
In The Line Of Duty
Chapter 10
Merlin and Arthur trudged through the forest quietly, making as much noise as they dared to.
"So, Merlin, where was that stream?" Arthur asked as he stepped over a mangled tree root and landed on a stone, wobbling for a moment then finding stable ground.
"Well, it should be somewhere near here." Merlin pointing into the trees on their right as he too avoided stepping on wild outcroppings of rocks and plants alike.
"Somewhere near here? Are you sure? Because it seems like you have gotten us lost." Arthur said, rolling his eyes.
"It's not like I was watching where we were going while running from there." Merlin offered as an explanation, flailing his arms around.
"Well, you better get a move on and find this river, Merlin, or else I am dragging you by your neckerchief all the way back to the others." Arthur said warningly and looked to Merlin, who was looking around wildly.
"Shh. Shh. Do you hear that?" Merlin whispered fiercely.
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"When I said, 'Who are you?', I just meant what your name was. But all that you just said back there made no sense at all."
Merlin said quietly in a cautious tone.
"Well, I am the great Tyrion, brought back from the dead by the Lady Morgana. And that is all you shall hear from me, boy. Keep your mouth shut or else be prepared to lose your voice."
The man growled at him over his left shoulder then kept walking. Merlin followed with a scared gulp as Arthur floated horizontally beside him in the corridor.
As they walked, Merlin memorized the way as they would have to come back for the knights if or when they staged an escape. Right turn. Stairs leading up. Another right turn. Then a left and finally at the top of another long flight of stairs, he spotted light.
The man left the torch he was carrying at a stand inside the arch and stepped over the last few stairs.
They finally emerged at the arched entrance to the corridor of what seemed like an old castle. Merlin let out a sigh when he saw sunlight streaming in from the wide openings lining the hallways. They were not underground anymore. Merlin breathed in the fresh air and kept walking, glancing at Arthur every few seconds and gripping his brown jacket tightly in anticipation for what was to come.