"Where is Merlin?" Arthur barged into Gaius's quarters, sending irritated scowls into every corner of the room as if they could manifest Merlin out of sheer force of will. His hair was still mussed from sleep, his face unshaven, and his clothes were rumpled as if he had wasted no time to hunt down his missing manservant.

Gaius's hands stopped their work crushing herbs with a mortar and pestle. He gave his signature eyebrow raise as Arthur called loudly for Merlin.

"I beg your pardon, Sire, but Merlin isn't here. I haven't seen him all morning. Perhaps he is at the tavern?"

Gaius tried to sound unconcerned, but inwardly he was worried. Merlin should've been back by now, the Amulet of Gilgoth destroyed. That Arthur was behaving…well, Arthur-ish, rather than the cruel and increasingly unhinged man both he and his father had been for five days before both fell into a deep sleep for another two was sign enough that Merlin must have destroyed it. They would still be sleeping, or even dead if Merlin had failed.

But that didn't explain his continued absence. Could he have—no. Gaius would not think about that. Merlin was fine, he had to be. Perhaps he had been delayed on the road by some small mishap. That would be very Merlin of him. In the meantime, he should check on the King. If Arthur was awake, then Uther should be as well. Arthur continued to poke around the physician's room, showing no sign of remembering what had happened. The King would not be pleased to hear how they'd spent the past week.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "When I get my hands on Merlin, I'm going to beat his backside blue. If you see him, tell him I expect my armor polished immediately. When he's finished with that, he can polish the armor of all the knights until I say he can stop."

"Very well, Sire," Gaius replied.

"Thank you, Gaius." Arthur turned to leave in pursuit of Merlin.

The next day, there was still no Merlin. The day after that, Gaius was certain Merlin's quest had gone horribly wrong. The fourth day, Arthur was no longer buying into Gaius's excuses.

"He is not at the tavern, Gaius, I checked." Arthur said, blue eyes blazing. "And you know what the tavern keeper said? He said Merlin's never been in the tavern alone, only with the knights. What aren't you telling me?"

Gaius debated lying once again, letting Arthur walk out of that room completely oblivious that Merlin might be in danger. There was a chance nothing was wrong at all and Gaius was being a worrisome old bitty. But four days missing when Merlin should have long returned was an ill omen, if something really had happened to Merlin…

"Sire?"

"Yes, Gaius?"

"There's something you should know…"

Gaius recounted to the prince most of what had transpired that past week and a half, how both Arthur and Uther had started acting strange, yelling at servants, overturning tables in rage, threatening the nobles, how Arthur had even threatened to have Sir Leon executed for asking whether Arthur was alright. He related how Merlin had been concerned, then went missing. Gaius left out the details that would reveal Merlin's true identity. Arthur's look of irritation shifted to one of mortification, then anger, then worry.

"You mean to tell me Merlin has been missing for four days and you didn't mention that immediately?" Arthur fumed.

"Sire, it's been a confusing time," Gaius said, following Arthur as he stormed into the hallway. I wasn't sure you were you again. And there is no knowing how the curse may have affected everyone. Merlin may have been asleep like you and the King and is on his way back from wherever he went off to."

"You said Merlin went missing before my father and I collapsed and nothing about him being affected by the curse. Merlin wouldn't disappear for days for no reason. Something must have happened to him and I'm going to find out what."

Uther sat on his throne, a defeated look on his face. The hall was filled with knights and courtiers. Gaius had softened his account of the days Uther had been cursed as best he could, but there were some facts that could not be ignored. He regretted the pain he was causing Uther. Ever since Morgana had taken his throne with the immortal army, Uther had become a shadow of his former self. Some days he never left his quarters and seemed to be trapped by waking dreams. Others, he raved like a lunatic. Days like today, he seemed nothing more than a broken man many years older than Uther.

Gaius could almost see the whole court deflate with relief at the news magic was to blame for the whole debacle which was a small compensation for further humiliating Uther. Now though, there was another issue at hand.

"No, Arthur," Uther said, a hand held up to forestall further argument. The dead look in his eyes undermined the strength he tried to project. "I will not tolerate it. I don't care how fond you are for this servant of yours. I will not let you run off on a whim chasing down a runaway peasant."

Arthur stood before Uther. His fists were clenched so tightly Gaius could see the white of his knuckles.

"Merlin is not a runaway peasant. He has served our family faithfully for five years and saved my life several times in such a short span."

"And you have more than repaid that debt. We cannot waste resources tracking him down when our kingdom is facing so many threats," Uther said. His eyes roamed the hall, wide with paranoia.

"Then I will search for him alone," Arthur said.

"You will do no such thing! You are more valuable than a servant."

"Merlin is my friend!" Arthur shouted. "He is my friend and I will not abandon him. My life is no more valuable than his."

Uther's face turned purple with fury.

"You are a prince, Arthur!" Uther fumed. "You cannot be replaced. I cannot lose you."

"And a prince lives for his people," Arthur retorted. "What good is a ruler who won't protect those who are most loyal to him?"

A hush fell over the court. Uther crumpled in his throne with no words to defend himself. Courtiers and knights alike shared uncomfortable glances. Arthur didn't wait for Uther's response. He turned in his heel and marched out of the room with his head held high.

Gaius's heart swelled with pride, but also pain. Arthur had grown so much in the three years since Merlin arrived. Gaius never would have thought he'd see Arthur so staunchly defend a servant. The past few months had forced Arthur to fill more and more of a king's role which Uther could no longer fill. That Arthur walked out of the throne room unopposed only highlighted how far Uther had fallen.

Gaius found Arthur in stables after the court had been dismissed, packing saddle bags with supplies.

"Have you come to scold me, Gaius?" Arthur challenged, not bothering to look at the old man as he packed.

"No, sire. Quite the opposite. I am proud of how you stood up for Merlin today. I only wish it had been possible to do so without causing your father further pain."

Arthur snorted bitterly. "My father brings about his pain himself. He doesn't act like a king should, he punishes the loyal and disloyal alike. When he isn't sitting around senseless, that is."

Gaius frowned. "Your father has always been a stubborn man, but his intentions are good. While I disagree with his methods, he has always sought to protect this kingdom and to protect you, Arthur. He has been through a terrible ordeal, it will take time for his mind to recover. But that is not why I am here."

"Then why are you here?"

"I think I may know where Merlin is."

Arthur locked eyes with Gaius, fire in his eyes. "Tell me everything."

"After I determined you and the King had been cursed using the Amulet of Gilgoth, Merlin set out to find Morgana. You had the knights locked up, and there was no one else able to stop her. That was five days ago."

Arthur's expression turned incredulous. "You're saying Merlin went to find Morgana to destroy the amulet? He really is an idiot if he thought he of all people could stand a chance against Morgana. Why didn't you stop him?"

Gaius looked away. "I tried, Sire," Gaius lied. "But he left in the middle of the night. By the time I realized he was missing, he was too far away for anyone to stop him. If he succeeded, which he must have since you are back to normal, he would have made it to where Morgana is hiding."

Gaius unrolled the map he was carrying under his arm. "I've spoken with Lord Geoffrey, and we think that she must be here." He pointed at a castle three days' of hard riding away.

Arthur started. "But that's Cenred's kingdom. What would Morgana be doing there?"

"Cenred hasn't been seen in months, Sire. He was in alliance with Morgana and Morgause, of that we are certain. What happened to make him disappear is unknown. But there have also been reports of strange sights and sounds around Cenred's castle, that evil magic surrounds the land. It matches what little we know about Morgana these days."

"What's this about finding Morgana?"

Gaius and Arthur turned to look at Gwaine, who was casually leaning against the stable door. Lancelot, Leon, Elyan, and Percival stood behind him. All four were dressed in chainmail and carried saddlebags.

"What are you lot doing here?" Arthur asked.

"Coming with you, of course," Gwaine replied. "You didn't think we'd let you search for Merlin alone, did you?"

"But my father–"

"Merlin is our friend too," Percival said. "We won't leave him to die. And if Morgana is involved, then it is not just our friend who is in danger, but all of Camelot." His eyes glimmered darkly as they all remembered what she had done to Percival's village and so many others.

"King Uther did not explicitly say we could not join you," Lancelot added, a faint smile on his lips. "He said you were forbidden from going alone. We are making sure his commands are followed."

Arthur folded his arms and considered the knights. Each met his gaze unflinchingly. They would not be persuaded to let Arthur go alone. That even the law-abiding-til-the-end Lancelot was on board with this told him it was a battle Arthur would not win.

"Very well then. Saddle up your horses. We head for Cenred's castle."