Merlin awoke to the rustling of brush. He blinked sleepily, sitting up and staring ahead at the bush. Thomas broke through the undergrowth like a charging boar, head down and eyes wild.
"Everything alright?" Merlin asked the young man, frowning as he took in Thomas's bleary eyes. His face was a ghostly pale and his hands were shaking at his side. The physician's apprentice didn't answer at first. He just cast Merlin a sidelong look as his mare followed him out from the forest. Thomas led the horse over to the elm and tied her back to the branch…
Merlin wondered briefly why the horse had been untied in the first place… when he noticed Thomas's shoulders were shaking. He watched in bewilderment as the boy buried his head into his horse's flank, deep sobs wracking his body. Merlin opened and closed his mouth awkwardly. He climbed to his feet and slowly made his way over to the teenager.
"Thomas?" He asked, clearing his throat. Thomas didn't look up. The dawn rays were leaking through the treetops above, drenching the boy in light… Merlin took in his disheveled hair and muddy clothes.
"What happened?" The warlock demanded, patience fading. He glanced back at Arthur and Callum, who were beginning to stir. Callum's eyes grew huge as he took in the scene before him.
"Well, time to-." Arthur began, getting right to the day at hand. He stopped in his usual barking of orders as he noticed Thomas. "What's going on?" Arthur demanded, coming to stand by Merlin. Thomas finally pulled away from the horse, his eyes dull and lifeless. Merlin cringed, taking a step back….
He looked like a dead man walking…
"It doesn't matter." Thomas croaked. "I found it…I found the Valley of Mist."
Merlin tried to process what the boy was saying… but his eyes had caught sight of the youth's hands…
Blood. Merlin resisted the urge to blast the younger man away from him. Away from Arthur.
"When-." Arthur began, puzzled.
"Last night…I saw something in the woods and I followed it." Thomas laughed dryly. "You would have been proud, Sire… I acted like a bloody knight." Thomas ignored Arthur's startled look. The teenager had clearly never liked knights, royals, or anything of the sort. But he'd never been quite so blunt about it before. "It was like a blur of white… and I chased it through the wilderness like a hound after a coon. Tracked it to this place… it was shrouded in fog, so I couldn't tell you what it looked like." Thomas swayed on his feet. "But that doesn't matter either… I found the unicorns and I got you what you came for."
"You…you did?" Arthur marveled.
Nodding rigidly, Thomas reached into the pocket of his tunic. He pulled from it a leaf…
The leaf, like his hands, was soaked in blood. Merlin took the blood-soaked plant from him and quickly rushed over to the campsite, taking a vial he'd brought for the task and placing the leaf inside.
"Atta boy!" Arthur was patting Thomas on the back as he came back to the others. A proud grin resided on the king's face. "You wouldn't be such a bad bloody knight yourself! Well done."
"Of course, My Lord." Thomas drawled. He locked eyes with Merlin. Merlin backed away from that icy stare. "Anything for the king."
It was about a week's trip before they arrived back in Camelot. When they did, a woman, who was wearing a red dress with gold lacing on it, came gliding down the castle steps to greet them. Her face was set in a relieved smile, and her eyes glowed with joy.
"Arthur!" She cried, throwing her arms around his neck as he dismounted. Arthur returned the laugh of glee, spinning her in a circle before setting her on the ground and passionately pressing his lips to hers.
Oh. He thought. How I've longed for this…
"Guinevere." He pulled away, staring deep into her loving eyes. "I've missed you."
"And I you." The Queen brushed a hand over his cheek. "I was so looking forward to seeing you… when I arrived they said you had gone on a journey, and would not return for some time. No one would tell me where you'd gone."
"I'll fill you in later." Arthur assured her. "I'm sorry if I caused you worry."
"No…well," Gwen raised an eyebrow. "You could have left a note or something."
"Perhaps." Arthur agreed. "But I was in a rush… Gwen, I want you to meet someone." He crooked a finger towards Callum. Nervously, the boy slid off of Merlin's horse and slunk over. Gwen smiled warmly down at him.
"Hello." She said. "You must be Callum."
"Oh." Callum blinked in surprise. "You know me?"
"Not yet!" Gwen laughed. She turned to Arthur. "Percival has spoken very highly of you though. It'll be a pleasure to get to know such a man. And anyone who saves my husband's life is well received in my heart."
"Umph." Arthur frowned. He gave the boy a warning look. "Not that that's something best repeated… you still have punishment coming for what you did."
Callum winced sheepishly. Gwen looked between the two of them in surprise.
"What he did?" She asked.
"Snuck off and followed Arthur." Merlin hopped down off his horse, slipping the reins off of the black horse's neck. "The great king here was shaking in his boats. Thought a bear was about to burst from the woods and eat him up." Merlin grinned, though there was a worried look in his eyes. "Don't worry, I was there to protect him, of course."
"You were that scared?" Callum glanced doubtfully from Merlin to Arthur. He shook his head. "Arthur ain't scared of anything."
"Isn't." Arthur corrected. He paused, eyeing the boy's glittering eyes. This child truly idolized him…
It was terrifying and yet…
It was everything he'd been dreaming about at the same time.
Thomas sat on his horse, watching the reunion. He felt sick… he felt like every bone in his body was about to explode at any moment…
This is your fault. He thought, trying to fight away the pain. He saw red… and Arthur was right in the center of his vision. Everything that's happened to me was because of you and your father!
