Arthur rode a few paces in front of Merlin as the summer sun beat down on them. He sighed and turned back towards Merlin.

"Why are you sulking?"

"I am not sulking!" Merlin shot back.

"You've barely said a word since we left Camelot. Not that I'm complaining." Arthur chuckled.

"I just don't understand why we are out here hunting in this heat." Merlin led his horse into the right side of the trail and closer to the shade.

"Because I am King and if I want to hunt then I can hunt whenever I want."

"Of course, my apologizes your royal pratness." There was a playful tone in Merlin's voice. Arthur threw a bread roll from his sack at Merlin.

"That is no way to address your king." Arthur finished his statement with a smile. He wasn't sure why but Merlin was the only one that could get away with calling him names. He turned once more towards his servant but froze when he saw Merlin's expression. "Merlin?"

"Arthur, run!" Before Arthur could react, a huge beast emerged from the trees and spooked his horse. He was thrown from the horse and thrown to the ground. His head slammed into the rocks and his vision blurred. He could faintly hear Merlin scream his name before he sank into darkness.

Merlin dodged the bread roll and chuckled, suddenly he felt uneasy. He was sensing some sort of magic and it was approaching fast. The closer it got the stronger Merlin's feeling. He heard Arthur say his name and met his eye contact.

"Arthur run!" The creature burst through the trees scarier his and Arthur's horses. Merlin managed to jump from his horse before he was thrown. He watched as Arthur was thrown and winced when his head bounced off the rocks beneath him. "Arthur!" Merlin watched as Arthur succumbed to unconsciousness and realized that his cry for Arthur had attracted the beast's attention. It started to charge towards him. The beast moved quickly but Merlin could tell it was a magical origin. It looked like a mix between a bear and large cat. Merlin's eyes glowed gold as he caused a boulder to drop on the beast. The boulder crumbled on contact with the beast and Merlin panicked. He began to use every spell he could think of to stop this beast.

Arthur could hear a battle going on. But he found it difficult to pry his eyes open. He could hear Merlin's voice, it sounded like he was incanting something, but Arthur had never heard that language before. Arthur pried his eyes open to see Merlin in front of him. Standing between the beast and Arthur in a protective stance. Arthur's eyes grew wide when he saw what Merlin was doing. His eyes were glowing, and things were flying through the forest attacking the beast. Anger immediately flooded through Arthur. Merlin practicing magic? How could this be? But the more he watched the anger melted again. Merlin was fighting so hard to protect him. Merlin was using magic to protect him? All of a sudden, everything made sense. All those miracle recoveries and impossible victories were because Merlin was by his side protecting him. A shriek from the beast brought Arthur away from his thoughts and back to the battle. He watched as the beast fell, before Merlin could turn around Arthur closed his eyes pretending to be unconscious and not a witness to what had just happened.

Merlin took a deep breath after the beast had fallen. He looked down at his ripped shirt and bloody chest, the beast's claws had done some damage, but that didn't matter he needed to tend to Arthur.

"Arthur?" Merlin approached the King on the ground knelt next to him. He reached out and gently shook him. Arthur pretended to stir and opened his eyes slowly. With Merlin's help he sat up and looked around.

"What happened?"

"That beast came out of nowhere and you slayed it before passing out from a head wound." Arthur stared at Merlin. He understood why Merlin was lying to him but he never realized how often it actually happened. How many times was it Merlin that saved the day and not Arthur?

"Sire? Are you alright? Is it your head?" Arthur met Merlin's eyes.

"No, it's a little sore, but not bad." Merlin helped Arthur up, once they were standing Merlin swayed a little and Arthur steadied him. Arthur took that moment to look the boy over. His face was covered in little cuts and bruises, his shirt was torn to threads and blood soaked every inch of bare skin, his pants had multiple tears and more blood. "You're injured, we need to get you back to Gauis."