A/N - So far, all looks ok since the re-upload... (fingers crossed, touch wood!) Please keep letting me know if you can see it!

Thank you to bubzchoc, GuestM and twaine for the reviews! And to answer your question, GuestM, as these little fics were written for a challenge they are more snippets rather than full stories, so while some of them are complete and wrapped up, yes, some are left more open-ended. Either for dramatic effect or because I felt they finished in a way that fulfilled the prompt enough (or occasionally because my muse just stopped...)

However, please everyone, let me know if you want more of any of the fics and I will do my best to write sequels or follow ons for them!

That being said, here is a follow on from no. 2! (This is the only one that has a follow on so far, sorry.) So if you somehow missed no. 2, do go back and read it!

No. 5 – Failed escape / Rescue

Follow on from no. 2 (kidnapped)

Arthur massaged his leg, it was still throbbing where the guard had rammed the blunt end of the spear into his thigh. He'd so nearly gotten away, but the dungeon tunnels all looked so similar and his addled mind hadn't been able to make sense of them in time to avoid the changing guards marching towards him.

So much for an escape. He'd have to sit and wait for his father to pay the ransom and just hope they handed him back nicely.

To hell with that. He shook his head. He'd try to escape again at nightfall. Just give him a couple of hours to get his strength back.

Not that he thought he had any strength left to get back. His shoulder was still screaming agony. None of his captors had attempted to remove the crossbow bolt from his shoulder and he daren't try himself. Also, he supposed, the bolt was keeping the blood in. He'd probably be dead by now if he'd pulled the bolt from his shoulder.

He slouched back against the cold stone wall of the dungeon cell and took inventory of his injuries.

Crossbow bolt, left shoulder. Broken fingers, right hand. Bruised, and hopefully not broken, ribs. Bruised and swollen thigh, right leg. Vision blacking out and pain roaring through his head…

There was no way he could successfully make another escape attempt. He was still going to bloody well try though. Just… just after he'd had a little nap maybe… He slipped into oblivion.

Some time later, a commotion woke him. He struggled back to consciousness. His head did at least feel slightly clearer now. But his legs had gone numb and cramped from the cold and the slumped position he was sitting in.

There was a crash somewhere down the tunnel. Arthur pulled himself to his feet, leaning heavily against the wall, and shuffled to the door of his cell. He gripped the bars tightly to keep upright and peered into the gloom.

It had gone silent, nothing seemed to be happening further up the tunnel. He was about to let his legs give way and sink back to the floor when a flickering of torchlight lit up the craggy wall at the end of the tunnel. Someone was coming this way. Arthur would not let them find him on his knees. He pulled himself straighter against the door, glaring defiantly as the figure moved closer.

"Merlin?!"

Merlin rushed the last few steps, pressing close against the other side of the door and grinning that inane smile of his.

Relief washed over Arthur and he found himself grinning back. The last he'd seen of his servant had been a very dead looking body left crumpled on the floor of the forest where he'd been kidnapped.

"Thank God you're not dead," he said without thinking. Merlin smirked.

"That must be the nicest thing you've ever said to me. I didn't know you cared."

Arthur scoffed, pushing himself away from the door slightly and not looking at Merlin.

"I- I don't. I'm just glad you can help me. That's all."

Merlin didn't reply but the stupid upwards curl of his lips told Arthur that he knew he was lying. He started peering at the lock on the door, bringing the torch close enough that Arthur could feel the heat of the flames on his cold face.

"So. Got yourself kidnapped?" Merlin sniggered. "Well done."

"Shut up, Merlin." He kicked the door. Which only served to send a jolt of pain right up his leg. He swore. "Look, you need to get back to my father, tell him where I am, so he can send some knights to get me out."

"Nah." Merlin shrugged, still examining the door lock. "I'm going to get you out."

"Don't be stupid, Merlin, how are you going to manage that."

"Got past the guards, didn't I?"

After poking his fingers into the keyhole, Merlin began digging in his pocket.

"What are you doing?"

"Choosing which key."

"Which-?" Arthur stopped when Merlin pulled a large ring of keys from his jacket pocket and began examining each one.

"Ah, looks like this one." He selected one, a long rusty looking iron key, and shoved it into the lock. Twisting it resulted in a satisfying clunk as the lock slid across.

Arthur stared incredulously at his idiotic manservant as he smiled to himself and dropped the bunch of keys back into his pocket. He looked up at Arthur smugly.

"Coming? Or do you like it here?"

"How… what… you…?" Arthur spluttered. "What about the guards?"

"They were asleep," Merlin said offhandedly, waving a casual hand back up the tunnel.

"Asleep?" Arthur gaped at him. "Did you drug them or something?"

"Uh, yeah," Merlin said, now he looked a bit guilty. "Something like that."

Limping forwards, Arthur let out a huff of laughter, grinning at Merlin.

"You're really not as stupid as you look."

"Wow, two compliments in one day."

Merlin looped his arm around Arthur's back, taking most of his weight as Arthur's knees trembled. His injured shoulder screamed as he raised his arm to support himself on Merlin.

"Don't let it go to your head," he ground out through gritted teeth.

"Careful, Sire, I might start to think you actually like me or- OW!"

Arthur jabbed him as hard as he could in the side. Then almost fell over for his troubles. Merlin caught him, jostling the crossbow bolt as he did so. Arthur groaned and nearly passed out.

Merlin swore.

The black dots in his vision were back, dancing and fading in and out in front of his face. He let Merlin take control as he half carried Arthur down the tunnel. He'd dropped the torch when Arthur fell but he still seemed to be able to see where he was going. Maybe it wasn't actually as dark as Arthur's fuzzy eyes were telling him.

A shout went up when they got to the end of the tunnel. One guard was sitting on the floor, rubbing his head. The other stumbling to his feet, shouting for help and trying to grab his spear.

He thought he heard Merlin saying something, talking to the guards, but he couldn't make out the words, they sounded strange. And a second later the guards were sprawled on the floor and Merlin was pulling him out of the dungeon. His shoulder felt like it had started bleeding again.

They staggered up some stairs. Arthur noticed several other men falling to the floor all the way along their route and Merlin kept speaking. Arthur supposed he must be talking to him but for the life of him he couldn't understand any of Merlin's words.

Bright sunshine seared across Arthur's eyes as they reached the mouth of the tunnel. They were in a small clearing in the forest and Merlin's horse was tied to a tree nearby.

"Easy, Arthur, here we go."

Arthur felt his leg being lifted, his foot slotted into a stirrup, and then Merlin pushed him up onto the horse's back. He collapsed against her neck, breathing heavily through the pain that now flooded his entire chest and arms. Agony worked its way up his neck and down his legs, making sure not a single part of his body was left out of the burning torturous anguish. The pounding of his heart was reverberating around his skull.

Merlin waved a hand at the cave entrance to the dungeon tunnel. There was a sort of rumbling crashing sound but Arthur didn't have the strength or lucidity to turn and look back. He expected the sound was just in his head anyway.

Mounting up behind him, Merlin wrapped one arm around Arthur's chest to hold him steady and kicked the horse into a trot.

A/N - hehehe, oblivious Arthur.