Finally, here is Chapter number 12! This time it took me two days to write the chapter. The problem had been that I had planned to publish the chapter yesterday, but I did not like it, and I changed it completely. Of course, I hope the effort is worth it. Hope this one is better than the other one. Enjoy it.

I'm not own from Merlin.

"Arthur. Arthur. Arthur."

Arthur woke up after being shaken several times. He opened slightly into his eyes pretending to shout at the one who had awakened him by shaking him. And, of course, who was going to wake him up but Merlin. He was going to open his eyes more when he realized they were not in Camelot but in a cave of a supposed friend of Merlin's.

Frightened by what might happen, Arthur got up without being shaken more and looked around. Morgana and Gwen were still asleep. Then why had Merlin woken him up alone? He looked outside the cave and could see it was still night.

"Merlin! Why...?" He was going to ask when Merlin interrupted him.

"Don't care, Arthur, get Gwen and Morgana up, we have to go"

Arthur didn't understand anything. The man who lived in this cave was supposed to come at dawn. Why go? And where? Had Merlin changed his mind? Was it too dangerous to stay here and wait for that man, Merlin's friend? Despite all his questions and doubts, Arthur turned to awaken Morgana and Gwen, while Arthur was able to see Merlin go outside to prepare the horses.

When the four were ready to leave, outside the place where they had spent midnight, each with their horse saddles ready, Arthur set out to ask Merlin about the sudden change of mind. After all, he was the prince of Camelot. If they had to make decisions, it was him, not his servant, who would make it. But that put him aside for the time being.

"Merlin, can you tell why and where we are going?"

Merlin after a pause, as if thinking of an answer, said:

"We are going to visit my friend. And where... you'll soon know."

Arthur didn't trust much of this, but if there was anyone he honestly had his life with, it was Merlin. He would never say it, of course, but Merlin had been not only a servant but a loyal and courageous friend. But, if he had to doubt anything about him, it was at that moment.

And so the four went to the place where Merlin said his friend was or lived (there were doubts in that, for Merlin had ensured that the cave was his home). He hoped the man would be kind and give them something to eat. Yes, a good meal wouldn't hurt. But remembering what his so-called previous home had been like, he doubted that the next one would be better. Who knows, maybe they went to a damp, dark cave again, or not, and went to the Lost Castle of the Green Knight.

Along the way, they could hear the howls of wolves and other beasts. Without a doubt, for Arthur, that gorge at night liked less than the dungeons of the worst enchanted castle.

"Don't worry about the wolves, they won't attack us here," Merlin tried to reassure them, seeing the frightened faces of Arthur, Morgana and Gwen.

"How can you be so sure?" asked Arthur, throwing a defiant and insecure look at him.

"I just know," Merlin replied, turning his head in front to follow the path.

Arthur wasn't too calm of that simple, nonsense answer.

"What about what aren't wolves?" asked Gwen once those howls and roars appeared again.

"There's nothing to worry about them," Merlin replied simply, without looking back.

"And why not? They look hostile, after all" asked Morgana, looking at Merlin with a look similar to the one Arthur had thrown seconds ago.

"Why do you ask so many questions? Is it not enough for you to know that I have already gone through this gorge several times?" said Merlin with a smile, which in the moonlight glowed in the darkness.

"Yes, but you said never at night," Morgana said.

Merlin was going to replicate by opening his mouth, but then immediately closed it.

"Good point."

Arthur sighed, not being able to believe what he heard. How could he be such a naive servant? Were they going to end up like this, being the night lunch of the hungry wolves, and who knows what else beasts?

"And then how are you supposed to be so calm going at night if you've never been there?!" snapped Arthur, already tired of his friend's stubbornness. "Anything could happen to us! They could be Wyvern there, waiting for us!

"Well yes, you're right. At night, here you can see Wyvern, yes." Merlin said with a little smile as if all this were a game. Like life was a game. How could he be so naive and innocent? How could he not fear knowing they were in danger? "But now I tell you again: do not get upset. There's nothing to be afraid of, believe me."

"There's nothing to be afraid of?!" squealed Arthur, whose scream echoed on the walls and made the howls and roars heard closer a second later. Arthur had his blood freed, and he could see from Morgana and Gwen's faces that they were in the same position. He couldn't believe what Merlin was doing.

"Just trust me and do not do anything stupid, or you will end up as a lunch of any beast you do not know or want to know exists," Merlin whispered mysteriously and sinisterly. The moonlight bathed its delicate features. At the time, Arthur felt something he never thought he would feel about Merlin: fear.

They followed the path for a few minutes, as they listened with icy blood to the howls and roars of the nocturnal beasts until Merlin stopped at a location near one of the gorge walls. Above they could see the mountain, high and steep, where the grayish tone of the stone in the moonlight was seen everywhere. Yes, there wasn't much vegetation in these mountains. Either that or they were at a massive height, Arthur thought.

Merlin stood a few more moments in silence until he indicated a small, dark cave that opened on the side of the wall, barely visible. Merlin went into it, without fear. What was wrong with Merlin? Why did he seem so brave and thrown, without any fear?

When he entered, Arthur already imagined sleeping the rest of the night on the wet, cold floor of the cave. He really hoped this wasn't the place Merlin was saying. He didn't feel like being in caves since that night.

It was thinking about that when they went around in a corner to give a place bathed in moonlight. They had reached a green valley. Lots of vegetation and big trees were in it; nothing compared to the gorge, in which seeing an herb was like finding gold among stone.

Merlin guided them through the trees, which gradually created a forest. Every time they went further among the trees, darker everything turned. Arthur could witness among the leaves of the treetops that the first lights of the day came, being able to see the little light bathing the slopes of other mountains that surrounded the valley.

And so, they finally reached a wooden shed, typical of the forest, built manually with pine wood, and lumberjack instruments surrounding the shed. Smoke came out of the chimney, and through the windows of the house, the light of fire flooded Arthur's heart with heat.

Arthur didn't understand how different a single person's houses could be. Or had Merlin lied? Had Merlin lied about the cave, which was supposedly also the home of the man who at the time lived comfortably and peacefully in a wooden house in the forest, in the most beautiful valley he could ever witness?

The thing was Arthur didn't care anymore. He didn't care whether or not the cave had been the home of the man who now lived there. Arthur only thought of taking refuge in the house in what was left of the night, which was little, and taking from his hot broth, which surely smells like deer meat and spruce wood. He could smell it from where he was at the time.

He imagined Merlin's friend, an ordinary man, kind and eager to make way for his guests. The typical man who felt sorry for the tired and cold travelers, and let them pass to their warm abode. Yes, that would be great. Arthur had his joints and muscles numb and very cold to have slept on the floor of a damp, cold cave. Couldn't they have gone to this shed to sleep at night, before the dreary, dark cave?

But that didn't matter anymore. What mattered was, after warming up and eating a little at the humble lumberjack's house, going to Ealdor, and then to Engerd, where perhaps (and only perhaps, and with that one could tell the possibility of finding the man they were looking for) they could know where the Last Dragon Lord was, a man who had fled Camelot and had been persecuted for years. And they needed his help. And that's not to say he will probably don't want to help, after what they'd done to him. Surely the man was not foolish (he had escaped Camelot's cold iron claws), and would know that even if he saved Camelot, he would be executed at dawn the next day. And, honestly, Arthur didn't like that. He even took pity on the man, who was called Balinor.

But it was not the time for such thoughts, for now, the heat of the chimney and the energy of hot food awaited them.

And so, Merlin knocked on the door, to let it open by the man waiting for their arrival.

And that's it! Finally, we will know who Merlin's friend is. In the next chapter, I think I will write finally the conversation between Merlin and the man. What will Merlin know about him? Who really is this man? Does he know something from his father? You will know in the next chapter, hopefully, the next day, Sunday. Well, what do you think? Is it good, bad, nonsense, boring, with potential...? Tell me about it in the comments. Thank you, and see you next time.

LegolasHV