Arthur was already waiting in the courtyard when Medea came hurrying down the steps, clad in a fine, lightly armoured outfit that Morgana had insisted she borrowed. She approached the prince hesitantly, they seemed to have had a silent understanding in the throne room earlier but Medea couldn't be sure she hadn't imaged such as subtle agreement, and even if she hadn't imagined it, she didn't know the prince really meant for her to come along with them. Still... if she could persuade Merlin then she could persuade Arthur too, right?
"Don't worry, I've already been told it's useless to argue with you." Arthur greeted her as she approached, a hint of a smile on his lips. Medea let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding and gave him a small nod.
"Where's Merlin?" She asked, glancing around the dark courtyard in search of the black-haired man.
"Distracting the guards" Arthur replied nonchalantly. Medea shot him a worried look. "He'll be fine" The prince added reassuringly, Medea gave a small nod but the worry didn't leave her eyes. She noticed the prince was watching her carefully, as if he was trying to figure out a puzzle... it was starting to make her feel uneasy. She glanced back at him, her eyes locking with his, and smiled lightly.
"Do you have a question, my lord?" She asked. The prince looked surprised, perhaps he didn't realise how easy he was to read, Medea thought, or maybe he just didn't expect her to ask. A moment passed before he replied.
"Why do you wish to come with us?" Arthur asked, "you're risking your life for someone you don't even know". Medea wasn't sure she even had an answer for that, other than it just felt like the right thing to do. She let out a small sigh.
"I want to help Morgana" she stated, "she was right, what she said in the throne room, Gwen did far more to protect her than I did, yet I am rewarded and she punished, it's not fair and I want to make it right." Arthur regarded her for a moment.
"It's not your fault, and it's certainly not your job to make it right" the Prince replied, there was no argument in his voice, he was merely curious of her motives.
"It's nobodies job to do the right thing, Sire, but people should still strive to do so, don't you think?" Medea replied, her eyes were locked on his and she felt a blush creep onto her cheeks. She looked away from him and towards the main gate, pretending to be watching for guards. If the prince had noticed her embarrassment he didn't show it. "And what about you?" Medea asked in an attempt to fill the silence. "Why does the Prince of Camelot risk his life for a servant?" Arthur was shocked by the question, her tone was not judgmental nor mocking, only intrigued. Her soft gaze returned to him and it was his turn to look away.
"It is my duty to protect the people of Camelot" He replied, "besides, Guinevere means a great deal to people who mean a great deal to me" The prince admitted with a sigh. He wasn't sure why he was telling her this, she was just so easy to talk to.
"Like Morgana?" Medea said, it was more of a statement than a question.
"Yes, Morgana" Arthur agreed, "and others..." Medea didn't get the chance to question him any further as he began striding through the abandoned courtyard. "Merlin should be ready by now" He said by way of explanation. Medea nodded and quickly followed behind him, adjusting the bow on her back into a more comfortable position as they went.

When they made their way through the first gate Medea had to place a hand over her mouth to hold in a gasp at the sight that lay before them. She didn't know why she was ever worried about Merlin's safety, the young servant was stood grinning at them, two unconscious guards on the floor behind him. The prince was clearly as shocked by the scene as Medea was.
"I said distract them, not knock them out!" Arthur fumed, striding over to Merlin. The servant's grin faltered and was replaced by a look of mock annoyance.
"There's just no pleasing you sometimes..." Merlin complained, shaking his head slightly at Arthur who merely rolled his eyes and continued walking, sparing a concerned glance at the guards as he passed. Merlin looked back to Medea and gave her a sheepish smile.
"I'm not even going to ask" She giggled.
"Probably best" He replied before gesturing towards the gate Arthur had just walked through. "Shall we?" He asked with a smile. Medea returned the smile and walked past Merlin through the gate to where Arthur was stood with three horses. The prince extended his hand towards Medea and it took her a moment to realise that he meant to help her onto her horse. She took his hand with a smile.
"Thank you, Sire" She said, placing her hand in the princes and mounting her horse with his assistance. Arthur felt his heartbeat quicken slightly, he'd done this for Morgana a hundred times but this felt different. When Medea was comfortably sat in her saddle he turned away and made towards his own horse, briefly catching the eye of Merlin who was grinning like an idiot again. Arthur chose to ignore him, he didn't want to know what his servant was thinking. The prince quickly mounted his own horse and looked back towards Merlin who had done the same.
"Let's go" He said simply, glancing at Medea once more before riding out of Camelot and towards the forest, Merlin and Medea following behind.