A/N: I rather hated writing this chapter because I had to bash my OC around a little. Nothing too terrible I suppose but I just wanted to give a little heads up. And yeah, its totally fine that you don't review -.-


Chapter Seven


"Gwaine, are you sure there's a village nearby?" Merlin shouted over the pouring rain. They had just gotten through the mountains of Isgard and were now heading to the forest of Balor. It was late in the afternoon and it was already quite dark thanks to all the rain clouds.

Gwaine nodded confidently. "I think it was called Emels or something like that." He shouted back. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"You better hope that you're right. I don't want to waste any more time." Arthur yelled. He was getting frustrated. The rain had washed away and possible tracks left behind by Myka's captors and it was getting harder to see through all the rain.

It was almost nightfall by the time Merlin spotted something. "I see lights!" He exclaimed. Arthur and Gwaine squinted and saw a vague outline of houses in the distance.

"Good job, Gwaine." Arthur said, clapping Gwaine on the back as he passed him. As quickly as they could, the trio headed for the village and managed to arrive there just before the sky turned completely dark.

"I guess we'll have to stay the night here." Gwaine said, already inching his way slowly towards the tavern. Arthur looked around and saw an inn.

"We could stay there." He said, pointing to it. Merlin and Gwaine gathered their things and hurried to the inn, trying to avoid the rain.

They tied their horses outside the inn and entered. They were met with a rush of warmth as they entered and Gwaine sighed happily. "Its good to feel warm." He said, closing his eyes. A lady bustled up to them and looked at their wet and disheveled appearances.

"I'm guessing you need a place to stay tonight?" She smiled. Arthur nodded.

"Thank you very much." He said. The lady waved them over and they followed her up the stairs to the top floor of the house.

"I'm so sorry, only the attic is free." She said apologetically. Merlin smiled at her.

"Its alright. As long as we have a roof over our heads." He said. The lady patted him on the back and left the room. Gwaine dumped his things on one corner of the room and looked at around.

"At least we've got pillows." He said, eyeing the pile stacked near the door. Arthur took off his armour and headed for the door.

"I'll go ask around and see if anyone has seen Myka or the three men." He called over his shoulder.

"I'll stay here and watch our stuff." Gwaine said. He noticed Merlin sitting on the ground silently.

"We're close, I can feel it." He muttered to no one in particular. Gwaine went over to Merlin and sat next to him.

"I know. We'll find her."

/

The sound of thunder awoke Myka. She opened her eyes blearily and looked around the room. It was dark and the only source of light was the dim moon outside her window. The moonlight shone through the dark clouds surrounding it and Myka was annoyed to find that the rain hadn't stopped.

She looked around the room and noticed that Jay was passed out on the bed. She looked at him coldly and noticed something shiny near his head. Quietly, she tiptoed over to his bedside and squinted through the darkness.

"The keys!" She whispered to herself. Jay's hand was curled around it and Myka was wondering how she could take it without waking him up. Carefully, she twisted the key ring out of his hand.

"Mpf?" She froze and looked at Jay's face. He was still asleep. She let out a sigh and continued her work.

After what seemed like ages, she finally managed to pry the keys out of his hands. Her heart thudded quickly as she shakily placed the key in the door.

"Going somewhere?" Growled a voice from behind her. She spun around and came face to face with Jay. He stank of ale and he was glaring furiously at her. "Did you really think you could get away again?" He hissed. Myka trembled in fear. She had nowhere to run and she was backed against the door. She tried reaching for the door handle but Jay grabbed her wrist and twisted it.

"I won't go easy on you this time." He said reveling in the pain Myka was in. She screamed as he twisted her arm back cruelly and tears filled her eyes.

"You're a monster." She shouted. Jay grabbed her by the hair and threw her so hard against the door that it flew off its hinges and landed on the ground. Myka fell on top of the broken door roughly. She could feel the splinters digging into her skin.

"I don't care if Cenred wants you alive. You've caused too much trouble." He said. Myka could see the crazed look of fury in his eyes and she scrambled to get away. The door across them flew open to reveal a confused Owen.

"What the hell is going on?" He shouted. He broke off as he saw the broken door and Myka on the ground. He looked up at Jay, waiting for an explanation.

"Stay out of this Owen." Jay growled. Myka tried to stand but Jay slapped her hard across the face. Her eyes widened as she felt blood coming from the cut on her cheek.

"I hate you." She sobbed, holding a hand to her bloody face. Jay dragged her up to her feet by her hair and slammed her harshly against the wall. He took out a knife and press it against her other cheek.

"It's a shame to see this face go to waste." He sighed. Myka whimpered as she felt him trace her jaw with the blunt side of the knife. He looked into her eyes and grinned wickedly.

Without warning, he slashed the knife across Myka's left upper arm. Myka screamed as pain rocketed through her. She looked down at her arm and saw blood covering her. She fought the urge to vomit. Jay slammed her up against the wall once more.

"Say goodnight, bitch."

/

Gwaine and Merlin sat up with a start as they heard a crash coming from below them. "What was that?" Merlin asked, worried. Gwaine opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted with a bloodcurdling scream. They two of them quickly scrambled to their feet and grabbed their weapons. They jogged down the stairs and came to a halt as they took in the horrendous scene in front of them.

A girl was bleeding heavily on the ground and she was sobbing uncontrollably. A man stood over her, leering down as he came closer with a knife in his hand. Another man was standing in the doorway of one of the rooms and was watching silently.

"Leave her alone!" Merlin shouted. The girl turned her head towards Gwaine and Merlin, hiccupping as she tried to stop her tears.

"M-Merlin?" She gasped. Jay grinned psychotically and grabbed Myka by the arm and yanked her to her feet.

"Well, well, well. Remember me?" He said, talking to Gwaine. Gwaine shook in anger.

"What have you done with her?" He growled furiously. Myka looked broken and fear was so visible in her eyes.

"She needed to be punished." Jay said simply. He threw Myka to the ground harshly and smiled as he heard her head thump against the ground hard. Merlin leapt forwards and slashed blindly at Jay who stepped to the side easily.

"Is that all you've got?" He taunted. Gwaine growled and rushed towards him. His sword swung down towards Jay but was met halfway with the blade of Jay's knife. He's quick. Gwaine noted.

Merlin was kneeling by Myka and was cradling her head in his lap. He looked down at her face and carefully traced down the cut marring her cheek. A tear splashed against her face and he stood up, his eyes blazing. Gwaine had his back on Merlin so he didn't see the warlock raise his hand and glare at Jay.

"Forp fleoge!" Merlin hissed. Jay's eyes widened as he saw Merlin's eyes flash gold before he was thrown backwards and blacked out. Gwaine wasn't sure what had happened and figured that he must've hit Jay somehow.

He put his sword away and ran towards Merlin and Myka. "Are you alright?" He demanded. Merlin looked down at Myka again.

"Gwaine, we need to get her help." He choked out. Gwaine gingerly picked her up in his arms. He winced as he saw the cuts on her face and arm.

"I think we should get back to Camelot. Go and get Arthur." He said to Merlin. Merlin nodded and hurried down the stairs as Gwaine carried Myka down carefully. Neither of them noticed Owen and Mark lurking in one of the rooms, watching them. Owen had seen Merlin utter the spell that tossed Jay like a ragdoll across the hallway.

Owen walked to Jay's side and prodded him with the side of his foot. Jay grunted before opening his eyes wearily.

"Where is she?" He mumbled as he sat up. He rubbed the back of his head and grimaced as he felt lump forming where he hit his head. Owen snorted.

"They got away with her. Their headed back to Camelot." He said. Jay growled and got to his feet.

"Let's go after them. Now!" Owen stopped him.

"We should get back to Mora first. I think Cenred would be interested in what we have to tell him."

"We've got nothing to give him! The girl was rescued, the mission failed."

"Jay, you don't understand. What exactly happened when you got knocked out?" Owen asked with a smirk on his face. Jay frowned as he struggled to remember.

"That Gwaine must've hit me hard enough to knock me over?" He said, confused. Owen smirked wider.

"You got hit… By magic." He added.

"That's not possible." Jay said.

"Oh, its very possible. I saw the black haired one chant some kind of spell. His eyes flashed gold and you flew backwards." Owen said. Jay looked stunned but a mischievous smile slid onto his face.

"King Cenred will be pleased to hear this."

/

Arthur had been on his way to the market to ask around when he heard the commotion coming from the inn. He ran back and saw Merlin running towards him, a panicked expression on his face. "What happened?" Arthur demanded.

"We found Myka. She's in a lot of pain." Merlin said. Arthur could hear hysteria seeping into Merlin's voice. Arthur followed Merlin back to the inn and flinched as he saw Myka lying in Gwaine's arms.

"What did they do to her?" He said in horror. Merlin stroked Myka's face gently with the back of his hand before facing Arthur.

"They're going to pay for what they did." Merlin said in a low voice.

"We need to take care of Myka before we do anything else, Merlin." Gwaine reminded gently. "We can't travel while she's in this state."

"Is there anyone here who knows a physician?" Arthur asked loudly.

A few minutes later, Myka was laid down on a bed. The physician handed Merlin ointment to treat Myka's cuts and he dabbed at her arm and cheek as gently as possible. Gwaine and Arthur could see Merlin shaking in anger.

"As soon as she feels alright, we're leaving for Camelot." Arthur promised Merlin. He gave no response except for a slight nod of his head. Gwaine patted Merlin on the back and exited the room. Arthur followed suit, deciding to give Merlin some time alone with Myka.

Merlin held onto Myka's hand and he pressed his lips against it softly. He bowed his head and rested his forehead against Myka's unmoving shoulder.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered, a tear sliding down his cheek. This wasn't fair. Myka had already been taken away from him once and he didn't want it to happen again. Merlin remembered her as the vulnerable little girl from Ealdor. The girl he fell in love with.

"Merlin?" Myka whispered. Merlin's head shot up and he looked into Myka's eyes. He squeezed her hand gently and shuffled closer to her.

"How do you feel?" He asked anxiously. Myka tried to smile but winced in pain.

"I feel like I've been used as a practice dummy." She joked. Merlin laughed softly and kissed her forehead.

"Get some rest. You need it." He whispered. Myka smiled faintly before closing her eyes. Merlin sat there by her bedside and watched her throughout the night, never letting go of her hand.