Wowzas. The first chapter's been up less than a day, and already 5 reviews and 19 alerts. Thanks for all the support- glad you like the story so far, and here's hoping you continue to.

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin

Chapter 2

Shaking his head in an unsuccessful attempt to rid himself of tiredness, Merlin stumbled out of the Physician's Chambers, a bag slung over his shoulder, and staggered off towards the stables. Rubbing his eyes, he didn't even notice Gwen until he ran into her, knocking the basket of laundry she was carrying to the floor in the process. She had been working in the laundry room since Morgana's disappearance, helping out while others were away rebuilding their homes after the destruction caused by the Dragon's attacks on the city. He quickly knelt to help her to gather it all up again.

"Ah. Gwen. Good to see you." He grinned at her. "Sorry about that, I was kind of in a hurry."

"Merlin, are you alright?" The maid had a distinctly worried look on her face. "You look terrible."

"Thanks."

"No, I didn't mean you look bad per say, just that... Oh, you know what I meant." She paused, collecting her thoughts. "You look tired."

Merlin didn't want to worry her unnecessarily, so he just flashed her a quick smile.

"It's nothing to worry about. I just didn't get much sleep last night. I'm fine though." As they gathered up the last of the laundry he indicated down the hallway. "Well, I'd better get going. We're off to start the search, and Mr. High-and-Mighty will be useless without me there. Wish us luck."

"Good luck."

Setting off for the stables once again, Merlin didn't notice as Gwen's smiling face turned back into a frown before she went on her way. Something was clearly wrong with her friend, and there was nothing she could do.

A few minutes later, Merlin led the two newly-saddled horses towards the group gathering in the castle courtyard. A few of the waiting Knights nodded to him in acknowledgement as he joined them, watching as Arthur came down the steps- his royal pratness casting his eye over the group to make sure no-one was missing. Assured that everyone was ready, the Prince gave the order and they began to move out.

Coming down the stairs, Arthur couldn't help but notice that his manservant seemed, if possible, even more tired than he had the day before. Keeping his thoughts to himself, he allowed himself the slightest of frowns before clambering onto his horse. He had more important things to worry about. Morgana had been missing for over two weeks- who knew what Morgause could have done to her in that time.

However, as the group rode forward during the day, heading west and stopping at every village they passed, his thoughts continued to turn towards the boy riding at his side. He was holding up well, but Arthur could tell that he looked ready to fall asleep at any moment.

That night, they set up camp in a clearing near the edge of a forest. He waited until the party had eaten before barking out that he would take first watch. He quickly quelled any objections from the Knights and sat himself down next to the fire, alert to any noises outside the camp. When Merlin offered to join him, he simply gave him a disparaging look.

"Go to bed Merlin. You look dead, and I can't have you falling off your horse while the rest of us are trying to get some proper work done."

He watched as the young servant boy reluctantly lay down and fell asleep in less than a minute. He had obviously been absolutely exhausted. Shaking his head, the young Prince turned back towards the fire and readied himself for the long night ahead.

It wasn't long after the others had dropped off before he heard strange mutterings from Merlin's direction.

Glancing over, he could see that Merlin was obviously having some kind of nightmare. The boy was writhing around in his sleep, his face contorted, muttering beneath his breath.

"It wasn't my fault. I didn't mean to. I had to do something. It wasn't my fault." This continued for a while. Worried, Arthur walked over to Merlin. What on earth could he be dreaming about to make him so upset. Suddenly, the boy jolted upright, eyes wide:

"Father!"

There was a pause. The air was filled with Merlin's heavy breathing. Their eyes met, but it took a minute for Merlin to recognise Arthur, his vision clouded with tears.

Arthur was shocked. He'd only heard Merlin mention his Father once before- when they were on their way to Arthur's promised meeting with Morgause. He had never met him. So why was Merlin crying out for his father now?

"Well." Said Arthur, trying to diffuse some of the tension. "That was certainly unexpected." Merlin blinked.

"Sorry sire, I…"

"It's nothing. Go back to sleep." He walked back towards the fire, surprise on his face as a moment later Merlin sat next to him.

"I won't get back to sleep now. Believe me, I've tried before."

"This has happened before?"

The servant nodded his head. "For the past couple of weeks. I can't sleep. As soon as I do, the nightmares just return. I've tried everything." There was a silence, as Merlin bowed his head, staring into the flames.

"You… You mentioned your father." The head snapped up.

"Did I?"

"Yes." Arthur watched as a quick look of pain flitted across his manservant's face, before it settled into what could only be described as a bemused grin.

"That's strange, isn't it. It's not like I ever met him or anything." A pause. Arthur had originally intended to pursue the topic farther, but upon seeing the look in Merlin's eyes as he looked once again into the flames of the campfire, he quickly changed his mind.

"You should try and get some more sleep." Merlin shook his head profusely.

"I told you, I can't."

"This is an order Merlin. You are to lie there until you fall asleep." He changed his tone. "Look, Merlin, it may be hard, but it's best to grab as much rest as possible. We've got a tough time ahead of us, and if you're not better rested, there's a chance you might get hurt."

A silence fell between the two, until Merlin just nodded his head and went back to where he had lain before. It wasn't long before his mutterings filled the camp again. Arthur sighed. He had a bad feeling about this.