AN: Ok, this is officially the longest chapter I have written for anything ever. Over seven thousand words!

So, on that note, I did plan on having this up as a Christmas present. As it took so long to write, I was only a few minutes off. It's still Christmas in Hawaii!

Anyhoo, I hope you all like this. It got a bit crazy with all the different escape plans going on and me kind of wanting to be done with this story, but I think it all makes sense, nothing too unbelievable...

And to all who have seen the finale of Merlin, I am just as devastated as you, I promise. I'm pretty sure this is the first time a TV show has ever made me cry. Now, I don't watch a lot of TV, but I also don't cry a lot, so take that as you will. I'm not going to spoil anything, but if anyone needs to have a tearful internet chat, I am totally up for this. And reviews really might make me feel better :]

And, as always, I don't own Merlin. Now that its over I will never gain that pleasure.

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Great Escape

It was ages before Arthur and Percival deemed it dark enough for them to go back to the castle. Or, at least, it felt like ages to Merlin. Arthur had tried to get him to rest but that had been impossible. How could he sleep when Lancelot was stuck in Camelot's prison? He had gotten Lancelot involved into this whole thieving thing, he had told Lancelot to bring the gold to the lower town, so it was his fault Lancelot had been caught, and now he needed to fix that.

But he also knew that Arthur and Percival were right, and that they had to do this the smart way if they were going to do it at all. One wrong move and Lancelot could be in much more trouble than he currently was. So, he had spent the ages pacing and going over every detail of their plan again and again until Arthur finally announced that it was time to go.

Gwaine had been abnormally quiet on their journey to the castle, his normal jokes lost in the seriousness of the situation. Both him and Merlin were already dressed in the guard uniforms, and all four of them had their usual magical disguise as well, so there was almost no chance they would be recognized. Arthur took the lead as they approached the citadel, waiting until there was a break in the guards before dashing across the open plains between the city walls and the forest, Merlin, Gwaine, and Percival close behind him. When they reached the wall, Arthur led them to one of his many secret entrances. Gwaine entered first, his movements quick and catlike as he checked to make sure the streets were empty before hurrying the others through.

Merlin felt relieved as Percival climbed through the hole in the wall, joining the rest inside the citadel. The first step of their plan had gone smoothly. Entering and exiting the city was getting to be one of the hardest parts of their operations now that security was so high. Once inside all they had to do was blend in and hopefully no one would notice them. Seeing as Merlin and Gwaine were dressed as city guards, blending in would be almost a non-issue for them. Arthur and Percival would have to keep to the shadows, as they were technically out after the newly instated curfew. Still, it was dark and Camelot had enough twisting alleyways that even Percival with his large stature would be able to keep hidden.

Merlin and Gwaine kept to the middle of the street, trying not to look rushed or worried as they made their way towards the castle. They could just barely hear Arthur and Percival sneaking along behind them as they marched forward. The guards at the castle gates didn't spare them a second glance as they marched through, leaving Arthur and Percival in the city to help them make a quick escape if necessary.

Gwaine gave Merlin a quick smile as they entered the castle. They had made it this far easily, now they just had to find Lancelot and get him out. Arthur had given them very specific instructions on how to find the dungeons so they wouldn't end up spending hours wandering aimlessly through the castle. Luckily, with the large numbers of recently hired guards and knights, this might not have looked too suspicious, but it would still be a large waste of time they could not afford. Gwaine was leading once again, taking a brisk pace so Merlin had to almost jog to keep up with him. They had been getting close to their destination (if Merlin had remembered Arthur's instructions right) when the sound of multiple people approaching caused Gwaine to slow his pace, attempting to look more casual. Unfortunately looking casual was going to be a lot more difficult when they turned the second to last corner and caught sight of the group making the noise.

The two guards on either end of the procession were smirking cruelly as they pulled a bound and slightly terrified-looking Lancelot directly towards Merlin and Gwaine.

Gwaine froze first, his eyes glued on Lancelot. Merlin had nearly ran into him as he hadn't been paying attention as to what was in front of him but gaping at his imprisoned friend. Luckily he managed to stop just before smacking into Gwaine's back and drawing even more attention to themselves. One of the guards holding Lancelot had snorted as he passed them, whispering something that made the other guard laugh and Lancelot go even paler. As Lancelot and his escort began to move further away, Merlin snapped out of his surprised trance and quickly focused on the mental bond he had forged with Lancelot as he thought,

'It's alright, we're going to get you out. Do whatever is necessary to stay safe until we can.'

Lancelot's head had snapped up as Merlin thought this, jerking around as if searching for the source of the voice before relaxing again. Merlin hoped the message had at least brought Lancelot some comfort and a good amount of hope.

Gwaine took slightly longer to get over the shock, and his reaction was quite a lot worse. Merlin had barely been able to stop him from yanking out his sword and racing after Lancelot and the pair of guards who held him. Although Merlin was slightly tempted to do the same, he knew that this would alert the entire city of their presence, putting not only them at a greater risk, but also Arthur and Percival. For now they needed to keep calm and figure out what was going on. Once they knew all the facts, they could find Arthur and Percival and figure out what to do with this new chain of events.

Lancelot realized his mistake as soon as one of the other prisoners started shouting. He had exposed himself when Gwen brought down the food! If he was correct in believing that man had seen who he was, then there was a very good chance his identity was no longer very secret and it wouldn't be long before Uther knew just who he had locked up in his dungeons. What he really needed was to find a way out before the guards came back, but his search was proving fruitless. The small cell he was stuck in was empty except for a scattering of straw and other debris, none of which would do him any good for breaking out. And the door was rather solid, none of his pushing or shoving had made any difference. Maybe if Percival was here... But Percival wasn't here, and even if he was, a wall probably was a bit more than even his incredible strength could handle.

When the footsteps returned Lancelot quickly scurried to the back of the cell, hoping that somehow the guards wouldn't be coming for him, that he was just being paranoid. But, wishful thinking could only do so much as the two guards peered around the dungeon before stopping before his cell.

"You Lancelot?" one of the guards asked, pointing a pudgy finger at him. Lancelot nodded slowly, trying to remember whether or not any of the posters had included his name as the second guard said, "The king would like a word with you." with a terrifying grin as he brought out the keys to his cell.

At the jangle of keys Lancelot he had one last chance to escape on his own. If he could just get past the guards now then he might be able to escape Uther's judgment. He braced himself, ready to run the second the door was open. His charge took the squat guard by surprise, but the grinning one was prepared and quickly had his sword at Lancelot's neck, stopping Lancelot's plan before it had even begun.

"Not so fast." The grinning guard said as the squat one righted himself and returned looking quiet furious. "I don't think King Uther would be very happy if he knew you had refused his hospitality. You should be grateful. If it were up to me we would just be bringing him your head."

Lancelot remained silent as the squat guard locked his hands behind his back. This would be the second time in his life he stood before Uther, only this time he would be in chains, and probably wouldn't make it out with only a small amount of humiliation.

As he thought about what would happen to him on this visit to the king, Lancelot realized that even though he wasn't too proud to admit he was terrified, he couldn't bring himself to regret any of his actions. If given the opportunity to do it all over, he wouldn't change a thing. He had done all he could to help the people, protected a beautiful maiden's virtue, and kept true to himself throughout it all. If this was to be his end, at least he knew he had no regrets. Not that he wanted it to end. He wanted to spend more time with Guinevere, and he wanted to continue fighting. He had always hoped that one day he would live to see Camelot become the kingdom Merlin had always wanted it to be. He was so lost in these thoughts he barely noticed when two guards standing frozen in the hall almost blocked their way. The only thing that alerted him to their presence was when the sneering guard bent down to whisper, "Looks like you've got some admirers, pretty boy. Maybe the king will give them a piece of you when this is all finished."

Lancelot felt the color drain from his face as the squat guard laughed and he was reminded once again of the proximity of his own demise. If Uther really knew who he was, Lancelot was certain his death would not be easy. A simple hanging would not be enough for a follower of Emrys, and there probably would be torture before he even reached his end. Lancelot was beginning to hyperventilate as was quite happy when a ressuring voice echoed in his head.

It's alright, we're going to get you out. Do whatever is necessary to stay safe until then.

Merlin's voice was gone as suddenly as it had come. Lancelot couldn't help but feel slightly comforted by his words. Merlin was powerful, and he could be just about as protective as Percival when he wanted to be. But Uther would know this as well. And although the king did want all of Emrys' men arrested, it was their leader he was really after. He wished he could somehow get a message back to Merlin, tell him he was already lost, to not risk everything at an attempt to save him, but Lancelot knew that even if he could Merlin probably wouldn't listen.

Thinking of Merlin did make him feel slightly better, and when he was dumped at Uther's feet the color had almost completely returned to his face. He quickly pulled himself up to a kneeling position, but was kept from returning to his feet by the guards who had escorted him. He schooled his features to not show any fear to the king before looking up and meeting Uther's eyes. The tyrant was smirking at him, examining his face with scrutiny. Little had changed in the king since Lancelot had come to petition to be a knight. He had aged some, his hair was thinning and his forehead was more wrinkled, but very little else was different. The king was still a formidable man, it was easy to see how he held onto power even in his cruelty.

"That's him!" another voice called. Lancelot turned to see another man, shackled like him except his hands were bound in front, allowing him a wider range of motion. "That's the one from the wanted posters! He looked different when he came, it must've been magic, Sire, please, please let me go!"

Uther looked at the other man as if he were a particularly nasty stain on the floor. He waved his hand and quickly said, "Yes yes, you may go. Guards, take off his shackles and escort him out."

That must have been the man who had been shouting in the dungeons. Although Lancelot mostly wanted to go give him a good punch, a small part of him felt sorry for the poor man who probably had been imprisoned for something beyond his control. Still, if his freedom cost Lancelot his life, he couldn't help but think that maybe there could have been a better way.

As soon as the man was gone Uther's attention honed back in on Lancelot. His lips curved in a slight grin as he said, "So, Lancelot, I believe you might be able to help me."

Lancelot scowled up at Uther and replied, "If you think I'm going to betray Emrys to you, you are even stupider than I imagined. Do what you want with me, as long as he is safe my life will have worth."

Uther scoffed at Lancelot's reply, still looking far too smug for Lancelot's liking. "I don't need you to tell me anything. I'm pretty sure your friends won't leave you in my hands, so all we have to do is wait. As long as I have you here I won't have to find Emrys, for he will come to me."

Lancelot felt his stomach drop. Uther was right. Merlin would try to save him, walking right into Uther's trap. Lancelot was only bait, Merlin was the real prize.

Uther's laughed at Lancelot's inability to respond. Lancelot kept his eyes fixed on the floor as Uther marched over to his side, tangling Lancelot's hair in his large hand before yanking his gaze away from the ground as he said, "I do have one question for you, scum. What has Emrys done to my son? Where is Arthur?"

Lancelot couldn't help but smile at Uther's worry over his son. "Mostly they just cuddle, although sometimes we catch them kissing. Gwaine swears that he saw them go further but I don't believe him. Arthur can be quiet the gentleman, which is impressive considering you're his father."

The smug grin had fallen from Uther's face as Lancelot spoke, given him some small form of satisfaction before Uther hurled him back towards the stone floor. "How dare he!" Uther yelled. "How dare he pervert my son!"

Lancelot couldn't help but roll his eyes at this. Uther was so ignorant to his son's own life, it was almost sad. Arthur might have been the only one in their small troop whose father was still alive, but it was clear Uther would never really be a father-figure.

"I don't think he's trying to pervert Arthur. He's just teaching him a new way of seeing this land. Maybe you could learn a thing or two from Emrys as well."

Uther apparently didn't like that answer as his ringed hand smacked across Lancelot's face. Lancelot tried to think of something else to yell at the monarch as he walked away from him. Unfortunately Uther didn't give him enough time as he returned, holding a small rag. Just as Lancelot was about to resume his protest, Uther shoved the rag into his mouth and tying it behind his head, effectively silencing him.

"I said I didn't need you to speak." Uther said with a smirk. "Soon Emrys will be dead and Arthur will be free."

Lancelot could only glare as Uther spoke. The entire hall went silent for a while before the large doors opened behind Lancelot. He couldn't see who came in until they were brought in-between him and Uther, and he felt his heart sink. Whoever had told Uther that he was in the dungeons must have also informed the king about his talk with Guinevere. He should have realized that he was putting her in danger when he associated with her, but now it was too late as she and her brother were hauled before the king by a group of guards. Lancelot tried to get to her, but his two guards were quickly on him, keeping him back in his kneeling position as one of the guards in the new group stepped forward to talk to the king.

"Sire, we believe this is the girl who spoke with the prisoner. Her brother attacked us when we tried to arrest her so we figured we should bring him in as well."

Lancelot could only glare at the guards as they pushed Gwen and Elyan to their knees. Gwen looked angrily up at the king while her brother looked slightly dazed, a large bump on the side of his head probably the cause of that. Uther ignored Lancelot's attempts at speech as he turned his attention to his new prisoners, slowly walking back and forth in front of the siblings. He eventually stopped in front of Guinevere and said, "You were Morgana's maid, weren't you?"

Gwen glared back at him and nodded silently, glancing nervously at her brother and Lancelot from time to time.

"So you've been working with Emrys the entire time! You traitorous bitch, I'll see you hanged for this!"

Both Lancelot and Elyan tried to throw off their guards and get to Guinevere as Uther lunged forward, his large hand closing around her delicate neck. Lancelot eventually did manage to pull free of his guards, darting over to where Gwen was gasping in Uther's clutches. As his hands were still bound behind him, there wasn't much he could do besides ram straight into the distracted king, throwing his whole bodyweight into pushing Uther away from Gwen. Uther must not have expected this, as he dropped Gwen, allowing Lancelot to stand between them, huffing furiously as the guards tried to pull him away from the new prisoners. Gwen had collapsed behind him, one hand at her throat, the other clutching Lancelot's thigh as he glared at the guards who had attempted to pull him away. Elyan managed to break free as well, taking a defensive position on the other side of the gasping Guinevere, still looking slightly disoriented as the guards circled around them. When Uther's shouts brought even more guards from the halls it was clear they weren't going to be able to hold their position for long. Still, Lancelot wouldn't give up Gwen without a fight, as he growled around his gag and lunged at any guard that came to close.

It was inevitable that they were separated eventually, four guards keeping Lancelot pushed to the ground, and another six working to subdue the two siblings. Uther glared at Lancelot as he squirmed beneath his guards. Although he wasn't able to get free, the commotion had loosened the tie of his gag, which he had managed to spit out of his mouth. Finally able to speak again he shouted, "LET HER GO! She has nothing to do with this!"

Uther seemed intrigued by Lancelot's sudden show of anger at Gwen's situation, as he moved back towards Lancelot and said, "She was seen telling you about plans to escape. It is obvious she has been in contact with Emrys, and you clearly have some connection with her. She will die for working with criminals, but you won't be around to see it. Take them to the dungeons!"

The guards restraining Gwen and Elyan nodded and hauled the pair of struggling siblings to their feet, pulling them out of the large room and down towards the dungeons. Lancelot gave another shove against his guards as they left, shouting of their innocence until Uther could once again fix the gag in his mouth, leaving him silent and hating himself for putting Gwen in even greater danger.

Merlin had pulled Gwaine into an empty hallway as soon as he managed to calm him down slightly. Although Merlin agreed that they needed to follow the men who had Lancelot, he also knew they needed to do it subtly. If Uther knew who Lancelot was, which looked pretty likely, he would be expecting them to come looking for him. If they could find out what Uther's plan was first, then maybe they could be one step ahead of the king in their attempt to get Lancelot back.

"Why did you stop me!" Gwaine growled as Merlin held him back while peering after the two men who were holding Lancelot.

"Gwaine, we are going to free him, I swear. But we have to be careful. Arthur and Percival don't know what's going on, they won't be prepared for the increase of security when it happens. The circumstances have changed, so we'll have to change our plan to fit them."

"You stopped me because of Arthur right? You're just worried Uther will take him away from you, while Lancelot will probably lose his head if we don't get him out of here now. Not everything is about you and Arthur."

Merlin felt terrible. Could Gwaine really think that all he cared about was Arthur? He knew he was more protective of Arthur than the others, but that didn't stop him caring about them. He took a deep breath and lead Gwaine out of the deserted hallway saying, "Please don't think that, Gwaine. I am worried, and not just about Arthur. It's my fault that Lancelot is in trouble, and we will get him out of it, in one piece. I don't know what Uther will do when he gets his hands on Lancelot, but I am certain he won't kill him right away. He wants me, and he's going to use Lancelot to try to get me. If we know what he's planning, then we can free Lancelot without all getting caught along with him. I'm sorry if I seem cold-hearted, I'm just trying to do this in the safest way possible."

Gwaine was silent as he followed Merlin, moving quickly down the dark passages after Lancelot and his escort. They finally stopped, entering a room with two large, wooden doors. They weren't going to be able to sneak in there, not without an extreme risk of getting caught. What they really needed now was Arthur. Merlin was almost nervous to say that after Gwaine's outburst, but Arthur would know his way around the castle much better than any of them, and would probably have a better idea of what Uther was planning.

"We need Arthur." Merlin whispered. "We need to find another way into this room, and if anyone knows that it would be Arthur."

Gwaine nodded and guided Merlin back towards an empty hallway. Once they were a good distance from the room where Lancelot was Gwaine said, "You're right, Merlin. About everything. And I shouldn't have been angry at you. When this is over I'm going to need the biggest tankard of mead in the kingdom."

"As long as you wait till this is over, I might join you on this quest." Merlin replied with a smile. "Now you stay here, watch the door. I'll be back with Arthur and Percival as soon as possible."

Gwaine nodded, turning his eyes back towards the door as Merlin ran quickly down to where he new Arthur would be waiting. Luckily as long as he was wearing the guard uniform no one questioned him. He made it back to where Arthur and Percival was waiting quickly, and told them of all they had seen as fast as he could. Getting back to Gwaine had been much more difficult. Merlin could check to make certain there was no one there, but if anyone saw Arthur and Percival they would alert the entire castle to their presence. There had been a very close call with a pair of guards who had asked Merlin if he would like to join them at the tavern, but they seemed distracted enough by the prospect of getting ale soon that they didn't pay much attention to the young guard who didn't seem to want any alcohol, or the two men hiding in an alcove behind him. Gwaine looked quite frantic when they finally made it back to him.

"Gwen and Elyan were arrested as well. I don't know exactly what's going on, but it can't be good." Gwaine whispered quickly.

"My father arrested Guinevere?" Arthur asked, looking completely bewildered, "How could he know that she was involved?"

I don't know," Gwaine replied, "but her and her brother were definitely pulled in there by a group of guards only a moment ago."

"We need to figure out what's going on." Merlin said, looking back to Arthur. "What room is that and is there some other way to get in? I think someone will notice if we try to get in through those doors."

Just as Merlin finished speaking they heard yelling from the room where Lancelot, Gwen, Elyan, Uther, and a good number of guards were currently situated. The yelling was quickly followed by a call for guards, which Gwaine had almost responded to before Arthur had held him back saying, "If you act as a guard now, you're going to have to follow Uther's orders no matter what he says. We need to stay here, we can't let the king order us all over the kingdom."

Gwaine nodded, still watching the door with intensity but relaxing slightly in Arthur's grip. Arthur was about to speak again when the door opened, and Gwen and Elyan were escorted back down the hall. Gwen looked startled and scared but she was holding her head high even as she was towed away. Elyan looked more worried than she was, and his concern seemed to be directed towards his sister. When no one else followed Percival said, "Where do you think they're taking them?"

"Probably the dungeons." Arthur replied, watching the group's progress. "There's not a whole lot else in that direction. We can get them out after we figure out what's going on with Lancelot. They won't be under as severe guard as he is."

"What do you think he's doing to Lancelot?" Gwaine whispered, sounding like he wasn't even certain he wanted to know the answer.

"I'm not sure." Arthur replied, "He could do the same thing he did with Merlin, and torture him for information, but the fact that he's holding him in the council chambers makes me think he isn't. Uther would take him back down to the dungeons if he was going to do that, I think. If I know my father, he won't really care about you lot, he'll only be interested in getting Merlin. If he thinks he can use Lancelot to get Emrys, that's what he's going to do. He'll keep him well-guarded but probably unharmed in hopes that we will try to rescue him."

"So he's waiting for us." Percival said, looking over at Arthur.

"Probably. He probably doesn't expect us to already be here, which means getting out might be a problem, but hopefully getting Lancelot won't be too bad. For now we should focus on the first step."

Just as Arthur finished speaking, another guard ran out of the large room. He must have heard something, as he turned towards Merlin and his troop, changing direction quickly. Merlin froze. If that guard continued down the hall there was no way he wouldn't notice them, and if they moved now they would be an open target. Luckily, Arthur was thinking quickly and he pushed Merlin and Gwaine forward, pulling Percival back behind a pillar and into the shadows.

"What are you two doing here?" the guard asked, only seeing at Merlin and Gwaine, who looked like a confused pair of guards and nothing else.

"We were just headed down to the tavern." Merlin said, hoping the excuse of the other guards would be believable.

"Unlucky, mates." The guard said, "You won't make it to the tavern tonight. Uther wants all the knights and guards to gather in the council chambers. We've got one of Emrys' men, the king's hoping to smoke the thief out."

"We're on our way." Merlin replied, trying his best to keep calm. Gwaine grunted in agreement, which must have satisfied the real guard, as he took off down the hall to go inform the rest of the castle, all of which would soon be watching for them.

"We have to get him out of there now." Arthur said, stepping out of the shadows with Percival. "Soon, he'll be surrounded by knights and we won't be able to get near him."

"Arthur's right." Merlin said, "We need to take them out while they are weakest, before they have time to prepare. Is there any other way into this room?"

"There's a servant's entrance around the back, but besides that no."

Merlin nodded, trying to think of the best way out of this. It didn't help that he knew if he waited too long this would all be over, Lancelot would be practically irretrievable.

"We do have two guard uniforms," Percival said, "Two of us could pretend to be guards and try to get Lancelot out."

"Uther isn't going to allow Lancelot out of this room, no matter what we're dressed as." Arthur said, looking annoyed, "It would be much more difficult to get him out from here, seeing as we are practically in the center of the castle. I think I have a plan, but it will be risky. If Percival takes Merlin's uniform, he and Gwaine bring me in, and tell Uther they caught me. That will keep Uther's interest, he probably wants me back more than anyone besides Merlin, and he'd kill Merlin as soon as he saw him. As long as he's distracted with me, Merlin can sneak in the back way and get Lancelot out."

"But then you'll be caught." Merlin said, not at all happy about this plan. "And like you said, Uther wants you more than Lancelot, he wouldn't dare let you go."

"I won't really be caught," Arthur said, placing a hand on Merlin's shoulder in a failed attempt to get him to calm down. "Percival and Gwaine will have me. They'll keep me safe."

Merlin looked back at Arthur. He still didn't like this plan, but it was probably their best option. And after what Gwaine said, Merlin couldn't help but wonder if he maybe was being a little over-protective.

"Fine." Merlin said with a sigh. "Just don't do anything stupid, alright?"

"Merlin, I am incapable of stupidity, didn't you know that?" Arthur said with a grin. Merlin rolled his eyes but couldn't suppress the grin that spread across his face at Arthur's words. He quickly pulled off the guard uniform, passing it over to Percival. Seeing as he had been wearing the smaller of the two uniforms, it was a very tight fit, but hopefully Uther would accept it. Arthur was giving him directions as quickly as possible as Percival changed, letting him know exactly how to get to the passage way that would lead him into the back of the council chambers. Merlin memorized every word, if he got lost the entire plan would be ruined and he would have handed Uther all of his men on a silver platter. When Arthur had finished explaining and Percival was changed, Arthur pulled him into a hug, holding him tightly and whispering, "Be careful, Merlin. It's you Uther's trying to kill."

Merlin pulled back, looking at Arthur sadly as his facial-hair disguise vanished and he looked like himself once again and nodded, giving one brief smile before he darted off in the direction Arthur had instructed.

Arthur was more nervous than he would like to admit about seeing his father. He had tried to act cocky so Merlin wouldn't be worried, but he knew Uther better than the rest of them. Although he probably wouldn't kill Arthur, his punishment for this betrayal would be severe. Confinement to the castle would seem like a slap on the wrist compared to what he could now be facing.

Still, this was the only plan they had, and it wasn't a bad one. They would need quite the distraction to take Uther's attention off of Lancelot, and this might just be enough to do it. Then Merlin could use his magic to get Lancelot out, while he, Gwaine, and Percival could probably take out a few guards with their skills alone. As long as they moved quickly and Uther didn't, everything should work fine. They had waited a short period, giving Merlin some time to reach the hidden passage way before Gwaine and Percival each grabbed one of Arthur's arms and they moved out of the shadows. He could feel Gwaine shaking slightly, which didn't help with the nervousness that Arthur was feeling. It had surprised him to see how emotional Gwaine had gotten over this Lancelot incident. He knew that they were close friends, but he had never seen Gwaine this worried about anything. He supposed he had probably acted rashly when Merlin had been caught as well, but it was strange to have Gwaine so quiet and different from his usual jubilant self. They paused for a moment at the large doors to the council chambers, Arthur taking one last deep breath and schooling his expression before Percival reached forward and opened the doors.

Uther hadn't even looked up when they entered, keeping his eyes glued on Lancelot. Lancelot had though, his expression turning from one of anger and fear to pure shock. He was positioned in the middle of the room, kneeling with Uther keeping a firm grasp on his hair. He was bound and gagged, but looked unharmed otherwise. There were about five other guards in the chambers, all of which were currently staring at the new additions to the chamber as Percival slowly cleared his throat and said, "Sire, we've found the crown prince."

Arthur couldn't help but shiver as his father turned to look at him. He glared back, hoping that they wouldn't seem too suspicious and that their plan really would get Uther away from Lancelot. The entire hall was silent for a moment as the two Pendragons stared at each other, both unmoving, until Uther dropped Lancelot and marched towards Arthur.

"My son!" Uther cried, placing a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "I knew we would be united soon. Together, we will ride this land of the scum that is Emrys."

"Uther," Arthur said, calling his father by his first name alone for the first time in his life,
"when will you understand that I will not help you destroy Merlin! He is the only thing holding this land together, and I will not call you my king until you accept that!"

Arthur's answer angered Uther more than he had hoped. He had wanted to draw all attention away from Lancelot and onto himself, but he hadn't expected the punch Uther threw to his gut. It did draw all eyes away from Lancelot though, allowing Merlin to enter through the small door in the back and crouch down beside their bound friend. Arthur tried not to stare at him as Uther yelled, "You will respect me, Arthur! I don't care what that thief did to you, I am your father and your king, and you will learn to honor that!"

Arthur glared at Uther with all the hatred he could muster as he replied, "You are not my father, Uther Pendragon. Not anymore."

Uther looked furious as he glared back at Arthur, saying "Take him to the cells at the back of the dungeons, away from all the other prisoners. Lock him up, and stay outside his cells. No doubt Emrys will come looking for him as well."

Gwaine and Percival both nodded and said "Yes, Sire." as they pulled Arthur out of the room. He had to remind himself that this had all been a ploy, that as soon as they were out of the council chambers Gwaine and Percival would release him allowing him to go back and find Merlin. He had managed to sneak a glance back at Merlin when Uther had finally taking his attention off of him, glad to see that Lancelot had been freed and they were quietly making their way back towards the door. It seemed his plan had worked, now they only needed to work out how to get out without being caught.

They had just made it out the doors when they heard Uther begin to shout. Knowing that meant he had realized Lancelot was gone, and probably was at least slightly suspicious of Arthur being caught at precisely the right time, Arthur, Gwaine, and Percival began sprinting down the hall, Arthur leading them towards where the passageway Merlin took let out. They were about half way there when they ran into both Merlin and Lancelot, both of whom looked quite nervous. Merlin threw his arms around Arthur, interrogating him to be sure he was fine while Gwaine embraced Lancelot and began joking once more. Lancelot looked fine, except he was still much too nervous, as he interrupted Gwaine's joke saying "Guinevere's been arrested. He's going to have her killed for helping us."

"We'll just have to get to her first then, won't we?" Gwaine said with a smile, patting Lancelot on the back. Arthur quickly nodded in agreement to what Gwaine had said, even though a small part of him wanted to cry. This night was just getting better and better. He took a deep breath and said, "There's a passage way from the dungeon to the lower town. We can use that to escape the castle, but there will be guards everywhere. This isn't going to be easy."

Merlin took his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze before saying, "Maybe not, but we can do this, Arthur. After all, we've made it this far."

Arthur squeezed back, glad to have Merlin optimistic again as they raced off down to the dungeons.

The journey down had proven quiet treacherous. It was only due to Merlin's magic that they made it at all, although the trail of unconscious knights and guards would probably begin to draw attention soon. Luckily it did not seem Uther expected them to go after Gwen and Elyan, as most of the guards seemed to be heading towards the more commonly used exits of the castle. When they reached the dungeon, Merlin's eyes flashed gold once more as his powers sent the prison guards into a deep sleep, allowing their troop into the dungeons below.

Arthur had almost been blown away by the smell. Never in his life had the cells been this full. They would house the stray sorcerer from time to time, but most of the prisoners didn't stay down here long, and he was almost certain there had never been anything near these numbers before. As he glanced towards Merlin he wasn't surprised to see his expression twisted from the normal happy smile to something much darker and completely furious. Lancelot had gone off in search of Gwen as Merlin's eyes glowed, and every cell door burst open.

The prisoners began to stream forward, all of them circling around Merlin, trying their best to all thank him at once. Merlin still looked furious, but he tried to smile at the people as the responded enthusiastically to his help. It took a moment for Arthur to find Gwen in the crowd; of course Lancelot had found her first and was hugging her close as the rest of the prisoners almost crushed him and Merlin together. It was Percival who finally got control of the situation, shouting "QUIET!" as loudly as he could. Arthur sighed in relief as the masses backed away from him and Merlin, allowing Merlin to speak.

"We need to get out of here," Merlin began, sounding like he did when he spoke to the druids, "and to do that I'm going to need every one of you to do exactly as me and my men tell you. Once we are free from the castle I need each of you to get to your homes and lay low. In the morning try to get out of the city, find somewhere safe. We will do our best to see you all to safety, but for now we need to focus on getting out of the castle."

With that Merlin turned back to Arthur, giving him a weary smile as he said, "So, Arthur, where is this way out you mentioned?"

Arthur smiled back, trying to hide his worry and fear as he quickly took the lead, guiding the large group through the winding passage that lead out of the castle. He had run the entire way, glancing back from time to time to make sure there were no stragglers as they made their way towards the exit. They had been so close, Arthur could almost taste the fresh air, when he heard Gwaine call from the back, letting them know they were being followed. Arthur quickened his pace, turning the last corner before the door to the outside. Merlin moved to the front as he saw the door, blasting it aside quickly with his powers to allow them passage. Arthur had been slightly worried when he learned they were being followed that someone would have been smart enough to guard the other side, but luckily no one was there, leaving their passage into the lower town free from troubles. The prisoners seemed to be following Merlin's earlier orders, as the dashed past him and Merlin into the darkness, until only the members of their gang and Gwen and Elyan remained, although he could hear the sound of Uther's men quickly approaching. Merlin must have heard this too as he hurried them out then pointed his hand back towards the door. He frowned as he focused on the splinters of wood, small beads of sweat forming on his forehead as his eyes glowed gold and the splinters began to knit themselves back together, forming not a door but a solid wooden wall. Once this was complete and they could hear the sound of pounding fists on the other side, they took off into the city.

The streets had been swarming with activity as well. Luckily out here there were people willing to help them escape, allowing them time to regain their energy in their homes before stepping back into the darkness and hurrying off towards the same hole Arthur had used to help Merlin get out after he had been shot. The sky was beginning to brighten as the finally made it to the break in the wall, and Arthur was almost dizzy with relief. He knew they hadn't made it out yet, but they were so close. It would only be one quick dash across the still dark planes before they were in the safety of the forest. Merlin had been lagging for a while now, obviously exhausted from the overwhelming amount of magic he had been using throughout the day, but he wouldn't have to make it far now. Gwaine had been the first through the small hole, quickly giving them the all clear before Lancelot pulled back the bushes to allow Gwen and Elyan through. Merlin was next at both Arthur and Percival's urgings, followed by Lancelot, Percival, and finally Arthur. They didn't stay by the wall long, just until the torches that had been moving back and forth along the wall vanished around corners.

Arthur was almost certain he had never run this quickly before in his entire life. He knew that once they made the forest they would be practically impossible to find, but the exposed area between the castle and the woods could spell their doom. It was still dark enough that it would be difficult for a guard to spot them, but a sharp eyed man would be able to discern movement among the darkness they were hiding in. He heard no shouts though, no indications that they had been spotted, and as they finally made the cover of the woods he allowed himself to slow and take a deep, calming breath. The ordeal was over, they were all free.