Chapter 6

The first thing Merlin felt, before he even opened his eyes, was a throbbing pain that seemed to reach every inch of his skull. He had never experienced such a headache in the whole of his life; it was as if he hadn't drunk anything for four days. Merlin could also feel a horrible stinging sensation on the side of is face, he put up his hand and felt the three scratch marks that Alik had given him. The pain seemed to bring back his memory, he had been attacked, he had tried to fight back but he couldn't, then something else had happened and the world had turned dark.

As Merlin opened his eyes, everything was a blur, he didn't know where he was or how he had got there. As everything slowly came into focus Merlin realised that he was lying on the forest floor. As he gazed around and slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, he found that there was also a campsite, a campsite that he recognised. Merlin was still trying to work out where he was when a tall shadow fell over him. He looked up to see the figure of Adiemus standing over him.

A wave of fear swept over Merlin as he suddenly remembered what had happened the last time he had his eyes open; he tried to back away from Adiemus, but ended backing into a tree.

Adiemus bent down on his knees so he was the same height as Merlin and pulled a long knife out of his pocket, it glinted in the sunlight. Merlin could see the glint of madness and rage in his deep blue eyes.

"No point running Merlin, you won't make it out this forest alive, not while I'm here." Adiemus growled. "If you try to go two paces I'll put a knife in your back, you've caused enough trouble, I won't hesitate to destroy you if you create any more."

"What am I doing here?" Merlin managed to ask in the calmest and steadiest voice he could.

"Like I said, you've caused enough trouble, I want you to be somewhere where I can keep an eye on you. You're nothing to me but an irritating fly, but you're more to other people, and when he realises that your in danger he'll come running."

"He? You must mean Arthur." Merlin said, talking more to himself than to Adiemus.

"Who else?"

"He won't come looking for me." Merlin muttered, breaking his gaze with Adiemus and looking at the floor beneath him.

"What do you mean?" Adiemus asked.

"He doesn't care about me any more, no one does. No one will know that I've gone missing. Believe me your wasting your time, whatever reason you want Arthur to come here, it's not going to work."

"I better not be wasting my time," Adiemus said, he pointed up to the sky, to the burning sun poking out between the trees. "You will sit here and watch that sun, watch it very carefully Merlin, because when that sun sets for the seventh time, and you're still sitting here, it will be the last sun set you ever see in this world. By the time you wake up the next day, you'll be dead."

Adiemus stood up again, satisfied with his threat, but just before he left Merlin he turned around and said; "if you even think about using one of your pathetic spells, I'll slit your throat before can utter another word; are we clear?"

Merlin said nothing, he just nodded and stared at the ground as he hear Adiemus walk off and leave him alone.

The sun disappeared behind a cloud, plunging Merlin into darkness and fear. A few minutes later it began to rain. Merlin was glad of it, he was so desperately thirsty he tipped his head up and let large, heavy drops of rain fall into his mouth. Rain also hides the tears of a lost and broken soul, with just seven days to live.

Arthur was in a bad mood, in fact that was an understatement, but Morgana couldn't think of many words that would suit the mood he was in. Rotten would be better, or fiery she thought as she watched Arthur stare out his window into the rain that was constantly spattering against the glass.

Arthur had been in his chambers for two days now, he had bearly eaten and constantly seemed to be thinking about something. Morgana had managed to gain permission to go and visit Arthur when she wanted, she felt that he needed the company. However neither of them said much, Morgana would try and start off a conversation but Arthur would simply grunt or not reply at all. Every now and then he would turn to her and say something random like: "do you think these curtains would hold my weight?" or, "do you think I might be able to bribe the guards to let me out my room?" However Morgana had the same reply each time: "I don't know."

Suddenly, as Morgana looked at Arthur's reflection in the window, and saw how cold and hard his eyes had become in just a matter of days, she suddenly realised that she had had enough. It wasn't fair that innocent people should suffer because of what Uther had said, how many times had she thought to herself, as another person was hanged or executed on nothing but a rumour, this is wrong.

"Arthur." Morgana decided to try her luck at talking to Arthur.

"What?"

Wow, one word, not as good as yesterday when he had said a full two words, but at least this time the word wasn't 'go' or 'away'. Morgana thought, "I want to help you Arthur."

"Help me with what?" Arthur grumbled, not turning away from the window.

"Help you get out of the castle, to go and find Merlin."

"Really?" Arthur turned from the window and looked at Morgana, she almost thought she saw something flash in Arthur's eyes, something like, hope. "You would do that?"

"Of course, Merlin's my friend too, I wouldn't want anything to happen to him and I hate to see you like this Arthur."

"Thank you Morgana, it's nice to know I'm not alone any more." Arthur said, turning back to the window, "it still doesn't solve the problem of how I'm going to get out of the castle though."

"Well I wouldn't know, I don't have much experience of running away," said Morgana, as she tried to stifle back a yawn.

"Those sleeping drafts not working then?" Arthur said.

"No, I'm afraid not, but I think you could do with one, I can hear you at night sometimes, pacing up and down, have you slept at all these last two days? Arthur, what is it?" Arthur had suddenly frozen rigid.

"Sleeping drafts," he murmured as he turned to face Morgana again, his mind racing. "Do they usually work well on people?"

"Yes, Gaius said they're the most affective, but they don't seem to work on me."

"Sleeping drafts!" Arthur suddenly cried, almost jumping up and down in excitement. "Morgana you're a genius!"

"I am?"

"Do you have some of you sleeping draft at the moment?"

"Yes, a whole week's supply in my chamber." Said Morgana.

"Do you mind if I borrow them?"

"Oh no Arthur," Morgana had suddenly realised what Arthur was thinking, "Drugging the guards is not a good idea."

"Well how else am I going to be able to get out of here, with those guards standing at my door day and night?"

"Fine," Morgana sighed, "I'll put the sleeping draft in the guard's drink tomorrow night when I come and visit you, you can escape then."

"Thank you Morgana, you're a true friend." And for the first time in two days, Arthur smiled. "You won't regret this, I promise."

"I'm sure I will," Morgana murmured.

"What do you mean by that?" Arthur asked, "you said you would help me, you said Merlin was your friend too."

"I just…I've got a bad feeling about this." The colour had suddenly drained out of Morgana's face.

"What sort of bad feeling?"

"That whatever happens when you go and find Merlin, that someone is going to die. I don't want anything to happen to Merlin, but I hate to think I might be leading you to your death."

"Well if someone is going to die, it won't be Merlin." Said Arthur harshly. "Now get me out of here."