Hey guys! I can't even begin to apologise for how long the wait has been. I think the 'Merlin' finale may have upset me so much that writing fanfiction just didn't seem worth it. But I was really excited about my initial ideas for this story, so I'm having another stab at it.

I hope you can forgive me! Because it's been so long, I'll write a short summary of the story so far.

Prince Cador of East Anglia is visiting Camelot to sign a peace treaty between the two kingdoms on behalf of his father, the King. The Prince manages to get disliked by everyone; Merlin, Arthur, Gwen, Gwaine, etc. Merlin tries his best to avoid Cador. When Merlin is leaving the palace one night, he runs into Cador leaving the tavern. Cador tries to provoke Merlin, who tries to walk away. Cador provokes him further and Merlin ends up hitting him. He runs away but is then confronted by Cador who forces him to face him in combat, giving him a blunt sword.

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin :)

Arthur yawned hugely and shuffled the treaty terms he'd been poring over. He glanced over at the bed where Guinevere had fallen into a deep slumber, her hair fanned out across the pillows. She slept with a frown upon her beautiful face.

Abandoning the papers with a sigh, he blew out the candle and crawled onto the bed beside Guinevere. Gently he lifted a lock of hair that had fallen across her face, smiling as the motion caused her to stir and the frown to disappear from her face.

Slowly, trying not to wake his Queen, he kicked off his boots and took off his belt and shirt, dropping them on the floor for Merlin to deal with in the morning. Having successfully done all this without disturbing his sleeping wife, he pulled up the bed covers and embraced the immediate feeling of relaxation that came with putting his head on the pillow…

BANG!

Arthur woke with a lurch and sat up immediately. He must have fallen asleep, but for how long, he had no idea. He gazed around him, blind in the darkness, looking for the source of the noise he wasn't even sure had been real.

BANG! BANG! "Your majesty!"

What the hell was going on? Was Morgana attempted yet another attack on Camelot?

CRASH! Arthur threw an arm across the face as the door was thrown open. He blinked rapidly against the sudden light that flooded into the room. Guinevere sat up beside him.

"What's happening?" she whispered, clutching at his arm.

"Your majesties," the intruder said breathlessly, "Forgive me!"

Instantly Arthur's fear intensified; he recognised the man as Sir Darias, one of Prince Cador's knights. He grabbed his shirt from the floor and pulled it hastily over his head.

"What's happened, Sir Darias?"

"My Lord Cador, Sire," the knight struggled to catch his breath. "Assaulted by-"

Arthur cursed. He sat back on the bed and pulled on his boots. As much as he hated Prince Cador, it was vital that no harm came to him in Camelot. They could not afford to become enemies with the kingdom of East Anglia.

"Where?"

"The market, my Lord. But-"

The knight hurried to keep up with Arthur who was already marching down the corridor. Once they were crossing the main courtyard, Arthur glanced up at the sky; the moon had become a large pale orb in the sky, which was beginning to become a lighter blue. Sunrise couldn't be more than a couple of hours away.

"What was the Prince doing out of his chambers at this time?" he asked the knight, now jogging to keep up with his strides.

The knight didn't respond. He looked rather uncomfortable.

"Sir Darias?"

"My Lord was visiting a tavern last night," he said, seeming rather hesitant to continue. Arthur prompted him with a look that Guinevere teasingly referred to as his, 'Kingly stare.'

"I believe he only just left your majesty."

Arthur raised his eyebrows at that. "Which tavern?"

Arthur could practically feel the knight blushing. "I believe it was, 'the Running Wench,' my Lord."

Arthur grimaced, thankful that the knight couldn't see his face in the dark. Though he had never frequented that particular tavern himself, he knew what kind of 'tavern' it was, and what it catered for.

"Do you mean to say that the Prince was drunk?"

"My Lord, please…"

Arthur glanced at the knight; younger than average, and short for his age with close cropped dark hair and wide green eyes. Very young; eager to impress, terrified to disappoint.

He nodded, "My apologies," he said, realising the uncomfortable position he was putting him in.

When the sound of clanging and ringing swords reached his ears, he sped up. Then he saw the source of the commotion at once; a large circle of men, enclosing the two with the swords; Prince Cador he recognised. The other man, he didn't. Regardless, he ran forward and tried to fight his way through the crowd of drunken men watching the conflict.

"Cador!" he shouted.

Both the Prince and his opponent turned at his voice. He saw comprehension dawn on Cador's face as he recognised him. He thrust the sword into the ground and rounded on Arthur.

"My Lord," he drawled. "Enjoying the spectacle are we? Well I'm sorry it's nearly over- AH!"

His opponent had rushed forward and before anyone could act, Cador was on the floor, rolling in the dirt and clutching at his shoulder.

"Guards!" Arthur yelled. Five men, all of Camelot, restrained the offender in a matter of seconds. He didn't fight against their grip.

Arthur dropped to his knees at Cador's side. The Prince was groaning and Arthur saw blood seeping from the wound and through his fingers.

This cannot be happening, he thought numbly. In spite of all of Cador's tantalizing, his eagerness for a fight, his visit had been going so well. He stood.

"On his knees," he commanded the guards. With a grunt, the stranger was forced into the mud. He bowed his head so Arthur couldn't see his face. Impatiently, Arthur grabbed a handful of dark hair and yanked the stranger's head back, so the guards' torch cast its light over his face.

Arthur froze. His eyes widened and he shook his head as he struggled to deny what his eyes were telling him.

"No," he gasped. It was all he managed to say.

He wasn't sure how long he was staring at Merlin for. At some point, the boy had the grace to meet his eyes. They were wide, with fear Arthur realised. Fear for what his King was going to do.

Arthur simply couldn't speak.

"Arrest him you fool!" Behind him, Cador had struggled to his feet. He was still clutching his arm. "Arrest him!" he Prince screamed.

Arthur turned back to Merlin. Then he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. It would not help anyone, let alone Merlin, if he lost control of his temper now. He opened his eyes.

"You heard the Prince," he vaguely heard himself say. Then he knew there was a flurry of movement, followed by several cries of pain from his manservant. Then he was being dragged away. Prince Cador had sunk, rather theatrically to the ground and was clutching his arm again.

"Fetch Gaius and a stretcher for the Prince," he said to the remaining guards. Without even glancing at Cador, he began to march back towards the palace, his mind working furiously, desperately thinking of a way that he could possibly save his manservant.

Thank you so much for reading! Please review :) xxx