Hey Friends! I'm back! Yeah, so I usually don't update this fat all of the time but the 10th chapter was already more than half done and someone reviewed saying that it was their birthday today... and I just couldn't refuse.
SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HAYKEY17! I hope you like the chapter but if not here's a cookie just in case (::) :D ;) Enjoy, even if it isn't your birthday today too!
Wisegirl6

Wayward By Wisegirl6

Chapter 2 ~Askandar and the Traders

By the time Merlin woke up the remaining slave traders had already made it back to their camp, chained his hands behind his back, and threw him in a cage on the back of a small cart.

The moon was high in the sky, meaning that several hours had passed since he had been captured. Merlin squinted in the dark, trying to make out where they were. It was no use, the only thing he could see was forest surrounding them in every direction, no landmarks whatsoever. He could be anywhere; Mercia, Lot's kingdom, Cenred's land, they might even be somewhere in Camelot; he had no way of telling.

One of the traders finally noticed that Merlin was conscious. "The kid's awake," he said to the man driving the cart.

The trader halted the procession and climbed down from the caravan so that he was eye level with Merlin. "Good morning," he said with false sweetness.

Now that he was closer Merlin could make out what he looked like. The man was big and burly with wide shoulders and a square face that housed one of the longest beards Merlin had ever seen. His black hair was greasy and matted. He looked pretty worse for wear, but not as bad as his comrades. The malicious, sadistic gleam in his dark eyes made Merlin sick. He immediately hated this man and everything about him.

"What's so good about it?" Merlin hissed at him through clenched teeth.

The man let out a booming laugh before turning to the rest of the mercenaries who were all watching the exchange with the same satisfied smile. "Did you hear that?" he called to the crowd. "This one's a fighter, I can feel it. Cavell'll raise a good sum of money for him!"

The words made Merlin's heart drop into his stomach, they were slave traders. The term was all too familiar to him. As the King's manservant he'd heard numerous cases of slavers that had invaded homes and villages and taken innocent people as captives before selling them to the highest paying Lord or King. The slaves were then mistreated, underfed, and forced to work against their will. Sometimes they were even tortured by their captors. Merlin had seen too many people who had fallen prey to slave traders and sustained extensive injuries on top of being less than malnourished.

The man's voice was so sugar-coated that it made Merlin sick, "I'm Askandar, and as leader of this troupe I would just like to formally welcome you to your worst nightmare and the rest of your miserable life." He laughed again, twice as loud and throaty as before.

The rest of the traders chuckled along with him. Apparently this greeting was tradition because the slave traders treated it like no more than a joke.

Suddenly, Merlin launched himself forwards into the bars of the cage. He planned on escaping using a quick bit of magic before taking off for the nearest town. Sadly, Askandar was all too familiar with his prisoners trying to escape using the element of surprise.

Immediately, his jovial look melted into a crueler one that better suited his dark features. All laughter ceased as Askandar grabbed Merlin through the bars by the shoulders, pushed him back before pulling him forwards into the side of the cage.

Merlin's head snapped backwards with a crack and he sank to the floor, already unconscious before he hit the rough straw.

After realizing that they would have to organize an actual search for the traders, the knights and King decided to travel back to Camelot. Sure, the four of them could take on a small group of slave traders but they probably wouldn't get very far against an entire troupe of them.

Besides, since they had been in Camelot searching for innocents to sell Arthur could send out a larger group of men to search for them without any of the council members disapproving. The real reason he wanted to find them so much was obviously because of Merlin.

Arthur found him blinking back tears as he and the knights rode to Camelot. He remembered yelling at Merlin this morning because of something stupid that he'd done. Arthur had then continued to ignore his manservant during the patrol because he was still angry with him. A ball of remorse had settled in Arthur's stomach and it just seemed to be growing. What if he never saw Merlin again? The idiot would think that Arthur was still angry at him, he could even take that to his grave.

No. Arthur just couldn't afford to think like that, he needed to keep a clear head if he was going to rescue his best friend.

Best friend. It was almost funny how easily the thought came to Arthur when it didn't even matter anymore. When he wasn't even here.

Normally silent Percival jogged Arthur out of his thoughts. "What's the plan once we get back to Camelot?"

Arthur took a deep breath from atop his white mare. He knew that he was going to have to come up with a plan eventually. "When we get there I need Elyan to first go and inform Guinevere, she'll want to know about Merlin and I think as her brother you'd be the best for the job."

Elyan nodded at his King.

"After that I will call an emergency council meeting and we will form a squad of knights to track them."

Gwaine still wasn't satisfied. "And after that?" he questioned from behind him. Arthur could hear the subtle tone of urgency and concern underlining his normally care-free voice, he was obviously very worried about Merlin.

A grim, sad smile came over Arthur's face. "Once the council meeting is dismissed I need to personally inform Gaius about what happened to Merlin."

Arthur's heart sunk at the thought of the confrontation. Merlin was like a son to the physician and would be heartbroken if anything happened to him.

"And then we ride," Arthur finished somberly. The words 'slave traders' kept replaying themselves over and over again in his head. The thought that Merlin, his friend the clumsy, idiotic, always-smiling Merlin, could be sold off to someone as a slave was enough to send him into despair. Of all of his friends, except maybe Guinevere, Merlin was the last one he'd want to get captured by slave traders, he was just so innocent, so Merlin. Arthur just couldn't imagine his idiot servant as a slave, abused, even more food deprived and worked half to death.

He tried to project his thoughts to his friend, wherever he was. Hold on Merlin.

Wow, I am editing this once more before I post it and it's really givng me feels, like really. I can't even... hugh! Sorry, fangirl moment.
So, I need everyone's help. I want to know what you guys think of my story: Am I overplaying the bromance? Should Arthur be more worried? How's my writing? Any mistakes? Should Merlin be a bit more BAMF? Teall me what you think in the reviews.
Anyways, one last shoutout to haykey17, happy birthday (Sorry, I don't know your age)
Next chapter coming soon,
Wisegirl6