I feel like a horrible person. Truly discusting! First I don't update for an entire week, then I skimp out of the Arthur/Merlin reuniting scene and split it into two chapters. Ugh. Feel free to lock me in the stocks with Merlin, I deserve it. Anyways I have found a winner of the competition, though I won't say who because I don't want anyone asking them for the scene. Thanks to all who submitted!

Wisegirl6

Chapter 15 ~No One Saw

Sage walked quietly into Camelot's great hall, Merlin trailing behind her. She grabbed a pitcher of wine from another servant and took her place at a respectful distance behind Isobel.

Merlin shuffled over next to her with a matching silver jug in his hands.

The slave girl gave him a half-hearted scowl and turned to look ahead. She had already berated him enough before the feast, telling him it would have been so much easier to come up with plans if she'd known that Merlin had lived in Camelot before. There was now the possibility that someone could recognize him and then the rest of the story of the slavers would certainly follow.

"George!" barked the king of Camelot, making Sage jump at least a foot in the air. The servant that Sage assumed to be George walked forwards calmly and refilled the king's chalice.

The slave girl was appalled, couldn't a king bother to show his servants even a bit of respect? Cavell treated his slaves with about that much kindness. Surely the king wasn't that cold-hearted? Sage snuck a glance to her left at Merlin.

He looked about as shocked as she was, maybe even a little sad.

"That was a bit harsh," she muttered under her breath, only intending it to be loud enough for her friend to hear. Apparently her voice was a bit too loud because one of Camelot's servants picked up on it as well.

A young handmaiden next to her looked over. "You can't blame king Arthur, he's had a bit of a history with servants," she said, throwing glances around the room to make sure no one but Sage could hear her.

The slave girl raised an eyebrow. "Oh yes? And what would that 'history' be?"

If the servant girl was aware of Merlin craning his neck to hear more she didn't show it. "Promise not to tell anyone?" she asked pleadingly. "I could lose my job for gossiping about this."

Sage rested her free hand on the girl's arm and swore that she wouldn't.

"Okay," she whispered unsurely, still not really believing her, but wanting to spill her dirt all the same. "Once, a couple of years ago, the king, though he was more of a prince back then, had a servant named Merlin."

Sage's breath caught in her throat. Merlin? Her friend the cheeky slave, Merlin? She shot a look at the warlock, judging his reaction.

Merlin shrugged, as if to say 'well, sorry'.

Sage could have kicked him she was so angry at him. When was he going to stop giving her half-truths and leaving out important details? She was getting sick and tired of it.

Merlin at least had the decency to look sheepish.

She turned her attention back to the handmaiden, cursing Merlin and all of his ancestors. Sage nodded at her to continue.

"The king trusted Merlin more than every one else, though he would never say it. They had been best friends, no doubt about it. Merlin went everywhere with the king, into battles, on quests and dangerous missions. No one thought much of it, after all Merlin did always came back," she paused, looking sad. "Then one time he didn't. I'd liked Merlin; he was nice, very funny too. I hadn't known him that well, though. I had been just a kitchen servant when he died."

'When he died.' The sentence played over and over again in Sage's mind. They thought Merlin was dead? But why, if the king was really all that close to to Merlin wouldn't he have sent out search parties when he disappeared instead of just giving up on him?

Merlin was thinking along the same lines. 'They think I'm dead?' he thought to himself. They couldn't, Merlin knew that Arthur wouldn't have given up searching for him unless he'd seen a body, and he was clearly alive and well so that wasn't likely. Maybe Arthur hadn't looked for him at all and just told everyone that he was dead so that they wouldn't ask.

"What happened?" asked Sage, pinching her friend's arm to jog him back to reality.

"I don't know for sure what went down, all I've ever heard is just hearsay," she muttered carefully. "Apparently they were on a patrol once and they ran into some slavers. Of course, the king and his knights had cut down the men that hadn't ran away as soon as they'd drawn their swords, but not before they had dragged poor Merlin off with them," she finished looking sad.

"So he's not dead?" asked Sage.

The handmaiden, Lily, if Merlin was correct, shook her head slightly. "No, he's dead alright."

Merlin could barely breathe. He wasn't dead, getting there but he wasn't just yet.

"I'm confused," Sage whispered. "If he was kidnapped by slave traders then he would have been sold to someone, right?"

Lily bit her lip and glanced to her left at the royals and nobles, making sure they weren't listening. "Well, he would have been, had the sick creep that kidnapped him hadn't killed him first. King Arthur had sent out a group of soldiers and knights, himself included, to track them down. He was desperate to find them and save Merlin, but they were too late."

Merlin held his breath.

"By the time the king caught up to them and slaughtered them it was too late to save his servant. The group's leader had cut him down days before because he had been too much work. The king was torn up about losing his friend, there hadn't even been a body to bury because of what those animals had done to him," Lily whispered sadly. "Ever since then Arthur's been cold to anyone who's ever served him." The handmaiden shot a glance towards the queen, who was awaiting her services. "Sorry, duty calls, " Lily gave a small smile before rushing away, leaving two awestruck slaves in her wake.

Sage turned to Merlin, shocked. "Are you okay.

Obviously he wasn't, she decided as she looked at him. Merlin was an awful shade of gray, and he looked completely miserable. "Everyone thinks I'm dead," he muttered looking at Arthur, who was completely oblivious of his former servant's presence in the room.

The slave girl wanted more than anything to comfort her friend, but she sensed that he needed to be left alone to take care of his thoughts. She whispered something to him quietly. "I'll talk to you later then, I guess." She took a few steps away, trying to put some distance between them.

Merlin was numb, it was a strange sensation. But then the mind-dulling shock gave way to something else: Happiness.

He had been worried that nobody had cared because he had spent two years rotting as a slave , but they did care. They had just thought he was dead, so saving wouldn't be necessary.

Merlin mentally berated himself for being glad that they thought he was dead. Here he was, feeling all happy because all of his friends and family thought he was dead while they were probably tearing themselves up about it. The warlock was revolted at himself

He glanced over at Arthur. The king was sitting stoically, making small talk with Jonah from across the table. Once and a while Arthur would look over at George almost sadly, like he wished someone else was there instead of him.

Merlin shook himself out of his thoughts. Arthur wouldn't still be sad about Merlin's death after almost three years; he was probably just upset that George wasn't refilling his wine as much as he wished.

A loud guffaw from the other end of the room made Merlin look over.

Leon, Percival, Elyan, and Gwaine were all joking around with each other over their food.

Merlin felt a smile slide onto his face looking at his friends. He'd never thought that he would see them again, but here he was. Back in Camelot. Home.

The knights of the round table were sent into another loud round of laughter as Percival cracked another joke, one that, unfortunately, Merlin was too far to hear properly.

Merlin couldn't help but notice that one of the knights didn't laugh as loud as he would have before when Merlin had been his friend.

Gwaine settled for a smile at the joke, though it looked rather forced. He propped his elbows on the table and took another swig of whatever he had in his cup.

Probably mead, Merlin thought with a quiet laugh. Gwaine really liked mead.

His smile faded as he caught the smile dropping off of Gwaine's own face as quickly as it had come once the knights looked away. The sight of someone usually so happy and full of life without a smile made Merlin cringe. He looked around the room once more, trying to catch another one of his friends with the same sad look.

He didn't have to look for long. He saw Arthur, Gaius, Gwen, and Gwaine all with the same sadness in their eyes when they turned away from the smiling guests and festivities. When they thought no one was looking.

But Merlin was looking and he saw each one of them. They made him want to tear his heart out and throw it in Isobel's face in anger. Because in reality it was Isobel's fault that they thought he was dead, she was the one who had forced him into the Blood Oath. She would pay, Merlin would make sure of it.

I hope you liked that, it wasn't one of my personal favourite endings, but it'll do. Again, thanks to everyine who reviewed, I can't beleive I reached the big 200!

I just love you guys.

So congrats to the winner of the contest, I'll be sure to send it to you tomorrow. I would do it now, but its a really awkward time right now.

So thanks again and I'll probably be back in a few days with another chapter!

Wisegirl6