Thank you for the reviews. I have noted that some have wondered why the chapters aren't longer - it's mainly because of time. The chapters may get longer, we will just have to see. I am glad y'all are enjoying it so far though.

-Monty

"Swefe nu."

The spell, though whispered, hit the three slave traders who were standing watch. A second later, all three men collapsed to the ground, unmoving, though only asleep. Merlin smirked at his job well done. The three men would be fine, though they would wake with horrible headaches considering the ground they ended up collapsing on was rocky.
With them out of the way, Merlin now turned to attention to the sleeping slave traders.
As he neared them, his eyes fell on the obvious leader of the group.

He looked even rougher up close and personal.

To think that he had all of those people in shackles and was taking them off to be sold...

Merlin knew a lot of things had changed in the kingdoms since Morgana's defeat and magic coming back to the lands and such, but apparently some of the more horrible things were still taking place.

Everyone in Camelot had just been so fixed on their peace and quiet that they had neglected everything else going on.

Bandits were still rampant on the roads.

And now this?

Slave traders, stealing people left and right, selling them off as if they were nothing more than animals.

Merlin felt his blood beginning to boil and his hands clenched into fists. Part of him wanted to get rid of the men right away. Do away with them so that they could never harm another soul, but this wasn't his mission. He had to find the man that would help take care of Camelot in Arthur's absense. He couldn't waste his time on this. Then again, if he left this man here, then he would just find others to enslave.

Slowly, the slave trader's eyes began to open.

Merlin stood there, peering down at him and watched as the man suddenly realized what was going on. He quickly got to his feet, taking out his sword. The other two men sleeping nearby woke with a start and stumbled to their feet, their minds muddled and confused from sleep as they looked around to see if they were being attacked.

When they saw that they had nothing to fear, they pulled out their swords and trained them on Merlin who hadn't moved a inch since all three of them woke from their slumber.

The leader of the group glanced around Merlin, his glare becoming murderous as he saw that his slaves were all gone, their chains left behind and no trace of them to be seen.

"What did you do?" The man growled at Merlin, taking a step towards him.

Merlin held out a hand. "Don't come closer."

"Where are my prisoners?" the slave trader stopped just in front of him, his hand gripping his sword tightly, ready to slash at Merlin at any moment. "I knew I should have killed you last night."

Merlin thought the same, brow kinked.

It was obvious that if he let this man live, he would just go back to his old ways. He couldn't chance that he would ruin other people's lives or that he may come looking for him. He had the day and the night to find the man he was looking for. He couldn't have someone causing problems for him.

So, that left only one thing to do.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!' the leader stepped towards him again.

Taking it as a form of attack, Merlin's magic swelled within him and a moment later, it bursted out in fury, his eyes glowing golden. A wave of power surged from his hands and hit the man square in the chest, sending him flying back several yards. When hit hit the ground, there came a sickening sound of his skull splitting open against a nearby stump. After that, the man did not move again - and wouldn't be moving again, ever.
Merlin's hands fell to his sides and he looked at the other two men who were now shaking in their places.

Neither of them looked like they knew what to do.

"Take the other men and leave this place." Merlin commanded, "Do not let me find you here again - or find you taking prisoners again. If I do, you can rest assured that you will not only face my wrath, but that of Camelot as well. Is that understood?"

The men nodded quickly, not wanting to cause any trouble for themselves.

They had just been following orders anyway.

"Go." Merlin said firmly.

The men wasted no time at all. He watched as they gathered their things and hurried over to their fellow men who had been put to sleep and began trying to drag them away. Merlin set his jaw, giving one last look at them before turning and making his way towards the tree line where the prisoners had gone to. He wanted to make sure that they were all safe and well and once he saw to them he would send them to Camelot, then he would carry on with his quest.

"The tournament starts in a hour, Arthur, and you are still not ready." Gwen fussed at her husband as she laid there in bed, watching him with concern. He had not gotten much sleep, that much she could tell. It was about Merlin. Whenever the other man decided to do something on his own, Arthur always tended to worry. "Arthur..." Gwen spoke his name softly this time and it managed to capture her husband's attention. He glanced over at her from where he sat on the edge of the bed and Gwen offered up a faint smile. "He will be alright, he always is."

"He should have let me come with him or something..." Arthur said, looking away.

"It was not your place to be with him. It is your place to be here for the time being and run the tournament that you have to take care of for the day, as you promised the people. It's not often that the Knights get to show off their skills to the people in good fun. The people need this day and the Knights need their King there to support them."

As usual, Gwen was right.

Arthur knew it.

Sighing lightly, he stood up and looked back at Gwen. "Will you be joining me today?" he asked, pushing aside all thoughts of Merlin for the moment. He needed to get his head into what was happening at the castle, not on what was possibly happening in the outside world. If Merlin got into trouble, he could only hope that his friend would send some kind of word to him. "You look to be feeling a bit better."

Gwen frowned, "I wish I could join you, but Gaius has me on strict bed rest." her hand went to her stomach as she smiled warmly, "tell my Knights that their Queen is wishing the best for each and every one of them - and that they are all winners in my eyes."

Arthur smirked, "I will make sure I relay the message to them."

"Good. Thank you."

" ...what should I wear?" Arthur asked.

"Why don't you have George find something for you?" Gwen couldn't help but to suggest, knowing good and well that Arthur would cringe at the very mention of the other man. George was a good soul and he was one of the best manservants around since Merlin was stripped of his job and given the title as Court Sorcerer. The thing about George, however, was that he sometimes tried too hard to impress and it came off as very annoying.

"I'll dress myself." Arthur muttered, dismissing the whole idea of getting George. With that, he made his way over to his dresser and Gwen settled back comfortably against the pillows, watching as her husband fiddled with the clothes, trying to decide what would go best with what.

When Merlin made it to the tree line he found that the prisoners had all taken off.
None of them had remained behind. Once free, they had figured that they had better make a run for it or they could find themselves in shackles again.

He sighed heavily, glancing around. It was probably for the best that they had gone, though he wished that they had remained just long enough for him to tell them to make a run for Camelot. At least there they would be safe.

"I tried to keep them here."

Merlin swung around. Standing a few feet from him was the young woman who had helped him out minutes ago. "It's alright. They were scared."

"Being scared doesn't justify stupidity." the woman replied, lips pulled into a grim line, "more than likely they will get captured by someone else."

There was nothing they could do about it though. They were long gone by now and Merlin didn't have time to go after them all. Not now. He gave a sigh and nodded. "Most likely, but I can't worry about that at the moment. I have to go." he turned to leave but before he could take three steps, the young woman was by his side.

She grasped his arm and made him stop, "Where are you going?" she asked, "If you go that way, you're more than likely going to run into more trouble. The lands may seem inviting right now, but, that's left room for more people to move in and they are not the kind of people you want to meet face to face. You won't last a day out there."

"I just saved your life. I think I will be fine." Merlin said, not understanding why this woman was so into keeping him safe. She didn't even know him. True, he had saved her life, but, she should head off like the others. Head home or something, right? "Don't you have somewhere to be, anyway?" he asked softly, "If not, then go straight to Camelot. You'll be safe there." he gave her a faint smile and went to continue walking, but she held him in his place, not losening her grip on his jacket.

"Where are you going? Perhaps I can help you. I know these lands - the only reason why I got captured by those slave traders was because I got caught helping a sick woman and her children..." whom regretfully had not survived the journey, "Tell me where you wish to go and I can take you there. Besides, it's best to travel by two. Traveling alone makes you a easy target - no matter how much magic one holds within themself."

There was this vibe of wisdom coming off of her.

Merlin couldn't help but be pulled in by her words and though this was his quest to do alone, he found himself nodding in agreeance. "Alright, you can come with me - though honestly I have no idea where I'm going."

"What are you looking for then?" the woman asked, kinking a brow. "If you are not going somewhere, then you must be going to someone - correct?"

Merlin nodded, "I seek a man. A dragon told me that I would find him here. A loyal man. A man loyal enough to watch a kingdom while it's King goes on a long quest. Is there a man like that anywhere around here?"

"I'm unsure." the woman replied regretfully, "but I know of someone who may be able to help you find him. There is a settlement about a day's journey from here. I have a brother there who may be able to help you find the man."

"I don't have another day to spare. The King leaves tomorrow morning." Merlin sighed heavily, suddenly feeling as if this was all for nothing.

The woman's hand gave his arm a gentle squeeze though. "Don't despair. Whether your King leaves tomorrow or not, I'm sure my brother can help you find the man you're looking for and you'll be only a couple of days late in returning. If it's important, then you'll come with me."

It was important.

So important.

Merlin had no choice but to do so. How else would he find the man he was looking for? "Doesn't look like I have much of a choice. Alright then, take me to your brother."

With a smile, the woman's hand slipped from his arm and she began walking, leading the way towards the settlement where they would find her brother.

"What's your name?" Merlin asked after a moment or two of silence, "If I'm going to be traveling with you, I might as well know it or I'll end up calling you 'woman' all of the time and I've found that women don't exactly enjoy being called that."

"Learned from experience, have you?" the woman asked with a faint smirk.

Merlin nodded, "Several times."

With a faint chuckle, the woman glanced over her shoulder at him, "Elaine. My name is Elaine."