See Chapter 1 for warnings & info

Author's Notes: This chapter is all Henry & Robert, so skip it if you prefer not to read stuff focused on OCs.

Startled by the untimely interruption, Robert shared an expression of total confusion with Henry before reaching for their scattered clothes. He had no idea why Uther could have sent guards to find them, unless there was some word of Merlin. Opening the door, Robert was thrust aside as the armed men raised their swords toward Henry. "Have you taken leave of your senses?" Robert protested. "This man is one of your own!"

"The king isn't so sure about that." The man in the lead seemed uneasy about the situation but no more willing to shirk his duty for all that. "The fugitive has shown up... in Camelot." He looked sternly around the room, the sheets rumpled on the single bed and the smell of sex still lingering in the air. "Seems you might've gotten yourself a bit sidetracked, Henry."

Though his cheeks were blazing, Henry squared his shoulders and his eyes matched the fire. "I have done no such thing. We came to this village to-"

"You can tell His Highness," the man broke in with a shake of his head before nodding to the men behind him. They surged forward and grabbed the shirtless knight by the arms. "I've been instructed to bring you in and keep you in the dungeons until further notice. Your, uh, friend here, on the other hand... he's invited to come along and attend the royal wedding."

"What?" Gobsmacked by the audacity of his old friend Uther, Robert shook his head and squared his shoulders as he stepped between Henry and the armed guards. "No, you cannot do this!" he shouted, visibly shaking with rage at the injustice of it all. "I will not allow it!"

The guard captain stepped forward, challenging Robert with the hilt of his sword. "If you insist on interfering, Sir Robert... Then, we will have no choice than to arrest you as well."

As the soldiers closed in menacingly around Henry, something within Robert snapped. "No!" he cried out, raising his hands... and a flash of bright red light sent the guard captain and his men flying across the room.

Henry's jaw dropped as he staggered back from being suddenly freed from the man's grip. His gaze turned to Robert, the expression on his face vacillating between gratitude and fear. He had no idea what to do. If he left with Robert now, he would be a criminal. If he didn't... he honestly had no idea how he could turn his back on the man after what they'd done and after what Robert had done for him. The decision made, he grabbed for their bags and then for Robert's hand. "Come. Now." Their only chance was to flee before the men properly recovered themselves.

Robert nodded dumbly, following Henry from the room without protest. Having never lost control of his magic before, the former knight found himself far too shocked to anything else but allow his new lover to lead him from the inn. Their horses were waiting for them in the stables and, as if sensing danger, whinnied in an effort to urge their riders on. Robert wasn't able to properly speak again until he and Henry were far away from the village. "I am sorry," he apologized meekly as they rode along together. "That should have never happened... But, I could not allow them to take you."

Henry considered that, riding in silence for a few moments more. "I see now why you worried for Merlin." It was painfully obvious now that he knew what they shared. Henry swallowed and looked over at the other man. He was still beautiful but he looked shaken, his shoulders slumped and the confident smile gone from his face. That jarred Henry out of his own reverie somewhat. "Thank you. I have no idea how I earned the punishment, but you..." The knight couldn't help but smile faintly. "You saved me." His smile faded somewhat as he added, "We shall have to be careful now. The king will have a bounty on both our heads soon enough. It won't be safe anywhere that we're known."

Robert nodded, already furiously thinking of a safe haven for both of them. "You do not have to thank me, Henry," he stressed, offering the other man a warm smile. "I couldn't allow anything to happen to you, not now..." The rode further along into the woods, aimless but making more headway. "...To be honest, I was fearful you might hate me. I have only ever revealed my... gift to one other. And I know all too well how Uther feels about magic."

Henry nodded slowly. "The king and I disagree on a great many points. I was not dishonest when I said before that I wished my task was otherwise when we met. The use of magic or any other weapon for evil is something which should be punished, but I never saw evil in Merlin. Nor do I see it in you." He met Robert's gaze from across the gap between them. "I could not believe you capable of it."

"Thank you, Henry..." Robert warmed, his appreciating the other man's words more than he could truly express. "I must confess to being perplexed by this entire situation. How did Merlin return to Camelot? The slavers? Did they bring him there?" The idea filled the nobleman with gloom. With Merlin back in the kingdom's environs he was surely good as dead. As badly as he wanted to rush to the younger sorcerer's aid, Robert could do nothing. He had never felt more helpless than at that moment. "Henry," he started, changing tact, "there is a place you and I can go... A villa by the sea. Only my most trusted servants know of its existence, and they will not betray me."

"That sounds perfect," Henry agreed. "Lead the way." He pondered the man's first question and ran through scenarios in his mind. "Merlin was taken by slavers. Perhaps Uther put out a bounty after I left and they turned him on. Or... perhaps he was... purchased," Henry surmised as delicately as possible. He had no idea what Robert's relationship with the boy was - a thought which twisted his stomach with the bile of jealousy - but he knew that it would not be a pleasant thought for his companion. "Perhaps he was brought to Camelot as a... servant."

"Oh..." Robert had not even considered that possibility. It made the former knight's stomach turn over as he pondered what Merlin's life might have become. It also laid another hefty slab of guilt on his shoulders. "I cannot fathom what has become of my life of late. Every one around me tends to wind up in trouble." His dark expressive eyes turned back to Henry. "Please forgive my actions? We've only known one another a few days, and yet... I care deeply for you."

Though their situation was terrible, the words still brought a smile to Henry's face. "I feel the same. I am sorry that... that I was too late to do more than be a burden. You are separated from your home now because you chose to help me." The thought weighed heavily on Henry's shoulders. He didn't like that he'd played a part in upending Robert's life. "We shall have to have faith that Arthur can see to Merlin's safety without our intervention in the meantime."

Robert rode up alongside Henry, urging his horse closer as he leaned across to press a soft kiss to the other man's lips. "You will never be a burden to me," he assured his new lover. "I will honor and care for you, Henry... for as long as you want me to." Hoping that Henry was right and Arthur would find a way to look after Merlin, Robert forged onward toward their destination. The ride was long and hard, and they eventually reached the villa at the break of dawn. He led the horses around back, well out of sight to be completely safe. Leaving them with food and water, Robert escorted Henry inside. The villa has been his private sanctuary for quite some time. Now, it seemed it would be his home and Henry's until they could secure something more safer. "What do you think?" he asked, curling an arm around the other man's waist.

"I think it's beautiful, actually," Henry answered, surprised by the intimate gesture of Robert's embrace but pleased at the same time. He'd spent so long shying away from the things he wanted most, and it felt amazing to be able to indulge and to feel the other man's arms around him, to share their strength. "It should serve us well if you are certain that none know of its location." They would have no way of knowing when and if the coast might ever be clear, Henry realized, and felt a rush of sadness. He had dedicated his life to serving Camelot and its people. What would he do with himself hiding in some out of the way place? Though he felt in his heart that he could be happy with Robert, he had no notion of how to be happy with himself with no purpose.

"I am certain," Robert assured him, pressing a tender kiss to Henry's cheek. "We will be safe here until we can make other arrangements." What those would be the older man was unsure. For the time being, they had a peaceful sanctuary. "Now, we've both been through an ordeal and I think a bath is in order. Wouldn't you agree?" He led Henry through the modest villa toward the only bedroom, which featured an en suite bath. "Here, why don't you let me undress you?" Robert's mouth was on Henry's throat in an instant, while his hands made short work of the other man's shirt.

Henry gasped at the sudden attack and was too stunned for a moment to properly respond. His eyes fluttered closed, and Henry found himself gripping Robert's hips tightly in his hands. His mind was at once drawn from any thought of what he would do with his days and nights. It seemed that Robert had at least some idea of that - and the theory was one that Henry heartily agreed with. "I suppose there is something to be said for being properly dirty before one cleans up."

Robert drew back, his eyebrows raised in pleasant surprise. "Well now, I do love the way you think," he purred before latching onto the knight's lovely throat again. His hands made short work of Henry's shirt, drawing it from his shoulders and letting it puddle on the floor. "You are... so... very... beautiful," he panted between heated kisses. "Even if we... have to be on the run... I'm thankful we are... together..."

The sentiment was one that Henry echoed wholeheartedly. He felt guilty for what he'd been thinking outside. The man had saved him, they were both safe. The rest could be sorted out in its own time.