A/N: Hey-o! I'm back with another chapter! Thank you for patiently waiting! I seriously thought I was gonna have this chapter out sooner, but then college caught up with me and also my job, so it kinda set me back. I have finals next week and then I'll finally be off for three weeks, so hopefully I'll be spitting out chapters faster! Not sure when I'll have chapter four up. It could be sometime next week? I don't know it all depends! But I'll try and get it out ASAP.

Thank you to everyone who left reviews! I swear those keep me so encouraged! This chapter is a tad bit longer than the other ones, but I don't suppose you guys mind? lmao but hey I hope you enjoy! Please leave me your thoughts! I loveeee to hear what you guys think of it!

Oh and I did change a super minor thing in chapter two, but only because it made this chapter a bit more meaningful. Just thought I'd mention that.

Music I listened to while writing:

King Arthur: Legend of The Sword Soundtrack: The Ballad of Londinium-Bonus track by Daniel Pemberton

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Soundtrack: Lily's Theme Extended

Pirates of the Caribbean Soundtrack: Mermaids

Colossal Trailer Music - In Too Deep

Chapter Three: A Little Piece of Hope

The sun was barely above the horizon when Arthur and his Knights set out. Gwen watched from a window as they galloped out of Camelot on horseback. A troubled expression was settled over her features and she gently bit her lip in thought. She knew she couldn't keep Arthur from going back to the woods, but it still worried her. She didn't know if Morgana was still out there or her army, it was dangerous, yet she knew in her heart that Arthur would not rest completely until Merlin was found.

A small sigh escaped her. She always knew of Arthur's loyalty to Merlin as Merlin was to Arthur, but something nagged at her in the back of her mind, telling her that something had changed in Arthur since his return. She had no idea what had happened between Merlin and Arthur, but the look in Arthur's eyes when he spoke of him, it seemed different in a way, which she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Don't worry, M'lady." Gaius came up next to her, startling her briefly, "Arthur will return. I doubt Morgana is still in the forest, she most likely retreated after her army was defeated."

Gwen inhaled softly, "I know. It's just the waiting around that makes me anxious."

"I understand." Gaius peered out the window, Arthur and the Knights no longer in sight.

Arthur gripped the reins tightly as his horse galloped, a flurry of hooves pounding heavily into earth. There was a sort of rhythm to riding that Arthur always loved, but he had no time to enjoy the ride for his eyes were thoroughly scanning the trees that flew by him as he rode, following behind Leon. Gwaine and Lancelot rode beside him with Percival coming up in the rear. Birds chirped their morning songs as though nothing was amiss, but Arthur felt troubled. He tried not to think about Merlin in dire situations, but instead imagined him hiding out in the tavern.

Despite his past complaints about Merlin supposedly spending all his time in the tavern, Arthur would give just about anything for that to be the case. Although, upon the new information he was told by Merlin himself, he hardly believed Merlin ever stepped foot in the tavern. It stirred something within Arthur, a sort of fiery ache that dulled to a slight burn.

"Sire, just up ahead is where we stopped our search last." Leon called out behind him, pulling Arthur from his thoughts as their horses slowed. Arthur pulled at the reins, stopping his horse just behind Leon and quietly scanned the area with his eyes.

"Should we continue on foot, sire?" Percival inquired, glancing at Arthur.

"I suppose it'd be best. That way we don't miss anything." Arthur replied and slid off his horse, his feet hitting the earth with a resound 'thump.' "Keep alert. We still don't know if Morgana's men are in the area or not."

The Knights nodded obediently and they tied up their horses to some smaller trees.

"Spread out. It'll cover more ground that way." Arthur commanded and set out, stepping past trees and eyes carefully scanning the ground for footprints or disturbances in the soil. Tracking had always come naturally to Arthur even when his father first taught him how to spot broken tree branches or footprints. He loved to track, it had been one of his favorite things to do when out on a hunt. He remembered the way Merlin always use to complain about having to go on hunts as he didn't particularly like it much. Arthur paused, shaking the memory away and focused. He didn't have the luxury of becoming distracted.

They searched all day, covering more ground than they thought they would before they all met back up where they originally tied their horses. Night was beginning to fall over the forest, making it harder to see much less track. "Sire, I think we should head back and call it a night." Leon proposed, cautiously, "I think we've covered more than enough for today."

Arthur didn't respond. He had his back toward the Knight's, eyes casted out toward the darkening forest around them. The Knight's shared a glance.

"I believe rest is in order, Arthur." Percival interjected this time, taking a step toward his king, "Besides, not much can be done during nightfall."

Arthur turned at that, the Knight's tensing until they saw the almost well hidden, reluctant expression on his face. "You're right. It's time we head back. You all did a good job today, thank you."

With that, Arthur pushed passed his Knights and untied his horse, climbing on it's back. For a moment, the Knights stared at Arthur's retreating form before another knowing glance was shared between them. They all got onto their respective horses and began following their king back towards the gates of Camelot. They all lingered a bit behind Arthur, deciding it'd be best to give him space.

"I've never seen him like this before." Leon was the first to speak, lowly.

"Well, what do you expect? It's troubling for a king to know some have suffered at his cost." Percival mumbled.

"It's not just some. It's Merlin of all people." Gwaine shot back, his voice low as to not let Arthur hear them speak, "Merlin's a loyal servant, I know personally the boy would do anything for Arthur."

"Merlin's never been just a servant." Lancelot spoke up, eyes settled on Arthur's back, "He's a friend, and a damn good one at that."

The Knight's nodded in agreement.

"I fear Arthur blames himself for Merlin's disappearance." Leon said, "I'm not sure how, and I have no idea what happened to them after Camlann, so I can't say for sure, but there's a look in his eyes of guilt."

They all looked to Arthur and then shared a solemn glance between themselves.

"Don't worry. We'll find Merlin." Lancelot declared quietly, "He's as much of a friend to us as he is Arthur's. If Arthur does blame himself, we must show him that the blame is to be shouldered and shared, but perhaps no one is to blame at all."

Gwaine nodded slowly along with the other Knights, quietly reminiscing about the small adventures Merlin and himself shared together. It was no secret that the Knight's themselves were just as worried for Merlin's safety. Gwaine sighed quietly as they strode on.

They reached Camelot's gates as soon as nightfall officially settled over the citadel and the town's people were all settled into their respective homes. They trotted into the main courtyard of the castle, the sound of the horse's hooves alerting the guards of their return. Arthur told the Knights to retire for the evening and they'd head out once again in the morning. They obeyed, but as soon as Arthur turned his back and headed up the flight of stone stairs, they looked between themselves before following after him.

"Where do you think Merlin would have gone?" Gwaine questioned out loud once they were all in the amory and were slowly removing their capes and chainmail, "I mean, he's a pretty smart guy. God knows he's helped me out of terrible situations more than once."

"I'm beginning to think wherever he went, he didn't go on his own free will." Lancelot spoke and let the words hang in the air for a moment. It had all been on their minds, it had to have been. No one just disappears out of thin air (well normally).

"I've been starting to think the same." Percival met eyes with Lancelot before turning his attention to placing his sword on the sword rack.

"What? You mean like he was taken?" Gwaine questioned, "By who? Morgana's men haven't been seen since Arthur's return. I'm sure they've all retreated by now."

"It's possible he could've been taken earlier than that." Percival piped in, catching Gwaine's glance.

"Wait, wait, hold on. Let's not jump to conclusions. We don't even know if he has been taken. It's also highly possible he's just...lost or something." Leon interrupted, taking the heavy chainmail off, although he himself sounded unsure about his own statement.

Lancelot ruffled his hair and set his sword upon the sword rack. "Well then let us hope that is the case."

Once they all finished undressing from their armor, they headed toward the door of the amory, but Leon stopped them. "Do not express your ideas of Merlin's whereabouts to Arthur."

They all nodded slowly before exiting.

Arthur parted ways with his Knights as soon as they had arrived at the castle. He didn't feel like speaking with them, much less anyone. He made his way up to his chambers, half of him expected to find Merlin readying his bed to sleep, but was instead surprised to find Gwen and Gaius setting food upon the rectangular, wooden table in his room. He tried to hide his disappointment with a surprised expression.

"Guinevere? Gaius?"

Startled, Gwen whirled around, nearly dropping a container that held water as she looked upon Arthur, "Arthur, you're back!"

He gave her a puzzled expression that extended to the food set upon the table.

"We weren't sure when you'd get back, so I had the kitchen prepare some dinner, just in case. Gaius, of course, has been keeping me company." Gwen smiled, sweetly and Arthur couldn't help but return it.

"Let's get you out of that armor, how about that?" Gwen said to minimize the silence.

Gaius excused himself and left the room as Gwen began to help Arthur unstrap his armor. There was a stern silence between them that Arthur didn't care to acknowledge, however Gwen seemed to think otherwise.

"Will you tell me how today went?" She questioned quietly.

Arthur wanted to sigh, but held it back. He didn't feel like discussing it, didn't want to. He didn't want to tell Gwen they literally came up with nothing from a full day search.

"We searched most of the forest. I could find no sign of Mer-" Arthur paused, his mind suddenly reaching for a memory of Merlin taking him in and out of his armor countless of times. He shook it away much like how his armor fell away from his limbs as Gwen removed them.

"Nothing? Are you sure?"

"I found nothing that could indicate a struggle of any kind. There were several footprints, but most of that had been from Morgana's men."

"Perhaps that's a good thing?" Gwen said hopefully. She always tried to find the good side in things. "Maybe that means he's hiding?"

Arthur turned toward Gwen as she removed the chainmail. "If that were the case, I don't understand why he wouldn't have come back already."

Gwen pressed her lips together, "You said you searched most of the forest. Well, that still leaves some left unsearched. He's got to be somewhere."

"I know." Arthur nodded. Gwen had removed all his armor and chainmail and gave him a smile before heading over to the table of food.

"Come eat. You must be starving."

But, he wasn't. Arthur nodded, trying to keep his troubled expression from showing in front of Gwen. He hated making her worry, so he kept his head up and joined her at the table. Arthur tried to eat. He chewed on some bread, but found it didn't sit right in his stomach. It was hard to eat fresh food and drink fresh water when he knew Merlin was out there somewhere possibly going without food or at least not fresh food and water. It just made him feel ill.

He set the piece of bread down, eyes casted down at his plate. He didn't want to insult Gwen since she had set all the food out for him, but it just didn't feel right, but he couldn't expect her to understand. He lifted his goblet filled with water and took a small sip. The room was quiet except for the sounds of the castle outside their chambers and the flickering of candle light.

Arthur quite liked the quietness, but to his surprise he found himself missing the nonstop chatter from Merlin. His heart felt heavy in his chest at the thought. He'd never thought he'd miss a person as much as he did Merlin (and he would gladly take that thought to his grave). There was just this sort of...liveliness Merlin brought to the castle and even Camelot and its people. It was difficult to describe, yet things just felt right when Merlin was around.

He must have had a look on his face because Gwen spoke up, "Are you okay, Arthur? You've hardly touched your dinner." She looked concerned and Arthur felt guilty.

"Yes, I'm fine. The food is delicious and I'm grateful, Guinevere…" He trailed off, "I just...have a lot on my mind, so I think I may just turn in for the night."

Gwen nodded, "As you wish. You must be tired after today." She gave him a smile and Arthur wanted to return it, but he didn't feel like he had the energy to. He stood from his seat and dressed for bed behind the privacy screen as Gwen cleaned up the food, setting it aside for a servant to come clean later.

Sleep that night was beyond impossible. Arthur tossed and turned, finding that he couldn't get comfortable and luckily Gwen was somewhat of a heavy sleeper otherwise she would've awoke from all the rustling.

Eventually, Arthur gave up on sleep and he stepped out of bed, careful not to disturb Gwen as she slept and slowly walked over to the window. He ran a hand through blond locks and sighed as he peered out the window. He gazed passed the walls of Camelot and into the forest beyond, his thoughts clouded. His eyebrows knit together in a troubled expression. "Where the hell are you, you idiot…" Arthur mumbled lowly to himself, feeling the anger behind his words, but it dissipated. The anger wasn't directed towards Merlin, but quite the opposite. He only felt anger toward himself. Anger for not being able to find Merlin. Anger for letting Mordred basically kill him. Anger at himself for letting something happen to Merlin and not being there to protect him.

Arthur's teeth clenched. He felt like punching something, but it soon faded and his shoulders sagged. He glanced back at Gwen in the bed and couldn't help but wonder if Merlin was somewhere safe in a warm bed. He wondered what he was thinking at the moment or if he too couldn't sleep.

Then another thought dawned on Arthur. Did Merlin even know he was alive?

He shook the thought away quickly. He didn't want to think about that. Arthur angled his head upward to peer up at the sky from his view at the window, staring, searching the night sky and its stars as if they could give him answers.

Perhaps Merlin was also peering up at the same stars as he was?

Arthur had never felt so, so...helpless in his entire life. Having Merlin around for years and then suddenly not having him around would've seemed like a minor change, yet it felt so drastic. Like a part of himself was missing somehow? Arthur ran a hand through his hair again, troubled by the thought. Was it weird to think of Merlin that way? As a part of himself?

Yeah. Definitely weird.

His thoughts strayed away from that and he couldn't help but sigh once more. He finally turned away from the window and decided to just crawl back into bed. If he couldn't sleep, at least, he could just lay comfortably.

As he laid down, he finally got comfortable and stared up at the ceiling. He could hear Gwen's soft breathing, a steady rhythm that told him she was still fast asleep. Arthur stared at the ceiling for a while, thinking of Merlin's voice he heard a few nights ago until his eyes began to slowly droop close and suddenly he felt himself drifting.

Days ended up passing. Each morning, the Knights and Arthur would ride out only to come back at nightfall without any idea as to the whereabouts of Merlin. Arthur grew frustrated. He knew he Knights cared for Merlin as much as he did, but he could tell they were beginning to lose faith in finding him.

For the fourth night in a row of coming up with absolutely nothing, Arthur stormed into the castle. He needed to vent or break something and he surprised himself when he threw open the door to Gaius's chambers. The old physician jumped at the clatter of the wooden door hitting the wall and nearly dropped the book he was studying before he caught sight of Arthur.

"Sire?"

"I can't-" Arthur shouted, slamming his hands down on the wooden table just across from where Gaius was sitting. "I can't...I can't-"

"Can't what, sire?" Gaius set his book aside, standing to approach Arthur, whose head was hanging with his hands pressed flat against the table and arms extended, shoulders tense.

"I can't find Merlin." Arthur said more softly, his voice wavering a little.

Understanding dawned on Gaius and he pressed his lips together in sympathy as he slowly approached Arthur. He laid a gentle hand on his shoulder making Arthur look at him.

"I've searched the whole forest and found nothing. I-I...I have no idea where he is. It's like he just disappeared into thin air." Arthur murmured miserably. Gaius stayed quiet, listening.

"I don't know what I'll do, Gaius-" Arthur shook his head slowly, eyes casting down to the table, "He's my responsibility. Has been ever since my father assigned him to me and I…" Arthur paused, inhaling a shaky breath, "and I don't know what I'll do if something has happened to him."

It was rare to see tears in Arthur's eyes. Gaius had only seen it one other time and that was upon Uther's death. Arthur's tears didn't fall, but instead he brought a hand to his face and wiped them away as if he was still trying to uphold his image, despite Gaius being the only one around.

"Is there nothing else we can do?" Arthur looked to Gaius again, eyes pleading and hopeful. Suddenly, Arthur's expression changed and he straightened, Gaius's hand sliding from his shoulder as he regarded the young king. "Magic."

Gaius cocked his head, puzzled, "Magic, sire?"

"You know magic, do you not?" Arthur questioned, suddenly turning to face Gaius, "Perhaps if you use magic to find him?"

Gaius's mouth turned down in an uneasy expression. "Arthur-"

"Is there a spell or anything that can trace him? Gaius, I know magic is still outlawed, but you have my word that no harm will come to you."

Gaius sighed at Arthur's desperate yet hopeful ideas. "It's not that I'm afraid of what might happen to me, Arthur. It's just that it's been so long since I last used magic. I am very much out of practice of the subject." He explained, regretfully.

Arthur's shoulders sagged and he took a seat on the wooden bench next to the table, a small sigh escaping him. His eyes bored into the wooden table as Gaius decided to take the seat across from him, knitting his hands together on the table top as he looked to Arthur.

"Is there really no hope then?" Arthur wondered out loud, voice soft and reluctant. "Do I just accept that he's gone? Do I just give up?"

"No." Gaius said sternly, "I wouldn't think Merlin to give up on you were it you the one missing. He'd try his best and if his best wasn't enough he'd try harder. I believe the boy wouldn't hesitate to go to the ends of the earth for you."

Arthur pressed his lips together in a thin line. Gaius was right. Arthur promised himself he wouldn't abandon Merlin. Arthur sat in thought for a moment, he was truly out of ideas. There had been literally no sign of Merlin anywhere.

Surprising himself, Arthur spoke, "I heard Merlin."

"I'm sorry?" Gaius looked truly confused now.

Arthur peered up from staring at the table and looked Gaius in the eyes. "Or at least I think I heard him."

"Heard him? How so? Where?"

"A dream or at least I think it was a dream." Arthur murmured, "It's hard to explain, but...it sounded so real."

Arthur thought back to the night he awoke to the sound of Merlin's voice in his head.

"What did he say?" Gaius seemed intrigued now.

"Arthur…"

Arthur inhaled sharply at the memory of being awoke by the sound of Merlin's voice clear in his mind. It had been so bizarre, yet enticingly real.

"My name."

Gaius sat back a little, his brow knit together in thought before he said, "Perhaps he was trying to communicate with you?"

Arthur gave him a look about to criticize that idea until he remembered that Merlin was, in fact, a sorcerer, so maybe it wasn't entirely impossible. "I suppose…" Arthur murmured. A small silence fell between them, both in thought.

"When did you last see Merlin?" Gaius questioned suddenly.

"Right before he dragged me into the lake, why?" Arthur recalled the feeling of the cold water and darkness and couldn't help but shiver.

Gaius paused for a moment, "Have you searched the area surrounding the lake where you came out?"

Arthur suddenly felt like an idiot. "No, no I haven't." He admitted.

"Try looking there. Something tells that since you've found nothing inside the forest, then perhaps he went missing while he was still at the lake."

Arthur stood, hope rising within him, "You're right. Thank you, Gaius."

Gaius nodded and watched as Arthur left more calm and collected than he had when he entered and once the door shut to his chambers he sighed quietly, looking toward Merlin's room. The door had remained shut, but every once in awhile Gaius would open it in hopes of finding Merlin lying in bed asleep, yet to his disappointment, it remained empty. Without Merlin around, his chambers felt just a little more emptier than they use to feel.

Dawn arrived as quickly as Arthur hoped for and he was riding out of the gates of the castle faster than he ever had with his Knights hot on his trail. Arthur kicked his horse to gallop faster, riding much further ahead of his Knights, determined to reach the lake as fast as possible.

He had to admit, he didn't remember much about the journey to the lake the last time he was with Merlin since he'd been losing blood and was on the brink of death, but as he galloped past certain areas, it jogged his memory.

The lake was far. Nearly a full day's ride (if you were lucky), which troubled Arthur. He didn't want to waste anymore days, but he knew the horses would need a break from galloping at a constant speed and the Knights would also need their rest. Arthur continued for as long as possible, but eventually he slowed his horse along with the Knights as they came to a clearing, announcing they would rest for an hour and then continue their ride.

The hour went by quickly, the horses got plenty of water and food as well as the Knights, who snacked on berries and such. They continued, riding, at first, at a decent speed before Arthur kicked his horse to go faster, the Knights following in suit. Arthur felt anxious to get there, pushing his horse and silently apologizing for it.

They rode for hours and by nightfall, Arthur spotted the slight opening in the trees and bushes that lead to the lake. He tugged at the reins, slowing his horse to a stop as he gazed toward the opening. His breath hitched in his throat as the Knights stopped their horses just behind him and Arthur quickly jumped off his horse, tying the reins to a nearby tree.

Arthur hurried forward, leaving his Knights behind, but not before barking out an order, "Spread out! Find anything you can!"

"Sire!" He heard Leon call out, but did not stop his stride toward the entrance. It was already dark, so searching for clues would be difficult, but Arthur wasn't going to let that stop him now.

Arthur pushed through the opening, brushing passed bushes and ducking under a tree branch to avoid hitting his head and came to the clearing around the lake. Arthur stopped in his tracks, breathing out heavily as his eyes gazed over the smooth, clear waters. He swallowed thickly, blinking as he thought the water itself was emitting a blue glow. His mind flashed with memories of being under the water's surface and the cold, comforting darkness it kept him wrapped up in. He shook them away and stepped forward.

His eyes gazed around. Sadly, Merlin was nowhere in sight, but Arthur didn't let that dissuade him. He walked along the edge of the waters, searching the ground for clues, yet finding none when suddenly, something compelled him to look at the water. He stopped as he set his sights on something floating just near the surface of the water.

Arthur blinked and turned, stepping further into the water. He shivered at the cold of it, his memories flashing back to his days under it again. He was about ankle deep when he reached down to grasp at the object floating near him. It was soft to the touch, despite it being soaking wet and when Arthur freed it from the water's grasp to inspect it, his eyes widened.

Arthur turned the wet fabric over in his hands and suddenly fell to his knees, splashing the cold water and disturbing it. Arthur's head bowed as he gripped the fabric tightly, pressing it gently to his mouth and tip of his nose as his eyes fell shut. When he opened them again and lifted his head to gaze out at the lake in front of him, tears pricked at the edges of his eyes. He felt his chest burn with heat and out of nowhere, Arthur screamed, anger and sorrow mixing and creating a heart-wrenching sound. Gripping the wet fabric tightly in his hands, Arthur inhaled and exhaled heavily, feeling tears slide down the curve of his cheeks as he stared down at Merlin's familiar neckerchief.

Whatever the mysterious glow was that the lake emitted, it provided Arthur with enough light to just barely make out the dark red of the neckerchief.

"Sire!"

Arthur heard the Knights rush through the opening and into the clearing of the lake, but he did not make a move to acknowledge them.

"Sire! We heard you scream, what happened?" Leon demanded as they as rushed over to their king, who was on his knees in the water. "Are you alright, sire?"

Arthur didn't answer, but upon coming closer, Leon noticed the red fabric in his hands. Leon shared a glance with the other Knights as they all immediately realized what it was.

Arthur didn't know how long he stayed there in the water with Merlin's neckerchief in his hands, but eventually he found himself sitting next to a fire on a log with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. The Knights were all sitting around it as well, eating, but not speaking.

Arthur stared down at Merlin's neckerchief still in his hands. It was dry now, well almost dry, and the dark red it was earlier lightened. An image of Merlin wearing it flashed in Arthur's mind and he gently let his thumb graze the smooth fabric. He blinked slowly, trailing his thumb around it and was puzzled to find it looked like it had been ripped or...cut with a sword even. Where it seemed to be cut, the edges had frayed a little and looked tattered. Arthur touched them gently.

"What happened to you…?" He murmured to himself.

Countless times Arthur had tried to convince himself that Merlin was okay and probably somewhere safe, but upon finding his neckerchief floating in the water like someone had cut it off unexpectedly threw all those reassurances out the window.

Arthur knew for sure now that Merlin was in danger or possibly even dead.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed and don't forget to leave me your thoughts on the chapter or story as a whole! I love to hear what you guys have to say!

Did any of y'all catch the minor change to make this chapter more meaningful? If not, or if you just don't remember, it was Merlin's neckerchief. He was previously wearing it in chapter two and I mentioned it somewhere, but I changed it. I was originally gonna have Arthur find a bloody piece from Merlin's coat (I changed that part in chapter two as well), but the idea to make him find the neckerchief hit me so hard I almost fell (lmao not really but I was like SHIT THAT WOULD BE MUCH MORE HEARTBREAKING) so yeah!

Stay tuned for more and I'll try and have chapter four up ASAP! Reviews are welcomed and Encouraged!

p.s. I'm lowkey curious, do any of you guys listen to the music I put in the beginning notes? It's totally cool if not (idc you do you pal lmao), I just know it helps me set the mood of the story and I always liked it when other fanfic writers would post the music they listened to because I felt like it helped me visualize what they visualized when writing! Idk I think it's neat.