Thank you to everyone who reviewed and generally to anyone who is actually still reading this. (Btw to emerald97, I left you a reply on my profile seeing as you weren't logged in. Dunno if you do have an account or not. Thanks!)

So here's chapter 14 and we're finally going to get to the swamp as I promised. In the next few chapters the focus will be on Merlin and Arthur rather than Uther and Camelot. I'm sure you'll approve. Anyway, that's enough of my ramblings. Enjoy! :D

Chapter 14

Having agreed unquestionably that travelling through the swamplands in darkness would not be a wise decision, Merlin and Arthur decided to make camp for the night. They found a small clearing at the northernmost edge of the woods and from there it was a short ride before they reached the marshes.

Merlin wandered though the trees alone, gathering wood for the fire. Mostly it was damp, but if he could distract Arthur for a few brief seconds that would not be a problem. He came across a small stream winding its way through the forest. Eventually it would reach a small village to the west of where they were now. According to Arthur, this was the closest they would get to passing another settlement on their journey. Poor farmland and a lack of resources that couldn't be found just as readily elsewhere meant that this region was very sparsely populated. It would seem that Heolstor, which lay in a remote point at the farthest northeast point of Uther's realm, was the exception. It had a rare, almost unique, natural resource in the form of magic. Of course, this magic seeped out over the entire land, but Heolstor was the place where the power was at its strongest.

Dumping the pile of firewood at his feet, Merlin sat beside the bank of the stream. In front of him, the water collected in a small pool, before cascading down the banking to his left. He gazed into the water contemplatively. He was worried about Camelot, about what was happening there in his absence. He was worried about Gaius and about Gwen, both of whom were surely worrying about him. Picking up a stick, he made rippled patterns in the water as he aimlessly twirled it through the water's surface. If only there was some way to get word back home.

Then an idea struck him. He was a sorcerer after all. He remembered reading about a spell; an extension of scrying using water, by which two-way communication was possible - in theory. Merlin had never attempted either before now. There had been little need seeing as how the only person he could talk to was Gaius, and whenever there was trouble Merlin usually already had a front-row seat. There was only one way to find out if it would work. Merlin began tracing a runic shape in the water and chanted.

"Álýme mé hústwiste. Áliefe mé to mælaan mid mín niedfréondes."

The shape of Merlin's rune was outlined in effervencence before the fizzing stopped and the waters rippled outwards from a single point. His refection diappeared to reveal… well, nothing much. He could see a dark brown surface, possibly wooden, directly above him. Odd. He could however, hear voices.

"If there's anything I can do to assist you?" said a voice Merlin vaguely recognised, but couldn't place. One of the knights at the castle? Merlin never spoke to them much.

"I think I can manage. Thank you." That was Gaius. Encouraging. At least he had ended up in the right place. He probably should have thought this through before acting. If he had turned up in Uther's bedchambers by accident, the consequences wouldn't bear thinking about. Still, it was too late now.

The sound of a closing door indicated that the other man had left. Merlin could hear Gaius grinding herbs and tinkling with glass bottles. So, he was working and that meant he was in his chambers. Merlin wondered why he couldn't see anything. Merlin was just about to speak when he heard another pair of footsteps in the room. Gaius still was not alone.

The other man - Merlin assumed it was a man as the footfalls were heavy - strode towards Gaius.

"Gaius, please I know I can rely on you. I need you to take notice of me."

Uther? What was the king doing here and why was Gaius paying no attention to him.

"Damn it!" The king shouted. There was the sound of glass shattering on the floor. Something had been deliberately thrown, apparently by Uther given the current temper he was in. Was Gaius insane? You did not just ignore the king, especially when that king was Uther Pendragon.

Merlin hoped he would leave soon. It didn't take this long to collect firewood and even allowing for incompetence, Arthur would still be wondering where he was.

"I'm stood right in front of you so LISTEN to me!" There was a further clattering and a rustling as more items and probably some paper were flung off the workbench. "Gaius!" Uther yelled, positively fuming. He paced furiously back and forth before sighing and making an unmistakable exit, banging the door closed behind him and causing a pile of books to topple over.

"You're brave," Merlin finally exclaimed, now satisfied that only himself and Gaius were present. "But giving Uther the silent treatment. Are you sure that's such a good idea?"

"Merlin?" Gaius said.

"Gaius! You can hear me. It worked… I think. It's a bit dark. What was the king doing here…? I mean there? I thought he'd never leave."

"What on Earth are you talking about? And where are you?" Gaius asked. After some noises of movement, Gaius's head emerged above him. As it smacked against the roof of the table, Merlin winced.

"Merlin!" Gaius exclaimed, his hand reaching to rub his head. "What is your head doing in a bucket?"

"Oh, is that where I ended up?" said Merlin.

"You're under the table." Gaius explained. Merlin's image sloshed about as Gaius lifted the bucket out and placed it on the tabletop. Merlin still couldn't see much other than the ceiling and Gaius's face, but it was lighter at least. "What are you doing here? Where are you really?" Gaius asked him.

"Erm, I'm in a wood. There're… trees and things. I'm not completely sure where we are, but we're heading north to Heolstor. I wanted to let you know we're alright and we're going to try and stop this."

"Is Arthur with you?"

"Yes," Merlin answered. Gaius looked relieved. "Never mind that," Merlin said. "Why were you ignoring Uther?"

"Uther?" Gaius frowned. "Merlin, Uther's missing. The sorceress came here, caused a fire." Merlin remembered looking back at the castle and seeing flames. "And he hasn't been seen since."

"No," said Merlin, confused. "He was here."

"You must be mistaken."

"Mistaken?! He was shouting and throwing things trying to make you to listen to him. He was furious. You don't exactly mistake something like that." Gaius could see that Merlin was serious.

"Merlin, if that is true then none of us can see or hear him."

"You mean Uther's invisible?" Merlin pondered. "Well things aren't all bad then." Gaius looked daggers at him. "Or maybe they are."

Gaius looked down at the broken jar and began to notice more mess scattered around the floor.

"It would seem that he still has a physical presence at least," Gaius determined from the evidence, "but we either don't notice it or feel compelled to ignore it. Things here are not looking good," he continued. "Sir Caradoc has taken it upon himself to take command in the king's stead. Uther is presumed dead."

"Caradoc?" Thought Merlin aloud. "Large man?" Gaius nodded. "Rude, selfish, arrogant, manipulative, marches around looking like he has a bad smell under his nose?"

"The very same. Already he's spreading the view that Arthur left out of cowardice."

"What?! That's ridiculous. Arthur's no coward. I practically had to drag him away from the battle, and now he's travelling to face goodness knows what and all for the sake of his people. Surely no one will believe what he says, will they, after all that Arthur's done? They think he killed a dragon."

"I honestly don't know," Gaius said. "The prince is popular, but there are those who feel he lacks the strength of his father. And Caradoc seems to have a way of twisting the truth."

Merlin was about to protest when he heard the cracking of twigs and rustling of undergrowth coming towards him. He looked around and could just make out a head of blonde hair moving behind a bush, searching for his useless servant.

"It's Arthur. I've got to go," Merlin whispered.

"Good luck and be careful," Gaius added quickly before Merlin's eyes flashed gold, ending the spell. He quickly gathered up the wood he was supposed to be fetching and strode out to meet Arthur.

"Merlin! What took you so long?" Arthur snapped. "I thought you'd been eaten by something, though I see now you haven't. I suppose in the greater scheme of things, there's a reason that should please me."

"Sorry, I forgot my head and had to go back for it," Merlin replied, alluding to that morning. It was not one of Merlin's better quips, but it would have to do. Arthur was not impressed.

"Come on," he said. They walked off together through the forest back to the place they'd made camp. Arthur looked at the bundle of sticks Merlin was carrying. "You know, you'll never get that to light."

***

Later that evening, as the last lingering twilight began to fade into darkness, Merlin and Arthur lay next to the roaring campfire's warm glow, anticipating and discussing the journey that lay ahead.

"The sorceress wants us to go to Heolstor, so she's hardly going to attack us before we get there," Arthur reasoned to a somewhat anxious Merlin. He'd noticed that Merlin had something on his mind, but he didn't realise what. He thought the boy was worried about what might happen to them, and Arthur took that opportunity to wind him up no-end.

"I suppose."

"Between us we've already been stabbed, poisoned, attacked by wyverns as well as our own soldiers," Arthur pointed out. "And you've been killed."

"In a manner of speaking."

"So, the chances of a completely unrelated misfortune occurring at the same time we're dealing with everything else, I would say, are pretty slim."

"Oh, thank you," remarked Merlin loudly. "You had to say that didn't you?"

"Say what?"

"You know what." Arthur smiled back at Merlin.

"Look, what could poss-" Arthur began.

"No!" Merlin interrupted, hands hovering over his ears. "Don't you dare. If something happens now, I'm blaming you."

"I'm a prince," Arthur laughed. "So you can't blame me."

"Try and stop me." Arthur shook his head. Merlin really was like a child sometimes.

"It's only a haunted swamp," Arthur said.

"Wait a minute… haunted? You never said it was haunted."

"Actually I did," Arthur corrected him. "But it's hardly my fault if you're deaf."

"Haunted. Great. That's just great. We're doomed."

"We're not doomed."

"You couldn't have said that with a little more certainty?" asked Merlin nervously.

"What could possibly go wrong?" Arthur teased. Merlin scowled and rolled over on the ground so his back was to the prince.

"I hate you," Merlin said.

"I know," Arthur replied. His face wore a small grin behind him. "Night, Merlin."

"Night, Sire." Merlin fidgeted about where he lay, trying to get comfortable. The wind rustled through the overhanging branches. "But you know a lot of ghost stories do have some truth in them."

"Night, Merlin."

After readjusting the pack on which his head was resting, Merlin twisted about to lie on his back again. An owl could be heard hooting in the distance.

"There's probably nothing in this one though," he thought aloud.

"Goodnight Merlin."

"Night Arthur." One of the horses snorted loudly. Merlin sighed and closed his eyes. "Although," he added, opening them again.

"Merlin."

"Yes?" replied Merlin, enthusiastically.

"Go to sleep."

***

Merlin and Arthur extinguished the fire and set off again at first light. As they passed beyond the tree line, the swampland spread out before them, a massive expanse of putrid, foul-smelling ooze. Swirling clouds of grey fog clung like limpets to the murky surface of the greenish waters and twisting through the large marshy patches, the pathway stretched ahead of them, raised up on a foundation of densely packed stones. It was just wide enough for the pair to ride single-file across this miserable landscape.

Merlin and Arthur set out along the meandering trail. As they progressed towards the centre of the swamp, the shape of a tall tower began to emerge out of the gloom. It stood as a monument to a time when the land was fair, but now it was diseased. It lay sprawling, a huge festering sore in the wilderness, with all its former beauty having leeched away.

The air was dank and oppressive and the atmosphere between the two young travellers was not much better. The whole place was depressing and what's more Merlin didn't feel compelled to talk. Part of him wished he had never spoken to Gaius last night. Yes, the consequences were productive and Gaius knew now that Uther was alive and well – sort of. If anyone could sort Uther's predicament, it was Gaius. But what if he couldn't? Things did not look good. Merlin was also worried about Arthur and the affect this whole incident was having on his reputation. Uther was 'dead' for all intents and purposes and his heir had vanished without a trace, leaving no explanation for his absence. That did not bode well.

Arthur was better off not knowing about his father. It was just as well because Merlin could not tell him anyway. Arthur already had enough to worry about. He may try to bury it inside, but Merlin knew that he was deeply concerned about the well-being of Camelot and he did not know the half of it. Also, the prince was no fool. So, he could be slightly oblivious at times. Many times, Merlin thought. But stupid? Never. The prince knew perfectly well that he could be riding to his death and Merlin knew he would give his life willingly to protect his people. What Arthur didn't know is that Merlin would never ever let that happen.

The pair continued onwards. Other than the clip-clopping of hooves on the cobbles, it was silent. Eerily silent. It took a while for Merlin to fathom why, but then it hit him. The waters were filled with a strange-looking black weed, the likes of which Merlin had never seen before, but that aside there was no other life here. The skeletons of the long-dead trees reaching out of the marsh were unfrequented by birds and there were no telltale ripples to indicate fish or even insects inhabited this place. There was no croaking, no chirruping, no snuffling, or any sounds of wildlife at all.

Arthur's voice finally broke through the quietness.

"Well this is… pleasant," he said.

"Yes, I can see now why we came this way. There's a lot to be said for the scenic route," Merlin replied. Arthur looked around at his bleak surroundings.

"Have you seen any ghosts?" Arthur asked cheerfully.

"Not yet," Merlin answered. He heard a splashing each time his horse's feet struck the wet causeway. Merlin stopped. "Is it me or is this water rising?"

"It's you," Arthur stated, before actually inspecting it for himself and noticing the water lapping up the sides of the path. "The water level is bound to be a bit higher than usual with all the rain we've had recently."

"Right," said Merlin, unconvinced. That was when he began hearing voices. It was a faint melodic sound. "Is that you singing?" He asked, frowning.

"Singing?" said Arthur, perplexed. "No. I don't sing," he assured him. He continued riding along. "Except for that one time," Arthur added quickly before Merlin had the chance to correct him, "And we both know I was drunk." He closed his eyes and shuddered at the recollection. The few memories that had survived by the next morning were more than enough. "Very drunk."

"Erm, Arthur," Merlin called ahead to Arthur who was now some distance in front of him. His voice was laden with unease. In any ordinary situation, he would have loved to torment Arthur further about various embarrassments longing to be forgotten, but he was getting a little too worried at the moment to be concerned with amusing himself. At the moment, he was too busy concerning himself with being concerned. "A little help might be good."

"What have you done now?" Arthur asked exasperatedly as he turned around to find Merlin stranded by water, which was bubbling and getting higher and higher around him, cutting him off from the prince. Merlin was trying to control his horse as the beast panicked and tried to escape the rising water that surrounded them. His frightened eyes met Arthur's and Arthur's stared back in shock.

Arthur's own horse was backing away nervously from the foam and refused to respond to his commands. Arthur dismounted and rushed to Merlin's aid on foot, splashing through the churning waters to reach him. However, before he could get to him, Merlin's horse reared up, throwing its rider off the flooded causeway and into the deeper water of the swamp. Merlin sank beneath the surface.

"Merlin!" Arthur cried out. He breathed a sigh of relief when his servant's head bobbed back up gasping. But suddenly, Merlin was dragged back under by something Arthur could not see.

Arthur was about to wade towards the stream of bubbles rising from the depths. He hoped he could reach him before he sank too deep as he wouldn't be able to swim properly without first removing his heavy armour.

He failed to notice the black weed's tendrils snaking towards his horse behind him. Neither did he notice the animal's front hooves flailing in the air to his rear until it was too late. They collided brutally with the back of his head, sending his world spinning. As he lingered on the brink of unconsciousness, the last thing he saw before his blurred vision faded to blackness was Merlin's pale face disappearing slowly, downwards into the murk.

Cliffie! Mwah ha ha!

The next chapter is going to be a bit of a challenge to write. Consider yourself warned. I'll try not to leave you waiting too long. In the meantime, do let me know what you think.