I am so sorry for how long that took. I literally, ripped the connecting part of the modem from the modem itself by accident. And I feel horrible even though it wasn't that long.

Merlin and Gwaine were riding towards the citadel when they heard it. The snap of twigs. Merlin heard a twig crack and froze, taking his sword out of its scabbard. Gwaine looked at him for a moment and then followed.

"Maybe it was a rabbit." Gwaine suggested just as Bandits came running into the clearing, yelling battle cries.

"Run!" Merlin said but it was hopeless, they were completely surrounded.

Merlin jumped off his horse and started to battle. He was the best swordsman in the five kingdoms and Gwaine was one of the best, they might have a chance.

He heard Gwaine laughing as he fought and Merlin resisted the urge to join him. Though, the laugh turned into a cry of pain after a moment.

"Gwaine!" Merlin cried and turned to Gwaine, seeing his brother being knocked out by one of the bandits. They all turned to Merlin and he gulped. While he didn't mind his chances before he hated these ones.

He would have to protect Gwaine and fight against over a dozen men.

He spat on the ground and ripped his neckerchief off his neck. If he were to be captured then hopefully one of the patrols would find that and find him.

"Come on!" He yelled and the bandits attacked.

Block, parry, Block, parry, Block, parry. He finished off five of the bandits until one of them stabbed him in the side. He cried out and fell to the ground. He held onto his sword before a boot hit him in the face, making him loose consciousness.

"Noooooooooooooooooooooo!" Jordan yelled, running forward yelling a battle cry. The bandit looked up, stunned by the sudden cry but quickly overcame it. There were about six Bandits standing, the other dozen were dead.

They're swords met and they started to battle. Jordan was a fantastic swordsmen but the other five men started to join in. Maybe Merlin would be able to defeat this many men but Jordan wasn't Merlin. Thomas, Percival and Leon came next to him and started to battle along side him. Soon, the battle was won.

"Merlin! Gwaine!" Jordan yelled out, dropping to Merlin's side and checking his pulse. It was not that strong but he would live (with a little help).

"Richard!" He yelled for the only man in the group who actually knew sorcery.

"I'm here!" Richard yelled, running towards his friend.

"Merlin." He whispered when he caught sight of the man who was bleeding into the grass.

"Save him." Jordan ordered and Richard nodded.

"achub" He whispered and Merlin took a deep breath in as he healed. There was still an alarming amount of blood on the ground but Merlin would recover soon enough.

"We have to get back to Asectian." Jordan told Merlin and Merlin just looked at him confused.

He heard Gwaine gasp somewhere else and Jordan looked up to see Richard kneeling over Gwaine. He hadn't even notice him leave.

"No." Merlin said. "The werewolf…. My people." He stuttered.

"We can take care of them later." Jordan reasoned. "After a nice drink."

Merlin laughed weakly. Probably thinking that his brother only wanted him to drag him to a tavern.

"Merlin you lazy sod!" Arthur came into view and Jordan helped his brother up.

"You ran off." He accused, pointing a finger.

"Sorry sire." Merlin mocked, bowing. Jordan couldn't stop the laughter that came out of him. When Merlin was an arrogant Sod he was do that. He would aggravate Merlin.

Though, Merlin was only ten years old back then. Jordan was over 12. Thomas was 11.

"What?" Arthur asked.

"I used to do that to you Merlin." He laughed. "You were horribly arrogant."

Merlin smirked.

"Yeah, and you and the other knights wouldn't stop pranking me, even after I stopped being arrogant." He looked like he was thinking. "Hang on, the pranks increased after that!"

"The nobles hated us." Jordan laughed.

"Wait what?" Arthur cut in.

Jordan's laughing stopped, he had forgotten that Arthur didn't know who Merlin was.

"Merlin's father was a knight. We grew up together." He said quickly. Arthur turned to Merlin wide eyed.

"You? The son of a knight?" He asked.

"Why not?" Merlin asked.

"You are useless with a sword." Arthur reasoned.

Merlin rolled his eyes.

"Yes I am. I never wanted to become a knight." Merlin reasoned. "And my father was killed during the raid 8 years ago."

"I'm sorry." Jordan said to his brother. "He was a great man."

"Actually." Thomas came towards them. "It will be nine years tomorrow since the citadel was taken."

"It was so long ago." Merlin sighed. "And nine years since Julion and Richard were killed."

Merlin and his brothers lowered they're heads, well, Gwaine didn't.

"You guys helped me become who I am." He said to his brothers. "Thank you for that."

Jordan smiled at that, that wasn't the only reason.

"Don't give us all the credit Merlin." He told his brother in a sly voice.

"Yeah Merlin, Sahara and you seemed pretty friendly." Thomas laughed.

Merlin sighed.

"She made me who I am." He said sadly. "I hope that she is ok."

Ten year old Merlin rode his horse out into the woods. He loved hunting, bringing back animals to please his father was always fun. His mother disapproved but his father didn't mind. He had to be strong when he became king and the last dragonlord.

Suddenly, they heard a scream.

"Help!" a girls voice cried and Merlin was there in a flash. His horse, Lightning, was the fastest horse in the castle.

Merlin soon came to see the problem. Two men were harassing a girl, she was around his age and then wouldn't let her go.

"Help!" She screamed and one of the men hit her on the face.

Merlin drew his sword and attacked. He managed to dispatch one of the attackers but another punched him in the face and he went stumbling back.

"Who do you think you are, boy?" The man sneered.

"I am the future king and you will not harm myself or this girl." He said in an arrogant tone.

"Oh, won't I know?" He said in a high pitched voice. He laughed and Merlin grimaced at the sight of his teeth. They were rather black, Missing, or a horrible yellow.

His laughter was cut off by an arrow sticking out of his chest.

He gasped, looking down at the arrow and fell.

Merlin sniffed and stood up, smirking.

"My lady." He bowed to the girl. She had Brown hair and the most beautiful Blue eyes he had ever seen.

"I am not a lady. Do not treat me as such." She told him and he looked at her in surprise.

"Who are you?" Merlin asked.

"You may call me Sahara. Though, I already know who you are." She smirked.

"Then who am I?" He smirked, not even paying attention to his knights.

"You are an arrogant prat." She told him and he took a step back.

"You can't address me in that way." He told her.

"I can and I will." She told him.

"Why do you say these things?" He asked.

"Because it is the truth." She turned around and grabbed her bag.

"Now, if you will excuse me. I am going to stay with my aunt in the city." She said, walking off. Merlin smiled and walked after her.

"Let me escort you." He told her. She turned to him.

"I don't think you should."

"It will be my pleasure." He replied, smiling.

"You are just trying to look noble." She said. "But your thoughts are not of me, it is of the praise of your father."

She turned around and started to leave.

"Will I ever see you again?" He asked.

"If you open your eyes to your kingdom. You will." She said and left. He watched her go with a smile.

When he returned to the kingdom he saw it with different eyes. He became kind and considerate. He started to hate the thought of being king and just wanted to be normal.

He met Sahara a year later and this time, she bowed to him and they became good friends. Until a week before the raid when she had to leave to see her mother. He never saw her after that. And he didn't even know that she was alive.

Oooooh, so Merlin was actually arrogant until someone had the guts to actually tell him off. Do you think Sahara and Merlin were ever more than friends? You will have to keep reading to find out. Oh and Arthur learnt that Merlin's father wasn't a peasant. He didn't learn it was a king but it was closer.

Oh and have you seen the finale yet? ITS FREAKEN AWESOME AND I WAS SCREAMING AT THEN END. EVEN THOUGH I WAS REALLY SAD. :'(

Sorry, fangirl moment then.

Please Review?