Merlin caught Arthur using the same means he had before, but this time Merlin ensured that Arthur wasn't going to hop out of his pocket. He sealed his pocket with magic, leaving only a small part free for breathing purposes. "There. You're not going to escape so easily now, Arthur." He felt silly talking to a frog, but he felt silly not talking to him when he knew it was Arthur.
Merlin began the journey again and thought about what he was going to tell them in Camelot. If it got out that the king was in such a vulnerable state, there was no telling what villains it might bring out that were interested in doing away with the king, Morgana the chief among them. Not to mention, a kingdom that was currently being ruled by a frog invited anarchy and Camelot was still recovering from its last brush with anarchy. Then there was the fact that they might wonder how Arthur was transformed into an animal and he wasn't. The answers they could come up with might not be good.
As Camelot began to loom in the distance, Merlin thought about what he was going to do with Arthur's horse. He couldn't take Arthur's horse back to the stables and not have a king to show for it and he couldn't let Arthur's horse go free or Arthur would never let him hear the end of it. He made a slight detour to a small farm that looked down on its luck.
An old man who looked like he hit the tavern more than occasionally came out of the small cottage. "Can I help you?" He eyed the horses suspiciously, recognizing quality when he saw it.
"I need you to take care of a horse for me until I can come back to get it."
"What would I get in return for helping you?" he asked, clearly a shrewd man despite his unkempt appearance.
Merlin reached into the inside of jacket where he had some coins sewn in for safe-keeping and pulled them out. "This is a small down payment. There will be more when the horse is picked up, in the meantime you have the horse as insurance."
The man hungrily fingered the coins. Then he paused. "I won't get in trouble for this, will I? I don't relish the idea of living out the rest of my days in a dank dungeon."
"No, the king will thank you for this, I swear it. The horse should be kept hidden, so no one tries to steal it, but you are not involved in a crime."
The man didn't need much convincing with coins in his hands. "I believe you. You have an honest face, boy."
Merlin spoke to the amphibian in his pocket in a whisper. "I hope you were taking note. I have some money coming my way when you're you again."
The old man looked up a bit worried, having heard Merlin whispering, "I hope you haven't lost your marbles, boy."
"No, no. I'm just talking to myself, a bad habit really but normal."
With a look of relief on his face, the man began leading the horse to the watering trough.
When Merlin reached Camelot, it was pitch black. The only people that were awake were probably the guards. Something Merlin was very glad about. He hurried to Gaius after dropping his horse off, mostly undetected.
"Merlin," Gwen called.
Merlin shut his eyes tight and berated himself for not thinking of Gwen sooner. Of course, she wouldn't have gone to bed when Arthur was expected back. He turned around to face Gwen.
"Where's Arthur?" she asked, looking down the corridor for signs of Arthur.
Merlin had to think up a lie on the spot. Something he had become uncommonly good at since coming to Camelot. "He stayed back to look for the sorcerer. He thinks he's on the trail and you know how hard-headed Arthur is. Once he's got a quest or idea in his head, he has to see it through come hell or high water. He wanted me to come back and tell you, so you wouldn't worry."
Gwen nodded and seemed to except the explanation without a problem.
"He said for you to make any important decisions in his absence and he'll be back just as soon as he can," Merlin continued.
"Oh, okay," Gwen replied.
Merlin breathed a sigh of relief.
"Can I just ask you one question?" Gwen queried.
Merlin's heartbeat sped up. "What's that?"
"Why do you have a frog in your pocket?"