A/N: Alright, I have started writing this again, but I got stuck at the end of the chapter, and am unsure as to how to continue from her. So Idecided to put this up and ask your opinion.

Thanks to everyone for your reviews, but in case you hadn't noticed, I updated the previous chapter so that there is more of it. You might want to go back and read it.

Again, I am sorry, but hey, today you get a book cover and a chapter!

Enjoy!

I do not own Merlin, but I do own Nerlin(whatever that is).

Chapter 6

"Arthur! Arthur, wait!" Merlin called, jogging to catch up. Arthur stopped and turned angrily to his manservant.

"Wait for what? For you to explain what on earth you were thinking?"

"What? I just covered for you!"

"Oh yes, with stress. Now no-one will think I can cope! This is all your fault Merlin."

"What do you mean, my fault? I just got you a week off! To go hunting!"

Arthur growled, "Fine. But I am not wasting my time hunting. Find me something useful to do, and prepare for a quest."

Merlin sighed as he watched the prince storm off down the corridor. He thought Arthur liked hunting, for goodness sake. Merlin got a strange feeling that he was missing the point.

"I take it Arthur wasn't pleased." Merlin jumped and was surprised to find Gaius in the corridor, behind him. He gave his mentor a small smile in welcome, before getting back to the point.

"Gaius, Arthur is never pleased any more. He's even angry I got him a week off, to hunt! I thought he liked hunting, but no, he wants to 'do something useful'." Merlin complained, "What do I do, Gaius?"

Gaius raised his eyebrow. "How about you find 'something useful' to do?" Merlin looked confused and Gaius sighed and elaborated. "How about you find a way to destroy that pendant?"

Merlin's head shot up. "That," he said, eyes sparkling, "is not a bad idea."

**MAGICAL TIME SKIP!**

"Well Merlin, what are we doing?" Arthur was sat at his desk, chin resting on his hands, watching as his manservant tidied his rooms after the mess that had been made yesterday.

Merlin paused in his fussing and turned to face his friend to recite his findings. The advantage of doing so much research the previous night on the Pendant of Duergar, as it was apparently called, was that Gaius had also discovered several possibilities on how to destroy it, without Merlin just blasting at the artefact with his considerable power. They had decided on something that they could actually look for and thus keep Arthur busy finding it. "There's a magical artefact called the Dagger of Lost Dreams, and it has the ability to destroy anything it touches, according to legend. It was hidden during the Great Purge in the forest of Ascetir, so it would be wise to look there first."

Arthur was surprised at how knowledgeable Merlin sounded, but he simply nodded in response. "Good, we leave tomorrow morning. I expect everything will be ready?"

Merlin bowed slightly before leaving to prepare. He was surprised the Arthur had accepted the quest so easily and seemed fairly tame compared to yesterday's fail of a hunting trip. Merlin only hoped his good mood would last, especially if it took them all week to find the dagger and he was sharing a camp-site with him.

That looked so much longer on paper...

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