We're sorry! On the bright side we're getting back into our fanfiction writing groove. It's been forever. Life's been getting in the way. We've been melting down. It didn't help that this was a hard chapter to write. We're sooooooo sorry. Forgive us?
Thank you to everyone that reviewed (and gave other forms of feedback) last chapter. And, again, we're sorry about how long this took us.
Enjoy!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Merlin's head jerked up. He had been sleeping at Arthur's table. And, to avoid any awkward questions, Merlin had laid out the prat's armor. Unfortunately, Merlin's head had landed on the chain mail when he fell asleep.
Arthur stirred.
"Swefe nu," Merlin hastily cast the spell. Arthur stilled again.
Merlin meandered blearily to the door. He shook himself. He needed to be prepared. Morgana was going to be furious when Merlin answered the door instead of Arthur.
Immediately after opening the door Merlin nearly flew into a state of panic. Before the servant stood a burly young knight. Was Arthur needed? He wasn't going to wake any time soon. At least not without magic. Hopefully the knight wouldn't do anything that, under normal circumstances, should wake the prince. Merlin wasn't sure how he could explain away this situation.
Before Merlin could say or do anything the knight simply walked off. This revealed Morgana and her fool of an ally. Morgana's nostrils flared. The color drained from her companion's face.
"Yes, Lady Morgana," Merlin greeted in a neutral tone.
Morgana glared at Merlin. Under normal circumstances Merlin would simply step aside and let her pass. But the circumstances were hardly normal.
"I'm here to speak with Arthur," Morgana said coldly.
"I'm afraid Arthur isn't to be disturbed right now," Merlin stated simply.
"I'm the king's ward. You will do as I command. Move aside so I can speak with Arthur."
"The prince's needs take precedence over your orders."
"Don't be a fool," Morgana pressed. "Step aside or fetch Arthur."
"Arthur's orders are that he isn't to be disturbed," Merlin reiterated.
"Careful, or you will pay for your foolishness," Morgana threatened.
As Merlin spoke he looked pointedly at Morgana's friend, "I may be a fool." It was his way of dropping a small insult. He almost felt bad though. The woman was practically trembling. How did she know about his magic? He shook off the the thought and resumed speaking to Morgana, "But if I disobey Arthur's orders I will pay for it. Do you think he can't hear you?"
"Get. Out. Of my way. Now," Morgana demanded.
"No. By the way, I think your escort has wandered off. You might want to catch up with the only knight in the castle."
"Kahlan, be reasonable," Morgana tried to sound soothing.
"Reasonable? Merlin was waiting for us. He knew we were coming." Kahlan halted in the hall for a moment. "He knew it was me."
"What makes you say that?"
"He said everything to you. Everything except for this: 'I may be a fool.' He isn't fooled by the disguise."
Morgana laughed, "Gizelle isn't the brightest person to set foot in court. Her theory about you being a ghost might be the most intelligent thing she's ever said."
"Excuse me?"
"Merlin was insulting Gizelle, not you."
Kahlan shook her head. "No, he knew. I could tell."
Morgana suppressed a sigh of exasperation, "Besides, we need to find a way around Arthur's orders before tonight."
"Arthur's orders? No, Merlin lied about that. Arthur didn't order that he be not disturbed." Kahlan's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "However, everything else was the truth."
"That isn't possible. If Arthur could hear me, why was he letting Merlin lie? That's not like Arthur." But then, Arthur hadn't been acting like himself for days now. Then Morgana smiled, "I wonder if he injured himself. It must be extremely embarrassing if I haven't heard about it."
"Then maybe we don't have to even worry about confessing Arthur. We only have Merlin to worry about."
Morgana pursed her lips. Kahlan couldn't drop the ridiculous notion of Merlin being a sorcerer. Morgana nearly retorted. Then she realized that this had to be a perfect way to gain revenge on Merlin. And if Arthur was hurt, what could he do? Morgana would play along with Kahlan's paranoia.
"No," Morgana said, "nothing short of two broken legs would stop Arthur from defending Camelot. But whatever the injury is, he won't be able to react in time after seeing his manservant get confessed. Merlin doesn't need to be a sorcerer to vanquish a bedridden knight."
"Rise and shine," Merlin's voice echoed.
Oh, how Arthur hated that phrase. Without fail it meant interruption to a perfectly comfortable and peaceful slumber. He felt a bit more sluggish than usual. The prince was slightly annoyed at Merlin for opening those stupid drapes. Arthur didn't appreciate the light attacking his eyes while he was trying to sleep in his nice, comfortable bed. Bed? Why was he in bed? His mind searched over the events of the night before. Merlin brought him dinner. Arthur remembered beginning to eat. That was it. Which meant—
"Merlin!" Arthur snapped.
"Yes." Merlin gave Arthur an innocent smile.
Arthur's insides erupted in anger. There was something guilty about people acting innocent. It was incredibly annoying. It was especially annoying when Merlin did it.
"You drugged me," Arthur accused.
Pursing his lips, Merlin shook his head. The livid look on Arthur's face told the warlock that now wasn't the time to admit anything.
"You were very tired last night. Are you sure you didn't just... doze off?"
Arthur glared murderously. No, Arthur thought, Merlin's normal tricks of evasion won't get him out of an explanation. Arthur would pull the truth out of his manservant.
"Merlin!" Arthur snarled, "What—" Arthur stopped himself. He had been hit by an epiphany. He knew how to get the truth out of his servant. "Never mind," he said with false pleasantness.
Merlin recoiled. He knew that voice. Arthur was about to make Merlin's life harder. Whatever was brewing in the prat's head needed to be headed off. Maybe if he could remove the drugging as the most interesting recent event. Ironically, Morgana had given him with the perfect tool for that.
"Do you know what I found sticking out of the lock?" Merlin moved briskly toward the table.
"Why would anything be poking out of the lock!" Arthur said exasperatedly. Really, Merlin picked the strangest topics sometimes.
Merlin picked up the broken key. He held it in the most visible position possible as he walked back to the prince. Arthur took the piece of metal. His eyes widened as he stared at the nub of a key.
Merlin spoke again. "Maybe someone tried to use the kitchen key on your door," he suggested.
Arthur said nothing. He merely glared incredulously at his manservant. Merlin knew very well that there were no keys to the kitchens. And why would anyone try to pick an already unlocked door?
"I suppose," Merlin continued, "that it could be whoever stole your keys a year or two ago." Arthur raised his eyebrows. "It's a good thing the locks have been changed." Merlin had to resist the urge to laugh. Arthur's face was priceless. They probably hadn't changed a single lock.
"Merlin, you idiot," Arthur snapped, attempting to hide how flustered he was. "No one would ever attempt to use those keys again."
He wouldn't admit it, but Arthur wondered if Merlin was right in this instance. Perhaps the original thief had sold it to those rampaging sorcerers. Ironic really. Arthur had counted on everyone assuming the locks had been changed. That assumption would prevent the thief from ever bothering again. Of course, that thief had to take up swindling as a past time—only to be accidentally honest.
Merlin stared at the prince who seemed on the verge of injuring himself via trying to think. An idea suddenly popped into the sorcerer's head. He was going to put a stop to the whole issue of the crazy crew. Merlin knew the entire plan forming in his head was reckless, maybe even feckless. But the warlock was sick of waiting for "the other side of the coin" to make move against them. Merlin would do this himself. He just needed an excuse to be stupid.
"Arthur, Gaius needs me to collect some herbs for him," Merlin said tentatively. It probably wasn't the best idea to use that cover story. At least not without consulting Gaius first. Merlin began to panic as Arthur's face filled with skepticism. Skepticism and deviousness.
"Fine," Arthur consented.
Merlin's jaw dropped. It was a moment before Merlin realized that he should stop staring and leave. He needed to leave before Arthur changed his mind.
Once Merlin left, Arthur grabbed his big blue cloak. Arthur didn't have to be the one who offered false freedom. Merlin made the mistake of asking for it himself.
Kahlan knocked on Arthur's door. Any second now Merlin would answer the door. Then Kahlan would grab his throat. Merlin would beg to do his "mistress's" bidding. Morgana smirked with anticipation for that beautiful sight.
Nobody answered. Kahlan quickly glanced about her before testing a desperate hope. Surely she knew that the door would be locked.
To both women's surprise, Kahlan's test of the handle opened the door.
Empty. Of course the room was empty! For Arthur to still be there would be far too convenient! Morgana could have screamed.
Kahlan crossed the room.
"What are you doing?" Morgana demanded. "He's not here."
Kahlan ignored Morgana. The Mother Confessor lifted the bed covers and glanced under the bed.
"He wouldn't be under the bed!" Morgana snapped.
"You never know. Merlin might have hidden him under the bed to feel better about leaving him unprotected."
Morgana rolled her eyes. She watched as Kahlan checked behind the drapes and screen and even inside the wardrobe. The woman refused to leave until she combed down the entire room. Morgana sometimes wondered if the form of Gizelle was affecting Kahlan's judgment.
Something rustled behind Merlin. He jerked his head around. Trees. Shrubs. A squirrel. Merlin really wished the wildlife would stop conspiring with his imagination. He had been jumping at every little noise. Occasionally, if the noise startled him enough, Merlin would cause extra twinging in his broken rib from twisting his whole body too quickly.
Merlin shook his head. The warlock knew he was being paranoid. Of course, that didn't stop him from worrying about getting caught. What an irony it would be if Merlin got captured by the very same people he was hunting. Merlin was certain they would ensure he couldn't escape their grasp a second time.
He crouched, wincing slightly as he did so. Collecting herbs may be only an ostensible reason for this excursion, but it still needed to be done (and it prevented awkward questions later). However, Merlin hated dividing his attention from his search. He couldn't shake the sickening feeling that he would be captured (or worse) right as he picked herbs. Maybe Gaius was right. This was a horrible idea. Merlin had been out here almost all morning, but he still couldn't find a trace of his quarry. And Merlin probably wouldn't survive an ambush. But this had to be done! These people had to be found before they could wreak even more havoc. And Arthur wasn't willing to do anything remotely useful. He could be out here looking too. (And why he wasn't the one dragging Merlin out here, the warlock had no idea.) But no, all-nighters and servant abuse was far more important. What else could Merlin do? Wait until he went as insane as that clotpole? No. Besides, Merlin didn't want Arthur's "help" right now. What could Arthur do in a battle against the crazy crew? That is, except prevent Merlin from utilizing his greatest asset? And would Uther have even allowed his son to actively search the forest? Who knew? The king had a horrible habit of sending the throne's only heir after dangerous magic one week and forbidding similar missions the next.
Merlin stood. He knew should probably return to Camelot. The sun had nearly reached midday. He had already been out far longer than any normal herb collecting trip would ever require. If only—
A twig snapped. Merlin wrenched his body around, involuntarily grabbing his chest at the sharp pain. He saw a brief glimpse of blue fabric. This wasn't his imagination. Somebody was following him.
The warlock turned back around. (He was surprised that somebody else had snapped a twig. Nobody other than him ever did that.) He tried to look as though he hadn't noticed anything. Merlin continued walking, but at a quicker pace.
At the sight of a maze-like collection of boulders, he broke into a run. He ran as fast his rib would allow. He began wheezing. Merlin couldn't risk stopping though. He could hear his pursuer behind him. Merlin wouldn't be captured again. He stumbled among the boulders. There was a cave. Around here. Somewhere.
There. Merlin nearly tumbled through opening. He slammed his body against the cave wall beside the mouth. Merlin clutched torso and gulped for air. His rib. It was agony.
"Dal y tresmaswr," he breathed between gasps. For a moment the mouth of the cave produced a dull glow.
There, let him come, Merlin thought as he listened to racing footsteps.
A figure burst into the cave. Immediately, he fell forward as though a carpet had been pulled from under feet. The man lay motionless with his limbs splayed out. Merlin sighed in relief. Ignoring his rib's complaints, the warlock approached the paralyzed body. He crouched, holding one arm to his ribs. His free hand pulled the cloak away from the prisoner's face.
Merlin closed his eyes. His fist constricted on the fabric as though he could mash it into nothingness by sheer will. Merlin spoke with fury laced in each word:
"Arthur Pendragon, you are an utter a—"
Richard gazed over the city of Camelot. It was a marvelous view from this window in the castle. One almost couldn't tell that a battle had raged only hours ago. The night sky was probably helping to mask some of what little damage there was. In fact, 'battle' probably wasn't the appropriate term to describe the conquest of Camelot. It was a network of ambushes. Enough high ranking soldiers were confessed that most of Camelot's army walked into traps. Many had died, but the majority now rotted in the dungeons. Almost everything had gone according to plan. They had taken Camelot with as few confessions and deaths as they could have ever hoped for. Uther was relocated to his own personal cell. Morgana now ruled Camelot.
However, Richard wasn't as delighted as he might have thought he would be. As wonderful as sleeping in a bed for a change sounded, he couldn't relax. Something was... off. The Seeker couldn't help but feel uneasy.
He still didn't trust Cenred's men. He would be happy to never see any of them ever again. They never did anything to help his dislike. And then there was the issue of Cara. There had been several incidents between her and the soldiers. One of the soldiers would become a bit too close and intent on her. However, Cara wasn't interested. Richard knew this had happened at least three times because of the men's bloodcurdling screams. If it had happened more often, which it probably had, Cara wouldn't fess up to it. In fact, Richard was certain that she was picking fights behind his back. And she was doing this behind his back to avoid being told not to. Really, nobody could decide to be friends with Cara—except for Leo. Richard wasn't sure how that man had pulled that off. With everyone else friendship to her meant a certain level of tolerance and willingness to provide loyalty. Richard just wished Cara and the soldiers would mutually agree on avoidance. But the Seeker had no control over the soldiers and their unchecked desires. As a result, he couldn't prevent Cara's retaliations. Surely these men would want revenge for being poked by an agiel.
Richard was also nervous about the last minute change of plans. Everything had still worked out; Camelot was at their mercy. But where was the prince? Kahlan was supposed to have confessed him. He was supposed to be the one to lead all his men into traps and force them to surrender. But he couldn't be cornered for days and had completely disappeared today. Nothing was seen of him throughout the coup. On one hand, that was fortunate. Without being confessed he would have counteracted everything the confessed knights achieved. But on another, Morgana had said that Arthur wasn't acting like himself. This was also a man known for performing fantastic feats that were generally thought to be impossible. (Richard did have to wonder how many of those deeds were actually accomplished by Merlin.) And where was Merlin? Both prince and sorcerous manservant were missing. This set Richard's nerves on edge. Zedd had tried to be positive by suggesting that they had fled for their lives. Richard doubted that. He feared that today's victory would soon be challenged by an unpleasant surprise.
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