Second chapter. Thanks a lot to those who reviewed. I really appreciate it. Sorry if it's a bit fast-paced (That's the way I write) The first few chapters are going to be a bit shorter, but I am planning on having some more action and longer chapters be chapter 4. Bear with me and enjoy!

Disclaimer: Merlin. Does. NOT. Belong. To. Me.

Merlin was quiet the whole walk to the forest of Ascetir. The other knights didn't play jokes or make remarks at him. They could all sense a change in their favorite manservant. He walked far in front of them, never stopping, never breaking pace. Only when it got so dark to see where to go and Merlin tripped and fell did Gwaine finally think that enough was enough and forced the boy to sit down.

"Merlin. We know that your angry. We know your upset. But what are you going to do on an empty stomach and no sleep." Merlin said nothing, so they made camp for the night.

They had buried Merlin's mother at the mouth of one of the tunnels with a view of the surrounding mountains and forests. Gwaine had noticed that Merlin had been glad to leave the caves and head back to Camelot. It was understandable that he didn't want to stay where his mother had died for long. It would bring back painful memories. Yet, it seemed as if Merlin was already suffering, suffering in silence. And the more Gwaine thought about it the more certain he became. It had been a while since he had seen Merlin as his former, happy-go-lucky self.

Gwaine made a mental note to ask Merlin what was troubling him in the morning and lay back, his red cloak acting as a blanket against the cool night air.

The next morning, Merlin was the first one up, and had gotten breakfast ready. Everyone was very surprised as Merlin was usually the last one to wake up. They ate in silence, each with their own thoughts and feelings and soon the broke camp and continued their walk. They left what had been Cenred's kingdom and re-entered Camelot territory. Arthur wandered the forest for an hour before finding a strategic spot to camp.

Merlin was sent to go collect firewood while the others looked after the food and water. Moving further from the camp then he needed to, he was ambushed by four of Morgana's men. They wore the Camelot crest but instead of the normal red and gold, they sported orange and black. Grabbing the longest piece of wood from what he had collected, Merlin dropped the rest and faced the oncoming men. Checking that no one was around, Merlin's eyes flashed gold and one of the soldiers tripped on nothing and knocked himself unconscious. They other three stopped and stared at him, giving the Warlock a chance to bash another one around the head and grab the soldier's sword. The other two rushed him, one swinging wildly at his head. Managing to parry the stroke and keep the sword in his hands. Merlin murmured at his opponents sword.

"Ahatian." Merlin watched as the man's face turned in to a mask of pain and dropped the sword that had heated up by Merlin's magic. Taking his chance, Merlin slashed at his side. The soldier dropped to his knees and died. Suddenly, Merlin felt a blow at the side of his head. Last thing that went through his mind was the thought that he was an idiot. He had forgotten about the last soldier.

Gwaine pushed the last of Morgana's men away with his foot and stood over Merlin. The blow to his head was bleeding slightly and the servant was out cold. Kneeling down, Gwaine picked the boy up and was amazed by how little he weighed. Gwaine added another note to his Ask Merlin list. Figure out how much he ate. When he walked back into camp, Arthur was the first on his feet.

"What happened to the idiot? Did he knock himself out?"

"Morgana's men are everywhere. He was attacked by four. He managed to knock out two and kill one before the forth punched him. With the hilt of a sword judging by the mark."

"He managed to knock two people unconscious and kill another." Arthur asked, disbelief clear in his voice. Leon bent down to examine him.

"We need to wake him up some how. Any ideas?" They all suggested something.

"Slap him."

"Throw water over him."

"Just let him wake up on his own."

"Threaten him with endless chores unless he wakes up."

"I agree with Percival. We should let him wake up when he wants to." But in the end Gwen's suggestion was the best. Checking through her bag, she found a small tin cylinder, half-full with a sort of powder.

"We need to light a fire and get this to smoke. I remember Gaius using it once." Soon they had it smoking and Gwen held it to his nose. The effect was instantaneous.

"Phaww! What is that?" Merlin was already on his knees holding his head and glaring at Gwen, who smiled mischievously and showed it to him briefly before putting it away.

"Gwen. You're a genius." Gwaine was all smiles when he saw his friend conscious again. After helping Merlin to sit down without falling over, Gwaine punched him lightly on the arm.

"Come on mate, you can tell us how you managed to take on three people at once."

Merlin groaned as he heard Gwaine say that. He didn't want to talk right now. His head was throbbing and he didn't know what to say. Thankfully, he didn't have to. All attention left him as soon as a person stumbled into the camp.

He was a old man, with white hair and a red robe. There was an arrow sticking out of his shoulder. There was a moment of silence before Merlin's scream filled the air.

"Gaius!"

Hope you liked it. Next chapter they are going to start amassing an army. I am going to try and get at least 4 reviews per chapter before I update, so the more you review, the faster the updates. (Hopefully…)

P.S. There is a good website that lists all of the spells Merlin uses throughout all the series. Just search up Merlin wiki spells and it should be the first link.