A/N: Hello everyone. Another chapter. It has been in my head for a while now and I just didn't feel that I could write it down the way I wanted. But eventually this came out of it. It will a rather dark chapter and I wrote the end to lighten it up a little. I hope that the chapter is not to confusing, so if you have any question than place ask me.

This chapter is dedicated to every innocent soul that died in war, may your soul rest in peace.

xxx

He wanted to reach them, help them as he heard the children cry, but gentle arms held him back, forcing him to stay hidden. Tears streamed over his face as he was forced to watch soldiers taking the children away. The men pulling the little kids with them and their loud cries slowly silenced as they disappeared from his sight.

Merlin glared back as he watched the person holding him down, but he could see the same pain on her face as was on his. Aithusa was silently sobbing into his arm as they both knew the children's fate. Their cruel fate.

Loud gunshots filled the air and Merlin stiffened before jumping up and running in the opposite direction, dragging the dragon with him because he wanted at least one person he loved to be safe. He silently cursed the sky as tears ran over his cheeks. Merlin wasn't allowed to interfere in history and it wasn't the first time that he had cursed the higher beings for this.

He had to watch how the first world war started and ended, how so many souls were lost in that war... in that wicked war and now... it seemed to happen again, and again.

Now they hunted. Hunted human beings, hunted men, women and children. Only because they believed something different, because they weren't what they were 'supposed' to be, they were hunted because they were born, because they lived!

He ran, trying to ignore the many screams he heard. Silently whispering words to extinguish small fires, which he was already being scolded for. Again he cursed to the higher powers, the powers that refused to allow him to die, the powers that controlled his life, the powers that forced him to watch all this suffering.

He heard another plea of help, one that spread through his mind and he stopped, feeling that familiar presence brush against his mind. His eyes shot around, searching for the source of that fear. As soon as he found it he headed over towards the fear, towards him. The sight before him was of a small boy, shivering in fear as he was curled up. The boy's head snapped around and big eyes looked at him. 'Help.' It was nothing more than a soft whisper.

Merlin himself gasped as only one word was spread through his mind. 'Mordred.' He held down a sob seeing the child like this, it shouldn't be! He quickly crouched down, holding the tiny boy in his arms as he wanted to comfort him, comfort this precious child.

Aithusa soon reached him, eying the little boy with suspicion, but she didn't say anything as she saw her master's expression. 'We should go further.' She whispered.

He nodded at her, knowing that she was right and he wanted to stand up, but little Mordred clung to him in fear, his hand tightly wrapped around his neck. 'P-please, don't leave me.' He sobbed and those words almost broke his heart, he would never leave an innocent child behind. In the back of his mind he could feel 'them' oppose his decision, but he just tried to ignore the feeling.

'I will never leave you.' With another movement he held the boy in his arms as he signaled to the white dragon to continue on.

More gunshots were fired and every single one of them felt like a stab in his heart. He pulled Mordred's head closer to his chest, protecting him from seeing the many corpses lying around, he didn't want to taint this boy's innocence even further. They had to get out, away from this madness, away from all this pain and death.

xxx

Merlin eyed the little boy... even when he wasn't that little anymore. Mordred was reading Merlin's magic books and the warlock couldn't help, but feel slightly proud. It had been three years since he rescued the boy from the fires... and from death... Still the world wasn't at peace, every single day many lives were lost... every day children died... at least he could give one child the childhood every child deserved.

This boy, who he had once seen as an enemy, he had now grown to love. This same boy now had the childhood that he deserved, the childhood that he deserved for two of his lifetimes. Two times he had been hunted by men that wanted him dead, wanted to kill him because he was born, because of who he and his siblings were.

Now he could change this, change this soul's fate. It wasn't the first time he had done something like this, the first time with... Morgana... A silent tear ran over his cheek as he thought of the woman, she had been like a daughter to him the second time he met her... and now he was planning on adding a second child to his family, a soul that so clearly deserved it.

Maybe this time he could prevent the boy's soul from breaking.