Author's Note: Some Arthur's POV in this chap, so we have a look in on how he feels about this whole situation. Interesting stuff! Hopefully should get more interesting as the chapters go on! Well hope you like this chapter and thanks again for the amazing reviews! That last chapter really got you guys going! Hope there are more of them to come! OK, I'm in an updating mood tonight so if I get enough reviews, I might just upload chapter after chapter! Well, hope you like and please review!

Chapter Fourteen

Concern

Arthur was pacing. Again. And this time he knew exactly why. He had put on an impassive face but underneath his nerves were being shattered. His heart was pounding back and forth like it was on elastic. Its beat filled Arthur's ears and he was surprised his father couldn't hear it. He sat once more up on his throne silently. He was once again staring out of the dark window. Arthur looked back down at the ground that his feet were travelling over and then backtracking again and again. He had scolded himself so many times for letting himself fall under Emrys' spell. Why had he been so easy to fool? He just hoped that Gwaine had had enough time to have a look around and then get out of there. He had escaped with only a few burns to his face and arms. Other Knights hadn't been as lucky. Lancelot had suffered serious burns to his arms and neck. Olwyn and Delmar had suffered extremely bad burns on their faces and hands. They were being treated by Gaius. Gaius had said that they would probably be fit in about a day. Arthur had been quite taken aback at the recovery time. Although he knew what a good physician Gaius was and he probably knew that he couldn't afford to lose many more of his Knights. The other two were recovering well also. Gaius had said they would also be fit by tomorrow. He had a lot to thank Gaius for. Clunk. The opening of the great doors caught him by surprise. He glanced up and stopped pacing immediately. Gwaine stepped in hesitatingly. He was as pale as the walls of the castle, his eyes were frightened and his hands were visibly shaking. Bright, crimson blood dripped from his throat , lip, hand and shoulder. His throat looked as if someone had tried to slit it and as for his hand and shoulder… they were awful. His hand looked like it had been stabbed right through and his shoulder looked as if multiple sharp items had ripped through his skin. Arthur had never seen Gwaine as scared as this. He hadn't thought it was possible. Gwaine, scared? No. But then what had happened to make him look so terrible?

"Gwaine! What happened?" Arthur rushed forward to him. Gwaine looked as if he was about to faint.

"E-Emrys. H-he found m-me."

Arthur's expression turned from concern to shock. "The Thief? What did he do?" Arthur's face was sympathetic but urgent. Gwaine's face turned even more pale if that was possible. He was obviously scared stiff of revealing what had happened. What could Emrys have done to make Gwaine this way? It must have been bad. Gwaine swallowed and looked Arthur in the eye. This seemed to transfer some of his fear to Arthur. His skin crawled and he shuddered.

"He-he held me up ag-against a tree and pushed a knife up to my thr-throat. H-he asked me what I was doing there. And-and I told him Sire. I'm sorry! I

c-couldn't help it. Y-you don't know what it's like Sire. He-he…"

"Gwaine. It's Ok. I understand. You couldn't have done anything else. It's understandable. Now carry on," Arthur cut him off. Gwaine nodded gratefully before continuing shakily.

"Then… then he asked why you w-would have thought his hideout was in th-the woods. And I told him the truth again," Gwaine glanced up quickly to see if Arthur would say anything. Arthur remained silent, listening intently, "then… then I tried to move a little but he shoved me harder against the t-tree and pushed the kn-knife

deeper into my thr-throat. He asked me why he shouldn't just kill me. And then…" Gwaine paused. He seemed to think about something and then decide against it. What had Gwaine held back? Was it more of what had happened? But these thoughts were cast aside as Gwaine resumed reciting what had happened. "Then he asked me to take a message." Arthur frowned. "To who?"

"To… to you Sire."

What? What could Emrys possibly want to tell him? He tried to keep his face expressionless at this, despite the shock and anxiety that hit him.

"Call the Council." Arthur turned, surprised. His father had stood up and was looking directly at Arthur.

"Father?"

"I said call the Council."

"But… why?" Arthur asked. He wanted to know what Emrys had to say. Now.

"If the Thief has sent a message, then we need to deal with it officially. Now send a guard." Arthur opened his mouth to object but then, thinking better of it, called in a door guard from outside instead.

"Send out servants to each of the Council members. Tell them that they are required in the Council Chamber at once, as a matter of urgency," Arthur instructed the guard that stepped into the room.

"Of course Sire," he bowed briefly and left. Gwaine looked from Arthur to his father and back again. His eyes were still frightened. His throat, lip, hand and shoulder were all still bleeding quite heavily but there was no time to fetch Gaius. They had business to attend to.

The Council members stared grumpily from Arthur to Gwaine to Uther with annoyed, tired, bloodshot eyes. They were obviously not pleased about being awoken and dragged from their beds in the tiny hours of the morning. Their hair stuck up scruffily and their robes hung off them like they had just flung them over their heads while still half asleep. Gwaine sat nervously at one end of the table. He kept shifting awkwardly, trying to dodge the daggers that were the grouchy gazes of the Council members. Their gazes seemed to say 'so you're the one who this fuss is all about? This best be worth being dragged us from our beds for.' Uther sat at the other end of the table dominatingly. His gaze was fixed on his son who was sitting to the left of Gwaine. Arthur feared that if he left him alone with the stares of the Council members then he may have an emotional breakdown. Arthur tried for an uneasy smile in Gwaine's direction. Gwaine ignored it. He seemed to be focusing on keeping conscious. That was probably best.

"OK. So, Sir Gwaine, would you like to tell the Council what the message is," Uther's voice sliced open the silence. Gwaine looked up abruptly at the sound of his name. He hesitated but then nodded reluctantly.

"W-well…" Gwaine started but his voice failed him. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Th-the Thief… He wanted m-me to d-deliver a message…"

"Speak up boy!" A particularly old member of the Council called down the table at him. Whatever courage Gwaine had built up, it had now been demolished.

"Well…um… he, he wanted me to tell P-Prince Arthur that… he wants to meet with you." Gasps rose up from the Council members and they exchanged raised eyebrows and shocked expressions. Arthur was also quite taken aback. He had not expected that. "He said he wants to meet with you at sunset tomorrow night. A-and you must be alone, he said. He said, don't try anything because you know what he can do…" He let this sentence hang ominously. 'Because you know what he can do.' Those words rang in Arthur's head. He certainly did know.

Deathly silence prevailed. After everyone had murmured remarks to each other they fell soundless. Everyone now seemed to be considering in their own heads, turning this new information over and over. And so was Arthur. Now he had a hard decision. Many hard decisions. Would he meet him? Would he ignore the warning and take Knights? If he did, how many would he take? Or would he listen to what he had to say? Questions multiplied again and again and rattled through his mind. They gave him a headache. Then, Uther broke the silence yet again.

"Arthur, prepare your Knights for tomorrow night." What? What was his father talking about? He hadn't even discussed the matter yet. What if he objected?

"Um, father? Are you sure we should take Knights? I mean…"

"What do you mean 'are you sure we should take Knights?' Of course you should. This is the closest we're going to get to the Thief. Surely you're not going to allow him say what he has to say and then let him slip out of your hands? No. Take as many Knights as you can gather. We'll prepare an ambush. Camelot will not let the Thief escape again!" Uther thundered. Arthur felt quite shaken at his father's volume and frustration. The room was silent once again. Arthur considered arguing but knew it would make no difference to his father's decision. He just nodded. Defeated. "Members of the Council, you may retire. I apologise for the late night disturbance, but I am sure you understand why we must inform you," Uther addressed the Council. They grumbled in response. It sounded like most of them didn't understand why it was so important for Uther to 'inform them'. The scrapes of heavy wooden chairs and rushed footsteps out of the room were the last sound before Arthur, Uther and Gwaine were left in the room alone. Gwaine was staring at the space on the table in front of him, as if in a trance. His lip had more or less stopped bleeding now. A couple of last dribbles of blood trickled down his neck from the cut on his throat. Meanwhile, his hand and shoulder looked less likely to stop bleeding any time soon. His hand was mangled. He held it tenderly in his other hand, being careful not to touch the wound itself. The edges of the huge holes in his shirt were stained scarlet. He looked a wreck.

"Um, Gwaine?" Arthur said tentatively. Gwaine's head snapped up and he stared at him with alert eyes. "Um, we'd better get you to Gaius, for, um, your…" Arthur didn't want to say his injuries, or wounds. It felt too weird saying it to Gwaine. Instead he pointed gingerly at his shoulder and hand. Gwaine looked down also and, as if he'd only just noticed them, his eyes widen and looked back up. He nodded slowly. Arthur stood up, encouraging Gwaine to follow. He looked reluctant, but then pulled himself up with visible effort. Arthur took Gwaine's good arm and went to escort him out of the chamber. But before he could get very far, Uther called him back.

"Arthur! Um, could I have a word? Privately." Arthur frowned but didn't question the request. He called a guard from outside and told him to take Gwaine up to Gaius' chamber. Gwaine followed the guard unsteadily. Arthur just hoped Gwaine would make it, otherwise the guard would be stuck with an unconscious Knight.