Chapter Four- The Journey to the Hut

The further he traveled, the more anxious he became. It had been sometime since he had seen Morgana, and he wondered how she had been coping, living alone for so long. His stomach knotted at the thought of her anger, hoping with every cell in his body that she would not strike him on sight, and that he would not be forced to defend himself.

The air was cold, and each gust of wind that blew around him bit his cheeks bitterly. The temperature had done nothing but plummet since they left on their hunting trip, and Merlin had not thought to bring anything warmer with him. He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to hold in whatever warmth he still had, and stop it from escaping. He was worried that the sudden drop in temperature would spark an even more urgent hunt for him, spurring Arthur to look for him more incessantly than he would have already done. Merlin would be lucky if Morgana didn't attack him while he was on his own, if Arthur showed up there would be an all-out war.

He was tired, his stomach was rumbling with hunger, and his legs were starting to give way from the exhaustion of walking. The walked up a small rise in the ground, and Morgana's hut came into view. There was a dim light shining out from under the door, and a distinct herbal smell lingered in the air. Merlin's heart jumped into his chest. There was so much riding on this visit, he knew that it would decide the future of Camelot and either make or break his relationship with her, if she even felt the same.

He walked up to the door, and, with his hand shaking, knocked three times. Merlin heard the scraping of a chair across the floor and faint footsteps across the room towards the door. The door opened a crack, and a pair of confused eyes peered at him.

"Hello Morgana," he said, looking up to meet her gaze.

Morgana wrenched the door open, eyes darting everywhere, trying to search out any hidden knights in the woods.

"How did you find me? Why are you here? Who is with you?"

Her questions were fast and panicked.

"I came alone. Morgana we need to talk," Merlin replied, trying to keep his voice as even as possible.

Morgana looked down at him, calming down she cocked her head to the side, a smirk creeping across her face.

"Then you are a fool."

Her eyes flashed gold, and before Merlin could retaliate, he fell to the floor unconscious, his head hitting the ground with a loud crack. The enchantment would knock him out for about half an hour, giving her enough time to get him inside, and do a quick patrol of hut, just to make sure he wasn't lying.

After returning and finding no one, Morgana sat at the table gazing at Merlin. He was still unconscious, and was now, after some effort of getting him in the door and up and into a seated position, bound around the chest and legs to the dining chair. She had used the same magical chains that had bound him once before, however this time there was no one to set him free.

She was confused. There he was, yet again, all alone and potentially ready to spoil her latest plan. She watched as his head drooped to one side, chin resting on his chest. There was dried blood matted into his hair from where he had hit his head and a rather comical bald patch where the wound used to be. She had healed it well, however the spell had singed the surrounding hair. She smirked once more, but her expression softened into a smile. He always did manage to make himself look like a fool. A string of drool left his mouth and fell to his shirt, exaggerating the effect. Morgana had to stifle a giggle at this, a noise that she had not made in a long time.

Merlin snorted and began to stir, snapping Morgana back into suspicion. There had to be a very good reason that he would risk his life to come and confront her, and as close as they had once been, she couldn't afford to have him meddling in her plans.

Merlin opened his eyes, and had to blink away the blur before the room came into focus. He tensed at the sight of Morgana, and the struggle caused the enchanted chains to pull tighter across his chest. He exhaled sharply at the pain, wincing as the metal cut into his arms.

"Why are you here?"

Merlin looked up at Morgana, not knowing where to begin. There was so much he wanted to, needed to tell her.

"Please Morgana," he started, "I mean you no harm. I just came to talk to you about your choices and about Camelot."

Morgana smirked.

"You mean me no harm? Oh please! As if you could do any harm to me!"

"Your right," Merlin looked into her eyes "How could I possibly? So why exactly do you need to chain me to a chair?"

Morgana bit her lip. To keep him chained let him know that she was intimidated by him, and his continual interference, but she was unsure if letting him go was truly wise.

"I may find some satisfaction in seeing you struggle"

Merlin rocked in his chair, trying to fight against the chains. They only held stronger, and as they tightened once more there was a hollow cracking noise, as one of his ribs cracked from the pressure. He gasped in pain, losing all the colour from his cheeks. A light sheen of sweat shimmered on his forehead and his eyes rolled back into his head. He was fighting to stay conscious.

"Fine!"

Morgana muttered under her breath and her eyes flashed their magical golden. The chains relaxed and fell away from Merlin, leaving him unrestrained.

"You are no use to me barely alive."

Morgana used her magic to heal his rib, realigning the bone with a snap. She had also cast another enchantment at the same time, sealing all exits from the hut. She knew he did not understand magic, and so this would work as a test to see if he tried to run.

Merlin had understood the enchantment Morgana had cast, but could not have escaped even if he tried. He swayed on his chair, nearly falling to the ground once more.

Morgana's heart twinged at the sight of him, sitting so weak. She wasn't used to seeing him so unable to do anything. He was always the man that seemed to be doing everything all at once.

Morgana stood and walked to her cupboards, pulling out a wedge of cheese, some tomatoes, and cutting a slice off a loaf of bread. She placed this on an old plate, and walked over to the table, setting it down in front of him with a goblet of water to accompany it.

"Eat." She demanded. "You are going to need all the strength you can get for when I interrogate you."

Merlin looked at the plate of food, and then back to Morgana, his heart beating hard in his chest. Such a simple act of kindness, however much she tried to disguise it, gave him hope that his quest may not have been in vain.

AN: Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed Chapter 4! I've taken readers advice and tried to slow the pace of the plot a little, so hopefully this chapter makes for better reading!

Please do post reviews if you have anymore advice!

I am also unsure whether to have Morgana swoon for Merlin in the next chapter, or have her fight her feelings and not be tempted by our favourite warlock. If you have a preference to which way you would like the story to go let me know through PM or review!

Until next chapter!

- Magicsuperhero