Oh my goodness! I don't even know where to start, I'm overwhelmed by the response to this. Thank you so much, and a specific thanks to the few guests to whom I can't respond directly to!

Hope you like this next chapter.

The knights reacted instantly, swords drawn almost before Merlin had processed what he had heard. Over the dim firelight, he saw Arthur give some complicated hand-signal that, even after all of these years, Merlin still had no idea what it was supposed to mean. The knights, however, did and swiftly began to spread out.

"Merlin," realising this was not the first time Arthur tried to get his attention, Merlin turned sheepishly from where he had been allowing a few branches to shift out of Lancelot's way. He raised his eyebrows in question, knowing Arthur wouldn't exactly appreciate him asking out loud what the problem was. Arthur pointed first to the warlock and then to the horses, his eyes wide as he tried to portray his message. Merlin idly wondered if Arthur thought he would somehow be able to read his mind better if he let his eyes go that wide, but nodded his understanding, knowing what the prince wanted. At least, he hoped he knew what Arthur wanted and slipped over to the animals. For the first time ever, he found that he was grateful Arthur had double checked his knots. He was certain they would have held, but at least this way he knew they were properly secured. If they lost the horses, Merlin knew he would never be allowed to live it down.

Trying to soothe the animals in order to make sure it didn't give away their position, Merlin found himself thanking Arthur under his breath. Completely unintentionally, the prince had given him something to hide behind in order to keep the men safe. Arthur couldn't mock him for hiding when he had been the one to send him over there. Listening hard over the jostling of the animals, Merlin bit back a curse when he heard the soft tread of footsteps heading their way. It wasn't any of the knights, he had made a mental note of their positions to make sure he could protect them. Yet there were definitely footsteps approaching.

"Arthur?" Keeping his voice a low hiss, Merlin forced his way through the horses so that he could catch the eye of his destiny. Arthur twisted at his call, but scowled. He shook his head, motioning for Merlin to be quiet. The servant could tell that he was listening hard, but he was facing the opposite way to where Merlin had been. For a second, the warlock was about to question what he was doing, but then realisation dawned on him.

They were surrounded.

Merlin bit his lip, carefully looking around him. He could tell that all the knights had also come to that same conclusion, all of their weapons were in their hands. Leon was standing off to one side alone, but Percival and Lancelot weren't too far from him, sheltering behind an old oak and peering into the darkness. Elyan was close to Arthur and it was only a soft curse from behind him that made Merlin realise Gwaine had moved around until he was behind Merlin.

It was as if the whole forest was holding its breath, waiting to see what would happen. There was still a chance that whoever else was out here would just pass them by, but Merlin doubted it. Their fire was still sparking in the centre of the clearing and he knew it was too much of a risk to use magic to put it out from this distance. There was no wind or rain to blame it on. But it meant the light that had been offering comfort to the group of men was no potentially going to be what gave them away. Merlin wished there was something he could do to cloak their presence, but it was too risky. He didn't know if he could work that sort of magic without someone seeing him, and he knew as soon as his concentration was disrupted, the spell would fail. He just had to hope the knights were feeling on form.

Merlin was beginning to wonder whether they had actually gotten away with it when something came flying out of the darkness. It was small and round, barely visible, but there could be no denying it was being guided by magic. It seemed to almost overshoot the camp, turn in mid-air and begin to descend straight towards the fire.

"Magic!" Arthur yelled, all attempt at silence vanishing when it became obvious they had been seen. Merlin wanted to roll his eyes at the obviousness of the prince, but found instead he was watching with almost baited breath as the small orb hit the flames. Nothing happened for a split second, then a brilliant white light filled the clearing, bright and intense. Merlin cried out, throwing an arm up to cover his eyes as he rapidly blinked, trying to clear his vision.

Through streaming eyes, he could see Arthur had suffered the same fate. He was standing in the middle of the clearing, sword held loosely by his side with the opposite hand rubbing his eyes to try and clear his vision. Leon was leaning against his tree and even in the now dim light, Merlin could see him blinking. Lancelot and Elyan seemed to have somehow reacted to Arthur's shout and had taken cover and Merlin had no idea what had happened Gwaine and Percival. He didn't stop to think about it, but instead darted from his place of cover and shot across to Arthur's side.

"C'mon," he muttered, grabbing the man's arm and trying to tug him to cover. It didn't help that he could barely see where he was going thanks to the tears streaming unchecked down his face. Arthur stumbled against him for a few steps, but then his stubbornness kicked in. He pulled away from Merlin, shifting his sword into a more ready position as he moved back towards the centre. Merlin only knew where he had gone because he knew Arthur rather than actually being able to see anything. Sounds from around him revealed the other knights had followed Arthur's lead and all moved back to the centre, standing back to back as they stared around. The noises were getting louder but still no one had come into sight.

Something out of the corner of his eye made Merlin turn. How he saw anything considering how much his eyes were streaming, he had no idea. He put it down to the way his magic was tingling warningly and managed to make out another orb flying through the air. It was aiming for the fire again, only this time the knights were surrounding the fire, using it as a shield. Merlin knew if it landed, none of them would be able to see a thing. They all were looking around for danger so no one was paying him any attention. Merlin let his eyes flare gold and the orb arced, yet again turning in mid-air but this time coming back in the direction it had come from. There was a bang and a flash of light visible through the trees and a few yells. Merlin allowed himself a smirk as he moved towards Arthur. He needed to be near the prince in order to protect him, but there was also something reassuring about being close to the Knights of the Round Table. Not a lot could get past them.

Lancelot saw him coming, reaching out and grabbing his arm, sending Merlin stumbling towards them. He nodded in gratitude, allowing the magic to fill him up as men finally began to spill into the camp. They were bandits for sure, but Merlin didn't allow himself to think about them. Amongst these men was at least one sorcerer, and he knew that was who he needed to focus on. The bandits all rushed the group from every direction, yelling as they did so. Merlin did what he could, tripping some, dropping branches on others, knowing that more than one of his party was still struggling to see. Yet it took no time at all before they were engaged in a fight for their lives.

Merlin had no idea what he was supposed to do. He dropped into a crouch, allowing himself to remain small as he moved in a small circle, helping out wherever he could. The man Gwaine was fighting suddenly dropped his sword, Elyan's opponent stubbed his toe so hard on a rock that had appeared out of nowhere he forgot about the knight… Accidents continued to happen yet the flow of men didn't seem to be slowing down. Too focused on the fight, Merlin didn't notice where his crawl was taking him until he was by Arthur's side. The prince glanced down and rolled his eyes. Merlin offered him a grin, knowing precisely what was going through Arthur's head in regards to what his servant was doing, but he didn't have time to say anything before another bandit came up behind him. Merlin didn't notice until a foot stamped down on his back, flattening him along the floor with a grunt of pain. He somehow flipped himself over, his hand lifting and his eyes beginning to burn, but before a single spell could cross his lips, Arthur's dagger flew over his head and knocked the bandit back.

"Get out of here!" Arthur hauled Merlin to his feet as he yelled, propelling his servant towards the horses. Merlin dug his heels in.

"I'm not leaving you…"

"You'll get yourself killed, go!" This time, there was a shove in-between Merlin's shoulder blades and he stumbled forward just to be able to regain his footing. By the time he looked back at Arthur, the prince was once again locked in a fight. Merlin sighed and didn't take another step, looking around just in time to send the two men rushing towards Percival's exposed back careening into one another. Lancelot flashed him a grin and Merlin found himself returning it as he realised the odds were beginning to turn in their favour. Merlin knew it was mostly thanks to the knights, there wasn't a lot that could stand against them, but also knew he was helping.

Deciding to let his magic loose and see if he could locate the sorcerer, Merlin stayed at the edge of the group this time, using a tree to cover his back so he didn't have to think about himself while he searched. Whispering a spell, Merlin closed his eyes as his senses expanded. They could feel the magic in the air, tracing the path the orbs had come from and Merlin allowed the power to follow that track. The gold faded from his eyes as he opened them, but Merlin stepped away from the tree, knowing where he needed to go.

He began skirting around the edge of the fighting, dropping any bandit that ventured too close to him but mainly focusing on getting to that sorcerer. He had drawn level with the fighting group when a tall man stepped from the trees. He was wearing a long robe of pure white and Merlin blinked in surprise when he saw the man also had bare feet. He didn't need his magic to tell him that this was the sorcerer.

"Enough," the man's hands rose as he spoke and all of the bandits instantly pulled back. A few were killed doing so, but Arthur and his men regrouped. Merlin took a step towards them.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Arthur's sword twirled in its trade-like manner as he levelled it at the sorcerer. Merlin knew the prince had also come to the same conclusion that this man was using magic and he would be focusing all of his attention on running him through. Morgana's betrayal certainly hadn't softened Arthur's opinions towards magic and Merlin knew the anger was still burning brightly within the prince.

"I want only two things, princeling. The rest of you will then be left unharmed."

"What on earth would someone like you want?" Arthur sneered and Merlin saw Leon shift out of the corner of his eye, knowing as well as the warlock did that Arthur's attitude was going to get them all killed. But if he was honest, Merlin found that he was thinking the same thing – what would a sorcerer, obviously powerful if he could buy bandits' allegiance - want with them?

"Not what, princeling, who. Among your party there is noble blood, and there is blood of power. One of you has a great power running through his blood, and more than one of you has noble blood. That is what I want."

Merlin gaped, not liking the sound of that. He turned worried eyes onto Arthur and Leon, sensing the other knights moving in close to them. Arthur had the blood of kings running through him, and out of the entire group, Leon was the only known noble. Merlin took a step towards them as well, knowing he would do whatever it took to keep Arthur safe.

As he moved, the sorcerer's eyes snapped onto him and Merlin found himself freezing as the man's mouth turned up at the corners in the beginning of a smirk. His hand slowly began lifting and Merlin threw himself forward, bodily throwing himself in the way as a spell rolled from the sorcerer's tongue and shot towards Arthur.

"Merlin!"

The yell sounded faint to his ears and Merlin only realised it was him screaming when his throat gave out in agony. He had somehow dropped to the floor although had no recollection of doing so. Shooting pain shot through every fibre of his being, causing him to writhe and gasp as he tried to escape it. He could feel his magic bucking against the onslaught, trying to fight back, but Merlin was having trouble keeping his eyes open, let alone being able to work a spell. He curled into a ball, searing pain setting his nerves alight and whimpered when a hand rested on his shoulder. The hand instantly withdrew and Merlin could see Arthur's feet step in front of him.

"Let him go! If it is true what you are after, he is of no use to you." Merlin coughed weakly, wondering if he imagined the blood flecking his lips as he tried to straighten up. He needed to do something before Arthur got himself killed, but all he could manage was to grasp onto Arthur's boot weakly. The slight movement allowed him to see the sorcerer again and he could see the man smirking down at him. The cold feeling of dread did nothing to stop the fire caressing his soul, but Merlin knew. The man hadn't been aiming for Arthur at all, he had known that Merlin would get in the way. The spell had been meant for him… meaning he knew about the power Merlin had. There was no way he was anyone of noble birth, that much was apparent, but he did have power running through his blood.

The man had never been after Arthur.

"A'tur…" Merlin's voice was nothing more than a feeble croak and Merlin wasn't even sure whether Arthur would have heard him or not. He managed to tighten his grip on the prince's boot and that was enough for Arthur to look down at him.

"Shut up, Merlin."

It was only because of being by Arthur's side for years that Merlin could hear the concern in his voice. It somehow made the situation worse – he was supposed to be protecting Arthur, not the other way around. The pain was still lancing through him, but Merlin forced himself to focus through it. Some sort of clarity must have made itself visible without him realising for the sorcerer suddenly frowned.

"Enough. Take him." Arthur readied his sword, clearly believing they were still after him and not wanting to go down without a fight. The sorcerer barked a word, flinging his hand out to the side.

"No…" As the sorcerer's arm moved, Arthur was swept through the air and flung against a tree as if he was nothing more than a doll. Merlin had managed to get the magic to build, but his body was still jerking slightly in waves of agony that he hadn't been able to do anything else. Hot tears leaked from the corners of his eyes as he watched Arthur crumple, Percival instantly moving over.

"He's alive," he called, knowing that not one of the knights were remembering to breathe at seeing Arthur flung like that. By the time Merlin had breathed a sigh of relief that sounded more like a whimper, two bandits had moved towards him.

"Merlin!" Lancelot sprang forward, more bandits blocking his way as the two reached Merlin. Merlin tried to move backwards, he even succeeded in tripping one of them, but his vision was weaving too alarmingly as they grabbed hold of his arms and pulled him back towards the sorcerer. Merlin felt his hands being tied as he was deposited at the sorcerer's feet.

"And now for the noble…"

"Leon!"

Merlin had no idea how he managed to yell, sheer adrenaline kicking through his protesting body. It faded as quickly as it had come and Merlin slumped, seeing the men surrounding Leon. They wouldn't let him be taken without a fight. The sorcerer, however, merely chuckled again and raised his hand, shouting another word.

A thread of rope went shooting towards the knights, wrapping around one man's neck and pulling him from his feet. The others tried to cut at the rope, but it simply wouldn't break as the man in question was dragged across to the sorcerer as well. As soon as the knight was in reach, the sorcerer barked a word and Merlin felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, knowing they were now in a bubble of magic that even he in his current state wouldn't be able to pass through.

Swallowing hard, he could only watch as a blow with the hilt of a sword was given to the knight's head, causing him to slump and letting the bandits bind him. But as Merlin finally gave into the agony running through him and blacked out, he wondered how the others were going to react.

It hadn't been Leon that was taken.

It had been Gwaine.