Guys, seriously, I'm blown away. Thank you so much, especially those to whom I cannot respond directly to.

Hope you like this next bit.

Merlin coughed, the action alone being enough to jerk him back to consciousness where it burned against the rawness of his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut even tighter as he tried to control the pain he could still feel cursing through his body. It was easier than before and he knew the spell had past, but whatever the curse had been, Merlin knew the effects were going to take some time to die away completely.

"Merlin? You awake there?"

The voice made Merlin slowly begin the task of cracking his eyes open. Almost immediately, brilliant sunlight dazzled him for a moment and he shut them again with a groan. Swallowing hard and trying not to wince, Merlin opened his eyes, blinking as he allowed them to adjust to the light. The world seemed to lurch alarmingly and Merlin groaned when he felt his stomach following suit, spending the next couple of moments trying to bring his body back under his control. He had no idea why that particular battle seemed so hard, but eventually, Merlin began to focus on his surroundings a little more.

As the world lurched again, he realised why.

It had to be late morning if not early afternoon judging by the late. It seemed that any hope that this would be over and he would have an irritated prince glaring down at him was ruined when the floor underneath him lurched again and confirmed Merlin's suspicions they were in some sort of cage. He could feel there was some sort of magic around the bars and his hands were still bound behind him. He knew that neither would prove to be an issue, but he didn't let himself lash out. For one thing, he wasn't sure how his body would actually react to magic right now, and for another, he knew that he wasn't alone.

Through some awkward navigation – hindered by the cage lurching as it rolled along – Merlin managed to get himself sitting up and leaning back on the bars, panting softly. That action alone had made him want to pass out again. He didn't need to know who this sorcerer was to know that he was meddling with dark powers. But finally, chest heaving as he tried to draw breath, Merlin managed to focus on his companion.

Gwaine too still had his hands bound. The rope was still around his neck and Merlin could see the way it had been looped around the bars, securing the knight firmly to the cage. For a moment, Merlin wanted to smile, wondering if their captors had underestimated them. They had bound Gwaine, clearly knowing he was a threat, but had only put a light spell over the cage. Merlin could break out of that as easy as blinking. But then he sighed, forcing himself to think. Right now, even breathing was almost too much effort considering the pain lancing through his body. Magic was out of the question. They hadn't underestimated anything – Merlin was stuck right now. They had known what that spell would do to him.

"You alright?" Gwaine was watching him intently and Merlin realised he had yet to say anything. He gave a shaky nod, trying to push himself upright before giving up and just slumping against the bars.

"He's going to fire me for this. Or at the very least, the stocks," Merlin muttered and Gwaine grinned. Neither of them needed to voice out loud who Merlin was talking about. "How do you think he is?"

"Probably cursing the stupidity of sorcerers for taking the wrong people and planning some epic quest that will result in us needing to save him. You know Arthur, Merlin. Our princess can take more than just being flung against a tree."

"That's not what happened though, is it?" Merlin said quietly, his voice growing stronger now that he was using it a little. Gwaine frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Arthur and Leon weren't the only ones in that clearing with noble blood, were they?"

"Don't know what you mean." Gwaine shifted as best as he could, but the rope around his neck meant that he couldn't avoid Merlin's eye in the way the warlock was sure he wanted to. Merlin leant forward as best as he could.

"You told me, remember? I know you're not the commoner that you pretend to be and behave like. They knew what they were doing, they knew who to take."

"Maybe," Gwaine flushed and Merlin realised how much it was bugging the man to be taken because of the blood running through his veins considering how much he denied being of noble birth. None of their friends knew and now Gwaine was being dragged into something that was beyond his control just because of who his father was.

"But if they knew what they were doing with me, then the same must be true for you."

Too late, Merlin realised where Gwaine would take the conversation and kicked himself. It wasn't that he didn't trust the man, but everyone who knew his secret had ended up in some sort of trouble, and most had ended up dead. It was nice with Lancelot knowing, but there had never been any lies with him. Merlin wasn't sure how Gwaine would take it, he knew how high the man valued friendship. He shrugged, and then was saved answering as his body protested again and he lost everything he had eaten in the last day or so. Thankfully, he managed to turn so that he didn't make a mess of the cage, but he could hear Gwaine groaning in sympathy.

When he finally stopped heaving and was leaning against the bars, trembling, Gwaine seemed to have forgotten what they were talking about. While Merlin could feel his throat burning and he felt nothing short of ill, part of him was grateful. He wasn't ready to tell Gwaine when he didn't know what these men wanted them for. He knew it if was between Gwaine's life and his secret, then there was no doubt at all. But until he was sure that telling him wouldn't just drive him away when they needed to be working together, Merlin was grateful that he didn't have to lie outright to his friend again.

"Hey! Hey, you!" Gwaine's call sent sharp pains through Merlin's head and he honestly couldn't remember the last time he had felt this sorry for himself. Possibly when Nimueh had poisoned him, it was the same sensations running through his body now. The thought didn't particularly cheer him up considering he had almost died from that. But something told him that whatever that curse had done, it wouldn't kill him. They wouldn't let him die until the time was right. They wouldn't have gone to the trouble to catch him otherwise.

"He's sick, he needs water! Come on, show some humanity and give the man a drink! Hey!" Gwaine somehow managed to stretch out and kick the bars, making the whole cart rattle. Merlin groaned but forced himself to smile at Gwaine's grimace of apology.

To Merlin's astonishment, the cage did come to a stop. Judging by the look on Gwaine's face, he hadn't expected that any more than Merlin had. The knight didn't get the chance to stay anything as the rope around his neck tightened on its own accord and Gwaine was yanked back against the bars. Merlin made to shout himself when he saw the sorcerer approaching. His words died in his throat as the door to the cage swung open and he knew that Gwaine was just being held out of the way. Merlin attempted to glare coolly at the sorcerer, trying to let him know without words that he was messing with the wrong person. To his discomfort, the man simply laughed and pulled out a flask.

"Hold him," he ordered and Merlin didn't have time to flinch until two men stuck their hands through the bars and caught hold of Merlin's bound ones, holding him back against the cage. Gwaine growled, but he could barely move, let alone do anything. The sorcerer stepped closer, grabbing Merlin's chin and forcing the flask into his mouth before upending it. Merlin choked, realising within a sip that it was not water in the flask. But the man had tight hold of him and he had no choice but to swallow. As soon as he had drunk the contents, the sorcerer backed off and the men let go.

Merlin knew why, for he instantly fell forward, coughing. He wasn't sure what that had been, but his magic had not liked it. Even now, while he could feel his power, he could also feel the way it was bucking and trickling from his grasp every time he tried to get a hold on it.

"That should keep you quiet for a couple of hours," the sorcerer hissed, moving backwards and jumping out of the cage. The pressure holding Gwaine was released and the knight let out a sharp breath.

"Are you alright?" he almost demanded, but Merlin knew his face was giving him away.

How could he be alright when he couldn't use magic? They needed help, and fast.

MMM

For someone so young, Arthur hated how familiar he was with the process of regaining consciousness after being knocked out. He let out a groan, hearing the sound of footsteps next to him as he gingerly lifted his hand and felt his head. His fingers came away matted with blood, but he knew that it could have been worse. He let out another groan as he finally began to open his eyes.

"Arthur? Sire?" While the voice was gentle and soft, it was not the voice Arthur had been expecting to hear. He struggled into an upright position and found Leon watching him closely. Arthur felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't yet explain. He found his eyes sliding around the group.

"Where's Merlin?"

That had been the voice he had been expecting to greet when he came round. But now, his men just glanced at each, none of them saying anything. Arthur forced himself into a more upright position, finding the silence unnerving. Merlin was not the only one who would have broken it. It was only then that Arthur realised that Gwaine was also missing.

"Where are they?" His voice might have been quiet, but it was the tone his men knew not to disobey.

"What do you remember, Sire?"

Arthur frowned, thinking hard. It hurt, but hazy recollections were coming back to him. They were out on a hunt and they had bedded down for the night, he remembered that. Piece by piece, it began to come back to him. The magical orbs that had blinded them, almost falling over Merlin from where his damn servant had been cowering on the floor, the sorcerer coming and making demands.

"What the hell did he take them for?" Arthur shouted, immediately regretting it but finding the anger was coursing through him too strongly. Out of all the group, Merlin and Gwaine would not have been the ones to have been taken. Merlin was a servant. Out of a group of knights, who would mistake the servant as being the one to have a powerful blood line or be noble? And while even Arthur couldn't deny that Gwaine meant well, he wouldn't be Arthur's first choice if he was picking a noble from the group. Not just through blood line but through behaviour as well. Leon and Lancelot would be far above Gwaine.

Arthur jumped to his feet and would have stumbled if Lancelot hadn't followed him up and quickly put out a hand, supporting the king.

"Sire, you received quite a blow, you should…"

"Why are we still here? Why hasn't anyone yet gone after them?"

"We didn't have a chance, Sire." Elyan muttered, also standing but his eyes were cautious. "The sorcerer… he sealed them in some sort of bubble and the rest of the clearing filled with smoke. By the time it had cleared, they were gone."

"East," Percival supplied and Arthur only had to look at him to know his accusations had been false. Percival didn't know that because he had seen them leave, he knew it because he had been scouting the area while they had been waiting for Arthur to wake up, not being able to just leave the Crown Prince unconscious in the middle of a forest while they took off after his servant and a wayward knight.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

"You should at least eat…"

"I'll eat when we next make camp." Arthur dismissed Leon's concern with just a wave of his hand and began heading in the direction that Percival had indicated. The sun was high in the sky by now and he knew it meant he had been out cold for a considerable length of time. His head throbbed at him and his whole body seemed to protest from where he had been both fighting and then his flight into a tree. Hearing the men hurrying to pack away all of their belongings, Arthur moved to his horse, swung himself into the saddle and moved out. He knew his men would be right on his heels but he intended to start tracking down this sorcerer.

Part of him wondered whether it was someone from Gwaine's past, whether the man had tricked the wrong person and not paid a debt. It seemed like the sort of thing that he would do, but Arthur also knew it wouldn't have led to anything this severe. It certainly wouldn't have explained why Merlin had been taken as well and everything the sorcerer had been saying about types of blood. This was something else, something that sent shivers down Arthur's spine when he thought about it. His father was still recovering from Morgana, still trying to heal from the latest magic that had tried to rip apart their lives. Arthur wasn't losing anyone else to it.

Clicking his tongue, he nudged his horse into a trot, a small grin on his face. They might have tried to conceal which way they were going by making sure the knights couldn't see, but they seemed to have forgotten the first rules about tracking. There were clear prints in the damp ground. Some were hooves, some boots but what really made Arthur growl in anger were the wheel tracks. He had a feeling he knew precisely what had made those kind of marks.

"Arthur, wait!" Lancelot came cantering up beside him before pulling in his horse. He too saw the tracks and Arthur saw the man visibly relax out of the corner of his eye. While they had marks to follow, they knew what to do.

"Do you think it could be a trap?" Lancelot asked quietly and Arthur twisted in the saddle until he could look at the man properly. Lancelot shrugged under his incredulous look.

"That man was powerful, he could hide their tracks if he wanted too. What if he left them here to make sure that we would follow?"

"Then we will give him precisely what he wants."

"Sire…"

"They are my men, Lancelot, I'm supposed to protect them. Gwaine can hold his own in a fight, that much is true, he has even bested me. But against magic? What chance does he have? And Merlin can't even hold a sword properly, there is no way that Gwaine will be able to fight off those odds on his own. Now come on, before the tracks get old."

Arthur touched his heels to his horse again and knew that Lancelot wouldn't argue. The man never did. Out of all of the commoners he had knighted, Lancelot was the one that Arthur would have been fooled into thinking he truly had noble blood. He certainly acted in that way and knew how to follow orders as if he had been taught that for his whole life. Arthur set his jaw as he wondered whether Lancelot would ever be able to influence Merlin enough to stop him arguing back or not. For that to happen, they first needed to find them.

Arthur directed all of his attention to the marks in front of him, channelling his anger. He had meant what he had said, he was responsible for his men. But while Gwaine could defend himself as a knight of Camelot, Merlin was nothing more than a servant. As his master, Arthur knew it was his responsibility to keep the fool safe. There was no way he was returning to Camelot without him, even if it was just to make sure he never had to see the disappointment in Gaius' eyes when he realised that Arthur had failed in his duty to look after his own staff. Then there was the issue of Merlin having dived in the way of the spell meant for Arthur… The prince really needed to talk to his servant about self-preservation.

"You're wrong, you know," Lancelot didn't try and catch him up this time, clearly sensing that Arthur wanted to be on his own as he followed the tracks. He instead just called up to him and Arthur paused, twisting in his saddle to look back at his knight. The rest of the men had joined them, Merlin's horse tethered to Elyan's and Gwaine's attached to Percival's. They were holding back as well, clearly sensing the mood even if they hadn't heard the exchange.

"About what?"

"Merlin. He can defend himself more than you think. Try not to worry about him, Sire."

"Oh believe me, I don't."

Arthur turned back, but not before he caught the knowing grins his men were giving each other. Arthur scowled, focusing once more on picking out the route the sorcerer had taken. Just because they knew as well as he did that he had been lying didn't mean he was going to admit it out loud.

Instead, what he was going to do was get his servant back.