Thank you so much once again, it really means the world.
Gwaine had no idea that he had been used as bait for Merlin in order to make the warlock behave as he had been bundled from the cart. Had he known, he would have no doubt tried to order the servant to ignore that, to do whatever he could to get away. Gwaine was a knight, he could take care of himself.
At least, that would be what he told Merlin. But with his hands tightly bound behind his back and bandits pressing in all sides, Gwaine wasn't sure if that was technically the truth. He had been in scraps before, but he was finding himself hard pushed to find one that was worse than this. Still, Gwaine never let anything get him down for long. He was sure there was at least one that had been worse than this, and considering he was alive to be in this one, he must have managed to get out of it somehow. He knew there would be a chance to run for it, all he had to do was wait for the right moment.
But this problem had something that any other didn't. In fact, it had two problems. The first was the maniacal sorcerer of seeming tremendous power who had taken them captive in the first place. Not to mention how the man had seemed to know who Gwaine was, despite the fact he was certain the only one in Camelot who knew was Merlin. That brought him onto his second problem. He knew every man had secrets, and he wasn't about to push the servant to find out what was his. There was no doubt in Gwaine's mind that the man had intended to take Merlin all along. He wouldn't have known about Gwaine to then take the wrong man when it came to Merlin.
But the fact that it was Merlin who was here with him meant Gwaine knew he was at a disadvantage. Most of his plans in the past had simply been to run at the first opportunity that arose. Normally, it involved getting out of town as fast as he could through whichever means possible and not looking back. Even though Gwaine was sure that the opportunity would arise – he was good at creating chances if he did say so himself – he knew that that tactic would not work this time. He couldn't just run, not when he didn't know where Merlin was. Gwaine knew that he wasn't the most standard of knights considering he preferred the tavern to the training field, but there was one thing he shared with his fellow comrades and that was the need to protect the innocent. Merlin had not only been dragged into this in the same way as Gwaine, but the knight had seen Merlin hold a sword. The man was more likely to cut off his own arm than be able to defend himself. There was no way that Gwaine could just run for it without taking Merlin with him.
He wasn't sure who would kill him first, Arthur or Lancelot.
For now, however, he simply allowed himself to be bundled along, occasionally kicking out at his captors just so they didn't get the idea that he was someone easily intimidated. He might not be running just yet, but that didn't mean he was going to lose his self-image over it. It had taken years to perfect the look of not caring, and he knew that was a line of defence right now.
They managed to force him into a small camp, some of the sturdier huts making Gwaine believe that it was a more permanent resting place than some of the camps that moved around the forest. That worried him; he knew it meant the bandits were not the ones behind this. While he had known all along the sorcerer had to be the brains behind the operation, there were too many huts here just to belong to him. More people were involved in this than Gwaine knew, and not knowing his odds unnerved him. He didn't get the chance to have a proper look around until someone gave him a fierce shove in the shoulder blades and he was sent stumbling into one of the huts. Gwaine only just maintained his balance, but he felt himself instantly tense at the fact there was nothing in the hut. Nothing, that was, apart from a very sturdy beam running from the ground and supporting the roof.
Somehow, Gwaine knew that beam was not going to be a friend to him.
He had just swallowed hard, wondering what to do when a cry made up his mind for him. He had no idea that Merlin was being brought into the same camp, he had been too busy trying to prevent his own entrance into it. But even as the bandits closed in behind him, Gwaine knew that had been Merlin yelling. He didn't stop to think about what they might have been doing to him, but instead rammed his shoulder into the nearest bandit and sprinted from the hut. He spun on the spot, cursing when he realised that Merlin must have already been taken into a hut and Gwaine had no idea which one. Searching the wrong one would cost him time he didn't have.
"Merlin!" Hoping the servant would answer, Gwaine continued to look around. In a way, Merlin did answer, but not in the manner that Gwaine wanted as he heard another cry being let out. He couldn't quite place it until he saw a few of the bandits emerge from another hut, almost directly opposite from Gwaine's own. The knight had always known to listen to his instincts and he pelted towards it, adamant that he was going to be able to get to Merlin and get him out.
He hadn't realised that his own guard had been after him ever since Gwaine had run. Just as the knight had located Merlin, they caught up with him. One simply barrelled straight into his back and with his hands tied, Gwaine could do nothing as the man's weight toppled them to the ground. He managed to lurch up, rolling the man off him but more had arrived on the scene by then, taking hold of his arms and pulling him to his feet. They didn't let go this time as they marched him back into the tent, seeming to be unconcerned by the yells spilling from Gwaine as he tried to make sure that Merlin was alright.
At the back of his mind, he knew that it was bad they weren't reacting to his shouts. He knew it meant they weren't worried about who could hear him and Gwaine knew that could only mean that there was no one who would provide any aid. His front was pressed against the pole as he felt the cold blade of a dagger slip between the ropes binding his wrists. The ropes were released, but Gwaine didn't have time to react as he was swung around. This time, the man pressed the knife against his throat as two more men bent Gwaine's arms around the pole and he sighed as he felt himself being retied.
"You know, men, this is probably some simple misunderstanding. How about a bet? You a betting man? If I win, you let me and my friend go. If I don't win… you let us go anyway?" The knots were secured even as Gwaine finished speaking and one experimentally tug revealed that he wasn't going to be able to simply pull free. He suddenly found himself wishing that Percival had been taken instead, he was sure his friend would have been able to simply pull his way out of the restraints. But Percival wasn't here and as Gwaine felt the knife being removed, he was forcibly reminded that he was. One man pressed down on his shoulders and before Gwaine could react, another had kicked out at the back of his legs.
He was on the floor faster than a mug of bad ale, wincing as he went down with a thud.
"The only bet I'll take is how loud you'll scream when he skins you alive. Try that again and this knife will go straight through the ribs of your skinny friend." The one with the knife crouched down next to him, running the blade teasingly over Gwaine's cheek. The knight glared.
"Think I'll pass up on that one, mate. How about how many of you scum I take down with me?" That earned him a kick in the ribs, leaving the man gasping for breath as the bandits left the tent. It was plunged into darkness as the door thumped shut and Gwaine could just make out through the small slither of light coming from under the door that he was being guarded.
Letting his head thud back, the man let a low whistle through his teeth. He was still certain he had been in a situation worse. But with his hands tied and Merlin nowhere to be seen, Gwaine was seriously struggling to think of when.
MMM
Arthur had meant what he had said about heading out at first light. The first signs of dawn had just begun to filter through the trees when he roused his men. The fact that none of them complained was just another sign of how wrong things were right now. Gwaine would have made sure that everyone within ear shot knew how he felt about having to awaken at such a time, but there was nothing but silence across the camp. Arthur found himself over by the horses, checking their saddles and seeing what provisions they had while Percival and Lancelot were crouched in the bushes, finding them a direction to start travelling in.
When Arthur had left the castle in order to go for a hunt, he didn't expect to be hunting his manservant and knight.
"The tracks are as clear as they were last night, Sire," Lancelot reported, walking back over and untying his horse. The others followed his lead and swung themselves into the saddle, yet Arthur just remained with the reigns loosely in his hand. He found that he was staring intently into the undergrowth, almost trying to see the prints from where he was standing. Something about the situation didn't seem to add up and Arthur could feel his instincts yelling at him to pay attention. What was it that didn't make sense about this?
After a few moments of simply standing there and knowing that wasn't going to provide him with any answers, Arthur too mounted, turning his horse's head and taking the lead once again. Gwaine was his knight, Merlin was his servant. It was up to him to get them back again, regardless of the fact he had several men at his back who would die trying to help him. He wasn't alone with this, but it was his responsibility.
No one seemed to want to dare break the silence as Arthur carefully began following the tracks. Eventually, he dismounted again just to make sure that he didn't stray from the path. They were only just visible, but Lancelot had been right. They were no more faded than they had been the night before and Arthur only hoped it meant they had found a limit to the sorcerer's power. Either that or he was so confident that he had escaped with his prisoners he thought this would be enough to put off the knights of Camelot. Arthur allowed himself a smirk when he thought about what expression when shoot across the man's face when the knights turned up on his very doorstep without warning and freed his captives.
But despite his confidence in his tracking ability, Arthur still couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something.
They only stopped to check they were heading in the right direction a few times that Arthur lost the trail. Eventually, the sun was high in the sky and Arthur found himself longing for shade again. But the trail seemed to have led them out to the river before doubling back towards the trees. Leon made a muttered remark about them clearly having stopped to water the horses, but Arthur had only shrugged and plunged his men back into the forest, grateful to get out of the sun's heat. The trail steadily continued west and suddenly, Arthur knew what had been troubling him all day.
Without saying anything, he turned his horse east.
"Um…Sire? Arthur, the trail goes the other way."
"I know."
"So… where are you going?" Arthur knew that his men were missing Merlin and Gwaine more with each passing moment. They were the only two who would truly come out and call Arthur an idiot for going the wrong way. There was uncertainty in Elyan's voice, but not in the same disbelieving manner that the other two had.
"I'm finding Gwaine and Merlin."
"Arthur…"
"Don't you get it? The prints haven't faded any more. You saw how he flung me against that tree, the way Merlin screamed? This man has powerful. If he can knock me out that easily, don't you think he can remove the prints?"
"He has been, they were fading all day yesterday…"
"Only to a certain point. He faded them enough so we thought he was attempting to remove them. He faded them so we've done most of this journey on foot to make sure that we stayed on track. He's slowed us down, that's all. He's more powerful than we gave him credit for. He didn't fade them, he's planted them."
"You mean to say that he has been leading us in the wrong direction? But making us work for it so we don't realise?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying, Sir Leon." Arthur had to fight to keep the annoyance out of his voice, knowing that it wasn't his men's fault that he had been taking in by one of the oldest tricks in the book. Fake trails was used by knights and bandits alike, why not sorcerers as well? Elyan swore under his breath and Arthur found that he had to echo the feeling.
"But that means we could have been going the wrong way from the beginning."
"No," why Arthur was so sure, he didn't know. He was putting it down to his instincts not having warned him until that morning. "To have left the clearing in the other direction would have been heading towards Camelot, there would be nothing for him that way. And Leon is right, they would have had to come to the river to water the horses and this is the only spot for miles around that the river is easily approached. They came to the river at that point. The trail has been right until now. But they didn't go west here, the only path that way doubles back again. We would have literally gone in circles and lost almost a day before we realised. They went east."
Arthur was aware of his men glancing at each. They had a trail leading in one direction and their prince wanting to lead them in completely the opposite one. Arthur had to smile when Leon simply shrugged and turned his horse until he was coming up behind Arthur again. After one knight had shown that he was prepared to go on faith, the others fell in swiftly behind and Arthur nodded at them in gratitude for trusting him on this. He was normally the first one to admit that he wouldn't do anything on faith but following the hard facts. But still, he couldn't ignore his gut feeling and it made him wonder whether he had simply been around Merlin too much.
Although silence fell once more, it was a different type to before. The men seemed to be getting the same feeling that Arthur was – that they were finally on the right tracks. They weren't relying on a sorcerer to guide them, but their own instincts, what they had been trained to do, and the weight had lifted from the group.
The afternoon drew on and Arthur eventually drew his men to a stop in the shelter of some trees, dismounting and giving his horse a moment to cool down. The others followed suit.
"We know this man is powerful," Arthur said, firmly in his role as leader when the men had gathered around him. "And we also know that he controls the allegiance of a vast number of ruffians. Our mission is simple an extraction. By all means take as many down as you can, but you leave the sorcerer to me. Under no circumstances are you to seek him out. Your task is to find the hostages."
"Then what are you going to be doing?" Percival asked quietly and Arthur simply gazed at him steadily. Just because he didn't want his men going anywhere near the sorcerer didn't mean that he was intending to follow the same rules. The man had not only threatened the Crown Prince of Camelot, but he had also taken something of Arthur's. His friends. Arthur fully intended to make the man pay for that.
"Arthur…"
"You have your orders. We leave in an hour." Why Arthur suddenly felt as if they were closing in, he had no idea. But he just felt the need to make sure his men knew what they were doing when they found the camp. They would have been moving slower than the knights if they had the cart and most of the bandits would have been on foot. Despite their trickery with the tracks, Arthur was certain they couldn't have gone much further.
"Hold on, Merlin," Arthur muttered to himself even as he tethered his horse. The men had all done the same and were stretching out on the ground, taking the chance to cool down. Gwaine could handle himself, and as knight he was used to pain. Merlin was just a servant, what chance did he have? Arthur just found himself hoping that Gwaine would be able to keep him safe.