OH. MY. GOSH. This story has gotten so popular! I was not expecting this much positive feedback thank you all! Anywho, I have a beta now so I would love to credit and thank the lovely Ladyliz2 for helping me out with my slip-ups and even giving me some dialogue, can I get a round of applause for her ladies and gents? Anywho thanks for all the comments and favorites and follows, without them I wouldn't have continued the story.

I do not own Merlin

Onto the story!

Previously:

"Make sure to wake me up early, or even just on time for once. We're leaving on a hunt tomorrow."

"Really," Merlin said nervously, " For how long?"

"We'll be gone for a fortnight Merlin, but don't be such a girl's petticoat, it's not that long. Just make sure you pack the comfortable sleeping rolls this time. The ones you brought last time were too lumpy."

"Yes sire." Merlin said with a sigh, wondering how he was going to get out of this.

Sweat rolled down his bare back as he sparred against Falcon. Both in the white cotton pants that they wore for training, their upper halves were exposed showing off various scars that they had gotten training as well as on the job, and the brands that marked them as assassins.

"Come on Wolf, is that the best you can do?" Falcon taunted, "The first-timers are better than you."

"Well, maybe i'm just trying to keep you off guard" Wolf retorted and slammed Falcon into the ground with brutal force. Falcon got the wind knocked out of him and Wolf sat on him until Falcon hit the ground three times, indicating submission. Wolf then stood up and helped him off the ground.

"Careful there Wolf, Jackal will get mad if one of us gets injured enough to be unable to go on jobs." The brunette said, wincing as he did so.

"Indeed, it would be bad if my best workers had to take a break." said a voice behind them.

"Master Jackal!" They exclaimed at the same time, dipping into bows.

"Apologies Master, we didn't hear you approach." said Falcon, not looking up.

"Yes, we'll have to work on that. In the meantime, I have a job for the both of you. You will meet with King Cenred in his palace to get the details of the job. Go and be ready to leave by sunrise tomorrow. You are dismissed"

"Yes Master." they said and walked out to ready their weapons and armor.

"Oh and Wolf," Jackal called out not turning around, "when you come back, I would like you to speak with one of our new 'recruits'. He's being a little too stubborn for our tastes, and you know how to fix that."

"Yes Master." Wolf said after a pause catching the hidden meaning in his words. He was completely confident that after he finished the boy would be eager to receive training, breaking people was his specialty after all. Wolf absentmindedly ran through the list of ways of 'speaking to people' he had been taught and endured throughout the years. This was going to be fun.

Merlin bolted upright (without screaming this time thankfully he thought, not wanting to wake Gaius) covered in sweat with his legs tangled in the sheets. For a while all he could hear was his ragged breathing, his heartbeat racing and all he could think was how he could possibly get out of going on that long hunt. If it were three days like most hunts, Merlin could just not sleep for three days but a fortnight? Merlin could barely go one week without sleep, let alone two. Merlin sighed and got out of bed to get ready for the day, thinking about the good and bad things that happened from the time he was nine until the time he was fourteen.

Meanwhile, in the Assassin's kingdoms, a dark deal was going down.

"I take it we have a deal then?" A silky voice questioned.

"Don't worry, our assassins will not fail at taking down king Arthur. We already are luring him into a trap. We will not fail Lady Morgana." A second voice replied.

"And when this is over, I will help you find your 'Wolf' using his magical signature. Don't worry Jackal, I will fulfill my part of the bargain once you fulfill yours." Jackal grinned. After six long years, he would finally get his best assassin back.

"Are you sure that you want to go on this hunt sire?" Merlin questioned, "I mean with all you kingly duties and such I hardly think you could afford to stay away from the kingdom for more than three days"

"Calm down Merlin, it's not like we're going to be gone for a month."

"Yeah just two weeks" Merlin muttered under his breath.

"What was that Merlin?"

"Nothing sire. I'll just go get the horses saddled then shall I?" Asked Merlin with a sigh, admitting defeat.

"Yes that would be good. Nice to see you actually doing your job Merlin."

Merlin just grumbled and made a mental note to go back to his room and collect his throwing knives as he walked away.

He did keep a few things from his life as an assassin, one of them being his perfectly balanced throwing knives that he had forged himself with some help from the weapons maker back in Jackal's lands. They were things of deadly beauty made from pure silver, ten blades etched with designs of wolves hunting while the hilts were expertly wrapped in comfortable grips with his assassin's signature, a letter W in unique script, burned into the leather.

While he did not have very many good memories of his time living in the assassin's lands, he did have some things that he admitted he missed. His only friend Falcon, his custom designed leather armour, even certain training sessions . But there were many things he didn't miss as well. Most of the training sessions, 'talking' to stubborn new recruits, taking assignments from Jackal. He did more horrible things during those five years than any boy his age should have done.

Shaking himself out of his darker thoughts, he walked over to the stables and asked one of the stable boys to saddle his and Arthur's horses, then headed back to his small room to retrieve his knives as well as the complex scabbard designed to hold them all. He smiled as he put the knives in their places then put the scabbard in his bag. After all. if he was going to stay up all night for two weeks, he may as well have something to do.

I was just as surprised as you were that Morgana snuck into the story this early. I also wasn't planning on having Mordred in here so... Anywho thanks for reading the story and review if you have anything you want in the story or the flashbacks, i'm planning on having lots more of those! Reviews keep the plot bunnies from attacking and making me start writing another story and ignoring this one! Thank you all, and see you next week! Shadowranger out!