So, I decided to write more! Yay.

I couldn't decide between this title and "Following the Wind". Anyway! Let's see what our favorite boys are up to this time.

Words: 3,814

Ever since that fateful day, Merlin hasn't slept well. There was never a time he got so close to Camelot, he's feared the kingdom since he was only a boy. Some would argue that he still is, Merlin would roll his eyes at those people.

That night, he hadn't camped far from the border. Something inside kept him close. A pull, it felt like. Merlin had tried not to think too much about it. Just like the voice he heard calling his name. It's nothing, he'd repeated over and over to himself. Just lack of proper rest. That's all.

He ignores these things and travels to a close village. There's a sickness there that keeps him busy for days. He does try to make his talents...more discrete. If he can pass through a town and people think he's nothing more than a young, skilled physician, he counts that as a win.

Most are disbelieving when he tries to pass his skills off as knowledge. They look him up and down and scoff in disbelief. He is much younger than most physicians, he'll admit. But when those people turn their backs, he does roll his eyes.

He tries to reason that their disbelief only makes sense.

Yet another sleepless night under the stars. Merlin sighs loudly through his nose and sits up. There are still hours before the sun will rise, he notes. Annoyed by his inability to sleep, Merlin stands and rolls up his bedroll. He attaches it to his bag before starting towards the place he vowed never to enter.

Camelot looms in the distance. Merlin freezes at the tree line, his feet not allowing him to go any further. That is until he hears that voice. It sounds almost as if it's inside his head. Merlin squeezes his eyes shut and rubs them but the voice continues. It's calling to him.

With a single deep breath, the young warlock steps towards the castle.

The pull becomes stronger, leading him. He sneaks past guards, into a back entrance. Magic has never failed to open any door for him. Merlin is a little surprised to find two guards playing a game of dice. He'd heard of Camelot's dungeons, how well guarded and secure they are...Merlin shrugs and continues to sneak further underground.

Finding a torch, the warlock glances over his shoulders before continuing forward. The voice calls out to him, guiding him down a large stairway.

When Merlin enters the large cave under the castle, he looks around at the empty space. Or what appears to be empty. "I know you're there," He calls out, his voice echoing off the walls around him. "Show yourself."

The warlock hears him before he sees him. Even if he knew of the great dragon's size, it's still something to behold. Merlin watches with slightly widened eyes as the creature lands in front of him.

"Kilgharrah," The boy greets with something of a question in his voice.

"You know my name," The dragon speaks back. Merlin is unable to determine if this surprises the dragon or not. "As I know yours."

"That I'm well aware of," Merlin snips. "I haven't been able to sleep because of you." He thinks he sees the dragon smirk. Can dragons smirk?

"My apologies, young warlock," Despite his words, Kilgharrah doesn't sound very apologetic. "I felt your presence many nights ago. I wanted to see you for myself. So small for such a great destiny."

"Thanks," Merlin mumbles annoyedly before the dragon's words truly register in his mind. "So the druids were speaking the truth?"

"They are not ones to lie, not about something so great."

Merlin nods in thought before questioning. "What can you tell me? Their words weren't much. I think I was left with more questions than not."

"You, Merlin, are destined to help the once and future king unite the land of Albion," Merlin raises an eyebrow and motions for the creature to continue. "Arthur is the once and future king."

"Prince Arthur?" Merlin asks in surprise. "The son of the man who hates magic with all his being? Kind of shorter than you'd imagine, messy hair, face that kind of resembles a toad?"

"You've met the prince?"

"I saved his life," Merlin nods.

"It appears you're already fulfilling your destiny."

"If I hear that word one more time," Merlin grumbles under his breath. He's been hearing of this 'great destiny' since he was a child. That's a lot of weight to put on a child's shoulders, now he's just annoyed. "Are you sure you have the right person? The prince is a bit...stupid."

"Maybe it's up to you to change that."

"I didn't ask for this!" Merlin shouts with a disbelieving and unamused chuckle.

"None of us can choose our destiny," The dragon shuffles his feet with a small laugh. Rocks fall but Merlin pays them no mind.

"Doesn't matter anyway," Merlin shrugs. "If Uther finds out about me, he'll have me killed. I can't be in Camelot."

"Aren't you now?"

"I-..." Merlin gives the dragon a look and places his hands on his hips. "No one has seen me. I'll be gone before the sun shows itself."

"Why? Does Uther know your face? Do the people of Camelot?"

"Well, no," Merlin stutters after a moment. He's never entered the kingdom before. And unless people from the neighboring kingdoms have since moved, no one here should recognize him. But it's too big a risk, his mother and father had taught him well enough. "But I can't just traipse the streets, magic is outlawed, punishable by death. I can much less stand by the prince's side, he knows I have magic."

"And yet, here you stand," Kilgharrah argues. "The prince was in your presence with the knowledge of your magic. Did he not let you go?"

"He couldn't have done anything if he tried."

"If," The dragon repeats. "So he didn't?"

"He wanted to," Merlin informs him. "At first." Kilgharrah goes to speak again but Merlin cuts him off. "That's not to say he won't if I suddenly show my face in his kingdom. He recognized that I saved his life, so in thanks, he left me to be. That doesn't mean he's suddenly on magics' side. It'll take much more work than that."

"I fear you are right," Kilgharrah lowers his head. "But the young prince will face much danger, from friend and foe alike. He will need your help."

"Why can things never be simple?" The warlock asks himself. The dragon huffs, his warm breath traveling forward to disturb strands of Merlin's hair.

"Your destiny has been written since the dawn of time, Merlin," There's that word again. "Try as you might, you cannot escape it."

"We'll see about that," With these parting words, Merlin turns on his heel and leaves Camelot the way he came.

After a long day's walk, Merlin considers investing in a horse as he enters the local tavern. He removes the hood of his cloak and finds an empty seat. He sighs at the relief he feels in his feet and sits back. Or he tries to before a shadow falls over him, followed by a voice.

"I thought I told you I never wanted to see your face again," Looking up at the larger man, Merlin huffs and gets to his feet.

"That's very funny, Gwaine," He smiles and the other man laughs before pulling the boy into a hug.

"It's been too long, my friend," Gwaine pats Merlin's back a few times before stepping back. "How've you been?"

"Oh, you know," Merlin shrugs as they both take a seat. "Saving lives, avoiding destiny."

"I'll raise a glass to that," Gwaine makes a noise of agreement while waving down the barmaid.

"What about you? Making every tavern you come across familiar?"

"Something like that," Gwaine nods with a smirk.

"Still following the wind?"

"'Till something better comes along." When their drinks are set on the table, both men take a sip.

"Mind a bit of company?"

"Never when it's yours," Raising his glass, Gwaine taps it against Merlins'. "So, tell me about this destiny you're avoiding. There a woman involved?"

Merlin rolls his eyes fondly at the man before shaking his head. "No, just a prince."

"A prince?" Gwaine asks in surprise, his voice louder than Merlin is comfortable with. He glances around but no one pays them any mind. "Sounds troublesome," Merlin scoffs into his drinks in agreement. "Haven't gotten yourself into trouble, have you?"

"That remains to be seen," Merlin mumbles. He then clears his throat and straightens his back. "I don't think so, no."

"Merlin?" Gwaine questions slowly but the younger man waves away his worry. "Perhaps it best I stick around for a while after all."

"I'd enjoy the company but there's really no need," Merlin assures him. "I can take care of myself."

"And don't I know it," Gwaine smirks. "It's your distaste for violence that I fear will get you in trouble. Wouldn't want to have to go saving you again."

"And who's saved who more?" Merlin questions rhetorically with a tilt of his head. "And I didn't actually need saving, thank you very much."

"A man of your talents, I would think not," Gwaine smiles. "But in that particular instance, I do believe I had your back."

"Yes," Merlin admits with a nod. "Then you proceeded to get yourself stabbed."

"All was well in the end," Gwaine grins and leans back in his seat. Merlin shakes his head in exasperation.

For the rest of the day, the two friends continue to catch up before renting a room at the inn. The next morning, Gwaine wakes to an empty room. With furrowed brows, the man stands and makes his way outside. "There you are," He says in lieu of a greeting to his young friend. "It's early, how long have you been up?"

"Not long," Merlin shrugs. Gwaine raises a disbelieving eyebrow but doesn't comment. "Figured I'd get an early start."

With a deep breath, Gwaine nods. "And where is it that we're going?"

"I thought I'd take a page out of your book," Merlin turns towards him with a small grin. "See where the wind takes us." Laughing, Gwaine lifts a hand to pat Merlin's shoulder.

"And may she not lead us astray."

"I'm really starting to regret this."

"Oh, come on, Merlin," Gwaine's urging words only earn him an eye-roll from the younger man. "It was your idea."

"This was not my idea," Merlin argues. Gwaine pauses his steps to look back at the warlock.

"I thought you were all about helping people," He smiles while spreading his arms out by his side.

"Helping the sick and injured," Merlin reminds him. "Not...getting revenge."

"It's not revenge," Gwaine takes a few steps back towards Merlin. "Hengist is a terrible man. You wanted to follow the wind," He shrugs. "She wouldn't have led us here for no reason."

"It's the wind, Gwaine," Merlin deadpans. "It doesn't do anything for any reason, it's just there. You merely like to romanticize things." Gwaine snorts but doesn't refute the statement. "Besides, what's your plan? To kill this man and all his soldiers?"

"They're hardly soldiers," Gwaine scoffs but his expression turns somber. Well, as somber as Gwaine can appear. "He's done terrible things, Merlin."

Sighing, Merlin clenches his teeth and looks behind Gwaine's shoulder. "Lead the way."

Grin back in place, Gwaine squeezes Merlin's shoulder. "Knew you'd see sense."

"Yeah," Merlin mumbles while following behind the older man. "Not sure that's what it is."

After trudging along for a while, now having joined Gwaine's side, the warlock stumbles to a stop. With furrowed brows, Merlin looks to his right, his eyes squinted as he looks through the trees.

"What is it?" Gwaine asks after a moment, stopping at the warlock's side.

"Not sure," Merlin doesn't look back when he mumbles his response. His gaze stays forward, glued to the forest in front of him.

"I don't see anything," Gwaine says after a moment with a shake of his head. He lifts his hand and rests it on Merlin's shoulder. "Come on." Sighing, the warlock scans the trees one last time before following his friend.

Mere minutes later into their journey, if Merlin's body hadn't frozen in place, he would've rolled his eyes. This is exactly what he was trying to escape.

"You," Surprisingly, Arthur is the first to speak. Merlin would've bet on Gwaine to be the one. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here?" Merlin snaps back to himself and points at his own chest and then to the blonde before him.

"Rescuing a-...friend," Arthur stutters. Merlin glances at a confused Gwaine and this time, he does roll his eyes.

"Alone? You really are an idiot," Merlin's not sure he's happy to be proven right. Arthur sputters an offended noise but Gwaine cuts him off.

"Well, Merlin, are you going to introduce us?" Merlin opens his mouth only to close it.

"Merlin," Arthur repeats. "I never got your name."

"Probably because you didn't ask," Merlin grumbles, more to himself than to the prince.

"I don't have time for this," Arthur whispers with a slow blink. He turns to leave but stops when Merlin calls out to him. The young warlock grumbles to himself internally.

"Your friend, they're in there with Hengist?" He really is a giant idiot, Merlin can't very well let him go in there alone. "We might as well go together." Arthur's face becomes apprehensive and Merlin falters. Just because he willingly let him be the last time they saw each other, doesn't mean he's suddenly on magics' side. "We can help."

"As my friend said," Gwaine steps to Merlin's side, his hand on his shoulder. "We're going there, might as well go together rather than be in each other's way, yeah?" Arthur looks like he wants to argue but can't. Gwaine makes a good point, after all.

Back on the trail, Merlin and Gwaine trail a few steps behind the blonde. "So, who's your friend?"

"Why? Jealous?" Merlin teases.

"Of course not," Gwaine denies with a scoff. "Well?"

"Prince Arthur," Merlin sighs out.

"Arthur Pendragon?" Gwaine's voice is much louder than the Warlock and Merlin hisses at him to be quiet. "The Prince Arthur?"

"Yes," Merlin whispers through his teeth.

"That's your prince?"

"He's not my anything," Merlin insists. Gwaine is ready to argue more but before he can, the topic of their conversation shushes them both.

"We're close," Arthur warns. Merlin lifts the cloth around his neck over his nose. He nods once to Gwaine and when he receives one in return, he looks to the prince.

Getting inside is less than fun. Merlin's never been the best at...physical activities such as climbing. Running through the woods and dodging roots and low-hanging limbs has helped his instincts and reactions times, but the young man fears he'll never be cured of his natural clumsiness.

As all three suspect, they encounter guards. Merlin is just going to use magic to sneak past them but before he can, Arthur is talking about a plan and shoving him out of hiding. It's not the way he would've gone - and it was quite rude - it does work. Arthur and Gwaine easily knock out the distracted guards. They then take their armor to help blend in. Merlin's never liked the weight of armor resting on his shoulders.

It's not too difficult to find everyone else. There's loud cheering and screams coming from not too far down the hall. Gwaine quickly spots Hengist and points him out to his companions. Merlin doesn't spare the man a glance because he's too focused on the two people tied together in the cage. One of whom he knows well.

The woman must be who Arthur is here for because when a wilddeoren is released, he doesn't hesitate to jump into the cage. Merlin rolls his eyes but his attention is quickly drawn to Hengist. Gwaine seems satisfied that the Prince and the other man could hold off the beast while he made quick work of Hengist.

He wouldn't make it in time, not before the large man released the bolt aimed at Arthur. Merlin mumbles a quick spell under his breath that has the chandelier falling. Hengist dodges and Gwaine jumps back. Merlin grabs onto his friend and pushes him towards the cage. Arthur and Lancelot have gotten themselves with their backs to the tunnel, the beast oposite of them. Merlin and Gwaine jump to join them.

Hengist and his men open the gate to follow, fighting off the wilddeoren as they go. But once the others are in the tunnel behind him, Merlin says another spell to lock them inside. He's quick to turn away as their screams echos into his ears. Shivers shake his spine as he runs away.

There's a tense silence around the fire. With Gwen's consent, Merlin looked the girl over. Other than a few cuts and bruises, she's fine. Nothing to waste energy over fixing, she tells him after he offers. Merlin has never been one to hide who he is, but having a Camelot citizen accept him so easily, it feels nice. It brings him hope.

"I'm surprised you would undertake such a rescue mission alone," Lancelot breaks the silence. The man hadn't even let Merlin look for injuries. He simply waved the warlock off with a smile and a promise that he was fine. Always the same, Merlin had muttered.

"Father would not risk the lives of his men for a servent," Arthur responds with downcast eyes. Merlin isn't surprised by his answer.

"And yet you disobeyed him and came anyway," Gwaine says cheerily, clearly approving of the young prince's actions, but Merlin shakes his head at him. The older man's eyebrows furrow and his head tilts in question.

"Truth is I only came because Morgana begged me," Merlin sucks his teeth and pulls his lips into a thin line. The silence once again surrounds them until Gwen pushes herself to her feet.

"Well, I think I'll go and get some rest," She announces before walking off.

"We should all get some rest," Arthur nods and stands.

"I'll stand guard for a while," Gwaine decides. He offers the others a tight smile before going to take his post on the little hill behind their camp.

Left alone, Merlin moves to sit beside Lancelot. "I'd ask how you've been but..." He trails off, watching the other man stare into the fire.

"He was lying," Lance informs his friend. "He didn't just come because of Morgana."

"No," Merlin shakes his head gently. "I don't think he did."

"He has feelings for her," The warlock nods slowly in agreeance to Lancelot's words. A blind man could see how the prince feels for the serving girl.

"What about you, do you have feelings for Gwen?"

"My feelings do not matter," Lance shakes his head. "I will not come between them." Merlin feels a heavy sadness sweep over him but words fail. "Tell Gwen that she has changed me forever, but...she has changed me forever."

Bowing his head, Merlin opens his mouth to speak but no words come. He knows more than anyone that Lancelot speaks the truth. About many things. No matter how much we wish for them, sometimes things just cannot be.

Merlin asks Lancelot to travel with him for a while. Lancelot smiles as he places a hand on Merlin's shoulder. But he shakes his head mournfully and informs him that he needs to go on his own. To find his way. And he wishes to be gone before Gwen wakes.

Gwen takes it as well as expected. Merlin consoles her best he can and she thanks him. He just wishes he could help more.

"We must be going," Arthur interrupts. "We have a long walk ahead of us."

"Right," Merlin nods. "Well, you're welcome."

"For what?" Arthur seems genuinely confused and Merlin scoffs.

"Please, you wouldn't have made it out of there alive if not for me," Merlin argues.

"Ha!" Arthur rolls his eyes. A very prince-like move. "I would have been out faster if not for you."

"You wouldn't have made it past the guards! And if you had, there'd be a crossbow bolt sticking out of your oversized head."

Arthur looks affronted. "Oversized-"

"Gentlemen! Gentlemen," Gwaine appears so suddenly that Merlin would accuse him of sorcery if he didn't know better. The dark-haired man steps between the prince and warlock with his hands up in a placating manner. "Now, please, you shouldn't fight in front of a lady."

"Not like you break up a fight," Merlin smirks while Arthur huffs. "It's usually the opposite."

"That's very funny," Gwaine points before reaching out to roughly ruffle Merlin's hair.

"Hey!" Merlin steps back and swats him away. He would have fallen if Gwaine didn't grab his arm and steady him.

"As fun as this has been," Arthur interrupts with a level of sarcasm to rival Merlins'. "We must be going."

"Of course, princess," Gwaine gives an overexaggerated bow that causes Arthur to roll his eyes. "This is where we must go our separate ways."

"Yes," Arthur agrees. He looks them both up and down and Merlin tries not to take offense. It only makes sense that the prince of Camelot is still wary and suspicious of him. Even if he's done nothing but help. "It hasn't been a pleasure."

"Oi!" Gwaine's eyebrows furrow to meet in the middle. But as Arthur walks away, he chuckles and turns back to Merlin. "He likes us," He shrugs. "How could he not?"

"I could think of a reason or two," Merlin mumbles before turning after Gwaine. Maybe he shouldn't follow the wind. Not if she's going to lead him to danger and pratish princes.

If Arthur seems a little to okay with Merlin's magic, it's because he's a love sick man more focused on saving Gwen than some sorcerer who saved his life once.

'-'