Arthur, Gaius, Gwen, and the knights stood around the table in the royal chambers while Merlin sat. The table itself was littered with maps connecting Camelot to Nemeth.
"Rodor is taking refuge here by the ancient tomb of King Loath," Arthur said as he pointed to the map. "That's three leagues from our border."
Leon looked over at Gaius. "Mithian can lead us there?"
"She is recovering well," the Court Physician informed.
"Now, our only chance of getting Rodor back is with speed and stealth. With just a small group of knights," the king stated as he laid out a plan.
"To be over the border and back again in a matter of hours," Eylan interpreted.
"Exactly," Arthur said.
"Sire, if I may?" Gaius interrupted.
Arthur looked over at the old man. "Yes, Gaius?"
"Odin has long been after your blood. If he finds out about this, you could have an entire army at your banks," Gaius explained.
"That's true, but Odin doesn't know where Rodor is, and we do," the king informed. "By the time he's realized what has happened, we'll be long gone. Now, we'll camp overnight in the Forest of Gedref and leave with the rising sun."
Gaius handed Merlin a potion. "Could you deliver this to the princess? It's a tonic to help her relax."
Merlin stood up from where he was sitting and leaned on his cane as he grabbed the vial. "Sure, Gaius."
Mithian watched as Morgana enchanted a raven to deliver a message. Mithian quietly walked past the witch and reached for the door, only to be pulled back.
Mithian let out a short scream as she landed on the cold, hard floor.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. She watched as Morgana shuffled passed her toward the door.
As the door opened, Merlin's face emerged. Morgana quickly hid her scowl. As much as she despised the little pest, she couldn't kill him. Yet. If she killed him now, there'd be an investigation. However he died during the mission, and no one would suspect her. They'd just assume he slipped or one of Odin's men killed him.
"Sorry, I did knock." he apologized.
Morgana stared at the young man down, then spoke, "No need to apologize."
Merlin held up a vial, feeling a wave of uneasiness wash over him as he looked at the elderly woman. Something still wasn't right. "Gaius sent me. I have a draught for the princess."
Morgana took the vial. "How thoughtful! Thank you, Merlin."
Merlin looked over at Mithian with concern written across his face. Mithian hoped that he could see that something was wrong. She hoped that he heard her scream before he knocked. He had to have been close enough to hear it. Right?
The young man simply smiled a forced smile and said, "Good night, then."
He then left as quickly as he came. Morgana proceeded to lock the door once more. "I would not test me if I were you. You would not enjoy the consequences," Morgana threatened as she pocketed the vial.
Mithian stared at the door for a moment longer before climbing back into the bed. She hoped Merlin would figure out something was wrong.
Morgana sat in her chair, glaring at the door. Something was off about that boy. He claimed these were his chambers but made no attempt to retrieve anything from them. She had searched and found only what she assumed were his clothes. And the way people acknowledged him as some kind of hero. What had he done? He was just a pesky servant who kept getting in her way. Maybe it had something to do with that injury he mentioned earlier. She needed answers, and she was going to get them. She would make sure he couldn't stop her this time. He was just as bad as Emrys.
Merlin arrived back at Gaius' chamber and promptly sat back down. He leaned his cane against the table and placed a hand over his scarring wound.
"Would you like something for the pain?" Gaius offered, noticing the pained expression that plastered the young warlock's face.
"No, it will pass on its own. I just have to sit for a while," Merlin stated, not really wanting one of Gaius' tonics. He'd drunken enough of those for one lifetime.
"Are you sure you're up for the journey tomorrow?" Gaius asked, concerned for his nephew's well-being. The young man had been only moving about on his own for a little over a week, and he continued to push himself over the limits. If he kept doing this, he would be walking with a cane until he looked like the Great Dragoon from natural causes.
"I'll be fine," Merlin insisted as he removed his hand from his side and tried to play it off that he was fine.
Gaius looked at him with disbelief but let the matter drop. He'd have to remember to slip a pain-relieving tonic into his morning juice. "If you're sure."
A couple of hours later, Merlin was helping grind up the final herbs for Gaius' medicine bag. As he finished the last batch, he let out a sigh as he set the beater he was using down.
This action did not go unnoticed by his uncle. "You got something on your mind, Merlin? Is the pain worse?"
The warlock looked up at his uncle "It's not my injury. There's something not quite right with Mithian."
"Should I go and see her?" Gaius asked.
Merlin shook his head. "No, it's not like that. She's not unwell. It's as if she's frightened of something."
"Well, she's worried, Merlin. She's worried about her father. It's only to be expected," Gaius reasoned.
"It's more than that. I can see fear in her eyes. It's not the Mithian I know," Merlin insisted.
"The Mithian you knew was here in happier times," Gaius pointed out.
Merlin shook his head again and pressed on. "It's not just Mithian; it's Hilda. There's something not right between them."
"They've both been through a terrible ordeal, Merlin. They fled their home and barely escaped with their lives. It's not surprising that the strain has taken its toll," Gaius explained. However part of him wanted to believe his nephew. Perhaps something was wrong, but unless Merlin could say exactly what, there wasn't much anyone could do.
Merlin resigned, knowing deep down something was wrong. "Maybe-"
"Come on; we've got work to do. We must pack up the supplies," Gaius said, seeing the discussion as dropped.
Mithian slowly got out of bed and walked over to the table where a sleeping Morgana lay. She carefully replaced the key with a comb, hoping the witch who held her captive stayed asleep. Once the key was in her hand, she dashed to the door, unlocked it, and ran.
She was almost to Arthur's chambers when a magical force pulled her back. She looked up from where she had fallen and choked back a sob as Morgana marched toward her.
"Looking for someone?" the High Priestess questioned angrily.
"No, I was just-" Mithian pleaded as she attempted to form an excuse.
Morgana's eyes glowed a rustic gold, and instantly the princess's bracelet began to glow red hot and burn into her skin. Mithian let out a small scream from the pain as she grabbed hold of her wrist with her good hand.
"Did you really imagine you could go to Arthur behind my back?" Morgana seethed.
"You're mistaken. I-I was just-" Mithian stammered, words failing to make it past her tongue.
"If you betray me again, I'll bury your father alive. Understand?" the witch threatened.
"Yes. Yes, please make it stop," the princess begged holding up her wrist, the pain becoming too much to bear in the moment.
At that moment, the Queen of Camelot approached them. "Is everything alright?"
Morgana stopped the burning and wrapped her arms around Mithian. "Get up. Slowly," She turned to face Gwen. "The princess was feeling a little faint, that's all. We were just getting some air."
Guinevere studied the two for a moment. Something didn't seem quite right between them. "Well, I hope you're feeling better now."
Mithian nodded, fighting back her tears. "Much better. Thank you."
"We won't detain you any further, My Lady. Good night," Morgana quickly dismissed.
"Good night. Sleep well," the queen replied before turning back the way she came.
Merlin walked into the armoury with his satchel of supplies over his shoulder and a bedroll under his arm. He quickly spotted Arthur, who was about to exit. "Arthur, wait."
The king turned around and looked at his Magical Advisor. "What is it?"
"This mission, sire-" Merlin began, only to be cut off.
The young king stopped him right there and finished his sentence. "It's too dangerous, so I shouldn't go."
Merlin stared at the king as if he had grown a third eye. "Yeah, you were thinking the same thing?"
"No, I'm thinking that's exactly what you always say, but here I am. Two legs, two arms, my own teeth," Arthur said with a sarcastic smile.
"I've got a funny feeling that there is something we're missing. Something we don't know?" Merlin informed.
Arthur had learned he had to trust his servant's funny feelings, given the critical role he'd just recently given him. "But you can't say what exactly?"
"No," Merlin admitted.
"No," Arthur repeated.
"Whatever it is we're missing might be the key to making sure this mission is a success," the warlock pointed out. "Maybe we should delay the mission? Until we have all the facts at our disposal."
"Fine. Oh, do you want to tell Princess Mithian that we decided to let her father die because you have a funny feeling?" Arthur said, his voice laced with sarcasm and criticism.
"No, just talk to Mithian without Hilda around. She's holding something back. Hilda might be stopping her," Merlin insisted. "Something is off about those two. She looks at Hilda like she's afraid of her."
"First chance; I'll try to get Mithian alone to talk to her," Arthur agreed. "But for now, let's not delay any further."
As Merlin helped Mithian off her horse, he noticed the burn on her wrist. "How did you get that?" he asked, examining the wound.
"I...I was bound by Odin's men before I escaped," Mithian stated, pulling her wrist back and quickly hiding it behind her cloak.
Merlin looked at Mithian. The burn on her wrist was way too fresh to be from several days ago. It was also not caused by ropes or chains. But one glance over at Hilda told him not to push the matter in front of her.
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize that," Merlin apologized, playing along. Every fibre of his being was now screaming at him that this was all wrong. Hilda was bad news and probably part of the reason this mission existed in the first place.
"It's a very painful memory," Hilda said as she came up next to Mithian. "I'm sure she'd rather not dwell on it.
Merlin nodded, deciding to drop the matter for the moment, but to stay on alert. "Of course. I understand."
Author's Note: I hope everyone reading is enjoying the story so far. Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to read this. I should have the next chapter up in a couple of days, depending on editing and real life.
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