A Marriage that Started a Legend

by IJustShowedUp

Follows canon but with my own arranged marriage spin on it. What happens when Hunith makes a mistake and is forced on the run with her infant son? What happens when Camelot knights find her twenty years later? What happens when Arthur learns he's betrothed to a peasant boy? Will Merlin be able to stand among royalty? Will these two different boys survive each other? Review!

156. Chapter 158

This chapter is dedicated to Khalafani, who wanted to see Merlin being taken out to the woods by some of the knights as a 'prank gone wrong' so I hope they enjoyed how I wrote it out ;p

This chapter is also dedicated to FanficScourer35, who wanted to see Merlin giving up way too easily because of his depression when the griffon attacks

X

Merlin Pendragon, as he strolled further and deeper into the lower town, could honestly not say what he was experiencing at the moment. He wanted to shout to the skies about how exuberant he felt, having gone against Arthur and won at their verbal sparring. But at the exact same time, he wanted to say he was feeling nauseous enough to spew what little breakfast he had all over his own boots and possibly the boots of the nearby people. Because again…he just had a verbal sparring with Arthur, and Merlin was almost positive it was going to be coming back around to bite him in the bottom. Arthur always did have a horrid habit of popping up when Merlin didn't want him too, almost like some blonde haired roach that could never take the hint.

'Make him listen.'

Those were the words Gaius had advised him not all that long ago, about what Merlin should do the next time he had a confrontation with Arthur. And Merlin thought he had done exactly that…he might even make his uncle proud when he told him about the encounter later on. There had been several moments the consort had wanted to give into his age old habits and buckle beneath all that pressure that came with being in Arthur's presence. But somehow, clenching a hand around the bag his uncle had given him to use to transport all the herbs back home, had strengthened him. Reminding him that, as he had screamed at Arthur all those weeks ago until he was red in the face, he was no longer going to be that boy who crumbled into dust every time Arthur said a strong word or gave him a distinct glare.

He hadn't wanted to consider those words 'petty', just something that he had said in the heat of the moment but wouldn't actually follow through. He'd been dead serious when he said he wasn't that boy anymore, and today he was able to prove that. Not only to Arthur, but to himself as well. Which was probably a much higher accomplishment, considering Merlin had precious little wins with Arthur as his opponent. But today has opened up an entirely new world to him, a world in which he could…truly not be the boy he was anymore. A world where he was the one leaving Arthur in a stupor, instead of being forced to wait until Arthur 'dismissed' him as if he was a servant that was waiting on him.

And god, had Merlin left Arthur in a stupor.

Even now, Merlin was tugging his jacket around himself tighter to make sure none of the gold from his rich person tunic was showing…it was literally this or the white tunic that was practically see-through, that he dragged out of that giant chest given to him by Madame Teresa. She had never came to collect all the leftovers Merlin hadn't used after the royal banquet all those weeks ago so it had been sitting in a corner of his room. Collecting dust and going unopened and undisturbed, Merlin content to forget it was ever there. Until today, but the look that had danced across Arthur's face when Merlin had jerked his jacket all the way open for him to see so he would shut up about it already…had almost made wearing the damn thing worth it.

Even now, there was a certain redness returning to Merlin's cheeks, as he was very much aware of how different he looked wearing it, as he remembered the slacked jaw expression Arthur had worn. And the way his eyes had roved down to Merlin's slim waistline and back up again to certain…private areas belonging to his chest that should never be seen in this context. He had been expecting anger, something that could spike up Merlin's defiance and cause him to yell all that much louder just to prove he wasn't going to sit like a quiet porcelain doll anymore, but Arthur hadn't said anything at all. Not even when Merlin was starting to get awkward, the redness in his cheeks disappearing down the long line of his throat, did Arthur say anything. Not even when Merlin closed up his coat to hide himself from Arthur's feasting eyes, had the prince acknowledged he had even done so. And Arthur hadn't stopped him from walking away when he couldn't take the silence drawing out between them anymore.

But even after Merlin had spit something over his shoulder when he had left the prince behind, he could still feel that weird burning gaze pinned directly on his back, as if it was trying to pin him right where he stood without needing to lift a single finger. The whole experience might've left Merlin flustered, but his stomach churned with confusion…he had never seen such an expression put on another person's face before. It had felt as if Arthur was trying to shear his jacket off, as if he could see straight through it and to the tunic that tried and failed to hide his slender frame from view. Merlin hadn't expected the…

The vulnerability, ripping open his jacket would give him.

Merlin hadn't expected Arthur would make him feel…

Naked.

Merlin Pendragon's expression twisted into one of pure loathing and disgust as he shook such horrid thoughts from his mind. He didn't know what problem his husband was dealing with, but he could be sure Arthur wasn't trying in vain to imagine what he would look like without the jacket and tunic in the way. It was such a ludicrous thought, strange…why would somebody want to even look at another person without their clothing on. Maybe when a married couple would get dressed in the morning and they shared a bedroom, but…maybe the other man was just some kind of weird freak. Trying to freak Merlin out since he was not going to be talked down too, or thrown about the room for Arthur's horridly sick pleasure anymore. Yeah, Merlin decided with a derisive nod of his head as he ventured deeper into the village, passing the baker's stand that refused to let him work, and the leather stand that wanted to sell him stuff more than the man running it had wanted to hire him, that had to be it.

He had a schedule to keep, and he wasn't going to allow Arthur to get into his head and ruin this for him. Well, it wasn't really a…schedule. But perhaps this was something he could add to his routine, something to look forward too as a treat to himself after a long week of sticking around home and keeping to the routine he had already crafted over the last few weeks. It was a very rigid kind of routine, one that Merlin felt kept him balance, and there was barely any real wiggle room to be had. Of course, he would need to rearrange everything he'd been doing the next time his capacity as consort was needed. But Merlin most definitely did not like the idea of upsetting his schedule for anything, though a trip into the woods once a week to collect fresh herbs could hardly upset what his routine was already.

Perhaps it wasn't…particularly healthy for Merlin to stick to his routine with the same tightness of a stone wall, but he really felt like it was helping him get just a bit of his life back together. But Gaius had even said it was a good thing, this whole rigidness thing, because people often needed the security a routine had built in…knowing what they were going to do next with very little surprises with what the future might hold. Some people held comfort in that. Though, he had also told Merlin once he was settled in better, they would work on ditching the schedule piece by piece. Help loosen him up some. Because it was definitely not healthy for Merlin to have a near panic attack just because he was all but five minutes late arriving at Gaius table to help with the latest batch of potions needing to be made. Or ten minutes late to dinner when he had needed to go wash up after a particular incident with some exploding fluid had caught him in the face directly. Or when he knew he needed to settle down in bed so he had a full eight hours of uninterrupted sleep, but was just too wired to settle down for the night. Or…well…you get the portrait. Merlin had a hard time letting one thing get in his way from completing his next task on the list.

Breakfast…

Potion brewing with Gaius…

Lunch with Morgana and sometimes Gwen…

Reading one of Gaius' ancient tomes to better educate himself…

Dinner with Gaius…

Wash up…

Study his magic book…

Bed…

That was the schedule Merlin had been living and breathing by for weeks now, and he was not looking forward to the day where his uncle decided moving his activities or having them step out of Merlin's comfort zone, was the better idea now. Though, Merlin's brows furrowed slightly…perhaps Merlin going after the herbs on his own was actually a sign of his uncle starting to disband his rigid schedule…Merlin wouldn't have put it past him if this had simply been just his way of tricking Merlin to change things up. Just like he wouldn't put it past the citizens of Camelot to keep staring at him like he was some kind of sideshow performer…

Just like back in the courtyard and the training grounds, Merlin could see the stares had continued even down in the lower town. There were dozens of more peasants down here though, glancing at him openly and silencing themselves as he passed them by…the consort glanced around awkwardly. It seemed as if many of the people were avoiding him, stepping out of his way instead of just standing there, pretending to be the superior creature and making Merlin walk around them. And the stares didn't stop the entire walk through the main path of the marketplace, leaving Merlin's head tucked down against his shoulders in order to escape them. He didn't know if this was the…interest he had gone and stirred up after saving Arthur's life, as Leon had practically said…but it all was just as upsetting to Merlin as the glares had been. God, this only made Merlin want to get out of the kingdom all the more faster. Somewhere he knew other people wouldn't be able to recognize him, simply because there 'would be' no other people out there in the woods. Most people probably didn't make it quite the habit to wonder the woods like Merlin had been prone to doing back when he lived in Ealdor.

It would be…nice…getting back to that somewhat.

Which is exactly why Merlin felt the warmth of hope heating up his skin hotter than even the light of the sun, when he saw Dorian and Tristian standing guard at the gates. He had made it here, with minimum injury-though he did have the stinging in his knee to contend with-and minimum assaults. Usually, he would have already been 'taken down a peg' by somebody. But look at him now! He'd made it one whole hour without anybody-ArthurArthurArthur-ruining the little good will he had. The only thing he needed was to have either Dorian and/or Tristian be willing to accompany him in the woods, leaving the other to actually watch the gate itself for intruders trying to come in and wreck havoc within the city. Though that was also only if Merlin couldn't convince them to let him take his leave on his own, with promises to be back in a few hours.

Merlin didn't think a few simple hours outside the gates would be enough for him though…

The good news though, was Dorian and Tristian were facing away from him, to the endless array of forests and trees that Merlin couldn't quite wait to explore if he ever got to go alone. He didn't much like exploring new things when there was eyes tracking his every movement, making fun of him when he got excited or awed by the little things like a flower just about to bloom, hee-hawing as they bark at him to hurry up and be done with all of it. But anyway, with the two not knowing he was approaching, that would…that would give Merlin another extra minute to prepare what he was going to say. Merlin usually would have ran up to them without a second thought and started spewing what he wanted from them, but…these last few weeks had given him a lot of time to reflect. And his routine often involved slowing down, keeping to one thing instead of bouncing through ten different things at once.

..hey guys, what's it gonna take to let a consort out his prison for a bit-could be an option, but probably not one that would allow him out the gates.

…hey, would either of you guys mind very much walking with me into the dark and creepily beautiful forest standing just over there, could be another option but it sounded too sugar sweet, with a hint of disturbing trying to mingle into it there.

…guys! I'm going out there and nothing you try to do is going to stop me from spending my entire morning in those woods! Do you understand me…now, that one sounded far too aggressive. And was more liable to have Merlin being put directly on lockdown, keeping him from the forest for, probably, the rest of his days…

Merlin bit back a sigh as he started approaching them, stomach twisting into a large knot. He didn't want to run the risk of being turned down, not exactly the kind of fear Merlin ever expected himself to have. But Arthur had always gone and taught him to expect rejection and disappointment. So it stood to reason to think he would end up…rejected and disappointed all over again. Especially when he had to return to Gaius just to tell him he failed at the simplest of tasks he could have given him. All Merlin wanted to do was take a walk through that forest more than anything! Feel the wind on his face and hear the crackling of branches from woodland animals, feel the blades of grass working their way in -between his toes as he kicked his boots off to feel better connected towards the earth. Such a thing was impossible to do within the tight confides that was this city. But what other options did he have 'other' than convincing Dorian or Tristian that the woods was a good place for him to be…

Perhaps he could lean into the whole 'you kidnapped me and now won't even let me have a simple walk in the woods!' angle. Add in a few teary eyed looks and moan exaggeratedly about how fucked up his new life was, and how just a simple walk could really do wonders for the soul, well…Merlin knew enough to know Dorian and Tristian weren't heartless! Not like Merlin, who was already starting to give up on simply 'asking them' in favor of trying to manipulate the two into agreeing with this…fuck. Okay. Enough was enough, Merlin decided in the spur of the moment. He was going to march straight up to these two and simply 'ask' to go outside. The worse they could do was say no and make him turn around, but…that 'no' felt an awful lot like a boulder was dropping down onto his chest and squishing him flat…

"Well, well, well…what do we have here!" A crude voice came from somewhere right behind Merlin, and the consort went rigid as a hand clamped down on his shoulder a mere yard away from the other two knights that hadn't noticed the commotion as of yet. And Merlin bit down on his lip when he was turned all of the way, forcefully and hard enough to nearly knock him off his feet, and it was no surprise to him when he came face to face with one of the knights who had liked messing with him on a semi-regular basis. "It's our favorite consort. Who has graced us with his presence by interrupting our training session and then running off as if he's done nothing wrong."

Merlin blinked up at Knight Bryon, taking in the cocky appearance and the way he was sneering down at Merlin, his fingers feeling like fat sausages trying the hard way to burn into his flesh. Merlin had known it was too good to be true, to go so long out on the town by himself and 'not' be accosted. He had known it was going to happen sooner or later. He was just hoping he would at least get some time in the forest before the blatant bullying started up again. He's been kind of…stuck…on how to handle this situation. Dealing with Arthur was just this whole separate matter, he was only one man…one man that made the consort feel like crap from just one look…but one man nonetheless. The bullying was a different issue, considering there was so many opponents Merlin would be left dealing with. People trying to trample him down into the dirt. Calling him just a waste of space…uncared for…unwanted. Merlin's health was already balancing on a thin tightrope wire after his encounter with Arthur…what if this encounter was the one that sent him straight over the edge of the abyss all over again….?

No.

Merlin had already dealt with Arthur fucking Pendragon. He couldn't allow the two jesters-as a second and equally familiar figure came right up from behind Knight Bryon-to be the catalyst for dooming him back into the pit. If he could stand in front of Arthur Pendragon and demand some respect, then he could ignore the two apes who thought their superior muscles would be enough to spark fear in Merlin. Maybe it had, at some point during these last four or so months. But…the consort felt his heart starting to harden into stone…this was a whole new day. And Merlin liked thinking he was a whole different man than who he had been.

And these two moron's were keeping him from his schedule!

"Do you even know how long I've been waiting for Arthur to return to doing his training again? I was hoping to ask him for a one on one practice afterwards in order to show him how much I've improved in his absence these last couple of weeks." Knight Julian was sneering in disdain, and Merlin glowered at him with silent distaste…great. Another Arthur fanboy wanting to destroy Merlin for the actions the Prince himself had taken. As if Merlin had any kind of influence on what the other man decided to do with his time or his life. "And do you want to know what happened? Whatever little…discussion you've had with Arthur was enough to disrupt everything. I think the Prince only made it one single round more in single combat before he decided we were done and dismissed us. I did not even get a proper workout before he was storming off because YOU upset him."

Merlin once again stared at him with stormy eyes, not saying a word that might fuel their anger. His hands twitching agitatedly at his sides. He obviously was not going to know or understand why Arthur had decided to cut their training off early just because of him, surely his golden shirt hadn't unsettled the man that much! Or maybe he was just pissed Merlin was wearing some of the royal items he had been given for once, maybe they were only meant to be worn if it was needed and not just when he didn't have anything clean to wear. But none of that mattered, not when it was clear Knight Julian and Knight Bryon decided to follow after him instead of just training together. Like a far more competent, mature man would have done in light of what had happened.

"So, Merlin, here's what's going to happen." Bryon said sternly, snapping the consort's eyes back to him, and Merlin didn't utter a word when the man was squeezing his shoulder all the more tightly. It felt like a brand engraving itself into his shoulder, but he was stronger than this. Better than this. He wouldn't allow such fools to know his weakness towards touch, lest they decide it was something they could exploit the next time they got into a particularly handsy mood. "You are going to tell us exactly what you did to upset Arthur, so we can clean up the mess you made. And then afterwards, you are going to return and get down on bended knees and apologize for the latest transgressions you did against him. Is that understood?"

Bended knee…apologize to Arthur as if it was MERLIN who had actually done something wrong…the hardness in Merlin's heart felt as if it was slowly starting to get thicker and thicker. He wasn't going to do shit. What was he supposed to tell them anyway? That their lovely young prince, who they are so dedicated too, they would follow his consort across half the city in order to threaten him like this, was only upset because he couldn't keep his eyes inside of his own damn head. Was only upset because Merlin wasn't going to stand there like a fool himself, and let Arthur take his fill of complaining about Merlin today while gazing upon his barely covered chest. No. Somehow, Merlin didn't think those were the answers the other two were looking for. Somehow. Merlin thought he was just going to end up getting a beaten either way, so why bother telling the two anything. He was much-had to be-stronger than a couple of knights on an ego trip.

"…Bite me."

Merlin Pendragon was very proud of his response, proud of himself for not just getting whatever they planned over with like he usually did so he had a chance to move on with his day. It was NOT okay for him to keep getting accosted like this, just like it was NOT okay to get treated like Arthur had treated him. And if Merlin was going to battle it out against Arthur with each and every breath that he took, then it would be amiss of him to do anything different against the men who went after him for no other reason than 'it was fun' and 'the prince would allow them too', if he knew. He couldn't live his life expecting attacks like this, disrupting his carefully sought out plans…Bryon's eyes narrowed into a sharp slit. And Merlin had a feeling the other man had never been talked to with so much disrespect in his life. But, Merlin thought with determination running in his veins, he had better get used to it. Because Merlin wasn't a dormouse…not anymore.

Not for Arthur.

And especially not for Arthur's men.

"Why you little-"

Knight Bryon started to snarl, and for a second, Merlin almost thought he was about to slap him against the face. And Merlin went tight, bracing himself for a blow that would never happen…he had been hit against the face before, thanks to Arthur Pendragon. And Merlin was almost positive Arthur could hit him way harder than this guy actually could. So he was ready for it!! Ready for the heat that would blossom against his cheek. Ready for another week with the bruise decorating his face. Ready to see how Arthur would react when he learned of a new mark on 'his' person, leaving Merlin defiled. Good news, Arthur would not want anything more to do with him, probably, after he realized Merlin was only fodder for those intellectually impaired and couldn't think of anything to do to him worse than their fists.

Merlin might not be able to fight back without his magic, but he knew how to take a hit.

Knight Julian nudged Knight Bryon in the back sharply before the slap made it to Merlin's face, and Knight Bryon shot the other man a withering glare, clearly upset at his abuse being interrupted. Julian seemed nonplused by it all, as he glanced behind them towards where Merlin knew the gates were. Knight Bryon followed his gaze to the gates…had Knight Dorian and Knight Tristian heard all the commotion and came over to see what was happening?…but as Merlin was twisting his neck around to see for himself, he could see that neither man had moved from their posts. No matter…Merlin didn't need anybody to save him or help him escape these two goons. Nobody had ever helped him before, which was why it was Merlin himself who needed to get stronger and more adapt at defending himself in these situations, so why would they bother now? Merlin could definitely handle this. And after today…he would get better at it. Better at escaping before he actually got hurt, better at talking himself out of this or talking just enough to confuse the hell out of somebody before he could make a proper run of it. Better at…not standing around and allowing the abuse to go on like it had.

Maybe he would even ask Gaius what he could do about this later…

Because asking for help wasn't supposed to be a bad thing.

Merlin still sometimes had trouble remembering that sometimes.

"Well, well, well." Knight Bryon grinned nastily, a mere mockery of what he had said when he first approached the consort minutes before. He nudged the man beside him, encouraging Julian to get in on all of the fun he was having at their consort's expanse. "It looks as if our esteemed consort might have been trying to run away from home. Walking as fast as you were to those gates before you were caught…tell us, Consort Merlin. What would the prince think if we told his royal highness exactly what his consort had been planning on doing? He might give us a reward for stopping you, and with all kinds of terrible things in those woods…you might not emerge from them if we hadn't stopped you."

But the nasty grin widening on Knight Bryon's face told Merlin the man might not altogether dislike the idea of Merlin 'running away' only to get lost before he actually made it anywhere. It still made Merlin's heart skip a beat…not due to Bryon's clear enjoyment at the idea of Merlin disappearing, and not because Bryon was threatening to report him to Arthur for this…but because Bryon had been a little 'too close' to home. The idea of running away made Merlin vividly remember the to-go bag hidden away in the pit of his wardrobe. There was a reason he hadn't told anybody about the bag, not even his uncle. He did not think Gaius would spill the beans, so to speak, but the less people who knew of it, the better and more smoothly his escape could be. With Arthur's strange obsession with him, one hint of Merlin actually trying to leave was probably an event that would push him over the edge and damn Merlin to lockdown. But if he had no idea, if Merlin just decided to snatch up his bag spur of the moment and took off, then…there was no telling how far he would manage to get away before they came for him. Maybe too far away for them to track down, little as hopeful as he was that he'd make it far.

"Hmmm, you know what, Bryon. Maybe we should help out our Consort some, if he wants to leave so badly." Julian drawled out, a lazy smirk spreading on his face, vicious and cruelty in his eyes after being denied special attention from Arthur due to Merlin's distraction. Knight Bryon looked at his fellow knight with a curious tilt of his brow, and Julian casually nodded his head back toward the gates, and the treeline that resided just on the other side, where there was this pathway that disappeared between the trees and into the cover of the darkness. It seemed as if Bryon was getting what Julian was saying, because he started to smirk as Julian continued, "I just believe, as our sworn duty is to assist with all matters the royal family deems worthy of our attention, it's only right that the two of us provide the service for our…esteemed consort."

Merlin could honestly say, he was confused as hell, as he glanced between the two men in front of him, but…he wasn't stupid. These men could say 'help' for as much as they wanted, but they had no real interest in helping him make his escape before Arthur realized he was gone. This was something else. And the consort knew not to trust where this was going, his biceps flexing as if he was preparing himself to make a punch. But as Merlin said…he wasn't stupid. The prince usually caught his punches, Merlin was pretty sure he only landed a few good hits on him in the last four months and it was always because he had got distracted with something else. Usually by being weird on Merlin. But the two in front of him weren't being Arthur level weird, and didn't seem to be as easily distracted as the blond was. If he was going to get out of this, then he needed to be cleverer. Trickier. Smarter than they were.

Which shouldn't be too hard, from what Merlin had observed, knights were not always the greatest in the brain department. Content to do what they had been ordered to do, and what they had fun doing.

Merlin grunted as Knight Bryon grabbed him by the nape of the neck, and then jerked him around so that he was facing the woods himself. And Knight Julian landed on the other side of him, a hand on Merlin's elbow as if trying to force Merlin not to do anything they would perceive as 'stupid'. It felt as if Merlin was about to be led down to the dungeons, the way the two of them frog marched him all the way to the gate. Finally getting the attention of Knight Tristian and Knight Dorian, the two guards looking up at their approach. Glancing between the consort in the middle, and the two larger men on either side of him. Knight Dorian frowned heavily, and Knight Tristian lifted up a baffled brow. Bryon was the first to speak, clearing his throat and speaking with a tone of authority the man had lacked when speaking with Merlin Pendragon.

"Consort Merlin would like to take a walk in the woods, get some fresh air out of the city and explore the local wildlife." Knight Bryon said, his nails digging in the vulnerable neck on the back of Merlin's throat, as if warning him to not say a word that would give away what they were actually doing. But neither of the men holding him hostage needed to know…Merlin already planned to not say a word or give one sign of being distressed. He…he was better than that. This is a moment where Merlin could 'prove' to himself that he was't the same weakly, vulnerable boy these knights and their friends tormented on the daily. He was going to handle this himself, and hopefully by the end…these men would know not to mess with him again. The adrenaline was already starting to course the length of his arms and down to his legs, making him flex in order to get out a bit of the restless energy disrupting him. "We've been ordered to take guard over him while he's outside the gates, keep him safe should any complications rise. By Prince Arthur."

This claim would have been a very easy thing to check, with one of the guards racing off to track the prince down in order to ask them himself, or to simply demand some kind of notice with the prince's stamp that gave permission for this. But it was also the first time this situation had came up, and Merlin's vow to stay quiet during this time-he had to wait, couldn't attack when these other men were liable to get caught up in the crossfire and leaving Merlin the blame for starting it all-seemed to be all the permission Dorian and Tristian needed at the moment. And the two knights nodded, lifting up their spears that had been crossed together over the exit, preventing them from leaving. But Knight Bryon gave them an easy going smile, pushing on the back of Merlin's neck just a bit 'too hard' for a man meant to be protecting him, encouraging the consort into walking past the gates of Camelot.

Knight Dorian narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, trying to capture the eyes of Merlin, but with the consort's head down, it was next to impossible to see the truth in what was really going on. And he watched, his hands twitching on his spear in contemplation, until the group of three men had disappeared into the tree line. He cast a glance over to Tristian, who to his relief-because the other man was always more laid back and chill, being border line irresponsible with his job-was also frowning heavily. Having noticed the exact same thing that'd drawn Dorian's eye and rose his suspicion.

"…Do you think we should go after them, and demand Arthur's presence and word before we let them go?" Dorian asked, uncertain. Merlin wasn't the only one who had a learning curve when it came to being consort. They were young enough to have never interacted with a consort before Merlin, and couldn't say they were entirely certain about the procedure for this. If it had been the blond prince himself, they would have let him come and go as he pleased. If the King had done this, they would have let him be, odd as it was since the king rarely actually left the castle grounds. If it was Morgana, well…she would have been expected to have several guards looking after her, both because of her being a woman and because she was the prized ward of the king's. But Merlin…he did seem to fall somewhere in the middle. Not a woman that needed her propriety to be protected, but not skilled enough to protect himself if the worst tried to happen. "Because that was 'really' strange. Did Merlin 'want to go' because I couldn't see his face. And what if he didn't want to go…we know those two can be brutes sometimes! What if we just let them 'leave' with Merlin and they do something terrible. What if-"

It seemed as if Dorian had fallen into a bit of a tizzy himself, but this wasn't anything new. Dorian often had fits like this when he didn't know what to do or what was going on. He stuck to the rules, liked the order of having what it and isn't allowed directly in front of him. But when that fell apart, the other did get into the habit of asking the 'what if's' a million and two times. Each one getting progressively more and more unlikely and…an insane possibility, as the Knight Tristian was prone to calling them. He preferred taking things as they might've been happening, instead of asking questions and working himself up on what 'hadn't' happened.

"We'll give them one hour. And then one of us will go check just to be sure it really is what it is." Knight Tristian said calmly, his voice being the one thing to soothe his longtime work partner. Dorian breathed out a heavy fight, forcing himself to calm down now that there was actually a plan being put into place for them. An hour still seemed…an awfully long time. But Dorian was sure that an hour…would allow them to see what was really going on. Tristian grinned at Dorian, giving him a nudge on the shoulder, ever calm and being completely sure of himself, "You worry yourself too much. Just take a breather, I'm positive that everything is going to be fine. You just watch. The three of them are going to be back before the hour is up, and you'll see just how silly all this was."

Dorian breathed out once again, and sharply nodded his head before he was turning back around to the woods. He was going to keep a sharp vigilance and be the first one to know if the three men emerged within the hour. This was a good thing, turning around, otherwise he might have seen Tristian going ahead and doing the exact same thing. He might have seen the worry lines forming in the crease of Tristian's eyebrow, the conflicted wavering going on behind the eyes…the heavy frown on his face that made him wonder rather or not he was making a big mistake by not immediately going after them.

X

The woods were probably the prettiest sight Merlin Pendragon had seen in the four months he had resided in this kingdom. Like it was truly a breath of fresh air filling up his lungs, so entirely different from the smog that filled the city as fires burned in the hearths of people's homes, as smoke billowed out from the business of the bakery or the blacksmith. It was quiet, almost making the boy's mind go quiet for once in such a long time. With thick trees stationed into the ground by their strong roots, trees that could've been there for even decades longer than Merlin had been alive. The sounds of birds chirping when they flew high above his head, embracing the freedom given to them by their wings. And Merlin felt the rustle of fallen leaves and the stray stick abandoned across the floor of the forest…absolutely beautiful. Especially when Merlin could look up and see a stray squirrel or two bearing witness to his ever growing love for the forest and its nature. When he could see only stray spots of the blue sky with only a spot of sunlight making it through the overlapping gaps of the trees and their branches spreading out. Creating almost a canopy above him.

It was everything Merlin had been dreaming of since he first got news that he could head outside the gates.

"Keep it moving." Knight Bryon laughed, shoving Merlin hard in the center of his back and making him stumble over his own feet again, despite the fact that Merlin had already been striding forward. He was just using any old excuse to lay hurtful hands on Merlin, and the consort pressed his lips together tightly in order to not bite off the other man's head. His peaceful forest experience was ALMOST perfect, considering the two goons were still following him at a much more sedate pace. Calm as the dickens compared to whatever they planned to do to Merlin out here in the woods. "Can you believe this guy?" The knight said to his partner in crime, going back to their conversation as if Merlin was some invisible creature that shouldn't be there to begin with. "It must really burn him up, going from the all mighty consort and being reduced to something like this now. Good for nothing more than a few laughs once we tell the others all about our awesome prank."

A prank, Merlin thought, agitation spiking down to his core…they called this a prank? What was this! The…other guys? Some kind of competition to see who could mess with Merlin the most? Well, Merlin was no stranger to pranks being pulled, he had done it once or twice himself. And they usually got a few laughs at the least, because he didn't 'hurt people.' He didn't take them far deep into the woods, where all manner of things could happen. They weren't even down on the trail anymore! They had lasted only long enough to get out of the sight of the other knights before Merlin was being pulled into the trees. He couldn't even say he would be able to find himself back to the castle if he was actually on his own anymore. In fact…it was starting to get downright spooky, as some of Merlin's old fears niggled at the back of his mind. Reminding himself he was not nearly as safe or as confident as he behaved himself.

"We're going to be far better than the prank Christian pulled on him earlier this day. Putting a snake in the consort's bed chambers was absolutely brilliant, it's only a shame it was found by the maid." Knight Julian noted casually, and the consort's ears perked up, narrowing his eyes sharply. A snake…they had put a snake in his bedchambers? What snake? What maid? He hadn't…oh…the slim consort got hit with an answer pretty clearly. When Julian said bedchambers, he really meant…Merlin's suite. The one he had abandoned all of those weeks ago in favor of living with his uncle…had they REALLY put a snake in his room? For what end? Was it poisonous? Meant to kill him? Or had it simply been them trying to scare him…Merlin wasn't entirely afraid of snakes, though. There was just too many in the forests he frequented to run every time he saw one. It may depend on the size of it, and if it seemed threatened by Merlin's presence, on rather or not he would leave it in peace or continued with what he was doing in the first place. "If only he hadn't left so early this morning. We could've heard him doing all that yelling!"

Julian chuckled at his own joke, as if he thought anything he had ever said was even remotely funny, and Merlin was only left wondering rather or not the maid was okay. Because he didn't find traumatizing innocent workers to be amusing but hey, maybe that made him the freak around here. Just like he was actually a freak for walking so easily into these woods with the two goons, someplace where nobody would find him if they…if they…if they wanted to do away with him. Merlin, no longer encouraged by his own defiance and wanting to prove himself, was just now realizing how bad of a situation he had gotten himself in …were the two knights going to try and kill him out here? It was so isolated and Merlin trying to flee would only get him more lost. He had LITERALLY placed himself at the mercy of what these two men wanted from him, walking off into a secondary location where NOBODY would find him in time. Okay, okay…all he needed to do was breathe and think this through. He wasn't going to die here, these two men might not even want to actually kill him. But…Merlin had heard horror stories of pranks gone wrong and somebody ending up dead because of it. And who knows, maybe killing people WAS a prank to these two guys…it had been them who had gotten their jollies out of Christian putting a snake in his old rooms. And it was Christian who had been the one to trip him down the stairs the most, something that could have very easily killed him, so who's to say this wasn't where this was actually going? Had Merlin literally just signed a death warrant by allowing his own pride get the best of him?

"I'm still pissed off about that whole thing! I wanted to see Merlin fleeing from the room so Arthur could see what an absolute coward and weakling he is," the Knight Bryon grumbled harshly under his breath, giving Merlin another harshly done shove in the back, as if it was somehow Merlin's fault for the two of them being imbeciles for not realizing he wasn't living there anymore. Merlin, as this young boy, had always been told that knights were the observant sort and they wouldn't hesitate to take somebody out if they saw something they didn't like…like a young sorcerer doing innocent magic. Well, his mother had been right on them taking people they didn't like out. But observant…that was something the consort knew they weren't. Or they would have noticed Merlin was listening to each and every word spoken. Would have noticed Merlin eyeing the treeline as his thoughts reeled on what he could do to get out of this. Escape first…find a way back to the city later. He might have been stupid coming with, but…he still simply needed to be 'smarter' than they were. "Now here we are, in the middle of the woods instead of training, and wasting our time putting this slime ball in his rightful place! Makes me angry just thinking about this!"

And as if to emphasize his anger, Bryon's face was steadily starting to turn this awful shade of red. Merlin's shoulder's twitched, catching sight of a squirrel as it ran above his head from tree branch to tree branch. It was very likely the two men weren't able to hear the very slight crackling being made from the branch as the squirrel landed on them before disappearing into the leafs…but Merlin'd heard them. And he could feel an idea starting to form in the back of his mind. It was a very simple plan, small but…possibly distracting. Child's play, one may call it. But one that…might just work. Merlin wasn't exactly as helpless as he'd been considered. He did have his advantages…he just needed to know how he could use them without getting caught and his murderers going free by simply saying what he was. Good thing for Merlin, he'd ended up with nineteen years of experience keeping things low key…okay. So maybe his mother and Gaius is going to say otherwise, but this…this he could do. He was sure of it.

"Don't let the little twit anger you so much, Bryon. Sure, he thinks he's special for marrying our prince, but that doesn't mean you have to treat him like he is anything more than the dirty little peasant freak that he is." Julian said, calmly as if he wasn't disrespecting a good quarter of Merlin's self identity. He could feel his shoulders twitching again, eyeing the trees and waiting for a good spot to make his move. He didn't want to act too quickly and giving the men a good excuse to chop him down right where he stood. But he didn't want to act slow and get even further away from the city then they already were..Merlin may not have any other choice other than…taking a chance and hoping things turn out for the best. "I mean, why waste our energies getting mad at somebody who is probably too stupid to know why we're going out here. Hell, Merlin is probably thinking he's going to be saved any minute now. Probably doesn't even realize nobody will shed a tear if he just…disappeared out of nowhere."

The length of Merlin's back grew a bit stiffer…surely they didn't think they may get away with this? What about Dorian and Tristian! If they were the good men Merlin thought they were, then surely they would say it was Knights Julian and Bryon who had been with him last. Unless…they did that whole thing where the group closed ranks in order to protect one of their own. But surely Gaius would look for him if he did disappear…the only question was whether or not he could make the connection back to Bryon and Julian. And if he would find a body, as Merlin was probably nowhere near the little grove of herbs Gaius had told him about. But Arthur…no, Merlin wasn't going to look for Arthur as if he was some kind of savior. Merlin would get himself out of this mess…even if Arthur did try to get some kind of investigation started-his obsession would never crease to boggle Merlin-he would never be found way out here…a loud cracking sound echoed throughout the land and making breaths be caught.

"What was that?" Knight Bryon demanded harshly, yanking out his sword as he got onto the defensive, turning to face where the sound was coming from…the noise had been much louder than a simple squirrel. And there was all manner of beasts that lived in these woods….cougars and wolves and jungle cats just to start with. Each one more deadly and dangerous than the last, considering how pissed or hungry they were. But no animal came forth from the woods as he brandished his weapon, Julian at his side doing the exact same thing to be prepared for a possible fight. Bandits were also a large possibility, if it wasn't an animal. "Julian, do you see anything? Because I don't see anything! Though noises like that don't come out of nowhere, so something's got to be there."

With their sides turned to Merlin, either knight saw the fading gold that crept out of Merlin's eyes, the sparks of magic returning to blue. Child's play, such a thing was, making noises in the dark and disturbing those unaware of exactly who they had in their midst. But it was the only magic Merlin could use openly, as long as his eyes stayed hidden, they wouldn't end up with Julian and Bryon brandishing their swords at him instead. The consort eyed the two men before taking a slow step back, half expecting them to notice him trying to escape as he still could. Before it was too late for him to do anything…

"I don't see anything, so maybe whatever was there is just passing through and aren't worried about us. Or hey, maybe it could've just been the wind and it knocked a branch from one of the trees?" Julian suggested helpfully as the consort took another larger step back towards the trees, though Julian's idea was really a stupid one. If Bryon had any sense, he would've noted that it was not windy at all. Merlin himself could barely feel the wind on his sticky skin…the knight seemed content to believe it though, nodding his head uncertain as he continued eyeing the woods. As if he could still feel the stares of something burning into him, something that he couldn't quite see. Julian nudged him on the elbow. "Come on, let's just get this over with and then we can go and…hey! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!"

Merlin, who had taken off into a sprint the second he thought the close would be clear-he just needed to make it into the treeline! As soon as he was inside of the trees, he could weave and duck and disappear before the two men had the chance to find him-was seized by the back of his collar. And Merlin let out a loud shout as he was dragged back into the small clearing they had stopped in, before he was thrown down into the dirt. Hissing as his already injured knee burned from the force…the consort pushed himself up onto his elbows only to get a firm kick against his backside. Throwing him back down into the dirt as a pair of boots entered his bleary eyed vision.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU THINK YOU WRRE DOING! DID YOU THINK YOU'D GET VERY FAR BY TRYING TO RUN!" Bryon was there, screaming down at him …it was as if Merlin attempting to flee for his life had been something that truly set him off. As if he couldn't believe or understand why somebody would try to leave before he managed to have his fun with them. Merlin blinked harsh to try getting the dirt out of his eyes…his gaze landing on a particularly large branch on the ground just out of his reach. "ARE YOU REALLY THAT STUPID TO HAVE THOUGHT WE WOULDN'T SEE YOU RUNNING!"

Merlin could hardly see through the dirt blurring his vision, smeared all across his face, but he wasn't going to give these men a chance to try something on him! He had already survived bloody Arthur, he wasn't going to lose it all due to THEM! Merlin practically threw himself forward across the ground, probably looking pretty pathetic in the attempt, but he managed to grab onto the top of the branch. With more strength than Merlin thought his slim body could hold, he swung the branch. He felt the thunk of the branch and the startled cry from Bryon as he got smacked in the face…Merlin was pretty sure he wasn't holding the branch quite right because he could've sworn his nails caught onto Bryon's face.

"HE HIT ME! HE BLOODY WELL HIT ME!" Bryon was shouting loud enough for the noise to echo in Merlin's ears, the sound emphasizing by Merlin barely able to see straight. But through his blurred vision, he could see Bryon looking right at Julian in shock, a hand on his face where beads of blood from Merlin's nails, ripped open just a little bit worse from the branch itself. He probably expected for Merlin to just lay back and take whatever it was they would give him, it was clear neither of them had expected for Merlin to actually fight back. "EXACTLY WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS! HITTING A KNIGHT OF CAMELOT! I COULD HAVE PUT CHARGES ON HIM FOR THAT! HE…bloody hell, I can't do that, can I?! Or people will ask questions about what happened, won't they? They'll know we came out here to torment him some…so what do we do? I REFUSE to let that idiot get away with making me bleed? What am I supposed to tell Arthur if he asks?"

Merlin's heart seized violently in his chest, if they weren't planning on killing him then, then they most definitely were now. And with Merlin being out of the picture, even if people discovered Bryon and Julian had anything to do with it, it would be their narrative being spun. A million lies could be told on where he had gone, as long as they hid his body well enough…they could say Merlin got into a violent argument with them and stormed off into the woods only to have gotten eaten by wolves. He could have tripped over his own feet-Merlin could vividly remember doing such in front of Arthur just that day, so it was the most believable of the lies-and hit the corner of his head against a particularly large stone. They could claim bandits attacked them, and they ended up separated and it was only later they realized Merlin wasn't with them…painting the two of them as innocent bystanders who couldn't do anything, and Merlin the tragedy that would go un-missed.

NO! Merlin snarled violently within the deep recesses of his mind, nothing was going to end here! His uncle was expecting him back any minute now with the bloody herbs he was supposed to get! Morgana was expecting to come and sit with him during lunch! He had even made tentative plans with Gwen to visit at her home later this evening, apparently Tom had been wanting to see him ever since his recovery had been announced, but didn't know if he'd be allowed to visit a consort. Things were shifting for Merlin, he had plans and he had goals and he wasn't even done with his healing yet…he wasn't sure if he would ever be fully recovered from the hell Arthur had put him through. But he knew there was still so much more to get done…he wouldn't let two imbeciles with nothing but egos get the best of him. So, when Julian was snapping at Bryon to take a minute before they did something irrational, the consort lifted the branch high above his head, intent on hitting Julian as hard as he could against the back of his, hopefully knocking him out stone cold and giving Merlin a proper chance to escape while Bryon freaked out over his buddy.

A loud screeching sound roared through the air, something acutely sharp and dangerous, and oh so very angry. Knight Bryon and Knight Julian was whipping their heads around to where the sound had came from, and Merlin froze with it still poised over his head, ready to come down on the knight. That…that…there was no breath left in Merlin's lungs as he gazed at the creature that all of their fighting had disturbed, just now walking into the clearing. It was…it was like no creature Merlin had ever seen before in his life. Something mythical and old or something unknown and new…it looked to have the body of a horse. With long brownish blond legs that stretched on for miles it seemed, putting him at such a height that he was a good three feet taller than Merlin himself was. But then his head…it looked as if it was some kind of eagle, a long and sharp beak that it had to roar at them again sticking out of its face. There was so much rage in those eyes…rage that Merlin himself felt as if he understood. But there wasn't anything more startling about the creature than what was on its back, or better yet, what was coming OUT of its back. There were two large wings, stretching out until its wingspan was a good twenty feet long in order to make itself seem extremely threateningly…Merlin would be amazed looking at such a beautiful creature, if it wasn't currently raking its hoof across the ground as if it planned to charge at them like a raging bull.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING!" Bryon screamed out, showing Merlin as he rubbed the dirt out his eyes to make sure he wasn't actually seeing things that the creature wasn't some kind of native beast in the area that he just somehow not heard about before. The knight waved his sword threateningly at the beast in question, and Merlin wanted to scream at him to put the sword down, as the movement only seemed to agitate the beast more as it stretched out its entire body and made its wings raise higher in the air. But the knight would always be a lost cause, as he glanced over to his fellow knight and repeated his question in a voice that was just as frantic as the last time. "JULIAN? WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING!"

Knight Julian looked to be just as freaked out, his face going this shiny kind of pale as if he was about to pass out right then and there, leaving the beast his body as a good sized snack. His hands tightening around his blade until, right beneath his glove, the knuckles could have been turning white. And Merlin just knew these two men weren't going to be able to do anything against this kind of creature. It was a beast! And not a normal one. It had to be magical, things of this combination just didn't exist in the normal world. Like a unicorn and a dragon and a mermaid and the untold amount of magical creatures his mother had told him stories about as a child. Creatures like this were different, beings of the old religion that should be respected, but…it seemed this creature was hating people as much as Camelot hated sorcerers. Had they disturbed some kind of nest? Did it live around here? Merlin found it hard to believe that such a creature could live within these woods and thus be the first time it got seen by men. So that meant it had to come from somewhere, but…where? Were there more of them?

The beast roared again, the kind of roar that was strong enough to rattle any man's bones, and rose up its entire body until it stood neatly on two legs right before its front legs came back down on the ground. Kicking up dirt in every which direction, and there was a moment of silence where nobody seemed to know what to do next. And then…Knight Bryon and Knight Julian took off in a mad sprint back the way they had came from. Fleeing from the scene as fast as their legs could carry them, swords dangling uselessly in their hands. The consort straightened up, blinking stupefied. Those knights…had really taken off…like bloody fucking cowards. THEY WERE FUCKING KNIGHTS! Were they not trained to deal with outrageous situations? Were they not trained to 'not' up and abandon a member of their kingdom? Merlin knew the two men weren't above killing bin themselves, as they had just been contemplating the idea of what to do with him, but…they had fucking left him here. Left him behind all on his own, with no way to get back and no way to get away and with nothing but a half broken tree branch to protect himself with. What the ever loving…behind him, the beast roared again. Its eyes now dangerously set on Merlin who was now the last man standing, and the only threat to its new territory it wanted to take out.

"Shit."

Those were the only words Merlin had the chance to utter before the creature was running at him in a mad sprint, looking as if it would trample him in just a moment's heartbeat, for the sheer pleasure of hearing Merlin's bones as they broke beneath him. The color fled straight from Merlin's face, and knowing the branch would do nothing against the creature of this magnitude, he dropped it down below. And took off running as fast as he could across the clearing, and in the opposite direction Julian and Bryon had gone down…he ran until his legs were burning in the thighs. Ran with his heart beating painfully inside his own throat, ran until he felt like he could run no more. But he had to go, he had to get away, he had to…he had to…he had to make it into the tree line. The trees there were too thick and course, the creature would never be able to follow if its wings were too big to fit through the gap. The trees would become his one and only saving grace…Merlin made the biggest mistake of his young life.

He looked back.

He looked back and saw the creature already nearly on top of it-what had he'd been thinking! Thinking he could outrun such a dangerous and ferocious type of creature-and his legs seemed to turn straight into jelly. He hit the ground in a harsh thump, his injured knee spasming beneath him at an alarming rate…he was sure he was going to end up with a limp after all this. If he survived, Merlin thought as he ignored his knee-a little thing like knee pain paled in comparison to his life being on the line once again-and flipped himself back over to spread out on his back. And Merlin sucked in a large breath, the creature falling onto him…hard. It took him about half a second for him to realize it hadn't actually came down on him…its heavy hooves had landed on either side of his waist, pinning him beneath it. And it roared, oh my god, did it roar in Merlin face so hard, that the consort could feel his hair blowing back from its breath.

People often say…before you die, you see your life flashing before your own eyes. You could see your greatest moments, or your worst tragedies, all the key events in one's life that had made them who they were. And lying on the ground now, Merlin couldn't say this statement wasn't true. Image after image flooded his mind, going so fast that he could hardly keep up with what he was seeing. Arthur was featured in a great many of them, the moments where he'd hurt Merlin the most, the moments where Merlin had fooled himself that they could be a real thing, the moment Merlin tried beating the shit out of him after Arthur had stolen his first kiss…Gaius, and Morgana, and Gwen were featured in some of these memories as well. But they seemed to pale when compared to the vast amount of Arthur burning within his brain, as if somebody had gone and carved him onto Merlin's very soul.

But with the refresher of memories…also came a fresh wave of pain. As if he'd gone and ended up sinking back into that dark place. And for a second, just a single second-as the creature roared back up onto its hind legs with intentions of crushing Merlin's skull beneath him for real-Merlin wanted to die. It was as if whatever little recovery, so fragile and broken Merlin was, to fall back to such an old but familiar mindset, he managed to achieve in the last month had failed him. He felt…defeated…just like he had when he committed himself to drinking that poison…willing to allow the creature to end his existence just to get away from it all, without nary a fight or burst of magic to defend himself from a blow that would kill him in an instant.

But the blow never came.

And another roar echoed within Merlin's eardrums. A roar that sounded quite distinctively less weird magical creature like, and a lot more human. The kind of cry that was a warrior's cry, a fighter, somebody willing to go down to the bitter end if he had to. And Merlin's eyes flew open, glaring up into the light of the sun as the creature moved itself back…another figure diving directly into the line of fire between Merlin and the beast. If there had been any breath in Merlin's body left, it would have escaped him from the awe that filled him with a certain stunned silence at what he was seeing before him now.

It was like a real prince in shining armor had just appeared at his rescue, or his prince in faded grey tunic, which was held clinched to his waist by some worn out belt. With black britches that formed to his thighs and dark riding boots he could see looked even more worn than his own. But the most impressive thing, looked to be that this man came prepared. He held the handle of a sword in his hands, letting out another battle cry as he slashed at the beast. It backed from Merlin's warrior as the sword came dangerously close to hitting him, and then it roared once again. Flapping its wings with a more dangerous intent, though Merlin's warrior never faltered, already proving to Merlin that he was far braver than any knight of Camelot he had met before. And when the creatures tried to strike out, the warrior slashed once again in order to push it back. Planting his own body, an unmovable force, between Merlin's fragile skin and the too sharp claws that would have sliced through his skin like a hot knife through butter.

It was almost like an elegant dance between the two, each moving forward and back across the forest floor depending on who attacked. His warrior would be close to striking his blade against the beast, but the beast would barely get a glance of the blade against its side before backing up. And the warrior would stumble back when the beast pushed forward, trying to knock him from right off his feet. And yet…his warrior never abandoned Merlin to his fate. And the warrior never gave the beast a chance to come near. And the warrior fought with more honor than…Merlin had ever seen before. And finally, the battle was coming to a screeching halt as the warrior's blade slammed into the beast in a direct hit. And for a second, just a second…Merlin was sure that this was the moment. The moment the beast would crumble to the ground, wounded and dying from the death blow it had received. But it wasn't an animal's roar that met Merlin's ears.

It was the sound of shattering, like glass being thrown at the wall and breaking all over the floor. Only much denser and sharper than glass would've been, the consort's mouth dropped open in shock. The warrior's sword, it had…it had…it broke into a dozen or so pieces, raining down onto the ground. Shattering as if it really was just as fragile as a glass would be, useless to help them now. And the worse part…the beast had no wound. No blood came rushing forward from a terrible gash in its side…just how strong was this creature? How strong could its body be, to where a sword made out of metal would have gotten destroyed by it…was that even possible? Or did Merlin still have dust in his eyes and was seeing things he really shouldn't be seeing right now. Perhaps Merlin hadn't actually saw his warrior either! And this was all just a hyper focused delusion being conjured from yet another near death experience…the warrior turned in an instant, reacting faster than the beast could realize he no longer bore any weapon on him. Not running away from the beast in order to escape with his own life intact, but running towards Merlin…wild eyed but still so focused on getting Merlin, a virtual stranger, out of the way of danger.

"RUN! RUN!"

The warrior's strong shout was enough to jolt Merlin out of his amazement, his heart soaring into his throat as he saw the creature starting to give chase, and he stumbled to his feet as quick as he could. Not quick enough though, as the warrior was practically right on top of him in a moment. Seizing Merlin beneath his underarm in a grip as strong as Arthur's always was but far less scary and threatening, dragging Merlin to the trees with him. Merlin didn't try and look to his backside this time, allowing the warrior to drag him into the tree line to the one place they might be safe at. Merlin though, couldn't have said how long it had been with them running, it could have been seconds or it could have been hours. He just knew his warrior stranger never let him go for an instant, being sure Merlin was always right there with him. Making sure every time Merlin was stumbling or looked as if he might have started falling behind, he would drag him back to his side.

It might have been silly, considering there was a five hundred ton hybrid beast trying to kill them right now, but…Merlin felt safe.

Safer with a stranger than he had ever been with his own husband.

The two of them seemed to have the same idea when they saw a fallen trunk in their path, just a few feet behind the tree line that would offer them both their sanctuary. And the warrior knight practically shoved Merlin, seizing him by his waist and throwing him over the log, before scrambling behind him. Falling into place with a loud thunk beside Merlin, plastering themselves to the fallen trunk as some kind of makeshift barrier. And with the two of them no longer in view…a loud roar came from the beast, accompanied by a strange sound. Looking up above his head, Merlin could see the strange sound had been the wings finally flapping in full force, taking the creature into the skies as it went to…wherever it had came from, Merlin supposed.

Fucking amazing.

That was literally the only thing that came to mind as Merlin sat there against his log so snugly, he was sure he was glued down to it, with his chest heaving up and down as he forced breath after breath into his aching lungs. So fucking amazing. He had been taken into the woods to be killed by the two idiots, and later abandoned by them. He had been attacked by a creature that Merlin was …insanely curious of and wanting to know more about. And had also ended up saved by…saved by…Merlin glanced to his side, already feeling the stars trying to form in his eyes as he looked at his warrior stranger, who was breathing just as heavily as Merlin was, sagging against the log in relief as he was.

The warrior had a chiseled jaw, was the first thing Merlin noticed about the new stranger in his midst…probably only a few years older than he himself was so probably around Arthur's age. He also had a similar body type to Arthur's, though maybe this was just Merlin being petty, he liked to think the new man was a little bit thicker in the bicep department when compared to his husband. This deep tan that spoke of spending long hours outdoors, maybe spending all his time practicing with his now broken sword…perhaps Merlin could get him a new one? As a way of thanking him? Maybe Gaius would know how he would go about doing that…but the stranger finally seemed to realize he was being so intently studied, because he turned to Merlin. And the final thing that the consort noticed was the brown eyes, speaking of a gentle kindness that Merlin couldn't remember ever seeing in the eyes of somebody he first met.

"You saved my life!" Merlin blurted out, his tongue feeling twice as thick in his mouth after saying such an obvious statement. He could feel the blush as the familiar heat rose to his cheeks, especially when the stranger squinted down at him through his amazing thick brown locks…Merlin would never be able to get his hair that straight. Merlin just knew…he had to know this guy! He had to know his name, and where he had came from, and what he was doing here and why…why had he decided Merlin's life was worth saving. Merlin was practically throwing his hand at the other knight, eyes bright and happy and…for the first time in a long time, Merlin completely forgot his problems. His depression and his issues and even Arthur, they were still there but…his mind was being quiet, blissfully quiet, of all things other than the man in front of him. "I'm Merlin."

Merlin was probably making a fool out of himself right now, but he didn't very much care though…he almost wanted to curse himself for using his real name with the warrior stranger who was eyeing his hand. He was almost positive the warrior stranger would know exactly who he was, perhaps recognizing his own name…King Bayard had often commented on hearing stories about him as they traveled through the outer boarders of Camelot. It stood to reason that he may have heard the same stories, and recognized Merlin as the one being deep into the center. Which meant the stranger was either going to fawn over him as the other king had-before the poisoning incident-because Merlin had apparently sounded so much more impressive than he actually was. Or he would decide he had been wrong to save Merlin, believing him to be unwanted, and wishing he had never interfered in the creature's intentions for him.

"…Lancelot."

The warrior knight offered nothing more than his own name, reaching out and clasping Merlin's hand with his own, a gentle grip that contrasted with all the strength he had just portrayed to Merlin. The consort barely noticed that there was an odd sticky coating left behind on his hand, too busy blinking in wonder as his warrior knight pulled away from him. Not only did he have a name Merlin could now call him by…Lancelot. Even his name sounded like a man who would carry much honor within him! But also because…Lancelot hadn't even blinked at his name. Which meant he knew exactly who Merlin was and didn't care one bit about it. Or…Merlin blinked again as he saw Lancelot's blank eyes, no hint of recognition in them…his breath caught. Lancelot didn't know who he was at all. It was as clear as the brown of his eyes were. Lancelot, a stranger around these parts, had no reason to know Merlin, the stranger in the woods he saved from being mauled to death, was also Merlin Pendragon. Consort of Camelot…husband to Prince Arthur, sole heir to the throne.

What a…marvel notion.

One that Merlin wanted to grab onto with both hands just to see how this was all going to play out.

…

…

…

Lancelot let out a mighty groan just as Merlin glanced shyly-he'd never been shy like this before-to rub the stickiness of his hand. Perhaps he had landed in tree sap or something…Merlin wiped the hand on his jacket as he tried figuring out what he was supposed to say to somebody that had saved his life. A thank you seemed so small in comparison to the great deed that Lancelot had did for him, and possibly a new sword if he could get his hands on one didn't seem as if it would be good enough. Lancelot deserved an acknowledgement, which is something Arthur had always neglected to give him until Merlin had decided it was far too late for niceties. And…red? The consort froze where he sat, spying the crimson streak of red against his jacket. Merlin didn't want to do it, could feel the chill of uncertain fear going down his spine, but he did it anyway. And looked at his sticky hand, coated in a nice coat of bright red blood.

Human blood.

Merlin's head whipped up faster than he thought possible, leaving him almost surprised that he hadn't broken it in his haste to see, with his throat already starting to close up painfully tight. No…his warrior's head had fallen back onto the log behind them, his eyes fluttering shut. And his hand fell loosely away from his side, where Merlin could see crimson blood staining the warrior's dirt grey tunic. It was gushing blood, a jagged gash peeking out through the rip in the cloth. And Merlin was left there, in the middle of the woods, sitting beside a wounded man with no idea what to do next.

"No. Nonononono." Merlin Pendragon chanted in a panic as he rolled over and climbed up onto his knees, almost careless over the fact that the creature may try coming back for another attack, to finish off the job it had started. And the consort grabbed onto Lancelot's shoulder, shaking him as roughly as he dared in an attempt to wake him up. But the warrior's head simply lolled back and his hand, just as blood coated as Merlin's own from where he had been struggling to stop the bleeding on his own. "Don't do this to me! Lancelot! You cannot go to sleep! You need to…you need to…you need to wake up! I didn't even get the chance to thank you properly! You can't-!"

Merlin cut himself off abruptly, his hands shaking violently, the smell of blood cloying in his nose and making him nauseous. Merlin had never had much of a queasy stomach before, his own disdain for food during the height of his own depression era none withstanding, but this entire situation made him feel more sick to his stomach than he thought. Merlin couldn't stomach the idea of some random man, somebody who hadn't known him from any random peasant from the streets, dying because HE had protected him. Protected him in a way that nobody ever had before. Merlin couldn't just let him die here, amongst the dirt like some common mongrel. But no matter how hard he shook the other, there wasn't even a murmur that said he was still aware of what was going on. Hell, in fact, if Merlin couldn't feel a fading pulse point against his hand pressed on the broad chest of the older man, he would have thought he was actually dead by this point.

Merlin looked around back and forth in a tizzy, praying to all the gods that one may find encroached in the old religion that somebody would come out of the woods in a sprint, having been drawn to the commotion just as the beast that had attacked them had been drawn to his fight with the knights. But the woods were frighteningly quiet, not even the rustle of leaves as another squirrel jump from branch to branch seemed to be there. Merlin had known this area was far more isolated than he had been expecting when he was first dragged out here but this…this was the first time Merlin felt truly alone. Felt more isolated when not a soul approached, the shadows being cast from the trees almost felt like they wanted to swallow him whole. Their overreaching branches was looking as if they were hands, in an odd way, wanting to grab onto his ankles and drag his soul straight into the fiery pits of hell for allowing this to happen. For not being able to do more than just lay there and watch it happen. Lancelot would have never gotten hurt if Merlin had just done…something. Their paths never would have crossed, and Merlin would have preferred that to seeing Lancelot's color already starting to pale. Coming closer to death's door…had this been what he had looked like when he had been lying in his cot after his poisoning? It wasn't any wonder why Morgana liked keeping watch on him, making sure nothing like it happened again.

"HELP!"

The scream still tore itself from Merlin's throat, raw and filled with agony of the highest order, loud enough for the trees above him to shake. Several birds had gotten startled and took off to the skies to escape the insane man trapped on the ground below them. But still…nobody came to Merlin's aid. And Merlin was able to feel the tears brimming in his eyes, his lip wobbling. This…it was going to be up to him. Rather Lancelot died…it was going to be up to him. But Merlin was no physician. He might read a few beginner medical texts but Merlin was not qualified to do this in anyway, he wasn't a physician. What would happen if he made something worse? What if he only messed up and sped up Lancelot's death! It wasn't as if he could get the both of them back to Camelot in order for Gaius to fix him, not when he didn't know where he was or if Lancelot would even make the trip. But…Merlin turned and looked back at Lancelot. Taking in the shallow breaths…Lancelot was going to die anyway. Merlin hadn't helped with the beast, but…he couldn't sit here and just WATCH this happen.

"I'm so sorry for this. Just…please don't hate me if I do something that'll mess you up." Merlin whispered to the other man, soft and shaking even though he knew the other man probably couldn't hear him. Merlin's hands were shaking still, but he grabbed onto the bottom of the man's tunic, sliding it upwards to reveal more tan skin. Until he finally got to where the wound was on the side of his belly, Merlin could have sworn he heard an unconscious hiss from Lancelot as Merlin had to tug hard on the tunic. The blood was sticky and already made the tunic stick to Lancelot's belly, and he was pretty sure the only thing he was doing was mutilating the warrior's corpse, as more blood gushed as the wound tore open a bit. "I know, I know. It probably hurts a lot, but just stay with me. I will fix you up, and get you to Camelot, and you'll be as good as new. You just need to…need to…need to stay with me."

Merlin somehow managed to keep his voice steady, working almost as if he was detached…as if he was just a disembodied figure standing outside of his body and watching himself work. The gash was something awful, torn skin and ripped flesh and Merlin didn't know what he was supposed to do because this looked as if the man needed stitches. He didn't know how to do stitches! And he didn't even have the materials for something like that, but…but…but…Merlin could recognize the tightness in his chest. Could feel that he was just seconds away from starting to panic. But no. Merlin sucked in a huge breath, the blood thickening in the air, but knowing he might as well have signed Lancelot's own death warrant if he started to panic now.

Merlin's brain was running a mile a minute, pressing his hands against all of the blood as he tried figuring out what to do next…tried recalling what he had read from Gaius' books. What was the point in even reading them if he wasn't able to remember what needed to be done in emergencies such as this! But, he closed his eyes tightly to try picturing the book detailing wounds that he held in his hands just a few weeks ago. He could almost visualize the thick book, so heavy in his hands. Could smell the scent that all old books seemed to carry in their pages. He needed…he needed water, to clean the wound…no, he thought as he tried recalling the exact wording of the book. That wasn't going to help if he didn't have any water, he wasn't even by a river as far as he could tell. And besides, that was for cleaning out wounds. To prevent infections. But that was something that could be done by more experienced hands. The consort's first and only priority was getting the bleeding to stop. And worry about all of that other stuff later.

He needed too…

He needed too…

He needed too…

Merlin squeezed his eyes tighter, his forehead trembling as he recalled some of the ancient text…GET THE PERSON TO APPLY DIRECT PRESSURE TO THE WOUND WITH THEIR HANDS TO STEM THE BLOOD FLOW, OR DO IT IF THEY ARE UNABLE TOO. IF THE BLEEDING CONTINUES TO PERSIST, APPLY TO THE INFLICTED PERSON A DRESSING OR PAD. SECURE IT WITH A BANDAGE…the consort's eyes flew open wide. A dressing to stem the bleeding. He needed to dress the wound. With a dressing that he…didn't have. But he did have…he let go of the bleeding wound only long enough to bring his hand up to grab on his neckerchief. The blue cloth barely peeked out from the golden tunic collar but it was literally the only thing he had.

Merlin didn't hesitate to rip it off of himself, he wasn't entirely sure if this was going to work but he unfolded the whole thing anyway. Merlin usually wrapped it a few times around his neck in order to make it shorter, but the actual length was longer. The consort still wasn't entirely sure if it was long enough to wrap around the waist of the unconscious man before him. But Merlin needed to try it anyway, and he nearly climbed on top of Lancelot in order to get the fabric around his body and beneath him. The fabric was already heavily stained from the blood on his hands, and Merlin wasn't sure he was ever going to be able to wear it again after this, but he grunted and wiggled and tugged before finally getting a somewhat half decent knot as he tied it in place.

It…Merlin thought as he leaned back and wiped at the sweat on his brow, most likely leaving a large streak of blood in his wake, but he ignored it…he didn't think it looked too bad. It was slightly too small, the leftover strings that came from the knot not long enough for his taste, and it was entirely possible that it might come loose. But…the thickest part of the cloth was covering the wound and that was the most important part. Hopefully it would hold until Merlin was able to figure out what to do next, and hopefully…Lancelot would still keep just enough blood in his body until Gaius could stitch it. If his neckerchief did the job and Merlin hadn't just royally fucked up by…cutting off his circulation if he did it too tight, or something like that.

But now…Merlin eyes their surroundings, still on his knees and his hands being buried in the dirt beside him. He needed to get them out of here. Merlin wasn't going to rely on Bryon and Julian to go running for help…they would have to go explaining why they were out here with Merlin in the first place, unraveling the lies they had spun about Arthur ordering them to walk with him. So he needed to get them home by…using what skills he had. But what skills did he have…he had always been perfectly comfortable in the woods. Though that had been in Ealdor, where he knew the landmarks and knew the groves of the trees better than he knew the back of his hands. So it wasn't like that was going to be able to help him here…Merlin almost wanted to smack himself in the face when the obvious answer came to him.

Magic…

He had magic…

Merlin wasn't as helpless as he always portrayed himself as.

He could…he could…how could he use his magic to help him here?

Merlin's gaze wondered down to the dirt staining his hands, and he squeezed his hands into fists, almost becoming one with the ground itself. He could hear the sounds of Lancelot taking a ragged breath beside him…connecting Merlin and him in more ways than one, ways not even Merlin understood yet. But if he could connect with Lancelot, then he could…connect to the earth as well? The world was all connected in one way or another, right? And Camelot was resting on the same soil he was standing at now. He didn't even know if something like this was possible, he'd never tried anything of this magnitude before. But If he could somehow…use his magic…as a conductor of sorts. He might track down Camelot that way. Or at least point him in the right direction…

Merlin's eyes fell shut, and he breathed in deeply, the scent of blood and all of the trauma fading away to the back of his mind until it was just him and nature and Lancelot beside him and…Merlin could feel something inside of his chest starting to stir. The ancient power within himself started to bubble somewhere beneath his skin, the glowing beneath his eyelids the only physical sign of just what he was doing. But in his mind, something was happening. He was able to see the trees, as if he was a bird overlooking them from above. Could see only a hint of towers closer than he thought they would have been considering how long they had walked. Could see smoke from the city starting to billow up into the clouds and…

"MERLIN! OH MY GOD, WHAT HAPPENED!" Merlin's eyes snapped open, gold fading just as fast as it had appeared, whipping around in a defensive position …he wasn't going to be helpless like he had been with the creature. But before Merlin could do something stupid, like magically throw this person off of their feet and across the yard and into a tree hard enough to possibly break apart their spinal cord, he recognized the familiarity of the person. Recognized their armor as they threw themselves down onto the ground at his side, giving only a curtesy glance to Lancelot. But the knight's main focus seemed to be on the consort only, and his safety, "I KNEW SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT WHEN WE HAD BRYON AND JULIAN RACING PAST US WITHOUT A WORD. AND YOU'RE NOT WITH THEM AND…are you hurt? Tell me, Consort Merlin. Do you need to see the physician? Do I need to take you to Prince Arthur?"

Merlin had been sagging in relief, nearly falling against Knight Dorian as all the energy today had taken seemed to drain out of him, allowing the other man to take hold of his blood stained palms to check him over. He didn't say one word as he stared blankly ahead as Dorian checked to make sure the blood hadn't came from any opened wounds on Merlin himself…he hadn't known if what he had been seeing in his mind's eye was truly real. Hadn't known if he'd have the strength to carry Lancelot all the way to the gates before he would drop. But now that Knight Dorian had mentioned Arthur, Merlin nearly surged to life.

"NO!" Merlin exclaimed loudly, startling Dorian into dropping his hands. Merlin didn't care though, he just knew he didn't want anybody telling Arthur what it was going on. Arthur was liable to show up at Gaius', and he…he didn't know what Camelot's policy's were on bringing unconscious strangers behind the protective gates. If there was even a slightest chance that Arthur would send Lancelot away, then he didn't want him anywhere near. Especially since Arthur would do nothing but get him all worked up again with his fake apologies and stupid gifts and recently weird behavior. "I don't need Arthur! I just need to get Lancelot to Gaius, can you help me with that?"

Dorian glanced over to the unconscious stranger by their side with a confused and conflicted expression, and Merlin knew he was practically begging at this point. But that wasn't something he cared about. He couldn't, no, he wouldn't leave Lancelot to die out here in the cold like he was nothing more than just a piece of trash. If Dorian refused to help him, then Merlin was going to simply stay right here and help him himself…somehow. But out of all the knights that could have been guarding the gates today, out of all the knights that wouldn't have cared if Merlin hadn't returned with the other two knights…he was glad it was Dorian. Somebody who, he hoped, at least had a heart.

"Please. He saved my life."

Merlin didn't know what Dorian saw when he looked back at Merlin…the flush of exertion high on his cheekbones, the dewy wetness of dried tears that had his eyelashes clumping together…the pleading in his voice. Merlin was sure he looked like a mess, a pitiful and pathetic little thing he had to be. But whatever Dorian saw seemed to make his mind up, and he nodded with this determined expression overtaking his features. And Merlin watched stunned as the knight turned to Lancelot, grabbing him by his arm, and hefting one of his arms over his shoulder with a loud grunt beneath the sudden weight trying to make him collapse to his knees.

"Come on, then. Let's get him back to Camelot for treatment. And then you can tell me all about how he saved your life. I'm sure the people will want to thank the man who saved the life of their consort." Dorian said bluntly. Merlin highly doubted that, but he practically scrambled to his feet fast enough that he almost stumbled straight back to the ground. But he held strong, and then hurried over to Lancelot's other side, the neckerchief around his waist staying secure somehow, and threw Lancelot's other arm over his shoulder. As a way of taking some of the burden off of Dorian, and the two of them started up the slow walk that would take them to a trail that would lead them straight to the shining gates of Camelot city. And somewhere along the way, Dorian would turn to him and ask in a grunt, "Who is this guy, anyway?"

Merlin was almost positive Dorian was asking for security purposes, Camelot wasn't known as the best kingdom-for everybody other than people who were named Merlin and happened to be married to their prince-around if they would allow anybody to just walk in and out as they pleased. But Merlin didn't answer for a second, taking a moment to look over Lancelot's profile. And he thought back to…everything this man had done for him in such a short time, and then a small and involuntary smile started to grow on his face. He just knew…Lancelot was going to be somebody special in his life.

"He's my new friend."