It could have been a perfect day but no, much to Merlin's despair who as soon as he woke up from his sleep felt that he had better stay in his room in his bed under his covers. He didn't really know why but something was going to happen today that wasn't good, dangerous maybe? He wasn't sure what could happen, he was thinking maybe a usual evil witch or wizard attack. He was abnormally stressed and on guard all day, he almost knocked over the tray of food he was holding several times, not forgetting the people he came into contact with while walking due to looking around him and not ahead him.

It was to the point where he didn't notice that he had entered the king's bedroom.

"What are you doing Merlin?" Arthur asked, he saw the servant standing in front of the door but he seemed a little lost. He would have liked to be angry because this idiot had arrived late, it was close to noon when he finally saw him arrive but he had entered his room without even paying attention to his king. And if he looked a little closer at what he had in his hands, his was breakfast...

"Merlin?" He started to frown, he didn't even seem to have heard her.

«I really have to do everything here.» He sometimes wondered who the king was. He got up from his desk to retrieve the tray in these hands himself.

Once near Merlin he looked at him, he seemed to be far away in thought, he rolled his eyes and placed his hand under the tray and one on the other man's shoulder. It seemed that her touch and the sudden absence of weight in his once-busy hand, had finally awakened him.

"And you became even more incompetent during the night, even for you it's almost a miracle." Arthur made fun of him as usual, Merlin didn't even bother to respond.

Arthur returned to his desk to sit in his chair and stared at the food in front of him.

"Merlin, what is that?" He said, pointing to the tray.

"Your breakfast." It was a statement with a hint of a tone that clearly said, can't you see it?

"Do you know what time it is?" He was frustrated by her look, really who was the real idiot here?!

"I don't know, after sunrise?" It sounded more like a question.

"Congratulations, you have eyes, it's currently close to noon and not the morning. I don't know if you saw but I'm already perfectly dressed and working."

He looked stupidly at his king before really understanding the problem. From her expression Arthur could see recognition on her face.

"Really Merlin, what's wrong with you today?!" He said it with a little more frustration than he wanted, but he had a right to be angry.

"I'm sorry, I'll go get you your lunch." And with that he left before Artur could even say anything. He looked at the door for a while before returning to his unfinished work. He found Merlin even stranger than usual but he didn't have time to pay attention to it.

His servant had returned with the correct tray this time and began to tidy up the messy room. Arthur looked at him for a bit before finally opening his mouth, with everything that happened, he had forgotten to tell her something.

"Quickly prepare the horses and supplies needed for a hunt, we are leaving in 1 hour. Warn everyone, we will leave with the knights of the round table." Arthur desperately wanted to get out, it had been a while and he was starting to suffocate within the castle walls, he was sure his knights would be okay with that too.

" What ? How-"

"That's enough, I could have told you this morning but you never arrived."

With that he closed his mouth, it was a bit his fault after all but this feeling, didn't want to leave him... He sighed and obeyed the order.

Arthur noticed his servant's quiet side today but it wasn't a thing where he was going to complain.

As said an hour later, everyone was present in the courtyard ready to leave, the road was strangely silent apart from the sound of their horses' hooves and the endless chatter of Gawain there was no discussion a few knights him responded from time to time but everyone noticed Merlin's calm demeanor.

Lancelot approached him with his mount, brushing against that of the servant to ask him what was wrong, he gave a quick smile and a discreet nothing which was certainly not the truth but he did not seem to want to talk about. He walked away but decided to keep a close eye on him.

Merlin felt his bad feelings growing, as they progressed through the forest, but as usual he ignored it it's not like he was going to say something and they were going to believe him. Arthur would probably tell him he's a girl or something.

He decided to calm down by releasing a little of his magic to observe the surroundings, it was a new area that had never been used as a hunting ground before so he didn't know anything. His magic gradually dispersed at first everything was calm and normal no apparent danger not even bandits or animals the surroundings were far too calm for a forest until he felt something strange he tried to get closer a little more but its magic is suddenly withdrawn as if it had been burned. He could see the presence of ruins on their path but something was different. A shiver of horror ran down his spine, this seemed so bad. He was sure that his face had turned white from the shock and seeing the looks that were already on him intensified he could tell that he was right but he just had to ignore it. He absolutely had to get Arthur away from there.

As if the sky or its bad luck had heard it, the clouds, which had already been gray for a while, began to rain heavily, soaking everyone in a few minutes.

" Awesome." He could hear Gauvin growling not far from him but he didn't take it into account.

He just wanted to turn around now and go back to the castle because he knew what that meant, like always.

"We should find shelter, I think this will last a long time." He was able to hear Arthur's words through the rain, and Leon nodded, the other knights all agreed. Merlin had just gone whiter.

As he expected, Léon and Percival, who had gone out on reconnaissance, had returned to report the presence of ruins which could provide them with shelter.

"Maybe we should go back to Camelot." He suggested but he knew he was going to be ignored.

"Come on Merlin before you get sick." Lancelot had come to him to convince him from come, he too was starting to get wet because of this rain.

"Lancelot you don't understand, we shouldn't go there." He grabbed the man's arm in an almost desperate grip.

" What's wrong ?" He approached so he could talk to him away from the others, if Merlin had a bad feeling, he shouldn't take it lightly, it turned out to be true more than once. Above all there was something in Merlin's actions that he had rarely seen, genuine fear.

"I don't know but, but it's not good… There's something in these ruins." He tried to explain but even he was confused.

"Do you think it's dangerous for Arthur?" He immediately asked, knowing the sorcerer for his protection to the king.

"I don't know but it seems… bad. Really bad"

Now he also had a frisian, that certainly wasn't good. He tried to catch up the others to maybe try to keep them away from there being. But they were already far away. He could hear the hooves of the wizard's horse behind him who had followed him to see the others already entering the ruins of what appeared to be a large lordship castle. Only a few walls were still standing, there were no more doors. It was just a piece of roof with bricks around it, the vegetation was already largely established there.

Lancelot now joined by Merlin seemed to watch them walk starting to set up camp, Gwaine had gone to get some wood to start a fire. Leon and Percival walked around a bit to see if it was safe. Arthur beckoned them to come and come closer.

Lancelot turned his gaze to Merlin to see him almost shaking in fear.

"Don't go there!" He grabbed the knight's sleeve again to stop him from walking.

Arthur who was waiting for them to come was able to see Merlin's state, he thought it was from the rain.

"Don't think about getting sick!" He shouted and came to meet them, pushing Merlin who ended up entering the ruins.

And then it was as if time had suddenly stopped, he no longer felt anything. Even the air seemed to have left the place. He didn't understand what was happening, he was starting to panic before a voice appeared in his head.

«It's been so long since I found a friend, we'll play well together.» Unlike the tone of voice which seemed playful, the feeling of terror it is magnified. He didn't even see that time had taken its course again, he moved away from Arthur to take a few steps out of the ruins.

"What's wrong with you Merlin?" Arthur looked at him with a frown as if he was trying to understand his servant's reaction but Merlin didn't hear him.

Instead of Arthur's face and his normally blue eyes, there was just nothing just black holes that seemed to never end and a mouth that looked a smile, has without unhinging your jaw as if there were no muscle or bone underneath.

"Don't worry, it's already too late, running away won't do any good."