Merlin felt bad for provoking the nameless noble now. He left the man to a well-deserved brood when he noticed Bors, the final missing Essetir knight had returned holding two bags, one finely made and one not. The warlock hazarded a guess that their keepers were discussing their findings and would soon want to "talk" with the noble. Merlin thought the man had earned some time to mourn but it seemed no one had enough time today.

"Hey, psst!" Merlin whispered rather harshly.

"What?!" the blonde whispered back a bit too angrily to match the tone and too loud to match the volume.

"Look. I'm sorry but you don't have time to grieve. They found your campsite, so you need to work out your cover story and do it soon"

He no longer sounded angry just confused, "What on earth are you talking about?"

Merlin tipped his head towards the knights. They were now standing in a circle around a neat pile of the bag's contents, seemingly deliberating something important. The blonde noble followed the line of sight and grimaced.

"They're going to want to know who you are, and you better have a good story to tell them" Merlin said with a shrug.

Arthur was thankful for the warning but it was not necessary. He had been training for these scenarios since birth. He had several cover stories ready to pull out at a moment's notice. As Prince of Camelot, kidnapping had always been a threat and as such he was trained accordingly. Even Morgana had training on what to do if kidnapped. He was still nervous. Nervous about his safety, about Peter, about Camelot, about being tortured but nervous about creating a cover story? Certainly not. Choosing one was a different issue all together.

"Is that what happened to you? Didn't get your story together in time?" Arthur asked flatly.

Merlin shrugged, unwilling to give him anything, "Something like that."

"Since you seem so keen on helping me, you might as well give me an overview of the situation" He needed information. He needed to know who they were, why they were here and what alias he should use. There was no way he was going to tell them that he was a foreign dignitary. He also needed to report to his father everything he could about this possible declaration of war.

"I'm not keen on helping you" Merlin had once again shifted so his back was to the prince like a petulant child.

The royal certainly believed that but he was curious "Oh, really? Then why did you help me?"

"Prat," Merlin continued to mutter a few more incomprehensible words under his breath.

"How about we make a deal?" Arthur managed to say through gritted teeth.

"What kind of deal?" suddenly all pretense of disinterest was dropped and he perked up and spun around.

"I'm a noble" no sense hiding the obvious, "I can pay you for the information."

His father would most likely be furious that he was offering to pay strange criminals for what was highly likely to be unreliable information be it out of malice, indifference, ignorance or stupidity. Arthur knew not to put too much trust in whatever his companion told him but he was going mad in the dark. He needed some light shed on the situation no matter how polluted.

"Camelot noble?"

"Thought that was obvious," maybe even by asking he was already putting too much faith in the man.

"I don't want money."

Was nothing going to be easy with his fellow captive?

"Then what do you want"

"Your connections," he said in a shifty yet curt tone.

"What for?"

"I'm looking for someone in Camelot."

"Absolutely not."

"Why not?"

"Tell me why you're looking for this person and I will consider it," Arthur had a feeling it wouldn't require too much consideration.

After a moment of hesitation, Merlin acquiesced, "I'm looking for a friend"

"And you can't find them on your own because...?" Arthur gestured for Merlin to give him more information.

"I will tell you everything you need to know if you agree to help me find my friend." The way Merlin said friend was off. Almost like he hesitated on the word. He was so ready to be friends with Arthur earlier yet now he was reluctant to use the term.

"What are your plans with this friend? I can't in good conscience track someone down for whatever nefarious and probably ill-conceived plan you have cooked up."

"I just want to talk. If it gives you peace of mind, I can write a letter that you can deliver and they can choose to accept a meeting with me or not. I don't even need to know where this friend is unless they respond of course."

The prince would be reading the letter for sure. He wouldn't knowingly deliver a citizen of Camelot into dangerous hands. Criminal he may be, but he certainly didn't seem dangerous, he couldn't help but think. As a knight of Camelot Arthur had long since learned that danger didn't have a look. Call it an instinct but he just didn't think Merlin would ever be much of a threat, even if he wanted to be.

"Deal," he said finally.

Merlin flashed a smile at him, "deal."

Merlin was supposedly only in custody for a few hours longer than Arthur. He wasn't sure he believed that because he was able to give Arthur the name and title of every knight. He also claimed to know that this was a routine border patrol and that Cenrid regularly had knights patrol the area. This worried Arthur. Was there a huge military operation just over the border and the patrols were a symptom of that? Was Cenrid scouting in advance of an invasion? Had Cenrid ignored the treaty signed into law the whole time? Whatever the cause, it was concerning.

Merlin's explanation was cut short when the highest-ranking and oldest knight, decided it was Arthur's turn for questioning and broke from his fellow knights. He had been assured that the knights were rather honorable. He wasn't sure he trusted a criminal's definition of the word but it was a relief to hear none the less. Short lived relief as Merlin motioned at the approaching nobleman.

"That'll be Bors. Questioned me earlier. Don't be a prat and or we'll match." He was pointing at his purple bruise coloring his cheek as Bors walked towards them.

"What were you doing following us?" The man asked calmly.

"I wasn't following you. I was hunting and stopped to observe a loud group on horses going by," he said with a practiced calm

"Hunting, by yourself?"

The disbelief in his tone was obvious. Arthur couldn't blame him. It seemed a good idea at the time, now not so much.

"Just me and my servant, Peter"

"It seems unlikely that Arthur Pendragon would go hunting by himself without an armed escort"

"Prince Arthur?!" Merlin exclaimed behind him.

Bors ignored the other captive, "So, what were you doing?"

"I'm not A-"

"You may not recognize me your highness, but I have been to Camelot for several tournaments over the years. We have met." At least he hadn't wasted too much time on his fake identity.

"Briefly, I'm sure" the prince certainly didn't remember the man.

"Just a handshake after a match," Bors smiled sardonically, "but who could forget meeting royalty?"

After a long exhale of air and a moment to collect himself, Arthur replied, "You're right. I'm not allowed to leave the castle alone. I was hunting with a group of my knights and we separated yesterday for a bit of competition. They know where I am and when I fail to return soon they will come looking for me"

It was all rubbish of course but he hoped he could talk his way out of this, "A group of armed nights could trigger a war if word got back to Camelot. I understand why you wouldn't want to let me go but I can see that you were pursuing a criminal over the border." If Merlin was to be believed his path crossed the patrol much like his did, "I wouldn't want a war for Camelot because you were trying to protect people."

Arthur ignored Merlin's bony elbow but Bors gave Merlin a sharp, no-nonsense look, "I give you my word that nothing will come of this misunderstanding if you just allow me to leave."

"I'm sorry your highness but I have orders as I'm sure you do. I can't let you go," that was the abrupt end of the interrogation.

"Am I to be a ransomed then?" Arthur shouted at a retreating back.

"Bloody bastard!" he mouthed angrily.

Merlin looked far too happy and it bothered Arthur. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off with a retaliating elbow to the stomach. Arthur was pulled back by the wrist as the hit knocked his conjoined captive onto his back from a seated position. It felt worth it as at the sound of Merlin's groan.

Not long after the one-sided interrogation, the knights packed up their horses and set off with more momentum than before. Merlin blamed Arthur's presence for that. Fortunately he had done enough work earlier to throw off their arrival time. They would be making camp for the night within 3 hours. It seemed his plan rested on the prince now. The chain link he had been working wasn't strategically chosen. It was the first one that he grabbed in his frenzy. Only that link needed to break to escape but his and Arthur's hands would still be bound together. They would have to worry about unshackling themselves later. Merlin measured the distance between himself and the horses in front of him. He felt safe enough to have a quiet conversation. Perhaps the only benefit of being chained together was that they could conspire in relative privacy without drawing suspicion.

"So, you're a prince, huh?"

Arthur ignored him, staring ahead. Merlin felt as though he had more reason to hate the prince than the prince had to hate him.

"What's being nobility like? It sounds fun, freedom, riches, great food, castle of servants to order around, break whatever laws you please-"

"We can't just break any laws we feel like," he scoffed, "Of course a criminal would feel that way."

"I'll have you know that I'm not a criminal. I am a deserter thank you very much."

Arthur stopped walking for a second to look Merlin up and down again, jolting him to a stop as he did so. Then yanked him back into a walk before their chains could, "You certainly don't look like a soldier, and technically deserting is a crime."

Merlin knew it was meant to be an insult but he didn't find it insulting. He figured he should focus on rebuilding budding partnership they had earlier instead of rising to the not very tempting bait, "Thank you! I'm glad you see it too. The soldiering life isn't really for me. I'm not much of a fighter."

Arthur rolled his eyes at that, "I still have no respect for deserters. When you joined the army, you took an oath to protect your home and here you are fleeing."

"I was conscripted you prat," so much for making friends.

Arthur sighed. He understood, his service as a knight was not optional. A lot of hurt and heartbreak was suffered as a knight. Arthur knew he would have chosen to join the knights but sometimes he wished that was a choice he made for himself. It was an oath he took seriously despite it all. Conscription was fairly common and even utilized in Camelot during times of war. Citizens demand protection from their lords and should be called upon to protect their homes too.

"You couldn't handle a year as a cook or something?"

"That's not how conscription works in Essetir, you should know that being as Camelot and Essetir are allies."

"Then do enlighten me, how is conscription any different in Essetir" Arthur was fairly certain that this peasant just wasn't educated enough to know what normal conscription service meant.

"We call it the slave army. Cenrid sends soldiers to collect all young men and boys from villages he's washed his hands of that have no nobles or freemen to keep happy. We don't get any payment besides a bed in barracks and 3 meals a day. The only way out of service is injury or death."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Why so?" Merlin asked testily.

"I've never heard that before and if Cenrid really made slaves out of every soldier he'd have been overthrown in a rebellion by now." Arthur lectured.

"No wonder you've never heard of it before, you're a terrible listener! I said not every soldier is a part of the slave army, just his poorest peasants. The rest get paid a normal soldier's salary." Merlin also wasn't going to add that every sorcerer in the army also found themselves a part of the slave army. he figured that the magic hating noble didn't need to know that.

The tone shifted between them so quickly that Merlin thought he might have missed something because Arthur said, "I'm sorry" with sincerity.

Merlin let the silence stretch on. He wasn't sure what to do with the prince's pity either. Eventually he spoke up again, "I have means to escape but I need your help"

"No, you don't. Don't be dense." Merlin would have been affronted but he preferred venom over pity, it was familiar territory.

"How would you know?"

"I saw the aftermath of your escape attempt earlier."

"Nevermind. I'd rather get dragged all the way back to Ascetia and flogged while you're put to death for illegally hunting on Cenrid's lands. Sounds like a good time."

"These aren't Cenrid's lands!" The royal was getting dangerously loud.

The captives looked at each other, realizing for the first time that they had been escalating the volume of their conversation.

Merlin, once again whispering said, "They might as well be. Besides do you think that Cenrid will admit that his knights just plucked you out of a Camelot forest after sentencing you to a probably painful death?"

"What happened to Essetir being so noble, like you went on about earlier? hmm?"

"These men are but Cenrid is not. Loyal men are only as honorable as those they are loyal to." Merlin sneered.

"You of all people should know that" was added on almost too quietly for the prince to hear. And he meant it. He hoped the son of mad man like Uther would know the pitfalls of loyalty.

Arthur glared at him but remained quiet. Merlin sincerely hoped he was thinking. Maybe for the first time ever, it seemed with how hard it looked for the prince.

Eventually the royal conceded, "Let's hear this escape. I'm sure it needs work."

Merlin smiled and ignored the barb, "when the knights all left to kidnap you, I weakened one of the links in the chain with a rock, it should give way with little effort. I figure we could use the cover of night and the opportunity of all the knights sleeping to slip away. Maybe steal the horses so they can't follow us."

Arthur thought on it for a second, "It seems like a decent plan except for one thing."

"What's that?"

"Look which link it is! We'll still be stuck together."

"So? we work together. Trust me I wouldn't have involved you if I didn't have to."

Arthur agreed but that wasn't the issue, "How will we outrun them? You can barely walk. We certainly can't ride a horse side by side"

"Hey! I'll have you know I am faking this limp, well not exactly faking but close enough. I have been stalling for time so we wouldn't reach the border until tomorrow and I would have time to escape before then at night. Besides we could share a horse and you can ride backwards."

"Faking a limp?"

"Yes."

The prince pondered the plan for a moment, "I'm not riding the horse backwards."

"Neither am I"

"I know this area and you don't." Arthur deadpanned.

"Backwards it is," Merlin agreed cheerily.

Arthur grinned, "the plan still needs work."