The Hidden Kingdom

Chapter Three

The next morning, Merlin stood in the courtyard readying the horses and the supplies for their trip to Ilaria. He shivered in his thin jacket as the cold wind brushed against him, the air was cool and crisp, a reminder that winter was just around the corner. 

The sun had barely risen over the Citadel as Merlin stood beside his horse Shadow and glared at the castle doors, waiting for the Prince and his knights to grace him with their presence.

Merlin yawned, having spent half the night completing his chores for Arthur and helping Gaius, he barely had an hour to himself. He sometimes wondered if Arthur or Gaius realized that he was in fact human and needed things like food and sleep.

His horse neighed softly beside him; Merlin smiled gently at the creature who had become a great friend, Shadow was a glistening black horse and seemed to be the only one who never threw him. It was at the sound of a door slamming shut that Merlin looked up to see Arthur striding down the steps in his armour with a wide grin, and a half-eaten apple in his hand.

The knights followed behind him, all dressed in their silver armour and crimson cloaks. Leon and Elyan chatted quietly with serious looks on their faces while Lancelot and Gwaine could be seen both laughing heartily as Gwaine continued to loudly proclaim his last Tavern adventure. Merlin shook his head at them as they descended the stone steps.

"Finally, I thought I was going to grow old by the time you got here." Merlin said with a sigh.

Arthur rolled his eyes, "You know Merlin, most people would consider my mere presence an honour no matter the time." He said smugly, as he walked towards his horse.

Merlin scoffed, "Most people, don't have to wash your socks or wake you up in the morning when you're snoring like a troll."

Arthur glared at Merlin as he got on the saddle, "I. do. not. snore!"

The knights all exchanged small smiles as they passed the bickering pair. Gwaine smirked at them about to say something before Leon pushed him to keep walking.

Merlin rolled his eyes, "Yes, you do, at first I thought some creature had managed to find its way into your room, but no it was just you." He said cheekily as he got on his horse.

"Prince's do not snore, Merlin." Arthur said sternly as his steered his horse towards the gates. Merlin took to the King's right as the knights followed behind the pair.

Merlin grinned, "You do.", he shrugged with an innocent smile, "But it's alright Sire, I'm sure someday some princess or another will find it charming."

Arthur glared at him, "Merlin?"

"Shut up?" He asked innocently.

"You got it." Arthur said nodding. He looked away, a small smile tugging at his lips.

As they passed just beyond Camelot's borders and deeper into the forest Merlin noticed Arthur grow quieter. The rest of the knights seemed to enjoy their time away from the castle as they exchanged the latest gossip heard from the castle maids, debated the next tournament outcome, and competed over who had the most scars.

Merlin found himself smiling at the knights and exchanged an amused look with Arthur who simply shook his head. It was then just as the sun had started streaming through the trees that Merlin felt a sudden wave of energy pass through him. The energy pulse seemed to irritate his magic; Merlin felt its usual warmth within him flare to a blaze of heat that made him fold at the waist with a grimace.

"Merlin! What is it? What's wrong?" Arthur asked as he bought his horse closer to his. The knights all stopped and stared curiously.

Merlin heard Arthur's voice through a fog, the words jumbled in his mind as he tried to speak. "I... I'm fine." he answered in a sluggish voice, he took a deep breath and tried to straighten up as he looked up and saw Arthur looking at him with a concerned look.

"You don't look fine Merlin, are you feeling ill?" Lancelot asked frowning.

"Yeah, mate. You look like you're about to fall off your horse." Gwaine added trying to catch Merlin's gaze.

"I'm fine, I promise. I just have a bad feeling." Merlin answered as he gripped the reigns tighter.

Lancelot exchanged a knowing look with him and nodded discreetly, his body tense as one hand edged towards the sword at his side.

Arthur looked intently at Merlin, "If this is your way of saying you want to go back then-".

"No! It's not, I'm fine I promise. We can keep going." Merlin answered quickly with a fake smile. He sat up straighter and looked at Arthur with a reassuring nod.

"Very well, we'll stop for a while when we pass Cenred's Kingdom." Arthur said confidently as he led the way once more. He looked back and caught Gwaine's eye, with matching worried looks Arthur gestured towards Merlin silently, Gwaine nodded at the silent command to keep watch over Merlin.

Merlin did'nt know where the pulse of strange magic came from, but he could sense the power deep in his bones, the flare of heat from his magic made him sweat as they carried on. His magic seemed to buzz beneath his skin in anticipation for something, a feeling which Merlin knew didn't bode well for any of them.