Merthur - Forgotten

The Bump in the Night

"Some protection is cheap, some protection is wasted." 

"Some protection is worth the bruises." 

___ ___ ___

Night was close. Merlin watched as the sky turned a brilliant purple in the west and he watched Arthur become snappish with worry. They'd visited every town they could reach and so far, none of them has seen Gwen taken. They'd seen nothing strange save for the constant snow. The day was ending and Arthur had nothing to show for it.

"Hurry up, Merlin!" Arthur shouted from a few yards ahead. He needn't have yelled; the snow had already blocked out every other sound in the area. The unsettled feeling Merlin felt must have been shared. Merlin spurred on his horse and caught up rather easily. He didn't answer Arthur, knowing that if he did, it would be just as unmannerly.

"We've got to make it to the next town," Arthur told him when he was close though. "The locals there should know something."

Again, Merlin didn't answer. There were other things weighing heavily on his heart. He could save Gwen. Wanted to save Gwen... but how could he do it without drawing suspicion? 'Oh, Arthur, I know we've been searching for a whole day, but not to worry; I've known where she was all along.' It simply wouldn't work. So he followed behind restlessly, constantly searching for a way to mask himself.

"You're quiet. Why?" When Arthur spoke the question, he said it like a statement; a tell of just how angry he was. Merlin sucked in a sharp breath and looked up at the sky.

"I'm afraid," he answered truthfully.

"Of?"

Merlin played with the idea of telling him the whole truth, as he always did when faced with having to lie to his prince. "I have a feeling," he said. In the second before he spoke again, he did what he should have done long ago. He used his magic to track her down, his mind weaving through the forest until it landed on her. Gwen looked shaken. Pale and afraid. Merlin knew then that she'd been taken for questioning... and that the torture hadn't started yet. It felt like tapping into a hot intuition. His chest tightened and his mind retreated into itself. Beyond the vision, he could see the soft golden glow from his eyes on the backs of his hands.

"I have a feeling that she's with a faction on the outskirts of Camelot." A moment passed, then he added. "To the East, specifically."

Arthur pulled to a stop and faced Merlin in the dying light. His eyes were set with anger, but they were also searching. Curious. It was as if, Merlin thought, he was weighing my life against that of Gwen's.

Merlin had to stop before he caught up with Arthur, hoping that keeping distance between them would hamper his instinct to question. Arthur did what Merlin had hoped, wished he wouldn't do. He turned his horse around and drew closer. He settled parallel to Merlin, his eyes never leaving his face. Merlin stared back, his mind thick and muddled with fear and incomprehension.

Minutes passed and all the while Arthur's blue eyes flicked about his face, and the indent in his cheek suggested he was deliberating. Just as Merlin thought Arthur would decide his life was worth losing, he whispered, "We got this information from a villager, do you understand?"

Did he know, then, Merlin's secret? Had he known this whole time? Something told him he didn't want to find out. Either way, it would end with an execution. Arthur was still staring at him, but this time it was expectant, not penetrating.

He nodded, not daring to speak. By now, the sun had fully set and the only light to guide their way was a quarter full moon. Arthur looked up at the stars and all seemed to still for a very long time. The soft light illuminated the prince's skin and seemed to take shelter in the thin prison of his hair. Merlin stared openly, knowing that this was the one person he was not allowed to have.

"This way," Arthur announced, guiding his horse in the direction of what must have been East. Merlin did the same, wondering if they would have enough food to give to Gwen when they found her. The dull shifting of the snow beneath the horses' hooves filled the night, but they weren't the only sounds. At least, not for long.

"Merlin?"

"My lord."

"Did the villager say anything about Gwen's condition?"

This was a lie Merlin felt okay telling. "No."

____ ____ ____

Their meeting was heartfelt and beautiful. They did not kiss but held each other in their arms for a long time. Merlin watched as Arthur nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck and how she willingly pressed herself against the cold armor he wore. For an instant, Merlin was reminded of his lingering touch on the prince's bare chest and Arthur's reaction. 'Leave,' he'd said. Merlin found that he had to look away.

"If we don't leave now," he said slowly, his gaze to the floor. They'd come in through a back entrance while everyone was asleep. They still were asleep, except those who were posted to guard the most obvious entrances. Arthur pulled away, giving Gwen a once over before he determined that her wounds were superficial.

He gave no indication that he'd heard Merlin speak, but he did guide Gwen out the window and left Merlin to climb out by himself. Which he did, of course. All the while, Merlin found himself exalted at the idea of this mission. For once, there had been no fighting, no near-death experiences.

Then, as Arthur was helping Gwen mount his horse, all three of them heard the unmistakable whizzing of an arrow. It was too dark to see where it was coming from, but it didn't matter. Without a second glance back, Arthur and Gwen rode off into the night. It wasn't long until they disappeared in the thick darkness of the forest.

Two more arrows followed them and Merlin only had the time and dexterity to take one off its course. The other embedded itself in the trunk of an ancient oak. They were easy targets, black blobs against the white snow. Merlin could only be thankful that the guards were either too stupid or too scared to give chase to Arthur.

His luck, as it seemed, was not as good. He didn't have the wits to flee with the first onset of arrows and now, as he mounted, he found that, unlike the others, he was being chased. He kicked the hind leg of his horse twice, almost begging the beast to move.

It did, but not before an arrow nicked at his cheek. Merlin had no time to think about it; nor the ability with all the adrenaline rushing through his veins. The wind bit at his face and neck as he rode back toward Camelot. The night was late and he knew he wouldn't get there until well after sunrise. Two more arrows followed him, but by the time they reached him he was already in the forest and the trees got in their way.

Merlin rode for twenty minutes at top speed until both he and his horse were panting with the exertion. Thought Merlin's was less out of exertion and more out of relief. He'd made it out alive and he didn't have to kill anyone. Not this time, at least.

He took a moment to take in his surroundings, admittedly looking for any sign of Arthur and Gwen. Only trees and snow-filled his vision. A twig snapped behind him, but when he turned, he saw nothing. It wasn't safe to be there on his own, he knew. He rode on.