Nightmare from the past

Saved

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, or Arthur, or any of the characters used in this chapter. Well, I may own Ronald but meh. ;)
This chapter is a little shorter. (Sorry)
It starts from the moment Merlin get's kidnapped and goes on from there. Knights POV
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"Merlin!" Arthur shouts as he sees what's happening.
Gwaine, alarmed by the sudden shout of his King, turns around to see how someone has grabbed his friend. He immediately starts running towards the raven haired boy and his attacker but is stopped when one of the bandits jumps in front of him. As he blocks the attack he can see to his horror that the man has started to drag an unconscious Merlin away from the battlefield. He also notices that his other friends are trying to get to the young servant but are all kept back by the bandits who keep coming at them. The fight keeps on going and when the last ruffian is killed, Merlin is nowhere to be seen.
"No!" Arthur growls furiously.
"We have to go after them!" Gwaine shouts, already running in the direction he had last seen his friend.
"Gwaine, wait! We have to get the horses." Lancelot stops the man.
They run towards where they left their steeds, bind Merlin's mare to Arthur's and ride back as fast as they can.
"The trail is going that way." Leon points out, gesturing to the north.
"Let's go." Arthur says, urging his horse to go faster.
As time passes they are forced to move slower. The trail left behind by the kidnappers is less visible now and they can't afford to lose it. None of them dares to speak. Even the normally chatty Gwaine is silent. The only time when someone says something is to point out where the trail is going. Nighttime begins to fall and darkness causes that they can hardly see where they are going.
"We have to make camp for the night." Leon says with a heavy heart.
"No, we have to keep moving. They can't be that far ahead." Arthur says.
"Sire, we can't see the tracks in this light. We have a better chance if we go on tomorrow." Lancelot informs his King.
The royal looks like he's going to argue but turns his head to the ground and nods. They all descent their horses and bind them to a fallen log. Elyan disappears to find some firewood while Percival starts to get everything out to cook. Lancelot and Gwaine take the bedrolls from the horses and lay them out in a circle. Leon is making a circle in stone, a place for the fire, while Arthur sits himself down, his head in his hands.
"We will find him." Lancelot says softly.
The King nods but doesn't reply. They spend the evening in silence. No one really feels like talking, or eating for that matter. Though Percival's stew smells delicious.
"Do you think he was the target?" Gwaine suddenly asks.
Everyone looks at the sturdy knight, different emotions showing on their faces as they think about what he had said.
"It did seem like he was." Elyan says.
"What would they want with him though? He's just a servant." Arthur asks, not sure if he wants to know the answer.
"He's much more than that." Lancelot says.
"To us he is, yes." Leon agrees. "But to anyone else..."
They all fall silent after that, lost in their own thoughts. After a while they settle down for the night. Percival takes first watch.
"We will find him." Lancelot whispers to anyone who wants to hear it. More to convince himself, he is worried and doesn't get why Merlin hasn't come back yet. There must be something terribly wrong if he can't use his magic.

As Gwaine wakes Arthur in the morning, the King is a little confused about what he's doing in the forest. He looks around for his friend but his memories about the day before quickly return. He gets to his feet as swiftly as possible, breaking up his part of the camp.
"Come on." he says. "Let's not waste more time."
"Sire, we got to eat first. We'll need our strength if we want to be of any help to Merlin." Leon says while Percival gives everyone a plate filled with a grey looking mush. They all eat quickly and break up camp. They are back on their horses in no time and follow the trail that's still clear to see. As the day goes on, they have to slow down. The tracks begin to disappear slowly. They even have to get off their horses at one point and fan out in order to find the right path again. Precious time slowly slips away like that and before they know it, the sun is high in the sky, telling them that it must be afternoon already.
"Sire, we need to rest for a while. Get something to eat and let the horses drink." Leon says.
Arthur nods. He doesn't want to stop searching yet but he knows they can't keep going without a little rest. They settle down close to a river, fill their water skins and eat a piece of fruit. Gwaine is playing with the apple in his hand. As much as he likes to eat apples, he doesn't feel like eating it now. He misses his friend. They all do. It's easy to see on all the men's faces. Losing Merlin felt like losing a part of themselves.
Half an hour later they are back on the road. The undergrowth becomes less and the tracks are easier to spot again so they can pick up the pace. But when darkness is falling over the forest again they slowly begin to lose hope.
"We should have found them by now. It can't be that they are so far ahead." Arthur says sadly.
"Sire, if I may. I know of the ruins of a castle. Neodrach, I think it's called. It's a few hours riding from here if I'm not mistaken. That may be where they are." Lancelot says.
"Would you be able to find it?" the King asks hopeful.
"Not in the dark. But I can find the way in the morning." the loyal knight replies.
The royal nods. "Let's make camp for the night. We need to be rested when we rescue Merlin tomorrow."
They all do as they are told and the evening goes much like the night before. Though the spirits are a bit higher now they have an idea of where they're going. Gwaine even tells a story. It doesn't sound as funny as it would be on a normal day but everyone listens anyway. They go to sleep early that night in order to build up as much strength as they can.