Hiding

Chapter 5

Arthur wasn't entirely sure how he would look for Merlin without tracks, but finding the clearing he was taken from seemed like a good enough place start. He was determined to find Merlin, even if he sent the knights home after the week was up and stayed out here by himself. It could have only been a day and a half since Merlin had been taken, but that was a lot of time for someone to hurt him.

And Arthur really, really didn't want to find a broken Merlin, because that might just break him in turn. Other than for information, there should have been no reason why anyone would want to harm sweet, innocent Merlin, who could barely walk without tripping over something. Arthur 's heart ached when he thought of someone whipping Merlin, or holding a brand to his skin. It had been horrifying enough to watch Merlin fall after he drank from the poisoned chalice, and if he kept getting Merlin into these situations, Arthur might just have to release him from his service, on the basis of "you keep getting hurt and I can't bear it".

The first day's search was fruitless. When they arrived at the clearing, there had been no more signs of Merlin's captor than there had been before, so they spread out, combing the forest systematically, trying to find any sign of Merlin—a shred of fabric, his neckerchief, even a drop of blood. But whoever had taken Merlin had been extremely careful, and Arthur guessed Merlin had arrived to his prison uninjured. How he would leave, Arthur didn't know.

The second and third day were much of the same, and Arthur was starting to lose hope. They still had four more days, he reminded himself, and a lot can be done in four days. He just hung on to the thread of certainty in his gut that Merlin was alive. He wasn't sure why, but he thought it might physically hurt him if Merlin died.

On the fourth day of their search, five days after Merlin had been taken, Arthur had a gut feeling, one that was making his magic restless in anticipation. He called a few of his knights to him and they set off in the direction he thought felt right.

X

Merlin woke again when the sun was just beginning to pour through his tiny window. He wasn't sure how long that black potion had knocked him out for—or was it his illness? It didn't matter, he decided. By his count, it had been three days since they had taken him from the clearing. It could have been more, he supposed. He was unconscious a lot, between being cut with knives and not having his magic.

He was still weak, far too weak. He wasn't sure he could stand on his own if it should come to that. And with the more time that passed, his illness was getting exponentially worse. If Arthur didn't come soon, he might either go into a coma, or die. And if he was dead, then the whole destiny thing the dragon told him about was shot, and he wouldn't be able to protect Arthur.

Maybe it was his willpower keeping him alive right now. He needed to protect Arthur, because Arthur would probably die if he wasn't there to protect him, and Arthur dying wasn't in the equation. At all. Then again, if they planned to somehow use him against Arthur, they couldn't do that if he was dead. Too much thinking for one day, Merlin decided as the door to his cell swung open once again.

"Well Emrys, it has been fun. I do wish I could have kept you here longer. I wanted the chance to break you. But you're strong-willed, and honestly it's much easier for me to simply do this than to try and torture the information out of you. I just came to say goodbye. Your princeling has finally begun heading in the right direction, so the rest of us must take our leave. We aren't needed for the next part of the plan, anyway. Goodbye, Emrys."

And with that, she left the cell, and Merlin was left to his thoughts for only minutes before once again being claimed by the abyss of unconsciousness.

X

It took two hours of what felt like aimless wandering before Arthur and his knights came upon anything of value—Merlin's neckerchief. Emboldened, but aware that this could be a trap, he spurred his knights on. It wasn't long before they came along a large stone building. It didn't have many windows, and those it did have were high up on the walls. It looked old and creepy, but if Merlin was in there, there would be nothing stopping him from getting to Merlin. Even if it meant revealing his magic to the knights, he would rescue Merlin.