AN: Okay, so this went an inexcusable amount of time without an update, but truth is I thought I'd already updated this part... Oops. And I hadn't written the last chapter. Well, here's this one, and I'm hoping the last chapter won't take this long. I hope you all enjoy. Thank you all so much for the support on this story. Forgive my lateness please!

Enjoy :)

By the way, I recently joined a Merlin role play kinda based off a 'Clue' board game idea.

It can be found by placing this link: myforums/HoRnIe-DeMoN/3874452/ after the usual fan fiction .net link. It is basically all the Merlin characters in a early 20th century 'Sherlock Holmes' era. Uther was murdered, so the role play is a 'who done it'. You play as one of the Merlin characters, trying to figure out who is responsible, but everyone is a suspect. It'd be really cool if some of you joined up! It'll be fun :)

Arthur, Kay and Bedivere pushed through the brush as they followed Garrison, Calion and Olson.

"Fall back a bit Kay," Arthur told the knight. "We need you to be the rear defense."

Kay nodded and stopped for a minute before Arthur heard him resuming his trek behind them.

"I hope we find that idiot soon," Arthur muttered under his breath.

"I do as well, my prince," Bedivere nodded. "I regret that this has occurred. I think we should find him soon though, don't you? What with these tracks and all."

"Yes, I'm am worried they will hurt him," Arthur said wetly, new realization in his voice. "I wish this had not happened. He can not defend himself."

"He is small," Bedivere admitted. "But surely he has some hidden knife or something?"

"He doesn't have any weapons on him," Arthur said, shaking his head. "He didn't know how to use them so he didn't carry them."

"Oh, I see," the knight nodded slowly. "Here comes a village. Do we suppose we should search here, Sire?"

"We should check, although it seems too small to have anywhere to hide," Arthur replied, glancing around with a crinkled nose. "You go around that way and I will circle around and meet you." He walked toward the west side of the village, leaving Bedivere to search.

Bedivere slowly entered a small shop, smiling at the apparent owner to glared at him.

"Can I help your, sir?" The owner's voice was sugary though it somehow made Believer's spine tingle.

"I was just wondering if you've seen a group travel through here with a boy? He's... Uh... My younger brother and I'm worried about him," Bedivere was suddenly very glad that he'd removed his Camelot insignia for some reason.

"Your younger brother?" The man glanced at Bedivere suspiciously. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. He went missing and I don't know what has become of him. My and... Uh, my mother are very concerned. He's rather skinny and about yeigh high? He's got brown hair," Bedivere did his best to describe Merlin.

"I haven't seen him," the store owner said but Bedivere noticed his eyes flicker toward the side of the store and made a note of it.

"Oh, well that's too bad. Please, I think I will be in town, let me know if you see him, please? Our mother is so frightened, we must find him."

"I will be sure to let you know. Good luck?" The storekeeper turned back to whatever he was doing.

Bedivere turned and hurried out of the store to find Arthur. When he did he relayed the story that he'd given the shopkeeper and then told of the shop keeper's reaction.

"He is hiding something," Arthur spoke quietly. "Let's go back, I can have them let me search the store and if they do have Merlin then they will be more likely to talk to me."

"Well, of course Sire, but uh... Well... Won't he want to hide the fact he has Merlin? Won't he not want us searching?"

"I want my servant back and I am the prince. He will let me search or by law I may put him in the dungeons! He will listen to a royal or be taught a lesson!" Arthur declared. "Let's go!" He turned and started to make his way over in the direction Bedivere had come from.

The two soon arrived at the store and Arthur burst in, glaring at the store owner harshly.

"This man has given me reason to believe you have a prisoner. I am the prince of Camelot and I demand you let me check your store, now!"

"Are you?" The man stared at Arthur predatorily. "The prince of Camelot?"

"Yes I am," Arthur said. "Now let me search your store!"

"Wait a minute!" The storekeeper protested. "Let me go get my boss, you can't just demand that!"

"Fine," Arthur said. "But hurry."

"Sire, I have a bad feeling about this..." Bedivere said quietly.

"Let him," Arthur murmured. "If it is the bandits then they will have Merlin. Go and look around as if you are looking at supplies. Listen and look for any clues."

"But what if it is a trap, Sire?" Bedivere gulped. "But... I will look Sire. It's just... I'm sorry for questioning you Sire, I will look now."

Bedivere found nothing in most of the shop but when he lifted a rug he found a trap door and he called Arthur over.

"Ah," Arthur looked down at the hidden door. "Good work Bedivere."

Just then they heard the noises of the two men returning.

"Go and look," Arthur said quickly. "I will talk to the men. They will tell me where my servant is." He turned and walked toward the front of the shop.

"Wait, I should not leave you Sire!" Bedivere protested weakly.

Arthur paid no attention but continued to walk to the front of the store.

Bedivere hesitated before he decided he should not disobey his king so he let himself into the cellar and the sight made him stop in his tracks.

Merlin was curled in a ball in the corner, shivering and sobbing quietly.

"Servant?" He asked, but he got no response.

He walked over toward the boy and knelt down in front of him, reaching out gently to tap the ground in front of him.

"Merlin!" He called a bit louder, hoping the tapping would graph the servant's attention.

Merlin glanced up before he tried to scramble away in obvious terror, though the wall stopped him.

"No, please! Please, Sir, I haven't eaten anything and I haven't talked back! Please leave me alone! Please!"

Bedivere frowned, surprised at this reaction, then reached out one again. "I am not here to harm you, I am here to help you. Prince Arthur is here and he is looking for you."

"I haven't talked back to him! I haven't! Why would he look for me? I don't even need to be his servant. Just please, leave me alone!" Merlin was now crying, pressing himself against the wall and shaking his head.

"I know I have given you no reason to trust me, but I promise you that Arthur is here for you," Bedivere said, then hesitated. "If it helps, and I know it probably won't, I am sorry for what we did for you. We went too far."

"I understand, Sir, I do, really I do!" Merlin agreed quickly. He tried again to reach for his magic and his headache increased so quickly that he cried out in pain. He tried to concentrate but the world kept hopping out of focus. "I won't eat for a week if you bring me home just please, I want to go home! I wish to go to Gaius. I won't eat at all if you let me go to Gaius!"

Bedivere shook his head. "You don't have to promise anything. I will make sure you make it home. And you can eat, I don't care if you do. But I wish you would."

"I... I don't have to be hungry," Merlin said, not quite understanding what the knight had told him. "I can be not hungry?"

"No, you can be hungry," Bedivere pulled a biscuit out of his pocket. "Here you go. Eat it!"

Tentatively, Merlin reached out for the food. He hesitated before snatching it and devouring it in seconds, glaring uneasily at Bedivere.

"Good job," Bedivere said softly. "Thank you. I'm sorry I don't have more. Arthur should be able to get you more food in a bit."

"Arthur?" Merlin asked hopefully before dropping his head in apparent shame. "No, he's not here, I'm just a servant. He hates me. He wouldn't be here."

"He is here, I promise," Bedivere said softly. "We came to rescue you."

"Why?" Merlin asked earnestly.

"I... I don't know." Bedivere shrugged. "He was worried though."

"Oh..." Merlin nodded. "What was happening upstairs? Why did it stop? Why... You don't seem like you hate me anymore..."

"I... No, I don't. I'm sorry if we hurt you really badly. We went too far, I didn't mean for it to go that far."

"You... You wanted to train me?" Merlin spat out the word like it had a bad taste. "Why? You aren't even my masters, Prince Arthur is."

"Calion... I... We... I don't know, I just kind of did it and followed Calion. And I didn't know how close you and the prince were. I thought you were just a servant."

"I am, apparently," Merlin glanced away, his voice almost angry. "Isn't tha'right?"

"Oh... um, I don't think you are. Arthur came after you. He obviously cares about you," Bedivere said slowly when he noticed Merlin beginning to slur his words.

"Yeah well..." Merlin trailed off when he heard footsteps on the stairs. He looked up, and his breath caught. His captors, the bandits, they were in the room. Instinctively Merlin cringed backwards.

Bedivere stood up and turned around, reaching for his sword.

"Don't touch him," Bedivere spat, waving his sword..

"He is no longer under your care, knight of Camelot. We have your prince captive above. Come, you will both join him," one bandit strided forward. "And you will drop your sword this instant."

Bedivere hesitated for a moment before he shook his head. "No, I won't let you hurt him."

"There are more of them than just you," Merlin was quiet. "What choice'sthe'?"

"No, Merlin. I won't let them hurt you," Bedivere frowned.

"That, knight, is an ignorant move," the bandit snapped. He and his fellow bandits rushed forward, yet Bedivere fought them valiantly, Merlin sitting behind him in shock. Was this knight really defending him? Soon the only people awake or alive in the room were Merlin and Bedivere. Merlin was shocked, but a shout from above pulled him from his stupor, and Bedivere helped Merlin up before they hurried upstairs to see that the weapons had been taken from both Kay and Arthur, who were snarling and backed into a corner while about eight bandits filled the room.

Bedivere stood for a second before shouting at the bandits. "What do you think you are doing? He asked holding up his sword. "Step away from the prince!"

They turned, before quickly noticing that Bedivere had a sword. They abandoned the weaponless prince in favour of attacking Bedivere. Arthur and Kay quickly joined in the fight and it was over almost before it began, save one lone bandit who leaped at the defenceless Merlin. Immediately, Bedivere threw himself in front of the servant and there was a sickening sound before both Bedivere and bandit fell to their knees, injured by each other.

Merlin stood in shock before he let out a cry and dropped down beside the knight, tears burning at the back of his eyes.

Bedivere looked up at Merlin, pain in his eyes. "Are you okay?" the knight asked.

"I... I'm fine..." Merlin stammered. Arthur and Kay ran over moments later, starring in shock at what had occurred.

"Good," Bedivere coughed. "I'm glad you are okay."

"Sir Bedivere!" Arthur suddenly exclaimed, his tone more shocked than anything else. "What... What have you done?!"

"I..." Bedivere coughed. "I couldn't let Merlin get hurt any more..."

"But... You... You're a knight? You're the one who hurt him in the first place!"

"Sire," Kay interrupted. "Sir Bedivere needs medical attention. We need to find a healer, and quickly. Merlin, I realize you are also injured but would you be able to do that?"

"I... I need supplies or something... bandages," Merlin said quietly.

"Sire… I think he has a concussion, look at his pupils…" Kay frowned.

"Look, if he's got medical knowledge, let him try to treat Bedivere," Arthur whispered back. "Bedivere needs to be helped."

"Over here, here's some cloths. This man seems to be a merchant... Perhaps he has something..." Kay checked the shelves and then procured some gauze. "Here, Merlin. I will assist you."

Merlin and Kay quickly went to work while Arthur simply stared as if dazed by what had occurred.

"Why?" He suddenly blurted out as if to no one in particular. "Why hurt him and then sacrifice himself? Why?"

"He... You don't seem to mind the way he acts," Bedivere answered shakily. "We thought you wouldn't like his attitude..."

"I don't, but... But it's how he is. I gave up on changing him..." Arthur swallowed, looking away from Bedivere. "Will he be alright, Merlin? Kay? Do you know what you're doing?"

"We're am doing the best we can Sire," Kay snapped.

"Be quiet an' let's work and he'as better chance." Merlin slurred before he looked down quickly at Bedivere and stammered, "Wait, no 'm'sorry."

"I... It's alright.. Merlin..." Bedivere laid his head back and panted softly. "Thank you."

"He's Gaius's ward," Kay said softly. "I don't know if you're aware, Sire."

"I know that!" Arthur said.

"He should know what he's doing, Sire. But it looks to me that he desperately needs a healer as well. Merlin, lean against the wall here. Keep your head elevated," Kay demanded. "I will attempt to find the others, and I'll just leave you here."

"You rest," Merlin told Bedivere softly, closing his own eyes. "Just rest."

"You as well... Merlin," Bedivere murmured. "Y'need it."

Arthur stared at both knight and servant who were rapidly losing life before his very eyes and he wondered desperately if he should be doing something productive and what that productive thing would be exactly. Never before had he felt so helpless or clueless.

"Merlin!" He snapped. "Even I know you shouldn't fall asleep, wake up!"

Merlin's eyes slowly blinked open and he tried to sit up, which only made him groan loudly. He suddenly recoiled when the door banged open and Sir Calion and the other knight suddenly burst open.

"I's… The kni…. Hurt… Stay away from Bedi… Stop! Don' hu' th'p'ince!"

"It's alright Merlin," Garrison said as he knelt down next to the servant. "Was this who attacked you?"

"He… He came an'… Hurt! St.. Stay back!" Merlin reached for his magic, but instead he slumped, panting raggedly.

"He won't hurt you Merlin," Arthur spoke up. "I won't let him."

"I never did anything, Sire!" Calion spoke up quickly. "The servant is clearly delusional."

"No, m'not! He… He hu't'd me an'... An…" Merlin began to slump forward, again starting to fall unconscious.

Arthur reached out and caught the falling servant, "Merlin!" He yelped. "Don't fall asleep, please, you know that it isn't good for you."

"We need to get both Merlin and Sir Bedivere back to Camelot," Garrison spoke up. "Sir Olson, restrain Sir Calion, please. Sire, can you carry Merlin to a horse? I will carry Bedivere. Sir Calion, if you will agree to go with us then restraint will not be necessary."

"I have done nothing wrong!" Calion yelped. "Since when do you take the word of a servant over that of a knight."

"He is clearly injured and frightened of you!" Arthur lunged forward. "How dare you lie to royalty! How dare you lie to my face!"

"Calm down my prince," Garrison placed an arm across Arthur's path. "We will take him away, tend to the young servant."

"Restrain him," Arthur spat at Olson. He then stepped forward and gently cradled Merlin in his arms, stamping out the door to find the horses. Garrison stared after him, and then nodded to Olson to do as he was told and he picked up Bedivere and followed after the prince.

AN: Please review! Probably one chapter left. And remember to check out the mystery role play! It can be found by placing this link: myforums/HoRnIe-DeMoN/3874452/ after the usual fan fiction .net link.