A/N: Hey guys, I'm back! This is the first chapter of my newest story. I have it all planned out, but I'm still in the process of writing it. Updates will be irregular, as usual... sorry!

CHAPTER ONE

To his bewilderment, Arthur Pendragon suddenly found himself sitting on the ground in the middle of the forest, completely and utterly alone.

He found that he had no memory of any recent events, including how he had gotten there. He supposed he must have just woken up, but he could recall neither losing his consciousness nor regaining it. He simply found himself existing rather abruptly.

His mind wasn't completely gone, he noted with relief. He knew he was Arthur Pendragon, prince of Camelot, and that his father was the king. He knew that he was a knight, that he had been trained to kill since birth, and that he was very good with a sword. (He noticed that he didn't have his sword, which made him nervous). He knew that the king's ward was like a sister to him, and that he spent his time yelling at his obnoxious servant and doing other important things. He knew enough to be sure that he hadn't lost his memory, an affliction which Gaius had once described to him. Yet he could not remember how he had gotten here, and it was beginning to concern him.

He assessed his situation. He was wearing a plain tunic and basic pair of pants, but his usual armor and sword were gone. In fact, he had no weapons on him at all, which was rather worrying. He looked around; the typical generic trees and shrubs surrounded him, with nothing else in sight. He reached out to push himself off the ground, but faltered and cried out as his hand seemed to fall through the earth. He recoiled his arm, looking back to see if there was a hole he had accidentally put his hand through, but found only flat, hard dirt looking back at him.

Tentatively, he put his hand back on the forest floor and pushed, but this time, his hand stayed where it was. Feeling even more confused, he pushed off of the ground and stood, taking in his surroundings from his new vantage point. It only took a moment to notice a break in the trees not too far away, and he began walking toward it, feeling a strange, dreamlike quality to his steps.

The forest was eerily quiet as he made his way through the trees, and only a few steps later, he found himself on what was clearly a path, probably used recently, judging by the broken branches and scuff marks in the dirt. His tracking instincts took over, and he walked a bit farther, examining the ground as he went. He decided that somebody had come through here on foot earlier the same day, probably carrying a heavy load. He wasn't sure how that information helped him, but it made him feel a little more sane to know he could still track.

He set off down the path, noticing how already the sunlight was beginning to fade. He knew how dangerous the woods could be at night, especially for a man lacking weapons, and he knew he had to keep moving and try to find his way back to Camelot before it got too dark. After a few minutes, he realized that his surroundings had become more familiar, and he was fairly positive that he knew where he was. It was as he realized this that he suddenly recalled passing this same way earlier. He tried to think as he walked; what was it he had been doing?

"Hurry up, Merlin! We haven't got all day!"

Pieces began coming back to him. He had been out riding with Merlin. They were on horses, he could remember that much, and they'd had their overnight bags with them. That was it—they had been on a hunting trip together. Arthur had needed some space from all of the princely duties, and he had decided to go hunting to let off some steam.

"Arthur, why can't we just stay here? The patrol hasn't been in that direction for a while, maybe we should—"

"Don't be such a baby, Merlin! And anyway, your complaining has scared off all of the animals for a mile. We'll have to move if we want to eat tonight."

He had wanted to travel farther east than usual. He tried to think harder as he walked. He remembered stalking a deer for over an hour, only for it to escape into the brush. He remembered stopping at a stream to water the horses and laughing as Merlin almost fell in. He remembered Merlin noting a strange rock formation which he claimed resembled a bird. He remembered more and more things as he travelled, but they were all details. He pushed his mind, trying to remember something important, something that would tell him how he had gotten here.

Merlin was chattering as usual when Arthur heard a noise up ahead.

"Merlin!" He hissed, indicating to be quiet when the servant turned around. They pulled their horses to a halt, listening. They both heard it this time—something was walking up ahead. Arthur dismounted quietly and drew his sword.

Had they been attacked, or ambushed? No, that wasn't right. He remembered now—it was two men, on their way home. Fishermen, that was what they were. They had conversed briefly, and told Arthur something important.

He struggled to remember what it was they had told him. He remembered the feeling he had after hearing it, a sort of unease, but he couldn't recall what it was. He thought of their tired faces and empty bags. It had to do with the bags, he was sure of it.

It was only after a few more minutes of walking that it came to him. A warning. They had warned him to stay out of the swamps. Their bags had been empty because of the creature that prowled the waters, that attacked fishermen and stole everything they caught. They had warned Arthur to stay out of the marshes, as it waited in the mud and water to prey on anyone foolish enough to go near it.

"How many times is it going to take before you start listening to me when I say something is a bad idea?"

Arthur sighed. "It is my duty to protect the people from harm, and if what those men say is true, then I cannot allow this creature to continue terrorizing my people."

Without waiting for Merlin to come up with a retort, he urged his horse ahead, leaving Merlin to try and catch up.

They had eventually reached a swamp. He remembered how unstable the ground was, how they'd been forced to dismount and lead the horses behind them so they didn't sink into the ground with each step. There were holes of various sizes spread about, some small enough to step over and some too big to jump across, all filled with murky water. He remembered Merlin pushing a branch into one and being surprised to find that it never hit a bottom, no matter how far down it went.

"Keep an eye out," Arthur hissed, feeling a sense of unease. There was no movement anywhere, no sign of life, and it felt unnatural. He handed the reins of his horse to Merlin so that he could hold his sword out in front of him. They carefully continued on, watching for any movement, but the water was still all around them. As they ventured further, the ground became more and more unstable. He could tell the horses were having trouble walking, but there was nothing to tie them to.

The memories were flowing easily now, and with every step he took he remembered some more.

He was just beginning to wonder how much farther they would be able to go before there was no solid ground left when something burst out of the water a few feet away.

With it came an awful shrieking noise, making his ears hurt after the long silence. Behind him, he heard the horses scream, and he turned to see them skittering backwards, trying to get their footing. He turned back to face the creature as it flapped awkwardly through the air, its wings beating furiously to hold it aloft and its long tail whipping around. Arthur held his sword up defensively, causing the creature to shriek again. He was forced to duck down and cover his ears. The noise also caused the horses to leap up, yanking Merlin along with their halters, and Arthur watched as Merlin lost his footing. He fell into one of the pools, his head almost slipping under for a moment before he managed to grab onto a clump of grass.

"Merlin!"

He remembered the panic as he had to turn away and fend off the creature. It was slightly smaller than one of the cats that stalked the alleys of Camelot at night, and its awkward movement made it impossible to follow or attack. It would lurch about the air and then disappear back into the water, only to reemerge soon after from a different pool. Arthur had managed to help Merlin pull himself out of the water, and not a moment too soon, as Merlin had cried out in alarm as it snapped at his ankle just before getting out.

The horses were long gone, and they both crouched there, panting, waiting for it to appear again. Every pool around them was now a potential death trap, and they were careful to stay on solid ground wherever they could find it. Arthur's sword was at the ready, and Merlin had grabbed a branch which he held tightly in his hand. A few bubbles surfaced in one of the nearby pools, and Arthur's eye immediately trained on the water. He began quietly walking toward it, hoping to stab the creature as it came out.

Suddenly, he heard gurgling right behind him. He tried to turn but his body wouldn't react quickly enough, and there was a split second in which he realized his mistake and knew he was doomed. But the pain he was expecting didn't come. As his body finally caught up with his mind, he turned in time to see Merlin appear right behind him, hitting the creature with his stick and deflecting it from Arthur's back. It screeched and flew straight at Merlin, who stumbled backwards and fell over, narrowly missing a collision with its pointed tail. It lurched past and flew straight back into another pool with a loud splash, and Arthur stumbled over to Merlin, who was holding his foot and grimacing.

Merlin's ankle was twisted, and while it was not a major wound, it had obviously been painful. Even now, as Arthur walked along the path, he could clearly recall an image of Merlin hissing as he tried putting pressure on it, even though he had refused to remain sitting. Arthur had realized that they needed to get out of the swamp and come back when they were more prepared to fight this creature. As they tried to travel back towards solid ground, however, it quickly became clear that Merlin couldn't move very quickly on the squishy ground with his injured foot. Arthur had put the servant's arm around his neck and tried to help him, but they were still going dangerously slowly, and it prevented Arthur from keeping his sword out and ready. He remembered arguing with Merlin about it.

"Just go, Arthur! I'm useless, I'll only slow you down."

"I'm not just going to leave you here, you idiot, what kind of knight do you take me for?"

Still, Merlin stayed where he was. "You're wasting time, it will be back any moment. I can take care of myself, just go on already!"

Arthur was about to retort angrily (or maybe just grab him) when the water next to them erupted. He barely had time to react before it came at him, shrieking as usual, and he tried to duck, but its swinging tail caught him in the neck. The pointed end of the tail was surprisingly sharp and he felt like a dagger had pierced his skin. Almost immediately a wave of nausea came over him, and he began to feel weak. His hearing seemed to fade, the screeching of the creature sounding muffled as he lost his balance and fell over. The one thing he did hear was Merlin screaming his name from somewhere farther away. As his body collapsed to the ground, he looked up to see Merlin yelling at the creature with his hands stretched out—and—and the creature was thrown back by an invisible force—

Arthur realized he had frozen mid step. He was confused.

What had he just seen?

His memories must be mixing with dreams, or hallucinations, or something, because what he had just re-witnessed could not be real, not even a little bit—

But it was. He remembered seeing it, seeing the gold in Merlin's eyes, before he lost consciousness. He remembered it clearly. Never in his wildest imaginings could he have made such a thing up.

Merlin had magic?

He stood there for a minute, just trying to wrap his mind around it. Merlin. Merlin, his idiotic serving boy, was a sorcerer. He knew magic. How was this even remotely possible?

No matter how he thought about it, it didn't make any sense at all. No way, his mind kept telling him, there was absolutely no way Merlin could know magic and he, Arthur, not have found out before. Merlin couldn't keep a secret for his life.

And yet, he couldn't shake the image from his head. Merlin throwing his arm up, Merlin's eyes glowing. The creature being hit by an invisible force.

There was no way he could have imagined it.

Thinking back, he realized that it was rather strange that Merlin always survived everything. He rarely carried a sword due to his awkwardness with it, and he never wore any sort of armor. But he was always with Arthur when there was danger, always nearby when they were fighting. And he never got a scratch. Arthur thought it was because he was good at hiding, but now that he thought about it, he realized how bizarre it was. Either Merlin was extremely lucky, or…

Or he was a sorcerer.

Anger welled up in him. He thought he knew Merlin. He had known there was something about the servant that he couldn't quite place, but he'd never imagined it could be… this. He had trusted Merlin. He had trusted him with his life. Because as strange or idiotic as the man could be, he always showed absolute loyalty and devotion. He was a good servant, a better friend. Yes, Arthur had treated him almost like a friend, despite how obnoxious he usually was.

How well did he really know Merlin?

If Merlin was a sorcerer, then it must all be a lie. Everything. When they first met, and Arthur fought him in the marketplace—had Merlin the Sorcerer been toying with him? This entire time, all the years since then, had Merlin just been pretending to be his friend while laughing at him behind his back, waiting for the moment when he could finally stab Arthur in the back? Was Merlin plotting some evil scheme to kill him and his father, to destroy Camelot? Wasn't that what all sorcerers wanted?

Arthur had to admit that it sounded pretty ridiculous, considering what an idiotic goof he was. But how else could he explain it? Why on earth would a boy with magic purposefully come to Camelot, where his very existence was illegal, and then spend years loyally serving the royals who hunted his kind? Perhaps he really was just idiotic enough… but no, Arthur knew that Merlin was wiser than he seemed. While he often acted like a buffoon, he had proved how clearly he saw the world and the people in it, and how serious he could be when they were in trouble. He was no fool, or at least not enough of one to live in Camelot without realizing how dangerous it was. Which meant that either he had a death wish, or he was planning something.

Arthur noticed that he had stopped walking. If Merlin was evil, then he had to get back and warn someone. He set off again at a brisker pace. The sky was getting darker, but he hardly noticed. What if he had woken up in the forest because Merlin had abandoned him here? Maybe it was all some sort of plan to get rid of Arthur. Maybe he had conjured up the creature. Maybe he had wanted it to attack Arthur. Maybe—

Arthur shook his head slightly. His thoughts were getting away from him. They had fought the creature together. It had almost gotten Merlin once or twice, and Merlin had helped defend Arthur. It didn't seem like he wanted it to hurt Arthur. And anyway…

Arthur recalled the scene as he fell unconscious yet again, but it wasn't the gold eyes that he thought about. It was the scream. He heard Merlin screaming his name as he fell. It was a sound of pure terror that haunted him even now, walking alone in the forest. It certainly didn't sound like the cry of someone whose evil plan was being fulfilled, or someone who wanted him hurt. Add that to the list of things that don't make sense, he thought. He closed his eyes and watched in his mind as Merlin threw his arms up, still yelling, his eyes filled with equal parts panic and rage. He had been so angry, so violent—was he angry that the creature had hurt Arthur? Why? Maybe he needed Arthur for whatever he was planning. Or maybe he wanted the pleasure of killing Arthur himself, and didn't want some stupid animal to do it for him—

He was getting ridiculous again. If Merlin wanted to kill Arthur, then he had certainly had plenty of chances in the years they'd been together. It wouldn't have been that hard for a sorcerer, especially on solo hunting trips like this one. Merlin didn't seem to want him dead yet, but that didn't mean he wasn't plotting something bigger. He could even be working as a spy for someone else. Either way, he was dangerous and—

A branch snapped. Arthur froze. He reached for his sword, only to remember that he didn't have it. Huge, scorpion-like beasts appeared from behind the trees, scuttling in Arthur's direction.

There was nothing he could do, no time to come up with a plan. He must have walked straight toward them without paying attention. He stood in the middle of the path, not daring to move a muscle, waiting for the serkets to smell him and attack.

One stopped next to him to poke at something on the ground with its pincers, its stinger poised in the air. Arthur barely breathed. Any moment now, it would notice him—it was so close, he could almost reach out and touch it—

The serkets scuttled on, back into the trees, off in search of other food. Arthur didn't move, too shaken to continue. They had been so close. How had he escaped with his life? Serkets could smell fresh meat from a whole league away, and were known to prey on lone travellers. So why hadn't they attacked him?

He decided now was not the time to dwell on it. The light was fading fast, and he couldn't expect his strange luck to last if he ran into anything else. He had to get back to Camelot before he was attacked, and before Merlin had the chance to do anything bad.

It wasn't long after when he found a familiar part of the forest and gained his bearings. He emerged from the forest on the road to the city just as the sun was reaching the horizon.

He approached the gates, waiting for the two guards stationed there to say something to him, but they were silent as he passed by. He wasn't sure what he had expected; cries of alarm, rushing off to tell the king that his son had returned, even just a respectful nod would have been nice. After all, he was probably a mess and wearing nothing other than a tunic and some britches. Surely they must realize that something was not right. He made a mental note to bring it up with the king later and see that the guards were given a talking to.

He continued on through the quiet town, passing few people due to the late hour. He saw more guards the closer he got to the citadel, but none of them so much as looked at him. It was unsettling, but he felt it would make him look stupid to ask any of them about it. He crossed the square just as the last people were leaving it, and was even more confused when he realized that not a single one of them said anything to him. Is something wrong? he wondered, watching an old woman push a cart past him silently and head towards the lower town.

Not knowing what to make of it, he headed into the castle. He stopped, wondering where he should go first. He needed to find out if Merlin was in Camelot, but he couldn't just go charging off looking for him. Merlin was a sorcerer, and as such had to be treated as a dangerous threat. Especially now that Arthur knew what he was, the sorcerer might try to kill him before he could report it to the king. No, the safest idea was to find Uther first and warn him, so even if Merlin got to Arthur, the truth would be out and he would be stopped. Mind made up, Arthur set off toward his father's chambers.

However, once he arrived, he found them empty. It was getting late, and Uther had usually retired by now, so where else would he be? Arthur reasoned that the next most likely place to look would be the throne room; perhaps he was attending a late matter of court. The prince decided that he should stop at his chambers to grab a sword, just in case he ran into Merlin on the way there.

When he reached his chambers, he was surprised to find that the door was unlocked and partially open. He could see a soft orange glow coming from inside. Why was someone in his chambers, and why would they get a fire going? Could it be Merlin? He was one of the few people who had a key to the room, although, being a sorcerer, he probably didn't even need it.

Quietly, Arthur peered around the corner of the door, dreading the familiar black-haired figure that he was sure he would find. But he saw no sign of a raven haired servant. At first, he saw nobody at all. Then, to his surprise, he saw his father sitting in a chair beside the fire.

Something about the situation did not sit well with him, but that feeling was drowned by the relief of encountering his father instead of Merlin.

"Father," he said, walking forward. "What brings you to my chambers?"

The king didn't respond, and continued staring into the fire. He must not have heard.

"Father," Arthur said louder, "There is something I need to tell you. It is extremely urgent."

Uther ignored him. Arthur paused, unsure what to say. Was Uther angry at him? Was this some sort of punishment for something he had done?

"Father, I believe there is a sorcerer in the castle."

Still no reaction. Arthur frowned. Normally that would throw him into a rampage. Why was he doing this? He was acting as though he couldn't even hear Arthur speaking to—

Arthur suddenly had a thought. Slowly, he walked forward until he was standing in front of the king. Uther's eyes were distant and unfocused. With a sinking feeling, Arthur waved his hand in front of the king's face. He didn't so much as twitch an eye, and his gaze remained faraway.

Arthur felt fear creep into his gut. Something was wrong with his father. It must be some sort of sickness, or maybe an enchantment—could Merlin be behind it? Oh god, he was too late, his father was already enchanted—

"My lord?"

Arthur turned to see Morgana standing in the doorway, peering in tentatively.

"Morgana," he said quickly, "we have to get Gaius, there's—"

"Ah, Morgana."

Arthur whipped back around. Uther was looking directly at Morgana. So he wasn't sick or enchanted after all… but then why was he ignoring Arthur?

He turned back to Morgana. "What is going on?" he demanded. "Why is he—"

"Is he alright?" Morgana cut him off.

"How should I know," Arthur said annoyedly, "if he… won't…" His voice trailed off as he saw that she wasn't looking at him, but past him at the king.

Uther sighed, looking weary. "It's hard to tell. Gaius is looking in his books as we speak."

But Arthur hardly heard, as he was staring at Morgana.

"Oh god," he said aloud, "not you too."

She sat down in the chair next to Uther's without responding. Arthur was trying not to panic. What was happening?

Morgana looked up at Uther. "What happened, exactly? I only heard that he was injured."

"He was out on a hunting trip," Uther replied heavily. "Apparently, some sort of creature attacked him and his manservant. The boy survived and carried him back, but he remains unconscious."

Something was extremely wrong.

"The servant says that he hasn't woken at all since the attack, and Gaius is trying to find out why."

Something was very extremely terribly wrong.

"All we can do for now is pray." Uther turned his head to look at the large bed across the room. With a sinking feeling, Arthur followed his gaze.

There was someone lying in his bed.

"I'm sure he will pull through," Morgana said. "He always does."

Arthur walked over to the bed, his throat extremely dry. He took in the blonde hair, the pale skin, the familiar face.

"Arthur is resilient that way."

Arthur stood next to his own bed, staring down at himself.

A/N: I am going to shamelessly beg for feedback here, not because I like attention, but because I want to improve. Part of the reason I'm on here is so that I can improve as a writer, and that's not going to happen unless you tell me what you think. So please, I encourage you all to criticize it for me. Please. Tell me what you didn't like, what you did, if any of it was confusing or awkward, if something didn't make sense.

Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance if you plan on reviewing. You guys rock. Glad to know the Merlin fandom is still thriving!

- Switz