Chapter 6

Merlin traced the new and alien shape of his face with his hand. It was strange, seeing himself like this. It was him, but it wasn't him at the same time. The whole experience was surreal and absolutely nothing like the ageing spell. Merlin could still recognize himself when he was 80 years old. However there were only two similarities between Merlin and Mordred; they both had dark hair and they both had blue eyes. But that's where the comparisons end. Mordred was shorter than Merlin with a wider face. Merlin's had drifted to his ears. It was strange. They were much smaller than he was used to.

Mordred was the perfect disguise. He was a known druid with a connection to Arthur and it made perfect sense that he would be with Emrys. Besides, no one in Camelot had heard from him in years, so it's not like anyone could contradict him. If Mordred was with the druids then it would just back-up Merlin's lie. It was the perfect plan. If he wasn't, then it would be simple enough to come up with another excuse as to why Mordred wasn't there.

Merlin dug through his clothes and came up with an outfit that he was confident Arthur wouldn't notice. He'd pulled on his least favourite shirt, which was a dark purple. He used his usual trousers and shoes, but he'd taken one of Gaius's old jackets, which was much darker than his own. It also felt strange not tying his necktie over his shirt. As an afterthought, Merlin grabbed one of Gaius's satchels and pulled it over his shoulder. He didn't have anything to put in it, but it completed the image.

Now all that was left was to sneak out of the castle, convince Arthur that he had just come from the druids and come up with a convincing lie as to why the druids weren't going to be coming for another three days.

Gaius had been out all morning tending to a sick child in the town, so Merlin hadn't had the chance to tell him his plan. Hopefully it would all work out and Gaius would figure out what was going on.

Merlin slipped out of his room, down the hall and used his tried and tested method of sneaking out of the side door in the edge of the castle wall. No one saw anything. Just like usual.

There was a two hundred meter dash from the edge of the citadel to the cover of the forest. Usually this wouldn't be a problem, as Merlin normally relied on the cover of darkness to sneak out. This time he was attempting the stretch in broad daylight. To top it off, there were guards patrolling the battlements just above his head.

He couldn't risk anyone seeing him, because that would just cause suspicion when he "arrived" later. Merlin needed a way to make it through without anyone noticing him.

Magic wouldn't be a good choice. Even though he was disguised as a known magic user, if he was caught then he could completely damage relations with the druids.

No, Merlin's only option was to run as fast he could, all the way to the trees. He sighed and readied himself.

He took off and sprinted to the trees. For a moment he thought he was going to make it. He was over half way there when he caught his foot on nothing and fell to the ground. Merlin fell sprawling to the ground. It seemed that even in a different body, he was still terribly clumsy.

He scrambled to his feet, scraping his knees as he did so, and bolted the last 50 meters to the forest. Merlin ducked behind a large oak tree to catch his breath.

Merlin shook his head. Of course he would fall doing something so simple but also so important.

He decided to risk a glance around the tree to see if he anyone had noticed his little fall.

There was one guard that was squinting over the battlement down to where Merlin had just been lying. After a moment he seemed to dismiss it and continued his rounds. Merlin slid down the trunk of the tree and sat there until he finally felt his heart beat normally again.

When he felt slightly calmer, Merlin stood up and began to make a loop round to the front of the castle.

It only took a few minutes for Merlin to catch sight of the castle gates through the trees. He looked up past the branches and leaves and saw the light blue and pink sky that signaled the early morning sun.

He straightened his clothes and brushed off his knees. Merlin tried to remember what Mordred had been like when they met him.

He remembered the boy as quiet but that probably had something to do with all the soldiers that wanted to kill him at the time.

Nonetheless Merlin decided to play the quiet, respectful boy who was still grateful that Arthur had saved his life. He was going to be the perfect messenger, and then he was going to leave before anyone asked too many questions.

Merlin took a deep breath, and walked straight towards the castle.

As he expected, Merlin was stopped at the drawbridge. It was their job to question anyone suspicious and one stranger arriving this early in the day would surely raise some red flags. Actually, Merlin was pretty sure he recognized the guard. He often joined Gwaine on his trips to the tavern.

"Who goes there?"

He had a sort of self-important voice, like he was better than the "peasants" he let through the door.

Merlin prepared himself. This was his first test.

"I am Mordred and I am here as a messenger on behalf of the Druids. I request an audience with the King."

The guard squinted at him for a moment.

"The King has personally told me to let no one but Emrys and company pass."

Merlin sighed internally. This guy may think he was the greatest thing since the wheel but he wasn't the sharpest sword in the armory.

"Emrys sent me. It is important that I speak to the King."

There was a pause while the guard decided weather or not to let Merlin pass.

Merlin stood awkwardly and inspected his shoes. They were actually a size too big so he'd had to stuff some old socks in the toe so they would stay on his feet.

"Fine, you may pass. Don't cause any trouble or you'll end up in the dungeon."

Merlin had to bite back a sarcastic reply. "Right. Thanks. Have a good day."

He hurried past before he burst out laughing. If only the guard knew how many times he'd ended up in the dungeons. And the stocks for that matter.

Still the young warlock walked forward with his head held high, simultaneously ignoring the paranoia in his gut. Try as he might, the thoughts remained.

What if the spell wears off?

What if Arthur didn't believe his excuse?

What if he didn't act enough like Mordred?

What if Gaius didn't catch on?

What if someone recognised his clothes?

Merlin internally shook himself. He could do this.

He made it into the courtyard and took a second to take in the sight of Arthur and his knights.

He'd greeted visitors before but he'd never been on the receiving of a Camelot welcome.

Arthur stood on the centre of the stone steps that led into the castle. Usually Merlin would be at his side but not today. Merlin was pleased to see how shiny Arthur's armour was. He was glad that all of his hard work hadn't been for nothing.

To Arthurs left, by the stair rail, were the Knights of the Round Table. Leon was on the step below the King. Gwaine was below him, followed by Elyan and then Percival.

They all had matching armour and capes of Penndragon red. The only difference was Percival's lack of sleeves.

Arthur frowned slightly when he saw one young man walking towards him, instead of the party of Druids he was expecting. Though Arthur had learned the hard way that looks could be deceiving. And he did look vaguely familiar. Was it possible that this boy could be a powerful sorcerer?

He decided to ask.

"Emrys?" The king called across the courtyard to the man approaching. At the same time he walked down the stairs and stopped at the very bottom.

"No My Lord. My name is Mordred, however I am here on behalf of Lord Emrys. I am to deliver a message."

The king blinked. This was unexpected.

"What is the message Mordred?"

Mordred cleared his throat slightly.

"Lord Emrys and his party have been delayed by a sudden illness. Our healers have been able to cure the man but it will be a few days before he can travel again."

The Arthur frowned again. This morning wasn't going well for him. First Merlin had run off to God knows where and now this. He'd gotten up early for nothing. However he couldn't really blame Emrys. Actually he respected the man for not leaving a sick companion behind. Still it was quite annoying. A feast had already been prepared.

"How long until the rest of your people arrive?"

"We have made camp a day's walk from here, however we believe that it will be another two days before our companion can travel. If all goes well, we should arrive three sunrises from now."

"Ah."

Arthur paused. It was a setback, but at least it gave him some more time to review his policies. But something from Mordred's story didn't make sense.

"How did you get here so quickly? Surely you didn't walk all night to get here?"

No My Lord. I left camp yesterday morning and reached the edge of Camelot last night. I would have come then, but the city gate was already closed for the night. I made camp in the forest."

Arthur nodded. His tale did add up.

He studied Mordred carefully. There was definitely something familiar about him. Then something else from the boys' speech registered with the king.

"You keep saying "we". Do you not intend to stay here and wait for your companions to arrive? We have a room for you if you wish to stay."

Mordred seemed to pause at the offer. It was if the idea of staying in Camelot hadn't even crossed his mind. Arthur took one look at his face and he knew that the boy wasn't going to stay.

"My Lord you are very kind, however I must return to my people. They wait for me to come back with news."

The king nodded again. He'd expected as much.

"Well if you won't stay, at least let me offer you breakfast and supplies for your journey back." He held up his hand to the messengers protest. "It's the least I can do. You've walked on foot all-day and camped in the forest. You deserve a good breakfast. Besides, there is no way you have enough in your bag to keep you going through the day."

Arthur watched Mordred's face go through a series of emotions that he couldn't quite read. Finally he spotted one of defeat and he knew he had won.

Mordred smiled and began to walk forward.

"Very well Sire, I would be most glad to accept your kind offer."

The King's face broke out into a large smile. He clapped Mordred on the back, who barely stifled a wince, and guided him up the stairs.

"Excellent! You shall dine with me today. Perhaps you can tell me more about your culture while we eat. Books are one thing but I find it better to learn from an expert don't you think?"

"Yes Sire, it would be an honour to eat with you. And I would be glad to tell you some of our favourite stories.

Merlin glanced behind him as he the door to the castle swung shut. So much for leaving quickly and avoiding questions.

A/N I HIT ONE HUNDRED FOLLOWS! YAY! *pops a party popper* To say thank you, I've done a special double length chapter!

I'm so happy and I can't thank you all enough. I didn't expect anyone to really read this, let alone 107 of you to follow it. And I definitely didn't expect this in by chapter 5. I am over the moon and as a new writer this means the literal world to me.

I want you to know that I've got a lot of ideas for this fic and this is just the beginning. I mean at least 50,000 words. And if I don't update for around 3 weeks, feel free to spam me with messages because you guys are my motivators!

Every time I get a notification I want to write more because I work better under pressure. So don't hesitate to leave a review (hint, hint)!

Also I'm considering getting a Beta reader. Anyone want to tell me if it's a good idea or want to volunteer?

Love you all!

Indigo