The Missing Episode (right after Season 2 Episode 2 'The Once and Future Queen'): The Once and Future Warlock

All of this takes place before the insanity of Season 2.

Summary: While Arthur and Merlin are out on a weekend hunting trip, something goes terribly wrong, and now Arthur is left with a child. But wait, where's Merlin?

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, just this fanfic

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Ch.1

The Hunt

"Merlin!" Arthur hissed furiously, spinning on his heel to face his dim witted manservant. "Itiot! That's the fourth deer you've scared off with your bumbling!" Giving the irate prince an apologetic smile, he cowered backwards to avoid a smack upside the head.

"Sorry."Grinding his teeth, Arthur let out an irritated sight.

"Alright, Merlin, you stay here and I'll go on my own." Merlin made to protest, but bit his lip at the glare being shot his way. Begrudgingly, he turned and headed towards their camp, glancing back at Arthur every few steps. Once he was out of his line of vision, Merlin darted behind a tree.

'Like hell I'll go back. Who knows what you'll get into.' There had been a tendency, or so Merlin noticed, that every time they went on a hunting trip something happened. Bandits. Unicorns. Griffens. Scorcers. It was almost like Arthur was a magnet for bad luck. Silently, he trailed a good twenty feet behind Arthur, darting behind trees and bushes to keep out of sight. Thankfully, Merlin could be amazingly stealthy when he needed to be. After about twenty minuets of stalking after Arthur, they stopped, Arthur crouching down and taking aim with his crossbow. Merlin couldn't quite see exactly what Arthur was targeting, but it seemed to resemble a large fox or wolf of some kind.

There was a distinct sound of an arrow being released followed by an animalistic shriek of pain. Arthur stood, and then began backing away. He reached for his sword, but found that it wasn't attached to his belt. Letting out a grunt, Merlin could have sworn he saw Arthur murmur his name.

"Great," Merlin groaned, staring at the sword in his hands that Arthur had made him carry earlier that day. Arthur glanced frantically around him, then settled on a large branch on the ground. Swinging it upwards, the stick smacked against a lunging blur of black.

Deciding it was now or never, Merlin stood from his hiding place and charged towards Arthur and the beast. Breaking from the trees, Merlin jumped towards the beast swinging the sword violently over his head. His step almost faltered as he saw the creature at its clearest.

It was a large beast with the body of a wolf and face of a troll. It's body was about the size of a deer and an arrow stuck out of its back let, the fur around it matted in dark blood. Before Merlin could finish his swing, the creature swiped its claw into the blade causing Merlin to stumble.

"Merlin?" He didn't miss the all to familiar undertone of aggravation in Arthur's voice. Merlin dodged another blow then threw him a quick smirk.

"You didn't think I was gonna let you have all the fun?" The creature snarled and the back of its paw sent Merlin flying about ten feet before he smacked against the ground with a thud. The creature turned back to Arthur who was attempting to make his way over to Merlin.

"Merlin! Sword!" Merlin shook his head and propped himself up to see Arthur's gaze going from his to the approaching monster. "Give me my sword you git!" Fumbling to his feet, Merlin tossed the blade, and of coarse, it landed only about half way between him and Arthur. He didn't miss Arthur's growl of agitation as he darted for the sword. The black wolf creature snarled and broke into a violent sprint. Arthur reached the sword with a bit of a dive, spinning with a well practiced swing. The blade caught the creatures leg and it let out another howl of pain. The creature threw its claw at Arthur, sending him flying into a tree.

The tree rang with the impact of the metal, quivering slightly. Arthur slumped to the ground motionlessly.

"Arthur!" Merlin called, muttering a spell under his breath. His eyes flashed gold, and a thick tree branch snapped from above. The creature glanced up and gave out a shriek of horror as the branch hit it with a sickening thud. Darting forward, Merlin took up the sword and made his way carefully around the beast. It stayed in shock only for a moment, before letting out a pitiful groan and shrugging the branch off of itself. Pulling itself up, it let out a whine and limped heavily on its left side.

'Do it,' A voice whispered in his head, 'Kill me.'

Glaring at the injured animal, Merlin raised his sword to deliver the final blow. His eyes met with the creatures and he hesitated. Despite the creatures bizarre and ugly appearance, it was most certainly a magical creature. His mind went to the unicorn, and his blade began to lower.

"Leave." he ordered, throwing the beast a warning glare. It paused for a moment, giving Merlin an almost confused look, then its face twisted into what could only be described as a smirk. Before Merlin could react, the beast mumbled something and its eyes flashed gold. A wave of magic slammed against Merlin, bringing him to his knees in breathlessness.

'I will not kill you, Merlin of Ealdor, but you will pay the price for attacking me.' Another wave of magic washed over him, his vision beginning to blur. The last thing he registered was the beast darting off into the shadows of the forest with what he could have sworn was the sound laughter.

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Groaning in pain, Arthur came to and reached behind his head to nurse the bump that was forming. The sun was low in the sky, letting him know he hadn't been unconscious for too long. Half an hour or less about. Pulling himself up, he glanced around for the beast, but it was gone. He remembered Merlin charging onto the battle ground, his sword being manhandled horribly by his manservant's clearly incapable hands.

'Where's Merlin?' Standing, he scanned the area for his idiotic manservant, but instead, his gaze locked on the back of a fallen child. Worry overtaking his features, he ran towards the child. His eyes scanned the area again as he moved, searching for the bodies of the child's parents. The boys hand was wrapped loosely around a sword.

'That's mine,' Arthur noted, pulling it away from the child. Carefully, he pulled the small boy onto his lap, noticing the blue shirt he was tangled in was far to large. The boy looked about five and had short black hair that framed his dirty face. A red scarf around his neck caught his eye and he noticed for the first time, the tunic was the exact color of Merlin's, and Merlin was the only one he knew to have that red scarf. Looking down in horror, he gapped at the unconscious boy.

"Merlin?" He choked out, his breath getting stuck in his throat.

Author's Note: DUN DUN DUUUUNNNN! Merlin is now a five year old! What will our charming prince do now? Reviews are warmly welcomed! What did you guys think?