Author's Note: Okay so this is Chapter 1, all re-done. I'm hoping to get the second one up tomorrow. Not a lot is changed, only minor spelling, grammar and details. Regardless, I hope you guys enjoy.

Disclaimer: IDOM

Say something, I'm giving up on you.

"I don't understand how you can find the simple task of readying the horses so difficult. You're lucky I haven't had you sacked years ago," Arthur complained to his manservant, Merlin for the umpteenth time. The words alone could have been found insulting, but with the half –joking, half-annoyed tone in Arthur's voice, the sting was lost.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "You would never sack me, Sire. You'd be stuck with George and his endless brass jokes forever if you did," he replied smugly.

"Shut up Merlin," was the king's witty retort. He sighed, vexed, when he realized Merlin was adamant on disobeying his orders.

"I still don't see why you insist on holding all these hunting trips. It's not like Camelot needs the extra food. And I for one am tired of being attacked by bandits and what-not." He continued, "It seems that every time we leave these castle walls, something horrific happens."

Arthur glowered. Had he honestly expected Merlin to be quiet for once? "Don't be such a wimp, Merlin. We go hunting as a sport. A manly sport. Or, if you prefer, we could pick flowers and braid each other's hair. How does that sound?" He asked sarcastically.

"You know if your head gets any bigger, your crown won't fit. Speaking of which, your belt is tight enough as it is." Merlin mumbled, mostly joking.

"Excuse me?"

"I said I'll ready the horses, your majesty."

~~~BBC~~~

The sun had just started to make its way towards the horizon as Merlin, Arthur, and the knights made their way back to Camelot. It had been an unsurprisingly stodgy hunt; there had been no game worth tracking to be seen anywhere in the forests.

"I tried to tell him this trip would be a waste of time, but it's like talking to a wall. A royal, prattish wall." Merlin muttered to Gwaine, riding beside him.

Gwaine laughed, but Arthur only scoffed.

"It would have been fine if you possessed the capability to walk more like a human being and less like a crippled deer. What with you scaring off all the wildlife in a 10-league radius, it's a wonder we managed to catch anything at all." Arthur gestured to the four dead rabbits strung onto Leon's saddle.

At the look on Merlin's face, he smiled to show he was only teasing. "Don't worry, Merlin. I know you don't like hurting the poor little bunny rabbits." He clapped Merlin on the back as he rode ahead to take point with Leon.

Gwaine chuckled, "Aww come on, mate. I thought you like bunny stew." Merlin rolled his eyes but cracked a grin regardless. It was difficult to ignore the drunken knight's sense of humour.

Elyan had lagged behind, unnoticed by the rest of the group as they rode on in silence for several minutes. He had stopped and was quite a ways behind before anyone realized they were a man short.

"Elyan, what are you doing?" Lancelot questioned, after he spied the straggling man. "Hurry up; we want to be back before dark."

It was a moment before he answered. "Don't you think it just a little odd that there are no animals around?"

The rest of the party stopped riding as well, each member looking to Elyan in curiosity. Lancelot nodded hesitantly in understanding and Leon furrowed his brow.

"As I said, it was just Merlin here scaring off all the game." Arthur explained, missing the point Elyan was trying to make completely.

"You cannot seriously be blaming this all on me!"

Arthur was about to open his mouth in retort, but Elyan cut him off before he got a chance. "I mean all the wildlife, not just the deer. Do you see any birds? Hear anything but the wind? At all?"

They fell silent. What he had said was true; there were no birds calling from the trees, no animals chattering in the underbrush. The only sound, aside from the horses breathing and stamping their hooves, was the occasional breeze whispering through the leaves.

"That's not normal." Percival rumbled. "What do you thinks causing it?"

No one held an answer.

"I think we should continue on, Sire." Leon suggested. "This doesn't feel right."

"Agreed. If we ride quickly, we may yet make the castle by nightfall." Arthur ordered.

Leon and Arthur took to the front of the group once more, urging their horses forward as they progressed along the trail. Elyan caught up to the rest promptly, bringing up the back, eager to return home.

The next half hour passed uneventfully, aside from the fact that the peculiar atmosphere amplified. No more words were exchanged, all conversation halted as each man's unease grew more prominent. Even the ever-talkative Gwaine was mute; the explainable urgency to reach Camelot was too overbearing.

~~~BBC~~~

"Did anyone see that?" Merlin exclaimed suddenly, pointing towards the eastern treeline.

Arthur scanned the trees, as did the rest of the knights, but found nothing. "There's nothing there, Merlin. Don't worry, you can have Gaius check your eyesight when we've returned." The king joked, quick to dismiss the servants concern, but his underlying tone of discontent did not go unnoticed.

Merlin didn't respond, shaken by what he saw—what he thought he saw. It had been a dark shape moving swiftly through the trees in the distance, only visible for a brief instance, and could have been explained logically by anything. However he had a feeling the shape had been more than just an animal. It had felt evil—wrong. He could tell some form a dark magic was involved; could feel it battling his own within his soul.

His own magic usually felt warm, comforting, and natural, but as soon as he caught a glimpse of that thing white-hot pain shot through his veins, causing him to gasp aloud.

The sky was darkening with the onset of night considerably sooner than anyone had expected. They still had a couple hours ride before they reached even the farms bordering the walls of the city. To add to their anxiety, a mist had begun to roll in, seeming to follow them along their path, licking at their horse's hooves menacingly.

They spurred their horses faster.

"Merlin, mate, you alright? You look as if you've seen a ghost." Gwaine remarked, quiet enough so that only Merlin could hear.

All the dark magic in the air was affecting the warlock more than the others knew. They thought he had simply been spooked by whatever he had seen in the trees. They had no idea what was really going on. He could feel his own magic, the warm, golden energy, rolling underneath his very skin, battling with the evil's presence. It was causing him to feel tired and weak, and more than a little antsy. Although he was doing what he could not to let the pain show on his face, he knew he must have let something slip if Gwaine had noticed.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just eager to get back home, I could do with some rest." He lied.

"You're sure? You're white as a sheet, and you're trembling. Are you sure you're not sick?" Gwaine asked quietly, worried for the sake of his friend.

The boy was about to respond when Arthur's horse reared back suddenly, knocking the king to the ground before bolting away in terror. The knights stared in shock for a moment, confused as to the reason why the animal had spooked so badly, before catching sight of the tree Arthur lay beneath.

An arrow was stuck exactly where Arthur's head had been not seconds before, still quivering from the impact.