Another story for you! Figured that if I started posting, it might poke my muse back into life so I can carry on writing!

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The night had been one of the longest ones in Arthur's life. It had taken him nearly an hour to force his way over the rockfall, wondering if he was just going to find his servant's cold body waiting on the other side. He still wasn't sure if it was a rush of dread or relief that had shot through him when there had been nothing there. The drag marks were obvious; they had taken Merlin with them. But why? If he was honest, Arthur wasn't completely sure he wanted to know the answer. He knew the reputation of bandits like these, and knew what they could do to someone as innocent as Merlin. Not to mention that while his servant always seemed to have a knack of surviving encounters unscathed, this one had already gone wrong for him.

Merlin was hurt and out there alone at their mercy. It was not something Arthur was going to stand for.

The tracks had been relatively easy to follow for a while and Arthur was convinced that come morning, he would be teasing Merlin for being caught as they both cantered their way back to Camelot. But even though he had stumbled across the bandit's camp at some point in the middle of the night (Arthur had lost all sense of time, knowing he had been stumbling around in the woods for almost a day now) and skirted it carefully, Arthur couldn't find his servant. He ventured as close as he dared, knowing that all rescue attempts would be gone if they caught sight of him, especially if they knew he was the King of Camelot. Whatever they would do to Merlin would be nothing compared to what they would do to him, and Arthur knew that he had to be cautious.

But despite not getting as close as he would have liked, Arthur knew that Merlin was not there. There was no shouts, no sign that the bandits had a prisoner. And from what Arthur could make out, there was nowhere that they would have been holding Merlin either.

So if he wasn't there, then where the hell was he?

Arthur would forever deny the fear that crept into his heart and took hold in that moment. Finding Merlin dead on the other side of the rock fall would be better than this. Maybe Merlin had escaped from them; his servant was talented at slipping away from tight situations? But Arthur had been roaming this part of the forest all night so far, surely he would have seen some sign that Merlin was escaping?

Arthur knew there was only one thing he could do even as he dragged a hand through his hair and blew out a long breath. He was exhausted, cold and had worry gnawing at him in a way he hadn't experienced since his father was injured. He couldn't lose someone else. He especially couldn't lose Merlin. He had been there in a way no one else had, not even Gwen. He hadn't tried to offer sympathy; he had just been there, a quiet yet strong presence who knew what Arthur needed even if the king didn't know it himself. Who would be there if he were to lose Merlin as well? Arthur wasn't honestly sure he would get through it, it was too soon.

Although he hated what he had to do, the king slipped away from the bandits' camp, resisting the opportunity to charge into the middle of them and use his sword to force them to tell him what had happened to his servant. Instead, he began to double back towards Camelot. He had looked everywhere he could without risking his safety too much. He knew that he wouldn't be much good in a fight the way he was right now, he needed help.

He needed the knights.

Arthur kept his steps light as he ran, knowing they would most likely be out looking for him. He managed a grin when he thought about Leon's reaction at arriving back in Camelot and finding that their king hadn't yet made it back. But the smile slipped as quickly as it had come when Arthur realised he could hear footsteps.

Dawn was just breaking; he knew he couldn't use the cover of darkness any longer. The footsteps multiplied; it was a small group. Normally, Arthur knew that he could take them, but considering everything the night had thrown at him so far, he also knew that he couldn't take the risk. For one thing, he knew that Merlin would never forgive him if he was hurt because he was too busy worrying over his servant to be paying attention. He knew that he would never admit it, but also knew that he was desperate for the chance to pretend to shrug off his concern. If he was pretending, it meant that Merlin was there to pretend to and everything would be okay.

But for now, Arthur just glanced around him. He drew his sword and quickly ran to a large tree. It wouldn't offer him much cover, but it would offer him some. Only when he was sure that he was hidden did Arthur control his breathing and force himself to concentrate. Very slightly, he shifted until he could peer around the tree, knowing that he couldn't be seen by whoever was stalking him. When he caught the flash of familiar red through the undergrowth, however, he almost laughed out loud. He had been right in thinking the knights would be out looking for him – it seemed they had just found him.

He didn't have the chance to call a greeting until Leon had given the signal for them to split up. Arthur deliberately stepped forward, letting his foot snap a branch when Leon was level with him. The knight's turn was predictable and Arthur blocked it with ease, seeing the relief spring into the man's eyes as they clasped arms. That blow would have never have reached him, Arthur knew all along that it was coming.

"Arthur!" Said man grinned at Leon's exclamation, using the knight's grip to pull himself away from the tree, almost swaying in exhaustion. He glanced around the knights and saw the same fatigue was reflected in their faces. They had clearly had no more rest than he had.

"Sire, where have you been?" Leon questioned anxiously, eyes roaming Arthur's face as he clearly tried to work out whether his king was injured or not. Arthur grimaced, but before he could say anything, another voice cut through the conversation.

"Where's Merlin?" Gwaine had never been one known for tact but Arthur found that he was wincing at the bluntness to hi tone. While he knew that even Gwaine would be careful what he said to some extent now that Arthur was king, he was also aware of quite how protective the knight was of the servant. If he thought that Arthur had failed Merlin by letting him be taken, then Arthur was certain that he would have no qualms about telling him.

"I don't know," Arthur replied honestly, sagging against the tree. His exhaustion and frustration must have shown in his face, for Elyan put a gentle hand on Gwaine's elbow and the man snapped his mouth shut from where he was clearly about to make another retort.

"We were…separated. By the time I got back to where I had last seen him, he was gone. He's not with the bandits either, I looked."

"You went near their camp on your own?" Leon exclaimed, disapproval clear in his voice. Arthur scowled.

"What was I supposed to do? Just leave him out here without even trying to get him back. But there is no sign of him anywhere! He's not with them, I'm sure of it. I'm assuming by the fact that he isn't bumbling around the forest with you means he never made it back to Camelot either. I just don't know!" In a way, Arthur wished he had tried to take on the bandits. At least it would mean that he wouldn't still have the pent up frustration and anger coursing through his veins. Before any of his knights could stop him, he had turned and sunk his fist into the tree. Although his knuckles almost immediately split open, Arthur knew he had held himself back enough not to have done any serious damage despite it hurting like hell. He knew how stupid that would be.

"Come on, Sire, you need to come back to Camelot." Leon gently took his arm and guided him away. Arthur let himself be led a few steps, but then stopped. He wrenched his arm free of Leon's grip, his eyes locked on a path that he hadn't yet seen. It curved away from not only Camelot, but from the bandit's camp as well. If someone had gone this way, Arthur knew that his searching wouldn't have revealed anything. He took a small step towards it, but Leon blocked his way.

"You need to rest…"

"I need to find Merlin. Go back to Camelot if you want sleep," Arthur retorted, knowing he was sounding more like a surly child than a king. But he couldn't return to Camelot without Merlin. He couldn't face Gaius and Gwen, couldn't see the looks on their faces when he told them what had happened. While Leon pursed his lips, looking disapproving again, Gwaine grinned. He stepped forward and joined Arthur in moving down the path. Elyan and Percival fell in behind them and Arthur knew that he wouldn't need to look around to know that Leon was also following. For as much as he wanted to get his king back behind the safety of the walls, Arthur knew his right-hand man was not about to leave him wandering the forest without Leon there for any longer than he already had done.

They travelled fast, but silently. A tension seemed to settle over the group as it became obvious that this was a path not often travelled. But judging by the way the branches were bent back, he knew someone had been here recently. It was spring, fresh growth covered the forest. Yet even the new growth had been snapped. Arthur found himself exchanging looks with Gwaine when the path ahead seemed to open up into a clearing. The knight had a shrewd look on his face, but he nodded.

With a few hand signals, Arthur gave the command for his men to spread out and work their way into the clearing from different angles on his signal. He still didn't know how the bandits had known where to find them and he wasn't taken any more chances. He couldn't afford to be any more surprises, couldn't take the idea of losing anyone else before they returned home. As he edged closer, Gwaine on his heels, Arthur felt a frown settling over his face.

There was a small hut in the middle of the clearing. Smoke was spiralling from a small chimney; the place was occupied. But as far as Arthur knew, no one had a permanent dwelling this far out in the forest. Before he could stop himself, he had shivered. There was a feeling in the air that he couldn't quite place, but it made him feel uncomfortable. Glancing to his left to see if Gwaine was feeling the same, his question was answered when he saw the frown on the man's face. Before he could give the signal to move in, the hut door opened.

Luckily for Arthur, his knight had his senses more about him than the king. Gwaine grabbed Arthur's shoulder and hauled him back, pushing him to the ground and out of sight when he saw who was emerging. Arthur let himself be manhandled, his mind too stunned to truly realise the danger he was in should he be seen.

He never would have guessed that Morgana would be hiding out in the forest, this close to Camelot.

The pair stayed crouched in the trees, almost holding their breath as they watched Morgana walk off into the forest. Luckily, she didn't head in the direction of any of the knights, but as soon as she was out of sight, Arthur had torn himself free of Gwaine's grip and run forward. He wasn't sure quite what he was experiencing, but a gut instinct told him that he had just found his servant. It made sense – she would see Merlin as a way of getting to him. Although he couldn't yet fit the pieces together as to why the bandits would willingly give up a prize like that, Arthur knew Merlin was in more danger than they thought.

He came around the side of the hut, peering through a slot in the wood. He almost sighed in relief when he saw a figure bound to the ceiling. She wouldn't tie up a dead man. Merlin was alive. Judging by the breath that Gwaine blew out directly behind him, Arthur knew he was not the only one relieved. He just made to head around to the door when he caught sight of Leon gesturing something desperately from the trees. For a moment, Arthur could only frown, trying to work out what his knight was telling him, but then he swore. Morgana was coming back. Neither he nor Gwaine were fast enough to get back to the cover of the trees. Grabbing the knight's wrist, Arthur flattened them both against the side of the hut and sent up a silent prayer that she didn't see them.

Considering the door opened and then banged shut again, Arthur knew they were in luck. He moved until he could see through the crack again, watching in horror as Morgana seemed to conjure a creature. It looked like a serpent, it just had multiple heads.

Arthur knew it couldn't bode well and made to rush in.

"She's too strong," Gwaine hissed, yanking his king back down again. If it had been anyone else, Arthur might have shaken off their warnings and accused them of just being too careful. But he knew Gwaine. This was the knight who did rush headlong into danger and not think of the consequences. If he was saying it was too dangerous, Arthur knew it was serious. Not to mention with Merlin tied, they would need time to cut him free. Arthur didn't know how strong Morgana was, but he knew now was not the time to put it to the test and he simply gritted his teeth and let Gwaine hold him down.

They couldn't make out the words Morgana was saying, but Arthur was almost certain that she was trying to goad Merlin. He was surprised that his servant was staying quiet, that was most unlike Merlin. But he also knew the silence would annoy Morgana, not giving her anything that she could work with if Merlin didn't express how he was feeling. Arthur could take a guess though. He knew that he would be utterly terrified if the witch had him bound like that, even though he wouldn't show it. Morgana seemed to want Merlin dead as much as she did Arthur, and the king was sure that it wasn't out of the kindness of her heart that Merlin was still alive.

As she moved across the hut, a twisting serpent's head in her hands, Arthur knew they had to move. It didn't matter anymore. If he stayed crouched here while she worked her magic, Merlin was as good as dead anyway. Her words were clearer now, and the king felt goosebumps break out up and down his arms when he heard what she was telling Merlin. She was going to take his mind? His soul and his very essence?

Arthur thought he would have to fight Gwaine for the man to let his king run into danger. But the knight had heard the words as well and leapt up at the same time. Both men sprinted around the hut for the door, drawing the attention of the rest of the knights as they did so. Elyan and Percival burst from the cover of the trees to their left and Leon ran in from the right just as Arthur reached the door. He paused, waiting for the knights when Morgana's final words filtered out through the wood.

"You must kill Arthur Pendragon."

Without any warning, he let his foot swing and it almost was ripped off its hinges.

But they were too late.

Merlin's scream rang in his mind as he watched his sister force something into the man's neck before he seemed to pass out. Morgana hadn't even flinched at the door opening, but slowly turned to face them, a smirk on her face.

"I would love to stay, but why miss all the fun?" She mocked. Her hand rose and Arthur could only wince as all of the knights were slammed into the wall. By the time Arthur regained his footing, Morgana was gone.

But Arthur knew why.

She always had had a flare for the dramatic. Her curse had been placed, Merlin would have no choice but to do her bidding. Arthur knew that the fact he knew about it just added to her satisfaction. Would he have to kill his friend in order for Camelot to have a king? That alone would almost kill him, something Morgana was fully aware of.

For now, however, all he could do was watch as Elyan made short work of untying Merlin and Percival draped the unconscious servant over his shoulder. Arthur felt as if his heart was jumping through his throat. Merlin had always been lucky in the past, maybe their interruption would have been enough to stop the spell from taking hold properly? Maybe the man would be absolutely fine once he woke up.

Arthur knew that it was just wishful thinking on his behalf. He could feel Leon's eyes on him, knew that the knight wanted to know what his orders were. Arthur should have been grateful, knowing that the man would save him the pain by dealing with Merlin himself.

But Arthur shook his head and walked out of the hut after Percival.

He would do nothing until Merlin woke up and they knew for sure whether he was a threat. And after then, if something needed to be done… Arthur knew he would find every alternative first. He was not going to let Merlin die for him.

Not again.