Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. Seriously.

Merlin woke up with a jolt. His first thought was that he had definitely not passed out in a wagon. His second thought was that he was totally screwed.

Slavers.

Magical slavers to boot, if the collars on some of the captives were any indication. Slavers in general were bad news, but ones using magic-binding collars had to be from out of Camelot. That meant Merlin was likely on his way to a remote location where it was unlikely Arthur would ever find him.

And the rather pressing problem of his capture and impending enslavement.

Merlin's mother had told him about slavers when he was very young, and then again before he left for Camelot. When he was younger the warning had been strict and serious. If you ever see slavers—or men who do not belong, run. Abandon everything. This rule even included Hunith herself. Merlin remembered being wide eyed and scared, and nodding vigorously at his mother's command. She was rarely so cold with him.

The warning before he left for Camelot was something he'd rather forget. His mother told him again of slavers, but this time added to her instructions. She told him of the lives slaves led and the abhorrent reality of slavery. How a man's dignity could be forfeit if he was captured.

Choosing death, she had said, was sometimes the better option.

Slavery was illegal in Camelot and the majority of the surrounding kingdoms, but that didn't stop slavers from picking off the occasional village. By the look of things, he'd been picked up by a large caravan.

Tied to the sides of the wagon were other captives. Next to him was a girl with red hair and a worn peasants dress, and an older boy with the same hair that was probably her older brother. Across form them were two men, each with their hands tied together behind their backs and gags in their mouths. Judging by the bruises, they'd tried to escape. Near the back of the wagon was a family, all shackled, huddled closely together. Merlin could see five more wagons in front of theirs, all holding captives. A few unfortunate men and women were tied by their wrists to the back of their wagon and being forced to walk while slavers rode alongside the caravan occasionally flicking slow captives with a horse whip.

Merlin tried to move his hands forward, but quickly discovered they were tied behind his back. At least they hadn't gagged him.

He shook his head, trying to clear it. If only his hands were free he could try to soothe the throbbing pain he could feel coming from the back of his head.

He struggled again, trying to slip his hands free, but they were bound to tightly.

Instinctively, he reached for his magic.

It reacted violently, sparking under his skin. Merlin felt like he was being burned from the inside. He doubled over and clamped his jaw shut to stop himself from screaming. His magic was wildly unstable and violent. Before it had felt like a golden lake, ready to be called and smooth. Now it was a raging ocean, impossibly vast and impossible to control.

Merlin could feeling it attempting to settle and failing. It was like it couldn't fit in him anymore. Forcing it was like trying to catch the sun with bare hands.

There was no way for him to use his magic.

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Gaius paused his pacing when Arthur came in. "Well?"

There was an awkward silence while Arthur stared and Gaius without saying anything. Finally he sat down at the table with a sigh. "Nothing. My men checked the woods all morning. Not a trace."

Gaius sagged. "Nothing? Not even a footprint?"

Arthur shook his head. "I still have most of the group out looking. I have to report back to father. I'll tell you if they find anything."

Gaius turned and strode over to the wall, leaning dejectedly against it. His hand rubbed across his eyes.

Arthur continued staring at the table. "There's no particular place where he would have gone is there? There's got to be a spot where there are more herbs than others. As often as he goes out looking for them for you he must have a typical place to look."

As Gaius's back was turned, Arthur missed the flash of alarm across his face. Merlin thought Gaius didn't know about the little clearing where he practiced magic, but Gaius had followed him one day to see where his ward got off to. If there was a place Merlin would go to get rid of the stone, it would be there. But telling Arthur of the clearing gave him yet another opportunity to find out about Merlin's magic.

It didn't matter. Merlin could be in danger.

Gaius turned around. "There is, sire. A clearing where Merlin likes to go on his day off. It also has many herbs. If you are to find him, it will probably be there."

Arthur nodded. "I will alert the knights at once."

A/N: I hope you enjoyed. If not, try to find some chocolate. It'll cheer you up. I've had this planned out for a while but kinda got sidetracked... Oops. Sorry this is pretty short. The chapter just worked out that way.