Merry Christmas, Squilf and all! Enjoy :)

Merlin rolled over in bed, unable to sleep. He thought of Arthur and Gwen, and felt a resigned sense of sadness nestle deep inside him. It was an uncomfortably warm night and the blanket itched as it rubbed against his neck. After a while he gave up sleep altogether and sat upright in bed, staring into the empty room and wishing he had something to do. Slowly he stood and walked to the window, thinking to himself. Arthur… he had barely begun to know how to feel, and now… He sighed, unsure of himself. Was he jealous of Gwen? How could he know what to be jealous of – he had never had that sort of relationship with Arthur, had never wanted it…The window's dark surface cast his reflection back at him. His eyes betrayed more certainty than he felt. He let his mind go blank, and suddenly something more material occurred to him – why could he see his reflection in the window? There was no light source coming from behind him… He turned around, puzzled. And there, hovering in the centre of the room, was his answer.

The light was coming from a small golden sphere, about equal to a large coin in diameter. It glowed softly like an ember, and as he watched it it began to move in a looping series of figure-eights before suddenly picking up speed and changing course to circle the room, bobbing and weaving around various items as it went. As it flew in Merlin's direction he swatted at it instinctively but it dodged easily under his arm and circled him quickly several times. Sensing magic radiating from it he searched around quickly for some sort of container to catch it in, but even if he had found one he didn't think he could have captured it – it flew erratically from one side of the room to the next, whizzing and looping around in a playful manner before slipping out under the door. He moved to pursue it, but having opened the door he could see no sight of it anywhere. He frowned, mildly annoyed that a source of distraction had escaped him. The corridor was quiet and empty. Once more Arthur flickered through his mind. He didn't think he could get back to sleep. So, with the flying orb as an excuse, he headed off to see Gaius.

"Merlin?" Gaius woke reluctantly, then sat up suddenly at the sight of him. "Has something happened?"

Merlin took a deep breath. "I saw a golden orb flying around in my room. Like a faerie."

Gaius frowned. "Are you sure? It might just have been a firefly."

"I could sense the magic from it."

"Hmmm…" He got up and conducted Merlin to a seat before sitting down himself. Silently, he took in Merlin's tired eyes and sad expression. "Are you quite alright, Merlin?"

"Yes. But I really think that it was a faerie I saw…"

Gaius waved a hand dismissively. "I doubt it. Most faeries are generally harmless and stay away from humans anyway; if you did see one it was probably a privilege."

Merlin stalled, his argument lost. He glanced around the familiar room, unwilling to leave. Gaius sensed his hesitation.

"There is something else bothering you. What is it?"

Merlin gave Gaius a long look, then leant forward and let his head rest in his hands. "Oh, nothing."

"Come on Merlin. You know you can always talk to me."

Merlin paused, then let out a long sigh. "I…It's Arthur."

Gaius raised an eyebrow slightly. "Arthur?"

"I feel…I don't know how I feel…You know." He shrugged, looking down at his feet. Gaius paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Do you love him?" It was the first time Gaius had asked so directly.

Merlin looked to one side, avoiding the question. "He loves Gwen."

"Then are you happy for him?"

"I'm happy that he should be happy. But…ah…" He shifted awkwardly. When he spoke again his voice was a whisper. "Sometimes I wonder…"

Gaius sighed, and put two hands on his shoulders. "You must find out how you feel, Merlin. You should talk to him."

"What? No, no, I can't…"

"You must, Merlin."

Merlin shook his head. "What good would that do?"

Gaius was insistent. "Go and talk to him tomorrow. You've waited long enough. Find out how you feel. Resolve it for yourself."

"I…" He trailed off. Gaius nodded wisely, fixing him with his gaze. "Right," he said eventually.

"Good. Now I think you should get some sleep."

Merlin smiled. "What would I be without you to look after me?"

Gaius laughed. "Lost, I expect. Now go on. I'm tired."

With a grateful smile Merlin left and began to wander back to his own room. Gaius was right; he needed to talk to Arthur. He wasn't sure how he felt, but he knew that he didn't like the idea of leaving it unresolved, to go on watching Arthur and Gwen and being sad and not quite knowing why. In his room he lay down again, thinking to himself until finally his eyes closed and sleep took him.

Arthur paced his room, breathing in the early morning air. On the chair nearest him his armour lay waiting, but he didn't want to put it on just yet. A fresh breeze drifted in through the window and he ran a hand through his hair, thinking.

"Arthur?"

He turned around at the sound of the familiar voice. "Gwen!"

She smiled and crossed the room to embrace him. He held her close and kissed her hair, knowing that they wouldn't have long.

"How are you?"

"Fine, yes." She stroked his cheek. "And you?"

"Good." He sighed. "But I can't stay. I have to go and train."

Her face saddened. "I wish we could be together properly."

"I know. But we will, someday."

She sighed. "I wish we could get away for a while. Have a break."

Arthur shook his head. "I would love to, but I have to stay here. There's too much for me to do."

"Just for a few days?"

"I can't."

"People can look after themselves for a few days, I'm sure. I could…call in sick, or something," she suggested hopefully.

Arthur hesitated. He wanted to be with her. Camelot could look after itself for a few days, couldn't it? But no, he had too much responsibility. Torn, he shook his head.

"I'm sorry."

She looked down, upset. Then she leant towards him and lightly pressed her lips to his before turning wordlessly to leave the room. Arthur clenched his fist.

"Wait."

She turned around slowly. "Yes?"

"I…A few days."

"Are you sure?" Her eyes lit up.

"Yes. You're right. We shouldn't have to go on like this, not all the time. I want to be with you."

Her smile melted his heart. "Thank you."

He cast an apprehensive glance around the room. "We'll have to be quick."

She nodded. "I'll get some food, then I'll come back here and meet you."

He smiled. "I can't believe I'm doing this." Spontaneity. Merlin would be proud.

Gwen smiled. They kissed once more, longer this time, and then she turned and stepped lightly out of the room, smiling at him from the doorway before disappearing out of sight. Arthur sighed, feeling slightly tired. Tired of all this hiding, probably. A few days. He smiled.

Merlin walked towards the door and then turned and walked away again nervously. It was a movement he had repeated about five times in the last few minutes. The longer he waited, the harder the idea seemed, the more he wanted to turn back. Come on. Open door. 'Arthur, can I talk to you for a minute?' He turned towards the door again, put his hand on the handle. Then he pulled away again. 'Arthur, have you got a moment?' Or maybe, 'Arthur, can I say something?' In his mind he saw Arthur turn around and smile at him. 'Sure, what is it?' Oh god. He couldn't. He backed away from the door and stared at it. 'It's just… I feel… I was wondering…' No, this was never going to work. He began to turn away when he heard footsteps coming up the corridor behind him. Damn, he didn't want to be seen like this, staring at a door like an idiot. Impulsively he seized the door handle, turned it and entered. His heart thudded in his chest as he closed it behind him, then he turned around slowly.

"Arthur?"

The room was empty. Merlin frowned, both relieved and confused. Where was Arthur? He was always in his room at this time of morning. Bewildered, he walked around the room, looking for clues. Arthur's armour still lay on the chair. He felt himself becoming nervous, but there was bound to be some simple explanation for Arthur's absence. Absently he walked over to the window, but as he looked down he caught sight of two figures hurrying away from the castle. Arthur, and Gwen. Where were they going at this time in the morning? Perhaps they were just sneaking away to share a little time together. He was turning with mixed feelings to leave the room when he caught sight of a note lying on the bed. He crossed the room and picked it up.

Merlin, it read, I have gone away for a few days to spend time with Gwen. I trust you have enough common sense to keep the latter part of this information to yourself. See you when I get back. Arthur.

Merlin scrunched the note up in his hand. Days! Arthur couldn't just leave; he had responsibilities to fulfil. Merlin paced a moment by the window, torn. Why shouldn't he let them go? He'd always supported Arthur and Gwen. Well, he'd supported Arthur… Oh why was it that now, when he needed to talk to him, Arthur had chosen run off with the very source of his confusion? He turned and left the room, and went to find Gaius.

"Gaius, I can't."

Gaius turned around from the remedy he was mixing. "Can't do what, Merlin?"

"Talk to Arthur. He's left this morning with Gwen, and I found this note." He passed the piece of paper to Gaius, who read it silently.

"So I can't talk to him because he's gone." Merlin sat down, fidgeting with his hands. "And this is just proof of how much he loves Gwen," he added quietly.

Gaius finished reading the note and looked up. "They can't run away. Even for a few days. If Uther finds out… We must persuade them not to. They can't have already left. I saw Gwen just a moment ago."

Merlin frowned. "No, that's impossible. I was just in Arthur's room – I looked out of the window and saw them both distinctly as they were heading away from the castle, just before I came across the note."

"I spoke to Gwen a moment ago, she'll be just down the corridor."

"Impossible."

Gaius went to the door and Merlin followed him.

"Gwen?"

Gwen, at the end of the corridor, turned around to face them. "Yes?"

Gaius frowned, acting. "I've forgotten now."

Gwen laughed. "Tell me when you remember." Then she turned and continued walking. Gaius retreated back into the room and closed the door. "I told you she would be just down the corridor."

"I saw them walking away from the castle! Both of them!"

"Well you can't have done. From that height it was probably hard to tell."

"No, I definitely recognised their faces – although, I admit, they were fairly small figures."

"Well Gwen can't be in two places at once."

"And there can't be two Gwen's…"

"No." He lapsed into silence, as if searching for a way to dismiss the observation. Merlin's eyes drifted absently over the shelves of various bottles behind him, and he tried to guess from their size and shape what they might contain. But for the most part their contents were as unfathomable as his own emotions. He turned back to Gaius, whose expression had now shifted slightly to become more serious and quizzical.

"Gwen would never try to persuade Arthur to run off with her like that…" Gaius mused. Then his eyes widened suddenly. "Wait… Merlin, describe to me again that light you saw last night, in your room…"

"What?"

"Hurry."

"Well it was like a small, golden orb flying around. I thought it might be a faerie but you said–"

"I think you might have been right, Merlin."

"That's not what you said."

"No, you idiot – I mean it might have been a faerie after all." He crossed over to his bed and pulled out a book from underneath it, quickly flicking through the pages. "Was it a bright golden light?"

"No, more of a soft glow."

"Hmmm." Gaius stopped at a page and traced his finger down it. "Here. I think it might have been an Ela, Merlin."

"A what?"

"A shape-shifting faerie," Gaius rushed.

"What? I don't understand your urgency."

"It can take any form, Merlin. The Ela is also known to lure away its chosen victim – it prefers one-on-one encounters. And if it took Gwen's form–"

Merlin's eyes widened suddenly. "You mean you think Arthur has run off with an… Ela? The faerie I saw?"

"In the shape of Gwen, yes. It's quite possible."

"But then why didn't I see it as Gwen?"

"You saw it in its original form, Merlin. Chances are you were too preoccupied with other thoughts to give it your full attention, and the Ela went for an easier victim. It thrives on attention."

"You say 'victim'…"

"The more attention you give it, the more life force it takes from you."

"What?"

"I'm afraid Arthur is in grave danger, Merlin."

Merlin realised the implication immediately. He would have to go after them. Gaius gave him an apologetic look.

"How long do I have?" he asked, resigned.

"It depends. Perhaps a few days. In Gwen's form the Ela is likely to command a lot of Arthur's attention, and if they are alone together he won't have much else to distract him."

Merlin sighed. "How am I supposed to persuade him it's the Ela?"

Gaius shrugged. "I'm afraid I can't help you there, Merlin. But if you don't follow them Arthur will die."

"Why would the Ela choose Arthur?"

"I don't know. The Ela is essentially just a mischievous fun-seeking faerie, despite the consequences it brings."

"How am I supposed to catch this thing if it can shape-shift?"

"Ah. Well that I can help you with." Gaius went over to one of his shelves and removed a silver flask before passing it to Merlin. "The Ela in its original form, as you first saw it Merlin, will be somewhere on its assumed shape. There will be a spot on it that glows golden and if you grab that area the assumed shape will fall away and you will be holding the original faerie. Then you can put it in the flask."

"Right." Well it sounded simple enough. "I suppose I'd better be off then." He stood and turned to leave.

"Be careful Merlin," Gaius warned from behind him. "You won't want to catch it, but you must."

Merlin paused and looked back, confused. "What do you mean?"

Gaius shook his head. "Go on, you'd better get going, you don't want to waste too much time trying to find them."

Merlin nodded, then headed out of the room. Gaius watched him go, and his heart went out to him.

It was warm outside, the late summer sunshine coming down on Merlin's shoulders and warming his skin. It wasn't a bad day to be sent on a quest. That is, if he had the faintest idea where Arthur might actually have gone. It wouldn't be in the city though – he would stand too great a chance of being noticed. So somewhere romantic and alone… the forest?

Turning down several more streets he picked up speed and began to leave the castle further behind. People saw his determined face and moved out of the way, and he weaved his way through the crowds until he was on a more deserted road. He was lost in his thoughts until a rabble of noise reached him, bringing him back to himself. He heard raised voices and what sounded like a chair or table being broken, and as he rounded the corner he saw Hanferd's tavern, a mass of brawling men in the doorway, threatening to spill out onto the street. As he watched there were more angry shouts followed by the sound of glass smashing, and then with an escalated cry a man was thrown violently out onto the street where he landed in the mud, belly down. A drunken cheer went up from the doorway behind him. The man in the mud rolled over and then looked up. A casual smile crossed his face.

"Hello Merlin."

Merlin's heart leapt. "Gwaine?"

Gwaine got up and shook the worst of the mud off him before approaching Merlin and throwing an arm around his shoulders, quickly marching him onwards and away from the tavern where voices were already being raised again.

"On another quest?" he asked.

"Sort of."

"Need a hand?"

"No, not really."

"Well I'm sure you could do with the company." Gwaine grinned. Merlin shook his head with a smile.

"Are you drunk?"

"Me? Ah, nah…heh." His legs promptly contradicted him and he staggered a little, Merlin supporting him until he found his feet again. "So…where are we going?"

"The forest."

"Ooo…" Gwaine laughed, his eyes glittering mischievously. "Sounds fun."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "You are drunk."

"Huh?" Gwaine righted himself again, and managed to walk on his own for a bit, though not entirely in a straight line. "You should drink sometime. Relax a bit." He aimed for a friendly punch on Merlin's shoulder but missed, overbalanced, and fell over.

"Right. Somehow I don't think so." He leant over and gave Gwaine a hand up. Gwaine would slow him down, no doubt, but he might be helpful once he sobered up.

"So what's the quest?" Gwaine asked, once they were both walking again.

"Well…" He began to explain about the Ela, glad to talk to someone although he wasn't sure how much Gwaine was really listening to. However, Gwaine was convincingly quiet whilst he was talking, and as they reached the forest they lapsed into a comfortable silence.

Twigs cracked underfoot as they trudged onwards. The sunlight filtered in through the canopy, highlighting leaves of different colours of textures as it fell. Still there was no sight of Arthur or the Gwen Ela. After a while they paused to rest on a few large rocks beside a stream. Gwaine seemed to have sobered a little in the fresh air and he turned to smile at Merlin as he removed his boots.

"Think I might get the mud off this top," he commented.

Merlin smiled. "Why were you thrown out of Hanferd's?"

He grinned. "Too much fun. They couldn't handle it." In a single smooth movement he removed his top and approached the stream before dropping it in and sitting on the bank beside it. He picked up a more sharply edged rock and used it to start scraping the worst of the mud off.

"So how do you plan to catch this Ela?"

"Grab it where–"

"I know that, but how are you supposed to grab it if it looks like Gwen? Arthur's going to notice."

"I…" He hadn't thought about that. "I'm not sure."

"He's hardly going to believe it's a shape-shifter intent on sucking the life out of him."

Merlin sighed. "We'll have to catch it when it's away from him."

Gwaine's expression told him how likely he thought that would be. But he said nothing, continuing to wash the mud from his shirt. Merlin watched the smooth skin stretch under the movement of his muscles. Gwaine looked up at him.

"You're staring."

"Um…You look kind of…thin…Have you been eating?"

He frowned. "I'm not thin. But I am hungry, as it happens." He stood, slinging his wet shirt over one arm as he made his way back over to Merlin. "Did you bring any food?"

"No, did you?"

Gwaine rolled his eyes. "You saw me getting thrown out of a tavern."

"Right. We'll have to buy someth…" He trailed off. They couldn't go back; they needed to catch up with Arthur. His stomach grumbled.

"It's alright, we can hunt something. I'm sure there's all sorts of animals around here."

"Right." Magic he understood. But when it came to hunting he didn't have a clue.

"What? Not afraid of a little activity, are you?"

Merlin blinked. "No."

"Alright then." Grabbing Merlin by the arm he hauled him up off the rock where he was sitting and steered him further into the woods. "Let's see if we can catch something tasty."

"Do you know how to set a trap then?"

"No."

"Then what's your plan?"

"Hide nearby, then rush in with my sword."

Merlin raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. Together they began to wander through the woods as quietly as possible, scanning around for any signs of animal activity. It seemed hopeless. Gwaine, even sobered slightly, had loud footsteps and as each twig cracked beneath them Merlin tensed, knowing that the noise would frighten away any small animal in the vicinity. He wandered away from Gwaine a bit, fancying his feet rather quieter, and soon, crouching behind a bush, he caught sight of a stray fawn munching at some leaves. The fawn, not noticing him, continued to eat peacefully, and Merlin, forgetting his original intentions, watched it entranced. He felt privileged to be in such close quarters with a wild animal.

"AAAOORRRAAAAHHH!" With something like a war cry Gwaine burst through beside him and dived towards the startled fawn.

"No!" Merlin cried, feeling suddenly protective of it. He heard Gwaine's sword come down hard into the ground and closed his eyes. "Did you get it?" he asked timidly.

"No, it was too nimble. Leapt out of the way as easily as if I had approached it in slow motion."

"Oh." He was both glad and disappointed.

"Perhaps foraging would be easier," Gwaine suggested. Merlin nodded.

"We'll keep heading after Arthur and pick out anything edible we come across along the way."

They continued walking. Berries were in season but unsure of which were edible and which were poisonous Merlin only picked a few, as well as some mushrooms they came across.

"Do you get into many fights then?" Merlin asked after a while.

"A fair few. Only what you'd expect. Mostly your usual tavern brawls. But I did get this note off one woman."

He pulled a little slip of paper from his waistband and passed it over to Merlin.

"'Meet me in the barn'," he read.

"Yeah."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Meet her in the barn?"

"God no. Why, do you think I'm the type?"

Merlin shrugged with an awkward smile. Gwaine pushed his arm playfully.

"Of course I didn't. She had a whip."

Merlin's eyebrows raised. "Right."

Gwaine smiled, remembering. "I was low on cash and went to this cheap, nasty place. Can't remember where. I was pretty drunk and I was teasing the owner. I said 'Have you got anything that's worth drinking if you're not already drunk?' He just laughed. He was a good man; he knew people went there for the prices and not the quality. But his lady here," Gwaine nodded towards the note, "overheard and took offense for him. She glared at me until I finished my drink then approached me just as I was leaving and said 'I'm gonna beat ya to a pulp fur ya slander yer wretch' and thrust this note into my hand and said 'five minutes'. Then she went behind the bar and retrieved a whip she kept behind the counter." He laughed. "I don't know what kind of woman she was. Muscled arms like a weight lifter. So I said 'I don't fight women' and made a quick exit."

"Were you afraid she'd beat you?" Merlin teased. He had totally got the wrong first impression of that.

Gwaine grinned, but whether he was guessing his thoughts or simply joining in with his tease it was impossible to tell. They continued onwards for a while in silence, admiring the scenery until the sound of female laughter reached them, bringing them out of their thoughts.

"That must be Gwen," Merlin whispered urgently. "I mean, the Ela."

"I can tell."

They slowed their pace slightly, drawing nearer all the while. In the distance Merlin could just about see Arthur and Gwen walking arm in arm. They caught up by degrees, Merlin trying to plan how he would catch the Ela, and how he would then explain Gwen's absence to Arthur. He sighed. He might just have to make that up as he went along – the important thing now was to save Arthur's life before the Ela drained it.

Arthur and Gwen steadily slowed, looking for a place to stop. Merlin and Gwaine slowed likewise. Gwen didn't look particularly tired, but Arthur was very chivalrous in his concern that they should stop and rest by some nearby caves. As Merlin drew closer he noted that Arthur actually looked the more tired of the two. No doubt the Ela's fault. The more attention you give it, the more life force it takes from you. And of course, Arthur was giving Gwen a lot of attention. The thought made him feel slightly ill. He put it down to worry, but deeper down a part of him suspected its cause lay mixed in with another feeling.

"So what now?" Gwaine consulted in a whisper.

Merlin shrugged. They were only a few metres away from Arthur now, and hiding behind the trunk of a large tree as Arthur and Gwen made themselves more comfortable in the small clearing around the caves.

"We can't just rush in and grab it, we don't know where the glowing part is."

"Well I'd rather not follow them until we do know. Forgive me, but I've never taken a great interest in love-bird watching."

"I doubt we'll get her alone, so any attempt to catch her will involve making our presence known anyway. So we might as well introduce ourselves and make some excuse for accompanying them."

"What, like, 'Just thought we'd join you for a double date'?" Gwaine joked.

"No, I wasn't thinking of that."

"Me neither." He paused. "Go on then."

Merlin took a deep breath, and then stepped out from behind the tree and approached.

"Arthur."

Arthur looked around immediately from where he stood and gave a small smile of pleasant surprise.

"Merlin?" Then he checked himself, and frowned. "What are you doing here?"

"I noticed your absence from the castle and–"

"Well yes, and you're meant to be there now, covering for me. Didn't you get my note?"

"Yes, I did."

"Then why are you here?"

"It's irresponsible of you–"

"A few days, Merlin. With the woman I love. Is that too much to ask?"

Merlin sighed, stumbling for more excuses. It was at this point that Gwaine decided to show himself.

"Hi."

Arthur stared at him then turned furiously on Merlin. "And what is he doing here?"

"Just bumped into Merlin and thought I'd tag along with him for a while," Gwaine supplied.

"And are you here to persuade me back to the castle as well?"

"Are you asking me for an opinion on responsibility?" He laughed. Merlin smiled. Arthur glared.

"No, I'm not. And you can both leave."

"No, no I'm not going anywhere." Merlin shook his head.

"Merlin–"

"If you're not coming back then I'll have to stay here. What if you get lost–"

"I'm not going to–"

"Or get attacked by bandits? And no one knows where you are?"

"If I do get attacked I hardly think you would be of any–"

"I'll stay out of the way, promise."

"I really don't think–"

"Were you trying to light a fire?" Gwaine interrupted, pointing behind him. "Because that stone isn't flint and you could strike it for hours and all you'd get is sore muscles."

"Well–"

"Leave it to me." Gwaine pushed past as Arthur looked on, exasperated. He turned to Merlin.

"You will stay out of the way."

"I promise." He held his hands up.

"Don't worry Arthur. I don't mind." It was Gwen's voice. Arthur turned around and went to sit beside her, his mood lightening already. Merlin tried and failed to subdue a grin at the sudden change. Arthur noticed him.

"And you can make up some bedding inside the caves, make yourself useful."

"But I thought you wanted me to stay out of the way?"

"Don't be clever."

Merlin smiled and began to head back towards the forest in search of suitable bedding material. Arthur grabbed his arm.

"Oh, and put me and Gwen in the same spot… if you understand."

Merlin gave the slightest nod and then turned away. He had planned to keep them separate so that the Ela couldn't command any more of Arthur's attention. But then he reassured himself that the Ela wouldn't get any attention out of Arthur whilst he was asleep.

By the time he had returned and sorted it all out the fire was lit and Arthur was sharing out some of the food supplies, a mixture of what he had brought himself in a large sack and what Merlin and Gwaine had foraged on the way there.

"These mushrooms are great," Gwaine mumbled, his mouth full.

"But it's just as well Arthur reminded me to bring this ham or we'd have no meat," Gwen added, leaning towards Arthur and feeding him a piece, blushing as she did so as if she was embarrassed by her own forwardness. Gwaine inclined his head towards Merlin with a knowing smile. But Merlin didn't notice him and ate another mushroom quietly, his thoughts preoccupied. He had managed, without staring, to work out that the glowing centre of the Ela was in the pendant of a simple necklace Gwen was wearing around her neck. It was a very slight glow, especially whilst the sun was still shining, but Merlin was sure that was it. The only question now – how to get hold of it?

Evening progressed slowly, and as Arthur and Gwen remained outside to admire the sunset Merlin and Gwaine headed into the caves for some rest. There was a slight incline down into the entrance and then suddenly the space opened up into a large dome shape, with several tunnels leading off from it in different directions.

"Wow." Gwaine ran a hand over the smooth stone experimentally, and Merlin wondered when Arthur had learnt about such a place. And then it occurred to him that perhaps Arthur hadn't led the way – perhaps the Ela had. It would certainly be to the Ela's advantage to know of a deserted place like this to lure its victims away for one-on-one attention.

"I've set up the bedding through those three tunnels," he announced, pointing. "That one is for Arthur and Gwen, and then those two for one of us each. You can pick. I don't know where the rest of the tunnels go."

"Right. Okay." Gwaine headed off down one of the tunnels Merlin had indicated. Merlin watched him go. He had actually found blankets in one area, and they unnerved him. Of course, they could have just been left behind by outlaws or someone else that had decided to camp here temporarily. But it had only been blankets that he had found, not a mix of things that might have been expected if the occupants had had to leave in a hurry. And the blankets had been folded neatly, too. Merlin shuddered. The Ela was nothing if not prepared. There were enough blankets, in fact, to serve as both mattresses and blankets, but Merlin had spent a lot of time collecting ferns and other plant matter to sleep on so declined this opportunity.

As it grew dark each of them took a hot stone from the fire and retreated into their separate sections of the cave. Merlin huddled up against one of the walls with the blanket tucked snugly around him. He sat as upright as possible, intending to stay awake until Arthur was asleep before attempting to seize the Ela. It was quiet as he sat alone in the darkness, time passing all the slower for the fact he was waiting.

When he felt that he had waited long enough he stood and crept quietly back into the main cave before turning to head into Arthur's chamber. The sound of his breathing seemed unnaturally loud in the quiet. Arthur and Gwen lay side by side, sleeping peacefully, though thankfully not so close as to make his task impossible. With the flask ready in one hand he leant over Gwen carefully. Her necklace glowed more obviously now it was dark and he reached for it, his fingers trembling nervously. But just as he was about to grab it it darted away, passing over Gwen's form until it reached her waist. He reached for it again but once more it shifted, this time so that it was on her thigh. The corner of Gwen's mouth lifted in a smile, as if mocking him. Realising he would have to act faster he quickly snapped his hand towards the glow but yet again it eluded him and his hand slapped against her thigh uselessly. The noise woke Arthur.

"What the hell are you doing?" he hissed.

"I, um…I…There was…a fly. And I was trying to get it because it, um…was buzzing…really loudly."

"Right." Arthur glared at him. "You know I can't see a fly but I can see you. Get lost."

"Well it, you know, flew off when–"

"Get lost."

"Right, yeah." He retreated quickly back into the main cave and took a deep breath. Evidently this was going to be trickier than he had expected. He sat down where he was, the adrenalin coursing through him making him unwilling to return to sleep. A glimmer of moonlight filtered down through the cave entrance, its pale light blurring into the stone. He watched it for a while, thinking to himself. Time passed without measure. His eyelids were slowly drooping when a faint voice reached him.

"Merlin."

A familiar voice, like something from a dream, half-forgotten. He assumed he was falling asleep and began to shift so that he could stand up and return to his chamber to lie down properly.

"Merlin."

Such a soft sound. He looked up vacantly, turning towards the sound of the voice. A thin figure was silhouetted by the cave entrance, watching him with sad eyes.

"Freya?"

A sad smile lifted her lips. Her skin was pale and faint, like a ghost's.

"Am I dreaming?" he whispered.

"No. You're awake." She slowly extended a hand towards him. He stood and walked hesitantly towards her.

"Freya – is it really you?"

"Yes, Merlin." A tear escaped from one eye and rolled down over her cheek. Hardly knowing what to think he embraced her tightly and then gently released her, disbelieving.

"How are you here?"

She gave a light laugh, not answering him. "I've missed you, Merlin." With one hand she gently stroked his cheek.

"I've missed you too."

"Are you well?"

"Yes." He paused, still shocked. "I never thought I'd see you again."

"I often wondered the same thing."

"How did you find me?"

She smiled. "It was like coming home."

"But where have you been?"

Her expression saddened. "Hiding," she whispered.

"I'm sorry."

For a moment they stood in silence, taking each other in. Merlin bit his lip, feeling like he should say something. But somehow he couldn't find the words. She had died, or at least he had thought so, and he had grieved and moved on. He'd almost forgotten her, and now seeing her again he didn't know what to feel. He suppressed a yawn, tired. And he found himself wondering – although his affection for her was undeniable, had they had anything more than magic in common? As soon as the thought occurred to him he scolded himself. How many times had he felt lonely for the lacking of that very understanding? He took her hands in his and looked into her eyes.

"I don't know what to say," he confessed. "You should go – someone will hear us. Find me again in the morning."

"Oh." Her face fell in disappointment. "I didn't realise anyone else was here."

"Yes – Arthur, Gwen and Gwaine, further back in the caves." He looked down, feeling guilty for pushing her away like this. And then he saw it. A golden glow near the base of her dress. No… He looked back up again abruptly, his heart thudding.

"You're… You're the Ela!"

In an instant her disappointed expression gave way to a mischievous smirk.

Reacting immediately he moved to clutch the glowing part, but she stepped nimbly ought of his reach and with a musical laugh began to run towards one of the tunnels. Silently cursing his foolishness he chased after her.

It was almost pitch black in the tunnel. He feared stumbling in the darkness but he knew that if he slowed down he could easily lose her. The sound of footsteps and the golden glow he was pursuing were for some time his only guidance. But by design or a convenient fluke of nature there were at odd intervals holes coming down into the tunnel from above, letting in a little of the moonlight. Yet even then it was impossible to see much more than the faintest outline of the cave walls in the darkness – he realised that the only way the Ela could be running so fast with any confidence would be if it had done the same thing before.

Their footsteps echoed loudly in the tunnel as they ran onwards. Merlin felt his muscles beginning to tire. Either he was slowing down or the Ela was speeding up but the golden glow was getting further and further away. The more attention you give it, the more life force it takes from you, he suddenly remembered. The Ela was running on his energy! No wonder he was beginning to trail behind.

Then suddenly the glow vanished. Merlin assumed the Ela must have turned a corner. He slowed down, putting his hands out in front of him so that he could tell when he reached it. But when he finally made it, looking left or right to see where it had gone, he could see no light anywhere. Holding his breath in the darkness he listened for any footsteps – again, nothing. The Ela had escaped him.

He leant against the cave wall for several moments, catching his breath. Then slowly, feeling his way with one hand against the wall and the other held out in front of him, he began to head back the way he had come. He tried not to think about what it would be like if he got lost.