Arthur keeps running, tugging the peasant boy behind him as they dash through the forest. He keeps their hands linked together as they dodge branches and tree roots littered along the forest floor. 

"A-Arthur?" Merlin says, panting as he struggles to keep up with Arthur's pace.

"Not now, Merlin," Arthur says, not bothering to slow down, "we need to keep going."

"But... I need... to rest." 

Arthur gives the boy's hand a reassuring squeeze. "It's alright. Just a little further and we'll be at the border." He doesn't hear a response, but the gentle tightening of Merlin's grip on his hand gives him the answer he needs. 

Arthur smiles to himself and keeps moving forward, not daring to risk a glance back in fear of finding Morgana's men, or worse Morgana herself, following them through the trees. His leg is already aching, still not fully recovered from his fall despite Gaius' healing magic, but at the very least it no longer hurt to walk or run. 

Arthur lets out a breath at the sight of a familiar part of the forest. The border shouldn't be far now. He grins widely, feeling a spur of energy shoot through him as he barrels towards home. He can hear Merlin gasping for breath behind him now. The boy stumbles, tripping on a root and falling face first into the dirt. 

Arthur skids to a halt. His hand still in Merlin's as he helps him onto his feet. Merlin coughs, ridding the dirt from his mouth and wiping at his face with a sleeve. He looks up towards Arthur, chest heaving up and down with each breath. Arthur watches him worriedly, feeling guilty now for pushing the boy too hard. Unlike him, Merlin doesn't have the stamina of a knight. 

"We can have a quick rest," Arthur says in between pants, keeping on a lookout for any signs of danger.

"No, I'm alright. You're right, we need to keep going," Merlin says, wiping the sweat off his brow.

Arthur looks at him worriedly before giving a slight nod. He continues down the path, making sure to slow his pace for Merlin to keep up. 

The two only stop once Arthur's sure they have crossed the border. The king slumps down against a tree, glancing around in search of some sort of stream or pond that could quench his parched throat. Unfortunately, no matter which direction he turns there are only trees to be seen. The darkness isn't helping either, the moon hardly sheds enough light to see anything. 

Arthur turns to look at the boy beside him. Merlin is slumped down on the ground, taking in large gulps of air as his free hand wipes at his brow. He looks deathly pale in the moonlight and Arthur can see why. Blood continues to drip out of the cut on his left arm, colouring the boy's normally blue tunic a deep shade of purple. He can see Merlin's eyes fluttering slightly, the peasant starting to grow light headed from the loss of blood. 

Arthur scoots closer towards the boy. Reluctantly, he lets go of Merlin's hand, feeling more disappointed than he should at the loss of warmth. He can see Merlin watch him quizzically as the king rips a long strip of cloth off the edge of his tunic. He wraps it around the wound on Merlin's arm, making sure to tie it tight to keep any more blood from flowing out. 

Merlin gives the king a small smile when Arthur finishes, trying his best to look unafraid of the situation at hand. The fake confidence doesn't fool Arthur though. He's seen it enough times on his knights and on himself. 

"It's alright to be afraid, Merlin," Arthur says, trying to reassure the boy. He reaches a hand out, grasping the boy's hand in his own once more. 

Merlin looks down at their hands, but doesn't complain about the contact. Instead, he tightens his grip, seeming to find comfort in the king just as much as Arthur finds comfort in him. "I'm not afraid," Merlin says, heaving a sigh. He looks away, turning to stare at the smoke rising from the burning village in the distance. "I'm just worried... about my mother, Will, Gaius, everyone else in the village."

Arthur looks away, feeling guilt latch itself onto him. Morgana must have followed him somehow. How else could she have found him in Ealdor? She was after him, he was sure of it. He had brought this down upon Merlin's home, nobody else.

He feels someone give him a light shove on the shoulder. He turns to find Merlin giving him one of his usual wide grins. "It's not your fault."

Arthur only sighs. "Of course it is. Morgana is after the throne of Camelot. She has no need to attack a farming village such as Ealdor unless she was after me. I should have stayed away..."

Merlin shakes his head. "I think she was here for another reason. She said something before you arrived to help me. She said something about Emrys."

Arthur immediately perks up at the words. He sits up straighter, eyes alight with urgency. "Emrys?"

Merlin nods. "I think she was searching for this man as well."

He can hardly believe his ears. Morgana knows Emrys is in Ealdor, but how? The druids wouldn't have told her. Would they? No, the druids have never sided with Morgana before and they wouldn't now. Then how had she found out? The first thought Arthur's mind wandered to is a spy. A traitor. There is a traitor within Camelot's walls, and it had to have been someone within the council.

"Did she find him?" Arthur asks.

"I don't know."

Arthur curses under his breath, slumping back down against the tree. He grumbles to himself under his breath, the frustration returning. How was he to find Emrys now? The only lead he had was destroyed. For all he knows, the sorcerer is dead from having been burned to death and by a Pendragon no less. Either that, or he had been captured by Morgana. 

"Why are you searching for this Emrys?" Merlin asks, tilting his head, startling the king from his thoughts.

"I can't tell you. It's sensitive information," Arthur says.

Merlin frowns, looking more than a little peeved. "This man is the reason Morgana attacked my home. I deserve to know."

Arthur looks away. "I think it's best you not get involved."

The boy gives a huff, but says nothing more to argue. Merlin turns back to look at the rising smoke, watching the grey wisps float up into the night sky. They curl and twist, forming the faces of the dead.  Merlin shivers, tearing his gaze away. 

The sound of rustling bushes sends a jolt down Arthur's spine. He can feel Merlin jump as well beside him before they both turn towards the source of the noise. Arthur slips his hand out of Merlin's grasp, moving to grab at the hilt of his sword instead. He pulls the blade out, keeping it pointed towards the bushes as he gets to his feet and stalks over slowly. He wishes now that he had gathered his chainmail and armour from Merlin's home before rushing out. Merlin also rises behind him, grabbing a large branch off the ground and wielding it like a club. 

In any other circumstance, Arthur would have laughed at the sight of the scrawny boy trying to use a branch as a weapon, but now was not the time. He makes sure to keep his distance, but moves in close enough that he could strike if need be. He sucks in a breath.

"Declare yourself," Arthur demands, making sure to keep his voice regal.

"Arthur!" A voice suddenly shouts excitedly from behind the king. 

The king whirls around in time to see Merlin smacking the branch down on the man's head. The branch snaps in half, splintering into pieces onto the ground. The man stumbles forward a few steps before collapsing to the ground, face first. 

"Sire?" 

Arthur turns back towards the bush to see Leon appear from behind it. The man smiles once he sees his king.

Arthur lets out an excited laugh at the sight of his most loyal knight. "Leon!" 

The knight smiles, moving forward to give his king a pat on the shoulder. "I'm happy to have found you alive, my lord."

Arthur smiles, giving his knight and friend a nod of agreement. "I'm glad to see you alive as well. Where are the others?"

"Lancelot and Percival are out searching for you as well. Elyan is back at the camp and Gwaine is... well..." Leon points towards the man lying on the ground, groaning.

-----

By the time Merlin notices the Pendragon emblem stitched into the man's cape he's already swung the branch down. He hears the loud crack of the wood splintering as it hits its target. The man crumbles to the dirt in a heap, not moving a muscle. 

Merlin crouches down by the man, feeling guilty already for having hit him upside the head with a tree branch. He shakes the man's shoulders worriedly, afraid that this time he really did kill someone. He needs to learn to stop hitting people over the head with random objects. 

"Oh no, please be alive. I'm sorry!" Merlin says, shaking the man's shoulders.

Merlin only stops when he sees the man stir under him. The man chuckles, raising a hand to rub at the back of his head. "You have a strong swing there mate," the knight says with a laugh 

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were a knight of Camelot!" Merlin says while helping the man to his feet. 

"Not a problem. What's your name?" The knight asks, dusting his armour off.

"I'm Merlin." 

"Gwaine, the princess' best knight," Gwaine declares proudly with a bow.

"Gwaine? You mean the drunk?"

The knight laughs throwing an arm around Merlin's neck, "It seems you know me already, eh? Has the princess been bragging about my wonderful swordsmanship?"

Merlin chuckles. "Actually... he's told me about how much of a drunk you are."

Gwaine grins, "What can I say? A man loves his ale."

"Yes, and you love it a bit too much," Arthur says with a sigh, moving to pull Gwaine off of Merlin.

Gwaine snickers, "It's a pleasure to see you alive and well, princess."

Arthur glares at him, "How many times must I tell you? That is not how you address a king."

"Alright, princess." Gwaine grins, giving Arthur a wink.

Merlin laughs. "So you're a prat to all your friends. That's refreshing to know." 

Arthur rolls his eyes. "Shut up, Merlin."

"I like this one," Gwaine says cheerfully, once again throwing an arm around the boy to pull him in closer. "He's not a bootlicker."

Merlin smiles at the knight, happy to see that the man treats him as an equal instead of as a lowly peasant. He catches Arthur frowning at them. The king moves over to pry the knight's arm off once again before crossing his arms over his chest, sending Gwaine a nasty glare. 

"Let's go. Show us the way to the camp."

-----

Merlin follows behind Arthur as he bickers back and forth with Gwaine who can't seem to keep his mouth shut. He's starting to see why Arthur had the need to vent to him about the drunk. Spending years with a man that talked that much can't have been easy.

Merlin turns to look at the other knight walking along beside him. This knight is rather tall. The man has blonde, curly hair and seems to be watching Gwaine in disappointment, but a smile is on his face nonetheless. He catches Merlin looking and gives the boy a smile. 

"I hear your name's Merlin," he says.

Merlin nods, "And you are?"

"Leon." 

"Arthur mentioned you before as well. He said you're one of his most trusted knights."

Leon seems to smile brighter at the words. "He has? Frankly, I'm quite surprised he told you. The king isn't one to open up. Though I must thank you for watching over him."

Merlin laughs, "It was difficult. He was a prat when I first met him. I wanted to leave him in the forest to die."

Leon chuckles, "Driving you mad, was he?"

Merlin laughs again, hardly able to contain the giggles. "He was, but he has some redeeming qualities as well. He's a good king. One that is better than his father."

Leon nods with a smile, looking towards Arthur, "I agree."

-----

Merlin lets out a gasp once they reach the camp. The first thing he sees is the numerous people huddled around the clearing. Some are curled in blankets on the grass, sleeping, while others are circled around the fire in hopes of keeping warm. He recognizes most of the people. Save for the three knights milling about they are all villagers from Ealdor.

Merlin quickly scans through the group, seeing many familiar faces. He's disappointed to find that many are missing as well. He hasn't seen Will yet, for instance, and the fact that many of the people are crying into their hands is another sign that not everyone managed to escape.

The last people Merlin sees are his mother and Gaius. They're both seated on the grass, blankets around their shoulders as they talk quietly amongst themselves. A relieved smile crosses Merlin's face in an instant. He dashes over, throwing himself into his mother's arms and snuggling into the crook of her neck. "Mother..." he whispers, feeling tears stinging at his eyes.

She wraps her arms around him, gently patting his back while keeping the tears out of her own eyes. "Merlin... I'm glad you're alright..." she whispers, pulling him in close.

They part after a moment. Merlin quickly wipes the tears from his eyes before flashing his mother a wide smile, simply overjoyed to find them both alive and unharmed. He turns towards Gaius and gives him a quick hug as well. "I'm glad you both are safe."

Gaius smiles, "Thankfully the knights of Camelot were nearby."

"How did you know they were here?" Merlin asks.

"Arthur had told us to hide in the forest and instructed us to run towards the border. We ran into his knights here as they were searching for him. They recognized Gaius and we informed them of what happened. They started to search for any survivors as soon as they could. They've been a great help," Hunith says with a smile. 

Merlin turns back to look at the knights tending to the camp. He sees one man with dark skin tending to the flames, while another with sleeveless chainmail handing some cooked meats to the villagers. Arthur is chatting quietly with Leon by the horses, keeping his voice hushed as they discuss the next course of action. Gwaine seems to be keeping watch. He's leaning up against a tree, staring off into the distance with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Another man stands beside him with a gentle look in his eyes. He turns his head from side to side, searching for any signs of danger in the trees. 

Merlin smiles, "They seem to be good people."

-----

Merlin wakes the next morning from someone lightly tapping their boot into his ribs. "Rise and shine," Arthur says with a grin, copying the boy's usual morning greeting.

Merlin groans, opening his eyes reluctantly. He looks up at Arthur with a frown. "I'm surprised to see you up," Merlin mumbles, mind still sated and sleepy.

"We need to get going. Morgana might find us if we stay too long," Arthur says, pulling the peasant to his feet.

Merlin sighs, patting away the grass stuck to his clothes before pulling his coat back on. He yawns, stretching his arms in the air. He looks around, seeing that most of the others are already awake. Many of the villagers are already gathering what little belongings they have, readying themselves for the walk ahead. The knights are saddling up the horses, helping a few of the injured onto the stallions to help ease their journey. Gaius is making his rounds, checking on the wounds of various villagers as he makes his way around the camp.

"Alright. Where are we heading?" Merlin asks, looking towards the king. 

Arthur grins widely, seeming overly excited all of a sudden. "We are heading to Camelot!"

-----

A/N - Thank you everyone for 500 reads! I'm glad to see people are enjoying this story so much. =D I'll try and get the next chapter up soon!