A Heartfelt Betrayal

==A/N: My third Merlin fanfiction. Hope you like it. It will be a shocking tale. :D MerlinDragonLord.==
==Prologue.==
Merlin know what it's like to feel betrayed and feel like his heart have been crumbled to million pieces, he's used to it. However it still hurt him real bad to see his friend betray him like that. It felt as though he may never heal. Merlin tucked his head into his knees and sobbed. Didn't he have any friends to trust? Did they all hate him as much as Morgana, but showed it in front of him? He didn't know. He was torn and lost and the large bruise on the side of his face which was throbbing painfully did not help his throbbing heart.
Morgana, Mordred, Will, Freya, Balinor, Lancelot, Arthur. He had lost them all. He had lost Morgana and Mordred when they decided to use their gifts for evil. Freya, Balinor and Will had both died in his arms. Lancelot had gone through the veil on the Isle of the Blessed. Arthur well...... he hadn't been himself lately and Merlin had, had his doubts about what was going on but now he was certain. The door creaked open and Merlin looked up, there was Morgana with Mordred standing by her side as always. But the newest addition to her group was Arthur!!!! He was standing there, glaring at him with such a powerful force of hatred. Merlin could feel the hatred emanating from Arthur.
"You don't seem to like my new friend as much as you used to, do you Emrys?" Morgana sneered, glancing at Merlin then at Arthur. "Hmmm, let me think...... Mordred you can decide. What should we get Arthur to do to him today? As if the mandrake roots weren't enough. At least my sister told me how to switch their effects onto people with magic as well. But it doesn't bother me or Mordred or Arthur...... just you!"
"Arthur, take this blade and cut his right arm and leg, tear some tendons and ligaments too so he can't escape." Mordred snarled. "Wait until I give the signal though." He then walked over to Merlin and crouched down. "What do you think you're doing? Rubbing your wrists against the wall to break the rope!" Mordred hit Merlin across the face, where the already purple bruise was. Merlin bit his lip so as to not cry out in pain, and give them the satisfaction. "Here, I'll take the rope off. It'll be easier for Arthur that way too." Mordred smiled, mockingly at Merlin. "Now!"
Arthur walked slowly and deliberately towards Merlin. Merlin restrained a shiver as he looked and saw the hatred deep in Arthur's once friendly blue eyes. Morgana wasn't going to give up on this. She would continue and continue until he finally cracked under the pressure and pain. Arthur had finally reached him. "Arthur listen to me. This isn't you..... I know it's not. You wouldn't do this to a friend. Realise what you are doing and stop. Look at me!"
"Oh, give it up Emrys." Morgana smirked when Merlin paled at the thought of her using his druid name. "It won't work."
"You've got your hooks in him so deep haven't you? But I know him, he's my friend. He wouldn't do this if he was in his right mind. I don't know what you've done to him but I'll find out and you will regret it." Merlin threatened.
"I don't think so. You won't be finding out any time soon, Emrys!" She laughed a bone chilling laugh.
Merlin looked at his friend. "Arthur? Please, stop this is madness." But Arthur's expression remained full of hatred. "I'm sorry." Merlin whispered. 'Let's hope that he doesn't remember what I'm about to do. That's if I can erase what Morgana and Mordred has done to him.' "Forp Fleoghe!" Arthur was caught as though by an invisible lasso. Arthur fell to the floor, but before Merlin could relish in his accomplishment, Arthur jumped to his feet and approached Merlin once more. He raised the blade, but Merlin was too shocked to move. He tensed up, ready for his downfall. Arthur hesitated, and then brought the blade down into Merlin's arm first. The blade tore through his skin leaving a deep wound. Bright, red blood poured out of the wound. Tendons and ligaments snapped under the pressure from Arthur's blade. Merlin screamed in pain, he didn't want to but once he had started, he just couldn't stop screaming.
Then Arthur pulled the blade out and struck Merlin's leg with it. The same thing happened again. "Right stop!" Morgana called over Merlin's screams. "Enough for today. Leave him where he is and we'll see how well he recovers from this!" Morgana left the room, Mordred right beside her. Arthur was following behind them, still clutching the bloody dagger. The door shut, leaving Merlin in the darkness again. He was too frightened and in too much pain to move, so he just curled up into a ball and sobbed. "What did I do to deserve that, Arthur?" he whispered through his sobs. "WHAT DID I DO?!!!!!!" his sobbing became uncontrollable. Then the mandrake roots from the ceiling started screaming again. He closed his eyes, wishing for the end.
==Chapter 2.==
Merlin woke. He must have finally drifted of into an uneasy sleep around the early morning. His wounds had finally stopped bleeding and had crusted over. He was spotted with the sap from the mandrakes; he rubbed most of it away from the wounds with his hands, careful to avoid catching the crust on the wounds. The side of his face where Mordred had punced him was stinging. Merlin gingerly touched that side of his face, wincing as his hand ran over the new, larger bruise. He then moved onto examining his arm and leg. They didn't look that bad now that they were healing....... but why not give them a helping hand......... "Ic paet purhearle pinu licsar!" Merlin whispered into the darkness.
The he heard a sudden whisper that sounded like his name. Merlin looked around in the darkness, but there was no one there. Merlin smiled and shook his head. Sometimes he had a really vivid imagination, often it was too vivid. "Meeerrrllliiinnnn........" he heard the whisper again. This time he chose to ignore it. He went back to examining the wounds. But in the short time it seemed as though the darkness had pressed in more around him. "Leoght!" he whispered, and then looked around him. His spine was tingling as though someone was watching him in the shadows, just out of his line of sight. "Meeerrrllliiinnnn......." the voice called again. Just then he saw someone leaning against the pillar opposite him. It looked like....... Freya! But Merlin couldn't be sure from that distance. 'But it can't be....... F-Freya's d-d-dead........' he thought, still looking at her. When she realized he was looking at her, she darted round the other side of the pillar.
Merlin slowly slide over towards her on the floor. "Freya?" he whispered. She came round the other side and sat down on the floor in front of him. She glared at him angrily, but Merlin wasn't sure why. "Why'd you let me die, Merlin? Why?"
"I didn't. You didn't want me to save you. You said that I had already saved you." Merlin whispered, tears in his eyes.
"You didn't love me, did you?"
"That's not true!!! I loved you with all my heart!!!!"
"Then why?"
"I tried."
"Tried." she scoffed, she looked at the floor.
"What's wrong? Freya?" He tried to take hold of her hand but she moved it away from him.
"Don't touch me!!" she stated angrily, "My blood is on your hands Merlin. Blood that will never wash off!"
"No.........." Merlin whispered, tears rolling down his cheeks.
"I hate you. You sent me to that lake, which was beautiful, but that doesn't make up for what you did. I wish you had left me in that cage."
"Freya. If I hadn't of rescued you, Uther would have burned you."
"Better that then ever meeting you!"
"Freya...... you don't mean that."
"I do. I wish I'd never met you. I hate you Merlin. Good bye!" she yelled. She had gone before Merlin could reply.
"FREYA!!!!" Merlin yelled despairingly. He curled up into a ball and sobbed.
==Chapter 3.==
The door opened. Arthur stood there holding a tray of food.Mordred was standing there just behind Arthur, he smirked when he saw Merlin curled into a tiny ball, sobbing. "Go in!" Mordred ordered. Arthur ambled in and knelt down in front of Merlin's face. "Merlin?" he whispered quietly, just in case Mordred heard. "Merlin look up." Merlin slowly raised his head, fearful for what horror might be in front of him this time. "Arthur."
"Show him the food." Mordred ordered. Arthur did as he was told, gritting his teeth in anger while doing so. He didn't like being told what to do, especially by Mordred and Morgana. But he had to do it.... for Merlin's sake. Merlin looked hungrily down at the food. "Take that bile with you, Mordred. I wouldn't even feed it to a dog." Merlin replied, although he was starving and the bread, cheese and water seemed to beckon for him to eat. Arthur smirked at Merlin's reply. He bit his lip so as to not burst out laughing.
"Merlin! You have to eat." Arthur muttered through gritted teeth, "Stop trying to be a hero! It really doesn't suit you!"
"Arthur? You're back?" Merlin whispered. "I'm no hero."
"No. You're a coward." Arthur replied jokingly. Merlin smiled. It was nice to have his friend back.
"Mod wes craeftles." Mordred said. Arthur's eyes became unfocused for a minute, and then his mind was once again in the control of Mordred and Morgana.
"Arthur?" Merlin asked. But this time he got no reply. "Damn!" Arthur threw the plate down on the floor in front of Merlin. Merlin cringed away from the loud clatter and flying food.
"Come." Mordred ordered and Arthur followed. Merlin glared after Mordred. He glanced at the knife which was lying on the floor beside him.
"Fleoge, culter." Merlin muttered under his breath. The knife lifted up from the floor and flew towards Mordred. Just before the knife was about to strike Mordred, Mordred span round and stuck his hand out in front of him. But his eyes didn't turn gold like Merlin's did. They stayed their normal cold icy blue. The knife stopped in front of his hand. Mordred smiled a small smile as Merlin sighed. The knife then turned around to face Merlin. Merlin's eyes widened in shock as his own make-shift weapon was being used against him. It then flew back towards Merlin...... "Culter, ic pe hate!!!" Merlin yelled, just in time as the knife stopped inches from his body. Merlin allowed himself a brief smile as the knife dropped to the floor by his feet.
"Don't fret Merlin. I will almost definitely be informing the Lady Morgana of your intentions to kill me just then. She will not be pleased. I can assure you." Mordred threatened. He slammed the door behind him, leaving Merlin in the darkness with the food covering the floor by him. Merlin sat there; silently casting spells to check the food for poisons or sedatives or something that might make him blab any secrets that he might know about Camelot that Morgana didn't.
'What I don't understand is why I'm not dead already. Why are Morgana and Mordred going through all this hassle of feeding me and giving me water and these 'pleasant' visits? Why not just kill me now and then they can release Arthur. Although I highly doubt that Morgana would release him...... she'd probably just kill him after she's killed me........ or she'll make me watch her kill Arthur and then kill me. Well either way it's never going to happen!!!' Merlin thought.
The mandrakes began screaming again as Merlin sat there eating. He sighed "When will this end?!!" He sat there for a while ignoring the screaming mandrakes. He wondered whether anyonehad noticed that he and Arthur were missing, and if they had were they looking for them. Did he even have any friends he could trust left? The mandrake's screams got louder and louder. Merlin couldn't ignore them for much longer. He pushed the tray aside, still with some food on it, and curled up to try and get some sleep.
==Chapter 4.==
Merlin woke. The moon was still high in the sky so it couldn't be little past midnight. What had woken him? He normally slept through the whole night, but normally he was in his bed at Camelot. The mandrake roots were still screaming. Would he ever get peace from them?!!! He rolled over and saw yet another person there in front of him. "Noooooo!!!!" Merlin yelled and rolled back over.
"Son. Look at me." The voice said. It was Merlin's father, Balinor.
"No. It's not really you. You're not really there."
"I am. It's me. It's your father."
"No." Merlin sobbed.
"Please son. Please look at me." His father begged. Merlin turned round to look at his father. Tears were rolling down his cheeks. "F-Father?" he sobbed.
"I'm here son. I'm here." His father walked over to him. But the minute Merlin was about to speak, his father started to laugh. Merlin's brow furrowed in confusion. "Father?" he asked. But Balinor didn't answer. He just continued to laugh at his son. Merlin screamed and sobbed. His father laughed and laughed. The sound echoing around the dark room.
The door opened and the bright light from the outside torches turned the insides of Merlin's eyelids red. "Merlin." Morgana called. What was she doing here?
"What do you want Morgana? Haven't you caused enough harm for today?" Merlin replied.
"I was wrong." Morgana replied. She sounded sad or full of regret.
"What are you talking about?! This is what you want!!! You and Mordred!!!!" Merlin yelled.
"Come and get the food. It's set on the table downstairs."
"You think I'd ever trust you!!! After what you've done to me!!!! I'd rather starve!!!!!"
"You have to eat. You're fading away."
"No I don't. I can hold out just fine right here!!!"
"Well if you change your mind.... let me know." Morgana replied. With that she left the room, only pausing to look back at him with sorrow in her eyes.
'What the hell was that about? Why'd she look at me like that?! She should be happy. She knows me for what I am. She knows that I am.... Emrys.She should be happy to have caught the person who thwarted her plans many, many times. So why is she acting all sad?!' Merlin thought confused. 'She knows what the mandrake roots are doing to me. So why is she upset?!! I should be the one who is upset! Not her!!' Merlin's thoughts drifted back to seeing Freya and his father in this dark room, the past two nights. He shivered. A solitary tear trailed down his cheek. Seeing the people he loved most had brought back the painful memories of losing them. 'Morgana, Mordred, Freya, Balinor, Will, Lancelot, Arthur.' he chanted their names in his head like a song. 'Morgana, Mordred, Freya, Balinor, Will, Lancelot, Arthur. Morgana, Mordred, Freya, Balinor, Will, Lancelot, Arthur. Morgana, Mordred, Freya, Balinor, Will, Lancelot, Arthur.' 
In the middle of his 'song' the door opened again. It was Arthur. But this time nobody else was with him. "Arthur. What are you doing here?" Merlin asked. Arthur crept into the room and quietly shut the door. He pulled a small candle and a flint from his pocket and placed them on the floor between himself and Merlin. He lit the candle and crept forward to Merlin. "I'm going to get you out of here. I sent word to Camelot through one of Morgana's ravens. The knights are looking for us and they will be waiting outside of this tower for us." Arthur said with a slight grin on his face.
Merlin smiled. He did have friends he could trust after all. "How did they get through the Impenetrable forest?"
"Easy. Followed the trail we left last time when we were rescuing Gwen." Arthur replied. "Come on we need to get out of here."
"But Morgana and Mordred....."
"That's the downside to letting me serve them dinner and also for not checking their spells properly." Arthur laughed. Merlin smirked.
"I don't think I can come with you." he said sadly.
"What are you talking about? We have to leave without delay. Otherwise it will wear off."
"You don't remember what you did?"
"What?" Arthur asked. Merlin rolled up his trouser leg and sleeve and showed Arthur the scars. "I did that?" Arthur asked shocked.
"Yes. But it wasn't your fault. They controlled you to do it."
"I'm s-sorry M-Merlin..... if I'd known w-what I was d-d-doing......" Arthur trailed off.
"It's okay. It's not your fault. But you must go. Go back to Camelot, tell them what happened. Go!"
"No. I'm not leaving you here."
"Leave me Arthur!"
"Now's not the time for jokes."
"Go! Arthur. I'm begging you. Please go!"
"But if I leave...... they'll find out........ they'll........" Arthur gasped, "No! I won't let that happen!! You're coming with me and that's the end of it Merlin! No more arguments!!!"
Merlin laughed. "You always were a stubborn prat!" Arthur laughed. He didn't understand why he let Merlin get away with calling him such things as: 'prat' and 'dollophead.' He just did.
"Right come on." Arthur said. He lifted Merlin to his feet, and leaned him against a pillar. "Do you think you can walk?" He said, looking at Merlin's leg in concern.
"When you did that....." he nodded down towards his leg, not wanting to make Arthur feel any worse than he already felt. "I think some of the tendons and ligaments tore."
"What makes you say that?"
"Because that's what Morgana and Mordred ordered you to do, so that I couldn't escape. But I wouldn't have left this place without you anyway." Merlin said with a smile.
Arthur smiled. "All those times I called you a coward. I never really meant them...You should know, Merlin, you're one of the bravest people I've ever known."
Merlin laughed then shook slightly from the pain it caused him. "Took you long enough."
"Come on." Arthur said with worry in his voice. Merlin took a step forward with his leg that wasn't injured. "Now the other one." Arthur encouraged. Merlin lifted his injured leg slowly, but even that small movement caused him pain. "I promise, I'll catch you if you fall." Arthur said. Merlin looked into his friend's eyes and saw friendship, kindness, trust. 'The makings of a great and worthy king. A king who people can trust.' Merlin thought. Merlin took a step with his injured leg. But as he went to lift up his other leg, the uninjured one, his leg gave out and he fell. Just as Arthur had promised he caught Merlin before he hit the ground.
"I'll try again." he said.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." Merlin wasn't sure but he didn't have time to waste. Arthur looked at Merlin doubtful as to whether he should let his friend do this. "Arthur. I'll be fine. I need help to get up though."
"Of course." Arthur helped Merlin to his feet again. Merlin took slow steps but still his leg gave out. He tried again and again. After the sixth time of trying to walk and falling. Arthur spoke. "Enough. You're going to do yourself some serious damage."
"No. I won't let you die in here because of some stupid injury." Merlin retorted angrily. Struggling to get to his feet. "Help me up."
"No."
"Help me."
"I can't let you injure yourself even more for me." Arthur placed his hand on Merlin's shoulder gently pinning him in place.
"What are you doing?!! Let me up!!! Go leave me here then!!!"
"If you can't go to the knights outside. None of us goes."
"What?!!! No Arthur you must go!!!!"
"No. I'll stay here. I'm not leaving you behind." Arthur retorted. Merlin sighed exasperatedly.
"You have to go. You're my friend and I couldn't bear to lose you. Go." Merlin argued.
"Nope I'm not leaving you here."
"Go for Camelot's sake. You infuriating dollophead!" Merlin yelled angrily.
Arthur smirked. "I'm the king Merlin. You can't tell me what to do. And I say I'm not leaving here without you." And with that Arthur picked up Merlin and carried him out of the room. He reached the top of the staircase. "Arthur do not even think about carrying me down all those stairs. What if you slip and fall? What if Morgana and Mordred wake up and see you carrying me down?"
"I love your optimism." Arthur replied tetchily. "And I don't even have to think about it. I'm going to do it anyway." Merlin sighed; sometimes Arthur really didn't make his job easy. Arthur climbed down the stairs. Stopping every so often due to Merlin's weight over his shoulder. "Wow..... Morgana really doesn't........ make it easy....... does she?" Arthur panted, when they were halfway down the winding staircase. Merlin didn't reply. "Merlin?" Arthur asked. He removed Merlin from over his shoulder and placed him down on the stair. "Merlin? Can you hear me?" Arthur asked. Merlin's face had gone deathly pale, his eyes were shut. Arthur felt something wet running through the links in his chain mail. He took off his glove and rubbed his bare hand over the armour. He removed his hand; it was glistening with bright red blood! "That's not my blood. Merlin!!" he yelled. Arthur crouched down beside Merlin he checked the scar on Merlin arm. There was no blood there. He checked the scar on Merlin's leg...... it had been rubbing against Arthur's armour as Arthur carried him down the stairs. "Damn!" Arthur muttered as he saw the thin cut where all the blood was coming from.
He tore a part of his tunic off from under his armour and wrapped it around the cut to try and block the blood. 'I need to hurry.' He lifted Merlin back onto his shoulder and ran down the remaining stairs as he could with the extra weight. He reached the bottom of the stairs and almost tripped over in shock about the vastness of the corridors. He didn't know the way out. The only part he could remember was Morgana and Mordred capturing him and Merlin and then waking up here to find Merlin missing and his mind in the control of Morgana and Mordred.
'Well..... it looks like I'll have to guess the way out.' Arthur thought, 'I'll go this way.' He took the path straight down the middle. Little did he know the knights had entered the tower and were coming down this very same path. He ran down the path, when the warning alarm started ringing. Morgana and Mordred had woken. The alarm was only set off by magic so Arthur was in no doubt that Morgana and Mordred had woken and had noticed he was missing. He would have a short while before they came down here as they would want to check whether Merlin was still there. 'Let's not waste any time hanging around here then.' 
The knights who had heard the alarm ran down the path. They had been moving stealthily until then. They needed to find Arthur and Merlin and get out of here. Amongst the knights were Sir Gwaine, Sir Percival and Sir Leon. "Come on we need to find the king!" Sir Leon yelled.
"And Merlin!" Sir Gwaine added.
"For the love of Camelot!!!" they yelled in unison. They ran swords raised but there was no need for the swords yet.
Arthur was calmly walking through the path now. He had heard a door at the end of the corridor open and slam shut, he didn't want anyone unwanted to hear a noise and decide to investigate. He walked backwards, facing where the sound of the door closing had come from. He drew his sword as silently as he could and raised it in front of him prepared for any attack, as well as trying to keep Merlin over his shoulders. He walked backwards and saw a small crevice to place Merlin into so that he was out of the way. Arthur placed Merlin down. He stood guard over his friend, his facing the direction that the knights were coming from. He wouldn't allow anyone to harm his friend. He'd rather die before he let anyone harm his friend. 'But I already harmed him.' He thought, 'I won't let anything happen like that again!!!' 
The knights had also heard a noise from behind them. They spun round to face the entrance to the tower. Although the noise had in fact come from in front of them. The way it had echoed down the corridor had made it seem as though it had come from  behind them. They were walking with their backs towds where the noise had actually come from. Sir Leon was in front leading the knights backwards. They were walking silently backwards when Sir Leon walked backwards into something or someone. He and whatever he had just walked into gave a cry of fright as the knights all span round they saw that they had walked backwards into Arthur who was standing guard over Merlin.
"Nice to see you too." Arthur said jokingly to Sir Leon, who due to the shock had raised his sword towards the person behind him. Sir Leon smiled. Sir Gwaine ran over to his friend and crouched down beside him. "What happened to him?"
"I'll explain on the way. But first we need to get Merlin back to Camelot, to Gaius." Arthur said.
"Then let's go!" Sir Gwaine replied.
"Where did you leave the horses?" Arthur asked as the exited the tower.
"We left them just on the outskirts of the Impenetrable forest, Sire." Sir Percival answered, "Do you want me to carry him?"
"No. I got him into this mess, and I'll be the one to get him out. Let's move!!" Arthur ordered, marching ahead of the knights. The knights stared after Arthur confused.
==Chapter 5.==
Mordred and Morgana ran up the winding staircase unaware that their captives would be long gone. "What shall we do if they are already gone?" Mordred called.
"Then we go on a hunt!" Morgana yelled determined. Mordred hated it when she called it that. It sounded so inhumane. But he liked the idea of getting revenge. He smiled at the thought of running his blade through Arthur's chest, deep into his heart. They reached the top of the staircase. The door was wide open as expected. Arthur would never leave Merlin behind.
But still Morgana ran in to check. Mordred stood outside. He heard Morgana scream in fury. "THAT'S IT!!!!!!!!!!!! I'VE HAD ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FIND THEM AND KILL THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed. Mordred rolled his eyes. When it came to Morgana's brother and his servant, Morgana would never be happy until they were both dead. They ran back down the stairs as Mordred knew Morgana would never miss the chance to see her brother's and Emrys' downfall.
Arthur and the knights were already a good few miles away from the tower. None of them looked back at the dreadful place. They were all too busy.  As they were concentrating on the path as neither of them, Arthur especially, wanted to fall down the edge of the path and land on the nasty looking spears, spikes and swords that were sticking out of the ground in the ditches on either side of the path. There were many skeletons lying down in those ditches, many of them had spikes or swords sticking out from there from their rib cages. None of them wanted that to happen to them.
Arthur was still carrying Merlin. He wouldn't let any of the knights carry him, even though they had asked. Every time they did ask they all got the same reply: "No. I got him into this mess, and I'll be the one to get him out." Gwaine was desperate to know what had happened to Merlin. Every so often Gwaine asked Arthur what had happened. But Arthur either never replied or he said: "I'll explan to you when we get out of the forest and are riding for Camelot." So Gwaine had stopped asking for answers.
Arthur enjoyed the silence it gave him time to think. He checked Merlin's wound under the already dripping with blood make-shift bandage that Arthur had placed there a few minutes ago. "Are we nearly there yet?" Gwaine called from the back.
"We had this all the way here Sire." Sir Leon whispered to Arthur who smirked.
"Almost. The forest is there and then we'll be on our way back to Camelot." Arthur called, slightly agitated.
"Yeah. But we have to get through it first." Gwaine muttered, "And I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry little man." Percival laughed who was just in front of Gwaine and heard his comment.
"Shut up." Gwaine replied, he hated being called little man. Percival smirked.
"We have to make it to the forest, before Morgana and Mordred come out of the tower to look for us. They'll have noticed I and Merlin are missing by now. Otherwise they'll spot us immediately. If we can make it to the forest we have a chance of getting them off our scent." Arthur called. 'My sister is like a tracker dog. Once she catches our scent she'll never give up. This game of hers is an obsession. She's never going to stop. Until me and Merlin are both dead. But that's not going to happen. And until then she'll keep tracking, she'll keep causing war.' Arthur thought. He looked at his servant in his arms. He promised nothing bad was going to happen and he was going to stick to that promise. He wouldn't let Merlin down again.
They were almost at the forest. Percival sat down on the ground and pulled off his boot. The other knights turned round. On Percival's foot there was a large blister. "We can't afford to rest." Arthur said.
"I'm alright." Percival said, slipping his boot back on. He got up wincing as his weight went onto the blister. They began to walk again. When they heard noises coming from the direction of the tower. Arthur turned round and what he saw did not improve his already bad mood. Morgana and Mordred were stood just outside of the tower, looking in their direction although they weren't heading in their direction yet. Arthur knew that they had seen them. He could hear them chanting. What they were saying though Arthur couldn't understand, and judging by the knight's confused expressions neither could they.
"Purh minum gewealde ond pinum maegen....... geclippap we pone lieg pe ealla awestap." Morgana and Mordred chanted in unison. A huge flaming meteor flew through the air towards the knights.
"Run!!!!!!" they yelled, running for the cover of the Impenetrable forest. Morgana and Mordred smirked at the sight of the knights and Arthur running. More flaming meteors lit the darkening sky. Once the meteors hit the ground the flames spread quickly across the floor. Covering most of the ground in seconds. The flames chased after the knights, licking the heels of their boots.
"It's gaining on us!!!!" Gwaine yelled.
"Keep running!" Arthur ordered. His arms were tired from carrying Merlin. But he refused to let go of his friend. Suddenly the flames died out, from a sudden wind.
"EMRYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Morgana screamed in anger as the flames, vanished leaving burn marks covering the floor. The knights turned around and seeing the flames were gone, they stopped running. "What the hell just happened?" Arthur asked. Who due to fleeing from the flames hadn't noticed Merlin whispering the spell which made the flames die out.
"EMRYS!!!!!!!!!!!!" Morgana screamed again.
"Morgana stop." Mordred said. But she wasn't listening. "Morgana........." he tried again but to no avail. Morgana was still ranting in anger. "Morgana......... calm down." he said.
"But why does he continue to thwart my plans. Why does he taunt me like this?!!!!!!!!!!!"
"He won't thwart all our plans. He doesn't know them."
"He knows all our plans!!!!!!!!" Morgana yelled. She stormed back inside the tower. Mordred sighed and followed her inside.
Arthur and the knights had been watching and listening to Morgana screaming her head off. Mordred's feeble attempts to calm her. Then Morgana screaming her head off about someone called Emrys? "I always thought my sister was an over dramatic, demented drama queen. Also a totally freaky fanatic." Arthur joked.
"You forgot total fruit loop as well Sire." Sir Leon added. Arthur laughed. He set Merlin down onto the ground gently. "We might as well rest for an hour. She won't be trying anything like that again for a while." Arthur said.
"Who is that person. Whose name she was screaming I mean?" Gwaine asked.
"Emrys?" Percival asked. Merlin stiffened.
"Yeah. That's the one." Gwaine replied.
"I've no idea. But I'll be forever in their debt. Even though they used magic." Arthur replied. Merlin relaxed and smiled a small smile. But no one noticed it.
==Chapter 6.==
"How can this happen?!!!!! Why does this happen?!!!!!! Why does Emrys continue to taunt me like this?!!!!!!!!" Morgana shrieked with anger. 
"Obviously we did not check Arthur's mind control spells as often as we should have." Mordred said. "Merlin could not have organised any of this on his own. Not in the state he was in."
"Perhaps."
"What other reason is there?"
"My dear sweet brother started a countdown before he left Camelot to go to that forest that day, knowing that we would kidnap them."
"A countdown? I've never even heard of it." Mordred questioned.
"That's because only a fool would ever set up a countdown. The last time a king of Camelot did, it started a full scale war." Morgana said. She stalked out of the room leaving a slightly confused Mordred staring after her.
==Chapter 7.==
It was first light. Arthur and his knights were in the thickest and deepest part of the Impenetrable Forest. Arthur was carrying Merlin again. "We need to hurry up!!" he snapped.
"We are trying sire." Sir Leon said.
"Trying is no good if Merlin dies!!!!" Arthur snapped. He knew he shouldn't snap at them, they were trying their best to make their way through the Impenetrable Forest. They were being patient with him. As they had been when they made their journey through here when they were rescuing Gwen. But that was different, Gwen wasn't injured at that time. But Merlin was.
Sir Percival swung his sword at a thick vine which was blocking their path. His sword broke in two. "Not again." he muttered. Arthur handed Percival his sword, he had no need for it at the moment. Arthur had often wondered if he was like his father in the way that they had both seemed to snap a lot at other people who were trying their hardest to please them. 'You're not like your father.' a voice in his head said. It sounded lke Merlin but it couldn't be. Merlin was unconscious in his arms. 'You are a much better king than your father could ever have been. The knights know that you are going through a tough time right now. They won't hold it against you if you shout at them. They know you're upset.' 
"Are you going to tell us what happened?" Gwaine called to Arthur.
"Yes!!!!" Arthur yelled. "I explained this already!!!!!!!!! When we are trough this blasted forest and on our way back to Camelot!!!!!!!!!!! Now please, stop asking."
Arthur looked at Merlin's wound agin. It was getting worse. Arthur sighed. The knights quietened back down. Arthur tried to guess how close they were to the exit of the forest. It was almost evening now. They saw half a blade on the ground. But it wasn't rusted like they would have expected from a blade that had been left there from rescuing Gwen. Arthur pushed his way through the forest and could see the dark tower. "AGAIN!!!!!!!" he yelled. "WE HAVE WASTED AN ENTIRE DAY AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!"
They rested for the rest of that evening and for the night as they would be unable to see through the forest in the pitch darkness of the night. They would continue again in the morning. Arthur sat by the flames, every so often he glanced in Merlin's direction. Merlin was on the ground beside Arthur, Arthur had put his cloak over Merlin to try and keep him warm as he was starting to shiver.
"Arthur?" Leon asked. "Are you alright?"
"Fine." Arthur replied, his mind just a little disjointed from the conversation.
Category:Merlin
Category:Arthur
Category:Written by MerlinDragonLord
Category:Betrayal
Category:Morgana
Category:Mordred
Category:A Heartfelt Betrayal