Merlin's POV

I spin around, getting to my feet quickly. I stand over Arthur, attempting to shield him from whomever had just spoken. I glare at the man that stands a short distance away, shrouded by the trees. He slowly lurks out of the woods. The man has a dirty brown cloak draped around him, obscuring his face. He approaches slowly and without fear. I back up a little. Who is this man? Why did he call me Emrys? Did he mistaken me for someone else?

I shut my eyes, taking in a deep breath and still my nerves. I look back up with calm. "Who are you?" I demand.

"Ah, how rude of me," the man says. He lifts up a hand to remove his hood. As his hand reaches up I catch the faint glimpse of a marking on his wrist. The mark of a druid. He removes his hood to reveal a man with gentle brown eyes. He's bald with brown skin and a kind smile on his face. The man bows. "My name is Aglain. It is an honour to meet you Emrys."

Aglain... The name strikes a chord in my memories. Where have I heard that name before? Suddenly, the pieces click into place. "Your a druid leader. The one who raised Mordred."

The mans smile widens. "Yes, Mordred. He's doing well I hope?"

"Yes he's fine. I'll tell you later but what are you doing here? Why did you call me Emrys?"

"Now now. One thing at a time. We can discuss about you later. As for why I'm here. It's as I said before. You look like you need help."

I glance down at Arthur who moans in pain. New found hope swells in my chest. "You can help him?!"

"Of course. Come. Let's take him to the camp." Aglain turns and begins to head into the forest. The trees seeming to bend around him.

I quickly gather Arthur into my arms, using a strength spell to help me lift him more easily before following the druid into the forest.

-----

We arrive in a portion of the forest that is less dense. There is more space between each tree, allowing for someone to set up a camp if need be. I gaze around at my unfamiliar surroundings. I've never come to this area before.

I hear Arthur groan in my arms. He starts to writhe in my grip. "It's going to be alright Arthur. You're not going to die on me. I promise you that," I whisper to him despite the fact that I doubt he can hear me.

I look back up to see Aglain give us a smirk before turning back to face the path ahead. I blush brightly, trying to hide my face. That was embarrassing. Aglain's going to get the wrong idea!

I look back down at Arthur who's still unconscious in my arms. His breath hitches every so often in his throat. A sheen of sweat glistens on his forehead. I smile warmly down at him. He looks handsome. I blush again. Did I just-?

"We're here," Aglain says, gesturing forwards.

I follow the direction he gives and gasps in surprise. Before me is a Druid camp. I slowly walk forwards, gaping at everything.

Trees hide the encampment from view, shielding it from harm. That's probably why I didn't see it until we were so close. A fire pit sits in the centre of the camp while makeshift tents and huts form a ring around it. Women wander about cooking delicious smelling stews or washing mud stained clothes. The children are all huddled in groups. Some practise magic while others read or play games. A few of the men are helping their wives or chopping wood for the fire. The place is lively. A smile is plastered to everyone's faces.

I gaze out at the scene in wonder. I hope one day Camelot can become a place like this. Where everyone helps one another. Where there are no wars and people lived happily and without a care in the world. Where the children will never have to see a time of battle. Yes... this would be the happy ending Camelot deserves. Everyone in Camelot.

"Over here Emrys. We must hurry," I hear Aglain say. He's standing by one of the tents.

I shake from my trance. Daydream later. Concentrate on Arthur. I rush over to the tent. I enter to see it's rather small inside. It could just barely fit three people. There's a cluster of pillows laid out on the ground in one corner, creating a makeshift bed, while bottles of potions and clusters of herbs sit across from it. I set Arthur down on the pillows gently. I move back to allow Aglain to examine Arthur. The former unwraps the bandages around the wound carefully. He looks for a short while before turning to the small collection of bottles and herbs behind him. He rummages through its contents then grabs what he needs. He immediately sets back to work on Arthur. He carefully applies a salve on the wound before chanting a spell. He holds his hand over the wound. Aglain's eyes shines gold. A faint blue glow begins to emit from under his palm. Slowly, Arthur's breathing evens out. His body relaxes.

Aglain turns to me with a warm smile. "The poison should be gone now. No need to worry," he informs me.

I let out a sigh of relief, collapsing to my knees in sheer joy. Arthur's going to be fine. "You should rest as well Emrys," he says.

"Again with this 'Emrys'. Why are you calling me that?" I ask.

Aglain gives a small smirk. "It is your druid name. It's given to the most powerful. The one who will free this land once more."

"And your saying I'm that person?"

Aglain gives a slight nod. "We can talk of this more later. As of right now you should really rest."

"May I stay here?" I ask.

"I think it best you leave him alone. He needs rest. I'm remaining here so you don't need to worry about him. You can use the tent to the right of this one."

I sigh. "Alright. Thank you again Aglain. I owe you one."

He smiles. "It was my pleasure to be of aid to you."

I leave the tent wearily. I look up at the sky and see its tinted orange like the autumn leaves. The sun's setting already. I didn't realize how late it is. I yawn and stretch my arms over my head. I gaze out at the Druids that are now huddled by the fire pit. They're all eating their stew happily, chatting amongst themselves quietly. One of the women by the large pot of stew notices me. She smiles and waves beckoning me over to join. I don't feel hungry so I shake my head and give a friendly smile. I mouth the words, "No, thank you," before heading into my tent.

The inside of the small tent is quite similar to the one I was just previously in except without the herbs and potions. There's a mass of pillows laid out in the corner but otherwise the room is empty. I sit down and shed my boots, coat, and neckerchief before laying down to sleep. I never realized how tired I am until my head hit the pillow. I fall asleep instantly.

-----

Arthur's POV

I open my eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the light that filters through the cracks in the ceiling. Where am I? I glance around at my surroundings. I'm lying on the ground atop a mountain of plush pillows. A blanket is pulled up to my chest. There's a man beside me, sifting through a pile of potions and herbs. He's rather large and seems to be dangerous if provoked. My gaze hardens instantly when I notice a mark on the mans wrist. Three spirals circling out from a shared epicentre. A mark my father has drilled in my head to be evil. The mark of a Druid.

I remain still, hoping the man hasn't noticed me awake yet. I glance around the small tent. Merlin's no where to be seen. I start to worry. What if something happened to Merlin? Something bad. My heart hammers in my chest. I can't let something happen to him! Not him of all people!

I close my fists around the blankets. My teeth clenched with rage. Slowly, I rise from the makeshift bed. I stalk closer to the man as quietly as possible. I ready myself before pouncing onto the mans back. I throw him to the side so I can see his face before one of my hands wraps around his neck. My other hand clasps over the mans mouth, rendering him unable to speak. The man seems unfazed by my sudden attack. He simply raises up his hands in surrender.

I glare daggers at him. I won't fall for any of his tricks. "I'm going to remove my hand from your mouth. If you scream I will snap your neck. Understand?" I hiss.

The man gives a nod. Still with the same calm, also slightly amused, expression but the amusement fades quickly. Instead, it's replaced by what seems to be... pity? I move my hand away. The Druid smiles sadly but doesn't say a word.

"Alright, now where is Merlin?" I ask angrily, closing my grip around his neck.

"He's fine. Should be sleeping right now," the man answers flatly.

I squeeze tighter. Anger flaring in my every movement. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing. Like I said he's sleeping."

I didn't want to believe the man. There's no way I can trust a Druid. "Where is he?"

"He's in the tent to the right of this one. I assure you he is unharmed."

I finally let go of the mans neck hesitantly. I keep my eyes locked on his as I slowly make my way out. His eyes look at me sadly, as though he knows of something I didn't. "Arthur Pendragon..." The man mumbles.

I stop in my tracks. How does he know who I am? "And Emrys huh..." The man continues to say under his breath.

I stare in confusion. Emrys? Who's that? He looks up at me again. His eyes with even more sadness then before. "It seems you both fell in love with someone you shouldn't have." The man sighs.

Fell in love? I'm not in love with anyone and certainly not with this 'Emrys'!

"What are you-" I'm interrupted by someone walking in behind me.

I whip around, prepared to attack until I see who's waiting at the entrance. "Merlin!" I say in surprise and joy.

"Arthur! You're awake!" He replies happily, his usual goofy smile on his face.

I walk over and bring him into a hug. He returns the gesture before we part.

Merlin turns to the man behind me with a grin. "Thank you Aglain. I don't know what I would have done without you."

The Druid, Aglain I assume, smiles warmly at Merlin. "It was no problem," he says. He gets to his feet.

I push Merlin behind me instantly. "Merlin you know this... sorcerer?" I say the last word with disgust.

I can feel Merlin flinch behind me at my tone. He recovers quickly though. "Yes, I do. I suggest you treat him better prat as he just saved your life!" Merlin exclaims somewhat with irritation.

"He saved my life?!" I say incredulously, turning on Merlin.

"Don't you feel perfectly fine right now despite being shot with a poison tipped arrow?"

I realize what he means. I glance down and see the faint scar in my side where the arrow must have entered. I can remember the agony of the poison when it first entered my system. I guess they aren't lying. Suddenly another thought hits me. "You trusted a sorcerer?"

Merlin looks at me with hurt but, again, hides it quickly. "Yes I did. Is that a problem?"

"Of course it is! Sorcerers are... they're all corrupted! They're twisted people who only use their powers for themselves. You can't fall for their facade!" I finish angrily, hoping the little idiot would understand how dangerous these people are when suddenly, I feel something connect with the side of my face.

My cheek stings. I can feel blood on the inside of my mouth. Pain flares across my face. I turn my head back to face Merlin. His eyes are rimmed with red. Tears prickle in the corners of them. He has his hand clenched at his side. It didn't take a genius to know he punched me.

"I'm sorry Arthur," he says my name with a hint of disgust and didn't sound at all apologetic, "for being a corrupted and twisted person." With that he turns and runs off.

I continue to stare at the empty space before me. I have my hand held up to my cheek. My eyes stare blankly into the air. Merlin just admitted to being a sorcerer, albeit indirectly but I understood what he meant by those words, yet... I feel no anger to his betrayal. None at all. Instead, my heart feels crushed. Hurt because I had hurt him. I didn't know why it feels like this. He's only my friend, right? So why does it feel like my heart has just been pierced with a thousand knives?