I Will Protect You - BxB (BBC Merlin)

Chapter Four

Tristan's P.O.V

"You're in a rather foul mood today," Alex comments about an hour in as we're riding down the tree lined path. The trees are various colors of green. You can hear the wildlife around us and the horses trotting through the dirt covered path. 

"I'm with Alex," I say but Leo doesn't respond to either of us. 

Even after Alex throws a playful insult at him, he doesn't even react. The two of us look at each other and exchange a look of concern over Leo. 

"Did we do something to make you angry with us?" Alex asks. Leo shakes his head but doesn't say anything. 

"Is this about what father said?" Alex asks while glancing at me. 

Leo inhales deeply before saying, "No. I didn't want to worry mother but I didn't sleep much last night. I'm just tired." 

We continue to ride down the path when suddenly a crossbow bolt hits Leo's shoulder, knocking him off of Storm, his horse. Three men rush Leo, ignoring me and Alex. Alex reaches for his sword but before he can get it he slumps forward. A sleeping enchantment? I look around to find the magic user and see her behind a tree. 

"Forb fleoghe! / Fly forth!" I say softly to myself. She flies back into another tree and falls to the floor so I turn to help Leo who is being restrained by three men. 

"Get them both! Kill the servant!" I hear a man, who I assume is the leader, yell. ["Remember that no one can know of your gift Tristan," father says.] What do I do?! If I use my magic then Leo will definitely see it. If I don't, then Leo and Alex will be taken. I'll be killed. I don't have a choice! I'm supposed to protect them!

"Get my brother out of here!" Leo shouts. He kicks back the fourth man who tries to restrain him. He gets loose and punches the man on his right. "Tristan!" Leo shouts again. He can handle himself. He'll be right behind me. 

Following his orders I grab the reins to Alex's horse and turn back towards Camelot. I swallow back the lump in my throat and ride back to Camelot as fast as I possibly can. Storm is the fastest horse in the kingdom and Leo can handle himself. He'll catch up in no time. Alex moans groggily as he starts to wake up. 

"What happened...?" he asks. I pull back on the reins so he can sit up correctly. He gets off his horse and I do the same before asking how he's feeling and if he remembers what happened. I'm relatively sure that it was just a sleeping enchantment but I need to be sure. "I'm fine and I remember. Where's Leo?" he asks while looking around. 

"He... I had to leave him behind..." I explain with regret. 

"What?! Why?!" I tell him how Leo asked me to get him safe. 

"So you left him?! Why didn't you help him?!" he asks angrily. 

"What was I supposed to do?" I ask in return. He doesn't answer and instead turns in the direction where we left Leo. I grab his shoulder but he tells me not to touch him. I tell him that I know he's worried, as am I but all Leo asked of me was to make sure he was safe. I suggest that we go back to Camelot for help. 

"Fine..." he says and climbs back on his horse, Thor.

As soon as we get back to Camelot we inform the king and queen about what had happened. King Soren immediately orders the knights to go find Leo. 

"I want him found, now. You," he says darkly while looking at me, "You never should've left him alone. Not for any reason." When he says the last part he glances at Alex. 

"Soren. Tristan did what Leo asked of him and saved Alex," Queen Elena says. She thanks me for my actions. I nod even though I don't feel I deserve any thanks. After all, I did leave Leo behind.