YOU CAN'T ESCAPE DESTINY | ARTHUR PENDRAGON [2]

More Than You Will Ever Understand

*Third Person's P.O.V.*

        Arthur and Merlin, having finally reached their destination, hid behind the trees as they gazed at the fortress in front of them. There was not much to be seen in the dark, but the massiveness of it did not escape their notice.

        "We'll have to scale the walls," said Arthur, eyeing the tower that he was held the woman he loved.

        "Maybe there's another way in," suggested Merlin, his voice meek. Of course, neither one of them believed the words that had just escaped him, but the warlock had to try.

        "Why don't you go and knock on the front gate?" suggested the prince, sarcasm dripping from his every word. "I'm sure if you ask nicely, they'll hand Annabelle and Guinevere over to you." And with those words, the young Pendragon stood up from his position in the bushes started making his way down the tree line. Merlin stared after his master for a split second before rolling his eyes. Of course, he would scale the walls to get to his sister and the woman he loved; hell, he would scale a hundred walls. That did not mean he had to like it.

        The young warlock had just gotten to his feet to follow Arthur, when a movement between the bushes caught his attention from the corner of his eye.

        "Arthur!" he hissed, keeping the volume as low as possible while still alerting the prince. The blond man whipped around, his mouth already parted to no doubt reprimand his servant for going too slow, when Merlin lifted his hand and pointed in the direction of the movement. The prince, having turned his head and seen the rustle himself, quickly drew his sword and, with a quick motion to Merlin for the servant to stay behind him, slowly began to make his way towards the trees in their line of sight.

        As quietly and stealthily as possible, Arthur maneuvered his way in between the branches, before pressing his back against the bark of one of the trees, with Merlin close on his heels. The two men hid behind the trees as the rustle grew louder, the person or animal hidden from their sight making their way closer. Waiting only another couple of seconds, just to make sure they were close enough, Arthur suddenly leapt from his position, grabbing the person's arm tightly with his left and pressing his sword to their neck with the other. That, however, turned out not to be necessary.

        "Guinevere!" he exclaimed in shock, finally seeing the person's face. Gwen's eyes, still filled with tears and fear, grew equally as wide as the prince's.

        "Sire," she breathed and, having realized he still hadn't done so, Arthur quickly lowered his sword.

        "Gwen?" came a voice from just behind Arthur and Gwen's eyes moved to follow it. When they rested on the owner of the voice, the tears from her eyes spilled and her lips turned upwards in a smile.

        "Merlin!" she half exclaimed, half sobbed, pulling her arm from Arthur's hold with a might she did not know she possessed and running to her love. Within seconds, she was enveloped safely into his arms and finally, for the first time since the ambush, began to cry in earnest.

        "What happened?" whispered Merlin, stroking her hair tenderly, "How did you get out?" Gwen only continued to cry, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

        "Where is Annabelle?" Arthur finally asked. He kept quiet for as long as he could but it turned out not to be very long. He had to know where Annabelle was. He had to know that she was still alive.

        "I don't... I don't know," said Gwen quietly, finally pulling away from Merlin but only far enough to be able to speak to the prince. Her face was turned in his direction but her body remained in Merlin's arms. "I don't know for sure but I think she's still in there."