"I will treat the boy, but as soon as he's well, you must get him out of Camelot. And woe betide anyone caught with him. Well, one thing we know for sure" Gaius said as he examined the boy.
"What's that?" Merlin asked.
"You're no physician" I held back a giggle at the Court Physician's comment.
That night, Merlin and I handled the dinner shift together. Merlin needed the keys in order to get the boy out of Camelot and he dragged me with him as backup in case things went sideways. We served the Prince a beef stew from the Palace kitchen and Merlin used his usual magic to lift the keys up gently, trying his best not to make a sound. Which I imagine must be tricky given the keys were on Arthur's belt.
"Is there any bread?" The keys jangled above his head,"What was that?"
"What?" Merlin played clueless.
"There was a sound"
"Was there?" Merlin continued while I remained silent beside him. I would laugh too much to handle any of this. The keys dangled again as it dodged the Prince's sight.
"What is that? Can't you hear it?!"
"I can't hear anything" The Prince then moved his sights to me. I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders.
"Are you deaf? It's like a... jangling sound" Arthur walked towards us with an incredulous look about his face.
"There!" Merlin pointed behind him.
"What?"
"I thought I saw something" Arthur made his way over to where the manservant pointed and Merlin dropped the keys into the bowl of soup.
"What was that?"
"What was what?" Merlin continued the clueless act, clearly enjoying this way too much.
"A different sound, like a... like a splash" I handed 'Lin some bread.
"Bread?" He offered it to the Prince, quickly changing the subject. Arthur made his way out of the room, checking his hearing,"I guess he doesn't want bread anymore" Merlin took a bite of the roll. I rolled my eyes as I grabbed the keys from the soup and wiped them off.
"You better get going. Morgana must be waiting on you by now" He made a face of sudden realization and ran out the door. Once the warlock took his leave, I cleared up the table from dinner and went on with my nightly duties. Better that I am here than with them because the more people there are... the more likely they are to get caught.
The next morning we all regrouped in Morgana's room following the failed escape last night. A servant had spotted the Lady with the boy as they exited the palace and tipped off the guards. Uther was furious with her, as would be expected from him, Mordred was put in the dungeon and sentenced to execution at dawn.
"I promised that I wouldn't let anything bad happen" Morgana sighed.
"You can't blame yourself. You tried your best" Merlin reassured to no avail.
"It's not enough"
"He's in jail now. There's nothing more we can do" Merlin stated matter of factly and I sent him a glare.
"I will not let him die. Can I count on your help?" Merlin sent a hesitant nod.
"Of course," I said, sending her a small smile. There is no way that I am letting that sweet child die.
"Thank you"
***
Morgana paced around the Prince's room as we waited for his arrival. She's determined to speak with him about the boy and put a stop to this madness. Meanwhile, being Arthur's maidservant, I folded his freshly washed clothes and tended to my usual chores. In this Kingdom, there is no end to the work of a servant.
"Make yourself at home" The Prince entered his room, spotting Morgana.
"You can't let your father execute the boy," She demanded.
"You're lucky he's not executing you. Are you telling me, he was really behind the screen when I came to search your chambers?" The Lady nodded. I glanced at Arthur. He was fuming but still had some shred of concern and understanding on his face, though he was trying to hide it.
"I know you believe your father's wrong to execute him" Morgana plead
"What I believe doesn't matter. My father's made up his mind. He won't be talked out of it. I tried"
"Then the time for talking is over" I came to stand by Morgana to show support.
"Whatever you two are thinking, it's not gonna happen"
"We have to get the boy back to his people" I spoke up.
"No. Forget it"
"I can't believe you'd let an innocent child die!"
"It's too late. He's been caught. I have no choice" Arthur's eyes held a look of remorse and compassion, all of his anger left his face.
"And is this how you will rule when you are King? You're not like your father" Morgana walked closer to the Prince as he leaned against the mantle of his fireplace.
"I will not betray him"
"If I know you at all, you won't stand by and let this happen. Please. If you won't do this for the boy, then do it for me"
***
"Sorry, was I interrupting something?" Merlin walks towards us as he enters the Prince's chamber.
"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Go make yourself useful, muck out my horses" Arthur quickly dismisses the manservant, but Morgana intervened.
"I trust him" At the Lady's word, he waves Merlin in.
"We're going to break the Druid boy out of the dungeons"
Merlin all but yells,"You can't do that"
"Merlin!" I gave him a blunt whack on the chest and sent a look,"We have to. Uther's going to execute him at dawn"
"I mean...it's too dangerous. Morgana's already been caught once, and if the King catches her a second time, he'll never forgive her" 'Lin held eye contact with me, asking me not to push the issue further. That stupid, cryptic lizard! He must've spoken with him. I need to have a long chat with that Dragon.
Morgana spoke, pulling all of our attention,"I'm not worried about myself"
"Merlin's right. When my father finds out the boy's escaped, he will suspect you being involved" The Prince agreed.
"It's suicide" Stop it Merlin!! If only I could use telepathy like him. Lucky him that I don't, he would be on the end of a rather harsh lecture on loyalty and thinking for one's self.
Arthur turned to Morgana,"You must go to my father and apologize. Dine with him, he cannot hold you responsible if you're with him when the boy escapes".
"You need me if the plan's to work. You can't do this on your own"
"Merlin will take your place"
"Me?"
"Scarlett and I are going to take the boy out through the burial vaults. There's a tunnel that leads beyond the city walls. Get my horse from the stables and meet me there. There's a grate that covers the entrance to the tunnel. Bring a rope and a grappling hook to pull it off" The Prince orders.
"No... No. I can't..." Merlin stubbles in search of an excuse.
"Merlin. Do you understand? If you're not there to meet us. We'll surely be caught" Merlin nodded.
"Merlin, a word" I ordered as I grabbed his arm and dragged him out into the hall. Morgana and Arthur surely sent us confused stares but right now I couldn't care less.
"What?" Merlin asked me with a short temper.
"What on Earth was that!?"
"I don't-"
"No! You are acting strange today and you are going to tell me why" He shrugged at my glaring look I gave him.
"I am not acting differently" He stood his ground.
"It's Kiligarah isn't it"
"Who??" Dear lord, this boy is hopeless.
I rolled my eyes,"The Great Dragon. The one you have been visiting since we first arrived in Camelot" His eyes widened as he dragged me into an alcove.
"How do you know about the Dragon?!" He whispered.
"Merlin, what do you think?" I was exasperated with him,"Are you really that thick?"
"Oooohh..."
"Duh. You need to use your own brain every once in a while,'lin. Kiligarah can be wrong sometimes and he isn't all knowing. He isn't God! He is just a cryptic lizard who happens to be really old. Dude, do you only have one brain cell at your disposal?"
"One what?"
I took a deep breath,"It doesn't matter right now. You are going to help save the life of the boy you risked your neck for without a thought. He is just a child. It doesn't matter what he will do, Kiligarah may like to think he can see the future but no one can"
"Fine.." He relented. With a deep sigh of relief, I embraced the boy who I have grown to see as a brother.
***
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Arthur asked me as we stood at the stairwell leading to the dungeons.
With a nod I replied,"Yes". Descending down stairs, Arthur led just in front of me holding a torch. There was a cool breeze that grew as we got lower and lower into the lowest floor of the massive palace. The yellowish, orange light of fire provides some small amount of warmth above us. Reaching the halfway point of the stairs, The Prince turned to me, held a finger to his lips, and handed me a cloth to cover my mouth as he threw a smoking bag towards the guards. Once we knew for certain that they were all unconscious, Arthur grabbed the keys. We ran to the young boy's cell and opened the door.
"Don't be scared. I've sent word to your people, we're taking you to them. You must come with us" Arthur stretched his hand out to Mordred, who hesitantly took it,"This way".
At the gate, we searched for Merlin only to find he wasn't here,"Merlin! Merlin!" Arthur called.
"Don't worry, he'll be here" I reassured Mordred.
"Merlin!" The Guards could be heard at the end of the tunnel. Arthur snuffed out the torch and I pulled Mordred close to me.
"I think they went that way," One of the guards yelled.
"Look over there" Another guard barked orders as they searched.
"Yes, sir." Arthur drew his sword, pulling the boy and I close,as they grew near. Mordred grabbed my waist tightly causing me to comb my hand through his hair. An attempt at soothing him, despite my own fears.
"Hey" Merlin ran to the gate.
"Where have you been!?!?" Arthur exasperated.
"I had trouble getting out of the castle" Mordred narrowed his eyes at Merlin.
"Wrll, get this grate off, they're coming!" The Prince whispered. "Lin attached the grappling hook and successfully removed the grate. I climbed onto the horse behind Arthur and Merlin hoisted Mordred up to sit in front of Arthur,"If my father asks where I am, I've gone on a hunting trip and Scarlett has come along with me. You'd better make yourself scarce, or they'll execute you in his place"
At that, Merlin ran off back into the castle from the way which he came and we rode off to meet up with the Druids. The ride was fast but somehow smooth. We arrived at the camp just before dawn. I hopped off of the horse and helped the boy down, only to be met by a tight hug. I hugged Mordred back and smiled,"Be safe, Mordred" He sent me a large smile as I whispered to him.
"We are forever indebted to you, Arthur Pendragon, from returning the boy to us" A druid named Iseldir said as he placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and smiled.
"Go on, Mordred. You are safe now and back with your people" I smiled and gave him one last squeeze before climbing back onto Arthur's horse.
"You must not let it be known that it was I who brought him to you" Arthur calmly requested.
"We will tell no one. You have my word"
As the druids turned to leave, Arthur called out,"Wait, I don't even know your name. At least tell me your name" Mordred looked to the Iseldir for permission.
"It's alright"
"My name is Mordred," I smiled at him, sending a nod.
"Good luck, Mordred," Arthur spoke before we rode home to Camelot.
A/N: Happy almost th of July to those in the United States :) I hope you enjoy this chapter and please let me know what you think.