THE FORGOTTEN PRINCE

KIDNAPPED

TIME SKIP TWO YEARS LATER 

MERLIN

Merlin was sprinting through the woods trying to catch up to Arthur who had just been kidnapped by a group of bounty hunters, apparently Morgause had put a bounty on his head though who would dare to try and collect the bounty of a King Merlin had no idea. 

He had left Morgana and his sister back in Camelot he knew that Morgana was perfectly safe with Athena, they had grown closer over the past two years. Arthur had made Athena first knight of Camelot not long after she came to Camelot and he smiled remembering her reaction to the news, she had almost knocked Arthur of his throne as she rushed to hug him. 

Merlin slowed when he felt his magic spike in warning and he ducked as a mace came flying over his head, he turned to find that one of the bounty hunters had doubled back, having been posted as a look out. 

"Ástríce" his eyes flashed gold as he slammed the bounty hunter against the tree, believing that he was coming up on his target scanning his surroundings he slowed his pace.     

"Andslyht" he said and the air around him blew the leaves of some hidden boot prints and Merlin followed the trail knowing that it would lead him to Arthur. 

A weight had been lifted off his shoulders when Arthur had told him that he knew of Merlins magic and even though it was still illegal Arthur didn't seem to mind him using it, Arthur was slowly trying to change the laws on magic for both Merlin and Morgana and now Athena but it was difficult as not everybody had seen magic being used for good. Merlin sighed he may be able to use magic in front of Arthur but he was still keeping secrets from his King and he knew that Athena was having a hard time with it too. 

They needed to tell them about their past but the time never seemed right, something always got in the way, he spotted smoke in the distance and he smirked the bounty hunters weren't all that bright apparently.

.....

An hour later Merlin came upon their camp and he dropped to the floor slowly creeping across the ground so that he wasn't spotted. Merlin could hear at least four different voices. 

"Hey watch it" one of them snapped and Merlin couldn't hide the smile that split his face, he recognised that voice it belonged to his King after all. 

Merlin peered over the ridge to find that Arthur was bound to a tree with thin chains and Merlin wondered why he didn't just break them they looked too thin to be able to hold up against that kind of pressure, but as he got a closer look he grimaced the chains were enchanted. Merlin remembered them well he had been trussed up in them once himself and it had been Kilgharrah who had got him out of them, he grumbled under his breath. 

Why did Arthur have to get himself into these kinds of situations? Was one day not saving his royal prat too much to ask? Merlin stayed where he was for the minute waiting to see if there were more than he could currently see, he needed to know how many there were before he made his move not that it particularly mattered. 

Merlin had grown in his magic and he barley flinched when he had to cast powerful spells which he used to find difficult, it didn't matter how many he would face as long as he saved his King, Merlin would face a whole army if he had too to protect Arthur. 

One of the thugs walked up to Arthur shoving something into his hands sloshing it all over the King in the process and Arthur glared at him.

"Oi" Arthur said irritation clear in his voice and the guy turned back raising an eyebrow.