Secrets of the past - Prince Merlin fanfic

Chapter Eleven

The golden-haired king of Camelot was walking around the hideout. He had been escorted to his tent but it hadn't taken long before he had gone to look for his manservant. It was normal that Merlin would disappear for a while but now they were in a different kingdom and Arthur became slightly worried that everything wasn't right. Where would Merlin go?

He checked the servants' tents and armour stocks but it appeared that he had vanished in the air.

Now he started towards the prince James's tent where the prince was talking with some knights. When he saw Arthur's figure nearing, he said something to the brown-haired knight who arguably where Sir Lancelot. The knight nodded and left.

"Is something wrong?" the prince asked with a worried tone. Apparently, Arthur looked more concerned than he thought.

"Yes, I can't find my manservant anywhere," he said trying to seem calm. After his words, the knights glanced at each other's like they knew something he didn't. It gave him an incredulous feeling.

The prince, on the other hand, didn't show any expressions anymore. "Actually, I asked him to do some chores because some of our servants have been sick lately," he answered.

"Where is he now?" He asked, not convinced about the explanation.

"Probably with other servants," the prince stated slowly. Arthur didn't believe that at all because he had checked the place. Now the voice in his head was screaming that something was clearly wrong. But it was also clear that they weren't going to tell him what was going on so he decided to nod and leave without other words before he would start yelling and accusing them of lying. That would be unprofessional.

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The walls of the kingdom of Airasan rose in front of Merlin and Andrew. They were hiding in the same forest near the rampart, where Merlin had always run away, before the coup.

The prince had been waiting this moment for a long time but now seeing the familiar castle made him a little scared. He was sure people's opinion of him were going to be negative because he had fled and left everyone at the mercy of his brother. He hadn't come to help them and even now he hadn't been the one who started this reclaiming attempt. People surely thought he didn't care about them. Who would want to follow that kind of person?

Andrew's quiet whisper pulled him from his anxious thoughts. "There is it."

Merlin peered where the knight had pointed at. In that spot, there was a small door in the wall.

After they had left from the hideout, Andrew had explained how one ally from inside was going to leave some side door unlocked so they would be able to get inside without being seen.

After peeking in every direction, Andrew ran to the door and the prince trailed him. With a rapid door opening, they stepped inside.

In front of them opened, a long aisle which furcated in the end. Because Merlin had grown up in the castle, playing hide and seek with the knights, he knew every corner of it. Which is why he automatically knew which way the cells were.

He checked with his magic, that the path was clear of guards, before continuing. It should take less than half an hour to rescue the boy and flee. With his magic, he could stop all the guards.

Now they arrived at the cell passageway were normally, almost all the cells were empty but now there were people in all of them. There were men, women but also some children who shouldn't be held captive. Merlin knew instantly who was behind this. His brother. Probably, no one had done anything wrong. His brother just enjoyed treating everyone so poorly.

Merlin looked at the closest cell in front of him. There were two women and man staring right back at him. Their gazes were filled with exhaustion but also dread. Their appearance was clearly unhealthy after spending time in filthy cells.

Merlin took one step closer which cause them to flinch backwards away from him. Why would they be scared of him?

The prince turned to Andrew with his eyebrows rumbled together in confusion. But before he had time to ask about their odd behaviour, he felt sharp pain on the back of his skull. Which causes him to fall and hit the ground with black spots in his sight.