Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Merlin characters.

Summary: Camelot is on the verge of falling. As Arthur is too busy trying to safe his land, he barely notices the absence of Merlin. Where is Merlin anyway and what does Uther have to do with his absence?

Set during season 2: That way, I can use Morgause as the 'bad' of this chapter, but I am also able to have a good Morgana. I just like her more when she is still at Arthur's and Merlin's side.

AN: Any and all mistakes are completely my own.

- For the Love of Camelot -

Chapter 1

Noise.

Arthur was surrounded by it. Men screaming, metal clattering, trees breaking as if they were nothing more than a twig. For one short moment, Arthur absorbed it all. Everything that was happening around him seemed to happen almost in slow motion.

That of course wasn't true. This was real life, real danger and a real war. Men were dying around him, blood was being spilled and it seemed that there was nothing Arthur could do about it.

He glanced to his left, seeing Lancelot strike down an enemy who had tried to sneak up on the young Knight. His sword quickly slashed the unknown man's troath and blood immediately gushed from the wound. The man gurgled, gasping for breath, but he almost instantly fell down, dead.

Lancelot didn't hesitate and moved on to his next oponent who seemed determined to avenge his friend's death. Arthur wanted to help Lancelot, but a cry coming from his right called his attention. Gawain was hit as a dagger had cut his shoulder, but the dark haired man immediately turned to avoid another slash. His own sword swirled elegantly through the air and landed on his attacker's head.

Arthur was dazzled by all the actions, but he didn't have time to try and adjust himself to it. As he ran forward, ready to attack another enemy, he needed to block yet another attack. They were simply outnumbered and already many men of Camelot had fallen. It seemed there came no end to this battle and more than fifty enemies still surrounded them while there were barely fifteen Knights still standing.

Arthur had no other choice.

"Retreat!" he called out, making sure every men could hear him. "Retreat!"

-o-o-

Uther's mind was restless. He had received word that Arthur and his men had been ambushed and only one thought ran through his mind: the hope of a safe return for his son. Arthur was Camelot's future after all. This land needed a good leader and Uther knew his son was capable of the task. He had raised Arthur himself after all.

As he walked through the hallways of his castle, he heard noises coming from Arthur's bedchambers. It surprised him to hear someone in there and so he quickly set out to see who had entered his son's chambers. The door was slightly parted and Uther could see it was that servant boy.

What was his name again. Merlin. That was it. Uther was about to turn around and walk away again when he saw Merlin knocking over a bucket of water, only it didn't fall.

The bucket remained in place, perfectly balancing in an unnatural position, somewhere between standing up and clattering on the floor, having water spill everywhere. Uther stretched out his neck to see properly into the room without Merlin noticing him and he closely observed how the young servant boy quickly reached for the bucket, setting it straight again.

It wasn't possible...it simply couldn't be. And yet it had happened. Uther had seen it with his own eyes after all. There was a sorcerer right here under his noise, one working for his son at that!

A rage spread through Uther's body, starting at his fingertips and slowly reaching the pit of his stomach. How could he not have seen this! He only had one thought anymore, and that was that he needed to take care of this before Arthur would return to Camelot.

AN: I don't know what I am thinking...beginning yet another story, but I actually had a dream about Merlin the other night and when I woke up, I could still remember every detail. It was scene I just needed to use in a story and then I came up with this.

I can only hope you liked it and that it was a good beginning... Thanks for having read this chapter!