A silvery snake shot across the dirt-encrusted path, and Merlin's mare jumped up as the slithering animal went in front of her. Jolting sideways and prancing, she reared up on her back two legs, effectively dropping a sleeping Merlin into a rather large collection of dirt and rocks on the side of the path. He landed with audible thud, his shoulder blades smacking against the rocks embedded in the small road.

Ahead of him, the crowned prince craned his neck back at the small commotion, looking first to Merlin's horse who was now nervously stepping off to the side of the trail, then to the sorry figure of his manservant, lying flat on his back in the dirt.

"Perhaps we could have one of the knights lead her for you, Merlin." Arthur said as he examined his rather pathetic looking servant on the ground, hearing the accompanying knights chortle in the background behind the fallen Merlin.

His clumsy servant was always a point of both amusement and annoyance on prolonged hunting expeditions such as this. He always provided a series of clumsy mishaps that Arthur could endlessly tease him about, until of course the manservant came up with a sharp retort aimed at the Prince. Which most of the time, he deserved.

This quick-witted retort was what Arthur was in fact waiting for, having known Merlin for so long, when he noticed that one wasn't returned. Turning his face from his grinning knights back to his servant, he noticed another thing too, Merlin wasn't moving, let along making any type of sound.

"Merlin?" Arthur dismounted his own mare, San and walked over to his fallen man. A small grunt escaped Merlin's pale lips, and Arthur kneeled down to shake him. He wondered what his knights would think of this… the prince of Camelot kneeling in the mud for a servant boy.

"Merlin. Get up." He said, letting some well practiced authority creep back into his voice. For a long minute, nothing happened, and for some reason Arthur felt a strong feeling rise up in him, it was worry.

He looked up at his knights… they were- in the eyes of the world- much more important than Merlin, yet he felt no worry for their well-being even in battle. But here he was, worrying about his clumsy, idiotic, extremely loyal, servant. Mumbling from below brought his eyes back down.

"Wha… what's goin..?" Merlin's eyes slowly cracked open. All he could remember was riding through the forest and then… nothing. He had fallen asleep! What an idiot! He was supposed to be protecting Arthur from all the horrible things that could happen in this place they were heading deep into, and he had taken this time to take a nap? Gaius' words rang back through his head, Merlin, you must be extra vigilant, the place you are going, The Forest of Anobaith, has been known to foster dangerous men of both steel and sorcery. It is in the middle of the three kingdoms, no law governs there, Merlin.

Merlin shuddered. "Have we reached the Forest of Anobaith?" He surprised them all with the coherent question.

"No... we have another five hours journey before we reach there." A nearby knight answered.

Arthur frowned. Why had he even worried? He was just about to ask Merlin if he had dozed off or if he was just mental, when the servant slid back a pale hand to the back of his head before removing it, he placed his now blood coated hand infront of his now, even paler face. A look of shock crossed his face and he looked down at the rocks littering the path. OH. He thought. He shouldn't- no- couldn't look weak, so he placed his bloodied hand on the ground and tried to stand up. What had Gauis told him again? Head injuries always bleed worse than they are. Yes, that was it.

"Merlin, this isn't the time for you to act tough. We need to bandage that, now sit down. NOW." He said, sending Merlin that do-it-or-I'll-make-you look. Merlin sat back down, but off to the side on a nearby log. He stared off into space as one of the knights cleaned his head wound, which in fact was pretty deep, and bandaged it. As the knight finished, Merlin mumbled a 'thank you' before heading off to his horse on the side of the trail as Arthur walked after him.

"You alright then?" he cleared his throat.

"Yeah, I will be."

"Because you look..."-Arthur studied him for a moment- "thoughtful."

"I'm just thinking about what Gauis said before we left."

"Gauis? Come on, Merlin… don't tell me you actually believe all that nonsense?! Silly superstition. That's all."

"Is that what you really think or what your Father told you?" Merlin knew he was treading a thin rope, but maybe if he could ingrain the idea that this place actually was dangerous then it would keep Merlin from having to save Arthur's royal ass sometime in the next week.

"Merlin. You can't say things like that. My father is an honorable man and a great King, I trust his judgment above all others…" Arthur said this even as he questioned it.

Around his knights he had to be the Prince they knew, besides, if he wasn't that, then what was he really? And that was a question Arthur himself didn't want to explore. Because the answer would be a different person, someone who cares for common folk way more than he should, someone who loves a servant girl and would honestly rather tease and talk to his loyal manservant than spend an afternoon training with his knights.

This Arthur, he couldn't be. Not now. And as he looked at Merlin, whose blue eyes shown that he knew Arthur better than maybe even he himself did, he saw that Merlin knew this truth, and he had to turn and walk away.

Merlin sighed. He knew Arthur could not say anything he truly felt in front of his men, but still he wanted for Arthur to trust him on this. After all, if he did, maybe it would end up saving his life. Hanging his head regretfully, he got warily back onto his horse, testing her to see if she was about to buck again, but she seemed to have recovered from the earlier panic attack. He petted her mane... singing a quiet lullaby.

CRACK.

Merlin jerked up his head in time to notice the snake from earlier sneaking through the brush. It had stayed so close all this time???

He studied the way the light shined off its scales as it fleetingly meandered through the forest floor, before in a second it was set aflame with dancing waves of green magic and wisped in the autumn air before fizzling completely out.