Change of Plans

[Arthur Pendragon]

Well . . . things had not exactly gone according to plan. Arthur could not understand it! How the hell had they known about the tunnels? He had bet his life they didn't and he just could not believe that they had seemed to be fully aware of it. They had been waiting for them, as if they had read their mind, knowing exactly what plan they made to break in to rescue Elyan and then quickly escape. Unfortunately, none of them were going anywhere any time soon. Arthur would not have been as concerned had the life of the four others not been at stake. If he had been able to convince Cenred to release them, then everything would have been fine . . . well, relatively.

But he could not now. Gwen, Merlin, Elyan, Morgana . . . all of them were in danger, and he would not let any harm come to a single one of them. As he was thrown into the dungeon right after Merlin, the door was slammed behind them. Arthur stood there, looking at the dungeon. There was a small mat to sit on, and that was it. He felt horrible; if any of them were hurt, he would never forgive himself. He turned to the door, as if he was waiting for someone to open it again. He knew it was only a matter of time before Cenred would start torturing him for information. While Arthur was not looking forward to that, he feared a worse situation; he feared that Cenred would threaten the lives of one of the other prisoners, to draw information out of him. And this, Arthur could not allow! He needed to find a way out of here . . . he had to.

_{Setting: In the dungeon
Time of Day: Mid day
Timeline: During the castle of fyrien when Arthur and Merlin are thrown into the dungeon
Tag: Merlin Caradoc}

[pie]

This was terrible, completely terrible! Cenred's men had found them in the lower tunnels, and now they were caught! And it was all Morgana's fault, she had somehow told her "partners" about where they were headed. This rescue had turned into an absolute disaster... They had come to rescue Gwen's brother, Elyan, and Morgana just had to come. She ruined it all, insisting. She knew of Arthur and Gwen's feelings, wanted to use it against them... Merlin just fell further into the knowledge that he would never be able to forgive her. Never be able to forgive her for betraying her own friends. He could understand about him, but Arthur and Gwen? All they ever did was care for her...

He stumbled into the cell when he was pushed into it, he turned around to stare forlornly at the door that was slammed behind them. What were they going to do? he wondered. They were at Cenred's, at Morgana's, mercy, and he doubted any "mercy" would be forthcoming. He checked a sigh and sat down against the wall, glaring at the door with a rather helpless stare. He was tempted to blow it down, but with Arthur right there... He couldn't muster the nerve to break the silence, as if breaking the silence would make the worse come true.

What were they going to do?

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur did not have a specific plan, but he was looking around the cell, trying to find a way out. They could not get out from the window, and that would prove to be useless because they had to get back in to save the others. Too bad they were not all thrown into one cell. Even Cenred did not appear to be that stupid though. Even the king, a man so ruthless that he would target defenseless women and use her emotions against it. It was a repulsive act, and just showed Arthur how little honor King Cenred truly had. His act even now proved that; by not letting the others go. He would use them against him, as he already had, and Arthur feared that he had made them permanent targets. What if he went after Gwen again? Or even Merlin now? Yes, Arthur had many reasons to feel guilty for the situation they were in right now.

"Are you alright?" Arthur asked casually, but there was strong concern in his voice. He was too anxious to sit down, so he was standing, still looking around the room as his gaze briefly rested on Merlin. He wanted to at least make sure he wasn't hurt or anything. Even if Arthur didn't act like it, he did care for Merlin's well being. He could not help Guinevère, Morgana, or Elyan right now. He did not know if they were alright, and it was driving him insane. For now, he would focus on what he could.

[pie]

He didn't take his gaze off the door, but the longer he stared at it, the more helpless he began to feel. This was just... not right! They had been caught so easily, and he couldn't even do anything about it! Hadn't done anything about it! And now... now his friends were in danger, Camelot might be in danger, Arthur definitely was in danger... He sighed again and tried not to look so down. He had to be optimistic, yes... Had to be his usual jubilant self! Oh, what was there use in bothering?

Merlin nodded to his question, not wanting to test his voice -- Surely it would crack if he did so! -- and remained silent for many moments after, until he finally decided he shouldn't let silence take him over. "Yeah, I'm fine. What about you?" he stared at the door a moment longer before turning his gaze on the Prince. Sure, they were both well physically, at least enough, but their true wounds went deeper then that.

He sighed and glanced at the door again, not bothering to hid his immensely worried look this time.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur knew that Merlin was not fine. While he physically may be, the worried expression on his face revealed that he was not, and Arthur could not blame him. Arthur himself, was not fine either. But to show fear and lose composure especially in a time of danger, was not becoming of a king. He had been taught to always control himself, no matter what the circumstances. But under these particular ones, he knew it would only be a matter of time before he would not be able to handle the thought of potentially losing so many people he cared about.

He ignored his question, finding no purpose in it. Instead, Arthur went over to where there was been a very pathetic mattress set down, and he sat on it, not fully laying out his legs. He briefly looked at Merlin before just looking down. "I'm sorry about this," he told him in a low voice. They had all trusted him, giving them good reason to, and he had disappointed them all, and may very well have caused their deaths.

[pie]

Merlin let his gaze linger on Arthur as he ignored his question and sat down on the rather dingy mattress. When Arthur looked at him, then away, and spoke, Merlin felt a twinge of guilt for his friend. No, it wasn't all Arthur's fault! There were so many men there, how could he possibly expect to fight all alone (for he didn't do much, and Morgana was surely not serious)? "Arthur... it's not your fault," he said slowly, casting him another look before leaning his head against the wall, staring at the ceiling. He measured his words carefully, making sure that he wouldn't slip in something to make it worse.

Arthur's words had showed Merlin how much this really bothered him. He knew that it would, but for the Prince to be so open... He had to be optimistic, though he wasn't in the mood... He had to somehow cheer the Prince up; somehow he had to make him stop worrying so much. Nether could think of a plan, even though Merlin so no way out of this this time, if they just worried.

"It's not your fault," he repeated. "We are all to blame, Arthur. You did the best that you could in the situation. If I wasn't so useless..." he sighed and closed his eyes, still leaning his head against the wall. If he wasn't so useless what? He would have been able to hold off the attackers? No. "If I wasn't so useless... maybe, and that's a small maybe, I could have helped."

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur was not so willing to accept Merlin's assurance that it was not his fault. It was his fault. He knew it. He knew that the only reason Elyan was kidnapped in the first place, was because if him. He knew that the only reason Morgana, Guinevère, Merlin and Elyan were now in even more danger, was because of him. It was all because of who he was; the future King to the throne that Cenred has wanted for many, many years. And now, there was a simple way to claim it, and find out as much as he could about Camelot's defenses so he would not have to wait for Uther to die of old age.

Arthur still did not look at Merlin. He just looked down in a pensive silence. He knew he gave Merlin a very difficult time; often calling him useless and such. But had the Prince truly felt this way, he would not have kept him around so long. He did not want Merlin blaming himself for any of this either. Gwen, Merlin, even Morgana who's training had been very limited, were not skilled with swords; well, skilled enough to defend themselves against Cenred's knights. But he should have never let them come; he should have found a way to keep them in Camelot.

"I should not have let any of you come," he told him, continuing to speak in a low, but sincere voice. "I should not have let any of you put yourself in this kind of danger." Had they stayed behind, and Arthur ventured out . . . yes, he would probably have gotten caught, and killed, but there would have been a better chance for them to have released Elyan, and Arthur would not have had four people's blood on his hands; people that he cared a great deal for. Merlin was not useless to the Prince, and Arthur wanted him to understand that if this just happened to be their last conversation.

[pie]

Merlin closed his eyes even tighter at Arthur's words, taking in a deep breath. The Prince still blamed himself, but it wasn't his fault, as far as Merlin was concerned! All of this was Morgana's fault! Had she not told... whoever she told!, (and he was fairly certain it was Morgause) then none of them would be here, in the dungeons, ready to be slaughtered and killed like pigs waiting for the butcher. No, this was not Arthur's fault, it was Morgana's. Morgana... who had turned her back on the two friends (for he didn't consider himself amongst them any longer) who cared for her above anything in the world.

But he couldn't let Arthur continue to blame himself for this. It wasn't his fault, truly. Yet Merlin couldn't tell him about Morgana -- Arthur wouldn't believe him surely, and even if he would, Merlin had not the strength (mentally) to tell the already upset Prince such news. Yet he couldn't continue to allow his friend to take all the blame on his shoulders. He had to offer some kind of reassurance, even if the Prince wouldn't listen to it!

But for Arthur to actually think that any of them -- him, Gwen, and, sadly, Morgana (but for different reasons) -- would let him leave them behind so he could take this up himself... No. Him and Gwen would have come to his aid, would have come to assist him. Elyan was Gwen's brother, Arthur was her friend, and she loved him. She would not have let him come alone on such a task. Arthur was Merlin's friend, like a brother to him in a strange way, and was in danger. There would have been nothing that could have prevented him from coming along.

And he intended for Arthur to know that.

"And what would that have solved, Arthur?" he retorted, his head coming away from the wall to look at Arthur seriously. "The fact you're a bigger prat than you admit? You think any of us would have let you come alone? You know Gwen and I would have come anyway! We would have left Camelot, no matter what you did, no matter what you said, and would have ridden out by ourselves to catch up with you. You're our friend, neither of us would have let you come alone!"

And he meant every word, every tone, that came for that statement.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur rarely listened to Merlin -- or at least pretended not to -- and he was not going to start now. He kept ignoring his words, in the sense that though he would respond to them, he would not allow their meaning to ease the Prince's mind. He would not accept the reassurance they were meant to provide to him. He would never, not even if -- when -- they broke out of this place and were on their way back to Camelot. Yes. He needed to focus on that instead of just dwelling in his guilt. Still, he needed to make sure Merlin understood how sorry he was for this, just in case their plan was unsuccessful, as their first one had been. Besides, he did not know how much time they had before those doors opened and one of then was taken away. Arthur did have a vague idea of what they were going to do with him, but with Merlin, Guinevère, Morgana and Elyan . . . he had no idea, and that was what terrified him the most.

Arthur subtly rolled his eyes when Merlin called him a prat . . . even if he actually meant it this time, which considering the seriousness in his voice, Arthur had an idea that he meant it as less of a joke in this case. Him and Guinevère . . . and Morgana? It was a slightly curious thing that Merlin had not mentioned her, as he understood how close she and Arthur were. But still, it was not what he wanted the focus to single in on right now. Maybe he would address it later. But for now, he would reply to only what Merlin had said, not what he didn't say. "And the fact that I let you do that, will forever be my greatest regret."

He told him. It was not just him either, it was Guinevère and Morgana too. He was not trying to sound overly noble, or chivalrous -- even in a kiddingly arrogant way -- . No. He was being completely serious, as regret was in his voice. "Next time, I will just lock you in the dungeon or something," he added in a less serious tone, as he did in fact contemplate the idea of doing so. It would be a good way to keep him from following him. Somehow though, he knew Merlin would find a way around it -- he had the tendency to do that. And while Arthur always told him to stay put, when his servant did happen to come with him . . . the more selfish part of Arthur was often very glad to see him. But right now, the stakes were too high to allow him to feel that relief. He was too worried, too concerned, too afraid.

"You can't keep following me like this Merlin, because one day, it really is going to get you killed." He was annoyed when saying this, and it was displayed in his voice. It was his strange way of showing concern for the man, without sounding overly sentimental. "And the others . . . " Arthur just shook his head a bit in dismay. He could not finish the sentence, afraid of thinking what would become of their fate.

[pie]

Merlin remained silent for a few moments, knowing that he would not be able to convince Arthur that everything was okay. They both knew that everything was not okay, but Arthur wanted to shoulder the blame. Blaming himself wouldn't do anyone any good, and Merlin knew that Arthur was not to blame! Morgana was, her and all her evil intentions. She had come along, insisted to come along, and now here they were, in a cell in Cenred's castle. It wasn't Arthur's fault that he didn't know about Morgana.

Yet he couldn't tell the man. What would he even begin to begin with? "Yeah, your 'sister' who you don't know is related to you wants you dead." Yeah, that would sound just... wonderful and convincing, wouldn't it? No, he couldn't tell Arthur, especially in their current predicament.

But the fact that he was in this predicament didn't seem to bother him as much as the fact that everyone else was. Merlin sighed, even rolled his eyes, and looked away. What to say now? He wasn't going to just sit there and be silent, let the Prince tell him that he shouldn't come along with him. "Arthur... don't let it be your greatest regret. It wasn't a matter of 'letting' us."

He couldn't deny that Arthur's tone, though, worried him. He was being open, or as open as was possible for Arthur, and voicing his regret in an obvious tone. Had Arthur given up? Merlin surely hopped not. They all needed Arthur to be able to escape. He was the strength and battle guy here! If anything, he could think of a plan to help them escape. "I'll escape, Arthur. You're my friend, I won't let you ride into danger alone. You can't defeat everything alone. If anything happened to you, and I hadn't come to help, I wouldn't be able to face the others. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. If..." he took a deep breath and continued, "If my death came from being beside you, then I wouldn't have it any other way. You're more important than I am, to the kingdom, to your father, to Gwen, to me. If my destiny is to die protecting you, or die beside you, then I will fight to do so until my last breath."

He turned away after that, leaving his words at that. If Arthur responded, so be it, Merlin would continue to respond, but he doubted that his words would change. He meant everything that he said. If by following Arthur one day got him killed, he wasn't afraid of it. It would be a death he was proud of, and only more so if it could save Arthur. And he knew Gwen felt the same way.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur looked at Merlin, unable to look away really, when he began to say such things. It was true that Merlin was a lot more vocal about his emotions and such, but hearing him say these things . . . it was surprising. Though it should not be. Perhaps comforting, reassuring, all those things would be better ways to describe it . . . though they could not encompass everything that Arthur felt when hearing those words. He knew Merlin was loyal to him, but to hear him express just how deep this loyalty ran. It was more than the loyalty that a servant had for a Prince. It was a strong friendship, that Arthur would forever value, and forever cherish.

He just stared at him, his expression softer than it had been even when vocalizing his regret. It was filled with a sort of respect that Arthur did not display as much as he should. He did not think that he was more important than Merlin, which was a strange thing to admit. Merlin was a person, more than that, he was his close friend, and that was when, Arthur suddenly felt the urge to not let this happen. He could not let his friend die; not after he had just said all this to him. What kind of man would he be if he just gave up? If he just allowed this to happen, without even fighting to save them. He would be even more of a failure than he was right now. No. He would not let him die. He would not let Guinevère die. He would not let Morgana die. And he would not Elyan die. They would all live; and they would all ride out of here . . . somehow.

With this silent motivation, Arthur just continued to keep his gaze on Merlin, even when he looked away. He was still stunned by his words, but felt honored to hear them. Honored that he had been the one to earn the trust, loyalty, and respect of someone like Merlin. Still, it was hard for Arthur to vocalize all this; he would prove it to him in actions though. He would fight till his last breathe to keep all of these people he cared about alive . . . no matter what it took. After getting over the shock of the deepness of Merlin's words, Arthur raised his hand and placed it on the side of Merlin's shoulder. It was probably the closest thing to a hug that he had done. "If I am to die, then I can think of no greater honor in the world, than dying by the side of such an honorable and loyal friend." He wished he could have explained it better, but he said these words with genuine sincerity, leaving out any trace of sarcasm, or humor. He meant every word of it, and had he been able to express himself as well as Merlin did, he too would have gone further.

[pie]

More than anything at that moment, Merlin wanted to spill everything to him, wanted to tell him that he was a sorcerer, that he couldn't trust Morgana, that he was the best friend that he had ever had. He had the feeling that Arthur might know the last, though. Always had he kept his magic a secret even from his best friends; but now they might not make it out alive... Should he tell Arthur, then? He lost his nerve, however, so no words came forth.

When Arthur placed a hand on Merlin's shoulder, he turned back to look at him. He didn't see the arrogant, pompous Prince -- he saw the noble, kind man that he had become friends with. The man that he had never assumed would become his friend. He was glad, the, that he had saved him that very first time, that the king had granted him the privilege -- for surely it was now! -- of serving Arthur, the man he wanted to become his and Camelot's king more than anyone.

When Arthur spoke, Merlin couldn't have been more... happy. But there was also a profound silence from him, a deep sadness that Arthur felt that way and Merlin couldn't even tell him his secret Still, a smile crossed his face, as if proud -- for he was -- to hear those words They mean a lot to him, and he was glad that Arthur spoke them. "Arthur... thank you," he said after a moment. "That means a lot to me."

He always knew that Arthur was his friend; Their actions and less frequent -- but still there -- 'I want to kill you' moments showed that. It was much different to actually hear it. They had to get out of here, alive. He didn't want this to be their last time with each other. He wanted to continue on, with Arthur and the others -- even Morgana! -- and have more memories. More times spent with each other. He didn't want this to be the last time he spoke to Arthur.

There had to be a way out.

[Arthur Pendragon]

That was it. Arthur needed to think of a way out of here. He leaned against the wall, looking up at the ceiling, trying to anticipate what Cenred's next move was. He would probably torture him . . . whether he tortured just him, or inflicted harm on one of the others to draw information from the Prince. He would no doubt want to know of Camelot's defenses and any weaknesses that they had. Arthur would often say that he'd rather die than reveal such information, but with the amount of leverage Cenred had right now, he was not so sure he could be as quick to come to that conclusion. Still. He had to think a bit more optimistically, even if hope seemed lost. Arthur would not let the others suffer at his expense.

He knew that later, he would shrug off this moment, and the words that they exchanged with one another. But for the time being, it was extremely important, and truly had been the silent, subtle encouragement that the Prince needed to devise a plan. Especially with Merlin's silence that followed his comments -- which he was unknowingly misunderstanding. He was misinterpreting it to be fear, sadness over the fact that all of them were stuck here, and that was what further motivated him to break them out. He would see to it that all of them would be riding out of here.

"Cenred is a coward," Arthur suddenly said. It was the only reason he had kept four innocent people captive when he should have released them! That was not the way of warfare. This was not the way he should be fighting. "He knows he will not succeed in this war, and so in a desperate attempt to claim some sort of victory, he is going against all codes of proper warfare." This was Arthur's way of telling Merlin that this was not how it was supposed to happen; that this was not how it was going to happen; that he was not going to let this happen.

[pie]

Merlin continued to stare at Arthur for long moments before finally turning away. This was pointless, wasn't it? Were they to die here, in this stinking cell, away from the others, and all because Morgana wanted Arthur dead? All because she wanted the throne for herself? This shouldn't be how it should end. No, no one here deserved to die, for no one did anything. Arthur deserved to become king, or at least die honorably or of old age. Gwen... she didn't deserve any of this, she deserved to be happy! And he didn't know Elyan, but if he was Gwen's brother, and she cared for him, than surely he didn't deserve any of this either! No, instead, they were trapped here, helpless.

Yet they couldn't just sit here and do nothing! But he didn't have a plan. What could he do? Blow the door off its hinges? Perhaps, and reveal his secret, and if Morgana tried to play Miss Good Girl again, and Arthur believed her, he couldn't do anything to stop her from coming back to Camelot, where she would probably reveal his secret. And he was sure that Uther would believe her over his words. So, that was a no go. But what, then?

He sighed, and closed his eyes until he heard Arthur's voice again. He gave him a brief glance before looking away again and staring idly at his lap. Proper warfare. Merlin, while he agreed with Arthur's words, didn't care about the proper warfare. The only thing that mattered to him right now was that he was sitting in a cell beside his best friend and who knows what would happen? Arthur's tone didn't register in Merlin's mind. If it did, perhaps he would have realized that Arthur was trying to come up with some king of plan.

"I don't understand why we're not... dead already," he said dejectedly.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur knew full well why they weren't dead. He knew the exact reason Cenred was keeping him alive. "Because, he is going to torture me," Arthur said in a bit of a distracted voice, as he had far more on his mind than to merely think about pain Cenred was going to inflict on him. It would be horrid no doubt; but Arthur would endure it, he had to. Unless of course, as he previous grew more fearful of, Cenred would use more leverage against him. He had all he needed to force answers, but part of Arthur hoped he did not lay a hand on them . . . but then again, if he did not plan on using them, then why would he have kept them here?

"He's going to try to draw information from me, about Camelot's defenses and such," he added, in the same tone as he was looking up at the ceiling. He was trying to think of a way out, and was considering that the most simple option, may be the best. There were probably not many guards out there . . . maybe two, four at the most. Enough for Arthur to handle. All he needed was to get to the others, and then could send them off on their way. If Arthur needed to distract the guards, he would be able to do it, willing to do anything to protect those he cared about, and taking solace in the fact that they had escaped. They still had quite some time though, the guards would not come so soon if they called them. He had to build it up a bit and just pray that the others were not in direct harm . . . well, more so than they already were.

[pie]

Oh wonderful, Cenred planned on torturing Arthur. That made him feel so much better! No, it only made him feel worse. Why did Cenred need to torture Arthur if he had Morgana, anyway? This whole thing made no sense. He wanted to just blow the lot up! Perhaps then they would leave Arthur and the others alone! That's all he wanted, was for the others to finally be safe.

He grunted and sighed, staring at the door again. "Aren't you afraid?" If Merlin was afraid for Arthur, than surely Arthur couldn't be in a great mood about being tortured, either! It just wasn't the greatest of things to have happen, or even think about. Nope, being tortured, and for information about Camelot -- and no doubt for Morgana's pleasure -- wasn't a good thing.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Was he afraid? Yes. Yes he was. Afraid beyond belief. Terrified. Fearful. Every other imaginable emotion when the life of your loved ones and yours held in the balance. But he could not display such emotions. He had to keep them where they belonged; firmly rooted within him. It was not becoming of a knight, prince or future king to demonstrate such feelings. They were meant to appear brave and such, and Arthur was no exception to this. Instead, he used a very different defense mechanism. Humor; sarcasm; anger.

"No, I'm actually looking rather forward to it," Arthur said rolling his eyes, completely sarcastic in his words. "What better way to spend the day than to be in your enemy's hands and allow him to torture you in unimaginable ways so that he can take over the kingdom that you are meant to rule one day." Yes. He was being very sarcastic indeed.

[pie]

Merlin sighed again when Arthur spoke. Okay, so he was scared -- also didn't help him feel any better about this whole thing -- but he was still being sarcastic about the whole situation. So, Merlin would just have to live with it. After all, this might very well be one of the last times that they saw each other. Cenred held their lives in his hands. Cenred, Morgana, and if he could tell right, probably Morgause also. At any time, any one of them could die. He was sure that they had a better chance of living longer with Cenred, as he knew Morgana would want Arthur out of the way as soon as possible so there was nothing standing in her way of the throne. Whereas Cenred wanted information on Camelot's defenses. Merlin wouldn't doubt it that Cenred would try to take Camelot from Morgana, or at least attack it to get rid of Uther.

However, Arthur's words only made Merlin more dispirited. Yes, Arthur was meant to rule Camelot one day, and their captors wanted to take that away. This couldn't be allowed to happen! Destiny said that Arthur would rule Camelot, it had to come to be no matter what happened! Therefore, Arthur couldn't be allowed to die here! And he didn't even want to think about what Cenred would do to Arthur! The thoughts were too unbearable, and he closed his eyes tightly almost as if it were happening right in front of him.

"Do you think it's possible to escape here?" he asked in a low voice. "If we break out, I'm sure you could get out of here." Yes, Merlin's words might be taken as "if we", but Merlin thought, if he could just blow that door open, he could give Arthur enough time to escape and flee this place. Yes, his words really meant that he would stay behind as a distraction to help Arthur escape. He wondered if the perceptive Prince would realize that. He didn't doubt it.

[Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur had read into Merlin's words, knowing he had said them as he intended them to sound. He had phrased things in a very particular way. He was sure he could get away. Arthur knew Merlin well enough to know the implications of that statement. But he'd be damned if he was going to let that happen. He was not going to let Merlin play hero all over again. The idiot had risked his life enough by just coming here, and Arthur was going to find a way to get him out. And the others. That was his priority; that was all he cared about right now.

He did not want to discourage any hope of escaping either. Arthur would fight until his dying breath to protect those he cared about and everyone who he did were prisoners right now. He also did not want to sound like he would be the one who stayed behind if they needed a diversion, because it would only spark some sort of argument between them and Arthur did not want that right now. Besides, its not as if he wanted to die. He was going to try to find the best plan . . . for all of them.

"There must be a way," Arthur said with a determined voice, not about to give up on the idea. Nor was he going to allow Merlin to even suggest being left behind as some sort of distraction. Arthur would not let that happen. "We're going to break out of this cell, and rescue the others." That was the plan; the very general plan. His way of telling Merlin that no one was going to get left behind, no matter what. "And don't be such a drama queen," he added on a lighter note, in attempt to diminish some of the tension since he did tend to joke around when he was horribly nervous. "Though if you want to stay behind, you're more than welcome to," he added, again, kidding. "I'm sure they'll give you a pillow to make the accommodations more comfortable."

[pie]

Arthur sounded so confident about them being able to escape. Merlin couldn't deny that that did comfort him quite a bit. Arthur always pulled through, and he had to trust that this time wouldn't be any different. No, it wouldn't be any different. Arthur would think of something, he knew. He was, after all in Merlin's opinion... way smarter than Cenred. Smarter than Morgause and Morgana thought too. So far, they had all been unsuccessful in their attempts to get Arthur out of their way. It would be the same here, too.

But how would they escape? Did Arthur have some sort of plan? Or was he still thinking up one? Merlin had known that Arthur would refuse to let him stay behind if he had detected the true meaning behind his words. He was also secretly glad about that fact. But still, he was intent on doing that if he had to. If staying behind would make sure that the others would be safe, than he had no qualms with staying behind. It was convincing Arthur of that that would be the problem. But, again, he doubted Arthur could be convinced of that.

"I'm being serious here, Arthur," he argued to the Prince's joke. He knew that he wouldn't be comfortable if he stayed behind and wasn't able to escape! "If that's the only way for you and the others to get out of here, than I insist! Do you even have a plan?" he couldn't hold back the slightly peeved and sarcastic tone from entering his words. He really was just frustrated by this whole situation, about how Morgana could just totally betray them like this. Well, betray Arthur and Gwen, at least. About how she followed Morgause's plans like a puppet on a string.