A/N: Written as a gift for my dear friend and most excellent beta, sarajm. It seems she can never get enough Merlin-whump, so here's some more pain for our poor baby. Special thanks to my friend Donna, for her wonderful beta skills.
Please, Be More Careful
That fact that an accident of this type hadn't happened earlier was a miracle in itself. Merlin was not the most observant creature and while he always meant well, his innate clumsiness and his lack of attention often landed him in hot water.
Merlin had certainly been Arthur's manservant long enough to know that you do not just stroll across the training grounds while the knights were going through their daily paces. It doesn't matter if the King himself sent you to fetch his son. It doesn't matter if you find yourself standing at the edge of the grass for several long moments trying to catch said son's attention, but to no avail. You do not blithely walk across the training grounds, especially if you're unarmed and unaware of your surroundings!
But, of course, Merlin was so intent on fulfilling the King's command that instead of doing the sensible thing and asking one of the knights-in-training to get Arthur, he stepped out into the middle of the controlled chaos that was the daily training session and headed in Arthur's direction.
Merlin managed to sidestep two young men hacking at each other with swords, and fortunately was nowhere near the end of the field where the archery targets had been set up. He even managed to avoid a pair of knights who were training with some long wooden staffs. But, as he neared the prince and began calling "Arthur! Arthur!" Merlin's luck ran out.
Arthur had just finished a rather lengthy sparring session with Leon when he heard his name being called. Turning around, he saw Merlin heading towards him blissfully unaware of the surrounding danger. Arthur drew a breath to berate Merlin for his stupidity when he heard a voice cry "Look out!" and out of the corner of his eye he saw something flying through the air straight towards Merlin's head.
Fortunately, Arthur had always been quick on his feet. He lunged forward, grabbed Merlin's right arm and yanked the lad towards him with such force that the servant's feet flew from the ground and he hit Arthur's chest with enough momentum to throw the two of them to the ground. A loud thud sounded as the head of a mace landed in the grass not two feet away.
"Merlin," yelled Arthur as he pushed Merlin off him. "What have I told you about walking through the training sessions? How many times have I told you that you're going to get yourself killed, or worse, if you don't pay attention? Sometimes I don't think you have the brains of a mouse!"
"Owwww," moaned Merlin as he lay on the ground, white-faced and sweating with pain. "My shoulder," he said as he raised his hand to his right shoulder.
On seeing that both Arthur and Merlin were conscious and seemed to be okay, Leon stooped to pick up the head of the mace from where it lay as a young knight came running over. "I'm so sorry," he muttered. "I don't know what happened. Is everyone okay? It didn't hit anyone, did it?"
"We were very lucky," said Leon as he eased the handle of the mace from the other man's tight grip. "See, the chain has broken. It was an accident, and fortunately no one was hit. But, I think that's enough for today." Calling out to the men who were now gathered around their Prince as he sat on the ground berating his servant, Leon said, "We're done for the day. But, I want every piece of training equipment to be carefully examined. We were lucky this time, but this never should have happened. So, I expect to see every one of you in the armoury by the time I get there. No excuses. Now go!"
The young men quickly gathered up all the equipment and hurried away towards the castle. It was going to be a long afternoon, but knowing that their lives and the safety of those around them were dependent on their equipment, each man was willing to spend the time necessary to ensure that everything was functional and properly maintained.
It wasn't long before the only ones left on the field were Arthur, Leon and Merlin, who was still lying on the ground. "All right, Merlin," said Arthur gently as he helped his servant sit up. "Let's see the damage."
It was only when Merlin was upright that the reason for his pain became apparent. Arthur had yanked Merlin's arm so hard that he had actually pulled the younger man's shoulder from its joint.
"Don't look," said Arthur gently as he turned Merlin's head away from the mess of his right shoulder. It was painful simply to look at; the joint was visibly out of alignment and was starting to swell. Taking another look at his servant, Arthur quickly added, "And try not to be sick because that's only going to make the pain worse. Trust me on this."
On seeing that Merlin was quite seriously hurt, Leon called over one of the passing stable boys. Knowing that Gaius was visiting some of the outlying villages and would not be returning for a few more days, Leon told the lad, "Quick, run down to the Lower Town and get Rhys, the apothecary. Tell him that Merlin's been hurt and needs him immediately. We'll be waiting in Gaius' chambers."
With a nod, the boy took off at a run towards the Lower Town.
Leon turned back just in time to see Arthur helping Merlin to his feet. The dark-haired servant stood, swaying a bit and holding his right arm tight to his chest. His face bore a grimace of pain. Wrapping his right arm around Merlin's back and grasping his waist, Arthur said, "Okay Merlin? Rhys is on his way; we just need to get you back to your rooms. Can you walk?"
Merlin pinched his lips together, but nodded. As the two men made their way slowly across the grass, Leon kept pace just behind ready to offer assistance if required. It was a slow journey, but they made it the rooms Merlin shared with the physician with no further accidents. Leon opened the door and helped Arthur gently settle Merlin on the patient bed.
"Rhys should be here soon," said Leon as he stepped away from his Prince, who was now seated beside Merlin and watching him with concern. "If you don't need me, Arthur, I'm going to head to the armoury and make sure something like this never happens again."
"Thank you, Leon," responded Arthur as he looked over at his long-time friend. "And while you're there, impress upon those young men the importance of checking their equipment. I realize it was an accident, but it never should have happened. Merlin could have been seriously injured." Arthur's anger at the incident was evident and his voice was rising in tone as he spoke.
A quiet, pain-filled voice said, "Arthur, calm down. Like you said, it was an accident. I'm just glad you weren't the one to get brained by the mace. Thank you, Leon, for all your help. I truly appreciate it," continued Merlin as the older man took his leave and headed out the door.
The two young men sat on the edge of the bed, mulling over the incident. Merlin was desperate for some relief from his pain while Arthur was turning over Merlin's words in his head.
"Sometimes, Merlin, you really surprise me," he said. "But you're right, it was an accident. I'm just sorry that I was the one to actually harm you."
"Arthur, if you hadn't pulled me out of the way, I'd be in a much worse situation that I am now. So, thank you for your quick actions – you saved my life."
"Well, I'm not sure you're going to be thanking me when Rhys gets done with you. I've had the same sort of injury and the remedy is quite painful. However, I can promise that once the joint is back where it's supposed to be, you'll be feeling much better."
Just as Arthur finished speaking, the scarred wooden door to the room was flung open and Rhys came rushing in. "Prince Arthur, Merlin, what happened? All I know is that Merlin was injured."
Arthur ceded his place at Merlin's side and while Rhys was gently removing Merlin's jacket and tunic, he explained what had occurred on the training ground.
With gentle hands, Rhys probed Merlin's shoulder, nodded his head and said, "All right. Merlin, this is definitely going to hurt, but it needs to be done. I'm going to have to pull your arm and set your shoulder back into position." Seeing a bottle of wine on the table, Rhys continued, "Prince Arthur, would you please give Merlin some of that wine. It will help relax him, which will make this whole operation easier."
Once Arthur had made sure that Merlin had drank down the entire goblet of wine, he pulled up a stool and sat down in front and slightly to the left of Merlin, as Rhys had instructed.
"All right, Merlin. Arthur is going to help you stay still, and on the count of three I am going to slip your shoulder back into place. Everyone ready?"
Merlin's face was white and his lips were pinched together. He was afraid of the pain, but was determined not to show any weakness. He closed his eyes and nodded as Arthur gently grasped his left shoulder and his waist.
"Here we go," said Rhys. "One … two … three." On three Rhys pulled Merlin's arm forward and up, Merlin groaned aloud in agony and Arthur swallowed deeply. He didn't like seeing his servant in distress and the fact that the cure was probably more painful than the original accident made him feel even worse.
Suddenly, Arthur had his arms full of half-conscious servant. Once his shoulder had slipped back into place, the pain was greatly diminished but Merlin became lightheaded. He slumped forward, resting his forehead on Arthur's shoulder and panting in an attempt to catch his breath.
Arthur looked over at Rhys in panic. "Is he okay?" he whispered, loathe to disturb his friend.
Rhys smiled at the blond and said, "He's fine. The joint slipped back easily; this is simply a reaction to the pain. Let him catch his breath. I'll brew some willow bark tea to help with the inflammation and then I'll strap his shoulder to stop it moving."
Arthur sat on his small stool for several long moments, gently supporting Merlin and quietly speaking in his ear while the other man tried to regain his composure. Arthur shifted at one point, and Merlin growled lowly. Obviously he was still in a great deal of pain.
Once the tea was ready, Rhys made his way back to the two men and placed his hand on Merlin's left shoulder. "Merlin, here, I've made you some tea. Drink it while it's hot. It will help."
Merlin sat back, with Arthur's help, and reached for the goblet Rhys was patiently holding out to him.
Once Merlin had downed the tea, Rhys strapped his shoulder and placed his arm in a sling. "Now, I'm sure you already know all this already but … keep drinking the tea for the next three days and no heavy lifting. In fact, no lifting at all. You need to give your shoulder a chance to repair itself and you need to keep your shoulder and arm as still as possible for the healing to begin. When Gaius gets back, have him take a look at the shoulder. He'll know how much longer it will need to be immobilized."
"Thank you Rhys," said Merlin, who was breathing easier and was regaining some colour in his cheeks. "I feel so much better now. And I'll be sure to do as you say."
"I'll make sure he follows your instructions," said Arthur as he escorted the apothecary to the door. "I know what Merlin's like and I'll strap him to his bed if that's what it takes."
Rhys laughed, bowed to Arthur, called good-bye to Merlin and headed back towards his dispensary in the Lower Town, chuckling all the way.
"So," drawled Arthur, as he turned back to Merlin. "You know, if you wanted some time off, all you had to do was ask," he said with a grin.
"Well, if it wasn't for the King asking for you … oh, no! I forgot! The King was looking for you. He's going to kill me!" moaned the injured young man.
Arthur grinned and said, "Don't worry, Merlin. I'll go see him now and explain what happened. No one is going to kill you. I'll be back soon, and I expect to find you resting."
"Yes Arthur," said Merlin as he stood up from the patient bed and headed towards the short set of stairs and his own room. "I think I'll lay down for a bit."
"That's an excellent idea, Merlin."
Trailing behind his servant to make sure he made it to his bed with no difficulties, Arthur watched as Merlin gingerly lay down on his bed.
"One more thing," said Arthur as he turned to leave his servant in peace. "Please, in the future, be more careful. For me."
"I'm sorry, Arthur. But believe me, I've learned my lesson – I will definitely pay more attention from now on."
"Good." Arthur smiled at the young man and exited his bedroom, closing the door behind him. Taking a moment, Arthur rested his forehead against the heavy wood and whispered, "because I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."