AN: This is not a one-shot. If you guys like it, I will update it sooner rather than later. The more reviews, the sooner the update.
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No one knew who the mysterious bloodied man who was found at Camelot's gates was. His face had been beaten beyond recognition. He may have had hair at one point in time, but he looked as if he had been scalped. His body appeared well built under the broken ribs, bruises, and numerous gashes, cuts, and burns.
The worst part of all of this was that the man had been awake most of the time and no one who had been carrying for him had notice. The man's eyes were swollen shut and his mouth was damaged badly as well. It wasn't until they got the swelling down that they heard his quiet screams of pain. After the realization, Gaius kept the poor fellow heavily sedated.
Despite the sleeping draughts and pain potions, the man seemed to still be in pain. It was when they shifted him briefly from laying on his back to his stomach to change the bloodied sheets that he seemed to fully relax, despite the pressure on his injured ribs. From then on, the mystery patient was kept in that position as much as possible, with pillows at the shoulder and hip to relieve the pressure on the injured side of his abdomen.
After hours of tending the nameless person, the only consolation the physician had was that this man clearly wasn't Merlin. Merlin had gone off on a three day herb gathering venture the day before and seeing someone this bad off had made the old man fear the worst. But this man was darker complected than Merlin, he was also shorter and broader.
What no one noticed was, Merlin was not the only man missing from the city. Merlin hadn't left for the trip alone. He had someone to keep him company and, to set Arthur's mind at ease, to protect him in case of bandits. Not that Merlin felt he needed Gwaine, but the new knight wouldn't take no for an answer.
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AN: I felt that I hurt Merlin too much in my stories, so I decided to give this idea a go. Ideas are welcome. I'll even take flames. I just want some feedback. A review is worth a dozen follows and several favorites.