Mornings After
Series 4 Episode 1 – The Darkest Hour Part 1
Dawn arrived as Arthur stared in absolute horror at Merlin's frozen face. His knees buckled and he fell more than knelt beside him. "No."
"Merlin!" Gwaine and Lancelot were searching for signs of life and finding none. They were afraid to move head or limbs – afraid to do further damage to their friend's frozen, brittle form. Their inaction made them, too, seem frozen. Like all the others, Merlin had fallen victim to the Doracha, and he was dead.
Arthur could hardly bear the agony that stabbed through him. He never wept over the fallen. He tried to find the cold place that steadied him in his worst moments and prevented weeping, but that door was frozen shut, and there was no refuge. "Merlin," he whispered.
All of the rest of them sank to the ground then: Percival, Elyan, Gwaine and Lance. They leaned against ancient stone and rested their exhausted, grief-stricken frames. No one spoke for a full ten minutes.
Daylight crept into the room, making everything look different. Arthur felt concussed and numb. He looked over to where Merlin's lifeless body lay, and was flooded with sorrow anew.
It was then that Merlin convulsed slightly.
"Merlin?" Arthur was beside him in an instant. "You're breathing. Merlin!" The servant did not respond. Arthur scanned the room as the knights drew near. "Gwaine, get blankets from the saddle bags. Leon, Lance, find firewood and get that fire burning again. We've got to get him warm!"
Percival helped Arthur carry the unconscious servant up the steps to the courtyard. Elyan warmed water and made tea while the others positioned Merlin near the fire and wrapped him in blankets.
Arthur never left his side and watched vigilantly for signs of improvement. They came slowly.
"There's surely someone watching over me," said Arthur quietly, when the other knights had stepped out of earshot. He again found himself wiping his eyes. "I've felt that way for a long time. It's the only way possible that you're still alive." Merlin had opened his eyes but seemed to be having great difficulty focusing. Arthur's heart swelled at this progress. He began rubbing his friend's arms to improve the circulation. "Someone is watching over me and kept you from dying. I'm certain of it. Do you think... it could be my mother?" Merlin didn't answer, but Arthur hadn't expected him to.
Arthur scanned the courtyard, thinking. It was cold. Rain threatened to fall at any moment. Merlin needed to be taken home as soon as possible. He needed warmth and good food and rest. Before anything else, Arthur intended to see that he had them.
Lancelot approached and covered Merlin with a newly warmed blanket. Arthur rose and walked a few paces to speak with Leon.
"We have to take him to Gaius..."
