I have a short one-shot for those of you out there in Merlin fanfic land! Honestly, some of this comes from the insistence of I'maMerlinFan who has been so lovely in their compliments. I've been sitting on some half-started fanfics for a while but haven't really been able to put any sentiment to paper. This is my attempt to get back into it (as much as I can with the busy summer I have coming up). I realized that many of the works I've been working on have been something happening to Merlin and then Arthur saving him so I wanted to try to write something a little different. Merlin saves Arthur this time but gets hurt in the process, its still whump!Merlin because I love writing it but there is some implied whump!Arthur as well.
Oh and on a side note, I think I've finally realized why I like writing whump!Merlin so much after seeing Parked (a wonderful movie with Colin Morgan J). He's such a fantastic actor that he can pull off something that I think is extremely difficult which is portraying pain and weakness while still pretending to be strong. There are so many levels to that and I don't think every actor is able to do that, so I think I try to write that…any way sorry, I digress!
If you've read this far and thank you and even if you haven't I hope you enjoy my story!
Oh and also, this is in the Loyalty and Bruises timeline, so Arthur and Gwen know about Merlin's magic and Ethan is a servant that Arthur took on from that series (he knows as well). But Uther is still alive so Merlin is still hiding.
Godere, amici!
The leaves crinkled under his cheek as he pulled his pounding head off the autumn floor. It took his eyes a moment to adjust before he saw the dead eyes of Sir Robert staring back at him. Scrambling backward more quickly than his head wanted to let him, Merlin tried to get his thoughts in some semblance of order. Why was he out here again?
Merlin gingerly looked the dead man over and found the cause, a sword was embedded in his stomach. There had been someone else with them though. The warlock tried to focus enough to come up with a face at worst, a name at best. He knew it had been a soldier, he name had been…Brandon. But he was nowhere to be found. Having no luck at figuring out why he was laying in a bed of leaves, he tried to remember why he had been unconscious? Given the pounding in his head, it was pretty obvious he had been knocked out, why? And where the hell was Arthur?
As his brother's name floated through his mind, he felt panic beginning to rise. He needed to know where the Prince was immediately, and that's when his mind registered the sound of clashing swords ahead of him. The memory hit him like a runaway horse. They had been separated when Arthur had ordered him to catch Bedevire's horse. Merlin and the soldiers had only been gone for a few minutes when the sound of clashing steel had caught their attention. The warlock remembered turning to move back toward the sound when he saw Brandon wielding a branch. Merlin's first thought had been that it was strange the man was not using his sword, but then he saw Robert on the ground, sword still wedged sideways into his body, one of the nicks in Brandon's sword having caught on Robert's chainmail. Brandon had killed him but apparently didn't want Merlin to realize what was going on before he had been able to kill him as well, so he had picked up the closest thing. None of that did any good as the heavy log connected with the side of his head. The warlock went down hard, and almost as soon as he hit the ground he felt the sticky feeling of blood pooling around the wound. His blood was pounding in his ears, rushing to the sight of the wound to join the growing pool and force the liquid down his face. Merlin knew he was in trouble. He tried to focus his magic on the wound, hoping to at least close it but the throbbing in his head made the feat impossible and instead of releasing his magic, the effort it took to focus propelled him into unconsciousness. His last thought had been of Arthur.
As the memory came up, he remembered the important question, where the hell was Arthur?
His head was swimming but a quick prod with his fingers told him the blood was still oozing so he hadn't been out for that long. With a quick look at Robert's body, he forced himself to his feet. Unfortunately, once he made it to his knees he could not keep down the vomit that burned its way up his throat. Losing what little he had in his stomach, he wiped his mouth and stinging eyes before continuing toward where he knew the battle was taking place. He couldn't stop himself from stumbling into trees but he made it to the clearing in time to see the mangled red cloaks on the ground, the knights had lost. Someone was talking but he sounded like he was underwater. He was saying something about magic and retribution.
Then he saw Arthur. There was a circle of men around him, pummeling him. His vision went red and all semblance of weakness fled as his magic pounded through his veins, willing to do his bidding.
"Step away from him now and I will let you live." His voice held a power that he wasn't sure he could maintain.
The man who had been talking, the one who was apparently the leader, looked at him in disgust but did not display any surprise at his appearance, "Who are you?"
"Name's Merlin, I'm the Prince's manservant." He couldn't reveal his magic, not yet, he still wasn't sure who this man was but given his comments on magic, it would not have been a surprise to find he had some himself.
The leader sneered at him before motioning to his men, "Kill him."
Looks like I will be using magic, he thought grimly. One flash of his eyes sent half the men in the clearing backwards but not all like he had intended. No, what's wrong? He tried again but still the men kept coming, his breath tightened in his chest and his head felt like someone had laid a brand on it. He caught Arthur's eye as the men fell on him, treating him the same way they had the Prince. He tried to fight back and the odd man would connect with a tree but he could not get his magic reigned in. Then one of the bastards found an unprotected place on his stomach and delivered a stomp that felt like it shattered his ribs. He screamed and threw a few more men off their feet. That was when he saw Arthur get up. His brother had found a sword near him and was using it to leverage himself into a standing position before advancing on the men around Merlin. The warlock watched as his Prince stabbed two men in the back before a third used the hilt of his sword like a battering ram. Arthur went down hard and Merlin knew he was unconscious. At that Merlin let out a roar that was formed by pure magic. The magic radiated out from him, catching everyone who meant to do them harm and throwing them away from the two on the ground. Merlin felt it as a few men broke their necks, but the majority were knocked unconscious. Only the leader was left standing by the force of his own magical shield. He took one look at the two men on the forest floor and disappeared in a magical wind.
Merlin knew he needed to get to Arthur. Turning slowly onto his stomach, the warlock crawled to his brother, forcing himself to ignore the throbbing in his chest and head. Shaking his shoulder, Merlin tried to wake him, they needed to get out of the area before the men who were still alive had a chance to catch them. But Arthur wouldn't wake.
Knowing they had to move, Merlin tried to think quickly. The horses were long gone, spooked by the cries and number of the bandits. So the warlock landed on the only simple idea that he had left to him. He would have to support Arthur. Focusing what little magic he still had control of, he hoisted Arthur into a sitting position and then forced the Prince's arm around his shoulders. Fortunately, the motion seemed to bring Arthur closer to consciousness because once he got his feet under him, he managed to at least remain upright with Merlin's support.
With Arthur situated they started the very painful walk back to Camelot.
It was a testament to Merlin's dazed state that it took him until he had gotten Arthur up to realize the gapping wound in his side. Merlin panicked, If I set him down I'll never get him up again. The warlock knew that if he did not get the wound stitched, Arthur would not make it to the castle. Channeling his magic, he forced it into the wound. He was terrible at healing spells but with instinctual magic he had better luck. Merlin forced his eyes closed as sweat beaded on his brow. He knew he could only do so much and still have enough to get them back to Camelot but his own wounds were making themselves known. Then he felt the muscle start to knit. The prince would be unconscious for a long time to come but at least the wound was starting to heal. Merlin put his hand on the gash, the bleeding had stopped and although it was not completely closed, the danger was passed immediate.
Hoisting Arthur's arm up on his shoulder, Merlin turned himself toward Camelot. He knew about where they were and his magic would get them the rest of the way. He could feel it humming in his veins even now and he kept forcing it to Arthur. He would ensure his brother made it home, even if it killed him.
The sun had started to set by the time Merlin finally made it to the outer town below the great citadel. His body was screaming at him but he had long ago lost the ability to think. His world had boiled down into two thoughts, keep moving forward and protect Arthur. The brute who had kicked him had broken at least two ribs, he could feel them shift every time he took a step and he knew there was bruising down his right side from the strain of keeping Arthur upright and moving. He had started to become more coherent but that wound had been left for too long and the bleeding had taken a heavy toll on the noble. Merlin's vision narrowed as they moved into the town, not too much longer and he would reach the gate, and the guards that protected it.
He would have loved to ask for help but the unusual chillness in the air had driven people inside early tonight. Instead he kept on moving.
They hobbled up through the lower town and finally he could see the last few feet needed to get to the guards at the citadel, but they made no move to help him before he got to the gate. He had lost track of how far they had walked but on top of the bruises, he knew that his feet were covered in blisters. Given the saturated feeling in his boots, many of them had broken. His brother was heavy but he had carried him this far, he could go a little longer. By the time they made it to the guardhouse Merlin was spent and a little annoyed that the guards still had not come out to meet him, wasn't that their job? His anger faltered as he stumbled on the cobblestones, he was in no state to carry anything heavier than the Prince, and anger was just too much right now.
He felt his legs preparing to give out as he reached the men but he was able to force a small "Help" out between his teeth before his knees hit the cobblestone. They stepped forward then but it took time before they realized who they were looking at. One of the guards, Merlin recognized him but had no hope of finding his name in his twisted brain, recognized Arthur immediately.
"It's the Prince! Quickly, go grab two more men, we'll need help getting them into the castle."
The other guard was new to Camelot and showed it with his answering question, "Why not just leave the other one here, get the prince into the castle, and then come back?"
"Now is the time for you to listen to orders!" The older guard snapped back, "If Prince Arthur were to wake up and find we left his manservant injured on the cobblestones, we would be lucky to walk away with our heads." The younger guard's eyes widened but he didn't argue, "Now, go, get two more soldiers." The older guard growled.
It didn't take long for the required soldiers to show up. Two guards pulled Arthur away from the warlock and then the older guard pulled on Merlin's arm to help him inside as well. As much as he would have rather been carried, Merlin knew there would have been a chance that they separated them: Arthur in his room and Merlin in Gaius's. The secret warlock could not afford that right now and instead swallowed his pain and allowed himself to be led to Arthur's chamber.
Gaius and Ethan met them there, apparently the fourth guard had been sent to the physician's chamber. They immediately went to Arthur once the guards laid him on the bed. Pulling his armor and chainmail off quickly, Gaius rolled the Prince's shirt up to get a good look at the damage. He hissed at the mutilation on his stomach but instantly noticed the healing of what looked to be the worst wound. Looking at the last guard left in the room he said, "I need you to find Guinevere, the Lady Morgana's maidservant. Tell her to bring her sowing kit, this needs to be taken care of before anything else." The guard nodded quickly before hurrying out of the room.
As soon as he was gone, Ethan ran to Merlin and wrapped his arms around his legs, "Are you alright?"
The warlock looked down as the young servant with a strained smile, "I'm fine Ethan, promise."
Gaius looked at Merlin, who had been watching worriedly the whole time, "You healed him, didn't you?"
It was phrased as a question but Merlin knew that Gaius understood what he had done, so he simply nodded. He didn't think he had the strength to say much more anyway.
Gaius continued, "You did a good job Merlin, this would have been a very dangerous wound. You saved his life." Merlin simply nodded again.
"Are you sure you're alright, Merlin?" As Gaius fully looked at him, he noticed the dried blood, "You're injured as well!"
The warlock cleared his throat before answering, "I'm fine, Gaius. Just tired. I was hit in the head but its not as bad as it looks. See to Arthur, please. They were beating him when I found them and I know he got hit pretty hard on the back of his head. I tried to heal it the best I could but I'm not sure that I did enough." Fighting the dizziness that was building again, Merlin struggled to stay upright. Arthur needed help right now and he would make sure he had it.
"Merlin do you want to sit down? I could sit with you if you want." The young boy at his waist was looking up at him with a worry reminiscent of Gaius.
The warlock swallowed hard before answering, "I think I need to stand right now, Ethan."
"But your feet are bleeding." The stubbornness he had learned from the wounded warlock.
"I know Ethan, I can feel it, but right now I need you to help Gaius. Can you do that please?"
The boy regarded him with a look that made almost made him realize he should listen to reason but he also knew that if he sat down, his lie would be discovered. Thankfully, Ethan relented, "Okay, just this once," but he kept looking back at Merlin as he moved over to the bed.
It didn't take long after their exchange for Gwen to make her way into the room clutching her sowing kit. She directed a soft smile in Merlin's direction and then she saw the blood, headed over to him.
"Are you alright, Merlin?" The future queen questioned, reaching up to touch the wound on his head before he caught her arm gently, "I'm alright Guinevere, I promise. Please go help Gaius and Ethan with Arthur."
She looked at him skeptically for a moment before doing as he bid.
Merlin squared his shoulders and resolved to stand there until he was sure Arthur was safe, and then he could pass out.
It took Gwen a short time to sow up the worst of the cuts on Arthur's body. Starting with the contusion to the back of his head and the partially healed sword wound, before moving on to the small cuts that had been caused by boots and knives. Gaius had known that the prince would survive from the moment he had seen the healing Merlin had done still he wanted to be sure that there was no chance for infection. But the entire time, he couldn't help the nagging feeling at the back of his mind that told him Merlin had lied.
Ethan had said as much when Gaius asked him to go gather water, bandages, and food, "Gaius, I don't think Merlin is okay. He's too quiet." Both looked over at the man in question but Merlin wouldn't meet either of their eyes.
"I think you're right Ethan. As soon as we're done with Arthur I promise we'll make sure to look after Merlin." The boy was a bit unsure of the physician's answer but left to get the supplies they needed, throwing one last look to the warlock.
Once Guinevere had finished up with the wounds, they bound the broken and cracked ribs and Gaius checked him over a final time before declaring that he would make a full recovery.
At Gaius's announcement, Gwen looked up from the bed, hoping to catch Merlin's eye with the good news but when she looked up to where he was standing, he wasn't looking at her or the bed. Instead he was staring off into nothing with his arm gripped tightly around his middle.
She knew something was wrong, "Merlin? Are you alright?"
His name seemed to snap him out of his stupor but when he looked at her, it only took a fraction of a second before his eyes rolled back into his head and his body went boneless. Gwen tried to get around the bed fast enough but it was to no avail. Merlin's head connected with the stone floor hard and an audible crack was heard just before Gwen fell to her knees in front of her friend. They had been too focused on Arthur because Merlin has been awake and had said he was fine.
Gaius made it to Gwen's side after she had pulled Merlin's head into her lap in an effort to make him more comfortable. Hands flying over his body, Gaius searched for the reason for his ward's fainting. It was only after he had taken a closer look that he had realized the dire mistake they had made. He had noticed the blood on his head when the knights had brought them both in but he didn't realize the state of his shoes nor did he see blood-tinged footprints Merlin was leaving behind. As he slowed down his frantic movements, he noticed more issues that Merlin had neglected to tell them when he insisted he was "fine". The bruises hidden by his jacket were a start. The smudged black marks on his stomach and back were enough to prove that he too had been beaten. But it was the deep, black bruise that covered the entire right portion of his body that worried the physician.
"Guinevere, go find one of the guards who initially found them. I need you to ask what side Merlin carried Arthur on."
The maid ran from the room and Gaius continued on from there. The warlock had at least two broken ribs under the bruising of his torso and the gash on his head had started bleeding again when he hit the ground. Whatever had happened to the both of them, Merlin should not have been able to carry the Prince back from it, and his body had finally given up from both the wounds and the exhaustion.
Gaius sat back for a moment. Arthur would be fine. He would need to be immobile for a time to make sure he did not cause himself any further injury but the advanced healing Merlin had been able to do had saved his brother's life. Gaius found himself wishing his ward had saved just a little bit of that healing energy for himself.
"Oh my boy."
The pain he had to have been in while he was carrying Arthur had to have been excruciating.
Gaius stood stiffly to get Gwen's sowing kit. Before Merlin could be moved, the wound on his head had to be stitched closed. As Gaius got to work on the wound he couldn't keep the tears from behind his eyes, why did these two have so many enemies?
It didn't take Guinevere long to make it back to the room, and she sat herself down on the floor, as near to Merlin as she could, "They said that he was carrying Arthur on his right." She looked down at the horrific bruising, "does that mean all this is from supporting Arthur?"
"I'm afraid so. He used so much energy and strained so hard to keep him upright that he bruised the every muscle along his right side."
Gwen's eyes started to water when she noticed the deep bruises where his chest was uncovered, "But he's got broken ribs too."
"Yes, he does." Gaius confirmed sadly.
"How did he…" She trailed off unable to finish.
"Magic is the only thing I can think of that would explain this. He had to have channeled all his energy into staying upright." Gaius said this more to himself than Gwen but he was amazed at the power Merlin had. Looking over at the young woman next to him he realized the next move, "We need to get him off the floor. He needs to be warm and comfortable."
Gwen jumped up to grab the guards standing in the hallway; they could help get Merlin into the table in Arthur's room. As they came back in the room, Gaius motioned to hearth, "Please move that closer to the fire before you lay him down." The guard nodded and moved the table before they both laid Merlin down onto it. Gwen had pulled some of the spare blankets out of Arthur's cabinet and quickly spread them over the unconscious man. She then turned to one of the guards, "Go find someone to stoke the fire. We need to keep it warm in here." The man left without another word and Gwen turned back to the physician whispering, "Gaius there was something else I needed to tell you, the King will be here soon. He'll want to know how Arthur is and we won't have Arthur to defend us this time if we ignore him.
Annoyance worked its way across Gaius's face before he covered it, "Of course, Guinevere. We'll do what we can for Merlin now and address Uther when he gets here."
Gently, Gaius and Gwen began to undress him; they needed to start treating his wounds before they could do anymore damage. While Gwen worked on his torso, wrapping and sowing, the physician pulled Merlin's boots off, causing the guard left in the room to gag. The soles of his feet were covered in broken blisters that were red, swollen, and still bleeding profusely. And for the second time since Merlin had collapsed Gaius asked himself how he had managed to support an unconscious Prince this far.
Moving over to his bag, he pulled out honey and the few bandages he had left as well as moving the water bucket over to the foot of the table. Then he started to clean the blisters on his ward's feet. As he finished the gentle cleaning, he smeared honey over his foot before wrapping the bandages with enough pressure to make them useful but not enough to make it painful.
He had managed to finish one foot while Gwen was carefully wrapping his chest when the King made his foretold appearance. The door swung open with not so much as a warning and all three conscious occupants of the room jumped. The king went directly to the bed, ignoring the man on the table for which Gaius was eternally grateful. Gaius looked at Guinevere and motioned for her to finish Merlin's other foot while he went to Uther.
The king was looking down at his pale son with fatherly concern when he reacted to Gaius's presence, "How is he Gaius?" The worry was evident in his voice.
"He will make a full recovery, Sire. He will need to be abed for longer than I know he was feel appropriate but with the wound to his abdomen, it is the safest and most effective treatment I can offer."
"If that is what he needs..." The King visibly relaxed with the news of his son before he allowed his eyes to move around the room, they landed on Merlin, "Am I to understand I have his manservant to thank for his life?"
"I believe so, Sire. If Merlin had not gotten him back when he did, Arthur would have bled out from the sword wound."
"If that is the case, I will say nothing of the inappropriateness of doctoring a servant in my son's chambers but as soon as he is stable enough to move, I want him out of this room so Arthur can heal."
Gaius bowed stiffly, "Of course, Sire."
"And I want to know if anything changes with Arthur. Anything you need Gaius, for either of them, will be provided. There will be two guards on the doors, tell them what you need and they will retrieve it." His voice was rough but the concern was evident, he took one last look at his son before heading for the door. The last guard went with him.
Gaius moved over to Gwen to see how far she had gotten when he realized she was about done with Merlin's feet.
"What do we do now?" She questioned.
"We wait, that's all we can do," he could tell she didn't like his answer. "We'll need to watch both of them. They've both had serious head wounds and while Merlin managed to heal most of Arthur's injuries there is still a chance either one could simply stop breathing. We need Ethan when he returns and we need to set watches of a sort to make sure we know what is going on with both of them at all times."
Minds set to the grim task ahead, Gaius added another log to the fire and Gwen pulled up chairs, one to the table and one to the bed. They could watch them both for the time being, neither one was going to bed.
"Merlin!" Arthur sat straight up in bed scaring Guinevere, Gaius, and Ethan and barely registering the pain that flared at his stomach. The sound of his brother's beating had woken him up, or at least the memory of it had been vivid enough to bring his consciousness to the surface. The room around him was not what he had expected, after he had passed out he had assumed they would find themselves back in a cell somewhere, instead he recognized the wall of his chamber, a fire blazing in the hearth. Still that was all a subconscious realization, his mind screamed at him to find Merlin. To figure out whether or not he was safe. His gaze skittered around the room, trying to find the black mop of hair and goofy smile that he recognized so well. After a few maddening moments as his heart thudded in his chest, he finally laid eyes on the person he was looking for, safely wrapped in blankets near the fire, mere metres from his own bed. Arthur relaxed, Merlin was here with him and they were both still alive. He was preparing to swing his legs over the edge of the bed when he was met with the concerned faces of the three occupants that he had scarcely recognized in his attempt to figure out where Merlin had ended up.
Gaius spoke first and it was difficult for Arthur to miss the worry and concern in his tone, "Arthur, what happened?"
But the Prince couldn't process the request; there was something wrong with Merlin, he was never that still, even when he was sleeping. Arthur had noticed a long time ago that his hands and legs twitched, the Merlin he was looking at in the bed was still as stone, his fear ratcheted up a notch, something was wrong, "What's wrong with him, Gaius? He's not moving."
The physician had a pained look that Arthur knew was not for the better, "I'm not sure what's wrong Arthur, I was hoping you could tell me. What happened?"
It took Arthur a minute to not only collect his thoughts but also pull his attention off his brother, "To be honest, it was very much a blur. We were out on the patrol when Bedevire's horse reared and threw him; I think a snake crossed his path. His horse took off the opposite direction. We needed the horse but the area we were in was not safe so I sent Merlin and…and two men, a soldier Brandon and Sir Robert, I think their names were…" the guilt at forgetting the men's names crept into his mind, he should know the name of every person he led into danger. But the fog that was sitting in his skull kept him from thinking. He had to continue though, "Merlin wasn't happy with being ordered away but he knew as well as I did that Bedevire needed the horse so he and the two men took off after the charger. It all gets a little fuzzy here." Arthur stopped in his story, if something he knew or remembered could help Merlin, he needed to tell the whole story.
"It's alright Arthur, you took a good beating and the blood loss from the wound on your stomach would have easily been enough to affect your memory."
The Prince scrunched his face in remembrance before continuing, "It wasn't long after they had left that we were attacked. It might have been planned but to be honest I'm not sure why they felt they needed to separate us, they had more than enough mercenaries to do the job." Arthur closed his eyes as if in pain, the scream he had remembered had been his brother's but it had been blended with, and made worse by, the screams of pain he had heard from his men as they fell to the sword. "We fought hard but there were too many of them and they cut us off from each other, at least three mercenaries to a knight and more kept coming. We did not stand a chance because we couldn't regroup. We just did not have enough men to make any coordinated assault. But they all fought like lions." He closed his eyes momentarily, trying to remember the next time he saw Merlin and knowing that he would need to talk to the families of his men, "I only vaguely remember being injured, there were three men and two went down easily but they were replaced almost immediately. I do know the fighting stopped shortly after that bastard managed to get a sword through a chink in my chainmail. He didn't pull it out either; he forced it sideways, destroying the metal and my side."
Gaius had noticed that Arthur unconsciously put his hand to his side, as what he assumed was a phantom pain came back to him. Merlin had healed the internal injury but he hadn't been able to completely knit all the layers of skin so it was still painful for the Prince.
"I remember my side was on fire but there was someone talking to me, he addressed me by name. I tried to get the jist of it but it was hard to concentrate on anything. Then they started to kick me. He said who he was a few times but really all I got was it started with an M. It's pretty fuzzy. This," he gestured to his bruises, "was supposed to be a message to my father, revenge for all the sorcerers he's killed." Arthur looked toward Merlin, "If he only knew…"
"Arthur," it was Guinevere this time, "what happened to Merlin?"
"He showed up not long into the man's tirade started." Arthur wanted to make sure he got this correct, "I saw him coming up the hill, part of his face was covered in blood, he looked terrifying but the eeriest bit was his voice. I've never heard him so angry. He ordered them to leave me alone and, when the leader questioned his resolve, his eyes flashed gold. Half the men in the clearing were thrown backward, into trees and each other but that's when I knew something was wrong. He looked at me with panic, I can only assume that he had intended for all the men to be thrown back, instead only a small portion of them were."
The Prince paused but Gaius filled in the gap for him, "He has a major contusion on the side of his head, someone hit him hard enough to not only draw blood but knock him out. It's amazing he managed to stay standing as long as he did. It would not be surprising if something like that disrupted his ability to control his magic. The fight was not fair, even for someone of Merlin's power." Gaius added sadly. He had assumed it already but he could add severe concussion to the list of injuries, they would need to watch to ensure he kept breathing.
Arthur nodded thoughtfully, then continued, "That's when the leader told them to attack him. He never showed them fear and took on as many as he could but I knew he was tired and I knew something was wrong." Gaius could tell Arthur was getting agitated talking about it, but needed to know what happened, "I tried to get up and help him but I had to use a discarded sword to get myself to my knees. By the time I had managed to get up, he was on the ground and the men were kicking him. I managed to stab one or two in the back to get them away but one of them caught me in the head with a hilt. I remember I fell near Merlin but it all goes pretty black after that, I must have passed out." Arthur's face twisted in pain, "The last thing I remember is Merlin's yell and then men falling around me."
The Prince looked up at Gaius once he was done to ask the only question he really cared about, "Is Merlin going to be alright?"
"To be honest, I don't know. He won't be able to walk for at least a few weeks, his feet blistered badly in his shoes. Gwen has already sown the contusion on his head and I assumed he had a concussion but now we know how bad the original wound had been. We just have to make sure we regularly check his breathing. It's the bruising around his torso that worries me. We bandaged it, but if there was something damaged inside, I don't think there will be anything we can do."
A determined look crossed Arthur's face, "Use magic, Gaius. Whatever you have to do."
"It's not that easy Arthur," Gaius soothed, "Merlin's magic operates by feeling and instinct but he is unique. I, and every other magic user, need to focus on the cause before I can be the solution. Without knowing the cause I cannot do anything to help. We're going to have to help him without magic."
"But you said he might be injured internally?"
"Yes, he might be." Gaius could not continue that train of thought.
But Arthur wouldn't let it go, "What happens if he is? What do we do to help him?"
"Nothing Arthur, at that point there is nothing we can do. But for now we will watch him and pray that there was no life-threatening damage."
Arthur felt like he was going to be sick. Then he reminded himself that Merlin had survived worse and the man would be back at his side soon enough. Then he thought of something else,
"How did we get back here? Did one of the knights survive?" Even with what he could remember, there was nothing after that hilt connected with the base of his skull.
"Merlin," was Gaius's simple answer.
"What? No, he was badly hurt." Then the Prince's face contorted into what the physician could only describe as grief, disbelief, and fear.
"He was, but he carried you back, Arthur. He healed you as much as he could on the way back. I think that is part of the reason for the severity of his injuries."
The Prince had gone white as a sheet, "Gaius, we were well into the Forests of Ascetir. There is no possible way he could have done that. That's almost half a day's walk, unwounded."
"I know Arthur but that's what happened. He brought you as far as the main gate on his own and the guards brought you here. Merlin collapsed as we were finishing up your wounds."
Arthur's ire bubbled to the surface. For a moment, he realized it was unfair but still he was scared and injured so rage seemed like the safest emotion, "Why was he not seen to before?" He growled.
Gaius and Gwen shared a look of guilt and remorse before Gwen answered him, "He told us he was fine, Arthur and he insisted that we look to you first. I should have known when he flinched away and grabbed my hand but Gaius needed my help with you." Tears stung at her eyes but didn't fall, "I'm sorry."
Arthur's anger dissipated immediately, "No I'm sorry Guinevere, I just don't like to see him injured and to know what he did makes it more inexcusable. This was my fault, I should have never let him be separated from the patrol."
Gaius could tell from the slight slurring of his words and the dropping of his eyes that Arthur was fighting a losing battle with sleep. It would be beneficial for him but with the possible concussion the physician did not want to give him anything to make him sleep. As he was starting to drift off, his eyes wandered to Merlin's too-still form,
"Gaius, is that my writing table? Why is he on the table?" The Prince tripped over his own tongue but continued, "This bed is large enough for him to lay comfortably and it has to be much better for him than that wood."
The physician regarded Arthur like he had lost his mind, "Arthur you know as well as I do that if your father saw your servant on your bed, he would sack me and accuse you of being enchanted."
The threat of his father pulled Arthur' mind into a bit more focus, the Prince was so tired of hearing what his father thought; it was his father's bloody fault they were in this mess. "Damn what my father thinks Gaius. I'm asking you now, what is better for Merlin?"
Gaius knew he could easily lie and say that the hard surface was better for healing but at what cost? They still did not know why Merlin had passed out, exhaustion seemed the most immediate explanation but the fact that he clutched his stomach made the physician think there was more to it than that, some internal injury that Gaius could not treat. Did he risk his ward's life to follow propriety? Arthur was looking at him expectantly, suddenly more awake,
"It would be better for him to lay on a bed, yes."
Gathering his remaining energy, Arthur swung his legs out from under the sheets and pulled the layers back before gingerly getting to his feet.
"Arthur what do you think you're doing?" Guinevere chastised. He had been unconscious only a short time ago, he should not be out of bed.
The exasperated look on the Prince's face was almost comical, "Gaius said the bed. We cannot go to the guards because there is a good chance they would get my father. This is easier."
Shuffling the few feet necessary to reach his brother, Arthur positioned himself to pick Merlin up himself.
"Arthur!" Gaius started, "You cannot do that on your own! Merlin might have healed the majority of your wound with magic but that does not mean that you are completely safe yet."
The indignant huff would have been funny at any other time, "Help me then, he's not heavy and with the three of us, we can ensure I don't tear my stiches or aggravate any of his injuries." Gaius scoffed, he knew Arthur was mostly right that didn't mean it was the smart choice. Still they went along with it.
Pulling the blankets off Merlin's too-still form, Guinevere and Gaius placed an arm behind his shoulders and under his legs. Arthur took his back. Gently, the three moved the unconscious man to the bed after Ethan had pulled back the blankets and with very little fuss managed to situate him comfortably. Surprisingly, Arthur seemed content at that, or he was simply too tired to do anything else, and climbed back onto the bed and under the covers without any prompting from Gaius.
"Arthur, are you sure about this?"
"Gaius if it helps him heal, yes. He carried me here, the least I can do is make sure he's comfortable." That was the last coherent thought the Prince was able to form before his exhaustion caught up with him and he passed out.
Gaius took a step back. He would never have assumed a change like this would have been possible for the Prince. The Physician remembered the arrogant boy who used to go through servants like his sword through a practice dummy. Now though, he could never imagine that attitude again. Merlin had changed him for the better. But it was not one way, Arthur had changed Merlin too. Had taught him how to defend himself and gave him the strength to back up the claims he had always made. They were truly two sides of the same coin. Gaius pulled a chair up to the side of the bed, both of the men needed to be watched but at this point Merlin was the one who worried him the most. If he could not figure out why the man collapsed, there was a good chance he could die in the Prince's bed.
The physician had volunteered to take the first watch, he wouldn't have been able to sleep anyway so it was best to let the others get some sleep while they could. Settling in for a long night, Gaius prepared to watch.
It was during Gwen's watch that Merlin started to choke. At first she didn't notice anything because he simply went rigid. It wasn't until she heard his ragged, gasping breaths that she knew she needed Gaius.
The physician woke to Gwen's frantic cry, something was wrong. He was at the bed quick enough to realize what was going on. Merlin's body had seized up and while he wasn't shaking, the erratic breathing pattern was enough to tell Gaius that something was desperately wrong.
Gwen had started to shake the warlock, trying to wake him but Gaius grabbed her hands, "No, we need to let it run its course." She looked at him with tears in her eyes, "but he's dying."
"If we do something now, we could easily make it worse."
Then as quickly as it started, the episode stopped, only Merlin's breathing had stopped with it.
Gaius had read about instances like this where a person's breathing stopped and lying his head on his ward's chest, the physician tried to figure out if his heart had failed as well.
It was still beating but weakly, he turned to Guinevere, "I need you to move the pillows from under his head and blow into his mouth."
She did as she was told. Quickly moving the pillows out of the way, the future queen laid her friend's head back and forced air into his lungs. Gaius kept listening for a heartbeat with each breath that Gwen gave. Thankfully, his heart kept beating.
After a few forced breaths, Merlin started to cough, pulling air into his lungs and breathing on his own.
Gaius rolled him to his side to ensure that he could breath easily. Before turning to Gwen, the poor woman was shaking, "He's alright Guinevere, and he'll survive. If you would like I can watch them."
"No, I will. And I'll tell Ethan what to watch for later."
Ethan took the last watch of the night, he had been asleep when Merlin had a fit earlier but Gwen had told him what he needed to do when she had woken him up. Curling up in the chair that was much too big for him, Ethan sat to wait. He could not let either one of them die while he was watching.
Thankfully, by the time Gwen and Gaius had woken, nothing else had happened and both men were sleeping peacefully.
Two days had passed and still both of the men were still alive, so Gaius considered it safe to say they would both make a recovery. Thankfully, he had been wrong about the bruising on Merlin's chest and there seemed to be no internal damage. Arthur had been waking up for longer periods of time but Merlin had not yet woken. It had been up to Gwen and Ethan to ensure he was still eating, Arthur had tried to help at one point but his chest was still too tender to support Merlin. Instead he had taken to talking to him when the others were out of the room. He was carrying on about something to do with swords and the appropriate way to skewer an opponent when the lump beside him finally started to groan and move.
"Come on Merlin," the Prince teased, "back to the land of the living." Arthur was desperate to know that he was okay, even with the few days that had passed, the deep bruising that covered half of Merlin's torso was still as dark as it had been the day they had made it back. As the warlock started to groan into existence the blankets slide off his chest and Arthur got another look at the bruising that had been only mostly covered by bandages. It was like Merlin was two different colors and the Prince couldn't help but notice that his brother was not moving his right arm, it stayed plastered to his side.
The warlock groaned again and slowly cracked his eyes open only to squeeze them shut harder.
"Let's have you lazy daisy," Arthur knew that using Merlin's snarky phrases was the easiest way to get a reaction out of him.
"Ar'ur?" He tried to open his eyes again and this time managed to keep them open but the light in the room was not helping.
His brother somehow managed to pick up on it. The prince slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed and got up in an attempt to pull the blinds on the windows closed. It took a little longer than he had anticipated but he managed it. He was tired when he was done (he really hated being injured) but the room was much darker. The bed dropped as he resituated himself, careful of his own wounds.
With the light gone and the shifting, Merlin seemed at least a little more comfortable opening his eyes and slurring out a question, "Wa's goin' on?"
"You were lazing around on the job again Merlin."
He wasn't coherent enough to appreciate the insult and instead plowed on, "Why 'o I hurt al'ver?"
Arthur attempt at humor had fallen short and now he was faced with the painful truth, he was again the cause of Merlin's pain, "What do you remember?" He asked gently.
Merlin closed his eyes and when he opened them his voice was a bit stronger, "Not much. Snake. Bandits." Then his eyes went wide, "You were dying." The warlock scrambled to sit up, to make sure his brother was alright but he only ended up hurting himself.
Arthur jumped at Merlin's frantic movements, "Merlin, stop! Merlin! You're going to hurt yourself more if you keep moving like that."
He had really only made it about half way into a sitting position when he stopped moving, "…you okay?"
Arthur gave him a look that would have caused anyone else to whither, for Merlin it was just a look of annoyance, "I'm fine, its you we're worried about. You've been unconscious for three days and actually still for the entire time. So I'm going to ask you again, what do you remember?"
Satisfied that Arthur was telling the truth, Merlin wracked his brains to see if he could piece together what happened, apparently, a few days before.
"Bedevire's horse threw him and you sent Robert, Brandon, and me to fetch it back," that jogged a memory. "Robert is dead, Arthur, Brandon killed him before he tried to kill me. Hit me in the head with a log I think, it all gets pretty confused after that."
The prince bowed his head. Merlin knew it was never easy for him to get news like this because it meant that he lost a good man but also he would have to tell the families, it was never easy for him.
"I remember finding you but my magic wasn't working." Then it was Merlin's turn to panic, his magic had failed him, what if he had somehow lost the ability to control it? What if this attack hadn't been about Arthur?
The prince corrected him, "Gaius said that depending on how hard you were hit, it could have easily made it difficult for you to control your magic. Judging by the lump I saw on your head, I would say you were hit pretty hard. Try now. Knock something over and pick it back up."
Realizing that he still had a pretty prevalent headache, Merlin elected something that would fall quietly. Seeing the pile of blankets on the table he sent a wind that tossed them around before ordering them to fold and store themselves back in the cabinet. Other than one that needed a bit of mending, they did exactly what he had wanted.
He relaxed back into the pillows and then he realized exactly where he was. Not where he was geographically, he knew he was in Camelot, but where he was within the castle, "Why am I in your room, on your bed?"
Arthur looked a little sheepish at that, when he had made the decision he hadn't quite been thinking clearly and then by the time they got Merlin situated, Gaius was worried about moving him too much so of course the prince had relented to the situation. Although he was not giving up the bed completely, "I guess I was not conscious when you carried me to the guard station and so the guards who helped you figured it would be best to bring me here instead of to Gaius's rooms. From what Guinevere said, you collapsed in here and Gaius was afraid to move you too far so they put you on the writing table. In my fevered and incoherent mind, I thought it was a good idea for you to be on a bed instead of a table and by the time we got you situated…" he through up his hands in a gesture that meant here we are. "However, now that you are awake there is nothing keeping you from going back to your own chambers and leaving me to my much more comfortable bed."
"Just like that you would throw an injured man out into the cold."
The prince got very serious at that, "Merlin, if you feel like you can't move, you'll stay here."
The warlock just smiled at that but he was not able to move, he still hurt a bit too much, "I'll take you up on that Arthur. But at least I can see straight again so that's a positive. Can you tell me why I feel like I've been run over by a herd of armor-clad horses?"
Arthur again looked sheepish. Twice in one day, I must have done something right, the warlock thought to himself. Then he found out the reason for the shyness, "You…uh…carried me back to Camelot."
"What?" Then the memories hit him again, the pain of putting one foot in front of another, channeling magic away from his own injuries to save his brother, the tunneling of his mind that kept him moving. "Oh…"
The sheepishness was replaced by a seriousness that brokered no argument, "Merlin, trust me when I tell you, that if you ever do anything that stupid again, you will be in the stocks for a month, not healing in a kingly bed."
To everyone but Merlin of course, "What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Gaius told me what you had done. You syphoned your magic away from your own healing to heal me. You could have easily killed yourself doing that and then where would I be? Lying out in the forest with a dead friend." The seriousness was back, "Never again, Merlin."
The warlock just looked at him, no intention clear on his face, so Arthur pushed, "Promise me, Merlin,"
"I can't, Arthur. It's my duty to protect you and if that causes my death then I'll be proud to have died for such a cause."
The prince was frustrated at this point, why couldn't his servant just do what he said like every other servant he had ever had, "Dammit, Merlin. Why do you have to get so philosophical? Fine, just promise that you'll do everything in your power to stay alive too. I can't do this without you."
"I promise Arthur."
"How's your head?"
"Surprisingly, not as painful as the rest of my body but if you want me to sire, I will go down to my own room now."
"I wasn't serious, Merlin. You are not going anywhere until Gaius says its safe for you to do so. Get some rest."
The man's eyelids were already falling when he whispered back, "Yes, your pratness."
Arthur watched as his brother fell asleep, "Thank you, Merlin, for everything."
So there you go, a nice little one shot to help pass the time. I hope this wasn't too OOC, I've been reading a lot of fanfiction lately and I think I might need to go back and rewatch the series because I think I'm starting to extrapolate things that were not there in the series. Anyway I wander. I hope you liked the story and as always…
Stay awesome and I hope your day goes swimmingly!
- Lily