Disclaimer: I don't own BBC's Merlin or it's characters, I only own what I make up.
Merlin woke up with a smile on his face; there hadn't been any trouble yet that month and it looked like it would stay that way for a while longer.
"Why are you so happy?" Gaius asked as Merlin walked down the stairs from his bedroom.
"No reason," Merlin answered as he grabbed an apple and walked out.
He went through the daily routine of waking up Arthur and helping him get ready for the patrol he was conducting later that day.
"Remind why were doing this," Merlin asked.
"It's been too quiet," Arthur replied from behind the screen where he was changing.
"Isn't that a good thing? It's been two and a half weeks since any trouble has a risen, that has got to be some sort of record."
"No, Merlin, that is not a good thing. It's like the calm before the storm, something big is coming, I can feel it."
"Didn't know that you were so keen to nearly die," Merlin teased tossing Arthur his belt, "Although it does explain a lot. Like your eagerness to take up challenges to the death against people you know absolutely nothing about, or how every time something magical happens you some how end up being hurt, knocked out, nearly killed or almost married, or how, for some ungodly reason, every time we go on a patrol we get atta-"
"Merlin!" Arthur interrupted as he walked out from behind the screen.
"Yes, sire?"
"Shut up."
"Why, I'm merely laying down a list of all the times Camelot's crowned prince and sole heir to the throne near-"
Arthur picked up the nearest object, which happened to be a silver goblet, and threw it at his manservant.
"Ha! You missed me prat," Merlin stated before ducking as a plate flew towards his head, "I'll just leave you to yourself than."
A pillow crashed into the door as Merlin slammed it shut behind him.
Arthur gestured to the patrol to be quiet. When it was finally quiet everyone heard humming, it was a melodic, ethereal sound.
Arthur made a few more gestures that everyone except for Merlin seemed to understand.
"What are we doing?" the young warlock asked in a hushed whisper.
Arthur rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to respond when the humming suddenly stopped replaced by a short shriek of fright or shock.
They took off running in the direction of the noise to see a girl in a tattered green dress fending off a small group of bandits.
Merlin stopped Arthur from barging into the fight by sticking out his arm.
"Merlin," Arthur began trying to get past his manservant, "What are you doing? We've got to help her."
"Arthur, it looks to me like she's got it under control," the warlock stated and gestured to the scene where there girl had knocked out a third bandit, leaving only two more to be dealt with. "See there is no reason that you should needlessly barge in. Just sit and wait for a mo-," Merlin stopped as one bandit knocked her to her knees and kicked away her sword. The other bandit walked up and yanked a necklace off of her.
"This'll bring 'n a purty penny," the bandit said tossing it in the air and catching it laughing before going serious again, "Dispatch the girl."
The bandit started to walk away examining the necklace, but the girl quickly kicked the man behind her to the ground then pulled a dagger from her boot and threw it at the man hitting him in the back before he could even turn around.
The girl was by his side by the time he hit the ground. She leaned over the man snatching her necklace and retrieving her dagger.
"That was my mothers necklace," she spat at the man venomously not realizing that the man she had kicked down in her hurry to get the necklace had pulled out a crossbow and was aiming it at her.
"NO!" Arthur yelled lunging at the man.
He was a moment to late, although his shout had distracted the man enough to alter the course of the arrow, the arrow was shot, and it hit the girl.
Arthur stabbed the man and ran over to the girl, where Merlin was already crouching.
"What's your name?" Merlin asked the girl in an attempt to keep her awake.
"L-L-Lynessa," she replied eyelids half shut.
"Lynessa," Arthur began, "My name is Arthur, this is Merlin, we are going to get you to safety okay?"
She nodded her head closing her eyes.
"Lynessa, I need you to stay awake. Lyn-"
"Arthur," Merlin interrupted and gestured to the wound in her side, "she's losing a lot of blood."
By this time the knights had joined them in the small clearing and were checking to see if any of the bandits were still alive.
"Okay," Arthur said, "Merlin, you take Lynessa on your horse back to Camelot, get her to Gaius as quickly as you can. We'll take care of these bodies and then head back, so you don't need to come back."
"Yes, sire."
Merlin got the girl on his horse before mounting behind her, riding as fast as he could back to the palace.
"What happened?" Gaius asked as Merlin carried the young woman into the physician's residence.
"She got shot in the side," Merlin said setting her on the patients' bed, "Can you do anything?"
Gaius looked at him like he was crazy before turning to his new patient and saying, "I need to assess the injury before I can say anything."
"Oh yes of course," He waited a couple of seconds before, "Well… can you do anything?"
"Merlin!" Gaius said clearly exasperated.
"Yes."
"Things like this take time."
"Oh right," he said getting up and watching over Gaius' shoulder.
"Isn't there something else for you to do?" Gaius asked tired of Merlin's perpetual prying.
"No, not really Arthur's probably not –"
"Will you be able to do anything Gaius?" Arthur said walking in.
"Maybe if people stopped asking me questions I could tell you!"
Arthur was stunned as was Merlin causing them to go quiet for a few minutes.
"The girl will be fine, she's lost a lot of blood, but not enough to be fatal. She should be awake in a couple hours but she'll have to stay here until, at least, tomorrow afternoon." Gaius finally said folding his glasses and setting them down.
"Oh good," Arthur said before turning to Merlin, "In the mean time I need you to, polish my armor, clean my room, sharpen my sword, and muck out the stables. After that meet me in my chambers."
Merlin groaned but did as he was told following the prince out of the physician's chambers.