I opened my eyes when I felt the left side of my bed sink. Beside me, I saw a hazy figure. My eyes took time to adjust to the dim light, and when they did, I sat up, startled. My manservant sat before me, his face bruised and his nose broken. The boy shivered, and I reached out my hand, only to retract it when the boy turned to look at me with shocked eyes.
'Arthur?' he whispered, his voice shaking. I leaned forward, concern clear in my eyes.
'Who did this to you?' I asked, my voice steady. Merlin rushed to his feet, and I followed. I gripped him by the arm and turned him around.
'Merlin!' The boy collapsed in a fit of sobs, and I knelt before him. He covered his face with his hands and turned away, and I lifted my hand and placed it gently on his shoulder. Merlin's hands dropped to the floor, and he turned, falling into me and wrapping his arms tightly around my waist. I stilled, shocked, the sudden contact unexpected. After a moment, though, I relaxed and returned the hug, wrapping one arm around Merlin's shoulders and moving the other up to rest in his mess of black hair. My eyes closed, and I breathed in the small of my servant, rocking his trembling body in my arms.