This is for x-kate-x; happy birthday!
Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or any characters within the show; all credit to the BBC.
You'd never know
High fever had swept Camelot so suddenly it was all Gaius could do to even think straight. That all evaporated when Merlin, the boy who'd become like a song to him, also came down with it. Gaius was almost convinced this time that some sort of magic had been used to allow for the sudden blink-and-you'd-miss-it onset of the fever epidemic.
Uther, King of Camelot – with encouragement from his only son, though you'd never know – insisted that Merlin should rest in the relatively luxurious guest chambers in his state of drowsy, feverish unconsciousness. Uther was glad that his son, Arthur and his ward, Morgana had been spared the suffering.
Gaius was occupied doing the rounds, checking on the people of Camelot also suffering from the feverish symptoms. Gwen, the loyal maidservant of Morgana and friend to Merlin, had kindly been given time to spend by her friend's bedside, dabbing a cold, wet cloth to his forehead desperately, trying in vain to control and lessen his soaring temperature. It worried Gwen greatly.
She was interrupted from her thoughts by the swinging open of the door. Gwen turned her head to see Arthur standing in the doorway. Turning back briefly to leave the cloth on Merlin's forehead, she moved swiftly off the bed to make her exit.
On doing so, she turned to Arthur, "I'll be with Morgana if you need...I'll be with Morgana."
Arthur gave Gwen a rare smile, tinged with concern, though you'd never know.
"He'll be okay." Gwen nodded, and promptly left the room.
Arthur slowly walked over to his servant's bedside and sat down on a nearby chair. His confident demeanour diminished now, Arthur looked almost...vulnerable. He didn't know how to act, he guessed Merlin had become a sort of friend. Despite his clumsiness and a number of other faults, Arthur had to hand it to Merlin; he stood up for what was right and would do so no matter the cost to himself. In that, Arthur suspected Merlin was braver than he was. But he'd never admit it, you'd never know.
The Lady Morgana knocked once, twice before entering, "I don't suppose you've seen-"
Arthur had leaned forward to man the cloth, dabbing it as Gwen had done against Merlin's forehead and at the arrival of his father's ward, he positively sprung back.
"If I didn't know you better, I'd say you care more about this boy than you let on..."
There it was, the teasing tone of her voice, but as Morgana closed the space between them with a couple of light steps, her expression was solemn. Arthur quickly retorted, "He's my manservant, Morgana, nothing more. I want him back to work as quickly as possible."
An almost-redness – pink in this instance – made itself known, colouring Arthur's usually pale cheeks. He couldn't meet Morgana's eye and distanced himself, refilling a cup with the water from a jug nearby.
"Oh?"
To no reply, Morgana continued, "Come on, Arthur, its no crime – I consider Gwen a friend."
Arthur sighed, sitting down again and with nothing else to do, he looked at Morgana.
Wrong move.
As he glanced at Morgana's pale face, dark chestnut brown hair, blue eyes, thin lips, Arthur felt something inside of him break.
"Do you think he's likely to recover?"
Everything seemed to hang on Morgana's answer.
Eventually, she said evenly, "Do you want him to?" She glanced away then looked back, waiting, expecting an answer.
"Of course I do! What do you take me for?"
"A too-proud, arrogant fighter trying too hard to conform to other people's expectations...someone who cares for Camelot, its people and those nearest to him," came Morgana's considered, final reply.
Arthur supposed that could be true.
But you'd never know.