"Merlin, no!" cried Arthur as Merlin pushed him out of the way and jumped in the path of the dorocha.
Merlin was thrown back against the wall, as the Knights walked in. Lancelot fended off the dorocha with his torch before handing it to Percival. "What happened?" he asked Arthur. Arthur didn't reply, he simply looked, stunned, over at Merlin. He and Lancelot ran forward and turned Merlin over. His face was frosted over.
Arthur dropped to his knees, "No!" he cried in anguish. Lancelot checked his pulse, "Arthur, he is alive" he said urgently.
Arthur held out his arm and touched Merlins face, "he is freezing, we need to get him warm" he said. He and Lancelot picked Merlin up, and Arthur carried him toward the fire.
The Knights looked on worriedly as Arthur sat Merlin near the fire. "Arthur, what happened?" Lancelot asked again. "He saved my life" Arthur said simply, "it was coming toward us, I tried to stop him but his pushed me out of the way and…." He trailed off.
Lancelot knelt down beside Merlin, and wiped his face with a cloth. He was pleased when the ice started to melt away. "His warmth is returning" he said with a smile.
Leon frowned, "I don't understand, I thought the dorocha were fatal?" he asked. Arthur also frowned, "I guess he is tougher than I give him credit for" he conceded.
Lancelot stood up and walked back over to the group of Knights, who were standing nearby and looking at Merlin with concern.
Arthur walked away from them, and took the place Lancelot had just been in, kneeling beside Merlin.
He reached out and touched his forehead and was relieved to see that Lancelot was right, he was much warmer now. Merlin did not move, but Arthur saw his eyes following him. "You shouldn't have done that Merlin" he said quietly. "I had to" mumbled Merlin, his eyes focused on Arthur. Arthur looked down at him seriously, "you are going to be alright Merlin" he said firmly, trying to convince himself more so than Merlin.
"I'm fine" mumbled Merlin. He could not move at all, the only sign of life was his eyes and Arthur looked at him sadly. "You are not fine" he said.
Lancelot walked back over to try and give Merlin some water. Arthur sighed and stood up, "just rest" he urged and walked back over to the Knights.
"We have to get him back to Gauis" Arthur stated firmly. "And abandon the quest?" Leon asked, stunned. "He saved my life, I won't let him die" Arthur said simply.