It really shouldn't have been surprising that Merlin was being forced to go on yet another hunting trip. But somehow, he'd assumed that Arthur being aware of his magic meant his job would change. He'd get more respect, perhaps, or at least be allowed to pick and choose the duties he was forced to do. But no, absolutely nothing had changed, except the small jokes about it when no one else was around, or the little things Arthur asked to see. The lessons had fallen through when Arthur had realized they'd gone past what he understood anyway. He claimed he didn't need to understand, because clearly he had two men who understood it perfectly well for him. While Merlin had accepted it as a compliment, he'd still rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath that resulted in a smack to the shoulder.
He supposed there was a difference. Arthur had decided he didn't need anyone else to come with him on these trips, meaning he expected Merlin to do all of the carrying and defending that needed doing. He wasn't expected to hunt: he'd explained to Arthur that he never wanted to use magic to kill an animal unless it was an emergency, and just because he was a powerful warlock didn't mean his skill with a bow had improved. So Arthur hunted, and Merlin did everything else.
"Merlin! Quiet, will you? You'd think a powerful warlock would be able to walk quietly."
"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Merlin muttered sullenly, shifting the bag he hauled on one shoulder. "You'd think a king would be able to give his powerful warlock a break, a chance to actually use his powerful warlock magic instead of carrying the baggage. Because he has a lot more potential-"
"Are you complaining, Merlin?" Arthur turned to look at him with half a smirk, and Merlin rolled his eyes.
"No, of course not sire."
Arthur paused and watched Merlin for a moment. "I'm working on it, okay? But until I can make sure you're safe..."
Merlin knew how that sentence ended, and he nodded. He felt a little bad that he'd brought it up in the first place, because the look on Arthur's face was determined and sincere. He did plan on making Merlin's life better, when the time was right. When it wouldn't mean the boy's death.
"Now come on, we have to catch at least one deer before we go back."
Merlin gaped at Arthur. "And how do you suggest we get that back to the castle?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Why, with your magic, of course."
He laughed when Merlin frowned at him, and Merlin couldn't feel any anger. It was surreal, listening to Arthur calmly discuss his magic, and he felt a small surge of joy every time it happened. So he followed Arthur as they continued on, searching for that illusive deer.
They'd been out for at least another hour before Arthur sighed and shook his head. "Maybe we'll be going back without."
"Yes, well, you tried your hardest, it was a good effort." He couldn't hide the excitement to return home from those words, and it was Arthur's turn to roll his eyes.
"At least try to pretend you're upset."
"I'm very upset."
"Oh really?"
"Yes. Incredibly. I was looking forward to hauling it back to Camelot by myself."
"It wouldn't be that hard."
"It would be very hard."
"Merlin, you've told me-"
"I regret telling you. Now you make me do everything."
"I don't-" Arthur didn't finish his sentence, his body suddenly going slack and falling backwards. Merlin didn't act fast enough, watching helplessly as Arthur's head smacked a tree as he fell. Merlin did managed to catch him before he hit the ground, and laid him down gently before turning to look for some explanation.
He stopped short when he saw the boy with blonde hair from the battle so long ago, his head tilted to the side slightly. "Emrys." He said quietly, his dark brown eyes watching the warlock. "Are you well?"
Merlin didn't answer, both confused and afraid. The fear was what brought his magic pounding to the surface, surrounding him in a shimmering light. He wanted to run, to leave this boy far behind and take Arthur somewhere safe. But he was rooted in place, afraid any movement would cause the pain to break out once more.
When he didn't answer, the boy sighed. "Don't be boring. Answer me."
A small jolt went up Merlin's spine and he stumbled backwards, nearly stepping on Arthur in the process.
"I – I'm well." He said quietly, stuttering on the words. He said them in the hopes that the boy would be satisfied and leave. Of course, he didn't truly believe it would be that easy.
"And your king?"
"Uh... I'm not – I'm not sure, he's – he took – he hit his head-"
The boy nodded. "I know."
There was a moment of silence, and it took everything Merlin had not to run. That, and the knowledge that so long as he stood between the boy and Arthur, there was at least some protection for the king.
"I'm full." He finally said, and as quickly as he'd shown up he was gone, disappeared completely. Merlin felt his knees give out beneath him and he fell heavily to the ground below, scratching his palms and legs on the twigs and stones he landed on. His breathing was harsh, his stomach churned, and he knew he was close to tears. He'd managed to forget about that boy in the time since the battle, although occasionally he still had nightmares that didn't remain long after he woke. But being faced with it, so close once more, was more than he could handle.
"Merlin?" Arthur's voice was slurred; clearly the hit on the head had been a bad one, but Merlin had to struggle to sanity before he could deal with Arthur. It was when he felt the firm hand on his shoulder that he gasped in a real, full breath and felt his body calm.
"Y'alright?"
"'m fine." Merlin answered, looking up at the king. Blood was apparent in his blonde locks, trickling down his neck in fine drops. "Come here."
Arthur was very compliant, shifting so Merlin could get at the wound on his head. It was bleeding sluggishly now, but it needed a dressing regardless. Merlin dug around for the extra shirt he'd packed and began ripping it.
"No no no, don't." Arthur's protests came as a surprise, and Merlin glanced up at him with an eyebrow raised.
"I have to wrap your head."
"But you don't have enough shirts, don't rip the ones you have."
Merlin frowned at Arthur, questioning his apparent concern. "Now I know you've hit your head too hard. Don't worry, you can replace it." He began the process of wrapping the king's head so it wouldn't bleed everywhere, working hard to control hands that still shook slightly. When he was finished, he was unsatisfied with the finished product, but it would have to do.
"How far do you think we are from Camelot?" Merlin asked as he helped Arthur to his feet, a firm grip on his arm.
"Uh..." Arthur frowned and looked around them. "This one's on you." He finally answered, shooting an apologetic look in Merlin's direction.
"Great. Fantastic."
Arthur didn't apologize, of course, and Merlin hadn't expected him to. So he picked the direction that seemed to be the right one and, Arthur's arm around his shoulders, began to walk that way.
They'd gone five steps when Arthur violently ripped his arm away from Merlin, falling to his knees and retching all over the wildflowers next to him.
"Alright?" Merlin asked once Arthur had stopped and had wiped a an arm across his mouth.
"Apparently not."
"Right. But feeling better?"
"Not at all."
"Headache?"
"Yes. I got hit in the head, Merlin, of course I have a headache."
"Dizzy?"
"Yes."
"Annoying ringing in your ears?"
"Yes, Merlin, all of it."
"It appears you have a concussion, sire."
"Is it curable?"
"You've had a concussion before-"
"Yeah, but... just answer me, alright?"
"Yes, it is curable. It will just take time."
"Good. Get me home."
Merlin let out a heavy sigh. If nothing else went wrong, he could still get them back to Camelot in one piece.
They walked for a long time, Arthur leaning heavily into Merlin and yet still managing to trip himself up. There were several times they both went down, and Merlin gained several new bruises and cuts for it. But he was more concerned about Arthur, who seemed to be tiring rather quickly. And Merlin still didn't recognize their surroundings, which was a bad sign. They'd been walking for much too long, they should have been able to see the castle walls.
Merlin let Arthur down, slowly, to lean against a tree as he closed his eyes and muttered the words. Immediately he saw the route to the castle, laid out before him behind his lids. They'd definitely taken a wrong turn somewhere, but now that he knew, he was confident they'd make it back. Not until after dark, though. And that in and of itself could hold dangers.
"Merlin?"
"I know where to go now." Merlin answered, already knowing what his friend was going to say. He hoisted the king up yet again, determined they'd take a faster clip so they could make it back before the knights got too frantic. Arthur agreed, and together they took off at a speedy walk.
They hadn't gotten far before Arthur's feet were dragging. But Merlin kept going, because they had to get back.
Merlin could feel sweat dripping down his back a little while later, but he kept going.
It was only when his knees buckled, sending them both sprawling to the ground, that he decided maybe they'd get back to the castle tomorrow.
He couldn't leave Arthur alone for too long, so he stuck around as he gathered wood for a fire. He wished he'd brought blankets, food, and a number of other things that he usually had when they were forced to spend the night somewhere.
Once he had a fire going, Merlin started cleaning two of the rabbits Arthur had caught, which was much easier now that his hands were steady. Arthur dozed quietly. Merlin used a bit of magic to check around the king's wound, determining that he was fine.
The rabbits cooked, they ate, and Merlin offered the rest of his shirt as a pillow for the king. Of course, Arthur insisted that he didn't need it, Merlin should have it, but Merlin wouldn't listen. And it didn't take long for Arthur to fall asleep, small snores keeping time.
It took longer for the warlock to sleep. He told himself that he needed to stay awake, to stand guard, but he knew that wasn't going to be possible. So when he fell asleep, he didn't fight too hard.
M.M.M
When morning came, Merlin roused himself with the sun and re-lit the fire to cook a bit more for their breakfast. It was only when it was finished that he woke Arthur, who took much longer than usual to find awareness. They ate as quickly as they dared, with Arthur unsure whether he would keep it down or not, and then began again. They hadn't gotten far when they were met by Gwaine, Percival, and several knights that, honestly, Merlin didn't know. The looks of relief on their faces as they saw not just Merlin, but Arthur as well, were just as much a relief to Merlin. He hadn't been sure he could manage another day of hauling the heavy king back to Camelot.
Gwaine dismounted immediately, coming to Merlin as Percival went to the king. The other knights did as ordered, clearly deferring to the men closest to the king.
"You alright? What happened?" Gwaine asked quietly as he checked Merlin over. They could hear Percival asking the king similar questions, but Merlin knew Arthur's answer wouldn't be very clear. So he was sure to give Gwaine as much detail as possible, both so he wasn't the only one who knew and so Gwaine wouldn't be surprised by anything that might occur between here and the castle.
"Another sorcerer? You could beat him, couldn't you?" Maybe Merlin hadn't told him everything. He'd not told anyone about the boy during the battle, and he'd left out of the retelling that he'd seen the sorcerer before, that he was terrified of him and had been unable to do anything. Gwaine's absolute faith in Merlin's abilities was touching, but the warlock knew he didn't deserve it. Especially right now, after that.
"Yeah. Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"Yeah."
Gwaine raised an eyebrow at Merlin, who shrugged and didn't meet the knight's eye.
When they mounted, Merlin stayed away from Percival. He had nothing against the man, of course, thought he was a great person, but riding with him was too reminiscent of their flight from Morgana, and he wasn't ready to relive those memories yet. Fortunately, the larger knight had no problem with it, probably understanding in some deep, quiet Percival way, so he wasn't offended when Merlin rode with Gwaine.
There was very little conversation on the way back to Camelot. Gwaine, of course, attempted to make conversation, but Merlin wasn't talkative, and Arthur was keeping his mouth shut. Percival never said much, and the other knights, while occasionally contributing something, generally muttered amongst themselves. So when Gwaine grew tired of speaking to himself, he stopped talking. Merlin felt bad, of course, that his friend was discouraged, but there was very little Merlin wanted to talk about.
He felt relief when the castle walls were in view, and ever more so when they passed through. It was a given that they would both be sent to Gaius, so neither boy fought it when Gwaine and Percival escorted them there. Gaius immediately set to work, demanding to know the story of what had happened.
"Well-"
But before Arthur could say anymore, Merlin launched into the story. Arthur frowned at him for a moment, but eventually he just relaxed as Gaius tended to his head. When Merlin had finished, Gaius frowned. So did Arthur. He didn't remember the part about the sorcerer.
"And he left? Just like that?"
"Yes."
"What did he mean,'I'm full?' What's that meant to be?"
"I don't know." Merlin muttered, but he did know. Admitting that, however, would mean he'd have to explain how he knew, and he wasn't prepared to do that just yet.
Gaius frowned. "I'll have to do some research. For now, sire, I recommend you return to your chambers and rest. I'll be in to check on you later."
"Yes, Gaius. Thank you." The king stood, seemingly steadier on his feet now than he had been earlier. And as soon as Merlin thought so, he stumbled and fell hard against the wall, only barely managing to catch himself on his arms. Gaius and Merlin both hurried to help him.
"Maybe you had better escort him back, Merlin. And then be sure to inform Gwen, I'm sure she'd like to know."
"Why don't I just use magic?" Merlin asked, concerned about the severity of the injury to be affecting the king this much.
The guffaw of laughter from Arthur startled both Gaius and Merlin, but both hid it from their faces as Arthur looked at him. "Maybe you're the one who hit his head a little too hard, Merlin."
"Because..."
"You don't have magic. That would be... Well, I'd have to burn you at the stake or something, and then I'd have to find a new manservant. Now come, let's go."
Merlin threw a glance at Gaius as he slipped under Arthur's waiting arm, and caught Gaius raised eyebrow and general confusion. Then he helped Arthur maneuver the hallways of the castle, getting him safely to his bedroom and into clean night clothes before helping him get comfortable in the bed.
"Don't go spreading rumors about magic, alright?" Arthur said just before Merlin had reached the door to leave. "It wouldn't do to have the people thinking my servant has magic."
"Of course." Merlin slipped out before Arthur could frown at him. He wasn't acting like himself. But then again, neither was Arthur. He hurried to find Gwen, hoping Gaius would have an answer for the both of them when they returned.