Author's Note: Hey, my followers know how I love sick!fics and injured!fics, so this time, I decided to do both. Gotta love whump and angst!
Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Merlin, all rights go to BBC.
"Rise and shine, Arthur!" The manservant said as he pulled open the curtains. The prince
rolled over and moaned, pulling himself out of bed. "Are you alright?" Merlin asked, taking note
of his pale face and slightly flushed cheeks, and the way he tried to stifle his cough.
"Of course I am." Merlin came and rested a hand softly on Arthur's head, only to be
swatted away half-heartedly. He sighed.
"You're burning up."
"I'm fine." He said unconvincingly, swaying where he stood.
"You should rest, I'll call Gaius." The loyal servant tried to lead his master to his bed.
"I said I'm fine, Merlin."
"But, it's obvious you're not!"
"I order you to dress me."
"Yes, sire." He did as he was told.
"There is a hunt planned today, I assume you will be joining us?" Merlin sighed.
"Are you sure it's a good idea? I mean, just look at you! You can hardly stand!" He
objected.
"I have said I am fine. Now, go prepare the horses." Merlin held his tongue and went to
fetch Arthur's armor and bring the horses out front.
Arthur's legs shook as he walked down to the horses, so Merlin followed closely in case
he fell. The prince realized this, and fought harder to stay standing. Merlin had to help him onto
the horse, which worried him even more.
"This isn't a good idea, Arthur. Perhaps you should at least let Gaius take a look at you."
"Don't be ridiculous, Merlin. I'm fine." He rode towards the city gates, followed by his
knights and his servant. A couple of hours into the hunt, Arthur spoke. He was gripping his
horse's mane so tight that his knuckles were white, and the world was blurry around him.
"Merlin?" His voice was small, unfitting for the once and future king. Merlin stopped his
horse and turned around, just in time to see him slip off the edge of his horse. The knights
sprang into action, but it was Merlin who reached him first.
"Arthur! Come on, we should get you back to Gaius." He said nervously, as Arthur
coughed into his fist.
"No, no. I'm alright." He stood up and stumbled to his horse in an attempt to get on.
"Forgive me, Sire," Leon interrupted. "but you don't look well. Perhaps Merlin is right?"
"Told you." Merlin muttered.
"I assure you, I am fine. We will continue the hunt."
"Yes, my lord." Leon said, bowing his head before mounting his horse. The others
followed suit as Merlin helped Arthur do so as well.
They hunted until dusk, and when the horses could carry no more game, they headed
back for Camelot. Arthur had been insistent that they set up camp, but everyone wanted to get
him back home before he got any worse.
Merlin took as many animals as he could carry and started towards the castle. Arthur
slid off his horse and fell to his knees, but quickly composed himself before grabbing animals as
well. He started up the steps, but his foot wouldn't raise itself again, and he fell, dropping
everything in his arms. "Arthur!" Merlin set down the animals he was carrying and rushed to
him. He waved him off.
"I'm alright. I'm just tired." The knights came and took the rest of the game and left
Merlin to help the prince to his bedroom. After assuring him that it was mere exhaustion,
Arthur finally got his servant to go home, albeit reluctantly.
Merlin came in the next morning and prepared Arthur's clothes and breakfast, giving
him extra time to sleep, in case he was still tired. Finally, he drew the curtains back, letting the
sunlight enter the room. "Time to wake up, Arthur!" The prince didn't make a sound. "Arthur,
you've got to get up." He shook his shoulder, no response. He rolled him to face upwards, and
gasped at his condition. Sweat beaded on his face as he shivered, a pained expression over his
features. After a couple more attempts to wake up, Merlin saw it was futile.
He sprinted down to Gaius's chambers. "Gaius!" He was out of breath when the old
man looked up at him with a questioning gaze. "Gaius, it's Arthur. He's ill, he won't wake up. I
don't know what to do!" He stood up immediately, grabbing his medicine bag and hurrying
after me to Arthur's room.
Gaius went to the prince and laid a hand on his forehead. His eyes filled with concern as
he ordered Merlin to go and fetch a bucket of water. When the boy returned, Arthur had his
eyes open slightly, his breathing labored to an extent that scared Merlin. "Merlin-" He broke off
into a coughing fit that was painful to listen to.
"Gaius, what's wrong with him?!"
"He has pneumonia, I'm afraid. It can be very dangerous, Merlin."
"Is he going to be alright?!"
"I believe he will live, if that's what you're asking. However, it will nonetheless be rough.
If we are not careful, he very well may die. He must be watched constantly, and there can be no
strain put upon him."
"How did this happen?"
"I would assume that he caught a cold a short while ago, perhaps a week, and chose to
ignore it. Going out in this dreadful weather could cause stress on anyone's health, let alone if it
were compromised."
"I should have paid more attention…"
"This is hardly your fault, Merlin. Arthur didn't tell you he was ill."
"I should have noticed!"
"Merlin…" Arthur croaked. "Shut up." He did as he was told.
"The king is away for a celebration in a neighboring kingdom. He is not to return for a
few weeks, but I can send him word of Arthur's illness." That made Arthur sit up, which threw
him into another coughing fit.
"Do not tell my father! He is already worried about my ability to be his heir, I cannot let
him know I have fallen to such weakness."
"Whatever you wish, sire." Merlin stayed with him, lying on the couch. Night came, and
when he could fight sleep no longer, he closed his eyes and drifted off.
Author's Note: Please review! I love input from my readers, and constructive criticism is always welcome! I am striving to be a better writer, but I need a little help sometimes! Let me know what I'm doing wrong! Also, I'd be happy to take requests for any future fanfics/songfics, or any scenes you'd like to see in a fan fiction! I'll do any show, just ask and I'll look up the characters and watch a few episodes (of your choosing). I love to please my readers!