"Hold him down!"

"You can do something, can't you?"

"Get me some water. Arthur, hand me your cape and cut off the jacket. No, don't jab him, for goodness sake!"

"Hey, guys, he's waking up."

"Merlin! Can you me?"

"...Rthr?" Merlin moaned, his voice barely audible. Darkness had enveloping his being, taking him deeper into himself, and escaping the mind-numbing pain that he was sure would greet him if he awoke. However, Arthur's voice was bringing him back into reality far faster than he was expecting. He found himself coming out of the void, and instantly wished that he hadn't.

Merlin's head was spinning and he couldn't get control over his body. Everything was discombobulated, and everything hurt. His back was on fire, and throbbed viciously at the slightest touch. There were hands on Merlin's back that irritated the source of the pain further and sent tremors down his spine. He flinched hard and tried to cry out when lightning streaked across his body. His cry came out as an inarticulate groan that was stifled after a second.

"Carefully! I told you to take the jacket off carefully!" Merlin moaned as the throbbing started to intensify. He tried to recall what happened. His head hurt as he tried to remember. Were they attacked? He remembered the sound of a crossbow being fired. Was Arthur alright?

Merlin's braced himself and opened his eyes, briefly thankful to find that it was still dark. He squinted at the blurred shapes around him. He tried to identify Arthur, and failed until one of the blurs started talking to him with the prince's voice. "Merlin, hang on... Listen, you're going to be alright. Are you listening?" There was a trembling in Arthur's voice. So he wasn't going to alright. "How are you feeling?" Merlin tried to find his voice. "...Marvel...ous.." His breath hitched when another wave of pain flooded his body. He buried his face into the earth, the pain seizing anymore movement from him except for the uncontrollable shiver.

"Hey, come on, Merlin. You're alright." Arthur put his hand on Merlin's arm. His hand was batted away by Leon, who shook his head. "Don't try to rouse him, sire. You will only agitate the wound." Arthur retracted his hand into his chest and nodded. His eyes trailed to the arrow sticking out of Merlin's right shoulder blade. His red shirt was turning darker and darker around the arrow.

Arthur swallowed heavily and looked up at Leon and Lancelot, who were both on the other side of his manservant. Gwaine, Percival, and Elyan were guarding them from the unseen dangers in the surrounding trees. Leon was ripping Arthur's donated cape into shreds. The knight noticed Arthur's staring. "Arthur, could you carefully," he emphasized the word after having seen Arthur take off the servant's jacket, "cut away the shirt around the arrow." Arthur nodded mutely and handled his knife. He and the rest of the knights were quick to look to Leon for help, and luckily for them, it sounded like the older and more experienced knight knew what he was doing.

"We can't do anything about the arrow right now. It's in too deep to pull out without causing further damage, and we can't get it past his shoulder to pull out on the other side." Leon explained. His words made Arthur too sick with worry to do anything except hack at Merlin's ruined shirt with his knife. Everything about this situation felt wrong. It was idiotic. Why did Merlin always have to play the hero? Arthur decided that he would invest in some sturdy chain-mail for his manservant if he was going to continue flinging himself into danger like this. That would be the first thing that he would do when they got back to Camelot.

If they got back to Camelot.

A dark pit strengthened itself in Arthur's stomach. It had first appeared when he noticed the arrow jutting out of Merlin right after the second ambush. One moment he was trying to crack a smile out of his somber servant, and the next he was on the ground checking for a pulse. His knights reacted instantly as soon as the arrow was fired. Swords were drawn out and a lot of yelling occurred, but nothing had come of it. Just like the first attack, only one arrow was fired, and the culprit had vanished. Whoever did this hadn't been Arthur's main concern, though. His thoughts and actions were solely fixed on Merlin's unmoving and most likely dead figure.

Arthur wouldn't be able to describe his emotions after he found a pulse on Merlin. There was a swell of relief and overwhelming joy. There was also guilt, but the sheer happiness that Merlin wasn't dead pushed it away. No one should have been able to survive something like that. It felt like a dream. However, the dream soon turned into a nightmare. His relief was quickly replaced with panic and anxious dread. Merlin was hurt. Merlin wasn't dead, but he would be soon.

Arthur tried to get a handle on his emotions when Leon and Lancelot knelt down to help Merlin. He was a prince, and he had to act like one. Panicking wouldn't do him... wouldn't do Merlin any good. Arthur found himself cursing inside his head. This was Merlin! That self-sacrificing idiot finally went to far and it could cost him his life. Arthur pushed those thoughts away, not wanting to bear anymore thought about death. Merlin wouldn't die. He couldn't. Arthur wouldn't allow it.

Arthur was brought back to the present when he finished tearing up Merlin's shirt. "What next?" he asked quietly, wincing as he took off Merlin's shredded shirt and took a look at the damage. The fabric made a horrible squelching sound as it came off of Merlin's back; blood was dripping from it and steadily oozing out of the skin that the arrow was imbedded in. The skin around the arrow shaft was inflamed and blotched with blood. A bruise was forming just around the wound. Arthur furrowed his brow, and tried to ignore the constantly growing black pit in his stomach. He asked once again, "What next?"

Leon and Lancelot looked as transfixed at the servant as Arthur was. "Dear lord..." Lancelot murmured. After a moment, they collected themselves and sprang into action. Leon began dabbing the blood with a shred of Arthur's cloak. Merlin visibly tensed when Leon got too close to the puncture wound. "Ahh! Please–" Merlin choked weakly. "stop."

Arthur didn't realize that Merlin was still conscious. "Why can't you just pass out like a normal person?" He asked his manservant, incredulous.

"I'm normal..." Merlin replied weakly.

Arthur shook his head. "Is that the best you can come up with?" Merlin groaned, both at the pain and at Arthur. "You try... making good banter when... there's an arrow in your back... It's... it's harder than... it looks..."

"Just focus on breathing, Merlin. Don't talk."

Merlin obliged. The fact of the matter was that he couldn't breath. Anything more than a shallow intake of air sent of pang of anguish throughout his insides. He felt light-headed. Merlin lost what little breath he was holding onto when someone poured water over his back. The knights noticed his distress. "Just cleaning the wound, it's okay." Merlin moaned. Nothing was okay. Everything felt bleak and muffled. Merlin knew that he should have passed out or even passed on by now. He didn't know whether to thank or curse his luck and magic. If he didn't have his magic backing him up, then the arrow most likely would have killed him upon impact. Merlin didn't dwell on that. He couldn't dwell on anything. Whenever he tried to focus his thoughts, the pain flared up again, as if attacking his right to do anything. He tried not to react as Leon continued helping him, and after a while he felt himself drifting off again.

Just as Merlin was sinking back into sleep, a sharp jolt attacked his back and provoked him painfully back into reality. He squirmed relentlessly against the hands that jumped onto his back and kept him pinned down on the ground. "Merlin– stop moving! We're cutting away part of the shaft. Keep still!" Merlin dug his fingers into the soft earth and gritted his teeth, trying to control the flares of pain. "It..." Blackness was ebbing its way into Merlin's vision. "...hurts... I... I can't breathe!" He finished with a gasp.

"Merlin, please stay awake! You'll be fine, just hang on!" The servant felt himself going limp. He vaguely noticed a hand upon his forehead. His vision was ebbing away again until the black earth and the red uniforms of the knights blurred together into a disoriented mess. His eyes slid shut. "Merlin... tay..ou hear... e? Mer... do...omething!" Arthur's speech started fading in and out. Merlin felt like he was being sucked into a black lake, where the bottom was miles beneath the surface. There wasn't any light or coherent sounds. He felt sluggish to the point where he couldn't feel anything, and even the pain was numbing itself to him. It frightened him, but he didn't know what to do to stop it. The blackness surrounding Merlin was overwhelming, and he finally relented and fell into unconsciousness.

Arthur stepped away from Merlin. His hands were flying from his belt to his head and back to his belt, not quite sure which position to take. Merlin was under, and for one moment Arthur panicked that his manservant would never wake up again. He finally settled his hands on his waist. "He said he can't..." A hand ran through his hair, despite his attempts at keeping them still. He cleared his throat. "He said that he couldn't breathe. What do we do about that?" Lancelot was propping up Merlin while Leon wound the red strips of cloak around the servant's chest and back. Leon finished securing the cloth, and made sure that it was effectively stopping the bleeding while keeping the bit of arrow that poked out from jostling. "We get him to Gaius, that's all that can be done." Leon said wearily.

Elyan sheathed his blade and turned from the forest. "But that's a week's ride!" Leon snapped his head up at the younger knight. "What else would you have us do? Stay in these woods and get picked off one by one by the mysterious bowman?!" Then, more calmly at Arthur, "Sire?"

Arthur breathed in deeply, trying to think rationally. They had no luck so far in the druid hunt; he realized that they should have given up after the rainstorm. There wasn't any sign of anything in this forest besides the bowman, and they hadn't even gotten a glimpse of him. They wouldn't be able to continue the hunt without their supply horse, and now Merlin was in mortal danger. That last detail sealed Arthur's decision. "Gather the horses. We ride back to Camelot immediately."

Arthur's knights followed his orders and untied the horses from the trees. Percival walked up from behind Arthur and slapped a hand onto his shoulder. Arthur looked back at his knight, who gave him a look that said that he was just as worried for Merlin. Gwaine nodded his head at Arthur's decision as he walked passed him, and went to help Leon and Lancelot with Merlin's body. "Let me help, he's not as light as he appears."

Arthur stood back as Merlin was hoisted onto his horse. His servant slid sidways and Gwaine had to snatch ahold of his makeshift bandages to keep him from falling off. Merlin, still out cold, let out a hiss of pain. Leon took ahold of Gwaine's arm. "Don't touch the bandages. He just might die from the added pain."

"He's going to die anyway."

Arthur spun around and unsheathed his sword at the stranger's voice. A girl with dark hair stood before him, undaunted. She was only a child, but Arthur refused to relax his sword. He heard the swords of his knights also being unsheathed, which strengthened his resolve. "Who are you? Are you the one that has been shooting as us?" The girl raised her eyebrows at him. Arthur had the strange thought that with a little training, her eyebrows could be as impressive as Gaius'. "I'm twelve." the girl said. "Do you really think that I could shoot anyone?"

"With proper training, anyone could use a crossbow. Now tell me who you are!"

The girl pursed her lips and rolled her sleeve back, revealing the druidic symbol. "I am a druid," she kept her sleeve furled up. "and my people have no need for crossbows." Arthur felt his stance relaxing, but kept his sword pointed at the girl. "Why are you here?" The girl pointed at the slumped figure of Merlin on the horse. "I am here for him. He will die before you make it back to Camelot."

"How do you–"

"–Although you have left Camelot's borders, Prince Arthur, you are still widely known. But that's not important right now. Let me heal him." Arthur took a step backwards toward Merlin. "Thank you, but we've already done everything that we can." The little girl shook her head. "I mean to heal him with magic. We are outside of Camelot's borders, so you shouldn't have any problems with it, yes?"

Arthur gripped his sword. He couldn't condone the use of magic! He glanced back at Merlin. The bandages were already darkening as more blood continued to escape the arrow wound. He couldn't let Merlin die, either. Arthur sighed, and returned his attention to the druid girl. They had passed Camelot's borders only a couple nights ago, and this was healing magic. It couldn't be that disastrous. "Where are the rest of your people? Are you sheltering the druids that we have been searching for?"

"We shelter no one, and I will show you my family once he is healed." She replied bluntly. Arthur stepped to the side, his sword hand still tense. "Then hurry and heal him. If any treachery is used, there will be repercussions."

"Of course."

When their prince stepped aside, the knights quickly lowered Merlin from the horse and back onto the ground. The druid was kneeling at his side in seconds. She looked up at Arthur. "You are sure that you will let me use magic?" Arthur hesitated, but ended up nodding. "Just save him." She grinned and turned back to Merlin. The incantation slid out of her mouth, "Þurhhæle dolgbenn."

Merlin awoke to the words of the Old Religion. Something strange drew him out of the blackness that enveloped him earlier, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing. He cringed involuntarily, waiting for the tormenting pain to return. He waited... and waited. He still hurt, and something about his right arm didn't feel correct, but the constant fire that rippled across his back was gone. "You may feel a small jab, but just pretend that it's a thorn or splinter, okay?" Merlin tried to find the voice that was talking to him, but didn't have time before the arrow was quickly yanked out of his back. He cringed again and shouted out hoarsely. He thought that he heard Arthur shouting too.

"Ic hæle þina þrowunga." There they were again. Merlin recognized some of the words from the Old Religion, and realized that this person was trying to heal him. That explained the lessening of the pain when he woke up. Merlin squinted into the night. He moved his head a bit, and caught a glimpse of an arm with a druid symbol on it. Merlin instantly reached out with his mind. The forest had been so quiet with no animals or druids around for the past few days; Merlin felt like he had found a pure spring of water in the middle of the desert. Who are you?

I can hear you... shouldn't that give you a clue?

You are a druid. But why are you here? These men are from Camelot.

Honestly, I simply came to retrieve my arrows.

Merlin looked at the piece of arrow that had just been in his back in the girl's hand. His eyes widened. That was her arrow. You were the one... "Arthur!" His voice was shot, and he could barely hear his own voice. He doubted that Arthur even knew that he was still awake. The Druid gently placed her hand over his eyes. "Onslæp nu." Sleep, Emrys. Arthur should not know, not yet. Merlin fought against the spell, but it came on too rapidly, and before he knew it he was returning to the blackness that he had come out of.

Arthur tapped his foot impatiently. "Well?" The girl stood up and smiled. "He is out of immediate danger. I will take you to my father, who will be able to completely heal him." Arthur looked at his knights. They stared back, indicating that this was his decision. He twirled his sword in his hand. "Lead the way, then."

The druid girl smiled, twirling the broken arrow in the same manner than Arthur had his sword. "Follow me."

Victim: Sailor K

Culprit(s): hopper18, AMerlinMourner, Neonlights, Felicity P, Mika271170, lilyflower1345, TN Sarah, emiliarose375, wolfnymph1 and anonymous reviewers

Murder Weapon(s): awesome reviews, faves, and alerts

Cause of Death: Sheer happiness; combusted on sight.

(faints) Thank you so much for the feedback in this story! You guys are the reason I creeped people out the last month with this huge, unwavering smile on my face! I'm glad you all enjoy it :)

So... one month is really a long time, as you all pointed out. Unfortunately... work is relentless, and takes up way too much time for me to comfortably set closer dates for new chapters. Next chapter update will be June 1st!... why are you glaring? I'm going to try to get it up sooner, but June 1st is the deadline!

Thank you for reading :D (brownie points to anyone who found my little quip concerning a superhero franchise that just released an epic new trailer and and also an epic new movie soon...)