Sorry for such short chapters but I am a VERY busy person with next to ZERO free time. I do hope you enjoy, and I fully intend to finish the story. Thanks for the reviews/favorites and follows so far. It's extremely encouraging so please continue!
Chapter 2
As soon as he reached Merlin, he knelt by his side and immediately began a closer inspection of his injuries. At first glance Arthur feared the wound on Merlin's leg to be horribly deep because of the alarming amount of crimson that seemed to be pouring from the wound. Arthur slowly peeled Merlin's shredded pant leg apart, it revealed a jagged gash that stretched from Merlin's outer mid-thigh down to his calf. Upon closer examination Arthur determined the wound was not as deep as he feared but would need to be stitched or cauterized quickly before he lost too much blood. Knowing that he would be unable to find Merlin's medical bag in the mess along the hillside for some time, he quickly tore several strips from the hem of his cloak and began to wrap them tightly around the wound.
Before he was halfway done wrapping Merlin's leg, Gwaine barreled over to his fallen friend followed closely by Leon and the remainder of the knights. Lancelot seemed to have located Merlin's medical bag and calmly knelt by Merlin and his King.
"What in the seven hells happened!?" Gwaine growled, "Why was he carrying all this stuff? … He'd better survive this Arthur, or so help me…"
Arthur ignored Gwaine's rant, more focused on his task at hand. Once finished with wrapping Merlin's leg, Arthur looked up at Merlin's face. He was still out cold. He was sure there was a large bump on Merlin's head which he would inspect soon but he checked for other damages first, since Gwaine cradled Merlin's head in his lap.
The only other significant injury was Merlin's shoulder, it hung at a grotesque angle in comparison to the other. Arthur only hoped he and the knights would be able to put it back into place before Merlin regained consciousness; he knew from experience how incredibly painful dislocated shoulders could be. Arthur moved to Merlin's shoulder and positioned himself to pop it back into place.
"Gwaine, keep his head steady. Lancelot, Leon, lift him up a bit for me and keep him still," the knights followed their king's commands without question. Unfortunately, it was then that a low moan came from the small figure being held. Several curses from various knights and one king were uttered as they realized the pain their friend was about to experience. Arthur decided that waiting would be worse- he grasped Merlin's arm firmly and quickly rotated it up and out. The knights winced as Merlin's scream and the pop of his shoulder sounded at the same time. Percival, who had been nearby making a sling, handed it over to Arthur who it accepted the sling with gratitude and placed it on Merlin with remarkable gentleness. Merlin was panting in pain as he leaned against Gwaine, not yet fully aware of what was going on. Arthur sat back on his heels and took a deep breath for the first time since seeing Merlin's fall down the hillside.
"Let's set up camp for the night. Merlin cannot travel any further today," the knights nodded in agreement. All but Gwaine left to set up camp. "He will survive Gwaine."
Gwaine's head snapped up to meet Arthur's, fire burned in his eyes, "This should not have happened! Find out why he was carrying such a load and punish whoever commanded it of him or I will!" Arthur stared at Gwaine for a moment but simply nodded and walked away.