Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, unfortunately. Merlin's POV.


Do you ever feel it?
A craving that is so strong
To by though rewind in order to find
Expectations that shined through the doubt

Empty Words - Death

A soft groan filled of pain and despair echoed too loud on the small hut and forced him to open his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he slept more than a few hours and often he'd wondered why he was doing it - taking care of a person that'd get him killed without a second thought. Merlin sighed, eyes moving to the pale, weakened king thrashing on the bed. An annoying little voice on his head kept whispering things would be easier if he just let the man die.

Not yet.

It kept echoing on his mind, countering the dirty little voice, silencing it whenever it dared to show its ugly head. Two words that meant more, much more than he dared to try to understand, with a deeper meaning he dared not to doubt. The young warlock adjusted the cloak around his body and stood up, approaching Uther. Let him die, let him suffer. He deserves it, every second of pain… What a bitter thought. The man that hunted and killed thousands of his kin, his people, laying helpless on his bed. It'd be so easy indeed.

Not yet.

Arthur wasn't ready to be king.

Not yet.

If Uther died by magic, everything'd be lost.

His time has not come yet.

Merlin placed a hand on Uther's forehead, feeling the warmth of a never ceasing fever, noticing how the man flinched at his cold touch. A few words escaped his lips, eyes burning gold for a moment, and the King exhaled deeply as pain seemed to fade away from his tired features slowly. Magic to fight magic. A sweet irony. Morgause's powers were strong, her sick wills stronger but she hadn't foresee something. She hadn't expected a sorcerer to help Uther to keep living, keep fighting. No one was mad enough, no one was so stupid. A bitter laugh echoed before Merlin could hold it back. Perhaps loneliness just drove him insane, at last.

He didn't move for a while, watching silently as the older man once more got lost in his own mind, his spirt once more slipping into a painless dream with nothing but peace to welcome him. He doesn't deserve peace. But he wouldn't last longer, not if he kept going through darkness. The poison bubbling on his veins, burning his body, eating away his very soul, would make sure of it.

Merlin did whatever he could, tried everything within his power.

Now it was Uther's task to survive such ordeal.

The young warlock moved away, his fingers brushing Uther's cheek almost kindly as he stepped back to sit down on his chair. How could he care for someone so cruel, so heartless, that persecuted so many innocent people for no reason at all but hatred? He shouldn't care. Helping someone was easy - he could forget who Uther was, he could take care of a man with no face nor past. He couldn't, he shouldn't get too close, too involved.

You had a good heart once.

It was true, for he had seen what Uther tried to hide, buried too deep, under countless covers of false arrogance and pure, bitter sadness that wrapped itself in the poor man's heart almost completely, leaving nothing but a shadow of the person that Uther had been once. He had glimpsed a proud, yet gentle King that cared for his people and kingdom. He had seen a man that loved his wife more than anything else, more than his life. A lover, a friend, a leader.

But somewhere along the line, everything shattered.

He just hoped it wasn't too late to fix something - anything.


Thank you for taking time to read!
I hope you're enjoying it~! Reviews would make me very happy~