Chapter 3

Merlin watched as the prince threw up again, gasping and leaning against Gwen for support as she tended him. There was something terribly wrong about this situation. It felt like magic, evil magic. Gaius had brought in another cot for Arthur and placed it beside him. They had tried to move Arthur to his chambers, but the two had suddenly got worse, convulsing and their fevers had spiked. It was very unusual. As soon as they brought the two back together, their body temperatures returned to a slightly lower level. Every time Merlin would cough, Arthur's stomach would revolt. It wasn't a pleasant situation. There was a knock on the door and Uther entered.

"How is my son?" he asked.

Arthur put a hand up to keep him back as he wiped his mouth. "I'd be fine if Merlin would stop coughing."

Merlin wanted to answer with a witty remark, but didn't dare to say so in front of the King of Camelot. He shook his head as Gaius handed him a cup of water to quell his tongue.

"I'm fine Father," Arthur grumbled.

"Gaius?" Uther inquired.

"There's no change right now. We tried to separate them again, but even being in the other room made them devastatingly ill. I am working on a cure, but I have not discovered anything yet. I will keep trying."

Uther nodded, getting up closer to his son and taking a seat beside him. "I will find the sorcerer who has done this, I promise Arthur."

Merlin groaned. "Arthur, I'm sorry." He started to cough and Arthur groaned in unison.

This sickness was really starting to draw on Arthur's last nerve. He wiped at the sweat on his forehead before dry heaving. There was nothing left in his stomach to throw up. Uther watched, unable to help his son.

"Merlin, knock it off!" Arthur gasped when he was done.

Merlin finished coughing, wishing that he could give the prince a piece of his mind. He pulled back his hand and froze.

"Gaius," he mumbled.

The physician hurried over and took a look at Merlin's hand. There was blood on his skin. He'd begun to cough up blood. Arthur glanced over and saw the same thing. Uther excused himself from the room, promising to return in a little while. Arthur thanked him and returned his focus to his servant. Gaius handed him a rag to wipe the blood from his lip. He brought over a different smelling minty container of goo and began to rub it on Merlin's chest. It smelled strongly, but the vapors actually helped him breathe easier again. Gwen brought over a honey tea to sooth his sore throat. Merlin sighed, sipping the sweet liquid.

"That stuff is strong," Arthur complained, his own nose being assaulted with the smell.

"Sorry, Sire. Hopefully it'll ease Merlin's coughing and we can get some fluids into you before you become dehydrated," Gaius explained.

"This really is a horrible illness."

"I agree," Merlin stated, taking another sip of his tea.

Gwen brought over two plates of food and handed each man one of them. Arthur turned his nose up at the smell and his stomach flip-flopped. He wondered if it worked in reverse, though he didn't want to find out. Coughing and throwing up all day hadn't really helped either of them and both were drained. Gaius offered them both a sleeping draft once they finished eating, to help them stay asleep and prevent complications. Merlin and Arthur quickly downed them. The younger man quickly fell asleep, exhausted from not sleeping well the night before. Gaius went to fetch some clean water to give Arthur and Gwen a little privacy.

"Was the food good?" she asked.

"Yes, it was nice to eat something. I hadn't eaten all day thanks to Merlin's coughing and this stupid spell that Gaius can't find a cure too," the prince grumbled.

Gwen frowned. "Merlin didn't get to eat anything either and he actually barely touched his dinner." She gestured to the plate next to their friend, only a few bites had been eaten.

"He needs to eat more. You can see his ribs."

"Not all of us eat from the royal kitchens, Arthur."

The prince nodded, knowing that she was right. "Do you think he'll be alright?"

"Gaius is taking care of him, both of you. He will help you, no matter the cost."

"I know."

Arthur blinked heavily as the effects of the sleeping draft began. Gwen leaned in and gently pressed her lips to his forehead. She ran her hand down Arthur's cheek and he quickly grabbed it, holding her hand against his skin. Her hand was cold and it felt nice. Gwen waited until Arthur had fallen asleep before letting his hand fall and she tried to keep back her tears. Her two closest friends were in trouble and she could do nothing to help them. Gwen carefully laid a cloth on her love's forehead and glanced over at the sleeping Merlin, silently praying for something to help both of them.


Morning came and Arthur opened his eyes, blinking at the sunlight pouring in the window. The rain had finally stopped for a little while, though grey clouds hung around the edges of the sun. He actually felt a little better, though his arm was still burning. The prince looked to see if Merlin was awake and saw that he was asleep. Gwen and Gaius were nowhere to be seen, which was a little strange. He hoped that they were getting some food. Arthur was quite hungry. Merlin made a soft noise, but he didn't open his eyes.

"Hine on ylde eft gewunigen wilgesiþas, þonne wig cume," Merlin muttered.

"Merlin? What did you say?"

"Dreamleas gebad he gewann langsum."

Gaius heard Merlin's voice speaking and quickly rushed out of the back room and over to his ward. Gwen entered from the front door at the same time. Merlin was still asleep, but he was murmuring magical words in front of Arthur. Gaius put a hand on Merlin's shoulder, causing his eyes to open. His skin was still too warm to the touch, but his eyes were no longer glossy from the fever.

"What were you saying?" Arthur demanded to know.

"It was the fever. He was just mumbling, Sire. Merlin, how are you feeling?"

Merlin nodded, afraid to speak. Had he been speaking magic while he was unconscious again? This was not good. A cough formed in his throat and he didn't want to let it come out, knowing that it would hurt Arthur. He shook, trying to breathe. Gaius noticed his distress and helped him sit up. Merlin's slight body shook from the silent coughs, but he couldn't draw in breath.

"Merlin, you have to breathe," Gaius stressed.

He shook his head. Arthur noticed his servant's agony and grabbed the bucket beside his cot, pulling it closer to him.

"Let it go, Merlin," Arthur commanded.

Again, Merlin shook his head. His face was starting to turn a little blue from the lack of oxygen. Finally he couldn't last anymore and the coughs erupted from his chest, hoarse and raw, ripping from his tender throat. Gaius lightly pressed a cloth to his mouth to catch the drops of blood. Arthur threw up, grimacing at the sound of his friend's pain. Gwen quickly comforted him and handed him a glass of water to rinse out his mouth. The coughing went on for almost a minute before Merlin could breathe again and he fell back against the pillow. Arthur slowly got up and grabbed the front of Merlin's shirt.

"Don't. Ever. Do that again!" Arthur yelled. "If you need to cough, just do it. I won't be responsible for you not being able to breathe."

"No… I won't cause you further harm!"

"Merlin! You'll kill yourself that way!"

Merlin didn't answer, but started coughing again from the strain of yelling. Arthur heaved again, leaning back against his own cot when he finished. He was too exhausted to continue yelling. Gaius wiped the blood from Merlin's mouth.

"Leave me alone with him for a moment," the prince ordered.

Gwen and Gaius cautiously moved from the room to give him some privacy. Arthur groaned, sitting up again. The strength that he had felt when he woke up had evaporated once Merlin started coughing. Neither of them was improving.

"I won't let you do this, if you need to cough… please just cough. I'm stronger than you, Merlin and I can take this illness better than you."

"I won't do that, Arthur," Merlin whispered.

"If it worked in reverse, you'd tell me to just throw up and not think of your pain. We have to get through this. Together. I heard Gaius speaking to Gwen and he fears that if one of us dies, the other will die. Our fates appear to be intertwined."

"I'm sorry. This is my fault."

Arthur laughed once. "It's not your fault, Merlin. Don't blame yourself for something you didn't cause. It's not like you have magic and made yourself sick, forced to be sick with me."

Merlin smiled, but it quickly fell. If only he knew the trouble that he had caused for the prince. But it was worth keeping his silence if Arthur lived to fulfill his destiny. Both laid back and tried to distract themselves from what was going on. Arthur reached across the small distance between the two and put a hand on Merlin's shoulder, getting his servant to look at him.

"We'll get through this," he reassured.

Merlin didn't say anything.

"I mean it, Merlin."

"I know, Arthur. I know."

Gwen and Gaius returned a few minutes later with some food and fresh water. Gaius prepared another honey tea for Merlin and something a little stronger for the cough. Then he went back to his research. Arthur looked over at Merlin again as the sweat dripped down his brow. Merlin returned the glance. Would it be enough?


Hope you liked it. Thanks for reading, please review!

Emma