A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! I had forgotten the excitement of seeing a new review!

As before, I do not own Merlin. But I am super excited that it's a Merlin night!

*MERLIN* MERLIN* MERLIN* MERLIN* MERLIN* MERLIN* MERLIN*

Merlin squinted at the light that was pouring in from the window. Arthur was going to kill him. It was clearly early morning and he was still in bed. In fact, he was surprised he hadn't already arrived to wake Merlin with a jug of water in his face. He struggled out of bed and put his shoes on.

He wavered slightly on his feet. He didn't feel so good.

He stumbled out of his room to find a note from Gaius sat on the table. After frowning at the words until they came into focus, he gathered the note meant Gaius had left at dawn to pick some rare herbs for a potion. He had left some porridge on the side for Merlin to heat up, but Merlin didn't have the time to stop to eat.

Somehow, he made his way to the kitchens, and picked up Arthur's breakfast. Normally he would bounce through the corridors with a big grin on his face, but today he didn't feel like it.

Arthur was already sat up in bed, a frown on his face. He watched Merlin sharply as he placed his food on the table. His keen glare softened as he saw Merlin's hands shake pouring his spiced wine into the cup.

"Merlin." He called softly. Engrossed in not spilling any of the drink, Merlin did not hear him. "MERLIN!" He bellowed.

Merlin moved his head slowly to face Arthur. Seeing him properly, Arthur's eyes widened in shock. Merlin's face and hands were deathly pale. He had clearly gotten little sleep, as grey smudges lined under his eyes. His eyes seemed off, the spark in them gone. Merlin seemed to be having trouble focusing, his eyes glazed over.

His legs gave way from under him, and Merlin sank suddenly to the floor, the cup of wine falling to the floor with a clatter that sent a burst of red spreading across the floor. Arthur winced at the sound of Merlin hitting the floor, and was by his side within seconds.

He lifted Merlin over his shoulder, and raced to Gaius' quarters.

Arthur laid Merlin on his bed, and paced up and down in his room. Gaius was no where to be seen, and Merlin remained unconscious. Arthur's only consolation was the steady rise and fall of Merlin's chest. Merlin was very cold, so he had placed several blankets over him, hoping he was doing the right thing.

Finally Gaius arrived. Dropping the herbs haphazardly on the floor, he moved as fast as he could to Merlin's side.

After a few minutes of puzzled examination, Gaius looked worriedly at Arthur.

No longer able to bear the tension, Arthur turned to Gaius. "What is wrong with him!"

"I don't understand, he appears to be suffering from blood loss- but he has no wounds, there is no blood." Gaius paused. "Unless…" He took Merlin's neckerchief off. He pulled back.

Arthur peered closer. Two small puncture wounds were visible in Merlin's neck. "What the?"

Gaius had already left the room to rummage through his books. Blowing the dust off one of his older books, he threw it open to a page and read it rapidly with the assistance of his magnifying glass.

Arthur tapped his foot impatiently as Gaius came back in. "Well?"

"A vampire, sire."

Arthur laughed in disbelief for a moment before being convinced by Gaius' deadly serious expression. He immediately launched into protective King mode. "What can I do?"

"Honestly sire, I do not know."