Hi again! I've got a longer chapter for you today and I hope you like it. Thanks again for all of the reviews and I'm sorry if I didn't get a chance to respond to all of them, but I truly do love hearing from everyone and knowing what you think of this.

Chapter 3

Arthur didn't know how long he had sat there on the hard ground, but it was long enough for Merlin's blood to seep into his own shirt and chill his skin. Merlin, though he was boneless in his arms and devoid of life, was still warm and Arthur wasn't willing to put him down yet. He had to make sure – had to believe that his friend had heard him and had, for once in his life, actually obeyed his commands.

"Arthur –" Gwen started hesitantly, her voice wrecked from crying, "don't you think …" She choked, unable to voice what he knew she wanted to say. She wanted him to let him go and accept that Merlin was gone, but he just couldn't.

He shook his head and shifted the heavy weight of his servant into a firmer grip so Merlin's head would rest easier on his shoulder, "No."

"But, Arthur –"

"I can't. Not yet." He snapped, not meaning to cause further tears to drop from Gwen's eyes, but fall they did.

Hurt, Gwen stood, making a half-hearted attempt to collect herself. "I'll … I'll wait for you by the horses, sire." She said, her voice shaking, "Whenever you are ready …" She didn't have to finish. Deep down he knew that they would have to bring Merlin home soon, even if he couldn't find the will to move yet.

Silently, Gwen retreated into the bushes and Arthur sat, staring off at nothing, trying not to think, and failing. His mind whirled and swept over the contradictions he had just learned of his servant; Merlin had magic, but he hadn't been evil ... Merlin saved his life, but Arthur hadn't saved his in return ...

While he wallowed in his thoughts, a warm breeze tickled his ear, but Arthur didn't notice it.

But then breeze came back again … and again … and again.

It was rhythmic in its regularity … almost like a soft brea—

Arthur couldn't even form that last thought and turned his face towards Merlin's. The boy's lips were parted, but from them he felt another feather-light puff of air. Stomach jumping to his throat, Arthur prayed that he wasn't imagining this.

Could it be?

He felt Merlin's chest rise ever so slightly and he almost jerked away in shock.

Good Gods! Merlin was breathing!

Hope exploded in his chest and he worked quickly to confirm that it wasn't misplaced. Hurriedly, yet gently, the prince laid his servant back on the ground and pressed his head to Merlin's chest, his hands shaking in anticipation and heart pounding an erratic tattoo against his ribcage.

Thump … thump … thump

Against all that was possible, Merlin was alive!

Carefully, Arthur peeled Merlin's blood soaked shirt from his stomach. The three stab wounds had closed and almost before his eyes he watched as they pulsed in a warm, golden glow and scabbed over.

Magic … there was no other explanation for it and for the first time in his life, Arthur wasn't scared to witness it. Unlike before, Arthur found nothing frightening or cursed about this display of raw power and sorcery. It was … he couldn't even find an appropriate word for it – terms like awe-inspiring and life-changing were too weak to fit.

Arthur would have sat there and marveled longer if not for the fact that his friend was still so deathly still and pale, his breathing barely enough to keep his heart beating. He had lost more blood than any normal person could survive. Clearly Merlin was anything but normal, but there was no telling if this resurrection was permanent or not. He needed to get Merlin back home to Gaius … and quickly.

Without another thought, Arthur gathered Merlin back into his arms, and in much the same fashion as he had Gwen earlier, he lifted him. Despite his thin frame, Merlin was far heavier than Gwen, but his urgency and adrenaline lent him the strength to not only carry the full-grown man like a newborn babe, but run through the bushes and across the shallow waters of the creek.

Upon seeing Arthur carrying the manservant she thought was dead and running towards her and the horses, Guinevere held a hand to her mouth in anguish. She must have thought that the prince had lost his mind, but as soon as he was close enough to be heard, he shouted, "Hurry, Guinevere! Bring the horses!"

The urgent, commanding tone in Arthur's voice seemed to have the effect of breaking through the maid's confusion and she immediately turned to the animals and tugged on their reins, freeing them from the tree they were tethered to. Arthur's muscles were tight and strained, the exertion of carrying his limp friend while sprinting were taking a toll on his strength. Gwen met him with the horses just as his arms began to quiver, nearly at the limits of their endurance. He nearly dropped his burden, but a burst of adrenaline wouldn't allow it

"Arthur? What …?" Gwen asked, bewildered and desperate for answers to Arthur's actions as he struggled to lift Merlin's boneless body onto his horse's saddle, gently laying his servant's chest against the back of the stallion's neck. Arthur then mounted behind him and pulled him back so that he was leaning against his chest so as not to aggravate his injuries or reopen any wounds. He wouldn't be able to ride at top speed holding onto Merlin as such, but he had little choice.

Thankfully, Gwen was there and she could help.

"Guinevere," Arthur panted, "I need you to take Merlin's horse and ride to Gaius as fast as you can so he can be prepared to take care of Merlin. He's lost a lot of blood and we don't have much time."

"But, Arthur …" Gwen began, horrified, "Merlin's not … he's – " she couldn't even bring herself to say the word 'dead', but Arthur was quick to reassure her that that wasn't the case.

"Gwen, Merlin's alive! Here … feel!" Arthur lifted Merlin's wrist for Gwen to take and feel his pulse. She hesitated, but took the wrist between her fingers then looked up at Arthur in astonishment, her eyes wide.

"How?" She asked.

Arthur shook his head, "I can't explain now, but he's breathing and we need to get him home. Can you do as I ask?"

Gwen nodded quickly and asked no more questions as grim determination replaced the grief on her face. She pulled herself onto the other horse swiftly, hitching up her skirts with no thoughts to propriety and wasted not a second, kicking her heels into the mare's flank, and taking off at a racing gallop.

Arthur kicked his horse into a slightly slower run than Gwen's, holding on tight to Merlin with one arm, "Hold on, Merlin. We'll be home soon, just hang on."

OoOoOoO

Gwen had never ridden so fast in her life and yet she felt as if she was trudging through a bog, going far too slow. She kicked the poor horse relentlessly, urging her to run faster, but the mare wasn't made for this kind of speed and she snorted in protest, her heavy breaths reverberating through Gwen's body. The maid felt some guilt for pushing the animal so hard, but time was slipping away from and she needed to find Gaius – he had to help Merlin.

She still couldn't believe that her friend was alive. There had been so much blood – Gwen's hands and dress were still stained with it and it was almost unfathomable that anyone could survive that. In fact, she had been certain that he had been dead. He hadn't been breathing and she was sure that his heart had stopped.

And when Arthur had come running to her and exclaimed that her friend yet lived, she first thought that he had taken complete leave of his senses, but then she had felt the warmth of his skin and felt the slow and weak beat of his pulse herself and she was overcome with a mixture of joy and fear. Her thoughts raced almost as fast as the horse, trying to find some kind of explanation, but she had to push it to the back of her mind, her foremost concern was for Merlin. He might still be alive, but for how long?

At last, Camelot came into view and she once again kicked at the horse, urging her faster until the exhausted horse passed through the gates. She blatantly ignored the shouts of the guards standing sentry and steered her mount directly for the courtyard.

Sir Leon caught sight of her mad dash from the top of the stairs leading to the palace and raced down to meet her as she reined in the horse and jumped from the saddle.

"Gwen!" Leon looked at the blood that painted her dress, "What happened? Are you hurt?"

She shook her head, breathless, "No … but Arthur …"

"Arthur's hurt?" He asked before she could explain.

"Not Arthur … it's Merlin." She hurried to assure the loyal knight, "He's bringing him, but I need to find Gaius."

"He's in a council meeting –"

Gwen rarely swore, but in this instance, a curse slipped easily from her lips. There was no way the guards outside to the council chambers would allow her, a mere servant, entry. "Please, Leon. You must fetch him for me and bring him to his chambers. I'll meet him there."

Leon nodded quickly and without question, took off, running back up the stairs, his red cape billowing behind him. Though Merlin was about as close to a knight as an apple was to a cauliflower, he had traveled with Arthur and the knights on enough occasions to have made friends with the vast majority of them. But that was just Merlin – he was friendly with everyone and she didn't know a single person who worked in the castle that didn't like him.

As Leon dashed for the council chambers, Gwen made for the physician's quarters. She took off running, dodging servants, unmindful of the annoyed looks she received when she accidentally ran into several of them in her haste.

Once she arrived, she burst into the chambers and started doing what she could to prepare for Arthur bringing Merlin in. Gwen hadn't realized how much of a toll her ride to Camelot and her frantic run through the castle had taken on her until she was outside with a bucket, filling it with water that she knew the physician would need. The bucket shook in her hands as her heart pounded an unsteady rhythm in her chest and it felt like her whole body was vibrating and shaking. Somehow though, she managed bring the water back without dropping from her quivering arms.

By the time she returned to Gaius' chambers, the physician had arrived with Sir Leon and he rushed to meet her at the door.

"What happened, Gwen?" He asked, worry marring his brow as he pulled the shaking bucket from her hands and placed it on the floor.

She felt herself crumble then, all of the tears she had held inside as she hurried to the city finally broke through and started to fall, "Oh Gaius … it's terrible …"

Gwen gathered a breath and then explained everything.

OoOoOoOo

Thankfully, Merlin had not only held onto life during the trip home, but his breathing had become deeper and more even, almost normal. While Arthur was encouraged by that, he was still worried as the boy was still completely unresponsive and deeply unconscious.

Arthur's arrival in Camelot, his limp, bloody servant leaning against him as he rushed through the gates caused a stir, but he was blind and deaf to the people stopping to gawp at him and murmur to each other, trying to guess what had happened. He was, however, more than a little relieved and surprised to find Sir Leon and a group of knights waiting for him as soon as he entered the courtyard. They must have been warned by Gwen that he would need their help and he was grateful it as they helped Merlin down from the horse and carried him to Gaius. Arthur would never admit it, but his arms were sore and well past exhausted from holding on to his servant during the entire ride and he was certain, he lacked to strength to do it himself.

Gaius and a red-eyed Gwen were waiting as Sir Leon and the knights carried Merlin across the threshold into the quarters. Ever the professional, the old physician directed the men to settle Merlin carefully onto the patient bed and then ordered everyone but Gwen and the prince to leave so he could work without a crowd in the room.

Gwen helped Gaius, gathering the supplies he asked for as he examined his ward and helping him remove Merlin's shirt by cutting it down the middle with a pair of scissors. She gasped as soon as the wounds were exposed and a hand flew to her mouth.

She stepped back in surprise, her eyes snapping to Arthur in open confusion and shock. Arthur knew what had startled her. She had seen the wounds as she tried to stem the copious amounts of blood flowing from them back in the forest, but now … now the wounds were already sealed and scabbed over, almost completely healed. If Arthur hadn't known already that Merlin had magic, he would have been equally as flummoxed. As it was, he was still quite mystified by it all.

Gaius too, was taken aback by what he saw and he blanched, but he carefully avoided turning to the prince and recovered quickly. As he watched him work, Arthur noticed the hesitation and the slight tremor to Gaius' skilled hands that was never present when he treated any other person in the realm. He knew then that the seasoned healer was privy to Merlin's secret as well, but he just couldn't find it within himself to be angry at the older man. It only made sense that Gaius knew – he lived with Merlin and knew just about everything there was to know about magic.

Gwen was still gaping at Merlin's healing wounds when Gaius ordered her to fetch him the water and bandages, snapping her out of her paralysis. Soon she was obeying, doing all that Gaius asked of her, but every now and again, looking up and glancing in Arthur's direction as if she was trying to gauge his prince however, found it hard to meet her gaze and kept his face as impassive as possible. He still didn't know how he was going to explain everything to her. Should he tell her the truth? Anything other than magic would seem almost implausible though and she would no doubt come to the same conclusion.

But he had bigger problems than finding a way to talk to Gwen, the first of which being what he was going to do now. He had done what he had set out to do after he got over his initial shock of finding out about Merlin's magic, and that was to save his manservant from death. But now that Merlin was alive and in Gaius' care and he had a moment to reflect on all that he had learned, he was troubled and torn. Certainly things had changed between he and his servant and there was no going back to the way things had been just that morning.

Although he wasn't angry anymore, he was still hurt. Merlin had kept all of this from him – had lied to him, probably on a daily basis and he wasn't sure what else had been a lie and what other secrets he had kept hidden from the prince. He could understand how Merlin's fear of being executed meant that he had to keep his magic a secret and truthfully, he wasn't sure how he would have reacted if Merlin had come to him sooner and revealed his magic in any other way than saving his life.

While he knew for a fact that Merlin wasn't evil – that he had used his magic for good to save him that day (and who knew how many other times), he was still a lawbreaker in his father's kingdom. It went without saying that he would never tell Uther of Merlin's power for that would only lead to certain death for the manservant, but the law was still the law. If he harbored Merlin's secret, then he too would be guilty of treason. Would he go so far to protect him? He was torn – was he more loyal to his servant or to his father?

Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache worming its way between his eyes. He couldn't think about all of this right now. Every one of his muscles ached and he was bone weary. He needed time to think and he couldn't do that in the physician's quarters with Merlin so close by. He needed to be objective and not let his feelings sway his decisions.

Gaius finished cleaning the blood from Merlin and wrapping the wounds in bandages. The older man then turned to face Arthur.

Arthur met Gaius' eyes, "Is he going to be alright?"

The physician sighed, looking every bit as old as his age if not more so, "I believe so, sire. The wounds should heal, but he'll need time to recover from the blood loss. I believe that is why he is still unconscious."

Arthur nodded, relieved to know that Merlin would live, yet still torn about what he was supposed to do now. He felt the sudden urge to turn tail and run, but princes don't run from anything, so instead he calmly turned and headed for the door.

With a speed that belied his age, Gaius was up and hurrying after him, meeting him just as his hand reached the doorknob. "Sire …" Gaius started, apprehension and worry marking the lines on his face and he was uncharacteristically tongue-tied, "Those wounds … did you - did something happen that I should know about?"

Arthur ducked his head, unable to keep eye-contact with the physician, knowing that Gaius had most likely already figured out that Arthur had discovered Merlin's magic, given the prince's lack of reaction to the mostly healed wounds on his servant. He didn't know what to tell him, but finally, he settled on the truth.

"Yes, Gaius." Arthur replied, hardening his features, trying not give away how conflicted he felt. "And I saw everything."

Gaius nodded sadly, his eyes reddening as he swallowed hard, "What will you do, sire?"

The unasked question written on the man who had become as close to a father as Merlin had ever had was plainly evident; would Arthur turn Merlin in to his father?

Only one thing was certain in Arthur's mind – he hadn't just saved Merlin just to see him executed. No … Merlin would live, but would he stay in Camelot was the question.

Arthur lifted his head, conveying reassurances that he wasn't going to send Merlin to the chopping block anytime soon. "Right now … I'm not going to do anything. But, we will talk later after I've had some time to think. Until then, just take care of Merlin."

Without another word, Arthur left and somehow made it to his chambers without running anyone down despite how lost in a fog he was. Once he was finally in his rooms, he went straight for his bed and sat down, dropping his head into his hands.

The way he saw it, he had only two options. One: he kept Merlin's secret, disobeying everything he had been taught about respect to the crown and obedience, or two: he could banish Merlin and send him away from Camelot forever.

Neither option sounded good, but he had a duty as prince to uphold the law, even when the law went against what he wanted. Technically, Arthur wouldn't be committing treason if he banished Merlin since it was well within his authority to banish anyone caught committing a crime. He just wouldn't state for which crime he was sending Merlin away.

A part of him however, was rebelling against banishment. Simply put, he didn't want to think about how different things would be without Merlin around. Just a few years ago, Arthur wouldn't have been able to imagine allowing such a disrespectful, cheeky, insubordinate, piss-poor excuse for a servant into his employ, but now? Merlin had changed him and looking back, Arthur had to admit that he had been a spoiled prat before the goofy boy had stumbled into his life. Before Merlin, he had believed that all people should respect him simply because he was the prince, but the poor peasant had shown him otherwise. The first time they met when he called him out on his unfair treatment of his previous servant and since then, Merlin had never been afraid to speak his mind and tell Arthur when he was doing something foolish or unjust and most of the time he had been right.

After a while, Arthur had come to see Merlin as more than just his manservant and he had to grudgingly admit that the boy had been his friend, perhaps his best friend. But that was over now, wasn't it? After all, could things ever be the same between them? Could he ever look at Merlin again and not wonder what else he was keeping from him? And maybe that was what really bugged Arthur and hurt the most; he had trusted Merlin – with just about everything – he had been an open book to the boy, but in return, Merlin hadn't trusted him enough to confide his secret. Perhaps that meant that they had never really been true friends in the first place because what was friendship without trust?

Then again … had Arthur ever given Merlin cause for that kind of faith in him? The prince had repeatedly made his thought about the evils of magic and those that practiced it abundantly clear - anyone with a lick of self-preservation would have kept such a secret from him - even his best friend ... right?

Exhausted, Arthur flopped backwards onto his bed and looked up at the ceiling. He was no closer to a decision now than he had been before. He closed his eyes and flung an arm over his face and without meaning to, he was asleep in moments.

OoOoOoO

A day passed, followed by another and yet another. Arthur however hadn't done anything, which worried Gaius to no end. While he was certain that the prince would not see Merlin executed, neither had he come back to discuss what he had learned of Merlin and his magic nor had he come to see if his manservant was alright.

Gwen on the other hand, was a different story. He wasn't sure how he would have gotten along the last few days without her, even though her continued support was only possible because he had finally broken down and told her the truth – all of it.

Right away Gaius knew that he wasn't going to be able to keep lying to her – she had seen Merlin's wounds and she had voiced her confusion and astonishment over Merlin's rapid and unexplained recovery. Gwen wasn't normally the type of woman to demand anything, but when she brought up magic as a possible cause and he tried to tell her that she must have been mistaken, she lost her usually even temper and berated him for thinking her so stupid.

"I know what I saw, Gaius! Merlin was dead! It was magic and you can't tell me it wasn't!"

Thus began a long discussion between the maid and the old man wherein he told her everything – and by everything – he meant everything. He explained how Merlin was a warlock and not a sorcerer and how he had been born with his ability to command magic and how hiding who he really was to all of his friends, though it had been necessary to avoid execution, had been the hardest part of his life in Camelot. He also told her about the many, many times Merlin had risked his life to save her or Arthur's life, whether through the use of magic or not, and how he would do anything to see Arthur become the king he was destined to be.

All in all, their talk had been rather cathartic for the both of them. Gwen had come to realize all that Merlin had done for them while Gaius had felt nothing but relief in seeing that not only did she not fear Merlin or his magic, but was even more fiercely protective of him than ever. Certainly she had been hurt at first that Merlin had kept this secret from her for years, but it had been fleeting and only momentary before her concern for her friend washed it away. After their talk, Gaius felt more than a little foolish for ever thinking that someone as sweet as Gwen could ever be harsh towards Merlin.

Gaius only wished that he could have the same discussion with Arthur, but the prince was either still too angry by the truth about Merlin or too conflicted to make that happen. Gaius wanted to go to him and explain everything, but he couldn't leave Merlin, not in the state he was in. He would just have to wait until the prince had made a decision and came to him.

And then there was Merlin. After three days, his magic had appeared to have healed him almost completely, yet the boy had still to wake up or even so much as stir. Gaius cooked up countless potions, researched numerous remedies, and even tried a couple of magical spells himself while Gwen was out (she may have known about Merlin's powers, but he was still reluctant to perform magic around her) but nothing was working and everything Gaius had tried to rouse him had failed. With each hour that passed, he worried that he might never wake – that he was in a coma so deep that not even magic could reach him.

It was on the morning of the fourth day that Gaius, while working on yet another remedy for his ward, was startled by a loud clang. He jerked up in surprise to see that Gwen had dropped a pitcher of water on the floor, a hand over her mouth as she cautiously approached Merlin's bed.

Gaius quickly hobbled down from his perch at his workbench and came to see what the matter was. He came up beside Gwen and saw right away what had caused her startled reaction: Merlin's eyes were open.

But there was something terribly wrong. Gaius had spent the last few days wishing for Merlin to just open his eyes and now that they boy had, he couldn't imagine seeing anything worse.

"Merlin?" He asked, kneeling beside Merlin's bed. His ward's eyes blinked lazily, but other than that, there was nothing there to indicate that he had heard Gaius. The physician waved his hand before Merlin's eyes, yet his expression remained blank and lifeless, his eyes lacking any spark of the boy Gaius knew and loved. He tried shaking Merlin's shoulders, rubbing his sternum, and pinching his arm to create any sort of reaction, but the boy's only response was a thin line of drool seeping from the corner of his mouth. It was as if his soul had been scooped out and only an empty vessel was left behind.

"Gaius … what's wrong with him?" Gwen asked.

Gaius turned to her and shook his head sadly, uttering words he hated more than anything: "I don't know."

To be continued ...