Hi, I'm back! Thank you to everyone who has followed, favourited and reviewed this story so far. I'm so glad that you like it! Here is chapter 3!
Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or any of the characters.
Gaius looked up in shock as Arthur shouldered his way into the physician's chambers. His heart froze in fear as he caught sight of his ward, who was dangling limply from the King's arms. The elderly physician took a deep breath, pushing aside his personal feelings and entering his professional state.
"Set him down on the bed. Quickly", he instructed, trying to remain calm. Arthur did as he was told, gently lowering Merlin onto the bed which Gaius used for his patients.
"It's his back", Arthur said, before Gaius had a chance to ask. The physician gently rolled his ward onto his stomach, sucking in his breath when he saw the condition Merlin's shirt was in. The thing had been ripped to shreds.
"What did this?" he asked in astonishment, staring at the King with eyes that implored to know the truth. Arthur took a deep breath.
"We were attacked", he began, "by an invisible beast. Merlin ran after it and…" he trailed off, unable to describe what the thing had done to Merlin. Gaius could see clearly what it had done to man's shirt; surely he would have some idea of the type of damage that had been caused.
The physician let out his breath; he hadn't even realised that he had been holding it. Merlin would have been able to see the creature, he knew that. Foolish though his ward often was, he knew better than to run off after something that was invisible to him. Gaius briefly wondered where the creature was now, before returning his attention to the injured warlock. He ripped through the remains of Merlin's shirt, not needing a scalpel as the material fell away in his hands. He regarded Arthur's makeshift bindings with approval and began to unwrap the bandaging. Arthur watched anxiously as Gaius gently peeled back the layers of bandages. As the last layer fell away from the scrawny servant's back the physician gasped and Arthur could not suppress a shudder, even though he had known what the sight would be.
"The muscle has been ripped to shreds", Gaius whispered, horrified. Arthur bit his lip and forced himself not to look away. The wounds had stopped bleeding and were beginning to form scabs, but there were flaps of muscle and sinew hanging from Merlin's back and the skin around the lacerations had withered.
Arthur swallowed, trying not to be sick. He had seen many terrible sights in his years as a warrior. He had seen hundreds of men gutted, hanged or beheaded, and had watched hundreds more bleed to death on a battlefield. But never had he seen a sight that affected him as badly as this, and the fact that it was Merlin – Merlin, his idiotic manservant and best friend, who didn't know one end of a sword from the other and had no way of defending himself – just made it worse.
Gaius looked shell-shocked as he stared at the mess that had been made of his ward's back. Snapping out of his stupor, he turned and reached for a bottle of yellowy-brown liquid. The label was faded and peeling, but could be made out to read 'Friar's Balsam'. He looked up at Arthur, who was staring at Merlin's back with a mixture of disgust and fascination.
"Could you get me some fresh water?" he asked quietly, reaching for a bucket. Arthur looked surprised at the request but stood immediately and took the bucket from Gaius. He glanced down at Merlin once more, then turned and almost ran from the physician's chambers, eager to be out of there.
Alone with his unconscious ward, Gaius heaved a sigh and sank down onto the stool beside Merlin's bedside.
"Oh, Merlin", he sighed, looking regretfully at the powerful young man before him. "What have you done?"
A few minutes later Arthur returned carrying the bucket of water, which he handed to Gaius. The physician took a towel and dipped a corner of it into the water. He then used the wet towel to cleanse Merlin's wounds, gently sponging the crusted blood from around the lacerations. Once they were thoroughly cleaned Gaius reached for the bottle of Friar's Balsam; a tincture made from a compound of benzoin, aloe and tolu balsam that was invaluable for healing deep tissue wounds. Turning back to Merlin, he took a pipette and dribbled a little of the foul-smelling liquid into the open wounds, then replaced the bottle and walked over to a shelf of potions. Peering at the rows of bottles and jars, he selected one and carried it over to where Arthur was sitting by Merlin's side.
"What's that?" Arthur asked, nodding at the jar of thick, amber liquid.
"Honey", Gaius replied. Arthur raised his eyebrows.
"Honey?" he asked sceptically.
"It helps fight infection", Gaius explained. Arthur nodded and watched in silence as the physician smeared a thick coating of honey over the gashes covering Merlin's back, then began bandaging the wounds once more.
…
Percival winced as Gaius pulled the bandage more tightly around his upper arm. Arthur had insisted that he see the physician to make sure the wound did not become infected and the knight had reluctantly agreed. He had been afraid of how Gaius would react to Merlin's injury; he knew that Merlin was like a son to the old man and was worried about how Merlin's pain would affect Gaius.
The physician tied the bandage in a tight knot and stepped back, surveying his work with satisfaction.
"There. I've cleaned the wound; it will heal within a few days but in the meantime, no training", he stressed. He knew that Percival would hate to miss training – all the knights did, although they complained enough when they did have to go – but rest was essential to make sure that the wound healed properly.
"Thank you, Gaius." Percival looked over at Merlin in concern. The man was muttering in his sleep – names, mostly, along with a language Percival had never heard before. "Will he be alright?"
Gaius followed the knight's gaze to his unconscious ward.
"In time", he replied sombrely. Percival nodded, slightly embarrassed but relieved to know that Merlin – a man he considered to be his younger brother – would recover. He stood and turned to leave.
"Gwaine!" The shout split the quiet atmosphere of the chamber and Percival turned in alarm, reaching instinctively for his sword before realising that he didn't have it. He panicked for a moment, and then realised that it was Merlin who had uttered the name. Gaius glanced at the knight warily. Merlin was tossing to and fro frantically, tangling himself up in the threadbare blankets draped over him.
"Gwaine – no, please don't do it", the servant begged. "No, Gwaine you can't tell him. You can't, he'll kill me!" Merlin's cries lowered to soft mutterings and his wild thrashing ceased.
"I think it would be best for you to go", Gaius said in a low, anxious voice, shepherding Percival towards the door. Percival looked back at Merlin, confused, but Gaius continued to usher him towards the door and the knight reluctantly turned away to leave. As he walked out of the room, he heard Merlin cry brokenly:
"I'm not evil."
….
Author's Note: Friar's balsam only acts as an antiseptic for minor wounds; I'm not sure what treatment would have been used for Merlin's wounds in those days, so I allowed myself some poetic license, although it is true that it is made from benzoin, aloe and tolu balsam. In the episode 'Gwaine' (Series 3, Episode 4) Gaius mentioned that honey helps fight infection, so I included that in the treatment of Merlin's wounds.
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