Almost five hours later, the knights found Arthur, sleeping beside a tree. He hadn't
gotten any better, yet at the same time, he hadn't gotten any worse. "Your Highness." Leon
said as he shook him gently to wake him. His eyes opened slightly, and the pain washed over
him again. The light was a shock to him, as he hadn't seen it in almost three days.
"Where's Merlin?" Those were the first words out of his mouth. Lancelot stepped
forward.
"He came back to Camelot this morning. He told us how to find you, then Gaius took
him. He's not doing too well, but by the looks of it, neither are you. Gaius said things are grim
for Merlin… He doesn't know how long he'll last on his own." Arthur didn't say a word as his
guilt washed over him.
They put him on a horse and started towards home. All the while, Gaius paced around
his home, hoping the medicine he gave Merlin would have some effect.
"Arthur…" Gwaine began, startled when he turned the prince over to see the deep cuts
in his back. The closer he looked, the more apparent the injuries became, and he knew enough
to know that they weren't accidental, nor were they battle wounds. They were the marks of
torture. "Arthur, did someone do this to you?!" He didn't answer, he was too tired to speak,
and he was fairly positive that Gwaine could deduce the answer for himself. The other knights
came closer, examining him as well. They saw the deep purple bruise that crept up his neck,
easily identified as a thumb mark, and the slit from the fingernail in his neck. There was the
bruise on his jawline, and the gashes on his back were obviously made by a whip.
"This is a crime of war!" Leon exclaimed.
"We'll have to worry about that later, we have to get Arthur back to Gaius." They
swallowed their anger and rode back to Camelot. Less than ten minutes later, Arthur
pushed himself off the horse to vomit. The knights were in shock as blood spilled from Arthur's
lips.
"Arthur!" Leon came behind him and patted his should lightly. After a few minutes,
they decided it would be best if Arthur rode with Gwaine on his horse, for now he was so dizzy
he couldn't see straight.
They returned to Camelot and rushed Arthur to his bedroom, where Gaius was waiting.
He poured a potion down the prince's throat and waited for his breathing to ease into a safer
level. He held a cold towel to his forehead to make him more comfortable.
In his bedroom, Merlin woke blearily to the sound of his name being called. He
recognized it immediately as Kilgarrah, and sat up. He swung his legs over the side of the bed
and slowly made his way towards the city gates, out to the clearing where he could meet with
the Great Dragon.
Sure enough, Kilgarrah approached Merlin almost as soon as he arrived. "You did well,
young warlock. The prince is safe once more, for the time being." Merlin nodded, smiling
weakly before collapsing to his knees. The dragon chuckled before closing his eyes, magic
pouring from him deep into Merlin's bones.
Gaius sat with Arthur, dabbing the cloth at his forehead. There was a light tap at the
door, and he turned to see Merlin, smiling and carelessly leaning against the doorframe. He
smugly walked over to Gaius, and neither of them mentioned what they knew they were
thinking.
"How's he doing?" Merlin asked.
"Not well, but he will live. The escapade you two have just been on definitely increased
the time he will need for bed rest. I am certain it will take some time for his breathing to
completely return to normal, and we have to hope he hasn't had permanent lung damage."
"He will be fine. He has to grow into the king Albion needs, he can't escape his destiny
so easily." Merlin smirked.
"You would know." Arthur opened his eyes slightly, taking in a shallow breath.
"Hey, Arthur." Merlin said softly. Arthur looked up at him.
"I guess you saved my life, didn't you?" Arthur's voice was hoarse.
"It would appear so." The smug grin on his face was clearly evident.
"You're not a complete coward, then. But you're still an idiot. You could've been killed,
going out there on your own."
"Almost was killed, actually."
"Yeah, I remember, I had to carry you." Merlin chuckled and pulled up a chair, sitting
next to the bed.
"You are a prat, you know."
"I'm allowed to be, I'm the prince." The two of them talked until Arthur couldn't
anymore, and he drifted off. Merlin walked out to the top of the castle and watched the sun
retreat behind the horizon. The adventure was over, but there would be more to come. And
whether it be for better or for worse, he was prepared to stand next to Arthur and fight, not
just for Albion, but for him, until the very end.
Author's Note: So, that's it! Thank you all so much for reading and I would really appreciate it if you left a review!