School is closed again today! So here's another quick update before homework falls on top of me again like a pile of bricks! (:

I wrote this chapter to give some idea that time has past from the last one, and also because I wanted this conversation between the two people in this chapter to happen, but I wasn't sure when. I'm afraid that there's a lot of dialogue, and it's not the best chapter in the world, it wasn't the easiest to write either, but I hope it will be OK. Reviews much appreciated (:

Chapter 6

Arthur stepped into Merlin's chambers, which were so silent he thought they were drained of life. As he opened the door (once again, without knocking) a thin ray of sunlight broke out through the crack and laid itself across the chamber, shining on the face of an motionless figure sitting in a wooden chair beside the bed.

When Feu felt the warmth of the sun on her face, she opened her eyes and looked across the room at Arthur, who stood there watching her. The way Feu sat in the chair, gave Arthur a feeling that it should be a thrown, and even in her sickly state, Feu's eyes gave the feeling that someone very powerful was staring into his very soul. Arthur shook this feeling off, but still stood motionless in the doorway as Feu watched him. Finally, she spoke,

"Hello Arthur," her voice was quiet and seemed to drift across the chamber, a smile flickered upon her tired face. "How nice of you to come and visit me, I wondered when you would. It's been a week."

"Sorry," Arthur muttered, though he and Feu knew she hadn't been expecting him to come. "I've been busy." He explained.

"I'm sure," another flickering smile, but Arthur wasn't quite sure why Feu was smiling, did she think that he had been trying not to see her? "Well, aren't you going to ask how I am?" Feu asked suddenly in the silence that fell.

"I suppose so," Arthur coughed, "how are you?"

"Surprisingly well for someone who almost died from fighting an Opinicus," Feu's voice was light hearted, but her words were serious. She smiled again, but it seemed more false this time.

"It must have been scary."

"Never felt so afraid in my life," Feu admitted. "But it's not like you to sound so modest Arthur, I bet you've had some trouble before like this?"

"Well," Arthur paused, "I did fight a dragon once."

"Is that all?" Feu laughed, she hadn't expected Arthur to be that modest, she didn't even know that dragons existed any more. "Camelot can defend themselves against a great dragon, but not against a usually harmless Opinicus. Isn't it strange when the wren turns as deadly as the eagle*?" She said.

Arthur wasn't sure what to say to this, and Feu probably didn't want to think about the Opinicus any more, so he decided to change the subject. "Have you seen Merlin around?"

"I thought he was cleaning out you're chambers," Feu told him, "and the way he moans about them all the time, it sounds like he has to do it quite often. They sound worse than his." She smiled again, glancing around the room. When she turned her attention back to Arthur, her eyes narrowed slightly with suspicion. "You should know that."

"I suppose so," Arthur said slowly.

"That's the only reason you came here, to ask this question, but why would you ask me something that you already knew the answer to?"

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Arthur asked, changing the subject quickly again. He didn't want Feu to know that the only reason for him coming here was to see how she was, nothing else. He also asked it because all Gaius and Merlin had said about Feu when he had asked her well being was that she was in bed, probably asleep.

"I'm close enough," Feu muttered, looking down at the bed beside her, the amusement in her face and voice suddenly gone. She turned her nose up at the bed as if it had some sort of unpleasant smell (which it hadn't). "So what's been keeping you busy?" It was Feu's turn to change the subject.

"Being a Prince and a Knight of Camelot can leave you with plenty of things to do," Arthur explained. The look of his face told Feu that sometimes he didn't like being so busy, he didn't like being a Prince or a Knight of Camelot.

"And of course you've got Morgana to look after now," Feu added. "I'm sure Uther wants lots of celebrations on her safe return."

"How did you know?"

Feu laughed at the way the colour seemed to drain out of Arthur's face when she mentioned Morgana. She briefly considered scaring him more by telling him that she could read people's minds, but decided that this perhaps was a little too cruel. Arthur glowered when she laughed at him, but then suddenly Feu grew very serious.

"She's trouble Arthur,"

"What?"

"Morgana. Beware Arthur, she's trouble."

"I don't know what you're talking about Feu, there's nothing wrong with Morgana." Arthur told Feu, he couldn't understand where she had got such an idea from. After all Morgana had been through, she didn't deserve to be judged in such a way by someone who barely knew who she was.

Feu didn't seem to see Arthur's point of view either, as her eyes narrowed. "Never mind then, I didn't expect you to listen."

"I am listening," Arthur told her, "I just don't believe you."

Feu couldn't lose this obvious opportunity to tease Arthur; she tried to conceal her smile. "In that case you're just stupid."

Arthur caught the smile on her face, and glowered. "You're obviously feeling better," he mumbled.

Arthur would have perhaps sounded a little more relieved if Feu wasn't irritating him already. He would have also been surprised if Gaius had told him the way Feu reacted the last time she woke up. However, this time Feu could remember everything that had happened, and she was no longer panicking even though Morgana had returned. Her wounds were healing quickly and with little complications thanks to all the horrible smelling remedies Gaius had given her, and the magical spells Merlin had whispered in her ear when no one was watching. Despite this, Feu was not fully back to health, and she was reminded of this when the laughter made her lungs ache and she tried desperately to conceal her yawn that was growing in her throat. Unfortunately, Arthur noticed.

"Well, perhaps I should leave you to get some sleep now," he said, turning to leave Feu in piece.

This was not a good thing to say.

"I don't want sleep!" Feu snapped suddenly before Arthur managed to leave the chambers. "I don't want to stay in bed any more, to rest." she jumped out of the chair and began pacing up and down restlessly. For the first time since she had fought the Opinicus, her eyes flashed green, but it was only for a few moments, and they turned back to their normal blue within seconds. "That's all people are telling me to do, but my species aren't meant to lie around all day, humans maybe, but not a Doe! Can't I just run around and be active, like I'm meant to? I'm not sick!"

Just as Feu said this, her pacing became too much for her, and she became dizzy. The world blurred and swam for a few moments as Feu stumbled, trying to find her balance. Arthur reached out, just in case she fell, but Feu managed to catch herself on the wooden chair and steady herself as the world returned.

"Besides," Feu gasped, surprised by how she had suddenly become so dizzy, or perhaps she had just tired herself out so much she was out of breath. A headache was beginning to bubble into life in the temple. "I can't sleep when Merlin's not around, I have nightmares."

Silence fell when Feu said this, as neither felt sure of what to say next. Feu hadn't meant to confess to anyone that when Merlin wasn't around, her dreams grew dark and cold, Feu didn't like being vulnerable, let alone admitting that she was. Arthur felt uncomfortable and a little guilty as he was the one who was telling Merlin to do work, when he could be with Feu. Feu wasn't meant to be alone, but both Gaius and Merlin had work to do, and couldn't find the time, Feu briefly wondered what was keeping them so busy.

"I would love to see Camelot," she said suddenly, looking around the bare walls of the chamber with an expression of longing in her face. It had been the only thing she had seen for the past few days. "The Castle, all I've really seen of it is a few corridors, and it's so big. I've never been in a Castle before. There aren't very many out in the wilderness." She explained with a small smile.

"You're here to stay then," Arthur didn't mean to sound so disappointed, but that was the way it came out, and it didn't impress Feu.

"I'm afraid so," she glared at him for a few moments.

"I'll tell you what," Arthur smiled at her suddenly, an idea springing to mind. He didn't want to upset Feu any more than he had already done so; he wanted to make it up to her. "If you promise me you'll get some rest, I'll give you a tour around the Castle."

"Really?"

"Sure," Arthur shrugged. "The Castle, the grounds, some of the City. Why not?"

Feu thought for a few moments, her features relaxing. "All right then," she said. "Sounds better than me finding my own way around the place. Come and find me when you've got some spare time, and you can show me around."

Arthur nodded, smiling that his idea had worked. He turned and left the room, shouting briefly behind his shoulder; "just make sure you get some rest first."

Feu nodded, but she didn't reply. It seemed that, unlike her, Arthur couldn't tell when people are lying. If getting a tour around the Castle meant sitting around for a few more days, Feu didn't want to bother, and who knew when the Prince would have to give her a bit of attention? She might as well go and have a look around herself.

*thought up that saying at about 11 o'clock at night when I was trying to get some sleep! I think it's kinda cool (: if it doesn't make much sense to you, feel free to ask me what it means (: