7.

"Master, the young Pendragon has been grievously injured just as you foresaw." The hooded figure spoke in low tones while bowing to the elder. Rain water dripped from his cloak and was pooling in a growing puddle around his already soaked boots. The days of sleeping in the open and hard riding , all while staying hidden from the young warlock and his prince, had left him barely able to stand on his feet.

"Good, good, did you remain to see where they took shelter?" The voice coming from the elder crackled with age.

"Yes, they are sheltered with a friend to our plight. The Healer Johanna in the south woods. The boy is with them as well. All is going according to plan."

"Good, good, the Pendragon prince was put through the trial, now it is the young Warlocks turn."

"Master, are you sure this is the only way. What if Arthur dies of his injury? All the planning will have been for naught." He had not seen the wound up close, but death's pallor was certainly hovering over the prince's face when he had last saw him two days ago when he had left their trail to return home and make a report of what he had seen.

"Do not presume to second guess me boy. I have seen the future that is possible, and if that requires a little bit of intervention by us, then so be it. I'm too old to be living in these shadows, afraid to show my face or my true nature. The only way to ensure that the young Pendragon brings about change for our kind is through tying him to our world in an unbreakable bond. We are just helping with a little push in the right direction. Now be off, rest and eat, I want you back out at first light to continue making the necessary arrangements as I see fit."

Rest and food: sounded wonderful to him. He couldn't remember the last time he had a hot cooked meal. He had survived on dried beef and fruits, and fresh berries he could find along the way. Not wanting the smoke from a fire to give away his location with him having to camp so close to his quarry. He dreaded the long ride back to the south woods, if the rain would break it wouldn't be so bad, but as it was it would take at least two days to return. He hoped the master knew what he was about. He hated to think they could be this close to freedom for it to all go wrong now. He hated Uther Pendragon. If the prince proved to be just as prejudiced against his kind, then he had a mind to just help him into the afterlife instead of playing these games that the elder seemed to enjoy so much. A smile spread across his face that didn't reach his eyes. One day, perhaps sooner than anyone thought, he would be among those looked to for council and he would make ends to see that the non-magical knew what it was like to walk in his shoes for a change. Until then though he would bide his time and do as he was told, unless of course, he saw the opportunity to hurry his advancement along.

Ж

Merlin was exhausted. Two days of round the clock care of the prince, and Arthur's temperature had steadily risen until Merlin was forced to undress him completely, covering his man parts for privacy, and continually bathe him with cool water just to keep it at a minimum. He was more than frustrated; twice more he had tried to heal Arthur with magic and failed both times. He didn't understand, it was almost like magic was keeping him sick. Johanna the healer had proved almost useless as far he was concerned. There was no longer an open wound thanks to Merlin's magic having healed the outside, but the problem was within. No poultice was going to fix what was broken inside the gut of the helpless Arthur. Johanna had given him several different foul smelling concoctions that he had had to force down Arthur's gullet, which even though he was mostly unconscious, fought fiercely at the taste of the profane brew. He had finally kicked her out of the room early this morning telling her if Arthur died he had a good mind to have her hanged for treason. He was sure he could convince Uther with little persuasion that letting Arthur die was treason surely, at the very least.

Lost in his own thoughts, Merlin methodically continued to bathe the arms, legs, and torso of Arthur with cool water. Every few minutes he would switch the cloth that was laid across Arthur's forehead that had become too hot from his skin, with another from the bucket of fresh water that Johanna had provided him with. Merlin froze while reaching for the cloth to switch it again when he saw Arthur's eyes open and staring at him.

"Arthur! Thank the God's! I was beginning to think you were never going to wake up! You almost had me worried." Merlin's grin faded as quickly as it had appeared when he realized Arthur wasn't responding but only staring at him. "Arthur?"

Arthur's blue eyes were rimmed in red making the blue appear slightly opaque. He stared at Merlin without truly seeing him. Merlin watched as he raised a shaky hand to press it to Merlin's face, "Don't die again, Ok." The words alone would have shocked Merlin, but the desperation they were spoken with shook him to the core.

"Arthur, I'm not dead, never been dead, what are you talking about? I'm ok and you're going to be ok… Ok." Merlin was more confused than ever.

Arthur gripped Merlin's arm and yanked him forward. Merlin not expecting the sudden movement lost his balance, half sprawling across Arthur's bare chest and caught himself before he landed fully on top of him.

"Arthur geez you're breaking my arm, let go!" The hand gripping his arm didn't belong to an invalid. It belonged on the arm of a bear!

Arthur stared at Merlin through his feverish haze. He had to make sure nothing happened to him. But how could he ensure his safety. Merlin was always running off and getting his self in trouble. Trouble seemed to follow him in every situation. He would just have to keep him as close as possible that's all. If he was always touching him, he couldn't be getting off and into trouble right? In Arthur's muddled brain this seemed like a perfectly acceptable solution.

Arthur proceeded to pull him down until Merlin had no choice but to lay his head on Arthur's chest or risk hurting him from the strain of his resisting.

"There, now you're safe." Arthur mumbled, quite pleased with his solution. Plus, now that Merlin was snuggled up so close his warmth was seeping into him. Arthur was freezing; he kept wanting to ask for a blanket but just hadn't had the energy. Instinctively he curled into the warm body that was pressed against him.

"Arthur, please…" Merlin was trying to dislodge himself from Arthur's grasp without hurting him. "Johanna!" Merlin called out thinking he would enlist the help of the woman he had only recently barred from the room.

Johanna's head peeked into the room and assessed the situation with a quick glance. "You need something, Merlin?" she asked in a cloyingly to sweet tone.

"Help me get him to let go, I can't move without the risk of him doing more internal damage."

"Hmm, I am thinking that you should just let him have his way. He seems pretty content to have you all trussed right up there next to him. Might be more upsetting if you do remove yourself for him." With that she turned and soundly clicked the door behind her.

"Bollocks!" Merlin exclaimed knowing it was useless and not caring. Maybe he should have been a little nicer to the woman. But how was he supposed to know he would need her in a rescue attempt of his own person?

Merlin, having no other choice it seemed, tried to get comfortable without disturbing Arthur. He awkwardly put his hand on Arthur's chest and tried to relax his neck muscles that were beginning to ache from holding himself away from the bare skin beneath his cheek. How could the prat still have this much strength and be so ill at the same time? Ludicrousness is what this was. The only redeeming factor at the moment in Merlin's mind was he couldn't wait to rub it in Arthur's face how he had acted when he finally got better.

As Merlin lay there he became aware of Arthur's heartbeat beneath his cheek. As awkward as this should be, Merlin found himself soothed by the rhythmic pulse and after the drama he had suffered through over the last week, it didn't take him long before he drifted off into a deep sleep.

Ж

Merlin was dreaming he was sure but the hands that were caressing him felt so good he was in no hurry to wake up. He made a little mmm sound under his breath and arched his back to allow easier access for those fantasy fingers to reach his shoulders. The hot hands were working their way up his back in small circles making gooseflesh crawl across his spine. Lips were pressed into the hollow between his neck and shoulder and Merlin responded by arching his neck and pressing his hips forward. Merlin was amazed at the solidarity of the dream and how real it felt. He hadn't had a dream this realistic in years. Not since he and Will snuck into a ladies den and witnessed things he didn't even know were possible. Even those dreams paled in comparison to the sensation he was feeling now. He reached out in the dream until he made contact with heated flesh. He returned the favor of running his hands up the warm skin. Something was off slightly but before he could wrap his mind around what it was the lips at his throat moved to his mouth and pressed firmly eliciting a trill of excitement through his veins. A hot moist tongue pressed insistently at his lips until he parted his and it delved inside to swirl with his causing his breath to hitch and his stomach muscles to clench. At the more intimate contact of tongues, Merlin's dream lover moaned into his mouth, and it was decidedly masculine. Suddenly Merlin understood what was so off before; the skin he was feeling under his hands was much too muscular to belong to anyone of the female persuasion. Coming to his senses Merlin jerked his head back and his eyes flew open to come into direct contact with Arthur's dark blue ones the split second before Arthur claimed his mouth again.