Thanks for the support guy's it means a lot :D There will probably only be one more chapter after this.
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Guest(1) - Thanks.
Guest(2) - Thanks :)
Allpau1 - Yeah the poor dear.
Someone - I hope this chapter explains it for you.
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The time between the guard leaving and then returning with Gaius in tow felt like a millennia to Arthur as he waited, his Servant's head in his lap, and his thoughts frantic. Each attempt Merlin made at breathing in reminded Arthur that time was growing ever shorter, especially as Merlin seemed to start losing focus and as slipping away.
"Gaius! Help!" The prince didn't even try to hide the worry in his voice anymore, not caring that the guard still present could hear him. His eyes were wide as he stared at the physician.
"Let me." Gaius managed to keep his voice calm, but his hurried actions betrayed him. Leaning down over his ward, Gaius pressed his ear down to Merlin's chest, listening to him struggling and mostly failing to inhale. Physician withdrew quickly after a few seconds of listening.
"He's got fluid in his lungs."
"Fix him!" Arthur cried.
"We need to get him vertical, as the fluid isn't obstructing his lungs as much." Gaius commanded, not even pausing, before identifying the treatment.
Arthur nodded once as he shuffled backwards on the bed, before he hooked his arms under Merlin's arm pits and across his chest, not unlike how he had done back in the forest. This time however he was not doing it to wake the servant, but to save his life.
Merlin moved easily under Arthur's strength, his breathing did not however ease any once he was positioned vertically against the prince's chest. In fact the movement caused Merlin to briefly choke on the air, his throat sounding completely torn.
"It's not working Gaius!"
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The restriction of his breath woke Merlin slowly. His lungs felt like they were gradually filling with liquid, cutting his breath off centimetre by centimetre.
He tried to take a deep breath, to perhaps clear his lungs, and allow him to return back to sleep. But as the air entered his body, Merlin found himself spluttering as the air rushed back out of his lungs.
Merlin resigned himself to suffering though this almost coughing fit, but as after a few seconds it failed to abate, Merlin found himself grasping at the sheets below him, not having the strength to do much else and having no clue what he would do if he did.
"Merlin!"
Arthur's startled cry gave Merlin something to focus on. A focus that he used to cut through some of his own panic and almost ground himself back in the present, and thus managed to crack his eyes open a little.
Merlin tried to asked for help, but found that his voice was quite literally stuck in his throat.
'Help' Merlin's thoughts screamed whilst his voice was silenced.
"Merlin, what's wrong?" The worry in Arthur voice was mounting, just as quickly as his own panic was rising.
Merlin could feel his body starting to fail, falling towards unconsciousness. Forcing him to take small and frantic breaths to try and keep aware. His eyes were glued on his prince, who was hovering uselessly above him, and who then seemed to finally make a choice, running to the chamber entrance.
"Guards!" Arthur's voice told him exactly what was occurring, before the prince returned, this time with his hands out frozen in the air.
Merlin blinked heavily, trying to convince Arthur that he should do something. Anything to help, as Merlin wasn't entirely sure whether he would manage to hold on long enough for the guards to retrieve Gaius.
"Shit." Arthur swearing shocked Merlin as it was something he rarely heard the prince do. Then the prince did something else out of character, and climbed onto the bed behind Merlin, letting his hands rest gently on Merlin's cheeks. If Merlin wasn't fighting a losing battle, he would have had a massive grin on his face at the care the prince was showing.
"Guards!" His second shout was a lot quieter than his first and, Merlin felt both his heart and chest clenched as the Prince's voice cracked.
"Si-" One of the castle guards finally arrived, though Merlin paid him little mind, having not the energy to contrite on both Arthur and himself.
"Get Gaius, and hurry."
Praying silently that the guard, would for once be able to carry out his job correctly, Merlin felt his hands stop pawing the bed as his body started shut down.
By the time Gaius arrived Merlin was really pressed to keep conscious and his hearing was fading behind the roaring of blood he could hear in his ears.
He felt rather that saw Gaius press himself down on his chest as, a few words were exchanged above him.
Before the next thing Merlin was really awake of was the world tilting as he was lifted into a sitting position. The sudden movement jarred something inside Merlin's chest and he found himself practically hacking his lungs up.
He felt the vibrations of Arthur's chest behind him as the prince spoke, though he had no clue what was said, he then felt a hand on him forehead, tilting it backwards which in turn caused his jaw to fall partly open. This new development opened Merlin's throat better and actually allowed him to inhale a much deeper breath without in causing him that much pain.
As he continued to breathe easier, Merlin started to become aware of his surrounding once again, and found that it was Gaius's hand holding head.
"Welcome back Merlin." Merlin heard Gaius speaking this time, and saw his mentor give him a small smile.
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Arthur held Merlin close as the physician grimaced, before pushing Merlin's head back with a hand against his forehand. Once he stopped moving Merlin's head, Arthur was amazed and incredibly relieved when Merlin's next few breathes were not nearly as strained and actually sounded closer to normal.
The prince remained silent savouring each precious inhalation, whilst Merlin's eyes started to un-cloud, and Gaius spoke.
"Welcome back Merlin."
"What do we need to do now?" Arthur asked, as whilst he didn't mind holding Merlin up if it was helping the servant, he didn't really want for anyone else to catch him showing affection.
"Once his breathing has returned to a more natural state, we'll need to make such he doesn't lie down flat for the next day so that his body can clear his lungs naturally, and so this doesn't happen again." Gaius said in his I am a physician and you must do as I say voice.
Arthur nodded, turning back to Merlin who was starting to regain his sense, and whose eyes were becoming clearer by the second.
"Look what you've got me doing here Merlin. A prince looking after a servant, what would people say." The servant's mouth twitched upwards, whilst his throat worked, but he seemed to change his mind on the speaking front.
"You shouldn't try talking. Your throat will need time to recover properly." Gaius interrupted before Merlin changed his mind. "In fact, you should drinkā¦" He trailed off searching thought his potions, glass clinking together softly. "This." He finished rather triumphantly, bringing said bottle over to the other the rooms other occupants. He uncorked the bottle and passed it over to Arthur, as he knew Merlin was in no state to try and lift anything, even something small.
Nodding Arthur pressed the lip of the bottle to Merlin's mouth pouring the contents into the servants mouth, and smirking slightly as said servant winced at the taste, almost choking the liquid back up.
"You should try and go back to sleep." Gaius said taking the empty bottle back, and receiving a a small nod in return.
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Merlin had drifted back off, a while ago and was sleeping a lot more peacefully then he had done earlier, though Arthur still held him upright arms almost looped in place.
"You let go of Merlin now sire and I'll use pillows to keep him from falling over."
"That's alright Gaius. The clumsy idiot would probably manage to find a way to fall over if I wasn't here to stop him." Arthur replied, and very small note of affection in his voice.
"If you're sure sire?" Gaius questioned.
"Yes."
"In that case you, should try and get some rest yourself it's been a trying day." He tried to suggest without it seeming like an order, now that the emergency had passed.
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Arthur had initially attempted to forgo the whole sleeping thing, in favour of continuing to monitor Merlin's condition. Whilst he trusted Gaius that Merlin would recover he had also missed the water in his wards lungs which had cause the earlier scare, and thus Arthur had a lot of trepidation about going to sleep.
Soon enough however, he felt his eye lids grow heavy, as the candles burned low, and he slipped into a much needed and restful sleep.
Went Gaius arrived back at his chambers he found the prince slumped with his back against the wall one leg falling off of the side of the bed and one arms wrapped lightly round Merlin's chest, whilst said warlock was breathing deeply his mouth hanging partially open, head back on Arthur's shoulder.
Gaius smiled, shaking his head, before he pulled that blankets back over the pair, and took himself to bed.
