Gaius walked along, enjoying the bright sunshine and being outdoors, but he paused as he looked down the road. He frowned as he looked at the figure stood by the side of the road, just out of the town. It had been half an hour ago that Merlin had said he would go and gather the herbs Gaius needed to restock his supplies. Merlin had clearly not made it beyond the boundary of the woods. He was stood there, hesitating and looking as if he might start pacing up and down in frustration.

It occurred to Gaius again, as it had that morning, when Merlin agreed to the excursion, he had not been outside the citadel for just over a month. He hadn't been fit, as badly beaten as he was, and Gaius hadn't wanted him going too far, or doing too much. Arthur taking him training Gaius could trust. The moment Merlin felt he was pushed to hard, Arthur backed off. Gaius trusted Arthur with Merlin. After some recent events he could not deny the fact that Arthur cared about his servant.

One basic fact was still lost to the entire staff at the castle. Why. Many were wondering, but no one had thought to ask. It was an utterly confusing scenario. The pair didn't even seem to like each other. Arthur was endlessly complaining about Merlin's incompetence, and Merlin just seemed to be downright rude to Arthur.

Still, they seemed inseparable. Any hints given to Arthur that he should replace Merlin were met with a flat glare and if Merlin was asked about the scenario, he just smirked, shook his head and wandered off. It left everyone baffled, including Gaius on occasion and he knew more about the situation than most.

Gaius frowned as he watched Merlin still hesitating, clearly trying to get through a mental block he had not expected. The physician had rounds to do today, and an awful lot of catching up to do. Over the last month Merlin had taken up a lot of his time, but he got the feeling that he would have to put things aside again, to get Merlin past this next hurdle.

Before Gaius, with that decision made, could step forward, it became apparent he wasn't the only one that had noticed Merlin. There was the light hoof beats as a horse trotted round from the knights training area, Arthur on its back. He was keeping his horse at a very sedate pace. The prince was without his armour, looking as if he was just taking his horse out for exercise, which was a common thing to see. He was carrying his sword and his crossbow was looped over the front of his saddle. Merlin had often complained Arthur never seemed to want to return to Camelot without bringing at least one dead animal with him.

The scathing comment had made Gaius smirk a little, but he kept that to himself, not wanting to encourage Merlin further.

Now he watched as Arthur headed down the road, moving to one side as if he had just spotted Merlin stood there. Gaius watched as Merlin jumped when the prince came alongside him. He watched the pair speak for a brief moment and then Arthur reached down to remove something from Merlin's hand. Then after he said something else he reached down and gripping Merlin's good arm helped hoist him onto the back of the horse. Once Merlin was settled Arthur headed off into the woods.

Arthur had spotted Merlin as he had walked clear of the lower town and headed out on the road towards the forest. It wasn't an unusual thing to see, Merlin regularly went on foraging trips for Gaius. He often combined it with Arthur's hunting trips, which at least, Arthur pointed out, meant that Merlin was being of some use, to someone.

As that thought occurred to him, it did pass through Arthur's mind that Merlin hadn't been out recently. Not since he was attacked. It remained in his thoughts as he continued training. Then as he watched the knights working he felt an odd instinctive tingle, which made him turn his head, to see Merlin still stood there, hesitantly. Merlin almost stepped forward and then backed up again as if he hit some sort of barrier. Arthur frowned as he watched, then got distracted by the training again.

Minutes later he felt the same instinct bother him and looked to see that Merlin was still there, unmoving. Arthur could read the body language; Merlin was quivering with tension, trying to go forward, but somehow unable to do so. Arthur watched him for a moment, unaware that everyone else in the training ring had noticed Arthur, noticing Merlin. Frowning Arthur turned and went to Sir Leon, pausing on the way to collar a nearby servant giving the order to have his horse saddled.

"I think I'll just take my horse out for some exercise. It's a good day for it. Keep them on the sword work for a little while longer and then call it a day, and make sure the patrols sweep the western areas again," Arthur said. Leon nodded. Arthur started to unbuckle his armour, Leon helped him remove it.

"He hasn't been out over the last month has he?" Leon asked. Arthur looked up with a frown, for a moment he thought Sir Leon was referring to the horse, then with a slight meaningful look Arthur realised he meant Merlin.

"No," Arthur said. "No, he hasn't."

Merlin couldn't work out what the hell was wrong with him. He had felt a stirring of butterflies that morning when he had told Gaius he would go out, there was nothing wrong with that, he had done it before. But somehow, the butterflies had built up and now, even in the bright sunlight, the woods looked threatening.

There were no threats. Arthur had seen to that. But Merlin couldn't stop the trepidation in his mind. He hadn't been out here since it happened, Arthur hadn't taken him on any patrols or hunting trips and it occurred to Merlin now, that he had avoided going out with Gaius, when he had been out previously.

He knew it was stupid to keep standing there. If he couldn't do it, he could always get someone to help. Gaius probably would, and maybe even Gwen if she wasn't too busy. Merlin didn't want to contemplate Arthur, although Merlin decided it was his fault. If Arthur had decided to drag him out on a hunting trip this probably wouldn't be happening, because he would have been out there already, he wouldn't need to think about it, as much as he was now. Once he was over the threshold, he would be fine. It was just getting there.

So absorbed in thinking that he didn't see, or hear, Arthur's approach; all of a sudden the horse was next to him. Merlin jumped and looked up at Arthur.

"What are you doing?" Merlin asked him. Arthur looked out into the woods, before down again at Merlin.

"I thought I'd exercise the horse, what are you meant to be doing?"

"Getting some herbs for Gaius, he's run out of a few things."

"Like what?" Arthur asked.

Merlin didn't debate the fact that Arthur had asked, instead he reeled off the list of herbs that Gaius wanted. Arthur nodded. Prior to Merlin's attack the list would have been completely meaningless to the prince. Now, however, he had learnt a great deal of what Gaius actually did, having spent so much time demanding to know what he was doing to Merlin, over those two weeks.

"So, why are you stood here?" Arthur asked. Merlin glared up at him.

"I'm just thinking of the best way to go!"

Arthur looked at him, glancing down at Merlin's left hand. Soon into the training Arthur had given Merlin the soft leather ball which he could clench his hand on, to exercise his arm, preventing his fingers and lower arm from stiffening as his shoulder recovered. Merlin was doing that now, but it looked more like a nervous gesture rather than him actually consciously doing the training. Arthur reached down and removed the ball from Merlin's hand, making him frown.

"I think that's enough," Arthur said. Merlin looked a bit stricken without it. "Come on," Arthur said, bringing his foot out of the stirrup, so Merlin could use it to jump up. He reached down to grip Merlin's good arm, just over his elbow. It was an automatic reaction as he reached up to grip Arthur's shirt and let Arthur pull him up onto the horse. As soon as Arthur was happy that Merlin was settled behind him, he reacquired the stirrup and nudged the horse forward, heading off into the woods.

Merlin watched the scenery pass by. He hadn't really spoken to Arthur beyond giving him a vague idea of where they needed to look. Arthur kept the horse at a slow pace, not wanting to over exert the animal while it was carrying two of them. Not that Merlin added much to the animal's burden. He had been skinny before, but pulling him into the saddle now warned Arthur that Merlin had lost some weight, which he needed to gain back.

Arthur was rather glad he had brought his crossbow, if nothing else at least he could feed Merlin decently, although he was bound to get a complaint about bringing home yet more carcasses.

"Are you all right, Merlin?" Arthur eventually asked.

"Yes," came Merlin's calm reply and then he pointed to the right. "Over there."

Arthur turned the horse, let it trot up the slight incline and then he pulled up, spotting the plant that Merlin was looking for. Merlin slid off the horse and crouching down started to gather the leaves carefully. Arthur watched him for a minute and then looking around said.

"I'm just going to take the horse a bit further, I'll only be a few minutes."

Merlin's head jerked up, then he blinked and seemed to shake whatever it was off. "Okay," he said, keeping the mild trepidation out of his voice. Arthur looked at him for another second or two and then turning the gelding kicked it into a canter letting it run for a while. He didn't want to go too far, but he wanted to leave Merlin, just long enough.

Behind him, Merlin watched Arthur disappear into the forest then he went back to picking leaves. After a while he looked around again, and then he whispered a word under his breath. Moment's later a bright white spark appeared in front of his face, it expanded out into a small glowing ball, about four inches in diameter. Within it lay an image of Arthur trotting his horse through the woods.

The ball retracted again into the tiny spark with danced off to Merlin's left, threading through the trees. He frowned a little, Arthur had headed out to his right. Then the spark suddenly flared and burnt out. Merlin blinked and then a moment later Arthur rode back, appeared from the direction the spark had headed in, having circled round. Merlin raised his eyebrows as he looked at the dead pheasant Arthur was carrying.

"Did you see that?" Arthur asked.

"See what?" Merlin asked, moving to the comfrey plant he spotted a little distance away and picking a few leaves.

"That flash of light."

"It's a sunny day," Merlin said blithely, pleased that the spell seemed to work. Arthur looked up at the canopy of branches over their heads, then back to Merlin.

"Maybe they moved in the breeze," Merlin added. Arthur frowned, not actually able to fault that theory. It could have just been a flash of sunlight through the branches. As Merlin pointed out, it was a sunny day.

"I'm amazed the local wildlife doesn't up sticks and move out," he added, nodding at the dead bird, which Arthur, typically, handed to him to carry.

"Someone has to make sure you eat properly, before you disappear completely. You can take that one."

Merlin eyed the pheasant dubiously, "thanks, I think."

"Have you got everything?" Arthur asked. Merlin finished picking at the leaves and stood up.

"I need to go out towards the meadow. The hedgerow there has some rosehips."

"Fine, come on, then," Arthur turned the horse and holding out his arm helped Merlin up again, a little less co-ordinated this time, as he tried to hold the pheasant with his other hand.

"Arthur, do you think next time you could just give me flowers?"

"Merlin."

"Yes."

"Shut up."