Thank you all for the reviews! Up over 100, that's the most I've ever had for any of my stories so thank you so much, you are all absolutely amazing!
And now for the groveling, I'm sorry this chapter has taken so long! I don't know why but this part of the story gave me far too many problems. I think I wrote three versions of events for this chapter and I hated all of them so I rewrote it again! I hope it came out alright in the end and was worth the wait.
So, without more ado here is the eighth chapter, I hope you enjoy reading!
Previously: Throwing a few more logs on the fire, Arthur settled against the wall and prepared to get some sleep of his own.
It was a muffled scuffing that caught the Prince's attention. He hoped that it was just an animal, an animal couldn't hurt them. He prayed it wasn't a search party from Cenred but knew that probably would not be answered. Snatching up the sword, he crept slowly out of their rock sanctuary and tried to find the source of the noise. Chances were the source was close because it was not a noise that would have carried far. Then Arthur saw the bushes shifting close near the entrance. At the same instance he noticed the shine of sun glinting off armor. The Prince groaned silently to himself, it was just their luck that the thugs would find them here. Only the soldiers were not looking into the cave, they were moving to the West, the same direction that Arthur and Merlin needed to travel. Arthur took a minute to mull the situation over, if the patrol was small enough, would it be worth it to kill the soldiers and ensure they would not run into them again? Before he could make a decision, the first men strode into the clearing. As each one moved past, Arthur counted from his concealed position. By the time the last man stumbled through the underbrush, he had counted seven. Seven men he could handle if he took them out one at a time. He would start with the man lagging behind. Stepping out of the safety of the cave, Arthur set out after the patrol. There was a thought that worked its way lazily though his mind, why did these men have to die? When had he become so violent? Normally, he would have allowed the patrol to pass them by and find a sneaky way around, but then he reminded himself that Merlin needed to get to Camelot quickly and a round-about way would not be fast. That thought hardened his resolve and he set off after the patrol.
He crept behind the laggard and a clean sword to the back dropped the man effortlessly. As he looked in front of him, he noticed the staggered lines and heard the loud footsteps of the men, if they had been of Camelot, they would have been put through extra training for their lack of discipline. But this was an advantage for the Prince. He took out two more soldiers in much the same way, an arm around the mouth so they could not scream and a sword to the back. The last four would be more of a problem because they were grouped together; there would be no way to take them out one at a time. Setting himself up for a fight, he stole toward the group and in a flash, took down the first man, his cry causing the others to spin. Unfortunately for Arthur, all three men already had their swords out, apparently these are the real soldiers, the Prince quipped to himself before bringing his own blade up. The soldiers quickly surrounded him, for some reason thinking that it increased their chances, they did not realize they would lose because Arthur could not afford to.
Taking a second to size up his opponents, Arthur took a step toward the strongest one. His adrenaline was pumping but he knew that could only last for so long. He clashed swords with the man and the fight began.
His sword hit hard, the movement jarring his aching arms still, he held his ground. The tricky bit was making sure he was paying attention to all three of the men because a blade flashed out of nowhere, close enough to take out his leg. He only just caught the sneaky edge at the last second. But the deflection threw his attacker off-balance and he used the momentary respite to move out of the center of their circle, clashing swords with the third man as he went past. He knew he needed to keep all three of them in front of him to have a chance. Pushing forward, he managed to slice the largest man's arm causing him to lose his grip on his blade as his arm exploded in pain. Arthur wheeled back and put his sword through his stomach. The loss of their companion did not deter the other two soldiers. They stepped toward him simultaneously, his sword clashing with both of theirs and the force pushing him down below the crossed blades. Even through he could still feel the adrenaline of the fight, Arthur could sense the weariness that had been building catching up to him. His strikes were shaky and he felt like he was fighting the battle in slow motion. Still he thrust again. His aim was not as clear this time and he succeeded in causing both men to jump back. Attacking again, he locked blades with one soldier, and battered his blade away from him. As the man turned to run, he crumbled when Arthur's blade sliced through the thin material on his back. That left the Prince with the best odds. He could do this. Instead of sizing him up, the soldier attacked, forcing Arthur off balance. As he stepped back, his boot tangled in a root and he hit the ground hard. The man switched his hold and stabbed down at him, compelling Arthur to deflect the blade, causing the sword to maim an innocent piece of earth instead. Arthur stabbed up quickly. His attack hit home and his attacker slumped forward, supported by only his own blade. Scrambling to his feet, Arthur checked for any unseen combatants and when he was sure they were dead, he headed back the way he come.
When he finally dragged himself back into the cave, Arthur slumped down next to Merlin. The Prince took a moment to relax; he laid his head back against the stone wall and closed his eyes trying to will his throbbing mind into silence. They needed to run but he just needed a moment to rest while he got his body to cooperate.
It only took a little bit for Arthur to finally get his rebelling brain under control and he turned to Merlin. He was a little surprised that the idiot had not woken up yet but figured at least while he was asleep he would not be in pain. Knowing that he should be at least awake when they leave, Arthur turned and gently shook his healing shoulder. The man didn't even mumble. Panic seized the Prince as he tried again. Still Merlin refused to respond to his efforts to wake him.
"Come on you idiot, its time to wake up."
He shook him again, "Merlin, please."
The Prince kept himself from freaking out by focusing on helping his friend. Placing his hand on his forehead, Arthur figured out the reason for his unconsciousness; his brow was on fire. With the panic still on the edges of his vision, Arthur felt urgency taking hold; they needed to go, now. He knew it was still at least two days to the castle and he had wasted too much time as it was. Gently picking up his friend, Arthur stomped out what was left of the fire and they were on their way.
Arthur expected to feel something as he walked past the bodies of the men he had killed but the weight in his arms kept him from feeling anything. Setting their course opposite the sun, Arthur squared his shoulders and began the long walk home.
Arthur hit his knees again. He was tired and hungry but he couldn't stop. Merlin didn't even react when he was jostled. His friend was out of it; Arthur could feel the fever that was beginning to burn its way through his body. They had been traveling all day and Merlin had yet to wake. Multiple times he had stopped at streams and tried to cool his friend but he could only do so much before they had to get moving again. He had early on tied wet cloths around his neck and forehead but even that was not really helping. Arthur just was not sure the best way to care for him.
As the Price was worrying over Merlin and trying not to trip on any more magically appearing roots he suddenly felt an immense sense of peace wash over him. For some reason, that even surprised the Prince, he knew why: they had crossed into the lands of Camelot. Feeling suddenly energized, Arthur pushed forward. He could get them farther into the territory before they had to stop and for that he was extremely grateful. They would get home. Everything would be fine. Now they just needed to get to a town where he could find some help for Merlin and where they could get word to the King.
His optimism was slowly crushed as the sun began to set and no village had appeared on the horizon, leaving Arthur with another choice: he could find some place for them to stay during the night or he could keep going and hope that he came across something before the sun set completely. He knew a fire would not be as much an issue in this area as it had been in Cenred's land but he still was wary of bandits and highwaymen. Eventually, his need to rest took over. He was exhausted. Besides, Merlin was shivering as well as burning up and Arthur knew that the continuous jostling and jarring was doing nothing for his recovery. Moving a little farther into the wood, Arthur found a decent ring of trees that would keep them hidden. Now for a small fire. As worried as he was about lighting another and giving away their position, he knew it was necessary. He laid Merlin down as comfortably as he could before he sat back to look at him. He had rivulets of sweat beading on his forehead, his broken arm, while set, was still swollen and had to be painful, his face was pale, and his breathing was stuttered from what Arthur could only assume was the broken ribs. He had not woken and the Prince knew that if this fever was not taken care of, he probably would not. That thought scared him to death, it was unacceptable. Merlin could not die, not after all he had gone through. He would not die. And with that thought swirling in his mind, he left to find enough kindling and logs for a fire.
It did not take him long to find what he needed and because much of the wood was relatively dry, it only took a few attempts for Arthur to get the kindling lit. Settling back against a tree, Arthur listened to the woodland sounds. While he heard the usual sounds of life and nature, the harsh pulls of breath from Merlin broke the soothing atmosphere. Arthur remembered it had been slightly easier for him to breathe when he was propped up but unfortunately that was difficult without aggravating the wounds on his back. Knowing what he had to do, the Prince moved over to his friend, settled against a tree, and pulled Merlin onto his chest. His friend was still shivering and he needed to do something to keep him warm as well as help his breathing. Wrapping his arms around him, he held him and could not help the few tears that worked their way out of his eyes.
Arthur eventually passed out from exhaustion, falling into a blessedly dreamless sleep.
The morning began much the same as the other, Merlin still refused to wake and Arthur was again forced to swallow his fear and keep moving. His arms and legs had long since stopped hurting and he knew that he was pushing himself too hard, but still he could not stop. The one thought that kept Arthur going was that they were in Camelot and that meant they were that much closer to safety.
They had only been walking for an hour or so when Arthur heard the sound of a horse's whinny. Not wanting to risk being caught unarmed; the Prince quickly laid Merlin behind a sturdy tree and prepared for another fight. His sword arm was aching but he knew this would be the last time they could run across Cenred's men's path. Hiding behind a wide tree, Arthur waited for the patrol to move past them giving him the element of surprise. That was until he caught sight of one of their cloaks fluttering in the breeze. They were Camelot red.
In his strongest tone he ordered, "Knights, halt." All spun to face the threat, swords drawn and Arthur thanked the gods when he realized Leon was leading the contingent.
"Prince Arthur?" Came his incredulous reply. The knight took a second to take in the Prince's appearance and there was no better way to describe him other than to say he looked haggard. His clothing was torn and smeared with dirt and blood. The bags under his eyes were dark enough to give someone the impression he had been punched and he was limping slightly as he stepped to his right. Leon followed his projected path and realized that there was someone else with him, Merlin, of course. Both men had gone missing almost two weeks before on a hunting trip. The King had been more angry than normal and almost everyone was running scared within the castle walls as fear took over his rule. The affairs of state still continued but as they were leaving, Leon's vanguard had been tasked with a second goal: continue the search for the Prince further afield. At least that one had been a success. Pulling his mind away from his mission, he tried to make out Merlin's condition, the boy was curled in on himself and seemed to be resting so when Arthur picked him up instead of helping him stand Leon could not help the pang of worry that passed through his mind. Then Leon got a good look at the servant. The knight recoiled instantly. Merlin looked like death. His face was pale as a sheet, he was sweating profusely and Leon could see the strips of cloth he was assuming Arthur had tied around his head and neck. The man was also shaking like a leaf and Leon knew that was a fever. The way the Prince had positioned his arm told Leon it had probably been broken, it didn't exactly look like a clean set. There were bruises visible on his face and the knight was sure those extended beyond. Whatever had happened to them, Merlin had taken the brunt of it.
"Leon, I am glad to see you. Where is the camp? I'm assuming this is the force my father had been building."
Leon had to shake himself and took a moment to process Arthur's question, "Yes, Sire we set out from Camelot a few days ago. The camp is not far from here, we have only just left for a patrol of the area."
"Well, I'm ending it for at least two men. I need to get to camp as quickly as possible. I'll need a horse and a guide." Normally the commanding tone would have seemed arrogant but the anxiety underlying it bellied any charges of condescension.
Leon weighed his choices, the Prince looked like he was about to fall over. But there was a fire in his eyes that let him know he would walk all the way to the camp if necessary. That spark settled it, "Sir Robert, dismount so the Prince can use your horse." The knight did so without a second thought, "All of us will act as guides and guards, we will cover the area tomorrow."
"Leon that is not necessary. I just need one guide, the rest may complete their patrol."
"Sire, with all due respect, there are still bandits of Cenred stalking these woods and you look like you have been fighting too hard for too long. We will complete the patrol tomorrow." The Prince inclined his head, too tired to argue and too relieved to have found help to care.
They set out toward the camp, toward Camelot.
It didn't take long to reach the area where the vanguard had camped.
There were rows of tents set up in a clearing, apparently Uther had ordered they stay put for a while, that would be the only way to explain the semi-permanent camp. Leon led the Prince to a tent near the middle of the encampment and took Merlin from Arthur, working his way into the shelter with the stricken servant as the Prince dismounted. The knights who normally occupied the tent had been sent out to seek lodging with others and Leon took advantage, laying Merlin on one of the beds. However, unaware of the whip wounds, Leon laid him on his back and Merlin gave a small cry as the knight's armor pulled the wounds when he removed his arms. Arthur was at his friend's side instantly.
"We need to get him on his stomach, Leon." The knight swallowed hard when he realized what that meant but listened as Arthur continued. "They whipped him the day before we escaped. I tried to bind the wounds but I could not do nearly enough. The wounds are painful and infected."
More gently than he had ever seen the Prince do anything, Leon watched as Arthur turned his unconscious friend onto his stomach, mindful of the broken arm and broken ribs. He proceeded to remove his hunting jacket and it was then that the knight realized the Prince was intending to take care of Merlin himself.
"I need bandages and water Leon."
"Sire, let someone else do this, please. You should eat and rest, there are plenty of knights with training to treat these wounds."
"No," he stated flatly, the refusal shocking the knight.
"Sire please."
Arthur's face softened a fraction when he realized Leon was trying to do what was best for him, "I need to take care of him Leon. I will eat and rest after these wounds are cleaned. Now please I need water and bandages."
The knight nodded, there was no arguing with the Prince once he got an idea in his head. This was something he needed to do and Leon would ensure he had privacy and the materials he needed. As he was getting the requested items, he made sure to assign two knights to stand guard outside the tent as well, no one was allowed entrance without the express permission of himself or the Prince.
Leon returned to the tent with the required items, to see that Arthur had fully gotten Merlin's shredded shirt and stained bandages off. What he saw almost made him sick. The man's back was a mess of blood and torn flesh highlighted by the angry red tone of the skin around each one of the wounds, yes they definitely were infected. But as he got closer to the bed, he realized that there was bruising underneath the skin that was not from the whip. So he was beaten as well, the knight deduced. Suddenly, Leon realized why Arthur was so desperate to take care of his friend (because under all the false bravado and name calling that's what these two were). These were marks of torture and Leon knew the Prince well enough to know that he would have blamed himself for Merlin's state. Leon must have been staring for longer than he realized or intended because Arthur's tired tone caught his attention,
"Do you have the water and bandages?"
Leon handed over the required materials without saying anything; he couldn't tear his eyes from the figure on the bed, Merlin looked smaller than normal.
"He was tor…" the Prince cleared his throat as he set about cleaning the wounds, a task Leon thought he would never see royalty do, "tortured for the majority of the time we were captive. He didn't tell them anything, no matter what they did Leon, he didn't tell them anything."
"Sire, what happened?"
"Cenred. We've been prisoners of Cenred and Morgause." The Prince choked on the witch's name, she must have done most of the interrogating. "They wanted information about Camelot and were intent on me giving it to them. Somehow, Merlin managed to convince them it would be better to torture him than me. I don't know how he did it but what they did Leon, I don't know how he handled it." A silence fell across the room as Arthur focused on Merlin.
The sun had long disappeared below the horizon when Arthur was eventually satisfied that Merlin's wounds had finally been cleaned and properly bandaged and he also noticed that the cool water had done something for his fever, it seemed slightly less scorching after the treatment, still he was no where near healthy. Standing to stretch his stiff muscles, the Prince realized how hungry he was.
"Leon, send someone to get something to eat for me and some broth for Merlin. If he wakes up for any amount of time we might be able to get him to eat something."
"Sire would it not be better if you left the tent to get something? It would give you time to figure out whom to take tomorrow and who you wish to remain. I could accompany you, let you know what has been going on in the kingdom since your absence, I am sure a few knights would not mind watching over Merlin for a short amount of time."
The Prince was torn by the decision. He wanted to know what was happening, to know whether the snake king would be forced to pay for his crimes but at the same time he was reluctant to leave Merlin's care to any one else. That was until a solution came to mind.
"Leon, I will go but I need you to stay with him. I trust you to find me if he wakes before I return."
"Sire, with all due respect, I could give you more information than any of the other knights, it would be best if I came with you."
"I appreciate your knowledge and loyalty Sir Leon, but I need you to do this for me. I don't trust the others to get me if Merlin wakes. I feel that any other knight would forsake his health to protect mine."
"Sire, surely if Merlin does wake its nothing we cannot handle." The knight could not imagine the scrawny, wounded servant having the ability to challenge any of the knights, let alone three, still the Prince was adamant.
"Leon, I need you to trust me on this. We spent too many days in a cell and for the most part…" Arthur swallowed hard, "Merlin spent most of those days as practice for a tormentor. He is going to be scared and confused when he wakes and he will not trust anyone, even you. You need to swear to me you will get me first. After everything he has been through, he deserves at least that. I need you to promise Leon."
The knight considered his Prince for a moment; the anxiety was clear on his face, "Alright Arthur, I swear I will get you as soon as he wakes."
Arthur took a deep breath, "Thank you Leon," before he felt comfortable leaving the tent for food and information.
"Ar…th…" When the dazed warlock didn't get a response he tried again, if anything the prat was still sleeping and his croaky voice was not carrying.
"Arth'r…" He was hot. He knew he had a fever, knew it was a pretty bad fever and he assumed it was from the wounds on his back because it felt like someone had decided to light a fire on his spine. Where was Arthur? Surely the dollop head hadn't actually left him? The warlock decided it was best to open his eyes and get the situation sorted.
"Arth'r, where a-re yo-u, pr…prat?" His voice was just a bit stronger this time but the slurring and his slowly churning mind made it hard for even him to tell what he was saying.
When his eyelids finally decided to cooperate, he squinted his eyes open. What he saw caused his heart to seize. He didn't notice the soft bedroll or the nicely burning fire; he didn't see the dirty bandages stacked near him or the tent that was housing him. All he saw were the few soldiers surrounding him in the confined area. Fear gripped him and his breathing sped up. They were not supposed to have been captured again; they were supposed to have gotten away this time. Merlin struggled to get up. He had to find Arthur and they had to get out of this place before they could hurt either one of them again.
His clumsy attempts to get out of his bedroll without aggravating his injuries caught the attention of one of the knights in the tent. Scrambling out of the last bit of sheets, Merlin stood as straight as he could and glared the man down, "Where is Prince Arthur?" His magic was keeping him upright, the warlock could feel its influence and knew this was more of an adrenaline effect, he would not be able to keep this up long, but hopefully it was long enough.
"I believe he's resting in another tent. He badly needed sleep and food."
"Take me to him," Merlin ordered, confusion working its way into his mind to reside along the fear and anger, why would they let him rest?
"I do not think it is a good idea for you to be moving now, if you would just…"
"I said, take me to see the Prince." It was unheard of for a servant to order a knight and the man really was not sure how to take this commanding tone. Not to mention, this crazed servant was holding his arm straight out in front of him, like he was trying to keep the knight from getting too close.
"No." The man was done reasoning with this servant. Sir Leon had mentioned something about allowing the boy to see the Prince but the knight did not want to disturb the royal, not for a mere servant in any case.
Leon was studying maps of the area in the corner of the room when he heard a soft voice calling from the direction of the bed. At first he just assumed Merlin was talking in his sleep again but then the voice got stronger. When he heard it a third time, he knew the servant was awake, he also knew he needed to get Arthur. The knight took off out of the tent; running to the meeting place where he knew Arthur would be talking to the men and eating. Reaching the area quickly, Leon easily spotted the Prince speaking with a few other knights. Leon's presence was almost instantly noted and Arthur jumped off the stump he was sitting on, half eaten stew dropping forgotten in the dirt, and tore toward the direction of their tent. He knew why Leon had left his post.
Arthur made it to the tent in time to hear the knight deny Merlin's request to see the Prince.
The warlock held his arm in front of him, his eyes starting to turn when Arthur screamed, "Merlin, NO!" Instantly, the injured man dropped his arm and turned in the Prince's direction, a surprised expression painted his features.
"Arth'r?"
Arthur just stepped toward him and tried to calm his terrified friend, the man was shaking and he knew it was because of more than just the fever. Merlin needed to get back to bed and rest.
"It's me, cabbage head." The Prince took hold of his arms at this point, keeping him upright as he started to sag. The confused knight stepped back, giving the Prince room.
"Wh…where are we?" He still had not recognized Leon and could only stare at the two other knights in the tent.
"With a Camelot vanguard. They were coming to the east to take care of the lands bordering Cenred's kingdom." Arthur could see the fear and confusion in his fevered eyes and even his arms were hot to the touch.
"Safe?" The Prince sighed with relief, at least he realized that, but that was when the tears welling up in his eyes started to fall because the full force of what he had almost done made it through the fog that was his brain.
"I almost," remembering the other guards in the room, "I almost…hurt him. I'm so sorry Arthur. I…I didn't know…I'm sorry." His friend started to crumple and Arthur felt himself breaking. Here was this man who was continuing to suffer and felt the need to apologize for it.
"Shhhh…It's alright, Merlin." He wrapped his arms around his friend and held him for a moment, for once he did not care that there were others in the room. For once it did not matter. Whispering gently to him, "I promised I would take care of you and this is no different. Even if something had happened, it would not have mattered. But everything is fine, for now I need you to eat and get back to bed. We are setting off for Camelot in the morning so you need to get as much rest now as you can."
As soon as Leon heard the command, he ran back to the clearing and grabbed a bowl of broth, the whole time he was pondering the fear and command in the Prince's voice when he had ordered Merlin not to do…something, it was a bit of an odd occurrence. But then many of the things those two did were a bit odd. Still he figured it was Merlin so it really could not be harmful in any way and let the thought pass from his mind, if Arthur wanted him to know he would tell him; there was no sense is mulling it over without all the facts. When he got back to the tent Merlin was sitting on the bed, Arthur must have noticed he was missing and guessed what he was doing.
Arthur forced Merlin to drink some of the broth before helping him lay back down on his stomach. The man was asleep almost instantly. The bandages were rewrapped because some of them had bled through with his earlier stunt. Merlin needed to get to Gaius as fast as possible, this fever needed to be broken and the wounds actually stitched. Once Merlin was finally taken care of, Arthur lay down on the neighboring bed and was asleep as fast as his stricken friend.
Yah, they have finally made it back to Camelot's lands! So in case anyone is wondering and still reading the three versions I went through before this one were:
1. Arthur just walked them all the way back to the castle - I figured that even for King Arthur, this was a little humanly impossible which is why I ended up with the help
2. Arthur walked most of the way before he caught up with the patrol and forced Leon to turn at then and ride hard back to the castle - This was the transition piece between the first one and this final edit, I still didn't think that any person could reasonably carry someone that far which is why I settled on the current story line
3. At the end, Merlin did use magic and threw the knight backward just a Arthur and Leon entered the room - I thought that would drop the story too far out of canon because then there would be two (Leon does not count) untrustworthy people who knew his secret and Arthur would have to take care of that
Well, there you have my thought process and how we ended up with the story we have. Also I hope Arthur wasn't too out of canon at the beginning, in my mind he's basically losing it at this point and it willing to do whatever it takes to get home.
Thank you all so much for reading!
I hope you have a good day!
- Lily
