A/N: Wow! Almost 50 reviews for the last chapter! I'm dumbstruck!

Disclaimer: Sorry, I have very limited medical knowledge. In the next few chapters I've described something that makes sense to me but if it irks you I apologize.

Even better, let's pretend that Gaius has this special secret method for treating exhausted young warlocks, and that unfortunately (for you) the section called 'Medieval Treatment Methods for Maladies Affecting Young Warlocks and Other Creatures of Magick' in that source of all World truth that is Wikipedia was magically removed before you guys consulted it. Luckily I got there in time! and that's why I am right!

And my usual thanks to my beta LyricalSinger for putting up with me. Yes girl, I PROMISE I'm about to return that favour in kind!

Leon quickly tightened his grip on Merlin, who had suddenly become a dead-weight in his arms, and lowered the boy carefully to the floor.

"Sire, I fear the boy has passed out," said the knight, looking over at the King. "With your leave, I will bring him to Gaius so I may explain everything that has happened to him."

"Yes, I suppose that would be best," said Uther, nodding his approval.

Arthur, Ewan and Alfred had also hurriedly made their way over to Merlin when they had seen him lose consciousness. They helped to lift the boy onto Leon's shoulder, being careful not to jostle his injured arm.

Then, just as Leon was about to take his leave, Arthur said to him, "Wait, Sir Leon."

Turning back to Uther the Prince said, "Father, since Merlin is my manservant, I would also like to accompany Sir Leon."

Uther shook his head and said, "Arthur, I understand your concern, and that you bear some responsibility for this boy's current state, but after all, he IS still just a servant. YOU are the Prince of Camelot, and your duties lie here, in being a host to our honoured neighbours of Cambria. The boy is already being cared for by no less than my senior knight, and this will suffice."

Arthur looked for a moment like he may argue, but then after joining eyes momentarily with Leon, he gave a slight nod to the knight, as if to say 'I leave him in your hands'. The Prince then turned back to the King and said, "I understand, Sire," and began to make his way back to his seat.

Alfred, and Ewan hesitated, obviously not knowing whether they should follow Arthur's lead, but froze in place before the King when they noticed that Uther had fixed a penetrating glare on them.

Seeing that he had their attention, the King slowly sat back and said, "The fact that you two senior squires have come forward with my son tells me that for some reason you are also concerned with this servant's welfare."

When neither young man dared to speak, Uther continued, "And from your guilty looks and the way you are now shuffling your feet like reprimanded children, I am inclined to believe that this is not due to any sense of altruism."

Both squires dropped their eyes to the floor, and made immediate attempts to stop their shuffling.

"So, you will tell me why you felt the need to come forward at seeing the servant's distress," Uther ordered.

The squires looked first at each other, then over at Leon and his burden, then swallowed nervously before looking back up to the King. Ewan started, clearly picking his words carefully, "Well, Sire, I fear that we have….contributed…..to that…..distress."

But Uther said nothing, evidently waiting for more details, so Alfred continued, "Um, I'm afraid we…. caused you to punish him…. unjustly…. Sire."

Uther frowned at this, and then said coldly, "I think you had better explain yourself, squire."

Alfred gulped and also picking his words carefully, said, "It was in the armoury, Sire….. We…..alleged … that the servant was doing his job improperly, when in fact, he had almost finished…. We were the ones ….provoking him … and it was we who caused the armour to be sullied and then to fall…." Alfred dropped his eyes in shame.

Then, before giving the King a chance to comment, Ewan hurried to add, "And Sire, I am ashamed to admit that during our trip to the Cambria border, I saw fit to take Merlin's provisions for my own use. I swear to you that I had no idea that he was so hungry though, Sire, or I would never have done it."

Leon adjusted his hold on Merlin. The boy was still unconscious, and his limp form had slipped a bit on the knight's shoulder. Leon was anxious to get the feverish boy to the physician's chambers, but could not leave until Uther had finished with the squires.

The King glared the two squires for a few moments, then leaned forward and said threateningly, "So let me be certain that I understand this fully. You have lied to your KING, and have abused your authority as nobles and future knights of MY Kingdom, resulting directly in the severe mistreatment of one of MY citizens. The fact that he is a servant has no bearing here."

"Yes Sire," admitted Ewan and Alfred together. Then Ewan added, "Merlin saved both of our lives during the trip to the border, Sire. So I …. we….. knew we needed to admit our part in this."

The King looked over to where Leon still held the servant and said, "It appears that this boy has done his fair share of that."

Then turning back to the squires, Uther said, "Very well. A penalty is warranted for these acts. You will join me at the Steward's office tomorrow morning to explain to me in more detail about your part in this, and also to hear my decision regarding your punishment. For now you will go with Sir Leon and assist him and the physician in any way that they require."

The squires said, "Yes Sire," and went quickly to join Leon, who adjusted his hold on Merlin once more, then bowed his head to the King and left the Hall without further delay.

Halfway to the physician's quarters, Leon paused, remembering that Gaius had decided to stay in the Lower Town that night. He turned to the squires beside him and said, "One of you will need to go to fetch the physician. He is at staying at the Old Fox tavern in the Lower Town, tonight."

Ewan, who seemed to jump at the chance to do something constructive, immediately volunteered for the errand. "What should I tell him?" the squire asked.

Leon answered, "Tell him that it is Merlin that is in need of his services. Also, be sure to tell him that Merlin collapsed from exhaustion during the feast and that he has some injuries."

The squire nodded his understanding, and then turned and set off at a trot towards the palace entrance.

On reaching the physician's chambers, Leon and Alfred brought Merlin over to the patient bed, and laid him down on his side, being careful not to put any extra pressure on either his back or on his injured arm. Then Leon covered the boy gently with a blanket.

With little more they could do, the two nobles stood back and watched over the servant apprehensively, waiting for the physician to return.

Merlin did not wake, but occasionally he shifted or grimaced and made soft murmurs of pain as he slept on. Each small sound caused Leon to shake his head, and increased his feelings of guilt for being unwilling to stand up properly for the boy until he had already reached the point of collapse.

After what felt to Leon like a long while, though it was probably less than half an hour, Gaius entered, looking dismayed and limping ahead of Ewan as quickly as he could. He immediately headed over to where Merlin lay.

To Leon's surprise, Arthur also followed the pair into the chambers, and gave Leon a sheepish nod. Leon wished he could ask the Prince how he had convinced the King to let him leave the feast, but that would need to wait. For now the knight needed to concentrate on ensuring that Gaius had the information he needed to treat Merlin.

"He collapsed during the feast, Gaius," said Leon to the physician, "From exhaustion I think."

"Yes, so Ewan has told me", said Gaius. "What else?"

"He has some injuries too," admitted Leon sadly, "and I think he is also running a fever."

Gaius looked up sharply at this, then reached out to put a gnarled hand gently but firmly on Merlin's forehead.

"Yes he is, Sir Leon," Gaius confirmed, "And it is a high one, though not dangerously so, … at least not yet."

Leon's feelings of guilt rose even higher, but he did not have time to dwell on them because Gaius wanted more information.

"Now tell me how this has happened," ordered the physician, as he continued to examine the boy. "The last I saw of Merlin he did seem to be very tired and I noticed the bruising on his face, but he never said anything about any other injuries or about feeling ill."

Leon watched as Gaius tended to Merlin and answered softly and with his guilt colouring his voice, "Well he has injuries to his arm and to his knee that he received during our trip to meet Lord Aelrod. He told me he didn't think he had broken anything but I have definitely seen him favouring them."

At this Arthur turned and stared at Leon, confirming to the knight that the Prince had been oblivious about his servant's suffering.

"And he spent a fair amount of time in the cold water of the river….and then… well… he never really got a chance to dry off or warm up for a long while afterwards," Leon added apologetically. "And you recall that it was rather cold and rainy those days we were away."

"As to the other injuries: I learned that he is frequently punished for failing in his duties, and I personally saw him beaten several times for it," the knight continued.

Then seeing the angry glare that Gaius directed at Arthur, Leon quickly added, "No, not by Arthur, Gaius. It was some of the castle's Masters. And they seemed to get rather...carried away..."

"I don't know how long that's been going on," continued the knight, "but for some time I'd say, judging by the state of his back." Then, breaking his gaze away from Merlin and looking directly at the physician, Leon asked, "Did you know about it, Gaius?"

Gaius, whose expression had become grimmer as Leon recounted what he knew, stopped his ministrations for a moment to look back at the knight and said, "No, he didn't say anything to me, though I certainly wish he had. Perhaps he was embarrassed, or it's even more likely he believed that he deserved it, and was afraid that I would agree. That is not uncommon in cases when someone is abused by those with authority over them, I'm afraid."

Then Gaius returned to his examination and said, "We will need to get his clothes off of him so I can begin treating him," and he started to carefully remove Merlin's jacket.

Leon moved to help and hesitantly admitted, "Um…And also, ….Gaius, he really has not had any sleep or anything substantial to eat for almost three days now. It might even have been longer, but I was only in a position to observe during that time."

Gaius stopped what he was doing, obviously startled by this news. "Three days,…!" muttered the physician. Then glaring at the four guilt-ridden nobles, he snapped angrily, "Well perhaps you men should get back to your FEAST so I can take care of my patient."

Leon judged this to be a well-deserved reprimand. Gaius knew full well that Merlin had been attending them for all of those days, so if he had not had food or rest, then they were clearly to blame.

"Gaius, I would prefer to stay and help," spoke up Ewan, somewhat to Leon's surprise. "I know I had a hand in getting him to this state, and I would do whatever I can to fix it."

At that the other nobles nodded their agreement, and Arthur said guiltily, "Gaius, I swear I had no idea about what was going on or I never would have ..." and he trailed off without finishing the sentence, merely gesturing to the unconscious boy.

Gaius looked at them grimly and finally nodded. "Very well, but I am the master here and you will need to do EXACTLY what I say. If you feel it BENEATH you then you may leave NOW!"

When nobody moved, Gaius began giving orders in a style that even Leon and Arthur as commanding officers in their own rights would have been hard pressed to emulate. "First: I need somebody… YOU, EWAN,.. get me some cold water directly from the well so we can bring his fever down," he began.

Then, with Ewan headed towards the door at a run, he turned his glare on Alfred, "And YOU will go and fetch some wood and build up the fire. I've run low on it in my chambers, since both Merlin and I have been busy with other duties. Once that is done then put some water on to heat, so I will have some warmed to clean my patient's wounds."

Last the physician turned to regard Arthur and Leon, saying, "And, one of you, I don't care who, must go IMMEDIATELY to the kitchens and get this boy SOME FOOD. Make sure it is mostly liquid since we may not be able to rouse him to eat it for himself. Thickened stock or light stew is what we need, easy to swallow but still substantial.

At that, Arthur quickly made his way to the door, without even stopping to consult Leon. The knight almost had to hide a smile as no doubt the Prince was eager to escape Gaius' wrath.

Then on seeing that Leon was the only one left to him, Gaius said, "And Sir Leon, please help me set out the bandages, and also to prepare the medications that I will need to help Merlin fight his pain and the infection causing his fever."

"Yes, Gaius," answered Leon obediently, not unlike how he would have answered his masters back when newly made a squire. Then, spotting the bandaging strips on one of the shelves above Gaius' workbench, Leon decided this would be a good place to start. He took down the supply while Gaius went over to another shelf and began to pull down some bottles.

Once the supplies were prepared, Gaius went back over to check on Merlin. Leon watched as the physician tenderly placed a gnarled hand on his ward's sweating forehead. He saw how Merlin stirred slightly, nuzzling into the touch in his sleep, as if seeking comfort. Leon was surprised when he felt a sudden protective feeling for the boy, and vowed not to let him, or any other mistreated servant for that matter, down again.

Gaius frowned at the fever though, and said, "I do wish that Ewan would hurry and get back with that water. I need to try to lower Merlin's temperature, so that we may try to rouse him to eat before I treat his injuries."

Leon's brow furrowed in confusion and he asked, "Why do you want to do all of that BEFORE you treat him, Gaius? I would have thought you would take care of his injuries first."

The physician answered, "Normally, you would be right, Sir Leon. But in Merlin's case, he badly needs some nourishment so that he will have the energy to heal. It will be much easier to get it into him if he is conscious, but I doubt that we will be able to wake him while his fever is so high."

Leon nodded that he understood, so Gaius continued, "And I cannot treat his injuries without first administering medication for the pain, but since this will make him sleep for a long while, we must ensure that he eats beforehand."

Leon again nodded his understanding just as Ewan finally entered the chambers with two buckets of cold water, and with Alfred right behind him carrying a large load of firewood.

"Put that one down right here, Ewan," said Gaius pointing to the table beside the patient bed. Once Ewan placed the bucket down as ordered, the physician immediately took a cloth and dipped it into the cool water, and then squeezed it out before laying it on Merlin's forehead. Then without looking up from his ward, the physician said, "And Alfred, put that pot of water on the fire once you've got it built up. I will need it before too much longer."

Then after pulling the blanket that had been covering the boy down, in order to expose his bared torso, Gaius took another cool dampened cloth, and began to sponge it gently over Merlin's chest, arms and back, being careful to avoid the open wounds.

When Merlin made a soft gasp in his sleep, and began to shift slightly, as though to avoid the chilled cloth, Gaius said, "Sir Leon, please hold him steady while I do this. It will hurt him if he rolls over onto his back before I get the chance to bandage it."

Leon moved to help hold Merlin on his side, and could hear the physician say softly to his ward, "Hush, my boy. This will help you feel better soon enough," though the knight did not think Merlin could even hear the words.

Once Gaius had finished, he allowed Leon to relinquish his hold, and then the physician pulled the blanket back up so it was covering Merlin again. Leon thought the boy already looked a little bit less flushed than he had a few minutes earlier, so guessed that the cooled water must be doing its job.

"Oh, Sir Leon, while we wait for Arthur, could you please go up into Merlin's room and find his nightshirt?" asked the physician. "I want to put it on him after I finish treating his injuries."

Leon was only too happy to do this for the boy. "Of course, Gaius," he answered readily. "Where does he keep his shirts?"

"They will be in wardrobe I believe, though knowing Merlin, the floor is just as likely," came the answer.

As Leon stepped into the chamber he was struck by how small and well-worn it was; obviously a converted storeroom or something. No noble would ever have accepted such accommodation, and Leon was forced again to acknowledge the gap between their stations.

He looked around the room and saw a soiled shirt on the floor, evidently the one Merlin had worn in the stocks before their trip to Cambria. Not seeing the nightshirt on the floor, he opened the wardrobe and immediately found the garment. It was the only shirt in the cupboard, folded up beside a pair of worn trousers, and a couple of pairs each of smallclothes and socks.

Taking the shirt, he went back down the stairs, and asked, "Gaius, does he only have two tunics? I didn't see anything other than the nightshirt in his wardrobe."

Gaius looked up for a moment as though surprised by the question, and said, "I believe he has three. His other one is probably still packed up with whatever he brought for travelling. I doubt he's had any chance to put it away yet. Why do you ask?"

"No real reason," admitted Leon. "I was just surprised at how little clothing he has in his room."

Gaius gave a humourless chuckle, "Well, he is from a very poor village, Sir Leon. He certainly did not bring very much with him to Camelot. And even though he is working now, it would still take him several months to save up enough coin for a new shirt."

Ewan gave a gasp of surprise and dismay at this, and then Leon saw the squire narrow his eyes in determination. The knight suspected that Merlin would be in possession of a new shirt much sooner than that!

Neither of them had time to tell Gaius about what had become of Merlin's third shirt though, because at last Arthur arrived carrying a tray with several dishes on it.

"Gaius, they had both soup and stew, so I just told the cook to give me some of each. I hope these are what you wanted," said Arthur, looking uncharacteristically unsure of himself as he put the tray down on the table beside the patient bed.

"Yes, this is fine, Arthur," said Gaius, "and you've come just in time, as I think Merlin's fever is down enough that we might try to rouse him. First though, go and get a spoon from my counter by the table over there. We can't very well pour the soup down his throat directly from the bowl."

Leon chuckled at that, glad that Gaius seemed to have some of his sense of humour back, though he thought that Arthur had not caught the joke, judging by how quickly the Prince had moved to do Gaius' bidding.

Once Arthur returned with the spoon, Gaius sat down beside Merlin again, and patting the boy's cheek gently, said, "Merlin, can you open your eyes for me? It's time for you to eat something."

When that didn't rouse him, Gaius tried again, this time lightly shaking the boy's shoulder, "Merlin. Come on my boy, it's time for your dinner."

Finally, Merlin shook his head slightly in his sleep, and scrunched his eyes tightly closed, before opening them just a crack. "Gaius?" came an almost unintelligible sound, followed by a forlorn "Where'm I?"

"You are home, my boy," answered Gaius, "You've been taken ill and collapsed at the banquet. And now I need you to try to sit up and eat something. Can you do that for me?"

"Eat?" said Merlin, his muddled mind apparently not understanding. "Can't eat 'til I get Artr's sword fixed. King said so. Or sleep."

On hearing this Arthur gave Leon a pained look, and moved over beside his servant's bedside.

"It's okay, Merlin," said the Prince. "The King said that now you should eat. The sword is fine."

"King said?" asked Merlin hesitantly, blinking his eyes in confusion, and obviously still not believing it.

"Yes," answered Arthur, "And now he told me that he wants you to sit up and eat. I will even help you, okay?"

Arthur placed a hand under Merlin's shoulder and helped him to turn, so that he finally sat at the edge of the bed with his feet on the floor. Meanwhile, Gaius picked up the bowl of soup and then held the spoon out to Merlin, saying, "Here, my boy. Can you do it yourself?"

But Merlin did not take the spoon right away. When the blanket had slipped down as Merlin had sat up, the boy had noticed that he was shirtless, and with his mind still muddled and confused, he looked over at Leon and said in a worried whisper, "Did they need more bandages, Sir Leon?"

Leon saw Ewan redden with shame, and when Gaius looked at the knight for an explanation, Leon was forced to admit, "His spare shirt got used for bandages during the trip to the border."

Then, picking Merlin's tunic up from where it was laid on the floor near the patient bed, Leon held it so Merlin could see it, and said, "No Merlin, your shirt is fine. See? It is right here. Now, let's eat some of this soup, shall we?"

At last, Merlin noticed the bowl of soup and reached out a shaking hand to take the spoon from Gaius. "This is for me?" he asked, as though still not believing his luck.

"Yes, my boy," answered Gaius. "Now just take a spoonful at time."

The four nobles and the physician watched with relief as Merlin finally began to eat his soup from the bowl Gaius continued to hold.

When he was a little more than halfway through it, the boy's energy flagged. Merlin's eyelids drooped, and the his head began to nod in weariness.

"Sorry, Gaius," whispered Merlin, "I'm too tired, and I don't think I can eat any more."

"That's fine, my boy," answered the physician taking the bowl and spoon from Merlin's hands, and nodding as though he had expected this. "Just sit there for a few moments longer while I get some medication for you. After you take it, you can lie back down and go to sleep, okay?"

Without waiting for Merlin's answer, Gaius handed the bowl and spoon to Arthur, and said to Leon, "Could you get me those two small bottles on my workbench? It's the ones nearest to the edge that I need."

Then, once Leon put the bottles in his hand, Gaius handed one to Merlin, saying "Here you go. Take this. I need you to drink it all, and no fussing."

Merlin looked at the bottle for a moment before putting it to his lips and drinking it down with a grimace. Then Gaius put the second bottle in the boy's shaking hand and helped Merlin raise this one to his lips too.

"There we go, now just this last one, Merlin," urged the physician.

Merlin looked up at Gaius with trusting eyes before he drank down this dose too.

Then Gaius took the empty bottle from his ward and said gently, "Now let's get you back lying down, so I can finish treating you, shall we?" before taking the boy by the shoulders and beginning to push him back down on the bed.

Leon moved forward and stooped to bring Merlin's legs up onto the bed and soon they had the boy lying securely on his side once again, with the blanket covering him to his hips.

Gaius took the drying cloth and dipped in into the cool water before once more laying it on Merlin's brow. Then the physician looked at the four nobles still standing by the bed and said, "Thank you for helping me, but I don't need all of you while I finish treating him. In any case, will Uther not be displeased if he finds out you have been here tending to a servant, while there is an important state visit in progress?"

Leon answered, "I may stay, Gaius. The King himself has expressly asked me to help you, given the circumstances surrounding how Merlin came to be in this state."

Then turning towards the squires, the knight said, "Ewan and Alfred, you are dismissed, and I recommend that you go to your quarters and prepare yourselves to answer any questions the King may have for you in the morning."

The young men looked vaguely ill at being reminded about the impending meeting, and nodded to Leon and Arthur before hurrying out of the room.

Lastly, Leon said to Arthur, "Sire, I admit I am curious to know how you managed to find yourself here. If I am not mistaken, didn't the King order you to stay and entertain the Cambrians?"

Arthur looked somewhat guilty when he said, "Well, yes…You are not mistaken, Leon. But I think Roran knew that I was concer...uh...distracted when Merlin fainted like a girl, so he told his father that he was fatigued from the day's events, and asked to be dismissed. Naturally, being a good host I volunteered to accompany him back to his chambers. But you are right, Leon, I've been away long enough, so I had better return to the banquet."

Then with a last look of what was definitely concern at his servant, Arthur also made his way out of the chambers.

Leon shared an amused look with Gaius as they watched the Prince leave, neither one of them being fooled in the least. The look of amusement deepened when Merlin, eyes barely open, whispered, "Di'n't ...faint... collapsed ... Gaius said ...he knows…s'a physician….prat..."

But then Gaius became serious again and said to the boy, "Okay Merlin. I need to clean the wounds on your back now. Then I will put some salve on them and bandage you up.

"K," came the soft, sleepy answer as Gaius dipped a fresh cloth in the warmed water and began to gently dab at the gashes on the boy's back.

From time to time Merlin made soft pained sounds against the contact, and Leon hoped that the pain-killing potion would soon put the boy to sleep. For some reason, Merlin seemed to want to fight it though, and stubbornly the boy's eyes stayed open just a crack, even while his hands clasped the blanket with increasingly white-knuckled fists.

Finally Gaius said with a touch of exasperation, "Merlin, please just let yourself sleep. The Gods know you need it, and there is no benefit for you in trying to stay awake."

"Can't, Gaius," whispered the boy. "Headache," he admitted, scrunching his eyes closed against the pain.

Gaius stopped his ministrations, and said ruefully, "Oh, my boy. Of course you have a headache. I should have guessed as much and taken care of that earlier."

Then turning to Leon, Gaius asked, "Could you help me raise him up a little bit so we can get another dose of medication into him?"

Leon bent down, and put his arms under Merlin's shoulder, lifting the boy back to a half-seated position, while Gaius went back over to his stores and pulled out a blue bottle.

"Here, Merlin. Open up and then just swallow, all right?" said Gaius when he got back to the boy's side. Then clasping Merlin's chin, he tipped the liquid into the boy's mouth.

Merlin swallowed, without even bothering to open his eyes or to let go of the blanket, and then Leon gently helped the boy to lie back down.

Gaius waited for a few moments while the potion took effect, and Leon was relieved when at last Merlin's grip loosened until his hand went slack where it had been clenching the blanket, and finally dropped slowly back to the bed.

"Well that's better," Gaius said with a fond smile, mostly to himself, though Leon had to agree, and with Merlin now deeply asleep, Gaius was able to finish tending him quite quickly.

First the physician applied honey to the worst of the wounds on the boy's back, and smeared a healing salve over the other bruises and welts. Then, after applying bandages, he and Leon gently rolled Merlin so that he was lying on his back, and Gaius placed a freshly cooled cloth on his brow.

Next, Gaius tended to the boy's wrists. Picking up one lax hand, he turned it so that he could apply salve to the badly chafed and bruised areas. Then he loosely bandaged the wrist, and giving the boy's hand a fond pat, he gently laid it back on the bed. The physician then moved around to the other side of the patient bed and repeated the procedure on the other wrist.

With Merlin's wrists taken care of, Gaius straightened and stood back with a frown, studying the boy's injured arm for a moment.

"What's the matter?" asked Leon, startling the old man.

"Oh, I'd almost forgotten you were there, Sir Leon," admitted the physician. "You are certainly a much quieter assistant than Merlin is!"

Leon smiled at this, and could easily imagine the boy chattering on, while grinding herbs or whatever it was he'd said he did for Gaius.

"I'm trying to decide what to do about this," the physician said, pointing at Merlin's elbow. "From what I could feel when I examined his arm earlier, I don't think it is broken. However, it's so swollen that it is difficult to be sure, though most likely this is simply because he had to keep using it for so long after he was injured."

Leon could not help hearing the note of reprimand in the physician's voice at this.

"I think it will be best if I go ahead and immobilize it, just in case," Gaius concluded, "then tomorrow I will take another look."

With his decision made, Gaius asked Leon to bring over the longest strips of bandaging he could find, and then began to wrap the boy's arm tightly.

Still deep in sleep, Merlin made a gasping whimper of pain and tossed his head slowly, shifting slightly in protest when Gaius began to move his arm.

The physician hushed the boy by rubbing gently on his shoulder. In a moment Merlin relaxed and stilled again, allowing Gaius to finish binding the injured limb and then to strap it securely across his body in a sling. Then Leon helped to pull Merlin's nightshirt on over his head, being careful not to disturb any of the bandages on his back, and leaving the boy's bound arm out of its sleeve.

The only thing left to take care of now, was Merlin's knee, so Gaius removed the blanket from his patient, so he could wrap the injured joint. That done, he gently repositioned the boy's leg so his knee rested on a pillow to raise it. He then replaced the cloth that had been on the Merlin's fevered brow with a fresh cool one and covered the shivering boy up with the blanket.

At last Gaius sighed and stood back. "Well, that's about all we can do for him tonight, Sir Leon," said the physician. "He should sleep through to morning, and that's the best thing for him right now."

"I will take my leave of you then," answered the knight. "And Gaius, you should know that Uther has convened a meeting with the Castle Steward tomorrow morning, as he would like to know how it came about that Merlin ended up in this state while going about his duties for the Royal Household."

"Is that so?" asked Gaius. "Well, I look forward to hearing what the conclusion to that meeting is. I certainly hope we can avoid a recurrence!"

"As do I," said Leon, and then with a last look at Merlin, the knight left and headed towards his own chambers.

A/N A few of you have asked me about Merlin + Magic.

Funny that. I was going to do this last week but chickened out. But now due to the comments I've decided to go ahead this week. Call it a 'magical treasure hunt'.

This is all told from Leon's point of view, so the magic is very, very subtle, but there are indeed four places in earlier chapters where I've hinted that Merlin probably did use magic. Of those, one is relatively obvious and a couple of you have already remarked on it, but the other places less so.

Can you find them?