A/N: Ok, ok…so much for a quicker update. Sorry about that. Here's the next chapter! Good news is that the next chapter is already underway. I was thinking about putting the two together, but decided to split it into two and expand them instead.

Chapter Ten

Merlin could only stand and stare for a long moment at the roaring fire in front of him.

Many people had already fled the area, though many had stayed to stare at the spectacle. Why wasn't anyone doing anything?

The stables were ablaze. Thankfully, there didn't appear to be anyone inside, but the horses inside were neighing in terror, as no one had been able to free them. That would be a gruesome death for them. They had served Camelot as loyally as any knight had, and everyone here was just standing around and starring.

Merlin hesitated only a moment, then ran headlong into the fire to free the animals, stripping his jacket off as he did. Many called for him to stop, but no one reached him in time to stop him.

The smoke was almost more than he could bear. Immediately his lung began to protest the abuse. Seeing was also difficult. The smoke blurred his vision and his eyes stung. And it was hot. He sprinted over to the stalls, jumping over a beam that had already fallen. The horses were screaming in terror, with too little room to escape their stalls. Merlin reached for the latch to the first stall door.

A cry escaped him and he yanked his hand back, shaking the pain out. Perhaps reaching blindly for a metal latch in the middle of a fire was a bad idea. He looked at his blistered palm. But what was to be done about it?

Neckerchief! He pulled his neckerchief from around his neck and wrapped it around his unburned hand, and tried again.

As the horse bolted, the door flung open forcefully, forcing Merlin to leap to the side to avoid being struck. He took a second for his heart to calm from nearly being trampled, then stall after stall he did the same.

He coughed violently as he reached to free the last frantic horse. As soon as the latch was undone, the horse careened past, flinging the door open.

Merlin wasn't quite quick enough this time, and the door slammed into him, knocking him backwards. He tried to regain his balance, but between the sharp pain in his stomach and his already hazy head from the smoke, he toppled backwards. His head struck the ground.

.~.

"Don't just stand there!" a familiar voice called out. "Everyone, grab whatever buckets you can find, form a line from the well. Pass water down the line to douse the fire!" Faces turned towards the commander briefly before rushing to do as told.

Arthur and the knights had arrived.

Soon water was being passed from hand to hand, steadily pouring on the fire, to little avail, however. Arthur watched the scene before him. There was no way they were going to be able to save the stables. The fire was too far-gone. It wouldn't be long before the stable simply collapsed. Their efforts were useless—as usual, he thought with frustration. Cursed earthquakes. This was the worst damage it had caused so far.

"Abandon the stables!" he called out instead. "They're lost. Pour water on the surrounding houses! Don't let the fire spread!"

The knights obeyed immediately, and many quickly followed suit, the line shifting direction from the well to the surrounding houses instead. But many more people looked uncertain, sorrowful, even.

"But sire, what of the boy?" one of the men asked.

Something cold gripped Arthur's heart as he suddenly realized he'd been missing a big part of the picture. "What boy?" he asked firmly, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"The boy who's trapped inside," he answered. "He ran inside to free the horses. The horses came out, but he never did."

Damn it! Who could possibly be so foolish? He glanced back at the building as one of the roof beams fell. A rescue didn't seem possible at this point. Why did no one tell him this sooner? "Who?" he demanded.

Another voice offered the unwelcome information: "It was your servant, sire. The boy Merlin."

No.

No. No. Not Merlin. Horror hit Arthur hard, but he pushed it inside and let his anger build instead—an emotion far more familiar and therefore easier to deal with. That idiot! He would be the one to jump into a burning building to save some animals. What could he possibly have been thinking! Only Merlin would be idiot enough to just jump into a fire without a second thought!

Immediately, Arthur sprang into action. He grabbed a bucket of water that was being passed down the line from a woman and dumped the contents over his head. Once more, and then he ran into the burning stables.

"Sire!" Arthur ignored the knight's voice.

Merlin was not allowed to die—or so help Arthur, he would fire the boy on the spot!

The smoke was thick and heavy, forcing Arthur to stoop down under it to relieve his lungs. He called Merlin's name, but no response came. Another beam fell ten feet to his right, sending up an addition of sparks; instinctively he shielded his face. He worked his way further in, towards the stalls. Where was Merlin?

Small pieces of rubble fell on him, giving him just enough warning. Flinging himself to the side, Arthur rolled back onto his feet just as a large chunk of the ceiling collapsed where he'd been standing—successfully blocking his exit.

He swore. Worry about the exit later, he told himself. Right now, his task was to find that idiot servant of his.

That wasn't hard, Merlin was not twenty paces away from him. His heart picked up a beat at the sight of his friend lying motionless on the ground. Arthur slinked to his side, staying low to take in more clean air.

He was breathing, which was a great relief to Arthur. It look like he'd hit his head and gotten knocked out. "You idiot," he muttered. Scold him later. Now was time to get out.

Arthur looked back to the door he'd come through, hoping there was some way they'd be able to force their way through. But the doorway was completely blocked off and aflame now. The exit at the other end looked more promising, but it was also much farther away. They'd be lucky to make it without getting crushed by burning debris.

Not that the alternative—staying put—was an option.

"Come on, Merlin," he shifted his servant until he could pick him up, then threw him over his shoulder and started making his way towards the far door.

A small explosion made Arthur stumble and turn his face away to shield it from the sparks. A small groan from over his shoulder caught Arthur's attention. "Merlin?" he called. But there was still no response. The blasted boy was still unconscious.

A loud creaking noise over the roar of the fire announced the next support beam that fell over, half eaten away into coal and ash by now—the other half was still in full blaze. When it fell, along came another portion of the roof. Arthur glared at the pile of fire that now blocked his way again. Arthur swore again. Of course it wouldn't be that easy.

Arthur spun around, but there were no other doors. Which meant the only way out was to dig through the pile. He set Merlin down as he looked around for an idea. He then spotted Merlin's left hand, wrapped in his handkerchief.

"Cloth," he muttered, looking around for anything that might work. He was still wearing his armor, so that wasn't an option. Armor that was quickly becoming a pile of very hot metal, he might add. "Sorry Merlin," he muttered as he pulled out his knife. "I'll buy you a new shirt later." He cut through his shirt from the neck to the waste, then again to pull off a large strip. A third cut pulled away a second strip for him to use.

Arthur froze. Despite the heat of the fire, his body went cold.

There was a patch of scarred tissue on the center of Merlin's chest, about the size of a fist.

Images flew into Arthur's head, as if they were happening right at that moment, as if in slow motion. Emrys stood from freeing his tied hands, turning slightly to look around the clearing. Arthur's eyes migrated to his charred chest, burned from the previous magical attack.

Arthur pulled mind back to the present, starring at Merlin. Who was lying here, unconscious, in the middle of a fire. With a scar on his chest.

Now was not the time.

With a scar on his chest.

Later, Arthur! He scolded himself. He wrapped his hands in the cloth strips and made to work on the pile blocking their way.

Another sudden burst of fire and sparks just to his left made the beam he was attempting to move shift back into the same position he'd just moved it from.

He glanced to the explosion's source and saw a wonderful sight: multiple holes in the charred stable wall. The wall had been weakened to the point of its disintegrating. It looked weak enough to break through. Quickly, he once more threw Merlin over his shoulder, backed up, and took a running start straight at the wall.

It hurt. A lot. But the wall gave way and the two of them came tumbling through to the other side.

A crackling noise made him look up again just as the rest of the wall fell down, followed very quickly by the roof. Arthur took a deep breath of clean air—which only succeeded in making him cough. But they were out and alive, that's all that mattered.

He glanced at Merlin. Where he'd fallen, his scar was still quite visible.

Arthur shook his head ever so slightly. He was jumping to conclusions. There was an explanation, he was sure. There had to be.

"Sire, are you all right?" He looked up and saw Leon standing over him, offering him a hand. Arthur let the knight haul him to his feet.

"Fine," he answered. He pulled the cloth off his hands and discarded them. "Merlin got knocked out, I'm going to take him to Gaius. Stay here and take charge. Don't let the fire spread."

"Yes, Sire. But the fire's already started spreading. I'm not sure if we'll be able to contain it."

Arthur looked back. Sure enough, Leon was right.

Merlin stirred, and Arthur thought he heard Merlin mumble something, but just then an unexpected boom of thunder filled the air rain began to pour suddenly.

There had been no clouds a moment ago—Arthur was sure of it. This rain had come from nowhere.

The two knights stood in the rain for a long moment.

"Well that was a stroke of luck, wasn't it?" Leon asked.

"Ya…" Arthur's eyes flickered to Merlin. Then he picked Merlin up again and headed to Gaius's chambers.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll update as soon as I can.