Sorry for leaving you all with such a mean cliffhanger- that mean ol' Alan! How dare he? Tch. I've decided I don't like him. I don't hate him anywhere near as much as I do his sister, but I definitely don't like him.

So, here's chapter 14. Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin

Chapter Fourteen

The next thing Merlin knew was darkness. Darkness, and pain. He focused through it, concentrating on a small feeling niggling at the corner of his mind, straining to understand what it was. It was something important, he just knew it. There was… there was something… he was supposed to be doing…

Now if only he could remember what…

A small voice interrupted his thoughts.

"…lin! Merlin!" Whose voice was that? "Merlin! Please Merlin- please wake up." The voice- a girl's voice he realised- cracked. "Please Merlin. You need to wake up. Please. You can't be… You can't…" The voice faded, disintegrating into staggered sobs. He felt a shaking hand on his cheek. A touch he recognised.

Slamming his eyes open, he found himself staring into Elira's tear-streaked face.

"Elira?" What was going on?

Elira's eyes widened at his voice, her breath catching. She nodded, relief pouring out of her. "Oh thank God- I thought… I thought…"

Merlin tried to sit up. He needed to comfort her- to let her know that he was alright. He couldn't be responsible for making her cry. But as soon as he tried, a sharp pain shot through his head, darkening his vision and forcing him to lay back once again. "What…?" Gingerly, he lifted a hand to the origin of the pain at the back of his head. When he drew his hand away again, it was all he could do to stare at it in shock. Blood. His whole hand was covered in blood.

And now that he looked, so were Elira's, as was the cloth she clutched in her trembling grip. She saw him looking.

"I didn't know what to do. I saw you fall. You hit your head, and you were bleeding so much. I yelled, but I don't think anyone heard. So I tried to stop it… But I…" Her words died once again, more tears welling up in her eyes. "I thought I'd lost you."

He lifted his hand to her face, attempting to wipe away her tears, but only succeeded in smearing blood across her needed to comfort her. "Hey now, come on. I told you you'd never be able to get rid of me that easily."

A quick laugh of relief burst from her lips. "I know you did."

"Besides, I could never leave you behind all alone. And just think- if I died, who on earth would be willing to put up with Arthur's moani-" He cut off, realisation flushing through him. "Arthur!" He forced himself to sit up, ignoring Elira's protests, ignoring the pain. He had to find Arthur quickly- he was in danger.

He clambered shakily to his feet, resting his weight against the stone wall, and staggered towards the stairs.

Elira blocked his path. Her face was pale. "Merlin- where do you think you're going? You can't move yet. Stay here- I'll go up instead. I'll go and get Gaius."

He tried to shake his head, stopping when it only made the pain worse. "No. I have to go… Arthur…"

"What about Arthur?"

"Arthur's in danger…"

Her worried expression grew more pronounced. "What do you mean?"

He pushed past her, setting his foot upon the first stair. "I have to… I have to help Arthur."

"What could you do in this state?"

"He needs me…"

"Then I'll come with you- I'm not letting you move around by yourself." She made to put his arm around her shoulders, offering him support, but he quickly shrugged her away. Fear for her safety flooded through him.

"No! No- you can't come. It's too dangerous!"

"Merlin!"

"I can't let anything happen to you." He stared at her for a few seconds, desperately searching for the words that would make her understand that she had to stay behind. "I can't let anything happen to you. I love you."

Leaving Elira standing there, looking like she wasn't sure whether to be happy or frustrated, joyful or panicked, laughing or crying, he made his way falteringly up the stairs. Ignoring the pain in his head, in his ankle, and in what felt like every other part of his body, he waited until he was out of her sight and earshot. Then he sped up, almost running up the stairs, paying absolutely no heed to the blackness at the edge of his vision. Arthur…

Arthur and Rosalind reached the top of the flight of stairs after just a minute, and hurried on towards Gaius' chambers. They were about halfway along the next corridor when Rosalind stopped, scanning her eyes over their surroundings. Letting go of her arm, he turned to her, confused.

"Are you alright? Did you need to rest or something?"

"Oh no. I'm absolutely fine."

Her voice has changed. That was the first thought to flick through the young Prince's head. He had grown so accustomed to her simpering tones, that when she suddenly spoke in such a self-assured manner he couldn't help but find it distinctly odd. "Are you sure?"

A miniscule smirk played at her lips. "Certain."

Arthur took a small step back, his instincts kicking in suddenly. "Then why have you stopped?"

"Because this is the perfect place of course."

"For what?"

Rosalind heaved a disdainful sigh, a look of disgust flickering in her eyes. "Do you have any idea how long I have waited to get you on your own? It was most irritating. I absolutely abhor being made to wait. You should count yourself honoured that I thought you worth it."

Arthur couldn't help but blink at this sudden change of attitude. Was she really like this? Why on earth would she put on such an act usually?

"Worth what?"

"Oh good grief- are you absolutely incapable doing anything but standing there like an idiot with your mouth wide open? It's hardly becoming for the Prince of a powerful kingdom. No wonder it was so easy to trick you."

"Trick me how?"

Rosalind's eyes shifted to a point just above Arthur's right shoulder, a victorious smile spanning her features. He knew that look. How many times had he seen it in the past? He spun around, drawing his sword as he did so, just managing to block the vicious swing aimed at where his neck had been just moments ago. It took all his strength to keep the sword at bay, his eyes widening in shock as he saw his attacker.

"Alan?"

The young Knight's eyes flickered towards his sister, pleading. She sighed. "Oh very well then. As you seem to be incapable of handling this yourself." Her gaze flicked back to Arthur, Alan moving out of the way just in time as she voiced her spell. "Astrice!"

Arthur gasped in surprise as her eyes flashed gold, raising his arms just in time to protect himself before he flew backwards, slamming into the doors behind him. They flew open, and he tumbled to the ground, gasping in pain as he hit the floor, quickly jumping to his feet. Rosalind just laughed.

"Oh, this is fun. Maybe I'll play with you a while longer before I let Alan finish you off. Astrice!" The invisible force sent him flying once again, smashing into a cabinet at the other side of the room when he landed. He struggled to stand once again, determined to fight back with honour.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"You have magic. You must want revenge on my father."

Rosalind paused for a second. "Well yes, I suppose that's partly true. But as he's going to die soon anyway it can't really be classed as a very exciting form of revenge. I suppose my main reason is for the enjoyment."

Arthur knew at once that it was a lost cause even trying to reason with this girl. He had never before met anyone who appeared quite as vindictive as she did. Instead, he turned his questions to her brother.

"Alan. You swore an oath to serve Camelot- you would break the Knights Code so easily?"

"I never intended to keep it in the first place."

Ah. So that was it. This had been their plan all along. His thoughts flicked back to what Merlin had told him shortly after Alan had become a Knight, and it all fell into place. Merlin had known. He must have found out somehow. A quick burst of anger rose inside him, but it was rapidly quashed when he realised that Merlin could never have told him- if a servant accused a Knight of such treason he would be severely punished. His friend had tried to warn him, in the only way he could.

And then he noticed something- Merlin wasn't there. He had been left behind with Alan. A knot of fear formed in the pit of his stomach. "Where's Merlin?"

Rosalind's face grew gleeful. "Oh this is rich. You're about to be killed, and you're questioning us about the wellbeing of your precious servant boy! Then Alan shall put your mind at ease." She faced her brother. "Tell him."

Alan was almost expressionless as he answered the Prince's question. "He's dead."

Arthur's fear quickly turned to despair, and then to anger. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this angry. He stormed forward, ignoring his pain. "How dare you?"

He lunged forward, swinging his sword as hard as he could towards Alan, determined to kill him there and then. How dare they kill an innocent servant? How dare they kill the first true friend he had ever had? How dare they kill Merlin?

But before he was even half way towards them, another word from Rosalind sent him flying back across the room. His sword dropped from his grasp. The siblings took a step towards him, Rosalind grinning malevolently, Alan with a steel in his eyes.

"Bebinde!" Invisible bonds tightened around Arthur. Unable to move, he simply glared up at the two siblings as they advanced on him, Alan raising his sword to strike the final blow.

Suddenly, a shout burst from the doorway.

"Stop!"

Three sets of eyes swivelled towards the source of the sound. Three sets of lips spoke the same word- Rosalind hissing it, Alan in angry confusion, Arthur in pure relief.

"Merlin!"

Yay! Merlin's okay (sort of...)