A/N: Wow, you guys are awesome. I absolutely love reading all of your feedback and encouragement, and so to everyone who has left a review for this story, thank you! Also thank you for all of the follows and favorites. I never expected this story to do so well. I hope you all continue to enjoy!
"Are you sure this is going to work, Gaius?" Merlin asked, as soon as his sightless eyes faded from gold back to blue.
"Let us hope so. If you're going to summon the Great Dragon, it's going to have to."
Merlin nodded and listened as Gaius moved around the chambers, looking for the herb bags.
"Now where did I put those?" he muttered to himself. "Merlin, have you seen-" Gaius stopped himself.
Merlin sighed.
"Oh, I'm sorry, my boy."
"It's fine, Gaius. I think I remember you putting the bags in the cupboard in the corner."
Merlin listened as Gaius moved to the cupboard and opened the door. "Ah, here they are." Gaius grabbed the herb bags and walked back to where Merlin was sitting just as a knock came at the door.
"Enter," Gaius called out.
The door swung open, and Gwaine strolled into the room, beaming. "So, the princess tells me that I am to go on the very dangerous and terrifying mission of herb gathering," he said, plopping down next to Merlin and throwing an arm around his shoulders. "When do we set out?"
"Soon," Gaius said. "I just need to take a remedy to a patient of mine, and then we can leave. I'll be right back." Gaius moved towards the exit, a bottle of medicine in his hand.
"You don't have to, you know," Merlin said, once the physician was gone. "Gaius and I can manage without you."
"Nonsense. I'd love to go. Besides, I rather like being on Arthur's good side. If he were to find out I let you go alone-"
"He won't. He'd never have to know. You could take the afternoon off. Just relax. Go to the tavern."
Gwaine laughed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to get rid of me Merlin."
"No," Merlin said quickly. "I just don't want you to feel like you have some sort of obligation to come along. You really don't need to go to all of this trouble-"
"Merlin, it's no trouble," Gwaine said, cutting him off. "It'll be fun."
"But-"
"Really, I want to come."
"It isn't necessary, though."
Gwaine reached forward and snatched an apple from the bowl of fruit that was sitting on the table. He took a bite and swallowed before speaking again.
"Necessary, or not, those are my orders. I'm going with you."
Merlin sighed, but said nothing more. Gwaine continued to munch on his apple as he struck up a (mostly one-sided) conversation about the goings-on of Camelot. Merlin was hardly listening, though. He had too many thoughts swirling around in his head.
At last, the door to the chambers opened again, and Gwaine jumped up as soon as he caught sight of the old physician.
"Are we ready, then?" Gwaine asked.
"Yes. Gwaine, why don't you go down to the stables and get our horses ready? Merlin and I will be along shortly." Gaius replied.
"Okay, then. I'll see you at the stables." Gwaine took another large bite out of his apple as he left the room.
Gaius turned to Merlin. "So far, so good, then?"
Merlin nodded. "I knew he wouldn't be able to resist that apple."
The walk down to the stables was long and slow, and Merlin kept a tight grip on Gaius' arm as they made their way through the castle. The staircases were the worst. Merlin's heart would begin to pound in his chest whenever they came to one, his mind racing with the memory of falling down that flight of stairs near the armory, and James' eyes boring into his just before it happened. That had been the last thing he had seen. Those eyes. And now they were seared into his mind. Merlin suppressed a shiver and tightened his hold on Gaius.
By the time Merlin and Gaius made it outside to the courtyard, Gwaine was waiting, and the horses were saddled and ready to go.
Gwaine helped Merlin mount his horse, and then secured the rope that linked Merlin's horse to Gaius', so that the physician would be able to lead Merlin along.
"Are we all set then?" Gwaine asked, once he and Gaius were both mounted on their own horses.
"Merlin?" Gaius said, turning to his ward.
Merlin nodded, clinging to his horse tightly with his left hand. "Let's go."
It was a warm, pleasant day in Camelot. A light breeze played across the faces of the members of the small party as they made their way slowly through the woods. After a while, however, Merlin began to get slightly dizzy, the motion of the horse making him feel ill. And the entire time, somewhere to Merlin's right, Gwaine kept up a near constant stream of chatter. Merlin tried to focus on what the knight was saying, but all that seemed to reach his ears was a low, steady drone, and it soon gave him a pounding headache.
"Are you alright, Merlin?" Gaius asked, noticing how pale Merlin suddenly seemed.
Merlin just nodded, and gripped his horse even tighter.
"We can stop here," Gaius announced, bringing his horse to a stop in the middle of a large clearing. "Gwaine, here's a list of the herbs I need. I've included a brief description of each," Gaius handed the list to Gwaine before dismounting. Gwaine slid off of his own horse before helping Merlin down.
"Are you sure you're okay, mate?" he asked, scrutinizing Merlin.
"Just a little nauseous," Merlin said truthfully. "It'll pass."
"Why don't you sit down and relax?" Gwaine suggested.
Merlin nodded, and Gaius led Merlin over to the base of a tree. Merlin sank down in the grass and leaned back against the trunk.
"I'll go see what I can find, then," Gwaine said. "Where should I look, Gaius?"
Gaius pointed Gwaine in the right direction and the knight headed off into the trees, whistling as he went.
"Are you okay, Merlin?" Gaius asked when they were alone.
Merlin nodded. "Much better since I got off that horse."
"You're still recovering from your injuries. You just need to take it easy," Gaius said.
The two of them listened to the sound of Gwaine's whistling through the trees.
"How long until that spell begins to take effect?" Gaius asked Merlin quietly.
"It shouldn't be too much longer. I'm pretty sure he ate the whole apple."
Gaius nodded to himself and walked back to his horse to grab a waterskin out of the saddle bag.
"Thirsty?" Gaius asked, when he stood in front of Merlin once more.
"Thanks," Merlin said, taking the waterskin gratefully.
Another minute or two passed before the whistling finally died down to be replaced with something else. They could hear Gwaine heading back in their direction, making noise as he did so. A lot of noise. His footfalls fell loud against the ground, and it sounded as though he kept crashing into trees and branches.
"I think it's starting to work," Merlin said, a small smile finding its way onto his face.
A moment later, Gwaine stumbled through the trees and nearly collapsed to the ground beside Merlin.
"Gwaine? What's the matter?" Merlin asked, trying to sound innocent.
"I feel like I just spent the night at the tavern," Gwaine mumbled, rubbing his head. "It just came on suddenly."
Gaius placed a hand to Gwaine's forehead, hoping that the expression on his face showed nothing but concern.
"Hmm." Gaius said thoughtfully. Merlin had to bite his lip to keep from laughing.
"What is it, Gaius?" Gwaine asked slowly, seeming to have some difficulty forming the words.
"You may be suffering from an allergic reaction to some of the herbs," Gaius said in a serious tone, eyeing the herb bag that Gwaine, by some unexplained miracle, still clutched in his hand.
Merlin coughed to hide the laugh that escaped his mouth.
"All'gic 'action?" Gwaine slurred out, trying to grasp what Gaius was telling him as his mind seemed to work slower and slower by the second.
"Yes. You'll need to rest for a few minutes, Gwaine," Gaius said. "There's nothing I can do, I'm afraid. It should pass soon enough."
Gwaine slumped against the tree next to Merlin.
"Mer'in, mate, I nee' tell ya som'thin." Gwaine murmured.
"What?" Merlin asked.
But unfortunately, Merlin wasn't able to make out much of what Gwaine said next. He heard a few words which sounded a lot like "Feed the barn" and "apple pie", but other than that, Gwaine was completely unintelligible.
"Is he asleep yet?" Merlin asked, when Gwaine finally stopped trying to talk.
Gaius moved forward to examine the knight. "Yes," he said after a moment.
"Good." Merlin made to stand up and Gaius hurried over to help him. "I need to call the dragon now. I don't know how long that spell is going to last."
Gaius gripped Merlin's shoulders. "Okay, my boy. Go ahead."
Merlin took a deep breath. He was nervous. Very nervous. This was it. His one chance to regain his sight. This had to work.
And with that thought in mind, Merlin tilted his head back and called out to the heavens.
It only took a few minutes for Kilgharrah to appear in the clearing. He landed in front of Merlin and took a quick glance around the clearing, noting the presence of both Gaius, standing off to the side behind Merlin, and Gwaine, who was slumped against his tree, fast asleep.
"Young warlock," Kilgharrah greeted. "This is a most unusual meeting. In broad daylight, and with company."
"I needed to speak to you. I have a favor to ask."
Kilgharrah leaned down to get a better look at Merlin. He noticed the sling on the young man's arm, and the way he held himself, not standing straight up, but leaning over slightly as if in pain.
And then he noticed Merlin's eyes. They were unfocused, and the warlock didn't seem able to meet Kilgharrah's gaze. "Merlin, what has happened to you?" the dragon asked seriously.
Merlin hesitated briefly before answering.
"I fell down some stairs," Merlin said, deciding not to go too far into detail. "I lost my eyesight, Kilgharrah. I was wondering if you might be able to restore it."
The dragon considered Merlin for a moment. He looked into the young warlock's sightless eyes. "I can certainly try, Merlin. Although I cannot guarantee that it will work."
Merlin's heart sank at this news. "You can't?"
"No. I will almost certainly be able to heal any of your other injuries, but the eyes are something else entirely."
Merlin sighed. "Let's give it a try."
Kilgharrah moved closer to Merlin. "Close your eyes, young warlock."
Merlin obeyed and then stood as still as possible. A moment later, he felt a warmth wash over and spread through him as Kilgharrah breathed his healing magic over Merlin's entire body. Instantly, he could feel the soreness in his back recede as the bruises began to fade away. A soothing sensation made its way down the length of Merlin's arm, and his muscles began to relax. His body was healing. But were his eyes?
After a minute, the warmth of Kilgharrah's magic ceased to flow into Merlin, and the warlock felt better than he had in a very long time. But one question still remained.
"You can open your eyes now," Kilgharrah said.
Merlin took a deep breath, his whole body shaking.
"Go on, Merlin," Gaius said, having come up next to his ward.
Merlin didn't immediately comply. He was terrified of what he would see when he opened his eyes, if he would see. Up until this point, he had had hope. Hope that he had been clinging to like a lifeline. And now it all came down to this moment. The moment of truth. He took a few more calming breaths to steady himself, and then knew what he had to do.
"Okay," Merlin breathed. Then he opened his eyes.
A/N: So, everyone loves a good cliffhanger, right? Guys? Okay, okay, so maybe that was a little evil on my part, but it seemed like such a perfect way to end the chapter. I'll try to update again soon, but in the meantime, please leave a review! Until next time! :)