Hello my dear readers !
As promised, here is a new one shot! And, as my Beta said, it is kind of huge like a mammoth. So I hope it will meet you expectations. I personally like it very much!
For the story, the original idea came from a comment (review? PM?) of someone (I can't remember you name, please make yourself know so that I can hug you) mentioning they would like a story about the knights discovering Merlin's story with Freya. I'm not sure this is really an answer to this comment but well... It sparked something in my mind and tadam!
So, yes, this is also a way to say that never hesitate to comment on my stories because you never quite know where it could lead!
And, finally, thank you all for reading and supporting me!
Enjoy!
Saving
The day had been going fairly normally. Arthur, Merlin and the knights had been enjoying the sunny weather while pretending to hunt. Pretending was the right word as they were all chatting far too loudly to ever hope to catch anything. And not even Arthur complained about it. The others could all see how his shoulders had relaxed as the hours had passed and were grateful for it.
The two last months had been tough since the young man had become Regent. He had been faced with a kingdom in ruins after Morgana's reign and the council's endless questions about his father's state of mind and their reluctance to trust him or his decisions. It had been exhausting and stressful for Arthur to cope with everything so Merlin had decided to organize the outing.
Of course, the knights had all been more than eager, especially the newest ones as they were also face with the highest distrust by some of their fellow comrades and most of the nobles in the castle. They were, after all, just peasants that had been at the right place at the right time and had surely just taken advantage of the Prince's weakness.
Merlin and Gwaine found this hilarious when referring to the later as they knew that it wasn't at all true for his case. The warlock had tried to tell the drunkard that maybe he should reveal his noble upbringing but Gwaine had absolutely refused. There was no way in hell that he would use that as an argument for his belonging. He would be judged only on his own actions.
The fact that the day had been going so well for everyone should have been Merlin's first sign that something would go horribly wrong. Things never went so well without something bad happening. It could be him tripping up and falling, making a fool out of himself or Gaius burning their stock of herbs resulting in his ward having to go pick them again or Arthur spilling his inkwell on his latest speech and blaming Merlin even if the servant had been nowhere near him.
So, really, Merlin should have expected something to happen and been more prepared. But the relaxed atmosphere had gotten to him too and he had let himself enjoy the way that the six knights were teasing each other as if they had known each other for years and not just a couple of months. It had made him forget his own troubles and guilt that he had been the one to turn Morgana against them forever.
As it was, they were all so relaxed and carefree that none of them noticed the sudden quieting of the forest around them.
It was only when an arrow embed itself in a tree just in front of their group that they noticed that something was wrong. The horses had been trained well enough that they didn't reared in fright but the men on them all jumped out of their skin.
It took, however, no time at all before they all dismounted to meet the ten or so bandits that suddenly surrounded them.
Merlin, as was his custom, nimbly made his way to the outskirt of the commotion while keeping an eye on it. He disarmed a man coming behind Elyan as he was busy battling another bandit and, made a branch fall on the head of Lancelot opponent, knowing that the knight would be grateful for the help and go help Arthur who was facing two opponents.
Quickly enough, the odds began to level and turn in favour of the knights of Camelot but that was when the archer made himself known again. Merlin saw an arrow fly towards Gwaine as the knight made his way towards him and didn't really think before he jumped and pushed him out of the way.
The pain didn't really register as he impacted with the ground, air being pushed out of his lungs in a gasp.
"Merlin!" He heard voices call over him.
He wanted to answer them but found himself unable to find the breath for it as fire making itself known in his left shoulder.
The ground rattled beneath him, sending tremors across his painful body and causing him to open eyes he didn't remember closing. He found himself looking at a blurry version of Gwaine.
"Merlin, mate, talk to me." The words also sounded blurred and the servant frowned.
"Gw- Gwaine." He managed to push out. He didn't remember talking being so hard.
"Yeah. It's me. Don't worry. I've got you." The knight sounded and looked more panicked that he had ever seen and Merlin wondered if he should worry. Gwaine never looked worry. Not even at the prospect of fighting an immortal army for a kingdom that he was banned from.
"Hey! Stay with me! Don't fall asleep!" He was suddenly shaken, making the fire in his arm burn hotter. He let out an involuntary moan.
It was true, he shouldn't fall asleep. He'd been hurt. Gaius had taught him that you shouldn't let a hurt person fall asleep. But his mind was unfocused and all he wanted was to escape the pain travelling through his body.
"Merlin!" Another voice called. Merlin thought he should recognize it but couldn't quite find the energy to do it. "We have to remove the arrow."
The voice sounded strained, afraid.
"Yes. Merlin." He was shaken again and he looked up at Gwaine. "Sorry mate, this is going to hurt but it's for your own good, okay?"
The warlock wanted to point out that he was already hurting but his tongue was feeling too heavy to talk. He felt hands pressing on him and suddenly his heart begin to race, breath quickening in panic.
"Wait…" He whispered, trying to battle the hands holding him with uncoordinated limbs.
"Sorry Merlin." The other voice said and then he felt the arrow that had been the source of the fire in his left arm being wrenched from his flesh.
Merlin cried out, pain flaring to an incredible level, muscles spasming under the grip of his friends as blackness invaded his eyesight. The last thing he heard was orders to bring rags to stop the blood.
Watching Merlin cry out as his fingers preventing him from moving while the arrow was dislodged from his shoulder with a horrible crunch was, by far, the worst thing that Gwaine ever witnessed. And that was saying something.
He felt paralyzed with fear, mind reeling from what had happened. It had been far too fast for his mind to comprehend what was going on. One second he had been walking towards Merlin to celebrate victory and the next the young man was hurtling towards him pushing out of the way of an arrow that lodged itself in his friend's shoulder inside. He couldn't remember ever feeling that afraid and for a moment he found himself unable to move as he watched Merlin fall to the hard ground, eyes closing, unmoving.
He realized at that moment that Merlin was a brother to him and he couldn't imagine a life without the young man in it anymore.
He shook himself from his darkening thoughts to watch Arthur and Lancelot wrap Merlin's shoulder tightly to stop the blood that was trying to escape his body. Nausea rose in the back of his throat as his eyes found the already red patch underneath Merlin.
A hand landed on his shoulder and he jumped, looking up to see Percival looking down at him.
"Don't worry. He is going to be fine." The giant said softly even if his eyes betrayed the worry he also felt.
Gwaine noted mutedly. His rational mind knew that but it didn't stop the all-encompassing fear that wanted to stop his heart.
"We should make our way back to Camelot. He needs Gaius as soon as possible." Arthur announced, pushing himself up. "Leon, take Elyan and Percival, ride ahead and warn him to prepare. We will follow more slowly, we can't risk riding to fast."
The knights nodded and immediately went to their horses.
Gwaine, Arthur and Lancelot then carried Merlin carefully towards the four remaining horses.
"I'll take him." Gwaine announced, his voice hard, not letting the other two any choices even if they looked like they wanted to protest.
He mounted and helped the other two settle Merlin in front of him. Lancelot took of his cloak and draped it over Merlin.
"Come on." Arthur called out, having already mounted. "There's no time to lose."
Gwaine could only agree and kicked his mare into a slow pace. The animal was well trained and followed Arthur's stallion without needing Gwaine to guide him. He could therefore concentrate on the young man in front of him. He could feel tremors running through the younger man's body as well as an unnatural warmth. He put it down to shock. He had experienced first-hand how blood loss could affect the body, making you either too cold or too hot. What worried him more, however, was how thin Merlin was. How fragile he felt beneath his grip.
How long has he been like that? He wondered. It was disquieting to think that he had never noticed that his friend could feel like that. Yet, he supposed that as Merlin was always so full of life, moving and working and chatting, it was easy to not notice that he was far thinner that the rest of them.
They rode quietly for an hour, neither man willing to break the silence, each lost in their own thoughts and worried, Arthur and Lancelot regularly glancing at the man in front of Gwaine. They were so immersed in their own mind that they didn't hear the quiet whisper coming from the unconscious Merlin.
Well, Arthur and Lancelot didn't. But Gwaine did. He leaned down, closer to his friend.
"Merlin?" He asked, wondering if his friend would regain consciousness.
"Freya." The servant rough voice whispered shakenly.
"What?" Gwaine looked up to see Arthur and Lancelot watching him, the later with a pained expression on his face.
"Don't leave me!" Merlin carried out, obvious to them. He began struggling with the cloak covering him and Gwaine had to struggle to keep him on the horse.
"Merlin! Calm down!"
"Please! Don't go! Freya! Please!" He sounded agonized and Gwaine fought the tears that welled in his eyes. He didn't know who Freya was but she sounded important to Merlin.
"Shh Merlin. Calm down." Lancelot said, suddenly appearing in front of them, placing a hand on his friend's forehead. His eyes widened. "He's burning up!"
"That's not possible, infection doesn't settle that quickly." Arthur said, also coming near as Merlin became more and more agitated.
"The arrow must have been poisoned." Lancelot realized.
The three men stared at each other.
"Those bastards!" Gwaine swore angrily, wanting to go back and beat the bandits before running them through. Again.
"We have to hurry." Arthur said, sounding angry but determined. "Come on."
And with that they threw caution to the wind and kicked their horse into gallop, forcing Gwaine to concentrate twice as hard to both keep going and keep a hold on a still twitching and mumbling Merlin.
Even at the fast pace, it still took them an hour to arrive in Camelot during which time Merlin began to shiver even while searing warmth burnt through Gwaine's shirt. He also never stopped mumbling, alternatively calling out to this Freya or apologizing for god knew what.
The three knights were beyond worry as Gwaine carefully passed the unconscious Merlin down to Arthur and Lancelot's waiting arms. They didn't speak as they rushed towards the physician's chambers, Lancelot carrying Merlin to preserve appearances.
They arrived in no time and entered without knocking to find Gaius anxiously waiting for them.
"Put him here." He said, pointing to the work table that had been cleared of its usual clutter.
"The arrow was probably poisoned." Arthur announced as Lancelot gently deposited a moaning Merlin on the table.
Gaius just nodded, expression unreadable as he began examining Merlin, forcibly opening each eye to look at the pupils, checking pulse and temperature while struggling to keep the younger man still. He hesitated before continuing, knowing that he would have to cut Merlin's clothes away.
"I will need space to work." He announced, keeping his voice as professional as possible even if worry was easily visible in his eyes. "I'll keep you updated on Merlin's condition."
"No, we'll stay and help you!" Arthur disagreed.
Gwaine nodded his agreement with the king but saw the look Lancelot and Gaius shared even if they were trying to be discreet about it.
"Sire. I think Gaius is right. We should let him work. And I'm sure the council won't appreciate you being here anymore than necessary." Lancelot interjected.
Arthur scowled at that.
"Fine. But I want to know the minute something happens." He relented, awkwardly patting Merlin's leg softly before leaving.
"Gwaine, you should go also, I'll stay and help Gaius."
"There is no way I am leaving this room. He took that arrow in my place. Don't waste your time trying to convince me otherwise."
Lancelot sighed and shared another look with the physician.
"Fine." The older man said even if he was obviously not happy with the situation. "Put some water to boil then, Gwaine, and fetch me linens from the cupboard near the door."
"Gaius!" He heard Lancelot hiss.
"I know. But we don't have much choice."
The whispered conversation stopped as Gwaine once more approached the table.
"Lancelot pass me the knife, and then I need both of you to held him steady."
Both knights obeyed their orders and watched as Gaius carefully cut Merlin's shirt away.
Gwaine couldn't stop his gasp when it fell away to reveal Merlin's upper torso. Never in his life would he have imagined anything else than blemish, unmarred skin. And yet he found himself facing a huge scarring tissue right in the middle of his friend's chest along with other more minor scars.
"What the…" He breathed, gaping, eyes fixed on the marks.
The other two said nothing and avoided his eyes when he looked up at them.
He opened his mouth to ask what had happened to give such a scar to his innocent friend but was interrupted by renewed struggles when Gaius began poking at the linen protecting Merlin's injured shoulder. He was forced to lean more heavily on the servant flailing limbs.
"Come on Merlin! Stop it!" He grunted.
The young man remained oblivious and he heard a pot shatter somewhere behind him. He saw Lancelot and Gaius freeze. He didn't have time to ponder it before another pot exploded directly behind the physician. His exclamation of surprise was drowned out by the old man surprising swear.
He quickly let go of the scissors and rushed to his medicine cupboard just as the flames suddenly rose nearly out of the hearth. Seconds later, Gaius returned and drenched a cloth with liquid before putting it on Merlin's face.
Two painful sounding inhalations later and Gwaine felt Merlin's muscles relax under his tight grip. Slowly the drunkard let go and took a small step back.
"Are you sure it's safe to drug him Gaius?" Lancelot asked as if nothing supernatural had just happened.
Gwaine looked between the two of them, his mind racing. He knew magic when he saw it. And obviously Gaius and Lancelot were sharing a secret knowledge. He held back a swear. Merlin had magic and he hadn't noticed! How could he have not noticed when even Lancelot knew? In fact, how come the other man knew and not him?
Too many questions ran through his head. Gwaine could feel a headache coming.
"Gwaine?" Lancelot voice cut through his thoughts, from his tone it was obvious he had been called for some time now.
"What?"
"Are you alright?"
Gwaine's eyes focused enough to see that Lancelot was now standing next to him while Gaius worked on a now very still Merlin.
"Yes… Yes. Just… Why did no one tell me Merlin had magic?"
The knight let out a long sigh.
"It's nothing against you. His magic has to stay a secret given where we are."
The argument was valid.
"Then how come you know?" He hadn't meant to sound jealous, yet he couldn't deny the hard edge of his voice.
"I discovered it when I first came in Camelot. He didn't mean for me to find out but he helped me defeat a Griffin that could only be defeated with magic. Of course, he let me take all the credit."
Gwaine stumbled to the chair next to the now low burning fire.
"I can't believe I never even suspect it…" He breathed, eyes fixed on the newly revealed sorcerer. "Merlin. A sorcerer."
Silence fell as both knights watched Gaius worked, flushing the wound before cleaning it and binding it as tightly as he could. Once that was done, Gaius took a step back and just breathed for a moment.
"How is he?" Gwaine asked, making the older man jump.
"I treated the wound itself and it should heal well enough but I am concerned about the poison. He still has a very high fever and I fear it could lead to brain damage. I will give him potions to try to flush the poison out but I'm not sure it will be enough."
The physician looked worried and resigned, shoulders bowed. Like it had all happened before. Glancing back at Merlin's torso, Gwaine thought it obviously had.
"Can't…. Can't his magic cure him?" He asked, surprised at how normal it felt to ask that.
Maybe some part of him had always known there was something about Merlin and his unusual behavior. Happy go lucky and yet, sometimes, far more somber than anyone his age should.
Gaius shook his head.
"It definitely already has or we wouldn't be here but it can't do everything. Magic is not the all-powerful thing most people belief. It needs balance and strength. And the combination of blood loss and poison has weakened both Merlin and his magic."
Gwaine looked down at his unconscious friend.
"What can we do?" He asked, unwilling to stay put and do nothing while the younger man fought for his life.
"He needs to be cooled down as much as possible while I prepare the potions and tinctures I need."
"I'll do it." Gwaine announced. He brought his chair near the table and wet a clean linen with cold water.
Lancelot and Gaius exchanged a look.
"I'll go inform the king and bring new water from the well, it will be colder."
And with that, Lancelot was gone, leaving Gaius and Gwaine alone.
The room fell silent except for the clinking of glass vials and the slosh of water.
"How often does things like this happen Gaius?" Gwaine finally asked after a long time.
He heard Gaius' tired exhale.
"Far too often if you want my opinion. This boy doesn't know how to take care of himself. He has no sense of self-protection." From his tone, Gwaine gathered that it was a long time problem for the physician.
"What happened to his chest?" Now that he had begun, it was hard for Gwaine to restrain himself from asking the questions that burnt on his lips.
"He was hit by a fireball when battling Nimueh."
"Nimueh?"
"She was a high priestess of the old religion. Merlin made a deal with her to exchange his life for Arthur's when he was deadly injured but she tricked him and tried to take his mother's then mine. Merlin fought her and killed her to restore the balance but not without harm to him." Gaius explained, still focused on his work.
"He must be pretty powerful then." The knight commented after a beat.
He had a hard time imagining Merlin killing anyone but he guessed that defending your loved ones was enough motivation for anyone to change their morals.
Gaius looked up from his work.
"Some say he is the most powerful warlock to ever walk this earth."
Gwaine fought not to let his jaw drop. Reconciling Merlin, the sweet servant, to the image of an all-powerful magician was almost impossible.
And yet, he had seen Merlin face a trip to the Perilous Land without a blink of an eye. He had seen the unmovable loyalty and fearlessness in the younger man.
"Does it bothering you, Gwaine?" Gaius asked when Gwaine said nothing for many minutes.
"No. It doesn't." He answered honestly. "I'm just sad that he didn't trust me enough to tell me."
Gaius sighed.
"You mustn't hold it against him Gwaine… Hunith and I always cautioned him against telling anyone about his gift. It's a habit that's stuck. And it is even more important to keep the secret here, in Camelot."
Gwaine let the information sink in, trying to imagine how life would be with such a huge secret to keep. It must be so hard for Merlin.
"He doesn't deserve this."
"No. He doesn't." Gaius confirmed. "But it is the way it is."
"Why does he stay in Camelot? Would he not be happier with the druids?"
The physician let out a little laugh.
"Maybe. But he found his destiny here."
"Protecting Arthur." Gwaine guessed. That, at least, was obvious. It was clear that Merlin would do everything and anything to protect the king.
Gaius nodded with a soft smile. The knight shook his head fondly.
Finally, Gaius finished his potions and came back to the table.
"Help me lift him up." He instructed and then proceeded to pour the liquids down Merlin's throat, gently massaging it to make him swallow.
That done, Gwaine repositioned Merlin down and carried on bathing his forehead and chest.
"When we were riding… He… He kept calling out to a Freya…" The knight whispered softly.
Gaius' eyes turned sad as he let himself fall onto the nearby bench, reaching out to lovingly caress Merlin's hair, a soothing gesture for both of them.
"I'm not surprised. Freya… Freya was the first and only woman Merlin has ever loved."
"What happened to her?" Gwaine didn't really want to ask but he knew he needed the answer if he wanted to understand his friend a bit better.
"She… She was cursed… Forced to turn into a beast and kill every night. She was killed when she tried to escape Camelot…"
Gwaine guessed there was more to the story. He wasn't surprised when Gaius continued after a beat of sad silence, his hand still petting Merlin.
"They had been planning to leave together but she didn't want him to sacrifice everything he had for her so tried to sneak out by herself. That's when she was struck. Merlin found her and carried her to the Lake of Avalon. She died in his arms and he burned her corpse there. Now she is the keeper of the souls that lie there."
The knight felt his heart constrict at what Merlin had to endure. And he never even suspected anything was wrong. He felt like the worst friend ever.
"Don't trouble yourself Gwaine. You didn't even know Merlin at the time and you couldn't have done anything just like I couldn't do anything." Gaius commented as if he had read the other man's thoughts.
It didn't help much to soothe the knight's guilt.
A week later and Merlin was still fighting the poison. His fever was still dangerously high despite constant care from Gaius, Lancelot and Gwaine.
They had also had to limit the authorized visitors as Merlin's magic seemed dead set on making itself known by bursting out unpredictably.
It went without saying that Arthur was not pleased with these limitations and more often than not, the three men had to fight to keep him away from Merlin's side. Thankfully, though, the king's duties were keeping him sufficiently busy so he found himself with very little free time.
"This can't go on. It's been a week." Lancelot said one evening as he, Gwaine and Gaius shared a quiet meal.
The door to Merlin's room had been left ajar and they could hear the younger man's painful breathes as he fought the fever.
"I know." Gaius said, shaking his head. "I've tried everything I can think of. I even tried some healing spells but they've made little difference…"
"Can't we take him to the druids?" Gwaine asked.
He may not know much about magic and healing but he had always heard that the druids were the best healers you could find.
"I don't know. They are in hiding and I don't know where to find them and I wouldn't recommend wandering in the forest with Merlin in this state without a good idea of where to go…"
Silence fell as the three of them slowly eat the food, appetite clearly lacking.
"I have to go. I'm on guard duty." Lancelot announced a moment later, getting up and retrieving his sword. "I'll be back at the end of the day with fresh water."
Gaius nodded in acknowledgement. Gwaine stood up and went back to Merlin's side and sat back on his now customary stool.
"Come on mate, I think it's enough now. You can get better, yeah?" He said softly, observing Merlin's gaunt features.
As ever, he got no answer and let out a sigh.
"Fine. If you want to be difficult about it. You should know, however, that the princess will probably go mad very soon if you don't come back."
He turned towards the water bucket near Merlin's bedside and almost jumped out of his skin when a girl's face stared at him. She had long dark hair and fair pale skin. Gwaine thought she was beautiful before berating himself for liking a hallucination.
"We don't have much time." The girl said, her voice impossibly clear. Gwaine shook his head in dismay. "You must bring Merlin to the lake of Avalon as quickly as possible. I can feel his soul nearing but it is not his time to leave this world."
When the knight just kept gaping at her in amazement and encouragement, she shook her head.
"Please. You must hurry."
Merlin let out a whimper on the bed and instinctively Gwaine turned towards him for a second before looking back in the water. That was now just water. No girl there.
He was distracted again by Merlin and turned to see his friend convulsing on the bed, muscles tensing and relaxing in a painful manner.
"Gaius!" He cried out, uncaring of how panicked he sounded.
The old man appeared at the room's threshold for a moment before disappearing and reappearing with a vial in his wrinkled hand.
"Steady his head Gwaine." He ordered before quickly dropping three drops of clear liquid in Merlin's mouth.
It took an atrociously long time of watching Merlin suffer before the medicine took effect and slowly the convulsions reduced to small twitchings before disappearing entirely, leaving Merlin bathed in sweat.
Gaius let himself fall back heavily onto the other chair in the room. His face was closed off but his eyes were clearly displaying the sadness he felt. Gwaine felt fear constrict his airways. Gaius never looked so out of hope, so old.
"What was that Gaius?" He asked.
It took a long time for the physician to answer and when he did, he did it in barely a whisper.
"Febrile convulsions…"
Gwaine waited for further explanations.
"It means his brain is starting to suffer from the fever…" Gaius eventually continued, his eyes shining with tears and he shook his head. "There is nothing more I can possibly do to save him."
The admission felt like a physical blow to the knight and he reeled back.
"No. I… I cannot accept that. There must be something… Anything… I… I'll go find the druids… I should have done so a long time ago."
He was out of his chair and almost out of the door when Gaius' soft voice stopped him.
"Gwaine… It's too late for that… As much as it pains me to admit it, there's nothing to do."
The drunkard slowly turned back towards the center of the room, his eyes first falling on Merlin then on the bucket of water next to him.
"The lake of Avalon!" He exclaimed suddenly, remembering his hallucination words.
"What?" Gaius asked, confused by the knights sudden change of tone.
"I… I saw a girl in the water. She said we have to take Merlin to the lake of Avalon!"
Gaius stared at him.
"What did she look like? The girl?" He asked.
"Long dark hair, fair skin. Listen, I know I probably hallucinated her somehow but we have nothing to lose right?"
"It's her." Gaius interrupted in an awed breath. "It's Freya."
"She said she could save him."
"Then you have to hurry." The physician pushed himself up and began preparing Merlin for the travel.
"I don't know where the lake is…" Gwaine said.
Gaius shook his head with a soft smile.
"Trust me, if she told you to go, then you'll find the way."
The knight was skeptical but didn't have time to think any more of it as he took Merlin in his arms and left fo the stables.
Just as Gaius predicted, and much to Gwaine's surprise, it turned out that he instinctively knew his way through the dense forest. Even though he was absolutely certain that he had never ever been there before.
He rode as quickly as he dared, keeping a strong hold on Merlin's thin form, once more thanking the god's for Camelot's perfect horse training.
It was at least two hours before the foliage finally became too dense to pass through with a horse. He quickly dismounted and tethered the horse to a tree before taking Merlin off its back and into his arms.
He ignored how light and how warm his friend felt as he began his trek.
Thankfully, it didn't take much longer before the forest opened up to a beautiful lake. Gwaine breathed a sigh of relief as his feet found sand and he made his way slowly to the water's edge.
"I'm here!" He cried out even if he was feeling stupid, talking to thin air.
He waited, his gaze searching for a girl to appear, without luck.
"Please! You said you could save him!" He carried on, squeezing his friend against his torso, unwilling to believe that he came here for nothing.
Another beat passed and suddenly, the water began moving, ripples appearing, small at first, then growing until the water began lapping at Gwaine's boot.
The knight held his breathe anxiously and watched in awe as a figure began to appear in the lake. At first, it looked blurry, as if not really there, but as it came closer it appeared more clearly in the form of the girl he had seen earlier.
She was definitely one of the most beautiful girls Gwaine had ever seen.
"I cannot leave the water." She explained when she stopped a few feet in front of him, still knee-deep into the clear water. "Bring him closer to me please."
The knight didn't hesitate in stepping into the surprisingly lukewarm water, not stopping until he was in front of her.
She was oblivious to him as her eyes fell on Merlin's body and Gwaine felt like an intruder as he watched her lift a trembling hand to tenderly caress the young man's cheek.
"Oh, Merlin." She breathed her voice tight with emotion. "What did you do this time?"
"He took an arrow in my place. It was poisoned." Gwaine explained, guilt evident in his voice.
She looked up at him but he didn't see any anger in them, just resignation.
"Yes, that's what he does, isn't it? Saving people…"
She carried on watching Merlin lovingly for a few minutes before straightening her shoulders.
"He must be brought further into the water for me to be able to cure him." She said to Gwaine.
The knight nodded and followed her until the water reached well above their waist. Freya extended her arms.
"Give him to me then step back." She instructed.
Gently, Gwaine let Merlin's body float on the water until the girl had ahold him and then he stepped back several paces, eyes still fixed on the couple.
Freya slowly stroke Merlin's hair for a moment before closing her eyes. She bowed her head until her forehead was touching her lover's. Gwaine saw her lips moving without catching any words and then she pulled them both under water.
The knight took a step forward but forced himself to stop. He had to trust Freya. She had loved Merlin, still loved him from what he had seen: she wouldn't hurt him.
His fears were indeed calmed when a minute later, Merlin emerged with a great gasp and flaying arms. Gwaine quickly made his way to steady him as the warlock heaved huge breaths.
"Gwaine?" He asked, looking completely at a loss as to what had happened or where he was as his eyes took in their surroundings. "What…"
"It's alright, mate, you're fine."
Merlin ignored him as his eyes widened. He turned away from Gwaine to watch the waters in front of them.
"Freya?" He asked with uncertainty.
The knight's heart squeezed and he prayed that the girl would appear. He took a step back when she did. Right in front of Merlin, looking shy with downcast eyes.
"It… It's really you?" Merlin whispered, frozen where he stood.
She nodded and he took a step to throw his arms around her, squeezing her painfully to his chest.
"I thought I was hallucinating. I thought you weren't real." He said in her ear.
"I am." She answered softly enjoying the feeling of his body against her, even if she could already feel the pull of the lake. "We don't have long, Merlin."
He tightened his hold as if he could stop her from leaving like that and she smiled.
"You saved me."
"Just like you saved me."
Nothing was said for a few minutes before Freya lifted her head from Merlin's shoulder. She looked deep into his eyes and put her hand on his cheek, stroking slowly. She could feel tears burning in her eyes just as she saw tears in his.
"I will always be there for you, Merlin." She promised with a soft smile.
"And I will always be there for you."
"I love you."
"I love you Freya." The warlock answered and put his lips on hers, closing his eyes as two tears fell from them.
When he opened them again, he was alone in the water. He bowed his head, not bothering to fight his tears anymore.
After a moment, he felt a hand land his shoulder.
"Come on mate, we have to go back to Camelot."
Merlin nodded and let himself be led back to dry land without a word.
Both men walked through the forest in silence, Gwaine respecting Merlin's need for peace but keeping a light hold on his friend. He had, after all, been sick for a week and he could see it has taken its toll, despite Freya's healing.
They arrived where the horse was waiting and the knight eyed their wet clothes.
"Mmm… Merlin?" He began, eying his friend hopefully. "Any chance you can do something about these?"
He gestured to their breaches and Merlin looked confusedly at him.
"What do you mean?" He asked as Gwaine turned to check the horse's saddle.
"Well can't you magically dry them? Otherwise it will be a very uncomfortable ride back…"
Gwaine turned back in time to see all color drain from Merlin's face.
"Woah Merlin!" He exclaimed as he guided the warlock to a nearby tree log. "Are you okay?"
"What?... How?... You know?" He babbled instead of answering.
Gwaine suddenly understood what happened.
"Oh. Of course." He muttered under his breathe. "Yes, Merlin. I know. And before you go all panicky on me, I find this totally cool and I can't wait for you to help me prank the others."
The warlock gaped at the knight, mouth opening and closing in a splendid imitation of a fish out of the water.
"You… You're not mad?" He finally managed to ask.
"Well, I can't deny that I was hurt you didn't tell me earlier but I get it, really."
Merlin was still staring at him as if his hair had suddenly turned pink.
"I'm still sorry I lied to you."
Gwaine sat down next to him and put his arm around his friend's shoulders, drawing him in a tight hug.
"Don't worry about it. I don't hold grudges for long… But, well, I supposed it could help if you'd participate in a thing or two in exchange of my silence… Nothing much, maybe some food from the kitchen or wine from Arthur's personal vaults…"
Merlin couldn't stop his laugh that ended in a sob as he let himself fall into his friend side, too many opposing emotions submerging him.
"Then again, I guess you saving my life probably makes us even."
Merlin shook his head on Gwaine's shoulder.
"Come on, a lot of people are waiting for you." The knight announced, helping the warlock up.
Their eyes met for a moment.
"Thank you Gwaine." Merlin said.
"No, thank you Merlin."
And with that, Gwaine draped himself on his friend's shoulders and steered him towards the horse and back home.
So, what do you think of that?
Yes, in case it wasn't clear enough, I am a total Freylin shipper and a romantic.