Happy New Year, guys! I am so so so SOSOSOSOSOSO sorry I made you all wait an extra day. Things have been crazy at my place, the family's sick, New Year's...I've got an extra long chapter here to make up for it, and hope to add another tomorrow. Thanks as always for the reviews, and welcome to our new followers!

Chapter 15

"The sorcerer," Merlin whispered. "It… it was me."

Arthur stared at him in shock. Then he snorted. "Really, Merlin."

"Sire?" Merlin said, confused.

Arthur looked mildly irritated. "I appreciate your attempts to cheer me up, but that joke was in poor taste - even for you."

Merlin was taken aback. He tried again. "No, you don't understand! It was me!"

"Enough." Arthur waved his hand. "Let's get back to planning tomorrow's knighting ceremony. I'll need you to-"

"Arthur!" Merlin shouted, getting frustrated. "I'm telling the truth!"

Arthur froze. He turned back to Merlin. "What are you talking about?" he said slowly.

Merlin swallowed hard. "I...I'm the sorcerer," he stammered, "I have magic. But I use it for you, Arthur!" he said desperately, when he saw the stony look on Arthur's face. "Only for you!"

Arthur shook his head. "Merlin, stop it! You can't be a sorcerer!" he said angrily. "I would know!"

Merlin held a hand up, silencing him. "Look." He made sure Arthur's eyes were on him.

"Drakah," he whispered. Arthur watched, stunned, as Merlin's eyes flashed gold, and a small apparition of a dragon, made of fiery sparks, materialized before them. The dragon hissed, shooting tiny flames around them. With a wave of his hand, Merlin made the dragon disappear.

He looked up at Arthur hopefully, who hadn't said a word. Was he considering…?

"Get out," Arthur said stiffly. Merlin blinked. "What?"

"Get out! Leave Camelot!" Arthur hissed, eyes burning with fury. "I don't want to see you here ever again."

Merlin recoiled. "But … but I … " he stammered.

"Leave!" Arthur roared. "Leave now, or I will have you burned!"

Merlin took a step back, mouthing soundlessly. Shaking, he tried again to speak.

"Arthur," he whispered pleadingly, "Arthur please. Please don't do this."

"I expect you gone by midnight" he said flatly. "Don't speak to me ever again."

"...lin! Merlin, speak to me!"

Everything hurt. A high pitched keening sounded in his head, deafening him. He couldn't move, couldn't speak …

"Merlin!" The voice was desperate. "Wake up! I need you to wake up!"

With a great shuddering gasp, Merlin forced his eyes open, to see Arthur's anxious face hovering over him.

"Merlin," Arthur said in relief, "Merlin, can you hear me?"

Merlin nodded without thinking, then moaned as the movement sent knives through his head. "Can't…" he mumbled, "Can't … I need … I …"

"Shhh," his friend whispered. "We're going to get you out of here. Just lean on me, alright."

"Tired…" Merlin murmured. "So tired … want … sleep…" His eyes began to close. Arthur slapped him gently on the cheek and his eyes fluttered back open.

"We'll rest soon," Arthur promised. "First we need to get out of here. Can you stand?" He helped Merlin to his feet. As soon as he let go, Merlin began to sway. With a sigh, Arthur put Merlin's good arm around his shoulder, and half walked-half dragged him out of the cell.

Merlin struggled to keep up with Arthur, despite his slow and careful pace. Every step was harder than the last. Arthur did his best to carry Merlin's weight and to walk as smoothly as possible, but every jolt sent daggers of pain shooting up Merlin's injured leg.

"Can't …" he panted, "hurts...need ... " His eyes closed again, and he sank slowly to the floor. "Tired…"

"Merlin, please!" Arthur begged. But he was too tired to even try. He dimly registered being lifted off the ground, and slung over Arthur's shoulder. Too weak to protest his undignified position, he allowed Arthur to carry him up the passageway and up the stone steps.

A patrol or two met them along the way, but Merlin managed to dispose of them with a carefully aimed spell or two, leaving their path clear. They kept going, Arthur breathing heavily from the strain of carrying Merlin. Though his friend was thin and starved, it was a long way up and out of the fortress.

Finally, they reached the double doors. Arthur kicked one open with his leg, gratefully gulping the fresh, clean air rushing toward them. He headed right for the densest bit of brush ahead, hoping to use it as camouflage. He tried his best to take the worst of the scratches from the brambles and branches, but Merlin still caught a few. He whispered an apology every time Merlin cried out weakly. But he did not slow down.

After several miles, dusk began to settle around them, and they reached a small clearing near a stream. Deciding it would be useless to continue in the dark, and risk tripping or worse injury, Arthur lifted Merlin off his shoulder and eased him gently to the ground. Merlin sighed gratefully, and curled up into a tight ball, shivering in the night chill. Arthur unfastened his cloak and wrapped it around his servant without a second thought. It helped somewhat, but Merlin still trembled with cold and fever. Arthur knelt by the stream and filled his water skin, then returned to Merlin's side.

Had he gotten paler? Arthur wondered. He lifted Merlin's head up, and tilted the bottle to his cracked lips.

"Drink," he urged. The boy wrinkled his nose and turned his head away, pressing his lips tightly together.. Arthur rolled his eyes. "You big baby," he muttered, shaking his head. "Don't make it harder for me to keep you alive." He forced Merlin's mouth open. Merlin choked and gagged as Arthur poured the water down his throat. A lot of it spilled down his chin and front, but Arthur thought about half of the contents had made it in. Even that little bit seemed to have done Merlin a world of good, for his forehead felt slightly cooler, and he looked more relaxed.

Arthur got up to gather firewood, keeping an eye on his friend all the while.

When he'd collected a sizable amount, enough to keep them from freezing for tonight, at least, Arthur arranged all the branches and got a fire started. He moved Merlin right next to it, hoping it would help him sweat out his fever.

Tired as he was, Arthur knew he couldn't sleep. He had to keep watch, and Merlin needed to be supervised in the condition he was in. He hunched down, pulled his knees up to his chin, and stared into the flames, lost in thought. The night passed slowly, with Merlin tossing and turning restlessly, and Arthur keeping an eye on his friend, wondering what the morning would bring.

"I still think we should've turned in for the night," grumbled Leon, stifling a yawn. "No doubt Morgana will have more patrols around at night, thinking we're more likely to turn up around then."

"You'll get your beauty sleep later," grinned Gwaine, giving his friend a nudge. "I know how much you need it to look presentable."

Leon rolled his eyes as the rest laughed. Sir Damien remained stiff, but most of his men were smirking.

It had started off as an uneasy alliance between the two parties, struck more out of necessity than any warm feelings, but the long journey had done much for the travelers, testing and strengthening old bonds and new. Two guards in particular, Balfour and Roden, were fast becoming friends with the knights of Camelot. Elyan's rescuing Roden from quicksand, and Balfour teaching Percival some of his country's best fighting tactics, surely had a lot to do with it.

Elyan, taking his turn in the lead, raised his hand, stopping the knights in their tracks. He pointed in the distance. They followed his finger.

"Smoke," Gwaine breathed, watching the spirals curling outward, high above the trees. "A campfire?"

"Careful," Percival advised. They advanced slowly, swords drawn, ready for battle.

Arthur blinked. Murmured voices and the unmistakable clink of armor alerted him to imminent company. He reached for his sword, then cursed when he remembered it had been taken. He looked around frantically, grabbing the heaviest and sharpest looking branch he could find. Feeling foolish, he held it before him, tensing for a fight.

"You're surrounded," thundered Leon. "Surrender your weapons, and we may show you mercy."

"I offer you the same deal," a voice shouted back defiantly. "Throw your swords down and my men may yet allow you to escape with your lives!"

Gwaine and Elyan rode forward, followed by Balfour and Lord Damien. "Show yourself!" Gwaine ordered, sword raised.

There was silence. Gwaine shrugged. "For the love of Camelot!" he roared. The knights echoed his battle cry, and followed him into the clearing.

Wait...had they said…?

"Gwaine!" Arthur cried, grinning broadly. Gwaine froze. "Arthur?" he gasped. They stared at each other, Gwaine with his sword aimed at the king, Arthur with his tree branch. Then they began to laugh, and were joined by the rest once they recognized each other.

"Sire," Percival called, smiling. "Glad to see you safe."

"And you, Percival," Arthur returned. "But I wouldn't speak too soon."

"Merlin!" Leon gasped, finally noticing the unconscious warlock. "You found him!" He hesitated. "Is he -"

"He's alive," Arthur said grimly. "But I don't know for how much longer if we don't get him Gaius soon."

Gwaine stared at Merlin, eyes pained. Arthur knew out of all the knights, he was closest to the boy. "It's Merlin," he said to his friend, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "It takes a lot to get rid of him."

Gwaine's smile didn't quite meet his eyes. "Let's get him back home," he said solemnly.

Arthur nodded. "We will. But we have to split up." He held a hand up to silence the protests he knew were coming. "Morgana is still out there," he reminded them. "And she was planning on sending troops to Camelot at dawn. Led by Agravaine," he added darkly, noting the knights' hiss of outrage. "I'll need some of you to intercept them, head them off before they can reach Camelot. Percival, Elyan, Leon," he looked at each in turn. "I'm leaving that to you. Gwaine and I will head directly for Camelot."

"Sire," Elyan said quickly, "You may have noticed our new allies … " he gestured to the sullen Lord Damien and his men. Arthur looked surprised, then amused. No doubt Gwaine's doing.

"I suggest you have one more of us join you," he continued, "Since at least one of you will be carrying Merlin, you'll have one less fighter."

Arthur agreed, and waved Elyan over, knowing who the knight had in mind. He was also close to Merlin, Arthur knew, and would hate to be left behind.

Elyan and Gwaine rode to Arthur and Merlin, leading Arthur's abandoned mare behind them. They helped Arthur lift the motionless Merlin onto his horse. Only when he was secured tightly to the saddle did they mount their own horses again.

Arthur followed them, and together they galloped toward Camelot, hoping they wouldn't be too late...for Merlin's sake.