Too many close calls. If this continued, Arthur might have to chain Merlin to his own damn bed to keep him out of trouble. They had just arrived in Camelot, each of the knights had taken turns riding with Merlin because of, well, whatever it was happening that made his body as hot as the sun. Gwaine had him last, and he'd made it the rest of the way to the citadel out of pure spite and determination, Arthur was sure of it.
Arthur pressed his mare forward through the growing crowd of onlookers, ignoring their whispering and directing his attention towards reaching the castle as quickly as possible. He was highly grateful to Leon, who seemed to read his mind.
"Make way for his royal highness!" he shouted, coming up to flank Arthur at his left side.
The crowd split like rock. Arthur nodded at Leon, who quirked an eyebrow back at him.
"Leon, ride ahead and let Gaius know what's going on. We'll be there shortly."
Leon nodded immediately, coaxing his horse into a gallop and dissolving into the sea of onlookers.
"Gwaine, you and Lancelot will go with me to Gaius' chambers. Elyan and Percival, make sure the horses make it to the stables and then go inform the council that I will come speak with them as soon as I am able."
His knights all nodded diligently as they fanned out into the courtyard. Arthur and Lancelot quickly dismounted, moving to help Merlin down from Gwaine's horse. Arthur tried not to notice that Gwaine was drenched with sweat and his exposed skin was red and irritated. Arthur tried not to wince at the heat as he took Merlin's arms. It was going to be difficult to hold on to him. Arthur gritted his teeth as Lancelot helped shoulder Merlin's weight.
They wasted no time getting up the stairs, though Arthur was getting hotter by the second with Merlin pressed up against his side. Gods, how was Merlin even alive?
Gwaine pushed the physician's door open and Arthur and Lancelot burst in behind him, heading straight for the patients' cot. Gaius was already waiting there with a bucket of water and several vials of potion. Leon must've explained quite a bit to the physician, because Gaius' brows were drawn tight in a look of determination as started forward, wasting no time in examining his ward. Gaius' frown deepened the longer he observed Merlin, who was growing more agitated as the physician gently prodded him.
"His neck is a charred mess. Lancelot, would you hand me that dark serum at the edge of the table? Arthur, Gwaine, make sure he stays still. I don't want to cause him any more unnecessary pain."
Arthur did as he was told, holding down Merlin's shoulder as Gwaine did the same on the other side. He ignored the searing heat rolling off of Merlin in waves and focused on keeping him still as Gaius treated the burn marks on his neck. Merlin grimaced in his sleep, struggling weakly in their grips but lacking the energy to put up much of a fight. Gaius made quick work of the wounds and soon Arthur and Gwaine were able to release Merlin and allow him to settle back down.
"This is no ordinary fever," Gaius announced as he handed Lancelot a cold rag to place on Merlin's forehead.
Arthur's heart plummeted as the physician confirmed their suspicions.
"You said that Merlin broke out of the collar, yes?" Gaius asked, turning to look at Arthur directly for the first time. "Using nothing but the sheer force of his magic?"
Arthur nodded, considering. "I was sort of out of it, but it looked like he used a large amount of magic."
Gaius hummed, his brow drawing tightly. "That explains it, then."
"What do you mean by that?" Gwaine asked.
Gaius sighed. "One thing you have to understand about Merlin is that his magic is a part of him. In a way, he is magic itself. He cannot be fully deprived of it, even by such a powerful device. However, Merlin had to go several weeks with his magic suppressed so aggressively that it was actually damaged. Not only that, but he also had to muster such a significant amount of power to break out of the collar's hold. I believe what we're seeing is an aftereffect of this. Merlin's magic is still returning to him, giving the impression of an intense fever."
The room fell silent as all eyes fell on Merlin.
"He's been through so much already. Can he survive this too?" Arthur asked, his own voice sounding rocky and foreign to his ears.
"I'll try to keep him as cool as possible, but there's not much more that I can do. However, Merlin is incredibly resilient. I believe that he'll recover physically."
The atmosphere grew heavy once again at the unspoken implication of Gaius' words. Arthur's gaze returned to Merlin, his vision going blurry. Gaius was right, as always. Physical recovery was only half of the battle.
…
Oh my gosh I've left you guys hanging for so long so if you're still sticking with this story thank you! I've actually been writing about three different stories at once and managed to forget about this story but I'm going to focus on finishing it. XOXO