Arthur shouldn't have dismissed him. It was unjust and mostly unfounded. Valiant was using magic and the King had needed to know, it wasn't Merlin's fault that their key witness had not survived to confirm the accusation.
As Merlin left Arthur's room, his heavy footfall and frustrated thoughts lead him on the path to the dragon locked beneath Camelot. The great beast had given him advice before, so maybe he could do it again, only this time maybe he could be gracious enough to guide Merlin towards his new path as clearly this whole destiny thing was not going to work out.
If Merlin had been paying attention - instead of letting the muscle memory of his feet take charge - he would have noticed that his route was taking him past the chambers of a certain knight that he had just accused of magic, in front of the whole court no less.
And if he had not been so wrapped up in his own vexation, he would have been more alert for when a pair of hands were to grab hold of his tunic and drag him into said chambers.
Valiant shoved the door closed behind them before slamming Merlin against it, his back making violent contact with the wood. The knight gritted his teeth as his thumbs pressed fresh bruises into Merlin's collarbone. The anger radiating off of him was palpable.
"Telling tales on me to your little Prince, are we?" Valiant muttered between his teeth. His face was so close Merlin could feel the knight's breath hitting his cheek. Valiant didn't give him the chance to reply though as he grabbed the front of Merlin's tunic once more and threw him to the ground.
The rough landing sent shoots of pain up Merlin's spine and he couldn't contain the groan that passed his lips. As Valiant began to stalk towards him, Merlin did his best to shuffle backwards, only stopping as his shoulder came into contact with something leaning up against the table leg.
"Uther may not have believed you, but I know these royal types. All it take is one seed of suspicion to be planted for him to question my honour, so if you've ruined my chances for tomorrow…"
Valiant's chest heaved with anger as he spat out his words, but despite how cornered he felt right now, Merlin knew it was an empty threat. He may only be a servant, but he was Prince Arthur's servant, probably one of the only servants whose missing presence would actually be noticed. Surely Valiant wouldn't be enraged enough to go through with anything.
But then this was the man brave enough to kill a knight with magic in full view of the King.
As Valiant's eyes shifted to just behind Merlin's shoulder, the young warlock realised too late exactly what it was he had collided with.
The sudden hissing by his ear made him jump and all it took was two words to plunge his world into darkness.
"Kill him."
The tournament was nearing its end. One more fight and Arthur would be able to walk into tonight's banquet with his head held high. All he needed was this one last win and then he would save himself from being viewed as a coward in the eyes of his people. He would prove himself a worthy heir to the throne.
Valiant was a skilled fighter, there was no denying it. The man had quite a violent streak and that brute force approach to swordsmanship may have won him a place in the final, but Arthur could see he was tiring. It wouldn't be long now until the winner was announced, he was sure of it.
Valiant brought his sword down again in a sloppy downwards swing and it collided with Arthur's shield. The hit sent Arthur stumbling backwards slightly and Valiant took the opening to get the upper hand as he rained down the blows, sword hitting shield again and again, the force reverberating up Arthur's arm, driving them both closer and closer to the edge of the arena until Arthur's back collided with the barrier.
The crowd gasped, leaning back in their seats in surprise as Valiant pinned Arthur against the wood with his shield. As Valiant bent his head and whispered lowly to his shield, Arthur caught his father's eye from across the arena. Regardless of the circumstances, he could always see when the King's gaze was on him. Uther looked concerned but whether it was for his son's life or for the reputation of the Pendragon name, it wasn't clear.
As Uther's eyes narrowed, Arthur felt the determination rise up within him. There was no way he was going to lose this fight.
Arthur shoved Valiant as hard as he could muster, before dropping low to roll out of the hold. Just in time too. The fresh gasp from the crowd forced Arthur to quickly turn and face his opponent once more. From their reaction he swiftly prepared himself to dodge a killing blow being dealt his way. He hadn't expected two snakes to be slithering out of Valiant's shield.
The serpents snapped in Arthur's direction, their small tongues hissing at him in an unsettling taunt. A quick glance over at his father showed him standing at the barrier gripping it tightly, anger clear across his features, but there was little the King could do to stop the fight.
Valiant hadn't meant for them to be seen, that much was clear from his expression, but he wasn't going to back down now. Without warning, the snakes writhed out of the shield completely and landed on the dirt floor. Their bodies were quick and their fangs sharp, ready to take down their prey. The further Arthur backed away the closer they came and he took the chance to watch their movements. It was like he had told Merlin, once you know your opponent's weakness you can use it against them.
This wasn't like fighting a big, strong guy and using his lack of speed to your advantage though, the snakes were fast with minds of their own that Arthur had no hope of getting into. But as he watched them come closer he noticed that they moved completely in sync with each other, both turning left or right at the same time, both lifting their heads to strike at the same time. All he needed to do was get close enough and with any luck - and the right timing - he should be able to deal with them both simultaneously.
He swiftly moved to the left with nimble footwork that would make his father proud, adding some necessary distance between himself and the creatures. They followed his change of direction, tongues hissing in unison and once they had replotted their kill course, Arthur stood his ground and readied himself, bringing his sword high above his head.
It only took seconds for their bodies to cross the length of the arena, but as soon as they were close enough Arthur feigned swinging his sword towards them, encouraging them to strike prematurely, just as he had hoped they would. As the scaly heads reached waist height Arthur followed through with his swing and sliced the heads clean off.
The near-noiseless thud they made when they hit floor was not nearly as satisfying as it should have been and as their bodies stilled Arthur glanced up to see Valiant's gleeful sneer turn to confusion, then fear.
With his secret weapon dead and his plan destroyed, Valiant had no choice but to fight. He lunged at Arthur with his sword raised high but the prince blocked it easily. To everyone watching it was more than clear that Arthur was the better fighter. Sword hitting shield, metal striking metal, they danced around the arena locked in this fight to the death and Valiant never even got close to having the upper hand. The fight latest mere moments until Valiant stumbled, his feet catching on the dead body of one of the snakes and those precious few seconds of distraction was all Arthur needed to plunge his sword into Valiant's stomach. He stumbled again, his breath catching in his throat as he looked up at Arthur before the light faded in his eyes and he dropped to the ground. Defeated. Dead.
The crowd's cheer filled the air immediately and even Uther looked pleased, clapping his hands as he spoke to Morgana with a smile. Arthur raised his sword in the air and happily basked in the celebration, not only had he won the tournament, he had been proven right in his claims against Valiant.
Turning to grin at his adoring spectators he couldn't help but notice one face missing from the crowd. Merlin was probably too busy sulking to witness Arthur's victory and he would be sure to berate the boy for it later. It was a shame not to see him here though, Merlin was the one who brought Valiant's crimes to his attention after all and Arthur was sure he would have been pleased with this outcome. It's possible he was too hard on him last night though, so a small part of him wasn't surprised at the lack of Merlin's presence.
Maybe he would be at the banquet tonight and Arthur would be able to offer his apologies there.
Gaius rubbed the last of the ointment into Arthur's back. The bruises had only just started to form but the cream would be sure to help with the healing process. Arthur was just going to brush off the pain - as he tended to do with every fight - but Gaius had seen how hard he had been slammed into the barrier and he had encouraged Arthur to let him check it out.
As Arthur patiently waited for Gaius to finish up he glanced around the room. Despite the plenty of time he had spent in this room growing up, it had actually been a while since he had needed to visit the court physician in person. The shelves were stacked with rows upon rows of thick books, the contents of which would be far beyond Arthur's interest, and the tables were covered in rolled up parchments and small vials of liquid.
There was one bed in the corner, the same one that had been there since Arthur was young, but no sign of anything belonging to Merlin. He was sure that these were his servant's chambers as well now.
"Is Merlin alright? I think I may have offended him last night." Arthur asked as Gaius motioned for him to put his shirt back on.
"I haven't seen him since yesterday evening but I'm sure he's fine, Sire." Gaius moved over to the table to deposit the pot of ointment and Arthur frowned, confused. Gaius didn't seem concerned but surely that wasn't normal.
"Did he not come home last night?"
"Well, he had a few errands to run so he must have returned after I went to bed. He was gone before I awoke. It is strange that I haven't seen him but I'm sure he's off completing his duties."
Arthur glanced towards the door, half expecting Merlin to clumsily burst in at any second. It was probably nothing, but if neither of them had seen Merlin since last night then maybe he was far more upset than Arthur had anticipated. His reply was abruptly interrupted when the door was flung open to reveal not Merlin, but a flustered young girl standing in the doorway. Her flyaway hair and tidy apron told Arthur that she was a servant but he couldn't be sure what part of the castle she normally worked in or if he had ever even seen her before.
Her eyes widened at the unexpected sight of the Prince and she gave a small curtsey but she wasn't swayed from her mission.
"Gaius, I've been sent to tell you to prepare for a patient." She began as she made her way over to the physician. Her voice was soft but she spoke with conviction. "One of the guards is bringing him over now. He was found in Knight Valiant's chambers."
"Valiant's?" Arthur echoed with a whisper.
"Yes Sire. One of the chambermaids had been told to clear the knight's belongings and she found him in there. I don't know how bad it is, I was just told to run ahead and prepare you."
Gaius clasped the young girls hands in his own and thanked her for letting him know. There was no more she could do, the errand was complete and once the patient arrived she would only be in the way. She gave one more curtsey in Arthur's direction and then left the way she came.
Gaius wasn't flustered by the news as he quickly walked over to the bed. In his many decades of service he had seen to many ailments and injuries and this would be no different, but it was always nice to be provided with a short amount of time to make ready the room.
He pulled back the covers and righted the pillows, moving a stool closer so he would have a place to sit as he tended to the injury. Then he turned to the shelves to double check what was in the various vials. He wouldn't know what would be required until he had assessed the patient but it was always good to be prepared.
He was about to dismiss Arthur from the room when a Camelot guard darkened his doorway, a young man held over his shoulder.
Arthur's eyes widened at the sight of his unconscious servant. His skin was horrifyingly pale and his arms hung limply as the guard carried him over to the freshly prepared bed. Never before had he witnessed Gaius fazed in the face of a patient, but even the old physician seemed to be struggling with the sudden situation.
"I'm not sure how long he was in the knight's side room, but he was like this when the maid found him." The guard informed them as Gaius stepped closer and began to observe his patient. He quickly thanked the guard, effectively dismissing him, before getting to work. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest at the sight of his ward but, taking a deep breath, he tried to put his fears aside. They would do no good for Merlin after all.
Placing the back of his hand to Merlin's forehead revealed how warm and dry the boy's skin was. A fever, no doubt, potentially brewing for hours now without any relief. Next he placed a hand to Merlin's wrist, frowning at the slow pulse beating beneath his fingertips. These two symptoms on their own could mean a number of different things, but the mirroring of Sir Ewan's ailments and the fact that Merlin was found in Valiant's chambers could only mean one thing.
There were no visible marks on the uncovered areas of his body, but gently turning Merlin's head to the side revealed what Gaius was looking for. Just behind his ear were two small puncture wounds matching those of a snakebite.
"Is he going to be okay?" Arthur asked, his quietly spoken question making Gaius jump. He had forgotten that the prince was still in the room, though he wasn't at all surprised that he had stayed. Arthur was rarely one to willingly show concern, much preferring for his macho bravado to be the trait he was known for, but Gaius could clearly see the prince's worry for his servant.
Arthur's eyes roamed over Merlin's body, taking in the unnatural stillness. If Valiant had done this, it had to have been before the tournament and if Gaius was wrong and Merlin had never made it home last night, he could have been in Valiant's chambers alone, injured, dying, all this time.
"He's been bitten by a snake." Gaius confirmed as he moved over to the table. There were many vials and jars littering the surface, but only one contained the leftover snake venom.
"Can you heal him?"
"I should be able to. I'll just need to recreate the antidote I made for Sir Ewan."
Arthur nodded distractedly as he watched the slow rise and fall of Merlin's chest. He truly couldn't explain the strange vibrations of fear coursing through his body. Merlin was just a servant after all, there had been plenty before him and would no doubt be plenty after him, so why was Arthur so worried for the boy's health?
He was about to take a seat by Merlin's side when Gaius' words fully registered in his mind causing him to look up sharply. "But Sir Ewan died."
"I know, Arthur, but it's the only solution I've got."
Gaius picked up the jar of snake venom and surveyed its contents, the few drops sliding along the bottom as he tilted it. He had used most of the venom up when creating the first antidote and it didn't look like there was enough for a second.
"What's wrong?" Arthur asked, not liking Gaius' frown and lack of action. One look at Merlin told him that he needed the antidote immediately, so why wasn't Gaius moving?
"I don't have enough left to create another antidote. I'm going to need more venom."
"From the snakes?"
Gaius nodded in confirmation and Arthur didn't need to be asked. The decapitated heads of the two serpents had been left to rot on the arena floor and if retrieving them was all that was needed, he would get it done. He barely got his words out, informing Gaius that he would return with what was needed, before he was out of the door.
Camelot prided itself on the many tournaments it held the honour of hosting, from jousting contests to melees and whether to support their Prince or to enjoy a few days of entertainment, all townsfolk enjoyed attending. The crowds always formed thick and fast and the stands were always full. But at the end of such festivities, these townsfolk did not go straight home. No, they took the opportunity to visit the tavern or peruse the market or enjoy the sunlight in the courtyard.
And on any other day it would be a joy to see his people so happy and fulfilled. But not today, not when the huge crowds were hindering his every movement and slowing his every step. Arthur barely registered the occasional curtseys and bows and calls of congratulations from his fellow knights. He bumped into several people and knocked the bread basket out of one poor old lady's arms, but eventually he made it to the arena.
There were a few remaining people dotted around the stands, a group of young ladies talking animatedly in one corner, an older man and woman in another, but he paid them no mind. His only focus was on grabbing the snakes and getting back to Gaius.
Which should have been the easy part, except they weren't there. The arena floor may be big, but the heads and bodies of two magical snakes weren't exactly easy to miss and yet the dirt floor was free of any and all creatures.
Arthur looked around hastily, hoping to spot them lying in a pile to one side, but there was no sign of them. He could feel himself starting to panic slightly, if he couldn't find them, Merlin was no doubt going to die all because of Arthur's embarrassment and shame at being dismissed by the King. Last night he had pushed his servant away when he was only trying to help and now because of that, Merlin was barely clinging to life. Arthur had failed him.
He must have looked a right state, chest heaving, eyes darting about wildly, for the older couple to stand up and call over to him. It wasn't that he felt too above the villagers to speak with them, it's just that engaging in conversation was more Morgana's domain. With Arthur, people tended to just bow politely and move on.
"Sire, is everything alright?" The lady asked, her tone calm. The gentle smile she gave him encouraged Arthur to step closer. If she and her husband had not left the arena yet, maybe they had witnessed what had happened.
"The snakes, did someone take them?"
"Yes Sire, they've taken them to be burned. They may be dead but they were still magic, the King didn't want them left in the arena. One of the guards asked our sons to get it done so we're just waiting for them here."
Arthur blinked in surprise. He should have known that his father would want them destroyed as soon as possible, but his mind had been so focused on getting here that he hadn't even considered it. "Burned? When was this?"
"Not long ago, you've only just missed them. They took them to the fire that the knights warm themselves by near the stables."
The route to the stables quickly flashed in Arthur's mind. Heading back through the town would mean facing the sea of people once more, but even with the obstruction it was probably quicker than taking the back route around the walls of the castle.
He took off with a start, only remembering his manners as he reached the edge of the arena as he turned and shouted his thanks to the couple. They nodded gratefully and watched him go on his way.
The same groups of people were loitering around the town - the young boy brushing the mane of his horse, the man selling cloths from the front of his stall, the washer woman trying to wrangle her seven children - but they seemed more alert this time as they moved out of his way, creating a clear path to follow. He would have thanked them if he thought he had the time, but right now his only aim was to reach those snakes before all hopes of an antidote were gone forever.
It took longer than he would have liked, but after rounding the last corner Arthur could see the fire up ahead. It crackled loudly as the flames licked the air, only growing higher as something long and green was thrown into the heat.
"Stop!" He yelled as he closed the gap between him and the key to the antidote. The two boys standing near the flames looked around for the source of the booming voice and were instantly surprised at the sight of the prince running towards them. They glanced at each other in fear, terrified that they had done something wrong.
As Arthur reached them he could see one snake head held loosely in the smaller boy's grip, but no sign of the other. He held out his hand for the boy to pass it over. "Did you already burn the others?" He demanded, swallowing around the dryness of his throat.
The boy turned to what Arthur could only assume was his older brother, his eyes pleading for him to answer on their behalf. Now that they were up close, Arthur could see how nervous they were and he suddenly felt bad for causing it. "It's okay, you're not in trouble, I just need to know."
"Yes Sire, that was the last one." The older boy pointed to the head in Arthur's hand as he wrapped an arm around his brother in a protective gesture. Arthur smiled down at them, thankful for their honesty and though his smile didn't quite reach his eyes, it seemed to do the job as he sent the boys on their way.
The scaly skin under his fingertips felt so unnatural and the sight of the fangs up close reminded him of how close they had come to biting him this morning. One wrong move and he would be suffering the same fate as Merlin right now.
Wasting no more time he made his way back to Gaius, praying that one snake head would be enough.
Arthur would never have noticed a singular squeaky floorboard in the entirety of Gaius' room if he hadn't kept standing on it during his pacing. It had become a monotonous pattern that he was sure was getting on Gaius' nerves.
Bed - table - squeak - door.
Door - squeak - table - bed.
He had stopped being able to sit still after the first hour, prompting Gaius to offer to fetch him later if he wished to leave, but after Arthur's third refusal they had lapsed into an uncomfortable silence.
Creating the antidote had been easy - Gaius had done it once before and seemed confident that it had been prepared correctly - and giving it to Merlin had been simple enough. But that had been hours ago with no change in Merlin's condition since.
"He's not getting any worse, Arthur, so we can only assume that it's doing its job." Gaius reminded him as he reached the bed once more. Merlin's fever had yet to break so the physician had been attempting to keep it from rising with the occasional dab of a water soaked cloth to his forehead. It was concerning to see the boy in such a state, but there was little more he could do for him until the antidote took effect.
"But why is it taking so long? You said it took Ewan barely five minutes to awaken."
"If we're correct and Merlin was poisoned last night, that means the venom's been in his blood for a long time, a lot longer than Sir Ewan had been forced to endure it. Maybe he just needs more time."
Arthur took a seat on the vacant stool with a huff ignoring the strange look Gaius was throwing in his direction. He could tell that Gaius was intrigued as to why he was still there, why he was so concerned for Merlin's health, but Arthur didn't know what to say. Regardless of how much he would never admit to it, it was largely due to the guilt that was still sitting at the forefront of his mind. If he had never gotten angry with Merlin and pushed him away, they wouldn't be in this mess. If he had just fought harder with his father on the issue of Valiant's crimes, they definitely wouldn't be in this mess.
But it was also more than that. Only one month had passed since Merlin had been appointed as his servant and already a strange sort of bond had been formed between them. Merlin was terrible at his job at the best of times, turning up late, forgetting to bring his breakfast, making errors with his armour, but when Merlin had told him about Valiant, Arthur had brought the accusations straight to his father. No hesitations, no questions asked, he had trusted Merlin's word wholeheartedly.
Never before had he experienced that with a servant and he didn't want to risk losing this one.
"I need to get some fresh water. Are you okay to watch him until I get back?" Gaius asked suddenly, studying him carefully and Arthur felt an awful lot of pressure in that gaze. On one hand he should offer to go himself, he was faster, stronger and definitely didn't have the knowledge that Merlin required right not. But on the other hand, fetching the water would mean leaving the room, leaving Merlin, and he wasn't sure he wanted to do that.
Gaius must have known that too as he was clearly unsurprised by his answer. He trusted that Arthur would keep a close eye on Merlin whilst he was gone and so wasted no time in grabbing a bucket and heading down to the pump.
With the two of them alone in the room, Arthur felt an unusual amount of pressure on keeping Merlin alive. He was mostly sure that Merlin wasn't about to die in the few minutes that Gaius was gone, but to prevent tempting fate, Arthur decided to pick up where Gaius left off.
He moved to Gaius' chair on the other side of the bed and picked up the cloth from the bowl. The water was losing the coolness that would usually be beneficial when trying to nurse a fever, but it would have to do.
He squeezed the excess water out of the cloth and held it to Merlin's forehead. It was impossible to tell if it was helping at all - it hadn't seemed to help for the hours that Gaius was doing it - but it made Arthur feel a bit better. As he watched Merlin for any sign of waking he noticed a drop of water roll away from the cloth and onto Merlin's eyelid.
Without thinking, he brushed the droplet off Merlin's eyelashes and as he did so he felt them flutter under his thumb. It was only small movement, barely noticeable and probably just wishful thinking, but as Arthur watched closely he saw them move again. A tiny flicker to match the small frown forming on Merlin's brow.
"Merlin?" He whispered encouragingly, turning to place the cloth back into the bowl so he could give his servant his full attention. It took a long few seconds but eventually Merlin's eyes slowly blinked open.
"Ow." Merlin muttered weakly as he let out a small groan. His mouth was dry, his head ached, his whole body felt like it was on fire and he had no idea why. He let his gaze wander before it settled on Arthur, sitting at the side of his bed with a strange grin on his face. He had never seen Arthur grin before and especially not one directed towards him.
Then it all came rushing back to him. The tournament, the snakes, the King's anger, Arthur's dismissal, Valiant grabbing him-
"Valiant." Merlin gasped as his eyes flew open and he tried to sit up. The sudden movement sent a rush of pain through his body as Arthur's hand on his shoulder encouraged him to relax. It only half occurred to Merlin that Arthur's presence at his bedside was strange and unexpected, but the throbbing in his head seemed to overshadow that thought.
"It's okay Merlin, he's dead."
"Dead?" Merlin echoed, watching Arthur through squinted eyes. The prince was looking at him almost reassuringly and he didn't know whether to feel relaxed or uncomfortable. Why was Arthur sitting with him? In Merlin's limited experience of sickness he had believed that that spot was usually filled by family or friends. He wasn't even Arthur's servant anymore, let alone anything greater, so it certainly was strange. "Where's Gaius?"
"He'll be back soon." Arthur looked nervously towards the door, hoping that Gaius wouldn't be too much longer. Now that Merlin was awake he felt wholly unqualified to help. "Don't worry, he hasn't left your side since they found you."
"Found me?" Merlin whispered sleepily. He was hardly able to keep his eyes open, desperately trying to fight the pull of sleep without much success. Arthur chuckled as he watched Merlin's eyes close completely and his breathing even out. Despite the healing he still had left to do, Arthur was beyond glad that he had woken up, no matter how briefly.
He may not have known Merlin for long, but a short-lived glimpse into life without him around didn't look very appealing - or fun. And once Merlin was better he would rectify that. First he would scold him for letting himself get bitten by Valiant's snakes, but then he would apologise for being unfair last night and immediately reinstate him.
Until then, his father was no doubt wishing to speak to him. Between his embarrassment in front of the court yesterday and his victory today there was a lot to discuss. Also, Morgana was possibly wondering where he had vanished to. He would definitely need to show his face at the banquet later for as much as she annoyed him, it was his duty as champion to escort her.
But for now, he was right where he was needed.