A/N: I do not own.
Also, sorry for the wait.
"Merlin, when you're high enough, reach for the bars, we can hold you up for a while. Let you rest."
Leon was worried by the lack of response. Merlin only needed to hold out a little longer but it had been hours already and truthfully, it was amazing he'd kept himself afloat for as long as he had.
Merlin was always full of surprises.
And then a pale hand reached through the bar.
He didn't hesitate to grab the hand, breath hitching as it nearly slipped from his grip.
He managed to hold on. He knew it would be hell on Merlin's shoulders, but it was better than letting him drown.
And safe in the hands of the Knights, Merlin dozed off. Or passed out, Leon wasn't sure.
They'd worked most of the screws off the grate, but getting it off was going to be more difficult, especially now they had to hold Merlin up through it. They had no idea when the water would begin to drop again, or if Merlin would be able to survive that. It would be several hours more swimming to endure, and he could feel how cold it was from Merlin's skin.
"Hey, Merlin, wake up."
It was Gwaine.
Gwaine, who he was sure was closer to Merlin than just a good friend.
"Wha?"
"Merlin, you're going to have to swim for a bit so we can get this grate off."
"B' m' ch'n'd."
"Yeah, but someone can come down with you and hold you up, so you don't have to swim."
Leon had to admit it was a good idea, and he wondered who'd thought of it.
He hated letting go of his friend, but Gwaine was right. This plan was their best bet.
Then Gwaine had pulled off his chainmail and both his shirts. Then, his trousers.
Gwaine jumped in.
He wasn't expecting that.
But he didn't stay on the surface. Percival and Lancelot had taken over holding Merlin up and Gwaine was beneath the water and Leon had to wonder what part of the plan he'd missed.
Then Gwaine resurfaced, "Pull him up."
He'd broken the cuff.
It took Leon, Pericval and Lancelot to pull them both out of the water, and Leon could see Gwaine already shaking with the cold.
And Merlin was in their cell.
God, he looked awful.
Leon was happy to hand over his cloak to give it to Merlin to help him dry off and warm up.
Other than that, he was willing to back off and join Elyan and Gwen on watch. They'd decided the only reason they hadn't seen their captors was because they were waiting for Merlin to die to break their spirits. Once the tide went down, they'd need to hurry but every second now Merlin was out of his cell was dangerous.
The rest of the group were helping Merlin warm up, and Gwaine, but mostly Merlin. They'd used cloaks to dry him and he was re-dressed in one of Gwaines shirts. Arthur soon joined them on the other side of the cell, ready to work out how to get out.
"Can we move Merlin like this?"
"We have to. Don't worry, we'll have someone keeping him warm at all times, and once we get out, we can warm him up properly."
"I already broke the lock, so whenever we're ready."
All eyes went to Gwen, who smiled.
"What, I've had to learn some skills over the years."
.
.
.
Merlin shivered behind him. Percival was carrying Merlin on his back so he'd be able to wield a weapon and fight if necessary. He wasn't sure if it was doing much to help him stay warm.
He knew that was a good thing, because before he'd been too cold to shiver, but he wasn't awake yet and they needed to hurry.
Gwaine was upright and sneaking with them but he was also shivering.
If Gwaine was shivering after minutes, how was Merlin alive after hours?
He was oddly reminded of the events before they were captured, and they weren't out the enemy territory yet. He suddenly wondered how long they'd been missing.
With fury burning through them, none of their opponents stood a chance. The Knights were not forgetting the sorcerer, and he was pretty sure it would be a battle between Arthur and Gwaine for the right to kill him. Especially if he was their leader, like they thought.
But, by luck or by fate, they found the room with their packs and weapons, quickly grabbing everything they owned, including Merlin's missing shoes, jacket and his neckerchief, which Arthur wanted to leave behind, but Gwen convinced them to bring anyway.
He was pretty sure Gwaine stole a knife from somewhere too, because he'd never seen it before.
They made it into the forest uninterrupted, and it was only just as they made it into the treeline that the warning bells started ringing.
Arthur called it Colthersea, an old coastal stronghold that had been used for trading before a better fort was built in a stronger location.
They were a day and a half away from Camelot.
Vote is still up.
Please R+R.
Don't worry, the story is far from over.