Arthur groaned as a killer headache and the proddings of an annoying knight assaulted his senses, quickly and effectively causing him to wake up. He opened his eyes and took in the dimly lit sight. High above his head there was a sliver of light shining through barely big enough for him to even see it. It would have been just him and possibly his idiotic manservant looking at the sight had the knights not followed them. Right, the knights were here. He quickly sat up in order to assess everyone's condition only for a wave of nausea to wash over him.
"Easy there, Princess." Gwaine said putting a hand on his shoulder to stop him from moving further. "You got quite a lump. It's a pity that you won't be able to wear your tiara any time soon."
Arthur only rolled his eyes while slowly breathing in the damp air. As soon as his stomach stopped threatening to expose is contents, Arthur was finally able to to looked about the cave. He could barely see anything, or anyone, in front of him. There was just not enough light coming in through the hole. He could make out the faint outline of Gwaine who sat next to him, but beyond him was simply darkness.
"Where are the others?"
"Here," Arthur heard suddenly from his right. In the dim lighting, Arthur searched for any of the faces of his knights, but he knew from the voice that it was Elyan.
"I as well." Percival's deep voice echoed through the cavern. "Leon's over here as well, but he's not awake yet. He seemed to have hit pretty hard."
Arthur waited for the final voice. He would never admit it due to the fact that it was not fitting for that of a king, but he was most anxious to hear the voice of his servant. He wanted to hear Merlin cracking a joke about how he was too fat for the ground and it couldn't bear it anymore. Arthur didn't care. He just needed to know he was alright. Instead of any clever comment, Arthur was met with silence. Seeing the outline of the supply bag, Arthur crawled over to it in an undignified fashion feeling a deep ache in the arm Merlin had held onto for an unprecedented time period. His hands probed the interior of the bag searching madly for the flint and torch. Now everyone was lucky he had Merlin carry extra supplies. Relief washed over him as he felt the cool smoothness of the flint and the rough grip of a torch. It may not be able to hold a flame as long as other torches, but it was useful in emergency situations. Arthur would count this as such. He went about striking the flint, but his trembling hands only succeeded in creating a few pathetic sparks not strong enough to catch. The rational part of his brain no longer functioned properly as he allowed the piercing worry to overcome him. He continued to fumble around with the flint but was stopped immediately when he heard Gwaine.
"Let me, sire." There was no hint of sarcasm or jest in his voice. His tone had been flat and serious. Arthur knew immediately Gwaine was also worried for Merlin's sake. It was no small mystery that Gwaine and Merlin had been friends for many years. How Gwaine could keep his calm stature astounded Arthur.
Arthur handed it over without hesitation. His frame was tense as he waited to see what could very well be one of his worst nightmares. He struggled to his feet while his head pounded continuously. He heard Gwaine striking the flint. With every strike Arthur could hear the 'shnick' of the flint and stone hitting against each other followed by a small shower of sparks that kept refusing to light the torch. Every failed attempt to light the torch only further concerned Arthur as he feared what he would see. Merlin had been injured on several occasions in the past but this was different. Without light Arthur couldn't see what had become of him. Finally, one of the sparks caught fire and Arthur quickly seized the torch and began searching the cavern floor for his manservant.
"Over here." He heard Elyan say. Arthur nearly ran over just as Elyan placed two fingers on Merlin's neck. Arthur's stomach dropped as he saw just how pale Merlin was and that a pool of blood was flowing from the back of his head. Holding his breath, Arthur got down on a knee next to Merlin and attempted to keep a stoic face. All of the knights present knew the friendship that had formed between the king and his manservant and that Arthur was masking all the emotion he had. The facade was not formed in order to keep embarrassment for showing concern for an inferior hidden. Arthur had buried his emotions because he could not risk losing himself to them.
"He's alive." Elyan said, breathing a sigh of relief. "He seems to just be unconscious."
Arthur released a breath that he had been holding. Merlin was fine, albeit unconscious. He felt a huge weight lifted from his shoulders.
"Good," he said. His voice had cracked slightly from emotion.
Each knight also seemed to be extremely relieved. they awaited the order from their leader. Arthur had been so focused on Merlin that he hadn't even thought about where they were. He held up the torch to allow the light to reveal what the darkness what hiding. They seemed to have landed in an underground cavern of some sort. The walls were high and dripping with moisture. Arthur realized that where the walls in front and behind him ended, he found no definite end to those to the right and left. Upon a closer look, Arthur realized they were in a tunnel. It branched off farther than the torch allowed for them to see. The darkness on each end seemed to go on forever and there was no proof from where he stood that either way could lead them back to the surface.
"Elyan, you stay here and watch over Leon and Merlin. Percival and Gwaine with me. I want to see where this tunnel leads."
As they were leaving, Arthur cast one last worried glance at his still unconscious manservant. A twinge of guilt ran through him as he realized that Merlin never would have been in this situation if he hadn't caused it. No matter how ridiculous it had been at the time, Arthur wished that he had listened to Merlin in the first place.
The dark patch surrounding Merlin's head caught his eye again. Catching Elyan's gaze, Arthur gave him a short nod and said, "Try to staunch the bleeding too."
If the event had been less grave he would have made some comment to that showed that he was less connected and worried than he actually was. Arthur motioned to Gwaine and Percival to follow. They went off one way and stayed close to the wall while trying not to slip on the muddy ground. After a few minutes of walking with only the sound of their breathing and footsteps, Gwaine seemed to have had enough of the lack of communication.
Gwaine broke the silence saying, "Have I over told you about my escapade in Lot's Kingdom with only the clothes on my back and a loaf of stale bread?"
Arthur heard Percival groan in dissatisfaction which gave Gwaine his cue to begin his story. Gwaine frequently recalled stories from his past as his way of boasting about his 'heroics', but Arthur knew this time was different. The start to Gwaine's story lacked any of his typically bravado which lead Arthur to believe that he was just as worried about Merlin as he was. Gwaine was trying to set his focus on something other than their current situation. Arthur was too lost in thought to care to listen to Gwaine's story. Why were these tunnels even here? Arthur continued at a fast pace and set all his focus on his footing and surroundings. He couldn't suppress a grin as he thought about how Merlin would have fallen on one of the slick rocks. He would have ended face first and covered himself in the mud. They continued on for several more minutes all the while Gwaine chatter until Arthur saw the reflection of his own torch on the surface of the tunnel. Arthur stuck his hand up signaling to the others to stop while he crept forward. The reflection of the torch soon included Arthur's curious face as he took in the stagnant water blocking their path. Looking beyond the water Arthur felt his stomach drop at what the torchlight revealed. The tunnel was obstructed by a rock fall.
"There's no way around." Gwaine observed. Percival nodded. Arthur held back a shout sheer frustration at the situation. He had been hoping to be able to return Merlin and Leon to Camelot posthaste. Afterwards they would be able to laugh about it while Gaius treated their wounds. Arthur would obviously blame the entirety of the situation on Merlin who would obstinately argue what really happened.
Taking a deep breath, Arthur cleared his throat to erase any trace of emotion that could have seeped into his vocal chords. "No use standing around here. Let's return to the others."
They each felt disheartened, but anxious to return to check up on Leon and Merlin. Arthur hated not being able to control outcomes and this route had proved to not be of any help to the group. He had been hoping for an easy way to get out of the cave and back to Camelot to get everyone checked out by Gaius. There was no telling how much damage could have been done to until they woke up. Or if they even woke up at all. 'There are a lot of head injuries that someone can't come back from,' Arthur remembered Gaius saying after older knight had fallen off his bucking horse. There had been swelling on the brain that Gaius tried his best to reduce with herbs. The knight never woke and died from malnutrition.
Pushing those negative thoughts aside, Arthur set his focus upon the walk back and pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind. He needed to remain structured, strong and definitely not swayed by his emotions. It was his duty to get them all out of here alive and he could not afford to worry about his useless and completely idiotic manservant that seemed to cause more trouble than not.
Arthur sighed in relief as he saw the outline of Elyan. The walk seemed longer on the way back as he had been weighed down with the depressing news. His spirits were lightened as he saw that Leon had woken up and was being tended to by Elyan. He was pressing his fingers into Leon's side at specific areas. Arthur saw him wince when Elyan pressed against the his right side towards his back.
Gwaine nodded to Leon. "Glad to see you finally awake. How was your nap?"
Leon smirked. "I would like to see how long you would sleep after breaking several ribs."
"Are you alright?" Arthur asked. If Leon had broken ribs what could have happened to Merlin?Arthur glanced at Merlin only to see his still unconscious form still as death. Arthur buried his emotions and focused solely on Leon.
"I'll be fine, my lord." Leon replied with a slight grin. "It was just the landing that got me. I seemed to have hit a rock quite awkwardly. It takes more than that to get rid of me"
Arthur looked to Elyan for confirmations as he was the first to be there upon Leon's waking. Elyan nodded, confirming the state that Leon was in.
"He should be alright. His breathing is regular so I don't suspect any of the ribs punctured his lungs; however, I am not the best person to be the judge of that."
Arthur saw Elyan glance to Merlin and knew that he was thinking the same thing that he was. While Merlin was not a physician, he was still the most medically trained individual when it came down to it. Living with and being Gaius's assistant for years gave Merlin enough knowledge to be able to typically know what to do. The knights knew a measly bit of knowledge on treating wounds as part of their training. Right now the person they needed to be able to help Merlin was himself.
"Did the cavern lead anywhere, Sire?" Elyan asked pulling Arthur from his thoughts and breaking the room of the heavy silence that had ensued after his comment.
"No." Arthur replied. It was an effort but he pulled his focus back to Elyan's question. "A rock fall stopped us from continuing, but we will leave for the opposite direction-" Arthur glanced at the exhausted faces in front of him and continued. "after we all have some well deserved rest."
Tired smiles were given to Arthur as the knights each felt relieved that they would be able to recuperate and rest. As Arthur was sore and headachy from the fall, he was sure his knights were no exception.
"Are you actually being nice too us or is his just as tired as we are." Gwaine asked in a suspicious tone.
Arthur was about to retort when he heard a quiet voice behind him say, "Mark this as a momentous occasion."
Arthur whipped around and saw his rather dazed looking manservant staring back at him. His eyes seemed tired and he looked extremely pale, but he was alive.
"The clotpole is finally being nice and to think I almost missed it."
Arthur let out a small laugh of relief and quickly went over to Merlin, taking a knee to come to about the same level as his friend. Arthur felt the worry that had gripped him disappear as he watched Merlin squint at the torchlight in Arthur's hand. The other knights also seemed incredibly relieved and came over to join Arthur with the exception of Leon who had yet to move. Merlin glanced around the tunnel.
"Well this is cozy, isn't it?" He muttered sarcastically.
"It's nice to see you finally awake, Merlin." Arthur said. "Did you have a nice nap while the rest of us actually worked to get us all out of here?"
"I guess if you call being knocked unconscious a nap." Merlin replied. "How is everyone else?"
"Bumps on the head and Leon has a few broken ribs but nothing worse than that." Arthur answered.
"Thats good to hear." Merlin said. Relief seemed to visibly wash over him.
"I'm going to go collect the scattered provisions." Percival said patting Merlin lightly on the knee. "I'm glad to see that you're alright."
Merlin looked at Percival with confusion spread across his face and then at the knee Percival had just touched. His brows came together in a face that Merlin often made when he was confused at an order Arthur gave him.
"Now Merlin," Arthur began in a soft speaking voice as soon as Percival was out of earshot. "Percival may not show his emotions that often, but he doesn't swing that way. You have nothing to worry about."
Merlin still seemed distracted, as though he had heard nothing of what Arthur said. He was looking at his legs as thought they were foreign to him. He looked up to Arthur and the realization of what he said finally hit him.
"Of course I know that you prat." Merlin said with a red face at the awkward conversation Arthur had began. Arthur smirked and continued on to tease him, but was stopped when Merlin spoke.
"I need you to do something."
"You know, Merlin, I don't really think that you make the orders around here." Arthur said sarcastically.
"Arthur please." Merlin pleaded. Arthur eyed his manservant's expression and saw that Merlin was genuinely concerned at that point in time. It was odd to see Merlin being serious in any situation.
"What is it Merlin." Gwaine asked picking up on Merlin's out of character behavior. "Are you injured?"
Arthur felt as though he had been punched in the gut. How could he have been so inconsiderate? He hadn't even thought to ask how Merlin was even after he woke up so much later than everyone else. He had been too concerned with his own feelings of relief about him simply being awake. He hadn't even considered that just because Merlin woke up doesn't mean it was in one piece.
"I'm not entirely sure." He replied to Gwaine while he distractedly lifted his arms and hands in specific movements. He seemed lost in thought as he glanced to his feet.
"Are you in pain?" Arthur asked looking his servant up and down to search for any sign of further injury, a broken bone sticking out at an odd angle or blood that he had missed. Arthur found nothing
"My head is pounding and I think I landed a bit funny."
"Funny how?" Arthur asked. "Where does it-"
"Arthur can you do what I ask." Merlin interrupted. "Please."
Normally Arthur would have reprimanded Merlin for interrupting him, but he only nodded.
"I need you to grab an edged rock and run it down my legs."
Arthur gave him a quizzical look so Merlin continued. "I know it's an odd sounding request, but please."
Gwaine took the initiative when Arthur did not immediately do so and did as Merlin asked. Arthur simply watched in the dimly lit room as Gwaine took a rock and ran it from Merlin's knee and down to his foot on both legs with enough force for him to feel it, but not cause any damage. Merlin simply laid there. It was then when Arthur realized that Merlin hadn't moved an inch since he woke up. He hadn't even reacted when Gwaine finished his odd request, he simply laid there and continuously stared at his legs.
"Care to share what that was about, Merlin?" Arthur asked.
"I was just confirming something." Merlin said not taking his gaze away from his own legs.
"Well spit it out." Arthur said. He didn't want the uneasiness that was quickly filling him again to be shown so he opted to pretend otherwise.
Merlin took a deep breath and finally tore his gaze away. His eyes went up to Arthur's.
"When I landed funny I must have had the same issue that Leon had when he hit the ground, but-"
Merlin paused and looked away from Arthur. Arthur felt the pit in his stomach grow deeper as he felt that he didn't want to know what Merlin was going to say, but knew that he had to.
"But what?" Arthur asked hesitantly swallowing the lump in his throat.
"But instead of a rib being broken I am almost certain that my lower back has been." He looked into Arthur's eyes. They were filled with various emotions ranging from guilt to fear to sadness. "I'm paralyzed."