Arthur's stomach dropped after he heard his manservant's devastating words. He, ironically, felt numb. He didn't register the other knights' reactions and their various states of shock. Gwaine's rage filled shouting that ricocheted off the walls followed by a large rock slamming into the dripping walls was sounded as though he were hearing it from underwater. The other knights seemed to have simply sat in place while they digested the gravity of what had happened.

It was only when Merlin gently gripped his forearm that Arthur was finally ripped from his shock. Arthur put his hand on top of Merlin's. The unfairness of the situation washed over him again and again. Merlin didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve any suffering that so often followed him around like a shadow. The few times that Merlin had been gravely injured felt like a breeze compared to this. This time was different. Before this, Arthur always had a deep seated knowledge that Merlin would be fine. He didn't know how or why but it had been always been present. He had it with the poisoned chalice, the dorocha, and even when he lost Merlin after being mauled by a mace in the very woods that ran above them. Merlin would always return back to Arthur's side, healthy and with a chipper attitude that Arthur hated to admit he liked having around. This was something that nothing could solve. Gaius couldn't just heal paralysis like he could mend a broken bone. This was permanent.

The fall that he took blame for had caused this. Because of him his joyous and ever bothersome servant would never walk again. Arthur felt slightly dizzy at the thought. He had once seen a knight paralyzed after battle. He had been a man of action right up until his injury, always eager to serve Camelot with everything he had. He was discharged honorably and given a handsome sum for his large sacrifice to Camelot. A banquet was thrown in his honor that Arthur had attended. When he saw the knight he knew immediately that he was different. His smile was wholly fake. A veneer to mask the sadness that drained away his typically spirit. He was only a shell of the man that Arthur had known.

Looking down upon his friend Arthur imagined Merlin in the same position. He couldn't bear the thought that he would live what that knight went through.

"Dammit Merlin, why is it always you?"

Merlin looked up into the eyes of his best friend. They were heavy with guilt and worry was present in every line across his face. If only Arthur knew what had actually happened. As they had been falling, Merlin slowed the descent of everyone and in doing so gave everyone a much slower landing than what they would have actually had. Obviously, he had failed quite spectacularly as Leon and himself sustained injuries, something that Gaius would yell at him endlessly for not being more careful when they returned to Camelot.

"It was just an accident, Arthur." Merlin reassured sincerely. "I'll be fine."

The truth was that Merlin had no idea how he would fare after this was all over. He was paralyzed and in turn lost the complete function of his lower half. Merlin felt that he had failed all of Albion. Yes, he had kept Arthur safe once again, but how was he ever going to be able to continue protecting Arthur when he couldn't even protect himself. He would be unable to follow him anywhere which allowed ample opportunities for those wishing him harm to follow through with their plans. It would be nearly impossible for him to be able to do any of the chores that had been so easily accomplished let alone keep his king protected. He had taken his ability to walk for granted and now that he had lost it he realized just how much he needed it.

A slight shiver ran across the upper half of Merlin's body and Arthur realized just how cold the cave was.

"How about we try to find materials for a fire and settle in for the night." Leon said, seemingly the only one to have recovered somewhat after the news of Merlin's injury.

Arthur nodded silently and began searching for anything that would be useful for burning. He came up empty handed except for a few small notebooks that had medical notes scrawled in Merlin's nearly illegible handwriting. Elyan came up with similar items.

A whistle that eerily distorted in the high tunnel directed Arthur's attention to Percival who was a short ways down the cave call for him. Walking toward the call he saw Percival in the dim light of his torch standing next to an oddly stacked pile of log. The logs were long enough to span the width of the tunnel and were stacked about four feet tall. They were also tied together and seemed to be anchored to the ground somehow.

"Why are these here?" Elyan asked as he looked at the randomly stacked wood. Elyan bent down and ran a hand along the length of the log on the top. "It's smooth." He said.

"I have no idea." Percival looked farther down the tunnel as though he was convinced something would pop out of the shadows. "These were placed here specifically by someone."

Arthur was equally confused. He had never seen anything like it. It was in an underground tunnel of all places. Why would someone go to the trouble of arranging logs in such a manner? Unable to come up with a logical explanation, Arthur said, "We can debate why they are here after we have a fire going. Let's head back to the others."

The three knights untied the top piece and hauled it back to camp. Upon arrival back to camp, Percival began to chop the wood into burnable pieces with a small hatchet they had taken along. Arthur kept himself busy by building a base for the fire to grow from. There wasn't a lot for him to do so he settled for repeatedly rearranging the kindling for the fire in different ways. The continuous work helped him to keep his racing mind quiet.

Arthur spared a quick glance over to Merlin and saw that Gwaine was helping to make him more comfortable. Gwaine gently eased a bag under Merlin's head as a makeshift pillow. Arthur saw the young man grimace from the slight movement. He laid there taking slow deep breaths as Gwaine finished. Gwaine took off his red, dragon emblazoned cape and draped it across Merlin. A mumbled thanks could be heard from him. Merlin looked at Arthur and gave him one of his signature grins to which Arthur halfheartedly returned. He then quickly turned back to his meaningless work and away from his friend's gaze concerned gaze.

Merlin knew that his friend blamed himself completely for what had happened to him as soon as he turned away. Arthur was distancing himself in order to not let his emotions get the best of him. It was a tactic that Arthur had used after Gwen had kissed Lancelot. Arthur may have thought it would help, but Merlin of all people knew how lonely dealing with guilt could get. It ate at a you. Tearing away any thought that wasn't what had birthed it into the world. Merlin had felt this way for months after Freya had died. Merlin's entire life may have just changed, but he was not going to let Arthur's change too. He couldn't drag Arthur through the mud with him.

Merlin settled to watch as Percival started the fire. Two strikes of the flint was all he needed and soon the fire had grown to a decent size. The flames licked at the open air and finally gave everyone a better view of each other in the darkness. Gwaine's cloak coupled with the newly born fire warmed Merlin to a more comfortable state. As he gazed at the fire his heart rate suddenly quickened and his magic flared up. Something was coming. Merlin only ever felt like this when a magical presence was within close proximity. The feeling came as fast as it left him. Merlin attempted to sense the source of the magic by spreading his magic out like a blanket, searching for what the eye could not see in the darkness of the cave. He frustratedly withdrew it when he found nothing. Worry continued to build inside of him. Whatever it had been could pose a threat to all of them and he couldn't even do anything about it. He felt completely helpless. The most powerful warlock on earth thwarted by a blow to the back. How was he supposed to fight to keep them safe when he was like this?

"Alright men," Arthur said in a commanding tone which brought Merlin's attention away from the magical presence. "Let's get some rest. We can't continue searching for a way out if we are all exhausted." He turned his attention to Gwaine whose back was turned towards Merlin. "Gwaine, I want you to take the first watch."

"Yes, sire." Gwaine said with an uncharacteristic bite in his voice.

"Is something the matter, Sir Gwaine?" Arthur asked matching his tone. Gwaine turned to face him with a glare.

"Actually, yes something is the matter."

"Well spit it out then." Arthur said feeling uneasiness fill him. This wasn't like the typical happy Gwaine who could make a joke in the worst of times. This Gwaine was furious and far angrier than Arthur had ever seen before.

"We are stuck in this mess because of poor leadership." Gwaie answered, confirming Arthur's thoughts as to why he was angry.

"I would suggest that you watch your tone when addressing your king," Arthur said dangerously.

"No," Gwaine said bitterly. " I will not watch my tone."

"Gwaine, stop." Merlin said softly. He tried to get Gwaine's attention by tugging slightly on his trousers, but was ignored. Gwaine stomped on the ground as he took an aggressive step towards Arthur. He shoved a pointed finger in his direction.

Gwaine spat. "You should have been more careful."

A dry laugh forced it's way through past Arthur's throat. It was odd feeling the laughter bubble with none of the essence of joy that so often times gave it life. "I didn't think a simple hunting trip would turn out this way." Arthur threw his hand up towards the hole that was so far above them.

"That's right, you didn't think."

Arthur's ears rung with a clanging anger. It vibrated through his brain muddling his reasoning and deciding that he would be very happy sinking his fist into Gwaine's teeth. Leon's calm and steady voice dampened his seething anger.

"Gwaine, he is still your king and is entitled to your respect whether or not you deem fit to give it."

"It is quite alright, Leon." Arthur said without any valid reasoning. Maybe he wanted someone in the damned place to tell him the truth. Everyone else skirted around issues like this just because he was the king. As disrespectful and horrible as Gwaine's comments were they came from a place of validity. Arthur's tone turned icy. "Is there anything else you wish to discuss?"

"Yes, your majesty, I do have more concerns to bring to your attention." Gwaine stated bitterly. "You bring him everywhere no matter how dangerous it may be. He's wearing a damn neckerchief while the rest of us are wearing full armor."

"Merlin is no knight, Gwaine. He is just a servant."

"A servant who would do anything for you. You never consider how vulnerable he is in comparison to us"

Arthur took a step back as though he had been punched. Anger pounded in his ears and he felt the guilt and shame that had been accumulating since Merlin told them hit its peak. Arthur glared into the venomous eyes of one of his most trusted knights.

Arthur was taken aback. "How was I supposed to know?"

"Because he told you!"

Arthur had no way to combat that. He was nearly positive that had been on everyone's minds. His eyes flashed to Merlin who had taken a sudden interest in his neckerchief.

"I know," Arthur began, "And it is a mistake that I will have to live with for the rest of—"

"Don't you dare finish that statement. Merlin will be the one living with your mistake not you. My friend will never walk again because you decided that he wasn't worth listening to."

That was Arthur's breaking point. Rage surged through him. He suddenly leapt at Gwaine with his fists balled. If it were not for Percival and Elyan stepping in between Arthur and Gwaine, Arthur's fists would have reached their intended destination.

"STOP IT!" Merlin nearly roared in an attempt to get them to see reason. They all immediately stopped in surprise at the servant's outburst. Arthur had altogether forgotten his manservant was still even present. He had been too wrapped up in Gwaine's antagonizing comments to be able to think clearly. "This was all an accident. It was not one person's fault. We can't focus on my- situation right now. You all need to think clearly if you ever want to get out of here. "

Gwaine and Arthur sent each other another glare in a test of wills until Gwaine decidedly shrugged out of Elyan's and Percival's grasp and stomped off down the tunnel. Arthur turned angrily on his heel. He couldn't handle looking at anyone, let alone Merlin.

"I'll take the first watch." Leon said hesitantly as if her were worried about another outburst occurring. When no one else spoke he continued. "I haven't done that much and I am not that tired anyway."

Arthur's only acknowledgment that he heard Leon was a stiff nod. He then made his way back over to Merlin who was looking at him in a worried way. He knew that Merlin would want to talk to him or reassure him, but Arthur just couldn't put up with anyone else lying to him by saying this whole thing wasn't his fault. He may have hated Gwaine for what he had said, but at least he had the guts to say the truth. Arthur ignored Merlin's staring and lay down facing away from him with sleep being the farthest thing from his mind.

Merlin lay there waiting for Arthur's breathing to even out as it would when sleep finally overtook him, but it never did. Merlin wished that he could tell everyone the truth of what happened, but he couldn't. There was no feasible way that Merlin would make it out intact if they discovered his magic. He was lucky that his secret had lasted this many years with only a few people finding out about it. A sudden yawn forced its way through him. Merlin tried to fight the feeling of exhaustion that was creeping up, but it became too much. Merlin let his eyes close for just a moment, but was soon overtaken by sleep's call.

Black was all he dreamed about while he slept. There was no sparkling image of Camelot, no smile from Gwen, no hug from Gaius and no kiss from Freya. The usual nightmares that always managed to wreak havoc in his mind were absent from his sleep as well. It was just a slate of complete and utter darkness.

His dreamless sleep was anything but peaceful for as he found himself jolting awake after what seemed like a few minutes. An overwhelming and sudden fear overtook him. It took quite a bit of will power to keep his magic from surfacing to combat whatever presence he had just felt. A sudden noise to his left startled him further. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and looked around as much as his injuries would allow. Merlin quickly discovered that the source of the noise had been Arthur. The logs found in the tunnel were in his hands and he was piling a few onto the dying embers of the fire. After situating the remaining logs, Arthur returned to seat himself relatively close to Merlin. As he lowered himself onto the cavern floor a long sigh escaped his lips.

Arthur cast a quick glance at Merlin and their eyes met briefly before Arthur returned to looking at the fire.

"I didn't know you were awake." Arthur said. His gaze continued to be directed at the fire.

"Well maybe I would be able to sleep if someone didn't stomp about. It is a difficult thing to sleep through." Merlin said in an attempt to start the usual playful banter. Arthur didn't pick up on it. He only gave a small smile that held no true emotion behind it. Guilt weighed in his friends eyes dousing any light typically present. Merlin knew Gwaine's words were still coursing through Arthur's mind. Silence continued for several more moments before Merlin decidedly spoke up.

"I don't blame you for anything that happened, Arthur."

Arthur tossed a smaller piece of wood into the fire. It landed with a soft thud, disrupting it and causing sparks to travel upwards from the fire. "If I had listened to you then you wouldn't be in the state that you are."

"You didn't know what would happen." Merlin began. He struggled to find the right words to say. "I didn't even know what would happen it was just a-"

"Funny feeling." Arthur finished for Merlin. He finally turned back to face him. A small smile played on his lips. "Hell Merlin, maybe they are more accurate than we thought."

Merlin saw the slight twinkle in Arthur's eyes and he chuckled slightly. The laughter was cut short after a sharp pain shot across his back. He grimaced and waited for the pain to pass, Arthur's eyed Merlin and the smile that he had gained quickly vanished. Arthur made to help Merlin inane way possible, but was stopped when Merlin held up his hand signaling him to stop. Merlin took several deep breaths before the pain lessened.

"Arthur, I need you to promise me something." Merlin began when he could finally form words again. "I- I can't be moved." Merlins saw that Arthur was about to interject. "You and everyone else knows it so please don't deny it. We would need a stretcher to even be able to come close to moving me without causing further damage. I know it sounds strange but if something were to happen or I were to get another funny feeling I need you to promise me that you won't stay behind."

"Merlin-"

"You need to protect yourself first. Promise me." Merlin pleaded.

Arthur looked into the bright blue eyes of his manservant. Even in the state that he was in, Merlin cared only for the safety of the people around him. Arthur felt another stab of guilt. Merlin wouldn't have had to worry about this if it wasn't for him.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"My life is nothing compared to yours and Camelot needs you. The people need you."

Arthur saw the devotion in his manservant's eyes. Loyalty that Arthur felt he didn't deserve. He had failed Merlin. "I promise."

He hated himself for saying it.

A huge weight seemed to life off Merlin's shoulders as Arthur noticed that his manservant seemed to visibly relax.

"I'm going to try to get more sleep." Merlin said. Arthur nodded in response and turned his gaze once again to the fire. Merlin turned his head away and pulled Gwaine's cape closer to his chin. Arthur saw this and removed his own and draped it across Merlin's lanky frame. He heard a mumbled thanks. Arthur went to sit back down in front of the fire. When he glanced back over at Merlin his deep slow breathing indicted that he had fallen asleep. Arthur looked around to the rest of his sleeping knights. Just last night they had all been around a campfire just like this making jokes at each other's expenses and enjoying time away from home. If Arthur had known ahead of time what they had in store he would have fiercely clung to that memory. But Arthur hadn't known that it was the last night they would ever do that. Even now just one night later he could hardly remember anything that was said. Arthur frustratedly threw a small chunk of the wood at the fire and settled in for the long night ahead of him.