Authors notes: Massive thanks to all my loyal and new reviewers! You are great! This will be my last post before my hols for just under 2 weeks. Off to a Canadian ranch I am! Hope you enjoy this!
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Arthur groaned as he caught sight of Merlin stood next to an obviously dead body. He felt the knights gather behind him and it gave him strength as he stepped out of the fort. With a signal the knights halted and allowed him to make the final few steps towards Merlin alone.
"One of the scouting parties killed him before they realised what he was and before I could stop them." Merlin said sounding very insincere. Arthur highly doubted that any other outcome would have been possible.
"More Romans are coming so you can understand why we will not remain."
Arthur rubbed his face tiredly. "This will not be good for you; you have killed your only chance at proving your innocence. I cannot protect you."
Merlin laughed. "We do not need your protection. We will be here long after the Romans are gone."
Arthur had no doubt of that.
"Do not take this as an act of friendship Arthur. The next time we meet I will not hesitate to kill you or your knights. This is our land and we will fight forever to see it returned to us."
"I highly doubt that my knights will do anything else."
"Does Lancelot still breathe?" Merlin inquired. The woad knew the answer before Arthur spoke by reading his eyes and face.
"He will live." The Roman said determinedly.
"Is that really up to you?"
With that said the old man turned and the woads disappeared back into the trees.
"I take it we are now in deep shit." Bors stated as he came to stand next to the body of a dead Roman centurion.
"Blame the woads." Gawain suggested.
"You mean lie." Arthur said.
Bors shrugged. "Bend the truth. They were involved and it saves us a whole world of trouble. Can you think of another good explanation?"
Arthur was exhausted and he realised that the truth would not save them in this instance. No one would believe the truth. Merlin had indicated that he knew what was going to happen.
"Fine. Pick him up. The reinforcements are on their way."
"ARTHUR, ARTHUR, ARTHUR!" a young voice cried running towards him. Arthur recognised the young boy as Diryn from the hospital. His heart skipped a beat and he broke into a run without even stopping to hear what the boy had to say. He charged through the forts occupants and straight into the hospital. Crassus jumped as he ploughed into the room barely stopping before he crashed into the pallet.
"What's wrong?" he gasped out resting his hands on his thighs, hunched over and trying to control his breathing while staring with unconcealed concern at Lancelot. The knight looked terrible and seemed to be writhing on the bed as if in great pain. How had he gone from being awake and seemingly better to this in the space of less than an hour?
"What the hell happened?" he demanded.
"His system is purging but his body is too weak to handle the repeated vomiting. His fever is also beginning to rise again."
Arthur blinked trying to take this in.
"You said it had broken! He was awake!" the Roman said in angry confusion.
"It did appear to be the case but for some reason he is weakening again." Crassus said sadly. Arthur rounded on the man.
"What kind of doctor are you to let this happen?" he shouted. Crassus didn't respond, he only returned Arthur's anguished glare calmly.
"You can't tell me that there is nothing we could have done. He is stubborn and will fight with everything he has got." Arthur said with desperate determination.
Crassus sighed. "What happens if he doesn't want to?" the doctor whispered unconsciously echoing Merlin.
"Of course he wants to. Get out…GET OUT!" he yelled furious at the doctor for suggesting something like that. Crassus did as he was asked and left, closing the door quietly behind himself. The other knights were all stood staring at him. He walked past them without saying a word. Arthur needed to calm down and Crassus needed to get more supplies.
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Arthur took several shaky deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself. He did not lose his temper like that often and as always guilt at his actions quickly replaced the anger.
"He's right." Lancelot uttered weakly his tired gaze firmly fixed on his friend. Arthur moved to sit on the chair next to the bed. As he got nearer he could hear Lancelot's laboured breathing and realised that he was indeed getting weaker.
"Who? Crassus?"
Lancelot nodded.
"About what?" Arthur whispered afraid of hearing the truth from Lancelot himself. Before he could argue that those who said it didn't know Lancelot as well as he did but all his arguments were about to be crushed resoundingly.
"Look!" Lancelot said with as much force as he could muster. The knight had lifted his arm showing the mark to Arthur. Arthur gently clasped the still shaking limb.
"It is a battle scar Lancelot. No one will look at you any differently." Arthur tried to reassure him.
"I look at myself differently and that is all that matters."
Lancelot rolled over suddenly and threw up. After he had finished he thumped the bed angrily. Tears of anguish flowed down his face.
"Its alright Lancelot." He tried to comfort him.
"It is not alright and you are a fool to believe it could be."
Arthur stood up and turned away struggling to control his emotions.
"I do not want to live Arthur."
"How can you wish for death?"
Lancelot gasped in pain and Arthur immediately turned to face the knight. The bandage on his chest was rapidly staining red and it was clear that he had torn the stitches. Forgetting the conversation for a minute he swiftly swept to his friend's side and eased him down. A sheen of sweat covered his skin and Arthur could feel the heat rising again. Suddenly Lancelot tensed and then let out an agonised scream. Arthur jumped backwards in shock and at the same time the door banged open admitting four very concerned knights.
"What the hell is going on in here?" Bors demanded. Arthur shook his head as Lancelot cried out again.
"I don't know. Crassus said he was purging the poison but Merlin's potion was weakening his body too much…maybe this is another symptom."
"Merlin?" Lancelot's voice cracked as he spoke.
"Aye Merlin gave us a supposed cure for that poison." Bors blurted out and both Dagonet and Arthur glared at him. Arthur turned back to Lancelot to see that he had a furious expression on his face.
"You gave me a potion from the woads for a poison given to me by woads." He ground out.
"Woads didn't poison you." Arthur said.
"Well there were woads with the Romans…" Bors got no further as an elbow collided with his stomach effectively winding the man. In between gasps for breath and curses he thumped Dagonet back.
Lancelot's expression had become confused.
"Why is nothing bloody simple…" he murmured to himself. Turning his attention back to Arthur his expression became angry again.
"Whatever the hell happened…" he swallowed angrily to stop the rising nausea again, he was not going to be stopped before he had had his say. Mind over matter he thought.
"Whatever the hell happened it still doesn't move away from the fact that you gave me a woad potion."
Lancelot was about to continue his tirade but unfortunately in this case it wasn't mind over matter and he was sick again. If he hadn't been feeling like he was going to throw up his internal organs he would have felt embarrassed to have his comrades see such weakness. Hands held him but his body decided enough was enough and lapsed into unconsciousness.
Arthur caught him and moved him to lay on his side so that he wouldn't choke.
"You and your bloody big mouth Bors." Gawain snapped at the large knight. Bors snapped right back.
"He had to find out some time and the longer you kept him in the dark the worse it would be. He is not a child and given his state lying to him is not a good way to improve his health."
Before anyone could comment on this Crassus returned.
"What has gone on in here? Everybody out!" he snapped. Arthur started to protest but the doctor cut him off.
"He needs his rest plus you have visitors and they don't look very happy."
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