The world came back to Arthur slowly.
Muted screams, the smell of smoke in the air, an incessant throbbing at the back of his head.
There were bodies all around him. Too many. Bodies of his men, his fellow soldiers, struck down by the very evil that had no place in Camelot. Those magical creatures would pay for the lives they had taken that night.
His vision dipped out of focus as he tried to push himself upright, wincing as the sudden movement pulled at the wound on his chest. Those creatures sure did have sharp claws. He quickly aborted the movement and rested his head back against the cold cobbled stones.
He needed to get up, needed to help what was left of his men and his people, but as he pressed his palm to his chest he groaned at the wetness against his fingertips, the blood still oozing slickly through his chainmail.
Everything was quiet around him, he realised uneasily. No charging footsteps and no wailing creatures. Though, maybe it was a good thing. Maybe it was over. He rolled his head to the side to look across the courtyard and through Camelot's arched windows he could see frantic shadows cast against the glass by the flickering torchlight. People rushing to help those in need. If his men had any sense, the doors would be barricaded by now, a last form of defence to keep the people safe, regardless of Arthur's own wellbeing trapped outside with the beasts.
He blinked against the haze of smoke in the air when he noticed another figure in the distance, turned with their back to him, just standing there. He had no idea what the person was doing but he could definitely tell who it was. He had long since learnt how to recognise that awkwardly hunched look that only his bumbling servant managed to pull off.
What the hell was Merlin doing?
Before he could dwell on why Merlin wasn't safe inside with the rest of those who weren't wearing armour, he watched as the boy's knees buckled and he went crashing to the floor.
"Merlin." He gasped, pushing himself over to his hands and knees without a thought for his still-bleeding wound or pounding head. His servant was injured - after being let out of the castle during a battle for goodness sake - and there was no one else out here that could help him. He grabbed clumsily at his sword still laying where it had fallen against the stone and pushed himself to his feet, wobbling unsteadily as he reached full height.
He wafted away the thick smoke that had clouded in front of his eyes and did his best to stifle the cough tickling his throat. Whatever creature had hurt Merlin was probably still nearby and he didn't want to attract its attention. His feet were heavy as he stumbled towards his servant, his eyes blurring every few seconds despite the number of times he shook his head to clear it. He'd been through worse and he wasn't going to leave a man behind. No matter how idiotic this man had been.
He honestly didn't think he would have to teach the servants of all people what they should - and should not - be doing during a fight. First Gwen, who had thought it was a clever idea to come outside while giant winged beasts were crashing down into people, and now Merlin. It's like these servants had a death wish.
As he neared the spot where Merlin had fallen, he froze. No longer was his servant lying in a crumpled heap on the ground, instead he was standing tall, arms outstretched by his side, head tipped to the sky with a smile painted across his face. Maybe he wasn't injured after all?
Before Arthur could call out and ask if he was alright, Merlin opened his mouth and roared into the dark night above him. "Nu ic lybbe ece and ic mæg rædan min burh!"
Thunder rumbled and the harrowing screeches of the creatures returned and Arthur's breath caught in his throat.
That was magic.
Merlin was using magic.
Merlin was using magic!
Merlin turned his smile towards him, an evil glint in his eye, but before Arthur could confront him he was forced to duck out of the way of incoming claws flying low above him.
He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword and ran. He couldn't get close to Merlin now the creatures had returned and he couldn't save Camelot if he was dead. As he neared the castle door he rounded one of the pillars, his back slamming against it in a weak attempt at finding cover. The pain in his chest was making itself known again and he stifled a groan as he pressed against the wound. It didn't feel like it was bleeding too badly, but even he knew that he would need to get it taken care of sooner rather than later.
Peering around the beam, he watched as Merlin spewed more magic across the courtyard, the creatures roaring in response and returning to the air to continue their destruction. There may not have been anybody nearby to hurt — all of them now safely huddled within the castle walls — but the people of the lower town were still exposed and vulnerable. Arthur had to put a stop to this before more people were killed.
He dropped his head back against the pillar for a moment, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to catch his breath. He didn't know what to do, where to start. As skilled as he was, he couldn't take down a sorcerer and all these creatures by himself. Especially not a sorcerer who had apparently been playing him since their first meeting.
Why now? Why had Merlin chosen now to reveal his true intentions and wreak destruction on the very place that Arthur thought he was happy to call home. The violence, the magic, this wasn't the Merlin that Arthur knew. The Merlin he thought he'd known. Arthur had lived beside him for so long now, how had he missed this?
The spiralling thoughts inside his head were interrupted by a faint voice calling through the now eerily silent courtyard. He glanced around the pillar once more to find Gaius hobbling through the smoke. It's like he was thinking before— these servants had a death wish!
"Merlin?" Gaius called out again, the name echoing off the walls as he searched for his ward. Arthur looked over to where he had last seen Merlin and barely had time to react before he was running out into the open and pushing Gaius out of the way. A blast of magic searing the ground nearby as it missed its mark.
Gaius' eyes were wide and confused and Arthur ushered them to a new hiding place with as much haste as they could muster. There was shouting in the distance and the faint sound of thundering feet and he and Gaius watched as Merlin paused for a moment before changing his path to pursue these new victims.
Safe, for now, Arthur rounded on the physician.
"Did you know?" He demanded, voice low as he pushed through the betrayal. "Did you know he had magic!"
Gaius' expression was unreadable as he looked back to where Merlin had last been standing. "Sire, he doesn't-"
"Don't lie to me! You saw him!" Arthur could feel his chest heaving from the outburst and he pressed his palm against it once more. He knew Merlin was like a son to Gaius, but protecting him right now would do him no good. They had both witnessed Merlin's actions.
"That's not him. That's not Merlin." Gaius continued, stuttering over the words in his eagerness to get them out. Arthur's eyes narrowed in disbelief, ready to repeat his previous words, but he let the man continue. "The tomb that your men discovered, it belonged to an ancient sorcerer; Cornelius Sigan. I think his spirit is possessing Merlin."
"…You're sure?"
"I know it sounds mad, Sire—"
"No it's just—" Arthur took a breath, letting his head fall back and rest against the wall they were hiding behind. It was throbbing again, an incessant beat that took no pause. "Merlin tried to tell me the same thing earlier. He said this Sigan had possessed Cedric."
"Yes. But he must have moved from Cedric's body to Merlin's."
"Well, how did we get him out?"
"We don't."
Both heads whipped round suddenly as a crash sounded in the distance. More bricks being torn down from the parapets no doubt. Arthur's fists clenched at his side, there wouldn't be a castle left to protect if he didn't put an end to this soon.
"What do you mean we don't?" He asked, his short lived anger at Merlin dissipating, having found a new target to aim it at.
"I mean, there's nothing we can do. It's up to Merlin to force the spirit out himself."
"Can he do that?"
There was a pause as Gaius looked at him warily and Arthur could feel a lump forming in his throat. He had been prepared to do anything to take down these creatures, but not if the source was a sorcerer trapped inside his own servant.
"There's a jewel." Gaius informed him, avoiding the question entirely. "It's large and see-through. Merlin had it on him tonight. Sigan's soul needs to return to that jewel."
"Where's the jewel now?"
Gaius shrugged as he looked back across the courtyard and the answer was clear— it was somewhere out there.
It was getting darker. The only source of light helping Arthur in his search was the pale glow of the moon, but even that wasn't enough as he scoured the ground for a jewel of undetermined appearance. Large and see-through were all well and good when describing the windows lining the corridors of Camelot, but not when he had no real idea of what he was looking for. Especially not as he was doing so whilst also trying to hide from the powerful sorcerer currently trapped inside his servant.
The distant screams were pulling at his conscience and he was desperate to leave this search to run and help those in need, but he knew there was only one real way to help his people and step one involved finding this hidden jewel.
(He was choosing not to consider the option that Merlin still had the jewel on him because tackling his servant to the ground and rummaging through his pockets before the sorcerer inside of him decided to kill him was very much not on his agenda for this evening.)
Guilt tugged at his heart as he passed the bodies of his men. Sir Alynor, Sir Bertrand, Sir Geraint, all boys that he had trained himself. The battlefield was a dangerous place and despite being their leader, he would never be able to fully protect every knight that served under the King. The knights knew this and Arthur knew this, but it still hurt with every life that was lost. They had served Camelot dutifully and he would make sure that their bravery wasn't forgotten.
As he wandered in the direction of the well his foot caught something, his chainmail rattling as it nearly tripped him, and as he turned his eyes widened at the sight of Cedric's cold, dead eyes looking back at him. He should have listened to Merlin. Despite the man's attention to detail and skill on the hunt, Cedric had been no more than a petty thief looking to use Arthur to gain access to hidden riches. He should have known that a servant willing to bring his breakfast on time was too good to be true.
And maybe death was too harsh a punishment for his crimes, but Arthur didn't have it in him to feel sorry for the man right now. It did make him pause though. Even in the low light, Arthur couldn't see any signs of injury on the man, no blood or scrapes mirroring those that littered the rest of the bodies. Almost as if he had simply dropped down dead without a single touch.
Maybe he did. And maybe the same fate awaited Merlin.
But before he could dwell on the fact that he might be about to kill his servant, a voice boomed across the courtyard, the words cutting through him with an icy chill. He knew that voice, but never before had he heard it used with such venom.
"Arthur Pendragon. Poor, powerless little Prince. You couldn't protect your treasure. You couldn't protect your servant. And now, you cannot protect your Kingdom."
He watched as Merlin emerged from the shadows, striding forward slowly with his head held high. So un-Merlin-like. His servant was all lanky limbs and clumsy feet. An idiot at the best of times, but an idiot that always meant well. Not this threatening person walking towards him.
Arthur unsheathed his sword in one swift movement and held it out ready, the moonlight glinting off the metal as it moved. Okay, so he had no real intention of stabbing his servant, but the sorcerer didn't know that.
"Let him go." He commanded, his gloves squeaking as his grip on the hilt tightened.
Merlin continued his approach, seemingly unfazed by the sight and as he got closer, Arthur was shocked to see the inky black of his eyes and the smirk plastered on his face. He was close enough now that he could watch as the smile moved around the firmly spoken word. "No."
With the flick of Merlin's wrist, Arthur's sword was yanked out of his grasp by an invincible force and went clattering to the ground meters from where he stood. The only defence he had left, now out of reach. As he glanced to the side to where his weapon had fallen, he noticed something else. A glass-looking gem about the size of a fist resting on the ground. A jewel.
Before he could even consider reaching for it, two hands gripped his arms, Merlin's fingertips digging into the flesh with such a force he thought they might break through the skin completely.
Merlin's face was mere inches from his own, the blackness of his eyes deepening as he sneered: "This is going to be fun."
And suddenly all Arthur knew was pain.
Forget killing Merlin, if this went wrong, Arthur was going to die. And his servant would be trapped forever.
Merlin's bony hands were on the sides of his head now, thumbs pressing just above his eyebrows sending a flood of agony through his brain. It was like Merlin's hands were knives and they were stabbing into his skull and somewhere inside him the pain was being dragged down to fill his entire body. His breath caught in his throat as he tried to cry out and his vision blurred as a fire raged through him.
Merlin's face swam in front of him and he knew it was now or never.
"Merlin." He rasped, the sound barely leaving his mouth as the pain dug deeper. "You have to fight it—"
He cried out as a fresh wave of pain ran through him and his legs buckled as they failed to support his weight, knees cracking as they hit the ground. Merlin's smile had grown and it was an unnerving sight. His gentle natured servant being forced to do such evil and in that moment, Arthur pushed through the everything to force the words out. They were clipped and pained and even quieter than before, but he just had to hope that Merlin was listening. Even when he was being a lazy, defiant servant, Merlin was always listening.
"Merlin, listen to me. I know you hate following orders, but you're going to have to follow this one because— because I need you to fight him. He's only strong because he's using you. Without you, he's nothing. So, you need to force him out. It's the only way to save Camelot."
His ears were ringing now as Merlin looked down at him, head tilted as if surveying his prey. His throat was closing in on itself and his lung burned as he gasped desperately for breath and Arthur knew this was it. He'd faced death many times in his short life, that was the risk of being a knight but it was a sacrifice he'd gladly give for his kingdom. He just never expected death to wear his servant's face.
But then, between one blink and the next, Merlin's eyes changed from a deep, never-ending black to a glassy, pale blue. His hands left Arthur's temple in an instant and his unnerving smirk shifted to a confused, somewhat terrified frown.
"Arthur?" He breathed as he stumbled backwards, dazed and bewildered. He glanced down at his hands noting the slight tremor in his fingers, the ghost of an unwanted feeling under his fingertips.
Arthur swayed where he knelt, hand pressing against his chest as he greedily gulped down the air he had been deprived. He watched Merlin carefully for any sign that the sorcerer was fooling him into letting his guard down but all he saw was his servant, shaking and scared. "Is he gone?"
"No— No I can feel him." Merlin's voice trembled as he clawed uselessly at his front, as if he could rip the sorcerer out from inside him with his bare hands. "I can't— I can't get him out."
"You have to force him out." He commanded firmly. There was no time for reassurances. The sorcerer could take over at any minute and he needed Merlin to listen to him, no matter how guilty the tears running down the boy's cheeks were making him feel.
"I can't—"
"Yes, you can!" He shouted as he flung himself to the ground, pain shooting up his entire arm as he landed on his elbow badly. He stretched the short distance across the stone floor, his wrist brushing the hilt of his sword as he reached for the jewel laying just past it. It was cold in his grasp and Arthur could almost feel its emptiness, how it was calling out for its missing piece.
"Arthur—" Merlin whimpered from behind him and he didn't wait a second longer. Turning just enough to see where he was aiming, he threw the jewel into the air.
It could have ended horribly. He'd seen Merlin catch — or fail to catch — in the past. The boy's lack of skill rivalled that of an infant but clearly, in life or death situations, his hands could somewhat coordinate with his brain. Merlin caught the jewel smoothly and Arthur shouted to him once more. "Now, Merlin!"
It was too much to ask for it to happen instantly and for a few tense moments, Arthur was certain that Sigan was about to return to finish off what he'd started. But when Merlin's head shot back and wispy black smoke crawled out of his mouth, Arthur, brave knight of Camelot that he was, couldn't stop himself from jumping. The smoke swirled around Merlin's shaking body, dancing on the air as it looked for its new host and Arthur pushed himself to his feet, just in case the need to run in the opposite direction happened to arise.
He watched the jewel draw the smoke inside of it, as if welcoming it home. It billowed helplessly within until the clear glass turned to a brilliant, sparkling blue. It looked far too beautiful to be the soul of the person who had just tried to destroy his home.
A relieved laugh forced itself out of Arthur unexpectedly but he couldn't bring himself to hide it. He had just helped to take down an all-powerful, centuries old sorcerer and trapped him inside a simple little gem. He was allowed to feel proud of himself for this one.
He looked up at Merlin and was pleased to see a smile mirroring his own. The boy was breathing heavily as he shared his relief and Arthur couldn't even begin to think about how much power it had taken for him to force the sorcerer out. Turns out his servant had more strength than he gave him credit for.
The boy probably needed a nap after all that and — if Arthur was feeling generous — he might even let him have a lie-in tomorrow.
He also realised that the harrowing cries of those in the lower town had silenced and the creatures seemed to have ceased their destruction now that their master was trapped. It would take time to clear the mess and fix the castle and help the people but for now it was over, and once the jewel was locked up again this nightmare could permanently be laid to rest.
Just as he gave himself permission to relax, Arthur's heart jumped into his throat as he watched the smile suddenly slide from Merlin's face, his features going slack as his arms dropped to his side. The jewel tipped out of his hand, bouncing across the floor but never breaking and soon Merlin followed, like a puppet whose strings had been severed.
Arthur lurched forward to catch Merlin before his head could connect painfully with the stone and as he lowered him to the ground, his mind was flooded with the image of Cedric's cold dead eyes, how they'd stared back at him, unseeing. Lifeless.
"Merlin." He whispered as he shook him gently, feeling slightly sick at the sight of his head rolling limply as he lowered him to the floor. "Merlin?"
There was no response and Arthur felt his chest tighten. This is exactly what he didn't want to happen, exactly what he had feared would happen. Never was he willing to sacrifice an innocent person, even if it was for the greater good. There was always another way, you just had to find it.
Only there hadn't been time! He hadn't been given a second to think of another solution, Sigan had been too powerful and the longer he'd stayed inside Merlin the worse it would have been, so he'd had no choice. He had to follow Gaius' instructions as quickly as he could and—
Wait— Gaius!
If anyone could help Merlin now it was going to be the physician and Arthur was wasting time sitting here.
He leaned over to pick up the jewel and then, as gently as he was able, he grabbed Merlin's wrists and lifted him over his shoulder before rushing to the castle doors.
No one let him in at first, the banging on the door probably replicating the creature's noises but soon his shouting broke through the wood and the sounds of it unlocking filtered through. Sir Hadwyn, an older knight, carefully peered through the gap to see who was requesting entry and his eyes widened in surprise as soon as he realised it was the prince.
"Sire!" He opened the door fully, allowing Arthur to hurry inside. "We feared you were killed."
Many other knights followed Sir Hadwyn's lead, exclaiming their surprise at his return and hastening over to see if he needed help. He instructed one of them to find Gaius and another to clear some space for Merlin. The place was still bustling with people, injured or otherwise, and it was hard to step anywhere without walking into someone.
"Arthur." The King's voice boomed over the hubbub, blocking his path as he moved to meet him, more concerned about his son than the servant he was carrying. "What happened?"
"You can open the doors. The sorcerer's dead and his creatures are gone." Arthur confirmed breathlessly, watching as his father nodded to the knights at the door. They made swift work of moving the barricade that had been put in place so that people could now move in and out of the castle freely once more.
"You're still bleeding." Uther directed his attention back to Arthur, brows drawn low into a frown as he noticed the wound that Arthur had very much not forgotten about.
"It's nothing." He dismissed him ineffectively.
"You need to get that looked at."
"I will. Just— just let me help him first." Arthur nodded to the unconscious man draped over his shoulder and finally his father seemed to realise with disdain that he had a slightly more pressing issue at hand.
"Arthur?" Gaius interrupted with his approach, the knight Arthur had sent to look for him standing just behind. His eyes roamed over Merlin's unmoving figure and Arthur could see that he was fearing the worst.
"He was injured in the attack." Arthur spoke before any questions could be asked and followed Gaius as he led them to a spare table. Gaius may have been privy to the truth of what occurred outside, but he had to hope that the darkness had shrouded it from anyone else. If his father found out that Merlin had performed magic, no matter how unwillingly, he didn't want to think about the punishment that would no doubt be carried out.
He lowered Merlin onto the table carefully, Gaius' hands helping to guide him down. The boy looked ghostly white in the low light of the room and Arthur felt his stomach flip at the sight. Gaius instantly got to work checking him over, but Arthur wasn't sure there was anything to find. Merlin didn't have any outward wounds or any other proof of injury. The problem was inside. The problem was that he had just had a sorcerer hijack his body and as far as Arthur was aware, Gaius had yet to invent a potion to deal with the effects of that.
"What happened?" Gaius asked lowly, understanding just as well the importance of keeping the night's events a secret. He began folding a sheet, taking more care than was probably necessary to make sure it was gathered evenly and uncreased, before gently lifting Merlin's head to position it underneath.
"He tried to kill me." Arthur started but quickly shook his head when Gaius' worried gaze met his own. "But then he fought it and all this smoke started coming out of him and into here."
He held up the bright blue jewel and Gaius smiled at the sight of it. The glow inside was almost pulsing now, like a heartbeat and Arthur grimaced at the idea that the very soul he was holding in his hand had once been inside of a person. A dangerous person who had used magic to go beyond the nature of life and death, to rip his soul from his very being and keep it stored for centuries. It was unnatural and terrifying that magic could be used that way.
He looked back at Merlin, at the way Gaius rested his head to the boy's chest to listen to his heart and gently lifted his eyelids to check for any signs of what might be wrong, and understood why his father hated magic so much.
"Then he just collapsed. I don't know what happened."
There was a lot of movement around him as other servants rushed around helping those who were injured, but Arthur was paying them no attention. He watched as Gaius continued to assess Merlin but it was clear from the physician's frown that he wasn't finding anything that would help him know what to fix. And all the while Merlin remained motionless, face pale and breathing shallow, completely unaware of the goings-on around him.
"Can you watch him for a moment, Sire?" Gaius interrupted his thoughts, moving to pick up the jewel that Arthur had placed on the table and the thought of him leaving seemed to leave a strange sense of panic settling in Arthur's chest.
"Why, what are you doing?"
"The only safe place for this right now is back in its tomb."
"But Merlin—"
"Will be fine." Gaius interrupted with a strange certainty, like he knew something Arthur didn't. "This whole ordeal was no doubt very taxing on his body, we just need to give him time. The sooner Sigan's soul is put back where it belongs, the better. For all of us."
"I can take the jewel back—"
"No, you need to get that seen to." Gaius nodded to his chest before waving over to someone behind him. "If he hasn't roused at all by the time I get back though, there are a few things I can try."
Arthur turned to watch him meet Gwen as she approached, saying something to her before leaving the room. Morgana's kind-hearted servant wasted no time in continuing where had she left off earlier that evening. She led him to lean against the table next to Merlin's and grabbed some cloths to clean the wound.
With the threat no longer looming outside and no pressing need for Arthur to play the role of knight right now, he let her remove the pieces of his armour that were hindering her as she worked, her touch much softer than Merlin's usual impatient fingers whenever he was eager to get the job over with.
"Is he going to be okay?" She asked quietly as he tried to hide a wince. The wound was deeper than he'd realised — his chainmail clearly having been useless against the creature's talons — and he felt a bit queasy from looking at it.
He followed her gaze over her shoulder and a thread of fear pulled around his heart as he took in Merlin's persisting stillness, the only movement coming from the shallow rise and fall of his chest. He knew how much Merlin meant to Gwen, the two of them having bonded since Merlin's arrival, and he could see how worried she was at the thought of losing her friend.
"He'll be fine." Arthur echoed Gaius' words reassuringly, trying his best to believe they would be true. "And so will I. Thanks to you." Arthur clasped the hand still cleaning his wound, relishing in the small smile it brought to Gwen's face.
She found some bandages on a nearby table and wrapped the wound with gentle fingers. The material was scratchy against his skin and his chest still hurt but at least he wasn't about to bleed out anymore.
With nothing left to do, he sent Gwen on her way to help anyone else who still needed it, leaving him alone with his thoughts. And leaving him without someone to block his view of the still unmoving boy. How did his servant always end up in these situations? Arthur's constant injuries were understandable, as a knight of Camelot he was bound to be covered in painful scrapes and faded scars. But Merlin had been caught up in the violence too many times for Arthur to count.
Post battle weariness was creeping in and he closed his eyes against the way his head was starting to spin. Camelot had almost been lost tonight and his people had suffered greatly, needlessly, because of a sorcerer who thought they deserved revenge.
He wished he could ensure his people would never face such a danger ever again but he had seen his father fight against the magic infiltrating their Kingdom for so long now and no matter how hard they tried, it always seemed to rear its head, time and time again.
Soon the hubbub of the room around him was broken by a quiet voice.
"Did I do that?"
Arthur's eyes shot open at the sound and watched as Merlin tried and failed to sit up unassisted. His pale complexion and the slight tremor running through him was a pitiful sight and Arthur did his best to ignore the flare of pain in his chest as he moved to help Merlin lay back down.
"Careful. Just— don't move, okay?" He kept his hand pressed lightly against Merlin's shoulder to halt any ideas of trying to sit up again. "Gaius will be back soon."
Merlin eyed the bandage around Arthur's chest guiltily and took a shaky breath before trying again. "Did I do that?"
"Not unless you grew wings and talons since the last time I saw you. Though if you did, I'm not sure where you're hiding them now." Arthur smirked as he spoke, instantly trying to ease any concerns as he fell back into their usual routine, but Merlin wasn't playing along.
"Arthur." Merlin gave him what was probably supposed to be a stern look but the way his eyes fluttered closed for a few seconds too long every now and then made it entirely ineffective.
Arthur was more than used to people putting on a front for him. As the Prince of Camelot, every person he met wanted to please him. They smile too much and say all the right things and he's never questioned it before because that's just how it's always been. But his servant had always been different. Right from the moment they met it had been inappropriate jokes, impertinent comments and for him to go a day without Merlin talking back was a miracle at this point. Which is why tonight he could tell that something had shifted.
He'd seen a completely different side to Merlin this evening — granted it wasn't actually him but it still wore his face and left an uncomfortable memory in the front of Arthur's mind that he wouldn't be able to dislodge any time soon.
And now, the Merlin laying before him was showing yet another new side.
Merlin was a talker. He could talk your ear off about the most random or inconsequentially dull subjects and every honest truth about himself would come in the form of a long winded story but this fear swimming in the unshed tears that pooled in the corners of his eyes? This was new.
He wasn't used to seeing his servant so open, so vulnerable and he knew, in that moment, that the teasing wasn't what Merlin needed right now.
"This wasn't you." Arthur shook his head, swallowing against the lump in his throat. He kept his hand against Merlin's shoulder in a small gesture of comfort.
"But everything else—"
"Also wasn't you."
Merlin took another shaky breath as he pressed his palm to his eyes. A hint of colour was slowly returning to his cheeks but Arthur didn't feel comfortable letting him sit up just yet, not with the way the rest of him was still trembling.
"Only Gaius and I know what happened. If my father found out—" Arthur looked over his shoulder just in case the King happened to be lurking behind him. (He wasn't.) "You can imagine what he'd think, so this stays between us."
Merlin uncovered his eyes to look at him, a slight disbelief there that Arthur was sad to see, but anything the boy was about to say was cut off by Gaius' return. The physician, relieved as he was to see Merlin awake, instantly fretted over him and Arthur was content to let him continue in his place.
Later, maybe he'd praise Merlin for just how strong he was. How not just anyone could fight against an evil sorcerer that had taken control of their body and force said sorcerer out of said body all by themselves.
(Or maybe he wouldn't — he couldn't be too honest with his servant now could he, it's not like they were friends or anything.)
But for now he was happy to let Gaius take over. So ignoring the twinge in his chest, he leant back against the table and watched the pair as the noise of the room washed over him once more.
