Sorry this took so much longer than I'd hoped it would, but here it is!
Gwen was quick to arrive, and Gaius helped Merlin to the door, though he could barely stand. "Thank you for doing this, Gwen. I apologize for the trouble."
"It's no trouble at all." She caught a glimpse into the room and saw Arthur's sleeping figure underneath the blankets. "How's he?"
"We will know with time." Gwen pursed her lips and nodded, taking Merlin's arm and wrapping it around her own shoulders. It was then she realized how skinny the boy was, she was almost afraid she'd break his arm if she bent it the wrong way.
Gaius closed the door and Gwen heard it lock. "C'mon, Merlin." She did most of the work to get them to the physician's chambers, as simply picking up his feet proved to be extremely taxing for him.
Once she got him settled onto the patient's bed, Merlin started to fall asleep.
"No you don't." Gwen protested, shaking him. "You need to tell me what to give you."
"Water."
"That's it?"
"Yeah."
"Have you eaten?" she asked incredulously.
"Not since… since…"
"Since when?"
"I'm trying to remember."
Gwen sighed and went to see if there was anything in the cupboards. To her dismay, they were mostly bare, except for some stale bread and a bit of dried fruit. She wondered how on earth Gaius and Merlin had been managing.
"I'm going to go get some proper food from the palace kitchens," she told Merlin as she poured him a cup of water. "You drink this, and I'll be back as quick as I can."
After ensuring that Merlin would be alright for at least a short while, she left and hurried to the castle.
She was passing one of the lower corridors when she heard a frustrated shout, then a crash and shattering sound. Gwen paused and listened, and after hearing another shout, she realized it was the voice of the king.
Uther shouted at the young maiden to clear up the mess he'd made. He'd knocked over the vase in his tantrum and the poor girl happened to be the only one there. Gwen saw that she was already trembling with fear as she was given her order, and she didn't blame her; Uther's face was the definition of rage.
"I-I'll go fetch a mop and broom," she stammered, and made to leave.
"There's a towel there," Uther said, stopping her. "just pick it up."
Without another word, she obeyed, hastily moving to collect the shattered shards with her bare hands, biting her lower lip to keep from crying out when the porcelin sliced her fingers. That was when Gwen entered, curtsying. "Sire."
"What do you want?!"
Gwen turned to the young girl and took the towel from her, speaking softly. "Go on, it's alright. I've got it." She nodded and ran out, while Gwen bent and used the towel to both collect the shards and sop up the water.
She watched Uther as he paced the room. It was odd to see him down here, so near the servant's quarters. When he looked back to her, she quickly averted her eyes back to the floor, gathering the flowers that had been in the vase.
If looks could kill, Uther's gaze would have burned a hole straight through her. "You," Gwen heard the king speak and dared to look up, "you know the serving boy Merlin." She nodded hesitantly.
"Where is he?" Oh. A pit formed in Gwen's stomach.
"I don't know, Sire. I haven't seen him today. T-Though he does have a… tendency to be late." She stood, having cleaned up the mess.
"I see."
"May I be dismissed, my lord?"
"You may. And if you see Merlin, send him to me."
"Yes, Your Highness."
She left quickly without another word. Uther clenched his fists, frustrated and bitter. This was all that manservant's fault. He must've seen him disciplining Arthur and reported it to Gaius. That pesky boy was always sneaking about. He continued to pace. And who did Gaius think he was? Uther had spared him all those years ago during the great purge, and this was how he repaid him – with more defiance.
The king didn't know why he'd allowed the physician to speak to him in such a manner. Perhaps it was because he knew he'd gone too far yesterday, when he'd punched Arthur's ribcage and he'd heard the crack of his bones beneath his fist. Perhaps it was because he knew Gaius was right in his accusations of self-hatred turned to malice. Or perhaps it was because he'd realized that Arthur really was still his son, as he looked up at him with those terror-struck blue eyes, the same eyes that once belonged to his Igraine.
Uther was uncertain of everything. Well, almost everything. Magic would always be evil. He paced the room, wishing that sorry excuse for a manservsant would just get down here and do his job, so that Uther could teach him a proper lesson. As the king had thought about it, that boy was the reason for many of his son's shortcomings, his disobedience. Why had he hired the fool in the first place? Oh, yes. He'd saved Arthur's life, and at the time it had seemed like such a good idea. If he'd saved him once, and in a way that could've easily been sacrificial had he taken one second of hesitation, then surely he'd do it again if the need arose. And that assumption had proven to be correct, when the boy knowingly drank from the poisoned chalice that had been intended for the young prince. Uther liked servants who knew their place.
However, it seemed as if Merlin had forgotten the very thing that had compelled Uther to hire him. The king decided it was time he remembered.