A/N - Thank you to JanetM74, butcherbunny and Gingeraffealene!

And to answer your question butcherbunny - do I take prompts? - Yes! Yes, yes, yes! I LOVE prompts! Please, everyone feel free to send me prompts whenever you like! I can't promise I will be able to do them, my muse is about as co-operative as Kilgharrah sometimes. And I am not a Dragonlord. But I will definitely try! So yes! Please just let me know if you have any prompts!

Sorry, I got a little over-excited there. Anyway. Next...

No. 26 – Concussion

The bandits surprised them on the road back to Camelot.

They'd paused by a stream to water their horses and Merlin had slunk off into the trees to have a piss. He'd been just lacing his breeches back up when he heard Lancelot shout followed by the clash of swords. Stumbling over roots, he ran back to the stream.

Arthur and Lancelot were both on foot, fighting men with hoods and masks. A third bandit, on horseback, broke through the tree line just as Merlin appeared. Lancelot dropped the bandit in front of him with a well placed cut, his back to the mounted bandit.

"Lancelot!"

Merlin yelled his warning slightly too late.

The man on the horse rode up behind Lancelot at a fast canter, leaning down towards him with a heavy cudgel. Lancelot turned as he heard the hooves, his sword sweeping up in a wide arc that sliced through the horse's front flank, but he didn't duck in time to miss the cudgel. It smacked hard into his head and he fell like a puppet with cut strings.

"No!" Arthur's shout joined Merlin's and the prince yanked his sword from the chest of the man he'd been fighting. He leapt towards the bandit on the horse.

Merlin threw some magic towards the horse, it panicked and reared, its owner falling to the floor just as Arthur got within sword's length. His blade caught the bandit on the chest, carving deep into him.

He spun as another two bandits appeared through the trees. Merlin ran to Lancelot, dropping to the ground beside him and rolling him over onto his back. His head lolled horribly. Leaning close to his face, Merlin felt the puffs of breath on his cheek. He sighed with relief then began assessing Lancelot for any other injuries.

"Merlin?" Arthur called over his shoulder as he parried a hit from the bandit.

"He's alive!" Merlin called back.

"You're lucky," Arthur growled to the bandits. "This would have gone a lot worse for you if he had died."

With that he plunged his sword into one bandit, using the weight of the blow to propel him into the other. They both fell to the ground, one knocked out, one whimpering and clutching his stomach. Arthur gave him a sharp kick and he passed out as well.

Merlin's hand was cradling Lancelot's head, trying to ignore the sticky feeling of blood for the moment as he tried to rouse his friend.

Arthur stormed around the small clearing, swinging his sword around his wrist. Once he was sure there were no more bandits he ran and crouched beside Lancelot.

"Is he alright?"

"I don't know," Merlin said quietly. "Not until he wakes up."

He scrabbled at his neckerchief, pulling the knot untied, then shook it out and wadded it up. Pressing it carefully against the wound on the back of Lancelot's head, Merlin took Arthur's hand and guided it to hold the fabric.

"Hold it there, but don't put pressure on it," he instructed. "Lancelot?"

The knight moaned but showed no signs of waking. Merlin pushed the hair off of his forehead. Arthur watched nervously, a frown etched deep into his brow. He kept glancing up at Merlin, looking to him for what to do. Merlin bit his lip. He continued to brush Lancelot's hair back, not liking how warm his skin felt.

Lancelot's eyelids flickered and he moaned again. Relief filled Merlin's chest like a swelling balloon. Arthur called Lancelot's name while Merlin cupped his face. He slowly looked up at them, wincing.

"Wha' happ'n?" he mumbled, his eyes sliding closed again.

"No, no, keep your eyes open, Lancelot." Merlin patted his cheek gently.

"M'lin."

"Yeah, it's me."

He studied Lancelot's eyes, they looked glazed and he wasn't focussing on Merlin's face as he leant over him. One pupil was larger than the other. Merlin grimaced. It looked like a concussion; he needed to get Lancelot back to Gaius.

He looked up at Arthur as he chewed his lip.

"He needs Gaius," he whispered.

Before Arthur could answer, Lancelot retched and Merlin quickly rolled him onto his side, ensuring Arthur's hand stayed holding the back of his head. Arthur looked a little alarmed as Lancelot was violently sick. Lancelot moaned, gagged and jerked in Merlin's arms. Tears poured across his face. They held him steady as he threw up again, Merlin slowly rubbing his back.

"Can he ride?" Arthur asked.

Merlin wanted to say no. He didn't really want to subject Lancelot to the rocking of horseback, but he needed to get him back to Gaius as soon as possible. He grimaced.

"We'll have to go slowly, and we should walk either side in case he slips."

Merlin ripped a strip from the hem of his tunic, using it to bandage around Lancelot's head and hold the wad of neckerchief against the still bleeding wound. He wasn't happy with it but it was the best he could do.

Between them they carefully pulled Lancelot to his feet. He staggered and swayed, falling heavily against Arthur and retching again. Arthur secured his arms around Lancelot's torso, holding him against his own chest to keep him upright.

Merlin coaxed Lancelot's horse down onto her knees, she was a gentle animal, as considerate and helpful as her master. She whinnied softly, nudging her nose at Lancelot as Arthur supported him.

Slowly so as not to jostle him too much, Arthur lifted Lancelot, settling him in his saddle and draping him across his horse's neck.

One of the bandits still lying on the ground behind them groaned, stirring slightly.

"Should've killed them," Arthur growled through gritted teeth, but didn't move from his position holding Lancelot. Merlin couldn't help but agree.

A/N - Not one of my favourite ones. This was so hard to write for some reason. My muse just doesn't like hurting Lancelot. Which makes no sense because he's one of my favourites and normally my muse likes hurting my favourites. But every time I tried to whump Lancelot in this challenge I really struggled writing it...