AN.: Suprisingly fast update~ I had to get this out of my system. Thank you to mersan123, Redrose20202, emrysmorgan, ImpudentMiscegenation and Taz for leaving a review. Your words of encouragement means a lot to me.

Merlin ran until his limbs ached, his lungs burned and his vision blurred. Black and white dots had started to dance at the rim of his vision. He was sweating intensely and his heart was beating as fast as lightning; He feared it could jump out of his chest any minute. He dragged his feet across the ground, desperately trying to move on. He was exhausted but he forced himself to keep going. Merlin didn't know where he was headed, he just wanted to disappear. He wanted to stop being a burden to his friends and family, wanted to stop putting everyone around him in danger just by his sheer presence. He stumbled and fell to the ground, catching his fall with his outstretched hands. The landing was surprisingly well executed; his hands were too numb to catch up with the pain the fall had inflicted. He sat up slowly, giving his lungs the time to suck in the air he needed to think straight again. He looked around taking note of his surroundings for the first time. He was still in the castle and had apparently collapsed in a hallway on his way outside. He had not gotten far, even though it felt like he had run for a long time. Exhausted, he crawled over to the hallway wall to lean against it, feeling really uncomfortable sitting in the middle of the empty hallway. His heavy breathing was the only thing that Merlin was able to hear. The earie silence was almost deafening; Even though Camelot was full of people, guests, servants, knights, guards and many more, there was not a soul in sight. Merlin was alone. The events must've shaken all of them a bit and they were probably in their rooms, still resting. Merlin put his knees up to his chest, hugged them for dear life, and buried his face as best as he could. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't just leave his family and friends, could he? Merlin had acted on impulse, fleeing to prevent Gwaine and Gaius from getting further injured. If he'd leave, would they be sad? Would they search for him? Merlin sniffed, his nose feeling as if it had turned into ice. Turning his head in the direction he had come from, Merlin waited and stared at the shadowed hallway in anticipation. He expected Gwaine to turn around the corner, spot him and drag him back to Gaius. But Gwaine didn't show up. Maybe Merlin shook him off and Gwaine was still searching for him? He was certain that Gwaine had ran after him as soon as he had seen his tormented friend leave the room.

Merlin drove a pale and cold hand through the mob of hair on his head. He supposed he could go into the forest and find shelter in the druid camp. Maybe they could even heal him, fix his barrier or maybe they knew a different solution on how to tackle his problem. They knew magic more than anyone in Camelot and they would do anything to help him. But most importantly: They could defend themselves against him if Merlin's magic decided to wreak havoc once again. One thing was for sure: Merlin had to leave. If he stayed, he would be a danger to everyone near him and even to himself. Merlin had tried to stop using magic, but there was no use to it if his magic simply wouldn't play along and acted on its own without waiting for his permission. He was in danger of being exposed as a sorcerer if he stayed... Arthur was already searching for a sorcerer; it would be the perfect match. The thought of having to leave everything he knew and worked for behind put a giant lump in Merlin's throat. He tried to swallow past it.

Another thought occurred to Merlin, making his eyes go as wide as saucers: If I leave and the magic incidents suddenly stop, they might think I really was the sorcerer responsible for the attacks. Merlin huffed in frustration and grabbed fistfuls of his black hair, letting the momentarily pain ground him. Arthur wouldn't believe it… Merlin nodded to himself in reassurance, ignoring the inner image of an angry mob of royals, councillors and emissaries from all the different kingdoms chasing him until he was put up on the stake. He shook his head and buried his face in the palms of his hands again.

Lost in thought, the warlock didn't even notice the voices that drifted over to him. The voices were calm and manly and accompanied by the sound of chain mail and armour plates grinding. The footsteps that had echoed through the hallway stopped.

"Merlin?"

The steps returned, louder and faster now and with fast strides, someone was suddenly kneeling in front of Merlin.

"Merlin what is wrong? Are you alright?" Merlin finally tilted his head upwards, towards the gentle, deep voice and looked into the bright blue and worried eyes of Percival. Directing his gaze higher, Merlin's eyes landed on Leon who was hovering behind Percival's shoulder. Both of them looked at him in worry.

Merlin closed and opened his mouth before he was able to find the words to say: "I'm fine, I was just taking a walk and felt a bit light-headed."

"You certainly do not look fine." Leon added, putting a hand on Percival's shoulder. "Should we accompany you back to Gaius?" He asked, eyebrows raised until they disappeared underneath the light brown, slightly reddish curls.

"No!" Merlin cried out, his eyes wide open and slightly pleading. Percival and Leon shared a look with one another, a frown on both of their faces.

"Why not, Merlin? What is wrong?" Percival's voice was laced with suspicion. He folded his arms in front of his broad chest, daring Merlin to give them a proper explanation. The young warlock's eyes jumped from Percival to Leon before he caught himself and mimicked a crossed expression between nonchalance and annoyance.

"Nothing is wrong, except that I really felt cooped in in Gaius' room. I needed to take a walk and get some air. And I intend to take the time I need. I won't go far, so you won't have to worry."

"Why didn't Gwaine go with you? He is still assigned by Arthur to watch over you, because we fear that the sorcerer is still roaming around in Camelot. Arthur won't be happy if he hears about this."

"It's not Gwaine's fault. I snuck out." Merlin answered hastily. "Please, I just wanted to go for a walk and when I'm done, I'm going to go straight back to Gaius' chambers." Merlin felt really bad for lying to them. His heart was racing as he looked at them and waited for their response. Percival sighed and stood slowly. Leon shook his head, but there was a tiny smile dancing around on his lips.

"Okay, but you head straight back as soon as you start to feel unwell again, okay? Or else we'll make sure you stay in your bed for the rest of your life, understood?" Leon threatened, his finger raised while he looked at Merlin with expertly scrutiny. Percival held a hand out for Merlin to grab and Merlin grabbed on to it, gratefully that he didn't have to heave his body weight up by himself. Percival heaved with no effort at all and Merlin was back on his feet, trying to push down the sway that would definitely betray him. Percival spoke up again, still holding on to Merlin's hand.

"What you got there in your hand?" Percival let go of Merlin's hand so that the manservant would be able to look at the object within his grip; There was a crumpled paper. Merlin unfolded it and stared at the drawing of the foxglove he had held on to earlier. He had never realized that he was still holding onto the parchment. Percival looked over Merlin's shoulder and let a rumbling laugh loose.

"Do you still have that flower on your mind?" Merlin's blood froze, his eyes widened and the little colour that had tinged his pallor was drained from his complexion instantly. Slowly, he turned to Percival.

"How do you know about the flower?" Merlin's trembling voice asked. The first thing his head told him was that Percival new his secret. And that he knew that Merlin needed the flower in order to fix his barrier. Merlin sucked in a breath through his nose, trying to calm his racing heart and mind. No that is not possible; The only people who knew that I needed the flower are Gwaine, Gaius and myself and there had been no time to inform Percival about it. His rational thinking managed to calm him down a notch.

"I know it's hard, but you have to endure it. I bet Arthur won't change his mind about you." Leon added, a smile on his face as well. Merlin's hands started to tremble slightly. They can't know! Merlin's mind screamed.

"Why would he change his mind about me?" Merlin dared to ask them, trying once again to swallow past the lump in his throat.

"Well, it's not that normal to receive beautiful flowers from another man." Leon said, a shy smile on his face. "But, you do what you need to do Merlin. It's not a crime to show affection for a person and gift them flowers. I don't judge."

"Yeah buddy. And if you need someone to talk, I'm here for you." Percival winked at him.

Merlin stared at them, comprehension dawning finally. They were talking about the flower bouquet Merlin had given to Arthur yesterday. And apparently they thought that Merlin had given the flowers to Arthur because he treasured some deep affection for his king. Well, he did… not that he would ever admit it to anyone. His gaze wandered back to the drawing in his hand. Could it be…?

Merlin cleared his throat. "Oh, this is just a herb Gaius needs for treating. It can cure heart diseases." Percival cocked his head in confusion.

"He send you out to gather herbs? I thought you snuck out of the room?"

"Well, I did. But I thought that I needed an excuse for when I return in case he'll be angry with me. I thought I use the herb he still needs as a peace offering. But I haven't come across it yet." Merlin's excuse was spontaneous but he was rather proud of the emergency lie. "But what made you remember the flower bouquet I gave to Arthur?"

"Because it's the same flower the bouquet was mainly composed of. I remember it clearly since I thought 'odd choice of flowers to give to someone' when I saw them. So, I clearly recognized them from your little drawing."

"Don't tell me Gaius is going to be mad at you, because you accidentally gave all his herbs away." Leon said with a soft chuckle while shaking his head in an 'oh Merlin'-manner.

"I certainly wouldn't want to get on Gaius' bad side." Percival said and turned to Leon. "Do you remember how he dealt with the Lord yesterday? Gave me goosebumps."

Merlin tuned out the rest of the conversation. He had already summoned the foxglove plant by magic. And on accident at that. He just had to get his hands on the flower bouquet to get the ingredient he was so desperately in need of. The newfound hope of resolving his dire situation made a warm feeling nestle into the pit of his stomach. He felt more relaxed and carefree and he couldn't help the bright smile that found its way onto his features.

Merlin cleared his throat to gain the knights attention. "I suddenly feel like returning to Gaius chambers. I've been gone for quite some time now and they must be worried."

"Should we accompany you then?" Percival asked.

"No, I'll be alright." And without giving them the chance to argue, Merlin walked away with winged steps. He felt their concerned looks on his back but they let him be.

Merlin smiled again. He felt like there was finally a light at the end of the tunnel. He put a hand to his chest trying to rein his emotions. There were still a few burdens they might have to put into consideration; The flowers were a day old by now and Merlin hoped they were still fresh and recent enough to make the potion work. And what if Arthur had thrown the flowers away?

Soon, he reached his mentor's chambers. There were voices inside belonging to a panicked Gwaine and a distressed Gaius. Merlin entered reluctantly.

"I lost him! What if he leaves? He needs us! Damn these broken ribs! I should've been faster when I went after him." Gwaine was breathing heavily. Merlin looked around. Gaius and Gwaine had moved the furniture away from the remains of the melted plant and were currently busy getting rid of the mess.

"I'm sure-" Gaius stopped as soon as he spotted his ward standing in the doorframe.

"Merlin!" Gwaine had followed the physician's gaze and smiled at his friend in relief now.

Merlin smiled in return and entered the room, closing the door behind him. Gwaine and Gaius eyed the surprisingly happy warlock with a hint of confusion and suspicion and waited for him to talk to them. Merlin simply looked at them and said: "I did it. I summoned the foxglove!" And as one, Gaius' and Gwaine's chin dropped to the floor.

AN.: I hope you liked this chapter even though nothing much happened. Next chapter will be a lot of fun!

Fun fact: I watched Merlin with the German synchronisation when I was little. That's why I sometimes struggle with certain famous phases and terms e.g. "prat" "ward" "manservant". Reading Merlin fanfictions from others helped me a lot.

See you next time!