Hellooo I'm back! Sorry to leave you guys hanging for so long—I've been traveling quite a bit. Thank you guys so much for your feedback! You guys are what keeps me going 3 I hope you enjoy this chapter.

…...

It had been two days since Merlin's seizure. Gaius had given him permission to return to work, despite Arthur's protests. Merlin was pretending like nothing had even happened, Gaius was still researching, and Arthur was beyond agitated. He didn't think Merlin should even be working at all, but Arthur also couldn't really argue with him. Not again. Not while Merlin appeared to be so fragile.

Arthur did his best to make Merlin's job easier, but he still seemed run-down and he tired easily. His eyes were dark and sunken, his skin pale. Not to mention the spacing out and the frequent nosebleeds that still occurred. The king was afraid that there was only a matter of time before Merlin had another fit, and it hurt that Arthur couldn't do a damn thing about it. So, he vowed to keep a close watch over his friend in case of another attack because Gaius had taught him how to handle it now. Hopefully, Gaius would find a way to fix this and it wouldn't be necessary. Arthur prayed that he was just being paranoid.

"Don't worry about polishing it today," Arthur said, gesturing to his armor piled in front of his wardrobe from where he sat at the dining table.

Merlin sighed, his hands rising to his hips as he stood over the armor. "You always want me to polish your armor for the knighting ceremonies."

"Yes, well, now I'm saying not to worry about it."

Arthur tried to avoid Merlin's eyes, but he wasn't entirely successful. Those big, blue orbs were burning into his own and were impossible to ignore. When Arthur returned the gaze, his breath caught in his throat—Merlin looked so much older than his own years, as if he carried a great burden, the size of a kingdom. The king hated that look. It made Merlin appear wise, but also incredibly sad.

"I can still do my job," Merlin said quietly, his expression softening with understanding.

"You can barely walk on two feet on a normal day," Arthur quipped, though there was no bite to his words.

Merlin smiled nonetheless, then pulled back a chair and sat across from his king. "Work is the only thing that distracts me from… whatever this is. I understand what you're trying to do, and I appreciate it, but I just want to work."

Arthur nodded. "I understand. Just—don't push it."

And he did understand, better than anyone. Arthur would bury himself in his work or even in a fight rather than to have to face reality. It wasn't a good coping mechanism, but it worked for him. Apparently it worked for Merlin too.

Merlin smiled tiredly, standing to complete his chores that Arthur had reluctantly assigned. And from then on, Arthur tried to keep things as normal as possible. He may have walked slower than usual to his meetings and ceremonies so that Merlin could keep up. If the manservant noticed, he said nothing about it.

By late afternoon, Arthur had finished the last knighting ceremony. He was ready to retire to his chambers, but Merlin had somehow slipped away. Arthur huffed, asking the guards stationed at the door if they had seen him.

"I believe I saw him heading for the armory," one supplied.

Arthur nodded in gratitude, hastily closing the distance between him and the armory. He found Merlin sitting on a bench, admiring one of Arthur's freshly polished swords.

"You really shouldn't be alone."

Merlin jumped up, the sword clattering to the ground. He let out a string of muffled curses, and Arthur couldn't help but smirk.

"Sorry, I—I needed to think."

"That's never a good sign," Arthur said, picking the sword up and putting it away.

"At least I'm capable of thinking, you prat."

"Obviously, since you wandered off alone after… everything."

Arthur knew he was perhaps being too blunt again, but Merlin didn't even bat an eye. He was just staring at the wall behind Arthur.

"Merlin—"

"What if I went to her?" Merlin blurted.

Arthur blinked, feeling unsettled. "What do you mean?"

"She wants me for something. Maybe I should just find out what it is so I can figure out how to sever the link."

"No. No way. I've seen what she's been doing to you. Can you imagine what she'd do if she actually got her hands on you?"

"She won't. I'll be careful—"

"Merlin, no. It's not happening. End of discussion." Could he really not see how dangerous this was?

"We might not have a choice. I don't need your permission—"

"Yes, you do! I am your king," Arthur yelled, his voice rising with his desperation.

"I feel like I'm going mad, Arthur!" Merlin snapped, his eyes burning angrily. "I don't even know if she's real anymore. I need to know." Merlin's voice grew dangerously quiet as he defeatedly sat back down on the bench. "I just need to know."

And so Arthur sat next to him, swallowing past a painful lump in his throat. His hand instinctively landed on Merlin's shoulder.

"We'll figure this out, old friend. You're not going mad."

Merlin drew in a long breath, releasing some of the tension Arthur felt in his shoulders. "I hope you're right," he said.

They sat there in silence for a little while, lost in their own thoughts and hopes. When Arthur couldn't take the silence any longer, he stood and gestured for Merlin to follow. Merlin just stared at Arthur, not moving, his brow furrowing.

"Let's go."

"Something's wrong—I can—I feel her presence here."

Arthur's neck prickled. He glanced around, looking for a sign of an intruding entity, but he saw and felt nothing.

"Are you sure?"

Merlin nodded, his eyes growing fearful. Arthur hated that his friend was so afraid and there was nothing he could do to protect him from it. The battle was entirely internal, and Arthur was locked away; a mere outsider to it all.

Merlin suddenly grasped Arthur's arm with surprising strength, his breath quickening. "Arthur, I think it's happening again."

Arthur's heart pounded, his stomach turning over, but he forced himself to look calm.

"It's alright, Merlin. Don't fight it. Here," Arthur gripped Merlin's forearms, guiding him slowly to the floor, away from all the weapons displayed on the walls.

Merlin let Arthur lay him on his side, but his eyes were still wide as a deer's. "I don't want to," Merlin cried, shaking his head.

Arthur's heart broke, but he forced himself to stay neutral. "It'll be over before you know it. It's okay."

Merlin shook his head again, tears slipping down his cheeks. "I'm so scared," he whispered.

Arthur shushed him, wiping the tears away. If Merlin was scared, then Arthur was downright terrified. He whispered quiet assurances as Merlin grabbed desperately at his tunic, curling the fabric into his fist.

"Merlin, just close your eyes. It'll be over soon." Arthur was surprised at how gentle his own voice sounded.

Merlin obeyed, his eyes squeezing shut. His panic seemed to lessen slightly as Arthur continued to shush him, his fingers rubbing Merlin's arm.

"She's here," Merlin whispered shakily.

Arthur didn't have time to respond before Merlin's back arched and the convulsions started, more intensely than the first time. Arthur struggled to keep his hold on him as Merlin's limbs went wild and slammed into him repeatedly. The king barely even felt the blows in Merlin's weakened state nor did he mind them—all he felt was cold fear pooling in his chest. He wasn't sure if he could handle much more of this, and he knew Merlin certainly couldn't. Arthur saw a familiar trickle of red dripping from Merlin's nose, and it suddenly sunk in that Merlin might be dying.

Merlin continued to seize, every part of his body convulsing unnaturally. His throat made small, involuntary sounds of distress that pulled at Arthur's heartstrings. Arthur didn't even realize he had been tearing up until he noticed his vision blur. He refused to let go of Merlin, so he let the tears roll slowly down his cheeks as he helplessly watched his friend suffer.

"It's alright, Merlin. Just ride it out," Arthur whispered, even though he was sure that he couldn't be heard. Merlin was a million miles away, locked in an internal battle.

When Merlin finally stilled, Arthur released a breath he hadn't known he was holding. This fit was much longer than the first, and it worried him. Arthur cleaned the blood away from under Merlin's nose and the small trickle from his ears. He then sat forward on his haunches, his hands holding Merlin on his side as he listened to the servant's breathing slowly even out. Arthur waited patiently, letting his own breathing return to normal, his thudding heart slowing to a regular pace. After a while, Arthur felt his limbs going numb, but he ignored it, refusing to leave Merlin's side.

Though he pretended to be calm for Merlin's sake, he was growing more and more terrified as Merlin's condition worsened. What if Gaius never found the answer? And what if he did, and Arthur still remained helpless? What if Merlin faded away into nothing, or what if his heart stopped during another fit?

Arthur leaned over Merlin's side and pressed a finger to his neck. There was a weak, erratic pulse, but it was there. Arthur sighed in relief.

Merlin took longer to rouse this time. When he did, it was gradual. Merlin let out a small gasp, his arm jerking strangely towards his head.

"Shhh, Merlin. It's alright. You're safe," Arthur whispered as gently as he could.

Merlin stared blearily at Arthur. "What?"

"You're safe," the king repeated.

Merlin just flinched, as if Arthur had shouted. "I don't know… I don't…"

Arthur's chest ached, and he resorted to carding his fingers through Merlin's dark hair. Arthur's words were just confusing Merlin and stressing him out even more, so he kept silent. Once again, Merlin's eyes filled with tears as he lay there on the floor. Arthur just gently wiped them away until Merlin finally fell asleep.

Arthur figured it was safe to move him now, so he gently slid an arm under Merlin's shoulders and his knees and carried him all the way from the armory to his room. Thankfully, he didn't run into very many people on his way to the physician's chambers. He received some strange looks, but no one tried to interrogate him.

Arthur kicked the door open, and Gaius sprang up from where he was reading on the bench. His expression softened when he saw Merlin dangling in Arthur's arms, and he nodded in understanding. The physician wordlessly opened the door to Merlin's bedroom and Arthur laid his small burden down on the bed. They both crept quietly out of the room and Gaius shut the door behind them.

"Another one?" Gaius asked quietly.

Arthur nodded. "Any luck?"

Gaius sighed, shaking his head. "There are many possibilities, sire, but none are specific enough to what Merlin has described. I was so sure it was some kind of wraith feeding off his psychic energy, but it can't be. Wraiths must drain their victims through physical contact, and whatever this woman is, she does it from afar."

Arthur shook his head. "It's getting worse, Gaius. His seizure was much longer this time. I'm not sure he can survive much more of this."

Gaius's eyes were red-rimmed and wide with worry. He looked exhausted.

"I'll help you research," Arthur offered, grabbing a book from the pile on the table and settling down on a bench.

"Your majesty, you can't possibly—"

"I can't sit around and do nothing anymore. I want to help," Arthur said firmly, letting his kingly voice cement his authority.

Gaius looked like he wanted to argue, but after a moment, his eyes softened. "Thank you, Arthur."

Arthur smiled, though he knew it didn't reach his eyes. "We'll find a way to fix this."