Alright, I suffered with this one. The order of the scenes kept getting jumbled up in my head and short nights always start to catch up to me by this time of the week. Aaaanyways. Many of you folks asked when will Merlin wake.. well.. not just yet. ;) Okay, maybe just a little for now though~

Hope you like it and please feel free to review~ Much appreciated in advance :)

.*.

"Thank you, Gaius." She smiled. "I will come back and stay with him after I deliver this." Gwen declared in her very own 'won't-take-no-for-an-answer' way. The day has been long and tiring, and she found it was really starting to show on the old man; thus she was determined to sit and watch her friend, so Gaius could get some rest.

For a moment it seemed the physician would refuse the servant girl and Arthur was ready to jump and pitch in with the convincing, (by ordering if he has to), but then Gaius nodded with a small smile.

'Thank you, Gwen." She smiled curtly and the next minute she was gone.

"I can sit with him as well." The prince offered, after it was just them in the chamber again; and he had to admit it surprised him to say that out loud, but he couldn't mull over long on the statement.

"Absolutely not!" The physician said as he turned towards the prince, and fixed him with an un-approving glare and a lifted eyebrow. "You have your own wounds to heal."

"I am fine, Gaius." The blonde said vehemently, and the old man was about to retort to that, but then they both picked up their heads to the sounds coming from the cot.

"Merlin?" They were both next to him in an instant.

The boy had his eyelids half open, but the dimness in them was so eerie Arthur felt a shiver run up his spine, despite the warmth the chamber was filled with. 'The draughts, just the draughts..' he repeated to himself in a slight panic, because there was no way an empty stare like that could belong to his manservant. His pale clammy face didn't help either. He wanted to ask, but..

The boy convulsed and his expression distorted, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment and as a gurgling cough came forth and he twitched and tried to move, Gaius was already helping him turn his head and torso as much as he could; and the warlock retched and heaved deeply and threw up again and panted, easing some whimpers in there, as his position pressed against his wounds.

There was a slight rippling sound from the other side, and Arthur figured it was a bucket placed conveniently there for the occasion. The pain and the fever no doubt worked the warlock's body up.

"I hope that's the last of it.." Gaius sighed looking at him, as he held onto the boy for a bit more with one hand, his other one easing into a slight caress on his back - careful to avoid the cuts there; - then he eased him back into a more comfortable position, and wiped his mouth with a cloth. Merlin made no move; besides the deep pained breathes and few confused blinks there was no reaction; his eyes didn't even seem focused enough to show he knows where he is.

Arthur felt lightheaded all of a sudden.

"We.. had a knight's meal.. in the morning.." he pressed the words out. Still in a stupor, and he remembered making Merlin eat an extra piece of bread, because he saw the boy to be too skinny, because he was pale and still bleeding, because.. because the boy did what he did for the prince..

Arthur swallowed and ushered his thoughts back to the present instead of their days as captives. He couldn't have known what awaited them when they arrived. He only wanted the manservant to eat..

"There's no need to stay, Sire. We'll manage. You've been injured as well and despite you holding on well, your body is no doubt tired. Don't forget, you nearly passed out today, then you slept for several hours. I'm sure your own chambers would feel much more accommodating for rest."

Arthur felt a little heat reach his face, yet there was an odd feeling there; he could have sworn that sounded like the old man was 'kicking' him out of his chambers.

.*.

~ Irene: Yes, Gwen is always sweet. o.O Makes me wonder if she has other traits.. because let's face it evil!Gwen wasn't all that convincing.