"Gaius, have you seen Merlin? He's late."
"He's getting dressed now, sire. Now if you don't mind I need to go deliver some medicine to Sir Gwaine. It seems he's gotten another hangover."
Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Of course he has. Thank you, Gaius." After Gaius left Arthur walked into Merlin's room and noticed a large mark, almost like a deep scar, on Merlin's back before it vanished all too quickly.
"Oh, hey Arthur. Sorry I'm late...didn't sleep well." Merlin yawned as he started to put on his neckerchief.
'What...was that?' Arthur thought to himself in shocked curiosity. 'It looked like a deep scar, but Merlin never mentioned being in pain or getting hurt...did he?'
"Um...Arthur?"
"Hmm? Yes?" He asked, snapping out of his daze.
"Are you alright?" Merlin narrowed his eyes at his king when he realized that he was uncharacteristically lost in thought.
"I'm fine Merlin." He answered plainly. "You and I are going..."
"Let me guess...we're going for a hunt?"
"You're learning Merlin. Slowly, but you're learning." He faked a smile and patted the now fully dressed Merlin on his back, trying to see if he could feel the scar through the shirt. When he couldn't he started walking away with Merlin following behind him.
Once they mounted the horses they rode off into the forest and Arthur was still lost in thought. 'When had Merlin gotten hurt like that.' He tried to remember all the times he noticed when Merlin had gotten hurt and none of them had been that severe.
"Arthur."
'Perhaps he fell on something in the woods...'
"Arthur?"
'No, a wound like the one on his back is deep and probably...fatal...'
"Arthur...Hello?"
'Fatal...it definitely looked like it...but when...' Suddenly he felt a hand hit him the back of the head.
"Arthur you damned dollop-head are you even there?"
"Merlin, you just struck your king in the head..."
"And I'm not the least bit sorry for it. Tell me, oh great king, Do you have any idea where we are?" Merlin rose his eyebrows as he waited for his king's response.
Arthur looked around and realized that they have left the trail and they were traveling towards a known druid camp. "How..."
"You tell me. Seriously, are you alright, Arthur?"
"Um...apparently not." He answered with slight honesty.
"Why were we heading towards a druid camp?"
"I...don't know. I was lost in thought."
"...And you are usually never this honest with me." Merlin's face went from curiosity to concern. "Arthur, is something bothering you?"
"Nothing you need to concern yourself with." Arthur looked back at Merlin who definitely held his signature look of 'Fine if you don't want to talk then don't talk but I'm going to find out.'
"Alright, so...unless we're hunting druids, and I really hope that's not the case...can we get back on our usual path?"
Arthur nodded and guided his horse back onto the path they would usually take to the hunting grounds.
Once they got to the well known hunting area, Merlin dismounted his horse and Arthur watched his every move, trying to see if he was in pain from moving off of a horse. Once he realized he wasn't showing any pain from moving, he dismounted his own horse and waited for Merlin to set up camp.
"Arthur, may I ask why you've been staring a hole into my back?" Merlin asked as he started to lay out his bed roll.
"What are you talking about?" Arthur questioned as he continued to patiently wait for Merlin to finish.
"Arthur..." He looked up in frustration. "...You watched me get off a horse. You never do that."
'How is it that Merlin can't be perceptive during a hunt or a fight but he can notice when I'm watching him get off a damn horse!? I didn't even notice him notice me!' "No reason, just making sure you don't make a fool of yourself getting off of horse."
"Its just me and you out here Arthur. You'd think I was a fool regardless." Merlin laughed as he finished laying out Arthur's bed roll.
"Well, it's your own fault isn't it? If you weren't so clumsy..." 'How did you get that scar?' "...Then I wouldn't have to assume you'd make yourself look like a fool."
"You know...I actually do quite a bit for you, you royal prat, and I manage to not be a complete fool about it. Just because you're not there to watch, doesn't mean I can't be graceful."
"Men shouldn't be graceful."
"Says the man who has the most graceful foot work when training. Tell me...what exactly would happen if you should falter in your movements while fighting? You need some amount of grace when sword fighting don't you?"
"And what would you know about grace and sword fighting?" Arthur scoffed. 'Did he get that mark in a sword fight? No...it's not the right size or shape.'
"Quite a bit actually..." He answered as he gathered firewood. "...after all, I have to accompany you to your training sessions with the other knights. It seems to me, that if you don't have a certain amount of gracefulness in a fight, you'll either trip over your own feet or you move entirely wrong and end up dead."
"Very well...you've made your point, Merlin." He laughs it off but his amusement is cut short when he realizes all of the stitching in the front of Merlin's shirt. 'There must've been a lot of holes in that shirt at one point...and some of the stitches seemed to have been put together where the cloth had been frayed...almost as if it had caught fire...'
"I'm glad you admit I'm right for once." Merlin turned his nose up in the air with a proud smile and he began to light the fire.
Once the fire was lit Merlin sat next to it and became content as he held his hands out to it. 'I know its the middle of winter, but he doesn't have to look like such a house cat...a cat...maybe that would've caused the holes in the front of the shirt...no, Gaius doesn't have a cat and that doesn't explain the stitches where the cloth would've been frayed by fire.' "Comfortable, Merlin?"
Merlin grinned and nodded his head. "It's better than freezing to death, so...yeah."
Once night fell they silently made their in the forest as they hunt for animals that were still awake at night.
Merlin heard a noise to his left and tapped Arthur on the shoulder and they both looked in the direction of the noise to find a racoon emerge from a bush and climb up a tree. "Here." Merlin whispered as he handed Arthur his crossbow.
Arthur looked at his weapon and aimed it at the nearby animal. 'Perhaps an arrow pierced his back...No, the wound is still too big for that...maybe...'
"Arthur, the animal is gone." Merlin whispered as he gently placed his hand on the crossbow and gave his king a concerned expression. "C'mon let's head back to camp. I brought some deer and boar meat."
Arthur looked at him, sighed, and followed him back with a twinge of shame building in his chest. 'This is NOT how I usually act...Even Merlin knows this.'
After they had eaten Merlin didn't ask any questions and for that, Arthur was thankful. "Arthur, you should get some sleep. I'll keep first watch."
Arthur noticed a look of understanding crossing Merlin's features and he nodded his head once more and gave a simple, "Thank you." Before drifting off to sleep. 'Maybe I'll figure it out tomorrow.'