Prince Garrick gently helped Merlin back to his feet and kept him steady over the slick stones with their arms braced together for leverage and balance as they stood side-to-side. The ground wasn't the only problem, however. On top of being stuck in a cave where the rocks were too slick to firmly take even one step, now the cave was completely dark.
When Garrick dropped the torch to catch Merlin, it had slid across the floor out of reach and sizzled out in a pocket of water. It raised yet another thing to be wary about. Neither of them knew the map of the cave. Any wrong step could have meant slipping down a pit that might have led anywhere, quite possibly to their deaths.
"Merlin," Garrick huffed in the blackness. "Are you alright? Are you injured?"
"No, My Lord." Merlin lied through gritted teeth as blood pounded through his lower left leg which was now feverish with injury. He felt something like glass shards grinding against each other in his outer left ankle. "Your Highness, are you injured?"
"No, I'm fine." Garrick answered. "But I told you that you were a terrible liar."
Merlin let a defeated smile slip through for nobody to see.
"I'm sorry I got you into this." Garrick told him. "I did something careless because I thought it might be fun. I don't get to have much fun…though we're not really having a ball here, are we?"
Merlin could only shake his head because the heat in his leg was eating away at him, abrading his nerves to the point of silence.
"Don't speak." Garrick ordered him before the young sorcerer could even utter a word. "Keep off of what's hurt. Lean on me if you have to."
"I'm too heavy." Merlin managed in a low and airy voice.
If magic wasn't outlawed, he could have healed himself right then. Merlin had been studying healing spells in particular and there was one he had memorized well, one which could heal simple wounds and at least speed up the healing of more serious injuries like this.
However, magic was illegal. Even the kind Prince Garrick would have had to tell the king. Merlin could take a few hours of this pain if it meant living past the week. If their situation became crucial enough, Merlin could still use a light spell to guide them out. Maybe if they stayed long enough, Prince Garrick would fall asleep and Merlin could heal himself a bit.
"Which leg?" Garrick asked Merlin.
"Left." Merlin breathed shakily.
Merlin felt panicked when the prince let go of his arm but before he could ask, Prince Garrick lifted Merlin's left arm up over his shoulder. He kept Merlin's left lower leg from being pressed to his body as he carefully knelt down and felt for a dry spot.
"What are you doing?" Merlin asked him with an embarrassed tremor in his stomach.
"It may be a while before we get out of here and you need a place to rest." The prince explained. "You'll catch an illness lying on the ground the way it is."
Merlin didn't protest but tried to stay still. Prince Garrick eventually found a relatively dry boulder nearby that wasn't covered in too much moss. There he helped Merlin settle on his back with his left leg rested. Merlin felt awkward, even in the darkness. Arthur would have let Merlin sit wherever. He would have told the servant to not be so sensitive. Why was Prince Garrick being so kind to not only a servant, but one he hardly knew?
"You knew where this cave was, right?" Merlin asked the prince after a long silence.
"My men and I passed it on our way here." The prince replied, surprising Merlin with how close his voice was.
Merlin thought he'd be several feet away, looking for his own place to rest. The prince was standing instead, eyes wide in the darkness to search for signs of light. Merlin was cautious again of the prince's character. Even in the times that Arthur had shown kindness to servants by treating them as equals, Prince Garrick was putting Merlin first. The idea both bothered and flattered Merlin.
"We'd set up camp a little ways from here." Prince Garrick went on to explain. "I came across the opening to the cave and mentioned it to my men, but they were against venturing into an unmarked place in another kingdom. Thus, I wanted to come here on my own but that seemed a bit lonely. I've heard you're not the type to just sit back, Merlin."
"Who talks of me?" Merlin asked with a slight smile.
"Lady Morgana told me after dinner about yours and Arthur's adventures. I thought this would be a breeze for us both. I didn't realize how dangerous it would be. Most caves don't catch much water but this one is underground. It's either shallow or very level."
"You said you mentioned this cave to your knights. Do you think they'll be searching for us?" Merlin asked him.
"They believe I'd gone to explore the lower towns." Garrick told Merlin with a slightly apologetic tone. "Unless someone becomes restless regarding our absence, we won't be found for a while. I believe we have to rely on ourselves for now."
"Maybe someone is searching for us." Merlin said hopefully.
"Did you not tell anyone that we would be gone for long?" the prince asked.
"…I did tell Arthur that I may not be back before night." Merlin admitted. "But he probably didn't tell anyone. Maybe he's forgotten already. I didn't tell my mentor."
"Prince Arthur is the only person who would be able to start such a search." The prince reminded him. "Either way, it seems our best chance is getting out of here on our own…"
A silence grew in the cave and Merlin became worried. He could hardly hear the prince breathing.
"What is it?" Merlin finally asked.
"I could search for the entrance on my own but I'm unsure about leaving you here." The prince explained. "There might be dangerous creatures lurking around and you're already injured."
"Garrick, er-My Lord-"
"Garrick is fine." The prince told him.
"…if you think you can safely leave, do so. You don't have to worry about me."
If the prince were to leave on his own, Merlin could heal himself and illuminate the cave. He could even try a wind spell to try and dry the stones of their soggy grime.
"If I do go, promise you won't move." Prince Garrick said.
"…I promise." Merlin said reluctantly.
Would his plan not work?
"I'll shout to you if I find the way out." The prince told Merlin.
"Just remember to get help. Don't come for me immediately." Merlin nodded in the dark.
"Sure thing."
Maybe Merlin was starting to become too hopeful, but what for? Was he expecting Prince Garrick to always speak to him that way or were the prince's words only spoken out of panic? Merlin had first-hand experience dealing with royals who expressed their fears and joys in strange ways.
Merlin was able to hear Prince Garrick's movements in the cave. It didn't seem to be very wide like it had appeared from the outside but narrowed inward the farther you went. Perhaps there was even an underground tunnel this way. If not for the dampness and other possible hazards, the cave might have been of great use to the kingdom.
Amidst Merlin's thoughts while half-listening to the squelching noises of the prince's careful footsteps, there came a separate squishing sound, quickly followed by a thud and pained gasp. Merlin's heart sank and he went to stand but the second his left foot met the ground, the pain surged upward through his leg.
"Garrick!" Merlin shouted in the otherwise silent cave. "Prince Garrick, are you alright?!"
No answer came and Merlin grew more and more panicked by the second. If something bad happened to a man that had been so kind to him, someone who had remained noble and caring in such a stressful situation, Merlin wouldn't forgive himself.
"My Lord, please say something!" Merlin shouted one last time.
The prince didn't reply and Merlin couldn't hear his breathing. Guilt settled in quickly and he hastily made a decision.
He reached down to his left ankle and in the dark, a soft yellow light glowed and spread to his skin. Merlin set his foot on the ground and carefully eased some weight onto it but even under a good deal of pressure, the only result was a hardy ache and slight sharp pain.
Merlin carefully rose to his feet and held his palm upward, casting a simple light spell that filled the surrounding area with white light. He carefully limped over the drier spots of the cave floor and avoided the sudden pits that were small around but at least a foot down.
He continued until he found the heel of a boot just where the light ended. He moved as quickly as he could and found himself beside an unconscious prince. Merlin carefully knelt down and looked over him, checking his pulse and looking for injuries. He took a dagger from the prince's belt and held it just above his lip until the metal fogged with his breath. He seemed fine, except for being unconscious.
Merlin touched his arm gently in its place sprawled out to the side, much like his other. The prince didn't stir and Merlin let out a sigh, being glad that he was even alive. He must have taken quite a blow to the head to be knocked out. Still, the longer Merlin looked at him, the more he noticed something about the prince.
Prince Garrick seemed to be very charismatic with his words and his eyes as well. He was a notably handsome man, having thick brown hair and sharp features. When awake, his dark golden eyes drew you in. Maybe that was why Merlin felt a sort of attachment to the royal, but how would that explain the allure he felt?
Even with Garrick's eyes closed, Merlin sensed a familiarity, but it wasn't like before. Before, Merlin had felt unexplainably concerned with Garrick. Now Merlin found himself at the other end of an unspoken connection.
His expression is the same as Arthur's, Merlin thought to himself.
The prince's lips were slightly parted and his eyes were shut gently. His expression was calm to begin with and Merlin noticed the similarity in the two princes' noses. Merlin felt confused. He hadn't realized he'd paid so much attention to Arthur when the prince was sleeping and he'd snuck into his room.
Merlin's left hand unintentionally moved through the air toward the bridge of the prince's nose when Garrick stirred. Merlin was shocked and the prince opened his eyes. Merlin immediately dropped the light and hoped that Garrick was too disoriented to notice.
"What did you-"
"I-I can explain!" Merlin insisted and quickly stood from the prince's side.
"Wait, Merlin! Your leg!" Garrick quickly reminded him.
The pain shot through Merlin's leg too quickly and his knee buckled. He collapsed and nearly smacked foreheads with Prince Garrick but fell a bit further to the left of him.
"Ah," Merlin winced in pain as his ankle throbbed.
"A-are you alright?" Garrick asked worriedly.
Merlin quickly became aware of their position and tried to climb off but his left leg was weak and numb. A side effect of the spell? Had he not performed it correctly? They stayed pressed to the ground together while Merlin tried to at least hold some of his own weight on his right knee.
"I heard you fall and managed to limp here." Merlin told the prince. "I'm sorry for making it worse."
"It's not…how-what was that?" Garrick asked confusedly. "Was…that was magic, wasn't it?"
Merlin stared fearfully into the darkness, unsure of how to answer.
"Don't tell Arthur!" Merlin blurted desperately. "Don't tell anybody about this, especially him or his father, please?"
"…I wouldn't do that." The prince said quietly.
Merlin didn't know what to say but stayed staring down in the direction of Garrick's voice. Suddenly, a light filled the cave and the both of them looked up to find a very stunned Prince Arthur.
"Arthur," Merlin managed but tried again to climb off of Garrick.
Garrick carefully slid out from underneath him and lent Merlin his hand, all while Arthur stared at them with a sudden and uncomfortable squirmy feeling in his gut.
"What happened here?" Arthur asked seriously as Merlin found his footing.
"It's my fault." Prince Garrick answered. "I saw this cave on the way in and wanted to explore a bit but it turned out to be more than we could handle."
"How did you find us?" Merlin asked Arthur.
"It's a long story." The prince replied curtly. "You seem to be fine, though. I'm glad you're having fun down here while the knights of Camelot are searching for our important guest. If you were lying so close to the entrance, you should have left."
"Your Highness," Prince Garrick intervened. "Pardon my blatancy but your father left Merlin under my orders. Aside from that, he is my friend and should be treated like so."
Merlin felt his pulse rise at Garrick's words. Such words would surely injure Arthur's pride.
"As for our disappearance, I said it was my idea." Garrick went on while Arthur's expression went blank in shock from being spoken to so roughly. "We'd been further in the caves until just a while earlier when I'd gone searching for a way out. In case you haven't noticed, this cave is pitch black without your torch and the grounds are slick. We had no way of knowing how close the entrance was."
Arthur seemed more disappointed than angry. Bantering with Merlin had become a habit since the servant never took serious offense. Arthur recognized the sting of being corrected from the times when he was younger and his father trained him. Now he was being reprimanded by someone the same age as him. A mild sense of anger quietly boiled under the surface of his skin.
"…I understand, Prince Garrick." Arthur replied but there was a bitterness on the tip of his tongue.
He couldn't upset the prince. It would make the king think he wasn't ready for such a simple task. Surely, he could tolerate it just once.
"Perhaps we should make camp outside, then." Arthur said. "It's already night."
"I'm not sure that is the best idea." Garrick said, putting Arthur down yet again. "Merlin is injured. It should be treated as soon as possible."
"Oh, but it isn't that bad, really." Merlin insisted as he stepped up beside the prince, intentionally lessening his limp and resisting the sharp pain. "There aren't any open wounds and I'm a quick healer."
"But it's painful." Garrick said as he looked over. "Going back to Camelot now is in your best interest."
Merlin didn't know how to reply and Arthur's inner frustrations were just starting to eat at him. Why was Prince Garrick being so nice to Merlin? More than that, why wasn't Merlin trying harder to shrug the prince off?
What exactly transpired in my absence? Arthur silently asked himself.
"Then we'll ride to back to Camelot." Arthur said. "I'll need a horse."
"You came on foot?" Merlin asked confusedly.
"No, Merlin, I did not come on foot." Prince Arthur replied as if to mock the servant's stupidity.
Arthur sensed a marginally hostile vibe from Prince Garrick so he dropped his condescending glare. Garrick was being protective of Merlin, even against Prince Arthur. A brief chill found its way to Arthur's neck but his eyes grew hot.
"The horse was frightened and got away from me." Arthur admitted. "There are still two outside. Merlin, you can ride with me."
"That's quite alright. He can ride with me." Garrick said to both Arthur's distaste and Merlin's surprise. "You can lead the way back and we'll follow at a safe pace so that his injury doesn't worsen."
"He doesn't seem to be in that much pain." Arthur said.
"He's good at hiding that sort of thing."
Arthur's pulse quickened in anger. He turned composedly before he could act on it and started up the steps. Garrick took Merlin's hand to which the warlock was a bit flustered but it was only to help him over the slippery rocks. Outside of the cave, Arthur looked back and watched in displeasure as the two others climbed the slick stairs while keeping hold of each other. Arthur turned his back to them as they reached the top and let go.
"There aren't any more torches lying around so you should stay close behind." Arthur said as he walked over to the horse Merlin had ridden.
Merlin took the torch while Arthur mounted the horse and handed it back up to him afterward. Arthur turned the horse in direction of Camelot as Prince Garrick's horse trotted to Merlin's side with the prince already mounted. He lent a hand down to Merlin and gently helped the servant to the back of the saddle.
Arthur continued to avert his eyes but couldn't help thinking back to when he'd found them in the caves. It was bad enough that Prince Garrick seemed to be monopolizing Prince Arthur's manservant but he was even showing an unhealthy amount of concern, as if Merlin were a fine maiden. The idea caused Arthur to shudder but he continued on toward the trail and the three of them began their journey back to Camelot where, hopefully, things would return to normal.