A/N: I apologise for the very long delay guys. I don't really have an excuse so I won't give you an Old Chestnut but I will try and give you a long chapter!
Dawn broke once again before Arthur and the Knights could see Merlin. Gingerly, they entered Gaius's chambers in complete silence only broken by shocked gasps as their eyes came into contact with their secret protector. Breathing laboured, his chest was smothered in bandages, as was arms; a thick blanket covered him from the waist down. He no longer sweated or convulsed but his skin was flushed from fever and a wet cloth sat against his furrowed brow. Gaius lifted his head from his ward to look with sad eyes at the King and his Knights. "Hello. As you can see, he has improved, even if it is just a little..." Gaius broke off with a heartfelt sigh before continuing once more. "I've bandaged up his injuries and poured about a dozen pain killers down his throat. All I can do now is change the wrappings." He looked disappointed with himself so Gwiane sauntered up to him with a confidence he didn't have and placed a gloved hand on the kindly old man's robes before speaking with a slight Irish accent. "It'll be okay Gaius, he'll pull through, he always does." Gaius just turned back to his ward, repositioned the cloth and resumed his silent vigil.
"Get back here you little shit!" Angry and booming, his father's voice filed their small hut and little Merlin shook in fear as he dived under the table for what seemed to be the hundredth time that hour. He had dropped a plate and his father wasn't happy. It seemed though that luck had run out for Merlin because, just as he leapt for the table, his father's thick boots came down like lightening on his small, frail, bony leg, emitting a snap from the bone and a heart breaking shriek from the boy it belonged to. Showing no remorse, he snatched up the collar of Merlin's shirt before smashing him hard onto the table, making it groan at the sudden weight. Merlin shouted out, his cries louder than his beloved mother's. "You stay there you despicable freak!" With that, he removed his belt with deft hands and brought it quickly down upon his son's chest, bringing tears to the boy's eyes. For what seemed to be years, he continued to bring his belt down, each blow harder than the last until, finally, Merlin cried out no more.
Arthur looked panicked as Merlin thrashed and mumbled, begging for forgiveness. Nothing would wake him or stop the nightmare, making the Knights watch on in horror as their friend struggled even after his rescue. Gaius had been forced to leave, the tears rolling down his cheeks distracting him from his work despite his experience in situations like this. How could something so bad, so traumatic be forced upon this good soul? He had made mistakes, yes, but he definitely didn't deserve this. Pain when awake and haunted by demons when asleep. Merlin's faced scrunched up in pain before he let loose another animalistic howl of pain. Scratching his head with one hand and holding his friends with the other, Arthur wondered if his friend would ever be the same again.
"No! Oh god please no!" Hunith sobbed over the broken body of her precious son. Her husband had run off to the tavern and left her with his 'business', as he called it. Merlin's leg was clearly broken and the lash marks from the belt bled small red droplets constantly. Groaning, he tried to move but whimpered when pain flared up everywhere. Hunith's broken cries quietened down when she saw the frown upon the face of her son and she rushed away to get a wet cloth. "Merlin, please, wake up you idiot!" Wait, that wasn't his mothers voice. What was going on? "Merlin please!" The manly voice continued, scaring him. With a grunt of effort, Merlin's eyes shot open.
Into the land of the awake