A/N: I wanted to acknowledge Shihan Randy Crudup once more for his input on the training and fighting scenes. I got a couple of lovely reviews that specifically mentioned those elements.
Thank you all for your reviews. They are wonderful to get and they make the writing and the time put into that writing so much more rewarding.

Chapter Eleven

Even though Arthur had only ridden into the Knavesmire Wood by about three hundred yards, it took Merlin and Arthur nearly an hour to traverse the uneven ground riddled with branches, tree roots, squirrel holes and other hazards designed to take their feet out from under them. Arthur tried very hard to bear up through the pain of attempting to hop on his good leg, but found it more tiring than he had expected. Once they made the main road he had to take a rest and sit for a while as his left leg throbbed mercilessly.

"Hey, Merlin, where is that mead? It actually helped a bit with the pain."

Merlin smiled a little at that. "I imagine it did, but be careful - it's stronger than it tastes. I barely remember my conversation with Odin last night, and I won't be able to carry you all the way back to Camelot if you get snookered."

Merlin dug the flask out of his pack and handed it to Arthur who took it gratefully.

"Who is Odin?" Arthur asked, after taking a long pull from the flask before handing it back to Merlin.

"He's the trader I mentioned earlier. I met him along the road and he gave me a lift. Nice fellow, if a bit odd."

Merlin considered taking a drink as well, but decided against it. Arthur needed it more than he did so he stuffed the flask back into the pack and got up. He pulled Arthur to his feet and after some awkward adjustments; they ambled off down the road. The smoother surface was a welcome relief and Arthur did notice that he felt warm all over after drinking some of that mead. Merlin was right, the stuff was stronger than it tasted. He felt slightly light headed, but the pain in his leg was far more bearable.

They hobbled along for nearly three hours in relative silence, not meeting a soul on the road. It wasn't too surprising considering that people were now afraid to travel due to the thieves who had been robbing and killing anyone they met. After a while the pain in Arthur's leg became harder to ignore as the limb swelled and his calf high boot became tighter and tighter. Merlin also noticed that the prince was having more trouble keeping up and fished in the pack for the mead giving Arthur another sip.

"So you got drunk last night on that stuff?" Arthur asked, after taking a drink.

Merlin frowned and looked at Arthur sideways. "I did not! I just got a bit fuzzy, that's all. I only had a cup of it - I think."

Arthur had to smile. Merlin did like to drink even if he wouldn't admit it. "You think?" he asked, needling the young man. "Face it, Merlin, you got drunk, which means you must not have been too steady on your feet this morning and still somehow managed to save me from those bandits. I have to say I'm impressed."

Merlin blushed slightly from the praise. "Honestly, Arthur, I didn't get drunk, and I felt great this morning when I woke up." Merlin paused for a moment then continued as if figuring something out. "Actually I really did feel better than I have in days." He looked up at the sky and noticed that the sun was well beyond its zenith. "Look, its way past midday and I don't feel tired; well not the same way I have for the last week."

Arthur looked over at Merlin and noted that his color was almost normal even though he had a fine sheen of sweat on his brow. He had also noticed that Merlin grunted every once in a while in discomfort, but he didn't see the same signs of crushing fatigue that were always present with his man servant of late. Arthur began to wonder if there was something more to this person Merlin had met on the road. He wanted to ask the younger man why he had left, but sensed that now was not the right time to broach the subject. Merlin was acting so much more like his normal self and Arthur didn't want to upset him and bring back the sullen behavior that had plagued his servant for the last week.

"Tell me more about this Odin." At Merlin's questioning frown he added, "It'll help me think about something other than the fact that my leg is killing me."

"Do you need to rest?" Merlin asked, concerned.

"No, we still have a long way to go. Where did you meet him?"

Merlin thought back to the night before last. "It seems like so much time has gone by since I met him, but it was only the night before last. Odd, though...."

"What is?" Arthur asked, through gritted teeth.

Merlin didn't like the way Arthur was looking or the pained sound of his voice.

"Arthur, you may not need to rest, but I do. Besides those branches aren't working so well, they're slipping down your leg. Let's take a break for a few minutes."

Arthur was going to object, but Merlin simply steered him toward a small clearing near the side of the road and up to a large tree. It took a few unwieldy movements to get Arthur turned around so that his back was against the tree before Merlin could lower him to the ground. As soon as he was seated Merlin walked further into the woods.

"Where are you going?" Arthur asked, startled by Merlin's departure.

"The splint is loose and falling down. I want to see if I can find straighter or at least longer sticks."

The thought of Merlin moving his leg again to reapply the splint made Arthur shudder, but the younger man was right. The splint was not working very well at this point. Once he was out of Arthur's line of sight Merlin dropped his pack off and lifted his shirt to check his bandage. It was seeping red and throbbing. He rummaged through his pack and pulled out one of his tunics. He folded it into a long strip of thick cloth and untied the sleeves of the jacket he was using to hold the bandage on. The lower bit of the jacket he had used as a bandage was stuck to his oozing wounds, so he simply wrapped his tunic over the top of that then used the sleeves to tie the newer bandage on as tightly as he could. As hard as he tried he couldn't keep from crying out when pain seared through his torso as he tied the sleeves together tightly.

"Merlin! What's happening?" Arthur called out, alarmed.

As spots danced in front of Merlin's eyes, he had to breathe quickly to regain his composure.

"Merlin!"

Gritting his teeth the young man called back in what he hoped was a fairly normal voice. "Hang on; I just tripped on your new splint."

He didn't really hear Arthur's reply, but the sound was as irritated as Merlin would have expected from the prince. He quickly scanned the forest floor looking for two straight sticks that would work now that he had announced that he'd found them, and much to his relief he found a perfect branch. It was forked with two long straight shafts that would work perfectly. The branch had come off the tree in a storm so it was still fairly green and quite heavy. Merlin had no choice but to break off the branches of the fork before he could drag them back to where Arthur sat. It was not terribly difficult when he used the leverage of a nearby boulder to lay the branch on and then simply sat on the parts he wanted until they cracked and broke off.

When Merlin got back to Arthur with the new splint material he was careful to make sure his left arm stayed close to his side keeping his own brown jacket closed. There was no point in giving Arthur anything else to concentrate on at this point. He left once again to fetch his pack and upon his return he pulled out the flask of mead handing it to Arthur.

"Here, maybe you'd better take a sip of this before I change the splint."

Arthur nodded and took the flask. After another long pull he dropped his head back against the tree.

"Are you ready?" Merlin asked.

Arthur only nodded and braced himself. As Merlin unfastened the saddle straps and removed the more slender sticks and replaced them with the thicker longer ones, Arthur looked on, gritting his teeth, but was surprised that the pain wasn't worse.

"These are heavier, but they're also longer and sturdier. I think they will work a little better."

When Merlin fastened the straps tightly around the new splint pain shot through Arthur's leg savagely causing him to suck air in through his clenched teeth sharply. Once Merlin was finished Arthur was breathing hard, but he had to admit that his leg did feel a little more secure. He noticed that Merlin had broken out into a sweat and had distinct lines of pain creasing his forehead and around his eyes.

"Are you alright? You look as though you're ready to pass out." Arthur asked; a note of concern in his voice.

Merlin sat back against a near-by tree and allowed his head to drop back against the rough bark. "It's been a long day and you're not exactly light are you?"

Arthur was still holding the flask of mead and he tossed it over to Merlin. "I've no idea what's in this stuff but it helps a lot. Maybe you should take a sip yourself."

Merlin picked up the flask and noted that it was still about half full. He wanted to drink some, but just set it back down. "If I have to practically carry you all the way back to Camelot, I'd better not. It is good stuff though." he said, with a slight smile. "Actually, everything that man made was good. The stew, the porridge, I've never tasted food so good."

Arthur looked over at the younger man intrigued. "You know, you were about to tell me about this mysterious friend of yours before we sat down. Now that I'm down I could do with a bit of a rest, so where exactly did you meet this... what did you say his name was?"

"Odin. Odin Gillivray." Merlin looked out toward the road and waved his arm in the general direction of it. "Actually, it was somewhere not too far from here that I came across him - or should I say he came across me. He nearly ran me over with his cart actually. He gave me a lift to Ealdor the night before last. I still can't believe that I have been home and back again in such a short period of time."

Arthur frowned at that statement, for Merlin had a good point. "You made it all the way to Ealdor? Isn't that quite some distance? How did you get back here so quickly?"

Merlin shook his head feeling bewildered. "Honestly, I don't know. I fell asleep in the back of his cart on the way to Ealdor. All I know is that by the morning we had arrived. Then I ran into him again on my way back to Camelot, or I should say he ran into me - again. I had stopped about midday for a rest, and he came along and recognized me. He offered me a ride as far as Ithandin, but I fell asleep again and by night-fall he stopped the cart just outside of Ithandin. I don't really understand it. It seems like time tends to work a bit oddly around him."

Arthur was tired and the mead was making him feel both warm and a bit fuzzy, but he thought that this stranger was certainly not who he claimed to be. "Merlin, did it occur to you that this stranger might be a sorcerer?"

Merlin's eyes opened wide for a moment and his heart pounded. He wanted to bang his head against the tree he was sitting against. Of course; how else could this trader have traversed the distance unless he had used magic to do so? Merlin didn't know of any spells that would transport them in this manner, but it had to be magic. Odin seemed so unlikely to be a sorcerer, though. Then Merlin remembered his eyes and the way they looked in the light of the fire the previous night. They were almost golden, like the Great Dragon's eyes.

"I suppose he could have been, but it seems pretty unlikely."

Arthur just stared at Merlin and then shook his head. "Unlikey? Merlin, honestly what do you know about magic?" After another moment's thought Arthur continued, "You know, sorcerer or not this mead is good and I don't want to worry about this trader right now."

Arthur dropped his head back and closed his eyes for a few minutes. His leg was still throbbing, but it seemed to hurt less after drinking some of Odin's mead. After a short time Arthur raised his head up and looked at Merlin. He was sitting there looking altogether uncomfortable. His eyes were closed, but frown lines of pain creased his brow and small rivulets of sweat glistened on his face. Arthur was starting to wonder if Merlin had injured more than just his arm.

"Ealdor eh? That's your home right?"

Merlin opened his eyes and looked over at Arthur feeling a little self-conscious. He wondered how long the prince had been watching him. "Yeah, it's the village I grew up in." Merlin answered, wearily. His side had stopped bleeding but the events of the day were sapping his strength.

Arthur knew that now was as good a time as any to ask the question he really wanted an answer to. "Why did you run away, Merlin?"

Merlin hadn't expected the question and it caught him off guard. "I didn't 'run away" he answered, a little bit petulantly.

Arthur had to smirk a little at Merlin's tone. "Oh, I see. No note saying where you had gone; no goodbye to Gaius or anyone else; you left after curfew; you ran away. Why?"

Merlin turned his head to look at Arthur feeling irritated by the questioning. He felt badly enough about worrying Gaius the way he must have, and he wasn't in the mood to be scolded yet again for it. "I was angry, all right?"

Arthur sat up a little straighter, wincing as his leg protested the movement. "Angry? At whom?"

Merlin closed his eyes again and turned his face away from Arthur. He did feel badly about acting so rashly, but a part of him still felt galled and a little betrayed. "Gaius lied to me. He let me believe that he could still find some way to counter what Nimueh has done to me."

"Gaius looked in every book and paper he could get a hold of to find a way to help you, Merlin. Hell, he even investigated magical cures."

At that statement Merlin looked over at Arthur sharply. He couldn't believe that Gaius would have told the prince that.

"He tried to deny it, well not so much deny it, but he said that he wouldn't be able to... Look it doesn't matter what he said, the point is he tried as hard as he could. But that wasn't good enough for you was it? So you left."

"Yes." was all Merlin could say. He knew he had been wrong to just leave without a note or a word to anyone. Gaius didn't deserve to be worried like that, and what Arthur had said in the old physician's defense made him feel so much worse.

Merlin had been so un-Merlin like ever since the sorceress had done whatever it was she had done to him, that Arthur wasn't that shocked that his servant had run off. He softened his tone and asked, "So why did you come back?"

A smirk turned up the corner of Merlin's mouth as he replied, "Isn't it obvious? You need me."

Arthur snorted at that answer. "I'll grant that your coming along when you did was pretty fortuitous, but seriously, why did you come back?"

Merlin sighed heavily. He had grown tired of the conversation and this wasn't really something he wanted to talk to Arthur about, at least not while he was feeling altogether miserable. "Just call it an obligation."

Arthur's face mirrored surprise at Merlin's reply, and his response was a bit callous, even for Arthur.

"Obligation? What obligation could you possibly have that compelled you to come back? I mean you were so keen to leave that you risked sneaking past the guards after curfew! It couldn't be a burning desire to clean my chambers or muck out the stables..."

As soon as Arthur mentioned the stables he stopped short and wished he hadn't mentioned that.

Merlin's eyes snapped open and he stared at Arthur. "You are really unbelievable! Do you have any idea how arrogant and self-centered you can be, Arthur?"

"What..."

Merlin cut Arthur off before he could say another word. "Do you really think that you are the only one who has responsibilities and obligations and the will to fulfill them?" Merlin's voice rose with each word until he was almost shouting at Arthur. The flash of anger gave him the strength that he needed to get up from the ground where he sat.

Arthur was so shocked by the vehemence in Merlin's voice that he responded by smiling smugly up at the young man. "So you did come back for me!"

Merlin just stared at Arthur not sure whether he wanted to laugh or scream at him. He shook his head slightly and sighed. "I can always count on you to illustrate my point. We'd better get going if we want to be back to Camelot before nightfall. We only have an hour or two of daylight left."

Arthur wanted to argue the point more, but he knew he should save his strength for the rest of the long hobbling, hopping trek back to the city. By the time the castle came into view off in the distance both young men were nearly at their limit of endurance. The sounds of horses hooves coming up behind them made them stop and look around. Borin and his contingent of knights came into view, much to Arthur's relief. As soon as they spotted Arthur and Merlin, Borin raced up to them at a fast gallop.

"Sire! What has happened?" he shouted as he slid down from his horse. He turned to his men and told Brom to ride to Camelot immediately and collect a wagon, the court physician and the King.

"You're injured, Sire. You need to sit down. Rowan, Fendrel, come and lay blankets down for the prince." he ordered, briskly.

The knights dismounted to take the blankets out from under their saddles while Arthur leaned against both Merlin as well as Borin.

"Where is your horse, Sire?" Borin asked, as the men worked to loosen their saddle straps enough to retrieve the blankets.

"I found the thieves that have plagued the roads. They attacked me and killed my horse. Actually, if Merlin hadn't come by when he did, I would have been their next victim."

Borin recognized Merlin as the Crown-Prince's man servant and he looked on bewildered. "Sire?"

Arthur, still feeling the effects of the mead, told Borin and the other knights about how Merlin came across them and took the thieves by surprise.

"I have never seen such a clumsy attempt at sword fighting, no offense, Merlin. It was pure dumb luck, and he's fortunate he wasn't killed. He accidentally knocked out one man and I still don't know how he managed to run the other one through. My horse was in the way and I couldn't see. Then after he tied up the first one, he dug me out from under the horse and set my leg with the branches and we have walked all the way here from the Knavesmire Wood."

Borin, Rowan and Fendrel were all looking at Merlin with frank disbelief on their faces. They believed Arthur's account of the events that had transpired, but they were astounded that Merlin had acted with the bravery of a knight of Camelot. Borin stood up and stepped over in front of Merlin. Then he dropped to one knee and actually bowed to the servant.

"You have saved the life of Prince Arthur, and done so with bravery and honor."

Merlin didn't know how to respond. He had never imagined he would ever be acknowledged for his deeds in fulfilling his destiny. He was dumb struck and didn't know what he should say to this knight, a nobleman, who was showing him such honor and respect.

"I... I only did what I had to do, Sir Borin."

Arthur was almost as surprised as Merlin, but he couldn't really comment as it was that moment that horse hooves at a full run were heard coming from Camelot. Gaius was so relieved to see Merlin alive that he had no words when he laid eyes on the two young men. His attention was immediately drawn to Prince Arthur, who was obviously injured, but the scarf wrapped around Merlin's arm didn't go unnoticed by the court physician. Uther jumped from his horse and ran to his son.

"Arthur! You are hurt. What happened?" He exclaimed his voice riddled with fear and concern.

"I'm fine, Father. My leg is broken where my horse fell on top of me. The thieves that have been robbing and killing our people won't be a problem anymore. One lies dead the other is tied to a tree just inside the Knavesmire Wood. Borin knows where they are."

Uther stood up with fury blazing in his eyes. "The man who lived will pay dearly for his actions. Sir Borin and I will go and collect this scum and have him brought back to Camelot to face his sentence. Gaius, take Arthur to his chambers and see to his injuries."

Uther reached down and helped Arthur to his feet then helped lift him up into the cart. "Who splinted your leg, Arthur?"

At that moment Arthur was sucking in a sharp breath as pain shot through his leg with the movement of being lifted up into the cart filled with hay, so Borin answered.

"That was Merlin, the prince's man servant."

Uther looked around and noticed Merlin for the first time. Merlin hadn't said anything and wished that Sir Borin hadn't pointed him out. Gaius noticed the look on Merlin's face and interrupted.

"Both of them need to get back to Camelot and have their wounds attended to, Sire. If you intend to bring back that man from the Knavesmire Wood you will have to move quickly to get there before night falls."

Uther looked up at the sun getting low in the sky and then back at Gaius. "You are quite right, Gaius. Sir Borin, we ride out, now."

Uther was on his horse and headed down the road before Borin had even mounted his own steed. The bumpy ride back to Camelot was hard on Arthur's leg and Merlin was ready to pass out as his side burned with pain. Once they entered the city, Gaius instructed the knights to carry Arthur up to his bed chambers while he went to his own rooms to gather the supplies he would need, but not before he turned to Merlin, and spoke.

"Go with Arthur, Merlin. I will want to examine your arm after you help me to set his leg."

Merlin was too worn out to object and he simply followed the knights who were carrying Arthur up the steps to the main keep. Gwen and Morgana met the knights as they entered the hallway to Arthur's chambers. Morgana was shocked to see Arthur with tree branches tied to his leg, but her focus was on Merlin. He looked dreadful. His face was covered in sweat and he looked red rather than pale as he had for the past week. She was relieved to see him whole and walking behind the men carrying Arthur, and wondered about her dream. She opened the door to Arthur's chambers to allow the men to get Arthur in and lay him down on the bed. Within a few more minutes Gaius appeared carrying an assortment of items that he set down on the table at the end of the bed.

"Morgana, my dear, I need you to step out. Actually, except for Merlin and Gwen - who will assist me - I would like everyone to leave and give me some room to work." He turned and addressed Morgana directly "You don't mind if I borrow Gwen for the time being do you?"

"No, of course not, Gaius." she said, in an uncertain voice. She was still eyeing Merlin and wishing she knew what had happened out there in the woods. She tried to see if he was wounded but he had his brown coat on and couldn't see his tunic at all.

After shooing everyone else out of the room, Gaius pulled out a vial of liquid and walked over to the bed handing it to Arthur. "Now drink this down. It will put you to sleep so that I can set your leg."

Arthur took the vial and eyed it dubiously. He remembered the last time Gaius had given him a vial to drink and experimentally sniffed the liquid to see if it was the same concoction. It smelled perfectly ghastly as evidenced by the wrinkled-nose scowl the Crown-Prince gave the container.

"Honestly, Gaius, I'll just grit my teeth, and bear it if it's all the same to you." he said, as he tried to hand the vial back.

Gaius looked at Arthur sternly, "It isn't all the same to me, actually. I need to set the bones in your leg in order for them to heal properly. I am not as strong as I used to be, and this will not only deaden the pain, but also relax your muscles allowing me to set the leg correctly. This is not an option, Arthur."

Arthur realized that the court physician was not going to take no for an answer, and it was foolish to lie there trying to be stoic, so he up ended the vial and drank the entire contents in one gulp. It only took a few moments for the drug to start taking effect. Arthur's eyelids began to droop and he leaned back on his elbows looking drunkenly up at Gwen and smiling. Gwen and Merlin exchanged a look and smiled at each other refusing to laugh at the rather goofy grin on Arthur's face. After another moment the Prince's head fell back on the pillows and his eyes rolled upward until they closed.

Before Gaius did anything else he approached Merlin and took a hold of his arm. "Let me see this wound." he said, as he untied the handkerchief.

The wound was long and deep enough to warrant stitches, but the bandage had held it together and stopped the bleeding nicely. Gaius looked up at his ward and noticed him wince a little as he probed the edges of the wound.

"This will need to be stitched, but it can wait until after we set Arthur's leg." The physician tied the handkerchief back onto Merlin arm tightly causing an audible grunt from the boy, before turning back to what needed to be done for Arthur.

Gaius used a knife to cut the straps of the splint apart and handed the branches to Gwen who placed them in the corner where firewood is normally kept. Getting Arthur's boot off wasn't nearly as difficult as Gaius would have expected. Arthur's leg was swollen but not nearly as badly as he would have thought. He had no choice but to use the knife to cut the young man's pant leg revealing bare skin and the extent of the injury.

"Merlin come over here and take a firm hold of his upper leg, just above the knee. Now be sure you don't let go while I am pulling, understand? If it is too much for your arm with that wound you must let me know right away."

Merlin nodded in understanding then took a firm grasp of Arthur's leg. Gwen stood back a little to give the physician and Merlin room to work. Gaius had to kneel down in order to get the right leverage. He took a hold of Arthur's ankle and began to pull the young man's leg slowly and evenly. Merlin watched in fascination as he saw the bones in Arthur's leg begin to shift slightly. There was a bulge on the front of Arthur's shin that slowly began to move downward as Gaius pulled then, almost as if by magic, there was a pop and the lump sank down so that it was no longer easily seen under the surface of the skin. Merlin's hands were not shaking yet, but his arms were beginning to from fatigue and pain. He was astonished at how hard it was to hold the Prince's leg steady with Gaius pulling in the opposite direction. Gaius himself had broken out into a slight sweat as he continued to pull until Merlin could almost envision a gap between the two pieces of broken bone, then very slowly the physician allowed the pieces of bone to come back together as he released the tension on Arthur's ankle.

After taking a moment to catch his own breath, Gaius looked up at Merlin who was sweating, shaking slightly and still held Arthur's leg tightly. "You can let go now, Merlin... gently." he added as Merlin opened his hands. Gaius then instructed Gwen to bring a stool over to the side of the bed.

"Once I have immobilized Arthur's leg it will rest on this stool but in the mean time I need you to very carefully support his leg while I get the cast ready."

Gwen looked a little uncertain, but did as she was told. Gaius had brought along several thin flat sticks and a large sheet of something that looked a bit like tree bark. As it turned out the parchment like material was indeed a section of bark from a large birch tree. Fastening the sticks like bunting along the inside of the birch bark, Gaius was able to form a sort of stiff pant leg that would close around Arthur's lower leg. He first loosely wrapped multiple layers of linen around Arthur's leg and foot before opening the birch bark covering and carefully fitted it around the mended limb, then he placed the limb on the stool for support. Gaius instructed Gwen to hold the birch bark together for a few minutes while he stirred together a basin of water and some white powder from a large sack that was in his supply bag. As he stirred the powder into the water it began to form a thick paste. Once he had enough of it he began to literally paint over the birch bark covering while still instructing Gwen to hold it closed.

Merlin remained kneeling on the floor next to the bed breathing slowly in and out through his mouth, trying to make the nausea he was feeling pass. His head was spinning and he felt like the room was tilting from side to side. He held as still as he could not wanting to distract Gaius from his ministrations.

Once the top and sides of the birch bark were completely covered with the paste, Gaius asked Gwen to help him up. Stepping over to the wash basin, he began to scrub the paste off his hands.

"Once that is dried, I will have to coat the back of the cast. But, that will take some time."

As he spoke Merlin stood up from his position at the side of Arthur's bed. A wave of dizziness washed over him and his side erupted in fresh pain as he staggered over to the chair by the table sitting down heavily and holding his side.

"Merlin!" Gwen shouted, as she rushed to him.

Gaius turned and saw how red faced and shaky the young man appeared and then saw that Merlin was holding his hand against his side under his jacket. He moved the jacket aside and saw that the side of Merlin's shirt was stained with blood. He had been so intent on Arthur that he had failed to take note of the fact that Merlin's arm was not the only injury the boy had suffered.

"Merlin, are you alright?" Gaius asked, as he looked carefully into the young man's glazed eyes.

"Not as such." Merlin quipped, as a trickle of blood ebbed out from between his fingers.

Gaius immediately knelt down to look at the boy's side. He lifted Merlin's shirt and pulled up the makeshift tourniquet that he had tied around his waist. There was a stab wound from a sword that went all the way through Merlin's side and out the back. It was far to the left and probably had missed any vital organs, but the wound was showing signs of infection and it was bleeding freely. Gaius immediately thought of Morgana's dream. Gwen gasped as her hands flew to her mouth.

"Gwen, listen to me." Gaius instructed. "I need you to get me fresh water and towels." The girl nodded looking frightened. "Also go to my chambers, and fetch my brown round bowl; the one with the thatched lid. It has everything I need in it."

Gwen flew out of Arthur's chambers at a dead run. Gaius helped Merlin to get his shirt off and was untying the bandaging when Merlin spoke in a soft voice.

"I never will be again, Gaius."

The finality and sadness in Merlin's voice made Gaius stop and look at his nephew. "You never will be what, Merlin?"

"Alright. When Nimueh stole my magic, she tore out my soul. I'm not me anymore, but it still doesn't change anything, not really."

Gaius sat back on his heels and stared at the young man before him, his heart aching for the loss Merlin suffered.

"It doesn't matter what Nimueh did to me. It doesn't matter what she took from me because that doesn't change what I have to do." Merlin tuned and looked at Arthur sleeping soundly on the bed. "It doesn't change my responsibility to him."

After looking at Arthur for another moment, Merlin turned back to Gaius. He saw the lines of worry in the old man's face, the redness of eyes that hadn't slept since he ran away, and guilt swept through him. "I'm sorry, Gaius. I shouldn't have run off like that. I realize that even without magic, this is where I belong..." Merlin's gaze once again moved to the sleeping prince, "... by his side."

"So you came back." Gaius finished for him.

"I'll just have to figure out how to fulfill my destiny with what I have left."

Gaius lifted an eyebrow in an unspoken question.

"Stunning wit, and superior intelligence."

Gaius smiled at Merlin's quip, but he was too filled with emotion to laugh. "Merlin, I am so very proud of you."

Merlin tried to smirk, but it came off as more of a grimace. "That's good..." Merlin said, softly as his eyes began to droop. "I'm think I'm going faint now," he said, as his eyes rolled up and he slumped forward into Gaius' arms.

"Oh dear."

Gaius had to get Merlin down onto the floor, but it wasn't easy from his kneeling position. The boy essentially fell off the chair as the older man tried to guide him down to the floor. What happened next took Gaius completely by surprise. A faint green glow began to emanate from Merlin's chest. It grew in intensity until it filled the entire room with a brilliant light and then it was gone. Gaius didn't know what had happened exactly, but he was most definitely glad that it was over, for a few moments later the door to Arthur's chambers burst open and Uther stood in the doorway.

TBC