Leon managed to get a hold on Arthur before he hit the floor, and gently lowered him down.
"Merlin!" he called, jumping when the blue version of him manifested right beside him.

"On it." Holding one of his hands above Arthurs wound, he muttered a few word under his breath that Leon could barely make out.
"Gestepe hole! Þurhhæle…" A few seconds past and Merlin cursed, holding his hand out again and trying another spell,
"Þurhhæle dolgbenn…" This got a reaction out of Arthur, who opened his eyes, and groaned. Merlin sighed as he noticed that the wound didn't seem to be healing as it should, and he realised that the blade may have been enchanted. Sifting through all of the healing spells he knew, he prepared to cast another.
"Sorry Arthur," he muttered, "This is gonna hurt…" motioning for Leon to hold him down, Merlin placed one hand on Arthurs forehead, and one on his wound.
"Þurhhæle licsar min…" he immediately followed this with another, ignoring the pained exclamations that were coming from Arthur.
"Ge hailige…"
Arthur immediately went limp, causing Merlin a moment's panic, before groaning and sitting up. Placing a hand to the, now healed, wound, he glanced up at Merlin.
"Was there any way to do that that would have been, slightly, less painful?"
Merlin shrugged, and then turned his focus to Arvin.

Arthur watched as his face fell, and remembered that the two had become close friends in the last few months. Sitting up, he placed a hand on Merlin's shoulder, but gasped as it slid right through.
Merlin turned to him, confused, then his eyes widened.
"The curse… A lapse… I can't keep the shade going…" his words turned to a startled gasp of pain as a ghostlike blade plunged through his shoulder, protruding from the back. Which a sharp flash, he vanished leaving the clearing in a dark, early morning light. Getting to his feet, and thankful that Merlin's healing had left him feeling wide awake, he turned to the rest of his knights.
"Leon, Bedivere, start digging. We don't leave until we have given Arvin a burial."
"But what about Merlin?" that was Percival.
"There is nothing we can do." It pained Arthur to say it, but he knew that it was true.
"Whatever is happening is happening at Camelot, and that is almost a day's ride away. We just have to hope he can look after himself…"

Merlin felt himself falling and a sharp sensation in his arm told him he was in trouble. Opening his eyes, he found himself in his own body, with a young, hooded, man about to lunge at him with a dagger. Reacting on instinct, he sent a burst of magic at his attacker, sending him flying into the wall. Getting to his feet, Merlin found his strength ebbing, and realised he had to finish this. Fast. With the man's next lunge, Merlin cried out.
"Ic þé wiþdrífe!" Though Merlin knew it was only an illusion, the effect of a verbal spell always seemed more extreme than those cast non-verbally. Either way, it had the desired effect, and the man was sent flying into the wall, hitting it with a gut wrenching force and falling, into a heap, onto the floor. Merlin sank back down onto the bench, just as Gaius burst into the room, followed by Gwaine. Merlin suddenly felt tired, and only managed to quip
"Why do I have to do everything myself…?" before he sank back onto the pillow, asleep.

Gwaine looked between Merlin, now nigh on unconscious, and the man in a crumpled heap on the floor and whistled slightly.
"I know I've said it before, but remind me never to piss him off…"
As two guards arrived, Gwaine ordered them to take the man and throw him into one of the cells before moving over to Gaius.
"How is he?"
"Tired. He must have used quite a lot of energy creating that shade… Not to mention what he probably did when he was wherever he was…"
Gwaine left, planning to arrange a group of men to head out after Arthur, promising to return before he left. Gaius watched him leave, and then turned back to Merlin. Noticing the wound at his shoulder, he immediately started gathering bandages and salves and set to work fixing him up. Ten minute later, and he had just finished when Archie ran into the room.
"How is he Gaius? Is he okay?"
"He is tired. We have to let him rest." Ignoring the young boys protests, Gaius shuffled him to the door and followed him out, shutting the door behind him and leaving Merlin to sleep.

Almost an hour later, Gaius returned to fin Merlin sat at a table, tearing at a loaf of bread. Turning to him, Merlin spoke, his words barely legible through the mouthful of food in his mouth.
"We don't need to worry 'bout that ambush. It failed. Some guys called the Brotherhood of the High Priestess…" Merlin swallowed and took a mouthful of water. He started to speak as soon as he had swallowed.
"…were behind it. Either way, it doesn't matter, Arthur should reach the druids before nightfall, hopefully without trouble…"
Gaius interrupted.
"Before nightfall? But it should only take a day and half to reach…"
"Well, they have to bury Arvin…" Merlin's fist clenched as he said it, he felt an ache in his chest. Refusing to give in to the sob that was threatening, he turned to Gaius. He had work to do.
"The power is starting to build up again. Do you reckon I can create the shade again, Gaius?"
Gaius stopped himself from attempting to console Merlin about Arvin. He knew that Merlin didn't want it. Not now. Clearing his throat, he answered,
"The legends say that once a sorcerer had created a shade, it became easier to create it again... But Merlin, you must be careful. If you are planning to keep up such a spell for the entire day you must conserve your energy. The more spells you cast, the harder it will be o keep up the shade."

Merlin thought this through, and realised that, as well as the knife through his shoulder, the fact that he had used so many powerful spells to heal Arthur was likely one of the reasons he couldn't keep up the shade in the forest. This thought was stopped short as a burning spike flared through his body. Falling onto the bench, he felt for the part of his mind that had left with the shade, and had the strange sensation of flying. A matter of moments later, he felt himself detach from his body and he grinned, getting to his feet. He nearly fell back again as Gwaine burst into the room.
Stopping still at the sight of Merlin, Gwaine's mouth fell open, for once, speechless.
Merlin spoke up,
"Are you still planning to head out after Arthur?"
Gwaine blinked a couple of times then cleared his throat. He had seen stranger things than this… Possibly.
"Yeah… I have twenty men ready to saddle up. Why?"
"Because I don't think it will be much use. Even if they do get into trouble, you won't reach them in time." Merlin paused before continuing.
"And because I'm sure that the man who attacked me isn't the only one within the walls of Camelot. You need to set up guards for Gwen and the advisors. The group that he was working for have threatened the downfall of Camelot, and I have a feeling that they mean business."
Gwaine nodded, bemused. "Yes sir. Whatever you say sir."
Merlin shook his head, stifling a smile. It was becoming far too easy for him to take charge… He focused on the clearing that he had been in, earlier that morning, and felt himself drifting, the last thing he saw was Archie bursting into the room, screeching to a halt and pouting.
"I always miss the exciting things…" he complained, then everything when dark.

Suddenly he had leaves beneath his feet, was surrounded by trees, and was stood not two metres from where the knights were laying stones onto a mound. Arthur looked up at the sound and got to his feet.
"Merlin? What on earth happened?" Merlin remembered that the last thing they must have seen was him vanishing with a knife stuck in his shoulder and grimaced.
"Can I not tell you as we go?"
Arthur nodded, and the others prepared to mount their horses.
"Sure… we're just about done here…" he tossed Merlin a small rock, and Merlin was surprised when it landed firmly in his hand, not falling through his vapourous form. Turning, he knelt and placed it on the top of the pile that marked Arvin's resting place, muttering a few words under his breath; he was rewarded by a small shoot spurting up from the ground. Arvin loved oak trees… Getting to his feet, he drifted over to where the others were waiting. Arthur looked at him.
"Please tell me than you can drift or something?" Merlin felt a grin form and nodded.
"I'm a misty, vapour like substance that can do magic. What do you think?"
"Good." That was Bedivere. "Then you can tell us what the hell just happened and what on earth you are…"
Merlin sighed. This was going to take a while… Following the knights, and starting to tell them what had happened, Merlin looked back at the grave only once.
Easily keeping pace with Arthur, he answered all of the questions directed at them, and realised that, until they reached the druids, he was going to be doing a lot of talking…

(Not the best chapter ever... in fact, I dont really like it. Sorry about Arvin. I was starting to like the idea of his character... but yeah.
Hope you guys think its okay, and I promise the next chapter will be better.)