Gaius sat at the table for a long while longer, thinking and worrying. He would leave early the next morning but it was becoming clear that Merlin could not be left alone for the duration of his trip. The boy was obviously not concerned with such trivial things as eating and Gaius was beginning to doubt his ability to even run the errands he had planned to leave.
Another servant could deliver the potions with little instruction-Gaius made a mental note to write down which vials go to whom later-but taking care of the warlock would be more difficult. He'd be outright opposed to the idea of a servant. Just after being declared court sorcerer Arthur had tried to appoint Merlin a manservant of his own and the warlock had pitched a massive fit, claiming that he could take care of himself and didn't need anyone to do it for him.
The only thing that Merlin had allowed Arthur to do for him was give him his own room. It was less of a room than an entire chamber, much like Gaius's tower on the opposite side of the castle. However, the space required some renovations before they would be ready for the warlock to move into and so he was still sleeping in Gaius's extra room-though neither party minded much. The small room that had once been storage had become Merlin's home and the scents of medicinal herbs and dusty books had become almost like a perfume that clung to his clothes and reminded him of a safe place. But given the circumstances, it seemed that Merlin would need to move sooner than expected. The spare room was drafty and shut-off from the rest of the castle and the best thing for the warlock at the moment was to be warm and easily checked on.
Of course, Merlin would complain the entire time, but it was for the best. His own chambers had actually been ready to live in for a few weeks but the youth dragged his feet and puttered about to avoid having to leave.
His mind made up and list of things to do before he departed, Gaius stood up and went about cleaning up their dinner remains. After that was taken care of he decided to check on Merlin.
The old man opened the door to the back room quietly and immediately rushed in. Half on, half off the bed was Merlin, his shirt pulled up and damp rag still in his fist.
"Merlin!" Gaius cried but the youth didn't wake.
After trying his best to wake up the sleeping warlock to no avail, Gaius did the only thing that he could and finished washing Merlin's body, face and arms with years of medical practice and care. He retrieved a fresh shirt from the wardrobe and redressed Merlin carefully, making sure not to accidentally knock him off of his precarious position on the bed.
Despite the lateness of the hour, the next thing that Gaius did was go looking for Sir Gwaine. The knight's injuries from Morgana had healed completely and the rough man always seemed to have a soft spot for Merlin-though all of the knights seemed to. Now that he was no longer a servant and they were not expected to look down on him, Merlin had become popular amongst the knights and they often went to the tavern together.
The castle halls were quiet and Gaius only passed a few servants on his way to the knight's quarters. One of them, a pretty red-haired girl named Hanna he stopped and requested the fireplace in Merlin's chambers to be lit and the room prepared for someone to sleep in. The girl looked startled but agreed and set out with purpose.
If Gaius was worried about waking the knights when he set out on his mission, all fears died down when he closed in on their sleeping chambers. The noise was enough to wake the dead-laughter and off-key singing filled the castle halls-all coming from Gwaine's chambers.
The physician didn't bother with knocking, it wouldn't have been heard over the din anyway. Stepping into the room and narrowly avoiding being hit with a flying, live chicken, Gaius cleared his throat curtly.
Gwaine was shirtless, standing on top of his bed with a bottle of ale in one hand and his sword in the other. The scars from Morgana's attack gleamed on skin where no hair grew over anymore. At the foot of the bed was Percival, who was obviously just as drunk, branching his fists as though to fight off the other knight's sword. Sir Leon, who normally abstained from such frivolities was sitting on a chair, singing loudly an old bar song that Gaius knew well. There was also a few other knights and servants speckling the chamber, most passed out in a drunken stupor that Leon's horrible singing couldn't even break through.
"Gaius!" Gwaine roared, hopping off the bed and throwing both the sword and bottle to the ground with a great crash. The drunken knight moved as though he was going to embrace the physician but Gaius held up a weathered hand to stop him.
"Sir Gwaine I know that I allowed you to go back to your normal duties but I did not mean this." Gaius said sternly.
The knight's face didn't fall despite the scolding.
"'S just a'ittle fun, my frien'!" Gwaine exclaimed happily.
Gaius sighed. He had hoped that Gwaine would have been more help but in his condition it was obvious that he may not be of any help to anyone for the next few days.
"I had hoped that you would have been able to aide me with something but I'm afraid that you are not in any condition to do so." The old man said, dropping any formality that would have been expected around the knights, knowing that Gwaine wouldn't have cared even if he was sober.
"'Elp with wha?" Hiccuped Gwaine.
"Merlin needs to be moved to his new chambers and I am too old to do so, I thought that I would ask someone younger and more sober." The last part was added with a harsh voice.
Gwaine seemed to sober almost instantly. The man's alcohol tolerance was a mystery even to a learned man like Gaius.
"Is something wrong?" Gwaine's dark eyes had gone even darker and his face clouded over.
The physician sighed. In the background, Leon stopped singing and Percival was now paying close attention.
"Merlin is ill. I am leaving early tomorrow morning and will not be there to take care of him for a few days."
"Ill? What's wrong with him?" The dark-eyed knight asked worryingly.
Gaius paused. "I know not. I am going to pay a visit to someone who may be able to help but the trip will take at least three days time and Merlin can no longer stay in my chambers. The room is too drafty and there would be no one to check on him during that time if he stayed there."
Gwaine didn't need any more information. "Right, what do you need me to do?"
Leaving Percival and Leon behind, Gwaine and Gaius began the walk back to the physician's chambers.
Gaius explained what he could to the knight but had little answers to give to the barrage of questions he received. Along the way they encountered Hanna again, who assured them that the fire had been lit and the bed was turned down in Merlin's new chambers. Gaius thanked her and Gwaine winked, eliciting a blush and giggle from the servant girl.
Merlin was still in the same position when they returned and not even the jostling from Gwaine picking him up or the overwhelming smell of alcohol woke him.
The knight carried the man who he had come to know as his best friend solemnly, much like someone would carry a body. Gaius had given him instructions to take Merlin to his new chambers and put him in the bed. Gwaine had never been terribly nurturing and the gruff man's idea of helping a friend to bed normally either involved a woman or carrying an inebriated lump out of whatever tavern he happened to be in. However, when it came to Merlin, Gwaine somehow the knight was transformed into nothing less than a caring mother.
Merlin's new chambers were far nicer than Gwaine was used to. In fact, they reminded the knight of a cozier version of Arthur's room. The bed was huge and pushed up close to the fireplace with bright red blankets embellished in gold and the entire far side of the room was completely lined with bookcases filled with ancient-looking tomes in strange languages. Gwaine had never seen so many books in his entire life and he had seen some interesting stuff. There were a few chairs and a large table, plus a massive desk with a staircase behind it. Somehow Gwaine knew that the upper room was filled with books as well.
In his arms, Merlin hadn't stirred despite the awkward position he was being held and the jarring walk from Gaius's chambers halfway across the castle. Carefully, Gwaine laid Merlin's limp form down on the awaiting bed and tucked him in gently. The warlock didn't look particularly sick, just somewhat paler than normal and simply tired. Even in sleep he had dark smudges under his eyes, then there was the fact that Merlin hadn't woken up at all during the time Gwaine had been moving him. Curious, the knight leaned forward over his sleeping friend.
"Merlin." His voice came out no more than a whisper but it echoed in the space that was completely silent except for the occasional crackle of the fire.
"Merlin." Gwaine spoke louder but there was still no response, just deep, rhythmic breathing.
Slapping the sleeping warlock lightly on the cheek, Gwaine spoke even louder. "Oi, mate. Merlin?"
Now, Gwaine was well-versed in waking up the hungover and drunk but he didn't think that Gaius would appreciate him dumping a bucket of water on Merlin's head. Pushing past his immediate concern, the knight stopped trying to wake Merlin and instead sat on the side of the bed, putting a hand on the lump that was the court sorcerer's arm in hopes that his presence alone would help him wake up.
Gwaine wasn't sure how long he sat watching over his closest friend, watching him inhale and exhale and thinking about how as long as Merlin was breathing, he was fine. Gaius would be able to find a cure for whatever it was that was affecting the warlock and things would be fine. Gaius was able to bring Gwaine himself back from near-death after Morgana's attack after all.
Content with watching his friend breathe rhythmically, Gwaine had the chance to look around the room that Arthur had given-no, specially designed and made for-Merlin. It was far nicer than anything the knights would have and even nicer than Gaius's chambers. The tower had needed much renovation before it was livable but Gwaine wouldn't have imagined that Arthur would go as far as he did. Not only had the cobwebs and dust been swept out but it looked as though the King had let the architects go wild. The walls that could be seen from behind the bookcases were newly plastered and finished with red and gold paint. The windows had heavy-looking drapes of red and the furniture looked soft and comfortable.
"Well mate, looks like the princess is spoiling you." Gwaine said with a touch of sadness. He reached out and put a reassuring hand on Merlin's shoulder, hoping that somehow the gesture would reach his ailing friend.
