I'm sorry, I meant to get this up yesterday, but with writing a new oneshot and all the writing I've been doing lately anyway I suppose my brain sort of fried. Not to mention tha fact that I had to rewrite this chapter 'cause i didn't like the way it turned out. I'm still not entirely happy with it but I hope you like better than I do. I also realize that its shorter than normal, don't worry, I plan on updating again real soon. If I'm lucky; maybe even today. Thank you for all the loverly reviews; they really do help with my motivation and overall confidence. Warning: First swear word in this chapter, though, I suppose it depends on what you call swearing. Anyways...here you are!

Previously: "Merlin, shut up, you're annoying."

And for once Merlin did, though Arthur later would come to the conclusion that it was the boy's strange ability to sense when something bad was about to happen. Because just then; they left the safety of Camelot's walls and entered the forest where they were going to hunt. Never before had a trip been so wrongly named.

In fact it was because something felt off that Merlin kept quiet. He didn't quite understand what he was feeling, but on more than one occasion he'd had the strange sensation of a cold chill trying to consume his magic that he had learned to listen to. Because not long after something bad would happen.

The most recent, and by far the worst, occurrence of this rather nauseating feeling had been when Arthur had held up that stupid hat he apparently had to wear at the treaty banquet. He had thought at the time that the feeling had just been associated with idea of wearing that thing, but had, all too late, realized its true meaning.

Merlin had often wondered if he had some tiny sense of precognition; just the smallest ability to see the future. If perhaps his magic was so powerful that it allowed him to know when something bad was coming. Or perhaps it was just his magic sensing things or people of magical power. Or maybe, currently, it was just the exhaustion catching up with him. He really didn't know. But in any of those cases Merlin decided that the sooner this hunting trip ended the better.

The day passed by like any other hunting day, well, it would've if it hadn't been for how tired Merlin looked and probably felt.

Arthur was rather mad at himself. After all, he had known how tired the boy was after all the stupid chores he'd given him yesterday. He'd known that the boy would work himself until he dropped despite all outward appearances. But he had gotten caught up in the annoying mask that Merlin put on; he'd focused only on what the idiot had wanted him to see, but not what was really there. Merlin looked like he shouldn't be able to walk, which was probably why he wasn't currently moving.

A few minutes ago Merlin had fallen like the clumsy nut-head that he is, but this time he hadn't gotten up. Arthur of course hadn't realized it until he noticed that his ears were no longer ringing from the noises that Merlin made. Probably because he wasn't making any noises at all.

Arthur rushed back to where he'd last heard Merlin and sure enough; he was there. He was awake and looked perfectly capable of getting up, yet he hadn't.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" Arthur asked, afraid of the answer, after all; it was Merlin.

"Oh, Arthur, I'm just…lying here."

"And why are you doing that?" Arthur asked suspiciously.

"Because I…don't feel like getting up." Merlin sounded like this was a really uncomfortable situation for him. And no wonder; he was lying on the ground.

"Don't feel like or can't get up, Merlin?" By now Arthur was pretty sure he knew the answer.

"Maybe a little bit of both since you look kind of angry?" Merlin stated it as a question; probably wondering if it was safer to stay on the ground.

Signing, Arthur looked around. It was only a few hours before sunset; they would've been heading back to the camp soon anyway. Arthur reached down first to pull the few dead rabbits and weapons off the boy so he could carry them himself, and then he grabbed Merlin's hand in own strong grip and heaved the boy up. But the thing that bothered Arthur the most was not having to carry his own weapons and kills, it was not having to end today's hunting a little early. No, what was bothering Arthur was how easy it was to lift Merlin up; no one but a little baby should be that light.

Arthur knew he was a strong person; after all, that was how he was able to carry everything that Merlin normally carried as well as support Merlin himself. But no matter how strong he was he'd always had a good sense of weight, and that boy was far, far too easy to lift. He'd have to do something about that.

Slowly they hobbled their way back to the camp, which still had to be set up, with Merlin carrying about a quarter of his weight and Arthur carrying all the rest. They didn't say anything to each other; partially because Arthur was concentrating on getting them back before it got dark, but mostly because he was trying, really trying, not to yell at Merlin. Or perhaps at himself.

He'd gone on this trip after all to get the idiot to rest and to figure some things out. Honestly, he'd basically already told the whole kingdom that the boy was his friend when he'd gone and gotten that cure for him. But instead of figuring out what he believed, or making sure Merlin got some proper rest; he'd worked the boy into the ground, literally. It was just so hard to remember that he was more than a ridiculous servant when he always acted like one.

He'd known that bringing Merlin along would make it almost impossible to kill anything on this trip, so what had been the point of everything so far? He had made a promise to Gaius and he planned on keeping it, starting now. So he'd stop going around and around in circles with this constant berating of himself and get Merlin to the camp where he could lay down.

And just like that they were there. Well, actually it had taken a few more minutes after Arthur's resolution.

He set Merlin down and began setting up the camp, and even though he wasn't as practiced as a servant might be; he still was able to do it fairly quickly. So when the fire had been started and food was cooking over it, and the bedrolls that they would be sleeping on had been laid down; Arthur finally spoke.

"What in the name of all the idiots in the world were you thinking, Merlin? If you felt like you couldn't walk then why didn't you tell me?"

He and Arthur were currently sitting on the opposite side of the warm fire. Thank goodness Merlin was feeling good enough to sit on his own now, since Arthur didn't think he'd be able to shout at someone who couldn't so much as sit without someone propping him up.

Merlin, on the other hand, had known this was coming. Ever since Arthur hadn't so much as called him an idiot for falling down he'd known that the prince was angry. So when the prat finally said something he flinched in anticipation of what was to come. What he hadn't expected was Arthur's supposed reason for being angry.

He in turn felt angry, shocked, and more than a little incredulous at the words that came out of his mouth. He'd had every intention of taking the verbal beating meekly; considering the fact that he didn't feel good enough to argue, something that was a bit of a first for him. But when Arthur had actually asked all those stupid questions Merlin had somehow managed to find the energy.

"What was I thinking? I was thinking that if I told you that I didn't feel well you'd tell me to stop being a girl. To toughen up. To stop being a lazy idiot!" Merlin normally didn't let any of the insults Arthur threw his way bother him, but when he'd had the gall to ask a question that he was the cause of the answer…it bothered him to say the least.

Arthur stared; dumbfounded. Merlin had never yelled at him like that before. He'd seen the boy get a bit angry; he'd heard the insults and jokes the boy would make at his expense. But he'd never seen Merlin like this before. Merlin didn't get angry. He'd get annoyed sure, but everyone gets annoyed.

And the worse bit of it was; Merlin was right. If he hadn't been paying attention lately to the boy's health then he probably would've called him all those things and more. Looking at Merlin now; with his head in his hands and his shoulders slumped as if they had the weight of the world on them; Arthur knew one thing for certain.

Everything in his life seemed to have been turned upside down in the last few weeks alone, and yet, when he was with Merlin that didn't seem to bother him. And that was because Merlin was his friend; was the only true friend he'd ever had even though Arthur wasn't so sure that he; Prince Arthur, acted like his.

And as Merlin lifted his head up and Arthur held out a plate of food to him; Arthur knew one thing for certain, just one thing.

He was a complete and utter ass for acting this way. So he said the only thing he could say,

"Merlin, you're right…and I'm sorry."

"What?"

I know; evil meanie clifhanger, but I really do plan on updating soon so don't worry. As always review and tell me what you thought. Tell me what I did wrong, tell me what I did right, and anyone who does will get a package of mental chocolate, (note: mental chocolate or mind chocolate as it is sometimes known as can be unpredicable and often gets lost in the mental mail.) Until next time...