A/N: So, by itself, this turned into a rather uneventful, seriously introspective chapter. Lots of fluffiness, reassuring Arthur that he's not off his nut about the whole business. But it's also kind of a sigh of relief after ratcheting up the tension for so long. We'll get moving again in the next chapter, I promise :)
Cold and stiffness greeted Arthur when he woke, just before dawn; the fire was low, and the nearby water and shore was coated in ordinary mist. His first thought was why he had been allowed to sleep so long, but his protesting injuries at the slightest movement kept him from blurting this out to Gaius. Regardless, his own welfare was far from top priority in his mind. He gingerly rose to a sitting position.
The clearly weary physician checked over a still-unconscious Merlin. Arthur hoped it was just the pale not-quite-dawn that gave his manservant such a ghostly appearance.
"How is he?"
"Holding on," Gaius replied, tipping some kind of medicine between Merlin's lips. "His spirit's taken a lot of strain from both sides of the fight, Sire, only to be pulled back into the rigors of working a human body. The weather certainly hasn't helped. Perhaps you could get more firewood, if you're up to it? I think we'd all feel better for that."
Arthur nodded. He could use something to occupy his mind, get him moving again. Anything to keep him from just staring at Merlin. The forest was quiet. He bundled tightly into his cloak, only extending his good arm to pick up fallen sticks and pieces of branches. The menial labor was strangely therapeutic after such a stressful quest—he should find little things like this to do more often. Give Merlin a break from time to time. Goodness knew the manservant deserved it.
The open air was considerably lighter in color by the time he returned to camp. Gaius had forgone his own cloak in an effort to ease the chills Merlin had developed. Arthur hurried to rebuild the fire. "Put that back on! I don't need two ill subjects, least of all my physician!"
Gaius obeyed with a small smile. Arthur knew he ultimately couldn't tell his old mentor what to do, not really. Not to say that Gaius was insubordinate, of course. It was simply hard for Arthur to imagine being above a man who had significantly contributed to his raising. Arthur respected him and his wisdom.
The fire flared into new life. After donating his bedding to Merlin in place of Gaius' cloak, Arthur gratefully warmed his numb fingers at the flames. He was about ready to check Merlin's progress, in fact, when the unconscious man heaved a great sigh. The first real sign of life since that first awful coughing fit. Arthur leaned closer.
"Merlin? Merlin, can you hear me?"
The dark lashes fluttered. Slowly, they revealed bleary blue eyes. Both Arthur and Gaius jumped forward. Never mind that Merlin barely reacted to them. He was waking up! Maybe…sort of…
"How do you feel?" asked Gaius, checking Merlin's pulse and temperature. Merlin sucked in another groggy breath, but didn't speak.
Arthur was grinning uncontrollably. "Do you remember anything? Have any pain? You're back, safe now, Morgana won't—"
Merlin stiffened, delirious gaze full of fear. He made the feeblest attempt at struggling Arthur had ever seen. And it obviously taxed him of all the energy he had, quickly. Gaius hurried to prepare something, so it fell to Arthur to hold his trembling friend still.
"Hey, hey, I'm sorry. That was stupid of me. I'm a clotpole, alright? Listen, she's gone, she can't get to you anymore." The blankets slipped from Merlin's shoulders. Arthur tried to right them and cradle Merlin's head at the same time. "We took care of her for good. You're safe, we're all safe." An idea struck him. "Hey, Freya was here. She helped, she made sure you came back."
Just as quickly as Morgana's name instilled terror, the mention of Freya calmed him down. His thin shoulders sagged into Arthur's grip, and the smallest smile curled Merlin's features. Gaius turned to them with a vial of potion. Arthur gently knuckled the servant's chest to wake him up. "Hang on, there. We need you to drink something first."
Merlin grimaced at the taste. If the smell was anything to go by, Arthur didn't blame him. Then he began to squirm again when Gaius put a second vessel to his lips.
"It's just water, Merlin," soothed Gaius. "Your body has much to recover from." Between the two of them, they coaxed a fair amount of the plain liquid down Merlin's throat. He looked less troubled as they at last allowed him to sink back into unconsciousness. Arthur could be content with that for now. Having settled his friend into the blankets once more, he sat back to watch the sun begin to crown the distant mountains.
"We should make for Camelot soon, if you think he'll be able to travel. The sooner he has a proper bed and food, the better. And I need to know the state of the kingdom. Make sure Gwen and the knights are okay, and everything," he told Gaius.
His longtime friend and advisor nodded. "I agree, Sire. This episode has certainly been a step in the right direction. We should be able to get him on the horse once it's fully light. Until then, you should eat something."
"Only if you agree to rest, Gaius. You've earned it."
Arthur watched Gaius settle into his layers of covers. They could wait until midmorning to get moving; all three of them were a little the worse for wear, in their own ways. The return journey would have to be taken at a manageable pace. Arthur found he didn't mind the idea, even if he was worried for everyone back home. Merlin was alive and Morgana had been routed, that was plenty to be getting on with for the time being. And to boot, there was this inexplicable sense of peace here at the lake. Arthur could yet grow accustomed to this side of magic, if he encountered it more often.
Merlin slept soundly well past the sunrise. Arthur welcomed the return of light and warmth after the long night, how everything looked normal again. Well, almost normal. His resurrected friend was still far too pale to be liked, even if his breathing and heart rate were acceptable. Arthur removed a glove so he could feel Merlin's forehead. Blast, he was developing a fever after all. Balancing the chills and the heat of the fire probably masked it during the night.
That silly old neckerchief was still a bit damp, having been ignored as soon as it was removed. Arthur dribbled some fresh water on the fabric for good measure, and proceeded to hold it against Merlin's face and neck. Merlin didn't flinch. How odd it seemed, for the king to be tending his servant. But Arthur realized he wouldn't have it any other way. How many times over did he owe his life to the man before him? Was it so bad to nurse a friend in need? If this were a quest or patrol without any kind of physician, it would naturally fall to the other members to care for an infirm companion. And Merlin, despite his status and the grief Arthur gave him for it, had always been a companion in the end.
Besides, he had promised Freya.
The sun climbed higher, to the point where Arthur was glad of the shade. He nibbled on provisions as he alternated watching the clouds' reflection on the lake and checking Merlin. His cloak was no longer necessary, which prompted him to start cleaning up anything they wouldn't need before setting off again. Which led to lightly rubbing down the horses, who, while base needs had been taken care of, were not too happy about being left in their saddles and bridles. All of which took him twice as long as usual given his left arm was in a sling. No one was present or conscious to see if he carefully used it once or twice…
"Sire?"
Arthur jumped, causing the nearest horse to react in kind. Gaius had woken in his absence, confused as to the king's whereabouts. "I'm just with the horses. Figured I might as well start on packing what I could, and making sure things were ready."
"Fair enough." The physician rose stiffly, pulling his covers with him so he wouldn't have to bend down to fold them. In the process, his gaze swept his unconscious nephew. "Anything more from Merlin?"
"He's running a fever, though it doesn't seem too bad. I did what I could. We should get him back to Camelot as soon as possible." Arthur returned to the fireside—he had purposely let it die down this time.
Gaius nodded his agreement. "Yes, that is becoming prudent. I'll give him something for it before we leave, as well as to let him sleep on the journey. That would probably be easiest for him, I think."
They set about packing in earnest. Arthur heaved a sigh as he ran his good hand over the red dragon insignia on one of the packs. "Do you think everyone's okay back in Camelot, Gaius? We left them facing an invincible enemy…"
"Your knights are the finest in the five kingdoms, Sire. I have every confidence in their ability to hold the defenses."
"I suppose. I mean, I don't doubt them either. It's just…I left them when the city needed its king the most. What will the people think of such a ruler?"
"As you said to the council, there would have been no hope for Camelot if we didn't confront the source of the magic. I think your motives and decisions were sound. And you succeeded, in the end. Don't weigh yourself down with questions of what else you could have done."
Arthur looked out over the lake. "It's so peaceful here. Almost as if I can feel…I don't know…life, at its simplest. I wish I could take it with me."
"It's said that magic isn't just a tool for those who can touch it," offered Gaius. "They say it's the very life force of the earth, the reason we all exist in the first place. I'm sure you could find it anywhere, if you're willing to look for it." He attempted to stretch his old limbs. "Now, between the two of us, we need to figure out some way to get Merlin onto the horse."
"Why not use magic?"
The physician suddenly looked sheepish. "I—well—habit, I suppose, Sire. And I wasn't sure how…comfortable you'd be with the suggestion."
"Well, we've come this far. I meant what I said, about reevaluating the status of magic in Camelot. You and Merlin have shown me its potential for good." To both their surprises, Arthur smiled. He certainly never expected to feel gladness in saying those words. The past weeks had opened the door to many new opportunities. "To be sure, it would have to be subject to regulation just like trading or any other public activity. But like you said, it can't be evil just by itself."
Gaius bowed, a relieved smile of his own firmly in place. He carefully removed Merlin's blankets, and with a few incomprehensible words, lifted the young man like a puppet onto the extra horse (which didn't seem to know what to make of the strange situation at all). Arthur instructed Gaius how to tie Merlin into the stirrups, after which one of the cloaks was wrapped over his thin frame. From there they could finish packing and make sure the fire was doused. In a briefly embarrassing moment, Gaius had to then help Arthur onto his own horse, again because of the wretched sling. This was going to be a long healing process, indeed.
"Thank you, Freya, for everything," he whispered to the lake air. Maybe it was just his imagination, but the gentlest of winds brushed his back. The sun peeked around one of the few clouds in the sky. Everything felt right again.