A/N : Hi everybody! Wow, thank you so much for all your kind reviews on the last chapter, and I'm sorry for being a tease and ending with a cliffhanger like that -- Meg, if you're reading this : Look, I've updated! (smiles), I usually do after two days -- This time, no cliffy. I promise. Just a pretty emotional chapter about what happened after the cliffhanger, starting with the prologue and then we return to the time it happened.

Anyway, pleaaase tell me what you think? It really really means the world to me! (yeah, the good ol' expression! ^^)

Xo, as always

[prologue]

He leaned back in his armchair, pressing his body firmly against the fabric, needing to feel some sense of reassurance. The hope, the knowledge, that everything hadn't changed in a final, irreversable way– that some things would always remain the same. His eyes drifted towards the bed, and he pushed the emotion back when he saw the still form laying there. Merlin would be alright. He had to be.

Clenching his fingers into the armrests, he pushed himself upward and walked over to the bedside. "Merlin, I know you can hear me."

-

Merlin

The knight looked at him, the depth of his eyes portraying pure madness. "Arthur never did like me, did he?"

The sword plunged into his being, and in pure confusion, all he could do was grip the edges of the blade, nearly cutting his hands by trying to pull it out of him. He never found the strength to remove it, but it flew out when the knight prepared himself and landed another blow. This time, the iron tore into his lower belly, and the blood flow only worsened.

Merlin tried to hold a heavy pressure against his chest, pressing his palms onto the open wound, weaving the tips of his fingers together. If Arthur were here, he would throw Merlin his weapon, and he would – no doubt – fail in catching it in one swift movement. Picking it up from the out of the soft moss that covered this entire forest, he would finally be able to save himself.

No spells had prepared him for this battle.

"MERLIN!" In the distance he heard the call, followed by the swift sound of branches being pushed aside. Arthur's presence was comforting, but in a way, it made the panic spread even more. Oh Lord. If he were gone, what would become of Arthur? "SAVE YOURSELF!"

And he understood. Arthur actually wanted him to use his magic – he demanded it. "Arth –" he tried, only to figure out that his voice had left him. All that remained was the intense pain that came before dying.

One hand released the other, and he closed his eyes in concentration. His lips moved silently, and he prayed that the mere whisper would be enough to conquer this enemy. "Arudel yartha melor," he uttered feebly. "Arudel yartha.."

He felt the sword leave him and, weakened from the injuries, fell backwards. Through the small cracks in between his eyelids, he saw the blurry vision of Arthur striking the man down with his bare hands.

Arthur

The minute he had heard the unearthly scream, the fog in his mind had cleared, and there was only one thought left inside of him : he needed to run. Throwing down his weapon, for he knew it would do him no good – he instead reached for his blade that dangled by his side, and ran towards the place they had come from. Where are you, Merlin?

When he stumbled upon the sight of one of his knights piercing Merlin with a sword, his blood chilled. The shimmer he had feared had appeared at last, in the form of one of his most trusted men. He charged towards the man, screaming at Merlin to save himself. Though his friend wasn't armed physically, there was one power he possessed. The use of magic was forbidden in his kingdom, if it meant Merlin would live, he would gladly see that rule broken.

Merlin's hand clawed at the air in front of him, his lips moving silently. His body was folded slightly, and Arthur knew he was trying to hang on, but failing miserably. When he reached the pair of them, he was met, blow by blow, by the knight's sword…and he swore that he saw it glow with a power he knew not of. His sword flying, he resorted to his bare hands, clenching them into fists and swinging them at the man's face. When he finally fell, his own hands were smeared with dirt – and his chest was heaving. But that didn't matter.

"Hold him!" he screamed, motioning towards the agressor, while he went to Merlin's side. Raising his head slightly so he could breathe normally, his hand went to the stabwounds on Merlin's upper body, holding the pressure there. "You're going to be alright."

"A- thur." The word came out through a raspy voice, and blood seeped in a thin line out of the corner of his mouth.

"Shut up, you idiot." Arthur scolded lightly. "And hold on." Grasping Merlin by his knees and back, he lifted him from the ground, feeling his heart sink when Merlin didn't even have the strength to cling to him. "Follow behind, hold him captive," he instructed the other knights. "But wait a while. We must be out of sight before you mount the horses."

He raised Merlin to sit on the saddle, and seated himself behind him, holding the broken body to his chest as they returned to the castle.

-

"Alert Gaius, the court physician." The guard immediately obeyed the prince's command when he saw the state his companion was in, the sound of falling feet echoing over the courtyard. Merlin mumbled quietly, and Arthur felt lost, not knowing whether it was best to lay him down or keep him seated upright. He opted for the last one, having Merlin lean against him so the blood kept on flowing from the sky to the ground. "You're alright," he said. "We'll fix you."

"Merlin!" Gaius' cry was one of pure agony, seeing the boy who he had come to love as his own son dirtied by his own blood. He ran towards them, immediately checking for a pulse, the panic making it hard for him to think straight.

"He's still alive," Arthur set him at ease. "But I don't know for how long."

Gaius nodded, his lips drawn into a thin line. "I hope these are merely iron induced wounds." Casting Arthur a meaningful glance, an understanding passed between them. It was at that moment that the dragon's words first reappeared in his memory. The use of dark magic will make his chances of survival slim. Had the dark magic already been used on him, or was it just a prequel to whatever would happen next?

His eyes hardened. No. They weren't giving up this easily. Merlin had fought for him time and time again, saving his life. It was time he returned the favor.

-

Arthur sat in his armchair, staring at Merlin's still form. The stains of red on the once white sheets made the colour drain from his face. He pushed himself upwards, walking towards where his friend was laying, and perched himself on the side of the bed.

"Merlin," he began, "I know you can hear me." After all, when the young boy had been poisoned, he had seen the dangerous situation Arthur was in – and the pain he had experienced in the woods when Merlin was being attacked, told him that the dragon was right. They were connected. Inexplicably so. "I'm not going to tell you what to do, because you are familiar with things I don't know anything about, but I will say this : if you can save me when I am miles away, you can at least have the decency to save yourself, now."

Merlin's chest rose and fell with his breathing, but the movement was small, and irregular. Arthur cleared his throat. "I'm not leaving you until you get better. So stop being annoying and wake up."

-

Grady

"It worked." He beamed, the stars dancing in his eyes. "I don't know what you did, Ulrich, but it worked. The sorceror was in the worst state I've ever seen anyone in, and I have a feeling he will soon pass away because of the injuries he suffered. Arthur should be easy now, shouldn't he?"

His guardian's face was grim, the dark colour of black stone. "You know not of Emrys' power. I don't think we should congratulate ourselves before the battle is won."

"You speak of battle as if there is a long, tedious road ahead of us." Grady huffed disbelievingly. "Have we not worked hard enough? Have I not suffered enough through all the deaths I've witnessed?"

"You're young," Ulrich spoke to him. "It shows in everything you do: this foolish mentality of recklessness."

"I'm old enough to know what I can do." Grady defended himself. "And the only reason you're here is because I allow you to be. Don't forget that."

Superiority flashed in the older man's eyes. "The only reason you are alive is because I walk beside you." He took up his pen and put it to the paper, the words seemingly flowing from his fingers. "Don't ever try to patronize me again. You have seen what I can do."

Grady jutted his chin stubbornly, but remained silent. If Ulrich wanted to act that way, it was fine by him, for he would be the one crowned King, and not his guardian. He would have an army under his command, and the power to burn people at the stake if he ever thought them to be guilty of treachery. He already knew who would go first.

As if reading his mind, Ulrich's eyes suddenly snapped towards him, and a devious smile appeared around his lips. Oh, he planned on sticking around for a long while yet.

-

Arthur

Morgana and Gwen burst into the room, not even bothering to knock. "Merlin, do you remember that conversation we had about knocking?"

"We heard," Morgana explained, her brogue heavy in the words she spoke. "How's Merlin?"

Gwen stood a few inches behind, her bottomlip quivering when her eyes found the person in question. "Oh God," she whispered. "Is he going to be alright?" Her steps were measured and controlled when she neared them, but he saw her knees buckle when she sank onto the bed and grasped Merlin's hand.

"I think we just need to believe in the man he is inside." He told them, hinting at the faith Gwen had had when he had been the one laying there unconscious, "Because I think he is much stronger than we give him credit for."

Gwen sobbed quietly. "When we first met," she whispered, "he told me he was in disguise."

Morgana lay a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Maybe he is…" she said. "We just need to have faith. Take turns watching him."

Arthur shook his head, shooting her a glance. "You don't need to. I'm the one who failed him, I'm the one who's keeping watch."

He could tell the comment surprised them, even if it only showed on their faces for a split second. They recovered quickly. "How's Gaius taking this?"

Arthur sighed. "He's a mess – I think that he'd forever blame himself if he didn't find a way to fix him."

"You mean like you would?" Damn it, sometimes he hated the fact that Morgana seemed to read him so well. "You don't fool me, Arthur. I know how much he means to you."

He laughed the comment away. "Well, a half-decent servant is hard to find." Looking at Gwen's tear-stained face, he tried to reassure her as best he could. "Gwen, he's going to be alright."

"You have to be," she told Merlin, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "We need you. All of us."

-

Late that evening, his father stormed into his chambers, his face twisted in anger. "Your cousin told me why you weren't at supper tonight," his voice was low, threatening. "If you think I'm going to let you neglect your duties because your servant ran himself into a sword, you have another thing coming."

Arthur jumped from the windowledge, his anger rising. "Ran himself into a sword? How dare you."

"I am not having this conversation with you again, Arthur. You will finally listen to what I have to say, or I will throw you in the dungeons for a month and have your friend " he spoke the word with venom in his tone, making the loathing even more powerful, "banished from the realm, never to return again."

"Yeah? Well if he leaves, so will I." The words amazed even himself, but it was the only way to make sure Merlin stayed where he was. He sighed, knowing that his father was not to be trifled with at a time like this. He couldn't afford to be locked up, not with everything that was going on at the moment. "I'm sorry, father. All I'm asking for is a few days – after that, I swear to you that I will not abandon my duties again."

Uther shook his head, not understanding what it was about this servant that made him so important to Arthur. His son had always been a people – person, had more friends than could be counted on ten fingers, but never once had he been so protective of a man before. "You have until tomorrow evening." He eventually said. "If I don't see you at dinner, there will be hell to pay."

When he left, Arthur turned to his servant with a small smile : " Well, you heard his majesty, Merlin. You 've got 24 hours."

So? What did you think? Pleaaaaase tell me? (see, I didn't end it with a cliffy, eh?) I promise to post the next chapter as soon as possible!

XO, as always!