Three Revelations – The Second Revelation

Arthur had never ridden so fast in his life, mounted on the aptly named Thunder Arthur had seated Merlin in front of him and held the reins with one hand whilst trying to keep pressure on Merlin's wound with the other, he dared not take the bolt out lest he make things worse and with little else to use Arthur had ended up wrapping his shirt around the bolt and doing the best he could, silently he cursed himself for the white linen shirt was already soaked with blood.

Arthur took comfort from the small cough's and moans of pain Merlin emitted when Thunder leaped over obstacles in their rush to get back to Camelot, it proved that his friend was still alive. "Come on Merlin, hold on for me, we're almost there, its just a little further, you can do it, just hold on a little longer." Arthur kept begging praying fiercely that Merlin would hear him and continue to fight to live if only so he could scream at Arthur asking what right he had to try and comfort him when it was Arthur himself responsible for this mess. Arthur didn't care if Merlin hated him for all eternity, he just wanted his Merlin to live even if that meant he never saw him again. He spurred Thunder on faster as the turrets of Camelot finally came into view.

The guards of Camelot liked to think that they had seen everything in their time, magical creatures, plagues, enemy armies and the Crown Prince and the Kings Ward being thrown in the dungeons with startling regularity. The sight of the Crown Prince ploughing through the market on horseback screaming and cursing at all and sundry to get out of the way was a new one though. As was the bloodied and broken form of the prince's popular, goofy, manservant on the horse with him, obviously the cause of Prince Arthur's desperation. The guards overcame their shock and quickly moved the crowd out of the prince's way whilst two ran to the lower town to find the court physician and inform him that he was needed back at the palace.

Arthur barely noticed the guards clearing the market nor his knights that were scattered throughout the town and palace courtyard, he had room for only one thought.

Get Merlin to Gaius

Finally reaching the main doors Arthur refused all offers of help, he lifted his Merlin up and rushed as fast as possible to the court physicians chambers knocking aside anyone who was foolish enough to get in his way. Bursting in Arthur was grateful when one of his knights who had followed him, Sir Bedivere, swept all of the bottles and papers off the large table so that he could gently put Merlin down and start to put pressure on his wound again.

"Where is Gaius?" Arthur hissed as he realised that the kindly old physician was nowhere to be seen.

"He is doing his rounds of the lower town my lord." Sir Bedivere answered. The look of broken desperation Arthur shot him was enough to have him running out the door ready to find the physician and carry him back over his shoulder if it got him there any faster. Sir Bedivere made sure that no one else entered the room as he left, he had been training with Arthur since childhood, yet this was the first time he had seen him cry.

Come on Arthur get a grip! You are the Crown Prince and weeping and wailing like a woman isn't going to help Merlin

Arthur thought furiously to himself as fresh tears began to fall, he refused to lose his Merlin now.

Think man think, you've exhausted all the battlefield healing you can do and Gaius isn't here, what else can you do to try and fix this?

Abruptly the thought that had created this nightmare flashed across his mind once more.

His Merlin was a sorcerer

Arthur left Merlin's side and dashed up the stairs at the back of Gaius's chambers into Merlin's small room and started tearing it apart.

Come on! come on! It must be here somewhere! There's no way Merlin could keep all his spells in his head, the idiot can't even remember to turn up to work on time, or what outfit to prepare for a banquet, or when he needs to start carrying the water for a bath if its to still be hot, or…

Arthur stopped and sat down on Merlin's bed, his head dropped into his hands as Merlin's scent brought back even more memories of the goofy idiots mistakes that were so amusing to everyone but the two of them, and if they were honest they were pretty amusing to the two of them as well. Blinking back tears Arthur noticed that one of the floorboards was sticking up slightly.

Hiding in plain sight? Just like when Morgana told me that she was hiding the druid boy behind the screen?

Arthur ripped the floorboard up and gave a joyous exclamation when he found Merlin's magic book beneath. Running back to Merlin's side the joy quickly turned to frustration.

Of course it would be to much to ask for the book to be indexed, of have any form of order to it at all, it is Merlin's after all

Arthur took a moment to look fondly at his friend before resuming his desperate hunt through the book. Finally he found a spell who's description said it was a healing spell. It was basic and weak but Arthur thought that that was probably a good thing as he had no experience spell casting.

"hǣlan" Arthur whispered raising his hand so that it hovered over Merlin's wound "hǣlan" "hǣlan" "hǣlan" he screamed with increasing desperation as nothing happened.

Gaius rushed through the door but Arthur didn't stop for a moment "hǣlan"

"Merlin" Gaius whispered as he saw the state of his nephew "What happened sire?" he asked completely ignoring the fact that Crown Prince Arthur Pendragon was attempting to do magic within Camelot its self.

"There was an ambush, Merlin was hurt, please Gaius you have to help him." Arthur had never begged before in his life and yet it seemed perfectly natural if it meant that Merlin lived. Shame washed over Arthur as he avoided telling Gaius what really happened but he had to keep Merlin's magic a secret, his father would kill Merlin the instant he found out that Merlin was magical and Arthur refused to be the cause of that even if the guilt from his actions and the shame of hiding them was eating him alive.

"I can't." Gaius moaned in despair as he saw the wound. "As soon as the bolt is removed Merlin will die from shock and blood loss, if we leave it in he'll slowly bleed to death anyway."

"hǣlan" Arthur screamed again as loud as he could willing with every fibre of his being for the spell to work.

Gaius had stood by when Uther ordered the great purge, he had stood by whilst friends were burnt alive, begging for a quick death in their final moments of agony, he had stood by whilst family members died or were hideously mutilated trying to save them, he stood by until they were all gone. He refused to stand by this time.

"Sire you don't have the talent to do magic, I need you to pull the bolt out when I say so that I can cast the healing spell then I will need you to do exactly as I say as I try and heal him without magic."

"The magic won't heal him completely?" Arthur asked ready to do anything that was necessary to save his friend including covering for the court physician's magical talents as well as Merlin's.

"The spell is to weak and it has been so many years since I practiced magic I dare not use a stronger one lest it not work at all." Gaius replied forestalling Arthur's next question.

Arthur nodded and grabbed the crossbow bolt whilst Gaius dragged up memories he had buried long ago.

Arthur pulled

Merlin screamed

"hǣlan"

Arthur's second revelation was that his Merlin was more important to him than anything, even his father's approval