Disclaimer: I, most regrettably, do not own Merlin. If I did, the series would either still be going on, or it would have ended in a way that actually made sense. Alas.

A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews, and I'm super sorry for the delay! Please review, and enjoy! :)

Of Remorse, Rescue, and Repentance

Part Two: Rescue

It took Daegal much too long to make it back into Camelot's borders. He had moved as quickly as possible, but he had had to stop and hide several times when he heard rustling in the foliage around him. It could have been something harmless like a rabbit, or something not so harmless, like Morgana, and Daegal couldn't take the chance of getting caught. He had failed Merlin, and Merlin couldn't afford for Daegal to be caught and killed now. Daegal knew that he had to get to Camelot as soon as possible to get help, or Merlin would die. He supposed that it was actually kind of a good thing that Morgana had wanted a drawn out, painful death for Merlin, because even though it meant that Merlin was in agony, he had time before he died, which meant that Daegal might be able to save him.

He was actually quite surprised that he had actually made it back into the city without being caught by Morgana or one of her minions. She had people patrolling the area, but Daegal had spent almost his entire life sneaking around for one reason or another, so he was able to evade any would-be adversaries with relative ease. By the time that he reached Camelot's borders, night had fallen, and Daegal's mind wandered back to Merlin, who was alone in the forest in the dark. The boy suddenly wondered what would happen if a wild animal or a bandit happened upon the other man. Daegal knew that there was no way Merlin could defend himself against a butterfly at this point, let alone an actually dangerous foe. He needed to get in, find help, and get out – fast.

He was able to make it past the guards without injuring himself this time, and it didn't take him long to find the physician's chambers. He stopped at the door, briefly wondering if he was making the right decision in going to Gaius for help. He had betrayed the man's ward, but now he was trying to right his wrong, so maybe the man wouldn't be too terribly angry with him. At any rate, Daegal knew that he had no choice, no matter the consequences. He knocked softly on the door, and when there was no immediate answer, he knocked louder.

A few moments later, his efforts were rewarded as the door swung open, revealing the haggard face of an old man. The physician regarded his late-night visitor for a moment, and it took everything that Daegal had to hold the man's lopsided gaze. Finally, Gaius released him from his stare and asked, "Who are you?"

"I—I'm Daegal, sir. And I've made a mistake."

Gaius narrowed his eyes. "And why are you coming to me about it, boy?"

"Um, because, well…" he hesitated, suddenly terrified of the elderly man.

"Spit it out!" Gaius ordered, and Daegal hastened to obey.

"It's Merlin," Daegal said mournfully. "He's in trouble – and it's bad."

Merlin was freezing. When the sun had sunk and the night chill had settled over him, the young warlock had first hoped that the cold air might help numb some of the gut-wrenching pain that was assailing his body in every conscious moment. It hadn't. The pain was so deep, so raw, that nothing could even put a dent in his agony. And there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't even scream, because his voice had left him long ago.

Merlin's breathing was horribly ragged, and he no longer even had the strength to turn over if his stomach rebelled again. Thankfully, the nausea had seemed to have passed, but it had quickly been replaced by the feeling that he had been stabbed in the gut repeatedly with a fiery blade. Still, Merlin hadn't thrown up again, which was a good thing, considering he might choke to death if he did so again. He had no strength left in his body.

Daegal had left him hours ago, and there had been no sign of him since. Merlin knew that he was going to die out here, alone and cold, and Arthur would have no one to protect him, and Albion's future, everything they had worked so hard for, for so many years, would be destroyed.

Merlin wondered if Daegal had been caught. If the boy was even still alive.

The fog that had taken over his mind on and off through his entire ordeal began to return, and Merlin found that he was glad to have unconsciousness return to him, for when he was in its grasp, the pain was slightly dulled. Maybe this time, he would die, and he would be fully relieved of his pain. Wait, no. He didn't want to die, did he? No… he had to stay alive. For Arthur.

He passed out.

When Gaius heard the full story from Daegal, he was furious. The thought of Merlin having been deceived like that was bad enough. Merlin was a kind man by nature, although the years of fighting Camelot's enemies had hardened him some. He wanted to help people, and his compassion had been his downfall.

Gaius didn't take any time to lecture the boy, or try and throttle him (like he really felt like doing at this point), however, because he was so focused on getting everything that he needed together for the journey. Based on Daegal's description of the poison that Morgana had used on Merlin, he knew the herbs he needed, but he decided to take anything that might be of use should his assumption be wrong, for he was going to take absolutely no chances when treating the young man who was like a son.

He sent Daegal away with directions to Sir Gwaine's chambers and orders to ask the knight to come to Gaius's chambers immediately. He had then hastened to Arthur's chambers, knowing that Arthur needed to know about the threat to his life that his guests presented. Daegal had told him everything that he knew about Morgana and the queen's plans. Gaius hoped that he could get in and wake Arthur without the enchanted Guinevere waking and attempting to stop him. Thankfully, the queen was sleeping peacefully, and Gaius managed to wake Arthur, ask to speak to him alone, and escort him into the empty council chambers.

"Gaius," Arthur said, stifling a yawn. "What is this about? And why can't my own wife know about it?"

Gaius had considered this line of questioning on his way to Arthur's chambers, knowing that the king would want to include Guinevere. He hoped that the reason he had come up with would suffice, or the situation would get even more sticky, and that was something that Merlin, if he were even still alive, could not afford. "I'm sorry, Sire, but this is top secret, and if the queen were to have knowledge of this plot that has been revealed, she would be in grave danger. You must not tell anyone."

Arthur accepted this explanation, and Gaius told him a slightly modified version of Daegal's story, leaving out Guinevere's involvement. Arthur's eyes widened throughout this tale, and when Gaius had finished, the king asked, "And you are sure these claims are true? The Sarem is not to be trusted, by any means, but he has spies on the inside, and assassins who plan to kill me?"

Gaius nodded seriously. "I am afraid this is true, Sire."

"And Merlin?"

"Yes, I fear that he, too, is in grave danger. I have sent for Sir Gwaine, in the hopes that he might be able to accompany me to where Merlin is, for the Valley of the Fallen Kings is no place for an old man and a sick man to be without protection."

Arthur stepped forward. "Better yet, I will accompany you, too."

"No, Sire," Gaius protested. "I do not think that that would be wise. You have to deal with the Sarem's betrayal. If I can have Sir Gwaine, and possibly one other knight to accompany me, then I will be satisfied. Also, my informant will be in peril, seeing as he risked much to betray Morgana and tell me of her plans. As much as I resent the boy for his part in this, he is just a boy, and he may be able to take the right path after this. He needs protection, in the castle, My Lord, if you will allow it."

Arthur inclined his head in agreement. "Consider it done. I will call a meeting with the Council, but don't worry – I will not wake Guinevere, for you are right – she does not need to be subjected to this danger. We will decide what to do about our guest immediately. As for your journey, take Sirs Gwaine and Percival with you, and if you need anything else, please do not hesitate to ask."

Gaius smiled grimly. "All I desire is permission to leave at once, and your safety, Sire. Please be wary."

"I shall. And you may go." Arthur's hardened eyes softened for a moment, as did his voice. "And Gaius… bring Merlin back alive, please? I… really don't think I can stand another day of Guinevere's dressing me."

Gaius instantly saw past the last remark. Arthur's concern was evident in his eyes. Gaius knew that the king wanted more than anything to go with Gaius and the knights to Merlin's side, but the situation Camelot was in was precarious, to say the least, and the city could not afford to have their king absent at a time like this.

"Thank you, Sire. I will fetch Sir Percival, and retrieve Sir Gwaine from my chambers, and we will leave at once. I will give Merlin your regards."

"Please do," said Arthur. "Bring him home, Gaius."

"I promise," Gaius said, all the while hoping that he would be able to keep his promise. Merlin, hold on, my boy. Just a little bit longer, and you'll be all right.

Gwaine and Percival had been more than eager to escort Gaius. Both men – Gwaine especially – were friends of Merlin, and they wanted to do everything that they could to save him. Gaius had been given directions to where Merlin was by Daegal, and so the trio had set out immediately, each one hoping vigorously that they would be returning to Camelot as a foursome.

They rode horses, which greatly reduced the travel time, and by the time that they reached the Valley, dawn had barely begun. Thankfully, they had not run into any bandits or minions of Morgana's, and within five hours of Daegal's arrival at Gaius's chambers, the physician and knights stood by Merlin's still form, horrified at the state of the young man that had a special place in each of their hearts.

"Hell," Gwaine cursed. "Is he even alive?"

Gaius, kneeling beside Merlin and feeling for a pulse, nodded slowly. "Yes, he is alive, but only just. He is barely breathing." He tried to look at Merlin as if he were examining just another patient, but the paleness of Merlin's skin and the labored breathing tore at his heart. "It seems I was right about the poison used; his symptoms are all consistent with what I thought. I have the herbs needed for the antidote right here, and it will only take a few minutes to prepare it. While I do that, Gwaine, will you and Percival see to his wounds? His leg needs to be bandaged, and quickly – he's lost a lot of blood. The head wound is worrying as well, and it needs to be cleaned and bandaged. I have bandages in my bag, and there are water skins in there as well."

Gwaine and Percival quickly set to work, as did Gaius. The old man focused all of his attention on grinding the herbs into a tincture, although he couldn't help but glance worriedly at Merlin a couple of times while he worked. Everything about this was utterly wrong.

Gwaine had just finished binding the cut on Merlin's leg when the sound of a twig snapping rent the relative silence. Percival, who had finished with Merlin's head a little while ago and had been standing guard near the horses, hefted his sword, ready for a fight if needs be. Gwaine quickly joined him, telling Gaius to keep working and they would handle whatever was out there.

Both men slunk through the trees like shadows, determined to meet the threat before it could get anywhere near Merlin and Gaius. How Merlin had remained unseen by the bandits and wild beasts that roamed these parts was beyond the knights, but now that there was something out there, both men knew that they would do whatever it took to keep Merlin safe.

Gaius was kneeling by Merlin, preparing to administer the medicine, when the sounds of a scuffle began to sound from the trees above. Gaius hoped fervently that there were not many bandits, because even though Gwaine and Percival were more than capable of defending their charges, even two men with their strength, stamina, and courage could not defeat an enormous number of foes. Gaius briefly wished that he had asked Arthur for more men, but he had been counting on stealth to get them through the forest and to Merlin.

Gaius turned his thoughts away from the fight going on above him and used smelling salts to rouse Merlin, whose eyes barely cracked open.

His mouth opened, but no sound came out, and Gaius wasn't even sure if the boy even recognized him at all. Gaius fought back tears as the sound of swords clanking and men yelling continued in the background. The physician felt as if his heart was breaking, and seeing the unparalleled agony in Merlin's blue eyes was more than he could bear. But he had to bear it, for Merlin, whether he knew it or not at this point, was counting on him to be strong and save him.

Gaius managed to get the medicine down Merlin's throat, but his relief at having given his ward the cure was short lived as Merlin jerked, grasped Gaius's hand with a sudden burst of strength, and started seizing violently.

"Merlin!" Gaius croaked, doing his best to hold the young man still, but Merlin's spasms only got worse.

"Gaius?"

Gaius looked up, eyes wide and terrified, when he saw that Gwaine and Percival had returned, looking battle-worn but eager to help. "There were only ten men," Gwaine explained quickly, even as he and Percival rushed to Gaius's aid and tried to help still Merlin's tremors. "We took them easily. But there are reinforcements on the way, so we need to get out of here as soon as possible. What's wrong with Merlin? Did you give him the cure?"

"Yes," Gaius said frantically, "but he was so far gone by the time we got to him, I'm not even sure that it will work!"

"He'll be okay," Percival said optimistically, but his grim eyes showed his doubt.

Finally, Merlin was still and quiet once more, and although his chest was barely moving, he was still alive.

"We should get him back to Camelot as quickly as we can," Gaius said as Percival gently lifted the servant and carried him toward the horses.

The sound of horse's hooves and angry battle cries echoed from the woods up above, and the three men looked at each other, wide-eyed.

"Yeah," Gwaine agreed, mounting his horse and allowing Percival to position Merlin as comfortably and carefully as possible in front of him. The long haired knight glanced up to where the sound of the reinforcements was coming from and asserted, "It's time to go."

A/N: I hope that the "rescue" bit was to your liking! :) Last chapter will be here soon, and it will involve Daegal talking to Merlin, as well as an Arthur and Merlin reunion, and the tying up of any loose ends. Please review, and I'll update as soon as I can! ;)

~Emachinescat ^..^