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Red Sky

"Merlin?" Gaius called to his ward. Arthur and Gwen moved closer to the bed hoping their friend was going to be okay. They watched as their younger friend stirred in his unconscious position then to wake.

"Lan'lot?" Merlin moaned as he started to move his head. Gaius looked at the King and Queen nodding as if to say he would be okay. Gwen took Merlin's hand in her own, Merlin slowly opened his eyes blinking slowly trying to get used to the sudden change in light.

"Arthur?" Merlin said slightly confused to what was going on. The last thing he could remember was Gwaine hitting his ribs. How did he end up in his room?

"You fainted," Arthur said "Gwaine accidently hit your ribs and you passed out."

"I didn't faint!" Merlin cried sounding hoarse. Arthur smiled at his best friend and shook his head.

"So Merlin, do you want to tell us how you broke two of your ribs and bruised the rest?" Arthur asked, Gwen straightening up giving Merlin her best you better tell me right now look. Between the two of them and Gaius' eyebrows Merlin was trapped.

"Well you see, I was going to get Gaius herbs because you said you wanted to lie in, even though you didn't tell me you wanted to sleep in, who does that anyway?"

"Merlin!"

"Oh yeah, right I was walking past the tavern and I tripped over someone and we got in a fight and he won."

"So when you told us you won the fight in my chambers?"

"Yeah I lied." Merlin said looking down at his feet from his awkward position. Gaius hadn't let him sit up because his rib would get aggravated. He felt Arthur squeeze his leg.

"Why didn't you tell me my boy?" Gaius asked, noticing Merlin's fidgeting.

"Other people were hurt worse and you need to rest too, the last thing you need is me taking up your space and time." Merlin said feeling tired and slightly embarrassed.

"Merlin!" Gaius cried astounded by his wards careless thinking and his stupidity. "I'll always have time to see you, you, you, clotpole!" Gaius cried causing Gwen and Arthur to bow their head to hide their laughter.

"But seriously, next time, you better tell us when your hurt Merlin or you'll be in the stocks faster than you can saw tomato," Arthur said as he started to stand up giving Merlin a stern look. "I'll be back later to check on you." He said, giving Gwen a peck on the cheeks and nodded to Gaius before leaving. The king shook his head; he couldn't wait to find the man who did this.

"Okay here's the plan we find this guy, smash his face in, then give him to Arthur and say he used magic and watch him burn!" Gwaine said smashing his fist into his other hand.

"Let's not," Leon said quickly before the idea caught on. "Percival, you take Gwaine with you and ask anyone about the fight, see if anyone knows who hit Merlin. Elyan and i will look outside the tavern. Okay?" Seeing as everyone agreed to his plan, Leon marched off towards the tavern with Elyan in tow. Gwaine let out a sigh,

"Common then Sir 'Speaksalot', lets go chat to some more maids." Percival shook his head but followed anyway.

It was about an hour later when Gwaine and Percival approached the tavern, they had heard from many that the man's usual haunt was the tavern, and they should look there. There was a crowd outside the tavern cheering about something.

"Bet you the barkeeps fighting with a punter." Gwaine said elbowing Percival, not that the strong knight felt it. They speed up, after an hour of talking to dim-witted maids they were both looking for a bit of violence. Only they weren't expecting it in the form of Leon.

Leon was sparring with a chubbier man who looked a bit red-faced. Gwaine couldn't tell if it was from the drink or the fact that Leon's main target seemed to be his face. They could make out Elyan trying to reach through the crowd, every now and then snagging a bit of cloak, but Leon manage to pull free of his grasp. At this point Percival had worked out this must have been the man who had hurt Merlin. He glanced at Gwaine who had a look of hero worship on his face, before wading through the crowd, grapping both participants of the fight and pulled them apart, lifting them slightly off the ground. Leon more so as he weighed less than the fatter man.

"Merlin's ten times the man you'll ever be! Let go of me! He said Merlin deserved it!" Leon cried managing to twist free of Percival's hold and land another punch on the man only for Elyan to push him aside and take a few swings himself. He had been at the other end of the bar so had no idea as to why the fight occurred between the usually calm, thoughtful and in control knight. Gwaine finally came to his senses and helped Percival free the now unconscious man from the other two knights grasps and drag them up to the castle with a slight bounce in his step. The man who had hurt Merlin had got a beating and he wouldn't even be held responsible. Life was sweet.

"I thought I told you weren't to lay a finger on him Gwaine!" Arthur cried when he saw the man the knights had brought in. He was now conscious and sober trying to shuffle his way away from the knights.

"I didn't touch him but some other knights may have!" Gwaine cried rather joyfully while Leon and Elyan looked at the ground.

"So let me get this straight. The man said Merlin deserved it and you, Leon, assumed it was alright to start hitting him and Elyan, you joined in only after Percival separated the two of them?" Arthur said leaning heavily onto the arm of his throne, the drunk had passed out from either the drinks or the blows, Arthur couldn't care less it was more to with the fact Gwaine has just given him a blow by blow account of what he saw.

"Pretty much." Elyan said straightening his back to try remove the stiffness. Merlin had been the one watching his sister for all those years he couldn't. He didn't deserve it one bit.

"No Sire." Leon corrected. "He said Merlin was a worthless, snivelling, little coward who couldn't last a minute in a fight - and okay maybe he wouldn't. After all he's done! If people knew half the stuff Merlin's done. He's face armies without even a tiny bit of armour!." Merlin was like a younger brother to Leon. None of the other knights had seen the change to Arthur Merlin had made, and Leon was now proud to say he was friends with both of them. Merlin had taught him so much over the years, how to be a better knight, and a better person. There was no way he deserved that beating.

"Go," Arthur sighed, flicking his hands towards the door. "Go see Merlin before Gaius claims it's too late. I'll deal with this." Arthur said massaging his temples. He missed the grins his knights gave him as they left the room. Leon was right. Merlin had given so much for his kingdom, for him.

"So what do I do with you then?" The king asked the unconscious drunk.

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