A/N: Thanks again for the support! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. XD

Special thanks to the reviewers weepingelm, EasTerEggTimE, and Harpfire. You guys rock! Keep up the awesomeness.

Warning: ANGST

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin... sadly.

Chapter 5

"My magic isn't working," Merlin said, his blue eyes searching Gwen's face desperately, as if searching for an answer that lay hidden in her expression.

Gwen placed her hand on the servant's shoulder. "Does Gaius know?" she whispered, and Merlin shook his head miserably.

"You have to tell him," she commented, standing up and making her way to the door. Merlin stood up, swaying slightly as all of the blood rushed to his head. He reached a hand out, grasping at the hem of Gwen's dress with trembling fingers.

"He can't find out!" he said.

Gwen looked at Merlin sharply. "Why not?" she snapped. Guilt rushed through her, but she pushed it aside, knowing that being harsh would be the only way to shake Merlin out of it. "He has a right to know, Merlin." Her tone was kinder and softer now, as if comforting a small child. Merlin shuddered for a moment

"I know, you are afraid, but this is for the best, Merlin," Gwen said, helping him sit back on the bed. She then turned to the door, calling the old physicians name.

Gaius came seconds later, a worried expression on his face. He saw the warlock sitting on the bed, white as a sheet. "What is it, Merlin? What is wrong?"

Merlin's eyes drifted from the floor to the front of the physicians red robe, but he couldn't bring himself to look the man in the eyes. "My magic isn't working," he said after a long moment of silence. "What is wrong with me, Gaius?"

"Nothing, My boy! Nothing is wrong with you." Gaius pulled his ward in for a hug, gripping his shoulders like a lifeline, as if the contact could protect the warlock from the dark times to come. Gradually, Merlin relaxed in his arms, the tremors stopping and Gaius lowered Merlin onto the mattress.

Gwen stood off to the side, tear tracks streaking down her face. "Will he be okay?" Gwen asked as she and Gaius exited the room.

"I truly do not know," Gaius said, his voice cracking slightly.

"Why doesn't his magic work?" Gwen asked.

Gaius shook his head, giving the queen a worried glance before speaking. "Arthur's death has affected him more than we could possibly know or understand... He is not only physically sick, but his magic is sick as well..." He trailed off, leaving the room thick with silence. A question that neither of them wanted to ask hung in the air.

Would Merlin's magic ever work again?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Merlin lay listlessly on his back, staring at the ceiling, blue eyes empty of their usual sparkle. He heard the door open, but he did not move, did not even glance in the direction from which the noise came.

He closed his eyes quickly, trying to make his breathing slow, feigning sleep. He felt a hand on his forehead, fingers stroking back his raven hair gently.

"Merlin, I know you're awake," Gaius said, and Merlin opened his eyes, sitting up.

"I sent a letter to your mother a few days ago. She should be arriving in Camelot later today," Gaius said, handing the warlock a bowl of stew. Merlin picked at the stew, his stomach rolling at the smell of the food.

"I don't want to see her," Merlin whispered. Gaius stared at the servant for a moment, his eyes widening in shock.

"What do you mean, Merlin?" he asked.

"I don't want her to see me like this," Merlin said harshly.

Gaius shook his head sadly. "She is your mother, Merlin. She won't care what you look like. She has the right to come see you. Don't push her away. It will only make things worse. Now, eat your stew before it gets cold."

Gaius stepped out of the room, hoping that Hunith would arrive soon.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Red-gold sunlight shone over Camelot, the sun setting behind the trees. Gaius stood by the window, eyes anxiously watching the courtyard for any signs of Hunith's approach.

Just as the moon rose over the castle, Gaius spotted a figure walking into the courtyard. The physician moved as fast as his old bones would allow, making his way down to where Hunith stood.

Her shoulders were slumped and she was leaning heavily on a walking stick. Gaius could barely make out her face in the pale moonlight.

"Hunith!" he exclaimed. "I am very glad you were able to come!"

"Gaius!" Hunith smiled, accepting Gaius's offered hand and he led her into the castle and up to his chambers.

She looked around the room. "Where is Merlin?" she asked hastily.

"In his room resting," Gaius responded. "He is not in the best state right now. He doesn't even want you to see him..."

Hunith nodded, the smile dropping off her face. "Your letter sounded urgent," she said. "Is it true? Is the king really dead?"

"I'm afraid so," Gaius said, studying Hunith more closely. In the firelight of the room, he could see the heavy bags under Hunith's eyes. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing better," she responded, before climbing the small set of stairs into Merlin's room.

Merlin was sitting up when she arrived, his hands picking at a loose thread on the blanket that was draped over his shoulders.

Hunith stood still for a moment, taking in his pale complexion. She rushed forwards, throwing her arms around his bony shoulders. Merlin wrapped his arms around his mother weakly, tears gathering in his eyes.

"Mother..." he whispered, guilt churning in his stomach as he wished that she didn't have to see him this way.

"Merlin," Hunith said, releasing her arms and looking Merlin in the eye. "You look terrible."

Merlin looked down in shame. Hunith sighed and then said, "It's okay, Merlin. I don't care what state you are in. I am here to help you get better."

Merlin nodded in gratitude, looking his mother up and down for a moment. He could tell something was wrong, that there was something that she wasn't telling him. "How are you?" he asked her. "Is something wrong?"

Hunith shook her head, smiling sadly. "Nothing is wrong... I was sick with the flu last week or I would have been here sooner. I'm still recovering, but I will be fine. You should be worrying about yourself. When was the last time you had a proper meal? Gaius told me you refuse to eat."

Hunith grabbed the plate of food sitting on the bedside table, handing it to Merlin. The warlock shook his head at the sight of it. "No..." he said. "I don't..."

"Merlin," Hunith interrupted him. "Eat at least some of it for me. Please."

Gaius watched from the doorway, smiling as Merlin began to eat the food. Hunith glanced at him and he nodded in thanks, stepping out of the room and giving the two some time to catch up.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Three days later, Merlin was sitting in his bed, his mother sitting in a chair next to him. Merlin looked a little stronger, his face less pale and his bones less prominent. Hunith knew that he still had a long ways to go, but she was relieved that he was headed in the right direction.

"Tell me about Arthur," Hunith told her son suddenly. Merlin flinched when she said the dead king's name.

"I don't want to talk about him," he muttered, his voice small.

"Merlin," Hunith said lovingly. "Talking about the good memories you have about Arthur will help. He wouldn't want you to remember him like this, would he? Tell me about Arthur."

Merlin nodded after a few moments of silence, his heart aching with the memories of his friend.

"He was a great king who understood his people and always made the right choices, no matter how much he doubted himself," Merlin began.

Hunith nodded, smiling as she heard this. "What about to you? Who was Arthur to you?"

"A prat," Merlin said, grinning weakly. "He was a giant, lumbering clotpole. But he was my best friend."

And then Merlin began to talk, the dam that had been holding him back suddenly breaking, all of the memories of Arthur rushing at him at once. He told his mother everything, from the first day he met the annoying Prince Arthur to the day he watched King Arthur die in his arms. He told her about Freya, about Balinor, about Lancelot. He told her about all of Arthur's idiotic hunting trips, about Arthur's annoying insults, about his tendency to throw things.

"It sounds like he really treasured your advice," Hunith commented when Merlin told her about Gwen's rescue from the enchantment that Morgana had placed on her. Merlin nodded, and Hunith was relieved to see Merlin's eyes alight with happiness.

"That is what I liked most about him," Merlin said finally. "No matter how much he tried to hide it, he always listened, always cared. He never once treated me like a useless servant... well, except for the first year I knew him... But other than that, he always treated me like a friend."

There was a moment of silence as the two sat together. "Thank you," Merlin said, and Hunith nodded, standing up.

"I'm going to go make some lunch," she told him, stepping towards the door. Her head spun for a moment and her knees became weak, sending her body crashing to the floor.

"Mother!" Merlin shouted, throwing himself off the bed and onto the stone floor next to her. "Gaius!"

The physician hurried into the room, his face falling when he saw the two figures crouched on the floor. He bent down next to them, his bones protesting.

Merlin watched anxiously as the physician checked her pulse, the warlock's forehead beaded with sweat. He still felt weak and shaky, his body sore and his head pounding.

"What is wrong with her? Will she be okay?" Merlin asked Gaius frantically, his eyes wild with fear. like

"Her pulse and breathing are slow and she has a fever. We need to get her onto a bed," Gaius said, calling a guard into the room hurriedly.

The guard helped Merlin and Gaius lift the woman onto Merlin's bed, Gaius moving closer to her with his bag of herbs.

Merlin sat in the corner of the room, his hands folded under his chin. He watched earnestly as Gaius began to examine his mother, his heart clenching every time Gaius paused. After ten minutes, Gaius turned to Merlin, his expression grim. He went over to his ward, pulling a chair up next to the boy.

"Merlin, I need you to listen very carefully," Gaius said. Merlin nodded blankly and Gaius continued. "Your mother is very ill. There is nothing that I can do for her."

Merlin shook his head, standing up quickly. "There has got to be something you can do for her!" he shouted, his voice desperate.

Gaius shook his head. "The only thing that can cure her is your magic Merlin."

"No!" he said, his vision blurring. "My magic doesn't work, Gaius! I can't... I can't..." He was vaguely aware of Gaius's hands gripping his shoulders and leading him out of the room to a patients bed. He felt a bottle press into his hands, he heard the order to drink as if from miles away.

He listlessly obeyed and it was only a few minutes before his eyes drooped shut and he fell into cold darkness.

TBC