AN: Happy friday everyone!
Are you all extremely excited for this week's episode? Because I am. SO EXCITED!
But I'm still trying to avoid talking too much about season five as this is trying to be a slightly spoiler-less story. Well, up to season two, so far.
And the vote currently stands at six to nineteen, with the longer version of this fic winning, so it looks like that's what's going to happen. As of now I could still change it, although it is looking pretty unlikely as I've already started writing stuff for a longer version. I hope this doesn't scare too many people away, this story will not be over thirty-three chapters long. It's currently looking like thirty, but I'm not sure. Somewhere in that range, possibly a little lower also. I have about four ideas for Arthur in the forest kind of things, plus my ending, so we will see how this goes.
Anyhoo, thank you all for your opinions and support, I'm sorry to the people who wanted me to end this now. I hope I'm not boring anyone too much. And you obviously can stop reading whenever. Although I will miss you :)
And I don't own Merlin. But that's probably because according to a personality test I took a few days ago, I am Merlin ;)
Chapter Eighteen: Recovery
Arthur was rather surprised that Percival, Gwaine and Lancelot hadn't knocked him out before they reached the druid village. They had remained completely silent all the way there, Merlin's limp body draping lifelessly in Percival's arms. The walk had seemed like it went on for so long, especially as Arthur watched the small drops of red dripping onto the path that Percival was leading them down. He knew there was nothing he could do to make the trip shorter, but it was still difficult to continue quietly as Merlin's tortured body continued to bleed in front of him.
When they finally did reach the Druid village Arthur was amazed by the change in the people there. Most had on at least some small scrap of black, and were watching Percival and Merlin in horror. Some even had tears in their eyes as they saw the still body of their savior laid out in Percival's arms. Arthur had to keep reminding himself that he was not part of a funeral procession, and that Merlin would make it through this. He was free, and he would live. Arthur wouldn't allow him to die.
Iseldir was waiting for them at the hut in the center of the village. He said nothing as Percival entered, laying Merlin down on the small cot in the corner with extreme care. Even with Percival's gentle motions, Arthur still heard a small groan escape Merlin's lips as he was deposited on the small bed. As soon as Percival stepped back, Iseldir and four other Druids Arthur didn't know moved to Merlin's side, each chanting and holding their hands over various wounds. As they did a tall woman who vaguely resembled Percival brought in water, clean towels and blankets, doing all she could without magic to make Merlin more comfortable. Once the five healers had started their work, Percival grabbed Arthur's arm and pulled him out of the hut. Arthur didn't really want to leave Merlin, but he also really wanted Percival to trust him so he didn't protest as he was brought out of Iseldir's hut and into the quiet village. Percival seemed to have something specific in mind as he led Arthur through the village at a relatively quick pace. Arthur didn't want to admit it but he was starting to get tired from all the running around and saving Merlin. He hadn't really slept well since Aredian had arrived in Camelot, but he did his best to keep up, knowing that this could help convince Percival that he would do anything for Merlin.
Once they were far enough into the woods and away from the village that no one would be able to overhear them, Percival stopped, turning back to Arthur and saying "Merlin may trust you, but you're still a Pendragon. I don't know what happened on the night when Merlin was caught, but I do know that you were with him when it happened. If you ever give me even the slightest reason to doubt you, I will make sure you don't get the chance to betray him again. And if you ever hurt him, I will kill you myself, and I can promise it will be unpleasant."
Arthur was slightly stunned as Percival finished and stalked back towards the village. It took Arthur a moment to regain control of his legs before he ran off after the larger man.
"Percival, wait!"
At first it had seemed that he would continue on, ignoring Arthur's cries but he stopped just before they reached the edge of the forest, turning back to glare at Arthur.
"I know it is my fault that this happened to Merlin." Arthur said as he caught up. "But I never wanted it to. I was an idiot. I wanted to warn Merlin, to make sure he would be safe, but all I did was put him in more danger than ever. He should hate me, you should hate me as well, even I hate me for how foolish I was. But I do want to help. I love Merlin, I really do, and I hope that eventually you will see that too. I will do whatever I can to make sure he is protected in the future, no matter what that means. And I understand why you don't trust me, but I hope that maybe, someday, you will be able to look past my birth, and see that I want the same things you want. I may have been born a Pendragon, but that does not define who I am now. I no longer follow my father."
Percival regarded him suspiciously for a moment while Arthur stood his ground, hoping that Percival found whatever he was looking for. After quite a long silence, Percival seemed slightly satisfied as he nodded and said, "Merlin saw good in you, and I can see why, and you do make him happy. He has suffered far too much, and if you are the cause of any more, you should know that you will have three able-bodied fighters to deal with. He is still like a little brother to me, and I won't see him toyed with by someone like you."
"I won't. Not to him, ever." Arthur said, looking back towards the Druid camp. "I've never felt this way before, but I know I could never hurt him."
Percival seemed to believe him, although Arthur still detected a small amount of distrust from him as he said, "Let's get back. See if we can't do anything to help Iseldir and the others."
Arthur nodded as Percival turned back to the village. The streets were empty until they reached the area outside of Percival's house, which was filled with quiet Druids. Some flinched slightly when they saw him, while others watched him with anger or mistrust, making Arthur feel quite uncomfortable. He wished he had that cloak back until he was tackled from the left by an almost unrecognizable Morgana.
"Arthur!" Morgana shouted, "We heard that Emrys was going to be executed. What happened?"
"It's good to see you too, Morgana." Arthur replied, trying to smile but not quite able to. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine, Arthur. But what about Merlin? What happened to him?"
"Uther happened to him. The king sent for a witchfinder, Aredian, and he was able to catch him. Aredian tried to torture him for information, but he didn't say anything. We were just able to get him out in time."
Morgana looked slightly shocked as Arthur told an abbreviated version of the last couple of days, wanting to get to Merlin's side. Still, he hadn't seen Morgana in months, and Merlin was most likely still unconscious, so he ignored the slight tugging in his gut, watching as Percival entered the hut.
"And does Uther know that you helped?" Morgana asked.
"I think it was probably pretty obvious when I stopped the execution by jumping up on the pyre with him, so yeah. I've made my decisions pretty clear, I don't think even Uther is thick enough to miss them."
Morgana nodded then pushed Arthur forward. "Go to him. He needs you, Arthur. Keep him safe."
Arthur gave her a quick smile before walking the rest of the way to Iseldir's hut. Percival, Gwaine, and Lancelot were all watching as Iseldir and an elderly woman continued to mend Merlin's wounds. Merlin was still asleep, although he did groan occasionally as Iseldir or the woman moved to a new wound, adjusting his body slightly each time. Arthur went to stand next to Lancelot, joining in their silent vigil.
Merlin had not woken that night. Someone Arthur was pretty sure had introduced herself as Percival's sister had brought them some food, which Arthur had pushed around a bit before setting it down on the small table in one corner of the hut and moving back to Merlin's side. The healers had left when it had begun to grow dark, all looking rather exhausted as they trudged out of the tent to get some rest. Arthur and Merlin's friends had all gathered around his sleeping form, each sitting in a flimsy chair that Gwaine and Lancelot had brought back from somewhere. Gwaine and Lancelot had fallen asleep, but Percival was still alert, just like Arthur, watching for any tiny movement, any signs that Merlin needed anything. Every once in a while either he or Percival would dab a wet cloth over Merlin's brow, wiping away any sweat that had gathered there as Merlin did his best to fight the infections that had settled in after such a long stay in the dungeons in such poor condition. At times Merlin looked almost peaceful, if you were able to ignore the bruising and scars all over his body.
And Merlin was healing. Even after the Druids left, his wounds continued to stitch themselves back together, and his whole body seemed to glow a faint gold. Somehow, his magic was fighting to keep him alive, even though he was unconscious. But that didn't mean he was in good condition. His body was covered in scars, he looked paler than usual, and his breathing was slightly labored. Iseldir had said Merlin would probably wake up sometime tomorrow, but it was difficult to tell. Nothing about Merlin was normal, the amount of magic he had used in the courtyard before they had left would exhaust an average sorcerer for weeks, and would be difficult for most of the Druids even in peak physical condition, but Merlin had done it all like it was nothing, even though he could barely stand. Iseldir had gotten slightly used to treating Merlin, but this was much worse than anything that had happened before, and even with his background knowledge any guesses he made as to how Merlin's recovery was going to progress were very ambiguous.
After explaining all this Iseldir had tried to get Arthur and Percival to rest as well, but neither of them had taken his advice. Merlin would need them to be there when he woke up, so they would stay awake and by his side until he did.
"Arthur?"
Arthur almost thought he had dozed off and was dreaming when he first heard his name, but when it came again he knew that it had to be real, and he turned quickly to Merlin. Of course, the second he turned his back Merlin would finally wake up. He had just laid his head down on the side of the cot as his neck had grown stiff from watching Merlin sleep for so long.
"I'm here, Merlin. You're safe." Arthur said, jolting upright and taking a hold of Merlin's hand.
"You really did come with us." Merlin said, smiling as his eyes opened, meeting Arthur's.
"Of course I did. I'm never letting you out of my sight again. Much too dangerous."
Merlin laughed a little at that, but the laugh quickly turned to a cough. Percival must have been expecting this as he already had a cup of water ready, which he helped Merlin drink once he had stopped coughing for long enough to drink without choking.
"That was too close, Merlin." Percival said, gently rubbing Merlin's shoulder. "You're not going anywhere on your own, not for a long time."
"Perce, I'm not helpless. I just made a little mistake."
"A mistake that almost got you killed! Merlin, I can't let you die. I should have gone with you. If I had been there none of this would have happened."
"Percival." Merlin reached out to grab Percival's arm with the hand that wasn't entwined with Arthur's. "This was not your fault. You wouldn't have been able to protect me from such a large group of knights and Aredian. And I wouldn't have let you come with me even if you had tried. I will be more careful and nothing like this will ever happen again. Uther and Aredian got lucky that night, it won't happen again."
"And I won't let him out of my sight." Arthur said, "I promise you Percival, I will keep him safe."
Percival nodded, meeting Arthur's eyes and making Arthur think that maybe, just maybe, Percival really was starting to warm up to him. Merlin apparently found this all rather amusing as he laughed and said, "You do realize that I have more power than both of you put together, right? I don't need a nanny."
"Maybe you don't," Arthur said with a smile, "but I left my life as a prince to protect you. I think that I deserve some type of recompense for that, so I've decided to make you my servant until such time comes that I no longer require your services. You will stay by my side day and night, unless specifically ordered otherwise."
"Day and night?" Merlin said with a little smirk. "Maybe we can make this work, although I'm not washing your dirty socks, no matter what you left behind. Not even I love you that much."
Arthur and Percival both laughed at Merlin's reply. Arthur couldn't remember the last time he had laughed like this. The past few days had felt like an eternity to him, and must have felt so much longer for Merlin. Arthur was still laughing as Gwaine and Lancelot entered the hut, carrying three bowls of soup each for the group gathered around Merlin and themselves. Arthur was rather impressed that they managed not to spill the food as they noticed Merlin was awake and rushed to his side.
"Merlin!" Gwaine cried out, "You alright, mate?"
"Is there anything you need?" Lancelot added quickly.
"I'm better than I have been for quite some time, and some of that soup would be lovely. Thank you both." Merlin replied, smiling up at them.
"You need to take it slow, Emrys." An elderly Druid woman said. She had arrived early in the morning to check on Merlin, watching silently until Lancelot offered Merlin one of the bowls. "The amount of magic you used yesterday was a lot, even for you. You should eat, but have someone else feed you, and get more sleep afterwards. You need rest to regain your strength."
Merlin smiled and nodded at the elderly woman. "Thank you, Glynnis. I will be careful, but I really do feel much better. I think I can handle a bowl and spoon."
"But you don't have to, Merlin." Arthur said, taking a bowl from Lancelot. "I'll be feeding you until you've recovered. Listen to the physician."
Merlin gave him a skeptical glance but accepted the spoonful of soup Arthur brought to his mouth. When the soup was completely gone, Percival helped him take another drink of water before he fell back asleep.
"You two should get some rest as well." Lancelot said, looking at Arthur and Percival. "I'm guessing that neither of you slept last night, you'll need to sleep if you want to continue to help Merlin."
Arthur was about to argue before Gwaine said, "What Lance was too polite to say is that you both look like hell. Sleep now or we'll get Iseldir to send you to sleep anyways. We'll stay with Merlin, and we'll wake you if anything changes."
Arthur still didn't really want to leave Merlin, but he knew Gwaine and Lancelot were right. He was exhausted, he would be no help to Merlin like this. Percival sighed before saying, "Come on, Arthur. We can rest in my sister's house. She has extra space."
Arthur nodded and followed Percival out of the small hut, turning back to watch Merlin sleep briefly before heading out the door. As he plodded through the little village he realized just how tired he really was. If Gwaine and Lancelot had waited much longer to order them to sleep he might have collapsed where he stood. It had been so long since he had actually gotten a good night's rest, and his body ached from fighting for Merlin and running through the castle to find the proper sword. Percival's sister's house was well-built and looked to be slightly larger than most of the others near it. It seemed to be empty as Percival led Arthur to a small room in the back that had two small cots, one in each corner. Percival collapsed on the one farthest from the door, leaving Arthur the closest one. It was uncomfortable, especially compared to the luxury of his bed in Camelot, but that didn't stop him from falling asleep the second his head touched the small pillow. Things had definitely changed for him, but he knew it was for the best. Nothing he had at Camelot could possibly compare to finally being able to stay by Merlin's side for as long as the warlock would have him.