Arthur looked around the battlefield as he took down his last opponent to see his knights celebrating the victory they had won, all his knights that is; except Lancelot. Who was crouching by something, his face twisted with grief.
He began to approach him to examine any wounds he might have come upon but froze when the cause of his distress became obvious. "Merlin?" Arthur muttered in disbelief as he stared down at the motionless form of his manservant. The only sign that he was still alive was the slow rise and fall of his chest as he fought to breath.
"He won't make the journey back to Camelot" Lancelot murmured as he held a blood soaked cloth to the gory hole in Merlin's stomach. "Merlin please; open your eyes!" Arthur begged as he waved Lancelot away, taking his place and holding a clean rag to his wound.
Merlin groaned quietly before his eyes fluttered and opened slowly, focusing solely on Arthur.
"Ar...thur" came the weak reply and Arthur breathed a sigh of relief "you'll be fine, just keep looking at me and keep breathing!" Arthur said as he felt a tight constricting feeling in his chest. "We won" Merlin whispered before he began coughing, blood seeping from his pale lips.
"Shush!" Arthur murmured as he gently stroked Merlin's cheek with his fingertips "don't talk Merlin, it's all right!" Arthur choked as he felt a familiar prickling in his eyes, but he refused to let the tears fall, refused to let Merlin see any weakness.
"Arthur?" he looked down at Merlin and smiled "yes?" he whispered. Merlin's hand shook as it rose to rest on Arthur's cheek and a small smile pulled at his bloodied lips "love you" was all Merlin whispered before his hand fell back to his side, before his eyes closed for the last time and his chest ceased its movement as his last breath left him. "Merlin?" Arthur muttered as he shook his manservant's still body.
"Merlin no!" he yelled as he let the tears fall, not caring who saw them. He hugged Merlin's body to him for a moment before laying the cold body gently on the floor and screamed his sorrow; Keening sounds of a broken man that shook the forest.
"MERLIN!"