A/N: So...hi. It turns out that writing long-distance is just about as difficult as it sounds. More on that later though. Enjoy the chapter! (We don't own Merlin)
Merlin sat on the edge of his bed, his eyes fixed firmly on the floor.
Gaius had already gone to sleep for the night, an hour or so before. But Merlin, despite being absolutely exhausted, found that he was unable to do the same. There were far too many thoughts plaguing his mind.
Gaius had refused to eat more than a couple spoonfuls of broth that evening for dinner. And it had taken more than a little bit of coaxing and pleading on Merlin's part to get the old man to down some medicine.
"We both know it'll be wasted on me, my boy," the physician had spoken quietly when Merlin had brought the bottle of medicine over to where the old man was lying on his bed. Despite the fire Merlin had built up in the fireplace right next to his mentor, it was easy to see that the man was still cold. He was still shivering under the pile of blankets Merlin had covered him with, although he said nothing of it.
"You have to take it, Gaius," Merlin answered, his voice pleading. "It'll help you to get better."
Gaius just shook his head slightly, his eyes too tired to remain open as he continued to speak to his ward. "It's no use, Merlin. You must know that."
"But this is a new remedy, Gaius," Merlin insisted. "Something we haven't tried yet. I found another healing spell in my magic book today. I used it on the medicine. It'll work this time. I know it will-"
"Merlin," Gaius said, his voice suddenly gaining a little strength as he forced his eyes open once more. He lifted a shaking hand from where it rested on top of the blankets, and Merlin immediately reached out to grab it.
"You shouldn't talk, Gaius," Merlin said, his voice shaking slightly. He knew that whatever it was that Gaius wanted to say, it couldn't be good.
"You need to hear this, Merlin," was the physician's simple response.
Merlin wanted to refuse to listen. To somehow make his excuses and bolt. But Gaius was now staring straight into his own eyes, and Merlin found that he really didn't have any other choice but to nod for the physician to continue.
"You cannot save me, Merlin," Gaius stated simply.
"But I can-"
"No," Gaius said in a firm voice. Or at least, in as firm a voice as he could manage in his current weakened state. "You cannot, Merlin. And you've been running yourself into the ground trying. This has to stop."
"But this time-" Merlin began, his voice getting caught in his throat as he struggled to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall.
"Oh, my boy," the physician said gently, giving Merlin's hand a weak squeeze.
"Gaius-" Merlin whispered.
A sad smile crossed Gaius' face as he continued to stare at his ward. "You have always been like a son to me, Merlin. And I couldn't be more proud."
Merlin started to shake his head. He didn't want to hear this. Because Gaius was trying to say...he was saying good-bye.
"Gaius-". Merlin's voice faltered. He wasn't sure what to do, what to say. All he knew was the dreadful feeling building up inside him. He took Gaius' fragile hand and placed the small bottle in it. "This is the last one, Gaius. It will work. I know it."
The physician stared at Merlin, his sorrow written on his face. He studied his ward closely. Merlin looked just as fragile as he was. His emotions were frantic and he barely had control of them. Gaius knew that there was no hope for himself. He accepted it. But Merlin-
It looked as if one small word could break him.
So Gaius chose his next ones carefully.
He nodded slightly at the young man. "Alright Merlin," he acquiesced. "But just this last time."
Seeing Merlin as distressed as he was was the last way he wanted to remember his ward. And so, finally, Gaius shakily tipped the bottle into his mouth and swallowed.
Merlin's gaze shifted from the narrow shaft of moonlight that stretched across the floorboards of his room to the small, empty medicine bottle that was now clutched tightly in his hand. He had gotten Gaius to consume the potion. Now he could only pray that it worked.
His eyelids grew heavier as the minutes slowly ticked away. He knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that he should try to get some sleep. He was going to need as much energy as possible as he continued to take care of Gaius, after all. But for the longest time, he just sat there on the edge of his mattress, his vision going in and out of focus as he continued to stare down at the bottle.
Merlin didn't know how much time had passed when he finally managed to force himself to lie down. He curled up into a tight ball on the bed, not even bothering to cover himself with a blanket, as he clutched the empty medicine bottle tightly to his chest.
The silence pushed in on him from all sides. And after a few minutes of lying alone in the dark, Merlin found that he had the sudden urge to cover his ears against the intensity of it. He tried to concentrate on something, anything, else. He focused on his breathing for a little while, in and out, in and out. He stared at the shadows on the wall. He clenched and unclenched his grip around the precious little bottle in his hand.
And finally, mercifully, the exhaustion overtook him, and he fell into unconsciousness.
Arthur sighed, rubbing a hand over his face as he looked around his empty chambers from where he sat behind his desk. He had risen early that morning. Far earlier than usual. To finally get some work done, he had told himself. But it wasn't exactly true.
The stack of council papers he had been meaning to go over sat at the corner of his desk, untouched. Arthur couldn't bring himself to think about them at the moment, though. His mind was currently clouded with other thoughts.
It wasn't until he was at the door to his chambers that Arthur realized what he was doing. He paused for a moment then, wondering if this was the best time.
"There may not be any other time," he had to remind himself. He needed to finish talking to Gaius.
The King made his way to the physician's chambers then, barely acknowledging those who took the time to bow or curtsy towards him as he went. Merlin would likely be there, he thought. He would have to think of some errand to send his manservant on while he finished conversing with the physician.
Not that he was likely to listen, of course. As bad as Gaius' health was getting, Arthur doubted that anything he said would be enough to take Merlin away from the physician's side.
But if he could just get rid of him for a few minutes...
Before he knew it, he was at the physician's door, his fist raised, ready to knock.
The King hesitated, however, taking a moment to ensure that his face did not betray the emotions that were currently roiling beneath its surface. He then sighed, giving his head a little shake, before abandoning the knock altogether and pulling the latch to open the worn wooden door.
"Gaius?" he called, giving the room a quick glance before turning towards the bed in the corner Gaius could be found in.
He was met with the sight of his manservant, sitting silently on the stool at the physician's bedside, his back to Arthur, blocking the old man from view.
"Merlin," Arthur said simply, moving into the room.
He received no response, and so the king decided to continue. "I was hoping that you would be able to polish and sharpen my sword this morning," he invented quickly, hoping that it wasn't going to be too difficult to get Merlin out of the way for a little while.
Merlin still did not answer, and it was then that Arthur noticed the slight shake in the young man's shoulders. And as he moved closer, Merlin brought a hand to his mouth, as though he were trying to prevent any sound from escaping.
"Merlin?" Arthur asked then, suddenly feeling alarmed. He crossed the rest of the room in two long strides, coming to a stop next to the bed.
And then the king saw the trail of silent tears falling from his manservant's eyes.
His eyes slowly fell downwards until he was met with Gaius' sleeping face.
Only he wasn't sleeping.
The gray pallor of his skin and the stillness of his chest confirmed his worst fears.
Gaius was gone.
A/N: Sorry if this chapter broke any hearts, especially with that last line.
Due to our conflicting schedules and busy lives, it has taken us months to get this chapter out :( Winter break is coming up, however, and we have full intentions on spinning out a couple more chapters then :D
For all of our American followers, we hope you had a great Thanksgiving and ate plenty of food! We sure did! ;)
We hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Please feel free to leave a review (it means a great deal to us!)
See ya at Chapter 5! -A and W