A/N: Extra-special thanks to sarajm who, because RL intervened, was beta'ing this at stupid o'clock in the morning!

Together in Spirit - Chapter 5

Yule was fast approaching, and along with the festivities associated with the season Merlin was also looking forward to his next trip back to Ealdor. It was a very busy time in Camelot, as it was in all the kingdoms, but Arthur had promised his servant that he could travel to his village once the Yule events were over. On hearing the news, Merlin had quickly written to both Hunith and Lancelot advising them that he expected to be home mid-January.

Following their get-together in Ealdor in the summer, Merlin and Lancelot had exchanged several letters, including the promised report about the training school that Merlin had dutifully passed on to Arthur.

From the tone of his letters, Lancelot was thoroughly enjoying his time at the school. The young swordsman had soon discovered that the teachers engaged by Lord Markham were all experts in their fields and there was plenty of opportunity for him to train with them. As a result, his letters to Merlin were filled with lengthy and enthusiastic descriptions of his training sessions, particularly those spent with a former entertainer - a knife thrower - who praised Lancelot's keen eye and steady hand. He had also become friendly with Montgomery and Alexander, brothers who excelled at hand-to-hand combat and were always ready to engage Lancelot in some friendly sparring sessions.

The dark-haired swordsman had also been to visit Hunith a couple of times, and knowing that his friend was nearby and had obviously become close with his mother took a great weight off Merlin's shoulders. He worried about his mother being alone and him being so far away, so knowing that his friend was ready and willing to help out endeared him even more to Merlin.

Despite starting each day at a run and keeping up the pace until he collapsed in exhaustion on his bed, the lad was happy. He had always enjoyed the Yule season, and Camelot certainly celebrated in fine style. The castle had been cleaned from top to bottom, Cook was trying out new and delicious recipes in preparation for the feast, the knights and their squires had been working on a demonstration to be held in the jousting field and Merlin was right in the thick of it, loving every minute.

Two nights before the Yule Feast, Arthur hosted a small dinner party for a few of his closest friends and Merlin spent the day ensuring that Arthur's rooms were spotless and suitably decorated, the table was set, the food and wine were organized and the small gifts that Arthur had asked the castle's potter to craft for his friends – enamelled roundels for their horses' bridals – were placed at the table. Added to all this running around he was doing for Arthur, the young servant was also giving Gaius some extra help as well.

There had been an outbreak of influenza in recent weeks and while it fortunately had not proven to be too difficult to deal with, Gaius was kept busy dispensing medicines so did not have the time to make more draughts and syrups. In fact, Gaius' store of medicines had become so severely depleted that Merlin was called upon to brew, and soon perfected, the simple remedies Gaius had taught him earlier in the year.

In the end, between his obligations as Arthur's manservant, his extra duties in helping prepare for the Yule Feast and the time he spent with Gaius treating the sick, it was no wonder that Merlin fell ill.

The morning of the Yule Feast had finally arrived and Merlin was lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling above him and trying to summon the energy to rise. The young man had not been feeling himself for a couple of days. He had a nagging headache and his joints ached, but as he not developed a fever or chills, Merlin figured that his pains were nothing more than overwork and not enough sleep. Once the feast is done, he thought to himself, I can get some rest.

A bang sounded from the outer room, and then Gaius' voice could be heard, "Drat! Where is ..." A clang and then a sudden yelp had Merlin leaping out of bed and rushing down the stairs towards his mentor, who was now sitting on a bench rubbing his lower leg.

"Gaius, what's wrong?" rasped the young man, as he stood in front of the physician, with his hair sticking up all over his head and shivering slightly in the early morning chill.

"Merlin, are you all right?" asked Gaius as his gave his ward the once-over with a keen eye. "You look quite pale, and it sounds like you're coming down with some sort of throat ailment."

Merlin cleared his throat and responded, "I'm fine, Gaius. But what happened to you? I heard you yell …"

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you, Merlin. I was gathering some of the herbs to get started on another batch of cough syrup when I overturned the kettle. I tried to catch it before it hit the ground, but no luck. In fact, it bounced off the hearth and hit my shin. But enough about me, young man. You sit yourself down; I'm going to take a look at your throat. I don't like the way you sound."

"I'm fine, really, Gaius. There's no need to worry about me. I probably just need some hot tea and I'll be right as rain," answered Merlin, as he tried to head back to his room to get dressed.

A stern "Merlin", accompanied by a raised eyebrow was all it took for the young man to quickly seat himself and submit to Gaius' ministrations.

Gaius pulled one of the blankets off his bed and draped it around the young warlock's shoulders before he placed his hands on either side of Merlin's neck and began feeling his throat. There was some slight swelling, causing Merlin to flinch when Gaius pressed a bit, but it did not seem too serious. Gaius then felt the lad's forehead and the back of his neck. "You do not seem to have a fever, which is good news," he said to the young man as he walked over to his table and retrieved his magnifier lens. Returning to stand in front of Merlin he ordered, "Open wide" and holding a candle close by, he peered into Merlin's mouth. "However, your throat appears quite red and inflamed. Does it hurt when you speak or swallow?"

"A bit," answered the young man, who then winced as he swallowed. "I'm also sore all over and I've got a headache," he admitted reluctantly. He didn't have time right now to be sick!

"Well, Merlin, I believe you are in the early stages of influenza. But, hopefully we've caught it soon enough that we'll be able to nip it in the bud before it develops into something more serious. Go get dressed; by the time you're ready, I'll have some draughts for you to take that will help ease your symptoms."

Merlin folded up the blanket that Gaius had given him and laid it on the bed before he returned to his room to get dressed for the day. Gaius, in the meantime, hunted amount his medicines for what he'd need. By the time Merlin returned to the main room, in front of his place at the table was a bowl of porridge, a mug containing tea with honey and a small vial containing a green liquid.

"Drink that first," said Gaius pointing to the vial as he sat at the table with his own bowl of porridge. "I fully admit it tastes quite horrible, but it will help ease your joint aches. I've dissolved some headache powder into it as well. Only once you've eaten breakfast and finished your tea can you leave this room. I've asked one of the guards to let Arthur know that you'll be a little late attending him this morning."

Before Merlin could say anything, Gaius added, "No, I did not tell Arthur you were sick; I simply said that I needed your assistance for a bit this morning and you'd be with him by mid-morning. That will give you some extra time to let the medicines work and enjoy another cup of tea before you have to start on your duties."

Merlin smiled his thanks and put the vial to his lips, pausing for a moment before scrunching his eyes closed and daring at last to tip the contents down his throat. Gaius had certainly not lied about the taste of the medicine; it was absolutely vile! The warlock sputtered and wrinkled his nose, but he manfully downed the entire dose, thought he did follow it with a large gulp of tea to try to rid himself of the taste.

Watching his young ward, Gaius couldn't help but laugh. "Merlin," he chuckled, "honestly, it's not that bad! Besides, it will do you a world of good!"

Merlin looked over at the physician seated across from him and complained, "Actually, Gaius, it is that bad! It tastes like an old boot!"

Gaius just smiled and, shaking his head in resignation, pointed towards the porridge and said, "Eat up, Merlin. I added some honey to it, just as you like."

One bowl of sweetened porridge and two mugs of hot honeyed tea later, Merlin was feeling much better than he had in days. The headache was almost gone and his throat was no longer burning. He still felt a bit achy, but even that was easing.

As he grabbed his jacket and headed towards the door and his duties, Gaius called, "Wait a moment. Here, take these," and he handed Merlin a waxed bag containing some lemon drops. "They'll help your sore throat. You can take them as often as you need. But you have to promise me that if you start feeling worse, you'll tell Arthur and then immediately come to find me. I expect to be here most of the day as I've got to make another batch of cough syrup and some other remedies."

"Gaius," the young man started, "I'll be …"

"Merlin," the physician interrupted in a stern tone, "promise me. You've been working extremely hard these past weeks and now you run the risk of developing influenza if you're not careful. The best cure is rest, so you must promise me that if you start to feel ill, you'll come find me. After all, you're supposed to be travelling home in a couple of days and if you're sick …."

The physician did not finish his sentence, but he didn't have to; Merlin's wide eyes and fearful look said it all. The young man had no intention of missing his trip to visit his Mother and Lancelot, so he quickly agreed that he would tell Arthur if he started feeling worse.

Pocketing the lemon drops, the young man hurried out the door and towards Arthur's rooms. Merlin knew that the King had requested Arthur attend him that morning, but by now their meeting should be completed and Arthur would be anxious to make his way to the jousting field.

Rounding a corner, Merlin came face-to-face with Gwen, whose arms were full of linens. "Good morning," said the serving girl with a smile.

Merlin tried to respond, but when he opened his mouth to speak, nothing came out but a harsh croak. Looking slightly abashed, he cleared his throat and tried again, "Gwen, good morning."

"Are you all right?" asked Gwen in a concerned tone. "You're not coming down with anything, are you?"

"No, I'm fine," said Merlin as he popped one of the lemon drops in his mouth. "I've just got a bit of sore throat is all. Gaius already took a look and gave me these drops, so everything's okay. I'm sorry, Gwen, but I'm already late to meet Arthur, so if you'll excuse me."

"Of course, Merlin," answered Gwen as she watched her friend hurry down the hall. "Take care of yourself," she called as he reached Arthur's door. Merlin turned and gave her a grin before knocking and letting himself into Arthur's chambers.

Once inside, a quick look showed the room was empty. Merlin breathed a sigh a relief; he wasn't late! However, the intake of air caused his throat to seize and the young man started coughing. In fact, he coughed so hard that when Arthur stepped into the room moments later, he saw his manservant bent over, hands on his thighs, gasping for breath.

Rushing to his side, Arthur asked, "Merlin! What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Still trying to catch his breath, Merlin waved his hand at the prince as if to say, "Everything's good; no one's coughing up a lung here," but Arthur ignored the gesture and pushed Merlin to sit down in his chair at the table.

Once seated, Merlin was able to take a couple of deep breaths. As soon as his lungs were functioning again, he grasped the mug of water that Arthur had poured for him and took a few small sips.

Looking up at his master over the rim of the mug, he saw Arthur standing close by him, with a worried look on his face. The servant tried to smile in reassurance, but it came out as more of a grimace, which caused Arthur's brow to furrow even more.

A few more sips of water and Merlin felt capable of talking. Placing the mug on the table in front of him, he turned to face Arthur, saying, "Thank you for the water, Arthur. I'm sorry about that. I'm not sure what happened, I just took a deep breath and started coughing. Then, I couldn't stop!"

"You're welcome Merlin, but are you okay? You don't sound good, but that could be due to the coughing fit."

"I'm fine, Arthur. There's no need to worry about me. I have a bit of a sore throat, but Gaius already took a look and gave me some cough syrup and some lemon drops. I'm sorry I wasn't able to attend you this morning, but I'm here now. What do you need me to do today?"

Knowing that Gaius would never have let Merlin leave their chambers if the lad were truly ill, Arthur put aside his concern, sat at the table and the two men went through the list of tasks that needed to be completed before the Feast that evening.

After getting Arthur ready for the jousting field and pushing him out the door, Merlin then cleaned Arthur's ceremonial robes, polished his boots, arranged the bath that Arthur so desperately needed after having spent a couple of hours on horseback, and then dressed him for dinner. In between all that, he also helped put the finishing touches on the decorations in the Great Hall, assisted in arranging the tables and seating for the Court and the Knights and basically scurried around helping to ensure that everything was ready in time for the Feast.

By the time the dinner bell was rung, Merlin was exhausted and was starting to feel the effects of his illness. His headache had returned, every bone in his body ached and the cough was still hanging on, despite popping lemon drops like they were going out of style. On top of it all, Merlin was starting to fear that he was running a slight fever, though he could have only been feeling warm due to the running around he'd been doing.

Finally, though, the tables were groaning with the amount of food they held, everyone was seated, and all that was left for the servant to do was ensure that Arthur's cup was always filled with wine. That simple task was about all he could handle at the moment, so he wasn't at all unhappy to simply stand behind Arthur's chair with his eyes half-open and letting the noise of the room wash over him.

Suddenly, Merlin felt a hand on his arm and it jolted him out of the light doze he'd fallen into. Blinking, he looked up at saw Gwen standing before him and speaking in a gentle tone, "Merlin? Merlin, wake up. Are you okay?"

"Mm fine," slurred the lad as he shook his head, then immediately regretted the action as it caused his headache to flare up.

"Merlin, you're not fine," responding Gwen as she placed a hand on his forehead. "You've got a fever. I'm going to get Gaius."

"Nooo, 's okay. I'm okay," whispered the servant, but Gwen ignored him and moved swiftly over to one of the tables where Merlin saw her lean in and speak to Gaius. After listening to Gwen for a moment, Gaius' gaze immediately fixed on his young ward. Not liking what he saw, the physician stood and made his way over to Merlin, who was now leaning against the wall trying desperately not to cough.

Gaius placed a gnarled hand on the lad's forehead and frowned. "Merlin, you promised me that you'd come and find me if you started feeling worse. You've now got a fever and I bet you still have a headache. That's it, you're done here. I'll explain what's going on to Arthur and then I'm taking you back to your room."

"But … but the Feast …," whined the young man. "I've got to stay to help."

"You've done enough, my boy," said Gaius in a gentle tone. "Now's the time to let someone else take over. Gwen, would you keep an eye on this young fool for a moment?"

"Of course, Gaius," she said as she led Merlin to an abandoned chair in the quiet hallway outside the Great Hall and made him sit down. They were there only a moment before Gaius appeared beside them and proceeded to pull the now-ashen lad to his feet.

"Come on, Merlin. Arthur knows you're not feeling well, and I'm getting you to bed. George will take over your duties for the rest of the evening, so there's no need to worry. Come on; let's get back to our rooms so I can take a good look at you."

It was a slow walk back to their shared chambers, and Merlin spent most of the time apologizing for not having gone to see Gaius earlier. "But really," he whispered, "I didn't feel bad until I stopped running around. And then it all seemed to hit me at once. I'm so sorry Gaius."

"Hush, lad. Don't worry; I understand. Right now, the only thing we've got to do is get you better."

Once they arrived at their rooms, Gaius led Merlin up the steps his room and, seating him on his bed, removed his jacket and his boots and told him to lay back. He then deftly covered the boy with blankets. "I'll be back in a couple of moments with some medicines. Try not to fall asleep."

"All right, Gaius," answered Merlin in a sleepy voice, as he settled his head on his pillow. By the time Gaius returned, armed with various vials and powders, Merlin was asleep; so deeply asleep in fact, that it was difficult to rouse him. However, Gaius managed to get two of the liquids into the boy before tucking him in and quietly leaving the room. He left the door ajar, the better to hear if Merlin called for him or sounded distressed.

It was quiet night, and Merlin did not rouse until late the next morning. Unfortunately, when he did awaken he could barely move for the aches. The fever had now taken hold and the lad could feel tremors travelling up and down his body. He was cold one moment and then boiling hot the next.

Turning his head, he saw a mug with steam rising up from it sitting on the small table beside his bed. A sniff brought the aroma of herbs to his nose. Ahh, he thought, one of Gaius' remedies. Merlin reached over to grab the mug, but misjudged the distance and instead smacked his hand against the table. The resulting noise was enough to alert Gaius to the fact that his patient was now awake and he soon appeared at the lad's bedside.

Leaning down, he placed a hand on Merlin's forehead and said, "That's quite a fever you've got, my boy." Gaius helped the lad to sit up and then passed him the mug. After Merlin had taken a few sips, Gaius asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Not very good," answered Merlin dejectedly, with fever-bright eyes. "Everything hurts, my throat feels as though it's on fire and I can't decide if I'm hot or cold. Even my hair hurts", he whined.

"Merlin, I'm sorry to say that you've definitely got the flu and the only thing that's going to make you feel better is plenty of rest and lots of liquids. I can certainly give you some medicines to ease your aches and sooth your throat, but I fear that the illness is going to have to run its course," said Gaius, sadly.

It was obvious that the lad had not yet realized that his illness prevented any attempt at a trip home at the moment, and Gaius decided it would be better for his patient, in the long run, to keep quiet on the subject. Instead, he said, "Finish the herbal tea, Merlin, and then get some more sleep. I'll be back to check on you soon."

Merlin had not even finished the tea before he started drifting off again. Rescuing the almost-empty mug from Merlin's lax fingers, Gaius helped his patient to lay back. He tucked the blankets tight around the boy, for he was shivering again, and then he gently brushed the hair off Merlin's forehead. His fever was high, but not dangerously so, so Gaius decided to let him sleep some more before trying to get some more medicines into the lad.

The physician quietly descended the steps from Merlin's room to the main chamber and looked around. Not the most auspicious ways to end the Yule season, he thought to himself as he heard the lad shifting in his sleep.

Well, there was not much choice in the matter, so after he had dispatched a guard to advise Arthur of Merlin's continued illness, the older man sat down at the table with some parchment and a quill. He'd have to let Hunith know that her son would not be joining her as hoped.

Dear Hunith,

I send you my best wishes for the Yule and I hope you enjoyed it. Things were busy here as usual, but the Festivities went well and seemed to be very successful.

However, this is not the main reason for my writing. I know you were expecting Merlin to join to you shortly, but I am afraid this will prove to be impossible at the moment. Unfortunately, Camelot suffered through a bout of influenza and yesterday, Merlin came down with it.

There's no need to worry, Hunith; he will be just fine once he's been able to rest. He was so busy these past weeks helping get everything ready for the Yule Feast as well as assisting me in treating the ill, that he ended up tired and run down. I suppose it was inevitable that he end up with the flu, but fortunately it does not seem to be a severe case.

At the moment, he's got the usual fever and aches, but I am treating those. While it is still in the early stages, I do not believe that Merlin will become any sicker than he is already and should soon be on the way to full health.

However, it would not be in his best interests to have him travel to Ealdor in this cold; in fact, I am going to impress on Prince Arthur that Merlin must remain indoors, in the warm and dry, for at least two weeks after the symptoms have abated.

I know you will be sorely distressed by this news, but rest assured that he is in good hands and is being well cared for.

I would ask that you let Lancelot know Merlin's situation. The poor lad was so excited about seeing you and getting the opportunity to spend some time with Lancelot … I hate to think how he'll feel once he realizes that his trip is going to have to be postponed.

Hunith, I'm not sure if you are aware of just how close Lancelot and Merlin have become over the past months. The joy I see in Merlin's face when he receives a letter from Lancelot is something to behold. I just hope that time and distance does not conspire to tear them apart.

In any event, I wish you well and I will have Merlin write you once he is feeling up to it. I know, as a mother, you will worry until you hear from him directly!

Gaius

After folding and sealing the letter, Gaius looked in on Merlin. The lad was deeply asleep and looked like he would stay that way for a while. Knowing there was nothing else he could do for Merlin at the moment, Gaius picked up the letter and headed off to Arthur's chambers to give him an update on his servant's condition and ask that he arrange for the letter to be sent to Ealdor.