A/N: I'm really sorry that this chapter took longer than expected, but I just had so much stuff to do this week. Anyway, here it is :) Like always, the hugest of thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited ; you really are great readers :D Without further ado, here's the next chapter. Enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin and I probably never will. Oh well.

CHAPTER 4: CARING ANGEL

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Merlin stood there in the dark alley, his heart racing and his mind focused. His white wings spread from wall to wall, blocking the way out. The five men in front of him started to run away, but Merlin decided that they wouldn't get away like that. He slowly raised his hand and a barrier appeared around them. One of the guys walked straight into it and stumbled to the ground. "W-what a-are you d-doing, you monster!" he stuttered and scrambled as far away from Merlin as he could.

Merlin noticed how one of the guys started to type something on his phone. "No, you won't" he said with stern voice and the phone suddenly flew out of the man's hand. He turned to look at Merlin with horror and shook in his eyes. Suddenly, they rolled back in his head and the man landed unconsciously on the ground.

"Oi, what did you just do to him?!" the guy who seemed to be the leader shouted and pointed his finger at Merlin.

Merlin just rolled his eyes and crossed the arms in front of his chest. "I did nothing, he passed out from fear" he explained, unable to suppress a smug grin.

Suddenly one of the guys came running towards him, swinging a baseball bat over his head. That must be what had knocked Arthur over. Merlin gritted his teeth angrily at the thought of his protégé who lay unconscious behind him. He had to finish this quickly and get Arthur back to the college.

Merlin stretched out his arm and the baseball bat slowed down so that Merlin could just grab it and throw it to the other side of the alley. The man the thing belonged to glared at him and Merlin saw a fist nearing his face. In a swift motion he beat his wings and the guy was thrown backwards by the developed winds.

The man landed several feet away. "N-no, get away from me you wretch!" He screamed and scrambled away until his back hit the barrier.

When Merlin was just about to raise his hand again, he heard a groan from behind him. He froze; his hand half raised as his eyes widened.

Arthur was already waking up! Merlin had to be quick; he couldn't allow his protégé to see him like that. In the fraction of a second, Merlin had his hand raised high above his head, a soft glimmer spreading from it towards the scared men. The glimmer slowly spread around them like fog and their eyes fluttered shut.

"That should let them sleep for a while…" Merlin muttered as he turned around to Arthur. His eyelids fluttered and he started to move.

With a sigh, Merlin's wings folded themselves together and disappeared into his back, leaving him with a torn apart shirt.

Merlin quickly pulled it over his head and replaced it with one that looked exactly the same. With a small smile on his lips, he put a new pair of sea blue contacts into his eyes. He looked just like any other guy now again, nothing special.

Merlin kneeled down besides Arthur; a slightly concerned frown on his face. "Arthur?" he asked with a gentle tone, his hand resting on his protégé's shoulder.

Arthur turned his head to where Merlin's voice had come from and slowly opened his heavy eyelids. His stormy blue eyes were clouded and he needed a minute to be able to focus on Merlin's face. Confusion was visible in his eyes and Arthur started to frown.

"Merlin? What are you doing here?" he asked as he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position.

Merlin greeted the blond with a soft smile. "I had a strange feeling, so I went looking for you. Then I found you in this alley, being unconscious" he explained, his hand still resting on Arthur's shoulder. He didn't seem to be bothered by the touch and Merlin wasn't considering removing his hand anytime soon.

"Oh yeah, I- ouch!" Arthur's hand shot up to his head as he winced in pain, his vision starting to blur.

"Arthur? Are you alright? Where does it hurt?" Merlin's voice was practically dripping with worry while he stared into Arthur's bleary vision. He could feel the pain radiate from his protégé and it made him ache, as if he was the injured one. He couldn't bear this any second longer; he wanted to free Arthur from his pain.

"M-my head…" Arthur mumbled weakly, rubbing the back of his head. "It feels like someone opened a coconut with it…"

Suddenly, his eyes rolled back in his head and Arthur passed out again. Merlin laid him down gently, his hand brushing some strands of golden hair out of his face.

"Don't worry, Arthur. I'll make the pain go away…" Merlin whispered as he laid his right hand on Arthur's head.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on the pain he could feel coming from Arthur's head. With a deep breath, Merlin's hand started to glow and the pain slowly ebbed away out of Arthur's body. If he had done everything right, Arthur shouldn't feel any pain at all, not even from his bruises and scratches. Merlin wasn't an expert in healing, but he knew how to dispose of pain for some days. He was just glad that he could help Arthur. With a sigh, Merlin stood up and heaved Arthur over his shoulder, like a sack potatoes. With a smile tugging on his lips, he slowly made his way to the college. Arthur needed a proper check over, just in case he was more hurt than it seemed.

So, next stop: The college doctor.

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Merlin entered the room after a short knock, not having the time to wait for allowance. It was already 2 o' clock in the morning after all. And Merlin was terribly tired; he could feel his mind going into sleepy mode. Oh yeah, there also was a heavy Arthur lying over his shoulder; that wasn't really pleasant, Merlin was sure to have a muscle ache tomorrow. So he stepped into the room, feeling slightly like an intruder.

"Umm, hello? Somebody here?" he asked into the dark room while he laid Arthur down on a bed that stood in the corner of the room. Suddenly, the lights went on and Merlin could see the room properly. There were many shelves with books on the walls and two beds stood in the corner. Merlin also noticed a cupboard with medicaments and a table with some papers lying on it.

With a creaking noise, the door at the back of the room opened and an old man with glasses and shoulder long white hair stepped in.

The man eyed Merlin suspiciously and one of his eyebrows rose to an amazingly height. "What can I do for you?" he asked while stepping up to Merlin.

Merlin's gaze flickered to Arthur and then rested on the old man again. "Err… I found him unconscious… Maybe you should check him over?"

It was only now that the old man noticed the blond lying on the bed in the corner, sleeping soundly with a soft smile on his face. "Again?" he mumbled, walking over to his new patient. He had a big bump on his head, some fresh bruises and scratches, but nothing serious. It was really remarkable how Arthur could even sleep like that; he surely must have been at least a little in pain. "He should be fine" Gaius explained and heard a relieved sigh from behind him.

With a raised eyebrow Gaius turned around to the raven haired boy who stood awkwardly besides the table, looking at Arthur with gladness in his azure blue eyes. "Say, what's your name again?"

The boy looked a little startled but soon a smile found its way onto his features. "I'm Merlin" he introduced himself and held out his hand. "You must be Gaius."

Gaius took the younger man's hand and shook it; a little confusion hidden behind his smile. Merlin… He knew that name… Just where had he heard it?

Gaius' thoughtful gaze flickered from Merlin to Arthur and back again. Could it be…?

Merlin looked at the older man in front of him with question in his eyes. "Is something the matter?" Gaius just shook his head. "I was just about to make some tea, would you like some as well?"

Gaius was greeted by a big grin and even though he could see the deep tiredness in Merlin's eyes, the boy nodded and let himself drop onto one of the chairs at the table. "Sure, why not?"

When Gaius came back with two cups of steaming earl grey, Merlin really had to try hard not to fall asleep in this very second. With a yawn he took the cup and started to sip at it. After a while, he noticed that Gaius was staring at him. "Gaius?" he asked with a tilted head. What was the old man thinking about?

"Say, Merlin, is something wrong with your eyes?"

Merlin looked at the older man, confusion evident on his face. "Er…no?" he responded, suddenly becoming nervous. He was sure he had put in new contacts, Gaius couldn't see the golden color, it was thoroughly hidden. "Why do you ask?" he asked, looking at Gaius with suspicion. That surely was a strange question to ask in the middle of the night. Except one was sure there was something wrong with the eyes! Merlin knew he was driving himself insane with these thoughts but he was too tired to try and calm himself. That would be wasted energy.

"Oh, I just wondered...Are you by any chance related to Hunith?"

Merlin's jaw dropped and his eyes widened to the size of plates. Gaius knew his mother?

"You know my mother?" Merlin voiced his thoughts, disbelief lingering in his voice. He watched how Gaius started to smile a knowing smile.

"I'm a guardian angel as well" Gaius explained to the still baffled Merlin. "My protégé is Uther; I'm protecting him for many years now"

Slowly, a huge smile spread across Merlin's face. His chest warmed up and every thought of tiredness had vanished. Now, he had someone to talk to, someone to share his fears and thoughts with, someone to trust, someone who could really understand his situation and help him. Someone who could guide him.

"I hope you're not tired Gaius. There are so many things I want to ask you!"

Gaius chuckled as he saw the excitement in the younger angel's eyes.

This was going to be an even longer night, but Gaius didn't mind.

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Arthur thought he once again would awake in pain, but this time he didn't. That was new.

He groggily opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. This wasn't his room. With a sigh, Arthur pushed himself into a sitting position, confusedly looking around. This looked like the room where Gaius treated his patients. Ah, that made sense now; hadn't he had a fight yesterday? Arthur had kind of expected to wake up in a dirty alley, his body aching and his head throbbing, but he felt just fine. Almost perfect. It was really strange, even the bruises from earlier this week didn't hurt anymore. What had Gaius done to him? And how did he even get here? Arthur scrunched his eyes while he tried to remember last night's events.

Suddenly, the image of worried looking Merlin leaning over him appeared in his mind and Arthur couldn't suppress a soft smile.

So Merlin had carried him up here. It must have been really hard; Arthur felt somehow happy that the raven haired had cared about him. He didn't even know him, yet Merlin treated him as if he was his friend. Were they friends already? Arthur didn't know and he felt a little embarrassed that he wished they were. To carry someone in the middle of the night through a dark cold street was something only friends would do, right? How did that scrawny guy even manage to lift him? Arthur decided to ask Merlin about it when he saw him again. (About the lifting him thing, not whether they were friends. Arthur didn't care at all.)

He slowly climbed out of the bed, there was no sign of Gaius or anybody else in the room, so Arthur just left the room with a shrug. He felt healthier than he had the last weeks, so why should he stay in there any longer? A quick glance at his watch told Arthur that breakfast was long over and the lessons had already started. Oh well, he would skip today, he needed to shower first anyway. After that it would almost be time for lunch; Arthur silently hoped that Merlin would be there, he really wanted to talk to him.

Arthur suddenly stopped in his tracks, his expression changing into a thoughtful one. He just remembered something… He remembered hearing Merlin say something while he was passing out the second time. It was something like: 'Don't worry, Arthur. I'll make the pain go away…'

What could Merlin possibly have meant with that? Arthur slowly looked down his right arm; there was a pretty bad bruise spreading over it; and he poked it with his finger. Normally, he would expect some kind of pain, but he didn't feel anything. At best some kind of tickling, but surely not more.

Arthur was confused as he walked towards his room. But he did what he always did when he was confused: He just shrugged and let the matter drop.

After Arthur had showered and dressed, he made his way towards the cafeteria, since he suddenly felt terribly hungry. He was currently walking down a hallway, when he felt someone watching him.

As Arthur turned around, he noticed someone standing in the hallway. "Father" he spoke up, walking towards the figure.

"Arthur" Uther greeted without changing his expression. Arthur sighed inwardly; his father was always so cold, never showing appreciation. One of Arthur's greatest fears was that he would become like his father; it made him shiver just to think about it.

Arthur suddenly remembered the letter which Gaius had given him the day before. It had been really important, right?

"I have something Gaius gave me for you" he explained while rummaging through his bag in search for the ominous letter. After he found it he quickly handed it over to his father. The older man took it with a short nod and immediately tucked it into his briefcase.

Uther now started to look Arthur over and his cold eyes rested on the bruises and scratches. "You got into a fight again." he stated, his eyes narrowing a bit.

"Did you visit Gaius already?" he asked, but his expression showed no concern. He even looked a little disappointed and Arthur wanted this conversation to end as soon as possible. "Yes, I did" he responded without mentioning Merlin and the other events that night.

"Good, good. I have important matters to attend to. And you should continue your training, remember, the big tournament takes place in about a month." Uther said urgently. Arthur just nodded, presenting his father a small false smile. "Yes, father. I can reassure you that I've made improvement".

With a nod, Uther turned around and walked down the hallway. As soon as his father was out of sight, Arthur sight and drove a hand through his hair. It was always so uncomfortable to talk to his father. Arthur just shook his head, trying to get the feeling away as he walked towards the cafeteria.

A few minutes later, Arthur entered the almost completely empty cafeteria. The most students were already finished with eating and had left the cafeteria. Arthur slowly looked around; there was no sign of Gwen, Gwaine and the others; they must have gone already.

Arthur suddenly spotted a certain raven haired, sitting alone at a table in the back, his head resting on his arms. With a smile on his face, Arthur made his way over to Merlin and dumped his tray in front of his face. With a yelp the younger one sat up straight, looking around confusedly. His dark hair was ruffled and he had dark rings under his eyes. "What the-? Arthur! Don't surprise me like that!" Merlin complained while Arthur sat down next to him. His protégé had just snapped him out of his slumber and that after he had just slept three hours last night! He really needed some sleep; he had talked to Gaius for two entire hours last night, after all.

"It's not my fault you're sleeping during lunch!" Arthur huffed and started to eat; his stomach feeling as empty as it never had before.

"Practically, it is." Merlin retorted with crossed arms; leaving out the part with Gaius.

Arthur instantly blushed, remembering last night's events. Merlin had dragged him all the way to the college after all.

"Umm…I just…. Thank you" The blond stumbled while picking around in his food. His eyes were fixated onto his plate, not wanting to meet the blue ones of Merlin. He was the reason that Merlin was tired…

Suddenly, Arthur heard a chuckle coming from Merlin and he couldn't help but turn around and look at the raven haired. His azure eyes were sparkling and a soft smile was visible on his pale face. "You don't have to thank me for that; everyone would have helped you." Merlin pointed out with a grin.

But Arthur knew that wasn't true. Merlin had even come searching for him, let alone finding and helping him. It wasn't something many people would do for someone you only knew for a day. Merlin was so kindhearted and it seemed like he was caring for Arthur pretty much. But seriously, he had come searching for Arthur just because he had had some funny feeling! Who on earth would do that? How did he even find him? Merlin was new here and barely knew the town, let alone the pub that Gwaine and he had been in. It must have been a big coincidence if he had found an unconscious Arthur lying in an alley, surrounded by some bulks- wait. What happened to them? They were still there when he had passed out for the first time; he remembered hearing Merlin shouting at them… But what had happened then? Arthur's gaze rested on the skinny boy in front of him.

"I'll say it again, staring is impolite."

Arthur was suddenly torn from his thoughts and shook his head to clear his mind. "I have to go." Arthur mumbled as he stood up, leaving his tray lying on the table.

Merlin stared after him with confusion, as his protégé just left the room without another word.

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Merlin slowly opened the door to the gym, curiously peeking inside. "Ah, there you are, mate! You actually came, I thought you would forget."

Gwaine instantly came rushing towards Merlin, already wearing his protective clothing, the mask clamped under his arm. With a slap onto the shoulder, Merlin was invited into the gym.

"The only one who could forget is you, Gwaine" Elyan remarked as Merlin was led towards a bench. "Just make yourself comfortable and watch, Merlin. If you're lucky, you can watch me beating Arthur!" Gwaine exclaimed, only receiving rolled eyes and snorts. Everyone knew that no one could beat Arthur; he was the best of all of them and he was their captain.

"Alright, men, stop babbling, start training!" the blond shouted from across the gym and everyone put on their masks and grabbed their epees.

They all started fighting, but Merlin's eyes only rested on Arthur. He was moving fast and coordinated; attacking with strength but also grace. He was doing the moves so naturally, as if he hadn't been doing anything else his entire life. He landed several hits on Gwaine's chest but parried almost every attack of the brunet.

Merlin had fun watching, he really did, and after some time, he unwillingly found himself cheering. "Good move, Arthur!" he would occasionally shout.

He even clapped enthusiastically whenever Arthur won a practice match. What Merlin didn't know, was how much he was encouraging Arthur.

When Merlin shouted for the first time, Arthur was a little bit startled by the sudden noise. But then a smile took over his features and he started fighting with new effort. He wanted to impress Merlin somehow, wanted him to cherish Arthur. After Arthur had won his first match, he looked over to Merlin, who was clapping, a huge grin on his face. Arthur felt strangely warm inside his chest. It was good feeling appreciation from someone he barely knew; it was good being the reason for the smile on Merlin's face.

When the training was over, Arthur quickly made a decision. He wanted Merlin to be at ever match he was fighting, wanted to show off in front of him. (Not that he was showing of, he was just…presenting his skills. Yeah, exactly that.) So he pulled of his mask and walked over towards the young man sitting on the bench. He avoided his eyes, afraid the raven haired could read his expression.

"You know, Merlin, we still need a mascot. Interested?"

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A/N: So another chapter ends. I really hope you liked :) Like always, I would greatly appreciate a review from you, they help me writing faster :D The next chapter contains: Morgana, Mordred and some Merlin/Arthur friendship improvement! Yay! :D

Until next time~

by DarkChain