So, here it is. The last installment! Read my A.N at the bottom of the chapter please?

Oh, btw. I didn't think Arthur knew that Merlin doesn't know his dad and I took out that piece of conversation, so just a note there in case anyone thinks I was being an idiot.

"He was worried, you know?" Merlin's voice from across the room catches his attention and slowly, Arthur turns his head to stare at his manservant.

He's been awake for at least a day, though he wasn't entirely sure, he's been condemned to stay in bed and true to his word; he's stayed there. Apart from the necessary trips to the chamber pot but all the same, he's been stuck in his bed staring at the same four walls for too long, he is uncomfortable from stiffness due to having not moved around enough, his hair feels greasy, despite Merlin having washed it when he woke and he feels a constant chill, again from lack of movement.

Not to mention the fact he is complete and utterly bored.

"What?" He asks, eyes closing. He is exhausted; it's ridiculous because he hasn't done anything to warrant it. He's trained for twelve hours straight and only been slightly tired before.

"Your father." Merlin answered, the matter-of-fact tone triggers the usual annoyance in Arthur but he doesn't even have the strength to drawl at him for his stupidity.

"Of course he was, Merlin. I'm the Prince; if I die then the throne goes to a different family." He answers like it was the most natural thing in the world, he should have said 'Well he is my father', but King's were different than say, Merlin's father, Merlin wasn't a prince so he got love not encouragement for battle. Uther wanted nothing more than for Arthur to be good enough to be King, he had expectations. Arthur was merely born out of need, not want.

Merlin shook his head and stepped closer, Arthur watched him tiredly, head plastered against the comfortably warm pillows.

"No. He stayed with you most of the time; he was hugging you at one point."

Arthur was gob smacked at that, it was one of those rare occasions that he was left utterly speechless. Finally, Merlin cracks a smile at him.

"You're surprised your father cares about you?"

"Shut up." He snarls and turned away, his father has never hugged him in his entire life, not that he could recall at any rate, so why would he break a habit like that in front of Merlin?

"Morgana was here too." Merlin continued, seemingly unaffected by his master's command. Arthur turned his head back to face Merlin, looking genuinely interested.

*

"I can't believe I fainted in front of an entire congregation of Noblemen!" He suddenly exclaims, he looked furious at himself; then his attentions turn to Merlin as though to blame him.

"And then to get carried like a maiden through the castle by your father… Must have been humiliating?"

The prince glares and pushes himself up onto his elbows to get a better look at his servant. "It is!" Then a small smirk forms on his face and he fell back into the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"But at least I wasn't carried through a feast full of foreign Knights and then lugged across the Court yard in plain view of the whole city, by a dashing Prince."

Merlin scoffs, much to Arthur's annoyance and he isn't sure whether he is laughing at the comment or the statement of his own good looks. "Yeah, but I was poisoned, saving you from being poisoned. You fainted."

The smirk is replaced by a glare and an appropriately stony expression.

"Get back to tidying this place. It's a dump; Lord knows why I put up with such a crappy Servant."

Merlin moves away, looking as equally aggravated, muttering under his breath as he went about picking up various assortments of clothing. He stops a few minuets later and treads careful steps back toward Arthur's bed. The Prince is lying in the middle of it; his head crowned with various red pillows, the velvet drapes are hung loosely from their yellow binds and the covers are pulled right up to his chest, his shoulders are covered in a navy coloured shirt and his tired eyes and paled face make the pink of his lips look brighter in contrast.

"What?" He croaks after a second of allowing Merlin to stare.

"I thought you were going to die." He answers honestly and drops the clothes onto the end of the bed; he folds them neatly, considering this is Merlin. His head is now bent, staring determinedly at his chore.

"Oh." Is all Arthur can answer with, he remains quiet for a while longer and then speaks again. "I was that sick?" Merlin nods, then looks up at him and is wearing that silly grin.

"You're better now though, right?"

"I guess." Merlin chuckles softly and takes the folded clothing over to a drawer at the end of the room. "You look tired, Merlin."

The servant shrugs and turns. "You wanted this tidy…"

"Come back tomorrow and finish it." It was one of those rare moments when Arthur acted as more of a friend than the giant arse Merlin makes him out to be. With a final nod, Merlin turns on his heel, closes the drawer as quietly as he can and makes to leave. As he reaches the door he hears Arthur call out.

"Thanks."

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask what he was being thanked for but after a moment's hesitation he smiles, and leaves. Arthur stares at the door for ages after the door has shut and the echo of the snap dies down. Maybe his servant wasn't the best at his job, but he somehow managed to brighten up his day. He half wished he hadn't been so kind and let him leave early but even without answering, he knew that his father and Morgana weren't the only ones worried, he had seen it written plainly over his face the very second he'd woken up.

*

"Are you sure you are alright to ride?" Merlin asked for the tenth time as they made they way, albeit slowly, down to the stables. Arthur was still a sickly pale colour and his eyes didn't possess the usual gleam and he shook in the cold a lot more than he usually did.

"I'm fine." He gritted out, his gloved hands clenched tightly at his sides. Merlin shrugs at him and readies the horse, they both pretend not to notice the way Uther's dark eyes watch Arthur's every move or the way Morgana has insisted she be allowed to come along for the lap of the Kingdom. Arthur had grumbled about it for hours the day before when he had first found out but now he merely roles his eyes, snatches the reins from Merlin's grip and then pulls himself up. He sits still for a moment, catching his breath then turns to Merlin with his best 'I'm in charge' stare.

"I expect my rooms to be spotless upon my arrival."

"Sire." Merlin replies, the sarcasm oozes.

Arthur smirks, digs his heels sharply into the horses hind and charges off, kicking up straw as he moves speedily toward the exit. Glad to be free. Uther stares at him as he passes before kicking his own horse into action, as Morgana passes she smiles down at Merlin.

"I'll keep him safe, shall I?" She laughs and he knows she wants nothing more than to be able to tease Arthur mercilessly once he is fully recovered. He nods at her, matching her grin and as she canters off after the two men, the Guard already ahead. Merlin watches after then turns slowly and makes his way back to Arthur's vacated chambers with a small smile.

Eeek! So it's done. This is the first fic I've ever wrote to get such positive responses and you have no idea how happy I am. Every time I open my emails and see Story, Author and review alerts and get all squealy! You really do make my day, I love reading your responses! So thank you so much for sticking with it for so long!

I've got loads more stories planned and I hope you enjoy them too. I wanted to know what people would think of a Hunith/Merlin fiction. Would anyone be interested in reading that?