AN: Hello! Thank you guys so much for your continued support! I hope this chapter isn't too unbelievable...
Anyhoo... This story is coming to an end. Sorry. I never expected it to be very long though. I'm kind of running out of things to write, really. I do want to have one more short chapter, possibly with a little more evil Morgana and suspicious Arthur, but I don't want to do too much of that, considering I really want this to kind of be an alternate version of 3.10, where forever after there is Merthur. Lancelot would probably somehow survive as well... Not quite sure how though...
But, that's besides the point. Sorry this chapter took slightly longer than usual to put up. Hopefully the last chapter won't take too long! And thank you all so much for reading and everything else! You all are TOTALLY AWESOME!
And.. I don't own Merlin. I really have nothing else to say here, seeing as that should be pretty obvious ;)
Chapter Five: Fixing That Which is Broken
Merlin had hoped to get food today. Usually it came every two days, water coming twice a day now. So, when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs, he had perked up. When the footsteps hadn't stopped to inform the guards of their mission, Merlin pulled his legs closer to him. The only person who didn't have to explain themselves to the guards was Uther. He couldn't be coming down to question him again already? All he could do was try to look as small and harmless as possible as the footsteps came to a stop outside his cell.
The pause had been the first sign something was different. Uther usually just stormed in, not hesitating for a moment. It hadn't been enough to cause him to look up though, thinking that maybe the King just thought he was asleep and that he might be left alone for the night. When he had heard a voice murmur his name, Merlin's head shot up. He hadn't heard that voice for so long. He had thought that he was dreaming, but his dreams were never this nice anymore. He still hadn't been sure until Arthur had taken a hold of his hand, and he knew his prince was back with him.
His heart had almost stopped when Arthur professed his love for him. He was pretty sure that he had never been happier, even though he was still freezing and hungry and his throat burned. When Arthur ran back up and out of the dungeons, Merlin settled himself down near the bars, praying that Arthur would be back soon.
When Arthur burst dramatically into the council chambers for the second time that day, he was disappointed to find them deserted. After a brief pause, he began running again, this time towards his father's chambers. Here he wasn't able to burst in dramatically, as he was stopped by the two guards standing outside the room.
Once Arthur had regained his breath, he stood tall and said, "I need to speak to my father, if you would let me pass."
The guards nodded, allowing him to move forward and knock at the king's door. He needed to be careful about how he did this. One wrong move and Merlin would be stuck down in that cell for even longer, and he couldn't allow that. When he heard a muffled, "Come in." from the chambers, Arthur took a deep breath and walked inside.
"Arthur." Uther said, looking up from the food he had at his table, "I thought you retired."
"I was going to." Arthur said, trying his best to remain calm. "But I wished for a bath. I went looking for my manservant, Merlin, and learned that he was in the dungeons. I really must ask that you free him. He was only trying to follow my orders when he was locked up."
"The boy lied to me, and disobeyed a direct order from his king. He may not be released."
"Father, you must understand, I cannot let him die for my mistakes, and he will die if he is not released soon. As his master I ordered him to distract you while I freed Guinevere. He was simply being a loyal servant as always. His only fault is being too loyal to me, you cannot sentence him to death for that!"
"Arthur, I need to set an example. I will not simply ignore his crimes because you told him to act against his king. He should know that my law is more important than his master's orders. His actions put your life at risk, and I will not let that be overlooked."
"He has risked his life to save mine multiple times before! I will not stand by and watch him suffer when I know there is something I can do about it! I owe him!" Arthur said his voice rising as Uther remained incredibly calm.
"Son, I did not punish you for running because you had been put under an enchantment, but, if you push this issue any more I will have to punish you. He is merely a servant. It was his duty to protect you no matter what the cost. He failed to do that, and when he was given the opportunity to help put his actions to right, he refused, putting you in even greater harm."
"He didn't know where I was!" Arthur lied, "If you need to punish someone, punish me. It is my fault, and only my fault. He is sick, and will die if he is left in the dungeons much longer, please let me take him to Gaius! I'm sure he has learned never to disobey you, father, and I will make sure that he has and give him a suitable punishment when he is well, but he doesn't deserve to die for following the orders of his master!"
This seemed to cause Uther to stop and think. After a period of silence that had Arthur nearly bouncing on the tips of his toes as he waited for the response, Uther said "If you are telling the truth, and the boy really didn't know where you were, then he may be released. He has proved himself to be very loyal to you in the past, which is commendable, but I hope you can teach him that even though you are his master, my word is still law. He has been punished enough as I thought he had information that you say he didn't. He has always been slow, I hope you can teach him a little more about proper respect for his king."
Arthur couldn't help but smile as his father spoke. It had worked! He was glad Merlin had made such a good impression on the king. Arthur barely stopped himself from whooping and said, "Thank you, father. I swear he knew nothing about my location. I promise I will have a talk with him once he is well."
Uther nodded and wrote something on a piece of paper, then stamped his royal seal on it, before handing it to Arthur and going back to his meal. After a quick glance at the paper, Arthur realized it was the order for Merlin's release. Arthur clung to the paper as if it was the most important document in the world and rushed back towards the dungeons. He had been so focused on getting there, he didn't notice when a person strode into his path, and Arthur ran headlong into them.
"Arthur! Is that you?" The other person said, quite startled.
"Morgana?" Arthur asked, looking over at the person he had ran into, before checking the paper to make sure it was still safe. "It is good to see you again!" Arthur continued with a smile after he was sure the paper was intact. "I have to go, Uther's just signed the order for Merlin's release, but I will talk to you tomorrow! Oh, and don't worry about Guinevere, she's safe."
Arthur couldn't help but think that Morgana looked strangely upset at this news, but he didn't have time to worry about that as he hurried down to the dungeons. When he reached the bottom of the steps he showed the order to the guards, who pulled out the keys and took him down to Merlin's cell. Merlin had curled up near the bars, but stood at the sound of voices.
"Merlin!" Arthur called out, "My father agreed to release you as long as I teach you proper manners."
The look on Merlin's face when he heard what Arthur said was more beautiful than all the treasures down in the vaults put together as he replied, "Thank you so much Arthur."
The guards moved to unlock the door, and Merlin moved back slightly so they could. The guards seemed quite happy to be letting Merlin out, which didn't really surprise Arthur. No one in their right mind would want Merlin to suffer any longer. Once the door was open, Arthur bound in, and pulled Merlin into a tight hug. Merlin seemed slightly startled at first, but eventually wrapped his arms around Arthur as well. Even though Arthur wanted to kiss Merlin quite badly, he decided that should probably wait, considering the two guards were still watching them, and he really didn't need a repeat of what happened with Gwen. Hopefully, this time, he would actually be able to keep his love a secret until he took the throne. He figured it should be slightly easier, considering it was actually Merlin's job to be at his side most hours of the day, and it wouldn't appear strange for them to spend so much time together. He could even move Merlin into the chambers next to his, seeing as they were for his manservant, Merlin just hadn't needed them as he was living with Gaius. They had been empty ever since his old manservant had left. That way no one would know whether Merlin spent his nights in his own room or in Arthur's.
But, that would all have to wait until he was better. Putting his hand behind Merlin's back, Arthur helped Merlin move out of the dungeons and up towards the physician's chambers. It was slow going, seeing as they had to pause each time Merlin had to cough, which was much more often than Arthur liked. Finally, they made it up to Gaius' room, and Arthur barged in, as his arms were a bit to full of Merlin to actually knock.
"Arthur! Merlin!" Gaius shouted as Arthur practically dragged the tired Merlin into the room and over to the cot Gaius used to treat patients. "How did you get him out, Sire?"
"I spoke to my father, made him see sense." Arthur responded. "He is sick, can you help him?"
Merlin chose this moment to show Gaius just how sick he was, and started to cough once more. Gaius watched him worriedly, before moving to collect some different potions and equipment, saying "I will do everything I can, Arthur. The rest is up to him."
Arthur nodded and asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Gaius looked slightly alarmed by this question before he grabbed a bucket and thrust it towards Arthur telling him, "Fill this with water and bring it back to me. Then see if you can get any extra blankets, he needs to be kept warm."
Arthur nodded and rushed out to get the water. When he came back, Merlin was asleep, and Gaius was mixing yet another potion. Arthur set the water down and went to look for a maid who would know where the extra blankets were. It took him a while, considering most of the serving staff had already finished their work for the day, but he eventually found a woman who took him to a large room filled with extra blankets and linens. He gathered as many of the warmest looking blankets he could carry before rushing back to Gaius. Gaius took the blankets from him and began to lay them over Merlin, till his small form was almost invisible under the huge pile. Merlin looked even worse in the light. His skin was almost grey, and there were large dark circles under his eyes. His nose appeared to be slightly crooked, which Arthur thought was strange, and he was much, much to skinny. After studying Merlin's sleeping form for a moment, Arthur looked up to Gaius, who said, "There is not much we can do until morning. I checked over his body, he has a few bruises but nothing is broken or too badly injured. The cuts on his back are beginning to heal, though I do believe they will leave scars as they were not treated quickly enough. My main concerns are his lack of nutrition and that cough. If he can get over that and eat plenty of healthy foods, he should be fine."
Arthur nodded and said, "Thank you, Gaius. And thank you for not kicking me out. He is your ward, and it was my fault he was down there."
A stern look crossed Gaius' face, as he said, "Arthur, I let you stay because I know Merlin doesn't blame you for this. At times I believe that he may be too loyal to you. He has risked much to stay by your side, I hope you realize this and treat him better in the future. I have watched you grow all your life, and I am very proud of the man you have become, but you need to understand that your actions have consequences. Because of your position, you have the power to do great good, but this comes with a price. You must be careful about how you act. We were lucky you came back in time to save Merlin, but this may not always be the case. Do not take what you have for granted. Promise me this, and I will forgive you for putting Merlin's life in danger."
"I promise, Gaius." Arthur replied. He was slightly surprised by the old physician's speech. It had been quite some time since Gaius had lectured him.
"Then you are forgiven." Gaius said with a smile, "Now, it is late, I will send a servant to fetch you when Merlin wakes tomorrow."
"No." Arthur said, making Gaius jump slightly, "Sorry, but if it is alright with you, I'd rather stay. I want to be here in case he wakes during the night. It's the least I can do."
"If that is what you wish." Gaius replied, "I am going to turn in, is there anything you need before I do?"
"No, thank you Gaius." Arthur said pulling a chair over to Merlin's bedside and taking a hold of his hand as Gaius went around the room turning out the lights.
"I promised I would stay by your side until you got better." Arthur whispered to the sleeping Merlin, as he settled in to the chair, resting his head on the cot next to Merlin's.