So... Guys... It's been over two months. I do have excuses, but you probably aren't interested in them. I don't know if there are any really patient people out there that are still bothering to read this. I hope so. If you are, I thank you. So with humble apologies, I offer you this:
..
When Merlin first woke he spent a full five minutes trying to work out where he was and what had happened. He knew instinctively somewhere in his mind that moving would be a mistake, so he lay still, trying to figure it all out.
He was on his front. His muscles felt stiff and heavy, as though he'd been still for a long time. It was warm. Through closed lids he could see daylight. The bed he was lying on was soft and comfortable, but not his. He could hear the vague, indistinct noises of civilisation in the background. Camelot? That was the most logical conclusion he could draw, but something in his mind was telling him that it wasn't possible.
'I wasn't in Camelot? Where was I?' All his memories danced out of his reach, scattering, leaving him more confused than before.
"Merlin?" This was much closer than the other noises. He knew that voice, of course he did; he had heard it almost every day for the last few years. His master. His friend. He wanted to reply so badly, ask what was going on, but the muscles to open his mouth eluded him. For a frightened second he wondered if he was paralysed. "Gaius? I think he's waking up." More noises close by, someone shuffling towards him.
"Merlin, my boy?" Another voice he knew: His guardian. If Gaius was there, then this must be Camelot, surely? But how did he get there? When? And from where? Floating, foggy images passed through him as he tried to recall the hours before he fell asleep. Valiantly, he tried to speak again. He got nowhere close to actual words, but a sound did make it out his mouth into the open air. The two men by his bedside sighed in relief.
"It's about time you woke up, Merlin. You've been sleeping forever," the prince whined, and Merlin could hear the smile behind the words. He wished he could ask about everything, but talking was hard, and he didn't want to break this warm, comforting shell he found himself in. Whatever had happened, he was in Camelot, safe and warm, with his family around him. He drifted back into his sleepy haze, a smile tugging at his lips.
..
The prince had been visiting the physician's chambers every day, getting his shoulder tended to, as well as checking up on his servant. It had been three days since Merlin had stirred for the first time, and since then the servant had remained stubbornly unconscious.
"How is he Gaius?" Arthur strove to make his voice emotionless. He had already shown too much of his true feelings, and he needed to try and put some distance between himself and his servant. His father would not allow the obvious friendship to continue unchecked.
"He's recovering sire. It's slow going, and he hasn't woken, but his back is on the mend. The infection has cleared, and he should make a full recovery." The old man sounded much better than he had done over the past few days. Arthur had been getting worried about the stress taking its toll on the aged physician. "His other injuries were relatively superficial. There were a few broken fingers, but they've mostly healed up already. The broken ribs were worse. They've bruised his lungs and they'd begun to set incorrectly, so I had to re-break them." The prince felt mildly sick. "The arrow wound in his leg was a little troubling, but it should recover with time."
"But he's is getting better? Why hasn't he woken up?" The concern was leaking into his voice again. He bit his tongue.
"His body is desperately trying to heal itself, and so he's conserving energy. Your shoulder would heal better if you took a few days off sire," Gaius pressed again. He'd been trying to get the prince to rest as soon as he had woken from his drug induced slumber on the first night back, with little success.
"There's too much to do Gaius. A kingdom to be looked after."
"Camelot has lasted for longer than either of us sire. She can stand for a few more days without too much trouble." The rebuke was half hearted; the physician knew that Arthur was never going to take the bait.
"Either way, it's probably best not to leave everyone to their own devices. I swear this kingdom has the worst luck in all the five kingdoms." Gaius chuckled, and watched as the young prince strode out of his chambers. He was over working himself, as always, and he now had the added stress of Merlin's condition.
The old physician knew roughly what had happened during the pair's captivity, but the details had never been explained. He wasn't about to push Arthur into spilling everything. He was aware that Merlin had been used against the prince in some way, though he was unsure how, and that Arthur blamed himself for the condition of his servant. Which was of course, ridiculous. Gaius knew that the two would defend each other until the bitter end, and so he was certain that Arthur would have done whatever he could to get Merlin out of there.
"Oh, my boy," he murmured, crossing to Merlin's side and gently pushing back his dark hair with a fondness often seen in parents. "I'm so sorry all this has happened." And he was. Truly. There was a small voice in his mind, saying that Merlin had only come to Camelot to live with him, and had he not been around, the innocent young boy would never have met Arthur and been in this mess. He sighed deeply to himself, looking around his cluttered chambers sadly.
The warlock stirred faintly in his slumber, a small groan whispering into the room. He didn't awaken, but the old physician took it as confirmation that Merlin wasn't going anywhere for a while. Reassured, the aged man returned to his work.
..
Arthur pulled back the spear and let it fly. It landed in the centre of the target with a satisfying thunk. He had very quickly discovered that training was an excellent way to vent all his pent up frustrations, despite the fact that it made his shoulder blaze with agony as he pulled at his stitches. Gaius would be annoyed with him again. It seemed a regular state within the physician nowadays. Not that Arthur didn't deserve far worse. He had completely failed in every duty he had to the man who had practically raised him, and broken every promise he had made about keeping Merlin safe. By all rights, Gaius should be furious. But he wasn't.
The prince didn't understand, and it grated at him. If he was the old man, he would have demanded compensation, for Merlin's sake at least. Instead Gaius was constantly reassuring him that Merlin would be fine, and thanking him for keeping him alive. Arthur didn't have the heart to point out that it was his fault for the boy being so close to death in the first place.
Picking up another spear, he launched it at the stationary target several metres away. It was an easy shot for someone as well trained as he was, but then again, he wasn't looking for actual practice. No, he was looking for a way to release everything that was tearing him in two. And an easy shot was the perfect solution. Even Merlin would love it; no servant was having to labour under the weight of the slab of wood. And he still couldn't calm down.
Merlin seriously needed to wake up and get better, because this constant lack of improvement (whatever Gaius said, the boy still looked half dead) was driving him insane.
'Since when did I start caring this much?' He knew that it was a weakness. Anything he cared for could be used against him at any time; his captivity had proved this much. 'Merlin's not safe being so close to me. And Guinevere?' He was chasing himself in circles.
"Sire?" That was Leon. He had been there at the start of all of this he recalled. This whole fiasco had started with Leon saying that one word, to inform him of the attacked patrol. All of a sudden, he wished that the knight had sent someone else to fetch him. Regardless, he looked up to see the older man walking towards him, much more relaxed than he had been that day. "I was wondering whether you are well enough to join the patrol riding out this evening. It's routine, nothing too strenuous," he reassured quickly.
Arthur was torn. He wanted nothing more than to escape for a short while, to be more of the prince he used to be. At the same time, he was loath to leave Merlin here alone for that amount of time. For a moment he deliberated, then decided that Merlin had Gaius, and if anything did happen he would be well looked after. And plus, the prince really wanted to go.
"That would be good, thank you," he replied, smiling at his second in command. The knight nodded respectfully and then retreated to do... whatever it is that knights do.
Still musing over his decision, Arthur went to retrieve his spears.
..
I know it ended a little abruptly. Sorry.
There is currently a poll on my profile about my next story. If you're interested, I'd love if you'd vote.
Also, just a note: I'm going to be re-writing the beginning of this story at some stage. I may have already told you this. I've forgotten :S
I'm also working on a quick one-shot at the moment. It's another depressing one, sorry. That's all I seem able to crank out for now. I'll try and come up with something happy.
I sincerely hope that there isn't as long a wait now for the next chapter. There shouldn't be. But then again, I'm unpredictable. I did at least give you 'Beautiful Pain.' Thanks for all the lovely reviews you guys sent me for that! It doesn't always let me respond to reviews so if I didn't, I greatly apologise! I always read them. Promise.
I put this on Faded Memories, but to VHunter07 if you're still around, please message me! This chapter is unbeta-ed. All mistakes are mine.