So it's the final Merlin -ever- in like two hours, and the fan girl in me is dying of sadness.

On a brighter note, thank you to everyone who read/reviewed/followed/favourited, LOVE YOU.

*Sighs.*

Enjoy:)

Morning was upon the men too brightly and too soon.

The moment the ray of sun had touched Arthur's face, he had pushed past his aches of the previous day and stood up, raking a hand through his dirty blond hair.

He silently stepped to the mouth of the cave, examining the surroundings thoroughly. All was silent, the only noise being the birds in the trees. Feeling relieved, he hastily walked back into the cave to his manservant. He was worse than yesterday - that he was certain of. Black circles stood out in deep contrast to his bloodless face. Each breath was loud and took too much effort, only emphasizing how shallow and labored it was.

Arthur couldn't admit it in his heart, but his head knew that if Merlin wasn't back in Gaius's care by nightfall, his chances of surviving another night in the forest were slim.

It was that thought that gave him the strength and determination to walk on with no rest, using all of his initiative to navigate his way back to Camelot. Merlin would occasionally groan and whimper at times which Arthur despaired at, though it was the times when he fell silent that really scared him. Why was it that every rare time Arthur craved his servant's idiotic banter he wasn't there to give it?

Arthur shook his head – he needed to concentrate. They could be ambushed at any moment – these forests were infested with the same vulgar bandits that had attacked last night, probably armed with Camelot's spare swords and supplies.

Arthur stopped suddenly. Listening intently, he zoned in to a soft trickle. Continuing forward to follow the sound, the relief that washed over Arthur when he faced a small lake was almost too much to bear. He had been walking for hours, Merlin slung over his shoulders the entire way with no water in his body to give him the physical strength he needed. He half ran to the lake, setting Merlin down with a soft groan.

Striding to the edge he bent down, allowing the water to roam around his dirty hand. He knew they had to keep travelling, but the refreshing rush that swept over him was too good an opportunity to miss. Breathing in deeply he rubbed his clean hands over his face, almost washing off the horrors of yesterday. Filling the waterskin up he took a long needed drink, sighing in refreshed satisfaction once he had downed the contents twice.

His bliss was soon banished however when Merlin moaned from where Arthur had placed him a few meters away. Arthur tried not to pay attention to the guilt that suddenly filled him – how could he have forgotten Merlin's needs were greater than his own pleasure? Well, at least for the moment. Arthur added mentally.

He cupped his hands together, letting the water overflow his hands. Carefully he maneuvered his way to Merlin, crouching down beside him. With the upmost care he steadily dripped water onto Merlin's face, allowing his body temperature to maybe calm down a little. Merlin stirred at the touch, leaning up slightly at the contact of the cool water.

"…A-thr?" Merlin whispered hoarsely, his eyes slowly blinking open. His blue orbs met Arthur's stressed ones.

"Stay still Merlin, you have a temperature." Arthur ordered, trickling more water onto his face. Merlin obeyed, shutting his eyes again as he appreciatively allowed the water to be dripped onto him.

Once all the water had escaped Arthur's hands he moved back to the lake, refilling the waterskin. As he resumed his place back beside Merlin, he briefly considered pouring some of the water onto his wound. However, the last thing Arthur wanted to do was aggravate it more, therefore deciding to just feed the water to Merlin.

Like yesterday he gently pulled his servants mouth open, pouring the water in. Merlin opened his eyes, thanking the Gods he was receiving some desperately needed fluid. He watched Arthur, his care and tenderness touching Merlin in a way nothing else had. Maybe it was because it proved to Merlin that maybe Arthur did consider him a friend, and that he was taking the time to help someone who was seen as just a lowly servant to many other nobles.

Nosily he swallowed the last of the water. Instinctively he breathed a sigh of relief, only to scrunch up his face in discomfort. Breathing wasn't supposed to be this torturous.

"Don't worry Merlin; we'll be with Gaius soon. Just hold on 'til then, that's an order." Arthur said, his heart aching at the sight of the helpless boy in front of him.

Merlin forced his tense muscles to relax, pressing a smile onto his tired face. "And since when do I-"

"Shh." Arthur ordered, forcing a finger to Merlin's lips. Merlin knew better than to argue with Arthur, noticing the sudden change in his demeanor. He stood up, unsheathing his sword whilst moving to stand in between Merlin and whoever was hidden behind these trees. His heart was pounding; he wasn't sure how long he could last in a full on fight, unfairly outnumbered and having to protect Merlin all at the same time - however he sure as hell would give it all he had.

"Show yourselves!" Arthur shouted, eyes darting backwards and forwards for sudden movement. "I order you to-"

Arthur was cut off by a large smile plastering his face. There stood his four best knights; Sir Gwaine, Sir Percival, Sir Leon and Sir Elyan, sharing his joy and relief. He re-sheathed his sword, the knights following his actions as they stepped closer to one another, embracing each other with a handshake. "Sire! We had no idea where you had gone last night; we've been searching the forests for hours." Leon said stepping back to check Arthur was free of any injury.

"Yeah, am I glad to see you Princess. Where's Merlin?" Gwaine laughed, patting him on the back in a brotherly gesture. Almost as soon as the words had surpassed his mouth, Gwaine's eyes landed on the still form of the King's manservant. "What happened?!" He asked aggressively, rushing past Arthur to kneel beside his friend.

"The Bandit's got to him." Gwaine frowned, looking at Arthur accusingly. No way had Merlin just been cut – this was far more serious. "We think the sword was poisoned."

Gwaine swallowed his anger – he wasn't sure who he was more angry at; the Bandits for attacking a helpless servant, Arthur for not protecting him like Merlin would him, or himself for letting Merlin be attacked.

No, he was definitely blaming it on the Bandit's. "I'm going to find them and kill them before they move anywhere else." Gwaine growled, stepping away from Merlin. Merlin watched Gwaine, silently begging him to calm down.

"No Gwaine." Arthur placed a firm hand on his chest. "We need to get back to Camelot first – we'll gather reinforcements and then we will find them, I can promise you that much." Arthur removed his hand, feeling Gwaine's muscles relax. Surely Gwaine had realised the severity of Merlin's condition?

He had, and so had the rest of the knights. Even from where Sir Percival stood at the back he had noticed the stillness of Merlin's form, his silence instead of telling everyone to just find the bandit's first and stop worrying about him. It was also obvious to them the reason Arthur was so intent on getting back to Camelot; Arthur wanted Merlin safe and alive.

"Sire, the horses are tied just over there. If we make haste we can be at Camelot by nightfall…is Merlin well enough to ride?"

Arthur wanted to say yes, but if Merlin was given his own horse it would take double the time to get home. "No, he'll ride with me."

Arthur strode over to Merlin and carefully pulled his half-conscious form into his arms. Merlin tried to resist the urge to let his head rest upon Arthur's chest, willing himself to remain awake. However his chest was sending waves of pain rolling through his body and his mind was becoming foggier with every step Arthur took. Every minor movement Arthur unintentionally made caused Merlin to wince involuntarily. He took a rasping breath, attempting to control his labored breathing and fading mind. But before Arthur had even reached the horses with the knights his eyes were flickering to a gentle close, the fireball that his body was being too much for his slight form to bear. And it seemed to Merlin that the harder he tried to appear stronger than it was obvious he was, the more it exerted him and lulled him into a deeper oblivion.

And then before he knew it, his head was on Arthur's chest and he could no longer feel or hear his body and mind.

Was it okay? I didn't really have time to check it:/ Review?:D

Next Chapter should be quickish, have an awesome christmas!