Uther sat in his throne listening to the knights discuss what had happened in the halls. "I want the scorcher caught instantly! I do not want the monster to get far or to sneak back of the havoc this thing could cause," shouted the King.
"We will find the sorcerer," promised a young knight.
"You had better!" exclaimed Uther.
"What shall you do with this magic user once it is caught?"
"Hung and then then the body will be put in the well and burnt after he is beheaded," the King said calmly.
"Why such extreme measures?" asked the terrified knight. He was actually shivering. Never before had he seen the King like this and the young man did not like it.
"It is rumored the magic user worked in the castle. I want to use this dark soul as a reminder what can happen if someone uses the foul trickery," replied Uther as he drummed his fingers on the armrest of the throne.
Arthur had been walking hurriedly on his way to his chambers so he could prepare to leave the castle. After leaving Gaius' chambers the Prince had finally decided on what he was going to do. Even though he was still mad and upset he owed Merlin the benefit of the doubt and so he figured he would at least give his manservant the chance to explain himself and if what Gaius had said was true; that Merlin was still suffering from the effects of the poison, then he needed to be found and quickly.
He had been near the throne room when he heard Uther cry out in disgust. Arthur had heard the hateful words his father spoke, and that is why he stopped directly in plain view of the King even though the Prince remained outside of the open double doors that led in to the throne room. Arthur had heard his father angry before, but never that angry.
Seeing his son, Uther waved the knights away. "Don't come back before this foul fiend is caught. Whoever brings him back will be rewarded justly," growled the man to the departing warriors.
Uther stood from his seat. Straightening his tunic, he strode from the room. "Arthur! How are you," asked the man. "You weren't hurt, were you?"
"No father, M..." The Prince paused, he had been about to say that Merlin had destroyed the beam, thus more than likely saving his life, but he couldn't just say that because then his father would know that it was Merlin who was the sorcerer and then he would stop at nothing to find the young man.
"Oh, thank the God! I don't know what I would've done if you had been hurt," Uther said. He gave his son a smile and then slapped him lightly on Arthur's shoulder blade. "So, what exactly happened?"
"My manservant pushed me out of the way. This sorcerer obviously caused the beam to come loose in the first place, but I believe for some reason he destroyed it too when Merlin gave chase."
The King's eyebrows rose and then he chuckled. "Your manservant? The one who was poisoned and at his best, was a bit scrawny," asked Uther. "He can barely lift your sword."
Of course what he had just told his father, the King of Camelot had been nothing but a crock of lies but Arthur felt the need to uphold Merlin, make him seem like the hero he was instead of the villain. "I will be preparing to ride out shortly to hunt down this devilish vermin and bring him back for judgment."
"He's judgment has already been passed," the man grumbled. "And he will be made an example to all of Camelot. He will die. Now go! Ride in haste. We don't want him getting far."
Freya noticed that Merlin was shivering. As best as she could, the cursed Druid pulled the wet warlock from the water and laid him on the shore. Crouching beside him, she examined the man. Freya didn't know what was wrong with Merlin, but she knew in her heart that he didn't have much longer. He was so ill and she didn't have a clue how to help him. Even though wet, Freya could see the water evaporating from his pallid skin due to the fever. His chest jerked and seized with each, pained breath.
Feeling tears come into her eyes due to the helplessness of the situation, Freya looked up. The moon was just starting to rise. "Oh no," she whispered. "I've got to go. Stay here, Merlin. I'll be back in the morning." The druid didn't know if Merlin heard her or not, but she didn't stay around to find out. Standing, she ran off into the woods.
Just as Freya left, Merlin stirred. He blinked and looked around. "Where am I," he asked through chattering teeth. "Brr…." He wrapped his arms around his torso to try and warm up. Hearing a noise, Merlin jumped up.
Wavering on his feet, he began to run. Merlin couldn't see. He could hardly breathe. That didn't matter. Getting away was his only thought – it's what drove him.
There was a roar and Merlin whirled. In front of him was a griffin. It reared up on its back legs and slashed at him. Holding his hand out, he blasted it back. With a dull thud, it landed by the trees and was still.
Eyes rolling back in his head, he fell backwards and cracked his head on a rock. Already unconscious, Merlin sunk limply into the water. The warlock's body was pulled along by the current.
Arthur had been looking for Merlin for what seemed like forever. After what Gaius had told him about the poison the Prince knew he had more than enough reason to be worried. Merlin was dying even as the older man was looking for him. Arthur couldn't allow that to happen; he just couldn't.
Merlin had saved his life by causing the beam to break apart and all Arthur had done was make a fuss about the fact that the raven haired man had kept his magic from him. That wasn't important anymore. What was important was finding the younger man, apologizing to him, and then getting him back to Gaius. Maybe the old physician could do something to slow down the effects of the poison and give the Prince enough time to make a return journey to the caves for another flower.
Hearing a loud roar somewhere up ahead, Arthur clamored down off of his horse, sword in hand. Of all of the things he was prepared to see at that moment, Merlin fighting a griffin wasn't one of them. The warlock dispatched the beast with ease, but he fainted and fell in to the rushing waters below.
"Merlin!" Arthur cried out, seeing his friend fall. The Prince dropped his sword on the ground, ran to the edge and then jumped in to the water, as well. His chainmail was weighing him down and under normal circumstances he would be a little panicked because of that, but the extra weight helped him to stay under the water so he could better look for Merlin.
Spying something up ahead the Prince swam faster, his heart nearly jumping in to his chest when he saw that it was his friend. Every time Arthur would pick up the pace and make a grab for the boy the current would just pull Merlin's from out of reach. This went on for several minutes until finally the blonde haired man was able to latch on to the thin frame of the boy and head towards the surface.
Merlin fought the darkness. He struggled to keep himself awake. His eyes had already closed and the warlock wasn't even sure if he was breathing.
His head was pounding. The blood was rushing to his ears, creating a buzzing sound that was highly distracting. The water pressed against his chest and it felt like he was going to explode from the pressure.
When his head reached the surface, his eyes opened wide as he gasped and coughed. Then, his shoulders slumped down as his eyelids fluttered closed and head lolled to the side. Limp, the warlock shivered, from both fever and the water, and twitched in the Prince's grasp.
It took Arthur longer than usual to haul the boy on to dry land. The combination of chainmail, clothing, and the water, not to mention the weight of the thin warlock had all been fighting against him. It seemed for every step forward he was pushed two steps back, but finally he managed to gently lay the soaked body of his friend down on the ground.
"Merlin," Arthur coughed, trying to clear his throat. The young man was shivering violently and twitching ever so slightly. "You are going to be okay, I'm going to get you back to Camelot...Gaius'll take care of you." he said, his voice filled with worry.
Merlin kind of heard Arthur speak. However, he couldn't quite figure out what he heard. The voice was muffled and warbling, but he thought he might have heard his name. The way things sounded, it was as if he were still under water.
It was hard to remain calm when all of your muscles and every fiber of your being wanted to cry out in fear, but somehow Arthur managed to stay calm. "I don't care if you hate me for the rest of my life or if you quit being my man servant just please don't die on me," he said.
He didn't dare move Merlin, yet, just in case the boy stopped breathing. If that happened and he didn't notice, he would never be able to forgive himself. As it was, the Prince checked the warlock over several times just to make sure that he was still breathing.
As this unfolded and the darkness, the Bastet prowled. Blood from her latest catch (a rabbit) dripped from her jowls. Coming to the prince and warlock, she stopped and started. Growling and roaring, the beast crouched and prepared to strike.
Merlin jerked awake. The sound reached through the unconsciousness better then any words. He couldn't see because sweat poured into his eyes, but he could tell someone was looking out for him and he could tell there were eyes upon this spot. There was a slight shine from them likes flame, thus it stood out to him.
"Go!" he shouted. His voice was ragged and weak. His words had a tinge of desperation and resignation. "Leave me. I'm dead. I will be dead from this or Uther's wrath. Go while you have a chance."