The fight raged around Merlin. His grip tightened on his sword as the man ran at him and he fought with confidence. There was no way he couldn't. Arthur had been driving him hard. Over the last few weeks it had been so intense. There had been no let up. It had confused the rest of the knights at first, but in the end they had just assumed that Arthur had got fed up of tolerating Merlin's behaviour and just cracked down on him.

Merlin dodged the lunge, swaying back away from the sword, and he buried his own in the man's belly. He winced as he did so, yanking it back before the man could fall and trap it. That had happened once before and Merlin had been forced to use magic on the next person. Arthur had scowled with disapproval and the training had intensified. Merlin was starting to wonder if Arthur was trying to somehow drive the sorcery out of him. He hadn't pointed out that if that was the case, it wouldn't work. The relationship was fragile at best.

He was trying not to do anything to make it any worse. Long ago he had decided that. He was just letting Arthur put him through whatever he wanted. Merlin hadn't complained about any of it, nor had he responded with magic. He didn't do it to make life easier with Arthur. That point had come up one night, and Merlin was sticking to it. Very determinedly.

Until a second later. He turned and saw someone bearing down on Arthur, as he tried to fend off the first attacker. The second assault was directly behind, they thought they had the prince pinned. Merlin paused and muttered. The ground was so muddy; it was not implausible that someone running through it might slip. Arthur made a neat slash to the first man's belly and then turned. His second attacker was lying on his back, dazed and helpless. Arthur thrust the sword through him, pulled it out and turned to Merlin. Their eyes met and Arthur knew. Then Merlin snapped to attention as someone ran in at him.

"Merlin!" Arthur yelled.

What was that about? Merlin snapped to himself as he readied himself. Arthur was running towards him, slashing down another man as he did so. He had trained Merlin hard enough, he could handle one man, but then Merlin gasped as a sudden hot pain flared out from his right shoulder blade. As he tried to lift his sword Merlin watched it fall from his grasp and drop to the floor. Reaching down he tried to get it, and then somehow he was on his knees.

The pain was very distracting, Merlin decided as he tried to reach for his sword. It wasn't working very well, his hand was just hanging and red hot fire was running down his arm. Merlin looked at it in confusion, and he tried to get up, he tried to take his sword. Nothing seemed to be working.

He looked around blearily to see the man still running at him. Merlin looked at him, and knew he couldn't stop it. Looking down he saw a random lump of wood still on the floor. A second later it shifted and slammed into the man's ankle, he went down and Merlin grinned. Then he realised he was looking at it all from an entirely new angle, and his face felt wet. He still couldn't move his arm, and that was getting very inconvenient. Lifting his head he forced himself to move and then realised someone else was on him, the sword coming down towards his head. Merlin flinched and then winced as there was a clang.

"Merlin? Merlin?"

Arthur was yelling at him again. Everything felt heavy, Merlin blinked and wondered what the hell was going on.

At the same time Arthur scanned the undergrowth of the forest, putting himself over Merlin to protect him. One of Arthur's newest knights, Sir Robert, who had intercepted the attack on Merlin, was fighting his opponent back. Arthur had felt a surge of sickening panic as he had watched the sword almost find its target. It was only Robert's quick reaction that had protected Merlin. Arthur watched the last remnants of the fight, but he didn't dare move off Merlin. The archer could still be out there, and Merlin was the only one not wearing armour. The protection was a little late. Arthur looked down at the arrow in Merlin's right shoulder. Everything went quiet around him. Arthur lifted himself up.

"Got him!" Olwen announced coming out from the undergrowth, his sword and armour were a bloody mess. Arthur lifted himself off Merlin and looked at the arrow, and Merlin, lying very still.

"Merlin? Merlin?"

"What?" Merlin asked irritably. "I'd hit you if I could work out how."

"Just stay still, lie still Merlin. It's fine."

Arthur looked at the wound. Sir Leon came and crouched by him, looking as well. Arthur looked up, glancing around at the battlefield.

"Anyone else, is there anyone else injured?" He was the prince, their leader, he had to ask.

"Just Gareth," someone announced.

Gareth was being supported by two other knights. His leg was badly gashed, his trousers slick with blood. They laid him down and Arthur got up to see what was wrong. Gareth was a knight, Merlin just his servant. That didn't feel right as Arthur told himself that. Robert took Arthur's place at Merlin's side. Merlin's gaze was following Arthur, before he looked at Robert.

It was really annoying that his right arm wouldn't work. Merlin used his left instead, pointing at his pack.

"I brought, in my pack, there band…"

"Merlin, just rest now," Robert said. Merlin carried on muttering and Robert leant in to listen to him. As he did so Merlin's voice grew stronger.

"My pack, I have bandages, and herbs for the poultice. We just need to heat some water, and there's honey."

Robert turned and opened Merlin's pack up, lifting out the neatly folded bandages that Merlin had brought, and the packs of herbs. Robert looked up.

"Get some fires going, and heat some water. Merlin, what do we do?"

Arthur knelt by Garth and looked at the deep cut. It seemed neat, bleeding a lot but Arthur pressed his hands down onto it.

"Get something to raise his leg, it will slow the bleeding!" Arthur said. He was obeyed. Garth gasped, wincing with pain as he said.

"It's fine, he caught me unawares. It was my mistake. I think I'll be fine."

"It's a bad cut," Arthur said and then jumped as someone appeared pressing a clean bandage to the wound.

"Where did you get that?" Arthur asked.

"Merlin's pack, he brought equipment with him."

Arthur turned to look at Merlin, who was being tended by Robert, the one who had rushed in to prevent the sword landing on him. Arthur didn't think that Merlin, in those few seconds, had even comprehended what had happened to him. He lay on his side now, the arrow sticking out from his back. Arthur had seen it coming, the shift of movement in the undergrowth, and then the arrow had headed for Merlin. Merlin had been in his line of sight, Arthur could have thought that the arrow was for him, but Merlin had been there first. He could have just been the first convenient target.

"We can get the poultice on and wrap the leg, the bleeding in slowing now. Maybe you should see to Merlin," Someone said. Gareth nodded.

"I'm fine Sire, look after Merlin, his is the more serious injury. He needs you more."

Arthur needed no more prompting.