Merlin!

Arthur sat up in bed, confused and - well - more than a little scared. What? What happened? Who?

He blinked and looked around. He was in his chambers. All was calm. Silent.

It was the middle of the night...no, it was very early morning. He could see the faint blue light through his shutters. He turned his head. There was his darling Gwen, lying in the warm pocket he'd left, her curls fanned out grandly on her pillow. He let his eyes linger on her face. He tried to calm his heart, which, he realized, was beating rather more quickly than it should have been.

What had woken him?

He'd been dreaming...he tried to remember...

Of Merlin?

That's absurd. What is that idiot doing in my dreams? Disturbing the sleep of his King? I'll thrash him good, he thought belligerently.

He was trying to rid himself of his unease.

It didn't work.

The dream had left a taste of panic in his mouth. What was it? What had happened in his dream to upset him so?

A rooftop...a broken body...

It was all fading now. Anyway, it was rubbish. He'd probably eaten too many pickles at dinner.

He forced himself to sigh, to relax. To lay back down. He squeezed his arm under Gwen's head. She murmured and allowed him to re-adjust her, burrowing her head into his neck. He felt her nuzzle him and held her close. He kissed her hair. Listened as she slept.

He hoped the nasty feeling of fear in his gut would dissipate soon.

It didn't, really.

-

An hour later he was still awake and still uneasy. He finally gave up trying to sleep. That damn Merlin could use some extra work anyway.

He threw on a leather shirt and leaned over to kiss Gwen. He was hoping very much that she'd wake up, but she only murmured, her eyes closed. He smiled, feeling strangely sad, and let her sleep, closing the door quietly behind him.

In the hallway it was still early. The blue dawn had become a clear, cold, pale yellow morning. The few servants he passed were busy building the day's fires. The air was fresh and chilly on his nose.

He trotted down the castle stairs and over to the Court physician's quarters, pulling on his gloves.

He pushed open the door and strolled in, paying, as usual, little heed to the privacy or sleeping hours of others. "Merlin!" He bellowed.

There was no response.

"Merlin! You buffoon, get out of bed!" He wasn't sure if it was lack of sleep or something else that made his tone so snappish. He tried to hide his worry with more irritation. "MER-"

He stopped as Gaius poked his head out of his covers from his bed in the corner, looking alarmed. "Sire?" He fumbled to get up. "Sire, what is the matter?"

Instantly Arthur felt a little chagrined. "No- no. Mm...I'm sorry Gaius. There's no emergency. I just - I just want to get off to an early start today. Mm. Is - is Merlin here?"

Gaius huffed with a little badly-hidden annoyance and relaxed back into his bed. "No, Sire. I thought he spent the night in his quarters in the Castle with you." He frowned. "He wasn't with you?"

"No."

"Hmmm." Arthur suddenly found something very interesting to look at past Gaius' head, over his shoulder. Gaius, too, seemed to be going out of his way to avoid eye contact.

"Well, um...tell him that I'm looking for him." Arthur reached again for his most cocky self, trying not to feel completely lost. Why on earth was he so worried about that buffoon Merlin? "When you see him, tell him he'll lose his job and end up in the stocks if he doesn't show up soon."

Both men were relieved when Arthur took his leave and ducked out the door.

Arthur decided to go out for a ride. Maybe that would help him shake off this feeling.

Gaius watched the door where Arthur had been, lost in thought and a little worried himself. Where was Merlin?