Disclaimer: As much as I would like to, I don't own Merlin!

Wow. I was literally shocked at the sudden rush of reviews I got for this chapter. Thank you so, so, SOO much! It was those reviews that made me get this next chapter up as fast as I could. Thank you so much again. This chapter is dedicated to everyone who reviewed that last chapter! :D

Arthur held Merlin tightly, his fingers digging right into the other boy's flesh. The Prince's heart was hammering wildly in his chest and sobs were catching in his throat. He could feel hot, burning tears trickling down his cheeks, and yet he didn't even feel self conscious. He shook Meriln roughly, but his friend did not even stir. His face was ashen and his chest was soaked with blood, blood that was leaking onto the stone floor and staining Arthur's shirt a deep, terrifying red.

"Merlin... Merlin, come on, please... please, do not do this to me now... Merlin... Merlin, please, I'm begging you..."

The whispered prayer kept flowing past his lips, thick with tears, his words stumbling and stutterring over each other. If he kept praying maybe, just maybe Merlin would live. If Arthur kept talking, just kept talking, then Merlin would be alright. Arthur just had to believe it. If he believed it, it would be true.

"Sire? Prince Arthur?" Someone crouched down in front of him and took his shoulder. "My Prince? Sire!"

Arthur blinked and looked up, focussing blearily on the face of one of the guards. He knew this man... Leif, was it? He looked past him and took in another guard who was hanging back, clearly unsure of whether to approach or not. Leif called his name again and Arthur turned his gaze back to him, sucking in a deep breath.

"Sire, I ran for help. Gaius says to bring Merlin down to his chambers."

Arthur stared at Leif blankly. The words should make sense, but they meant nothing to him. Something about Gaius. What did Gaius matter now, while Merlin was bleeding to death in his arms? Leif wet his lips and then reached for Merlin, trying to pull his limp body from Arthur's grasp.

"Don't worry, I'll take him, Sire-"

"NO!"

His voice came out louder than he had intended, a dry shriek. Leif drew his hands back as if he had been scorched. Arthur took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. No one else was about to touch Merlin, not yet. He couldn't deal with it now.

"Arthur."

The use of his first name snatched Arthur's attention and he looked at the man again, swallowing hard. Leif's gaze was steady.

"If we do not get him to Gaius now, he's going to die."

His sudden bluntness shook Arthur to the core, pushing him into action. He took another deep breath, gulping down the lump in his throat, and then hooked an arm under Merlin's knees, reached his other hand around Merlin's shoulders and rose to his feet. Merlin lolled lifelessly in his arms. A tiny bubble of blood grew at the corner of his mouth and burst, sending a dark trickle down his chin. Arthur's stomach heaved, but he managed to control himself. He strode towards the doors, Leif hovering behind him like a child's balloon.

It took too long to get to Gaius's chambers. Every step Arthur took sent five drops of blood spattering onto the floor. As they walked people stopped to stare at them and whispers began to fly wildly around them. Arthur only caught snatches as he passed, but snatches were all he needed.

"Is that..."

"The Sorccerer...."

"The Prince..."

"Blood...."

And then, the phrase that was repeated most often;

"Is he dead?"

Arthur kept his eyes on the corridor in front of him, blotting out the people around him. He wanted to scream at them 'No! No, he is not dead!' but his lips stayed pressed together. It was as if he was completely numb. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think.

What if he's already dead...?

They reached Gaius's chambers and Leif stepped ahead to push the door open. Gaius had already set up the bed before the fireplace and had pulled his desk closer to it for convenience. Another young man was sitting in a chair in the corner, clutching a cup of some kind of herbal remedy. His long dark hair hung forwards over his face, masking him from view. Arthur didn't care anyway. He carried Merlin over to the bed and laid him down on it, moving as gently as he could. Gaius leant forwards at once, pulling Merlin's tunic open. Beneath it the hole in his chest was scorched and jagged, and oozing deep scarlet blood. Gaius instantly grabbed some rags and pressed them against the bloody mass, trying to staunch the bleeding.

Arthur stumbled backwards and sat down hard in a chair, watching as the blood soaked through the layers of matireal. He could dimly hear Gaius demanding to know what had happened, Leif hurriedly explaining. He could barely understand them. He burried his head in his shaking hands and shut his eyes tightly. This couldn't be happening. It was all just some terrible nightmare. It was just all too horrible to comprehend... his own words floated back to him, cold and mocking.

"Why couldn't you have stayed in your village with your precious mother instead of ruining my life?"

"I don't want to look at you. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want anything to do with you."

Had he really said those things to Merlin? And for what, just because he was upset, just because he was having a hard time? He had not even spoken to Merlin since those moments. God, Merlin had known that he hadn't meant it, hadn't he? He must have known. Arthur had just been upset about Morgana. He hadn't meant any of it... but what if Merlin had believed him? What if Merlin died, and the last words Arthur had ever said to him would have been screamed in rage and hatred.

"Get out!"

Arthur flinched at the memory and gulped down the lump that was rising again in his throat. A sudden movement beside him dragged him from his own thoughts and he looked up to see that the young man had got up and walked unsteadily over to them. With a jolt Arthur recognized him - the lank, straggling black hair, the unaturally pale skin, the hollow, glazed eyes... it was the man who had appeared in his bedroom, the man who had attacked both Merlin, himself and Camelot. His eyes seemed strangely clear now, and had lost the evil glare. He was the man Loiran had been possessing before, Arthur realized.

"I saw him before," he said, his voice faint but steady. "Back when I was... wasn't myself." He looked at Arthur. "Was it Loiran?"

Arthur nodded silently.

"Is he going to die?"

Arthur didn't move. The man waited for a few moments and then turned and limped back over to his chair, which he sank into and closed his eyes. Arthur kept his eyes on Gaius, who was beginning to check the wound beneath the rags. The bleeding seemed to be stopping. Either whatever Gaius was doing was working or Merlin simply had no more blood to bleed... Leif had left somewhere in the confusion.

"Alright," Gaius murmured under his breath, gently lifting the rags off. He wiped away the blood that had trickled over the side of Merlin's chest, reaching for a small pot on the table with his other hand. He began to smear some strange, thick paste over the wound which smelled vaugely like honey. Arthur leant forwards to look at it. He could finally see it clearly now, without the blood getting in the way. The edges of the wound were jagged and the skin all around it was burned and blistered, scorched by the enchanted fire Loiran had conjured.

"A curse was set on the blade," Gaius said. He looked quickly at Arthur. "Am I right?"

"Yes," Arthur whispered. His voice came out a croak. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Yes. But... but Merlin... he said some kind of spell... I don't know what it was."

Gaius shook his head. "I'm no sorccerer. I can't heal magically inflicted wounds." He bit his lip and then reached for a pile of bandages. "Let us just hope that the spell Merlin said di what I could not."

Arthur shut his eyes tightly, pressing his hands over his face. It felt like only a few seconds but the next thing he knew, Gaius was touching his shoulder.

"Arthur," he said quietly. "Maybe you should go to bed."

Arthur looked up. "No. I'm staying," he said shortly.

"You're shaking. You're a complete mess. You need to go and calm down."

"I'm not going anywhere," Arthur growled. He pulled his chair closer to Merlin's bed, as if making a statement.

Gaius sighed, but relented. He turned and made his way over to the man in the corner. Arthur watched as Gaius said something to him and then escorted him into Merlin's bedroom, leaving the two alone.

Arthur leant forwards, resting his elbows on his knees. Merlin lay still on the bed, his lips slightly parted, his eyes firmly shut. Arthur could barely see him breathing. The Prince rubbed a hand over his face, trying to collect himself.

"You're not going to die, Merlin," he whispered. "You're not. Two sides of the same coin, remember? You have to survive. You just have to. I'm not leaving until I know you're alright."

He waited, but Merlin did not respond. Arthur took a deep, shuddering breath. Then he sat back in the chair and settled down to wait.

And another chapter comes to an end. This story is nearly finished now. I hope you guys have been enjoying it. I'd say theres about two more chapters left to write at the most.

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