Chapter 4

When Merlin entered the prince's room, he found Arthur standing at the window and fully dressed. Merlin had once walked in and found Arthur with only his pants on. Since then, Arthur had remembered to never stop halfway. With Merlin's habit of not knocking when he entered a room, it could be dangerous. Knowing this fact, Merlin wasn't surprised to see his lord dressed. He was, however, apprehensive about the way Arthur stood by that window.

"Sorry I'm late," Merlin spoke almost as soon as he entered the room. Arthur turned to look at him but then shrugged and looked back to the window.

Merlin understood. Arthur had said it before. He was used to Merlin being late. Without needing to be told to, Merlin began fixing the bed as he normally would. Arthur's expression began to shift into confusion as he watched the window. Then he slowly turned to look at Merlin fixing the bed. Merlin tried to ignore the stare. He wished Arthur would say something instead of just watching.

When he finished the bed, Merlin went to the table to clean up the food. Arthur walked over to the bed and wrapped his hand around a post. He surveyed the bed curiously, as though looking for something. Merlin frowned as he picked up Arthur's dishes and moved things around to their original places. Arthur spun to look at the table, his expression growing worried.

"What?" Merlin asked, stopping mid-move. He held Arthur's goblet in his hand, just above the tray. "If you've got something to say, why don't you just say it?"

Still Arthur said nothing. He just watched Merlin's hands. After a moment, Arthur walked closer. Merlin began to feel his neck and ears growing hot. He was blushing. Why was Arthur staring so intently at him? Why was he giving such a curious look to Merlin's hands? Why wouldn't Arthur say anything?

The door to Arthur's room opened and Merlin dropped the goblet on the tray. He panicked for a moment, but it hadn't fallen over so it was okay. Merlin looked back to the door.

"Arthur!" a worried voice called out.

"Morgana?" Arthur asked. He looked from the door to the tray on the table and then back to Morgana. "What is it? I'm busy."

"Doing what? Eating?" Morgana asked snappily. "This is more important!"

"What is it?!" Arthur asked impatiently. He looked away from the young woman and back to his tray, hand reaching out for the goblet Merlin had just set down. Just as he grabbed it and picked it up, he heard something that made him freeze.

"It's Merlin," Morgana said. Arthur turned around, goblet still in hand. Merlin stared at his lady, confused.

"What about me?" he asked.

"What about him?" Arthur asked almost instantly afterwards. Merlin cast Arthur a hard look. She didn't need to be asked twice.

"He's… They found him in the courtyard this morning. Gwen's just told me. He's not well. Gaius is trying to revive him, but so far he's had little luck," Morgana explained.

If Merlin had been holding the goblet, it would have been on the floor now. What?! Arthur gripped the goblet so firmly it might as well have broken. His face turned stony and worried. He smashed the goblet onto the tray, nearly capsizing it, and rushed for the door. Morgana turned and began to lead him down to Gaius's chambers, as though he didn't know the way. Merlin jumped and rushed after them.

"Hey! Wait! But I'm right here!" he screamed. Neither royal acknowledged him. Merlin let out a huff and then ran to catch up to them. What was going on?

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"Gaius, what's happened?!" Arthur demanded almost before he got to the doctor's room. Gaius looked up and frowned.

"Not much, I'm afraid. He's suffered some internal bleeding, though I can't find the cause. He seems perfectly healthy besides the bleeding in his ears and that stopped before he got back here. Right now, I'm at a loss. I see no reason why he's like this… and he doesn't respond to touch or sound, so I can't find anything out from him," the old physician explained.

Merlin, Arthur, and Morgana took one breath at the same time. Morgana looked upset, Merlin looked depressingly lost, and Arthur looked almost angry. He stepped up next to Merlin on the table.

"Is he dead?" he asked, voice hard. Merlin's chest felt tight.

"I…," Gaius began, but paused and let out a sigh.

"No! I'm not dead!" Merlin exclaimed. On the table, Merlin's body let out a rough breath and turned its head to the side. All eyes snapped to look at it.

"I thought you said he didn't respond to sound," Arthur said, his eyes drifting over Merlin's body slowly, as though he'd find some other cause for the boy's sudden movement.

"He didn't… I mean, he hasn't before. The only thing telling me he's alive in that his heart is still beating and he's breathing. Other than that, there's nothing," Gaius explained. Arthur shook his head.

"Well he's responding to something now. We have to figure out how to help him," he pointed out the obvious. Merlin felt his chest swell. Arthur's worry made him feel… special. His body reacted to the emotion. His mouth opened slightly and his eyes moved rapidly behind his closed eyelids.

Morgana took a step closer to the body and adopted a curious look. Gaius looked contemplative as well. Arthur was just there, staring at Merlin's body and waiting. Gaius knelt by the body and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Merlin?" he asked. "Can you hear me?"

"Yeah," Merlin replied, but his body did nothing. Gaius looked confused. He turned his gaze up to Arthur.

"My lord, if you could… Can you please say something to him?" the old man asked. Arthur almost looked put off. He frowned and knit his brow.

"Me? What difference would it make who calls to him?" Arthur asked. For one, Arthur would feel a fool if he started talking to a near-dead body. For another, if Arthur was meant to call out to Merlin in this state… what if his emotions got out of control in his voice and he ended up letting something caring out?

"Oh Arthur, just do it! What harm could it do?" Morgana asked harshly. She couldn't believe Arthur was being difficult about this.

Arthur threw her a sour look. Couldn't she just mind her own business? Merlin looked into Arthur's eyes and frowned. If he didn't want to, fine. Don't make him. It wasn't like Merlin was going to react to anything stupid Arthur said.

"Please, Sire," Gaius nearly begged. "It's just a test."

"Just a test. Gaius, what kind of reaction are you expecting me to give? Even if he did agree to this, I wouldn't -," Merlin began but found himself cut off.

"Alright, fine," Arthur agreed. Merlin was slightly shocked. Arthur was going to try? But wouldn't he hurt his pride by trying to talk to an unconscious body? It was rather silly, wasn't it? Merlin stepped closer to try and judge Arthur's expression.

"Um so… just… call his name?" Arthur asked.

"That's right, sire. Just ask if he can hear you," Gaius agreed, nodding his head. Arthur knelt down like Gaius and cleared his throat. Merlin could tell he felt stupid doing this… and maybe a bit embarrassed.

"Merlin?" the prince asked hesitantly. Merlin pressed his lips together but his body didn't react. Merlin stood on the other side of his body from Gaius and Arthur. He sat in a chair and just watched them. Arthur cleared his throat again.

"Can you hear me, Merlin?" Arthur tried again, this time sounding more concerned. Well that was an emotion Merlin hadn't been expecting. He looked at his body the way everyone else was. React, he told himself. React!

This time, his body did move… well sort of. He let out a short, slightly rough breath, almost like a sigh or a gasp of awe. Arthur's features visibly relaxed. Gaius stood up and went to his wall of books.

"Wait, what does it mean?" Arthur asked, standing up as well. Merlin frowned and his body stopped moving. Its mouth shut and his chest noticeably deflated.

"Gaius," Morgana called out warningly. Both Gaius and Arthur turned to look at Merlin's body, but breathing had resumed. "I… I thought he stopped breathing," Morgana explained. Arthur glared at her.

"Don't kill him in your mind, Morgana," he snapped. Then he turned back to Gaius. "So what does a sigh mean? Was that him responding or was it just breathing?"

"Well," Gaius began, flipping through a book. "I think it was him responding to you… which is more than I've been able to achieve. Still, it doesn't help me understand what's happened to him."

Merlin groaned and stood up. He'd hoped Gaius would be able to clear things up. Merlin walked in a circle and then froze. Wait a minute. This had to be some sort of magic, because his body was on a table but he was also standing there, completely conscious… not to mention, he'd made Arthur's bed that morning and cleaned up his dishes. That meant Merlin was tangible. He could touch things, right?

Why was he trying to make contact through his unconscious body? He could just pick up a quill and write them a message!

Merlin walked to Gaius's table and reached for the quill nearby. However, unlike when he'd reached for Arthur's goblet, his fingers went right through it. Merlin frowned and tried again, and again he failed to pick it up.

"What?" he breathed out. He reached for the paper beside the quill, but again he failed to touch it. Merlin rushed to a cabinet and tried to pick up a bottle, any bottle! However, his fingers went straight through them all. His heart began to race and he rushed for his bedroom door. That too, he couldn't grab.

"Merlin?" Morgana asked, worry lacing her voice. Merlin's body had reacted to the spirit's desperation and fear. His face looked pained, his fingers were curled halfway and his breathing was labored.

"Gaius, do something," Arthur ordered. Without needing to be told, Gaius grabbed one of the bottles Merlin had tried to grab and brought it over to the body. He poured some liquid into Merlin's mouth and held his nose until he swallowed.

Merlin felt his eyes flutter and he had trouble seeing. Then his legs gave out and he fell down the small stairs in front of his door. It should have hurt, but he didn't feel the pain, just the force of hitting the ground. He groaned and shook his head. What had Gaius just done?

"There. I've given him a pain reliever. It should help," Gaius explained. Merlin sighed. That explained it. "You two should go back to your duties. I'll send for you if anything changes, and tell Gwen not to worry. If my new idea is right, he'll be fine."

"But you said you didn't know what was wrong with him," Arthur accused. Gaius nodded.

"That was before. I've got an idea now. If I'm right, his condition is easily cured. Now go before someone notices you're spending so much time worrying over a servant," he nearly ordered.

Arthur swallowed whatever comment he'd been about to make and left from the room. Morgana nodded to Gaius and gave one last look to Merlin, who now looked peaceful. Then, before she could convince herself otherwise, she left the room and followed Arthur.

Merlin frowned and pushed himself off the ground.

"You have no idea how to cure me, do you, Gaius?" he asked softly.

The man's worried frown aimed at the body on his table confirmed Merlin's doubts. The young warlock stepped up next to Gaius and tried to put a hand on his shoulder, but he went right through. Merlin clenched his hand into a fist and let it drop to his side.

"I'm still alive, Gaius. You can still cure me," he declared. "Just think, Gaius. I trust you."

Then Merlin left the room and started his trek to find Arthur.

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

A/N: Does anyone else imagine Arthur cautiously reaching for that goblet and laugh like me?