Here is the hodgepodge mess of chapter 12. I apologize if it sucks. Chapter 13 will be better.

Leon felt like he was condemning himself for carrying Merlin. But he technically did more for Arthur than he did for Uther, or so he felt. But Merlin was his friend, so he had to do something. No other knights tried to stand in his way; in fact, they sort of acted as a barricade. He guessed he wasn't the only one who felt that Merlin was crucial to Camelot, just be being him, sorcery or not.

Merlin was light, the boy was always skin and bones, but Leon felt like he was carrying feathers instead of an actual person. Though in Melrin's state he barely looked like an actual person, and that hurt. One of the knights had stayed behind to keep Arthur from going insane about Merlin.

But the knight ended up just following Arthur, who was following Leon. When they entered the courtyard, there were people waiting. Uther was waiting. Leon said nothing to Uther and continued carrying Merlin to the location he desired, which was Gaius'.

Arthur followed, not looking at his father, who looked as if he was going to go mad. Uther turned and went into the castle. He went to his council chamber and told the guards to summon Arthur.

Arthur however did not come, Morgana did. Morgana did because Arthur was in no state to talk to Uther, and while everyone probably wanted the king dead at this point, she was not in the mood to deal with a homicidal Arthur as well as a broken man.

"I summoned Arthur."

"I know, and I came in his stead."

"I want to speak with my son."

Morgana's eyes narrowed, "Your son is in a delicate state right now, and it is in both your best interests that you do not see him."

"It was that sorcerer."

Morgana glared, "It was, but Merlin cast no spell on Arthur."

"You dare speak its name."

"Yes, Merlin is a person, and you saw for yourself he has not been treated like one. You may ask any knight on the field today what they saw, and it will all be the same answer."

"Were you there?" Uther asked.

"I was. I was there to help. The only spell Merlin cast was on him, obeying an order from Cenred. And let me tell you Uther Pendragon, any man on that field would have seen Merlin was there against his will."

"He is a sorcerer and he shall be killed."

"Then at least let him come back from the brink of death before you admit your sentence to him."

She left, leaving a baffled and livid Uther.

A knight knocked on the door of Gaius' chambers, because Leon did not have the hands. "Gaius," he said as he walked in.

Gaius didn't even recognize Merlin, "What happened to him."

Leon gulped, "Gaius, this is Merlin."

Gaius, stopped. Gwen had been with him, helped him to a bench, "Set him on the bed Leon." She looked at Gaius, and then at Merlin. "Gaius, Merlin is dying," it was easy to see that, she didn't have to be a physician to know. "Tell us what to do."

Gaius was trying to understand what he was seeing. Merlin, his boy, his son was barely alive. He didn't recognize the boy he considered to be his son. It made him sick to his stomach. He nodded, "Sorry, I just," he didn't continued. The faces of those in the chambers understood completely. "I need cold water from the well," he began.

He began ordering people about to get him whatever he needed. Gwen stayed by Merlin's side, and Arthur stood in the corner of the room, trying to hold himself together. He was glaring at everyone, he face told them that if they did anything wrong he would run them through. His demeanor showed defeat. Defeat in the fact that Merlin was just doing what he said he would always do. And inside, inside he was a mess. His, dare he say it, friend, manservant, the person who cared about most was dying and he couldn't do anything about.

He kept on seeing that look on Merlin's face before he said the spell. He then saw the golden eyes, and then he saw that distorted look of pain that Arthur had never seen on any soldier or knight before. He saw that, and it made him sick, it made him upset. He didn't understand that a sorcerer would do that for him, but he understood that Merlin would. He was a mess of emotions on the inside, because he just wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel, he didn't know if he was supposed to act like a prince, or a friend, or something in between.

Mordred had been rushed to Gaius' chambers previously and by Morgana, he was laid on Merlin's bed for privacy, and for the fact that he was not supposed to be in Camelot in the first place.

He had collapsed when he saw Merlin make the spell backfire. He just got knocked out, being of magic himself he felt the wave that was sent off of Merlin. Being connected to Merlin he felt what Merlin had gone through, his thoughts. While Merlin thought all his power was concentrated on the spell, because of the collar and cuffs, and the order he was given, Mordred was in his mind using the mental magical link they had. Mordred had been overcome by the emotions.

He woke up, still groggy, but he heard noise outside, and he knew that meant Merlin must be there. He cracked the door open. He didn't care if the knights saw, he needed to see Merlin whether he liked it or not.

Gaius was sitting opposite of Gwen beside Merlin, he looked defeated. The knights were still clambering about but there were far less than there originally were. He looked at Merlin's wrists, and his neck, and spoke very quietly, "He won't get better til those are off."

Gaius looked up, and nodded, "I know dear boy, I know."

Gwen muffled a sob in her hands. But Arthur's head shot up and he came forward, "Where would we find a key, can you magic them off or something."

Mordred shook his head, and looked at the ground when Arthur spoke. He didn't know. He sat at the foot of the bed.

Leon by now had noticed the druid boy, he thought about saying something, but then held his tongue. It wouldn't have helped anyone, or the situation.

Arthur hit the wall, "He cannot die."

Morgana came in silently, and pointedly avoided looking at Merlin. She knew how her emotions would handle the look of her friend. She walked up to Arthur, "Uther won't do anything until Merlin is healed."

Arthur looked at her, "Well he might not have to. Unless we got those damn things off him he'll die anyways." He pulled Morgana close, the tears threatening to fall from his eyes, "I cannot lose him, Morgana."

Morgana nodded, trying to pull herself together. He could certainly be emotional at all the right times and in all the right ways when he wanted to be. She looked at Mordred, and then at Gwen, and at Gaius. Her eyes fell on Merlin last, he looked dead. She saw the burns on his neck peeking out from the collar. She saw the burns on his wrists, the old scars hidden by the new. The bruises on his chest stuck out against the showing ribs.

Straightening out her dress and with a cough she looked at all them, "Merlin would not want us sulking. He also wouldn't want us to save him either. So that is why we are going to make this right. We are going to save him, because he deserves it, and we are not going to say he will die. We are going to pull ourselves together, and figure something out."

Arthur sighed, "Merlin did that. Stupid as he was, he figured things out."

Morgana looked at him, "Is, Arthur, stupid as he is. Merlin is not in the past, he is not a was. He is here, and we will talk about him in the present." She looked at Gaius, "I have an idea, do you think Uther might have a key that would fit those horrid things in the vaults?"

Gaius looked up, "I'm not certain, but it is possible. Many artifacts such as these had duplicates though I'm not certain of the keys that were used."

She nodded, "Alright, Arthur you will take Mordred with you to go the vaults."

"Why him?" Arthur asked, giving Mordred a look that he was sorry.

Mordred spoke softly again, "I've seen the keys to the cuffs before." Arthur nodded.

Morgana continued, "Gaius do you think you can ask Geoffry about what the restraints do, it might help. Gwen will stay and look after Merlin."

The two nodded, "What will you do my lady?" Gwen asked.

"I will help keep Uther at bay, though the knights standing at the door might be doing that job for me."

Arthur looked up, "Why are there knights at the door?"

Morgana shrugged, "My guess is something to do with Leon, but judging by the way they looked, I believe they are here because of Merlin."

Gwen sighed, "And who wouldn't be."

It had grown late in the day, and Morgana's plan was not succeeding though even she doubted it would. There was a lot riding on the plan succeeding. What did work however was that Gaius and Geoffry were able to figure out what the runes on the collar meant. That was the one bright spot of the day.

They said that the runes dealt with binding a sorcerers magic, and cutting them off from it unless in need. With knowing what the cuffs did, it was no wonder that Merlin was dying, and the spell even if it was cast properly would have given the same results to the ones that they were looking at.

It was late into the night, the candles had been replaced once, and the fire was being restocked by Gwen. Mordred spoke again, quietly like all other times, his words carefully chosen, and they were the words everyone was dreading to hear, "We have to face Cenred, again, don't we."