Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, blah blah. Oh, i do own Sirs Erec and Bedivere though! Yay, I own something. By the way, i forgot to say, last chap there was a reference to one of my sis' fave mangas by Clamp, I don't think anyone noticed because it wasn't mentioned in a review. It was *poke poke* *pat pat* (I'll say where from at the bottom in case you don't want to know)

Sorry this is out lateish, I usually try and get it published before Doctor Who comes on but oh dear, missed it, fantastic espisode this week by the way. Amazing. Love to Matt Smith (and David Tennant, let's not leave him out) x

Chapter 5

Merlin sat a little further from the fire and the other knights than he usually would. He had, twenty minutes ago, retreated into the gloom clutching his piece of rabbit to his chest. He regretted it. The rabbit was long gone but still Merlin sulked... and nursed his red fingers.

He glared at Arthur's back.

Soon enough, though, he felt his gaze soften and to the casual observer it would have been a look of pure wonderment they witnessed.

Merlin was outright staring. His eyes were fixed on the way the glow of the fire was illuminating the strands of Arthur's hair as the breeze ruffled it. Said prince was trying to ignore the feeling of being watched but had to heed it when he noticed his knights had hushed their easy banter and were looking either between the oblivious manservant and himself or at one of the two. Their facial expressions ranged from acceptance to confusion to smugness and loss?

Arthur found none of them comforting.

Before turning to question, or shout at, his unrequited love he noticed something particularly disquieting. One of his men, the quiet one, was ogling Merlin like a piece of meat he craved. As if Merlin were water and he was a rich man who wanted to seize him and sell him expensively to thirsty desert-people.

Choosing not to speculate on the behaviour of the man, lest he produce any more awful similes, his highness turned to Merlin, an insult ready, resting on his tongue.

"Mer-"

Of course, by the time the blond had finished his internal monologue Merlin had long ago wandered from the shores of his crush; he was in deeper water.

His servant would reproduce that literally if the trail of drool and the small puddle on the leaves in front of him were anything to go by.

-oOo-

Merlin was in heaven. If hell was fire and ice was its opposite then surely this could be heaven.

Merlin quietened the thoughts that said that would mean I'm dead and this is just a dream world and SEDUCTRESS! and regarded the ice sculptures. They had changed, not for better or worse, they just seemed different, more jagged. Merlin felt as though they had adjusted to suit the tastes of another.

-oOo-

"Ah!" Merlin panted heavily, his eyes lidded. His whole body was burning. He could no longer hold his own weight but he didn't need to.

All he could see was wavy blond hair half covered with a cloak of deepest black, it made the pale hair shine like the moonlight illuminating the scene. He could feel slender hands resting on his hips, the pinkie of each lightly, teasingly, touching his skin under the waistband of his trousers.

He leant further back into the supporting warmth behind him. There was a man; dark hair and eyes, handsome and with an enticing mysterious air, he whispered promises into Merlin's neck between kisses which made him shiver. The man's large hands roamed his body.

Amidst the spiralling pleasure Merlin sought names for these people he loved so much.

But the burning... "Nnh..."

It erased all coherent thought. His left hip was ablaze, and then...

"Merlin!"

-oOo-

Arthur watched his manservant jolt into awareness. The drool which had been hanging by a thread broke off and dropped to be lost amongst the forest debris. The vacant, misted eyes cleared and widened in shock and realisation.

"It happened again, t-the seductress!" Merlin's cheeks were still flushed with the last vestiges of pleasure and his hand flew to the folds of his tunic.

Arthur opened his mouth in warning, wary of their company.

Merlin's eye glinted and his hand detoured.

"Merlin!" Arthur wasn't sure whether to be sheepish or annoyed at this point, but wasn't anger always a safe bet? "Tell the whole bloody world!"

"That's not what's bloody here."

Merlin did have a sensible thing to say following the big reveal of Arthur's no-longer-a-secret wound, however, when it came to arguments with the man his mouth ran on autopilot.

"You listen h-"

"No! You listen-"

"With all due respect, sire," one brave knight suddenly interrupted "you really do need that dealing with. Sorry, sir."

Merlin went to his pack to dig out the necessary resources; he could hear the knights talking to the moody invalid who was refusing to respond.

"But when did this happen, how long have you been walking injured?"

It was clearly a rhetorical question, the asker obviously having heeded Arthur's silent protest; Merlin chose to answer.

"Since I fell on him, I saw blood on the ground; he wouldn't stop." Merlin gave up his search and dragged over the whole bag.

"But that was,"

"Right at the start, yeah, I know, prat." The last part was for Arthur's ears only as his friend knelt next to him.

"Right then! Let's get started!"Merlin grinned as he began to search once again for the medical supplies. Arthur's mouth opened but all that came out was a whoosh of air as the knight who had been talking with Merlin forced his prince into a laying position.

"Sorry, sir. It's just easier to treat you this way." Arthur continued to gasp.

Merlin liked this knight more and more.

-oOo-

"Shut up!" Merlin grinned, the blond had finally snapped.

Merlin had decided to empty the bag in order to find the missing bandages and in an attempt to infuriate the injured party had proceeded to pull each item out, hold it up whilst declaring its name in a cheerful voice (ranging in pitch item to item) then carefully laying it down in a neat row. Stop and repeat.

Merlin stopped. He had enjoyed the glare and hidden smiles resulting from his show but he'd found the missing item now.

"Ah! They were in the pocket, Gaius told me to put them there so I wouldn't lose them..."

"Idiot."

Merlin smiled as he tipped antiseptic over Arthur's wound after the knight's had cleaned it with water. If Arthur was insulting him or barely tolerating Merlin's annoyances then he wasn't wincing in pain, which was what prompted all Merlin's actions since the injury really. It was, however, slightly worrying that the highly trained knights hadn't noticed the condition of the future ruler. Never mind, they had plenty of time to practise.

Merlin's new knight friend, Sir Bedivere, had taken the first watch. Most of the others had started preparing for sleep, or were already done. The new one sorted his things out but instead of sleeping started to approach the stand-in nurse and his patient.

"Ouch, Merlin. Can you do anything right?"

"Arthur," Said Merlin, ignoring the prince "Who's that guy? I haven't seen him before."

Actually, now I'm looking at him again he seems familiar, vaguely, yet I'm sure I haven't seen him before...

Between gasps of pain Arthur managed to splutter out his identity as well as curse Merlin who had proceeded to unknowingly torture him.

"Too tight!" Arthur wheezed out.

Merlin mumbled his apologies as he came out of his musings on-

"Can I be of any assistance?"

"Sir Erec."

"You know of me?" The knight smiled, his dark eyes twinkled with some unknown emotion.

"Very little." Merlin felt strangely drawn to the man, but something also warned him to be wary, that something was speaking in his mother's voice. He thought that strange, usually warnings came in Gaius' voice, oh well.

"Well, I hope it was all good regardless. If I cannot help at least let me keep you company, after all our prince will need to sleep soon as a result of his stab wound, if you're planning to stay up I'd be happy to aswell."

"Ah, well, I think... okay." The sorcerer smiled shyly.

Arthur was sending them both death glares from his position on the floor between them. They didn't notice. Just as well really, the usually intense deadliness was seriously dampened by his falling asleep, must be the pain meds...

Wait! I didn't take-

and then sleep claimed him.

-oOo-

Arthur drifted somewhere between sleep and wakefulness. He noticed an absence of something and upon hearing a sound realised what it was.

Merlin's laughter.

Not that he missed the annoyance or anything, he was just used to him. Yep that was it.

-oOo-

Merlin giggled again, Erec had so many funny stories, he got up to as much as himself and Will had managed even without the aid of magic.

His laugh quietened down, he watched as Erec continued. His dark eyes were squinty and glinted in obvious mirth, the heavy warmth of his hand pressed down on Merlin's thigh.

He wasn't sure how long it had rested there, neither did he care.

He was getting a little tired now and Arthur did seem to be alright.

"Merlin, you look a little tired, go to sleep if you want, I'll watch Arthur for you."

Thanks, Erec

"No problem, Merlin."

-oOo-

Arthur eyes narrowed. Why had the newbie answered Merlin's silence?

He scowled as Merlin slumped into the knight's waiting arms which promptly tightened in an embrace around the slender man. Erec smiled predatory at the blank face then smirked at Arthur as if he knew of his waking. Arthur mentally cursed as sleep overcame him again and Merlin's face took on that dangerous expression. The one that meant a seductress had invaded his thoughts. Erec's smile widened as his eyes slid closed.

His arms tightened around the young warlock.

The manga earlier mentioned is Tsubasa Resovoir Chronicles, I haven't read it or seen it but that scene is funny even if you don't know the plot.

I have the feeling this chap was a little substandard... and strangely poetical at the beggining, i don't even have an excuse either. Like reading Oscar Wilde. Maybe all this is just me anyway, well sorry.

Anyway please review! Or I'm poke you mercilessly (and virtually)! Or cyberloly, or something...

Anyway, this is the most reviews i've ever had! I love all you guys so much (as I've already said in the replies) I can never say it enough! Thank you.