A/N: Heh, sorry for the cliff hanger last chapter! I would promise not to do it again but that would be a lie ;) Anyway, thanks for all the reviews, 9 for one chapter! Very happy so thank you bluespiritgal, Solar07, CoolBeans100, lordstarlight, Hiphuggers2, MerlinFan1996, serial blogger, natcel, and anonymous for your very kind reviews! I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, BBC owns it all.

Chapter 5

Servant and master threw themselves behind a pig pen, panting heavily. Merlin gasped as the movement jarred the fresh lacerations on his chest. Arthur winced with every breath and coughed wetly, wiping blood from his lips.

"So, you have magic," the king said conversationally, wrapping his arm around his ribs.

"Yeah." Merlin nodded, now unable to summon any really fear at hearing those words from Arthur, somehow it just didn't seem that important under the circumstances. He shifted over, despite the burning agony stabbing through him, and tried to investigate bloody mess of Arthur's side. His master batted his hand away impatiently.

"Why didn't you use it?"

"Because the creature took it away," Merlin sighed, slapping away Arthur's hands as he tried to check the fresh wounds on his servant's chest.

"For goodness' sake, Merlin! What is the point of having magic if the first creature you come across can just turn it off?"

"If only this was the first time I've saved your royal behind," he muttered.

"You? Save me?" Arthur huffed with amusement, wincing again and wiping away more blood, "That settles it, you're officially my Court Jester." He pressed his hand to the gash on his side, turning his hand over and staring at his own blood dispassionately. "I don't suppose you have any idea how to kill it?"

"I was thinking of running at it with your sword actually," Merlin replied, prodding his own wounds and being vaguely surprised to discover they were no longer bleeding.

"My sword?" Arthur hissed incredulously. "That's your plan?"

"Well, it was forged in a dragon's breath, so it's more up to the job right now than I am," retorted Merlin.

"You gave me a magic sword?"

"No. I showed you a magic sword in a stone; you pulled it out."

"Merlin!" The young king's tone seemed to imply if they weren't in imminent danger, he would have thrown something at his servant.

"Morsels! No point in running!" the creature called from somewhere to their left. "Where will you go? Come now, little king, give me your pet and I promise I'll spare you."

"I wish he'd stop calling me your 'pet'," Merlin grumbled.

Hefting his sword, Arthur looked over at his companion. "My sword? Seriously?" Merlin grinned at him weakly and nodded. "All right then." He was about to push himself up when Merlin placed at restraining hand on his arm.

"No, let me. I'll distract him."

Arthur held his gaze for a moment, nodding slowly but Merlin was sure he saw a flash of concern in his master's eyes and despite everything he couldn't help but think that maybe this hadn't been such a bad way for Arthur to find out about his magic. As he prepared to jump out from their hiding place, Arthur gripped his shoulder and gave it an encouraging squeeze.

"Merlin...Gwen will be devastated if you die out there, so...don't, understand?"

He gave Arthur his best confident grin and flung himself up and out into the middle of the path, yelling at the top of his battered lungs. The creature swung round at his voice and came at him with surprising speed so he turned on his heel and ran in the opposite direction as fast as he could. Unfortunately, that was not particular fast, nor was running one of his strong points at the best of times, and within moments he caught his foot on a loose rock and went sprawling. White spots flashed across his vision as pain flared through his chest and shoulder. He had no time to pick himself up before the creature yanked him to his feet by his throat.

"Time to die, little sorcerer," it hissed.

"I don't think so," stated Arthur, plunging his sword into its neck. The creature howled and dropped Merlin, swinging its arm in an arch that sent Arthur flying into another wall. Merlin watched in aguish as he landed in a heap, twitched once and went still. In that terrible moment he knew his best friend was dead and something snapped inside him, whatever had bound his magic shattered in the face of his grief and fury. Power exploded from him with such force that the creature was knocked off its feet and the closest building collapsed in a pile of rubble. He stumbled over to the prone monster, one hand pulled back ready to deal the finishing blow, when it started laughing, thick black blood bubbling between its lips.

"You think a sword and a little bit of sorcery will kill me?" it hissed, grasping the blade protruding from its neck and pulling it out. "I have existed since time itself and your petty tricks are nothing I have not endured a hundred times before. Even the most powerful of your Druids could only contain me within that pathetic box. You cannot kill a creature of the Veil."

"Well, I think I'd like to give it a try anyway," Merlin growled, picking it up with his magic and flinging it into the rubble of the collapsed building like a rag-doll.

There was a scrabbling sound behind him and a pathetic moaning that sounded like it should have been his name. He glanced over his shoulder and his heart leapt to see Arthur crawling in his direction. Forgetting his opponent, he stumbled over to his prone friend and dropped to his knees beside him.

"Let me look," he ordered, turning Arthur over and shifting his chainmail out the way as much as he could. What he saw made his stomach clench in despair. Arthur's ribs were jutting out of the gash in his side and from the his laboured breathing and the way the bones shifted under his skin, Merlin could see that his entire ribcage was shattered. Groaning, the king pushed his hands away feebly. "No, let me look!"

"St-op!" Arthur cried, blood pouring from his mouth. "Nothing...you can do."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Merlin said, slipping one hand under Arthur's head and laying the other hand gently on his friend's ruined chest. "Licsar ge staðol nu!" Nothing happened and he took a deep breath, ready to try again. "Efencume, ætgædre, eala gastas cræft ige, gestrice þis lic forod!" Again, his magic refused to respond and tears of frustration welled in his eyes. He was meant to be the most powerful warlock in existence but he couldn't use it to save the reason he had it in the first place. "Come on, please!" he begged but for this purpose his magic remained inert.

"Useless...idiot," Arthur mumbled affectionately. He groaned again and gripped Merlin's hand. "When you...get home...look after Gwen...for me."

"Arthur don't do this, please!"

"You're...a good...friend," he murmured, grimacing as it shifted his shattered ribs. "Thank you."

His hand loosed it's grip, his eyes slipped closed and his whole body went limp. Merlin shook his head in denial, tears blurring his vision. "No you don't. Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare mid þam sundorcræftas þære ealdaþ æ!" Nothing. "Come on, Arthur, come on! Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare mid þam sundorcræftas þære ealdaþ æ!"

All of a sudden his magic kicked in and he felt it literally pour out of him, knitting shattered bone and broken flesh back together. Within seconds his friend recovered his healthy complexion, the gaping hole in his side disappeared and his chest rose and fell with ease. Abruptly, Arthur sat up and spat out the blood still in his mouth.

"Well," he said flatly, "that was unexpected."

A/N: Spells were found on the Wiki page - a very useful list of all the spells ever used in the show!