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"Merlin!" Gaius looked up from where he had been crouched over the fallen warlock when Gwaine's shout filled the air. As the Knight made to rush over, Gaius held up his hand.
"Stay back. He needs space." Gwaine nodded and stilled, but the physician could see the way his eyes never left the still form of his friend. Letting his eyes slide past the man and onto the state of the rest of the men, he sighed. Rand – a man Gaius was determined to find out more about – was the other side of the fire to Arthur, clearly trying to keep the man calm. Lancelot and Elyan had also started to head over to Merlin. Leon was standing back, but his eyes were fixed on Arthur, and Gaius could see the pain in them. The physician wasn't surprised. Leon had been in charge of the prince's training for as long as Arthur had been old enough to train, and Gaius knew the proud young man had become like a nephew to the loyal Knight. Seeing him like this was killing him as much as it was Gaius. Percival was standing to one side, his strength giving the area a certain safety.
"What happened?"
"His mind suddenly processed what he has been denying since finding Arthur." Gaius sighed heavily, navigating his ward into a more comfortable position before finding something to cushion the boy's head. For a moment, he let his hand ghost over Merlin's hair.
"What?" Gwaine asked bluntly, slowly beginning to relax a bit now that he could see that whilst Gaius was worried about Merlin, it wasn't anything life threatening. There was no way the physician would be this relaxed if the man everyone knew was like a son to him was in any real danger. Gaius looked up at him with sorrow in his eyes.
"We all know that Merlin has barely rested in eight months, determined to find the prince. Now he's found him. But this isn't the Arthur he was hoping to find. He has found the prince, now he just still has to find his friend." Silence met his speech, everyone's attention fixed on the pair. No one saw another flicker of emotion shoot through Arthur's eyes. Rand frowned at the prince, sensing the change.
"Arthur?" He moved forward quietly, wondering if the man was going to let him approach. Arthur looked at him, making contact for the first time. Rand almost gasped, but managed to hold it back in time, knowing if the others came over, Arthur would close down again. Somehow, he knew what was provoking the change in Arthur. "He's going to be okay, you know. Just a bit tired."
There was a flicker of emotions shooting through Arthur's eyes now. Rand got the distinct impression that there was a part of Arthur that wanted to say something, but he couldn't do it. The frustration was more than obvious, but when Percival moved slightly, cracking a twig at the same time, the prince immediately curled up tighter. Rand sighed.
"G...Gaius?" His voice was hesitant and low, and his eyes immediately found the floor when the Knights looked over at him, but the physician got to his feet. He nodded at Gwaine, and immediately he and Lancelot rushed to Merlin's side as the old man tottered over towards Rand.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing as such." Rand stood up, frowning down at Arthur. The emotions were gone now, his eyes taking on the hollow and empty look once again. "I think...I mean, I'm not sure, but something in him reacted to that news. You could see it in his eyes."
A grin split over Gaius' face as he too looked down on Arthur. The flames were reflecting in the hollow eyes, but the physician felt a rush of relief. If, only for a moment, there had truly been a sign of the old Arthur, then there was still hope.
"Gaius, he's coming round!" Gaius took one last look at Arthur, before speeding back to Merlin. It wasn't as if the prince was going anywhere soon, and Gaius knew it was going to take a long time to dress that amount of wounds. A few more moments to make sure Merlin was alright wasn't going to hurt. The physician carefully lowered himself back to his knees – accepting Lancelot's steady hand with a smile – just in time for Merlin's eyes to flutter open. A look of sheer disorientation and confusion crossed his face before his eyes focused. There was such an intense sadness in them Gaius all but felt his heartbreak.
"Gwaine, can you fetch Merlin some food and water?" As Gwaine scurried off, Gaius glanced around. Only Lancelot remained in earshot. "Merlin, take down the barrier."
"Barrier?" Through his exhaustion, Merlin had forgotten about the magical barrier he had constructed to try and keep Arthur safe.
"I know you; I can sense your magic." Gaius was whispering furiously now, letting Lancelot be the one to keep his eyes open for any of the rest of them approaching. He had a feeling that out of everyone in Camelot, this would be the one group to accept the warlock for who he truly was, but considering how much they had to deal with already with the prince, he didn't think now was the right time for that to be put to the test. "And I know how much you want to protect Arthur. But let the Knights do that now, pull back the magic before you kill yourself."
For a moment, Merlin just stared at his mentor. Sighing, he dropped his gaze, letting his eyes flash golden and mumbled a word under his breath. He really felt the barrier dropping. It was as if a weight he didn't even know he had been carrying suddenly left him, causing him to almost gasp at the sensation of light headiness. He made to sit up, but Gaius immediately put his hand on the boy's shoulder, forcing him to carry on lying down for another moment. Eventually he relented, and helped Merlin sit up, watching him worriedly.
"You didn't notice, did you? Merlin, you must be careful. That type of magic is a constant drain on your strength; it would have killed you before you remembered the spell. I know in...in normal circumstances you can handle it, but Merlin, this will destroy you. You've always controlled your magic. If you carry on like this, it will control you. You are becoming too reliant on it. Don't lose yourself in this, Merlin, that will help no one."
"I was preoccupied." Merlin muttered quietly, his eyes automatic sliding over to where Arthur was curled up. Gaius followed his gaze and sighed heavily.
"It's about time I saw to him." He pulled himself to his feet, surprised when Merlin suddenly shot up beside him. When Gaius raised an eyebrow, Merlin shrugged.
"He's getting used to me. You might need my help." Gaius had no response for that and instead lead the way over to the fire. Rand immediately jumped backwards, only relaxing when Merlin smiled reassuringly at him. The Knights all moved in a little, but kept their distance. Gaius took one look at Arthur and beckoned Leon over.
"Sire, you've helped me treat him in the past. Do you think..?"
"Of course, Gaius."
"Gaius, I don't think he'll..."
"I don't care." Merlin blinked at the aggressive tone in the physician's voice, looking shocked. Gaius caught his look and sighed. "Merlin, we don't have time to pander to what Arthur wants. It's what he needs that is important. It might scare him, true. But he will eventually accept it is helping him." His voice lowered, and he rested one hand on Merlin's shoulder. "Trust me, Merlin."
Merlin felt close to tears, but nodded. One glance at Arthur and he knew they were going to have a fight on their hands from the beginning, for the prince was in one of his more alert moods. Gaius gave his shoulder a squeeze and dropped to his knees in front of Arthur, smiling his thanks when Elyan hurried over with the physician's – rather large – bag before backing off again.
Arthur immediately flinched backwards, trying to pull away from Gaius' now outstretched hands. Leon moved in behind the prince, holding one shoulder firmly to stop the movement as Gaius gently pulled Arthur's wrists towards him, untying the clumsy bandages Merlin had attempted to dress the wounds with. Merlin moved in closer, wincing at the pain in Gaius's eyes when he witnessed just how injured Arthur was, but crouched down next to the prince's head, his hand once more resting on Arthur's head. Over the last few days, he had found it was a touch Arthur seemed to accept, almost relax into.
It didn't work. All Arthur was obviously seeing and feeling was Gaius holding his wrists in a firm grip and Leon making sure he stayed pinned to the floor. He was struggling, far harder than his attempts against Merlin. In a way, the warlock just hoped that it meant Arthur was regaining some of his strength.
"Gaius, please...it's hurting him..."
"Merlin, I told you to trust me." It was clear by Gaius's voice that this was paining him to be this responsible for Arthur's struggles. He rested his hand on the prince's shoulder, nodding at Leon. As one, they tried to roll him onto his stomach so that the physician could get a better look at his back.
Arthur snapped. His first blow caught Leon by surprise, sending the Knight backwards. Gaius managed to catch the flaying hand, pinning both of his wrists gently together.
"Arthur, listen to me. We have to help you. But we need you to calm down. Arthur, listen to my voice..." Despite the commands in his tone, Gaius's voice wasn't getting through to the panicking prince. "Knights! Help us hold him, I have to see to his back before infection sets in."
The rest of the group ran forward and Merlin found himself pushed gently out of the way. "No! Can't you see, you're scaring him! Just let him calm down! Gaius, please!"
Merlin was ignored as the knights took up position. Lancelot shot Merlin a sympathetic glance before he moved forward with Elyan. None of them wanted to do this, but they knew the sooner Arthur's wounds were clean; he would be that one step further to recovery. His mental state was going to take a long time as it was; they may as well make sure his body was on the way to recovery. As Arthur kicked out, Lancelot grabbed his ankle, but the blanket moved. His sharp intake of breath was enough to alert the other Knights to the fact that something was very wrong.
Gaius relinquished his hold on Arthur's wrists to Percival and move towards them. With slightly trembling hands, he drew the blanket back. Large, red and angry welts covered the prince's legs from his last beating, but Merlin knew that wasn't what had Gwaine breathing heavily. It was the blood. Blood that could only be there from one thing...
"I'm gonna tear their heads off!" He snarled, backing away from Arthur in anger. The prince had tensed when he felt the blanket move, and it almost broke Merlin's heart to see the look that had over taken him. He was zoning out again. Merlin knew without having to be told that the prince was expecting an attack, and as Gaius placed a hand on the back of his leg to try and see how bad the welts were, Merlin knew what was going through the prince's head.
"Gaius! Please, just leave him alone!" Gaius looked around. Merlin had run forward, attempting to prise Percival's hands away from Arthur. Instead of answering his ward, he instead caught Leon's gaze as the man approached again. The rest of the Knights were more Merlin's friends than they were Arthur's. But Leon's loyalties lay with the prince first and foremost, and he knew the Knight was the only one he could trust to do this. He let his eyes flicker towards Merlin, and Leon nodded his understanding.
Merlin didn't hear his approach. He had taken to hitting Percival on the arm, doing anything he could to make the man let go. He was even beginning to contemplate magic. He trusted Gaius, he really did. But he couldn't stand seeing Arthur like this. Whether it was knowing the man so well, or because he had grown used to seeing how Arthur reacted to certain touches over the last few days, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that the prince was terrified.
Merlin was so solely focused on Arthur he let out a yell of frustration when Leon took hold of his arms, drawing him away. He was forcibly pulled back, the rest of the Knights moving further in to help Gaius. They had Arthur completely pinned now, and Gaius's hands were all but flying as he began tending to the wounds. Merlin had never seen him work so fast, and part of him realised it was because Gaius too knew how terrified Arthur was.
But that didn't stop him from struggling hard against Leon. The man had one arm looped around the warlock's chest, holding him back and pinning his right arm to his side. Leon's other hand was gripping tightly onto Merlin's left wrist, and despite how small Merlin was in comparison, he was really having to call upon all his strength to hold onto him.
"Merlin, Gaius has to help him. Arthur needs Gaius."
"He needs me!" Merlin yelled, not noticing Rand take an uncertain step backwards. It was clear he had picked up that he was surrounded by Knights, and seemed to have realised Merlin wasn't one of them. Yet considering the power he knew the warlock held, he wasn't using it. Instead he was fighting physically to get back to the prince. When he met Rand's eyes briefly, the man could see it was taking all of Merlin's self control not to lash out with his magic.
Gaius finished with the prince when he felt Arthur's breathing bordering on hyperventilation. He backed away smoothly, gesturing for the knights to do the same. Almost immediately, Arthur calmed down again. Gaius hated having to have kept going until he had been at that state, but it did mean the majority of the wounds were dressed. He wouldn't have to attempt to touch the prince until later the following day, something for which he was grateful. The sooner Arthur learnt to trust them, the better. Now they had over a day to try and make the prince realise they meant him no harm.
"Merlin? Merlin, I need you to calm down. Arthur's fine, look..." Gaius rested a calming hand on Merlin's shoulder, but the boy didn't seem to see it. All he could see was the terrified face of the prince burnt into his vision, and all he was thinking was that he was the one who put it there. He had been the one to call the Knights and Gaius to come here, he had been the one who had failed Arthur for eight months. Whatever the Dragon said, Merlin had failed. He had failed in his destiny, but more importantly, he had failed Arthur.
Luckily, Gaius seemed to realise what was happening. "Leon, sit him down, now." He pulled something out of his back, and forced it into Merlin's hand. When the young man didn't even notice, Gaius felt himself worrying even more.
"Gaius, what's happening?" Gwaine, ever the curious one, was approaching now, a frown on his face when he took in the ashen complexion of his friend. "What's wrong with Merlin?"
"He's going into shock." Gaius practically snapped, all but wrenching the bottle back out of Merlin's hand. He pulled the stopper off and nodded to Leon. As the man tipped Merlin's head back, Gaius emptied the contents down Merlin's throat. He didn't even seem to notice. The whole clearing seemed to hold its breath for a long moment, before Merlin suddenly sagged against Leon, fast asleep.
"Let's get him comfortable." Gaius muttered, and Leon gently deposited Merlin on the ground. Between the rest of the Knights, they managed to get the fire built up and gently covered the boy in warm blankets.
"How long will he be out for?" Lancelot asked softly as he slipped his folded cloak under Merlin's head. The young warlock looked terrible.
"Hopefully until at least tomorrow. He has barely slept or eaten over the last week, he's been too busy trying to look after Arthur. He should be able to think about food once he has rested."
Another silence fell across the clearing. Seeing Merlin's chest rise and fall steadily was what was reassuring most of the Knights, knowing they could still help their friend. How had things got this bad?
"Gaius?" The physician partly wanted to groan as Rand called him, but he turned away from his now sleeping ward all the same, offering the young man a smile. He had seen the wounds around Rand's bare feet. The boy had both refused treatment and shoes, but Gaius knew they were lucky he had been mentally sound enough to make the journey. Arthur certainly wouldn't have made it, and Gaius wasn't sure Merlin would have either, not considering how his ward had been since they had arrived.
"What is it?" His voice was patient and gentle, but Rand wasn't looking at Gaius. He was standing in front of Arthur, blocking the prince from the physician's view. He twisted his head back around to Gaius, and there was a mixture of a smile and a confused frown on his face. Frowning himself, Gaius took a step forward. "Rand, what is it?"
Rand didn't answer, but instead stepped to one side. Gaius felt his breath catch in his throat when he saw Arthur, unable to stop the smile spreading across his face.
Arthur was far more alert than Gaius had yet to see him. But he was completely ignoring the Knights. Instead, his eyes were locked on Merlin, and as Gaius watched, it almost looked like the prince was trying to move that way. As he struggled to move again, only to flop back down onto the ground, clearly exhausted, Gaius felt his smile widening. The look in Arthur's eye said it all.
He was worried about Merlin.
Thought I'd explain Gaius' tough love approach - Merlin has been so worried about Arthur's mental state, he's been holding back on cleaning some of the wounds not to hurt him - Gaius sees that they have to be cleaned NOW otherwise infection and things will set in and he will be much worse. He's not really just being a cold hearted git!