I'm so sorry! Just know that although it might take me forever to update, I'll never abandon this. It will get updated, and I promise to try and do it quicker than that. Big thanks for all the reviews and for those of you who are still with me here! Apologies again, life got in the way.

There was a tense atmosphere in the camp the next morning as everyone began to pack away. Merlin knew that Arthur had barely slept, only because every time he shifted himself, the prince had his eyes open. Judging by the silence that had fallen amongst the knights, they hadn't received much rest either. Were they all that worried about facing the King they were losing sleep over it?

At the back of his mind, he knew that wasn't the case. Personally, he had no qualms about facing Uther in the slightest. The man's slight acknowledgment as Merlin had ridden out that last time was still burnt in his mind, even though he had been gone months himself. The King had known his son's loyal servant had not given up, even when the patrols were regretfully pulled back in to attend to other duties. Merlin had succeeded in what he set out to do, and he knew that Uther would see that.

The Knights he could understand a little better. Uther had never approved of them in the first place, but knowing how fiercely loyal they were to Arthur, had let it past. But they had technically failed in their duty at protecting the young prince, and Merlin knew they couldn't shake the state they had found him in from their minds. They were the lucky ones, they had only seen him once the poison was out of his body and he had spent a few days in Merlin's care. The warlock still couldn't get the image out of his head of Arthur hanging from those chains, helpless against Dunran's advances. But even now, weeks later, he still looked awful. And yet, in comparison to how he had been when Merlin first found him, the prince had come along leaps and bounds.

Not only were his physical injuries healing nicely, all but his back could now be left uncovered. Technically, even his back was good enough, but Gaius didn't want to take the risk, not when he was all but out of supplies. But it was more than that. He was talking again, and had even put on a little weight, something that had been helped by his new training regime with Leon. Merlin knew that if the Knights hadn't come when he asked them too, not only would both of them be lucky to be alive, but Arthur would not have made the progress he had.

But even so, Merlin was still worried about his prince. Physically he may have been healing, but he had no idea what was going through Arthur's head as he watched the Knight's joking about. The friendly claps on the shoulders, the nudging each other from side to side...Arthur could still not accept it. He still would not allow the others to touch him unless necessary, although thankfully did allow both Merlin and Gaius to approach.

As he watched Arthur watching the knights, Merlin sighed. He knew the prince had suffered from nightmares the night before, and knew that it was not the first time either. Arthur may have overcome the burn enough to sleep, but he was being plagued by what had happened to him, the night bringing no relief. Merlin knew that was only partly what had kept the prince awake for most of the night before. Despite Merlin's constant reassurances, Arthur was still scared of facing Uther. How could he convince his friend that his father wouldn't see him as weak, that the people wouldn't see him as weak? Who else would be able to go through something like that and refuse to let it beat them?

"Merlin?" Hearing his name, the warlock jumped, looking around for the source of the voice before his eyes fell on Gaius. The physician was watching him closely once again, and Merlin found himself longing to get back to the castle. At least there, he would be able to escape the piercing gaze of his guardian at least every now and again. This time, however, Merlin knew better than to try and avoid the old man. Gaius had a look on his face that Merlin had come to interpret as something to do with Arthur when Gaius didn't want the prince knowing. Casting a sideways glance at his master, Merlin got to his feet and slipped across the clearing.

"What is it?" He asked quietly. Apart from that night, Arthur had been making good progress and Merlin had visibly seen the tension drain from Gaius. And it was no surprise to anyone why Arthur hadn't slept the night before, especially considering the scene that had played out over dinner. The prince hadn't seen Camelot for close to a year now, it was not going to be easy for any of them.

"I want you to take this." Gaius responded in a low tone, handing Merlin a small bottle concealed in his fist. For a moment, Merlin merely blinked at it, before his eyes widened in understanding and astonishment.

"Gaius, is this..?"

"A sleeping draught? Yes. If he gets agitated the closer we get, I want you to give it to him."

"But I..."

"Merlin, I won't be able to stop Uther from coming to him. I can warn him, monitor his behaviour, but Arthur has to face his father. He's only just beginning to recover; I can't afford any set-backs. He is still too clingy to you, and if Uther sees that, you will be forcibly removed from Arthur's side and that won't do anyone any good."

"I'm not sure; I think Uther might understand..."

"Merlin." Gaius' firm interruption made the young man look at him properly. It was only then Merlin realised just how old Gaius looked. This long out in the forest certainly hadn't done him any good. The constant strain and worry over trying to look after not only Arthur, but Merlin and the Knights as well was clearly taking its toll, and Merlin found himself nodding.

"How do I know whether he will need it or not?" The warlock asked quietly. The last thing he wanted to do was to drug Arthur if the prince was handling things well. To his surprise, Gaius smiled softly.

"You know him better than anyone. You don't need me to tell you how you will know when he has had enough."

"Gaius, I..." Merlin wasn't even sure what he was going to say. That he had been fooling himself in thinking they would just be able to ride into Camelot and no one would notice they had Arthur with them? There was certainly no way the prince was ready to deal with a crowd yet. That he wanted to thank the physician for all that he had done, not just with the medical side of things and helping Arthur, but having to deal with the warlock's mood swings for the eight months the future king had all but vanished.

"I know, my boy." Gaius sighed sympathetically, laying a hand on Merlin's shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. Looking into his eyes, Merlin could see his guardian could read the inner turmoil, he knew what it was that Merlin was trying to express even if the warlock himself did not. "But it's over now. Give it a few hours and you'll be in your own bed."

Not knowing what else to say, Merlin just let himself be pulled into one of Gaius' rare hugs, suddenly struggling to hold it together. The topmost part of the turrets of the castle could be seen, Camelot was in view. Only a few more hours, and it would be over.

"Merlin?" Pulling away from Gaius, Merlin smiled at Leon through slightly watering eyes. But the Knight didn't seem to share his relief at how close this hell was to being over. He knew that it would be another challenge all together for the once confident prince to deal with not only his father – the King – but his return to duties. Somehow Arthur had to regain the confidence of being a leader, rather than someone who was constantly relying on his servant. The loyal knight couldn't help but wonder whether Arthur's recovery had only just begun.

"We're ready to go." He finished up shortly and somewhat lamely. Like Merlin, Leon had been trying to express his gratitude to what Merlin had done for the prince where they had failed. But he had caught one look at the hope beginning to shine out of Merlin's eyes with the idea of going home. The boy had looked so young, and so innocent despite the things he had seen and witnessed. And Leon couldn't bring himself to remove that look from him.

Merlin nodded, giving Gaius' arm a squeeze but moving away, the bottle hidden in his hand. He truly hoped that he wouldn't have to use it. He had spent the best part of the night reassuring Arthur that everything was going to be alright. Maybe for once the prince had actually listened to him and would be able to keep calm? Moving across the clearing to Arthur, Merlin made sure he cleared his throat before approaching. They had all learnt the hard way that sneaking up on the prince was not the fun idea it used to be.

Arthur was standing, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed over his chest. His posture looked so relaxed, so normal that was easy for a moment to believe it was just a hunting party returning. But then Merlin looked at his eyes. Arthur's gaze was locked on the part of Camelot that could be seen, and there was something desperate in the intensity of his gaze. Merlin made to say something, and then caught himself, recognising the expression. No matter what his worries were, Merlin wasn't the only one glad to be getting back. There was longing in Arthur's gaze.

"It's time, Sire," Merlin said softly, taking Arthur's arm to lead him over to the horses. Arthur let himself be led along, but didn't tear his eyes from the view until Merlin rested the prince's hand against his horse, grounding the young man. Percival approached, the same way he had done every day with the intention of helping Arthur onto his horse.

But this time, the prince shook his head adamantly. Merlin could see the determination taking place of the longing in his eyes and knew that this was a battle Arthur was determined to win by himself. He caught Percival's eye and grimaced slightly. Percival caught the message and grinned, but subtly beckoned Leon over as well. The two knights took up position on either side of the horse, in position should Arthur need them, but not crowding him.

Arthur certainly didn't rush. He let his fingers curl into the mane of the animal, and seemed to be talking to it softly. Not that Merlin would have ever told the old Arthur this, but he did have a way with the horses, having been raised riding them. Whatever he was saying was too quiet to hear, but the horse turned it's head and butted Arthur in the arm, almost telling him to get on with it. There was a slight smile on the prince's face as he steadied himself, not realising the entire clearing was watching with baited breath as he relied on the strength of his arms to pull himself up.

For a moment, Merlin didn't think he would do it. He had become so used to Arthur failing things physically over the last couple of months, he didn't even stop to think as he moved forward to assist his master. But it seemed the training with Leon had paid off in more ways than they perhaps realised, and by the time Merlin reached the horse, Arthur was on top. He looked slightly pale, and Merlin was sure he was the only one who saw him momentarily close his eyes and take a deep breath. But then he opened them again, and Merlin could see him fighting to keep a grin off his face.

The warlock went to congratulate his master, but Gaius caught his eye and jerked his head sharply, stopping the words and causing Merlin to stumble over.

"What?"

"Act like it was nothing out of the ordinary."

"But Gaius," Merlin protested, not understanding. "He tried that a couple of weeks ago and ended up out cold from over exerting himself. It is out of the ordinary!"

"I know, Merlin. But he wants things to return to normal, and congratulating him on mounting his horse is not ordinary. Besides, this is good in more ways than one."

"What do you mean?"

"He's wanting to do things for himself. Even a week ago, he was still relying on you and the Knights. Yes, you could see that he hated being weak, but the lot of you were constantly fussing over him, and Arthur knew it was easier to let you get your way than to try and fight against you all. Now, he's not letting you help. Considering we are returning to Camelot and most likely going to see the King, that is good, especially for you."

Merlin simply blinked at him before a call from Leon had him hurrying over to his own horse. As per usual, he fell in next to Arthur. Elyan and Lancelot were ahead, Gwaine directly behind them with Gaius and Percival and Leon taking up the rear. The same way they had ridden for weeks, and Merlin found it was slightly strange thinking that he was going to wake up in his own room tomorrow and not have to travel anywhere but down the corridor to Arthur's chambers.

He kept a close eye on the prince as they rode, Gaius deliberately making them keep the pace slow as to not tire him out. Merlin also knew the later they got back, the less time Uther would have to try and question his son, something none of them were sure whether Arthur was ready for. But a gleam had begun to appear in Arthur's eye, something that had been missing for far too long.

The guards on the gate simply stared for a long moment at the dusty and exhausted party picking their way up the road much later that afternoon. It was late, the sun just beginning to go down again, but both Gaius and Arthur had small smiles of satisfaction on their face. When the guards eventually regained their wits at seeing the presumed dead prince riding with the knights, an almighty shout went up.

Despite it being late, the town was packed when the knights finally reached that part, everyone gathering to see their beloved prince return. Merlin found he had a smile on his face as he watched the delight spring into the expressions on their faces. He knew deep down that he wasn't the only one who hadn't given up on Arthur, and watching him being welcomed back after being missing for a year, he knew he was being given a glimpse of the type of King Arthur would one day be.

But the crowds began to press in on the knights, their excitement at seeing Arthur driving away any rational thought about what their presence might be doing. They were all over him, hands reaching out to make sure their future King was truly back with them. Merlin's smile slipped as he glanced at Arthur out of the corner of his eye. The prince had gone pale, eyes staring straight ahead, breath hitching slightly erratically.

As Merlin frowned, he realised that Arthur's breathing was getting worse, short shallow breaths being sucked in forcibly. Considering how well Arthur had dealt with the approach so far, Merlin couldn't work out what was wrong. But then he saw how close the people had got. They weren't just reaching out, they were touching him. Hands were all over Arthur, innocently placed but sending Arthur into the darkest part of his mind as another landed on his thigh.

"Leon!" Merlin yelled, his horse sensing his distress and whining slightly, tossing it's head. Leon was by his side in an instant, and without having to be told, began yelling orders. The rest of the Knights closed in, driving the crowd back and Gwaine angrily slapped away some of the hands. The people hadn't meant anything by it, but considering what Arthur had been through, he wasn't reacting well, his breathing steadily getting worse to the point of hyperventilation.

"Merlin, the draught!" Gaius called, dismounting as they got into the courtyard, Merlin slipped from his horse and practically dragged Arthur down, Elyan's timely intervention stopping both the prince and his warlock from hitting the stones in a tangle.

"It's okay, Sire, you're back. They are gone..." But Arthur didn't answer, and Merlin knew they had to work fast. The prince had grown used to the safety of the knights, but still hadn't encountered anyone else since he had been freed. The last big crowd he was in the presence of had tortured, beaten and raped him, repeatedly for months on end. He was still staring ahead, breathing shallow and no colour left in his cheeks. It had taken time to make Arthur talk when they had freed him; Merlin was not going to let them revert back to that.

"Arthur!" The yell came from the castle steps, and Merlin groaned at seeing Uther appear. There was hope shining out of the monarch's eyes, an almost desperation appearing. Merlin gasped as he felt Arthur's hand scrunch in his shirt, knuckles going white as he held onto his servant in a way that had once been familiar during the early weeks of recovery.

"Merlin, now! He can't take much more of this!" Gaius was right. Despite holding onto Merlin, Arthur was shrinking backwards into himself, staring around the castle in almost confusion. He dragged Merlin forwards slightly as the prince backed away, but Lancelot slipped behind him, stopping Arthur from going any further. They were all used to what they had to do when Arthur had bad turns these days.

Gwaine caught Merlin's eye and nodded, moving to one side of Arthur. The prince didn't seem to notice him as Gwaine tipped Arthur's head back onto Lancelot's shoulder, and Merlin emptied the phial down his throat. The effect was immediate, both Gwaine and Lancelot having to grab Arthur to stop him from flattening Merlin as he fell. The three of them guided the unconscious prince to the ground, Merlin cushioning his head in his lap as they waited for Gaius' signal that they could move him.

Merlin looked up to see the knights, his friends, watching in resignation that this wasn't over. But behind them, he caught a glimpse of another face, one twisted in shock and anger.

"What's wrong with him?" Uther spat, his worry giving way to anger as a way of expressing his emotions as he stared down at his motionless son. Merlin was just glad most of the physical damage was no longer visible.

Gaius muttered something to Leon, no doubt instructions for the prince, and took Uther by the arm, gently beginning to lead him back into the castle, talking in a soothing voice as he did so.

"Come on then," Leon eventually sighed, causing Elyan and Percival to move forward as well. Merlin knew they were all hoping that it wouldn't have ended like this. "Let's get him to his room."

Hoisting the unconscious prince onto their shoulders, Merlin following after tipping the stable boy to sort out their horses for him, the knights proceeded directly to Arthur's chambers. Merlin knew the same thought was in all of their head's.

What happens now?