Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! Here is the second chapter. it's shorter than the first, but I have decided to divide it into two parts. So this is NOT the last one. Hope you like it! Please REVIEWWWWWWWWW!

Thanks for reviewing!

"MERLIN!"

Their voices echoed in the forest.

"MERLIN!"

They kept screaming their friend's name, desperately, daring to hope that it was not too late.

They had been riding for almost an hour now, after exiting hastily the city gates. They had only one objective. Find Merlin. Find their friend alive. They had to. The four Knights and the King didn't want to give up. Merlin wouldn't have given up either. But it was snowing, a lot, and everything was so white. How can you find an injured man in such a bad weather?

Arthur kept shouting, his tone pleading. He didn't want to lose his best friend, the only true friend he had ever had. A friend who had showed nothing but loyalty towards him. A friend he had betrayed. Betrayed and tortured. Cruelly. Because of his pride and his prejudice.

Because it was his fault. It could read that in Gwaine's eyes. Gwaine. The only one who had tried to stop them, to change their mind. And they had been blind. He knew that the others too felt responsible for what had happened, but it was not their fault. It was his, only his. In the past 8 years Merlin had showed nothing but loyalty to him, loyalty and a reckless desire to protect Arthur, his friend. Not Arthur, his King. The only person to see him for who he was, never expecting him to behave in a kingly proper way. And he had just threw all of that away.

He needed to find him, no matter what, he needed to throw himself on his knees at his feet and beg for forgiveness. Not that he deserved it. Not after what he had done.

And while he was riding, frenetically, to find his brother, situations and words came back to his mind, and it only increased his scorching shame.

I will be happy to be your servant till the day I die

I will always protect you, or die at your side

I will be there, where I always am, at your side, protecting you

You have no idea how many times I have saved your life

What a … prat he had been.

He kept listing in his mind all those occurrences when something strange had happened to save the day. All those times the situation solved miraculously. What hadn't they noticed? What hadn't they questioned themselves? It was Merlin. Of course it was him. The only idiot of all Albion willing to use his magic to protect the King of a reign where magic was punishable by death.

The only idiot willing to give up his secret to protect said King.

King that after all betrayed him.

He had to find him, find him and make this right. He had to fix this. Please please please… Let it not be too late.

He kept shouting, calling his friend, his tears slowly freezing on his cheeks. He was calling him from the bottom of his soul now.

"MERLIN!"

Then he felt it. It was something similar to a tingle, it ran through his spine. But it was warm. Warm and incredible familiar. It felt like home. He had to reach the source of that feeling. Without thinking twice he spurred his horse towards the direction his heart was sure was the right one.

He heard the others call him, but now he couldn't care less. He kept riding fast, until he arrived to a small clearing. He dismounted and stood there in the deep snow, desperately looking around. It was too white. Where…

Then he saw it. No, he felt it. The source. He hurried to the other side of the open space, on the ground he could distinguish a form, covered by the snow and still…

"NO!" he immediately kneeled and scrambled to remove the cold substance.

Blue shirt. Red neckerchief.

No.

"Merlin! Merlin! Wake up!" he shook the boy frantically. He was so thin. His skin was so cold and pale. Almost as white as the snow.

"No Merlin, I refuse to believe it! Did you hear me, you useless servant? I won't let you…" he took off his cloak and wrapped the other boy in it. He held him tightly to his own body, trying to warm him up. But they were in the middle of a bloody forest. In the middle of a bloody snowstorm.

He put his fingers on his neck, dreading to feel nothing… there it was, a faint beat, but a beat nonetheless. He took a deep breath. He was still alive. God, he was still alive. But ha had a fever and he had trouble breathing. His forehead was burning.

Burn.

… my veins burning like hell…

"Merlin! Listen to me!" he shouted in the warlock's ear, not even noticing that the Knights had found them and were hurrying towards them. "Use your magic, Merlin! I'm sorry for what I have done! I'm sorry! Please, don't die! Use your magic! I don't care! You made your Oath to me, and I can decide what to do about that. Forget it! I swear nothing will happen to your mother! You have my word! Please…"

He was begging now, not caring to hide his tears, everything for his friend to open his eyes and live again. He didn't care that he was a Pendragon begging a sorcerer to do magic. He vaguely noticed that also the others had taken off their cloaks and wrapped them around the skinny boy.

"Please, Merlin, please… I want to see your magic. Everything, Merlin, just… don't die…"

Don't die…

Suddenly his friend's eyes opened, molten gold, and he felt a shocking wave of warm invading him. The white bright light was everywhere. It was engulfing everything around him. And he felt it in his flesh, in his bones, in his own soul. And the King couldn't help but laugh, because it was so… Merlin: warm, gentle, protective, pure magic… And it felt so safe, the same sensation he had always felt all those years but never quite understood… While he was drowning in that amazing sheer power, he just tighten his arms around his friend, sobbing and laughing at the same time. It was perfect, like… two sides of the same coin, and he had no idea where that thought came from, but he didn't care, because it fit. Perfectly. Like it was destiny.

As abruptly as it had surged out, the light faded and those eyes went back to their usual blue, just before fluttering shut again. Arthur panicked. Then he noticed that the boy seemed healthier than before, his skin pinker, his cheeks flushed and his breathing deeper. Arthur closed his eyes and thanked all the known and unknown Gods out there for giving him a second chance and he swore that this time he wouldn't waste it.

"He's better, but I think that he will still need Gaius's assistance. If we are lucky the guard I sent has done his job and brought him ba-" Then he noticed that the Knights weren't listening to him, but were gaping open-mouthed at something. He frowned and raised his eyes from his friend's body and…

Oh.

Green. Green, and yellow, pink, blue, red and green. Not a single spot of white. The snow had stopped and that on the ground had disappeared. But it was not just that. It was like if the spring had decided to concentrate all in that clearing. The life had entered the clearing. It was not January anymore. The nature was flourishing. It was an idyllic vision: flowers were everywhere, all the colors of the rainbow, and they seemed to grow under their eyes; birds were chirping in the trees and flocks of butterflies were flying in the clear air. The sky was blue, not a cloud, and the sun was shining and spreading warm all around. It was a dream-like scenery.

He looked again at the Warlock in his arms, who without a single word had unleashed so much raw power to govern the seasons and command the life and the Earth itself. He chuckled cheerfully, still inebriated by the magic of the sorcerer, and stood up, holding his servant bridal style walking to his horse. He put him on the saddle and then mounted behind him. He laid the other's back on his chest and sprinted his horse towards Camelot, followed by the other Knights, who seemed still rather at loss of words.

He tightened his hold on his brother and whispered in his ear.

"I will never let you go".