A/N: Thank you all for the amazing reviews. Sorry I've been a little while to update, been a long busy week and was struggling to write this chapter. I have the story all planned out just getting round to it is the problem. But i will upload again soon. Thanks all again. Please R&R.

Chapter 5

Gaius woke with a start as a vial smashed violently on the bench, the early morning light trickled into the small room and bounced off the broken pieces littering the table.

"Gestepe hole! Þurhhæle" A soft whimper was all that could be heard in the smaller room. "Þurhhæle"

The physician was on his feet far quicker than he thought was possible in two strides was through his wards room door.

"Merlin?" Gaius squinted in the early morning light and over to the figure in the bed.

"Licsar" the warlock's voice was hoarse and harsh and the old man noted the light sheen of sweat which now covered the servant's forehead. He moaned incoherently and Gaius was by his bedside in a flash, gently removing the bandages from the night before.

"It's just a light fever Merlin" he shook his head in dismay, a little fever as small as this was unlikely to cause to extreme delusions, let alone magical incantation, Gaius was worried. It had been only 2 days since the injury and initially he had thought that the wound was healing well. As he pulled the last drapes of cloth from his wards face he found that the swelling had gone down considerably and the wound was healing quickly, rather too quickly. Although the deep purple bruising remained the edges of the gash had already begun to knit back together.

"Merlin, your making yourself ill" Gaius placed a hand on the boys shoulder trying to rouse him, "why are you so desperate to heal yourself?"

"Gaius" Merlin's left arm came up and grabbed a handful of the physician's clothes, so quickly that the old man gasped at the sudden movement.

"I'm here" Gaius grasped his wards hand in his own and squeezed it tightly. "please Merlin, calm down"

"Please" the warlock's voice was almost a whisper, "I, I can't lay here like a vegetable anymore" A long stream of tears trickled quickly down his cheeks then but his eyes remained squeezed tightly shut. Merlin's head throbbed in agony, to let a smidgen of light in from the day would be almost unbearable. He had woken from nightmares close to dawn and would not let up the attempts to heal his fractured neck. He was sick, tired and loathed to say bored of laying on his back for hours until he was turned onto his side gently by his mentor. To say he was at his wits end would have been an understatement.

"Gaius?" A different voice came then, from the main room and the physician looked up.

"Not now Arthur." He scowled down at his ward, shaking and whimpering, snippets of druid tongue could still be picked up. "Merlin, you need to try and be quiet for me" he said firmly. The warlock said nothing in return except a small incoherent moan.

Rushing quickly out of the servant's room Gaius intercepted the King in the main room who was nosing about the potions on the bench.

"Is something the problem Sire?" the physician pulled the mans attention away from the stack of vials.

"I came to see how Merlin is doing?" Arthur furrowed his brows and looked around Gaius to the half opened door.

"So early?"

"Well" Arthur itched the back of his head in unease. "I've been thinking a little about how i can help and..." He stalled and looked up at the old man and friend. It was then that Gaius noted his sleepless eyes.

"What is it?" the physician asked in the silence.

"I" Arthur sighed loudly. "I was going to see the druids, to see if there is anything they can do for him"

The next silence was short lived and cut short then as several of the vials on the bench smashed, making both figures in the room jump. Merlin's muffled voice could be heard from the room next door. There was thud and another loud groan sounded.

Arthur was up the steps before Gaius this time. "Merlin! What are you doing you idiot?" As the physician followed the king into the room he could see why Arthur had cursed the boy. The warlock was strewn off the bed and on the floor, limbs out at un natural angles, his left arm grabbing aimlessly at the remaining bedclothes.

"What are you doing my boy" Gaius bent down to him and felt his fevered brow, "I told you, you need to calm down"

"How long has he been like this?" Arthur joined the man on the floor. "why didn't you tell me?"

"I woke to him like this." the physician replied. "And you've only just got here" Gaius pulled the remaining blankets from the bed wrapping them around his ward. Merlin shook uncontrollably, more beads of sweat flourished on his pale brow but to Gaius's thanks he didn't mumble a word of the druid tongue.

"His wound?" Arthur pointed, pulling a confused face. "It's almost healed." Arthur studied the pink skin around the gash, the sides had knitted together. Purple was still bloomed under the old injury but the swelling had resolved and the warlock was able to fully open his eye, though for now he could see his friends eyes only flicking under closed lids.

Gaius said nothing, he averted his gaze to his medicine bag and retrieved a draught from beside it.

"Gaius?" The King turned to look at him, but the pause continued. "Gaius why has it healed so quickly. I mean. I know your an amazing physician but this isn't just the work of your potions and salves is it?"

Another pregnant pause. "No"

Arthur sighed and placed a hand on his friends shoulder. "It's ok" he whispered, "I understand, I know you would do anything to help him Gaius. But I also know that you know the practice of magic is banned in Camelot"

The man said nothing then, feeling the relief wash over him. At least he hadn't twigged it was actually Merlin who had healed himself rather than he. "I'm sorry sire"

"It's alright, I understand" The King squeezed his shoulder then. "But next time, I would prefer if you spoke to me rather than perform magic behind my back"

"Þurhhæle" Merlin's fevered voice diverted both of their attention then.

"What was that?" Arthur could vaguely recognize the word as not Merlin's usual tongue, his shoulders tensed.

"I don't know Sire" Gaius swallowed reflexively and pulled the potion forward, uncapping it. "He seems to be rather delusional I'm afraid, I don't think the boy really know what he is saying. Will you help me give him this and place him back to bed?"

Arthur nodded, but his brows remained in a tight furrow. Pulling his servant gently up Gaius poured the potion into his wards mouth and he massaged his throat waiting until the warlock finally swallowed. The effect was almost instant, and by the time the King had gently lifted his servant up and back to his cot the warlock was sound asleep, shivering all but ceased and breathes slow and steady.

"We'll talk about this when I return" Arthur stood back and looked sternly to the physician. "For now the knights and I will be traveling to the white mountains. I have been told that a band of druids live there" he took a second to look at his friends prone form on the bed. "I'll get you better Merlin, I promise" And he turned to leave.

"Arthur?" Gaius interrupted his stride.

"Be careful"