A/N: And I'm back- I hope no one fell off the cliff ;)

Daegal was beside himself. He had treated the head and leg injuries as best he could, noting with dismay that his patient didn't even twitch during his no-doubt-painful ministrations.

This is my fault... I've killed Emrys... I've doomed us all... oh Goddess, I've killed him...

His thoughts span in helpless panic as he checked the man's nearly non-existent vital signs.

The healer... I've got to get him to the camp!

Hope stirring once more, the druid attempted to pull the warlock to his feet, only succeeding in lifting his shoulders a short distance off the ground.
The elder couldn't have weighed much more than the younger, but the stiffness of the body made it incredibly difficult to move.

Nevertheless he tried again, putting more force into his tug, only to find himself collapsed in the dirt with head throbbing once more.
Emrys' arm was now reaching slightly toward the sky where Daegal had yanked it.

Increasingly unable to hold back his tears, the boy sat back up and pleaded with his companion.
"Please wake up. Please. Please, Emrys!"

The silence was filled only by his choking gasps until he caught the distant sound of horses approaching.

The druid tensed, instantly silent despite the salt water still flowing freely down his face.

"Merlin!" He heard several voices calling repeatedly.

Merlin? That name was familiar somehow... ah, that was Emrys' birth name!
The voices sounded so concerned, surely they were friends...

"Help! Help us please!"

Arthur didn't even realize he too had ceased to breathe until the sight and sound of Leon holding Gaius back from the edge jolted him from his paralysis.

"Leon, you and the other knights see that Gaius gets down there safely. I'll be waiting for you."
The second-in-command nodded at his king who then followed Gwaine down the side of the cliff.

"Merlin!" He crashed down at his friend's side and grasped the frail man's shoulders, shaking him lightly. No response.

Reaching for his belt he drew his dagger and held it under Merlin's nostrils.
It seemed an eternity before a slight fog formed on the blade.

Arthur allowed his shoulders to slump slightly in relief.
"He lives. Just barely, but he is alive."

Gwaine let out a gust of air and placed his hand on the servant's chest.
He frowned at the weak, erratic nature of the heartbeat he felt there.
"His heart is racing! What happened to him?"

The knight was looking at his king, but the answer came from the boy they had both forgotten about.

"We-" he hiccuped, barely able to speak past his sobs "we were attacked... flung from the horse's back by magic. I passed out when I fell down here, but I think I heard a woman's voice."

He sniffed as the two knights stared, beginning to get ahold of himself.
"He has wounds on his head and leg, and I think he's been poisoned. Please, you have to help him."

Hazel eyes pleaded with the two older men, who returned their gazes to Merlin's face.

"Do you think it was Morgana?"
Arthur asked, saddened once more by the thought of his half-sister turning on someone she was once such good friends with.

"I can't imagine another woman being out here, attacking Merlin with magic."
Gwaine spat the words out, furious that someone had harmed his first and best friend.

Thankfully the heavy atmosphere was somewhat broken by the arrival of Gaius along with the rest of the knights.

"He's still alive Gaius, but just barely."
Arthur informed the elder, trying to project some semblance of calm.

Leon and Percival also crouched by Merlin's side only to be shooed away by the physician.

"How can I work with all of you hanging about!"
He was quite a bit more brusque than usual, but that was understandable.

Holding the servant's face in his hands he turned it side to side, though the range of motion was greatly limited.
He noted the lack of response along with the residual foam on the deathly pale face, a single stream of dark saliva cutting a trail through the crust.

"He's very cold- we'll need to start a fire."

The king nodded.
"Vidor, Caridoc- gather wood and start a camp fire. Leon and Percival- fetch some water and set a pot to boiling once the fire is made."

Gaius flashed the monarch a slight smile for his thoughtfulness before his brow drew downward once more.

Taking a cloth from his kit he swabbed the inside of his ward's mouth, scowling at the black residue he had gathered.
He reached out and gently tried to bend Merlin's arm, only to have the limb stubbornly resist his efforts.
Peeling up an eyelid, he found the blue orb glazed; staring in his direction without focusing.
The chest barely moved while the heart seemed to be attempting to make up for the lungs' lack of activity.

"What is it Gaius?"
Arthur had crowded in once more, only backing up slightly when the physician frowned at him.

"He has been poisoned. Do we have any idea what happened, Sire?"
He glanced at the druid boy who was watching closely, eyes wide in fright.

"I seems they were attacked with magic. We believe it may have been Morgana."
The king answered, jaw tense and voice cold.

Gaius nodded.
"I feared as much. I believe the poison to be spirit of vitriol, but it seems to have been enhanced with magic or possibly combined with some other substance."

"But you can cure him?"

The physician hesitated, his professional facade cracking as he responded in a broken voice.
"I fear it may already be too late."

Gwaine choked back a sob as Arthur looked stricken by the proclamation, about to respond when the old man straightened his back, face hardened in resolve.

"But I will do everything I can."