Despite her exhaustion, Anwen had trouble going to sleep that night, and she awoke before sunrise the next morning. After tossing and turning for awhile, she gave up and got dressed.

The sun was just coming up as she walked up through the town. Everything glistened with dew and glowed in the morning light. Two points of golden light, like two eyes, flashed in Anwen's face. She cringed and stared. It was two shiny nails on the newly repaired sign above the door of the Rising Sun, flashing as the sign blew slightly in the breeze. Anwen shivered, ducked her head, and kept on doggedly toward the citadel.

Gaius's surgery was all quiet and still when she opened the door. The morning sunlight was streaming in the window of the main room. Merlin was in the bed in the corner, and Gaius was asleep in the chair next to him.

Anwen crossed the room and touched his shoulder. "Gaius." He snorted and slowly sat up. "How's Merlin?"

"He woke up twice in the night," Gaius whispered back, stretching. "I think his head is going to be alright."

Anwen nodded. "How about you go sleep in his room? I'll watch him."

Gaius nodded and took his time getting up the two steps to Merlin's door. Anwen closed the shutter of the window nearest Merlin's bed so that the light wouldn't wake him, and set to tidying up the room as quietly as possible.

It was a quiet morning, and Anwen was occupied with reading a couple of hours later when there were sounds of stirring from Merlin's bed.

"Gaius?" he groaned.

"He's sleeping," Anwen said, getting up and pouring out a cup of water. "Here."

Merlin drank it down and then let his head fall back on his pillow.

"How do you feel?"

"My head is killing me, and it hurts when I breathe," Merlin said faintly. He tried to touch the bandages on his ribs with his left hand and gasped.

"Careful!" Anwen said, taking his other hand. "Your wrist is broken. Bergam and Cranog must really have a grudge against you."

"Yes," Merlin answered, then gave her a sharp glance. "I—I mean…"

"It was Bergam and Cranog, then," Anwen said darkly. "I'm going to talk to Agravaine."

"Wait!" Merlin grabbed her arm and then groaned at the sharp movement.

"Merlin, just rest."

"Anna, telling is just going to cause problems."

"Like what? Getting the two of them kicked out of Camelot for good?"

"Exactly!"

Anwen frowned.

"They're the sons of the King of Mora," Merlin said, letting go of her arm. "What do you think is going to happen if Agravaine kicks them out of Camelot? They'll be offended, their father will be offended… It's a diplomatic nightmare."

Anwen sat down again. "But they can't just go around Camelot, beating people up! Merlin, they—they could have killed you," she finished lamely.

Merlin grimaced. "I thought they were going to," he admitted. "But they've had their revenge on me now—they're done beating people up." He winced and shut his eyes.

"I'll get you something for the pain," Anwen said quietly. "Just rest."

000

Merlin fell asleep soon after, and Anwen had some quick errands to run inside the castle. When she returned she found Gwaine talking with Merlin in a quiet voice.

"Whether you like it or not, Merlin, I'm going to tell Agravaine," Gwaine was saying in a surprisingly gentle tone. "They need to be stopped."

"Agravaine will come and ask me himself, and I'll tell him it wasn't them."

"Merlin!" Gwaine sounded exasperated. "Then who are you going to say did it?"

"I don't know who it was. It was dark."

"You're really not going to budge on this, are you?"

"No."

Anwen put her things down on the table, and Gwaine looked up. "I'm afraid Merlin needs to rest," she said apologetically.

"Of course." Gwaine stood up. "I'll be by to see you tomorrow, Merlin." He patted his arm. "Get better."

"I'm trying," Merlin said with a crooked smile, and closed his eyes.

Gwaine motioned at the door with his head, and Anwen followed him outside.

"How is he, really?" he asked.

Anwen managed a smile. "He's going to be alright. The fact that he can hold such long conversations today is proof that the head trauma wasn't too bad. Everything else will heal—eventually." It wasn't entirely true: Merlin's hip was worrying her a little, but she wouldn't mention that just now.

"Thank you. I'm glad you're here to help Gaius take care of him."

"Me too."

000

She and Gaius set up a system after that: Gaius took care of Merlin during the night, and Anwen during the day. But the improvement in the symptoms from the knock on the head were so great that in a few days it wasn't necessary to watch him at night anymore. They didn't want to move him out of the bed they had placed him in the first night, so Gaius set up the screens around it to give him some privacy. Anwen stepped around them first thing every morning to check on him.

"Good morning," she said, seeing that he was awake. "How are you feeling?"

"Glad to see a pretty face," he answered, smiling.

"Has Gaius checked your vision recently?" she asked, peering at his eyes. He gave a slight laugh, which turned into a grimace. He put his hands to his ribs. Anwen tried to distract him. "My little sister Lilwen was always considered the beauty of our family."

"And what were you?"

"Career-minded."

He grinned. "Well, in any case, you're prettier than Gaius."

"I should hope so."

"I heard that," Gaius said from the other side of the room.

Anwen laughed. "Would you like your breakfast now?"

"Yes, please."

000

In the afternoon, a servant knocked on Gaius's door and announced that a healer was wanted in the armory.

"I'll go," Anwen said: Gaius was in the middle of some delicate operations with his crucible. Besides, she had begun taking over most of his "house calls" to save him walking. She grabbed her bag and made her way down to the armory, on the opposite side of the castle.

The armory was dark and silent when she reached it. Only little sunlight came in through the arrow slits.

"Hello?" she called tentatively. Perhaps the servant had gotten the location wrong? Or maybe the patient had gotten tired of waiting and went up to Gaius a different way?

"Hello? Is anyone here?" she called again.

"Why, hello," a voice said behind her. She jumped and spun around. It took her a moment to identify the speaker in the dark: it was Bergam.

"I hoped that old physician would send you," Bergam said, stepping toward her. Anwen took a step back. "You've got so much… younger legs." He smiled in a way that made Anwen want to hit him and flee all at the same time.

She tried to be professional. "I understood you needed the services of a healer, Sir," she said as coldly as possible.

"No, no—just your services," he answered in a low voice and took a sudden step toward her.

She yelped and dropped her bag, backing quickly out of his reach. She realized that he had backed her into a corner: he was between her and the exit, and there were a number of racks of weapons to dodge around before she could get back into the better-lit and more populous part of the castle. The walls were thick down here; no one would hear her if she screamed.

Bergam was still advancing. Anwen pressed her hands against the wall behind her and prepared herself: her only chance was to take him by surprise and charge him. At least it was just one man…

Just as she thought this, a second dark figure appeared behind him. Anwen sagged against the wall.

"What's going on here?" the second figure demanded harshly.

"Gwaine!" Anwen exclaimed in relief.

TBC