Gwaine knocked on the door of Gaius's surgery. "Come in!"
"I—oh, am I interrupting something?" He looked back and forth between Gaius and Merlin, who had obviously been deep in conversation.
"No, no—"
"Anna's missing," Merlin said.
"It's probably nothing, Merlin," Gaius chided. "She went out to gather some herbs in the woods," he explained to Gwaine.
"Three hours ago!"
Gaius ignored him. "Did you need something?"
"Actually, I wanted to talk to Anna," Gwaine admitted. "How deep was she going into the woods?"
"Oh, no farther than the patrols travel," Gaius assured him. "Everything we need for everyday supplies grows in the safest parts of the forest."
"Exactly," Merlin said. "So why isn't she back yet?"
"She said something about needing to clear her head," Gaius pointed out
Gwaine felt himself go a little red and hoped they didn't notice.
"It doesn't take anyone three hours to clear their head," Merlin argued.
"You might be surprised." Gwaine shut his mouth as the other two looked at him curiously. "But I agree with Merlin—we should go make sure she's safe."
Gaius gave in. "Very well. Merlin, you know where we usually cut herbs…"
"I'll go with him," Gwaine volunteered.
"Are you sure? Don't you have things to do here?"
"Got the afternoon off. And if she's hurt, we'll probably want two people…"
Gaius nodded. "I'm sorry to be constantly sending you off to search for my missing apprentices…"
Gwaine grinned. "It's no problem. Anna and Merlin are good friends." He and Merlin said their goodbyes and headed off toward the forest.
000
Leaves. Gray sky. Silence.
Anna blinked her eyes, trying to get the world into focus. Everything looked funny; she couldn't tell which way was up. She was cold; she knew that. And there was wet on her face. Rain?
The trees were spinning again. Anna closed her eyes.
000
"Oh, and now it's spitting rain," Gwaine complained. "Unseasonably cold for June, isn't it?"
"You didn't have to come, you know," Merlin reminded him.
"I spare no pains in rescuing fair maidens."
"Alright." Merlin stopped in a small grove. "This is where we search for tree moss." He pointed at a large tree with something hairlike hanging on it.
"Lovely." Gwaine crouched down. "Someone has been here recently," he said, pointing to a footprint in the soft dirt. "Might have been Anna."
"Then where is she now?" Merlin asked, scanning the grove.
"The footprints head toward the tree," Gwaine said, walking toward it.
The tree on which the moss grew was large, and as he neared it, Gwaine realized it stood on the edge of an eight-foot drop. "Looks like some of the dirt around the roots gave way—Anna!"
Merlin came running. Anna lay on her back at the bottom of the drop. "We have to get down there," he said urgently.
"There," Gwaine said, pointing. A short distance away was a decline that would bring them down to her level. In a moment they were kneeling beside her.
"We have to bring her to," Merlin said, checking her pulse.
Gwaine thought for a moment, then felt for her pocket.
"What are you doing?"
"Here." Gwaine pulled out her vial of smelling salts and uncapped it, holding it under her nose.
000
Something stank. Anna rolled her head back and forth, trying to get away from it.
"Anna!" There was a voice that sounded like it was coming from far away, as if she were underwater. "Anna, wake up."
She opened her eyes. The green leaves and gray sky were still there, but there was a face as well.
"Gwaine?" she groaned.
"Anna, can you hear me?" Merlin's face came into view. "Tell me what happened."
She blinked, tried to remember. "I was picking moss," she said. Her voice sounded strange and faraway, too. "The edge crumbled—I fell."
"Wiggle your toes for me."
Anna wasn't entirely sure at this point that she had toes, but she gave it a try.
"Good." Merlin sounded relieved. "How many fingers?"
"Four."
He felt the back of her head, her neck, down her spine. "I think she's alright," he said at last to Gwaine.
"Alright. Up you get, Sweetheart." Gwaine slung her arm over his neck and lifted her. The world spun again, and she groaned.
"Did I hurt you?"
"N-no." But she still couldn't tell which way was up. All she knew was that she wasn't falling. She shut her eyes again.
"She's blacked out again," Gwaine said to Merlin.
"I'll run ahead for Gaius," Merlin answered. "Head injuries are tricky; I want him to take a look at her as soon as possible. You can follow and we'll meet you halfway."
"I don't know—it's starting to rain in earnest," Gwaine said, looking up at the dark sky. "She's chilled already—and maybe we shouldn't move her too much. I know a cave nearby—"
"Down by the stream?" Gwaine nodded. "I know it. Alright, you take her there, and I'll bring Gaius to you." He took off running.
000
When Anna came to, she felt much better. Up was up, down was down, and she was—warm. She opened her eyes.
She sat just inside the mouth of a cave. It was beginning to grow dark outside and it was raining. The sound was soothing, and so was the warmth. There was something draped over her—an arming jacket. A coat of chainmail lay on the ground nearby. And something was holding her up—
And then she heard Gwaine's voice. He was sitting on the ground with her, holding her, cradling her head against his chest. And he was talking to her, his voice as soothing as the rain. As soon as she heard what he was saying, all other thoughts melted away.
"I know what you think—that I'm not saying anything to you that I haven't said to many other girls, that I don't mean it. I know you think that I'm not really interested, or that my interest won't last. But Anna—none of those girls—I've never— When I see you coming down the hall, it's like the sun has just come out. It's never been like that—not with anyone else. And this isn't just a passing thing. You're not just a pretty face to me, a convenient flirt. I know you—your kindness, your strength, your intelligence. You—when I see you coming, I can't help but smile—"
She turned suddenly in his arms, sat up. "Anna—" he said, but was cut off immediately when her lips met his.
Gwaine hoped Gaius would take his time.
TBC
AN: Thank you to my lovely reviewers! It's nice to have reassurance that people are still reading and enjoying this. :)
So I realized last night that in 17 chapters I have covered 5 major plot points—out of a planned nineteen. THE PLOT BUNNIES ARE EATING ME ALIVE—SEND HELP.
Please review!
