A/N:
Sorry for the delay guys! I was so busy trying to organise a cake for my Fiancés 21st over the weekend, but here is the next chapter… It is another one from Synk
Thank you all for all the reviews and support and happy 100th to me! LOL
I will be continuing the Blood Spell, however as this one is clearly more popular, you can tell which one I spend most of my time on!
I do not own Merlin…but I do have a cat that would resemble him, had Merlin been turned into one …He even has a little neckerchief!
CHARACTERS: Arthur & Merlin
RATED: K
GENRE: Humour - ish & Hurt/Comfort. Some Arthur/Merlin bromance and teasing
Set after The Coming of Arthur – What if, after being thrown into walls on many occasions, Merlin ends up with a bad back and what happens when he falls and can't get back up again?
THE ADVENTURES OF MERLIN
A Pain in the Back…side
It was a beautiful, warm day - however the fresh air did nothing to improve their moods as Prince and servant rode through the forest in silence, dappled sunlight dancing through the thick canopy.
Several weeks had passed since Morgause's immortal army had stormed Camelot, bringing with them the Cup of Life – and Merlin suffered, as always, in silence.
With a wince, he leant forward in the saddle, gripping the reins one-handed while his other pressed at the small of his back.
Beneath his pale skin, muscles spasmed and a harsh stabbing pain shot down both of his legs. The youth bit his lip to stop from crying out, but still a small whimper escaped.
Arthur turned in his saddle and gave the boy a scathing look. 'Your little bottom already sore, Merlin?' he asked with a smirk ad Merlin readjusted himself atop the steed.
The young man glared at the Prince coldly as he tried to get into a position that didn't send waves of agony coursing through his muscles.
'Well, I don't have nearly as much padding as you do Arthur…and I am not talking about your royal saddle,' he shot back. 'Besides…It's my back, if you must know.'
Arthur snorted derisively, but flashed him a grin – not caring that Merlin was clearly not in the mood for his mockery.
'Well, that's what happens when you laze about Merlin. Your muscles go sloppy.'
The dark haired youth rolled his eyes. He had been far from lazy – in fact, despite being in constant pain, he had not yet uttered a word of complaint at the increase of his workload following the attack.
Only this morning, he had seen the external damage to his body in the dusty mirror in his room – but he wouldn't mention it, not even to Gaius.
'Shut up, cabbage – head,' he replied with frustration, the twinging increasing as the forest floor became uneven and rocky.
Thus far, the forest had been silent, but Merlin was now aware of a soft hissing, coming from the undergrowth. Bewildered, he peered over the side of the mare and paled at the large black snake that had slithered onto the path before him.
Usually his steed was calm, but the last few weeks had been trying on them all, and the horse began to dance nervously, her eyes rolling in fear as the snake spat.
'Arthur…' Merlin called softly as the mare became more agitated.
'Gods above, it's just a snake! Get her under control you dolt,' Arthur exclaimed, bringing his own ride to a halt.
The snake struck out and the horse screamed, rearing up on her back legs and unseating the unfortunate rider.
As Merlin struck the rocky ground, a cry of pain flew from his lips as something in his lower back crunched loudly. The youth grew pale as he watched Arthur dismount, kicking the offending reptile into the bushes.
'Get up Merlin, now is not the time to rest,' Arthur chuckled, calming the mare.
The young man whimpered as he tried to move. 'Arthur…' Merlin gasped, lifting his head.
Sensing the panic in his friend's voice, the Prince's gaze softened as he crouched by the fallen man.
'C'mon Merlin…time to get up,' he murmured softly, his brow crinkling into a frown at the look of pain on the youth's face.
Merlin twitched spasmodically and cried out, agony stabbing at the base of his spine.
'Merlin?' Arthur asked, a tone of worry entering the quiet inquiry.
The boy's breath hitched and quickened alarmingly. His face was pale and he squeezed his cobalt orbs shut as he tried to steady his breaths. He felt Arthur grip his shoulder, and gently brush the dark locks from his sweat soaked brow.
'Merlin, what's going on?' he asked, the soft command making Merlin shiver.
The young man said nothing, but continued to twitch painfully, the movements eliciting small whimpers of discomfort.
After several minutes, the cobalt reappeared beneath heavy lids, glazed with pain and confusion.
Despite the cold feeling of dread that had slipped into his gut upon witnessing his best friend writhe in the dirt, Arthur gave the boy an encouraging smile and stuck out his hand to help him to his feet.
The young warlock accepted the proffered limb, but as Arthur began to pull him up, another burst of searing agony jolted his body, Merlin's legs gave way.
Black spots swirled in his peripheral vision as the young Prince caught him mid slump and lowered him slowly, the rest of the way to the ground.
A fierce tingling crept up from the tips of his toes, slowly engulfing his legs with pins and needles.
Arthur tried to adjust the youth so he sat back into the Prince, but froze as a strangled sob slipped through his parted lips.
'P-put me on my stomach, please,' Merlin whimpered, his body trembling.
With a nod, Arthur carefully slid out from beneath him and turned him with as slowly and gently as he could – trying to block out the sounds of distress.
The dark haired youth rested his cheek in the dirt, his harsh breaths sending the dry leaves upon the trail into a flurried dance.
Arthur bit his lip and crouched by his manservant, peering into terrified eyes.
'Merlin, what happened?' he asked gently, his fingers subconsciously threading the boy's raven mop. He blinked slowly at the gentle touch and sighed.
'I told you my back hurt, prat,' he mumbled tiredly, his glazed stare piercing the Prince.
Guilt niggled at the blonde regent as he gently reached back and lifted hem of Merlin's rough tunic.
He bit back a gasp of disbelief as his eyes met the myriad of splotched bruises that decorated his friends lower back. Some were old and fading to pale yellow, but most were still angry hues of red, purple and most disturbingly, black.
Beneath the damaged skin, muscles jumped and vibrated, sending a spasm of pain through Merlin's lithe frame. Arthur reached out tentatively, his fingers brushing the injury gently but he pulled back suddenly at the moan that his touch caused.
'What the hell happened to you?' The prince breathed, jokes pushed aside. This could be serious.
'I fell off the horse, remember?' Merlin replied, his eyes sliding shut.
Arthur rolled his eyes, sorely tempted to cuff the servant around the back of the head for being facetious.
'Merlin,' he began warningly, his voice taking on that special tone of annoyance that was only reserved for his friend. 'Some of these bruises are weeks old, but most are quite fresh. Now tell me what happened or I will throw you in the stocks.'
The young man winced at the tone of his master. 'Do you want a list?' he replied.
Arthur glared at him and it was Merlin's turn to roll his eyes. 'Let's see…I got thrown into a wall with magic, I fell down the stairs carrying your armour, I slipped on a wet floor, my bed is really uncomfortable and then I fell of the horse,' he responded with one breath.
'Thrown into a wall by whom?' he demanded, anger boiling in his blood.
'Morgause, when the witches nearly took Camelot with their immortal army…I spilt the blood from the Cup of Life several seconds before I got an intimate introduction with the wall,' the youth explained in a strained tone.
'You what?' he cried, and through the anger, he felt a surge of pride towards his friend.
Merlin gave him a small smile and closed his eyes, exhaustion threatening to take hold.
The Prince smacked him gently upon the cheek and waited for the blue to reappear.
'C'mon idiot, let's go home,' Arthur said gently, squeezing his shoulder.
'I don't think it will be that easy,' Merlin replied, his eyes full of fear.
'I know you're tired and hurt, but you need to get to Gaius,'
'It's not that, sire…I would love to get up and walk back to Camelot. There's only one problem.' Merlin closed his eyes and a tear slid down his sculpted cheeks. 'I can't feel my legs.'
*~*M*~*
Arthur's breath caught in his throat as the blood pounded in his ears.
I can't feel my legs...
The sound of fear and panic that laced those words would forever haunt the young Prince as the damn broke and Merlin began to sob openly.
'Are you sure?' he ventured, flinching at the cold glare that Merlin shot him.
'No, Arthur. I'm just being a girl's petticoat! Of course I'm sure.' He snapped, but suddenly regretted the tone. Arthur looked about as scared as he did. 'Sorry,'
Arthur shook his head. He didn't blame his friend. He was scared and it was an awfully stupid question.
'What can you feel? What hurts?' The Prince asked, settling down, cross legged, by the young man.
Merlin winced as another spasm shuddered through his spin.
'Ah...my lower back and my neck hurt like hell, but from the waist down...I'm completely numb,' Merlin flashed him a humourless smile. 'You may need to rehire George, sire – if this is permanent...'
The Prince pursed his lips, not wanting to aggravate the issue with harsh words. Instead, he climbed to his feet and grabbed the youth beneath the armpits in an attempt to lift him from the dirt.
Merlin yelped, his legs dragging uselessly on the ground as Arthur lifted him. His back stretched further, and the black dots returned.
'Arthur...p-please, it hurts. Please put me down...' Merlin begged, feeling bile rise from his stomach.
Arthur's heart clenched painfully at the whimper in his tone, but continued to lift him.
He only had to lift a little further before he heard the sickening crunch that emanated from his servant. The young Prince turned to Merlin to see his mouth frozen in an 'o', cobalt eyes crossing sightly before fluttering closed and slumping boneless into Arthur's arms.
The sound had terrified Arthur, even more so when the agony that Merlin was feeling sent him into oblivion. But he could not stop now. He had to get him back to Gaius before the paralysis became irreversible.
'C'mon, old friend,' he murmured, holding the boy close to his chest. He peered at the now calm horses and decided they would be safe enough for Arthur to leave. He would send his Knights to collect them once he returned to Camelot.
It took less than an hour for them to arrive back at the Citadel, and Gwaine met them at the main stairs, he eyes full of worry.
'What happened sire?' he asked softly, touching Merlin's brow.
Arthur sighed as the Knight followed him up the stairs and down the corridor towards the Physician's chambers.
'I will explain it soon enough,' he replied, his pace remaining steady and as even as possible. Gwaine went ahead to ensure Gaius was prepared and the door was open when Arthur appeared.
'Your Highness?' Gaius said imploringly watching as Arthur lay the unconscious boy on his stomach. 'What on earth is going on?'
Arthur pulled up a stool and sat by his friend, his fingers once more in his hair.
'The horse threw him.' He began. 'It wasn't that much of a fall Gaius, but when I went to check, He had so many bruises. Old and new. He told me Morgause threw him against a wall,'
The Physician nodded, confirming the tale as he inspected the damage. 'He was screaming in pain whenever I tried to move him ...he said he couldn't feel his legs,'
Gaius stopped for a moment, a frown beetled at his brow. He began to prod the area firmly, watching the Prince grip Merlin's hand when the pain reached into the depths of the young man's unconsciousness, eliciting a whimper.
'The paralysis is likely to be temporary. It is a worrying injury and I have only heard of it because of my time practicing magic before The Purge,' he studiously ignored the dark look that Arthur flicked away. 'I believe Merlin has a herniated disc in his spine – definitely caused by the wall incident, but only mildly so. I believe the fall from the horse caused it to tear more severely, thus the paralysis and pain. I will give him a pain tonic, however – he will be off his feet for the next month or so,'
Arthur nodded slowly, trying to ignore the look of horror on Gwaine's face. 'Thrown into a wall?'
He began to pace the room, watching the sleeping boy twitch. 'How did we not know about this?'
The Prince shrugged. 'I don't know Gwaine – but I left our horses about a quarter of an hour west of here. Could you please send some Knights to retrieve them?' he asked kindly, turning to him briefly before his cerulean eyes settled back upon Merlin.
'Of course, sire,' he agreed, exiting the chambers.
'I too must attend to my rounds. He will be ok Arthur...he just needs to rest.' Gaius assured, following Gwaine and pulling the door closed behind him,
When Arthur turned back to Merlin, wide cobalt eyes stared back.
'Merlin, there you are,' Arthur murmured gently. 'You always know how to scare your Prince, don't you?'
Merlin smiled sheepishly and tried to move.
'Stay still Merlin. Gaius believes that the paralysis will pass, but you're off your feet for quite some time. I may actually get some peace and quiet,'
Merlin snorted derisively. 'You're such a pain in the back...side,'
Arthur smiled gently and ruffled his raven mop. 'As are you, idiot.'
END
Thanks for being so patient! The next prompt goes to Thismortalcoil &Camoc – AU of the Dark Tower, where Arthur gets taken instead of Gwen and Merlin saves Elyan with magic