I am so sorry this one seems to be dragging, and I promise the conclusion is in the next chapter, but I keep picturing a dozen of you gals/guys showing up at my house with pitchforks and torches demanding a new chapter. You're just standing over me, pointing sharp items at me, and going 'we aren't leaving until you update.' So, here's an update :)
Anyway, thanks so much for the reviews, alerted, and favorites last chapter. I do appreciate each and every one, even if I don't take the time to reply to each one personally. Maybe I will at the end (if this story ever ends).
So, thanks for reading, I don't own anyone who is affiliated with this show, and leave me a comment if you have the time.
See ya!
Arthur had two knights bring Sir Ethan's body up to the castle while a third sought out Gaius. Gwaine and Gwen had volunteered to stay with Merlin, Gaius wanting someone there when he awoke.
"Has he shown any signs of waking?" Gwaine asked curiously when Gwen returned, carrying a wooden bowl full of water.
"No," she answered sadly, sitting the bowl on the bedside table and kneeling on the edge of Merlin's bed. Removing a piece of an old shirt, she gently began wiping the dried blood from the side of his head, keeping her head down as she asked, "Sir Ethan, is he really dead?"
"Yeah," Gwaine replied leaning forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees. "Elyan reckons he knew something, and I am inclined to believe him, but I also want to believe Lucian did it just out of spite."
"Were there any ill feelings between Lucian and Ethan?" Gwen glanced up briefly before returning her attention to cleaning Merlin's head.
"Nothing out of the usual where Lucian is concerned," Gwaine responded with a shrug.
"He's not a very easy man to get along with," Gwen agreed dipping the cloth back into the bowl. She removed it, wrung it out, and returned to her task. "But he is decent with a sword and incredibly loyal to Arthur."
"No, he was loyal to Uther, he merely tolerates Arthur," Gwaine corrected bitterly. "I really wish Arthur would have let me kill him."
Gwen opened her mouth to respond, a troubled look on her face, but closed it just as quickly when Merlin stirred. She dropped the cloth in the bowl, leaning forward. Gwaine copied her, both staring expectantly at Merlin. The warlock sighed softly, turned his head to the left, and seemed to drop off again.
"Damn," Gwaine swore settling back in his chair.
"It's progress," Gwen said calmly, trying to remain optimistic but her disappointment was apparent in her dark eyes. She grabbed the cloth out of the bowl, returning to her earlier task. The two sat in relative silence for nearly fifteen minutes before someone knocked on Gaius' chamber doors.
"I'll get it," Gwen volunteered pushing herself to her feet. She placed the cloth in the bowl again, picked it up, and carried it out of the room. She returned a few seconds later with Sir Victor trailing behind her.
"I wanted to check on him," Victor stated nodding Merlin's way.
"He's fine," Gwaine informed the knight, but his eyes were on Merlin. If he had been mistaken, and unless he had some mead (which he had not had today) he was not, the warlock had reacted to Victor's voice. It was hardly noticeable unless someone was really looking at Merlin, but Gwaine still caught the small flinch. Unfortunately, Victor had, too.
"He was showing signs of waking," Gwen stated, having not seen anything out of the ordinary.
"That's great," Victor replied, his smile tight and barely reaching his eyes. He was watching Gwaine when he said, "I wish him an easy recovery."
"I bet you do," Gwaine said slowly.
"I wish I could stay longer." Victor turned his attention to Gwen, his smile a bit more natural. "But I must return to the search."
"Has there been any progress?" Gwen asked curiously.
"None," Victor responded gravely. "It seems Sir Ethan's killer may have gotten away. Arthur is looking into Lucian; one of our fellow knights saw him arguing with Ethan moments before you found him, Gwaine. I really wish Arthur would let us knights get Lucian alone, he might be more accommodating if we loosen his tongue a little. Am I right, Gwaine?"
"Possibly," Gwaine retorted with a forced smile.
"I best be going," Victor said with a small bow Gwen's way. "Here's hoping Merlin awakes soon." He shot Gwaine one, last look before turning his attention to Merlin, something dark in his eyes, and then turning to leave, closing the door behind him.
"That was very nice of him," Gwen commented taking a seat on the edge of Merlin's bed.
"Very," Gwaine agreed with a harsh edge to his voice. "He's such a bleeding saint."
"What's wrong with Sir Victor?" Gwen turned confused eyes to Gwaine, her eyebrows raised.
"I'm not sure yet," Gwaine admitted softly, his eyes on Merlin again, "but I think he knows more than he's letting on."