There shall come a day when I write another one-shot, but that is not today :D

So, thank you everyone who reviewed, alerted, and favorited last chapter. I don't own anyone affiliated with Merlin. And drop me a comment if y'all can.

Happy Holidays (2014 is only 6 days away. Holy Shit) and thanks for reading.

Bye!

Everything felt fuzzy, his head feeling ten times bigger than his body, his eyes putting up a hell of a fight as he tried to open them. His memory was sketchy at best, but from the familiar smells around him, he recognized his room. What had happened, and how exactly did he end up in his room?

"Merlin?" he heard someone above him, their voice close to his ear. "Merlin, are you awake?" Movement followed and Merlin heard the same voice, a bit further away, softly say, "I saw him move."

"He's been moving for over a week, Gwaine," a second voice said, dejected, "yet he has shown no signs of actually awaking."

"He's awake," the first voice insisted. "He's just being stubborn."

"While we admire your optimism, maybe it's time we started…" the second voice trailed off, muttering, "Or perhaps he's awake after all."

"Gwaine is quite right," a third person said, the door opening. Merlin heard footsteps cross the room, the floorboards creaking, and felt a presence hovering over him seconds before a familiar whiff entered his nose. He coughed, gagging, and his eyes flew open.

"Gods, Gaius, don't do that," he gasped sitting up too quickly. The whole room spun around him, and Gwaine caught him before he fell off the bed. Now that he was awake, his head pounded, pain making his vision blur and his stomach clench.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he let his head rest against someone's warm, soft stomach, feeling their hands grip his arms tighter. Breathing, he murmured, "I never want to do that again."

"I should hope not," Gaius agreed sounding relieved.

"So, he's going to be okay," Gwaine asked, directly in front of Merlin, answering the warlock's question as to who was holding him up. "No lasting damage?"

"To what?" A tense silence settled over the room. "What?" Slowly, he pulled away from Gwaine, letting his eyes skate across the room, expecting an answer.

Elyan and Percival shared a quick look before looking Gaius' way, and even Gwaine looked to the physician for an answer. It was, however, a familiar voice from the corner that hoarsely said, "What's the last thing you remember, Merlin?"

The younger man turned towards the voice, his bottle, blue eyes settling on Arthur. Guilt and shame could be seen in the king's eyes, and a gut feeling told Merlin the blond deserved whatever he was feeling, but for the life of him he just could not remember why.

"Why do you ask?" Merlin asked slowly, feeling a small bit of panic settle in his chest. "What happened?"

"You've been asleep a while, Merlin," Gaius answered softly, kindly.

"What does that mean?" the warlock questioned, his eyes darting to Gaius. "How long is a while?"

"Over a week," Elyan replied solemnly. "We feared…" he trailed off, biting his lip.

"Feared what?" Merlin demanded his eyes turning hard, his head continuing to pound. "What happened?"

"Sir Victor attacked you, Merlin," Gwaine said slowly, almost viciously, still gripping the younger man tightly. "You don't remember?"

"Sir Victor? Why?" This was a lot to take in, and it was becoming increasingly difficult with the ever-present pounding and the nausea that just refused to give up. "I don't understand," he whispered looking down at his blankets.

"Sir Victor has since been brought to justice," Arthur explained from his seat in the corner. "He's been put to death…"

"He's what?"

"He murdered a knight, too," Percival said softly, through clenched teeth, "and all for his own selfish desires."

"You honestly don't remember Victor attacking you?" Gwaine asked curiously, a little concerned.

"I remember leaving for King Odin's territory," Merlin replied softly, still pushing down the panic threatening to burst from his chest.

"That was nearly two weeks ago," Elyan and Percival said together, "and a few days before you were attacked."

So, not only was Merlin unconscious for over a week, he was also missing an additional six days (give or take). His panic continued to build, making it a tad difficult for him to breathe, and he whispered, "I-I wish to be alone."

"Merlin, you just woke up," Gwaine protested, his grip far from relinquishing Merlin's arms.

"I k-know but…"

"Are you all right, Merlin?" Gaius asked hovering over the younger man again.

"I-I'm fine," Merlin wheezed still struggling to breathe. "J-just leave me…" It felt as if his airway had closed up, the room spinning around him again, his head pounding so hard it reminded him of someone hammering on a drum.

His hands shot up, grabbing Gwaine's right arm and gripping tightly. He heard commotion above him, Gaius placing an old, wizened hand between his shoulder blades and pushing him forward, instructing him to breath. A second hand, this one much younger, was pushing his hair out of his eyes, Gwaine's voice murmuring, "It's going to be okay," over and over in his ear.

He managed to get a hold of himself several minutes later, dragging in one shaky breath after another, and slowly lifted his head. Gaius, Gwaine, and Arthur were hovering over him, Percival and Elyan lingering in the background. Running a hand across his eyes, leaving a trail of moisture across his skin, Merlin murmured, "W-what was that?"

"A panic attack," Gaius replied quietly, his hand still resting on Merlin's back. "Too much information has been thrown at you."

"Are you all right?" Gwaine and Arthur asked worriedly.

"Fine," Merlin answered hoarsely. "I'm fine." He shrugged Gaius and Gwaine's hands off him, sitting up a little straighter. "I just wish to be alone."

The group shared an uncertain look, before Gaius nodded and said, "We'll be right outside if you need anything, okay?" Mutely, Merlin nodded, lying back down, turning over to face the wall. He listened to everyone leave, their footsteps getting fainter, very much aware of one presence still lingering.

"Arthur, I am fine," Merlin insisted squeezing his eyes shut.

"Merlin, I'm sorry," Arthur said softly and walked out, leaving the younger man very confused, but also a little angry which confused him even more. What had happened to make Arthur feel guilty, and, more importantly, would Merlin ever remember?