"Don't move."

The edge of a sword pressed against Merlin's throat as the words were spoken in a snarl next to his ear, the warning causing the boy to stiffen . Not even daring to swallow, all the warlock could do was stare at where Arthur stood, his own sword at the throat of one of the bandits. A heavy tension lingered in the air and the prince's steeled gaze bore into the man directly behind the servant.

How had all of this happened? All they had meant to do was deliver a newly signed pact for the king. The journey had barely taken two days' time and they were so close to home that Merlin hadn't even considered the possibility of danger. And yet they'd been ambushed before they could arrive, men having appeared on all sides and taking Arthur and the two knights that had accompanied them off guard.

Glancing to his left, Merlin felt bile churning in his stomach at the sight of the two knights lying dead on the forest floor, their blood soaking into the dirt beneath them. They'd fought valiantly despite the odds, taking down a couple of the bandits before they'd met their untimely fate. And now, with the edge of steel biting into his own skin, Merlin was forced to wonder if he were going to meet the very same end.

"Let my servant go." Arthur's voice rang with an air of authority throughout the trees, breaking the harsh silence as a dark chuckle left the man keeping the boy at bay.

Merlin's nose scrunched at the smell of the bandit's foul breath when his mouth opened again, and he fought the urge to cringe away. "Let my man go first."

"Your man is the only thing guaranteeing my life and that of my servant's." Arthur retorted, his eyes darting towards the other two men that stood off to the side awaiting an opening.

"No, he's guaranteeing your life, your servant on the other hand is one twitch away from being wolf's food." A cold chill ran through the boy at the words, his throat dry as he met Arthur's stare. If he'd have just gone he could've used his magic to get away, but instead he'd taken a captive of his own and made it impossible for the warlock to even try without the fear of being caught in the act.

"What's it to you anyhow?" The man barked, the noise grating against the boy's ears. "He's just a servant; you really want to risk sacrificing your skin for his?"

"You've already killed two of my men, I will not allow you to kill a third." A deep, wheezing laugh left the man at the blond's words, the sword he held sliding against Merlin's skin as he hissed, his back pressing into the bandit in an attempt to escape from the weapon as he felt a trickle of warmth rolling down his skin. "Let him go or I will cut your man down." Arthur snapped, his eyes flickering to the boy's throat for the briefest moment before he was gripping his sword tighter.

"Will you? Well, I'd be careful if I were you lad, one slip of my blade and it will taste more than a drop of your servant's blood. So I'd suggest if you don't want to go looking for a new one, you give up that sword of yours instead."

The debate that went through the prince's mind was obvious to the warlock as Merlin clenched his fists. "Arthur don't!" He shouted, grimacing as the arm around him tightened and the blade pressed further into his skin, drawing more blood to the surface.

Without another word the prince dropped his blade, the sound of the sword hitting the dirt the loudest thing imaginable. "Arthur!" Struggling against his captor, Merlin watched helplessly as the two bandits charged at his defenseless friend as the man holding the warlock back whistled.

"Imagine that, he actually wanted to save you, some lowlife servant like yourself. You should be grateful to have such a kind, if not stupid, master. Shame you're not actually worth a damn thing to me alive."

Gritting his teeth, Merlin's arm wrenched away as he sent his elbow crashing back into the man's chest, a quiet groan leaving him as the sword cut across the boy's neck again. Ignoring the pain, Merlin pushed his weight against the bandit and knocked the sword away while tearing himself free before a strong hand clamped around his arm.

"Get back here boy!" The man huffed, swinging his sword back around as the warlock's eyes shot to the tree above them. Willing a branch to break, the boy began to pry the man's fingers loose from his arm before he was tugging away. He had barely taken a step when the bandit's other hand grabbed ahold of the collar of his tunic and yanked him backwards as the branch came crashing down from above.

The next few seconds were a blur. All the warlock could remember was a striking pain and dirt pressing against his cheek. The world around him had grown hazy and quiet, though he could make out Arthur in the distance scuffling with the bandits with only a dagger to use in his defense as he tried to reclaim his sword.

Though he could see the fight happening, their movements seemed slow and unbalanced, the noise of their battle sounding as if he were listening to it from underwater. A painful throbbing spiked through his head and caused the boy's eyes to pull shut in agony, the fight growing louder around him as he clutched at his head in an attempt to stop the blinding pain.

"Merlin!" His name was an explosion of sound to his ears, his body jerking as he forced his eyes to open and look up from where he lay huddled on the ground. The speed of the battle had increased in the moments his eyes had been closed, though one of the bandits now lay dead as dazed blue hues sought to find the source of the call.

When they finally landed on the prince, he found the blond turned his way, a mixture of concern and fear scrawled across his face in a manner that surprised the warlock to see given in his direction. And yet in the single moment it took for the prince to look towards him, one of the bandits swung at him and Merlin found he could not move fast enough.

"Arthur!" His voice might as well have been that of a muted man, the sound barely a croak that served no other purpose than to further distract Arthur as the attack proceeded uninterrupted on its destructive course.

Struggling to get his feet beneath him, the warlock watched as Arthur turned and ducked out of the way, the blow avoiding a critical hit though it caught hold of the skin on the man's arm and tore down the side. Standing unsteadily on his feet, Merlin's stomach lurched as the world spun around him, his hands outstretching in an attempt to keep his balance.

"Merlin! Run!" Lifting his head and feeling his body sway, the servant spotted the blond running towards him. "Go!"

Stumbling backwards, Merlin turned and ran, his head and his body screaming in objection at the movement as Arthur's hand caught hold of his arm and tugged him along. Merlin was unsure if the bandits were chasing after them, the sound of his heart pounding inside his head nearly deafening, but he worked to keep up with the prince all the same.

Struggling to keep his feet beneath him, the boy's vision darkened and he chose to focus on his breathing rather than the urge to heave what little he'd had for breakfast that morning, allowing Arthur to guide them away from any further danger. The ache in his head had risen to a nearly unbearable point, pressure building and pressing against the backs of his eyes until he was certain they were going to burst.

Stumbling their way through a section of brush, Merlin had just decided to tell the prince to continue on without him when he felt Arthur shove him backwards towards a hidden crevice between a boulder and the overhanging branches of a fallen tree.

"Get down!" The man hissed, pushing on his servant's shoulder until the boy was on his knees and hidden beneath the branches. "Damn them." Arthur cursed from beside him, his body shifting backwards as footsteps neared their hiding place.

The warlock blinked sluggishly despite the speed of his heart in his chest, his gaze drifting until it fixated on the growing stain of blood on the sleeve of his friend's tunic. Drawing in a heaving breath, Merlin opened his mouth to question his wellbeing when Arthur's arm pressed against his chest, forcing the boy's back against the boulder as the blond leaned back beside him.

Merlin couldn't tell if seconds or minutes had passed during the tense silence, but as their footsteps paused only inches from the opening they'd slipped through, a spark of fear coursed through him. After another period of time he was unable to determine, the men moved away and he weakly leaned his head back against the cool stone.

Closing his eyes and drawing in a trembling breath, he felt Arthur's hands on his shoulders and opened his eyes to find the man hovering over him. When had he fallen to the ground? Arthur's mouth moved as if he were speaking and there was a quiet buzzing in the boy's ear, but he found he could no longer focus on anything for more than a few moments except for the ever building pressure in his head.

The pain had eased slightly since remaining still, but as Arthur attempted to pull the boy up he could not stop the groan that the movement had elicited. The man stared down at him so intently, and he got the impression that the noise hadn't been wise, though he couldn't recall why. He looked angry or worried, or maybe a mixture of both. Was it something he'd done? Probably, though he couldn't remember what.

Everything ached and as his eyes fell shut he found he lacked any strength to try and force them open again. Heavy hands shook at his shoulders but the pain was persistent and Merlin no longer cared about what else was happening.

Darkness wrapped tightly around him and the pain faded with the waves of sleep that drew him further and further into its embrace. Whatever was nagging at him could wait, he doubted that it was important enough that he couldn't stand to forget about it for just a little while.


"Merlin! Run!" Arthur's voice rang out across the forest as the blond kicked away one of the bandits and reclaimed his sword, barely managing to avoid a second blow as his arm seared with pain. He could feel the warmth of his blood coating the limb but he had no time to check on the injury, his focus split between getting himself out of danger and getting the idiot he called his servant moving.

He'd seen the branch falling right before it had struck the boy, but the sound of it connecting with his servant had been sickening. In between defending himself from the blows of their attackers, Arthur had caught sight of the boy huddled on the ground, his hands covering his head in a pained manner that had sent a jolt of fear through his chest. He'd frozen in place at the scene, and in the single moment that passed he'd been too late to fully block the sword that had injured him.

"Go!" He shouted, running full force towards the boy who stood swaying in a dazed fashion. To his credit at least he listened, turning and stumbling away from the fight as Arthur grabbed his arm and pulled him along. He could see the blood staining Merlin's face and neck in his peripheral vision but he couldn't bring himself to take a closer look, not until they'd put enough distance between themselves and the men still after them.

The ambush that had come without warning had left two of his men dead and he'd be damned if he let Merlin become the third. The boy didn't object as Arthur pulled him sharply to the right, though he'd noticed his continued movement was solely based on the prince's hand firmly keeping hold of his arm.

"Come on.." He murmured under his breath, frantic eyes scanning the forest before he was taking another sudden turn. Arthur almost saw it too late, his feet skidding to a stop as Merlin nearly crashed against him. Where a boulder and a partially fallen tree met, a broken tree limb created a small opening that looked as though it might work to hide the two of them while they waited for the remaining bandits to pass.

Arthur hated the thought of hiding from a fight, especially after losing his men, but he also knew when to count his losses and take what he could in his retreat. Between Merlin's state and his own injury, fighting was no longer the wisest decision.

Readjusting his grip on the boy's arm, Arthur turned and pushed his servant backwards and into the opening first before he was ducking beneath the limb himself. "Get down!" He commanded, pushing on the boy's shoulder until they were both crouching beneath the branch. "Damn them." Arthur cursed, a hand rising to his face where sweat and grime had gathered from their run and his fight.

Beginning to look towards the other, the sound of the bandits drawing closer caught Arthur's attention as he stretched his arm out and pressed Merlin further against the boulder while leaning back himself. Forcing his breaths out slow and steady in the silence, the prince could feel the boy's heart beating wildly in his chest.

He'd have killed the man who held a sword to Merlin's throat if he'd been given the chance, anger welling up inside him as the bandits paused nearby and caused Arthur to freeze, his breath catching as the men turned and disappeared down a different path. Waiting a few moments more before lowering his arm, Merlin shifted next to him before his body was crumbling to the ground.

"Merlin!" Arthur hissed, casting a wary look over his shoulder before he pressed in closer and lowered his hands to the boy's shoulders. He'd known it was bad, but the gruesome sight that looked back at him had concern and fear crushing his chest. Blood coated one side of the boy's head and face, wetting his hair and sticking to his skin while the nicks from the bandit's sword had allowed blood to trickle down his neck and stain the front of his tunic.

"Merlin. Merlin!" Shaking him desperately, blue hues finally peered up at him in a dazed manner and Arthur swallowed down the worry that threatened to consume him. "We've got to go." He urged, grabbing ahold of the boy's arms and beginning to pull him up before the boy groaned and his face contorted painfully.

Easing him back into the dirt, Arthur's eyes darted over his bloodstained face and shook him again as his eyes fell closed. "Merlin?" Gripping his arms tightly, he felt the boy's next breath shudder out weakly before he was falling limp beside him. "Come on Merlin, don't do this, not now." He muttered, finally letting go of the boy and leaning back while running a hand down his face. As he did, a surge of pain shot through his left arm and the blond bit back the pained noise the movement had brought out of him.

Turning his arm, the prince shifted and tugged at the ripped sleeve, grimacing at the wide cut that had sliced through the skin. Blood soaked through the edges of the fabric and continued to run sluggishly down the length of his arm and down across the back of his hand.

Cursing softly, he pulled at the piece of the tunic that was barely hanging on, ripping the sleeve free and carefully wrapping it over the deeper portion of the wound before he leaned close and caught one edge in his teeth and pulled it taut. Dropping his arm with a shaking breath, he turned and leaned back over Merlin while reaching out and tilting his head to one side until he spotted a wide gash directly above his temple where the blood had spilled from.

Smaller nicks and scratches littered the boy's face from the impact with the ground and the tree limb, but as Arthur pulled his dagger from his boot and cut away a piece of the other's tunic, that was the place he focused on in an effort to stem the bleeding.

"Only you, you idiot." He grumbled, his blood causing the fabric to stick to the wound as the prince glanced up through the leaves at the sky. Late afternoon light shined down in patches over the two of them, offering little hope for the long trek that he knew it would be back to Camelot.

Two of their horses had been spooked and one had been killed in the fight while the final had no doubt been taken as a prize for the bandits. There was a chance that the horse remained where the fight had taken place, but the risk of going back without knowing whether or not the men were there also was one he could not take.

Drawing in a heavy breath, Arthur pulled at Merlin's wrists until the boy was sitting up before the prince was leaning closer and hoisting him up and onto his shoulders. Compared to the weight of his chainmail and shield used when fighting, Merlin hardly weighed a thing, but the pain that coursed through him at the movement and strain had the man wavering as he steadied the boy to keep him from falling.

The sensation of blood trickling down his arm had become an irritating feeling that made itself present in the back of his mind while a deep ache settled throughout his shoulder from another wound he'd endured less than two weeks prior.

He'd thought delivering the pact would be just the thing to ease himself, and his father, back into his duties after the creature that had nearly been the death of him, though obviously he'd been wrong. Why did nothing ever go as he planned? He couldn't have predicted the beast that had attacked him nor could he have expected an ambush so close to his home, though he was certain his father would not see it that way.

Stumbling his way through the brush and straying away from the path the bandits had taken, Arthur focused on the way his sword beat steadily against his hip while he walked. He could easily make it to Camelot by nightfall on foot if he were alone, but Merlin had become nothing more than dead weight and he could not leave him alone with an injury such as he had, that would be sentencing the boy to his death.

The prince made his way with his servant for quite some time before the pain in his arm and the weight of the boy forced him to stop, the man reluctantly setting the servant in a patch of brush as he dropped down beside him and gripped at his shoulder that was quickly becoming as painful as the sword wound itself.

"You're going to owe me for this, Merlin." He muttered quietly, twilight settling over the forest as he studied the boy's injury that only looked more gruesome in the fading light. He had resigned himself to the fact that he would be walking the rest of the way home in the darkness, but doubt began to poke through as his hand prodded carefully at his injured arm.

Blood had soaked through the entirety of the sleeve that he'd uselessly used to stem the flow, his left hand covered in trailing streaks of crimson while a numbness settled over the aching limb. Lowering his head and scraping back his hair, sweat had gathered along his face as he looked back to the injured boy.

Pushing himself to his feet, Arthur began to reach for the servant's arms again when he heard the clopping of hooves in the distance. Dropping back down beside Merlin, a hand rested on the boy's shoulder as the blond peered through the growing darkness, muffled voices growing closer. Had the bandits returned or was someone else making their way towards them? They weren't far from the outskirts of Camelot, but few traveled into the forest at night, and even less had horses to do so.

Craning his neck to look, Arthur spotted a torch held high as two men dawned in Camelot's armor made their way along the path. Relief washed over the prince as he stood, immediately catching the first man's attention as a crossbow pointed in his direction.

"Announce yourself!" Before he could respond the second man was waving the first away, slowing his steed and dropping to the ground before the prince.

"Prince Arthur?" He called out, drawing nearer as the man's head nodded wearily. "We found one of the horses near the edge of the forest on patrol and came to look for you when we found you hadn't returned." He began explaining, though Arthur was far from interested as he gestured for him to hurry.

"We were ambushed and Merlin was injured, he needs to get to Gaius immediately." He insisted, stepping away as the knight drew closer and paused, worry clouding his face though his eyes had yet to look to the ground.

"Prince Arthur, you're bleeding."

"I'm aware." He snapped, pulling his left arm close to his chest. "I said Merlin needs to see the physician immediately."

"Doran!" The knight shouted back to the other, waving for him as the second knight dismounted and hurried over, the torch held high and casting eerie shadows over the darkened trees. Taking the fire without a word, Arthur kept hold of it as the two knights knelt beside his servant and hoisted the boy up.

At some point during their trek his head had stopped bleeding, but even in the dim light the blond could tell how pale he'd gotten, not to mention the lingering silence that came from the boy that was disconcerting and unfamiliar just in itself. Following with the light as one of the men mounted their steed and adjusted Merlin in front of him, the second stepped in front of Arthur and stared at him warily.

"Sire?"

"Take this." Shoving off the torch to the man, the prince stopped the question before it could even be asked as he strode to the second horse and gripped the saddle, getting himself up singlehandedly. His arm screamed against the movement but a stern mask had fallen into place and the only sign of discomfort that could be seen were the whitened knuckles that gripped the saddle like a lifeline.

A moment later the knight was climbing on behind him and the prince was spurring his horse forward, his eyes flickering every few seconds to the boy hanging over the edge of the horse beside him. Though the ride was short, it felt like hours had passed before they were arriving in the pavilion and Arthur was dropping down before the horse had fully come to a stop.

While one of the knights passed off the torch to a stable boy that had come running, the second began to pull Merlin down. Ignoring the eyes of the people around them, Arthur followed the two men as they made their way to the physician's chambers with his servant between them.

Drawing his arm in close as they walked, the prince was unsurprised to hear the shocked voice of Gaius asking about his ward as his door was thrown open and the knights carried him inside. Once they had cleared the doorway and Arthur himself had entered the elder froze, worried eyes flickering between the boy and the prince before he was making his way over to the blond.

"Sire, what happened?" Ushering him inside as Merlin was set on the patients cot, Arthur quickly waved the man away.

"It's nothing, Gaius, look after him." He instructed, permitting the man to care for the one in more pressing danger than himself. With a brief nod the elder moved towards the boy and carefully tilted his head, eyeing the gash along the side as the door burst open again and Gwen slipped past the knights as they left.

"Prince Arthur." She gasped, catching herself in the doorway and standing straighter, her gaze falling to the floor as the blond glanced her way.

"Guinevere, fetch some fresh water." Gaius ordered in a tense tone from the other side of the room, not even looking up from his ward as the girl nodded silently. "And Sire, sit down." Looking over, he found stern eyes focused on him as the prince did as he was told and settled wearily on a stool near the table while the maid grabbed a bucket and hurried back out the door.

"What happened?" The physician asked again, retrieving a small basin of water and a cloth before he set about cleaning the blood away from the boy's face.

"We were ambushed on our way back." Arthur uttered with a small sigh, his fingers reaching to his shoulder and probing at the aching wound. "There were several men and they got to Sir Daniel before we even knew what was happening. Sir Alst and I were fighting them off and one of them caught hold of Merlin, forced our hand. Sir Alst attempted to charge and was struck down."

Recalling the events caused the prince's head to drop, irritation at himself beginning to rise. He'd known he wasn't in full fighting condition when he'd volunteered himself for the trip, but he also hadn't expected such a thing to occur. Would his men still be alive if he hadn't been along? Would they have even been attacked? Perhaps the journey wouldn't have taken as long had he not been so insistent on going. Merlin certainly wouldn't have been hurt as he never would have been there in the first place.

"I pretended to surrender, but before I could get to Merlin he and the bandit were struggling." The prince continued, his hands falling in front of him as he stared down at crimson stained fingertips. "They must have knocked into one of the trees because a limb fell and struck the both of them. I hadn't even realized the injury was so bad until after we'd gotten away and I saw all the blood."

Curling his fingers into fists to hide the blood that remained from his servant, Arthur let a quiet breath shudder out. How had he let this happen? They'd been outnumbered but he was far more skilled than they were, they never should have gained the upper hand.

But they took Merlin. He was at odds with himself over the whole thing, knowing if he hadn't let go of his sword he never would have been forced to run. But they would have killed Merlin. And really, he'd known from the second they'd gotten their hands on him that he wasn't going to let that happen.

The physician said nothing to the prince's story, but as Arthur's head lifted to where the man worked, he was sickened at the sight of the bloodied water that coated the rag and dripped into the basin. Before he could utter another word or ask after the boy the door pushed open and Gwen stepped through, carefully setting the fresh water on the table.

"Thank you, Guinevere." Gaius answered distractedly, hardly glancing up at her presence.

"Is there anything else I can do?" She questioned, stepping closer and wringing her hands together as the man finally drew back from his ward. A heavy gaze landed on the girl before it shifted to Arthur, the physician's eyes narrowing as he studied him.

"Will you tend to the prince's arm?"

Turning, Gwen's eyes met Arthur's briefly before she was nodding and looking away. "Of course."

Retrieving another small basin and pouring a fraction of the water inside, she carried it over and gathered a cloth of her own while the blond shifted towards her. "Second time in a matter of days that you've tended to me, Guinevere." He remarked, a weak smile tugging at his lips as the maid ducked her head.

"You seem to make it a habit of causing others to worry for you." She stated softly as she began to pry loose the crude wrapping that the man had created in the forest.

"Will you tell me what it is you said to me at my bedside now?" He prodded, his smile widening at the faint blush that rose to her cheeks.

"I told you it was nothing."

"You don't really expect me to believe that, do you?" He asked, the teasing nature of his voice drawing out a small smile as she pulled away the saturated fabric and revealed the long cut.

"I think you'll believe whatever you wish to believe, Sire."

Wetting the rag and carefully cleaning blood away from his injured arm, Arthur looked up at the girl. "Well will you at least say something similar to me now that I'm awake?" He questioned, tilting his head a bit to one side as her dark eyes flickered to his before dropping back down to her work.

"You ought to be more careful when you leave the castle, Arthur." She spoke quietly, worry written across her face as the man leaned back and let his smile fall.

"Perhaps you're right." Looking towards Merlin once more, Arthur watched while Gaius applied some sort of salve and a bandage around the boy's injury. The tense way his eyebrows furrowed while he worked indicated the worry he still felt towards the silent boy as the prince looked away, guilt settling in the pit of his stomach.

Merlin would be fine, he had to be. The idiot attracted danger often with his clumsiness but he was never down for long, so he doubted such an injury would have him worrying the elder for much longer.

His thoughts were pulled away from the boy as the cloth touched a portion of his open wound, a quiet hiss leaving the man as Gwen pulled away and murmured a soft apology. With the blood cleared away he could see the length of the injury, the cut stretching from his bicep to down past his elbow. Gwen had just begun to wrap a bandage around his arm when the door swung open and a guard stepped inside, the man's gaze drifting around until he spotted Arthur and bowed his head.

"Prince Arthur, the king has requested your presence once you're finished here." Nodding back in response, the guard bowed again and departed, leaving a frown to settle over the blond's face as he cut his eyes back to where Gaius and Merlin were.

The physician met his eye before the prince was looking away, barely wincing as the maid tightened the bandage around the wound. He had a fairly good idea of what it was that his father wanted, though he doubted it would be as civil as the guard made it seem. He knew the knights would tell his father of his return and the state in which he arrived, but he'd hoped for it to take a while longer to reach him.

He was in no mood to listen to the king go on about risking his life for that of a servant. He'd heard the lecture a hundred times in the past but nothing would ever change, there was no way he could leave a man behind, be it servant or knight. Had his men still been alive he would not have hesitated in making certain that they were safe as well. Perhaps not as much as Merlin, but that was different, the boy was hardly capable of looking after himself and he held no formal training like his knights did. Of course, such things mattered very little in the eyes of his father.

"There, all finished." Gwen's voice penetrated through the man's thoughts as he blinked, looking away from his servant and turning instead towards the young woman standing beside him.

"Thank you, Gwen." He spoke, watching as a soft smile appeared on her face while she cleaned up the supplies she had used. Standing from his seat and pulling his arm close to his side, Arthur turned to face the physician though he found that the words he wanted to say would not come out.

In all his time with Merlin he'd never seen the boy so still. Even in his sleep he tossed and turned and mumbled nonsense that he'd once thought of as irritating, though now found he was desperate to hear again. With the blood and dirt cleaned from his face, several small scrapes and cuts were more visible and stood out along his pale skin, as well as the beginnings of a bruise along the left side of his head where he'd been struck by the branch.

"Sire?" Pushing the servant from his mind and standing straighter, Arthur met the elder's prying eye and forced the exhaustion he felt down. "I would not keep your father waiting for long or else he might come to find you himself." The words were spoken kindly, a look of understanding cast towards the prince as Arthur was struck with a feeling from years prior when the physician would help him tend to injuries acquired during play.

And though the man was correct, the prince was wary of leaving, his gaze shifting back to his servant before he was looking away altogether, the words desperate to be spoken unable to be said. So instead the prince nodded, uttered a quiet thank you to the elder's promise to check on him later, and reluctantly left his servant behind.

As the door closed behind him and the deafening silence followed after him, Arthur wanted nothing more than to know when Merlin would be recovered. Whatever was wrong with him would be corrected he was sure, the question was only how long it would be before the boy was bounding into his room with the same level of annoying optimism that he'd somehow grown accustomed to.

And yet despite what he kept telling himself as he made his way to his father's chambers, the look on Gaius' face had given him pause. He'd remembered that look on his face once before in regards to his ward and the very memory of Merlin dying from the poison he'd ingested was enough to cause fear to bind around the prince's heart as he walked just a bit faster through the halls. The sooner he dealt with his father's irritation the sooner he could get back to the physician and his idiotic servant.


Sitting in front of his fire, Arthur rested his chin in his hand and stared at the flickering flames that did little to distract him from the chaos reigning inside his head. What he'd expected of his time with his father had been true, the king taking his time in scolding his son for what he had done.

"You cannot be so reckless, Arthur! You were nearly killed just a matter of days ago, then you go and risk your life for a servant?" Scowling, the prince slouched down in his seat. "If you were killed, what would I have done? What would become of Camelot? You must start thinking of the kingdom as a whole. As the prince you cannot allow your judgement to be clouded from what is important."

Reaching his hand up, his fingers probed at his shoulder again, the tips digging into the still sensitive area and rubbing away the ache that had resurfaced. Despite what his father had said, if he was faced with the choice again he knew he'd make the same decision. He understood what his father meant, and perhaps he did need to consider his actions more carefully when it came to his kingdom, but a piece of him also disagreed.

What kind of prince was he, and what kind of king would he become, if he abandoned what he believed to be true? What he felt was right? He was not one to leave anyone behind, be it a servant or a knight or a royal, and he'd thought those were the beliefs that his father had tried to instill in him.

Reaching across to the table, he took hold of a goblet of water that had been brought to him with his dinner and took a slow drink, his mind still wandering when a knock on his door captured his attention.

"Arthur?" Sitting up straighter as the door cracked and a head poked inside, green eyes met his and the blond motioned for her to enter. "I heard what happened, are you alright?" As Morgana stepped closer, Arthur caught sight of the darkened circles beneath her eyes and quickly looked away. She'd been sleeping far less since her dreams had increased, and though no one was speaking of it he knew it was on everyone's mind.

"I'm fine, it was barely a scratch." He stated dismissively, resting the goblet on the arm of his chair and returning his gaze to the fire. While her concern was touching, he was in no mood to further discuss what happened.

"What about Merlin?"

"What about him?"

"Has he woken? Gwen was worried sick about him when she told me." The girl sighed, nearing closer and leaning back against his table.

"I don't know." He forced out, the guilt at failing to return to the physician's chambers weighing on him almost as much as the pressing stare he felt from the girl next to him.

"What do you mean you don't know? Haven't you gone back to check on him?"

"I've had other things that took priority." He spoke sharply, refusing to look her way at the sound of indignation that left her at his comment.

"What could be more important than making sure he is alright?" She scoffed, stepping into his line of sight while he took another drink. "This is because of something Uther said, isn't it?"

"Morgana I cannot be concerned about a single person when I've an entire kingdom to think about. What use would I be sitting in a room waiting for a servant to wake up?" He hated himself for the words that poured out, true though that they were.

"That sounds exactly like Uther. I can't believe I actually let myself believe you were changing."

"Excuse me?"

"If you weren't so prideful and stubborn perhaps you would see what is apparent to everyone else except you." She snapped, her glare as sharp as any blade as Arthur forced his voice to remain calm.

"And what is that, Morgana?"

"The fact that you care about Merlin, and that he may very well be the only person who is willingly your friend, yet you choose to act as if he's nothing more than a common servant." Staring in shock at her, the girl stepped closer and stared down at him. "Well congratulations Arthur, Uther must be so proud."

"Morgana-"

"Forget it, you'll never change. I don't know why I ever believed you would." Turning on her heel and storming out of the room, Arthur found his mouth open mid complaint as he was left alone in his chambers.

One moment passed and then another before the goblet he'd held in his hand was launched across the room. What little water that remained was thrown with it as the cup slammed into the wall and clattered to the floor.

Damn her. Damn her, because ignoring her insults and overlooking the ridiculous sentimentalities, there had been truth in what she'd said. Though truth lay in what he'd said as well. What good would it do to sit there and wait for him to be alright? He had other duties and jobs to take care of and he would not allow himself to be so caught up in one person that he ignored everything else that he was meant to be doing.

If Morgana was so concerned about his manservant than she was welcome to check on him herself, but he would wait until he heard from Gaius that the boy was up and moving before he bothered wasting his time.


He blamed Merlin. No, he blamed Merlin and Morgana. He was exhausted from the journey and the day from hell, yet sleep eluded him at every turn.

Tossing around once again and burying his head beneath one of the pillows, a heavy breath pulled out past the prince's lips before Arthur was sitting upright, the blankets falling into his lap as he glared across the room at the embers of the fire that had long since died out.

Glancing to his right where a small vial sat on his nightstand, he scowled at the way it almost seemed to mock him. When a maid had delivered it to his room instead of Gaius he'd known the boy wasn't doing well, no other reason being possible for the physician refraining from checking on the prince himself.

Due to that he'd refused to take the potion that was sure to knock him out until morning, instead choosing to sleep lightly in case anyone came with news about the boy's condition. Of course that implied sleep was actually a possibility, which so far, it wasn't. Despite how irritated she'd made him, Arthur found Morgana's words playing around and around in his mind until he was climbing from his bed and struggling to pull a tunic over his head.

After a span of time that he'd refuse to ever admit, the prince slipped out of his room and waved off the two guards standing outside his door. He wasn't one to roam about often, but he suspected they knew better than to follow after a day such as he'd had.

The halls were deathly silent, his path lit by torches along the walls as he made his way towards the physician's chambers. Climbing the stairwell and dragging his fingers lightly across the stone, Arthur paused at the door that was partially cracked and listened, the only noise being that of the fire casting a soft glow across the floor.

Pushing the door further open and slipping inside, the room held only the physician and his ward, the two near the back where the boy lay as still as when the prince had left and Gaius sat bent over him. Looking up at the movement, Gaius' eyes landed on Arthur and he gestured him forwards silently, his weary expression one that disheartened the man even before he'd spoken a word. Letting the door fall shut behind him, the quiet crackling of the fireplace's light guided the blond as he sat in a chair that he had no doubt had been placed there earlier for Guinevere.

"Are you feeling alright, Sire?" Gaius asked, though the question was more a formality as Arthur leaned back and let his eyes flicker to the boy before settling on the elder.

"I'm fine." He nodded, resting his wrapped arm across one knee. "He still had not woken?"

"I'm afraid not." The physician shook his head, relaxing back into his chair and staring down at the boy that lay before him. "He has swelling of the brain, though even I am unsure of how bad."

Swallowing past a suddenly too dry throat, Arthur shifted uncomfortably and fixed his gaze back on his servant. "But he will wake up, won't he?"

"We can only pray." The man's voice was thick, heavy with grief and worry. There was no doubt in Arthur's mind that he hadn't left his ward's bedside once, and the very thought made him feel ill.

"I'm sorry, Gaius. I know what he means to you." He offered quietly, lowering his head as the elder looked towards him.

"Merlin is strong, I'm sure he will pull through, though my concern lies with how long he's been asleep. Until he awakens I cannot begin to guess at what damage may have been caused."

"Damage?" The word came out in a hoarse croak, the prince immediately dropping his head while running his fingers along the back of his neck. "You mean he might.."

"I'm unsure of what may happen, but the longer he sleeps the more I find myself worrying." A deep sigh escaped both of the men, a moment of silence lapsing over them as Arthur's hand found its way to his shoulder once more, a twinge of pain at the contact a welcome distraction from the overwhelming concern that was eating away at him.

"Is there no way to wake him up?"

"What little I can try has failed to elicit a response. For now, all we can do it wait and allow him to fight on his own."

Sitting up and running a hand down his face, Arthur's eyes fell shut as his fingers pressed tightly against them. "I should've looked after him better, I know how the idiot attracts trouble."

"There was nothing more you could do." Gaius stated, his tone causing the blond to look over and find a stern gaze staring back at him. "I know how your father feels, his concern for you. I know what he would've had you do, but I am grateful to you Arthur for making certain that Merlin was returned to Camelot and not left in that forest alone."

The sincerity in the man's eyes and gratefulness of his tone had the prince looking away, barely even able to nod at the words. He'd been thanked by people before, those that he'd helped in ways both big and small, but somehow coming from Gaius it struck him differently. Perhaps because he knew how strongly Gaius felt for the boy, how he treated him as his own son. Or perhaps it was because in such a situation, he didn't expect to be thanked.

Merlin went everywhere he did, whether it was required of him or not and whether he was putting himself in danger because of it or not. Arthur had just come to expect that wherever he went, Merlin would be beside him, and due to that he'd also come to expect that the boy's safety was his responsibility. He'd never really questioned it or thought much about it. But with aged eyes that had seen so much and lived through even more staring at him in such gratitude over what he'd thought was a simple and expected action, Arthur could not respond.

As the physician rose to move about in the other half of the room, his hand fell to Arthur's uninjured shoulder for a moment before he was pulling away and the blond was leaning forwards in his chair.

Clasping his hands in front of him, his mind wandered back to Morgana's words. Perhaps he was stubborn, and though he rarely voiced the truth aloud, he did consider Merlin to be his friend. The boy had proven time and again his unwavering loyalty towards Arthur and his willingness to do whatever was asked or needed of him, regardless of what it put him through. A fact that often irritated Arthur, though it did dredge up a bit of admiration as well.

Merlin was the first person he'd met that treated him as, well, a person. Granted it annoyed him at times, and there were moments when he felt the boy needed to learn when to keep his mouth shut, but their bantering was something that Arthur had grown fond of, and sitting next to him in agonizing silence only made everything feel all the more wrong.

The servant was an accident waiting to happen at every moment, his clumsiness known by all and laughed at by many, but he'd never been injured in such a way before. And though Arthur was reluctant to admit it, he was worried for the idiot that had made himself an integral part of his everyday life.

"Arthur?" Jolting at the elder's voice, Arthur sat up and blinked away his haze, his stiffened form complaining at the sudden movement.

Turning to find the physician standing over him with a newfound worry specifically for him, the prince sat straighter and cleared his throat. "What is it?"

"Perhaps you should return to your chambers and get some rest. You're no doubt weary from the day's events and I can send someone to inform you when Merlin awakes."

"No." The objection was immediate and quickly regretted, the man backtracking at the surprised look the physician wore. "I couldn't sleep, my arm was causing me pain and there was no point sitting there uselessly."

It was a poor excuse and he knew they were both aware of that fact, but Gaius said nothing more as he nodded and turned away again while Arthur leaned back in his seat. He wasn't sure of the exact time, but he knew it was late. Weariness did in fact cling to his every limb, but once he was seated beside the boy he found himself unable to leave. Not when there was the chance of him worsening or not waking up at all.

Dragging a hand down his face, Arthur's eyes began to fall shut again when movement in front of him had the prince jerking up and staring intently at the boy on the cot. A moment passed in silence and the blond was beginning to think his over exhausted mind was imagining things when the boy shifted again, followed by a weak groan.

"Gaius!" Shouting for the physician, Arthur leaned close as Merlin's head tilted towards him, the elder hurrying over and settling into the chair beside him.

"Merlin?" The man questioned, his hand falling to his ward's arm as the boy's eyes began to flicker open.

Swallowing down his nerves, Arthur sat on the edge of his seat as blue hues peered out past the boy's eyelids, an unfocused gaze drifting back and forth between the two men before looking up towards the ceiling.

"Where am I?" His voice was hoarse and cracked, the words barely audible though they were enough to cause the prince relief as Gaius' fingers tightened around Merlin's arm.

"You're home, Arthur brought you back."

Blinking wearily, the boy's eyes closed before opening once more a moment later, confusion and unsurety in them as he stared back at the physician. "Home?" He croaked, wincing at the force needed to speak as Arthur leaned forward.

"Come on, Merlin, don't tell me you've forgotten where home is. You weren't hit that hard." It was an attempt at a joke, a piece of him expecting to get a rise out of the boy like normal, but all he received was another confused stare as the servant's gaze came to rest on him.

"I'm sorry.." He murmured, barely shaking his head before he was grimacing at the movement. "I don't.. I.."

"Relax, Merlin, you don't have to speak." Gaius urged, the gentle touch on the boy's arm lifting as Merlin looked between the two again and swallowed.

There was something about the way he was acting that unsettled the prince, the way his gaze kept shifting between the two of them and then past them, almost as if he were looking for someone else that he expected to be there instead.

"Please.." Pausing, a trembling breath rattled out of the boy as his fingers curled into fists beside him. "Please tell me.. who are you?"

Staring silently, neither man could form an answer as Arthur's mind raced, his gaze fixed on his servant, on his friend. Something was wrong, he knew something was wrong, and yet he refused to allow the thought to go any further than that.

"You pick the worst times to joke, Merlin." Arthur chided, though the forced nature of the words made them harsher than he meant as Merlin stared back at him in bewilderment, and even worse, fear.

"Arthur-"

"You are joking, aren't you?" Arthur demanded, desperation clawing up his throat at the wary way the boy looked at him. There was no hint of a smile or a too loud laugh that would echo off the walls at finding his own humor enjoyable, all that stared back at him were scared blue eyes that held no recognition for the men sitting beside him.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know who either of you are."

Oh God, he wasn't joking. Which meant..

"Please, can you tell me where I am?" His voice wavered as he spoke, and as Gaius pulled away and tried to soothe him with calming words, all Arthur could do was stare.

He felt cold and hollow, his mind refusing to accept what was right before his eyes. Merlin had no idea who Arthur was, and it pained him in a way he couldn't even begin to express.


A/N

I feel so bad, I left you guys without a chapter for so long and then I just throw you a cliffhanger.. WHOOPS

I know the whole 'losing your memories' thing is totally cliché but I couldn't help myself, I desperately wanted to do this one and I really wanted a two parter for the end of season one soooooo here ya go! I'm gonna try to get the next chapter out faster, but I'm going on a short trip this week cause my birthday is on Wednesday so it may take a bit longer!

I hope you guys enjoyed the extra long chapter, and if you feel like leaving a comment I always enjoy them and I'd love to hear from you! ^-^