Come morning the knights were feeling, not exactly healthy, but mostly recovered. A little weakness and fatigue seemed to be all that remained of the Lamia's attack. That, and a distinct lack of memories of the past several days. Percival had broken the bad news to the others over breakfast, that Merlin had also been injured. They proceeded to the small shed, where Gaius had told Arthur Merlin was resting, the first chance they had. The makeshift bed they found was empty. They all sighed with relief. Merlin must be up and on his feet as well then.

Still concerned, however, they next made for Arthur's tent. It seemed silly to search for Merlin anywhere else. Arthur must have heard them approaching, because he emerged from the tent before they could reach it, and closed the flap behind him swiftly. Leon called out as they approached. "Good morning Sire, is Merlin with you? We heard he-"

"Merlin is currently indisposed," Arthur barked at them before Leon was able to finish.

Indisposed? The knights' faces fell in unison as they came to a stop before the King. Arthur had placed himself directly between them and the entrance to the tent, and the stance he had taken was defensive, as though ready to draw his sword at the first sign of a threat. Gwaine, Elyan, and Percival exchanged a look and Leon frowned at Arthur, trying to interpret his expression. He'd known him a long time and, though he was not as adept as Merlin at sensing Arthur's mood, he knew when Arthur was trying to suppress his anger, and that he was doing that and more right now. "Is he alright?"

"He will be returning to Camelot with Gaius and I later. You are dismissed." He turned on his heel, leaving the knights reeling.

"Wait, Arthur!" Gwaine made to follow, but Leon took hold of his shoulder. Gwaine glared at him and Leon shook his head slowly.

"Leave it for now." Gwaine cast one last tense look after Arthur as the tent flap closed behind him before he and the others made their way to their horses. He supposed they would just have to wait until Camelot for more answers.

"They don't remember what happened then?" Merlin asked from his seat at the small table as Arthur stomped back into the tent. The material walls around them were far from soundproof.

"No. Gaius isn't sure if their memories will return," Arthur told him gruffly, and Merlin noted how he kept clenching and unclenching his fists as he spoke. Merlin dropped his eyes back to his plate. It felt strange knowing that the knights had no idea what had transpired between them. That they were unaware of their actions and their impacts. He was thankful they didn't have to remember though. He knew they would feel deeply guilty if they did. "I'll speak with them when we return to Camelot, it can wait till then." Merlin jerked his head up.

"You're going to tell them?"

"Yes, obviously."

"You really don't have to, it doesn't mat-"

"No!" Arthur interrupted him with a raised finger and a voice tight with anger. "Don't say it! It does matter." Merlin blinked up at him, unsure how to respond. He was still getting used to Arthur's newfound ability to actually show that he cared for him without trying to dismiss or minimise the action a moment later. It had manifested the moment they moved from pining friends to lovers, but that was just over a month ago. It was a nice, but still very new experience. Arthur mistook his silence for unease. He sighed and moved his hand to Merlin's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Merlin smiled and reached for Arthur's other hand, intertwining their fingers. Yet another newfound ability of Arthur's; apologising at a much closer frequency to what the average person would consider acceptable. "It's alright."

Arthur smiled back and squeezed his shoulder, before giving a sharp sigh and switching back to bossy prat. "Now you're going back to bed, no arguments," he cut Merlin off before he could protest that he hadn't dealt with the dried-up remains of the Lamia on Arthur's sword yet. "You need to rest before tomorrow."

"Fine then," Merlin sighed. Rest did sound rather good right now.

Leon, Elyan, Gwaine, and Percival all rode at the back of the procession, putting distance between themselves and the rest of the group as they discussed the odd way Arthur had been acting, and why he hadn't allowed anyone to see Merlin that morning. They each had varying levels of suspicion about recent changes in Arthur and Merlin's relationship, but Arthur's behaviour still seemed abnormal. Gwen did not join in with the conversation. She rode just in front of them, close enough to listen, but far enough away that they could tell she didn't want to talk. It wasn't long into the trip before the group fell quiet, their discussions proving fruitless.

The silence continued for several hours, each knight trying to recall any details of the past few days that may give them some kind of clue as to why Arthur and Merlin were behaving like this. A memory or two floated back to each.

'You're nothing but a servant!' Leon cringed as he thought of his harsh and untrue words. Percival's stomach twisted as he remembered how he had shoved Merlin away mere seconds after they found Lamia, and Gwaine's did the same when he remembered the intensity of the anger he had felt when Merlin yelled at him and Leon to stop fighting. The idea of feeling such anger towards his fellow knights and Merlin was shocking, and he racked his brains, trying to figure out what else he may have forgotten.

Elyan was the first to realise.

"Gwen?" He rode forward and brought his horse into step beside his sister.

"Yes, Elyan?"

She looked at him cautiously. He was staring down at his right hand, and she noticed he'd removed his glove. It took him a few seconds to raise his head and face her.

"What happened to Merlin?"

Gwen felt her chest constrict at once because though Elyan and each of the knights had already asked her that same question that morning, none had done so with the expression her brother wore on his face now. Like he already knew the answer. She bit her lip and her eyes flicked from Elyan's face to his hand and back. There were grazes along his knuckles. Elyan saw her glance at the grazes and looked even more stricken than before.

"Gwen, how did I get these?"

She couldn't avoid the question this time.

"When Lamia... When that thing enchanted you..." She took an unsteady breath and a moment before continuing, voice low so only Elyan could hear. "You weren't yourself, none of you were, and she was all you cared about. She didn't like Merlin, and..."

"We were the ones that hurt him, weren't we?" She looked up at him and gave a small nod. Elyan's chest was growing unpleasantly hot as he tried to process the news, and his heart seemed to be beating harder than usual. Then all at once it was in his throat. "Wait," he burst out, panic in his eyes. "You- I didn't hurt you, did I?" She gasped and waved a hand at him.

"No, no! No one hurt me, just-" She caught herself before Merlin's name tumbled from her mouth but it was too late. She had raised her voice as well, and her words had travelled in the quiet. The sound of hooves behind them ceased and they both turned to see the other three had drawn their horses to a stop. All three men looked pale and utterly terrified.

"It was us," Gwaine murmured, as the memory of flames and a cry of pain came back to him. The realisation had opened the floodgates in each of their minds. "I burned him."

"Oh god, I..." Leon's knuckles were turning white as he gripped the reins, remembering the crack of Merlin's head against rock.

"I hit him." Elyan gulped. "And Percy..."

They all turned to the largest of the knights. He had his eyes fixed on his horse's mane but clearly wasn't seeing it. He had turned ghostly white. For a few moments, he stayed where he was, chest heaving as his breaths came faster. Then he quickly dismounted, staggered to a tree at the side of the path, and ducked out of sight. Elyan and Leon winced as they listened to him retch.

Gwaine didn't react though. Without a word, he kicked his horse into a trot, passed Gwen without looking at her, and rode on alone. Gwen watched him as he guided his horse around hers, and glimpsed tears on his cheeks.

They returned two days after Gwen and the knights. Merlin had almost enjoyed the experience of watching others set up and pack down their camp rather than having to do all the work himself. Almost. It had been hard to focus on much other than his aches and pains. Gaius had predicted the journey would be unpleasant for him and, even though he spent it riding in a cart rather than on a horse, it had been long and gruelling. The ceaseless bumping of the cart's wheels on stony roads had him wondering if riding would have been a better choice. As the cart rattled, so seemed to the rocks in his skull, and though his cough had diminished the pain of so much movement had left his breaths short. Sleep was impossible while they travelled, despite how much his body and mind cried out for it. Even when they stopped at night, sleep only came in fits and bursts.

It turned out even moderate pain could be torturous when it was unrelenting. The constant looks of worry from both Gaius and Arthur didn't help either. He wasn't sure when he'd last seen either of them so tense, or if Arthur's jaw would ever unclench again. The only thing that kept him sane until the evening they arrived was the thought of the pain relief drafts on Gaius's shelves.

Gaius would have preferred a stretcher was fetched to bring him inside but Merlin was having none of it. He insisted on walking to Arthur's chambers, not wanting to arouse suspicions about why he was accompanying the king to his chambers if he was too injured to be doing his duties. His legs still worked perfectly fine, and if the guards outside Arthur's chambers witnessed him being half carried inside by Arthur himself the castle would be overrun with rumours by morning. By the time they did reach the sanctuary of Arthur's room though, Merlin felt dealing with that gossip would have been worth it.

The relief of the door closing behind them hit him like a mace, and Arthur was forced to catch him as his knees buckled. He had managed the walk there by keeping one hand on Arthur's shoulder the whole time, but now his own weight was just too much. Arthur guided him to the bed and had to hold him steady for a few moments after he sat down, ensuring he didn't topple to the floor. The frown Arthur had worn all day deepened as he knelt down and studied Merlin's pale face. His skin looked clammy, and when Arthur removed his gloves and placed a hand on his forehead his skin felt too cold. Arthur hoped Gaius would be there soon.

"You might have to deal with your own armour tonight," Merlin said with a half-hearted smile. Arthur moved his hand to Merlin's cheek and gave him a weak smile back. Usually, he would have come back with a quip about Merlin's lack of skills and how he was probably better off doing the task himself. But not tonight.

"Food, medicine, sleep, alright?" Merlin smiled at the order phrased as a question and nodded. He smiled a little more as Arthur pressed a careful kiss to his lips. He'd never known Arthur to be so soft and gentle before.

Gaius arrived soon after with a bag full of supplies and a worried grimace. Merlin seemed only half there as the physician plied him with tonics and applied salves to his bruises, encouraged him to eat a little, and then helped him into Arthur's spare bedclothes. All the while Arthur hung back, fidgeting while he waited for Gaius to finish. He watched as the physician arranged the pillows behind Merlin, still concerned by his breathing, and handed him one last tonic to help him rest. Either it was enchanted to work at once or Merlin hadn't needed it, because he barely managed to mumble his thanks before his eyes slid shut. Gaius waited a minute or so until he was certain the boy was asleep, before moving to collect his things from the table. Arthur followed.

"He's worse than when we left Longstead," he stated, voice tense. The clinking of bottles paused, and Gaius sighed as he cast his eyes back to Merlin.

"It's to be expected, unfortunately. The body needs energy to heal, and the journey was tiring for him." He paused, considering how many of his concerns were worth sharing. He didn't want to worry Arthur unnecessarily about the possibility of pneumonia brought on by shallow breathing, or ongoing internal bleeding. "It will take a while for the general fatigue and weakness to pass, he lost a large quantity of blood, what with the cuts and the extent of the bruising, but it will pass."

Arthur nodded but didn't look much less worried. He had his arms crossed tightly across his chest, and his eyes kept flicking back to Merlin, as though checking he hadn't disappeared in the short time he had been looking away. As he watched Arthur, Gaius found himself feeling oddly happy.

The last few years had been difficult for Merlin. The weeks after he lost his father, then Lancelot, and those few days of silence from Arthur after Merlin had finally shared his secret with him had been particularly hard. He'd been watching from the outside as Merlin suffered, time and again, at the hands of destiny, unable to help as the pain chipped away at the boy. Sometimes he felt he was adding to Merlin's struggle, reminding him so frequently that he had a responsibility to protect Arthur. Watching the boy he had come to see as a son going through so much pain had been awful.

But things had changed. Destiny threw challenges at him as mercilessly as before, but he wasn't alone in this battle anymore. Because those days of silence between Merlin and Arthur had ended with Merlin suddenly spending far fewer nights in his own chambers, and since then Gaius had seen him smile more than he had since those first few months he had known the boy. To see Arthur as devoted to Merlin as Merlin had been to him for so long was something he was infinitely grateful for.

"He'll be alright Arthur, he's strong."

"Right... Thank you Gaius." Arthur cleared his throat awkwardly and sniffed, clearly still anxious.

"A good long rest and he'll be much better."

"Right..." Arthur murmured again. His eyes lingered on Merlin a moment longer. Then he sighed and gave Gaius a serious look. "The knights will find out we're back soon. I'm sorry to put this on you Gaius, but if they come looking for Merlin I need you to tell them they can't see him right now, and I don't want them to know he is here." Gaius raised his eyebrow questioningly at the king but nodded as he finished collecting his supplies.

"Of course, sire."

Arthur followed Gaius out to instruct the guards to let no one enter unless he himself sent for them, with the exception of Gaius. Even if they didn't know Merlin was here, Arthur expected the knights would come looking at some point. When the door swung closed behind him he raised a hand to his face and sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Maybe he should have asked Gaius for a headache tincture before he left. Or maybe a sleeping draught. He would have liked nothing more than to join Merlin, curl up next to him and hold him close as he fell asleep. But he was far too on edge still. He would have to speak with the knights on the morrow. Just thinking of that was enough to stoke his anger. Keeping a level head with them was going to be near impossible.

Gaius barely had time to set his bag down and drop into a seat before there was an urgent knock at the door and a murmuring of deep voices outside it, voices he expected belonged to the inner circle of Arthur's knights. Word of the other's return must have spread quickly. He sighed as he got to his feet. His body was aching terribly from so much riding and he was rather desperate for a rest, but if he didn't reassure the knights they would most likely go looking for Arthur. After checking the door to Merlin's room was closed, concealing the empty bed, he cracked open the entrance door. As he had suspected, he found four men crowded outside. He'd expected to see worry on their faces, but the looks they were giving him right now were nothing short of terrified.

"Is Merlin here?" Elyan asked, skipping any form of greeting

"He is asleep," Gaius told them, voice kind, yet firm. It was technically true, if not the whole truth. "I'm afraid I cannot allow anyone to see him right now."

"Is he alright?" Gwaine asked.

"He will recover. It will take some time, but his life is not in any danger." As one, the knights' shoulders sagged with relief. They didn't seem joyful though. Rather than terrified, they now just looked sad. Percival was staring at his feet, looking more morose than anyone else. Gaius sighed.

"Your memories have returned then?"

Gwaine clenched his jaw and looked away, while Elyan and Leon held Gaius's gaze. "Yes," Elyan said softly. There was an awful moment of silence, during which Gaius couldn't help but let his expression turn stern. These men were not to blame, but the bruises on Merlin's skin filled the old man with such misery it was hard not to feel a little bitter.

"Gaius..." Leon took a measured breath. "We are so sorry."

The apology hung in the air for a while, making it heavy with remorse. Then Gaius gave the knights a small smile and a nod, letting them know the apology had been accepted. He knew Merlin would be getting his later as well. Without another word to the knights, he withdrew to his chambers and shut the door behind him.

Merlin woke the next morning to a feeling of warmth and security. It didn't matter that he was too sleepy to open his eyes just yet, he knew exactly where he was. He knew the feeling of this mattress, these pillows, and the smell of the soft blanket tucked over him. The dull aches of his injuries weren't enough to dampen his joy, and he smiled to himself as he reached out for the man lying beside him. But his hand found nothing but cold sheets. He frowned and opened his eyes to squint at the empty bed. That didn't make sense. Arthur never woke before him. Arthur should be there. If he wasn't there that meant something was wrong.

"Arthur?" He sat up with a start and immediately his head swam. He glanced around the room and though his vision was blurry it was without a doubt Arthur's room. Why wasn't Arthur here? He threw back the covers, he had to find him. "Arthur!" He yelled out as he pushed himself out of bed, eyes flying wildly around the room, only adding to his dizziness.

"Merlin!"

He heard hurried footsteps. He turned towards the sound and stumbled, closing his eyes as the world spun and pain rippled through him, but then there were hands on his arms, steadying him, and a presence he'd know anywhere. "Take it easy love, don't hurt yourself." With Arthur keeping him upright Merlin was able to open his eyes and finally focus his vision. Arthur's face was close to his, eyes wide with worry. Merlin smiled and sighed with relief though, glad he'd found him. His joy didn't last, as his cracked ribs caught up with him. He hissed in pain and wrapped an arm around his chest.

Arthur's arms tightened around him, taking his weight. Merlin had barely made it two steps from the bed. Carefully, Arthur pushed him back onto the mattress and lifted his legs back up onto the bed for him. If he hadn't been so busy feeling like he was dying Merlin would have been embarrassed and protested. Instead, he clenched his teeth and curled forward, clutching his middle and trembling.

He felt the mattress dip next to him and arms wrap around him. He let himself slump against Arthur, who began rubbing gentle circles into his back. Merlin felt every muscle in his body begin to relax again. He gave a sigh. "Thank you..." Arthur kissed his temple and continued rubbing his back.

"Another nightmare?" Arthur's voice rumbled in his chest, a soothing hum against Merlin's battered body.

"No, jus' didn't know where you were," he mumbled into Arthur's neck. He pulled back, just enough to look up at Arthur quizzically. "What do you mean another one?"

"You woke up a few times last night," Arthur said and now that Merlin had a chance to look at him properly he noticed faint bags under Arthur's eyes. "You were groggy though, I'm not surprised you don't remember." Arthur was smiling softly at him but Merlin felt his face turning red and dropped his gaze. Arthur's smile faded at the deferential action.

"Sorry..." Merlin looked ashamed of himself and Arthur felt a pang in his chest. He rolled his eyes and gave a long-suffering sigh.

"It's fine you idiot." Merlin glanced back, still looking sheepish. He smiled again when Arthur ruffled his hair though. "Alright then." Arthur slapped his own knees and stood up. "Breakfast, and then later you're having a bath, you absolutely reek Merlin." He strode away to the table, leaving Merlin feeling very bemused.

"Don't you have more important things to do than order me around?"

"Of course I do, I plan on doing both," Arthur called back as he began loading a plate. Judging from the amount of food it was George who had brought Arthur his breakfast. Merlin hoped the drapes around the bed had been closed at the time. He brought himself to sit on the edge of the bed again, much more carefully this time, but his feet had barely touched the ground before Arthur was yelling at him again. "What are you doing? Lie back down!"

Merlin glared at him indignantly as he got back into bed. How was he meant to have breakfast if Arthur wouldn't let him move? "But-" He stopped, because Arthur was walking towards him, with a plate stacked with food in one hand, and a mug of what looked to be tea in the other. That was weird. Unlike him, Arthur didn't drink tea. But when Arthur set the mug down on the bedside cabinet there was definitely tea inside. He offered him the plate and, slowly, Merlin took it from his hand. "Are you... bringing me breakfast in bed?"

"Yes, I am," Arthur told him, refusing to feel embarrassed. Merlin's heart swelled.

"Thank you." He beamed up at him, and Arthur seemed suddenly flustered.

"Yes, well, try not to spill it all over the bed," he huffed. He turned away and strode back to his desk, trying to hide his flushed cheeks, and Merlin chuckled.

Despite his brief panic, it was a rather pleasant morning for Merlin after that, particularly after the next pain-relief potion kicked in. Arthur quickly became consumed by the stack of papers on his desk, one that seemed to have grown considerably since Merlin left on their ill-fated trip, so Merlin dug the book he was reading out of the bedside drawers and summoned the teapot from the table, not wanting to disturb Arthur as he worked. Sitting in bed until late in the morning with no chores to do was an extremely rare occurrence, and being able to do so in a bed as comfortable as Arthur's was a luxury he had scarcely experienced before. Usually, if he was here he was sleeping, or engaged in other more vigorous activities with Arthur. He'd never lazed around all day with tea and a book. It was quickly becoming his second favourite thing to do there.

Staying in bed while Arthur sat at his desk, working through his reports, occasionally calling out to check on him, ask his opinion on something, or to rage about another 'idiotic squabble between Lord Gylbart and Lord Doran, you remember Doran Merlin, that one with the weird feathered hat and snaggle teeth, what the hell are they fighting over now...' was quite possibly the most comfortable thing in the world. Ever since they first kissed, Arthur's chambers had felt like the safest place in the world to him. It was no longer a place that could turn at a moment's notice from one of comfort to one of fear or misery whenever magic was causing problems in Camelot. Now it was always that place of comfort. A place where they could shelter together from the troubles of the world outside. Even discussing said troubles never seemed to fully take away that feeling of safety. Gods, it was good to feel safe again.

Both he and Arthur were disappointed when their relaxed morning together came to an end. Arthur huffed a sigh of resignation as he got up from his desk. It was a sigh Merlin knew well, the one that preceded Arthur's least favourite duties and, in the past, difficult conversations with his father. "I need to go, I'll be back in a few hours," he said, coming to stand by the bed and placing a hand on Merlin's shoulder. "Will you be alright by yourself?"

"Yeah, of course." Merlin smiled, amused by Arthur's fussing.

"You're sure?"

"Yes," he insisted, trying not to roll his eyes. "I'm fine Arthur, I'm not that badly hurt."

Arthur made no effort to conceal his eye-roll. "Sure you are." He started drawing the drapes around the four-poster bed, just in case someone other than Gaius came to visit while he was away. "You are to stay exactly where you are."

"You're giving me the afternoon off?"

"No, I'm simply ordering you to spend it here. Gaius said you needed to rest so that is what you are going to do." Merlin chuckled, then tried to suppress a wince as the sharp pain in his chest flared. Arthur saw it though and the lines in his brow deepened. Before he finished pulling the final curtain he paused and perched on the edge of the bed. "Seriously though, just rest." Merlin took Arthur's hand and squeezed it.

"I will." Arthur felt a little of the tension in his shoulders leave him at those words and smiled. He leaned forward for a brief goodbye kiss, and when he pulled away his eyes continued flickering between Merlin's eyes and his mouth. Merlin recognised that look and, much as he would have liked Arthur to stay, he knew Arthur had more important things to do than fuss over him. He turned back to his book and waved his hand dismissively at Arthur. "I'll be fine, go be a king and do stuff."

"You can't order me out of my own chambers Merlin," Arthur snorted at him but did as he was told anyway. As he pulled the door shut behind him his smile fell away though. He felt the anger beginning to build in his chest at once as he strode towards the throne room. The knights should be gathered there by now.

The atmosphere in the room felt more suited to the cell of a man on death row, than the grand throne room of Camelot. Arthur had called for the knights to meet him there at midday and was now half an hour late. The thought of leaving had not occurred to any of the knights.

"I wonder why Merlin wasn't affected as well," Leon pondered aloud as they waited. Gwaine's shoulders tensed. He was certain he knew why.

Arthur was not very good at keeping his voice quiet when angry, and he'd overheard a rather heated conversation between him and Merlin just a week ago. He'd had his suspicions about Merlin's... talents for a while now, and it had turned out not only had he been correct, but Arthur knew as well, and did not take kindly to Merlin risking others finding out. It had been both a shock, and an enormous relief to hear Arthur furious at Merlin not for using magic, but specifically for using it in a way that put himself at risk. The other knights didn't seem to know though, and he wasn't about to risk anyone figuring it out.

"Maybe she just wasn't his..." Gwaine waved his hand in the air as though searching for the words, with a smirk on his face. "Type."

"Oh." The corners of Percival's mouth rose a touch, the closest he'd come to a smile in days. Elyan and Leon seemed confused though.

"You know his type." Gwaine raised his eyebrows meaningfully. He waited a few seconds, hoping he was the only one who knew Merlin swung both ways. He relaxed as the other men finally caught on.

"Ooooh," they intoned.

"That explains it then," Elyan said with a half-hearted smile.

They were interrupted by a loud voice sounding from down the hall, barking orders at someone, and the knights all tensed. "Speaking of Merlin's type..." Gwaine mumbled, a moment before Arthur stormed into the room. The knights were on their feet at once, and each winced as the door slammed behind the king. He wore his usual council clothing rather than the knights garb they all wore, yet he would have appeared to anyone as easily the most intimidating man in the room.

He strode past them and took his seat at the head of the table. He did not motion for the knights to sit down as well though, and a couple of them shifted awkwardly on their feet. Arthur leant forward to rest his elbows on the long table, hands clasped and lying before him. Arthur's glower was legendary, and the one he gave them each now would go down in history. They all stood in silence for a painful length of time. As first knight, Leon took it upon himself to speak first.

"Sire, I- we know why-" He paused to gulp, and saw how Arthur's clenched fists tightened. "Sire, what happened was unforgiv-"

"Three broken ribs," Arthur said with a deadly calm voice, and raised a finger. "Burns," he continued, raising a second. "A concussion, multiple lacerations," fingers three and four, "and more bruised skin than unbruised." Arthur held his palm open and somehow in his rage his hand was completely still. "Quite an impressive collection, wouldn't you say?"

Gwaine's eyes flickered momentarily to Percival's face. He looked like he was trying hard not to be sick again.

"Sire, our actions were unforgivable," Leon bravely began again. "Even under the influence of magic, it is inexcusable. You must know though, none of us would ever wish harm on Merlin." Rage seared through Arthur at the sound of Merlin's name in Leon's mouth and he slammed his palm to the table with such force the wood shook. Leon's mouth snapped shut at once. Arthur closed his eyes and slowly curled his open hand into a fist. His jaw was set painfully tight, so he dragged in several long breaths through his nose. None of the knights dared speak.

When he felt his fury under control enough to continue, Arthur opened his eyes and leant back in his chair, both palms now pressed to the table.

"I know that none of you intended for this to happen, and Merlin is adamant that none of you are to blame." A small wave of relief passed through the knights. Thank goodness Merlin knew they would never choose to do such a thing. The relief was followed by guilt though. Arthur made it sound like Merlin had already forgiven them. If he had, then that forgiveness had come far too easily. Arthur clearly thought they didn't deserve it either.

Arthur was struggling to choose his next words though. He was angry, furious, full of rage he had rarely felt. His knights should have been capable of resisting the magic of that beast. He expected the knights of Camelot to be as strong of mind and spirit as they were of body, and he wanted to scream at them that they should have fought against the cursed Lamia's control. Several years ago he may not have given a second thought to screaming down the castle and then punishing them awfully. But he did not want to be that kind of king. He did not want to be a punitive one who ruled with vengeance and hubris instead of understanding and rationality.

Maybe it really had been impossible for the knights to fight. If they'd known what was happening maybe they would have had a chance to resist the magic, or maybe even then they would have been entirely at the Lamia's mercy. Arthur wondered, with a sickening lurch in his stomach, if he would have acted the same as they had.

He sighed and pushed himself to his feet. "Once Merlin has recovered I expect you all to make amends for this. I have nothing more to say to you. You are dismissed."

Shocked at the sudden change of tact, the knights exchanged looks. They didn't make to leave and Arthur glared at them. Elyan cleared his throat hesitantly.

"We will sire, we swear it." The other knights nodded in accord, and Elyan asked the question most pressing in all their minds. "May we see him yet?"

Arthur's expression made it clear this was not a question that should have been asked. "No. You are dismissed."

"Sire-" Gwaine began, but Arthur cut him off viciously.

"You are dismissed, get out."

The king turned away from them all and they left, feeling less like knights than ever before.

For the rest of this, and more Merlin stories, check my profile on Archive of Our Own, same username there