I am sorry for the late delay. I am far behind from the show, but I will catch up with the major events (like Gwen), in my POV...

I borrowed a quote from House, just so you know xD

Arthur woke up a day later, but to him seemed like he was sleeping for years. He didn't open his eyes right away. He just wanted to stay like this for a while, to process what had happened, before he could face whatever was waiting for him. He wasn't in that bloody cave, that was for sure.

But how in the hell was he still alive? He was stabbed. In the stomach. That usually –not usually, always- kills people. So why in the hell could he still breathe?

And what had happen to Merlin? Was he still under Morgana's spell? Was he even alive?

He had to know, so Arthur finally decided to open his eyes. He was in his room. The fire place was open and he saw Gwen sleeping in a chair next to him, resting her head to her one hand, while her other hand was reaching at Arthur's.

He tried to move, but he moaned instead, which woke Gwen up.

"Arthur?" she said smiling and getting up quickly. "How…does it hurt?"

"A bit. But I'm fine. I think." Arthur said weakly. "What happened?"

Gwen's face darkened. She opened her mouth a couple of times but she regretted every time. "Don't you remember?" she asked finally.

"I know what happened. I mean…" Why am I still alive? "How did I get here?" he asked instead.

"I brought help. Thank God they were close to the cave. Otherwise…" the young woman couldn't even say out loud the alternative.

"So…thank you." He smiled at her, which made Gwen's face light up.

"I am just glad you are ok." She said.

They stayed like that for a while, looking at each other and appreciating the fact they could do that.

"How is Merlin?" Arthur asked, breaking the silence.

Gwen flinched like she had just woken up from a dream. "Um…he's fine. I think. No, I mean he is ok, he is not under Morgana's spell, but…He's ok. He's just sleeping, I think."

Arthur nodded slightly. "Do you want me to go and see if he's awake? I have to tell Gaius that you are awake anyway." Gwen asked.

Arthur just nodded again. He was glad that Gwen knew exactly what he needed without having to say it out loud. She smiled and rushed out of the room.

Now, Arthur had to figure out what would he say to Merlin. He could guess that Merlin would be terrified of what had happened and feeling incredibly guilty. Well, Arthur would feel the same if he was in his place – thank God he wasn't- so he couldn't blame him. But he had to make Merlin believe that it wasn't anyone's fault but Morgana's and especially that it wasn't his fault. He somehow had to make it better. For Merlin, who stood beside him when no one else did. For his best friend, who had spent a whole night waiting him to mourn his father, just because he didn't want Arthur to feel alone. All this time, Merlin had never abandoned him, even in his darkest hours. Arthur owned him that. Making it better, even when it seemed impossible.

But deep down, Arthur knew that Merlin's words, back in the cave, weren't lies. Not everything at least. He always knew that Merlin was hiding something from him. They way that Merlin looked at him sometimes, like he knew something that Arthur didn't. Something that Merlin was dying to say, but he would never allow himself to do so. But why couldn't he? Arthur trusted Merlin with everything, even though he didn't always listen to what Merlin had to say –his father had played an important role to that-, even though he would never admit it out loud. The question was if Merlin trusted him as much as he did. What could be possibly so terrible that Merlin couldn't tell Arthur?

"Arthur!" Merlin's voice brought him back to reality. The manservant rushed into the room, smiling. He stopped a few steps away from Arthur's bed, with his smile fading away.

Gaius got in the room after a couple of seconds, closing the door behind him. "How are you feeling, Sir?" he asked, checking Arthur's temperature.

"It hurts when…" Arthur looked at Merlin who refused to take his eyes of off the floor. "I am fine." He said trying to make it sound true.

"Well, you are very lucky." Gaius commented, taking a look at Arthur's wound. "Drink this." The king followed the physician's order. After he advised him to stay in bed for a week, he walked out, changing glares with Merlin, who seemed really nervous.

"So…um…are…you ok?" Merlin asked, still staring at the floor.

"I've been worse." Arthur replied. "You?"

"Me? I am fine." he slowly turned his gaze from the floor to Arthur. "Arthur I am so sorry! I would never…Morgana did something to me. I couldn't control what I was doing. I mean I did control my actions and I wanted them at the time but…that wasn't me you know that don't you? I am so sorry."

"Merlin…"

"I can't imagine what would have happen if Gwen wasn't there, if my…If she it wasn't for Gwen, you would be….And it would be my fault. God, I am so sorry. I should have…I should have done something. But I couldn't…" Merlin was talking incredibly fast.

"Merlin!"

"When I realized what I had done and that I couldn't fix it...God! And I couldn't stop Morgana. She's still out there, more powerful than ever I believe. What if Gwen wasn't there? Only the thought of you being dead is…"

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted, which made him flinch because his wound hurt like hell again, but he tried to hide it. "Will you stop mumbling like a crazy person? For God's sake!"

"I am sorry." Merlin whispered.

"Stop saying you are sorry!" Arthur hissed.

"Oh…sorry. I mean, I didn't…um…sorry." Merlin mumbled.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "I will say it to you once and you better listen. For once in your life you have to listen and you have to believe me. Ok?"

Merlin nodded and Arthur continued. "This…what happened….IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT. No one is blaming you for this. And you shouldn't blame yourself either."

"But I did stub you Arthur. I tried to kill you." Merlin protested.

"It wasn't you. It was whoever Morgana wanted to create. You had no emotion, for God's sake. How could you tell that killing me was wrong? It wasn't in your power to stop Morgana or what she did to you."

"But I could have…"

"…done NOTHING! You can't believe everything is your fault unless you also believe you are all powerful." Arthur said, more calmly this time.

Merlin gave Arthur the same look that had every time Arthur was saying something surprising or that have some importance at least to Merlin. It was like Merlin was saying to Arthur silently that he was proud of him, he was his friend and at the moment he was the most important person in the world.

"I am just glad you are ok." Merlin said in a low voice.

Arthur sighed "That makes both of us. Have you by the way done anything while I was…sleeping?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your job…Like polishing my armour, cleaning the room…."

Merlin chuckled. "I was pretty occupied I am afraid."

"Always with an excuse Merlin."

"I am on it, Sire." Merlin replied smiling and he turned around to leave the room.

"Merlin…can I ask you something?" Arthur said seriously this time.

The manservant simply turned around again. Arthur looked at him for a moment, like he was trying to figure out whether he should ask something Merlin or not.

"In the cave…You told me that…I don't know who you are, because you haven't told me. And you haven't told me because you are afraid of my reaction. What is that supposed to mean, Merlin? You know you can tell me anything right? You know you can trust me." Arthur asked with steady voice. He was so eager to know the answer, but on the other hand he didn't.

Merlin goggled his eyes, surprised by the question, but he completely controlled himself. "Um…I don't know. It was probably…um…Morgana's words. I really don't know what that supposed to mean." He chuckled nervously. "I mean…you don't think I hide anything, do you? I don't have secrets. Not from you."

If Arthur was satisfied by Merlin's answer he didn't saw it. He seemed disappointed even. He just nodded to Merlin and the manservant rushed out of the room, like it was a matter of life or death to get out there.

He was really scared. Of himself. How easily he could lie to Arthur. He was scared because now he knew that he had to lose more things that he had thought. His friendship with Arthur. He always knew that in one way or another. Every time Arthur called him his friend, he knew by hiding who he was, he wasn't just betraying his dreams for Albion, but his friend as well. But it never seemed important. Or Merlin pretended it didn't.

One thing was certain. Whatever would happen now, with Morgana knowing and all, his friendship with Arthur would be gone if he ever found out about his magic, his secret, his lies.

And maybe that moment could come sooner than he thought.