I feel like there's something about this that I should saaaaay. Well it takes place in S3E9, somewhere in that episode. Little twist is that Uther isn't the one who get's poisoned. I'll give cats to those who can guess it. (shouldn't be that hard to guess)

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin

Night had befallen Camelot some time ago, leaving it in dripping shadow and shielding the rain from view. It thundered down as though with the intention of beating the ground further away. As though it wanted to fall even further. The clouds had amassed an army of fat droplets and had chosen to set them all free with loose restraint. A few torches fought against the angry downpour with weak, flickering flames that illuminated each drop close enough to befall its light. In those split seconds that the drops were touched by light they twisted with the reflection of fire and absorbed a semblance of life that was taken to their empty bellies and nursed for hardly a moment. But then the drops would crash into the cobble stones and shatter all life within.

They hit the ground and died.

The streets of Camelot's great city were lain bare and naked to the unforgiving weather, no soul wanting to be caught in such sorry conditions. The people stayed tucked away, warm and safe in their homes while the skies wept. Only the guards could be found outside pressed against walls and stuck under arches or around dwindling fires, forced to face the beating rain.

The front courtyard of the mighty castle was just as lonely as the rest of the city, cobble stones glittering with the wet blankets provided by the downpour as puddles grew(1).

The figure sitting on the front steps simply made the scene all the more somber.

The colors of it's clothing too soaked through to be seen in the darkness illuminated by weak torchlight, the indiscernible man sat in static silence lost in the morose maze that had become his thoughts.

Merlin sucked in a long breath and released it into the cold, bitter night air. It billowed out in front of him as twirling white smoke, dancing in the rain and curling around itself in eye-catching ways but he paid no mind to it. He was tired, hadn't slept right for weeks as nightmares plagued his dreams like poison. The servant felt little need to eat, hunger escaping him and making him forget about food all together. He ate things here and there to keep himself going but nothing was consumed that could be considered a full meal. Gaius was too busy with his lover to notice and even if he hadn't been Merlin had become an expert at being deceptive. Might it be added that said lover, Alice, was harboring a dangerous Manticore and possibly wanted to kill the King?

The elder man's unyielding trust in her and refusal to have faith in Merlin's words stung far more than the young warlock could say.

You wouldn't understand it, Merlin, Gaius said, as though Merlin hadn't watched his one and only love die in his arms. Merlin knew more about it than Gaius probably did. Each time he thought of how the elder man had reported Freya's whereabouts to the King the air was knocked out of him and his heart writhed in pain. A man he trusted most in this new life had betrayed him in such a way. So many options had been open for Gaius to take but he chose the worst. Merlin could think of a few that would have been perfectly effective and used to wonder why his guardian had not chosen any of them. It made a little more sense now, though, since it had become obvious with Alice's arrival that the old man didn't trust Merlin as much as he'd first assumed. The teen had nothing against him, cared for Gaius no less than ever but that didn't stop the wounds from bringing him a pain like no other.

A burning sensation filled his stomach and he cringed in pain, clenching his fists and bearing no notice to the quivering of his battered body. If he wasn't so numb the bruises Arthur had delivered during training might actually still hurt.

Soaked to the bone the young warlock turned his gaze up to the skies without care for the droplets of rain that fell into his half-lidded eyes.

Merlin would never know how dead his eyes looked.

It was a year ago today that Freya passed away, leaving him alone in the world once again. He could feel his magic crying inside him, the companion that it had found gone as it had been for the past 12 months. Freya haunted his mind for weeks after her death and there were times when he still thought of her. The rose he'd conjured beautiful in her hands, the smile on her face a prize compared to no other, her kindness analogous to no one. Merlin had truly, truly loved her with every fiber of his being.

He still loved her with everything that he was.

He'd always love her.

Nothing would ever change that.

People said that in time wounds healed and became easier to bear but this one had not done so. Blood gushed from it without disinclination, showing no signs of stopping and Merlin found himself praying that he'd bleed to death.

His heart could take no more of the blows it was being dealt, to lose both the love of his life and his father in the same year had broken him. His stomach writhed in pain and Merlin drew into himself as his magic began to reflect that pain, bringing heat to his forehead. The very core of his being, his soul, was suffering.

"Merlin!" the familiar shout of his name, laced with irritation, was followed by a harsh thwack on the back of the head as Arthur made his presence known. He'd been in a meeting with his father and the rest of the council since evening, discussing the rising tension on Cenrid's boarder and attempting to come to a proper conclusion as the opposing man had been pushing the line between his land and Camelot's, killing farmers, merchants, and anyone else who dared step foot in the wrong place at the wrong time. There were arguments on whether or not they should take up his provocations to war or to find some other way and due to this the meeting had lasted considerably longer than expected. This meant that the prince was tired and irritable, in no mood to go searching for his servant but being forced to do so despite such.

He'd been searching for Merlin not long before coming across the front castle doors and noticing that one was cracked. Interest piqued, the blond had stuck his head around the door and seen his servant's figure on the steps. With Arthur being the prince and Merlin his servant he should not hold any concern for the elephant-eared individual, he couldn't afford to. But he just could not ignore the prickling concern that had hit him upon seeing his servant hunched on the steps as though he was part of the night and rain itself; he certainly blended in well enough.

Calling his name several times had done nothing to reach him and it had finally taken this whap on the head to get the teen's attention.

"What?" Merlin asked looking as tired as he sounded. He should have been surprised to see Arthur there as he hadn't heard the other's approach but really he just couldn't bring up the energy to even care about it.

Arthur scowled at him for a brief moment before grabbing his servant by the arm and hauling him back indoors, ignoring all of the others surprised protests as he did so.

"Where the hell have you been?" he demanded once again protected by the Castle's stable body.

Soaking wet Merlin's face became confused, as though Arthur had just asked him for an answer to life itself. Puddles were rapidly growing beneath him and the paleness of his face seemed to strike the prince who found his concern rising at the apparent trembling of his companion.

"And what on earth happened to you?" Arthur made a show of looking the brown haired teen up and down with an incredulous expression on his face.

Merlin simply mimicked another innocently confused expression, "nothing, I'm fine."

The prince raised an eyebrow, obviously not believing a word of it.

"Yeah, of course you are. Is that why you still haven't answered my question?" he sat back on his heels and crossed his arms over his chest.

It looked as though Merlin might have a legitimate response for a moment, mouth open and eyes seeming clearer as he prepared to speak before the servant stopped and a sheepish looked crossed his eyes as he swallowed.

"What question was that?" he asked.

"Right," Arthur nodded, "let's go then." He turned and began walking away with Merlin following behind.

"Arthur, your room is the other way," his servant pointed out from over his shoulder.

"Very good, Merlin, it's nice to see that some part of your brain is still working," the blond prince praised sarcastically.

Merlin ignored it and continued, "then-"

Before he could finish Arthur stopped and turned to face him, "we're going to Gaius's chambers because clearly there's something you're not telling me and your of no use to me half dead like this."

"What? Arthur, I already told you I'm fine," his stubborn servant insisted.

"Oh are you now? I suppose then you're prepared to set me up a bath?"

Merlin hesitated, a flash of alarm moving through his eyes. That was all Arthur needed to be convinced and he made to turn around again before his friend suddenly fell to his knees, arms wrapped around his stomach and face contorted into agony.

The pain hit Merlin hard, knocking the breath from his body and forcing him to his knees. It felt as though his entire body was on fire and his stomach was swimming in acid- the experience so powerful that the world around him completely disappeared. In an effort to reduce the agony he clutched his arms around his abdomen and ignored Arthur's call, accepting darkness as it corkscrewed towards him.

(1) This face says I care about whether or not it can be called a courtyard -_-

Ok, I've corrected it. You're free to do as you like, comment or no comment XD

I want to add that I have STARTED the next chapter and I would post it but its like a page or so long. Not enough to be a chappy yet, besides it's not even finished entirely. I don't know if it'll be soon or a long time before I get to actually posting it though, I didn't expect so much love for this .o. I look forward to writing more soon!