So, my first fanfic story... I hope you guys like it! I mean to make this a compilation of all kinds of MerlinHurt fanfics, prompts are greatly appreciated. NO SLASH

The first one is an idea of my own and will be a two-shot:

My Friend

He was exhausted. Arthur had been in a particular bad mood the last few days and made him work twice as hard, with no breaks whatsoever. And even when he got a few hours to rest, Gaius needed him to gather herbs for his potions. That wasn't Gaius fault, he didn't know the mood swings Arthur could endure every once in a while and he just needed the herbs to treat his patients. However, between Arthur, Gaius and his destiny (if only Arthur knew how many times he could have died this last week) Merlin hadn't slept for days. Merlin wiped his face and yawned for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. On top of all that, he hadn't had a proper meal for 3 days either. Because of all the work, he left his chambers before Gaius woke, so Gaius just presumed Merlin had eaten something and Arthur presumed Merlin had eaten breakfast with Gaius. Now he was running a quick errant for Gaius, but he had to stop and control his breath.

"Pull it together Merlin, it isn't even noon yet." He muttered to himself. He rubbed his eyes a few times and continued his walk... only to be stopped by Gwaine and Lancelot a few moments later. The knights both eyed him curiously.

"Merlin, are you okay?" Gwaine asked.

"Yeah I'm fine Gwaine." Merlin tried to stifle a yawn, but his attempt failed miserably.

"Are you sure? You don't look fine." Lancelot said, worry obvious in his voice.

"Well thanks..." Merlin responded. "I'm fine guys, just a bad night. Why do you even care?" With that, Merlin turned the following corner and left the stunned knights behind. They shared a look before they joined the other knights for training. They both knew Merlin was anything but fine, he never had snapped at them before. They figured they would ask him again later, when he would hopefully be in a better mood.

He had finished his errant for Gaius and was back in Arthur's chambers. It took him all his might to keep standing up while Arthur listed his chores for the rest of the day. And with all his might he meant áll his might. Gaius would definitely slap him on the head for this, but if it wasn't for his magic he would've long passed out.

"Are you even paying attention?" Arthur's voice drew him out of his own thoughts and back into reality. "I'm moments away from what is probably the most important treaty of my reign and you aren't even paying the slightest attention to me. Just clean my room while I'm gone, I hope you can handle that.'

And then Merlin snapped. "You know what, yes I wasn't paying attention, you know how boring you can be sometimes. Maybe you have to grow some brains of yourself and learn how to keep your own room clean, because I'm only one person and I'm working for the biggest prat there is!" With that he pushed past Arthur and stormed out of the door.

"Merlin! Come back here, NOW!" but Merlin ignored the calls and ran away, nearly bumping into Sir Leon in the process.

Leon entered Arthur's chambers. "What was that all about?" He asked.

Arthur was seething. He was having the most horrible week ever and now Merlin didn't even support him. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone in public, but Merlin's opinion mattered to him. The boy was just being ridiculous right now. As if Arthur never did something on his own. However, it indeed seemed Merlin always was there when he did. He growled. Now he even doubted himself. Stupid Merlin. He had no right to talk to him that way.

"Sir Leon, I want you to find Merlin and bring him to the dungeons. When he is reasonable he can be let out."

"But your Highness…" Sir Leon started.

"No, Leon, just do as you're told. I don't want to lock you away too." Arthur didn't need Merlin now, he didn't need anyone. He could cope perfectly fine on his own.

Merlin watched over the battlement of the castle. He remembered when he and Arthur had stood here together. What had he been thinking? He had yelled at Arthur, at his prince… at his destiny. He hadn't known what came over him; he just couldn't handle it anymore. He would be glad if this whole treaty thing would be over. Maybe destiny could give him a break and he could live a few more relaxing weeks. He once again rubbed his sore eyes when he heard someone behind him. Great, now he had to act as if nothing was wrong with him again. However as he wanted to turn around to face the person, the person grabbed his arm.

"What…"

"Sorry Merlin, direct orders from the king. You have to cool down in the dungeons for some time." He heard Sir Leon say.

That was the final straw. All week he had worked without even the slightest rest. And what for... to get thrown in the dungeons by the man he gave his live for on a daily basis. The only thing that had kept him going was the fact he actually cared. He wanted to fulfil his destiny; he wanted to keep Arthur safe. But it seemed Arthur didn't even care the slightest bit about him. His magic stopped supporting him. His world started swaying; his vision was showing black spots and he saw two Leons before him. He couldn't hear what the Leons were saying as his heart was beating frantically in his chest and his blood was running in his ears. His legs started to buckle; he couldn't keep focused anymore. Before Leon knew what was happening Merlin fell unconscious in his arms.

What Leon saw made him panic... Merlin's face was deathly pale and the boy was motionless. For a moment Leon thought the boy was dead and it scared him more than he liked to admit. Carefully he laid the boy on the ground and checked his pulse. His heartbeat was way too fast and his head felt like the boy was burning up.

He had overheard Gwaine and Lancelot talking about the boy this morning during training, but now he knew they had been definitely right, there had been something wrong with the boy and it just had gotten worse. "Merlin, come on, I need you to wake up." Merlin's breaths were rapid and uneven and another look at the boy revealed he was even skinnier than normal; it seemed he hadn't been eating at all. He wasn't as close to Merlin as some of the other knights, but he should have noticed this.

Noticing he couldn't get any reaction from the boy he picked him up, once again he felt how light Merlin was. He had to get him to Gaius now. Frantically he almost ran down the stairs and through the corridors. He didn't notice the group of knights paling at the sight and hurrying after them. Leon burst into Gaius chambers, soon followed by Gwaine, Lancelot and Percival.

Gaius was just mixing the herbs Merlin had gathered that morning when Sir Leon burst into the room. At first Gaius got frustrated; couldn't he just work in peace for once? Then his eyes landed on his ward and instantly the frustration made place for worry.

"What happened?" He asked, while motioning Leon to lay Merlin down on the bed in the middle of the room.

"I don't know." Leon started. "One moment he was just standing there and the next he just fell down. Fortunately, I already held him, otherwise he would have fallen on the ground."

Gaius nodded and started searching through his potions. The group of knights awkwardly stood in the door opening, unsure what to do next. They all waited for Gaius' verdict.

"Is he going to be all right?" Gwaine asked, worry clearly present in his voice.

Gaius turned to the group off knights. "He seems to be utterly exhausted, severely dehydrated and also malnourished…" Tears glistened in his eyes.

"So, what does that mean?" Gwaine and the other knights dreaded the answer.

"I can't be sure yet. I've seen cases like this, but never this severe. I don't know how he could be working. He should have collapsed days ago…" Gaius turned back to the bed and put a wet cloth on his wards brow.

The knights stood motionless in the room. Lancelot was the first to speak. "He would never admit he needed a break. With the treaty and all going on. Arthur is stressed out and it's been clear the treaty is important. He would never leave Arthur in a time like this."

Gwaine growled. "He's too selfless for his own good. Why didn't we notice he needed a break. Hell, we're supposed to be knights, to protect people. We're his friends and we didn't see this coming. Look how skinny he looks. How did Arthur miss this of all people? He constantly is around him." Gwaine stormed out of the room.

"I better follow him, before he hurts anyone." Percival followed Gwaine and Leon immediately followed him.

Lancelot, the only knight left, approached Gaius and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Gaius, he used magic to keep going this long didn't he?"

Gaius looked up. "I'm afraid so. You were right, he wouldn't want to leave Arthur now. He must've ignored the signs and kept going at all costs. But I don't understand why he collapsed now. The treaty is this afternoon, with his magic he should've been able to hold out until then."

They sat in silence. Gaius seemed to forget Lancelot was even there and focused solely on Merlin. After a few minutes Lancelot left the chambers in search for the others.

"Oh my boy, what have you done? What happened to you?"

"Gwaine, wait up." Percival tried to catch up with Gwaine.

"Don't try to stop me, Percival. I'm not saying we're not to blame, on the contrary we should have noticed this, but Arthur more than anyone! He practically lives with Merlin."

Percival got hold of Gwaine and stopped him. Leon finally reached them too.

"I'm not trying to say he isn't to blame, but this week has been extremely important. Arthur has been under a lot of pressure." Leon tried to explain.

Gwaine suddenly turned around, growled and punched the wall.

"What the hell, Gwaine?" a voice suddenly sounded.

Arthur had been restless since the incident with Merlin. Truth was, he had been giving Merlin a lot of work and their usual banter hadn't been present this week. The treaty was just so important and everyone counted on him, he had to be serious. However, putting Merlin in the dungeon because he snapped at him had been a step to far. Merlin was always there for him and to be honest, he had neglected him this last week. And so he now was on his way to the dungeons. He wanted to apologize, but he wasn't sure how.

Why on earth had he sent the boy to the dungeon? Pride, a small voice whispered, he still hadn't quite learned to ignore his pride. Honestly he didn't know how to make amends with Merlin. Merlin was beyond loyal and the one time the boy snapped at him, Arthur immediately had sent him to the dungeon. He hated to admit it, but he had been a real jerk. He was growing a headache because of this internal battle with himself and that was not something he needed right before the treaty meeting.

He rounded another corner and saw some of his knights standing there. He was just about to say something, but then Gwaine suddenly turned around and punched the wall.

"What the hell, Gwaine?" Arthur shouted.

Leon turned and saw the King standing there. He grunted, great timing Arthur. Before he knew Gwaine had pushed him to the side and was running towards Arthur. Luckily Lancelot just rounded the corner too, quickly oversaw what was happening and got a hold of Gwaine just in time.

Arthur found himself confused for the second time that day. Did Gwaine just try to attack him?

"What is going on here?" He didn't have time for this. He needed to see Merlin and go to that treaty meeting. He was on the verge of telling Gwaine he would deal with him later and walk away, when Gwaine spoke up.

"What's going on?! You should know, you bastard. He could have died and you wouldn't even know!"

Arthur grew even more confused… and worried. Did someone die? Lancelot saw the obvious confusion and worry in his eyes and sighed.

"Okay, everybody to Arthurs chambers NOW." He said.

"Wait, Lancelot, I really don't have time for this now. I need to see… I need to go to that treaty meeting." He didn't want Gwaine to know he threw Merlin in the dungeon… OR Lancelot.

Gwaine was seething. "Make time."

And that's why they all quietly walked back to Arthurs chambers. Lancelot took care Gwaine was walking far away from Arthur and without further incidents they reached Arthurs chambers.

Arthur had been thinking and there was only one reason he knew Gwaine would attack him: Merlin. The knight must have found out he put Merlin in the dungeons. Sir Leon had been there so that must have been the reason Gwaine went all nuts on him. He just had to explain he had just been on his way to free Merlin and hopefully this whole drama could be put to rest until after the treaty meeting.

As soon as Percival had closed the door behind him, Arthur wanted to explain himself. However, Gwaine beat him to it as he finally got free from Lancelot's grip and punched Arthur in the face. Arthur fell back.

"Gwaine! Stop! It isn't all Arthurs fault; we should have seen it too." Lancelot pushed Gwaine back and Leon helped Arthur back on his feet.

Arthur didn't understand anything anymore and with his growing headache, the incident with Merlin and just the overall last week, he couldn't take this anymore.

"Can anyone PLEASE explain what the hell is happening here, because frankly I don't follow anymore! What should I have seen, what is my fault?" He exclaimed.

Gwaine, who was held back by Percival, was gritting his teeth. Percival decided to break the news to the King. "It's Merlin, he's…"

"If this is about me throwing him in the dungeons, I was just on my way to free…."

"You threw him in the dungeons!? Exclaimed Lancelot. Silently he wanted to punch his king in the face too. This had been the reason Merlin had given up, why he didn't let his magic help him anymore. He probably thought Arthur didn't want him around anymore and had just broken.

"You didn't know?" Arthur really wasn't following anymore.

"He just collapsed when I was talking to him." Leon explained. "We've taken him to Gaius, but Gaius doesn't know if he'll pull through, he was utterly exhausted, severely dehydrated and malnourished. Gaius was surprised he didn't collapse sooner, but…" Leon's voice trailed off, but Arthur could fill in the rest. But Merlin was too selfless and loyal for his own good and would put his own health on second place if Arthur needed him. Even though he hadn't said it out loud, Arthur knew Merlin could sense he had needed him. His face paled, utterly exhausted, severely dehydrated and malnourished. That sounded as something he should have noticed. For god's sake, he spend whole days with Merlin, he definitely should have noticed that.

Leon saw Arthur pale and slowly descend to the ground, he quickly led him to a chair. He knew Arthur highly respected Merlin, not that Arthur ever admitted it. Telling him this before the treaty meeting probably hadn't been their greatest plan for the kingdom.

Arthur's thought still whirled through his head and Arthur didn't like where they were going. Gaius had wondered why Merlin hadn't collapsed sooner and deep down Arthur knew the reason, but he didn't want it to be true. If his thoughts were true, not only hadn't he noticed how sick Merlin had been, he had pushed his friend over the edge. Gwaine was right, this was his fault. He let his head fall in his hands.

"I need to see him." He finally said.

"Like hell you are." Said Gwaine, who was a bit more calm, but not quite on the stage of forgiving. But Arthur had had enough, his friend, his best friend, was sick, partly because of him and he Needed. To. See. Him. Now.

"Don't pin this on me, Gwaine, you're to blame too. He's my friend and I need to see how he's doing." Arthur hissed.

"Nice friend you are, I'm quite sure this is the first time you openly call him your friend." Gwaine growled back.

"Gwaine. Stop." Lancelot tried to intervene.

Gwaine just glared one more time and ran out the chambers.

"Arthur, I'm sure he…" Leon started.

"Out."

"Arthur…"

"Get. Out. Now. All of you!" Arthur yelled.

They all glanced one more time and walked out of the room. Arthur sat in his chair. He never knew words could physically hurt, but Gwaine's did. Because they were right, he never called Merlin friend. He had assumed Merlin knew, but he never had had the courage to say it. What had he done? He had pushed him over the edge, hell; he had sent his best friend to the dungeons, just because he dared to speak up. Merlin had been exhausted and there he was rambling about more chores. Gwaine was right; he had no right to see Merlin now.

Gaius still pressed a wet cloth on Merlin's head.

"Merlin you have to keep fighting. I know you can overcome this, but I need you to fight."

He soaked the cloth again and pressed it to his ward's brow. But he couldn't do this anymore. He couldn't treat Merlin as just one of his patients, because the boy was so much more to him.

"Oh my boy, what happened? Why didn't you let us help you, why didn't you tell me you didn't have time to gather my herbs? I could've asked someone else. Why did you stop fighting Merlin? Everyone is worried sick about you and I can't tell them you'll be all right, because you seem to get worse. Just come back to us boy, we'll get you a long vacation. We'll…"

Lancelot was about to check on Merlin and Gaius, but as he stood in front of the door he heard Gaius break down. He quietly entered the room and sat beside Gaius.

"Gaius…" And Lancelot told Gaius what happened. "But Gaius, you should have seen the look on Arthurs face, he regrets it with all his heart."

Gaius sighed. "I know he does, I just think Merlin doesn't know that at the moment and I can't get him to fight his sickness. Lancelot, I'm losing him and I can't do a thing about it. I'm a physician and I can't cure him."

"I know Gaius, I know." Lancelot sighed.

Merlin felt sick. He looked around him and found he couldn't see a thing. He panicked. Was there a magical attack on Camelot? He tried to reach for his magic, but panicked even more as he found he couldn't.

"Trying to commit treason again, sorcerer?" A familiar voice spoke and Merlin's blood grew ice cold.

"Arthur, what's happening? I don't…."

"That's King Arthur for you. You betrayed me."

"No, I never wanted to… You were my friend… I…"

"We were never friends, don't you dare call me that. I don't know what you think happened these last few years, but you were my servant. Nothing more. Everybody knows that."

Tears formed in Merlin's eyes.

"I never want to see you again, sorcerer. You can stay in this black hole forever and no one will come to save you because no one cares about you. Not Lancelot, not Gwaine, not Gaius and not me. We're glad you're gone. Goodbye Sorcerer."

The tears fell.

"No, Arthur…" but he was alone again. Merlin sat down and cried. He had never felt as useless as now. They didn't need him anymore.