I'm back! Sorry I've been pretty inactive lately… this semester is killing me but it's almost over. I've got a long chapter here to make up for it! Also, I'll be releasing a new story soon too and I'm very excited about it. Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing, it really means a lot!

…

Arthur hadn't even realized he'd dozed off until the light of dawn pried at his eyelids. He rubbed at his eyes, letting out a sigh as he sat up. Only then did he recognize that he was already sitting up in a creaky old chair next to Merlin, who was lying in the patient's cot with a pouty look on his sleeping face. Arthur felt a fond smile flit across his face as he swept Merlin's dark hair aside.

The movement made the soreness in Arthur's neck known, and he huffed in frustration as he rubbed his neck. He didn't mean to spend the night here, especially not in a rickety old chair all night.

"The things I do for you, you dollophead," Arthur whispered.

There was no bite to his words, though. Arthur felt only worry for his friend—more like little brother—both physically and emotionally. Merlin still appeared to be in pain despite him being unconscious with painkillers. But that was only part of it. What Gaius had said the night before worried Arthur more than he wanted to admit to himself. How many of Arthur's guests had treated Merlin in this way? Had targeted him, advanced on him, taken advantage—

Arthur pushed those thoughts from his mind, taking a deep breath. He couldn't make those conclusions yet. Not until he had spoken to Merlin about it, which would be a whole new challenge. Merlin had a way of deflecting things when it came to talking about himself, and Arthur had come to realize over the years how good he was at it. Arthur had to work hard to keep focused and make sure that Merlin couldn't slip away or avoid his questioning.

The king glanced up at Gaius's cot to make sure the old man was still asleep. He was reassured by a deep snore emanating from the physician's cot. With the confirmation that Arthur wouldn't be seen, he grasped Merlin's blanket and pulled it up further on his chest, tucking him in.

"You'd better wake up soon," Arthur whispered as he stood. Then as an afterthought, "my clothes need washing."

And then, with a final glance at his friend, the king quietly exited the physician's chambers. He had important business to attend to.

…

"Ah, your majesty. I was wondering when I would be seeing you. I must say, you have looked better."

Arthur grit his teeth as he gazed at the monster of a man leering at him from inside his cell. If he wasn't the king, the man's head would have already been removed from his miserable shoulders.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Arthur bit out, pouring every ounce of hatred he harbored for Lord Henry in his voice.

"Oh, please. I was thinking how most nobles do. Surely, you can understand. After all, why else would you have such a useless but pleasurable eyepiece as a servant for so many years? What else are servants for?" Lord Henry shrugged then, a mischievous glint in his eye as if he had merely played a harmless prank.

"You could've killed him."

"Ah, but I didn't. I merely wounded him, as I know you have a skilled physician at your disposal. Come now, I'm sure we can look past this little mishap. He's just a serving boy, after all."

Arthur clenched his fists. If one more person said that to him he might just snap.

"I warned you to let him go back in that alley, and you stabbed him. I should have you executed."

A flicker of fear passed over Henry's face, but faded with a twisted smile.

"Don't act all high and mighty. We nobles are all the same. People talk, you know, of your strange attachment to the boy. Some believe it to be fondness, but I know how it really is," the lord sneered, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

And Arthur wanted to vomit.

"You know nothing of nobility. You exploit your power over others and use it in this vile way. It won't be tolerated here in Camelot," Arthur watched Henry's entire body shake with the authority of his words. "I will make an example of you. Tomorrow you will be executed in the public square."

The king turned away from the man as he gaped in disbelief. He felt his fingernails digging into the soft flesh of his hand, but the pain of it helped him hold his temper. Otherwise, he would have been beating Lord Henry senseless.

"I demand a trial, Pendragon!" Henry roared, all playfulness gone from his voice. He was now enraged and afraid, just as Arthur wanted him to be.

The king stopped, turning slowly back to the crook in his prison.

"You have already been found guilty. I doubt you will even be missed."

And then Arthur was gone.

…

Merlin felt like he was floating. But not in a good, euphoric sort of way. No, for him, there was a disconnect between his mind and body. He could feel his limbs there—thankfully—but his brain felt as if it was floating somewhere above him, making it annoyingly difficult for him to move. He heard a strained noise leave his lips and mentally kicked himself for somehow being able to use his voice but nothing else.

"—lin? Do you think he's waking up?"

If Merlin could roll his eyes, he would.

"Merlin. Can you open your eyes?"

Merlin recognized Gaius's voice, and he picked up on the concealed tone of worry in it. That seemed to slap some sensibility into Merlin's uncooperative brain, and he found himself slowly lifting his eyelids. The light was harsh, and he winced as it drove spikes into his head.

"I know it hurts, but we have to get some food and medicine in you before you go back to sleep," Gaius coaxed.

Merlin slowly opened his eyes again, still wincing at the light but he was able to keep them open, his gaze resting on Gaius and Gwaine hovering over him.

"Gaius, what—"

Pain spiked in his abdomen, drilling deeply into him so suddenly that he gasped aloud, eyes frantically seeking out Gaius's steady gaze.

"Easy, Merlin. Gwaine, help me sit him up."

Gwaine nodded, gingerly gripping Merlin's arms and lifting him with surprising tenderness.

"Good to see you awake, mate," Gwaine said.

"Yeah, erm… what happened, exactly?"

Gwaine and Gaius exchanged glances.

"What do you remember?"

Merlin opened his mouth to respond, but no sound came out. His throat was so dry it burned, and he broke into a coughing fit. The fit wracked his body, ripping at the biting pain in his stomach. What the hell happened?

Merlin's coughing mercifully subsided and Gaius handed him a cup of water. Merlin's hand shook, but Gaius helped him keep the cup steady while Merlin greedily drank the soothing liquid.

"Thanks," Merlin said after his last gulp. "My throat was so dry."

"That is an after-effect of the drug in your system. Now, hold still while I change your bandages—"

"Drug? What drug? And what bandages? How drunk did I get last night?"

Merlin's mind was reeling. What if he had gotten so drunk that he did something stupid? He could've revealed his secret, or let something happen to Arthur. How could he have let himself go like that? Gwaine shifted uncomfortably, drawing Merlin's attention away from his own musings.

"Merlin… you weren't drunk. It was Lord Henry. He attacked you," Gwaine said with an uncharacteristically small voice.

Merlin's heart stuttered in his chest when he thought of how Lord Henry had sought him out, attacked him in the hallway, and then last night in the tavern he had been overcome with a sudden sickness… Merlin swallowed down a rush of nausea.

"I remember suddenly feeling strange after drinking a bit of mead, and someone dragged me outside," Merlin breathed slowly, pushing down the panic building in his chest. "I don't remember anything after that. What—what did he do to me?"

Merlin tried and failed to keep the desperation out of his voice, but he didn't have the strength to care all that much. His wound was burning increasingly with his pounding heart and his head was killing him. It felt like he was trying to think through a pool of molasses; his brain just wouldn't supply him with the memories he needed and he felt sick at the possibility of what might've happened to him in the hands of Lord Henry.

"Merlin, calm down, it's alright. Arthur and the knights found you before any real harm could be done," Gaius soothed, resting a hand on Merlin's forehead.

Merlin glanced down at the wound in his gut and raised a questioning eyebrow at his surrogate father.

"You know what I mean."

The tension in the room was broken as the three launched into light laughter. Gaius began redressing Merlin's wound, while Gwaine distracted him with mindless chatter. The physician even managed to get a potion and some soup into Merlin with minimal complaints. The chatter began to lull as Merlin's eyes drooped, but the warlock wasn't quite able to let his inner turmoil go just yet. As if summoned, Arthur entered the room with an air of authority and anger that admittedly filled Merlin with apprehension. But he visibly deflated as his eyes locked on to Merlin's, and relief flooded his features.

"Merlin! You're awake!"

"No, I'm the ghost come back to haunt you," Merlin deadpanned, earning an eye roll from the king.

"Back to feeling like your idiot self, then."

"Not quite. He still has a long way to go before he is fully healed," Gaius interrupted, delivering a stern look to both men. "Now, I have to make my rounds. Merlin, you'd better be resting when I return, or else I might have to slip something into your tea."

And with that, the elderly physician left the room.

"Well, that was frightening. It's almost like he doesn't trust you," Gwaine said with a smirk.

"Can you blame him? Merlin never does as he's told."

"I'm right here!" Merlin said incredulously.

He winced as he jostled his wound, causing it to flare up in pain. He sucked in a breath, hoping it would go unnoticed. But by the looks on Arthur and Gwaine's faces, Merlin could tell he hadn't been successful.

"I am glad you're alright," Arthur said, settling down on Gaius's stool. "You gave us quite a scare."

Merlin looked down at his hands. "I don't really remember what happened. I just know I have you to thank for saving me."

A pained look flashed across Arthur's features. Was that guilt?

"I'm sorry that it had even been necessary at all. I had a feeling that Lord Henry was a threat to you, but I failed to take necessary precautions. You got hurt because of my ignorance."

Merlin didn't know what he was expecting from Arthur, but it certainly wasn't an apology. Merlin didn't even think the word "sorry" was in the king's vocabulary.

"Arthur, this wasn't your fault—"

"But it was, Merlin. Henry was my guest, and you are my servant—my responsibility. How can I seek to protect an entire kingdom when I can't even protect you?"

Merlin wanted to laugh at the irony of the situation, since it was Merlin's job to protect Arthur. But Merlin couldn't hide behind another joke—not this time. Because this time it had been too close, Merlin had been helpless and something beyond horrible would've happened if Arthur hadn't been there to stop it.

"You're just one man, Arthur. You're not to blame," Merlin whispered.

"Neither are you." Merlin looked up then, shocked eyes meeting Arthur's steady ones. "I know you, Merlin. For whatever reason, you blame yourself for what happened. But that snake planned a way to catch us all off-guard. He drugged you, for heaven's sake. You're not at fault."

"If anything, the bastard lurking in the cells is where we should be placing the blame," Gwaine said with clenched fists.

"So he's been caught, then?" Merlin asked, relief relaxing muscles he didn't even know were tense.

"Yes. He is to be punished for his crimes tomorrow at first light," Arthur announced, a cold look darkening his features.

"You've already decided what to do with him?"

Arthur nodded, the cold look not leaving his face. It chilled Merlin. He looked a bit like Uther.

"He is to be executed."

Merlin drew in an involuntary sharp gasp, sending him spiraling into another coughing fit. He felt two pairs of hands on his shoulders, steadying him as he pitched forward. Tears leaked from his eyes as he tried to catch his breath, and each movement pulled at his stitches in his side.

"Woah there, Merlin. Here, have some more water," Gwaine said as Merlin's coughing subsided.

Merlin let himself be eased back against his pillows, and he accepted the cup of water to soothe his burning throat. His eyesight was blurry now, his head spinning.

"A-Arthur, you can't kill him," Merlin croaked, voice barely above a whisper.

He couldn't even bring himself to say Henry's name, but he didn't think the man deserved to die.

"I need to make an example of him, Merlin. People need to know that this kind of behavior won't be tolerated by me."

"I'm with the Princess on this one, mate. He tried to kill you—"

"I don't want any more bloodshed on my account. Banish him if you have to, but killing him won't solve anything."

"How can you not want revenge after what he did to you?" Arthur demanded, his voice getting louder as Merlin's grew quieter.

Merlin shook his head, ignoring the aching pain residing there. "Revenge is what corrupts the hearts of men. I've seen it too often—"

"Dammit Merlin! I don't ever want this to happen to you again. I can't punish those who came for you in the past unless you tell me about them, but I can start with Henry."

Merlin froze, eyes dropping to the floor, burning with unshed tears. The air was heavy with silence, sucking the air out of his lungs.

"What?" he whispered on a hitched breath.

Then Arthur was closer, resting his hand on Merlin's arm. His voice quieted significantly, and the coldness had fled from his features, leaving only compassion.

"Gaius was acting strange last night, and I finally pieced some things together. He wouldn't tell me anything, but I know that something like this has happened before."

"Merlin..." Gwaine whispered.

Merlin shook his head, loosening the tears building in his eyes. He felt Gwaine lay a hand on his other shoulder, giving him the courage he needed to respond.

"There have been… incidents in the past, but none as extreme as—as Henry, I swear."

Arthur sighed, letting his head drop a bit.

"Why did you never tell me? You know I could've easily sorted things out."

"It just comes with being a servant. I can't just accuse a noble. That would only make matters worse."

"That may have been true under my father's reign, but not anymore. If you ever feel unsafe in your own castle, you tell me about it. Understood?"

Merlin nodded, a small smile blossoming. Arthur squeezed Merlin's arm gently before releasing him.

"Arthur, please. Don't execute him."

Arthur sighed, but he looked more willing to listen this time. "Why must you be so forgiving?"

"We've been down this road before. I know forgiveness is harder than seeking revenge, but revenge only brings destruction—just take a look at Morgana. Don't go down that path too. Promise me, Arthur. Please."

Arthur exchanged a baffled look with Gwaine, before sighing again. Merlin blinked, his eyelids growing heavy.

"I'm going to regret this, but I promise, Merlin. Stubborn bastard."

Merlin let out a hum of relief, giving in to the pull of sleep. He was out before Arthur and Gwaine stood, deciding on banishing the creep from Camelot forever. He didn't feel Arthur tuck him in again, or hear the group of knights—his friends—lead a certain prisoner to the edge of Camelot's lands, nor the punch delivered to his face by a certain long-haired knight. No, Merlin was sleeping safely and soundly, his fears forgotten.