Disclaimer: I still solemnly swear that I don't own BBC Merlin

Michelle W- Hi! I'm glad you liked it. And thanks for telling me what you think :) I wanted to give it the feel of an actual episode so I didn't include Merlin's recovery. Hopefully it will be clear in this chapter how he got his 'life force' back. If not...uhh well it's just rest. My reasoning is that it's like energy and when you sleep you recharge your batteries. That kinda thing. But anyway, thanks for reviewing!

Erika- Thank you! Your review made me grin like an idiot haha. And I'm glad you like my writing :) It's always good to know that my effort pays off! Thanks so much for your review!

|o|

"Arthur!" Merlin yelled. He scrambled to his feet and bent forward- the wind having been knocked out of him. "Arthur!"

"Merlin! Behind you!" Leon shouted. Merlin snapped his neck up to see the knight getting to his knees twenty feet in front of him.

Merlin spun around and nearly stumbled. His feet carried him a few steps back when he seen that Simon was advancing on him.

"Astrice!" Merlin whispered and his eyes flashed gold. He took another step back when Simon merely gave a throaty laugh. "Astrice!"

"What?" Merlin breathed and glanced down at his hands.

Simon speared him with his sightless gaze and his white eyes began to shine scarlet. Merlin reeled as the forest suddenly became out of focus and his legs deposited him to the ground. Merlin was aware enough to recognize his magic roiling distressingly in his veins. He started to tremble when hot blood started to flow out of his ears and then his nose, as he realized that Simon was ripping his magic from him. He barely heard a roar before he gasped and blinked, forcing himself onto his side when he found the strength to. He squinted at Simon who clutching at his shoulder and screaming. Blood was seeping around the hilt of a dagger embedded in his flesh.

Footsteps crashed through the leaves behind Merlin and two sets of hands hauled him up. His world tilted and twirled but he managed to keep on his feet. He really didn't feel good.

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted from far away.

Merlin strained to see the prince but it was rather difficult as Arthur and Sir Ian dragged him along.

"You alright?" Merlin slurred.

Arthur looked unbelievably at him but was stopped from replying when Sir Ian cried out a warning. Merlin felt rather than saw fire streaking toward their backs. Ian pushed them to the side and jumped the other way just in time to avoid being scorched by the rocketing flames. All of them collided with the ground which did absolutely nothing for Arthur's and Merlin's headaches.

"Sire!" Leon shouted just as he got to them. He grabbed the prince under the elbow and heaved him up, Merlin being yanked upwards too as Arthur clutched the servant's shirt. But this time Merlin could not get his feet under him and Arthur was forced to hook his elbows under Merlin's arms and drag him backwards. Across from them Sir Emmet helped up Ian and led them both to back away.

"You cannot escape!" Merlin heard Moira shout. The forest was too dark for him to see anything.

"Merlin!" Arthur called worriedly as they retreated backwards. Merlin forced his eyes to flutter open long enough to see Moira and Simon charging toward him. "Merlin, come on!"

If he were in possession of his wits, the next words he mumbled would never have been uttered.

"Lyfte ic þe in balwen ac forhienan se wideor."

Merlin gasped in a shuddering breath when his magic lashed out and left a cold ache in his heart. His head flopped forward onto his chest so he did not see Arthur's questioning glance or the flames he did not conjure turn against their enemies and twist through the air in a violent torrent.

He remained in darkness long after they escaped back to Camelot.

|o|

The sweet scent of cooking dragon leaf wafted through the physician's chambers, and it was the first thing that Merlin was aware of. He breathed in deeply which led to the second thing he was conscious to. Merlin groaned as he felt chest pain, and then every other body part pain.

"Merlin?" A voice called out.

The warlock prised his eyes open and blinked away the blurriness that infiltrated his vision.

"Welcome to the land of the living," Arthur greeted. Merlin squinted at him and stared at the bandages wrapped around his forehead, above his grinning lips.

"Why does it feel like a barn fell on me?" Merlin croaked out when he could form the words.

The prince studied him. "Don't you remember? We were following a trail and that woman ambushed us with the sorcerer."

Merlin furrowed his brow and thought, his face loosening when he recalled what happened. "You hit your head!" He sat bolt upright. "And Sir Ian, is he alright?" Merlin remembered that the knight pushed them out of the way of the flames. He couldn't do anything to fight back because his magic had no effect on the man.

The man who was stealing his magic.

Merlin paled and nearly toppled out of the bed he did not realize was Gaius'. "Merlin!" Arthur scolded while steadying him. "Take it easy, you were out for a few hours." The prince made sure that his servant was safely lying back down.

Merlin glanced out the window and seen that the sky was a light indigo. "How many?"

"Five. Six less than yesterday."

"Oh," Merlin said thoughtfully and fell silent for a few moments. "How did we escape? Weren't they chasing us?"

"It was as you were going completely delirious. The sorcerer's magic turned on him. The fire became out of control and we were able to escape." Arthur's sharp eyes scrutinized his muddled ones.

"I was delirious?" Merlin asked and rubbed his eye tiredly. He might have tried to sit up again but he truly did not feel like it.

"You still are," Arthur told him, "for a minute there, when we were running, I thought you hit your head. You were talking complete rubbish, I couldn't make out a word you were saying."

Merlin blinked and paled, wondering if he did the unthinkable in the presence of the prince and his knights. "I- what?"

"But Gaius is sure you do not have a concussion," Arthur continued obliviously, "you had a slight fever though." The prince brushed his hand over Merlin's forehead. "It's gone now."

As if the physician had heard his name, the door opened to emit the old man. He was carrying a basket of herbs in his knobbly hands.

"Ah Merlin! You are awake," Gaius smiled at him relieved.

Merlin turned his head on the pillow and blinked tiredly at him, now fully realizing that he was in the physician's chambers.

"Hi Gaius," Merlin grinned tiredly.

The physician set the basket on the table and turned a reproaching eyebrow on him. "Don't you 'hi Gaius' me, how are you feeling?" He asked Merlin and shuffled to the bedside.

"I'm alright," Merlin lied.

"He said that it felt like a barn fell on him," Arthur said and flashed a glare at Merlin.

The servant huffed churlishly, deciding that it was a good time for a nap. He did not even have time to close his eyes though, as Gaius snapped his fingers above his face.

"Not so fast," Gaius commanded. He then turned to the prince and spoke. "Alright, let me check your head Arthur and then you will be free to go. And then I can check on you Merlin," he finished with a warning look to the warlock.

Merlin fought off sleep as he turned his attention to Arthur who was keeping still in his chair as Gaius wound the bandages off his head. The prince glanced at the staring Merlin a few times but did not voice his annoyance. He then winced as Gaius prodded the back of his head.

"Hmm, looks like you got away without a concussion Sire."

"I could have told you that," Arthur said at the same time Merlin made a comment about him having a hard head. "You are lucky I do not hurt the invalid," Arthur glared.

"I'm not an invalid!" Merlin cried affronted.

"You can barely sit up," Arthur pointed out.

"I can to si-" Merlin began but was cut off as both Arthur and Gaius pinned him down.

"I would rather you not strain yourself Merlin. And I would appreciate it my lord, if you did not provoke him."

"My apologies Gaius, it's just too easy sometimes," Arthur smirked and rose to his feet, choosing to ignore the face Merlin pulled at him. "I must be off. Hopefully the knights have found something."

Just as Arthur got to the door, he turned to address Merlin. "You can have the day off tomorrow. Try not to miss the stables too much Merlin."

The prince gave a final smirk and hesitated for a fraction of a second before opening the door, giving Merlin a view of the two knights outside. As soon as the door clicked shut, Merlin turned to Gaius.

"Why are there two knights outside?"

"Oh there are more than that," said Gaius, "Arthur ordered six knights to guard the hallway." The physician grabbed his ward's wrist and felt his pulse.

"Why?" Merlin yawned.

Gaius sighed at him. "Because Merlin, a sorcerer is on the loose and appears to be keen on attacking you. Besides, Arthur is worried about you. As am I for that matter, I dread to think of a sorcerer powerful enough to render you unconscious with a single spell." The physician then sat upon the chair that Arthur had vacated. "But the question is why."

Merlin frowned and looked away from Gaius. "My magic," Merlin said quietly. The warlock looked to Gaius as the old man gaped at him. "He stole my magic Gaius, that's what has been happening."

A shadow passed over Gaius' face. "I have never heard of a spell that could rid someone of their magic."

"Nothing I did had any effect on him..." Merlin started and then shut his mouth. He decided Gaius did not need to know that he had most likely used magic when he was practically being carried by Arthur. "It felt wrong Gaius. It felt like I was dying."

"I suppose it would have such a dramatic effect on you. Magic is a deep part of you Merlin, in all likelihood you were dying. If he were able to take all your magic my boy, I do not think you would have survived."

"Because I'm a warlock?"

"What you described Merlin, is far beyond that. I told you that you were different."

"Story of my life," Merlin muttered bitterly.

Gaius placed his palm on Merlin's head. "Being different is what makes you who you are Merlin. I for one, would never want to change that."

A bashful smile formed on Merlin's lips before he gave another huge yawn.

"Go to sleep and regain your strength. I will see you in the morning," Gaius said and pulled the cover higher over Merlin's shoulders.

The young warlock closed his eyes and managed to bid Gaius a drowsy, "good night," before he fell to sleep.

"Goodnight Merlin." Gaius got comfortable in the chair, settling in for another long night of keeping watch over his ward.

|o|

A slap echoed loudly off the rock walls of the small cave. A man dressed in rags huddled in on himself and cowered away from the leering woman above him. "You useless fool!" Moira shouted and sent a sharp kick into Simon's ribs. She then paced away angrily, glaring into the night outside.

"Do you know how difficult this makes things?" She hissed. Simon took away his hands from his face and looked fearfully up at her. "We are going to have to wait, all because you are a mindless buffoon!"

She grinded her sharp jaw before barrelling back to Simon who flinched. She knelt down and seized his chin in her bony fingers. "But you will fix it, won't you Simon?" She asked quietly. The blind man nodded emphatically. "You are going to go there in three nights time, and take the filthy boy. And I don't care if you have to kill your way there, understand?"

Another nod, to which Moira threw Simon's head back against the cave wall with a loud crack. "I will be waiting here, and after you have taken his magic, you will kill him and bring his body to me. Now get out of my sight, I don't want to see you until the deed is done."

Simon darted up and scampered out of the cave, off to find a spot to wait like a statue until he could accomplish his task.

Moira sat to think; in three days she would be responsible for yet another removal of evil, and she did not care if Simon made it out alive this time. She was certain that he would get the boy, but she was also certain that he would be caught. But it would be too late for the sorcerer, and if Moira rid the world of this one powerful magic user then her work was complete. Her quest could finish with a momentous victory and that is all she cared about.

|o|

Sir Leon smiled as he waited. Arthur sat at his chair with a stumped expression on his face and Merlin was grinning brightly at him. The prince glowered and cut Merlin off before he could speak. "Don't tell me."

The servant grinned and crossed his arms. "Come on, this is easy," Merlin teased.

"Short and sometimes hot," Arthur said slowly, "When shown, I rarely impress." He then looked to Sir Leon who shrugged.

The knight looked at Merlin whose grin was blinding. Arthur suddenly snapped his eyes to the servant's and his smile only got brighter.

"Ah," Arthur said and smiled falsely at Merlin, "it's my temper isn't it?"

"There you go!" Merlin laughed.

Sir Leon ducked his head to hide his smile.

"So you think my temper does not impress do you?"

"Not in the least Sire," Merlin said cheekily.

"Goodnight Merlin," Arthur said pointedly.

Merlin frowned at his quick dismissal. "I was joking," Merlin quickly backtracked, "your temper is terrifying. Really."

Arthur tilted his head at Merlin who quickly took that as a sign to retreat. He shot the prince a backward glance as he walked out the door.

"Goodnight Sire," Leon said and followed Merlin out.

"I wonder what he's planning," Merlin mused to him.

"That I cannot begin to say, but I do not envy you."

Merlin sighed and then gave Leon a mischievous grin. "Well it was worth it anyway, did you see how long it took him?"

The tall knight merely smiled and refrained from saying anything. They walked silently through the halls until they reached a staircase. "Goodnight Sir Leon," Merlin said and began to climb down the stairs.

The knight followed him with a roll of his eyes.

"You don't need to go through the trouble of following me. It's been three days, I'm sure they're gone now," Merlin called back.

"All the same, the prince is not taking any chances."

Merlin sighed and peppered him with reasons he was safe until they were at the physician's chambers. "Don't tell me you are going to stay all night again," Merlin sighed. The knight raised an eyebrow at him but allowed him the insubordination- Leon would be frustrated himself in this situation.

"Not all night," Leon said and waited for Merlin to open the door. "It is for your own good Merlin."

Leon nodded to the knights standing outside the door as they walked in. They took a look around the chambers to see that Gaius was not back yet. "Do you need anything?" Merlin asked him politely.

"No thank you Merlin, I am fine."

"Alright, well I'm going to sleep. I have to be prepared for whatever Arthur has planned for tomorrow."

They exchanged amused smiles before Merlin climbed the stairs to his room and shut the door. Sir Leon walked around the chambers, looking at all of Gaius' little trinkets and tools. When the door opened a while later, he was holding a glass jar with an apple green liquid in it. He put it down guiltily and his blue eyes swiftly met the physician's.

"Hello Leon," Gaius greeted.

"Gaius." The knight nodded to him.

Two more knights filed in behind Gaius and fanned out into the room. The physician walked to his stores and rummaged around. "Unfortunately there is a cold going around in the lower town," he said while gathering vials. "I must be off to treat the sick and ward it off if I am able."

"Is there no rest for a physician?" Sir Emmet asked.

"Not tonight," Gaius gave a shrug of his shoulders and bid the three knights a farewell.

When he was out the door, Sir Ian addressed Leon quietly. "The king told us that we should stand guard here another week. And see if the sorcerer shows."

"We should have more knights here if the king insists on using Merlin as bait," Leon frowned.

"Prince Arthur tried. But King Uther ordered more of us to patrol the city and forest," Emmet said and found a seat at the table. "Will he be joining us tonight?"

"No, he doesn't want the king to notice. He said he will come by early morning," Leon said and sat across from him.

"Which most likely means what, an hour past midnight? Two to make it look like he doesn't care?" Ian gave a soft laugh and decided to pace rather than sit.

The knights lounged in the candle light, keeping themselves amused by talking occasionally. They were careful to keep their voices down, mindful of the servant they were meant to keep watch over. The king would not care, but they knew that Arthur would be less than impressed with them if Merlin turned up tired to work tomorrow morning.

It was only a few hours later, an hour past midnight when the door began to creak quietly open.

"Looks like you were wrong Ian," Emmet glanced at the other knight, "it's only the first hour."

But when the door was opened and a figure stepped through, it was not Arthur. The knights shot up abruptly, drawing the swords at their hips.

The feral man that attacked them in the woods the other day was standing in the threshold, panting in a way reminiscent of a wild animal. Leon was the first to move and made to stride toward the threat, but the next second Simon's white eyes flashed gold and Leon crumpled to the floor. The other two did not have time to blink as they too were hit with the man's magic.

Simon stepped over them on his way to the sleeping warlock's room. His spell kept the knights from interfering and trapped in unconsciousness.

They could not help Merlin.

|o|

Arthur strode purposefully through the torch lit halls of the castle. He had a serious glint in his eyes which meant that the guards would avoid even looking in his direction. Which worked well for Arthur as he was carrying a bucket full of ice cold water. He began to smile only to swiftly cover it up when the slow footsteps of a guard was drawing closer.

Merlin thought his temper wasn't impressive did he? Well the servant would get a nice surprise. It had been too long since he had thrown water on Merlin. The shocked faces his friend would make were always satisfying. His amusement only grew the closer he got to the physician's chambers but when he turned the final corner and peered into the hallway, cold dread took his place.

The three knights outside were all on the floor unconscious and the door was open. The bucket slipped from his fingers and it bounced off the floor with a heavy clatter as the water flooded out. He was already running before it hit the floor. Arthur barrelled through the threshold and only paused to shout a curse when he seen that Leon, Emmet, and Ian were lying on the ground. He knew that Merlin's room would be empty but he dashed to check all the same. His eyes scanned the room quickly to see that the room was spotless and Merlin was nowhere to be found.

Arthur then swept from the physician's chambers, running for the forest to track down the sorcerer who took Merlin. He could not waste time on finding any knights- his feet took him hurriedly forward and he did not think twice about the fact that he knew exactly where to go. Instincts were all he needed now. The prince forced anger and fear out of his mind and instead formulated a plan. He would find Merlin and he didn't care if he had to tear the forest down to do it. The flames in the torches swished out of their brackets as he passed before settling down when he cleared the hallway. Arthur's eyes were bright and frigid and his face was pale; the sword at his hip a menacing sight in his possession as he made his way outside.

He vowed that it would be bloody by the end of the day.

|o|

Merlin woke knowing that something was dreadfully wrong. Alertness came too slowly, his body was too heavy, breathing was too hard, and his bare feet were too cold.

He focused on trying to take in his surroundings for he knew he was not in his in his bed where he fell to sleep. It was cold but his neck was strangely too hot. His breathing was loud in his ears and he tried to calm it down but his chest strained from receiving too little air. Merlin's brow twitched in confusion and he tried to open his eyes. A pin prick of light filtered in but his lids remained anchored closed. He tried to expand his awareness, it was slow going but he managed to identify his body. Therefore he knew that his breathing was weak and shallow, and most of all quiet. But breath panted loudly above him; his heart skipped a beat as he realized it did not belong to him.

His pulse accelerated in shock and his eyes flew open. Milky white eyes millimetres from his made Merlin's pupils contracted in fear. His body gave a feeble jerk as he tried to throw the man on top of him off. But when Merlin could not even lift his neck, his breathing became fast and his lungs struggled to give air to his panicked body. Immediately, his ears rang and his vision bled black; terrible weariness stole over him.

A low keen escaped his lips when frenzied laughter bubbled from Simon. A drawn out inhalation of breath prickled the skin of his neck and Merlin would have retched if he had the strength. Another wave of exhaustion crashed over him like a vicious wave as he felt his magic being stripped from him. Merlin could do nothing but use the last of his already nonexistent strength to howl a desperate scream.

|o|

Arthur crashed through the forest, stray branches whipping him in the face. The morning was waking now, sun crept through the thick trees, lighting his way. He did not slow; he had been running ever since the physician's chambers, some tug in his gut guiding him. It was mere coincidence that tracks he recognized as the sorcerer's were preceding his path; they went deeper in the ground with what he knew was added weight from Merlin. He did not question it, nor did he care; all he knew was that he needed to get to Merlin. And fast.

The snap of a twig was all the warning he got when a thick branch shot out from behind a tree and caught him in the chin. Arthur was thrown back off his feet and the branch tumbled to the forest floor. He sprang up and wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth. His furious sapphire eyes met the cold ones of Moira.

"I will not let you interfere with my revenge!" She hissed. Her icy eyes were bright with fury but staring into Arthur's they might as well have been dull grey stones.

"How will you stop me?" Arthur growled.

She pulled a dagger from her cloak and Arthur wanted to laugh. "I only have to stall. Simon is almost done and soon you won't be able to do anything," Moira laughed.

A scream suddenly echoed through the forest, bouncing off the trees. It was Merlin. Arthur hardly needed a breeze to force his hand- hearing his friend scream sent him rocketing over the edge.

In two swift strides he knocked the dagger from Moira's hands and threw her haphazardly through the air.

Chivalry be damned.

He was running again, and paid no heed to her pained cry as she hit the ground.

He tore through the dense trees and nearly went crashing to the floor when he caught a flicker of warm tones against the cool of the forest.

Arthur flung his hand out to grip a nearby tree while he used it to turn on a pin and maintain his balance. His eyes immediately centered on the two figures between the trees.

The sorcerer, Simon was straddling Merlin, pressing his hands against the servant's arms. As Arthur's legs charged toward them his stomach roiled in horror- Merlin lay unmoving on the ground displaying none of the life that was so akin to him, even in sleep. His midnight hair was mussed and his thin white nightshirt smudged with dirt. Simon's face was hovering above Merlin's, his eyes glowing an intense ruby red. He did not notice the advancing prince.

With an almighty roar Arthur tackled the man and sent him flying. He wasted no time and sent a bone breaking punch into his jaw, before immediately lifting Merlin onto his shoulders and running. Merlin was a dead weight on Arthur's shoulders and the servant's limbs dangled limply. Arthur pumped his legs hard until a furious shriek came from behind him. He skidded to a halt and gently leant Merlin against a tree, making sure he was secure before turning around and drawing his sword. Arthur knew that he would never be able to outrun them while carrying Merlin.

Simon was snarling wordlessly across from them, wary of his sword and Moira limped through the trees to stand behind him.

"I will not let you hurt him." Arthur forced himself to look into Simon's white eyes that were unnervingly staring right back. The prince wanted so desperately to look back at Merlin but he could not avert his eyes from the threat- to do so would mean defeat and he could not accept that.

"You, Arthur Pendragon do not have a choice," Moira spat and tossed her now messy braid over her shoulder. "Kill them Simon," she ordered.

Arthur strengthened his stance and looked up to meet Simon's flashing gold eyes. They reverted back to white and nothing happened. Arthur hardly dared to believe it. Simon threw out his hand and tried again but to no avail. Simon's magic wasn't working on them.

"Who is doing that!" Moira shouted at him.

Arthur looked through the trees but no one showed themselves. It was just them three in the forest. He looked back at Simon who was staring at his shaking hands. Arthur tightened his grip on his sword, ready to use it, grateful for his never ending luck. The ragged man took a step back.

"Kill them you fool!"Moira screamed and waved her arms. "Use your fists, bite their throats out, I don't care, just kill them!"

Simon glanced between Arthur and Moira, giving a scared whine.

"If you do not obey me, I will end you Simon."

Simon froze and looked to the violet cloaked woman. She was standing proudly and clenching her jaw.

"Obey me," she commanded, "I don't care if you lose your head!"

Arthur watched as Simon's face contorted furiously and something snapped in his eyes. The prince had seen it in hunting dogs that went mad, or in prey that had nothing else to lose. Moira had made her final mistake. Simon's scarred hands seized her around the throat and lifted her. She did not struggle for long when the sound of bone snapping echoed through the forest. Moira landed in a heap on the ground, her neck bent at the wrong angle and her open eyes wide and terrified.

The broken man stared at nothing and exhaled a shaky breath before tipping to his knees beside his dead master. The hair on the back of Arthur's neck stood on end as Simon howled in anguish. He crouched in on himself and rocked backward and forward while wailing. His sobs died down to low moans and Arthur knew that he would never move from that spot. Simon would stay there until he starved because he had nothing to live for; he was now free but his humanity had been ripped from him long ago and he was merely a wounded animal with no leash.

Arthur's eyes darkened as he took slow steps forward. Simon paid the prince no heed as Arthur stood behind him and readied his sword. In one fluid movement, Arthur shoved his sword through Simon and his agonized moans ceased. The man fell when Arthur withdrew his blade, and was dead before the sword was pulled out of his back.

"I'm sorry," Arthur told him, and he spared no more time on Simon. The prince sheathed his bloody sword and strode to Merlin. He threw himself on his knees in front of the warlock.

"Merlin?" He called out, eyeing the blood trickling from his friend's nose and ears anxiously, and felt Merlin's wrist for a pulse. He sighed loudly in relief when regular if weak beats fluttered under his fingers. "Don't worry Merlin, everything will be alright," Arthur said and took off his blue jacket. The prince then carefully put it on Merlin and gently lifted him onto his shoulders. Arthur walked slowly for fear of hurting Merlin and he began his long trek back to the city.

He had vowed that his sword would be bloody by the end of the day. And it was. But he could not feel satisfied for getting revenge. Simon was a dog that did Moira's bidding, and the prince put him down. Maybe he was once a man, but Arthur would never know. He left behind two dead bodies, and relief slowly warmed him the further he went. He was glad that Merlin was not one of them.

|o|

It was two long weeks later that things reached a semblance of normal. Merlin was now out of bed and back to doing light chores. Arthur, Gaius, Gwen, and even some knights watched him like a hawk. And it was a testament to how exhausted Merlin was still feeling that he didn't even notice. The midday sun shined down on Camelot and signalled the end of training. One servant, a knight, and one prince made their way from the training grounds to the armoury. Another time, Merlin would be saying how it sounded like a start to a bad joke but he had actually tried in the training session, so he was even more tired than he would be normally. Merlin did not even make a rude comment about certain mollycoddling knights as Arthur and Leon led the way carrying the prince's things. Leon had the weapons and Arthur was still wearing the armour that needed to be placed in the armoury. Merlin trudged along behind them holding Arthur's helmet.

They got to the empty armoury and Merlin stubbornly helped Arthur out of his armour with subtle help from the silent Leon. Somehow, when the two knights were putting things in place, Merlin had found his way to the floor and was snoring softly within seconds.

Arthur stared at him for a few moments before turning to Leon. "Get a servant to bring some blankets and a pillow here," Arthur ordered.

"Yes Sire," Leon smiled and went to do as he was asked.

When he was gone, Arthur crouched beside Merlin, knowing that the servant slept like the dead. "I'm going to have all the knights and pretty maidservants come down and see you sleep like a baby in the armoury," Arthur smirked. Merlin merely sighed sleepily causing Arthur to grin.

"It's what you get for not listening to us, and working when you should be resting."

He looked up as light footsteps walked closer to the room. He exchanged a smile with Guinevere before Leon walked in. The maidservant came closer with the blankets and pillow, and Arthur relieved her of the heavier load.

Arthur gently took Merlin away from the wall and rested him on the floor. Leon looked away as Guinevere placed the pillow under Merlin's head and the prince tucked his servant in.

"Leon, go get the knights would you?" Arthur grinned when he stood up.

"Of course Sire," Leon chuckled and departed swiftly.

Arthur then turned to the dark maidservant. "Guinevere, would you please bring this to the attention of the kitchen maids?"

"Oh Arthur, you know they fawn over him enough as it is," Gwen tried to scold but she was fighting a smile.

The prince pouted ever so slightly causing her to breathe a quiet laugh. "As my prince commands," she said. Arthur watched her go and then gave a smug look to his sleeping friend.

"This will never be forgotten you know," Arthur told Merlin and knelt back down, making sure that the blankets were firmly keeping his friend warm. Through force of habit he placed a hand on Merlin's forehead to check for fever. Arthur told himself that it was a muscle spasm that caused his hand to card through Merlin's hair.

Indeed, in the years to come. Merlin's ears would always grow red when someone reminded him of his little nap in the armoury. And Arthur would never fail to bring it up if he needed ammunition, although it was never in short supply.

But for now, the prince would let him sleep.

|o|

Lyfte ic þe in balwen ac forhienan se wideor- you are air in fire's heat but defeat the hostile one

I got the spell from the Merlin wikia. It's the one Merlin uses to kill the afanc.

So was that a good conclusion? Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!