Chapter 23

Writers Note: The characters of Merlin are not mine.

"Gaius, we need you!"

The healer wiped the sweat off his brow. "I'll be right there!"

The room that had been crowded before was bursting now, Namairian citizens and soldiers crying out in pain from cots and blankets. A bunch of them were dead, and some of them were on their way there, bodies littered with gaping wounds. Not only did Gaius had to take care of them but also of Merlin who had gotten even paler.

"Hurry up, Arthur." Gaius muttered. After stitching up a cut leg he went to the room where Merlin was. "Who are you?"

The person in beside Merlin's bed was a Namairian girl in her teens with thick black hair down to her back and warm brown eyes.

"I'm sorry," She said. "But I need to take him."

Gaius's eyes went wide. "No you can't, young lady, he's very sick."

She sighed. "I know that, but his presence is desperately needed elsewhere."

"She must be insane." Gaius thought. Surly the carnage of the day must have caused her to go into shock. Calmly, Gaius held out a hand. "Come with me, child, I'll get you something to regain your senses."

The girl shook her head and stepped closer to Merlin.

"I'm sorry, good healer, but this must be done."

"What do you-"

Suddenly the room was filled with a blinding gold light and when it faded both Merlin and the girl were gone.

"The God's help us all."

Arthur took a deep breath and jumped across the gap, landing on the platform just as a rock crashed behind him.

"This guy is trying to kill me."

The second test was for his body, an obstacle course of swinging platforms and giant rocks that shot out randomly from the darkness.

"Go Arthur! You can do it!" The fake Merlin cheered from the other end of the course, waving a red and gold banner.

Arthur glared at him and flipped him the bird only to yelp as the platform whipped around, forcing him to his knees. The prince gritted his teeth as he dug his nails into the rough stone, his metal gloves long gone when he realized that the heavy armor would only spell his doom.

"For Merlin, for Merlin," He chanted. Though Arthur didn't know how long he'd been down in these caves he knew he didn't have much left. "I will save him!"

After another rock sailed over his head Arthur shot up and made a mad dash to the next platform. He slid but the section he was on suddenly fell away but before he could follow it he snagged an edge, holding on for dear life as it spun again.

"Don't give up Arthur!" The fake called.

The prince of Camelot closed his eyes and imagined that it was the real Merlin cheering him on. Gritting his teeth so hard that he thought they'd crack Arthur heaved himself onto the ledge. Taking a deep breath Arthur made for the fake Merlin, falling to his knees and sliding the last few feet just as the obstacle course fell down into the darkness.

"Ten minutes and thirty-five seconds," The fake whistled. "That's a new record!"

"Shut up!" Arthur snarled, resting his hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath. "What's the next test?"

Suddenly the fake's mood turned grave.

"The next and final test shall be the one of the heart and it shall be the hardest one yet."

Arthur gulped. "I have faced flesh hungry corpses and the most deadly obstacle course I have ever seen. What could possibly be harder than that?"

"Take me hand and find out." The fake said.

Arthur sighed and did so. "You're doing this for Merlin."