Chapter 10
Merlin, his heart in his throat, brought his fingers to Arthur's neck immediately, checking for a pulse that would indicate his lover was still alive. The young warlock was grateful he was already kneeling, because he felt his whole body shaking in relief when he found it and he was sure he would have fallen otherwise. Arthur's pulse was slow, erratic. But it was there.
"Arthur?" Merlin called, cupping the King's face with both his hands, half caressing, half slapping him in an attempt of bringing him back to consciousness. "Arthur, come on, open your eyes. For me, please"
Of course Arthur was beyond reach at the moment and could not hear the desperation in his lover's voice, nor see the fear in his eyes. Merlin hurriedly rolled Arthur's chainmail and tunic up and gasped at the wound he found on his side: it was very deep and rough, and it kept bleeding without showing any signs of stopping soon.
Merlin was no fool and knew such an injury was well beyond his powers of healing. He had never been that good at using his magic to cure, and never before he had regretted it that much.
"Damn it!" Merlin shouted, hitting his own thigh in frustration. How many times had Gaius told him he should learn and practise this kind of spells more? Hadn't he given him the book for that purpose? What good his magic was if he couldn't save the person he loved the most in the world?
He was taken out of his reverie by a change in Arthur's breathing. It suddenly became shallower and quicker, as if he was having trouble just getting enough air. When Merlin touched his face again to try and rouse him again, he discovered a raging fever was already setting in Arthur's skin.
"Arthur, please" Merlin pleaded, his eyes flooding with tears, while moving Arthur's fringe out of his forehead, even when he knew the King couldn't hear him. "Don't do this to me"
"Arthur?" Merlin heard Leon calling the King from a distance, and he hurried to dry the few tears that had escaped his eyes and make their presence known to the knights.
"Here!" he shouted, trying to hide the shaking of his voice. "He's badly wounded!"
"What happened, Merlin?" Leon asked him as soon as he reached the pair and he crouched next to his fallen friend.
"That man attacked him from behind and embedded his sword on Arthur's side. And then this other one just made his wound worse with his fist. He's bleeding a lot and he can barely breathe"
"And he did defeat the three of them on his own, even being that severely wounded?" Leon asked, astonished.
"Mmm... yes, he did" Merlin lied.
"How could he possibly...?"
"That's not important now, he's really bad off" Merlin pleaded for Leon to let it go and help him with his lover.
"You're right. You're right, I'm sorry. We'll bring him to the camp. He needs to be kept warm next to the fire" Leon suggested, resting his hand on Merlin's shoulder in a comforting gesture. "Percival! I need your help!" he shouted in the direction where the battle had taken place.
"What happened with the battle?" Merlin asked while they waited, suddenly remembering the reason they were there in the first place.
"We won" Leon explained with a small smile. "And there were fewer casualties on our side than we expected. Arthur was right all along"
"He'd be glad to know that" Merlin answered with a sad smile, quickly stopping a tear about to fall with his thumb.
"He will know" Leon promised, just as the Camelot survivors of the battle started appearing between the trees.
