Fight For Me

Chapter 6

"Merlin?" Arthur whispers, harshly, as he pretty much drags his servant away from Uther.

The best Merlin can do to reply is wheezing, "Mhm."

"How much longer can you hold on?"

He shakes his head, in a strange way that seems he's not in full control of it. Which he probably isn't.

"Ah, okay." He tries sounding calm and collected, and does a very bad job. The most terrible job, that it makes even him doubt their ability to pull this off. Whatever this is. They hadn't even gotten this far.

Arthur racks his bran for some plan. Usually, in battle or something more his speed, he can think of something, and it'd be good enough, but here... This wasn't his thing. He doesn't know what he's meant to do.

"K-- K--" Merlin tries to say.

"I'm not killing you!" Arthur almost yells.

"N-- No. N-- Not wh-- what I mmmean," Merlin slurs. "K-- Kilg-- harrah."

"Kil... gharrah?"

"Th-- the--"

Arthur hushes him. "Don't push yourself. Just hold on for me."

"Dra-- Dragon," he musters, before falling eerily silent again. The only sounds he makes are the occasional groans or grunt or small scream. That's even worse than silence.

Arthur reaches the caves, takes the lit torch, and makes his way through them. Before they can reach the dragon, Merlin slips from Arthur's grasp, giving a terrible scream while rolling on his back, writhing in pain.

His breathing gets quicker, letting out sharp breaths. He shakes and contorts as if he's burning all over, trying to put out the fire.

"Merlin!" Arthur drops the torch. "Come on, it's not much further."

"Ho-- argh! How--"

"Stop," Arthur commands. "It's hurting you. Please, just a little further."

Then, without light, they make their way to the dragon again, in between Merlin's screams.

The screams are so loud, so pained, even sad, that it hurts Arthur to hear. He didn't even know Merlin's voice could get that loud. Seeing Merlin like this, breathing quick, screaming so much and so often, looking pale and acting half dead, reminds him of the poisoned chalice, which he drank with no regard for his life, only to save Arthur. And then the length Arthur went to to save him. And that light that had guided him... It must have been Merlin, protecting him.

Arthur smiles a little. It was Merlin who helped him, again, even when he was on his deathbed.

"You self-sacrificing idiot," he mutters, just as they close in on Kilgharrah. Kilgharrah is curled up on the rock before the precipice, and lifts his head at them entering.

"Hello, young prince," the dragon calls. "And the young warlock, too." He seems a little surprised, for once.

"Help him, please," Arthur begs. "I don't know what to do."

"What is happening to him?"

"I thought you were... omniscient or whatever."

"No one can know everything, young prince."

Arthur sighs. "It's Sigan."

"I already gave the young warlock the spell to trap him once more," Kilgharrah notes.

"Well, it didn't work!" he yells. "Look at him!"

Merlin gives another scream, which echoes throughout the cave. The pure volume of it makes even the dragon cringe.