The door busted open as Gaius and Gwen rushed in as they held onto Merlin, (Y/n) trailed behind them as Arthur trailed behind her. She placed the cup down on the table as they led the boy onto the collapsible bed.
"Gaius what's wrong with him" Arthur asked as Gaius was quick to start checking on him.
"He's been poisoned you stale french fry, what did you expect when he said the drink was poisoned" (Y/n) was quick to snark as she moved to Gaius' side.
"Stale french fry?" He muttered to himself as he was confused with the name.
Guinevere was quick to go fetch a basket of water nearby as she grabbed a clothe to use for his forehead, "he'll be alright won't he Gaius?"
"I have no idea till I find out what the poison is made out of"
"It was by the Mortaeus Flower, there's a petal of it in the cup and they are very poisonous" (Y/n) stated as she leaned her head to Merlin's chest, hearing how his heartbeat was.
Everyone looked at her with widen eyes, Gaius moved to look at the cup on the table and inspected the inside.
Guinevere looked at her with her eyebrows scrunched a bit, "how do you know this?"
"I read it in a book" she replied nonchalantly as she moved off of his chest.
Gaius used a small pliers and pluck the petal out of cup, he quickly moved to one of his herb books and opened the page as he looked for the flower.
"If we don't hurry with the antidote than Merlin won't survive the week, and I am not ready to see my friend die in front of me" she stated to everyone in the room as she moved to remove his scarf and the vest he wore, wanting him to be able to produce less heat as he'll be sweating within the hour.
Gaius stopped on a page as he lead his finger down on the page as he read the content on it, a hum escaped his throat as he read, "she's right, the Mortaeus Flower is a deadly plant, whoever wanted to kill Arthur must hold a grudge if they used this plant"
Arthur moved so he was close to the older physician, a small look of worry on his face as it also determination, "where can we get the antidote?"
"The Mortaeus Flower can only be found in the caves beyond the Forests of Baylor, but it's a dangerous journey if you seek them"
After taking care of Merlin and making sure he was somewhat comfortable as he was starting to sweat, (Y/n) stood up and moved over to the two gents.
"I'm going"
Gaius was quick to shut her down, "no way, you're needed here"
She gestured to Arthur, "if princey is going to go than he'll need a medic if injured any way, there's not much I can do if there's no antidote here" she explained as she moved to cross her arms under her chest, leaning on one foot.
"It's too dangerous" Arthur joined in as he sided with the old man.
She rolled her eyes, "sure it's dangerous when a female goes but once a male goes it's fine" she commented as she gave the two a blank look, "I'm going, if you didn't hear me before I'm not gonna sit as I watch my closest friend die" she finished as she gave the blond a glare as she moved and walked away from the two.
Arthur and Gaius watched as she returned to tending to the ill Merlin along with Guinevere.
"She doesn't look like the knight type" Arthur commented as he crossed his arms in a loose manner, "but she got the guts of one"
Gaius nodded slowly, "I'm afraid that is what is going to be the death of her, but she'll survive with friends like you three" he said to the prince with a small smile.
The prince turned to look at him before scoffing, "me and her are not friends, she's too much of a pest" he mentioned as he uncrossed his arms and made his way out of the room.
~Time Skip to Deeper Into the Night~
(Y/n) waited by the horses as she waited for Arthur to show up, she's been waiting there for a while since she doesn't really know time wise when the prince would show up for a horse.
"Dang man, I'm about to leave him if he doesn't show up" she said as she sighed as she moved to adjust the bag over her shoulder.
"If who doesn't show up?"
She lifted her head to see Arthur walking toward her with his chainmail on, "took you long enough, we gotta get a move on man" she told him as she moved to get onto a horse.
He rose an eyebrow, "how long have you been waiting here?"
"No idea, there's no way to tell time at night"
He nodded his head slightly as the girl was right, he than made he way to his own horse before climbing onto them himself. (Y/n) grabbed the reins as she looked at the horse she was on, she never had experience riding horses so she was currently praying to the Gods that she'll survive riding one.
"Let's go" Arthur said as he tugged on the reins, causing the horse to move in front of her. He than whipped it causing the horse to go into a fast pace.
The (h/c) haired girl panic as she copied his action, "w-wait up!" She called out after as her horse started to run after his.
The two rode their horses passed the gate and to out of Camelot, Arthur led the way as (Y/n) followed somewhat behind. The night slowly changes as they continued to travel, soon turning to a sunrise as they neared the Forests of Baylor. Knowing the track will be dangerous Arthur hopped of his horse and moved it toward a tree, (Y/n) followed in his action as she made her way next to him.
"You really never ridden a horse, have you?" Arthur asked the girl as he tied the reins to a branch.
She huffed, "not everyone is trained in riding horses, plus now my thighs hurt" she whined as she rubbed her legs.
Arthur shook his head before he turned to walk into the forests, (Y/n) hobbled after him as she whined. The blond held his sword out as he scanned the area as he walked, the (h/c) haired held onto the strap of her bag as she used the other hand to help block any foliage that gets in the way. She looked down as she stepped over a overgrown root, when she looked up she was greeted with the back of Arthur meeting her face.
"Bruh!" She exclaimed as she pushed the prince away from her, now holding her nose in pain.
Arthur tumbled a bit before he looked back and glared at the girl before turning back away, he quickly made his way to the middle of a clearing. When she noticed what had gotten his attention, she internally groaned as she saw one of the antagonists in a disguised on a branch.
"Excuse me but why is a fair maiden such as yourself doing in this forest?" Arthur asked her after he had placed his sword back on his hip.
She looked up from the ground, tears had fallen down her face as her eyes were red. She was clutching onto her arm as it was red with marks of sorts, she looked at Arthur as she sniffled, "I-I had just ran away from my master, I had no choice but to run" she whined as she turned her body toward him as she sobbed.
Arthur kneels down as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "did he do this to you?" He asked in a somewhat calming voice, she nodded her head as she bit her lip to not let a sob escape.
(Y/n) made her presence known as she stood next to the two, a forced kind smile on her lip as she too kneeled next to her, "I have some items that'll help, can I?"
Nimueh turned her attention to her, her eyes scanned the girl before she slowly nodded. Releasing her arm from her own grip as she moved it a bit toward her.
(Y/n) moved her bag off of her shoulder and opened it up, she reached for the bandage and ointment as Arthur continued to talk to her. 'Bruh Nimueh really out here playing the role, go off I guess' she thought as she gently applied the ointment to the wounded area.
"Careful! There's a Cockatrice near, I just barely escaped it before collapsing here" Nimueh warned the prince as he had stood up from the ground.
"This Cockatrice doesn't scare me, I'm sure I can handle it" Arthur assured her as (Y/n) started to wrap bandages around the wounded area.
Soon as those words left his mouth a roar of sorts was heard, causing the prince to draw his sword as he scanned the area. Nimueh faked her fear as (Y/n)'s was genuine, she was quick to finish the wrapping as she rushed to put that two items back into her bag.
A large lizard-like creature walked out of the trees before it roared once more, it looking at Arthur as a threat as it hissed at him.
"Watch out for it's bite Arthur! It's highly venomous and will kill you!" (Y/n) warned him as she stood up, prepared to run if needed.
With a nod, Arthur prepared himself with the sword as the Cockatrice moved in for an attack. Nimueh and (Y/n) moved out of the way so they wouldn't be in the way of the fight. Without her knowing, the disguised maiden gave the (h/c) haired girl a side glance before looking back at Arthur.
'We're wasting time with this! But we have too if we wanna save Merlin' (Y/n) thought as she anxiously watched the prince fight the creature. She brought her hand to her face as she bit on her thumb, "come on, kill it already" she encouraged him, in a way, in a whisper.
"You're fond of him, aren't you?" Nimueh decided to make small talk even though someone's life is on the line.
She lowered her hand slightly from her mouth, "I have too, you wouldn't understand" (Y/n) replied with a slight shake of her head.
A loud yell caught the two's attention as they looked back to Arthur, only to see him pull his sword out of the Cockatrice's body. A roar of sort leaving the creature as it went limp on the ground.
"Arthur!" (Y/n) called out as she ran over to the blond with a smile, glad that he wasn't bitten by the creature.
He panted a bit as he turned to look at the two girls, only for him to let out a big huff as arms were wrapped around his torso. He looked at the girl hugging him with a confuse expression, "were you that scared I'd get hurt?" He asked in a slight teasing manner.
A small snort came from the (h/c) haired girl as she released her grip on the prince, "nah man, I'm just glad I don't have to face your father about you being dead"
He rolled his eyes, "is it that hard for you to be nice to me?"
"I'd barf before I'm nice to you" she wrinkled her noise as him before laughing to herself.
A small cough is heard between the two, gaining their attention back to the maiden that was standing a few feet from them.
"Why are you in this forest?" Nimueh was quick to the point as she walked closer to the two.
Arthur placed his sword away as he turned to face her, "we're looking for a cave, a flower called the Mortaeus Flower is said to reside in it"
A small smile appeared on the maiden's face, "I recall a cave like that, I can show you if you prefer"
"Splendid! Lead the way" Arthur said with a smile on her face.
Nimueh than turned in a direction as she made her way to the cave, Arthur followed behind as (Y/n) followed behind him.
_______________________
Slight Harsh Language Ahead
________________________
It took some time but the trio managed to get to a cave while the sun had just passed mid day, Nimueh presented the cave to the duo, "you shall find the Mortaeus flower in there"
"Thank you, made this trip a lot easier" Arthur thanked her before walking into the cave. (Y/n) nodded her head in thanks as she followed the prince, knowing this will be the hardest part of the trip.
Arthur led the way through the semi cramped cave before he came upon an entrance, he looked to see a single walkway to the wall where hopefully the flower grows. He moved forward, allowing the (h/c) haired girl to walk into the room, her grip on her bag tight as she was trying her best not to look down.
"I don't see any flowers, it's too dark" Arthur mentioned as he was looking at the wall.
"That shouldn't be a problem" a different voice caught both of their attention as they turned around, only to see Nimueh's true form in front of them. She muttered something as her eyes glowed a golden color, the ground between the two's feet started to shake before falling.
Arthur was close to the edge so he was barely saved while (Y/n) was not so lucky. She screamed as she reached for the ledge as quick as possible, her fingers gripped the concrete as tight as they can.
"Why are you doing this!" Arthur yelled at her as he tried his best not to slip on the edge.
A smirk appeared on Nimueh's lips as she looked to the prince, "don't worry Prince, it isn't in your destiny to die to my hands" she than moved her attention to the struggling (h/c) haired girl, "I don't know who you are, so you can go ahead and fall" this were her last words to them as she turned and left them in the dark.
"Arthur!" (Y/n)'s voice brought Arthur's attention back to the seriousness of the situation as she had to adjust her grip fast.
"Hold on!" He said as he quickly, but carefully, bended down as he grabbed her arm. Pulling her onto the edge and out of the deep gap.
She panted as she tried to calm her beating heart, "almost dying, surely won't be the last" she joked to help cope with the situation.
Arthur looked to the entrance but only grunted, "we won't be able to make the jump, we have to climb out of here" he told her as he carefully turned around to face the wall.
"Gotta be fast, I'm not trying to be spider food" (Y/n) said as she also turned and started to find gaps for her fingers to grab.
"Spiders?"
"Look down"
The blond turned his head downwards only for his eyes to widen, a light source was making its way toward them. But it was also illuminating a horde of above average sized spiders that was making their way to them.
"Arthur!"
(Y/n)'s voice quickly made the blond start to climb the wall, she was slightly ahead as she didn't stop to stare the wild life. Both of them grunting as they used their upper strength to pull them upwards on the wall, a small gasp caught the girl's attention as she turned to look at Arthur.
"It's the Mortaeus flower!" He exclaimed as he saw the yellow flower. He than tried to reach for it, only for it to be barely out of reach, with a few grunts he was able to pluck a small bit of it before having to rush out of the cave. The ball of light illuminated the area so the two were able to get out of the cave before the spiders could get a hold of them.
(Y/n)'s arms felt like jelly as she hoisted herself onto the flat surface where a tree rested, Arthur soon followed as he hoisted himself up.
"We made it" she said as she panted, holding her hands as they were in pain.
He nodded as he made his way to his feet, "and we have the plant" he said also panting as he held a palm opened to reveal the leaves of the very flower there were looking for.
After catching their breath, the two rushed their way out of the forests and back to their horses. With the horses making a run for it, the two were able to reach the castle in record time. After galloping into the main square, the two hopped off of their horses and rushed to get inside. But were stopped as a few knights stood in their path, each grabbing Arthur and (Y/n) by the arm and moving them in a different direction from the physician ward.
"Let me go! We got to save Merlin!"
"As the prince I order you to release us!"
The two yelled at the knights but were ignored as they were pushed into separate cells. (Y/n) was pushed more harshly compared to Arthur, causing her to trip on her own feet and landing on the ground with a sight yelp.
Arthur moved to the bars as he held on the leaves in his hands, "release us!"
"I'm afraid that won't happen" the familiar voice of Uther is heard as he made his appearance known to the prince.
"Father, what is the meaning of this!" Arthur demanded to know the reasoning.
Uther looked at his son with a blank expression, "this has happened for you have disobeyed me, all for a mere servent"
"He's not just a servent he's a friend you bastard!" (Y/n) yelled at him as she hit the bars, quickly regretting doing that but she ignored the pain in her hands.
Uther gave her a side glance with some annoyance, "you can learn your mistake while you're down here, I will see you in the morning" Uther told his son as he looked back at him before turning to walk away.
"Wait!"
He stopped as he turned back to his son.
Arthur held his hand out to his father, the leaves of the Mortaeus Flower rested in it, "I'll do whatever you want, but please get this to Gaius"
Uther walked back to him as he took the leaves from his hands, he glanced at it before he closed his hand around.
"No!"
"No!"
The two yelled as they watched Uther as he released his hand, the crumbled leaves falling onto the floor.
"I expect you to learn your lesson" Uther told him before walking out of the dungeons.
(Y/n) watched in disbelief as Arthur reached through the bars, grabbing the crumbled plant as he gently held it in his hands. She fell to her knees as she held the bars in her hands, "Merlin's going to die" she muttered as she could feel her stomach twist. Even if she knows that he'll survive, being in the actual moment made it seem like all hope was lost.