Behind the Mask - part 5
Author: 
archaeologist_d
Title: Behind the mask – part 5
Rating: R
Pairing/s: Merlin/Arthur
Character/s: Merlin, Arthur, Gaius
Summary: A drink, a seedy tavern as Arthur was chasing down rumours of a slaver in the neighbourhood, a slip into stupidity that he wasn’t proud of.
Warnings: talk of potential non-con but nothing explicit; foul language
Word Count:1068
Camelot Drabble Prompt bingo 512: hospital stay
Disclaimer: I do not own the BBC version of Merlin; They and Shine do. I am very respectfully borrowing them with no intent to profit. No money has changed hands. No copyright infringement is intended.
-------------------
Arthur hadn’t expected to survive. The last thing he remembered was Merlin crying over him, and truth be told, to know that Merlin cared so much must have sustained him somehow, made him fight harder to stay.
But everything was muddled, too. Back in his rooms in the castle, weighed down with a velvet coverlet and fine linen sheets, it would seem he’d lived after all.
Arthur still hurt like hell, his chest aching, and he was thirsty, too, but not awake enough to ask for help. Instead, he lay there, eyelids heavy, and not quite paid attention to the murmurs in the room.
“I almost lost him, Gaius. If I’d only been quicker, if only I’d found him sooner. He… you should have seen him, lying there, pale as death.” Merlin sounded like he had been crying again, his voice thick with guilt. “I should have killed Trag that first day, before—”
“Merlin, it’s a miracle that he survived at all, what with the broken rib and punctured lung.” Gaius seemed to be walking around the room. There was a clink of glass, then soft footsteps near the door. “Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
“But nothing worked. I tried so hard, and my healing isn’t… it didn’t work,” Merlin protested, sounding almost furious with himself.
“Well, something must have worked. Most men would have died.” Gaius sighed, a long, put-upon sound. “Not everything can be cured with magic, my boy. And I’m glad to hear that the quicklime worked so well.
”
Arthur couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Magic had been used? Merlin had magic? It wasn’t possible. Arthur’s mind must be playing tricks on him. After all, Merlin would need to study such things and Gaius would never allow it. The practice of sorcery meant death and Gaius was too intelligent to even contemplate such a thing, even if Merlin was stupid enough to try. No, he must have misheard.
“Gaius…,” Merlin started again, but Gaius cut him off.
“Merlin, he survived. He will be up on his feet and ordering you around before you know it.” Gaius sounded like they’d been arguing for hours. Arthur could almost see Gaius rolling his eyes at Merlin’s insistence. “Now, when he wakes, give him this potion. It will help with blood loss and don’t let him try and fool you into letting him get up. He needs rest.”
With that, Merlin just grunted, but soon the door open and shut and Merlin settled down, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Arthur’s bed.
“Hey, clotpole, come on, come on. Time to wake up.” Merlin sounded almost desperate. “I know you want to make my life a living hell again. And I won’t tell you to your face, but I miss you yelling at me. Giving me stupid orders when we both know it’s not my job most of the time. Please, just wake up.”
With that, Arthur moved, his head clearing, and he turned to look at Merlin next to him. Pale, blotchy face, eyes red, and Merlin looked like he’d been biting at his lip to keep from crying.
But when Merlin saw that Arthur was awake, he broke out into a brilliant grin. “You arse, do you know how worried I… we were?” He stood up, fussing with Arthur’s pillow, then reaching out as if to smooth Arthur’s cheek before thinking better of it and pulling at Arthur’s nightshirt instead.
Arthur tried to speak but Merlin shook his head, reaching over to get water and spooned a little bit into Arthur’s mouth. Not too much or Arthur might choke, but as he swallowed, Merlin nodded and gave him some more.
Finally, Merlin put the water aside and pulled out a vial, wiggling it a bit. “Gaius says to drink this. You know him. He’ll make it taste as awful as possible, but you lost a lot of…,” Merlin stopped, blinking as if trying to hold back tears, then said, “Well, if you want to get better and start throwing things at me again, you need to drink it.”
Scowling, Arthur grabbed the vial out of Merlin’s hand and downed the contents as quickly as he could. And yes, it was really foul. Trying not to gag, Arthur said, “What happened?”
“Well, Trag is dead and the three men with him. I took you to the healer but all he did was wrap you up and shake his head. Useless really. So, I figured Gaius would know what to do. Grabbed a wagon and got you back as quickly as I could. You were… in a bad way,” Merlin slowed, biting at his lip, blinking rapidly. Then giving a little sniff, he reached over and fluffed Arthur’s pillow again. “And here we are. Soon you’ll be right as rain, and I’ll be mucking out the stables.”
Arthur reached up, pulling Merlin down beside him. “Merlin, you… stop fussing.”
“Gaius said you won’t be able to train again for weeks. The king sent patrols to clear out the village of the slave auction and hunt down the rest of Trag’s thugs. Morgana has been raging at Uther for sending you in the first place and visiting you and looking upset. Gwen’s been trying to keep Morgana calm, but it doesn’t always work. They’ve both been practicing with swords whenever your father isn’t around, but if he finds out, there will be hell to pay.”
“Merlin, it wasn’t your fault,” Arthur said. “You did the best you could, and I can’t believe I am saying this but thank you.”
“I wasn’t fast enough,” Merlin sniffed again, then gave Arthur some more water, obviously trying to do something to keep from crying. “And you were naked.”
“I wasn’t happy about that.” Arthur grimaced, thinking again of the humiliation. “But maybe we should keep that to ourselves.”
“I didn’t mean what I said. The play-acting. I was trying put Trag’s men off the scent. I shouldn’t have talked that way about you and… and me.” Merlin’s face flushed, then he turned away. “I should tell Gaius that you are awake. He’ll want you to have some broth and maybe change the bandages.”
“Merlin, you’re babbling,” Arthur said.
Shrugging, Merlin said, “That’s what I do best.” Then he got up and started for the door. “I’ll get Gaius. Don’t do anything stupid.”
“I’ll leave that to you,” Arthur whispered, but Merlin was already gone.
archaeologist_dTitle: Behind the mask – part 5
Rating: R
Pairing/s: Merlin/Arthur
Character/s: Merlin, Arthur, Gaius
Summary: A drink, a seedy tavern as Arthur was chasing down rumours of a slaver in the neighbourhood, a slip into stupidity that he wasn’t proud of.
Warnings: talk of potential non-con but nothing explicit; foul language
Word Count:1068
Camelot Drabble Prompt bingo 512: hospital stay
Disclaimer: I do not own the BBC version of Merlin; They and Shine do. I am very respectfully borrowing them with no intent to profit. No money has changed hands. No copyright infringement is intended.
-------------------
Arthur hadn’t expected to survive. The last thing he remembered was Merlin crying over him, and truth be told, to know that Merlin cared so much must have sustained him somehow, made him fight harder to stay.
But everything was muddled, too. Back in his rooms in the castle, weighed down with a velvet coverlet and fine linen sheets, it would seem he’d lived after all.
Arthur still hurt like hell, his chest aching, and he was thirsty, too, but not awake enough to ask for help. Instead, he lay there, eyelids heavy, and not quite paid attention to the murmurs in the room.
“I almost lost him, Gaius. If I’d only been quicker, if only I’d found him sooner. He… you should have seen him, lying there, pale as death.” Merlin sounded like he had been crying again, his voice thick with guilt. “I should have killed Trag that first day, before—”
“Merlin, it’s a miracle that he survived at all, what with the broken rib and punctured lung.” Gaius seemed to be walking around the room. There was a clink of glass, then soft footsteps near the door. “Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
“But nothing worked. I tried so hard, and my healing isn’t… it didn’t work,” Merlin protested, sounding almost furious with himself.
“Well, something must have worked. Most men would have died.” Gaius sighed, a long, put-upon sound. “Not everything can be cured with magic, my boy. And I’m glad to hear that the quicklime worked so well.
”
Arthur couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Magic had been used? Merlin had magic? It wasn’t possible. Arthur’s mind must be playing tricks on him. After all, Merlin would need to study such things and Gaius would never allow it. The practice of sorcery meant death and Gaius was too intelligent to even contemplate such a thing, even if Merlin was stupid enough to try. No, he must have misheard.
“Gaius…,” Merlin started again, but Gaius cut him off.
“Merlin, he survived. He will be up on his feet and ordering you around before you know it.” Gaius sounded like they’d been arguing for hours. Arthur could almost see Gaius rolling his eyes at Merlin’s insistence. “Now, when he wakes, give him this potion. It will help with blood loss and don’t let him try and fool you into letting him get up. He needs rest.”
With that, Merlin just grunted, but soon the door open and shut and Merlin settled down, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Arthur’s bed.
“Hey, clotpole, come on, come on. Time to wake up.” Merlin sounded almost desperate. “I know you want to make my life a living hell again. And I won’t tell you to your face, but I miss you yelling at me. Giving me stupid orders when we both know it’s not my job most of the time. Please, just wake up.”
With that, Arthur moved, his head clearing, and he turned to look at Merlin next to him. Pale, blotchy face, eyes red, and Merlin looked like he’d been biting at his lip to keep from crying.
But when Merlin saw that Arthur was awake, he broke out into a brilliant grin. “You arse, do you know how worried I… we were?” He stood up, fussing with Arthur’s pillow, then reaching out as if to smooth Arthur’s cheek before thinking better of it and pulling at Arthur’s nightshirt instead.
Arthur tried to speak but Merlin shook his head, reaching over to get water and spooned a little bit into Arthur’s mouth. Not too much or Arthur might choke, but as he swallowed, Merlin nodded and gave him some more.
Finally, Merlin put the water aside and pulled out a vial, wiggling it a bit. “Gaius says to drink this. You know him. He’ll make it taste as awful as possible, but you lost a lot of…,” Merlin stopped, blinking as if trying to hold back tears, then said, “Well, if you want to get better and start throwing things at me again, you need to drink it.”
Scowling, Arthur grabbed the vial out of Merlin’s hand and downed the contents as quickly as he could. And yes, it was really foul. Trying not to gag, Arthur said, “What happened?”
“Well, Trag is dead and the three men with him. I took you to the healer but all he did was wrap you up and shake his head. Useless really. So, I figured Gaius would know what to do. Grabbed a wagon and got you back as quickly as I could. You were… in a bad way,” Merlin slowed, biting at his lip, blinking rapidly. Then giving a little sniff, he reached over and fluffed Arthur’s pillow again. “And here we are. Soon you’ll be right as rain, and I’ll be mucking out the stables.”
Arthur reached up, pulling Merlin down beside him. “Merlin, you… stop fussing.”
“Gaius said you won’t be able to train again for weeks. The king sent patrols to clear out the village of the slave auction and hunt down the rest of Trag’s thugs. Morgana has been raging at Uther for sending you in the first place and visiting you and looking upset. Gwen’s been trying to keep Morgana calm, but it doesn’t always work. They’ve both been practicing with swords whenever your father isn’t around, but if he finds out, there will be hell to pay.”
“Merlin, it wasn’t your fault,” Arthur said. “You did the best you could, and I can’t believe I am saying this but thank you.”
“I wasn’t fast enough,” Merlin sniffed again, then gave Arthur some more water, obviously trying to do something to keep from crying. “And you were naked.”
“I wasn’t happy about that.” Arthur grimaced, thinking again of the humiliation. “But maybe we should keep that to ourselves.”
“I didn’t mean what I said. The play-acting. I was trying put Trag’s men off the scent. I shouldn’t have talked that way about you and… and me.” Merlin’s face flushed, then he turned away. “I should tell Gaius that you are awake. He’ll want you to have some broth and maybe change the bandages.”
“Merlin, you’re babbling,” Arthur said.
Shrugging, Merlin said, “That’s what I do best.” Then he got up and started for the door. “I’ll get Gaius. Don’t do anything stupid.”
“I’ll leave that to you,” Arthur whispered, but Merlin was already gone.