The Lady of the Lake, a Merlin fanfic

Chapter 4

"Merlin!"

Through the bars, he saw the slumped form of his servant, chained to a chair. There was blood on Merlin's face. Hands shaking, Arthur slotted in the key, twisted, and pushed the door open.

"Oh hell-"

The Prince was by his servant's side in an instant, placing a hand on his shoulder, looking into his pale and sweaty face, which was so swollen that it was nearly unrecognizable. His nose was clearly broken, and he was slack against the chains. His eyes were so puffy and bruised that they were very almost swollen shut and crinkled at the edges with pain. He seemed to be having trouble breathing and he made no move to open his eyes or acknowledge Arthur's presence. Dark red dried blood covered his face and the front of his shirt. A dark shadow blossomed over his throat.

"Oh Merlin, you idiot, I should have known you'd get mixed up in some trouble with Halig..."

Shaking, Arthur reached for the knife on his belt and slammed it into the lock, attempting to break it. It took several tries, but finally the lock snapped and Arthur flung the chains off. Tentatively he slipped his hands under Merlin's armpits and pulled his servant to his feet. Merlin's legs were shaking and he almost fell, his face twisting in pain.

"Sorry, Merlin, but we need to get you out of here."

Merlin groaned softly, sounding pained. His eyes briefly blinked dazedly, but when he tried to stand up his leg muscles spasmed and he had to lean heavily against Arthur, who was desperately attempting to keep him from toppling to the ground.
It wasn't that Arthur couldn't hold up Merlin's weight- he was strong and the boy was painfully thin- but he was also so lanky that his long limbs were difficult to coordinate when Merlin couldn't control them himself. Hell, Arthur thought ruefully as he started to basically carry Merlin out of the cell, his clumsy servant had enough trouble keeping his arms and legs from knocking over everything in sight and keeping himself upright even when he wasn't incapacitated.

Arthur took another step and Merlin whimpered and Arthur felt his gut wrench with sympathy for his servant, who must be in awful pain. He held the slighter man close against his body, his arms wrapped tight around Merlin's shivering back. Merlin's head rested heavily on Arthur's shoulder.
Arthur felt his stomach twist with butterflies. He couldn't help it- Merlin was just so close. Arthur could smell Gaius's lemony soap mingled the mustiness of the dungeons in his hair, could see the purple of the huge bruise on his neck starting to creep up his jaw, feel his hot, laboured breath against Arthur's cheek. He hadn't shaved that morning. Arthur suppressed a shudder at the intimacy he wasn't quite ready for, but undeniably craved.

Pulling himself together, Arthur half dragged, half carried Merlin a couple of metres down the corridor before it became apparent that Merlin could go no further. His ashen face had drained of the little colour it had left and he shook still more violently, fresh blood beginning to drip from his nose. Arthur reached up to smooth back Merlin's dripping fringe.

"Merlin, Merlin."

The boy pried his eyes open and blinked rapidly, his gaze slipping in and out of focus, and Arthur tried to quell the dread in his gut as he cupped Merlin's face with one hand, trying but failing to meet his eyes.

"Come on Merlin, stay with me," Arthur muttered. When he got to response still, he bellowed down the corridor, "GUARDS!"

They came running, gasping at what they saw. Arthur saw his own emotions reflected in their faces and decided to forget the formalities.

"My servant has been badly beaten for information, and he's in a state. I need you to help me get him up the stairs," he panted. "And I need one of you to run again and warn Gaius. And another to go and inform my father of the incident. Tell him I have firm reason to believe that it was Sir Halig who carried out this completely unacceptable display of brutality."

The guards nodded wordlessly; two of them turned and ran back up the stairs, and the other three approached Merlin carefully, ready to help Arthur support his weight.

Slowly they moved up the stairs. It took a painfully long time, and Merlin's breathing was even more ragged when they reached the top. Arthur wished the quaking man would just say something, anything, to dash the seed of blind terror in his belly- he needed Merlin to be a constant in his life that was quick and funny and rude, often useless but more often a great comfort to Arthur; accompanying him undoubtedly, even in battles, ambushes, quests; getting scratched, battered, thrown around; but always, fundamentally unscathed, whole, safe. And the worst thing of it all was that the attack has happened right here, in the very castle- somewhere where they should all feel safe. Oh, what he wouldn't give to hear Merlin call him a clotpole right now.

At the top of the stairs Gwen rounded the corner and came to a sudden halt. As her eyes moved slowly over Merlin, she let out a strangled cry.

"What's happened?" she stared at Arthur, paling and rushing forward to place a hand on Merlin's shoulder, brush the hair out of his eyes, look into his face. "Arthur, what's happened to him?"

"Halig took him in for questioning," Arthur said simply.

Gwen's hand flew to her mouth in horror and her eyes grew dark.

"That brute," she whispered, sounding sickened.

Arthur just nodded.

Gwen didn't need to hear anything else. Without another word she slipped beside Arthur and wove her arm around Merlin's other shoulder, taking half of his meagre weight onto her slight form and helping Arthur support him.

Arthur smiled weakly at her. He knew that Merlin and Gwen were close- they had been friends before Merlin had even become Arthur's manservant. Of course Gwen cared for him, he knew that, but it was still reassuring to know she was there to support him.

Arthur glanced down at the pale, gaunt, shivering serving boy and readjusted his grip on him. Merlin's breath hitched, and Arthur wondered whether his father would even punish Halig.