A/N : Hi everyone! Here I am again, with another story. As usual, it's about Merlin & Arthur's friendship in a time of danger. This time, however, it's not Merlin who's in danger, or let me say this : the one who's MAINLY in danger - it's Arthur. You'll see what I mean in a minute. I really hope you'll like this story, it's steadily growing in my mind. I love it already. I hope you will too.

Please let me know what you think? It truly, truly means everything to me.

XO, as always
Mae'side

Merlin

The place he had once lived was not his home anymore. The realization of that simple and pure fact struck him harshly and inside himself, a canyon was created. There was a distance between himself and these trees, these houses and these men, one that he wasn't sure could ever be bridged. His eyes sought out the evening sky and he knew it was the same in Camelot – these were the same stars that guided him through life. It brought neverending comfort.

He had returned to Ealdor to celebrate his mother's birthday. Once a year, Arthur would set him free for about a week, so he could come back here and revisit the life he had once lived. It was strange how a sense of loss enveloped him, how he craved to be back inside those castle walls. Of course he was happy to see his mother and his old friends, but this place was an empty shell of what had been. Warm, but hollow.

He wondered about Gaius, imagined his foster father eating his dinner at their old wooden table all by himself, looking up and finding nothing. No one. He imagined his room that lay there empty, beckoning his body to lay down on his more-or-less comfortable bed. Most of all, he thought of Arthur. Strangely enough, the idea of anyone else looking out for him filled him with the stabbing emotion of jealousy and envy. He didn't know if Arthur even cared who served him, as long as the food was decent enough and the chores neatly done, but he secretely hoped he did.

"Merlin?" His mother walked out to the garden where he stood, the warm blanket wrapped around her shoulders. He did not feel the cold – in fact, he felt more at ease than ever. These stars… "It's cold outside." The palm of her hand sheltered his arm from the temperature as she ran it up and down his bare flesh, delivering warmth and familiarity.

"They're so beautiful."

She smiled a little, her face illuminated by the faint light of their neighbour's torches. "Are they the same?"

"Yes." His voice nearly broke on the one word of affirmation. It held all his loneliness, all his despair. In Ealdor, he could be whoever he wanted to be…he was able to practise magic and live free inside the comfort of their hut…yet he craved the confining walls of the castle. He missed his home and the people who lived there. "They're exactly the same."

"I'm glad you're here, Merlin." She pulled her son into her tight embrace, letting her love fall over him like cold water on a hot summer day. "I know you would rather be somewhere else."

"No." Whatever else was going on with him, he would make sure his mother knew she was loved, that she knew she meant everything to him. He distanced himself from her to be able to look into her eyes. "I love you, mother. There is no place I would rather be."

His forehead fell against her own, their breaths mingling in the crisp night sky. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Not tonight."

Arthur

Once a year, Merlin would leave him. A few days without the familiar ramblings, the nonsense and pure idiocy that surrounded him day after day, for quite some time now, would remain. He should feel glad to get rid of it, but the truth was that he just… he missed that. All of it.

Not that he would EVER breathe a word of this – to anyone! - but this unfamiliar servant, who was absolutely brilliant at everything he did, who never failed, unnerved him. Worse than that, he couldn't even yell for no reason. Merlin was able to deal with his mood swings, but men like these would break at even the smallest hint of his anger. He had to admire Merlin for his patience.

Again : not that he'd know. Most of the time, he was mean or rude to his faithful servant, although there were the odd times where he could do something nice, pick up on Merlin's worries and try to ease them, at least temporarily. He supposed Merlin knew, at those times, that he was more than a servant…he was a friend.

If he hadn't been, Merlin would have ended up in the stocks a lot more often than he had already.

He was up before the servant woke him and spent his time looking up at the ceiling, trying to search for hidden meanings in the patterns on the silk. He found none today.

"My lord." The stand-in Merlin bowed deeper than the real one ever had, his desire to please his prince overriding any self indulgence. "I've brought you breakfast."

"Thank you." His mind was spinning as he tried to sit upright, but he wrote it off as remainders of his sleep. He had, after all, done nothing productive since the moment he opened his eyes and his body was not accustomed to laziness once it had awoken.

It was only when his stomach turned for the worse and his legs felt numb, yet painful at the same time, that he started to think of other possible explanations. It wasn't until he crumbled to the floor several minutes later, that he knew something was wrong.

-

When he opened his eyes again, Gaius was there, his brow furrowed in worry – a clear sign that he was wrecking his brain for any possible explanation. The image of Merlin disappeard as suddenly as it had appeared in his mind's eye, the likeness to Gaius undeniable, even though they were not related in any way.

"What's happening to me?"

It was apparent that Gaius had not expected Arthur to be conscious, for he almost darted away from his bedside. Arthur could almost hear the pounding of his heart and was sorry for having scared him so. "Tell me what's wrong."

Dark clouds filled Gaius' nearly ancient orbs, their color turning darker almost instantly. "I'm afraid I do not know, my lord. I've rarely seen anything like this." He sat down again, his behind invading the space Arthur's bed provided him with only slightly, afraid of offending the prince in any way. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel.." Yes, how did he feel? It was nearly impossible to explain, but all he knew was that his body, once powerful with strength and vigor, was failing him. The crown prince had been reduced to a pathetic heap of frailty, and he hated it with every breath in his body. He told the physician where it hurt the most, watching his expression changing from bad to worse. The unthinkable filled his mind.

"Do you think I'll survive?"

"Of course you will." Gaius discared the idea, but the lingering slumber of doubt in his eyes told Arthur all he needed to know. "I will need to run some tests, if you don't mind."

Arthur shook his head weakly and even though he felt as if he were on fire, the flames only broke down everything inside of him : a destructive path to nothingness. Yet when Gaius stood, he reached out faster than a lightning bolt, surprised at his own reflexes, and he pressed the tips of his fingers deep into the old man's wrist, feeling the erratic pulse beat underneath the paper skin.

"I don't want Merlin to find out about this."

Apprehensive. There was no other word to describe what he saw in Gaius' face. As Merlin's foster father, he would no doubt have his son's best interest at heart, and of course Arthur knew Merlin would hate him for not speaking of his illness, for not sending word. But he didn't want to worry his friend – and if he died by the hand of this unknown enemy, he wanted Merlin's last image to be that of the man who had stood on the high castle walls, watching his friend gallop away into the forest.

"With all due respect, sire, I think he would want to know."

Arthur closed his eyes briefly. "I know."

"I believe that if you don't let him say goodbye he will carry it with him forever." Gaius spoke the truth Arthur was so willing to deny. The words he wanted to keep hidden in his mind, the ones he had hoped never to hear again. Of course he needed to say goodbye.

But it would be the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. He feared it.

"I trust you, Gaius." He finally said. "And I will let you do what you think is necessary."

Merlin

When he saw the first flash of red, his whole body tensed though he remained standing. The gold pattern on the cape, beautiful and gracious against the silver of the chainmail, was so elegant and graceful, and he had never feared it. Until now.

He recognized the man even before he came within ten feet of him. The knight was sir Leon, one of the bravest and most trustworthy men of Camelot's royal guard… and he was here today.

"I bear news of Camelot." He spoke, his voice formal and full of thunderous omens. "The crown prince has been taken ill. Your presence has been requested at the royal court."

Oh, PLEASE tell me what you think? It would mean the world to me.

XO, as always
Mae'side