Nobody knew how it had happened. Arthur was a Time Lord, so he was supposedly safe from human diseases. There was the possibility that it was an alien disease, but there remained the problem of how it could have reached Arthur. Or maybe it was poison. All the people knew was that one day, Arthur was found to be very ill.
"Good morning!" Merlin said, flinging open the curtains. Instead of being met by the usual insult that had become customary, though, Merlin heard a groan. That was when he knew something was wrong. "Arthur?" There was no response. Merlin put a hand on Arthur's forehead, and jerked it back almost instantly. Arthur was burning up. He debated whether to stay with Arthur or go fetch Gaius, when Arthur began to get up. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Arthur said, though he clearly was not. Arthur stood up shakily. "Well? Aren't you going to dress me?"
"I think perhaps you should stay in bed today."
"I didn't ask your opinion, Merlin."
"Well I don't encourage death wishes, Arthur."
"I'm not dying!"
"How do you know?" Arthur glared.
"Just dress me." Merlin sighed and did so. Arthur took a few steps forward, then collapsed into Merlin's arms.
Gaius's face paled as he saw Merlin carrying Arthur. "What happened?"
"I'm not sure, but he's very ill. I was hoping you knew what to do." Gaius frowned.
"Well it certainly doesn't help that he's not human. But I'll see what I can do." Gaius began flipping though pages. Finally, he found a spell that looked promising. Gaius began chanting, and within a few minutes, Arthur awoke.
"How do you feel?" Gaius asked.
"Throat... hurts... So hot..." Gaius felt Arthur's forehead and noticed that he still had a high fever. "Everything hurts..." Arthur looked around and saw Merlin. "Get him out of here."
"No, he's my assistant and I'm not getting rid of him just because you don't like him. Do you want to live or not?" Arthur sighed.
"Fine. Do you know how to heal me?"
"I'm not sure," Gaius admitted. He looked through a book, until he finally found something. "Your condition is severe. The only cure is a specific spell shown here, but it requires a powerful sorcerer to cast it. It also requires genuine love and concern on the part of the sorcerer, and complete trust on the part of the patient."
"Search everywhere. I need someone to restore me to health." Gaius nodded.
"You don't have much time, your highness. If not treated, you will die within a few hours."
"Then hurry up!" Gaius looked at Merlin.
"Merlin can do it."
"Merlin? A powerful sorcerer? I think not. And besides, I need someone I can trust." Merlin looked hurt.
"Arthur?"
"Don't talk to me."
"There aren't many sorcerers, especially not in Camelot where they were hunted down, and powerful sorcerers are very rare. If you refuse my help, you will likely die." Gaius nodded.
"If you want to live, you'll have to swallow your pride." Arthur sighed.
"Fine. But you said the sorcerer had to love me and have concern for me."
"And?" Merlin asked.
"Oh. Well, didn't the spell need trust on my part?" Gaius nodded. "How can you expect me to trust Merlin? How could I trust anyone who kept a secret from me for years? A secret that would have gotten him killed. And then he had the gall to convince me to change the law. He could try to kill me, for all I know!"
"When have I ever hurt you, Arthur? I've spent my whole life saving you. Please, let me save you again. Trust me, I can help you. I'm sorry I lied, and I'm sorry I betrayed your trust. But please, trust me again. I need you." Merlin blushed. "I... I mean... Camelot needs you. If you die now, everything you worked so hard for will be lost. Please, Arthur, just trust me. Let me help you. I just want to help you. I want to serve you. I'll do whatever you want, just please, don't die. Don't refuse life just because of me. Please, Arthur!" Merlin looked completely broken. Tears were streaming down his face, and for a moment, Arthur forgot about everything; he forgot about the lies, forgot about the pain, and just saw a broken man who was desperate to help. For a moment. Then it came back, but Arthur pushed it away.
"Alright. I don't know if I like you, and I'm not sure I've forgiven you, but I see that I have to trust you. Now then, get to it!" Merlin dried his eyes and read the spell carefully. He began to chant words that Arthur couldn't understand. Arthur was full of anger and pain, but he remembered that for the spell to work, he needed to trust Merlin. So he shifted his focus. He remembered all his times with Merlin. Merlin saving his life. Merlin watching over him. Merlin saving his life. Merlin staying close to him. It seemed to be a common theme. He realized that maybe Merlin was trustworthy after all.
Meanwhile, Merlin poured all his thoughts and feelings into the spell. He loved Arthur. As a friend. No, as more than that. He wanted to be with Arthur forever. He wanted Arthur's life to be wonderful, and when things went wrong, he wanted to be the one Arthur came to for comfort. He wanted to be Arthur's friend, his adviser, his... lover? Merlin had so many feelings for Arthur, it was hard to sort through them all. Was this what love was like? He wasn't sure, but he knew he cared about Arthur. And he cared for his well-being. Merlin couldn't imagine a world without Arthur. He didn't want to. Arthur was his life, his destiny. If anything were to happen to Arthur, Merlin would never forgive himself. That was why he had to get this right. He had to save Arthur. Maybe then he would truly have Arthur's trust. Even if not, it would be worth it just to see his Arthur alive. His Arthur? He was getting possessive now? Maybe he was in love. Merlin smiled a little and finished the spell.
"Merlin?"
"Arthur!" Merlin rushed up to Arthur and hugged him tightly. A few seconds later, he realized what he was doing and stepped back, embarrassed. "Um... hi. You're alive!"
"Thanks to you."
"Are you actually thanking me? Are you sure you're alright?" Merlin joked.
"Don't expect it to happen again any time soon."
"So... do you trust me yet?"
"You saved my life with a skill you've hidden from me for years. I'm still a little mad at you about that, but I think I can trust you now. And... there was that bit required for the spell. What does that mean?"
"Well, it means I love you. But I don't know exactly what that means. I'm still sorting out my feelings."
"So am I."
"But if it is... then what about Gwen?"
"I'm not sure. We'll have to talk to her about it. But I wouldn't worry about that just yet. For now, let's focus on becoming friends again." Merlin nodded.
"It's a good start," he said with a smile.
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