Of Chores and Crowns (A Merlin Fanfiction) ✔

Chapter Forty-nine

In the next second, I collapsed against Merlin, the pain finally too much for me. I was breathing heavily and I could feel sweat bead on my face.

"Dawn!" Merlin exclaimed, his voice panicked.

He saw my makeshift bandages and immediately paled. He grabbed me, holding me upright.

"What happened?!"

"Morgana...her fire..." I told him, my vision going black around the edges. I found it harder to breathe.

"Why didn't Gaius look at it?!" He demanded, frowning.

"He needed...to take care of...Arthur."

"What happened to Arthur?!"

I opened my mouth to respond, but he shook his head, sighing, and said, "Don't try to talk."

I sighed in relief and the motion seemed to bring me down, so I started falling again. Merlin panicked, but this time, he bent down to literally sweep me off my feet. When I was safely in his arms, he started hurrying as fast as he could towards Gaius's.

"The battle." I protested weakly. My neck couldn't seem to support my head anymore and I went limp in his arms.

"The battle is practically over. They do not need you anymore." He reassured me.

"There's too much...to be done."

"You can't even hold yourself up!" He exclaimed, "You are not going to be of any use to Camelot if you are dead."

I opened my mouth again, but Merlin immediately cut me off by saying, "Stop being foolish."

I didn't try to protest anymore. I laid there in his arms, looking up at him. It took him awhile to realize I was staring, but when he did, he immediately started blushing. He glanced down at me, looked back up, and then almost immediately glanced back down again.

He stopped walking and I grunted from the sudden jolt.

"Are those my clothes?" He asked, his eyes wide in shock.

I glared up at him and he shook his head, before picking up the pace in order to make up for the small pause.

"You're right. Now is not the time." He agreed as if I had said anything.

I am pretty sure I lost consciousness right then, because the next thing I knew, Merlin was setting me gently on a small cot in his small house. He backed away, calling Gaius's name.

The physician immediately came out of the back room and rushed to my side. The supplies he needed were already prepared on the table, ready for my return. He moved to unwrap the loose bandages, but I shook my head, flinching away.

"Not...until...Arthur!" I protested, trying to roll off the cot.

Gaius growled low in his throat and pulled me back into my previous position. Merlin came over and held me in place, his face apologetic.

"I have done all I can for Arthur, you foolish girl!" Gaius snapped, "Now settle down so I can look after your wound!"

I relaxed and let him unwrap the bandages. Now that I knew he had done what was necessary for Arthur, I had no problem letting him look at my burn.

Gaius swore as soon as he saw my arm. That's when I knew the damage was bad.

I burst into tears almost immediately, the day and the pain catching up with me. Merlin looked down, his face alarmed, but Gaius ignored me.

"Hold her down." Gaius muttered, not intending me to hear, "This is going to hurt her, but she needs to be still."

Merlin's face tightened, but he nodded. Gaius reached behind him for a small jar. The substance inside was a pukey green color, and I immediately knew I didn't want it anywhere near my body.

I struggled, but Merlin tightened my hold and I had no choice but to lay there as Gaius prepared to rub the salve on my wound.

As soon as the green substance touched my flesh, agony flared up. I writhed in pain, but Merlin made sure to hold me tight. I heard a howl of agony, and it took me a couple of seconds to understand that what I heard was my own screams.

Merlin stared down at me, whispering comforting words, but I didn't hear a single thing he said. He was obvious upset at seeing me in pain, but I found that I couldn't care less. Unfortunately, I didn't lose consciousness.

Suddenly, Gaius pulled his hands away and the pain lessened. He stared at me, panting heavily on the cot, and waved Merlin away from me.

As more time passed, my pain edged away. As soon as I relaxed my muscles, Gaius knew it was okay to touch me again and instantly started wrapping my arm in bandgages.

I was absolutely exhausted. It had been a long day, and the burn seemed to have taken all the energy out of me. My head rolled to the side as I watched Gaius do his work.

When he decided he was done, he backed away. I immediately tried to sit up, despite their protests. I swayed a little bit and I was definitely unsteady, but I was upright.

I moved to stand up, but Gaius moved to block my way.

"Look," I snarled, "I'm going to get to Arthur's side, even if it kills me. You can either help or get out of my way."

Gaius sighed, but moved to help me stand up. Merlin raced to grab a chair and placed it next to Arthur's cot. As soon as I was close enough, I collapsed in it.

I looked at Arthur and was pleased to see he looked better. I could faintly hear Gaius tell me I would have a scar forever from the burn, but all my focus was on the man in front of me.

His cheeks were regaining their color and he looked peaceful for the first time since he was injured. I relaxed and slumped down next to him.

"Dawn..."

I jolted upright at the sound of his voice, but immediately flinched back at the pain that came with the sudden movement. I glanced over and met Arthur's blue eyes.

He smiled weakly and I tried my best to return the gesture, but I'm pretty sure it came out more as a grimace of pain.

"I love you." He whispered, his voice cracking.

I let out a breathy laugh, tears welling up in my eyes, "I love you too."

I set my good hand over his heart, trying to reassure myself that it was beating and he was alive. Arthur glanced down, his eyes widening when he saw the ring with his crest on it.

I immediately blushed.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, starting to take it off, "I didn't mean--"

He cut me off by placing his hand over mine, stopping my movements. I looked up and met his eyes only to see him smiling.

"Don't take it off." He told me, "It...fits you."

I smiled. Now that I knew he was okay, the exhaustion started taking over my body. I laid my head down on his chest, feeling his heart beat against my cheek.

"I love you, Arthur." I whispered, my voice sleepy.

"And I love you."