Merlin: The Loneliest Hour

Chapter 13: Gwaine cannot change fate

Author’s warning: much sadness involved.  Better find yourself a nice and quiet place to read…

Chapter 13: Gwaine cannot change fate

It was supposed to be a cheerful moment, a day to celebrate.  They had caught Morgause and Morgana. And then there had been that scream, and everything had turned into despair.

Gwaine saw it happen from a distance and he was powerless to stop it.  Morgause’s movements were quick and to the point. He saw her take the dagger from Merlin’s hand and then stab him on his side just below the ribs once, twice, and then a third times before collapsing back into the cart.  Then Merlin had grabbed the cart, stared into Gaius’ face and slipped from sight.

Gaius was too shocked to move and it wasn’t until his pupil had grumbled to the ground that he actually screamed. Gwaine ran so fast towards his fallen friend that he reached the cart before Gaius had even realised what had happenned to Merlin.

The knight’s first action was to give the cart one massive push to move it out of the way.  Immediately after, he threw himself on the ground and started to apply pressure on Merlin's wound.  So much blood, he thought in panic. Not enough hands.

“Give me a cloth!  Anything!” he yelled at large.

“Take her away!” Arthur shouted while running towards Gwaine and pointing at the cart containing Morgause's unconscious body.  “I want her out of my sight!”

Mouvement under his hands brought Gwaine's attention back to his friend. “Merlin, don’t move,” said the knight shakily.

Then he felt Gaius’ hand on his arm. The old physician gave him a piece of cloth, then proceeded to apply pressure where he could as well.  Gwaine quickly put the cloth under his right hand while maintaining his hold on Merlin’s other wounds as best as he could.  

“More pressure,” said Gaius in a weak voice.

Gwaine immediately leaned closer to apply more pressure, which resulted in Merlin letting out a scream of pain, but as he peered into Gaius’ face he knew right away that something else was happening in the clearing.  The old man had gone quite white and he kept glancing from the young sorcerer to the Four Stones.

“NO!  MERLIN!” Arthur was shouting.

Gwaine could see the prince throwing himself forward and Lancelot trying to restrain him as best as he could.  

“Keep him out of the way, Lancelot!” Gwaine shouted.

“It’s bad, isn’t it?” Merlin gasped.  “What’s that buzzing noise…?”

“You’re imagining things,” said Gwaine.  “Your dragon will heal you, right?”

Merlin’s eyes were looking up at the sky.  “I can’t feel him…” he murmured. Tears began to flow from his eyes and he whispered, “What have I done?”

His body twisted in pain and Gwaine felt compelled to look away.  He looked down at his hands and saw that the blood was not clear red but black, which he knew to be a bad sign.  It could mean that something vital had been stabbed. He had seen many battles in his life and even more battle wounds, death on the battlefield was cruel, and what he could tell from his experience was that Merlin’s chances of survival were getting thinner by the second.  

“Hang on, Merlin,” Gaius said weakly.

Gwaine could not say anything that would sound convincing.

Merlin turned his head slightly to stare into Gwaine’s eyes.  “So this is what dying feels like,” he managed to say through the pain he was certainly feeling.