To See You Smile - Merlin

Chapter 6

The horses' hooves clattered against the stone flagging of the lower town. The townspeople had arisen many hours before and the market was buzzing with life in the late evening, citizens trading openly like they couldn't have days before, now that the threats to their lives were gone.

It was the children that noticed the King and his knights approach the city walls, and they raced off to tell anyone in site. Word reached the castle very quickly, as gossip does in the kingdom, spreading from the baker to the scullery maid to the steward and finally to the higher ups. Gwen and Gaius were ready and waiting on the stone steps leading to the castle's entrance, standing in feverish anxiety.

That anxiety soon turned to excitement when they noticed the group were all in one piece. Gwen ran down the stairs towards Lancelot as he dismounted his horse and wrapped her arms his shoulders, dragging him into a tight hug, in which they remained for the next minute or so. Gaius let a tear roll down his cheek. If Arthur was here and alive, then that only meant that Merlin was too.

Gwaine dismounted the horse and with the help of Percival, they managed to lift Merlin off the horse without him knocking his damaged hand into anything. There hadn't been a long enough private moment for Merlin to try and heal it more with magic. Not that those private moments had gone to waste with Arthur ever present at his side.

Merlin smiled at his carer, and tried to wave his hurt hand before he remembered and quickly switched sides awkwardly. Gaius too, dashed down the steps and grappled the boy into a warm embrace. When the old man finally had let his son go and stepped back, more than a few more tears spilled, Gwen immediately tackled him, hiding her head in the crook of his neck.

"You're alive. You're okay, you're okay," she mumbled against his shoulder, crying as heavily as she had when Lance reassured her only moments before.

"You think I'd really die on you now? Not when you owe me dinner for saving your stupid boyfriend's ass for like the hundredth time!" Merlin smiled and Gwen giggled and pull her head out of his chest and looked up at him. Merlin could see the fatigue and worry in her face, this Gwen was definitely different from the happy-go-lucky girl he had met all those years ago. She was now a strong, battle hardened and confident woman. But with the smile on her lips, it was clear the old Gwen hadn't gone anywhere, she was merely...dormant.

"Merlin...! We need to get your hand looked at. Properly," a voice to his left said. Lancelot. Ever the well meaning worrier.

"Your hand? What's wrong with your hand? " Gaius began but trailed off as he caught sight of the thick, white bandages on Merlin's right hand, a startling contrast to the deep green-blue of his cloak.

"Merlin! What happened?" Gwen fretted as she carefully lifted the bandaged limb up and stared at it, like she was trying to see through the covering.

"I'll tell you as I get it looked over."

The trio began to climb the stone steps, on route to Gaius' chambers, with Lance hot on their tails.

"Lancelot!" Arthur called and the brunette looked back to face his King, who was stood right beside his Elyan and Leon, discussing what had happened while they were away.

"Yes, sire?" Lancelot prayed he wasn't being asked to stay behind and talk with them too. Arthur could probably sense the anxiety rolling off of the knight and his actions reflected that.

"Just...Go with them, see if Merlin's going to be okay. Report to me when they're done. I need to your input for what happened after the priestess knocked me out."

Lancelot nodded at his king and scrambled into the castle. The priestess had knocked him out? At least Merlin's secret was safe. The king wouldn't hear it from him.