"Is there anything else you can do?" Merlin asked quietly, his eyes still trained on the king, ensuring that his chest continued to rise and fall.

"I assure you Merlin, I've done everything I can think of." Gaius responds, placing a jar of dried herbs back on their shelf with shaking hands. He hasn't stopped moving since Merlin had gotten back.

"Everything?" Merlin questions, giving the older man a knowing look.

"I'm afraid I'm much too out of practice for that sort of thing." Gaius offers with a defeated sigh, "I'd just as soon heal him as turn his little toe into a toad."

"That's alright." Merlin mumbles, eyes scanning the room before landing on a large bucket of water sitting by one of the tables, "I think I might just have an idea."

"Oh?" Gaius follows his gaze, an eyebrow raised quizzically.

"Is that water fresh?" Merlin nods toward the bucket, the energy buzzing beneath his skin seemed to grow in anticipation.

"Yes, I had it brought up just this afternoon."

"Lovely."

Merlin focuses on the water, reaching a hand out to draw it to himself in silvery tendrils. Gaius drops a vial he had been cleaning and it shatters against the floor. The water floats through the air until it gathers in a morphing sphere between his hands. He lets a little grin show as the look of shock solidifies on Gaius' face.

"Just a little something I picked up from a friend." He offers, gathering the remainder of the water into the space between his hands.

He can feel the energy channeling through his arms and into the water, richly instilled with his purpose. He's not entirely sure how he had known to do this, but he figures that he'll have time to question such things later. The water begins to glow, a slightly blue hue emitting from the center. It reminds him of the moonlight and he nearly loses concentration for a second, the light faltering just slightly. He shakes the thoughts from his head and squeezes his eyes shut, focusing his entire being on this one task. 

He can feel the energy growing between his hands, his palms growing warm, nearly hot. Even with his eyes closed he can see that the light is blinding. He settles the mass over Arthur, covering him in a harsh blue-white glow.

Slowly, the light fades, sinking below the kings skin, absorbing the energy into his body.

Merlin lowers his arms, gazing down at the king for any sign of change. The color begins to flood back into his cheeks, his breathing becoming much stronger.

Merlin lets out a breath he wasn't even aware he was holding.

Arthur's eyes begin to flutter open, a grimace stretching his features in an all too familiar way.

"Merlin?" he croaks.

"In the flesh." Merlin responds, tears of relief flooding his vision.

"How? You were-"

"We'll have time for all that later. Up and at 'em! Nap time is over, come on." He grabs the king by the arm and hauls him to his feet, despite Gaius' grunt of disapproval.

"Merlin, he was on death's door a moment ago, give him some time." The old man complains with a raised brow.

"I was dead at the bottom of a lake for a week and you don't see me lazing around now do you?" Merlin responds, patting Arthur (who still looked as though a ghost had come and raised him from near death just to mock him) on the back much harder than necessary.

"Dead in a what?"

"Lake." Merlin responds, slinging Arthur's arm over his shoulder and turning toward the door.

"Merlin-?"Gaius trails after him.

"Sorry Gaius I will explain later, but right now we need to call a meeting of every knight remaining in the citadel. And Guinevere. Is she here?" Merlin turns to ask, only a few feet from charging out the door again.

"Of course she's here. Who do you think has been running everything?"

"From the state of it I would guess Gwaine."

Gaius lets out a low chuckle, shaking his head at Merlin's shenanigans. He'd only been gone a couple weeks, but it had been months since he's been this alive.

"Ok." the old man relents, "You go ahead. I'll gather everyone I can find."

Merlin nods and takes off out the door and down the corridor, dragging a half-shuffling king Arthur beside him.

"Merlin?" The king questions, staring up in awe as he tries to catch his feet underneath him again.

"Yeah Arthur, we've been over this." Merlin responds curtly.

"Merlin, I'm-" a sob escapes him, "I'm so sorry Merlin I should have- I-"

"-Oh, hush you." Merlin interrupts, helping Arthur regain his shaky footing, "I'll punch you later, then we'll be even."

"Wha-"

"Arthur, drop it. I'm fine, and right now we have much bigger issues to deal with. While you were . . . out, the kingdom came under attack. The city is practically boarded up, and from the looks of it some of the knights have already marched to meet the attack."

"Oh my God. . ." Arthur murmurs in shock.

"Oh you think that's bad? Wait until you see what Guinevere has to say. I bet she's pissed." Merlin laughs, holding the door open to the council room.

"Guinevere and I- well-"

Merlin's smile fades, "You what?"

"It's just been a tough couple of months is all. I haven't paid her as much attention as I should." He sighs sadly, eyes trailed on the floor tiles, "I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't want anything to do with me. God Merlin, I left her. When she needed me most I just- abandoned her."

Merlin looks on, not entirely sure what to say. The king was right, he had abandoned his queen when she needed him most, left her to run a nation on the brink of war. There's not much to say to that.

"-and now you're back. I don't know how you're back, or why you came back to help me after what I did, and I just-" He clenches his fist, leaning on the table to keep upright. His eyes squeezed tight in pain or frustration, maybe both, "I've ruined everything Merlin. Without you it all just fell apart, and there's no one to blame but myself. I'm a coward, not a king."

"You're wrong about that." Merlin says, taking a careful step toward him, "You and I both know you're not a coward. Though I wouldn't say a king exactly either, more like a royal clotpole."

Arthur just stares at him for a moment, a smile slowly cracking through the mask of gloom that had grown so thick on the kings features. Soon enough he's laughing, a wheezy chuckle bubbling up through his chest. He sounds like a goose, and soon Merlin has joined in.