Arthur watched as some of the knights started to open the gate. Arthur ran to see who it was, and saw Merlin fall flat. His body lay limp on the ground, covered in blood and arrows jutting out of his back.

"Merlin!" Arthur screamed. He ran across the opening gate, jumped the mote, and rushed to Merlin. He rolled him onto his side, and inspected the arrows. He had no idea if they were fatal, but Merlin was knocked out. Arthur slung Merlin over his shoulder, and ran back into the city. The knights closed the gates once he returned.

"Gaius! Quick I need you! It's Merlin!" Arthur yelled out. Gaius rushed out of a tent to Merlin. Both of them were soaking wet, and Merlin's blood was running down the street.

"Bring him in!" Gaius exclaimed. Arthur rushed inside, and laid him face down onto a cot. Gaius started preparing some water and potions. Arthur pulled out a nice, and carefully cut his jacket off, and slid the remains pieces of fabric off of the arrows.

"I need everyone to leave the tent. Don't come inside until we say so. Gwen you can stay with us." Gaius told everyone. They all left, and only Gwen, Arthur, and Gaius was inside.

"I can remove the arrows, but I don't know if I can heal him quick enough for him to live. He needs to be awake to heal himself, or he'll die." Gaius told Arthur. Arthur went pale.

"What do we do?" He asked.

"If you give me permission, I can wake him up with a spell. He'll be forced to endure whatever pain he is in, and heal himself. But I have no idea what will happen after. All the pain his body may endured might have done something to his nervous system. Even if he didn't feel the pain for awhile, his body acknowledged it." Gaius told him. Arthur thought about it for a moment. He knew that if he let Merlin bleed out, he would definitely die, but if he woke him up, he had a chance of being okay.

"Do it. Wake him up." Arthur told Gaius. He nodded, and pulled the arrows out. Arthur pulled his cloak and shirt off, and immediately started helping Gwen stop the bleeding. The arrows were keeping the blood from exiting, but without them, Merlin was bleeding out. Both Arthur and Gwen's arms were covered in blood. Gaius on the side was creating a potion. He then held his hands onto the goblet, and started muttering something. When he was done, he moved to Merlin.

"Keep your hands away." Gaius told them. They removed the towels, and Gaius stuffed Merlin's wounds with the weird paste. Gaius then placed his hands onto Merlin's back, and started saying an incantation. Thankfully the sound of the rain and panic outside made it impossible to hear Gaius mutter.

Merlin jolted, and groaned. Merlin tried to get up, but fell back down. He had tears streaming down his face from the pain and stinging from the paste.

"Heal yourself. Use every bit of power you have." Arthur rushed.

"I can't reach my back. I need to hold my hand over the wound to heal it." Merlin said shakily.

"Try to heal it without touching it. You practiced it once and were successful. Just concentrate Merlin." Gaius encourage him. Merlin nodded, and braced himself. He started muttering a spell with his eyes closed, and was straining.

No one touched Merlin as he concentrated. They saw rays of blue light shine out of his wounds, and saw them closing.

"Keep going Merlin. You're almost there." Gwen said. Merlin strained some more, and soon the mounds were closed. Merlin collapsed again, and was out like a light. Gwen immediately started to clean off the blood, and Gaius inspected Merlin's pupils and vitals.

"He's in a comatose state. I have no idea what will happen from here." Gaius told them.

"What does that mean?" Arthur asked.

"If means he will either wake up, with something else wrong with him, or he will never wake up. 50% of the people I saw that were comatose, actually woke up. The other 50% did not. And those that did wake up could not speak, see, hear, or think properly. Although there have been some miracles where they had to relearn how to write or how to use one of their hands." Gaius told him. He did not want to sugarcoat it, but he wanted Arthur not to feel completely useless. Arthur was completely pale, and his skin deeply contrasted from the crimson red that was stained all the way up his elbows. Arthur stepped out, and sat down.

He had not realized how long he was there. Everyone had retreated back to their homes, and the knights patrolled the area, making sure it was safe.

A knight walked up to him. "Sire. The enemy forces are retreating. We can open the gates soon. Not that many were killed on our side. How is the new lord?" He asked. Arthur stood up and addressed the knight. Only then had the knight noticed the blood was dripped off his arms.

"That is good. We will see what happens to Merlin." Arthur looked at his hands. "He bleed out a lot. I think I'll go wash my hands off." Arthur said, more to himself. He walked away from the knight, and went towards the public pump. He opened it, and washed the blood off. As the rain had soon stopped, the only substance running down the strain was the red tinted water. Arthur stopped cleaning, and headed back to the tent.

Gaius and Gwen were cleaning up the supplies, ready to bring it back inside.

Merlin laid on the cot on his back, with a sheet covering him to keep him warm.

"We should bring him inside. It's cold out here." Arthur said. He picked up Merlin, and brought him to Gaius's room, and laid him on the cot. He grabbed some dry blankets, and laid them on Merlin.

Arthur kneeled down to Merlin's height, and held his hand under the covers.

"You stupid fool. You just had to be heroic." Arthur muttered. He kissed Merlin on the forehead, and walked out of the room, and flagged down a servant.

"Please draw me a quick bath. I need to get washed up." He told him. Arthur headed to his room, and grabbed some clean clothes. Thankfully he knew how to pull together an acceptable outfit. The servant came back with cold water, and apologized for it.

"It's alright. You are dismissed." Arthur told the servant. Arthur quickly climbed into the bath, and washed the grim off of his body. Once he was done he rinsed off and climbed into some clothes before heading back down to Gaius. As he walked down the stairs, he noticed the sun slowly peaking out from the horizon.

It was already morning. Arthur walked into the room, and pulled up a chair to sit next to Merlin. Gaius walked in with Gwen, and they loaded to equipment back onto the tables.

"Would you like some food?" Gwen asked him. Arthur shook his head. She left him be, and Arthur moved to sitting onto the door.

He watched Merlin, not moving, not fluttering his eyes. Merlin just laid there unresponsive. Slowly Arthur became weak, and he fell asleep, with his head on the bed.

Gaius saw this, but did not move to wake Arthur. He just left him be.

A couple hours later, Percival, Gwain, and Leon walked into the room to fetch Merlin.

"Arthur is sleeping and doesn't wish to be disturbed. Let him be today. He is not taking the situation very well." Gaius told them.

"What happened to Merlin?" Gwain asked as he walked closer.

"He is in a coma. We have no idea if he'll wake up. Pretty much he has 48 hours until he should wake up. If he doesn't wake up then, then he will not be waking up at all." Gaius told then. Gwain was devastated.

"What lead him to this point?" Percival asked him.

"When he arrived, he had 5 arrows in his back that he could not pull out and heal himself. Upon further examination, it's safe to say that at least 20 something arrows either pierced or sliced him. But I think he didn't feel any of it until he started pulling them out. Then he passed out from the pain. We woke him up to heal him, but he ended up going into a coma." Gaius informed them. They understood, and left Gaius with a note to give to Arthur once he wakes up.

Gaius did his normal runs, and came back. Arthur groaned awake, and looked around, assessing his surroundings. Arthur realized where he was and what happened, and sighed. It was about noon time.

"What happened while I was out?" He asked Gaius.

"Well the knights are back. The knights gathered as many enemies as they could fit in the dungeons, and then killed the rest. They're waiting for your judgment. And the news of a sorcerer riding a large winged beast has surfaced. You will have to deal with that as well." Gaius told him. Arthur climbed into the chair, and relaxed for a moment.

"How much does Merlin have before he's too far gone?" Arthur asked, wanting a straight answer.

"About 40 hours. If he doesn't wake by then, we should put him out of his misery." Gaius told him. Arthur nodded and stood up.

"I will go and fix some of the situations. I was supposed to release my new edicts and put them into power with Merlin to help, but I guess I'll do it alone. Watch him and keep my updated." Arthur told Gaius as he left. He headed upstairs to grab some clothes. He noticed his crown was sitting on the bed. He figured he must have dropped it on the way out of the city, and guard brought it back. He inspected it, and found the familiar scratch in it's exact spot as before. When he first got the crown, it fell off his head, and smacked onto a table corner. He was able to always tell a real and fake crown from the scratch.

He pulled on a fancy outfit, grabbed his cloak, and placed his crown onto his head.

He headed to the throne room to gather the knights.

"I'm sorry I wasn't with you all through the morning. But I am here now. Please gather the city people to the courtyard. I have my edicts and speech ready. I want this over with so I can rest some more. I spent the entire night running around the kingdom." Arthur told them. They nodded and immediately went to gathering the people. Arthur walked to a centered balcony overlooking the courtyard, and waited for everyone to arrive. It only took a short time since everyone was already out waiting for Arthur to speak.

Once Arthur was given the queue, he started to talk.

"Thank you all for gathering on such short notice. I have the list of edicts that I am establishing as of today. Also some new systems for these edicts, and a vetting procedure." Arthur told them. The whole crowd murmured as Arthur pulled out his notes.

Arthur cleared his throat. "From now on, I am lifting the homosexual ban on the kingdom. All priests must unite anyone who pays for their service. Homosexuals are allowed to show any form of affection, but the 'No Fornication in Public' law still stands. Now for the second edict." Arthur said, pausing.

"I am lifting the long held caste system for marriage and courting. Anyone who wishes to court another from a different caste way do so under the law, as long as both families consent." Arthur told them. This was a more promising edict, since many of the people wanted to court others of different systems.

"And lastly. I will give a short speech before I reveal my next edict." Arthur told them.

"Since the late Uther Pendragon has taken other the city, he has made magic illegal. He has effectively wiped the kingdom of magic users, although I am quite familiar with certain magic users that do dwell in the kingdom. Magic before had been used for many uses. Many selfish and many good. I believe that the people of the kingdom before were corrupted, and used magic as a way of attaining whatever they desired. And I believe there were those who used it for very necessary purposes. Magic is neither good nor bad, it all depends on how the person uses it. You can either use magic to kill a man, or use it to save his life. It all depends on the person. I have believed that magic was evil, until recently when I have come face to face with it's actual nature. Magic is a person. Magic does not want to be used for evil, it wants to be used for good. It thrives off of the good of the users. And it can feel the pain of every magic user dying. That is why I would like to set up this law. Magic is now legal in the kingdom of Camelot, but with boundaries." Arthur said.

"No one will be allowed to use magic to clone money, turn the elements into gold, or use it to harm or kill anything. There will be a vetting process that will occur for the next month or so. Druids are allowed into the kingdom, and are to be treated as human beings. That means all the humanity laws apply to them. No matter who you are, a king or a peasant, knight or lord, no one is allowed to murder anyone in this kingdom no matter what. If a magic user is seen or caught using magic inappropriately, they will be punished severely, or may be hanged. And for my last edict that ties in together with all of them. No discrimination among the people. If you show any outward discrimination like verbal or physical abuse, social out casting, or refusing work or services to anyone based on magic stance, sexuality, or social caste, severe punishments will be made. If you torture anyone, you will burn at the steak with everyone watching. Whether you like these edicts or not, they are mine and mine alone. Anyone who is caught breaking them will be meet with much suffering. You may all go about your day." Arthur concluded. Arthur walked off of the balcony, and to Merlin. He could hear the yelling. Some of happiness but most for anger. Arthur ignored them, and went to Merlin.

Arthur sat in his chair, and held onto Merlin's hand. Gaius walked into the room stressed out.

"You caused quite an uproar. Are you sure you did everything correct? Are you confident in your decisions?" Gaius asked. Arthur nodded proudly.

"Every idea came from me, and Merlin helped me prepare for the day much earlier. The overwhelming population of hidden sorcerers and druids should either persuade the people to accept, or make them move out. Either way is fine by me. And I will not be lenient in any hostility or crimes. Punishments will be dished out when needed." Arthur said confidently. He turned to Merlin, and rubbed his hand.

"But I wish he was awake to have witnessed it. But then again I'm glad he didn't. He probably would have jumped up and kissed me in front of everyone." Arthur said aloud. He realized what he said, and looked fearfully to Gaius.

"Do not worry. I already know. Merlin told me a long time ago." Gaius assured him. Arthur was able to relax once Gaius said that. Arthur took off his cloak, jacket, and crown, and sat next to Merlin. Gaius checked him, and felt his forehead.

"How is he?" Arthur asked. Gaius fetched a wet rag.

"Well he is gaining a fever. This is either a good sign or a bad one. It either means his body is becoming more aware, or his body is suffering internal infections. But I feel like his body is waking slowly. Let's just hope his fever doesn't last too long." Gaius said. He pulled some layers off of Merlin, and cooled him down.

Gwen, Gwain, and Percival walked into the room.

"Well we're fucked. We already had to arrest some people because they tried to riot and were spewing crap about you." Gwain told them. He pulled up a chair, and sat next to Merlin. Gwen smacked him over the head for his language, and sat down as well. Percival just stood.

"Leon was very mad. Hence why he did not come with us. He's siding with the others. But I think he'll turn around eventually." Percival told them. Arthur nodded. He knew Leon wouldn't take the news well. He was a traditional man.

"Well once Leon is done throwing his fit, he can come back. I really do not want to be bothered by any negativity at the moment." Arthur said. Arthur still held onto Merlin's hand, not caring if the others saw anymore.

"So kingly. You got some information you'd like to tell Percival since he's a bit of a block head and hasn't figured out yet." Gwain suggested. Arthur thought for a moment, and realized. Percival looked at the two confused.

"Percival. I'm gay, and dating Merlin." Arthur told Percival. Percival processed the information for a moment, and finally understood.

"So that's why- okay now this all makes sense." Percival said. Gwen giggled lightly at the confusion.

Percival realized what Arthur was going through, as Merlin might not wake up. The tone of the room became grim again. They stayed there, and watched Gaius periodically check his fever.

"It seems to be going down, which is a good sign. He has until the morning of the day after tomorrow. If he doesn't wake up then, then we'll have to think about another alternative." Gaius told them. Arthur understood. He sat on the floor, and rested his arms on the bed. Merlin would occasionally twitch or his eyes would flutter, but Gaius said that was normal for comatose patients.

Soon the sun started to rink into the horizon, and the others said their goodbyes. But Arthur stayed there. He soon fell asleep again, resting his head on Merlin's bed.