Merlin/Headache

[runaway_smith]

The day after Gwaine takes to his bed, Elyan wakes up with a sore throat.

He thinks nothing of it, puts it down to the dregs of the wine, and goes about his day. Gwaine looks better, which is a good thing because Arthur has them running around like headless chickens. Training, Council, more training, and then, oh look, more training. Arthur's determined that the Mercians won't show them up and he's worried that Gwaine won't be well in time. Elyan brings Gwaine dinner, then catches an early night.

The next day, he has a sniffle and suspects he might have caught Gwaine's cold. But he barely has time to breathe, running straight from morning training to lead a patrol to the northern border to deal with a band of smugglers. It's a brief scuffle and they barely have a bruise between them when they ride back in time to catch Arthur's evening training.

Exhausted, Elyan falls into bed with a groan, his muscles aching and his head pounding.

Dawn comes and Elyan feels like he's been flattened by masonry. He shifts weakly against the pillow, his head like lead, as he coughs against the pain in his chest.

Elyan has 'flu.

Comments

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

Through no fault of his own, Gwaine is given the job of going to find Elyan when he fails to turn up to training at dawn. If he'd given a snide remark to the king along the lines of nobody wanting to be there, then he'd only been speaking in the best interests of the rest of the knights.

"Elyan!" He hammers on the door. "You're in trouble with the king and it's not even full light outside, yet."

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

Elyan moans softly but makes a vague attempt to move. "Give me a minute," he whispers hoarsely.

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

Not hearing whispers through a solid wood door, Gwaine gives Elyan a moment before barging in uninvited.

"If I can be up at this godforsaken hour, you can too," he declares without even looking over at the bed, pulling open the curtains onto a grey sky.

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

Elyan lets out an unmanly whimper and tries to shield his eyes from the light.

"Tell Arthur I'll be there...in a minute."

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

Finally turning to look at Elyan, Gwaine's surprised to see the state of his friend. He looks pale and clammy, even from a distance, and when he comes forward to press his palm to the other man's forehead he can feel the heat rolling off him.

"I suppose I should apologise," he says meekly.

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

Elyan leans unashamedly into Gwaine's touch, but keeps his eyes closed.

"My fault," he whispers. "I should have heeded the plague sign on the door."

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

"I'll get you something for it," Gwaine offers, pulling away again. He's sure Cook has some special alcoholic remedy for absolutely everything. And they taste far better than Gaius'.

"And I'll tell Arthur not to expect you."

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

"No, I have to go."

Elyan manages to force himself vaguely upright on a shaking arm, determined not to let his king down.

"Arthur said the only excuse...was death."

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

"Our king is a great and noble man, but his enthusiasm for this tournament is bordering on unhealthy," Gwaine shakes his head, pushes Elyan back down into bed.

"He will live without your presence for one day. No matter what he said."

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

Elyan is worried by how easily he falls to Gwaine's touch, how his heavy limbs have no fight in them. Still, if he rests now, he still may make the tourney in two days' time. After all, Gwaine is now back to his usual self.

"You'll tell him I'm sorry?" Elyan urges.

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

"Something like that," Gwaine smirks, pulling back again.

Leaving the chambers, he goes first back out to the training ground. Arthur, it seems, has grown bored of waiting, and has already started putting Lancelot, Percival and Leon through their paces, along with several other knights the king has deemed worthy of fighting for Camelot at the end of the week.

"Elyan sends his apologies," Gwaine tells the king. "But you have run him into the ground and he can't get out of bed." He's not being completely fair - it's his flu that's sent his friend to bed, more than Arthur's gruelling drills, but Gwaine's an addict for dramatics. And he feels safe in the knowledge that no serious harm will befall him for talking back to the king.

Before he can be admonished in any way, he's turning back towards the castle, this time heading to the kitchen for one of Cook's medicinal brews. Flagon in hand, he finally returns to Elyan's chambers, setting the potent mix of alcoholic beverages down on the bedside cabinet.

"Get that down you," he tells his friend.

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

Elyan prises open his eyes and regards the cup warily.

"Dare I ask what's in it?"

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

"Far better than anything Gaius'd give you," Elyan answers elusively.

"Tastes better, too."

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

Elyan downs the mixture in one, almost choking at the burn in his throat and coughing violently.

"Gods," he splutters, "you're trying to kill me."

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

"It'll send you to sleep if nothing else," Gwaine points out, already back up on his feet. He's not the type to stay and offer massages, or soothing words of encouragement.

"I'll make sure there's food for you later," he offers, able to bend that far.

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

Elyan doesn't expect anything from Gwaine, is surprised that he even came back with the medicine. It's not in his friend's nature to play nursemaid.

"I'll be fine," Elyan croaks. "Back to the training ground by this afternoon."

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

"Unlikely," Gwaine laughs.

"I'll come and see you at lunch."

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

Elyan smiles gratefully. Gwaine's probably the only one of the knights immune to this illness, and if Merlin becomes ill, Arthur will never forgive him.

"Thank you," he says sincerely.

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

"Don't mention it," Gwaine grins, before letting himself out, resigning himself to another morning of hard training.

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

Elyan is knocked out by Cook's potent remedy, but sleeps fitfully, dreams filled with monsters in caves hot as Hell and lakes cold like ice.

He tosses and turns violently, eventually succeeding in rolling himself out of bed and onto the floor. Weak as a kitten and disorientated, he lies in a tangle of blankets waiting for a knight to save him.

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

When Gwaine returns at noon, as per his promise, he's momentarily confused to find the bed empty.

"Elyan?" He asks, setting the platter of mostly stolen food down on the table. "Are you h- oh." He stops himself talking as he sees the pile of blankets on the floor. "What have you got yourself into this time?"

Moving over, he helps the knight back into his bed.

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

Elyan stares at Gwaine blearily, not entirely convinced of which way's up.

"Gwaine? What happened?" he croaks.

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

"You had a battle with your bedding," Gwaine informs him as he sets him back down on his bed.

"And you lost."

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

Elyan smacks his dry lips and looks around the room. "What...what's going on?"

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

Making sure Elyan's not about to fall out of bed again, Gwaine leaves him to take up a goblet from the table, for once filled with nothing more potent than water. Returning to Elyan's side, he pushes it into his hand.

"You have a fever," he tells him.

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

"Oh."

Elyan takes a sip, unable to prevent his hand from trembling. Pathetic.

He looks away from Gwaine, ashamed to be seen like this.

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

"I'm guessing you're not going to be interested in my stolen lunch?" Gwaine checks, aware that Elyan looks far worse than when he'd called by this morning.

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

The idea of food makes him sick, and Elyan shakes his head, wincing when the pounding returns with a vengeance.

"I'm not good company right now," he says softly.

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

"You bothered me when I wasn't good company," Gwaine points out, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"I'm sure that gives me the right to be bothersome in return."

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

Elyan smiles and takes another drink of water, reaching out to rest his shaking hand on Gwaine's arm.

"Thank you."

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

"I'll set Gaius on you if you're no better by tonight," Gwaine threatens.

"Arthur's close to having a panic attack over being a knight down."

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

"I don't need Gaius," Elyan says, even though he feels like he's been beaten to within an inch of his life.

"Tell Arthur I'll be back training tomorrow."

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

"I doubt that very much," Gwaine warns him. Even he'd needed more than a day off, and Elyan seems worse than he ever was.

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

"Why? Are you worried, Sir Gwaine?" Elyan teases, his eyelids growing heavy.

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

"I doubt you'd make it out of these rooms unaided, tomorrow," Gwaine answers honestly. "Seeing as how you've just come off worst in a fight against your own sheets."

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

"Protect me from the sheets then," Elyan says sleepily, letting himself drift off with his fingers curled in Gwaine's sleeve.

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

"Go back to sleep, Elyan," Gwaine suggests, though it's clear that the knight doesn't need telling twice.

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

Elyan sleeps in fits and starts for the rest of the day, plagued by strange dreams. It is late evening before he finally comes back to awareness, feeling more exhausted than when he went to sleep.

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

Gwaine pops his head in to check on Elyan shortly after he wakes. Again, he's brought food and drink with him - he's hungry, even if Elyan isn't.

"Good evening," he greets. "How are we feeling?"

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

Elyan rubs his eyes. "Like Percival hit me with a mace. Did I miss training?"

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

"You did," Gwaine tells him. "Arthur's okay with it though. Mostly."

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

Elyan tries to laugh but it turns into a cough, and he turns his face away from Gwaine as he catches his breath.

He doesn't remember feeling this awful since Cenred locked him in a dungeon.

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

"Do I need to fetch Gaius?" Gwaine questions, moving to sit himself on the edge of Elyan's bed.

"Or Cook?"

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

"No...don't bother Gaius."

Elyan clumsily pats Gwaine's arm. "You should get some rest. Arthur will have you up with the lark."

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

"You know me better than that, Elyan," Gwaine laughs softly. It doesn't matter what time he has to be up come morning, he'll still be spending his evening at the tavern rather than in his bed.

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

Elyan smiles - he does know Gwaine well. Well enough to know the knight's already getting bored.

"Thank you for bringing supper. Now get to The Rising Sun before Leon takes all the best girls."

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

"Do you want me to look in on you later?" Gwaine offers, already getting back up onto his feet.

[runaway-smith.livejournal.com]

"No, I'll be fine," Elyan says firmly, determined not to rely on Gwaine's newly-discovered charity. That path could only bring disappointment.

"Have one for me."

[sir-gwaine.livejournal.com]

"Oh, at least," Gwaine promises with a trademark smirk.

"I'll look in on you tomorrow," he tells the knight, before leaving for the tavern.