Love, Faith and Family

Chapter 11

After dismounting their horses and tying them down, the small group then began to track the beast's footprints and distant growls that grew louder as they entered a dark cave, Merlin and one of the other knights carrying torches.

With Merlin lighting the way, Miriam and Arthur followed him as the other knights split up as per their prince's orders.

But it was the trio that was going in the right direction as they stumbled into a part of the cave that was littered with the bones of hundreds of human skeletons.

"Well, that's not sufficiently terrifying," Miriam mumbled as a rib bone cracked beneath her boot.

"It's not too late to turn back you know," Arthur whispered and Miriam only smirked at him, swallowing her fear.

"Like I'll let you have all the glory. Not to mention you're going to need someone to bandage your wounds once the beast knocks you on your arse."

Arthur didn't get a chance to reply when the sound of hissing filled the air.

"What is it?" Merlin asked but Arthur only shushed him before they all spun at the sight of a growl behind them.

But now Miriam really didn't want to turn around, because she knew what would be waiting for her if she did.

The Questing Beast towered over them as it hissed, and Arthur pushed Merlin away before he and Miriam struck at it.

It whimpered as their swords sliced through its scales, but then it attacked them.

The beast swiped one of its large leopard legs at the duo, but where Miriam ducked the shot, Arthur took it full force as he went flying.

Miriam's heart was in her throat as the beast slithered for Arthur who wasn't moving from where he was on the ground, sword far from his reach.

And she plunged her blade into the beast's abdomen as Merlin yelled from his position high up on a rocky ledge.

The beast cried out before it went for Merlin and Miriam picked up Arthur's sword.

"Merlin!" she called out as she made a gesture with her hands, and he nodded in understanding.

With the sword poised, Miriam ran, jumping off the ground as her brother's eyes glowed gold, giving her an extra boost into the air.

As an extra precaution, Merlin held out his hand, chanting a spell before Miriam's sword burst into blue flames and she plunged it into the creature's neck.

As it bucked and writhed, Miriam was thrown off its back, landing hard on the ground near Arthur as she began to crawl her way towards him.

"Arthur! Arthur! It didn't bite you. It didn't," Merlin muttered in denial before his hand came away from Arthur's shoulder coated in blood. "Mira, can you help him? please help him!" he begged.

Miriam was barely breathing after her back collided with the ground, but she still pulled herself together enough to rip Merlin's blue neckerchief from his neck and press it to Arthur's wound.

"We have to get him to Gaius. I can heal the wound but not the poison."

And so began the mad rush back to Camelot.

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Uther was distraught.

He switched between being unable to stand the sight of his sickened son and not being able to leave his side.

Gaius had gone to make a tonic to ease Arthur's passing while Miriam helped tend to him, but when the physician returned, it was without the tonic and to tell her that her brother had gone on a quest to save Arthur. One he likely wouldn't return from.

He'd been unable to say goodbye to his sister, in turn leaving behind a letter for her before departing.

Miriam was furious as she brought a bowl of cold water into Arthur's room, watching as the king tried to soothe his ailing son who tossed in his sleep.

"Shh. Sleep Arthur," he said softly as the boy stilled and Miriam sat on the other side of Arthur, setting the bowl on his bedside. "Is there anything that can be done?" he asked her, and a lump gathered in Miriam's throat.

"So long as he breathes, I still have hope," she said honestly before turning to the king. "You should rest, my king. I'll tend to him. You still have a kingdom to run."

The king seemed to falter before standing.

"Right. Right. You are right. Thank you, Miriam," he said but his hand lingered on Arthur's shoulder, his gaze on his face for minutes more before he finally stood and reluctantly left the room.

Miriam dipped the rag into the bowl before squeezing it out and beginning to dab at Arthur's face.

"Listen to me, you prat. You can't die. Not today, not for a long while. Your life is far from over. You still have to become king. The kind and generous and unfailingly good and just king that Merlin wrote to me about. He saw that inside you and now that I've met you, I can see what he means," she said softly as she gently pushed the hair from his face. "Granted, you still have many flaws, but you will be a better king than Uther could ever be. I have faith in you. And just for the record I never lost faith in you, I was more so just annoyed that you treated everyone as if they were beneath you. But you will be fine, Arthur. Merlin will see to it."

Her thumb ran across his cheek, wiping a drop of sweat before placing the cloth back on his forehead.

He would live.

He had to.