Takes place after Season 5, Episode 8, "The Hollow Queen." After the assassination attempt that he thwarted with Daegel's help, Merlin is certain that Arthur is in danger from his Queen. Merlin tries to tell Arthur about Gwen's enchantment. It isn't easy. Meanwhile, Morgana calls forth the kraken to demand a sacrifice: Arthur.
The Kraken's Calling
Chapter 1
With a quick glance back at her sleeping husband, Gwen quietly eases open the small door leading from their bedchamber to the servants' passageway, clutching her cloak and slippers to her chest. The stone floor is cold under her bare feet, but she doesn't want to make any noise. Soundlessly she slips from the room, gently closing the door behind her. She pauses after several steps to don her shoes and cover herself with her cloak.
She scoops up a lit candle lantern from a table in the hallway, and swiftly makes her way through the silent sleeping castle using the familiar back corridors. She climbs the circular staircases to reach the door to the upper battlements of the northernmost tower. The door is unlocked, but heavy as she pushes it open into the dark night. There, between the third and fourth crenellation, she places the lantern.
With a nod to herself, she ducks back inside, still shivering from the chill night air. Morgana will see her message when she scries Camelot that night. Tomorrow, Gwen will leave a note for Morgana under the rock at the base of the tree with the braided vine to arrange a meeting. She needs to tell Morgana that the plot to kill Arthur using the Sarum's assassin has failed. They must find another way.
xXx
"His life had only begun," Merlin murmurs to Gaius, shaking his head slowly. Merlin rises from where he had been kneeling to place a small plant near the stones marking the boy's grave. He stands silent next to Gaius for a few moments, thinking back on the young man's death. Daegel, his name was Daegel, Merlin remembers. The boy had played his part in Morgana's scheme, luring Merlin into the Valley of the Fallen Kings with a fabricated story of a sister ill with the sweating sickness. But, in the end, he repaid Merlin's kindness and helped the warlock cure himself. Ultimately that aid cost young Daegel his life.
He takes a deep breath and turns away from the grave, face grim. Merlin starts to walk away, Gaius alongside. "It can't go on, Gaius."
"Gwen?" Gaius asks, already knowing the answer.
Merlin nods, and exhales a breath, sad at the conclusion he's reached about his friend. Gwen. She is a threat to Arthur. Twice she tried to assassinate him, and this second time, Merlin was barely in time to thwart the attempt. One of the knives thrown at Merlin and the boy by the assassin killed the boy. And the assassin's crossbow bolt intended for Arthur hit the Sarum instead, when the spear thrown by Merlin's magic diverted his aim and killed him. Arthur's life was spared this time. Next time, Merlin may not be so lucky. He cannot let his happen again.
"We have to do something about her."
"Yes, but the question is: what?"
Merlin has no answer. He strides forward, limping slightly, away from Gaius, determination etched on his face. Yes. What? They don't even know what happened to her. Merlin is convinced that Morgana is behind it, that she is somehow controlling Gwen. It all started after they rescued Gwen from the Dark Tower. But had they actually rescued her?
xXx
"Still limping are you, Merlin?" Arthur stops and waits for Merlin to catch up. He was hurrying to the training field under the ramparts, with Merlin carrying his shield and accouterments for the knights' training session. Merlin had fallen behind. "How did you injure yourself, again?"
"Erm . . . I, ah, stumbled and fell down into a ravine in the forest and caught my leg on a branch."
"I don't understand how you can be so clumsy," Arthur laughs. "Were you on the way back from seeing that girl?"
"No. I wasn't." Merlin adjusts the load of armor in his arms to a more comfortable position as they walk through the gates, now side by side. His efforts to contain all the many pieces fail, and a vambrace drops with a clatter to the stone cobbles. He stoops to pick up the errant piece of armor, trying to balance the remainder on the shield. He looks up at Arthur's snort.
"Right. So you say," Arthur says, adding after a moment with a smirk. "Will the girl deny it also?"
"I keep telling you. There isn't any girl." Merlin answers without looking at Arthur as he stands up carefully, clutching at the various pieces of metal in his arms.
"So where were you?" Arthur asks with a flash of impatience. "I needed you here, what with the Sarum of Amata visiting, and where were you? You took off for days with no explanation."
"Erm . . . Gaius sent me off to find a rare herb, and I was, ah, waylaid."
"Where? In the tavern?" Arthur huffs, glancing at him impatiently. "Come on, Merlin, hurry up. I want to participate in training. Today." Arthur starts to stride away.
"Well, you could help carry some of this stuff, you know," Merlin retorts, calling after him. "Or at least wear some of it." He hurries to catch up, trying not to favor his leg.
xXx
Merlin yanks an arrow out of the target at the far end of the training field, near the entrance to the Darkling Woods. "Don't they ever miss?" he marvels, grateful at least that he won't have to go searching too far in the grass beyond them to recover strays. He slips the arrows into the quiver on his back and glances up at the woods, catching a glimpse of bright blue flitting between the trees. He recognizes the color. Gwen. She must have used the servants' door near the kitchens to leave the Citadel undetected. Why? Where was she going?
"Merlin!" He jumps at Arthur's shout. "Today! If you don't mind."
"Yes, Sire," he calls back. "Coming."
He finishes retrieving the rest of the bolts from the targets and trots back to the line of knights holding crossbows down as they wait. Arthur steps forward impatiently and snatches the arrows from Merlin's hands. The others crowd around, reaching out for the arrows to resume their target practice. Merlin stands in the midst of the chaos, staring into the woods, where he can no longer make out any hint of blue moving through the woods.
He finds a bench off to the side, and sits down to wait while Arthur and the knights finish their training session, picking up Arthur's sword and a polishing cloth to occupy his hands while he waits. He has a few minutes to rest before he needs to get up again, to retrieve the arrows from this round.
He knows he has to tell Arthur of his suspicions about Gwen. But that's all he has, although he's certain that something's not right. Arthur would dismiss it as one of his 'funny feelings' and would never just take his word for it. He'll need proof, clear evidence of a betrayal that Arthur couldn't deny. The scrap of cloth torn from a cloak found caught on a bush or a magical vine on a tree in the woods, aren't enough to demonstrate to the King that his Queen was not all she seemed. Arthur loved Guinevere too much to see any fault. Merlin will need to tread carefully. He worries where and when her next attempt to kill Arthur will occur. He was certain that this was her goal.
xXx
After letting herself out of the Citadel through the back door near the kitchens, Gwen walks with a swift purposeful stride into the woods, picking up her skirts and cloak from trailing in the debris littering the forest floor. She's panting lightly with the exertion when she reaches the summoning tree, with its twisted ropy vine hanging from the high branches to the ground next to the rough bark. She reaches out and touches the vine with her right hand, gently running her fingers down.
When she turns around, Morgana is standing in the nearby clearing. "Gwen," she says. "What happened?"
"He failed." Gwen says. "Arthur lives."
"I know. What happened?"
"The assassin was distracted and his shot missed. He killed the Sarum instead."
"Well, I can't say I'm sorry about that." Morgana folds her arms across her chest and hugs herself to contain a shiver. For two years, the Sarum of Amata kept her chained in the dark with Aithusa at the bottom of a pit. Aithusa's suffering was intolerable as she outgrew the size of the pit and was permanently injured and warped. If not for her own suffering, the Sarum deserved to die for the agony his imprisonment caused the growing dragon. Morgana had sworn to herself that she would make sure that the Sarum endured his own torment before he was destroyed. This was not to be, but the Sarum was dead anyway, killed by his own man's bolt. Morgana shakes her head to clear it of her memories. "Was it Merlin?"
"No, he showed up later. It was some young boy hiding in the balcony. He was killed." Gwen studies Morgana. "I thought you poisoned Merlin. How did he survive?"
"I don't know. That boy is resilient. And a continual thorn in my side."
"He suspects me, you know," Gwen says. "He knows I lied to Arthur about his absence from Camelot."
"So, we must find some other way to rid the kingdom of this Pendragon."
"And Merlin?"
"Yes. Together. How fitting. Troubles that will take them unprotected by the knights to the south this time, perhaps?" Morgana smiles. "Rest easy, Gwen. It will be soon. We'll speak again." Gwen returns the smile, and, wrapping her blue cloak around her tightly against the chill air, she turns away and heads back to the castle.
xXx
At Arthur's signal, Merlin shoulders the quiver with the arrows he's gathered and trots back to where the knights and squires have gathered to listen to the King's instructions. Arthur prides himself in the training he and the senior knights give to the young knights and squires, using every opportunity to allow them to demonstrate their skills. He's particularly interested in his cousin, young Aurelius, and the two Orkney twins. They've been squires for a number of years, and are eager to be elevated to the status of Knights of Camelot. He wants to decide today whether to offer them the chance to face him in one-to-one combat as a final test.
"Percival, you and Gwaine lead the teams through their footwork drills," Arthur concludes. "Leon, on me."
Percival opens his mouth to shout for the squires to follow him when he's caught by a heavy sneeze. He shakes his head to clear it. "Sorry," he says to none and all. He gives his orders and the squires line up to move through their positions as he calls the steps.
At the King's summons, Leon joins Arthur at the sidelines to watch as the young squires move through their drills. Arthur stands easy, feet wide apart, his sword point resting on the ground between them. Merlin drops the quiver on the bench nearby, and walks around the field where the men had been standing to practice their archery skills and picks up the abandoned bows. He makes several trips back and forth to the small bench, half listening to Arthur and Leon's conversation.
"Sire?" Leon says.
"Do you think they're ready yet?" Arthur asks, pointing to the three young men with his sword.
Leon knows who he is referring to without further indication. They've discussed the young men's progress many times in the past few months. "Aurelius has been ready for quite some time."
"And the Orkney brothers?" Arthur prompts. Merlin freezes in place as he passes behind the two other men. He stiffens at the name he hears. Leon glances over to him, and gives him a faint nod of understanding. Merlin moves away again to complete his chore.
"No. They are fierce and fearless in combat, but . . ." Leon pauses, reluctant to say more. The twins, Gareth and Gaheris, are the sons of King Lothian of Orkney, a loyal ally to Camelot. When they first became squires, they had accused Merlin of the theft of their father's dagger.* Merlin had been severely punished for the theft by Uther, and for some reason, the twins still bore a grudge against Merlin. Leon was certain that their accusation was falsely made, but he had no proof of it. Merlin never said anything, and Arthur knew nothing about it. Since then, Leon has also observed other lapses in judgment by the twins and a vindictively cruel streak that Leon felt inappropriate for a knight.
Arthur continues to watch the drills for a moment before turning to glance at Leon with his eyebrow raised and gestures with a free hand with his palm open. "Go on."
"Well, I think that they need to demonstrate a greater strength of character in addition to their fighting skills."
"What makes you say that?" Arthur senses that there is something specific behind Leon's hesitation, and wants to understand it.
"I can't say, Sire."
Arthur sniffs impatiently. "There must be some reason, Leon."
"Let's just give them more time; perhaps they merely need to mature."
"Very well. Let Aurelius know he'll face me in the morning for his final test in single combat."
Leon smiles and bows; his squire will be pleased. Arthur wheels around, ready to return to the Citadel for a council meeting. "Merlin!" he shouts as he strides off the field.
xXx
"Arise, Sir Aurelius, son of King Ambrosius, Knight of Camelot!" Arthur's voice rings out with pride at his young cousin's investiture as a knight.
Aurelius had easily passed his final test of free combat for one minute against Arthur himself and acquitted himself well in his victory. At Arthur's words, Aurelius stands and turns to face the crowd in the throne room, his new red cape swirling around him. He smiles broadly acknowledging the cheers of the other knights and courtiers gathered to celebrate. He's surrounded immediately by his new comrades who reach for his hand to shake or pound on his back in hearty congratulations. All but the Orkney twins, that is.
Gareth and Gaheris, the Orkney twins, were passed over for consideration to be elevated to knighthood. They hang back from the crowd congratulating and praising Aurelius, conversing quietly with each other near an arras against the wall opposite the windows in the great hall.
"We should have been up there, too." Gaheris hisses at his brother. "Someone spoke against us."
"It was that Merlin, I know it," Gareth mutters. "He has the King's ear."
"I saw Arthur conversing with Sir Leon the other day as they watched us spar. Merlin was nearby," Gaheris mentions.
"He's always nearby. You can't get near the King without tripping over Merlin first."
"Arthur's never hinted that he knows what happened with father's knife. Maybe he doesn't know about our involvement." Gaheris looks around the hall and sees Merlin walking quickly beneath the windows to reach Arthur.
"Of course he knows. Leon knows, doesn't he?"
"He suspects. He has no proof." Gaheris pauses. "You're right, Merlin must have complained about us, and the King deliberately passed us over. But we're ready. We've been ready."
"And we should have been knighted today as well." Gareth glares in Merlin's direction, seeing him reach Arthur's side, and Arthur's nod to his manservant before both men leave the throne room by the back door, side by side. "It's his fault."
Gareth looks back at his brother, who nods his head in agreement. "He'll pay for this."
*A/N: See "The Squires' Revenge" by Nantasyland for the backstory.