Merlin had panicked as the guards led him to the dungeons, certain that Aredian would find his book of magic. By the time Arthur had arrived in his cell Merlin was sure he was going to burn. Relief had swelled inside of him, only to be dashed when he saw Gaius taken to the dungeons in his place.

Now, as Merlin stood amid the wreckage of their ransacked chamber, he realized that the terror at being arrested by Aredian's accusation paled in comparison to his horror that Gaius had been seized in his stead. He knew cleaning up the mess would be a lengthy and possibly futile endeavor, but he needed something to focus on other than the fact that his own stupidity and cavalier attitude toward magic, something Gaius had oft warned him against, had caused his mentor so much trouble. He righted test tubes in their stand and tried to fight back the tears that threatened to overwhelm him.

XXX

Merlin watched from a concealed corner as Gaius was dragged along to whatever torment Aredian had concocted for him next. The young warlock had never felt so helpless. The guards wouldn't even let him see Gaius. Merlin knew he had to do something; Gaius was an old man and couldn't withstand Aredian's torture forever. He had no choice but to ask the Great Dragon for his help.

XXX

Merlin returned to the newly cleaned chambers, swiping furiously at his eyes. Even with everything carefully put back in its proper place the room was empty without Gaius. Merlin kicked a stool over in frustration. It was no use! The Dragon had been unable to offer anything more than feeble apologies and had also shot down Merlin's plan to turn himself in. In retrospect, Merlin realized it wouldn't save Gaius, but he had to do something; he wouldn't just stand by and watch Gaius burn, he couldn't!

Scared and feeling hopeless, Merlin collapsed onto Gaius's bed. His mentor's favorite robe was hanging off the bed post. Merlin grabbed it, curled up in the bed and buried his face in his robe as if it was a child's security blanket. It smelled, like Gaius did, of a mixture of herbs and potions. Merlin found himself smothering his sobs in the worn material, wishing for his surrogate father to be alright as he fell into a fitful slumber.