The Unexpected Magic
A Doctor Who Merlin Crossover
By Kristoffer Martin
Chapter 1) the Warlock without Magic
Merlin found himself mucking out the stables once again. Arthur was being a prat, assigning even more work to his favorite scapegoat and servant. Gaius was also working him hard as a new report of a plague had reach Camelot days prior. Uther ordered Gaius to investigate for a cure before the disease reached the walls of Camelot. Merlin, of course was glad to be out from under the watchful gaze of Gaius, for in the last three days he had been the subject of testing to many sorts of draughts, most of which were foul tasting, containing who knows what. Yet, the stable mucking was not his ideal get away, and it always left him smelling of manure.
"Merlin!" Arthur said, "I see you're lazing about like usual."
"Oh yes, lazing about, if that is what you'd like to call it." Merlin scooped up another pitch full of manure and tossed it into a pile on a wheelbarrow.
"Once you're done here, if you ever get done, I need you to shine my armor, its muddy and I don't want it to rust."
"Yes sire, anything else I can do for you?" Merlin cringed with the sarcasm.
"Glad you asked, I also want you to pick up a new sheath I had commissioned for my sword. It should be done by now."
"Can't you do that yourself? The leather worker is only just there." Merlin pointed to a hut with an open front that lay between the royal stables and the main gates of the castle.
"Now that wouldn't do, the prince fetching his own order, it's what I have you for Merlin." Arthur grinned and took a bite of an apple he produced from a small haversack on his belt.
"Yes sire…" Merlin threw another clump of much into the wheelbarrow as Arthur turned and walked off back to the castle. Looking back and forth Merlin checked to see if anyone was around before he turned back to the mess. "Chwimia rhyddha chan hon chyflea" he said and his eyes glowed gold before the rest of the muck began to scrape its self along the ground to the wheelbarrow of its own accord. At this same instance not far from the stable, the familiar sound of a whirring TARDIS echoed slightly off the trees. The TARDIS materialized, its familiar blue police call box façade forming between two tall oaks. The Doctor opened the door and peered out. "I guess this is the right time, that's what the beacon says," he said to no one in particular. "I can't believe I've ignored this time period, and now there is an alien presence here. Don't these people ever give up?" He exited the TARDIS closing the door tightly behind him.
Holding a wonky looking machine with a hybridized screen with a red blip on it and a tape real spinning at high speed he started to walk right towards Merlin and the stables. It was not long before several more blips appeared including a very large one that seemed right under the castle. Walking right up to the now finishing Merlin the Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and began to scan him.
"Ok, so who are you and what world do you come from?" said the Doctor.
"What? What is that thing," Merlin asked looking up in surprise, "what world am I from, I don't understand the question I was born here, well not here here, but you know, north of here. I'd suggest putting that away, magic is expressly forbidden in Camelot."
"Camelot? This is Camelot? How about that…" the Doctor looked up at the castle, "I always thought it was legend, a folktale. I've avoided this time period of course, its…"
"No seriously put that away," Merlin pushed the screwdriver down just in time to prevent some passerby from seeing it. "Are you mad? If anyone sees you use magic you'll be thrown in the dungeon, or killed." Merlin whispered harshly.
"This isn't magic, magic is a made up whimsical idea. Mostly what we see as magic is just a manipulation of the universe through the right words in the right form. It's like math. "
"I really don't know who you are, but I'd be careful if I were you."
"You still haven't answered my question. I'm the Doctor by the way, you?"
"Oh…uh Merlin," said Merlin suspiciously.
"Merlin…as in the Merlin?" The Doctor spun around his hand in his hair, "This is most interesting. I come here following an alien signal and now they are everywhere. This time is flooded with darilian radiation." He began to run on in a tangent, "…I bet it is why I couldn't enter this time before, it didn't show up. Oh but what is causing the radiation…"
"Radiation, you certainly speak of odd things. You sound like no other warlock I've heard of. Maybe Gaius would know, we could ask him."
"Gaius?" The Doctor turned to Merlin.
"The court physician, he knows a bit about things like this. Maybe there is a legend or something that would explain this ray…radi…what was that word again?"
"Radiation, a type of energy that is emitted, it radiates," The Doctor looked perplex.
"Right, well I'm done here. I need to head back to my room anyways you're welcome to come with and ask Gaius. I am sure he'd welcome another physician to speak with."
"I'm not that sort of Doctor…"
Merlin headed back to the castle followed by the Doctor, stopping briefly to collect the scabbard that Arthur had ordered him to fetch. The guards glanced at the Doctor briefly before turning away uncaring.
"So, this Gaius, he knows a lot does he, about you know?"
"Sheesh not out here," Merlin whispered, "wait until we're in Gaius's chambers."
It was not long before they reached the room, Gaius was well underway in a large experiment of several chemicals.
"Merlin," he said, "grab me some monks wood would you, I think I need a bit more, then I'll need you to test this batch."
"I…uh really, come on Gaius must I, the last batch was disgusting, almost as bad as the troll who married Uther, both in smell and in flavor."
"It was not so bad, and if it stops this plague then it will be worth it won't…Merlin who is your friend?" Gaius asked as he noticed the Doctor standing next to the door.
"Oh, I'm the Doctor, and I can presume you're Gaius I have heard about all the way here from the stables."
"A physician, maybe you can help me I am attempting to make a cure for a plague that is migrating towards Camelot as we speak. The ailments have been said to be devastating, small pocks form about the chest and arms that itch, and a severe fever and cough develop before the person dies a sudden and often violent death. It has killed three hundred already in the kingdom to the east."
"It sounds like small pox to me," said the Doctor absent-mindedly.
"Small pox, what is this small pox?"
"A disease carried by a virus by the same name, in Latin it is called Variola and if it has killed so many already then it is probably the major form of the disease."
"I haven't a clue what you're talking about, what is a virus?"
"A virus is a small semi-living organism that uses host bodies to replicate its self. You'll need an antiviral or inoculation of the virus which can be administered within three days to prevent further out break, prior inoculation can also prevent the spread of the disease. "
"We still need a cure, and if you cannot speak sense I will have to ask you to leave."
The Doctor sighed, "let me see what you've done so far." The Doctor then stood over the brew and dipped his finger in to the mix before tasting it. The sour taste of stewed spinach, monks wort, calowlily oil, and baby's breathe filled his mouth.
"Well this won't cure them. Poison them further yes, but cure them, no. "
Merlin snickered, "I knew that stuff wasn't right, tasted foul."
Gaius sneered, "And what pray tell do you think we should do then?"
"As I said," Said the Doctor, "make an inoculation or an aerosol that can be breathed in that introduces the virus' shell to allow the body to become immune to it before the actual disease reaches Camelot."
"Okay, and how do we do this?"
"We'll need eggs, one of the sick people, and a few other things, which I have back in my TARDIS."
"Your what?" said Merlin and Gaius at the same time.
"TARDIS, Time and Relative Dimension in Space…I'll be right back, get me those eggs and a sick person." The Doctor rushed out of the room followed by Merlin.
"Wait, I'm coming with you."
It was not long before the found themselves back at the blue box nestled between two oaks. The Doctor walked right up to the door and opened it followed by Merlin who caught the door just as it was about to close.
"Amazing…" said Merlin as he entered, "Its bigger on the inside, what sort of magic is this? I've never read anything like this before."
"Merlin, the great warlock, revealing his secrets is he," said the Doctor. "This isn't magic, I keep telling you magic isn't real it's a science. Now where is…A…" he began to walk around the TARDIS floor, "B…ah C!" Opening a floor panel he extracted a box which he opened. "C, for Carianite, coupler, coil, cantilever, Christie, and a centrifuge." Placing the items back in the box except for the centrifuge he placed the box back in its place and closed the panel. "Now for N…n…where the…oh right." He ran past Merlin who was still gawking at the size of the room, and hurried down a ramp which lead to the level below. "Wrong level, N…n…right…" he opened another panel just as the TARDIS began to whir.
"WHAT!" running back up the ramp he found Merlin scrambling around the control panel.
"What did you touch? I leave you alone for one second and you go and touch something you don't understand?"
"It wasn't me, honest, I was standing there, staring at that" he pointed to the central column which was now moving, "and it started to move, so I figured something would stop it..."
"OI…" the Doctor pressed a button and flipped a leaver ran around to the other side and pulled the pin from a pinball machine and hammered on a spot. The whirring stopped and the TARDIS again became silent.
"You, go outside and make sure we're in the same place, I need to get some needles." The Doctor went back down the ramp and pried open the floor panel. Merlin did as he was told and opened the door to find Arthur and several armed guards encircled around the TARDIS.
"Arthur…"
"Yes Merlin, where have you been? I ordered you to clean my armor hours ago, only to find that you've disappeared off with some person claiming to be a Doctor who has riled Gaius to no end, and now I find you here in this strange box."
"It's been hours?" Merlin said this as he realized that the sun was just setting and dusk had set.
"Uh…I can explain."
"I'm sure you can, let's hear the excuse this time."
"Well you see the Doctor said he needed a few things to make a cure for this plague that Gaius has been working on and it was in here. So we came here and we've been searching for the things ever since. "
"Oh really, and how is it so hard to find these things in a box that small?"
"It's much bigger on the inside than it is on the outside," came the Doctors voice from behind Merlin. "Ok Merlin out with you I have what I need," the Doctor pushed Merlin out of the Door following close behind, allowing the door to shut on its own behind him.
"So you're this mysterious doctor I've heard Gaius speak of, I am Arthur, and my father would like to have a word with you, and Merlin, go shine my armor!"
***