Writer/Translator: Saturne
Cowriter/Betareader: CloudFactory
Disclaimer: Of course BBC Merlin is not mine and I get no money for borrowing the characters and write them doing stuff.
Author's note: I wrote this short fic in french a few months ago on a dumb idea, and decided only now to translate it in english. This is a light story just for fun, but if you're more into angst, long chapters and badass stuff, I invite you to read my (currently WIP) fic Albion's last bulwark. :p
Enjoy!
A cheap spell
The sun was rising on the kingdom of Camelot. It was the beginning of a beautiful summer day, and here and there birds were waking up and chirping happily. On those lands ruled by the king Uther Pendragon, the peasants had been up for hours to work the fields and make the cattle graze before the heat started. In the lower town, merchants were settling their market stalls and warmly hailing the villagers to sell them all kind of fruits, vegetables, chickens and handicrafts. Inside the castle's walls, the servants hurried along the corridors under the guards' impassive stare or worked in the kitchens.
Away from this hustle and bustle, the sun was casting its pale rays through the leaves of the forest of Brechfa. The light rained down to the ground like long ribbons and made the grass beaded with dew glitter. Camelot's castle wasn't so far away, but in the heart of the forest it looked like a whole different world, so quiet and lonely. The sun was already high in the sky when a strange man came out of his den, his face hidden in the shadow of his hood. His cape swept the ground behind him as he strode between the trees, moving like a cold and gloomy shadow on this bright summer day.
He walked for a few minutes until he reached his meeting point. There was a wretched-looking old man there, sitting on a fallen tree trunk with his shoulders hunched – he hastily got up when he saw him arrive.
"Are you Sindri, the apothecary? I've been told to meet you here."
He had a tanned skin and looked worn out like all the peasants did after spending their whole life working their small patch of land.
Sindri pushed back his hood to reveal a bald head, flabby cheeks and a placid stare.
"That's me. Our mutual friend told me about your request. I assume he warned you that my services are not for free."
The old peasant nodded, grinning from ear to ear, showing decayed and loose teeth. He untied the purse from his belt and hastily held it out for the apothecary.
"This is all the money I have. Take it all!"
Sindri didn't bother to conceal his disdain when he took the leather purse, careful not to brush against the old man's wrinkled hands. He opened it and started counting the coins one by one.
The peasant came closer, wringing his hands and looking up at him with hope.
"Do you have what I seek? I've been told you only could help me get my revenge."
Sindri wrinkled his nose at the old man's foul breath and glanced at him.
"With so little money I can't give you a deadly poison nor spell. If you want quality, you have to pay the rightful price. I usually only deal with wealthy men. You're wasting my time."
He was about to give him back the purse, but the old man grabbed his hands desperately, forcing him to keep it.
"I'm begging you, with is all the gold I could gather! This is a whole life's savings, and I had to sell all my belongings before the king had me exiled from the kingdom of Camelot. I have lost everything, I have nothing left. I live only to get my revenge on Uther Pendragon!"
Sindri narrowed his eyes, straightening his back.
"I didn't know you required my services to kill the king of Camelot. This will be even more expensive and I doubt you can afford it, old man."
The peasant shook his head, grinding his rotten teeth as his worn out face contorted with hate.
"I don't want him dead. I want him to feel the same pain he inflicted on me by sentencing my son to death. My poor boy was all I had in the world, and Uther beheaded him because he used magic to save our harvest. He sentenced him to death for a harmless spell that saved us from starvation and poverty! And he exiled me for complicity because I didn't denounce him. I want Uther to lose his son and suffer like I suffered. I beg of you, help me get my revenge! Help me kill Arthur Pendragon!"
Sindri looked down at his hands the old man was holding tight, and thought hard. Meddling with the murder of the crown prince was a risky gamble, and he knew first hand to what extreme actions Uther could resort to when confronted to the death of a loved one.
But on the other hand… he related all too well to that old man's hatred. He had lost himself so many close relatives and friends during the Great Purge and barely escaped from being burned at the stake.
The gold's weight in his hands was quite tempting too, since business had been rare lately.
Sindri made his mind and disentangled his hands from the peasant's grip with a cunning smile.
"Fine, I will help you. I can't promise Arthur's death though, only his disappearance. For this price, this is all you will get. And you'll be the one taking the risk getting into the castle to plant the spell close to the heir of the throne."
"It will do just fine!" the old man nodded eagerly. "What do I have to do?"
Sindri pocketed the purse and took a pebble out of his sleeve. He couldn't help grinning at the thought of winning that gold so easily, not taking any risk, and getting rid of this thing that was useless to him.
"Listen carefully. You'll have to follow strictly my instructions for the spell to work."
The two men talked for a few minutes in a low voice before they parted ways, both satisfied with their arrangement.
Later that day, as the sun reached its zenith and the heat wave suffocated men and their cattle, the old man was walking with his head down in the citadel, trying to go unnoticed. He had watched closely the guards at the castle's entrance and saw that they went to refresh themselves and chat when the relief team came to take their place. He took advantage of these few seconds when no one was watching the doors, and got inside the castle.
The corridors were deserted and he only found two other guards napping on a table because of the heat. Though it was cooler inside the walls, servants and nobles were rarely seen wandering at this hour, probably waiting for the night to fall so the temperature would be bearable again.
Despite his old age and the sweat dripping down his back, he managed to knock down a servant who was passing by with his arms loaded with sheets. He dragged his with great difficulty to an empty room to strip him and wear his clothes.
Once he was dressed as a servant, it became easier to walk along the corridors and climb the stairs – no one payed attention to him. It was quite easy to find the prince Arthur Pendragon's bedroom and get inside since the door was half open.
Luckily, it was empty. And in a total mess. Crumpled clothes littered the floor and the remains of a meal lay around on a tray.
The old man closed the door behind him, nervously glancing around with his heart pounding. If anyone found him here, in the heart of Camelot's castle and about to make an attempt on the crown prince's life, his punishment would not be exile any more, but death.
He walked to the bed and stabbed the pillow with a knife, just enough to tear a hole in the pillowcase. He took the pebble out and stared at it for a few seconds – the markings carved on it were glowing with magic – before he inserted it in the hole, sticking it into the pillow's feathers.
With a satisfied smirk, he thought about Uther's suffering tomorrow when he would realize his son had disappeared. And he would never find him again. Never.
Sindri had guaranteed that only magic could bring Arthur back. And Uther hated magic so blindly he would never turn to it for help. That way, he would be punished for his bigotry and cruelty.
"What are you doing here?" a voice snapped drily.
The old man flinched and panicked. He flipped over the pillow so the tear in the fabric wouldn't be seen, and turned on his heels to face the intruder. It was a young man with sticking-out ears and sharp cheekbones who had pushed the door open with his shoulder because he was carrying a full basket of clothes. Luckily, even though he looked displeased to find someone here, he was just a servant, not a guard or the prince himself who would have recognized him for sure – he had been present in the throne room when the king sentenced him to be exiled.
The old man relaxed and grinned at him with his rotting teeth as he started to smooth down the sheets and take the tray away.
"I'm cleaning up the prince's bedroom," he declared, waving at the mess around. "The king ordered we clean the castle to prevent the rats and bedbugs from proliferating. I've never seen such a messy and dirty room. It's a pigsty in here! No one ever cleans up the prince's room?"
Clearly annoyed now, the boy put down his basket on the ground and walked right to him with long strides:
"Yeah well you must be new around here, because I am Arthur's personal manservant and taking care of him and his stuff is my duty, and mine alone. Everybody knows that. If you've got anything to say about the way I do my work, you can complain to the prince himself."
The young man tore the stray away from his hands and glared, trying hard to stay polite:
"I'll take care of this. You can go now."
"Very well."
The old man took the opportunity to get out of here now that the spell was planted, and limped out of the room with hunched shoulders. In the corridor, he crossed paths with the prince himself who was stomping toward his bedroom, all dishevelled and flushed with anger.
"MERLIN!" he shouted as he strode pass the old man without noticing him. "Gaius said you've spent the night at the tavern AGAIN, you useless drunkard! I told you I needed my armour polished before noon! How is it even possible to be this incompetent!?"
The prince rushed into the room and the corridor now resounded with shouting as he squabbled with his manservant about stables, fighting practice and dogs needing exercising.
"Enjoy your last hours, Arthur Pendragon…" the old peasant sniggered before he walked away, intent on leaving the kingdom right away.
oOo
Thunder was rumbling low at the darkest hour of the night. The air was muggy, the heat smothering.
The first raindrops fell on Camelot's walls and hit the bedroom's window. The curtains were drawn, but the flash of lightning was bright enough to lit up the room and outline the prince lying on the bed. Drenched in sweat and all tangled up in the sheets, Arthur was tossing and turning in his sleep. Locks of wet hair were sticking to his forehead and his cheeks were flushed hot. He frowned when another thunderclap rumbled, louder and closer than the last one. A pout formed on his lips and he mumbled something in his slumber before turning to lie on his stomach, burying his face in his pillow.
His eyelashes fluttered as the storm came closer. Lightning streaked the sky and a heavy rainfall poured on to the castle. Mouth slightly open, Arthur was drooling on the pillowcase, unaware that deep inside the fluffy feathers the hidden pebble had started to glow. The markings shone brighter and brighter until magic bathed the sleeping half-naked prince with light.
A flash followed immediately by the crash of thunder woke Arthur with a start. In a daze and short of breath, still numb with the slowly receding images of his dream, he tried to calm down his pounding heart. The thunder-storm was concentrating just above the castle, and lightning lit up the bedroom with blinding light.
For a fleeting moment, he blinked, not believing his own eyes. He was lying in his bed, but the mattress looked bigger than the throne room and his chambers were so huge it made his head spin. He moved to rub his eyes, and froze when he saw his hand in a flash of lightning – it was yellowish, deformed and covered with pustules.
Eyes wide open, the prince stared in horror when he discovered his own monstrous body. It was a vision of nightmare. His belly was swollen, his yellowish and almost grey skin distended like old leather, his legs were lop-sided and his toes abnormally long.
"GUARDS!"
Or at least, that's what he tried to scream. Instead, his throat swelled and he let out a loud croak. Instinctively, he reached out for his sword, before he realized that it was too far away, at the other end of the mattress.
The storm intensified and gusts of wind shook the window so hard it seemed as though it was about to explode behind the curtains. Tangled in a mess of deformed members he couldn't control, Arthur jumped involuntary and dropped from the bed in what felt like a dizzying fall.
He fell on the stomach and bounced like a ball, waving his limbs in a frenzy before he managed to stabilize. It took him several minutes of croaking and struggling to walk on all fours to reach his full standing mirror.
His reflection showed him the image of a chunky toad staring back with bulging eyes, its large mouth splitting its monstrous face. Its thick skin was oozing and covered in pustules – it stretched again when the throat swelled and Arthur let out another panicked croak.
He couldn't talk.
The reflection in the mirror blinked at the same time he did as he tried to keep a cool head and think rationally.
"Sorcery." he realized in horror. There was no other explanation.
Again, instead of words, a croak gushed out of his throat.
Horizontal pupil and orange irises made his stare look disturbing. Glassy. Dumb.
Did a sorcerer just enter his room without any guard noticing? Without Arthur hearing him? There was no one in sight though. If a sorcerer indeed came to cast a spell on him, he had done it very quickly and left immediately.
But there was more urgent matter: how could Arthur get himself out of this tight spot now? He had to report to Uther and Gaius. Yes, but how? How could he make them understand who he was if he couldn't even utter a single word?
In a flash of lightning followed by a clap of thunder, the prince clumsily turned around on his short legs to look at the door that seemed so far away. It was closed, and Arthur already knew he would not be able to open it in his state, there was no use in even trying.
He was locked in his own bedroom and couldn't get out until Merlin came to bring him breakfast like he did every morning.
"Merlin…" Arthur croaked, and couldn't help his throat from swelling up.
There was his solution! His manservant could bring him to Gaius who would find a cure to get his body back. Now he just had to wait sunrise for Merlin to open the door and free him.
Arthur tried very hard to jump and go back on his bed, but he only managed to bump into the furniture and fall on his back – after many unsuccessful attempts, he resigned himself to spending the rest of the night on the floor, at the foot of his drawer cabinet.
With any luck, when the morning came he would realize all of this had just been a horrible nightmare.
He probably ended up nodding off, because Merlin's cheerful voice suddenly woke him up:
"Rise and shine, sleepy head!"
Arthur blinked, opening his bulging eyes to see his manservant pushing the door open with one hand, holding a tray with the other one. Merlin wrinkled his nose in disgust and narrowed his eyes to peer into the darkness of the room.
"Pouah, it stinks like rotting flesh in here!" he pulled a face and smacked his hand on his nose. "Rotting flesh forgotten under the sun for days and… and left to marinate on its own juices! It smells even worse than your socks or your shirt after a day of training!"
The room was dark. Day light filtered through the drawn curtains in a thin trail. And still, Arthur could see everything perfectly clear, unlike his sorry excuse of a manservant who groped his way across the room and toward the window, coughing and pretending to suffocate.
"With all due respect, Sire, you really have to stop eating so many pickled eggs at diner, it makes your stomach bloated and gives you foul-smelling gas."
When Merlin energetically drew the curtains and opened the window wide to get some fresh air into the room, Arthur had to face the fact that what happened in the night hadn't been a dream. A glance at the mirror confirmed that he still was a disgusting toad covered in pustules and mucus, and his manservant now looked like a giant.
Speaking of which, that Merlin idiot still hadn't noticed anything. He kept talking with a dumb smile, leaning out of the window to watch outside.
"I feel this is going to be a good day, Sire. The thunderstorm of this night lightened the air. We can breathe easier, don't you think? After such a heatwave, it feels so good! Shame you won't be able to enjoy it, you have to stay locked in the castle with your father to study the kingdom's affairs with him."
"Merlin!"
Once again, his attempt to talk ended in failure: all he managed to do was croaking. Not loud enough to be heard, it would seem, because Merlin straightened his tray that was about to fall and turned toward the bed with a smile.
"Enough lazing out in bed, Your Majesty! You have a lot of boring things to do to… day…"
His stupid smile fell when he realized at last that the prince's bed was empty. Merlin frowned and came closer. Each step was making the ground shake as if a colossus was walking. He didn't notice the toad crouched at the foot of the cabinet – unfortunately, Merlin wasn't looking that way.
"… Arthur?"
He put his tray down on the mattress and grabbed the sheet with a puzzled look before he knelt to check under the bed. Even down on his knees, his manservant looked incredibly tall and could crush him inadvertently. Still, Arthur mustered up the courage to move toward him with a lumbering gait. He had to make Merlin see him. Then he would have to find a way to be recognized, but well, he would cross that bridge when he gets to it.
But Arthur wasn't fast enough in this short-legged chunky body he still had trouble moving. Before he could reach him, Merlin was already rising on his feet and turned around to look at the empty room, rubbing his neck in confusion.
"Merlin!" Arthur croaked as loud as he could. "I'm right here! Under your nose! Look down instead of staring dumbly at the ceiling, you useless manservant!"
But the clattering of hooves on the paved courtyard outside drowned his outraged croaking. Merlin ended up shrugging and unintentionally dropped the sheet on the poor royal toad. For a terrifying moment, Arthur thought he was going to die of suffocation as he tried desperately to find his way out and the air grew scarce.
By the time he managed to get out of the sheet by bouncing messily, Merlin was long gone.
The door had been left wide open.
oOo
Uther wasn't a patient man.
When this morning his son didn't appear on time, he drummed his fingers on the table, growing more and more annoyed by the second. How was he supposed to educate his heir if Arthur made no effort whatsoever to learn his future role and take an interest in the kingdom's affairs?
Finally, he stood up angrily and left the room after dismissing the council members with a careless wave of the hand. Once again, Arthur was a disappointment to him, and he wondered if his son would ever be ready to succeed him on the throne.
Determined to look for him in person, he strode through the castle's corridors, with a stormy look in his eyes, his cape spreading behind him. Servants and guards moved aside to let him pass, bowing before him. He was almost there when he saw his son's manservant walking in the opposite direction, as scrawny and poorly dressed as usual.
"Hey, you." Uther called him out, not remembering his name. "Boy, where is Arthur? Why is he late?"
The manservant stopped walking, looking dumbfounded, and looked away in embarrassment.
"I don't know, he wasn't in his room when I brought him breakfast. I thought that maybe he already went to meet you."
"No, he hasn't come," he sighed and gestured at him in annoyance. "Don't just stand here, go look for him."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I'm going right now!"
Uther watched the servant run off and disappear around the corner. He wondered how Arthur could tolerate such an incompetent and sloppy boy at his service. But that was the first time his son managed to keep the same manservant for so long without destroying him morally or physically, so Uther wasn't going to complain. Finding him new manservants every few weeks had been such a hassle.
Speaking of incompetence, his son's bedroom was messy and the bed was unmade. Even worse, he saw a frog croaking and bouncing toward him. He started back when the creature gleaming with mucus hopped on his boot.
He looked down with disgust. It was staring up disturbingly at him, its throat swelling with each croak. With the heat wave and the humidity, now vermin was invading the castle. It was repulsive. He shook off the filthy beast off his boot and drew his sword to slay it – but the toad dodged it by jumping on the side, barely escaping with its life.
"Guards!" Uther hissed, pointing at the creature with his sword. "Get rid of this vermin. And find Arthur. I won't have my own son disobeying my orders."
And as the guards started running after the frog through the corridors, Uther walked away, not suspecting he just nearly killed his own son.
oOo
After escaping from the guards by hiding in an alcove, Arthur had to go through the entire castle without being seen or stamped upon. Every corridor looked endless, each step of the stairs was like a cliff, and he walked so slowly that it was nightfall when he finally reached Gaius' quarters.
Maybe the physician could help. After all, Uther always consulted him whenever evil magic attacked Camelot.
When he clumsily slipped through the half-open door, he felt deeply relieved when he saw that Gaius was here. The old man was bending over all kinds of potions, herbs and glass jars steaming on the table. He was probably concocting his remedies renowned in the kingdom.
The room was perfectly silent, except for the soft bubbling sound coming from a bowl. So Gaius heard it when the royal toad croaked as loud as he could. Or at least, he stopped mixing his herbs and looked around.
Arthur croaked again and walked closer, trying very hard to articulate actual words, but failing. Finally, Gaius saw him and lifted an eyebrow.
"Oh. Hello, you."
The physician bent and his gigantic hand came closer to pick up the toad. Arthur tensed up but let himself be lifted up, compressed between the giant fingers holding him. Raised so high above the ground to the point he got dizzy, he found himself face to face with the old man squinting at him. From up close his nose was enormous and his wrinkles looked deeper.
"It seems like you are lost. Perfect timing. I will take good care of you, little one."
For a moment, Arthur really thought Gaius was going to recognize him at first glance and figure out a way to fix his problem. But he knew he was wrong when the physician stuck out his tongue in focus and used a tiny bottle to deduct mucus from his skin despite his protests. Then Gaius locked him in a glass jar whose lid was pierced so he could still breathe.
He stood up on his hind legs to hit the glass wall, but to no avail. He was a prisoner now, and Gaius had gone back to his potions, whistling happily.
Powerless, he fell back on his belly and fear started to overcome him. What if he never managed to get recognized? What if he stayed this way for the rest of his life?
The door opened and Merlin came in, looking preoccupied. He sat down heavily on a chair next to the jar that held the prince prisoner.
"I can't find Arthur," he sighed, rubbing his temples, his elbow resting next to the toad. "I've looked everywhere, I mean, really everywhere, and I couldn't find him."
"I'm here, you idiot!" Arthur retorted, but only a croak came out of his throat.
"Maybe he went for a walk or is hunting?" Gaius suggested, making a fluid spin inside a tiny vial.
Merlin sighed and shook his head.
"Arthur would never have gone out of the castle without telling me. Besides, he doesn't know how to dress or feed himself on his own."
"Hey!" the toad prince took offence at that blow on his pride.
That croak made Merlin glance at him. Leaning on the table, his depressed looking manservant took the glass jar in his hands and shared a look with the toad.
"I think there is no need to get all worked up," Gaius said with a reassuring smile. "He probably needed some time on his own and will come back after a walk. You worry too much."
"It can't be. It isn't like him to just disappear. His horse is still in the stables, all his clothes and his sword are in his room, and no one has seen him anywhere since yesterday. The guards have searched for him at Uther's order and couldn't find him either. There is something going on, Gaius. Something bad. I can feel it."
Arthur blinked. So Merlin spent the whole day looking for him? He was nibbling at his lower lip and looked genuinely worried sick, more than mere servants should be for their masters.
"I don't like knowing he's alone," Merlin murmured, looking up at Gaius. "What if he's in danger? I can't protect him with my magic if I don't know where he is."
Magic.
Time stopped. Arthur froze in his jar, his wide mouth gaping as he stared in shock at Merlin – did he hear it right? His webbed hand slowly slipped down on the glass.
No, that was impossible.
Gaius didn't seem remotely surprised by what his apprentice just revealed. He smiled at Merlin with compassion.
"You know what you have to do. If you think Arthur is in danger, only the Great Dragon can help you…"
"Maybe," Merlin mumbled, looking away. "I will ask him later, but I don't think he's going to be of much help."
"Hand me that toad, will you? I need it."
Arthur stared in horror when his manservant's eyes flashed golden as he incanted a magic spell. The jar rose up and floated in the air, flying right to the physician's hands.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to use your magic so carelessly?" Gaius scolded him angrily. "Don't forget that if you get caught, Uther will have you executed!"
"It's just the two of us here," Merlin shrugged.
"Sorcery!" Arthur croaked, jumping in a frenzy in his jar. "You've both been traitors this whole time! Guards!"
But no one could understand a word he was saying, and Merlin came closer to watch what was the physician doing.
"What exactly do you intend to do with that toad?"
Gaius lifted the jar to show him the batrachian trapped inside, bouncing furiously against the glass walls.
"Look closely, Merlin. It's a male, given its size. Females are bigger. Toads have a lot of chemical properties I use in my potions. They can secrete a poison that has healing virtues against diseases and infections. Their mucus is excellent to moisturise and soothe a burned skin. You have to be careful when you touch a toad, not to touch your mouth or rub your eyes afterwards, because it's very irritant. But most of all…"
Arthur tensed up when Gaius removed the lid and plunged his giant hand into the jar to catch him. He couldn't do anything – he didn't even have teeth to defend himself!
"… sometimes I use them to test the effect of my potions. As it happens I was in need of a guinea-pig for my new rat killing poison. I've been asked to make a strong one for the kitchens."
Arthur struggled fiercely and croaked at the top of his lungs, his bulging eyes panicked, but Gaius' hand was holding him in an iron grip. He moved his tiny limbs frantically when the physician brought a vial of poison to his mouth.
"Wait, don't tell me you're going to poison that poor innocent thing?" Merlin said, indignant. "It's so cruel!"
Gaius stopped moving, lifting an eyebrow at his young apprentice.
"This is how science progress, Merlin. How do you think I created all those remedies? I have to test the effects on a toad or a rat before giving them to my patients. If you want to succeed me one day as court physician, you will have to get used to it."
Merlin frowned and shook his head.
"Not today, I won't. I can't stand here and watch him suffer and die. Give him to me, I'll release him outside."
"You're too soft-hearted, Merlin."
Much to his relief, Gaius unclenched his fist and let the toad fall into Merlin's hands. They were huge, warm and tender. Arthur felt himself being carried out of the room, his manservant's face bent over him.
"Don't worry, you're safe now," he was murmuring, gently stroking Arthur's back with his thumb. "I won't let him hurt you."
Torn between the fresh sting of betrayal and his gratitude for Merlin who just saved his life, Arthur glared at him and quivered under the caress. The touch was pleasant, and Merlin was smiling at him fondly.
He knew they were outside the castle when he saw the night sky full of stars. Merlin knelt, lowering his hands just above the ground to put him down gently. The earth was waterlogged. Arthur felt a strange elation and the overwhelming need to go and jump in the mud and swim in the puddle he could see in the distance. It was exhilarating – breathtaking.
He regained self-control, reminding himself he was the crown prince, that he just discovered his own manservant and the court physician were sorcerers, traitors to the throne, and his first priority was to get his body back.
No matter how bitter and angry he felt about the betrayal and how much he wanted to confront Merlin, he couldn't do a damn thing as long as he was in this mute, small and clumsy body. He didn't even know whether to denounce the sorcerer to Uther or to aim a crossbow at him and demand he justified himself for his lies. He was furious at himself for letting Merlin work his way to his heart and become his only friend and confident even though he had done nothing but lie from the very first day they met. A thousand unanswered questions bubbled in his mind. For what purpose did Merlin lie to him that way? To get to Uther? To avenge the sorcerers burned at the stake since the Great Purge? His warm smiles, his loyalty, his courage, their growing complicity… everything had been fake all along, then?
When Merlin rose to his feet, Arthur panicked for a second. If his manservant was indeed a sorcerer, who better than him to help Arthur retrieve his body? Arthur didn't know if he could still trust him, but something deep inside him refused to believe their friendship had been a lie. And his situation was so desperate he barely had any other choice.
"Merlin! Wait!"
Merlin blinked and looked down at the toad walking clumsily toward him, croaking.
"No, no, you're free to go!" Merlin protested when Arthur tried to cling on to his shoe. "Go find your friends, you stupid toad! Shoo!"
The giant foot pushed him back, but Arthur stubbornly came back to it and followed it with loud croaks whenever Merlin tried to walk away. Finally, Merlin sighed in defeat and crouched to pick him up.
"Sorry, I don't have the time to look after you. I've got an idiot prince to find and I'm worried sick for him. I care about Arthur a great deal, you see, and… And if anything happened to him, I…"
Merlin looked down dejectedly. Arthur had never seen such an expression on his face before. He could read him like an open book, and Merlin was genuinely worried, no doubt about it.
Confused, the prince didn't know what to think any more. His friend might have betrayed him, but his loyalty and his feelings for Arthur looked real. He didn't understand how could it be possible.
His mind was in such turmoil his throat swelled and he involuntarily let out a loud croak. Merlin stood up once more, looking resigned.
"Very well. Stay with me if that's what you want."
He carefully put the toad inside his red neckerchief, tying it up so that he would be nicely wrapped, with only his head sticking out to breathe.
"I hope you're not scared of dragons." Merlin mumbled, turning back to the castle.
oOo
When the quiet and the darkness of his cave were disrupted by Merlin's surprise visit that night, Kilgharrah couldn't have possibly hoped for a better distraction.
Holding his burning torch above his head, the young warlock very seriously announced that prince Arthur had disappeared and that he needed his help to find him. That very same prince who, turned into a toad, was wrapped in Merlin's scarf and staring bemusedly at the Great Dragon.
Kilgharrah couldn't help it, he roared with laughter. He laughed, and laughed again like he hadn't done since the ancient times before the Great Purge.
Merlin had first looked shocked, then annoyed, before he lost patience altogether.
"This is not funny! I'm really worried about Arthur!"
Kilgharrah tried hard to calm down, still chuckling as he stretched his neck to look at Merlin right in the eye.
"Oh but it is, young warlock, it is funny. Very funny indeed! You will understand why soon enough. You have nothing to worry about, Arthur is safe."
The dragon shared a look with the toad who narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"How can you be so sure of it? Do you know where he is?" Merlin asked with a hopeful voice.
The dragon smirked, revealing his sharp fangs.
"Indeed, I know where he is," Kilgharrah chuckled. "I know exactly where he is."
"Then tell me!"
He puffed air out of his nostrils, laughter bubbling up his throat again.
"He is closer than you think, Merlin. Much closer indeed. You will have to learn to see what is under your nose."
Kilgharrah snapped his wings open and soared up while Merlin's frustrated voice echoed through the cave:
"How's that helping me?! Wait! Give me a clue at least!
"I already did, young warlock!" the Great Dragon burst out laughing, flying high until he was perched on his nest, his heavy chain jangling at his feet.
oOo
"And that's all he said?"
Already in his night gown with a nightcap on his head, Gaius was seated on his bed, holding a candlestick. The small flame's glow was lightning them from below and casting huge shadows in the room.
Merlin nodded, holding in his palm the toad that apparently had become his pet. Since he saved him from Gaius and tried to release him, the creature hadn't left his side.
"I don't understand why he always talks in riddles whenever I ask for his help. I'm starting to think he does it just to annoy me."
The physician fought down a yawn.
"If the Great Dragon says Arthur is safe, that is a good sign."
Merlin didn't feel reassured, though. How could Arthur possibly be safe if no one could find him anywhere miles around? The toad in his hand croaked, and Merlin stroked him thoughtfully, thinking about what the dragon said.
"He also said he's close, and that I have to see what's under my nose… I should go search Arthur's bedroom again. Maybe I missed something, some clue to find where he is."
Gaius yawned again, gave the candlestick to his apprentice and lifted the sheet to slip under it.
"You won't be able to go there tonight with the curfew Uther ordered and the guards on patrol. It is late, Merlin. Go to sleep and you will keep looking for Arthur tomorrow morning."
Merlin nodded and rose to his feet, holding the toad with one hand, and the candlestick with the other. He wished a good night to the physician and walked up the few steps leading to his bedroom. He put down the candlestick on his night table and sat on the bed with a heavy sigh.
On his palm, the toad was staring up at him with his bulging eyes whose horizontal pupils looked a bit disturbing. His small body was cold and wet when Merlin took him with his fingers to put him down gently next to his pillow. Then, he untied his red neckerchief and took off his shirt, revealing his skin clammy with sweat. Despite last night's thunderstorm, the weather was still muggy and hot. He could feel his hair sticking to his neck and his forehead.
Too tired to care about the mess, he dropped his shirt and his neckerchief on the floor before lying on his bed with a worried frown on his face. He gazed for a long time at the cracks in the ceiling he knew perfectly, wondering where Arthur could be right now. Was he wounded? Held prisoner? If only the Great Dragon had given him a straight answer for once!
Merlin sighed and rolled on the side, pressing his cheek into the pillow. And found himself face to face with the toad that let out a hoarse croak.
"Are you going to stare at me like that all night?" Merlin murmured, reaching out to caress the creature's yellowish back.
The toad raised a shortish limb, trying clumsily to shove him away. Merlin wrapped him with his hand and brought him close to his heart in a fond gesture that seemed to alarm the creature. His wet legs brushed against his bare chest as he struggled to get free, and the sorcerer looked absently at the candlestick's glow.
"I don't know what mess Arthur got into…"
The toad stopped moving as if he was listening.
"… but I hope the Great Dragon was right when he said he's not in danger. That foolish prince would have died a hundred times if I hadn't been there to save his royal butt every damn time. I know I will never get any thanks or credit for that, but I would like him to see me for what I really am some day, you understand?"
He looked down at him. The toad stared back with a weird expression and let out a weak croak.
Merlin rolled his eyes.
"No, of course you don't understand. You're just a toad."
He muttered a spell to extinguish the candle's flame, his eyes glowing golden in the dark. Exhausted, he fell into a deep slumber, holding the small creature against his heart.
oOo
Uther's fingers drummed on his throne's armrest.
Tap tap tap.
Tap tap tap.
Tap tap tap.
The king was glaring at Merlin.
"So Arthur didn't tell you anything?"
"Not a word, Sire."
Gaius glanced at his apprentice. Steady, Merlin was holding the king's stare, his hands joined behind his back.
Uther narrowed his eyes and stopped drumming his fingers to lean forward, elbow on his knee. He peered at Merlin accusingly.
"Is that so? You are always by his side and he seems strangely fond of you, boy. It's a good thing he has such a loyal servant, but I'm warning you: if I ever find out you're lying to me to cover for him running away from his duty…"
Standing right next to his young apprentice, Gaius felt him flinch. But Merlin straightened his back, looking indignant.
"I'm not lying to you! I really don't know where is Arthur."
Uther stared at him a few seconds more, then leaned back in his throne, rubbing his temple under his golden crown.
"I believe you," he let out a tired sigh. "You are so terrible at lying you end up bombarded with rotten tomatoes each time you try. But if you are not lying to me, then Arthur's disappearance is even more worrying…"
"His horse is in the stables and his clothes and his sword are still there. I don't think your son disappeared on his own free will, Sire."
"You think he's been abducted?"
"I think so, yes," Merlin nodded seriously.
Uther contemplated that possibility for a moment, eyes darkening with worry. He closed his fist and the leather of his glove creaked.
"Gaius."
The physician lifted his chin and took a step forward.
"Your Majesty?"
Uther caressed his lower lip with his finger like he always did when in deep thoughts. Finally, he looked up, frowning.
"The guards and knights have searched the whole castle and the lower town yesterday, in vain. They interrogated everyone, but no one has seen or heard anything. What I don't understand, is how could someone defeat a great warrior such as Arthur and carry him out of the castle and the city without any guard or anyone noticing."
"It is hard to imagine, indeed."
"Could it be that our enemies used sorcery?" the king articulated with a voice full of hate, eyes hardening.
Gaius tensed up and tried to keep a neutral face. He knew that look in his eyes – he knew Uther would do anything to find his son, and if he believed magic was to blame, sorcerers would pay the highest price if Arthur didn't come back very soon.
"I can't say for sure, Sire. But it's very likely."
Uther looked away angrily, closing his fist even harder.
"Once again, magic strikes at the heart of Camelot…" he hissed. "I will give the order to extend the search at all the kingdom. You are dismissed."
Gaius bowed respectfully and turned on his heels to exit the throne room. Then only he noticed the toad cradled in Merlin's hands. The young sorcerer was trying to hide it under his jacket. And Gaius understood that his apprentice hadn't kept his hands behind his back as a sign of respect for the king, but to hide the creature.
Once they were out of the throne room, Gaius arched an eyebrow and nudged him in the ribs.
"Can you tell me why on earth did you bring that thing with you for an audience with the king? Don't you know toads are associated to sorcery? I am beginning to think you are looking for trouble in purpose!"
"It's not my fault!" Merlin protested, glancing around nervously. "He followed us and when I noticed, it was too late to take him back. I decided to pick him up so he wouldn't get stepped on or killed by a guard."
Now that Gaius was looking at him more closely, he saw that the young man was pale and looked tired.
"Are you all right, Merlin?"
Merlin shook his head and sighed.
"I didn't sleep well. The toad kept moving around and croaking in my ear all night."
"What did you expect? It's a nocturnal creature meant to live in a river, not in your bedroom."
"I know, but… I've grown fond of him. He has a bad temper but is rather cute."
Gaius arched a wry eyebrow, wondering not for the first time if his apprentice got some marbles loose. Merlin was looking down at his toad with a soft smile and stroking the top of its head with his thumb. Strangely enough, the toad looked offended and swelled with a croak.
"You are right," Merlin admitted, looking up. "I will release him later to where he belongs. I don't know what came over me, I'm busy looking for Arthur, I have no time to take care of a toad."
They walked toward their quarters, their footsteps echoing through the corridors.
"Do you think Uther may be right?" Gaius asked, looking preoccupied. "That someone abducted Arthur using magic?"
"If it's true, it means the sorcerer went into his room during the night, and…"
Merlin stopped walking, and Gaius turned around to look at him. The young sorcerer was gaping, as if he just had a revelation.
"Unless… unless he had access to the room before, and cast a spell…"
"What do you mean?"
"The day before Arthur went missing, I saw a servant in Arthur's bedroom. A man I had never seen before, and I know pretty much everyone in the castle. He was bending over the bed when I surprised him by entering the room. Maybe he was planting a spell!"
"And you're telling me this now?" Gaius exclaimed, folding his arms.
"This must be the answer we were looking for!" Merlin grinned, ignoring him completely. "The Great Dragon told me I have to see what's under my nose…"
Merlin strode right to Gaius and put the toad into his hands, glowing with hope.
"Take care of him for me! I have to go search Arthur's room for clues!"
"Merlin!"
But his apprentice was already scampering off, only turning back to point a finger at him:
"And don't kill him!"
And now he had disappeared at the corner, the sound of his footsteps moving away in a hurry. Gaius lowered his head and shared a look with the toad that was staring at him with its disturbing orange eyes. The creature looked imperious, somehow.
Its yellowish throat swelled with a croak.
Gaius arched an unimpressed eyebrow.
oOo
Merlin almost knocked over a handmaid when he rushed downstairs. He was out of breath when he burst into Gaius' room in such a hurry the door slammed against the wall.
The physician jumped and walked to his apprentice who was bent in half, gasping for breath.
"Well?"
Breathing heavily, Merlin held something out in triumph, a smile lighting up his face.
"That was…" he panted, cheeks flushed red. "I found… In his… Pillow…"
Gaius squinted at what Merlin was showing so proudly under his nose.
"A pebble? That's it?"
Merlin stopped smiling, clearly stung.
"That's not nothing! And it's not a coincidence I found it inside his pillow. Someone has torn a hole in the pillowcase to put it in there. Look closer."
Gaius sceptically took the pebble and held it under a magnifying glass to observe it – his eyesight was getting bad lately and it was sometimes difficult for him to see the details.
"There are carvings!" Merlin insisted, pointing at them. "See? This is not an ordinary pebble. It is magical, I'm sure of it. I can feel its power when I touch it, and my magic reacts to it."
"Indeed…" Gaius said, narrowing his eyes.
He could see them, now. Complex and quite elegant marks were carved all over the pebble. So much fineness and precision couldn't be the doing of humans.
Leaning above his shoulder, Merlin was looking intensely at them too.
"I have never seen this kind of writing in the magic book you gave me. Do you know what it is? Could it explain why Arthur disappeared?
Gaius sighed, put the magnifying glass down and sat on his chair. He fumbled with the carved pebble in his fingers and thought of the past, of painful memories he had been trying to forget about for the last twenty years.
"I know this language," he confessed carefully. "It is those of the Vilia."
Locked inside his jar, the toad let out a hoarse croak, his hands slimy with mucus slipping on the glass.
Merlin frowned and pulled the stool close to sit next to Gaius.
"Vilia? What is that?"
Gaius gently put down the pebble on the table – if he looked closely, he could see the carvings glowing blue now and then – and reached out to pull an old book from a pile about to fall on the jar containing the toad.
"They are the spirits of water and rivers. Magical creatures close to nature. There must be a mention of them in my bestiary…"
Merlin felt himself grow impatient and more concerned about Arthur as Gaius opened the book and turned the pages at an extremely slow rate. He tried hard not to get up and pace, but instead started drumming his fingers nervously on the table.
"Ah!" Gaius exclaimed at least, squinting on his book. "There, this is it."
His wrinkled finger was pointing at an illustration of a winged nymph wrapped into her own hair and melted into a drop of water. Merlin bent to read what was written below.
"They are peaceful creatures who don't meddle with human's affairs," he read, frowning. "Then why would they abduct the crown heir of Camelot?"
"Mh, I don't think the Vilia are to blame…"
Gaius took the pebble between his fingers and stared at Merlin in the eye.
"At the time when the Great Purge happened, this kind of objects weren't uncommon. The Vilia didn't meddle with the life of mortals, but they were compassionate. When sorcerers were hunted down and had to hide in the woods to run away from Uther's army, the Vilia took pity on them. For those who had lost all hope and the will to live in this world, they offered a new life away from humans conflicts."
"What do you mean?"
"Many desperate sorcerers who had seen their whole family burned at the stake accepted the offer and went to live forever under the protection of the Vilia. Those carvings contain powerful magic, and anyone who falls asleep next to it will wake as a creature of the rivers."
"You think someone placed the pebble in his pillow in order to… what? Turn him into a Vilia?"
"I do think someone intended to harm the prince by transforming him against his will. But this is where you are wrong, Merlin: this enchantment doesn't turn people into Vilia, but into an animal or insect living in river's water. At that time, it was still better than death or a life in exile and terror. The Vilia promised a happy and safe life in the rivers. The most terrified and desperate sorcerers could escape the persecutions, but the price to pay was turning into a trout, or a dragonfly, or a duck, or…"
As the physician was talking, a doubt started creeping under his skin. Merlin opened his eyes wide and cut him with a stony voice:
"Or a… toad?"
Gaius arched an eyebrow.
"Or a toad, indeed," he nodded soberly.
Silence fell, and Merlin turned pale.
"Gaius… do you think… could it be that…?"
The physician looked like he just figured out what Merlin meant, and now shared his fear. Together, they turned their head toward the toad prisoner of the glass jar.
The creature was staring at them haughtily, his horizontal pupil dark in his orange eyes. Merlin wasn't sure if that was just his imagination, but the toad had the exact same expression Arthur had when he was displeased and about to throw something at his manservant's face.
Turning his back on the jar, Merlin bent to whisper in a low voice so only Gaius could hear:
"Since when do you have that toad? Where did you find him?"
"The morning when Arthur disappeared, if I'm not mistaken," Gaius answered in the same low voice. "He came into the room and walked right to me."
"Could it be that the toad is…"
"Prince Arthur himself, transformed by Vilia magic? It is a possibility."
"I hope not," Merlin pulled a face. "You almost killed him with rat poison."
"And you did magic in front of him."
They shared a significant look and turned back to the jar – the toad was still staring at them angrily.
"There is only one way to be sure."
Gaius nodded seriously.
"Indeed. You have to ask him directly. Go on, Merlin, ask him."
Merlin glared at his mentor in betrayal while Gaius patted his shoulder.
Feeling the toad's eyes on him, he cleared his throat and bent so his face would be right in front of the jar.
"I feel really ridiculous doing that, but… Arthur, is that you, in there?"
Merlin felt his stomach turn to ice when the toad nodded. He palmed his mouth and glanced at Gaius in distress.
The physician lifted a sceptical eyebrow and bent too to squint at the toad from up close.
"He only moved his head a bit, it doesn't mean anything. Sire? If that is really you, please croak three times and then knock at the glass twice."
The toad turned his disturbing stare at Gaius. Merlin could have sworn he saw him roll his eyes before he did just that. Three annoyed croaks. Hand bumping the glass twice.
"It's him, Gaius!" Merlin burst out. "It's really Arthur!"
That explained what the Great Dragon had told him. Merlin had looked for Arthur everywhere and he had been there all along, right under his nose!
"It would seem so…" the old man admitted as he straightened his back, eyes narrowed. "Considering the circumstances, I'm not sure this is something to be happy about."
"What do you mean?"
"Well… I don't know if the enchantment can be reversed or if it is permanent, that kind of situation never happened once before. And even if you manage to give him his body back…"
Gaius whispered to Merlin ear in a low voice so the royal toad couldn't possibly hear:
"You unknowingly revealed your secret to him. What does he think about his manservant being a sorcerer? Once he turns back into himself, he will decide your fate. If he denounces you to Uther, you know what will happen…"
Merlin clenched his jaw and tried hard to swallow back his fears.
"For now, my priority is to save Arthur. We can't leave him like that. Let's find a way to undo this spell, and we will see what happens next."
"Wise decision," Gaius nodded and rose up to his feet with a crack in his back. "I suppose we can consider ourselves lucky he has been turned into a toad and not a trout and a salmon, otherwise he would have been dead already and there is nothing we could have done. I am going to search into all the books I have about the Vilia to find a solution to our problem."
As the physician went to pick some books on the shelves, Merlin looked down at the toad.
"I'm sorry you had to go through all this, Sire. I promise to save you as I always do. But first, I'm getting you out of this prison."
He unscrewed the jar's lid and put his hand inside. He picked the toad and lifted it up to his face to look at him closer. The bulging eyes stared at him back, and moist legs wiggled between his fingers.
Arthur was so tiny. Powerless. And he was fuming, which looked quite funny. Hilarious, even.
He knew Arthur would make him pay this once he was back to his normal self, but he couldn't hep himself. There would never be another occasion, after all. A wide grin spread on his face and his eyes sparkled.
"I don't know how I didn't recognize you right away, Sire. I've always thought you have the face of a toad. The resemblance is striking."
The angry croak he got for an answer was totally worth it.
oOo
The toad's head covered in lumps was sticking out of the red neckerchief. Merlin had tied it up around his neck so Arthur could be bundled in it.
His manservant's throat was warm, and the horse's trot was shaking him so much Arthur felt queasy. It was nightfall when they had left Camelot after hours of pure boredom watching Merlin study books with Gaius.
It was just Merlin and him now, riding under the night sky with only the moon and stars to provide them light.
"… I had meant to tell you from the beginning, of course, I wanted you to know me for who I really am…"
Merlin had not stopped blabbing since they left the city and Arthur couldn't do a damn thing to make it stop. That idiot manservant somehow believed that his croaks meant he was cheering him to keep talking, while Arthur was in fact trying to order him to shut up.
"… but when I saw how you reacted to Will's death after he lied about being a sorcerer, I couldn't hope you would accept me for who I really am if I told you the truth. I had no way to be sure you wouldn't hand me over to Uther's law. To be honest, I'm still not sure you won't do just that… If I'm lucky, you won't remember any of this when you get back to your body. That would be easier for me."
His voice was making the toad prince vibrate so he stirred in the neckerchief, champing at the bit. Merlin would get what he deserved. Once he was human again, he would make him pay for his lies.
"Maybe what happened to you is a good thing after all, Sire. For once, I can talk to you and you actually listen. I've wanted for a long time to tell the truth and not hide anything from you."
Arthur let out a grumpy croak when Merlin started stroking the top of his yellowish head with a finger. He lifted a slimy hand to push him off, not wanting to admit that it felt good.
"I hope you understand why I acted the way I did since we've met, Arthur. Since the day I arrived in Camelot, I only ever used my magic to protect you. Not only because I think you'll make a great king one day, but also because I care about you a lot."
The toad frowned, refusing to let himself soften at the sorcerer's sincere and emotional voice.
Merlin shut up at last when they entered the forest of Ascetir. It was night, but Arthur could see everything as if in broad day light. He could see the leaves rustle high up the trees, feel an owl staring down at him, and make out all the nocturnal life buzzing around. Far off there was the crystal clear murmur of a river and toads croaking.
The same urge that overtook him the night before flooded in him. He struggled in a frenzy to get free of the neckerchief. A force within him was driving him to jump on the ground, get to the water and live with the other toads.
"Sire, quit moving or you'll fall!"
The giant hand took him off the neckerchief and held him tight, making it impossible to escape. The toad struggled in vain as Merlin dismounted and led the horse by the bridle toward the river.
"If what Gaius said is correct, this is where we should find the Vilia…"
Arthur tried very hard to suppress the urge to jump into the river as soon as he saw it, and instead he looked up at his manservant. Merlin's face was serious as he tied up the horse's bridle to a tree. He walked closer to the riverbank and he crouched, the carved pebble in his hand.
His eyes shone golden when he murmured a spell in a hoarse voice as he dropped the magical thing in the pure water.
All of a sudden, the river started glowing and sparkling. Bubbles rose in the air and Arthur watched with bulging eyes and gaping mouth as misty faces of women took shape in those.
"Emrys… The one ancient prophecies have been talking about since the mists of time… To what do we owe this honour?"
Those whispers sounded like they were spoken from another world. Merlin took Arthur in both his hands and lifted him close to the bubbles so they could see him better.
"My friend has been changed by your magic. I've tried everything to give him his body back, but nothing worked. So I came to ask you to reverse the enchantment."
Arthur tensed up when the bubbles surrounded him, silver faces smiling at him kindly.
"Many years ago, we took persecuted sorcerers under our protection. Is your friend certain he doesn't want to join us, to leave a life of duties he hates and the destiny already written out for him? With us, he would be free and happy. Unrestrainedly. No pressure nor expectations. No war. No kingdom to rule and protect."
Merlin frowned, glancing at the toad prince.
"I'm pretty sure Arthur would rather have his life and his body back."
"This is his decision to make," one of the bubbles smiled. "The transformation only gets permanent when the enchanted being touches the river's water.Then there is no turning back. What do you decide, Arthur Pendragon?"
Arthur barely hesitated. He might often daydream about freeing himself from Uther's shackles and his duty to Camelot, about running away with Merlin and never go back, he just couldn't abandon his kingdom and his father. And certainly not to live the rest of his life as a toad in a river. There was no way under the sun.
The Vilia understood what his croak meant. They smiled and slowly drifted aside.
"Very well. We will reverse the enchantment."
Arthur sucked in a shaky breath when he felt warm magic wrap around him. His body started glowing and his limbs grew longer, his skin lost its yellowish shade and became smooth.
The transformation was so fast Merlin didn't have the time to react. The tiny toad he was holding in his hands turned in a heartbeat into a full grown man, way heavier than him and stark naked. Merlin collapsed under the prince's weight and they both fell in the river with a loud splash. Arthur almost drowned Merlin by trampling on him, then grabbed his shirt and pulled him out of the water unceremoniously. Dripping and his blond hair drenched and plastered on his skull, Arthur glared at his servant.
"Sire!" Merlin grinned, coughing water. "This is wonderful! You're yourself again!"
Merlin was soaking wet and his ears stuck out even more than usual. Arthur scowled, wondering once again how in earth could such a scrawny and stupid boy be a powerful sorcerer. If he hadn't seen him using magic for the last two days, he would never have believed it.
Still holding him firmly by the collar, Arthur glared at him, their noses almost touching.
"Don't think you'll get out of trouble so easily. I won't forget about your lies because you saved me. Just you wait, Merlin."
Merlin's smile fell and his face darkened with sadness.
"Arthur… Are you going to tell Uther about me once we get back to Camelot?"
Arthur narrowed his eyes. He didn't even know the answer himself.
"Maybe," he articulated threateningly. "I haven't decided yet what I should do about you."
The sorcerer raised his eyebrows and looked down at the prince's glorious nudity.
"Could that wait until you're dried and dressed? If you'd allow me, I brought your clothes and I would like to dress you before you catch a cold…"
Arthur blushed and tried his best to look dignified and charismatic, which was no easy task as he was butt naked and drenched. He released his manservant while the Vilia watched and giggled.
Merlin walked to the horse and brought back a pair of trousers and a shirt that Arthur snatched from his hand, his pride hurt.
"Leave me. I can dress on my own."
The way he said it sounded more sulky than cold and authoritarian like he had intended. Even him realized it.
Merlin stared at him like he had lost his mind.
"You, dressing on your own? You know you're not able to! Come on, Arthur, don't be a child and let me help you."
Face flushed with humiliation, Arthur shoved him away and lifted a leg to try and put on his trousers.
"Don't touch me! I don't need the help of a sorcerer who has been lying to me since the first day!"
"Sire, this is ridiculous! Wait, I have to dry you up first!"
Balancing on one leg and struggling against Merlin who was trying to rub his skin with a towel, Arthur felt his foot slip in the mud. Once again, he brought Merlin down with him under the horse's impassive stare.
They bickered and Arthur threw quite a lot of insults before he got back on his feet, dried up and dressed, glaring at a breathless and muddy Merlin.
"I liked you better when you were a toad," mumbled Merlin as he untied the horse's bridle.
"I heard that!" Arthur hissed and hit his manservant's skull.
They thanked the Vilia for their help and bid them goodbye. Then Arthur took Merlin's horse and let him run along and bitch all the way back to Camelot.
oOo
The rumour that Arthur had returned spread like wildfire behind Camelot's walls. Guards and servants were running in the corridors to confirm the news. As he was doing his round in the castle, Gaius only had to lean out of a window to see his apprentice's horse trot into the courtyard with the prince on its back and Merlin running alongside.
Feeling reassured, he let out a sigh. He hadn't slept a wink all night. He worried so much about his protégé and the crown prince that he just kept turning and tossing in his bed. So the Vilia had granted their wish, Arthur had turned back to human.
Gaius followed the crowd and was out of breath when he reached the gates of the castle. Arthur was there, just getting down from his horse, looking confident and determined. When Merlin went to lead the horse to the stables, Arthur stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.
"A pageboy will take care of it. Don't think you can wriggle out from this, the king is waiting for us and you have certain things to confess."
Gaius stood on tiptoe to see over the heads of the guards gathered here. The prince was unceremoniously dragging Merlin through the crowd.
"Tell my father I have returned and that I demand an audience with him at once!"
"Yes, Sire!"
The physician made eye contact with Merlin who looked panicked for one second before Arthur pushed him into the castle.
That didn't bode well.
The throne room filled up with noblemen and curious servants, to the point the guards had to throw them all out. As a member of Uther's council, Gaius could stay.
Arthur was standing in front of the vacant throne with Merlin on his side. The young sorcerer looked anxious and miserable. He tried to talk to the prince, but Arthur cut him short by clicking his tongue severely.
When finally Uther rushed into the throne room with his red cape billowing behind him, Gaius was on edge. He saw the king smile and briefly hug his son, which proved how much he had been worried by his disappearance.
"My son, you have returned at last! But where have you been?"
"That is what I would like to tell to you, Father. I owe you an explanation."
Arthur gestured at the throne to suggest him to sit down.
"Very well," Uther nodded, regaining his natural authority.
He turned on his heel and walked to the throne. Once seated, his smile was gone and he was looking down at Arthur sternly.
"I am listening. And you better have a very good explanation."
Arthur straightened his back and roughly grabbed Merlin by the nape of his neck.
"Well, it turns out all the blame lies with my idiot of a manservant, Merlin."
Uther arched an eyebrow, as if he had just notice the presence of the boy covered in half-dried mud.
"Continue."
"I gave him the order to inform you I went to hunt on my own for a few days, but it seems he forgot to pass the message. Just as he didn't inform me you wanted to see me about the kingdom's affairs. If I had known, be assured I would not have left the castle like I did. Right, Merlin?"
Stunned, Merlin gaped at the prince. Arthur glared at him and shook his shoulder.
"Right, Merlin?" he hissed through clenched teeth.
Gaius relaxed and all his fears vanished. Despite everything he saw and heard as a toad, the prince didn't seem to want to denounce them to Uther for sorcery.
The young warlock closed his mouth and nodded, glancing up sheepishly at the king.
"Oh, huh, yes," he stammered. "It's true. It's all true."
Uther stroked his chin and frowned, staring at Merlin in disgust as if he was a cockroach dying on the floor.
"Yet you swore that Arthur didn't tell you anything and that you had no idea of where he was, boy."
Merlin gulped and laughed nervously, rubbing his neck.
"I… I forgot? I don't have a very good memory, Your Majesty."
Uther leaned back on his throne with an angry sigh.
"I have never seen a servant that incompetent before in all my life. Arthur, I will find you another manservant as quickly as possible to replace that boy."
Arthur's confident attitude faltered for a second.
"No! I don't want another servant. This one may be a simple-minded, incompetent and insolent drunkard, but he is loyal and he already saved my life several times. That's even why you placed him at my service, remember."
Uther scowled but took the time to think about it.
"So be it," he decided at last. "You will need loyal servants through your life, and I know how rare they are."
Uther looked at Gaius when he said those last words, and the physician nodded respectfully.
"But his stupidity cannot remained unpunished," Uther said in a colder voice. "He needs to learn his lesson so it won't happen again. Guards! Seize this boy and throw him in the dungeon. Let him stay there for a month!"
Gaius watched while the guards took hold of Merlin and dragged him out of the room until the doors closed on them.
"Father!" Arthur protested, walking to the throne. "I can't just stay a whole month without my manservant! Who will dress me, polish my armour, walk my dogs, clean up my room and the stables?"
Uther got up on his feet and brushed the question aside with an annoyed gesture.
"You will get someone to replace him for a month. If you are so adamant about keeping that good-for-nothing at your service, make sure you teach him how to obey if you don't want this to happen again. Now join me for breakfast and be prepared to spend the day assisting me to rule the kingdom."
Then he left the throne room without looking back.
"Yes, Father." Arthur sighed for himself.
Arthur was about to leave too, but Gaius held him back, stepping in front of him.
"I am glad to see you back to your old self, Sire. And I have to thank you for not denouncing us."
Arthur looked down at him with conflicting emotions in his eyes.
"To be honest, I still haven't decided. I'm still angry and I won't forgive betrayal and lies that easily. But I couldn't bear the thought of Merlin being executed."
Gaius patted his arm, staring at the prince intensely.
"Merlin is very attached to you, more than you could ever imagine, and he would give his life for yours in a heartbeat. You should talk to him. He is your friend, Sire."
Arthur looked away, suddenly hesitant.
"I will think about it." he muttered before he strode out of the throne room.
oOo
Daylight was fading. There was barely a thin ray of sunshine left in his cell. Merlin sat hunched on a few wisps of straw in a corner, holding his knees against his chest.
Despite the uncomfortable position and his butt growing numb because of the hard ground, he was nodding off. He had barely slept ever since Arthur disappeared, and now he was so tired he felt drowsy. Earlier in the day, Gaius had tried to pay him a visit, but the guards didn't let him come close.
A rat padded to the plate at his feet and started munching at the leftovers. Merlin could see through his eyelashes the two guards sitting at a table, playing cards.
He probably dozed off for a while, because he was lying down in fetal position and his face was buried in the straws when he was awoken by shouting.
"Prince Arthur! We are terribly sorry, Sire, but the king forbade visits for this prisoner, including from you!"
Merlin lifted his head, a few straws stuck on his cheek. His legs were numb so he had to grab hold on the bars to get on his feet, and he blinked in disbelief when he saw Arthur storm in, struggling with the guards. The prince had the upper hand – he snatched the spear from their hands and no one dared fight him back.
The spear fell on the floor with a rattling sound while Arthur dusted off his shirt and glared angrily at the two guards.
"You forget I am the crown prince. Your future king. You would do better to not oppose me, for I will remember it the day I ascend the throne."
"But, Sire…"
Arthur gestured for them to leave.
"You're dismissed. And don't come back until I say so. Be assured that if you tell my father about this, I will have you exiled from the kingdom."
The guards shared a look and rushed to exit the room.
"Arthur…" Merlin murmured, his hands holding the bars tighter. "What are you doing here?"
Arthur finally turned his angry stare at him, his lower lip curling with annoyance.
"Believe me, I wish I knew."
Dumbfounded, Merlin blinked and watched the prince pacing in front of his cell. Following him walking back and forth with his eyes, the sorcerer cleared his throat and pointed at the bunch of keys the guards left behind on the table among the playing cards.
"Maybe you wanted to say thanks? And get me out of here?" he suggested hopefully.
Arthur came to a grinding halt and turned on his heels to face him.
"Say thanks to you? You deserve every second spent in that cell," he snarled and stabbed Merlin's chest through the bar with a finger. "You deserve much worse for lying to me all along."
"But still, I saved your life!" Merlin scowled. "If it wasn't for Gaius and me, Camelot would no longer have a crown prince, and you would have spent the rest of your life as a toad."
He had the brief satisfaction of having shut Arthur up – he saw him flush an angry shade of red, obviously looking for a clever answer. Finally, the prince folded his arms, pouting like a spoiled child.
"I shouldn't have come," he grumbled, turning on his heel to get out.
"Wait, Sire!"
Arthur stopped, his hand on the door knob. Merlin could only see his back, but he could guess at his head tilting and the tension on his shoulders that he was listening.
"I don't know why you haven't denounced me, but… Thank you. Thank you for protecting me."
When Arthur turned around slowly, very slowly to face him, Merlin froze. Arthur looked furious.
"You lied to me…" the prince hissed through his teeth.
Merlin saw him snatch the bunch of keys from the table and stride right to the cell. Shaken, the sorcerer let go of the bars and stepped back on the straws littering the ground.
"… You betrayed my trust…" Arthur hissed, glaring daggers at him.
"I'm so sorry! Believe me, I would have told you the truth if I could!"
But Arthur ignored him and angrily turned the key into the lock. It unlocked with a metallic sound and Arthur pushed the door open, storming into the cell.
"I did all of this for you, Arthur! Only to protect you! I'd never use my magic for anything else!"
Merlin moved back until he was trapped against the wall and flinched when Arthur grabbed his face between his hands. He looked into the prince's eyes, his breath caught in his throat.
Hands trembling against the cold stones of the wall, Merlin sucked in a shaky breath when Arthur's thumbs started gently stroking his cheekbones. Arthur was staring intensely at him, as if he was looking for an answer into his eyes.
"Arthur…" he said in a whisper.
Arthur tilted his head and joined their lips, kissing him hesitantly.
Merlin opened his eyes wide in shock. The contact was soft, barely present. And Arthur was already drawing his head back to watch him, blushing hard.
Merlin stared back, gaping and too shocked to say a word.
"Stop staring at me like this, Merlin," he grumbled, rolling his eyes. "You look ridiculous."
Merlin closed his mouth and felt his whole face and ears growing hot as well.
"And you… you look like a toad!" he stammered lamely for lack of a better reply.
Arthur narrowed his eyes threateningly and slipped a hand into Merlin's hair to grab the nape of his neck.
"A toad, mh? Take it back."
Their lips brushed and they breathed each other's air as Arthur grew bold and walked even closer, pressing his body against Merlin's.
Merlin smirked and looked defiantly at him.
"Never."
Arthur shut him up with a passionate kiss.
THE END