Slowly Merlin opened his eyes. A sound down the hall had awoken him. His head was pounding. He had been up all night studying his new magic book, which Gaius had given him. He read so much last night that he forgot the time. He noticed a dim light coming through the window. The sun was already coming up. It showed his messy room. Clothes were all over the floor along with his study notes.
"MERLIN!" The door slammed open and Arthur entered his bedroom. He looked annoyed. His hair wasn't brushed. He looked like he'd just stepped out of bed.
Merlin jolted out of bed. He overslept. Gaius probably tried waking him up but without succes. "Arthur, I am so sorry. I must have…"
Arthur interrupted him. "I really don't want to hear it, Merlin. Gaius told me already. I know that you spent the night at the tavern." Their eyes met. They were filled with disappointment. Merlin's heart sunk. He had asked Gaius to not use the tavern as an excuse anymore. Arthur could begin to think he was an alcoholic.
"Hurry up! My father wants to have all the knights in the throne room this afternoon. I too have to be there and I don't even have a clean shirt!" He pointed at his own clothes. They were full of grass stains and filth. Merlin couldn't help but to grin when he saw that Arthur's shirt was on backwards.
"Did you dress yourself?" The look that Arthur gave him made it even funnier.
"Yes, Merlin! I am capable of dressing myself! I don't need a servant to pick my clothes and to dress me!" Merlin stayed quiet and raised his eyebrows. He stared at Arthur's shirt. Arthur glanced down and noticed his mistake. He pointed in the direction of Merlin's face. "Shut up, Merlin!"
After apologizing, Arthur left. Merlin had been Arthur's manservant for a few months now. Some days he loathed the job, other days he enjoyed it. Not that he had a choice in the matter. After his arrival in Camelot, he'd saved Arthur's life. His father Uther, the king, thanked him by making him the personal servant of Arthur. The thought of quitting had crossed his mind, until Kilgharrah told him that it was his destiny to be at the side of the once and future king. Kilgharrah was an old dragon, captured by Uther. The last of his kind. He lived below the castle in a mouldy cave.
If only Uther knew that he was sorcerer, he would be killed without any second thought. Merlin never used his magic for anything evil. He practiced it to help Arthur. Not that Arthur knew that he was a sorcerer. Merlin didn't know what he would do once his secret would be uncovered. To be honest, he didn't want to find out. In the time they had been together and had been tolerating each other, they had grown quite close. They had become friends. To put his friend in such a position was something he didn't want to do.
"The tavern, Gaius? You couldn't think of a better excuse?" Merlin asked after leaving his bedroom. He straightened his shirt before walking over to the dining table. A bowl filled with porridge and a small piece of bread was ready for him. It smelled nice. It smelled like home to him. He noticed the innocent look Gaius gave him.
"What was I supposed to say? It's the most believable thing." Merlin rolled his eyes in response and picked up his spoon. He was hungry. While he ate, Gaius informed him about his plans for the morning. He would gather herbs and visit Cole, an old patient of him who couldn't see properly. This was their usual routine in the morning. Merlin loved listening to his old friend in the morning. He stayed quiet and listened to the man. It was something he enjoyed. However, this morning something was off. Gaius was blabbering about his day but Merlin suspected that he was holding something important from him. He knew that prying wouldn't work, so he decided to ignore his feeling. He figured Gaius would be ready to tell him at some point.
"Breakfast was lovely, thank you. I better go and see Arthur. I really don't know how he managed without me." he announced.
After they said their goodbyes, he hurried to Arthur's chambers. On the way he picked up breakfast for Arthur. Merlin wasn't sure if he already ate breakfast but he wanted to make it up with his prince. Upon entering the room, a horrible smell overwhelmed him. His friend was sitting on his bed in the dark with a dirty shirt in his hands. He handed his shirt over and took his breakfast.
The big red curtains were closed. They let in just enough light to see. To get rid of the smell, he moved to open the curtains and pushed open the window. Fresh air entered the room. It was lovely weather outside. A light breeze with the sun out. Summer was right around the corner. Everyone could sense it. They all had this excitement in their walk. It was noticeable. Summer in Camelot meant a time of happiness.
"Think you can get that shirt clean for this afternoon?" Arthur's question made him turn around. There was not a chance that this shirt would be clean and dry before noon. Not without his magic.
"Yeah sure, just have to get rid of that horrible smell." Merlin sniffed the shirt and made a gagging noise. In return he got a pillow thrown at his head. "Do you want to muck out the stables as well?" threatened Arthur.
"Oh no, sire. I better get to work and wash your clothes." He quickly gathered all the dirty clothes. The bedroom was a mess but it looked a little bit better when all the clothes were gone. While he was gathering clothes, Arthur complained about his secretive father and ate his breakfast. He didn't like surprises, especially when they came from his father. Before the complaints could continue, Merlin excused himself and went to the laundry room.
It was quiet in the castle. The only people he saw were other servants. He encountered Gwen. She was the servant of Morgana. Morgana was the king's ward. She had always been nice to him. It seemed like Gwen was in a hurry. She almost bumped in to him. "Oh I'm so sorry, Merlin."
"Don't worry about it. You seem to be in a hurry?" He stepped out of her way.
"I can't find Morgana's favorite dress!" she sighed. She noticed all the laundry in his hands. "If you are going to the laundry room, can you check for a red dress? You'll recognize it when you see it." He nodded in response and wished her luck with her search. When he entered the laundry room, he noticed that no one was there. However, he decided to immediately get busy.
Merlin handed Arthur his clothes. Not a stain was to be found on the clothes. They looked like they were new.
"You were washing my clothes all morning? It took you that long?" A thank you from a Pendragon was rare. Merlin hadn't been busy with the laundry all morning. He used magic to clean the dirty clothes. It took him just a few seconds. It wasn't the first time he had used such a spell. The rest of the morning he had spent reading the remainder of his book in the laundry room. He wanted to learn everything about magic. It was important to him.
"They are clean, sire." He knew Arthur probably needed help with dressing himself but he wanted to hear him say it. Only to tease him. Arthur took off his dirty shirt. Merlin started to back away when Arthur tried to put on his clean shirt. It already started to go wrong when he put his head in the wrong hole.
"Is that all for now? Do you want me to clean up your breakfast and bring you your lunch?"
An agitated sigh made him chuckle. "Merlin, come and help me. I can't do this myself!" the prince commanded. Merlin bit his lip to stop himself from laughing. He then proceeded to help Arthur dress himself. A white shirt with dark pants. It suited him but it was missing something. Merlin handed him his belt and watched as Arthur struggled with the belt. He made a note to himself to pry another hole in it. It wasn't that Arthur was getting fat. He was just adding some extra padding.
"Let's go and see my father." Arthur said after he was ready. They would be a bit late. They walked through the door and went downstairs. The castle never lost her beauty throughout the years. Merlin ran his hands over the bricks. They were cold. If only those walls could talk. The secrets they would unfold would be huge. He wondered how much had happened here.
Upon arrival at the entrance of the throne room Arthur asked how he looked. He would never cease amaze Merlin with these kind of questions. The guards opened the giant wooden doors for him and Arthur. He slowed down so Arthur would be the first to enter the room. The room was huge. On the ceiling there were magnificent paintings. Some of angels holding their sword, others were kings busy doing certain acts. When Merlin first saw this room, it cut off his breath. It was beautiful.
All the knights were already there. Just like Uther and Gaius. The last was holding a piece paper. Merlin couldn't see what was on it.
The knights had formed two lines, so that, when they entered, they would walk in between the two walls of men. Merlin knew his place and went to stand in front of the window next to Gaius. Their place was next to the knights. They didn't stand out against the crowd.
They nodded at each other and both watched as Arthur walked up to his father, greeted him and went to stand next to him. Uther stood in front of his throne and was in full armor. A rare sight to see. The king didn't go on many missions. He usually would send out his son. He looked tired. Something must have been troubling him.
Now that the prince and king stood next to each other, you could see that there wasn't any resemblance between the two. Arthur was blond, Uther had dark hair. Arthur was tall and broad. He had the body of a swordsman. Uther was tiny and his body showed the wealth of his nation. Back in the day he might have had a body like a fighter. If you held a painting of Arthur next to him, you would be able to see how much they looked like each other. However, the few paintings of her had been taken off the wall. They hung in Arthur's chambers. The paintings probably saddened Uther too much.
"Good afternoon everyone," Uther said as he turned his attention to the crowd in front of him. "I have called upon you today for something very worrisome. The outer villages have reported multiple sightings of a sorceress. Gaius has been able to identify her. Her name is Nimueh, a very dangerous woman." Uther paused as he looked at Gaius for conformation. Gaius nodded and handed him the piece of paper. The room was dead silent. Everyone realized the importance of this message. Magic was strictly forbidden. The only way to fight fire was to put it out. The knights wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone with magic. Magic had raged through the lands before, leaving a trail of terror and death.
"I thought that she had died but unfortunately she has come to haunt Camelot once more. I can not tolerate her presence around the people of Camelot," Uther continued. He held up the paper and showed it to the knights. On it was a drawing of a woman. She had beautiful long dark hair. However, her eyes were standing out the most. There was this look in her eyes which gave everyone the chills. Her stare was threatening. The person, who drew it, had captured it perfectly.
"This is her. I want you all to ride out and search the woods. I warn you to tread with caution. She might not look this anymore. She is a very sly woman. Not to mention powerful. We will search until we have found her." Uther handed the paper back to Gaius. "I will join you in the search of this sorceress! Let us bring peace to Camelot once more!" He pulled out his sword and held it in his right hand. "For the love of Camelot!" he shouted. His son and every knight in the room copied him and started chanting. It was impressive to see. All these men were prepared to give their lives for their king and their prince. Slowly, they all left to prepare for the search. Uther motioned for Arthur to stay behind. They probably had some details to discuss.
"Merlin, go to my chambers and prepare my armor," Arthur said as he turned to his father. Merlin nodded in response and followed Gaius out of the room. He struggled to keep up with him. Gaius's mood had changed considerably compared with breakfast. He got worried about the mood change. It must be something serious with this sorceres.
Merlin had never heard of this Nimueh, nor did he know that there was a sorceress on the loose. He was curious why Gaius hadn't said anything to him. Usually, he'd help him out with identifying someone or an object.
"Gaius, who is this Nimueh? Why didn't you ask for help with the search?" He searched for Gaius's eyes but the old man refused to look at him. His worry grew bigger in his stomach. What was the matter? Did he do something wrong? The silence between them made him doubt himself. The silence was broken when they arrived at their place.
"Merlin, I didn't need your help with the search, because when Uther told me about the consequences her victims suffered, I recognized her. I don't want you to go with Arthur on this search," Gaius explained. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, Merlin close behind him. "I forbid it."
"What? Why? Have I done something? He needs me," Merlin sputtered. "He and the knights don't stand a chance against a sorceress!"
Gaius sighed and went to sit down. "She is dangerous. She will recognize you. She will expose you!" he urged for him to sit down. "And when she will, you will be killed for what you are. I don't want you to take the risk. I can't lose you."
Merlin knew that he was like a son to Gaius and that the man would always look out for him. He was touched by the concern. He knew that he'd be a fool to ignore his concerns. He just didn't like the idea of Arthur heading in to a battle without him at his side. It was his destiny to protect the once and future king.
It wasn't the first time that he headed in to something dangerous because of Arthur. Gaius always worried about him, but this was the first time he tried to forbid Merlin to go along. Other conversations about his concerns hadn't been like this.
"I will be careful. I promise." He grabbed Gaius's hands. They felt rough. His hands were like workers hands. For as long as the people in Camelot could remember, Gaius had been the court's physician.
Merlin gave a light squeeze to reassure him. The worry, that he saw in Gaius's eyes when he glanced up, wasn't like anything he had seen before. "I have to prepare Arthur's armor. When I'm done, we can continue this conversation." Merlin felt him hesitate when he let go of his hands. He tried to be comforting by giving a smile. He stood up. "It's going to be okay." Gaius looked like he was about to protest, but decided not to. Merlin somewhat was glad that he didn't. A discussion was the last thing he wanted.
He walked out of the room. When he closed the room behind him, he felt very insecure. Such a conversation took a toll on his confidence. He leaned against the door with his back and closed his eyes. He had this ominous feeling of doom that he couldn't shake off.
A sudden pain almost caused him to fall to his knees. "Don't go to her. It is not the right time. You are not supposed to meet her yet. Gaius is right." It was Kilgharrah. His loud voice was inside his head. It was like a loud whisper he couldn't shut out. Never had he felt this pain when talking to the old dragon. With a groan he pushed himself off the door and faltered to the armor room. Everything the dragon said was with a reason. Merlin suspected that the dragon knew what was to come. He shouldn't question anything the dragon said.
However, he felt a bit distrusted with Kilgharrah. He knew that the dragon wanted to be free and that he would do anything to regain his freedom.
Dizzy and disorientated from the sudden pain he grabbed everything he needed for Arthur. He had polished the armor the day before. Arthur's armor was very recognizable. Out of all the armor it had the best quality there. The chest plate weighed a lot. Just like the hauberk.
Last but not least, he grabbed Arthur's sword of the wall. A dragon was embedded in the handle. The sword was specially made for him by Gwen's father. He was the blacksmith of Camelot. He was excellent in forging the right sword with the right balance for the right person. Even a person with no knowledge about swords would know that this was a beauty.
He struggled to get to Arthur's chambers. The stairs didn't make his job easier but he managed. Once there he was surprised to see guards standing in front of the open doors. He wasn't sure if he was allowed inside but the guards didn't make a sound when he stepped inside. The horrible smell was gone. The window was still open. He put the armor down on the bed. Arthur wasn't there yet but Merlin figured he would be there soon.
Outside on the square was a lot of noise. Most of the knights were probably busy saddling their horses. He went to look outside. There were probably twenty horses outside. Servants were running around, which made the horses nervous.
"You can't do this, father! You can't!" A screaming Arthur made Merlin turn around. Two guards had locked their arms with Arthur's arms and dragged him towards his bedroom. Uther was right behind them. Probably making sure that his son would make it to his chambers. Anger and despair was written on the prince's face. Merlin had never seen him this angry before.
"I can, Arthur, and I will. You don't get to have a say in the matter." The guards dragged him to a chair inside his bedroom and put him on it. "Your servant is here to keep you company." Uther turned to Merlin. "Bring his armor back to the armory and make sure he gets everything he needs." In response Merlin bowed. He had a idea of what was going on. This had never happened before. Usually Arthur got his way.
"Father, please. I ..." Arthur began to plead. Uther gave him the cold shoulder and focused his attention to the now four guards. "You make sure my son stays in his room. The only one allowed in and out of this room is his servant. You understand?" All the guards bowed as he left. One of the guards walked towards the door, watched Arthur sitting on his chair, almost as if he pitied his prince, and then closed the door.
Living with Uther being your father wasn't easy. He was a strict and stern person. People say that he was different when he his wife was alive. She died while giving birth to their son. Her death was the first of many. It's been said that the king blames magic for her death. It started his war against magic.
It got awfully silent when they were alone. Merlin started gathering the armor. He didn't know what to say to his friend. It was a humiliation for Arthur. He felt bad for him. He knew that Arthur didn't want people to give their lives for his, and if they were, he wanted to be there. He hated it when he wasn't able to join the knights on a quest.
"No, put that down. Leave it." Arthur quickly got out of his chair when he noticed what his servant was doing. He snatched the stuff that Merlin had gathered. "It being here is not a problem. I won't use it anyway." His demeanor had changed. It was almost like he was saddened.
There was a slight moment where Merlin hesitated. He didn't know who to obey. His king or his prince? He chose the latter. "I'm sorry, Arthur," he whispered. "I know you wanted to join the search. You still want to, don't you?"
His question was left unanswered. Arthur put down his armor and grabbed a piece of paper. He wrote something down, folded it and handed it to Merlin. "Deliver this to Gaius. He'll know what I mean." There was something in his eyes. Merlin couldn't quite place it. "Now leave me."
Merlin walked to the door, knocked on it and stated his name. The door opened. Before he walked out of the prince's bedroom, he looked back over his shoulder. Arthur stood in the middle of his room. Sunlight hit him. It gave his appearance something magical. His shoulders were hanging. He looked defeated.