Thank you to those of you kind enough to leave me a review or who have favourited my story. Thank you too, to those who contacted me to tell me it was misleading to say my story was complete when I had posted only the first chapter. I am new to the site, and new to the world of fan fiction, and only meant to indicate that I have written the whole story, and therefore there won't be a long delay between chapters being uploaded. But I have changed the status to 'in progress' so that more readers will not be misled.

I want to quickly explain why I wrote this story. It was because I felt dissatisfied with the way series five of 'Merlin' was going. In particular, it seemed to me that Arthur did not gain much from being able to speak to Uther after his death (episode 3 of series 5) and it made me wonder what might have happened if the old sorceress had given Arthur something more useful - something like the knowledge that a sorcerer named Emrys was working close to Arthur. This, I thought, might have changed the course of events for ever. And so my story came into being.

Chapter 2 is not as long as some of the chapters, and it is not as action packed, but I felt it was important to delve into Arthur's mind and understand a little of what he is thinking. Please read and review if you feel you can. I hope you enjoy it. And be assured, chapter 3 follows tomorrow, with more action, some humour, and a great cliff-hanger.

Arthur's Quest

Chapter Two – In search of Gaius


When Merlin returned with the primroses in his hand, he could see at once that he was too late. Arthur had used his cloak to cover the face of the old woman, and was sitting away from her, staring intently into the flames of the camp fire. At first, he did not seem to notice Merlin, but when he did, Merlin was astonished to see Arthur swipe at his eyes with the back of his hand before quickly standing up. Had he been crying? Merlin wondered. The idea hardly seemed possible. Merlin had seen Arthur cry before, at the death of his father, but never for anyone else, even when childhood friends had died during battles and skirmishes with Morgana and other foes. In fact, Merlin remembered Arthur had quite strong views on the subject of crying. He still vividly recalled Arthur telling him after Balinor had died: 'One thing I always tell my knights: no man is worth your tears.' No man, and surely few women either, and especially not one who, until this afternoon, had been a complete stranger to them both.

Arthur was acutely aware of his servant's gaze and avoided it in the only way he knew how. Abruptly, he kicked at the fire with the toe of his boot, scattering loose soil into it and putting it out. At least now, Merlin would not be able to see his face by the light of the flames.

'There's no point us spending the night out here now,' he said brusquely. 'We'll bury the body and get back to Camelot before Guinevere sends out a patrol to look for us.'

He turned away from Merlin, but in doing so, nearly stepped on the lifeless body that lay there. Hesitantly, he took his cloak from the corpse and Merlin hurried over to help him fasten it around his neck. Ordinarily, Arthur would do nothing for himself that he could make his servant do instead, but this time, he did not welcome Merlin's attempts to help him, and again turned his head away so that his face was hidden. Is he still crying? Merlin wondered. He turned to the sorceress' body, wondering how they were to dig a grave when they had no tools for the job, and was about to ask Arthur the same question when he noticed Arthur's expression as he too gazed at the woman. Her death appeared to have come as a huge shock to Arthur, and there almost seemed to be something like fear in his eyes. His whole demeanour was one of someone whose thoughts were far away from the present. This was so unlike Arthur. Merlin didn't know whether to find it funny or be concerned. On the whole, it was more alarming than risible, but Merlin nonetheless attempted to break through Arthur's mood with a light throwaway comment.

'Come on Arthur,' he said, recalling the words Arthur had said to him just after the Vates had shown Merlin a vision of Arthur falling to Mordred in a bloody battle, 'You've seen a dead body before.'

It was the wrong thing to say. Arthur's expression immediately sharpened as he fixed his cold eyes on Merlin.

'That is so Merlin,' he replied. 'And you know what must be done with them,' and so saying, his lips drew back into a mirthless grin and Merlin became aware that Arthur was holding out to him his hunting knife. 'We have no spade,' Arthur continued in steely tones, 'So you will just have to dig the grave with this. And get a move on: I want to ride back to Camelot as soon as you are done.'

Merlin noted the change of the word from 'we' to 'you' and his heart sank. He looked at Arthur incredulously before reluctantly taking the knife, kneeling on the ground, and starting the long process of digging out a grave with a blade used for skinning rabbits.


Arthur's mind was in turmoil. It was the next morning and he sat at his desk in his chambers in Camelot, but he did not see the documents before him. He could think of nothing else but the words the old sorceress had spoken to him before she died. The shock of those words had caused him to react emotionally at the time, and he had found it impossible to think things through coherently on the ride home, but he had not slept a wink once he was back in Camelot, and the ideas went round and round in his head.

Some of it had sounded like the usual flattery that he had been accustomed to all his life. It was scarcely possible for him to meet someone, unless they were a foe, and not be told what a great king he was. Many spoke in flowery terms about his destiny, and there were few nobles who were not aware of his desire to unite the warring kingdoms of Albion and bring peace to all the land. But this peasant woman had no reason to know of his noble plans, and anyway, she had not spoken to flatter Arthur but rather in terms which sounded like prophecy. Even so, this alone would not have been enough to cause Arthur any disquiet. True, he was not accustomed to the prose of seers and soothsayers, but neither was he ignorant of their ways, and he guessed many sorcerers couched their predictions in such definite terms in order that their words might carry more weight and sound more portentous. It probably accounted for the curious words she had used: 'You are the Once and Future King'. That struck Arthur as the kind of mystical but basically meaningless phrase that might be used by sorcerers to strike awe into their listeners.

But then there was the part about the sorcerer. She had clearly told him that someone with magical powers was living close to him in Camelot. That did alarm Arthur! His father had purged Camelot of magical people while Arthur was still a little boy. Of course, occasionally, a sorcerer intent on revenge, or an old woman with healing powers, would make their way to the citadel, but punishment for any who were discovered had always been swift and final. Arthur was aware that sorcerers were still at large – there was the old man who Arthur had made the mistake of inviting to the castle to heal his father. The healing spell – if that was even what it had been – had backfired, and Arthur had lived with the grief ever since. And then there were the Druids. Arthur was not convinced that all Druids were magical people, but certainly some of them were. But Arthur had promised the Druids that they could live in peace within his kingdom, and, on the whole, his attitude towards those people whose magical powers consisted of mainly healing spells was the same. As long as they acted discreetly, and did not come to Arthur's attention, he was not going to hunt them down as his father had done.

The powerful sorcerers, who allowed themselves to be corrupted and who brought evil to the land, were another matter. His half sister Morgana was a case in point. Arthur was aghast at the change magic had wrought in his one time playmate and sparring partner. Once so sweet and compassionate for those less fortunate than herself, Morgana had become the embodiment of evil as her powers strengthened. Now a high priestess, she still sought greater power and Arthur was only too aware how much she wanted to get her hands on his throne. Evil such as hers could not be allowed to continue.

But what had the old sorceress said about the sorcerer within Camelot? She had not been referring to someone with mere healing powers. Her words came back to Arthur again: 'One with magical power greater than has ever been seen before.' Could that be true? Arthur shuddered to think of such enormous power held by someone close to him. He had seen enough of the works of great sorcerers – Morgana, Morgause – to know what havoc their power could cause. Who knew what devastation, even now, might be being planned by one in close proximity to him?

But the sorceress had also said something that puzzled Arthur. 'One who walks the same path of destiny as you do. Without their help, you cannot succeed.' What did that mean? How could Arthur ever share a destiny in common with a sorcerer? How could he be beholden to another whose very existence revolved around magic? Arthur was a warrior, a man of honour and justice. A sorcerer could not be any of these things, could they?

Finally, he pondered on the identity of this sorcerer. Emrys had been the name. Arthur had never heard of anyone with this name. He did not even know if it belonged to a man or a woman. Could it be someone living in the town he wondered. But, if that was the case, would the sorceress really have described them as someone who was close to Arthur? Arthur as the king of Camelot still had dealings with some of the townspeople – admittedly, less now than he had had as a prince - but still, some relationships remained. However, he would not have described himself as close to any of the artisans and workers he knew from his princely days. He spent his time primarily with his knights, though he also socialised with the nobles and their families, and of course, the counsellors within the citadel such as Geoffrey of Monmouth, the court archivist, and Gaius, the court physician.

Gaius! Thinking of his trusted counsellor, Arthur suddenly knew what he should do. Gaius had practised sorcery in the days before the Great Purge, and his knowledge of this shady walk of life was second to none in Camelot. Arthur got up and made straight for the door. If anyone could shed light on this matter, Gaius was the man; and also, thought Arthur, as he looked around his room and noted for the first time the state it was in, it would give him the chance to kick that lazy servant of his out of bed. Merlin had not been seen since the early hours of this morning when their horses finally plodded in to the courtyard, and the list of chores he had to do was mounting.


Arthur burst into Gaius' chamber with little more than a cursory knock on the door. The physician was standing at a table grinding something with a mortar and pestle.

'Gaius!' Arthur began without preamble. 'Where is that lazy good for nothing?'

Gaius regarded him with his usual imperturbable calm.

'My Lord, I'm afraid I have no idea to whom you are referring,' he said deferentially.

'Don't trifle with me, Gaius. I mean Merlin of course. Is he here?' Arthur looked towards the door to Merlin's room which was firmly shut.

'He is, in a manner of speaking,' Gaius replied. 'I'm sorry, my Lord, I thought someone might have told you. I did mention it to Sir Leon when I saw him. Merlin is unwell, my Lord. He will not be able to attend you today.'

Arthur considered this. He remembered he had told the guard outside his chambers not to allow anyone access – he had wanted time to think undisturbed - and he guessed that this was why Sir Leon's message had failed to reach him. Well, be that as it may...

'What's the matter with him?' he asked Gaius. 'He was perfectly all right yesterday.'

Gaius regarded Arthur a moment. He wasn't about to say so, but he did not agree with the king's assessment of Merlin's physical state. When Merlin had staggered in to the physician's chambers in the middle of the night, he had been suffering from an obvious fever and had scarcely been able to stay awake long enough to tell Gaius what had delayed him so long. He had not eaten any of the stew Gaius had kept back for him, and had needed help getting into bed. There had been some sort of garbled story about falling into a stream earlier in the day, and Merlin had been able to confirm that he had been feeling unwell even before that, so Gaius was not unduly worried, but it was obvious to him that Merlin's cold had developed into something a little more serious. Gaius had little doubt that this was the result of a combination of factors, including being made to sit in damp bushes all day while Arthur hunted, lack of sufficient food and water, and having to dig a grave for half the night – all of which was at the behest of Arthur.

'He has a fever, my Lord,' Gaius presently replied. 'I hope it will not prove to be serious, but for the moment, he needs rest and my best herbal remedy' – he indicated the pestle and mortar.

Arthur glanced at the contents and shuddered. It did not look very appetising.

'Very well,' he replied slowly. Thinking about it, he was not unduly perturbed. He welcomed the chance to talk quietly with Gaius without Merlin's stupid grinning face disturbing him. 'Gaius, might I ask you something – in confidence, of course.'

'Of course, my Lord.' Gaius was instantly professional and he indicated a seat Arthur might sit on. 'What is troubling you Arthur?' he said when both of them had sat down at Gaius' table. He could see the colour rising in Arthur's cheeks and he wondered if the fever was infectious. But then he noticed how awkward Arthur seemed to be, fiddling with some jars that stood on the table, and avoiding Gaius' eyes. Internally, Gaius baulked for a moment. Was Arthur going to admit to a more personal disease?

Suddenly, Arthur appeared to gather some resolution. Looking Gaius directly in the eyes, he said:

'Have you ever heard of a person by the name of Emrys?'

Gaius blinked. This was the last thing he was expecting Arthur to say. Involuntarily, his eyes drifted to the door of Merlin's room, and Arthur noted this and also quickly glanced that way. 'Merlin won't be able to hear us, will he?' Arthur asked. 'Only I wish this to remain solely between you and me.'

Gaius inwardly rebuked himself for his momentary lapse of collectedness. He was glad that Arthur had misinterpreted his look, and seized on the mistake to cover his own.

'Do not worry about Merlin overhearing us,' he said. 'He is dead to the world.' Arthur shot a look of concern at him and Gaius waved his hand. 'In a manner of speaking...' he explained.

'So,' Arthur continued, 'Emrys? Does the name mean anything to you? It is a strange name.'

'Indeed,' replied Gaius, gathering himself. 'I can't say I have heard the name before, my Lord. Is there some reason why you ask about it?'

Arthur wasn't sure how much he wanted to say. He couldn't pretend there was no reason for asking.

Briefly, he mentioned the circumstances under which he had met the sorceress the day before, and he explained that she had been rambling during her final moments and had mentioned the name Emrys to him. He thought maybe she was confusing him with someone else, and maybe Emrys had been a relative of hers. If there was a final message Arthur could take to a grieving relative, he would gladly do so.

Gaius listened to the story and was not fooled. It seemed to him that Arthur was an even worse liar than Merlin, but he had no wish to delve deeper into this conversation so thought it best to play along with Arthur's fairytale.

'I am sorry I cannot be of more help to you, my Lord,' he said. Arthur rose to leave. 'But if I hear of anyone of that name, looking for an elderly woman, I will be sure to let you know.'

'Thank you Gaius.'

Arthur left, chewing his lip in thought.