Well hi there! Chapter two, just for you! See what I did there? I am a poet and hell yeah do I know it - ANYWAAAAY Here Merlin makes appearance numero uno and in the following chapters his part will naturally increase. I have to tell you though, this plot development thing is taking a liiiiittle longer than anticipated so bear wit' me, bros! I have already started on the next chapters and they are a lot more light and fun than this.
DISCLAIMER: Well, guys, I know you won't believe it but I just took these characters from the BBC. DURHHUR - 'cos Merlin, you are too cool to be my brainchild.
Merlin let his spoon fall into his now empty bowl with a clatter, sighing contendedly. "Gaius, that was a meal fit for their highnesses – but I'm curious…what exactly was it?" Merlin looked to his guardian with a wry smile, and Gaius replied in as aloof a tone as he could muster, "Perhaps, Merlin, some things are better left unanswered." This comment appeared to plant the most horrendous thoughts possible into Merlin's mind; he made a face and a mental note never to ask Gaius about lunch again. Merlin's thoughts however turned away from the potentially unspeakable contents of his stomach when he felt a strange pull on his consciousness, as if something was trying to call out to him but was only managing to whisper its way into his thoughts. He whipped his head up, staring around intently – this was like nothing he had felt before, but somehow he could tell it was magical. Gaius, having finished his benchtop fussing, turned to see Merlin looking with a mix of curiosity and uncertainty at no point in particular with a furrow between his brows and knew immediately that something was wrong. "Merlin? What is it?" He asked hastily, but as Merlin opened his mouth to respond a commotion stirred outside the Physician's chamber; a moment later the door of Gaius' sanctuary was thrust open and Arthur, Guinevere and two guards supporting a drooped figure strode into the room.
Merlin's eyes widened as he focussed on the wounded woman – Gaius glanced at him and Merlin's expression was…well, there was no other word to describe it...fascinated. Gaius wanted nothing more than to ask exactly what Merlin was so engaged by in this complete stranger, however at this point the figure bleeding out in the guards' arms was currently of greatest importance. Gaius switched seamlessly into court-physician mode, immediately scanning his thoroughly beaten patient. "I need clean linens and fresh water; perhaps some honey too." Merlin, knowing Gaius meant the demands for him, took one final glance at the prostrate lady before running with all speed to find what was needed. Gaius, now engaging himself in checking for broken bones, looked at both the King and Queen, professionally inquisitive. "What happened, Highnesses?" Arthur, putting a hand to his bruised forehead, looked slightly embarrassed. "Well, Gaius, I was…erm….incapacitated for the most part." Gaius stepped towards and very briefly examined Arthur, checking for signs of concussion – on apparently finding none, he nodded and turned to Guinevere for an explanation. She took a breath in and began. "We were attacked by a creature – I've never seen anything like it before - Arthur was knocked out, Helen came along from goodness knows where and, well, she saved us Gaius." Gaius, returned to tending Helen, raised his eyebrows at the tale; examining her wounds, he frowned at the depth of the gashes.
"What kind of creature was it that attacked you? If it was magical, it may have been poisonous." Arthur piped up, stating firmly, "It was undoubtedly magical – it had a lion's body, wolf's head and, of all things, wings to boot." This information caused Gaius to pause in his ministrations, a look almost of awe shading his features. "What you describe is a Barinouk, a creature of the oldest legends! They were infamously strong and…" He paused, looking down at Helen with concern. Gwen and Arthur waited for Gaius to continue, and with a sigh of great sadness he concluded, "Unfortunately Barinouk produce a venom that saps energy...there is no known cure." Guinevere gasped, whispering, "Will she die, Gaius?" Gaius paused deep in thought and after what seemed like forever, began again. "The venom itself is not deadly, but the combination of mental and physical exhaustion…. However, she appears to be stronger than most; we must give her time and simply wait to see if she can overcome the venom's effects. If she is any better by tomorrow, I think it is safe to say she will be fine." The King and Queen nodded gravely. As Gaius began to remove Helen's tattered garments Arthur awkwardly began moving to the door, speaking hurriedly, "Insofar as assisting here, I think I have outgrown my usefulness – I will return to the castle and inform the council of this incident. If you wish to stay Gwen…" she nodded enthusiastically, "Well I shall see you when you are no longer required. Take care of them both Gaius." Gwen and Gaius watched as Arthur strode out; once satisfied he was gone Gaius began properly cleaning and dressing Helen's wounds. Guinevere was assigned the task of placing salve on the bruised areas of Helen's torso. It was while she completed this task that she made a discovery…one that was as unexpected as it was worrying.
Gwen, unusually hoarse, called Gaius to attention. "Gaius! I…there is a marking…on her skin - here." Gaius looked up, brow furrowed and hurriedly came to inspect the mark. Lo and behold, on the inside of her wrist, was an unmistakably symbolic marking – almost a branding. It consisted of six curved lines, the three on the right side a reflection of the three on the left, decreasing in length from the outside inwards, all six connected by a straight line closer to Helen's wrist. It definitely wasn't the druid symbol but Gaius was almost certain it would prove to be magical; oh dear - this complicated things. Glancing at Gwen he saw on her face a look that spoke volumes. She too had the same suspicion. In a tone coloured with urgency, Gwen half whispered, "Gaius, do you recognise it?"
Just as it had been when Merlin first arrived in Camelot, Gaius was placed in a most daunting position – he alone was able to either protect or reveal this woman's secret; to make or break her future in Camelot. It was then that Gaius, for some reason he did not quite understand, felt the sudden need to protect this woman. Something in her features drew up a distant memory of someone, some event he couldn't put his finger on…she was trustworthy, he was sure! Before he knew what he was doing, Gaius offered up this as an explanation: "No, my Lady, I do not. However I have seen similar symbols used to mark certain families from the far northern kingdoms, beyond the reach of Camelotian diplomatic relations. I do not think there would be record of such markings in the kingdom's records, but I will look into it as possible." Guinevere's relief was palpable, but Gaius knew a shadow of doubt remained. The initial storm of fear had however passed and as nothing more could be done to completely solve the mystery at this point, both continued about their work. Gaius knew that Guinevere's worries could not be alleviated completely by him, truthfully he did not know himself whether to fret; he supposed all they could do was wait for their patient to awaken. Making a mental note to ask Merlin for help on the matter later, Gaius carefully began binding Helen's torn arm, his mind ticking over while he carefully guarded his expression. Lord only knew what they'd gotten into this time!
By the time Helen was finally clean and relatively comfortable, it was early afternoon. Gaius and Gwen sat by her cot in silence. Gwen had told Gaius all she knew of Helen's story; unfortunately for their collective peace of mind there was nothing in her name or occupation that lessened both their worries about her magic. Gwen's brow was furrowed, and Gaius sat racking his brain for a solution to this possibly dangerous predicament. A sudden quiet creak broke the silence of the room as Merlin popped his head gingerly through the door. He smiled gently and spoke to Gwen with a hint of laughter in his voice. "Uh, Gwen, Arthur's been asking where you are for almost an hour…if you value your life…" At this, Gwen quickly stood, nodded at Gaius, fleetingly glanced at the graceful figure of Helen before skittering out of the chamber.
Merlin watched her go before his smile dropped and he resumed the same examination of Helen as he had on her initial arrival. He seemed reticent to move towards her; Gaius finally asked, "What is it about her that has you so fixated Merlin? And come closer to the bed; she's not going to strike you!" Merlin slowly came forward but did not remove his gaze from Helen. He took in a trembling breath. "I think Gaius…in fact, somehow I know…she is a magical creature. It's strange but…I could feel her magic sort of…reach out to me, even before she was in the room. It kind of connected to mine." Gaius watched Merlin as he gazed down at the young woman; he looked strangely awed, his eyes filled with a cool shine that was as ethereal as it was expressive. Sighing, Gaius nodded. "This is all very unusual…Merlin, we have a significant problem - Guinevere suspects our patient too." At this Merlin finally broke his gaze and frowned across at the old Physician. "Helen has a marking similar to a druidic mark on her forearm. Guinevere saw it; I told her it was most likely a tribal symbol from the far north, however if we are not extremely careful Helen will be jailed before she even has a chance to explain herself." Merlin smiled slightly at Gaius, stating simply "Well, her magic seems so familiar…I trust in it, Gaius. I'm sure we can trust her." Gaius nodded, generously stating, "She saved the King and Queen of Camelot, I think for now she deserves the benefit of the doubt." Merlin smiled again and nodded. He then straightened up, considering what needed to be done next. Somehow, he would have to convince Gwen that Helen was most certainly not marked by magic. Urgh, this was not going to be easy. Merlin, scanning his brain for a solution soon decided there was nothing more he could do for Helen here and so turned towards the door as if to make tracks. Gaius called out, irritated, "Where are you going?" at which Merlin turned around, holding the door ajar and grinning slightly. "Back to his Royal Pratness. Somehow he managed to get dirt all over his cloak this morning, and now some unfortunate servant has to clean it." Taking on a serious tone, Merlin finally said "I'll try to talk to Gwen; see what she wants to do about Helen. I'll think of something…I hope." Gaius raised his eyebrows and spoke almost pleadingly, "Be careful." The young warlock twinkled and answered, "Now when am I ever not, Gaius?" That was a question Gaius feared to answer. Gaius watched his ward leave then looked down once more at his patient. For the umpteenth time that day Gaius sighed a long-suffering sigh and prayed to high heaven that just this once, luck would favour magic.
so hey, hope you enjoyed this - I'll keep em coming if you'll keep reading...and reviewing...please? Thanks guys!