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Chapter 2- "How did this happen?"

Arthur burst out of his chambers, carrying Merlin's limp form, his injured shoulder smarting. He started to run to Gaius' quarters when there was a shout from behind him.

"Arthur?"

Gwen and Morgana were sprinting down the hallway, looking from Arthur's panic-stricken face to the young warlock in his arms.

"What happened?" Morgana asked.

"I don't know, he just collapsed."

At Arthur's words, Gwen pressed her hand against Merlin's forehead, which she quickly withdrew.

"He's burning," she exclaimed. "I think he's going down with a fever. We need to get him to Gaius - fast." With that the three ran.

When they arrived at Gaius' chambers, Arthur shouldered the door open and ran inside, closely followed by the two women.

Gaius was at his table, pouring over some book. When he looked up he jumped out of his chair and ran over to Arthur, who was still holding Merlin.

"What's wrong with him?"

Arthur ran over to the bed and laid the boy gently onto the covers, before looking up at Gaius.

"He just collapsed. Gwen said he was coming down with a fever." He stepped away.

The physician looked over Merlin, whose body was now racked with sweat. Then he said...

"No, she couldn't have." He turned back to Arthur.

"Hold him."

Whilst Arthur held Merlin's torso upright, Gaius grabbed a small dagger, sliced the warlock's shirt and then ripped it off.

Morgana gasped, Gwen screamed and Arthur's already ashen face went paler still.

Half of Merlin's chest was covered with blistered skin, bright red and glistening from liquidated moisture. Arthur looked at the physician.

"How did this happen?"

Gaius didn't reply and began busying himself with many tonics. He looked over at the other three.

"Arthur, I need you to hold him still. Gwen, Morgana help him. This is going to hurt Merlin."

The three of them positioned themselves around Merlin's body , Gwen and Morgana took over Arthur's position- Morgana holding his shoulders as she lay him back on the bed; Gwen holding the boy's hand tentatively in her own. Arthur had his hands ready to hold Merlin's legs in case he started to buck.

Gaius then took the cloth and poured a treacly, honey coloured substance onto it. He then bent over the young warlock, praying to the gods that this would work and that Merlin wouldn't inadvertently reveal his magic.

The moment the cloth came into contact with Merlin's wound a nauseating sound of burning started up and Merlin let out a terrible scream. He then started to moan and toss about, sometimes muttering or shouting undecipherable words, whilst the physician tended him.

Gwen was crying silently, lightly squeezing Merlin's hand and whispering words of comfort to the thrashing boy, with no effect. Morgana and Arthur were trying to block out the sounds of the warlock's agonised cries.

Then, all of a sudden, just as Gaius was about to finish, Merlin stopped his moans and ramblings, shuddered violently and lay still. For a few seconds they all stared at him, willing him to show some sign of life but no sign was shown. His silence was worse than the thrashing and moaning.

Gaius' hand flew to Merlin's un-held wrist. He let out a sigh of relief. There was a pulse, weak though it was; it was a pulse all the same. He then bent towards Merlin's head and, so that the three young adults couldn't see, shifted the arm of his robes and lifted the lid of one of Merlin's eyes.

Golden light danced around his iris, just as it did when the young warlock performed magic, but this time the gold was tainted with red and Gaius knew that not even he could help Merlin now. He closed the boy's eye and looked at the others in turn before saying...

"He's been cursed." Gwen sobbed hysterically; Morgana went over to her, consoling her; and Arthur's face flickered with badly suppressed fright as he looked back at Gaius.

"Cursed?" he asked. The physician nodded.

"And he may have slipped into a coma." Before Arthur could reply there was a loud, rapid knock on the door.

"Open up! Open up in the name of the king!"

Gaius walked over to the door and as he opened it Uther stalked in, looking around at his son.

"Arthur, what on earth has been happening? A servant said that they heard someone screaming as if under torture!" Arthur looked bleakly at his father then stood aside to let Uther see Gwen being comforted by Morgana and Merlin lying deathly still on the bed, the burn still in plain view. The king's face fell into one of shock. He turned to the physician.

"Gaius, what the blazes happened?"

"There was an incident, sire," the physician stated.

"What incident?" Uther snapped tersely. Gaius didn't seem to want to reply.

"Speak up man," the king commanded. "If there's a story involved, just tell us."

Gaius took a deep breath, a story formulating in his mind.

"We were collecting some more of the Lobelia plant for Arthur if he showed any side-effects to the Questing Beast's venom," he explained. Everybody was listening. Gwen had even stopped crying.

"Whilst we were doing this, something disturbed the horses and Merlin went to go and check what was wrong. Then the next thing I know, he was flying backwards into the clearing and..." Hear he paused, looking directly at Uther..".. she was standing there." Uther's eyes widened and he swallowed.

"You're sure it was her?"

"Positive, sire. She then used this spell- it threw me against a tree. It didn't seem that she was too happy with Arthur's recovery. I'm sure that she was going to kill me. Then she suddenly screamed and exploded. And there was Merlin, standing there with the knife we had been using. I'm afraid to say that I didn't see his injury."

Shocked silence followed after he had finished. Arthur was looking incredulously at Gaius.

"Merlin killed a sorceress? He can't have. I practise with him almost every day and he can barely hold a sword."

"Didn't he fight those bandits in Ealdor? If he did, he must have killed at least one of them, shouldn't he?" Gaius asked monotonously. Uther didn't seem to be listening.

"But this is a cause for celebration." They all looked at him, startled.

"The sorceress is dead; we can celebrate this as well as Arthur's recovery."

Morgana's face turned into one of confusion.

"But who is this sorceress? You've killed many throughout the years, so what makes this one so significant?" Uther looked at Gaius.

"This sorceress was called Nimueh. She has sought the destruction of Camelot for the last twenty years. She is the one who created the Afanc and the Black Knight."

Arthur turned to his father.

"She was the woman from the cave, wasn't she? The one who poisoned... Merlin". Uther nodded.

Gwen started to cry again, silently, wondering why. Why had this sorceress wanted to destroy Camelot? Why had she wanted to hurt Merlin? Little did she know that those questions would soon be answered.