Chapter 4. Books have words in them

Merlin was woken to his master's proud footsteps and the smell of something meaty. His sleep had been a light one, a drizzle of sweat dotted his forehead. He didn't have time to get up though before Arthur bounded into his room, Gaius dawdling behind.

And, like it had been doing for the past week, Merlin's magic decided to become active once again. This time turning a few of hairs into feathers.

The servant watched his master cough and look towards his cupboard over-enthusiastically, preferring to look anywhere but at the source of magic for the moment.

"Gaius. Is there a reason why Merlin's eyes keep changing colour?"

The old man stood neutrally in the entryway. He didn't hesitate when he answered. "The Old Religion teaches that there is a pure energy is inside everything that has life. It is often referred to as Aether or Quintessence, the fifth element after fire, water, earth and air. The gold eyes are a sign of that energy coming to the surface as magic. Without it, you and I would not be here today."

The king looked thoughtful.

"So, if the energy was removed, he could die?"

"Indeed, Sire. I could try a few potions but I fear his problem lies with his lack of control"

Merlin vocalised his irritation. They were talking as if he wasn't there. "I'm right here, you know."

Arthur examined him with a mix of emotions. He chose to keep the conversation light. "And you're currently a bird. I know your name is 'Merlin', but you're not supposed to be one."

"It's only a couple of feathers. I haven't grown wings and flown off."

"Who knows? It might happen. Magic is unpredictable from what I have gathered." The king watched as Merlin's eyes dimmed. He needed to play along. He knew that. But this was untrodden territory, and one misstep could land this wizard an eternity in the dungeons or a date with the town pyre.

"Listen to me", Arthur reassured. "I told you I won't let anything happen, and I mean to keep my word."

The warlock's eyes caught sight of a rather familiar looking pie. It was one of Mary's. He was sure of it. Being the king did have its perks sometimes, Merlin supposed. At least he knew what it was that he felt like dribbling to since he woke up. The king must have been down to the kitchens before visiting.

Arthur watched him with interest.

"Well, at least you've developed an appetite, my boy." Surprisingly, Gaius had spoken first. Merlin had nearly forgotten that he was also in his room. "The King, very kindly, brought it up himself for you."

His Royal Pratness looked as if he was about to argue, but thought better of it and swallowed his pride.

"That woman could wrestle a bear if it went after one of her pies. Are you sure it's for me?"

"Yes, of course I'm sure, idiot. Just don't expect another one. I'd rather fight another dragon then face her again."

"Right, Sire."

It was funny how easily they fell into their usual banter. Arthur spoke briefly to the physician on his way out.

"I'll be back later, Gaius. I have duties to attend to. I'll see if I can search the archives for anything that could help."


After going through a mountain of paperwork and checking on the knights, Arthur began sorting through the books in the vault.

Most items of magic had been destroyed during the purge, but the more valuable artefacts had been kept under lock and key. That, of course, included various writings and literature. Books were fountains of knowledge which could be used in the fight against magic and evil, or that was how Uther had seen it.

Arthur hoped to find information that could help his servant's current predicament. If in the event that Gaius couldn't fix him, he wanted to explore other options. The plan was good in theory: search through books on magic to find something that they could use. The problem was that he couldn't decipher any of what was written.

"Old Religion", the king sighed as he tossed another tome to the side and skimmed the next book.

Occasionally he would recognise to odd note scrawled in the margins as Latin or Gaelic, but that was as far as he got.

Luckily, after a long hour of searching, he found a few titles that he could read:

Sha. Highman: A Guide to Essence and Control

An introduction to sorcery 'They must use this for beginners', Arthur thought.

He took these and another nameless book with him out of the vault, hiding them under his cloak. Arthur hoped that they would be of some use. If there was one thing that he had learnt from his lessons as a boy, it was the absolute first rule of a tactical win; know your enemy. It did unsettle him slightly, delving into the world of magic.

There was the underlying fear that exposure to sorcery would corrupt him as well. Arthur's late father had ruled with all magic kept a far distance away, like a disease.

Walking past the knights had been a small challenge. Even when he had ordered them back to their posts, Gwaine wouldn't leave him alone.

"So, Princess. How's Merlin?"

"Go back to your training, Gwaine." The shaggy knight stayed at his heels like an overgrown puppy.

"Not yet. Gaius won't let anyone near him except you, and I haven't seen him for over a week."

"He's not dying. He needs rest; something that you certainly won't give him if you go up there."

Arthur stopped when he heard Gwaine sigh deeply behind him. It was very out of character for the usually boisterous knight.

"You know, he hasn't been the same since Lancelot. Merlin was closest to him out of all the Knights. And he nearly lost Gaius. He thinks of him like a father."

Arthur knew what it was like to lose one. Though he doubted his father loved him with the same unconditional warmth and fondness as Gaius had for Merlin. Gaius was as much Merlin's rock as Merlin was for himself. And he'd never admit it out loud. His servant's head was big enough as it was.

But he had noticed a small change here and there. Merlin acted the same as usual, but he had less of his seemingly limitless energy. His eyes always showed something beyond his outward glee. If there was an uncomfortable subject in conversation, he would change the topic completely or try to provoke him.

"And he hasn't gone near the training grounds since the Lamia."

It was Arthur's turn to sigh. Gwen had told him what happened when the Knights stayed silent. Being alienated by people you had grown close to over the years can't have been a pleasant experience. And he hadn't been the most sensitive person to Merlin when he killed the Lamia. 'It's almost good to see you' was what Arthur had said before he turned all of his attention to Guinevere.

Arthur swore that he wouldn't let Merlin down and he planned on keeping that vow. He needed to get these books to him.

"I have to go, Gwaine."

The knight relented. "Alright. I won't keep you any longer, Princess."

Had Arthur turned around, he would have witnessed Sir Gwaine running to the tavern with three spare water skins clasped in his callused hands. But that was normal for him.