MIM: 5
A/N: Okay, hopefully this chapter is better than the last one. I got a review stating how Merlin's OOC (You're right, with the last chappie definitely) and I'm working on it. I'm trying to grasp his ignorance in the beginning series without getting too stupid and I'm trying REALLY hard not to make him too serious like in this fifth season. (I think I'm going to cry when the reveal happens. I havent watched it yet) But anyway, hopefully he's less OOC for you all, here's chappie 5! :D
What has it been? A month and a half. Don't kill me please! I have had this chapter almost completely finished. Then the finale threw me for a loop and I had to recharge. (I've come to terms that it's over...all...over. Except in fanfiction. Muahaha.)
Chapter 5: Nimueh
Far away in a deep cavern, there was a witch in waiting. Water dripped from the walls, making it gleam with the reflections of daylight from a crack above on the water casting worm like streams of light; constantly moving in an ancient dance.
Her hair was dark like the night, her eyes an icy azure that tended to lure people to their deaths. Her pale skin was porcelain. Her lips moved; pale and pink like death. The words she uttered were ancient, so she must've been as well though she didn't appear that way.
In her hands held an egg of sorts, looking beautiful in a way that only she could see. Symbols adorned the shell as she placed it into the water. Then with an evil smirk she let it go.
It was sucked away in a powerful stream. The egg miraculously didn't break. It didn't open until reaching its destination. The witch watched from her cavern, the reflection of the egg's trip shown to her. She saw it then. The waters of Camelot.
"You only have yourself to blame, Uther Pendragon." She hissed and prepared for the revenge ahead.
/
(Lower Town-Camelot)
"Aren't you sacred?" Merlin asked.
Gaius gave a grunt as he knelt down by the body. It was a cloudy day, and a sense of foreboding lingered in the air and made everyone on edge. Merlin bent down by Gaius to help the man if need be.
"Of what?" Gaius snorted.
"That you might catch whatever it is." Merlin clarified.
"I'm the court physician, Merlin. This is part of my job. Most of the time there's nothing really to be scared of." Gaius gave a slight laugh.
He turned the body over and both men froze. Ivory skin ordained with violet and blue veins, where the irises of the eye should have been there was nothing but white mass. The corpse was cold to the touch and the mouth was open in shock.
"You were saying?" Merlin prompted in a low voice.
"People mustn't see this. They'll panic."
/
Merlin tried not to look at the body covered in a tarp below as he and Gaius started to cart it across the drawbridge. He didn't notice Gwen coming up behind him.
"What are you doing?" She asked, making Merlin jump.
He turned towards her, a bit red in the face, "Er...just moving something."
"Looks heavy." Gwen commented, looking curiously at the cart, "I could help-"
"Er, it's nothing really. Er...someone got you flowers?"
He gestured to the beautiful purple, red, and blue flowers in Gwen's hand that brought out the gold hue of her face and the brightness of her smile.
"Oh! No," she giggled, "Would you like one? A purple one. Purple suits you. Not that I'm saying red doesn't suit you."
She was referring to his constant neckerchief no doubt. He smiled a bit sheepishly as he was given the flower, "Thanks. Well, er..."
Having nowhere else to put it Merlin tucked it into his red scarf that Gwen had referred to. He saw Gaius giving him a knowing look.
"Aww." Gwen smiled.
"Er...see you." Merlin felt his face redden further as Gaius started to push the cart again.
"Bye." Gwen waved as she moved ahead of them towards the castle.
Merlin watched her go, not sure what to think of the gesture.
"Ah, to be so young." Gaius gave a small smile that Merlin ignored as they hauled the corpse up towards their chambers.
/
Eyes met eyes, both burning with an underlying emotion. Arthur sat at the head of the table while Arian stayed where he usually stayed; inside the mirror.
"After all this time?" Arthur looked displeased, "I thought we were like brothers."
"You heard me Arthur. It's time we put this foolish game of ours to an end." Arian replied stiffly, "We're too different to be on the same side. Now give up and kill the king. You have no choice."
"I could leave." Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"You won't, or forever be deemed a cowardly goose."
"This could be treason." Arthur retorted.
"I'm no citizen of Camelot. This isn't treason Arthur, it's a declaration of war."
Arthur sighed and did as Arian said. He gently knocked down his king, the piece meeting the floor with a clatter. With a grunt Arthur started to rearrange the pieces to their original starting points.
"You know Arian, you take chess much too seriously."
"Says the one who had a defenseless mirror at swordpoint two games ago before you resigned yourself to losing at this." Arian snorted, "Where is Merlin anyway?"
"I don't know. Late again."
"Well...go get him." Arian gestured towards the door.
"I'm a prince! Why should I have to go get my SERVANT?" Arthur snorted, but stood up anyway.
Arian didn't answer with anything but a smile as Arthur turned him around to have him hidden from the world once more.
"Stop looking so smug, I'm going to see my father and Gaius's chambers are near to there."
"So you're being sensible is that it?" Arian chuckled from the dresser.
"Hmph. I'll be back later." Arthur stated as he turned and left.
As soon as Arthur closed the door his eyes became downcast. Arian was great at strategy; more than anyone he knew. He had all of the facts right and knew exactly what moves to play next. The prince could tell that Arian would be a great king if he ever escaped...
That's why Arthur felt so guilty for keeping information from him. He already knew where Tregor was, he already knew what Arian was, and he knew how selfish it was to make sure Arian didn't have all of the facts...
But he was the only person Arthur could trust completely, his only friend that was his equal and better in almost everything except sword fighting. If Arian ever escaped the mirror and tried to leave, Arthur would feel so...
"I'm sorry." Arthur said to nobody as he went to see his father.
/
Gaius gave a thorough look over with his magnifying glass. The skin had micro fissures throughout the entire skin structure, save for a small juncture near the victim's neck.
"I've never seen anything like this before." Gaius marveled and secretly wondered if it were possible to extract some of the affected tissue and experiment with it.
"Do you think it could be some kind of plague?" Merlin's eyebrows furrowed.
He might have magic, but even he wasn't entirely sure it was possible for him to cure a plague.
"No. I fear that something like this could never come from nature. But who has this kind of power?"
"...you think it's caused by magic?
"Merlin!" Arthur's voice hollered.
Merlin immediately dashed for the door and opened it only slightly so Arthur wouldn't see the corpse and start parading around the chambers. It wouldn't do to be asking questions when they weren't even sure of what happened yet.
Arthur looked thoroughly irritated with something if the scowl on his face was anything to go by.
"Erm...I'm on my way. Sorry I'm late." Merlin shuffled a bit.
"Don't worry. I'm getting used to it." Arthur sighed.
Arthur raised an eyebrow as his eyes caught something purple nesting on Merlin's neck. Merlin followed his gaze and turned a bit red in embarrassment.
"Oh, er...Gwen, she gave it to me." Merlin cleared his throat.
"I was sure that flower giving was the other way around Merlin." Arthur smirked, "Tell Gaius my father wants to see him now."
"Okay."
Arthur walked away and Merlin carefully shut the door before turning back to his mentor.
"Gaius..."
"I heard."
"...wait, why couldn't he just tell you himself?" Merlin asked, glancing back at the door.
"Because that's the way it is. You're a servant." Gaius smiled a little.
"Wha...if he knew who I was, what I've done..." Merlin snorted.
"You'd be a dead servant. Right, get this covered up." Gaius gestured to the corpse.
"Hey, I'm not your servant." Merlin raised an eyebrow, though he started the task anyway.
"No, you're my dogsbody. Come on, hurry up."
/
Gaius had a good guess as to why Uther would need to see him on such short notice. He just had been hoping to be wrong.
The physician addressed the body of the dead servant. It was apparent that he'd died the same way as the other victim.
Uther's eyebrows furrowed. He wasn't well endowed with the works of medicine, but even he knew that this wasn't a normal way to die. The servant looked like he'd become ice.
"What's happened to him?"
Gaius stood up and sighed with troubled eyes, "I don't know, Sire. It's the second case I've seen today."
"Why didn't you report it to me?" Uther demanded, a bit irritated that this hadn't been brought to his attention earlier.
Gaius fought the urge to sigh again. No matter how old it seemed Uther still wanted to know everything, "I was attempting to find the cause."
"What did you conclude?"
Gaius thought of a way to put it where he wouldn't have to diagnose it as the work of sorcery until he was absolutely sure.
"...I don't think it's time to hurry to conclusions. A scientific process is a long one."
"What are you concealing from me?" Uther wasn't fooled.
"Sire, I have seen nothing like it. The victims are dying in 24 hours, and it's spreading fast."
"What is the cause?"
"I think you should say that the cause, the most likely cause...is sorcery." Gaius sighed in defeat.
Uther froze for a moment before pulling Arthur aside.
"We must find who did this."
"I will, father." Arther nodded.
"Conduct door to door searches. Increase your presence in the town. Double the guards on all the gates. And lend the physician your servant." Uther whispered in a orderly, albeit scared tone of voice.
"Merlin? But..."
"I'm going to need Gaius to find a cure. He needs all the help we can give him. If Gaius is right, believe me, this city will be wiped out. This is the kind of magic that undermines our authority, challenges all we've done. If we cannot control this plague, people will turn to magic for a cure. We have to find this sorcerer, and quickly."
"...yes, father." Arthur agreed, though a bit hesitantly.
/
"Hello, I'm Arthur, the Prince of the Pigeon kingdom!"
"I'm a dead fish named Marlin."
"Fish?"
"Yes, fish. Wait...what are you doing?! Why are you biting me?! AH!"
"...Arian?" Arthur raised an eyebrow and the Tregorian prince jumped.
Arian looked away from the pigeon eating a trout on one of the roofs below with a sheepish grin as Arthur came closer, "Hey. Anything interesting?"
"What are you doing?" Arthur got that flabbergasted look on his face as he looked out the window.
"...and this has been the 12th installment of the Pigeon Prince Chronicles." Arian sighed.
"That's disgusting. Do you really have nothing else to do?" Arthur grimaced.
"Play Chess with me?"
"I can't. I have to lead the guards in a search." Arthur grabbed his gauntlet from the table, "I just came for this."
"Sorcerer?"
Arthur stopped and sighed, "As usual you seem to already know what's going on..."
"Don't chase after this one Arthur."
"I can't just leave the people to this disease. Plus it's a simple sorcerer."
"Disease? That explains the gross waves that've been rolling in..." Arian nodded, "But still, you should listen to me. I don't like the looks of this."
"I'm fine. Don't be such a mother hen." Arthur snorted, "I can take care of myself."
"Arthur...Arthur!" Arian demanded attention but received none as Camelot's prince walked out.
"You can't get in Merlin's way, idiot pigeon." Arian sighed.
A/N: Nothing too exciting. I had more to this originally but I think I've taken long enough to give a chapter, eh?