Chapter Seven

Merlin's mouth dropped open and the color, what little he had, drained from his face. Without any conscious thought he backed away from Arthur as his hand snaked up to his chest. His breathing started coming in short gasps, and his head reeled. He began repeating, "It was just a dream, It was just a dream." as though saying it enough times would change the reality of the situation. Merlin continued backing away from Arthur until he nearly tripped over backward on the base of one of the side pillars in the room. Arthur reached out quickly and grabbed the boy's arm, keeping him from falling.

"Merlin, stop. What dream? What happened that night when you were working in the stables?"

Ayleth had come around and seeing Merlin she quaked with fear, but she spoke to him despite her misgivings. "I saw you, I saw her kill you. How can you be standing here?"

Merlin turned to the girl looking into her terrified eyes and realized that he had seen them before. They were the eyes he had seen every night in his dream. "It's you. You were there, in my dream. You were hiding behind the door."

Seeing the same terror in Merlin's eyes that she had seen four nights ago Ayleth realized she had nothing to fear from him, and with the help of Gaius and her mother she stood up. "It was no dream. You told me to run, even as you died."

Gaius spoke gently to the distraught girl. "Obviously he wasn't actually dead, or how could he be standing here now. You have been most helpful, but I do believe it is time for you to take your rest young lady."

Emeline couldn't agree more. Obviously her daughter had mistaken what she had seen, but what ever the case; the young man standing there showed no sign that he had been attacked only a few short days ago. There was obviously magic involved in this event, and she wanted no part of that. While it was regrettable that this young man was the target of the sorceress that her daughter had seen, she did not want that woman's attention to be diverted to Ayleth. "Sire, what of my daughter? There is powerful magic at work here, what are we to do?"

Uther tore his eyes from his son's servant and turned to the woman who had come forward with her daughter. "Morgana, please see to it that these ladies have a room to stay in until we can sort out these events."

Morgana, who also looked pale and disturbed by the story the young girl told, not to mention Merlin's verification of that story, nodded and led the mother and daughter out of the throne room. As soon as the doors closed behind them Uther turned his attention back to Merlin.

"You say that all of this was just a dream? Four mornings ago a large pool of blood was found outside the royal stables so I can assure you that this was no dream. Tell us what you remember."

Looking desperate and afraid Merlin spoke. "It was a dream, it had to have been! You can't bring someone back from the dead!" As soon as he said it, Merlin remembered the wraith of Tristan Dubois and his knees buckled.

"Merlin!" Arthur made a move to help his servant up, but Uther had come closer and pulled Arthur back away from the boy.

Merlin looked up and sought out Gaius' eyes as he approached unwilling to leave his nephew kneeling alone on the floor like some sort of accused criminal. Gaius turned on Uther with anger in his eyes the like of which neither the king, nor Arthur had ever seen before. "The boy can barely stand, he must go to my chambers and lie down."

Uther was not one to be stared down and he crossed his arms over his chest. "No. Not until we hear what he has to say for himself."

Before Gaius could say anything else Merlin began to speak in a faint voice. "I was working in the stables, it was late and I was tired. I didn't see her until it was too late. She stabbed me with something. I couldn't breathe and I fell to the ground. I tried to get away from her, I rolled on my side and I saw eyes looking out from behind the door. All I could think was that whoever it was would die too if they were caught, so I tried to tell them to run, but I couldn't make a sound. The next thing I remember was pain, more pain than I have ever imagined, then I woke up. That's all. I thought it was a dream, it had to be since I woke up in bed. If she killed me.... If I died... I'm not..."

Merlin looked up at Gaius clearly distraught. "Am I a wraith, like Tristan Dubois?" Merlin asked, as he felt the world closing in on him.

Gaius was as stunned by Merlin's question as Uther was but for a very different reason. "Of course not, Merlin." the old physician answered.

Arthur was completely at a loss as to who Merlin spoke of. "Who?"

Pure fury seeped into Uther's eyes at the sound of that name, a name Arthur should never have heard. "It doesn't matter. Arthur, the physician is right, the boy needs to lie down before he faints as well. Take him to Gaius' chambers."

Arthur was confused as to why his father had suddenly become so angry, but he reached down and helped Merlin to his feet. As they turned to leave Uther commanded one of the guards to accompany them and to be certain that Merlin stayed put until Gaius' return. As soon as they had left, Uther turned to Gaius fury etched in every line of the king's face.

"You have betrayed me, physician, and your oath! You vowed to take the secret of Arthur's birth to your grave, yet this boy, this servant, is clearly privy to that private knowledge!"

Gaius was somewhat taken aback by Uther's outburst, but he was still angry with the king for treating Merlin as though he were to blame in all of this. Gaius was careful to keep his voice calm and almost managed to mask the sarcasm hidden beneath his words.

"I have not. Merlin knows that Tristan Dubois was Igraine's brother and that he blamed you for her death. He knows that you fought and that he died. He was with me when I discovered that Tristan's tomb was empty. He knows nothing of Arthur's conception. I vowed to keep the secret and I will not break that vow. Arthur knows nothing of any of this. He still believes that the black knight was a man of this world."

Uther slammed his fist into his other hand. "But Arthur's servant knows he was not! How can you be sure that Merlin hasn't spoken to Arthur about this?"

Gaius' anger was bubbling just under the surface as he realized that Uther was, at this point, more concerned about Arthur finding out the truth of his birth than of the attack against Merlin and what it could mean.

"Arthur obviously doesn't know or else he wouldn't have asked who Tristan was. Merlin knows not to discuss any of this with Arthur, and at the moment he is in no condition to be worried about a wraith that no longer exists."

Gaius' tone was sharp and Uther momentarily felt uncertain. "What of his question about being a wraith himself? He is grey enough to be a corpse. Can be actually be a wraith, and if so who has he come for?"

The court physician sighed. Uther seemed to want to find some way of casting an evil light on Merlin, and Gaius was getting more and more angry as time passed.

"Sire, Merlin is no wraith, he is a boy who needs help, and I can tell you unequivocally that he is no threat to anyone! The wraith of Tristan Dubois needed neither sleep nor sustenance. Merlin does. He is very much alive."

Uther realized on some level that he might have been stepping over a line in their friendship, but he was far too stubborn to give in just because he had stepped on the old man's toes where his ward was concerned. "What of the girl's account of seeing him die? Has he been brought back to life using the old religion?"

"Your Majesty, you know as well as I do that to mirror life there must be a death. The balance of the world must be restored."

Uther winced visibly at those words. It was a fact he knew all to well.

"Given that, and the fact that no one else has died, it is clear that while Merlin may have appeared to have died he did not. He may have been very close to death, but his heart must still have been beating."

It didn't matter to Uther how many logical objections Gaius could offer, he still needed to have something he could understand in order to deal with this situation. He had begun pacing and turned back to Gaius. "Why would Nimueh do this? What could she possibly gain by nearly killing a servant and then healing him. It makes no sense unless she plans to use him as a weapon against Arthur or against Camelot!"

Gaius had known Uther for over twenty years and as much as he wanted to scream at the king for his pigheadedness in this matter he knew that he would only make matters worse, so he adopted a calmer tone and spoke with as much patience as he could muster.

"In this you are mistaken, Sire. You have said so many times that the heart of a sorceress is evil. Merlin bears no sign of enchantment other than to have lost the will to live. I honestly believe that this was her purpose. She has fixated on Merlin because he has gone above and beyond his normal duties in an attempt to protect Arthur. Nimueh is not one to be thwarted without consequence. I believe that Merlin is now suffering those consequences. The melancholy that he suffers is profound and can not be attributed to the anemia. It does appear that Merlin was her sole target and the fact that she has not tried to attack Camelot is proof of that."

"How is that proof?" Uther demanded.

"If she truly viewed Merlin as an obstacle in her plans to harm you or Arthur, she would have taken advantage of Merlin's current condition to cause calamity. The only result we have seen from this attack is Merlin's suffering. Neither you nor Arthur have had anything untoward occur since this incident. This was revenge against Merlin, pure and simple."

Uther seemed to finally accept the explanation that Arthur was not the ultimate target of the sorceress. Gaius had logically disproved every argument he had throne at the man leaving him to draw the conclusion that his physician was once again right. The only one who seemed to have had any ill effect from all of this was indeed Merlin.

"You obviously care a great deal for the boy to fight so hard on his behalf."

Gaius knew that he had convinced Uther that Merlin was not a threat, but he wanted to drive home the point that his nephew wasn't just a mere servant or even just his ward. "Yes, Sire, I do care deeply for Merlin, for he has been a blessing to me in the autumn of my life. He is as a son to me."

Uther was genuinely surprised to hear Gaius say that. He had no idea that Merlin had become so important to his old friend. "Can you do anything to help him?"

Gaius sighed and shook his head. "This retribution was brought about by the use of magic, and only magic can restore him." As Gaius said this he thought that finally he understood what Nimueh had in mind. He needed to speak to Merlin. If he could remember what incantation Nimueh used, Gaius might be able to discover what Nimueh's true intentions were. "I need to check on Merlin and see if he can remember anything else from that night. If there is nothing else...?"

Uther thought he could still hear a bit of an edge in the old physician's voice, but he had other matters to deal with. "Send Arthur back as soon as you see him. We need to discuss the curfew among other things."

Gaius bowed to the king and said, "Yes, my Lord" as he backed up then turned to leave the throne room.


Merlin walked beside Arthur in a nearly catatonic state of shock. To anyone observing the pair it would have looked as though the prince were leading someone sleep-walking by the arm. The revelation that his nightmare was, in fact, real reverberated through Merlin's mind in an endless echo. He was only peripherally aware of Arthur guiding him down the steps of the main keep and across the courtyard; the footsteps of the guard accompanying them sounding distant in his ears.

When they reached the curving staircase leading up to the court physician's chambers, Merlin didn't notice Arthur release his arm nor did he hear him turn to the guard to give him instructions to remain at the base of the staircase. He simply began to ascend the stairs mechanically, not waiting or caring if Arthur followed. Once inside, Merlin sat down on the short bench that sat in front of Gaius' reading table staring blankly at the books and papers scattered across it's surface.

Merlin saw the events of his dream, or more accurately his attack, replay before his mind's eye over and over again. It was almost as though his subconscious mind were trying to ferret out some lost detail, or to glean some forgotten fact about what had happened. What was clear to the young man was that the loss of his powers was no mystery any longer. Nimueh had done this to him. She hadn't tried to kill him, but she might just as well have. Stealing his magic was worse than death to the young man's way of thinking. Magic is what defined Merlin, it made him who he was, and without it he was nothing more than a barren empty shell.

Merlin's first instinct, to deny that this had actually happened, gave way to anger. Gone was the fear that he had felt simmering just below the surface for the last four days. It was replaced by a blazing rage that longed for an outlet to express itself. She had stripped away his soul and smiled while she had done it. It would have been wiser to have let him die there on the cold hard flagstone in front of the stables as the desire to avenge her treachery exploded in his heart sending a shock-wave of fury through his mind with enough power to awaken the sleeping dragon far below the castle.

When Arthur entered the room he approached Merlin stunned by the look on his servant's face. Merlin may have been one of the most outspoken, stubborn and obstinate people Arthur had ever met, but for all of that he was also the kindest and most gentle person he had ever known. What Arthur saw in Merlin's eyes now was an all consuming anger that looked so out of place, he began to wonder if perhaps he had indeed been enchanted by the sorceress who attacked him.

"Merlin?" the prince asked, as he came closer.

Merlin turned his smoldering eyes to meet Arthur's and for a moment the young prince felt genuine fear, backing up step. The ferocity reflected in Merlin's eyes bordered on madness, but in a flash, it was gone; his eyes only reflecting crushing fatigue. What was missing was the terror Arthur had seen shining through ever since he saw him that morning in the armory pinned to the floor with the practice target. No hint of that fear remained.

"Are you alright?" Arthur asked as he pulled up a stool to sit down next to his friend.

"No." Merlin replied, shaking his head.


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The Great Dragon beneath Camelot was not the only creature of magic that felt the effect of Merlin's wrath. Deep in the forest, Morthwyl's eyes closed against the violent fury he felt rippling through the veil of magic that surrounds every living thing. Emerys knew what had happened; he had seen through Nimueh's subterfuge and that did not bode well for the druid's involvement in this was nothing he could do at this point except to wait and watch as destiny unfolded.


.


Gaius looked at the royal guard standing at the base of the stairs leading up to his chambers, and his irritation flared again. The physician had quite enough of the suspicious behavior directed toward his ward and cast a decidedly aggravated look at the man as he passed him. When he arrived at his door he heard Merlin shouting and opened the door quickly to find the young man standing in front of his reading table holding the dragon's tooth and glaring at Arthur.

"Why the hell didn't someone show this to me? You suspected that I was the person hurt at the stables," Merlin had turned and saw Gaius standing in the doorway, and included him in his ranting. "you both did, but never once did anyone bother to tell me that anything unusual had happened. If I had seen this," he said, as he held up the tooth, "I would have known that what I had seen wasn't just a dream. It would have saved everyone a lot of trouble. I wouldn't be waking up every morning thinking I've gone mad with some horrible nightmare running through my mind!"

Arthur was shocked beyond measure at Merlin's outburst. He had never seen Merlin so livid and to have his servant stand there railing at him was not something he was accustomed to, but he couldn't fault Merlin for his anger at the situation. If their places were reversed he would be feeling and acting much the same way.

"Merlin..."

"Merlin!"

Both Gaius and Arthur spoke at the same time. Arthur had adopted a tone that clearly was designed to try and calm the younger man down, while Gaius' spoke with admonishment at the way his nephew had just addressed the prince. His louder and decidedly scolding tone earned him the attention of both young men which he took advantage of, and continued to speak before either one of them could interject anything.

"First of all, Merlin, no one was trying to keep anything from you. You had no wound so how was either of us to know that you were the person injured? Secondly you need to sit down right now before you fall down!" Gaius' stepped closer to Merlin as he spoke and took the young man by the arm.

Arthur had not noticed that Merlin had begun to waver on his feet. Merlin's anger had lent him enough energy to express his anger about the dragon tooth that he found poking out from under some of Gaius' papers on his desk, but between the outburst, the shock of discovering that his dream had indeed actually happened, and the rigorous training session with Arthur that morning he had nearly reached his physical limit.

Merlin sat back down on the bench in front of the table sullenly still holding the dragon's tooth. He stared at it blankly for a moment then looked up at Gaius. "It's broken."

Gaius and Arthur exchanged an apprehensive look.

"Part of this thing is still inside of me, isn't it?"

Merlin looked hopeless holding the dragon tooth in loose hands on his lap. As much as Gaius wished he could protect his nephew from the truth he knew he couldn't. "Yes, Merlin, it is. You mustn't lose hope. Now that we know what happened, I promise you that I will not rest until I find a way to remedy what she did to you."

Arthur saw hope spring up in his servant's eyes at the earnest tone in the physician's voice, and shared that feeling. Gaius would solve this, he would find a way to help Merlin now that they knew what had happened.

Gaius took the tooth from Merlin and placed it on the table before turning to Arthur with a determined look in his eye. "The king would like to speak with you about the curfew and other matters, and you will please take that guard with you." Gaius' hard tone broached no argument, and the steel in his eye was not something that Arthur cared to test. He felt that the guard set on Merlin was an overreaction on his father's part in the first place, and it was one that he could easily rectify.

Once Arthur had left, Gaius set about making some tea for Merlin. He looked fairly pale, but more importantly he looked worn out and wondered what he and Arthur had done over the course of the morning. "You seem a bit tired for just having cleaned Arthur's chambers, this morning."

"That would be due to the two hours of sparing practice." Merlin answered wearily.

Gaius turned a concerned eye to his nephew. He was surprised that Arthur would put Merlin through such a rigorous task knowing how weak he was due to the anemia. Merlin watched as the emotions played across the older man's face and knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Actually it was more enjoyable than I ever would have imagined. Arthur was teaching me how to spar, how to hold a sword and a fighting staff and how to protect myself if attacked." When Gaius turned to face Merlin with raised eyebrows Merlin continued. "He said that he wanted to make me into a better sparring partner."

"Did he now?"

Merlin smiled sheepishly at Gaius wondering mildly why he felt a little guilty. Once he was finished, Gaius pulled up a stool next to Merlin, and they sat for a few minutes sipping the tea in companionable silence. Gaius kept looking at Merlin until the young man noticed, and gave his uncle his full attention. "Merlin, I need you to tell me about your dream. What incantation did Nimueh use when she attacked you?"

Merlin knew this question would come. He had been thinking about this from the moment he discovered that his nightmare wasn't just a dream. Nimueh had stolen his magic, that is why she had attacked him. A thought suddenly occurred to Merlin, and he shot up out of his seat. "Arthur! I can't protect him now!"

Gaius reached up and took Merlin's arm to calm him. "Merlin, it has been four days since you were attacked, and nothing has happened to Arthur, or the king or to Camelot. It seems that you were Nimueh's target. If you can remember the incantation she used we can try to figure out a way to help you."

"Honestly, Gaius, all I really remember is the pain and the fear. I know she spoke at some point but I don't remember what she said."

"I do." Morgana said, from the doorway. Both Gaius and Merlin spun around shocked that their conversation had been overheard. Gaius tried to think if either of them had mentioned Merlin's gift in the last few minutes. "I'm sorry to have just walked in, I didn't mean to interrupt, but the door was ajar."

Merlin and Gaius relaxed a little as the Lady Morgana walked into the room without accusation in her eyes. She had thankfully not heard them talking about Merlin's magic. Gaius frowned as he realized what Morgana had said. "Perhaps we should speak of this privately?"

The unease that she felt when she first told Gaius of her dream was still there, but it was pushed down by her fiery determination to help Merlin. "It's alright, Gaius. This concerns Merlin and he has a right to know."

Morgana looked at the young man and spoke softly. "Merlin, I... sometimes I dream things. I have since I was a child. Sometimes my dreams come true. I have had a dream - about you. That dream, at least in part, matches what that peasant girl told us today. Gaius gave me a stronger sleeping drought, but I didn't take it. I wanted to know what happened. The dream was much clearer and I heard what this sorceress said. I don't understand a word of it, but I remember those words."

Gaius wasted no time, pulling out parchment and quill. He took down the exact words as Morgana recited them. He scoured through books to verify what he thought he already knew the translation to be. The first incantation that she used was specifically to rob Merlin of his powers. Draca gebindan mid heorte binnan wunian; gehealdan gebindan se scinnlac binnan literally translated to 'Dragon bind with the heart in which you dwell; hold tight the magic within', but Gaius wouldn't reveal Merlin's gift, even to Morgana. He felt some trepidation at how Merlin would take this news and it weighed heavily on his heart.

"The first spell says 'Dragon, bind with the heart in which you dwell; hold tight the life within'. I can only guess that it was meant to make you weak and despondent." Gaius said looking directly at Merlin trying to convey that he should go along with this translation until they were alone.

Merlin knew enough of the old language to know that Gaius had purposely changed the word magic to the word life. He was confused by the incantation, however. If the magic was being 'held tight within' then she had not taken it for herself. That must mean, at least he hoped it meant, that he still had his magic, although it sounded as though it was being held captive inside of his own heart. He was so busy thinking about the implications of her first spell that he almost missed Gaius' translation of the second spell.

"The second incantation was a healing spell, to heal the wound she had inflicted. That translation is quite straight forward. This third translation is what tells us the real story."

Merlin and Morgana both leaned forward and spoke in unison. "What does it say?"

"The translation is rough, but 'Astandan ac folgian min gefadung' means 'Memory denied this night' or using the vernacular 'Deny your memory of this night'. She wanted you to have no memory of the attack, but she must have preformed the spell incorrectly, for you did remember. As a nightmare rather than as an actual event, but you remembered it nonetheless."

"Why would she do that?" Merlin asked, bewildered by this.

"So that she could come to your rescue. I think she means to try to heal your suffering to gain your confidence. That could very well be why she has targeted you alone. If she could gain your trust she would have a direct line to Arthur and consequently, Uther."

Merlin looked aghast for a moment, then his face became hard and his eyes filled with a seething rage that transformed them from the soft blue orbs that Morgana was used to seeing. Suddenly she felt that same jolt of panic at the look of pure malice in Merlin's eyes that had awoken her from her last dream. She instantly had the strong impression that Merlin was not someone to be toyed with.

TBC