Gaius had spent the entire night at Merlin's beside, along with Gwen who was tending his fever. The boy was no longer moaning but instead he would twitch occasionally, his breathing was heavy and ragged.

"Him? Liffrea, wuldres wealdend, woroldare forgeaf" Merlin muttered, Gaius felt a chill run up his spine. Luckily Merlin's magic didn't react to the spell he was chanting in his sleep. He thanked his lucky stars that Gwen was off tending to Morgana. He would have to find a way to lower the fever before Uther heard any of that. Assured that his son would recover once Arthur bought home the antidote the king decided he could still do his duties as well as he usually did. Opting to come and check on Merlin every couple of hours.

Sighing, he lifted the boy's wrist into his hands, his pulse was getting weaker. It was strange how fast Merlin was progressing through the illness, he knew the boy was skinny and slightly weaker than he should be, most common folk were, but it couldn't be the reason. Suddenly, Gaius felt something rough on Merlin's skin. He pulled it up and was shocked to see red oval shaped rashes forming up his arms.

"That's can't be right" He spoke aloud to himself.

"What can't be right?" Asked Gwen as she came to check on her friend.

"The rash has appeared, it's not supposed to" Gaius explained shooting Merlin a worried glance "The book states that once the rash has appeared death will follow within two days"

"But, you said he had four days, Arthur thinks he has four days to get the antidote!" She exclaimed "What if he doesn't get here in time?"

"We will have to hope he can" Gaius sighed "Somebody must of increased the fowers potency with a spell"

"Bayard isn't a sorcerer" Gwen pointed out "The chalice must of been a plant"

"I need to speak with Uther" Gaius excused himself quickly "Please watch him, keep that toel on his forehead, I don't want him getting hotter"

Gaius quickly made his way to the kings chambers, around now Uther would be doing his paperwork, at least Gaius hoped so. He also prayed Merlin would keep quiet, he didn't want to risk Gwen or Uther learning about the magic.

"Sire, I have some...disquieting news about your son..." Gaius began, jumping straight to the point upon his arrival. Uther looked up worriedly.

"It seems Bayard has been framed for the crime, magic was used to make the poison more potent"

"What do you mean more potent?" Uther asked slowly

"I mean Merlin may only have half the time we anticipated" Gaius sighed sadly "If Arthur does not get back within the next two days, Merlin will not make it"

"Arthur will get back in time" Uther stated simply, Gaius wasn't sure who he was trying to convince, the physician or himself.

-Break-

Nimueh watches angrily as the oldest Pendragon prince rode closer to the flowers location. She was going to have to stop him somehow, no just slow him. She knew it was not his destiny to die at her hand, she would simply slow him. Or let the spiders in the cave take him. Either way she still won.

Quickly the witch dawned a blue cloak and set off outside to set her trap.

-Break-

Arthur had been riding almost none stop until he came to the forest. He knew from his schooling a few years ago that the flower only grew in caves, on the roots of a tree, he knew what they looked like, now all he had to do was find the caves. It was then that he heard crying.

It sounded like a woman, and being a knight he should go an investigate, after all, Merlin had four days left at least, a few minutes helping a girl wouldn't make too much of a difference. After a few minutes of looking he spotted a woman in a tattered red dress sitting on the log. He could see a painful scratch across her arm.

"Hello?" He called, the woman turned away from him, "I'm not going to hurt you"

The woman looked frightened, he wondered what had happened to her, he didn't have time to wonder for long however, as a screech echoed out of the trees. The woman shook with fear. A cockatrice crawled over to meet Arthur. Its huge scaly body was dull, but its eyes were bright, it had that same look of intelligence all magical creatures seemed to have.

"Stay back" He ordered as he drew his sword, doing his trademark swing before getting into his fighting stance.

The creature roared and jumped, obviously trying to instal fear in the prince, how trivial. He had his little brother to save and a pretty girl, no way was he going to be scared off by some lizard. He was a bit taken back when the creature jumped at him, quickly he dodged with a roll an promptly threw his sword, piercing the creature and sending it thudding to the ground, dead.

Now he turned back to the woman, who looked as if she was about to run from him.

"It's all right" He breathed still slightly out of breath "Who did that to you".

"My master" She sobbed "I ran away from him but now I'm lost...please dont leave me!"

"Don't worry I just need to find a flower for my friend and then we can leave"

"A flower?"

"Yes one that grows in the caves, it's important"

"The Morteaus Flower" She smiled "I know where they are, I'll take you"

-Break-

"Arthur...it's a trap...its...a trap..." Merlin mumbled, eyes scrunched up again. Uther had come to see how his son was fairing, however it looked bad. Obviously he was dreaming of his brother in danger somewhere.

"His fever is getting worse?" He suggested to Gaius, who was sitting at the young princes side.

"The poison is setting in" Gaius explained, the man looked as if he had ages a thousand years in the last 24 hours.

"swa sceal geong guma gode gewyrcean..." Merlin continued to mutter in his dazed, fevered sleep. Gaius felt a small amount of panic when that happened, Uther was only a few feet away.

"Shhhhh" Gaius hushed the boy, placing the wet towel against his forehead once again.

"Physician, was that-?"

"Gibberish sire" Gaius assure "Those are not magic words I have ever heard of, some of them could be mistaken for words of the old tongue but for now i believe its just the fever"

Uther nodded, Gaius thanked the gods Uther actually knew very little when it came to magic. It was then Merlin's eyes fluttered open slightly, glazed over and feverish. After a few seconds of blinking they rolled back up into his head.

-Break-

Arthur followed the girl through the caves, he couldn't help it, something about her was different, she seemed, too happy. But she was leading him to the flowers so he ignored his gut.

"There they are!" She exclaimed pointing to a green patch on the wall across the other side of the HUGE chasm that was formed between them. Of course the cure was there, the cure couldn't have been on the floor near him, no it was halfway up a rock wall above a sudden drop.

"Keep back from the edge" He sighed "We will be out of here soon"

Carefully he walked along the rock, trying his best not to think of the painful drop below him should he fall. Thats when he heard the magic, the girl was chanting magic!

"What are you doing?" He cried, however he didn't get an answer as soon the rock below him shuddered and began to fall, causing him to leap to grab the other wall. He was dangling on the dangerously thin wall.

Below him a sheer drop and above him a witch.

This could prove troublesome.

Sorry this chap is pretty by the episode but dont worry, the next one will be more original stuff