A/N: Lol, Fussbudget came up with three very, very clever titles for me to choose from so you can think fussbudget for this chapter's title. Thank you so much, they make me laugh.
Chapter 10; 'Back in My Day…slash was that other character by the question mark on a type writer.'
A single candle flickered in the darkness, illuminating the books text. Gwen stared down at it, squinting as she struggled to read the words. Her eyes flitted across the page, absorbing as much of the information as she could.
A slight shuffle sounded and she jumped, looking around. Servants weren't supposed to be in the library in general, but sneaking in at night could have her thrown in the dungeons.
Holding her breath she peaked behind a shelf and spotted no one. Sighing in relief she approached the book again. She knew she was close, she could almost taste the information she was looking for.
Books she'd already tried were scattered across the desk sloppily. Some had proved helpful by only the narrowest of margins, but most of them have been entirely useless.
However, this book looked quite promising. Although quite long. It not only listed a creature's characteristics, but its origins and etymology. She wasn't sure if she understood half of it but didn't much care. She was looking for specific information. She finally landed on the part she was interested in. Serkets.
Skipping over the history she turned the page. Her eyes widened at what she found. There, covering the page, was a picture of a Serket. Gwen's heart beat faster and her throat went dry. The creature looked absolutely terrifying. She felt a new wave of admiration for Merlin as well as confusion. How had he faced the beast? She grew even more shocked as she read the adjacent page.
"According to British myth the Serket is a large scorpion. Though, unlike scorpions, it possesses certain magical attributes.
The Serket's skin can not be destroyed by man-made weapons. Only magic can penetrate the shell. Though, despite its strength, it is not seen as being particularly bright. As such, when it appears in myth, it is usually seen being controlled by a sorcerer. This is seen primarily in the Legends of Saint Cambridge, when the Serkets were used by ancient sorcerers to take over Europe.
Though the Serket's form differs depending on the myth, they all have one thing in common: the venom. The venom of a Serket is administered through its tail and usually enters the body through a vein or wound. The substance spreads quickly throughout the body, causing paralysis, hallucinations, dizziness, and nausea. The process is quite painful and usually lasts until the victim starves to death or suffocates.
An antidote can be administered though the ingredients of it are unknown. The only ones who know of the cure are either sorcerers or apothecaries who have devoted their lives to the study of magic. However, this practice is very uncommon and usually only exists in Kingdoms where magic is especially prevalent."
Gwen's head spun and she stared at the book in shock. So many revelations were happening at once. Of course, she knew of magic, so that was no surprise. And, she supposed, mythical creatures were a given. But mythical creatures that were supposedly controlled by Sorcerers? Meaning there must be a sorcerer in the castle.
She glanced again at the last paragraph. Gaius knew of the antidote. Was he a sorcerer? Gwen worried her bottom lip and thought. He was always around when magic happened. And he knew an awful lot about it. A feeling of dread and suspicion filled her.
"Doing some late night reading?" A voice asked behind her and she jumped.
Turning, she saw Aldwin standing behind her, looking over her shoulder. She closed the book quickly, shaking nervously.
"No, I was just-" she started to say.
"Serkets. Fascinating topic." He said slowly, giving her a look that sent chills up her spine. "I must admit, I too have an interest in mythical creatures. I find their power to be rather intriguing." He smirked. "But I wonder, why would a servant want to learn about them? Not just that, but why want to learn about them, in the library, all alone, at night." Something about his tone sent shivers up Gwen's spine.
"I really have duties to attend to, so if you don't mind…" She said, gripping the book tightly and trying to walk past him.
"Not so fast." He said, blocking her path. "I have some questions for you."
Flashbacks:
Sorcerer:
The sorcerer furrowed their brows, staring down at the scene unfolding before them. What was the servant doing?
The venom should have taken effect by now, immobilizing the boy. But he seemed to be fighting. Where was his power coming from?
So many questions flitted through the sorcerers head that they had trouble focusing. Again turning their attention to the crystal ball they cursed. The boy was up to something, disrupting Arthur's visions. The sorcerer contemplated sending something after the boy, but couldn't during daylight. It already took too much power keeping up the spell on Arthur and the dragon. Plus, with the search party out, it was too much of a risk. They couldn't afford to be caught performing magic in the castle. Well, any more magic that is.
The sorcerer concentrated, struggling to maintain the balance between visions of pain and visions of pleasure. But that damn servant kept getting in the way. In a vision of pleasure he caused pain and in a vision of pain he caused pleasure. The spell was weakening…
Arthur:
Arthur was trapped, buried and struggling for breath under a pile of rocks. The cave had collapsed around him. Suddenly, the feeling began to shift. The rocks were…warm? It felt almost like a body, holding him close, keeping him safe.
Then, something began to run along his chest, and again he was slammed into a vision of pleasure. He was trapped in a room now, Merlin standing before him and gazing at him longingly. A tongue ran up his torso and then…pain? As the tongue ran along his chest he felt a pain erupt there. He quickly looked down. He couldn't see anything but it felt like a wound had been agitated. He furrowed his brows in confusion.
However, the scene was soon morphing into complete pain. He was once again being pressed down on, trapped in an endless current of water. He couldn't breath.
"Please…" He moaned, begging for it to stop.
Surprisingly, a warm body grabbed onto him. Once again, he felt like he was enveloped in a warm cocoon, not full of dizzying emotions but safety and companionship. Even as something once again began to rub along his nipple he felt like he was being comforted, kept safe by a warm body. It was something that, in all his visions, Merlin had so utterly lacked. Even though Merlin had been beneath him, around him, against him, and even went he felt warmth, passion, fire, he hadn't felt his friend. He hadn't, in any of his visions, felt the connection he usually felt with Merlin. But here it was. And, despite the disorienting pleasure that drove him crazy, he also felt…love? Yes, love. Or, at least, a very close approximation. It comforted him in ways that none of the other encounters had.
"Arthur." He'd heard Merlin call his name in so many different ways, but never before like this.
Through the haze he felt something wet against his neck. But it wasn't a tongue. He heard small whispers, though he couldn't make them out. A tiny, almost imperceptible voice called his name.
"I'm sorry, Arthur." And suddenly that voice talking, not moaning, not gasping, not begging, but talking to him in such a genuine way brought to mind emotions not limited to merely pleasure or pain, but joy, sorrow, longing, things so beyond those two base emotions that he felt a part of him break free.
Sorcerer:
The magician looked on in anger as the spell was broken. This servant was quickly becoming a nuisance and, they realized in revulsion, there was no way they could defeat Arthur with Merlin by his side.
End Flashbacks:
Line Break:
Arthur felt warm, he realized as he awoke. Keeping his eyes closed he lay there for a while, enjoying the sensation of being nestled in something cozy, with a body pressed against his- Arthur's eyes snapped open. He looked downward, seeing Merlin lying on top of him. The boy looked peaceful, face content as he slept, eyelashes brushing along his cheeks.
"What the hell?" Arthur muttered, looking around. This definitely wasn't his room. "Merlin, get off of me." He snapped.
The boy didn't respond.
"Merlin?" He asked. "Lazy servant." He muttered, reaching over to push the body from off of him. Finally managing to get free from Merlin's weight, he slipped out of the bed looking around. He hissed as he walked, pain shooting up his leg. His head pounded and his chest hurt as well. He managed to walk a few steps before he gave up, turning back to the bed.
Lying down he was careful to keep his distance from Merlin, ignoring his temptation to push the other boy off the bed and claim it for himself. After all, he was a gentleman.
A/N: Okay, so this chapter was ridiculously fun to right. I really did enjoy it. Yeah, it's short, but 2 chapters in one day makes up for that…I think.