For those of you who asked for a flashback to when Gaius, Uther, Ygraine and Nimueh switched - I promise there will be one later.
Happy New Year everyone!!!
Arthur snatched what he'd seen off the ground, holding it up to eye level. He gave a sharp intake of breath. "Gwen, this is it!"
"What?" Gwen placed one hand on Arthur's shoulder, leaning forward.
Arthur jumped from one foot to the other, a huge grin on Gwen's face. "Read this!" He held it closer to her face.
It was a piece of parchment. The ink was smudged; the original paper sodden and covered with flecks of mud. Despite this, Gwen was able to make out a few words that had been written on it, and four in particular.
Il corpo, li commuto.
"Yes!" Gwen cried, pulling Arthur into a tight embrace. It was weird hugging herself, but Gwen did it instinctively.
"That twice you've hugged me today," Arthur pointed out, Gwen's voice slightly muffled against Merlin's jacket.
Merlin's eyes widened as Gwen instantly let go of Arthur. The prince had been leaning heavily on her, and so fell to the ground. Mud splattered Gwen's pale dress as Arthur landed in what appeared to be a large puddle.
"Oh!" Gwen gasped, Merlin's cheeks flushing. She held out her hands, intending to help Arthur up. "Sorry, sire."
Arthur grasped Gwen's hand, hesitated, then jerked his hand back, pulling Gwen into the puddle.
"Now we're even," he grinned, Gwen's eyes alight with mischief.
Gwen struggling to sit up, laughing. Arthur laughed along with her, helping her sit up. Both Gwen and Merlin's outfits were covered with mud now, but neither of them cared.
Because soon, they'd be back in their own bodies.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Excuse me, but - what?!" Merlin was stunned. "This happened to you?"
"Who's Nimueh?" Morgana-in-Arthur asked curiously.
Gaius sighed. "Uther would probably kill me for telling you this, but Nimueh was… once a friend of Camelot, before Uther banned magic."
"And who is Nimueh?" Morgana asked again, more impatiently this time.
"She's a sorceress," Merlin summarised. "So she made the spell?"
Gaius nodded. "Yes, she did. She wanted to make the ultimate spell to spy on other kingdoms, and we encouraged her."
"Gosh," Merlin mumbled, sitting down opposite the physician. "So she created 'Il corp…"
"Don't say it!" Gaius said sharply, banging his hand against the table. Merlin and Morgana jumped. "It may not work on people who have switched bodies already, but it will work on people who haven't. And I have no desire to be either Arthur nor Morgana, so please don't repeat it."
"Well, that explains it," Morgana-in-Arthur muttered, running a hand through Arthur's hair. "So, you, Uther, Ygraine and Nimueh switched bodies? That must have been before Arthur was born."
Gaius nodded. "It was about one or two years before then, yes."
"Who became who?"
"Err…" Gaius looked uncomfortable. "Well, Nimueh became Uther… Uther went into Ygraine, Ygraine became me, and I was, err, Nimueh."
Merlin leaned forward, trying hard not to imagine the man in front of him as the attractive sorceress. "And, umm… how long did it take you to switch back?" he asked, trying to sound offhand. If Nimueh had been the sorcerer that the Dragon told him about, then maybe Gaius would know how to switch them back.
"Well-"
The door flew open and Gwen-in-Merlin and Arthur-in-Gwen bounced into the room. They both had huge grins on their faces, and their clothes were covered in mud.
"Oh!" Gwen came to a halt as she noticed Gaius. "Ummm, can we please speak to Morgana and Arthur?"
"I'm sure you can," Gaius replied, smiling. "Guinevere."
"Thanks," Gwen smiled at him, then frowned suddenly. "Huh?"
Merlin stood up, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Umm… I told Gaius that we'd been… you know."
"You told him without asking us?" Arthur queried, the grin on Gwen's face vanishing.
"It turns out he knows about this spell," Morgana-in-Arthur broke in quickly.
Arthur waved his hand in the air. Merlin noticed that he was holding what looked like a piece of parchment. "Well, we might not need him anymore."
Merlin stared in disbelief. "Is that…?"
Arthur grinned again. "It sure is."
Merlin leapt to his feet, almost knocking over the chair he'd been sitting on. Arthur handed over the parchment to him. "Careful," he warned.
Merlin held it up, reading what was written on it. "Where'd you find it?"
"Outside, just next to the road," Arthur answered. "It must have blown out the window while we were unconscious."
"It was windy yesterday," Gaius said thoughtfully.
Gwen-in-Merlin sat down in the seat Merlin had just vacated. "How do you know the spell?" she asked curiously.
"My, you really are Gwen." Gaius smiled at her. "I should have guessed. Merlin's voice now sounds - well, it sounds more like your usual."
Merlin scanned the parchment. He carefully dusted off some of the dried mud, trying to decipher what was written beneath the spell.
Il corpo, li commuto.
I am not to use this spell again, it appears. Uther banned it as soon as we switched back, and has ordered me to destroy all mention of it. Ygraine and Gaius agree, but I'm not so sure. This spell would allow us the ultimate victory; to spy on enemies and discover their intentions towards Camelot.
And so I have kept this spell (and counter-spell) written in my secret records, where none can find it.
The spell will not work on people already under its influence, but I have created a counter spell which will should let the soul of each person to switch bodies again. If still not back in own body, the first spell can be said again, and so on.
Note to self: do not use any the counter spells when they are people in the room not under the influence of the first.
Otummoc il, oproc li.
Merlin stared at the four words written at the bottom of the paper, hope rising in his chest. Was this it?
"I think I've found it!" he said excitedly, waving the parchment in the air.
"So she wrote the counter-spell as well?" Gaius murmured. "I wouldn't have put it past her to leave it out…"
Arthur stood up. "Do it, Merlin!" he commanded, losing the little of Gwen he'd learnt. "Switch us back."
Merlin glanced at Gaius. "Gaius, it says here…"
"I know, I know," Gaius interrupted, getting to his feet. "I'll go check on Samuel in the village - he should be better now."
"Bye," Gwen smiled. She kissed his cheek; a very 'Gwen' thing she usually did when she was herself. Arthur and Morgana stifled a laugh when they saw what appeared to be Merlin kissing Gaius.
Gaius looked slightly fazed, then let it pass. "Well, good luck you four." He walked out, closing the door behind him. Morgana went over and locked it, then placed a chair against it for added security.
"Okay, Merlin - do it," Arthur said impatiently, making Gwen look at him curiously.
"Hang on," Morgana interrupted, Arthur's eyes shining. "Now that we have the counter spell, maybe we should spend a few more days as each other."
Arthur stared at her. "You are joking, right?"
There was a pause, then Morgana laughed. "Of course I'm joking!" she exclaimed, but the laugh sounded slightly forced. Merlin guessed that she wanted to do more battle training, or get drunk again.
"Let's do this, then," Merlin cleared his throat, excitement coursing through him. The others shut their eyes, bracing themselves. "Otummoc il, oproc li."
He felt a slight tingle of magic against his skin, but that was it - nothing like the usual warmth that flowed through him when he cast a spell.
Arthur opened one eye, then both. "Nothing's happened." He held up one hand. "Yep, still Gwen."
Merlin hesitated. Why hadn't the spell worked? He glanced at the others, and then his eyes focused on Gwen. All his previous thoughts about casting the spell suddenly rushed back to him.
"Maybe… maybe it's because I cast the spell, and not Morgana," he theorised, hoping that he sounded convincing. "Maybe the person who said the spell first has to say it again this time."
"Oh, so you mean Gwen would have to say it?" Morgana-in-Arthur turned to Gwen-in-Merlin. "It's worth a try."
Gwen looked momentarily alarmed - was that the face Merlin usually made when he'd just been reminded about something he'd forgotten?
"I guess I can try," she said slowly, while Merlin handed her the parchment. "This one here, right?"
Merlin nodded. "Just try your best, Gwen."
Morgana and Arthur closed their eyes again, but Merlin kept his on Gwen's face.
"Otummoc il, oproc li," Gwen read out in Merlin's voice.
There was a flash of gold in her eyes and she gasped, dropping the parchment.
And then the world spun black.