AN: Sorry it took so long to get this written and posted. Life has been a wild ride since the year started. Now that things have somewhat settled down, I finally had time to write.
I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It has George!Whump in it because I had no control over my muse. Hopefully it won't take me months to get the next chapter out, but since I have several stories on here I need to update, it just might….
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Chapter 8
Elyan was torn. Part of him wanted to sit in their father's old house and protect his sister, while another part of him wanted to march up the Gaius's chambers a finish what George had started. He had been pulled between those two choices since Leon and Gwaine had told him, on their way out of the city to patrol, what had happened since he had brought Gwen home.
So far, protecting Gwen had won. He knew that the man who had hurt her was currently under Percival and Arthur's guard, but he really wanted to tear the man apart for what he had done. Not only Gwen, but Merlin too.
If it hadn't been for Merlin, he wouldn't be back in Camelot and definitely not a knight. She was like a little sister that didn't know when to stop and was always finding trouble. Alright, so maybe it was the trouble finding her, but either way, she was always into something.
He had thought that George would have been the rational one of the couple, but if what his brothers-in-arms had told him was true, she was the brains of the two. What kind of idiot attacks an armed assassin with nothing but your teeth and nails? If Leon hadn't been the one telling the story, Elyan would have thought it just that, a story.
It was hard for him to believe it had only been a few hours ago, that it had all happened. George had been found a little after dawn and the would-be assassin about an hour after that. Now it was just shy of midday.
He wasn't sure when his sister would wake up, so he decided he had best make their lunch now, just in case she woke up soon. He had learned a lot during his time away and cooking was one of the ones he was most proud of. He wasn't nearly as good a cook as Merlin, but he wasn't nearly as bad as Gaius.
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Gwaine was angry and happy at the same time. He was angry at Agravaine for trying to get Merlin killed and in doing so hurt Gwen and George. But he was happy that the slime ball had tried sneaking out during his and Leon's little patrol so that he could be the one to bring him before Princess as the traitor he is.
He was also glad that it was Leon with him and not some other knight who would just brush off the fact that the King's uncle was sneaking away from the castle using the emergency escape routes that only a few highly-trusted knights knew about. The First Knight would at least want to question Agravaine about his careless use of the tunnels that could jeopardize the safety of the city.
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Leon was slowly becoming furious. He had never cared for Agravaine and he had first met him when his family visited Camelot when Arthur was only six years old. It had been fairly clear his dislike for his nephew back then and each time after. So, the knight had been on guard when he showed up after Morgana's betrayal and acted like he truly cared about Arthur.
There had been times where it was clear that the Lord was purposely misguiding the prince turned king, but Arthur had been blinded to it because he craved family. Now the contemptible noble had compromised the safety of the city by using the siege tunnels, ones that he wasn't even supposed to know about, to sneak off to gods know where. 'Morgana' his mind traitorous mind added, but he couldn't deny the possibility.
Add in Agravaine's extreme dislike for servants and peasants, especially Merlin, it was likely he had been behind the attack on the poor girl. If the look on Gwaine's face was an accurate indicator of his thoughts, he had come to the same conclusion. With these offences firmly planted in his mind, the First Knight of Camelot pushed forward to catch the foul uncle of his king.
Not wanting to waste time, he got Gwaine's attention and gestured for them to secure the horses and go after the lord on foot. The satisfied glint in his comrade's eyes improved Leon's mood more than he had thought it could. Together, they drew their swords and moved swiftly, yet silently, towards Agravaine.
It was almost sad how easily they crept up behind the former knight. Leon was offended that the man hadn't even noted their approach. Either Arthur had much higher standard for his knights, or Agravaine had gained his title without proper training. Whichever it was, the king's unofficial right hand hadn't been expecting them when they placed the tip of their swords to his back.
"Ah. Gentlemen. What a surprise." Agravaine's words were eerily close to those said by the old sorcerer not but a week before that the four of brothers-in-arms had sworn never to speak of.
Sharing a wary look, the two men flanked him wordlessly.
"Sir Leon, I must protest. There must be a part of the Knight's Code on how to treat a former knight. Surely." The similarity to the old sorcerer's words were too close for Leon's comfort.
"There is, but seeing as you have betrayed the crown, we don't have worry about that." Leon was thankful that Gwaine had come up with a response.
Neither man was truly surprised when Agravaine's attitude changed at Gwaine's statement.
"You are hardly one to talk. What would your late father think of you now?" Leon didn't know what the foul lord was talking about, but his friend clearly did as he was now pale and livid.
"I've a mind to run you through, but seeing as Arthur will prefer us to bring you back alive, I'll stay my sword. But hear this, if you mention my father again, you will be a dead man." Leon could only blink at the smirk that formed on the former knight's face.
"Now that is the son of the man I personally put down like the mangy creature he was. Nothing but Carleon's lap dog, that one." Seeing the pure, unaltered rage in Gwaine's eyes, Leon did the only thing he could think of. He cleanly and effectively brought his sword hilt down in the back of Agravaine's head, causing the man to crumple to the forest floor.
Stepping between the enraged knight and the piece of slime in the dirt, the lead knight tried to calm his friend down. "I didn't understand what he was saying, but Gwaine, he was playing you. He wanted you to attack him out here, away from Camelot and away from Arthur. We need to take him back and let the king know the truth about his uncle."
The anger in Gwaine's eyes lessened slightly, and now he seemed almost heartbroken as well. Leon was relieved when the man nodded his understanding and hefted the unconscious traitor over his shoulder, none too gently. The blonde was proud of his dark-haired companion. It was clear that Agravaine had hit a very sore nerve, yet the former rogue was willing to let Arthur have a say in the fate of the last the de Bois line.
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George was still groggy and lightheaded from his head injury, near constant adrenaline rushes when Merlin got into a nasty coughing fit, and from hardly having ate or drank in days. He was hungry, but he doubted he would be willing to eat anything Gaius put in front of him for a long time. Now that his anger had faded, he understood why they had drugged him, but he was still upset that they had forced him to go back to his empty house.
He was lost in the thoughts about his rage as he has clawed the man who had hurt Merlin on more than one occasion. He could still feel the skin tearing under his fingernails, the taste of the man's blood in his mouth, and the how hurt when he ripped the pinky finger from the assassin's hand with his teeth. He hated it, yet he knew he would do it again to keep Merlin safe.
He was brought out of these thoughts by a hand on his shoulder. Looked up, he saw Percival's worried face and a bowl. As the dish was placed in front of him, on the edge of his love's bed, he noted that this was one of the servant bowls from the kitchens, not one of Gaius's and that it was full of thick, but chunk less, soup.
"I didn't think your mouth was up to doing much chewing, so I got you some soup from the kitchen. I got some stewed apples for you, merlin too if she wakes up soon." George couldn't help but glance around the room for the physician, just to be on the safe side.
"He left almost an hour ago. A thatcher fell from a roof just beyond the wall of the training grounds." The man looked like he wanted to say more, but didn't.
Nodding gently so not to make his head worse, to turned to his soup. He stared at the food longingly as he tried to figure out how he was meant to eat it with his hands bandaged as they were. As it was, there was no way he could hold a spoon steady enough to keep from spilling the liquid.
"You could try drinking it like it is a big cup." George jerked his head up at the sound of that breathy female voice.
As his head swam painfully, he felt large hands steady this shoulders, letting him know that he must have swayed in his dizziness. His ears were ringing so badly that the warning bells would have rung beside him and he wouldn't have heard them. After what felt like days, his vision finally cleared, he found himself in the bed with Merlin and that his head was currently in her lap with her fingers gently running through his hair.
Looking up, he saw the worried faces of not just Percival and Merlin, who seemed to have tears in her eyes, but Gaius and the king as well. No sooner did he meet the woman he loved eye's than his own slipped shut against his will. A sharp pain on the back of his hand caused his eyes to briefly flutter open.
When he opened his eyes next he saw their lips moving, but the ringing hum in his ears blocked their words. As his eyes started to fall again, he felt his ear being flicked. He tried and failed to stay awake as the last of the adrenaline faded from his system.
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He hadn't thought about how George was going to eat the soup he had brought for him and when the poor girl had woken up and gave a suggestion, George had moved too quickly and ended up passing out. He had sent the guard outside the door to find Gaius before going back to deal with the couple. Merlin was hyperventilating and George was cold on the floor in the nest of bedrolls and blankets he had been resting in since his concussion had been realized. Knowing there wasn't much he could do for George right now without Gaius, the big man focused on calming his pseudo-sister. He had only just calmed her down when Arthur and Gaius ran in, panicking Merlin all over again.
He let the king take over dealing with Merlin and told Gaius what had happened. Gaius listened professionally as he checked George over for the third time that day. The knight knew that the servant had a concussion, he had been told when he had been assigned to guard the dying ex-spy, but this was not like any concussion he had ever seen.
"It appeared that his cranium is fractured. The stiffness of his neck likely aggravated the injure when he moved his head. I tried to give him a muscle relaxant for it, but he was afraid I was trying dose him with a sleeping tonic again." There was a note of defeat in the man's quiet tone that set his hairs on edge.
"Is there anything to be done? Surely there is something." Arthur voice was barely over a whisper so that Merlin would not hear what was being said.
"There is a chance that there is no bleeding or leakage from the brain, but only a small one. He is not reacting to light or sound and I fear the use of smelling salts will do more harm than good."
"What can we do?" Percival felt sick at the thought of Merlin losing the man she clearly loved before they could truly be together.
"If he wakes on his own, there is a chance he will pull through. He is a strong lad and he has something to fight for. Hopefully, it will be enough." His old eyes looked over to where the couple lay just out of reach of each other.
"Then we give him more to live for." Percival only had time to blink before he rushed to help his king carefully move the prone man from the floor to on the bed with Merlin.
Merlin nearly cried in relief and begged to be helped into a sitting position. It took several pillows, that seemed to have been mysteriously left at the door, to prop her up and then Gaius meticulously positioned George so that his head was properly supported in his ward's lap. Merlin seemed to have realized just how bad the situation was because she started to cry as she gently carded her long fingers through George's partially matted hair.
Merlin tears had dried by the time George began to stir. None of them wanted to get their hopes up, knowing that this could just as likely be the beginning of a fit as it was for his to be waking up. When his eyes opened, Percival let out a massive breath that he had been unaware he had been withholding.
The joy in the room grew as George's eyes locked on to each of their faces with recognition, but when his eyes landed on Merlin's teary ones, his slid shut. Merlin's breath hitched as she looked to Gaius who wore a slight smile. She lost the panicked look in her eyes, but continued to worriedly pick the tangles from her beau's hair.
After an hour, Gaius told them he was going to try to wake George again. It took a sometime, but a needle to the back of his left hand finally got the man to open his eyes again. It was only for a moment before they drifted shut again. This time, there was no smile, but a worried frown.
It wasn't quite an hour later when George opened his eyes again without any prompting. Gaius explained why this was a good thing as we noticed the confused look on the man's face as he seemed to watch our mouths move. As he started to fall back to sleep, the physician reached out and snapped his fingers loudly beside the servant's ear, but George didn't react. Muttering something, the old man flicked the lad's ear which caused a slight flinch.
This seemed to appease Gaius, as he stopped the action and wondered over to his books. They all sat there, not knowing what to do. Percival managed to talk Merlin into drinking some of the now cold broth meant for George and to eat a bit of the stewed apples that had been kept farm by the fire. Then they waited.
After an hour, Gaius tried to wake the man again. This time, nothing seemed to be working. Gaius even tried the smelling salts, despite the risked he had mentioned before. Nothing seemed to be getting even the slightest reaction from the poor fellow. That was when they saw the blood.
"Gaius!" Merlin was nearly hysteric.
Percival could only watch as the physician tried once again to rouse George. Poor Merlin had been beside herself since this started. He knew she blamed herself just as he felt this was his fault.
George's ear that had been on Merlin's lap had been bleeding and none of them had noticed. Oddly, this seemed to relieve Gaius instead of worry him. Something about relief of pressure and something about smell or hearing. Or at least, that was what Percival thought he had said, but the rate at which he was speaking, there was every chance that he was wrong.
That was when the assassin in the patient cot across the room decided to have a fit. Percival had nearly forgotten that the man wasn't dead. Knowing that Gaius was busy with whatever he was doing with those books and the king was trying to keep his weak maid calm, he decided he had to be the one to make sure the former spy didn't make a mess or break the cot. None of them cared if he died, and Gaius had already said there was nothing more he could do for the cretin.
After a minute or two, the man went slack and started breathing roughly and sounded like he was breathing through a running nose despite the fact the sound was coming from his mouth. Not really wanting to go back and sit helplessly beside Merlin as she ran her hands nonstop through George's hair, he sat on the stool by the foot of the cot. He was still sitting there when Gaius when back over to the man in the bed with his ward and pinched his ear.
Percival was surprised when George gave a whimper and weakly lifted a hand try and bat away the physician's hand. As Merlin cried with happiness, Percival turned to the odd sound beside him. He was half surprised to see the dying man's eyes open and relatively clear despite his high fever and extensive infected injuries.
"What was that?" Percival was now sure that the odd sound had been Cyfruis attempting to talk.
The man tried again, but the knight was unable to make out any of the words. Percival blinked in surprise as Gaius appeared with a cup of water and helped the traitor drink. There words were clearer now, but they didn't make sense to the bear of a man. Gaius seemed to understand and hurried back to his work table.
Turning his attention back to the man in the cot, he saw that he was sweating heavily even though he was dehydrated and seemed to be able to take deeper breaths. Given that Gaius had told them the man was dying, Percival was curious how a single cup of water has caused such a profound change. As he turned to look at what the physician was doing, the knight noticed a change, but could not quite place it.
Turning back to Cyfruis, he saw that the man was no longer appeared to be breathing. Grabbing the spoon from the bowl that had held the man's last meal, Percival wiped it off and held it by the assassin's nose and mouth. When no fog appeared, he felt the man's neck for a pulse. Not feeling one, he placed his hand on the man's still chest just to be sure. There was no movement and no beat from the former spy's heart. He was dead.
Without a word, Percival straightened out the body and removed the wadded blanked that had been keeping the man tilted on his side, allowing the body to lay flat. He uncurled the man's hands and made them lay flat as well as he could with the bandages still in place. Once that was done, he shook out the wadded blanket and hide the body from sight.
Not wanting to sit with the body, the knight moved back to his seat at Merlin's bedside. She was asleep and George was as well, not that Percival had expected him to be awake. Arthur looked frazzled to say the least. The big man could practically hear Merlin commenting on her master's messy hair and rumpled clothing.
"He is dead then?" The king's voice was soft enough not to wake the poor woman.
"Yes, Sire." Percival didn't even feel affected by the fact at all, he was neither relieved by or remorseful at the man's passing.
"Then you are free to go if you wish. Though, I think the guards should remove the body." Arthur sounded exhausted.
"I'll see to it Sire. You should rest. Camelot needs her king to be alert if anything should happen." As the royal returned his attention to the pair in the bed in front of them, Percival realized Arthur had no intention of moving from his spot.
"You can sleep in Merlin's room on her straw tick or you can return to your own chambers and bed and we will let you know of any changes." Percival was glad that Gaius had been the one to force the king to rest.
"I am fine." Percival could just see Merlin rolling her eyes at that comment.
"If you were, I would be highly surprised. It has been trying few months for you since becoming king and just today you have had the woman you love drugged, found out the your replacement servant took down a trained assassin with no weapons and nearly died hours later because of it, had it revealed to you that your uncle was not what you thought, and realized that your maid who you treat like a sister has been injured and saved your life multiple times without your knowledge." Percival thought Gaius had gone a bit too far, but it seemed to get through to him that is was alright for him to need rest.
"Percival, see that the body is properly dealt with and see if my uncle has been found. I'll be in Merlin's room." Without another word, the King of Camelot went to rest in the bed of a servant.
"What did Cyfruis say to you, before he died?" Percival knew this was highly off topic, but he truly wanted to know before he made arrangements for the body.
"He was delirious, but in essence, he gave me the key I needed to help George." Percival gave his elder a questioning look that clearly begged for details.
"His mind was nearly gone with fever, but he seemed to think George was his apprentice. Not wanting someone he trained to die, he told me what the poison was made of and why it was affecting George this way. If he was correct, most of George's symptoms are being exaggerated by the drug." Percival blinked at the idea of the man known as the perfect servant being trained as an assassin.
"Since the drug is meant to be used on victims that are not expecting an attack and who haven't gone days with only a meal or two, so it hit George hard. It mixed with the adrenaline in his system and would have kept him awake for a very long time if his head hadn't been hit quite so hard. When he woke from that, the drug kept him awake until his body could no longer take the strain and the adrenaline passed. It is drug keeping him from waking more than his injury. Also, his body was unable to break down the drug due to having eaten and drank very little over past week." Percival just nodded despite not understanding all of what was said.
"So, he will be alright?" That really was the important part.
"Once I have gotten some food and a few potions in him, he should improve quickly. Only time will tell if his hearing will return." Percival nodded his understanding before leaving to deal with the former spy's body.
Now that he knew what the man had done with his last moments, the knight decided the assassin would be buried outside of the city instead of thrown in the trash pit and covered over like many other traitors had been. The man had shown some pity for what he had done, he had even been honoured to have been taken down by George. That earned him a slightly better place of eternal rest.
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AN: How about I have Elyan pick Agravaine's fate? George took out Cyfruis for Merlin, but Gwen was a victim of the sleaze bucket's plan and who better than her brother to right that wrong? (Too much?) I am half tempted to have Arthur sentence him to be behead (Due to Leon and Gwaine thinking he is Dragoon) and have Morgana send somebody to release him only for someone to catch him sneaking out and fight him to the death…
Let me know how you, my amazing readers, what this to play out!
Thank you all to reading and not giving up on my stories. It means a lot to me. *Hugs*