Congratulations to the wonderfully observant happieface03, Nyah86, wongirl, merlincrazy, Elin Marc, Gray Shoed Wonder, and Narutoske for correctly answering my challenge! Thanks for playing, guys.

Ten minutes later the council chamber door opened again to admit Gaius - an old man with a drab brown robe, white hair, and one permanently raised eyebrow. Exactly as Mother always described him, Merlin thought, though in fact Gaius had aged considerably since the last time Hunith had seen him. The eyebrow, however, had remained the same.

Gaius bowed to Uther. "How may I be of service, sire?"

"Ah, Gaius. This is Prince Merlin of Dagon; he wishes to consult with you before fulfilling the agreement I made with his father."

"Very well." Gaius turned to Merlin, bowed again. "I fear my healing skills are not equal to yours, my lord, but I will assist you in any way I can."

Is that all he has to say to me? Well, I suppose Uther wouldn't take it too well if he found out about Gaius' connection to my mother. He must have kept it a secret all these years. Very well . . . "I need you to detail Prince Arthur's injuries for me."

"Of course. Perhaps we may proceed to the patient's chambers? I have taken the liberty of sedating him, in case . . ." Gaius allowed his words to trail off, looking uncomfortable.

Merlin smiled tightly. "It's all right, I understand why he might be reluctant to accept magical healing, especially from me."

A couple of the knights reacted to this, shifting uneasily and muttering to themselves; they rarely heard magic discussed so openly. Merlin felt a certain satisfaction at having shocked them.

"If you will follow me, my lord." Gaius led Merlin to Arthur's chambers, and Uther and his guards accompanied them.

Merlin didn't object, but it struck him as ridiculous; if he wanted to hurt someone it would be Uther, not his son. He forced the thought out of his head - it probably wouldn't reassure Uther in the slightest - and refocused his attention on Arthur Pendragon. My greatest ally? I wouldn't have guessed it from all the times we've tried to kill each other, but maybe I'll believe it if he doesn't try again the instant he wakes up. I just hope those dragons know what they're talking about!

"As you can see, the damage is all on the right side, but it is quite extensive. These ribs were broken-" Gaius pointed out the affected ribs "-but they've shown a little improvement. The main problem is his clavicle - it was completely crushed, and while new bone might eventually form, given enough time, I can't be sure it would reform correctly."

"Right. I can take care of that." Merlin placed his hand flat on Arthur's shoulder and sent his magic out through his fingertips, directing it to the damaged areas. "Os emendare - curarentur!" The spell snapped Arthur's fractured ribs back together with a loud popping, cracking noise, and created new bone matter in his crushed shoulder. Then his arm wrenched into its socket. Merlin winced. "Good thing he's sedated - healing bones with magic can be a bit unpleasant."

Uther took an anxious step forward. "Did it work? Is he healed?"

Merlin stepped back from Arthur's bedside, giving the king space so he could see for himself. "It's done. Have Gaius examine him if you like."

At Uther's nod, Gaius removed the prince's sling and gently prodded his shoulder, feeling for breaks or weaknesses. "His bones are mended, sire," he announced. "He should be good as new."

"That is wonderful news." Uther turned to Merlin. "I won't forget this. You have my gratitude."

Merlin acknowledged Uther's thanks with a small smile, then excused himself. Uther sent everyone else out as well, saying he wanted to be alone with his son when he woke.

The guards returned to their posts, and Gaius headed back toward his infirmary, only to be stopped by someone calling his name. He turned around and saw Merlin standing where he was positive no one had been a second ago. "My lord? Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes, there is." Merlin's smile vanished as he swiftly closed the distance between them. "You can explain to me why my mother became a priestess of the Old Religion, while her brother entered the service of a king who vowed to exterminate her kind. How could you betray your sister that way?"

Gaius closed his eyes as if in pain, then reopened them and faced the prince. "So you know of my relation to Hunith."

"Of course I know - why do you think I had you summoned? I could have cured the prince without your help, but I wanted to meet you . . . Uncle." He used the title sardonically.

Gaius sighed; he seldom regretted his actions - after all, he had had his reasons. Whether they were reasons his nephew would understand remained to be seen. "If you are as well informed as you seem, then surely you must know that Uther did not issue his edict against the practice of sorcery until after my appointment as court physician."

"But you stayed after he banned magic - after the great purge began, still you served him!"

"You were not in Camelot twenty years ago; you don't understand what it was like then. Sorcery was rampant, uncontrolled, and it had thrown the kingdom into chaos!"

Merlin scoffed. "My father allows magic, and our kingdom is hardly on the brink of chaos. Even if magic was causing problems for Camelot, Uther's solution was wrong-"

He abruptly fell silent at the sound of approaching footsteps. A servant ambled into the corridor, carrying a washrag and bucket, and stopped short when he saw Merlin. "S-sorry, my lord. I'll clean these floors later."

"Thank you. I'll be out of your way in a moment."

The man bowed and hurried away.

Gaius waited until the servant was out of earshot, then resumed his argument. "Balinor is able to control the magic in his kingdom because he is more knowledgeable about it than Uther, seeing as he is himself a creature of magic, as are you. Uther, I'm afraid, lacks your father's temperance, which is why I have stayed in Camelot to act as his advisor."

"And is it worth it? Does he listen to you?" Merlin was skeptical.

"Enough to make staying in Camelot worthwhile, yes. He negotiated the peace treaty with your father on my advice."

"Then it would seem your loyalty to him hasn't been in vain." Suddenly a new thought struck Merlin and he moved closer to the old physician, his voice taking on a new, darker tone as he asked, "Your advice wouldn't have anything to do with this unwanted engagement I'm stuck in, would it?"

Gaius hesitated, debating with himself how best to answer. He wanted to be completely open, to admit that for years he had known Morgana had the Sight, and that he feared what Uther would do to her if he ever discovered her gift. This had given him a secret motive for suggesting the arrangement of her marriage to Merlin: namely that the match would remove her from Uther's grasp and take her to a kingdom where her prophetic abilities wouldn't get her killed. Alas, Morgana's gift was not his secret to tell. All he could say was, "I did what was necessary, my lord."

Merlin's eyes narrowed; he sensed there was something the old man wasn't telling him, but before he could press Gaius further, Will burst into the corridor.

"There you are! Look, d'you intend to dress for this bloody feast or not?"

"Of course."

"Good, because I've already pressed the wrinkles out of your clothes and drawn your bath - you'd better hurry up before it gets cold."

"Well, I can always reheat it if that happens. What's your hurry? I thought the feast didn't start until sunset."

"It doesn't, but everyone starts gathering in the entrance hall about an hour beforehand, and your father just told me he doesn't want you dragging in at the last minute again . . ."

Merlin's and Will's voices faded as they walked away, and Gaius breathed a sigh of relief. That manservant may have been a bit abrupt, but his timing was impeccable.

###

Upon waking from his drug-induced sleep, the first thing Arthur noticed was that his right side was no longer one massive dull ache. The second thing he noticed was his father leaning over him.

"Arthur? How are you feeling?"

"I feel . . . fine. Great, actually. Better than I've felt since that battle with the dragon."

"Wonderful."

Uther moved back to give Arthur room to sit up; as he did, he wondered at the absence of the hated sling from his arm. If Gaius wasn't making him wear it anymore, if he no longer needed its support . . . Tentatively, he tried curling his fingers, then lifting his arm. To his amazement (and pleasure) everything worked perfectly - not as if he had recovered, but as if he had never been hurt at all. "How is this possible?" He looked up and saw Uther watching him intently. "Father?"

"You know, I'm sure, that I have made peace with Balinor of Dagon while you have been out of commission?"

Arthur was flummoxed. "Morgana's kept me informed of all the current news, yes. What has that got to do with anything?"

"One of my stipulations was that his son would heal you."

"Merlin? But he's-" Arthur's mouth fell open as the full implications of what he'd been about to say hit him. "Oh gods - it was magic, wasn't it? He used magic on me!"

"He did," Uther admitted, "at my request."

"But . . . but you never condone the use of magic . . . under any circumstances."

"That is true; however, for your sake, I found it within myself to make an exception. You are the most important thing to me, Arthur, and I could not bear to see you suffer."

"Er, thank you, Father." Arthur rarely saw such displays of naked emotion from his father, which he was now glad of - he had never before realized how very embarrassing emotional displays could be. Perhaps this is just a bizarre dream I'm having. Any moment now I'll wake up, and my father will be his normal self again. Then it occurred to him that, as long as he was dreaming that his broken bones had been repaired, he may as well enjoy it. "I - I should get up and dress now, don't you think? I'm heartily sick of lying in this bed, to be honest."

Uther allowed himself to show a hint of the sympathy he usually kept hidden, lest it be mistaken for weakness. "Yes, I imagine you would be. And you are quite right, you do need to dress - tonight commences a week-long festival in celebration of the ending of our war with Dagon, and it would hardly do for the crown prince to miss the feast. Your manservant will be in shortly to prepare you." With that, the king rose and made to exit the bedchamber; at the door he paused just long enough to say, "By the way, I know that you have expressed a . . . singular animosity toward Prince Merlin in the past, but I expect you to put that behind you. Tonight is about establishing friendlier relations with our old enemies, and I will be most displeased if you do anything to undermine that. Understood?" He swept out without waiting for an answer, assuming that he would be obeyed, as always.

Arthur watched him go, feeling more confused than ever. Stern orders and businesslike briskness were much more in keeping with the Uther he knew, but if Uther was once more acting like himself . . . then that meant Arthur wasn't dreaming after all. He really had been restored to full health - and in a few short hours he would have to make friends with his nemesis. With a groan, he flopped back onto his bed. Why can't that part be a dream?

###

That evening, as the sun sank toward the western horizon and twilight darkened the sky, Arthur made his way into the large room adjacent to the dining hall, where most of the court gathered prior to the feast in order to mingle freely before taking their seats at Uther's table, which were designated according to each guest's social ranking and favor with the king. Arthur scanned the crowd, and his eyes landed on Morgana's maid, who was currently serving drinks. If she was working here, then that meant Morgana must already be dressed, yet the lady was nowhere in sight.

No doubt she's waiting for the hall to fill up so there'll be more people to watch her make her entrance, Arthur thought. Then: Is that a new dress Guinevere's wearing? She looks rather pretty tonight. His gaze followed the serving girl as she wove through the gathering of nobles and knights . . .

. . . And paused when she reached Merlin and Lancelot. "Wine, my lords?" she asked, curtseying.

"All right." Merlin accepted a goblet from her, and Lancelot followed suit. "Thank you, Miss . . .?"

"I'm Guinevere, but most people call me Gwen; I'm the Lady Morgana's maid."

Merlin froze at the mention of her connection to his future bride, but Lancelot suffered no such reaction and simply introduced himself. "I'm Lancelot, and this is Prince Merlin of Dagon."

"Oh, I already know . . . I mean, everyone knows who you are. We're all so pleased to have you here - peacefully, I mean. Oh dear, I probably wasn't supposed to mention the war, because it's over now, of course . . ." Gwen trailed off, and Lancelot took it on himself to save her from her mortification.

"It's quite all right; we're pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Guinevere. Aren't we, Merlin?"

"What? Oh . . . yes, of course we are." For a short moment he teetered on the point of asking the girl about the whereabouts of her mistress, but before he could make up his mind Prince Arthur came up behind Gwen and cleared his throat loudly to announce his presence.

Gwen squeaked and turned around so quickly she almost dropped her serving tray; Arthur steadied it before anything spilled, then covered the action by pretending he had merely been reaching for a goblet of wine so it wouldn't look like he'd been helping a servant. "Thank you, Guinevere."

"S-sire." She curtseyed and hurried away, not wanting to get caught between Arthur and Merlin.

There was a brief silence as the two former archenemies faced each other, during which Lancelot drew back slightly while still staying close enough to listen in, then Arthur took a gulp of wine to steel his nerves and said, "So, I'm doing much better now, and I understand I have you to thank for that." He forced the words out so rapidly that Merlin had trouble comprehending what was being said, then stood there grimacing as though it had hurt his teeth to say them.

After decoding Arthur's nearly unintelligible speech Merlin asked, "So are you going to thank me, or are you just going to acknowledge that you should without actually doing it?"

Camelot's prince blinked, opened his mouth, then closed it again, having found himself momentarily speechless. Finally, after a couple more attempts, he managed to say, "Well, I've never exactly been skilled at . . . at thanking people-"

"Maybe it's time you learned, then."

"Look, can't we just pretend that I did without actually going through all that? This is awkward enough as it is."

"I have to agree with you there." A slight grin tugged the corners of the warlock's mouth upward. "Just don't knock me in the head again and we'll call it even."

To his astonishment, Arthur found himself fighting back laughter; in all their previous meetings on the battlefield, he and Merlin had never really spoken to each other beyond exchanging taunts and threats. He hadn't known until now that his former enemy could be witty, and he had certainly not imagined that it would be so easy to reply in kind. "I take it you won't be joining me on the training field, then."

"Are you implying that if I did I wouldn't be able to stop you knocking me in the head?" Merlin retorted.

At that moment a collective gasp of admiration went up from those nearest the doors. Merlin and Lancelot looked around for the source of the disturbance, but Arthur, having heard many such admiring sounds at previous feasts, already knew the cause. The Lady Morgana had arrived.

So now we've learned more about Gaius' background and what motivates him, and we also got to see a caring moment between Arthur and Uther (I couldn't write him as a complete tool all the time), and the first semi-friendly interaction between Arthur and Merlin, although both still have their guard up around each other. Next chapter will be mainly Morgana's perspective, and will include more inspiration from The Dragon's Call.

On a sadder note, my spring break is now over, so please review; it will help cheer me up.