Just for clarification purposes, the man that was in Arthur's room during the dream was the seer from previous chapters, sorry I didn't make that clear, he will be explained in more detail during this chapter.
There is a quote from one of my favorite movies of all time somewhere in this chapter, can you find it? If you do I'll give you virtual brownies (because they're way better than cookies!)
Okay, enough prattling, on to the story!
Arthur raced through the castle as if his life depended on it, bare feet slapping noisily against the stone floor. He was so focused on his task that he barely noticed the cold or the guards' alarmed shouts as he sprinted along the corridors. He had to get to Gaius, the physician would know what to do, he always did.
The frantic king threw open the door to Gaius' chambers, nearly tearing it off its hinges in his haste to enter and it hit the wall with a loud bang, startling the sleeping physician out of his slumber.
"Arthur?" Gaius asked groggily, sitting up in bed as he wiped the sleep from his eyes and he stared at the figure before him. The king's hair stuck up at weird angles and his bare chest shone with sweat in the moonlight. He stood in the doorway with a slightly crazed look in his eye, gripping the frame for support as his ragged breathing filled the dark room. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"
"What do you know" Arthur began once his breathing had evened out a little, "about the tower of Isolade?"
"Isolade." Gaius replied, dragging the word out thoughtfully as he tapped the side of his head with his finger. Walking to his worktable he lit a candle then motioned for the king to sit across from him on the bench. "Now, that's a name I've not heard in a long time."
"You know it then?" Arthur asked hopefully, jumping up to pace back and forth in the small room, nervous energy making it impossible for him to sit still.
"Yes," Gaius replied hesitantly, "I know of it."
"Well," Arthur demanded, rounding on the physician, "where is it?"
Gaius didn't answer immediately but crossed to a shelf, muttering under his breath as he ran a finger along the dusty spines of the books it held. He paused for a moment on a large green tome covered in swirling golden runes, then, with a triumphant cry, heaved the book off the shelf and returned to the table. He flipped through the pages for what seemed like hours before stopping at a picture of a large ivory tower.
"Here it is!" he exclaimed, jabbing the picture with his finger and sliding the book across the table towards the king.
Arthur stared down at the book, forehead creased in concentration, "It looks so… familiar."
"Where did you hear about it anyway?" Gaius asked, curiosity finally getting the better of him. "I've not heard mention of the tower since before the days of the great purge."
"I first heard it two days before Merlin disappeared." Arthur answered, "I woke during the night to find a strange man perched on the windowsill, he told me to journey there when all hope seemed lost but I had forgotten about it until tonight; I had the strangest dream…"
"This man," Gaius said, breaking into Arthur's thoughts, "did he say who he was?"
"Yes." Arthur replied tone brimming with sarcasm as he rolled his eyes, "I've forgotten his name but he claimed that he was the Keeper of Secrets or some such foolishness."
Gaius froze, fixing the king with his intense stare, "The Keeper of Secrets… are you certain?"
"Absolutely," Arthur said, "he bragged on about it for quite some time."
"Well, I would expect no less." Gaius mumbled, shaking his head at the king's flippant response.
"What are you on about, Gaius?" Arthur demanded.
"The Keeper of Secrets, or Keeper, as he's more commonly known is one of the great pillars of the Old Religion. He is a creature of powerful magic, a seer that has been entrusted with the secrets of our world since the beginning of time. Few have ever seen him although not for lack of trying; there was a time, years ago, when his wisdom was prized above all else and many kings devoted their lives to seeking his knowledge. You are blessed indeed to have been visited by him but bear in mind, the words of the Keeper are not to be ignored and one does so only at the risk of great peril."
Arthur stared at the physician, slightly shocked by his sincerity; maybe he had underestimated his nocturnal visitor just a little. Clearing his throat to break the silence he glanced down at the book again.
"So… what does that have to do with the tower?"
"Ah yes," Gaius said, following the king's gaze back to the picture, "the tower of Isolade is home to the Keeper, it lies in the middle of the Valley of Shadows where it has guarded the spring of life for centuries. It is rumored to be beyond the eastern border of Camelot but it is hidden by the impenetrable thicket and guarded by a myriad of spells; those who fail to prove their worth can wander the wastelands forever and never find it. You must be pure of heart and single-minded in purpose if you wish to succeed and, most importantly, the journey is a quest that must be undertaken alone.
Arthur nodded solemnly, "You know I'd do anything to get Merlin back and we've exhausted all other options, this is my last chance, I'll leave at dawn."
Gaius put his hand on the king's shoulder, staring deep into his turbulent blue eyes, "You can do this Arthur, I know you can, remain true to yourself and you may yet return Merlin to Camelot."
The king nodded, clasping the physician's wrinkled hand in his own, "Don't worry, I won't fail, I can't fail, not this time." Then he turned and left the room with a spring in his step because, for the first time in weeks, there was hope; hope that he wouldn't be too late, that Merlin would be alive, and that he would be able to bring the boy home.
Gaius stood there in the middle of the room after Arthur left, mind buzzing with possibilities, it seemed that the Old Religion had finally taken an active role in the shared destiny of his ward and the Once and Future King. He was glad that the Keeper was on Arthur's side because the king would need all the help he could get to defeat Morgana and forge the foundations of Albion.
…
Arthur returned to his chambers much slower than he had left them, mulling over what Gaius had said. He was glad to have solved the mystery of the tower but the dream that had revealed it had been extremely unsettling. He had no way of knowing whether the scenes from his dream had been real or simply the product of his unconscious mind feeding off his concerns for his missing servant but he sincerely hoped it was the latter. He opened the door to his chambers still lost in thought and was greeted by an anxious Gwen who promptly ran across the room and threw herself into his arms.
"Arthur! Where have you been? I got back from the meeting and you were gone, I was worried sick!" Gwen exclaimed, her arms wrapped so tightly around his neck that he could hardly breath. She was in her nightgown, dark curls caught back in a loose braid that swung at her waist.
"I had to talk to Gaius." Arthur answered, pulling her arms free of his neck and leading her to the bed. "I may have found a way to rescue Merlin."
"Really?" she asked, hope sparking in the depths of her chocolate brown eyes. She immediately tried to quell it but it was too late, it had already taken hold. She had promised herself that she would move on, that she wouldn't let Merlin's disappearance affect her like her father's death had but that was proving beyond difficult. She couldn't help the tremor of excitement that ran through her at Arthur's words, she was an optimist at heart and no matter how hard she tried to snuff out that spark before it grew too big she couldn't.
She didn't want to hope, didn't even want to consider the possibility that Arthur would bring Merlin home this time because if he didn't succeed, if he returned empty-handed again, it would destroy her. She couldn't live like this, alternating between hope and despair so she tried to block it out because it was far better to be pleasantly surprised than disappointed and filled with bitterness, but in the few seconds since Arthur had spoken the spark had roared to life, multiplying and consuming all of her doubts until now it was burning brightly in her chest, warming her to the very core. Her only thought was that Arthur had better return with Merlin because she would never be able to recover if he didn't.
Arthur stared at his wife, watching the conflicting emotions play across her face, he loved her eyes, well, he loved everything about her, but especially her eyes. He'd heard people say that the eyes are a window to the soul and, for Gwen, that could not have been truer. He could see the hope spark to life in her eyes and he smiled because that was how he liked to see her, happy and optimistic, not grief-stricken and defeated, but almost as soon as the hope appeared it was replaced with uncertainty, her gaze becoming guarded as she tried to extinguish it.
Arthur's smile disappeared and he leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to her lips to reassure her. "I'll find him this time Gwen, I know I will."
She nodded slowly leaning back against his chest, "If you don't… Arthur, this has to be the last time."
"I wouldn't go if there wasn't a chance." He said, meeting her troubled gaze with his earnest one.
"Be careful." She pleaded, pulling him close, "I couldn't bear to lose you as well."
He kissed her again just as the sky began to lighten from black to grey then, trailing a finger down the side of her face, left the bed. "I love you Gwen, more than life itself, but if there's even the smallest chance Merlin's alive and I can bring him home I have to take it, please understand."
"I do understand Arthur, I would expect no less of you, just make sure you come home, I can't live without you." She replied, teasing the end of her braid between her fingers.
She looked so lost and alone sitting in the middle of their large bed that he almost hesitated to leave, but Merlin needed him and the sooner he left the sooner they would return so he dressed himself and walked out of their chambers without a backward glance, focusing entirely on the task at hand.
Making his way to the stables he saddled a horse and rode confidently out of the castle gates, turning east just as the sun crested the horizon, painting the sky with brilliant streaks of pink and orange. He breathed deeply in the crisp morning air, laughing for the first time since Merlin had disappeared because he was filled with more hope than he could ever remember feeling before and he couldn't stop it from overflowing. He would find Merlin and bring him home, then everything would go back to normal and he would finally be able to enjoy life again.
…
Merlin woke slowly, assessing his injuries as he lay on the floor with his eyes closed. He moaned as a semi-healed cut along his ribs scraped the rough stone floor, then slowly pushed himself into a sitting position with his cuffed hands gritting his teeth as the movement stretched the abused skin on his chest and back. Panting heavily he looked around, Morgana was nowhere in sight so he tentatively relaxed against the wall and tried to make a plan.
He had no idea why Morgana had taken pity on him or how long it would last so he needed to be ready to escape while he was strong enough. Much of the weakness had been from malnutrition he supposed because he felt much stronger now that he had eaten and was no longer hanging from his wrists. He tried desperately to concoct a plan that would release him from Morgana's scheme but it was too well constructed, without his magic there wasn't really anything he could do to overpower her and the enchanted cuffs made all thoughts of using it flee from his mind, he would not be stupid enough to use his magic against them again, they were far to powerful.
He heard a door open in the distance and, deciding to press his advantage, however small it was, he slumped against the wall, half closing his eyes as the witch entered the room, watching her apprehensively from behind his long lashes. The only way he could hope to escape was if Morgana underestimated his strength and grew careless, it was a long shot but right now it was the only option he had.
"Feeling better I see." she chirped as she closed the cell door, locking it behind her.
Merlin cursed and he sat up, wondering how she had known that his feigned weakness was an act. "I don't know what you're trying to do here Morgana but it will fail!" he vowed glaring at her as she stalked over.
"I don't think so Merlin, it is sooo nice to hear your voice again though." She said, smiling maliciously as she pinched the puckered skin around his cheekbone admiring her handiwork. During the three weeks since she had given him the cut it had healed crudely, leaving a raised pink line half an inch thick from the top of his ear to the corner of his nose. Although the color would eventually fade the scar would remain, effectively disfiguring his face for life.
"Don't have such a pretty face now do you?" She taunted as he struggled to pull away from her, pain clouding his features. Releasing her hold on the still tender skin she laughed "Prepare yourself Merlin, after tomorrow you will join me or wish you had never been born!" Then she turned on her heel and swept from the room slamming the heavy wooden door shut behind her.
Please review! I'm hoping to write the next chapter over the weekend and have it up sometime on Sunday.