Chapter 11

Gwen had heard that the King had suffered from another attack, and whilst heading towards Gaius' chambers, she tried coming up with an explanation...yet nothing came.

"There must be some explanation." She heard Merlin say in exasperation as she entered the chambers. She really could not think what could possibly be causing Uther so much trouble. It made no sense to her. Frustration washed over as she realised how helpless she was; she could do nothing to help her King, except stand and watch him suffer. Merlin and Gwen both looked up at Gaius, hopeful for answers. Just as Gaius launched into his explanation, Marina walked in.

"During the great purge, Uther drowned many he suspected with sorcerery; some, God help them, were children, killed for the magic they were born with. Maybe his conscience is playing tricks on him. Whatever it is, we can no longer hide this. The king's hold on his people is a very fragile thing... they start to lose faith in him; I fear for Camelot." Gaius looked on with intensity at Merlin and Gwen. The latter looked over at Marina, who was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, a clear look of mingled disgust and fear upon her face. She thought of how much Marina undoubtedly hated the King for this, and would probably think that he deserved what was now happening to him...Still, Gwen did not think anyone deserved such a punishment as what the King seemed to be suffering...No matter what they'd done.

Warning bells rang loudly.

All four looked at each other. What was happening now?

oOo

Marina had returned to her mistress' chambers as soon as the warning bells had rung. Granted, she didn't like her much, but it didn't mean that she wouldn't take care of her. With the King's madness and the city in turmoil, there was no predicting as to what would happen next. As she reached the chambers, she frowned. The door was wide open. Coming in, she looked around.

"Lady Morgana?"

Nothing. Marina noticed that one her Lady's capes had gone. Where was Morgana? Just as she was about to leave the room, the Lady came in...Looking strangely pleased. As soon as she saw Marina however, her expression hardened.

"What are you doing here?"

"Nothing...I just wanted to make sure that you were okay..."

"Well I'm fine...Thank you."

Marina frowned as Morgana made her way to her screens in an awkward manner...Almost as if hiding something.

"Would you like any help? Dinner will be soon, perhaps I could—"

"No."

Then, seeing Marina's startled expression, she smiled.

"Thank you, that's very thoughtful of you but I'd like to rest a little..."

With that, the King's ward turned around, clearly signalling that the conversation was now over. Marina left, closing the door behind her quietly. Once out of the chambers, she let herself relax, and wondered about Morgana's strange behaviour, and what exactly she had been doing outside of the castle. Then remembering the reason why she had headed to her mistress' chambers in the first place, she made for Gaius' chambers in order to find Gwen, and the reason for the recent commotion.

oOo

This was too much. Merlin once more saw in his mind the unconscious sentry, lying upon the ground, blood oozing out of a deep abdomen wound, as a dark metal dagger protruded from it. Why? Why had that particular guard being injured in the first place? As he was making his way to the King's chambers with a newly prepared potion clutched firmly in his hands, he grew more frustrated as the recent events fuelled his suspicions. Who could be behind all this? It cannot have been coincidence that the sentry with all the answers died suddenly, despite Gaius and Gwen claiming that he was recovering!

"Merlin?"

He saw Marina coming towards him, looking troubled.

"Do you know why the warning bells rang? What happened?"

"One of the sentries was almost fatally wounded..."

He saw her gasp at the news, and bring her hand to her mouth in shock.

"What? Why? Who would have...? Are we under attack or something?"

"We don't know...The thing is, we had brought him to Gaius' chambers to nurse him and ask who was behind it, but he just...died."

Marina frowned. He could see that she was asking herself exactly the same questions he had earlier.

"Clearly, someone didn't want him to speak. God Merlin, if he really was killed, doesn't that mean that it was done by someone from within the castle?"

"It's possible...I don't recall seeing any unfamiliar faces around..."

"This is madness...Someone is going round killing people and we don't even know who it is!"

Merlin bit his lip as Marina became more and more worried. He wished he could comfort her, but there was nothing he could say or do to make it all go away...This was all very much real.

"We'll figure this out Marina, don't worry."

Although she smiled up at him, she didn't seem convinced.

"Then tell me why, Merlin, I feel like this is only the beginning of it all?"

oOo

She was trying real hard not to think about the possible link between the attack on the guard and the fact that Morgana had been out. She couldn't explain it, but the more she was around Morgana, the more she felt repelled by...She hadn't spoken about it to anyone, but it bothered her. It bothered her a lot. She couldn't stand experiencing things that were beyond her control. She headed to Gaius' chambers to see how Gwen was coping with all the events that had been happening. As soon as she entered, her friend rushed to her.

"Marina! Oh God, something awful has happened!"

"I know Gwen...Merlin told me..."

"But who could have done it I don't understand!"

She ought to tell her. About Morgana. She really ought to...But she found that she couldn't. After all, she did not actually know where her lady had been...She could have just taken a stroll outside. Avoiding Gwen's gaze, and praying that her friend would not notice her unease she replied;

"I don't know..."

"Between this and the King's illness..."

Marina saw her friend sigh and her shoulders sag as she left her sentence unfinished. For a city who was governed by a King who condemned magic, a lot of obscure things were happening. She couldn't help but think that maybe, if the King had not murdered all these people for having a gift that they were born with, if they had even been magical in the first place, none of this would be happening. Perhaps this was simply a sort of...curse, put upon the King and his Kingdom for all the injustice he had been guilty of showing for so long.

oOo

Merlin was making his way to the King's chambers with yet another newly prepared potion clutched firmly in his hands. He felt as if he had been thrown into deep waters and left to find his own way out. He couldn't even begin to make head or tail of anything.

Lost in thought, he reached Uther's chambers faster than he had anticipated and entered, knowing that there was no need to knock; the King was fast asleep. Merlin crossed the immaculate chambers quietly and placed the potion beside Uther's bed. He could not help but pause to gaze at his King. What could be doing this to him? Merlin had never seen Uther so powerless and vulnerable, attributes which felt unnatural to use in conjunction with the King's name. Merlin gently rearranged his covers, wrapping him more securely.

Drip, drip, drip.

Merlin glanced at the marble floor beneath his feet where the source of the sound seemed to be coming from. Thick, dark blotches were accumulating beside the King's bed. Burning with curiosity, Merlin bent down to investigate the peculiar liquid. It felt cold against his hands. What could it be? Could Gaius—

Footsteps! Someone was approaching the King's chambers.

In a fit of panic Merlin rolled himself under Uther's bed. He felt his heart momentarily stop as his head hit against a soggy straw doll that hung limply from the bed frame. He remained still. A hand reached out under the bed and pulled out the doll. The footsteps began to get quieter as their owner headed for the door. Merlin quickly rearranged his position, allowing for him to see the intruder.

He could not believe his eyes.

Morgana.

Merlin had to find out what she was up to.

oOo

"Merlin?"

"He's not here Marina..."

"Oh...I thought he might be with you..."

"I should think that he's probably with Arthur..."

So far she had looked everywhere she could think of and yet, he was nowhere to be found. Where was he? No doubt Gaius was right and that Arthur had dragged him along with him somewhere...

"Okay, thank you Gaius."

Leaving, she headed for Arthur's chambers. No answer. She took a peek inside, but was disappointed as she realised that it was empty...Completely empty.

oOo

He was lying on the forest floor, bruised and struggling to breathe. Chained, he was helpless. Gathering the little strength he had left, he struggled against the tight grip of the chains, trying desperately to somehow escape. Even his magic was no use. Morgause's enchantment was just too powerful.

"Abrika benda"

Nothing. Just like the last time he tried...And the one before that.

"ABRIKA BENDA"

Still nothing.

"Erunfes nunga enlucath mer"

The chains remained firm against Merlin's bruising skin.

Twigs around him were being broken. Someone was coming... or something.

oOo

Lost in thought, Gwen entered her chambers, after another long day's work with Gaius. Her thoughts had been of Merlin and his whereabouts; the court physician had shared his worries about the situation, and his concern had rubbed off on her, leaving Gwen more than anxious. Where could he be? It was not like him to wonder off without telling anyone, especially not Gaius.

Gwen had started preparing herself for bed, when Marina walked in, her eyes restless, her face expressing deep and anxious concern.

"Marina, are you okay? How has your day been?" Gwen enquired as her heart sank at the sight of her friend. Marina looked awful. Her eyes were framed in red as if she had been crying for hours; her lips sagged at the corners.

"Fine." Marina answered as she sat at the edge of her bed, staring into an empty space across their chambers.

"Are you sure?" Gwen moved to sit beside Marina. "You don't look fine. Is it something to do with Morgana? Has she upset you?"

"No." Replied Marina, her gaze remained fixed, yet her eyes betrayed the state of a troubled mind.

"Then what is it? Tell me!"

"Merlin." Though Marina's reply contained only two syllables, there were many emotions pressed into them. Gwen felt her own heart sink as her recent worries over their friend resurfaced. She could see Marina fighting back tears as they both remained silent for a few minutes, a silence filled with unspoken words. Eventually, Marina turned to face her friend, her eyes frantic with worry. Gwen felt a sharp stab in her chest as she realised it was her responsibility to comfort her, despite the fact that she shared her sentiments.

"Marina," She placed her hand firmly on her friend's arm, hoping that the gesture would transmit the love and warmth she felt for her. "Don't worry too much, you know what he's like. He'll be back soon. Besides, for all you know, he might be with Arthur."

Marina started wringing her hands, looking up at her with an expression akin to despair.

"Gwen, he's been gone for two days now, and neither you, Gaius or myself have seen him...Surely that wouldn't be the case if he was in the castle with Arthur. I'm certain that he's in some sort of trouble." Chewing her lip, Marina hoped that Gwen would tell her she was wrong, that Merlin had simply wanted some fresh air, away from the castle perhaps...Or that Arthur had kept him behind to do some chores, but her friend remained silent. 'I just, I think that we would have crossed paths by now...Oh Gwen! I'm sure that he's not here...!"

Just then, understanding dawned on Gwen as she gazed at Marina's grief stricken face; she hadn't realised the true extent of her friend's emotions.

"Okay," She paused as she thought of the best way to confront Marina about what had just hit her. "Answer me honestly..." Though she had a good idea of the answer that would come, she couldn't help but hope that she was wrong. If anything had happened to Merlin, Marina would never get over it.

"Do you love him?"

She studied Marina's face carefully as the latter averted her eyes. Finding a loose thread on the end of her dress' sleeve, Marina pulled at it for a few seconds, summoning the courage to answer Gwen's question. Inhaling deeply, she stopped playing with the thread and closed her eyes. There was no getting away from the simple truth. In hushed tones, she whispered;

"I do."