Chapter Eleven
It was Merlin who broke the news to Morgana, not a task he relished. If he had known that taking that particular route through the castle would result in passing her in the corridor, he would have taken another one.
"Merlin," Morgana said as they passed each other, "Have you seen Jocelyn?"
He hesitated for a moment, looking at her with such a serious expression that she gave a little nervous laugh and said, "What is it, Merlin? You're scaring me."
"I'm sorry. Jocelyn has got the plague."
"What?"
Merlin bit his lip and nodded.
"Where is she?" Morgana demanded, taking a forceful step towards him.
"In her room."
Without another word she left him, running through the corridors to her sister's bedside.
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Fate was not looking kindly on Merlin - he ended up telling Arthur as well.
The Prince was worn out by the fruitless searches he had been making all-day and frustrated by the growing number of bodies lying in the courtyard. Merlin was waiting on him in his room and had been debating whether to tell him about Jocelyn or not for several minutes.
"Um, sire?" he asked hesitantly, half-whispering, hoping Arthur wouldn't hear because then he could say he had tried, but he wouldn't have to actually tell his master.
"What is it Merlin?" Arthur asked wearily.
"It's about – Jocelyn." Arthur raised an eyebrow. "It's – well she, she's – she's got the sickness." He finished in a rush.
Arthur got quickly to his feet and strode forward to stand right in front of Merlin. "What?" he asked quietly and menacingly.
"She's ill."
Arthur stared at his servant a moment longer and Merlin found it hard to meet his gaze, his own faltering and dropping. Arthur took a ragged breath before turning from him and slamming out of the room.
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That evening, on Gaius' instruction, Merlin took a draught to Jocelyn. When he entered her rooms it was still and deathly quiet. Uther sat by her bedside his head in his hands, Morgana was sitting on the bed in front of her unconscious sister, staring down into her face and holding her hand, and Arthur stood in front of the window, his arms crossed and his shoulders leaning against the frame.
Uther looked up briefly when Merlin entered the room.
"Sorry, your highness. Gaius asked me to bring this, to help cool her fever." He held up the small bottle full of liquid.
The King nodded and a serving girl came forward to relieve Merlin of the vial, but it was Morgana who put the bottle to her sister's lips and forced her to take it. Merlin got a clear look at Jocelyn when Morgana raised her to drink and was shocked to see the almost translucent paleness of her skin and the thin blue lines crisscrossing across her cheek.
She looked small, broken and overpowered. Merlin was more used to seeing her striding around the castle, ducking out of sight whenever she got near the King or her governess, but always ready to smile at him as he walked by. No one deserved this sickness, but Jocelyn was kind and meant so much to the dysfunctional royal family, she did not deserve to die.
As the medicine trickled down her throat, she coughed slightly against Morgana's shoulder, choking on the liquid. Arthur and Uther both started forward, but Jocelyn calmed and became motionless once more. Morgana lowered her back onto her pillows and sent an apprehensive look towards the king. He tried to smile reassuringly in return, but it emerged as more of a grimace.
Merlin frowned and cast a look towards his master. Arthur had resumed his position at the window, one arm propped on the other, his fingers at the bridge of his nose, his mouth a grim line. Wanting to escape the sick room, Merlin turned on his heel and made for the door, glancing back once before he left. There was one silent, solitary tear tracking down Morgana's cheek. He exited the room quickly.
Half way back to Gaius' rooms he paused mid stride. Jocelyn did not deserve to die and neither did Gwen's father. It wasn't right and it wasn't fair. And he could stop it. He knew he could. Gaius had refused to countenance the idea of curing the sickness with magic when Merlin had suggested it earlier, but now it was Jocelyn and Tom in danger, he couldn't just sit by and let Gwen be orphaned. Or let the royal family be torn apart by grief yet again. He wouldn't, he would do something about it.
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Merlin waited until the early hours of the morning before he dared venture out on his mission. Gaius had been shooting him suspicious looks all evening and he couldn't risk being stopped. It was going to be more difficult to go to Jocelyn, for all he knew Morgana was staying in her room and he wouldn't be able to get past her.
He crept through the darkness to the lower town and Gwen's home first. Looking through the window he could see her asleep with her head resting awkwardly on the side of her father's bed. Tom had grown very still, the fever no longer raging through him. It was a bad sign, he was close to death.
Merlin slowly opened the door and slipped inside. Keeping an eye on Gwen, he stepped gingerly around her to the bedside. He dug one hand in his pocket and took out the poultice he had prepared before tucking it under Tom's pillow. Merlin took a few steps back, drew a deep breath and held out his right hand, speaking the words. There was a brief golden glow as the magic began to do its work before it faded away.
Stillness and silence echoed through the air for a moment before Tom stirred. Merlin quickly retreated back out of the door, lingering at the window to check that his spell had worked. Tom turned his head towards the door and Merlin could see that the poisonous blue of his veins had faded and there was a more natural colour to his skin.
As he grew more aware, Tom noticed his daughter asleep at his bedside and reached out a hand to her. Gwen shifted and woke. The look of surprise that was quickly overcome by complete joy suffusing across her face, brought a small smile to Merlin's lips. Pleased with himself, he departed quickly. He still had to visit Jocelyn and that was bound to be more difficult.
He met no less than six sets of guards on his way back to the castle, and barely managed to evade the last pair. When he was once more within the stone corridors he moved more quickly, confident in the knowledge that if by supreme bad luck someone did stop him he would be able to explain away his presence with an excuse about doing something for Arthur, despite the curfew. Still, he'd rather not get caught at all. Uther didn't seem to like him overly much.
When he reached Jocelyn's door he paused, trying to quiet his breathing so he could listen for anyone in the room beyond. There was silence and Merlin crept the door open, poking his head around it. His eyes quickly took in the dark room and he was relieved to see it empty. He stole inside and closed the door firmly behind him.
Merlin breathed a sigh of relief for making it safely this far, but he still had to perform the magic and get back to his own room. Removing the second poultice from his jacket he hurried forward to Jocelyn's bed.
She was no longer tossing and turning, but her skin was icy pale and covered with a fine sheen of sweat. He slipped the poultice behind her head and whispered the words to her. The golden enchantment showed once more and faded. Merlin took a few steps back into the shadows, conscious of the danger he was in but determined to linger and check that the spell had worked. As he watched, the blue hue faded from her skin and she slipped into a more natural sleep. Luck finally seemed to be on his side as she did not wake and he was able to slip from the room unnoticed. He successfully navigated the corridors and returned to his own bed, well satisfied with his night's work.
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