A/N This will probably be my only post of today, sorry guys. Am experiencing a small amount of writers block on the next two chapters. I'm having to swap between them to keep myself going. They are being very stubborn, although some of the problem can be attributed to my decision to scrap half of them and start again (if I ever decide to do something that daft again you have my permission to slap me). They will probably be up tomorrow.
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Chapter 11 Not what the doctor ordered.
Riding a horse was not an experience Khilgarrah ever wished to repeat. The god had gifted him with the knowledge of how to ride, as part of the subterfuge he would have had to have the correct responses to a horse, even if this one was made with pure magic.
The actual experience of riding however was disturbing. How many times had he admonished Merlin that he was not a horse, and wondered briefly, why, Merlin would ever want to get on his back. It wasn't as if he was afraid of heights, he was a dragon for goodness sake he flew leagues higher than this. It was more the fact he was now having to rely on the movements of another seemingly living creature, he couldn't actually say with any certainty the horse was alive either. It did feel real but a God with a damned pernickety sense of humour had conjured it and he didn't trust him not to have given him an animated rock. It certainly felt like one to his abused thighs.
Amaethon however, did fail spectacularly at mentioning the most pertinent point. That riding for any length of time would hurt. Already having to deal with walking, of all things, he hadn't expected to have to do so bow legged. He only hoped the god and his Dragonlord appreciated his efforts. This body was very uncomfortable and awkward, he couldn't wait to be rid of it.
There was the sticking point. To be restored he had to go to the city he almost destroyed, meet with an unresponsive Dragonlord and do….goodness knows what.
Oh he understood the need to be vague when giving advice on occasion, it was always better to give his charge clues to work things out himself so he could gain wisdom from the experience rather than telling him all and not have him learn anything. Now of course when the same policy was directed at him, he was a tad resentful. He was over a thousand years old, what lesson had he apparently overlooked. It was no use, he would have to ponder this later. He was here.
Asking for directions from a gate guard and being able to walk through the streets of Camelot, viewing it from the same perspective of his Dragonlord, was a whole new experience for Khilgarrah. He had never realised how small humans were until he had to be one. Perhaps this was why they had to build walls higher than themselves, it made them seem safer. He knew how tall he was as a dragon and marvelled at the fact that Merlin and even to some degree, the knights had faced him. He doubted he would be so quick to dismiss the courage of the race in future. Amaethon had surely given him a punishment designed to make him think.
The directions and advice from the guard had sent him to this stable. Dismounting had been a painful experience, and his new legs were trembling whilst he waited for the stable boy who according to the guard would look after his horse and mule. A pouch of small coin and the answer to the question of the whereabouts of Gaius's chamber later. Khilgarrah slowly and somewhat awkwardly made his way onward, safe in the knowledge that at least Amaethon had been thorough whilst provisioning him for this endeavour. He was rather glad that he wouldn't arouse suspicion from not being able to pay the boy.
…
Gwen hadn't known what to expect when she finally burst through the door, but to see just her husband sitting quietly by the bed, intently studying the peacefully sleeping features of his friend in an empty room, was not it. She had perhaps thought there would be people underfoot, crowding round, getting in the way. Gaius would obviously be reading to try and find a solution. Possibly a mild air of panic and industry would pervade the place.
The scene in front of her didn't seem to fit with the extreme worry Gwaine had been trying to conceal whilst he delivered the news. It was…tranquil. In a way that calmed her nerves and allowed her to gather her wits enough to enquire almost normally after Merlin's current health. "How is he?" Arthur turned eyes full of anxiety towards her.
"He's resting comfortably. I don't know what this is doing to him physically. His breathing and heart seem fine. Apart from that I just don't know." Gwen stepped over to her husband and put her arms around him. She could see how much this situation was affecting him by the subtle way he leaned into her touch more than usual.
"What happened?"
"He collapsed. I thought he was ill. You know how Merlin is, works himself to the point of collapse before he'd admit he needs time off. Then he started having some kind of seizures. Kept babbling about magic and we had to go. How he knew it was magic I have no clue. We'd already sent for Gaius. When he came he found this mark." His fingers hovered over it but didn't touch, he seemed afraid to as if it might somehow transfer to his own skin if he did. The snakes on the tiny mark were so perfect in detail they almost seemed to be winking, as if daring the king to try. "Gaius knew what it was, said it was some kind of blood rite, whatever that is and that it was specifically aimed at Merlin. We think Morgana's trying to get at us through him though why she would do so I don't know. I never thought she would try this."
Gwen was battling with herself, on the one hand she knew why, and so badly wanted to tell her husband. He had a right to know that Morgana had tried before. On the other, it was not her secret to tell. She well remembered the look of sadness and guilt that had shadowed Merlin's eyes for weeks after. It had never been his fault, he couldn't even remember what had happened for those days when he had tried to kill his king, but she had respected the fact he could not face telling his best friend what he had been ordered to do. Now however she was a Queen. She had a duty to look to the safety of an entire kingdom. The choice to tell or not came down to one simple point. Would withholding such facts result in danger being directed at the people she had vowed to protect? In this instance she believed Merlin would want her to tell him. He had always tried to take such good care of everyone, if the choice came to withhold pertinent information to protect his heart or reveal his humiliation in order to save his friends, she knew without doubt which he would choose.
"Morgana tried getting to you before, using Merlin. I think he was just a convenient tool last time but he overcame it and now I think she wants revenge for her failed attempt!" She had spoken rather quickly trying not to think lest she change her mind on the wisdom of speaking out and the effort left her a little breathless.
"When?" Arthur's eyebrows rose alarmingly then plummeted into a deep frown, trying unsuccessfully to work out when such a thing could have occurred.
"You remember, when Merlin was found in the bog. After you were ambushed at the valley of fallen kings?" Arthur nodded to say he had recalled the incident. "Those days he was missing, he was, well…Morgana had strung him up in her hut. She used this snake. Gaius called it a Fomorrah." Arthurs startled eyes rounded on his servant.
"Why didn't he tell me?" He was honestly confused. Why would he think he needed to keep something like that from him?
"Arthur he was so ashamed. I've never seen him look so defeated. Gaius, and I helped him overcome it but I think he thought he should have fought harder against it. I don't think he could face up to what it had nearly made him do."
"What did….what did he try and do?" Like a freak accident where you know you shouldn't look but you can't turn your head away, he just knew he would not like where this was leading.
"Arthur." Gwen was all gentleness and concern, it didn't help. Alarm bells were being set off in his brain. "He was told to kill you!" And there it was, his worst fears realised, his dearest friend had been enchanted to do murder, and he hadn't felt able to confide in him.
The knock on the chamber door, swiftly followed by a young redheaded guard leading an unusual looking man into the room, was a more than welcome distraction to his disquiet. The guard looked taken aback at finding both the King and Queen sat talking earnestly in an all but empty room with the legs of an unconscious servant just visible, laid out behind them. He did however recover his aplomb rather quickly, much to the admiration of his monarch. "I'm sorry sire we were looking for Gaius. Master Garrah here wished to see him."
"The court physician is currently in the library, could you go and fetch him. He's been down there a while. And would you send a servant for lunch for….7 people." He didn't think it would be long before all the knights converged back towards Merlin. The younger man seemed to draw people like a lodestone.
"Master Garrah. Welcome to Camelot."
"My Lady, Sire." Gwen was shifting forward in order to greet the newcomer, and as she did so more of Merlin became visible. His mouth dropped open and ignoring the Queen's outstretched hand fell to his knees by the cot. "Merlin. Oh what have you done to yourself now?"
Arthur and Gwen were a little surprised at the reaction, but if the man knew Gaius it stood to reason he would also know the man's ward. They couldn't really blame the man for his rudeness, it was probably a bit of a shock to find Merlin laid out like that.
"Make that lunch for 8." If Master Garrah knew Merlin and Gaius he was most probably going to want to stay. The guard gave a brief bow and exited leaving Arthur and Gwen to deal with the odd individual.
