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Merlin woke from a sound sleep to soft, insistent tapping at his door. Extracting himself from his blankets, he called out. "Enter." Freya gently pushed the door open and walked in. Merlin sat up; frown on his face as he tried to figure out what she was doing here so early. "Freya?" He asked, confused.
"There's a problem." She told him softly, fidgeting with the sleeve of her dress. He motioned for her to continue. "Something's happened to Morgana."
The room was quiet as Gaius bent over Morgana, examining her. Merlin stood in the back of the room, Lancelot stood beside him, watching as the physician plied his trade with efficient hands and eyes. Finally, he stood back.
"Well?" Uther asked, Ygraine beside him with worry etched on her face.
"It is hard to tell, sire. I have not been able to see any outward signs of distress. I fear it may be something internal. I will need more time to determine what exactly it is." He nodded glancing anxiously at his ward.
"You have it and anything else you might need. Please, save her Gaius." The older male nodded and the king and queen left. Arthur stood to the side, face hard and unreadable as he stared at his step-sister's unmoving body, the rise and fall of her chest the only sign of life.
Gaius turned to look at Merlin. "You know some healing magic, am I right?" The Druid nodded, seeing where this was going almost instantly. "Do you think‒"
Merlin shook his head sadly. "The stuff I know is centered on Druid anatomy. I know too little of human bodies and their limitations. I wouldn't know what to use or how much and I might accidentally kill her in the process."
"It was worth a shot." He showed them out the door. "I have work to do." And shut the door with a snap.
The two men walked from the room in silence, feet and souls heavy as they contemplated the scene from before, Lancelot trailing behind, an unobtrusive shadow. Merlin blinked as sunlight blinded him momentarily and he noticed that they had made it to the front entryway, courtyard busy as usual, unaware of the tragedy unfolding within.
"Sire." A voice called out nearby.
Arthur jumped and turned to look. A man stood a short distance away, head bowed slightly as he waited for the prince to acknowledge his presence. Finally Arthur gestured for him to speak.
He looked up and Merlin couldn't help but stare at the image before him. The man's face, on the right side, was a mass of scar tissue that pulled his features into a permanent scowl. Sandy brown hair and dark eyes completed the image. His robes were travel stained. "I have heard that the Lady Morgana has fallen ill."
Arthur just stared, remaining impassive as he waited for the man to continue. "I wished to ask for an audience with the king. For you see, I might have something to help her recover from her illness."
"And what is this thing that might cure her?" He asked him.
"Why, a remedy to cure all ills."
Merlin stood back as Edwin went to work on Morgana. He replayed his brief conversation with Gaius over and over again. "Gaius, is there really a remedy that can cure everything?" He'd asked in a hushed tone as the man talked. "I'm not sure. There may be something out there, but until we can see it work, then it is best we remain watchful."
So here he stood, observing the man as he examined the pale woman on the bed. Something seemed to put him off about this scarred man who just happened to be here the moment Morgana took ill and it was not his looks. The man seemed to ooze secrets and shadows.
He jerked back from his thoughts as the brunette stood. He turned to Uther. "It is hard to see, but it appears to have magical origins, strong magic to affect her so greatly." At those words his glance flicked towards Merlin before coming back to the king. "I have just the thing to nullify the magic."
"Oh, thank you so much." Ygraine smiled in gratitude at the man.
"Yes, thank you. If there is anything you wish for as a reward, all you need do is speak up." Uther proclaimed.
"I am honored. If I could have some privacy, I will administer the treatment." He answered smoothly, voice like oiled silk.
"Of course." He and his wife turned to leave.
"I would very much like to observe the treatment so as to broaden my knowledge. Something this rare comes once in a life time." Gaius spoke up.
"Unfortunately, I have not perfected this remedy yet and would not wish your knowledge to be only halves and parts. I would be willing, later, to discuss the details of course." He replied easily.
"Come, Gaius. Give the man some space." Uther ordered. The physician could do nothing but bow to his king and follow him out, Merlin, Lancelot and Arthur just behind him. Edwin sent a pointed look at Gwen.
"But, my lady must have someone present in the room." She defended.
"I wish for privacy." He said evenly, though he glared at her. "You will leave and wait outside the door." She looked between Morgana, Edwin and Arthur who stood in the door with Merlin. Arthur motioned for her to leave. Shoulders sagging, she left, shutting the door behind her.
The next morning, she was up and about as if nothing had ever happened. There was much rejoicing among the royal family. Merlin stood back and watched, bereft on what he should feel. He was overjoyed for Morgana's recovery, but envy bubbled just underneath that, making his stomach churn and coating his tongue in a bittersweet taste. With his mother gone, he had no such family members to rejoice at his recoveries, to hold him when he was sad or happy. He didn't even know who his father was.
He had Arthur, but a friend could only do so much. He was alone in the world, caught between the Druid world and the Human world, trying to mediate between the two while still trying to hold himself together.
It is a hard thing to face, knowing that even in a crowd, you stand alone. He pushed these thoughts away, watching Gaius's face. He appeared to be skeptical still. To have been so close to death, Morgana had recovered faster than should have been impossible without the aid of some sort of help.
Turning, he left the overcrowded room, passing Gwen as she stood just inside the door. The halls were fairly empty, most servants busy elsewhere in the castle than this particular hallway. He stopped as footsteps sounded behind him.
He turned to see Edwin standing behind him. He raised an eyebrow in question, waiting for him to move first. The scarred man smiled thinly. "It is an honor to finally meet a Druid." The man said aloud. Was there something in his voice, some sort of hitch? He couldn't tell.
"What is it like, to be all alone?" Merlin tensed. This was too close to his earlier thoughts for comfort. "Here I mean, among so many humans. You must find us strange."
"Not really. Humans and Druids have many commonalities and I was not alone. Arthur and his two bodyguards were there in Avlin with me, so I am not unused to human contact." He explained evenly in what he dubbed his 'political' voice.
"You're right. I am sorry to have made such an assumption. Well, I hope the best for you and you're people." He stepped forward to clasp his arm in a firm grip. Merlin forced himself to not shudder in disgust at the touch. The man's aura felt repulsive on his skin, like crawling bugs.
He let go and nodding to him, headed down the hall to his own set of rooms. Merlin stared after him, wondering what he had felt.
Morgana did not come to dinner that night, still feeling somewhat faint from her ordeal, so the affair was small and light. For the most part, talk was to a minimum as they ate. Arthur wolfed his down quickly; impatient to get it finished so he could go see Morgana.
Again, Merlin felt a bubble of jealousy at this act, but he suppressed it. Arthur had every right to be concerned over Morgana seeing as how he had almost lost her. So he hid behind a mask of cheerfulness and once his meal was finished, retired to his rooms.
He gave Freya the night off and quickly dressed for bed. His sleep was fretful at best and his dreams weird. He dreamt of creeping shadows, something crawling along his flesh and something buzzing away in his ear.
He awoke the next morning with no memory of his dreams and as tired as he had been when he went to sleep. He stayed in bed the rest of the morning, dozing lightly until Freya knocked at the door and informed him that his bath was ready.
Slowly he pulled himself from his bed and trudged out of his room. The bath steamed gently and he quickly washes, covering yawns the whole time as he prepared for the talks in a few hours.
Merlin walked down the hall listlessly, ignoring everything around him, including his silent bodyguard, as he left the dining hall for his rooms. Normally, he felt tired after a draining, but this was not normal. Weariness ate at him with every step. A bone deep tiredness that made him want to lie down and never rise.
Merlin. "Merlin." He jerked at the sound of Arthur's voice. The prince was coming up behind him.
"Arthur." He acknowledged.
"You alright, Merlin? You don't look so good."
"Just tired. I was headed for my room to lie down." He explained to the prat, I mean prince.
"Hmm, hold still. You've got a bug on your neck." Arthur said aloud, leaning forward. Merlin stood still in front of him as the prince used gentle hands to flick the bug off of the Druid.
He jumped as Merlin started to fall, catching him just as he reached the ground. "Merlin?" He called out. The Druid just lay there, pale in his arms, as he breathed in shallow breaths. "Merlin!" Still nothing, even after a stinging smack to his cheek. Arthur looked up, Lancelot stood there looking around for some hidden danger. "Go find Gaius. Something's wrong with Merlin."
Merlin stared about himself in confusion. The last thing he remembered was meeting Arthur outside of the dining room in the hall. He tried to sit up and felt nothing. No response to his mental command to move.
He glanced down and saw his body…but something was wrong. He held his hand up, and though he saw it move, he felt nothing. The wrong part was that he could see through his fingers, but his brain seemed only able to process a single thought at a time at the moment.
He looked around himself instead. He was in a strange room…and everything was bigger than him. He finally noticed the darkness behind him. It was cold, and uninviting. It made him think of death…and cages.
A door slammed closed nearby and he glanced up. Edwin came into view and he was huge. Merlin distinctly remembered being taller than this man. "Ah, so you've come to."
'What have you done to me?' He tried to speak, but nothing would come out.
"No using trying to speak. Unless I say so, you will remain mute. Though I can guess as to what you tried to ask." He held up his hand, a small black beetle rested in the center of his palm. "This was how. Normally, it is used as a torture device, eating away at the soft tissue of the brain, but when a certain spell is said over it, it gains a very special property. For a short time, it is able to absorb the soul of one individual of the sorcerer's choosing."
For a moment, he gloated, but then his face closed over. "Unfortunately, I miscalculated how large a Druid soul is. It was only able to absorb about three quarters of your soul. Your body is still alive, though only partially. Where normally, it would have died automatically, it will take a few days. It matters not, for I have you where I want you."
'What did I do to you?' He asked him.
He seemed to listen to something and smiled sardonically. "It is not you. It is your people." Merlin waited for him to continue. "Your people killed them. Killed my parents, when all they ever did was heal people. All because they were human. I will never forgive you or any other Druid. And I found the perfect way to get revenge. With you dead and out of the picture, the peace talks will fall to pieces. Uther will have no choice but go to war once the Druids attack due to your death."
Merlin's heart sank at those words. They were mostly true and war would break out. All these years of hard work for nothing. Edwin stirred from his revive. "Well, I must go and see to your body. Rest for now." He lifted a piece of heavy velvet and draped it over whatever it was that held him. He heard the door open and close then silence descended.
Merlin beat against the barrier that separated him from the living world, but nothing happened. He didn't even feel the pain of the blows that would normally have bruised and bloodied his hands. 'Arthur…Arthur!' He yelled as loud as he could from a mute throat.
Arthur jerked as a cool breeze brushed across the back of his neck. Pushing off of the wall he leaned on, he stalked to the opened window and shut it, blocking off the breeze. He turned back and stared at the still figure in the bad.
It felt like a bad sense of déjà vu to him. He'd almost lost Morgana and now he was about to lose Merlin as well. Both Edwin and Gaius had seen to the pale Druid and found no external causes. It was an almost identical illness to Morgana's; except the Merlin was a Druid and what affected humans should not have affected him like this.
He glanced up as both Gaius and Freya walked in. The servant girl carried a tray laden with food and drinks for the three men, though he doubted Lancelot would eat any. She curtsied to him and left, shutting the door behind her and enclosing them in silence.
"Gaius, what is wrong with him?" He asked desperately.
"I'm not sure. What was he like before it happened?" He asked the blonde. It was a natural question since they spent so much time together, but it still made his gut clench in guilt.
"He appeared to be tired from the draining, but that is normal." Lancelot supplied.
"I…I don't know. I was so focused on Morgana that I didn't even look. When I met him in the hall, he said he was tired and was going to lie down. And then there…" He stopped, remembering something.
"What?" Gaius asked him.
"There was something on his neck, some sort of bug."
"Do you remember what kind?" He asked him, desperate for any piece of information.
"A…beetle I thing, or close to it. I flicked it off and then he just collapsed. Why, is that important?"
"Hmm, maybe." They fell into silence. The flames in the fire place the only noise.
They both jerked as Merlin moved on the bed, arm jerking slightly. Arthur stared in shock as a whisper of voice escaped from barely moving lips. "Arthur…Arthur!" Had he been any further away, he would not have heard it.
"Merlin? Merlin, I'm right here, what wrong Merlin?" He asked aloud, hand reaching out to touch his now limp hand.
For a few minutes he said nothing, the room silent once more. Then he spoke again, voice even softer. Arthur leaned closer to catch his words. "Dark…can't see…can't feel…lost…"
"Where are you Merlin?" He asked desperately, hand dropping down to rest on his limp hand. He tensed as something brushed against him mentally, and then relaxed, recognizing the presence. Even on the verge of death, Merlin was still powerful enough to do this.
He let the presence in, letting him show a mental image of what he could see. Arthur frowned. That looked like somewhere in the castle. The link grew weak and he was forced to surface back in the real world. Opening eyes that had closed, he blinked as he noticed something he hadn't been able to see earlier.
His brush with Merlin's mind had left him with after effects of his magic, namely, he could see the like between Merlin's body and where ever that other part of him resided. It was a thin gold line that stretched out and went through the door.
Ignoring Gaius's questions and telling Lancelot to guard Merlin, he shot up off the bed and went running to the door. He had to get to the end of the link before his new found sight disappeared. Throwing the door open, he all sprinted from the room, taking random turns towards the other end of the link.
He slowed to a walk as he neared the door. The golden thread seemed to end here, unless it went through the outer castle wall and outside. He knew this room for he had escorted Edwin here after he had cured Morgana of her illness.
Gripping his borrowed sword, he'd left his in Merlin's room and had grabbed one from a passing knight, toed the door open until he stood in the threshold. The room was empty, the bed neat and tidy, as was his work table. The opposite of what he associated a physician's work room to look like, even one that was just visiting.
He stalked forward near silently, ears trained for any sign of attack, magical or otherwise.
He glanced around, trying to gauge Merlin's perspective from the image he had shown him. He glanced at the table again and saw something covered in a dark brown velvet cloth. Merlin had said he couldn't see; that it was dark.
He took a few cautious steps forward, eyeing whatever it was that lay under the cloth. It didn't move so he guessed it to be somewhat safe. Cautiously, he reached out and gripped the soft material in his hand, pulling it up slowly.
It came off easily without snagging on anything. He stared down at strange looking mirror. Normally, the surface of a mirror was silvery, reflecting any sort of light back. This one was black and seemed to draw in all light around giving no reflection.
He stared at it and slowly, a form seemed to take shape before his eyes. Pale skin stood out sharply against the dark material, black locks blending in. "Merlin!' he said aloud, stepping forward and falling to his knees before the mirror, staring at the pale Druid trapped inside.
In his haste, he had dropped his borrowed to the stone floor, intent only upon his friend. That was his mistake. It leapt into the air as magic well up around him. He turned to see Edwin standing in the doorway, sword in in hand as he stared at the prince.
"I guess I underestimated him again. I will not do it again." His voice was cold and clipped. Arthur stepped in front of the mirror, hiding it from the sorcerer's view.
"Move aside you foolish boy." He growled at the blonde prince.
"No, I will not let you kill him." Snarling, he flung the sword at the prince, magic carrying it further then strength alone could do.
Everything seemed to happen after that. Something shattered behind him, sending a spray of shard everywhere. At the same instant, the sword slowed to a halt, frozen in midair. Something seemed to push it back and it started up again, head back to the sorcerer. It came to a quivering halt embedded in his chest, sending him tumbling to the floor.
He turned to find the dark mirror gone. In its place was a small pile of shards and dust where it had stood. He couldn't see anything around, so he turned and ran, headed back through the castle towards Merlin's room.
He burst in to find Merlin sitting up in his bed, very much alive and smiling at him. He strode forward and pulled the Druid into his arms, ignoring Gaius's and Lancelot's presences in the room as he assured himself that Merlin was back. "I'm alright, Arthur." He just held on tighter, shaking slightly as he came down from his adrenalin high.
Merlin was back to his old self the next day, but Arthur still kept an eye on him, making it up to his guilty conscious for having ignored Merlin those two days and missing his bad health. He wouldn't let the Druid try and talk him out of his guilt, so instead they agreed to disagree and got back to their lives and the peace talks.