A.N: I know, I know. I'm sorry but I was sick and then it was christmas...but here it is.

A Magical Medicine

Merlin followed as the whole Royal family walked into the throne room, waiting anxiously to see the man who could be the only hope to save the Lady Morgana.

She had fallen sick with an illness that Gaius could not cure no matter what it was that he did and it seemed, that when the Lady Morgana had but hours to live, a man who could 'cure all ills' had suddenly appeared out of the blue and offered to help, for no price whatsoever.

It was because of this that Merlin was cautious of the man.

He followed behind Gaius, far enough so he wouldn't be seen by anyone and watched as the man practically threw himself to his knees and outdrew his had which was holding a roll of parchment, sealed with wax.

Wasting no time, Uther took the parchment and read over it, skimming through the words and looked at the man with the unusual scars, claiming to be able to cure Morgana who was the daughter he would never have.

"Edwin Mewidin Sire, Physician, and loyal servant." The man spoke, still on the floor.

"Welcome to Camelot." Was all Uther said, practically throwing the parchment on the floor next to the man standing there.

"Have we met before?" Gaius asked. Merlin listened for the answering 'no' but it still didn't convince him. There was something that wasn't ringing true with this man, this…Edwin and he wanted to know what it was.

Merlin listened intently as the conversation diverged. He listened as Gaius' voice held the speck of suspicion that he was sure anyone would be able to hear and he listened as Leiah asked Edwin questions on whether he would be able to cure her surrogate sister.

To all of those questions, Edwin answered with confidence, a ring of truth and humility. Either he was telling the complete truth – in witch case Merlin had nothing to worry about – or he was a very good liar but Merlin hoped it wasn't the case. He could actually be trying to do something to help Camelot, he doesn't have to be trying to destroy it dose he? But even his thoughts were against that idea. There was just a feeling that Merlin couldn't shake. He only hoped that Leiah would be able to pick up on it as well.

Edwin was given the responsibility of curing the Lady Morgana and Merlin was given the job of taking all of the Physician's things to his chambers.

He had been putting one of the many boxes he had to carry down when he saw a golden set that was on Edwin's table. It was unusual looking and it seemed to glow with a feeling of temptation but that wasn't what was making him look.

The set was something a person used to advance in the work of Alchemy.

"Yes," Merlin snapped out of his sudden trance when Edwin started talking to him. "It was all originally designed for Alchemy." He told him, taking a vile of misty coloured liquid from one holder and placing it in another.

"Making gold?"

"You have an interest in science?" He asked. Merlin couldn't help the small smile he broke out into as he remembered one of Leiah's many sayings.

"Well science is knowledge." Leiah had told him that particular one when he had found her in the library with a book on science in her hands. She had been very interested in what she was reading, so much so that she even jumped when he called out to her. His smile got even bigger as he thought of her.

"Science holds the key to everything." Edwin looked at Merlin briefly before going back to work.

"Maybe…but it doesn't explain love." He told him.

"So you are in love?"

"No," he chuckled, but even as he said that, flashes of Merleiah flooded his brain and his heart beat faster, confusing Merlin in the process. "I mean feelings, emotions."

"You seem too bright to be just a servant." Edwin told him.

"Oh, well don't be fooled, I'm not that bright. Just ask Prince Arthur, he'll tell you." Merlin picked up a small wooden box and looked at it for a moment before it was snatched out of his grasp.

"Yes we will need that." Edwin said a little too quickly. The dwindling suspicion rose up again, back to its full force and Merlin barely stopped the frown that came up to his face. "Now we must hurry to the Lady Morgana." Edwin told him touching the boxes he wanted Merlin to carry, "before it is too late."

She was cured.

By some miracle, the Lady Morgana was up and well and Merlin smiled as he watched Leiah hug her.

"I swear Morgana if you ever scare me like that again…" Merleiah trailed off and hugged Morgana again, tighter this time.

"What exactly is it that he gave you?" Gaius asked, looking at Morgana as if to make sure there was nothing wrong with her.

"I have no idea. But thank Heaven he did." She breathed. Merlin watched as Gaius looked at Edwin. There was a smirk on the man's face, but that doesn't mean it's because he's lying.

Eventually everyone left Morgana to rest but Merlin needed to talk to Merleiah. He knocked on her door and waited.

"Merlin." She was happily surprised to see Merlin; she hadn't really seemed him for a while because of Morgana's illness. "What brings you here?"

"I need to talk to you." The tone of his voice implied that is was something Leiah was sure was bad and she sobered up immediately.

"Come in." Merlin walked into the room. "What's wrong?"

"I think that Edwin isn't all that he seems to be." Merleiah frowned at Merlin.

"What do you mean?"

"I think he's hiding something. Edwin." He told her.

"Do you have any proof?" Merleiah looked at Merlin. She didn't understand how he could think that. Edwin had helped cure her sister and he wasn't even asking for much. Come to think of it, she didn't actually know what he was asking for.

"Don't you believe me?" Her heart broke at the look of his face but she just couldn't. It was the first time she didn't believe Merlin, the first time that she wasn't siding with him.

"Edwin hasn't done anything to prove otherwise and you don't even have any proof. He hasn't done anything but help us Merlin." He looked at Leiah, she was the only person who may actually listen to him and had the power to do something but she obviously didn't believe him.

"Fine." He turned and walked out of the room ignoring her calls to him, the unexplainable feelings of betrayal fresh in his heart. There was definitely something odd about Edwin and Merlin was going to figure it out.

He walked into Edwin's room and looked around. Everything seemed normal but then again…he walked over to the box he had seen earlier and picked it up. There were fait scuttling sounds coming from the inside but he couldn't be sure.

He opened it and looked. Inside there were hundreds of tiny black bugs that resembled miniature beetles all scuttling about in the box.

He shut the box and heard a voice behind him. "Very good." In his surprise, Merlin knocked over a vile of blue sand when he turned and saw Edwin standing in the doorway.

He gulped and held the box out for Edwin to take. He walked up to Merlin, took the box and then walked past. Merlin watched him walk past him, stop and then open the box.

"Prohibere." The bugs stopped moving. He turned to look at Merlin. "You have magic." It was a statement not a question but Merlin tried to protest anyway. "How else did you bring them to life? Only magic can do that." Merlin looked at the box again. "These little angels are what helped me cure the Lady Morgana. They repaired the damage to her brain, they saved her life." He told him quietly before closing the box. "Magic can be a force for good."

"I know."

"Then why do you fear it?" Edwin asked.

"Magic is banned here. It is not permitted." He wasn't answering the question.

"Should I have let Morgana die?" Edwin asked. Merlin answered with a shake of his head. "People like us, we have a gift. Do you not think it should be used to make this place a better world?"

"Perhaps." Merlin looked down at the table and saw the spilt sand. He began to clean it up, wiping away at the table and gathering it in his hands.

"Don't waist your time picking that up." Edwin told him. "Desprazarse dun lugar a outro. Orixe e recoller na tixela." The sand moved from the table into the bowl, simply and easily while Edwin smiled at Merlin. "Why waste a talent like that? And I can teach you more." Merlin smiled back at the man. Edwin really hadn't done anything bad, he had cured Morgana with magic but he still couldn't shake the feeling he got whenever he was around Edwin.

"Perhaps. I shall think about your offer. Thank you." Edwin nodded and watched as Merlin left before a small, chilling smile set on his face. Things were going exactly as he had hoped for.

The court had been called and the whole Royal family had been asked by Uther to attend but for what reason, Merleiah had no idea.

She sat on the throne next to Morgana and listened as the conversation grew and she was alarmed by what was being said.

"Gaius is a great man; thorough, dedicated…" He hesitated and Uther filled the silence.

"But?"

"His methods are dated, he has failed to keep up with the latest developments and this has lead to a number of errors." Merleiah sat horrified at what she was listening to. She had known Gaius since she had come to Camelot and not once, while she had been treated by him, did he make a mistake.

Although having said that, Gaius was a firm believer in the older medicines helping more. She had often asked why he had not used modern medicines and he had answered with the same 'these are better.' However that did not mean that he should be talked about like this.

"Gaius has served me well for twenty-five years." Uther put in.

"And we can not blame him for the…infirmity those years have brought him." Edwin seems well and truly upset by this, Merleiah noted. But what dose he mean? "However age can be a terrible curse."

"Perhaps it is time I lighten his burdens." He can not really be considering this idea can he? Merleiah wondered silently. "Have you given any more thought to my offer?" Uther asked.

"I believe I have considered you offer to the fullest extent." Edwin smiled.

"Allow me some time to do the same." Uther told him. This statement left Merleiah wondering what it was that he had actually offered Edwin. She hoped it was nothing that would include Gaius dearly.

Edwin bowed and left the room and Uther made his way to the table to poor him self water.

"Uther you can't do this." Morgana started.

"You heard what he said. Gaius is old, his mind is not what it used to be."

"You can not judge Gaius based on one mistake when it is the only mistake he has made for years!" Merleiah fumes. Uther didn't even look at her.

"Morgana would have died if her care was left to him!"

"I know that-" Morgana began but Uther cut her off angrily.

"I can not allow something like this to happen again!" He moved away leaving an upset Morgana and a furious Merleiah behind him.

Merlin walked in hastily only to see Gaius packing his things away. "Gaius," he walked up to him. "Uther can't do this to you. You tried to save Morgana!"

"Uther is not to blame." He told the boy gently – all the while still packing things into boxes.

"I…I will speak to…"He couldn't ask Edwin, he was sure that he was behind this and Merleiah was firmly set in the idea of Edwin being a saint. "I will speak to Arthur, he can ask his father to allow you two to work together." He cringed slightly at the idea but his mind condoled him. It is better for Gaius to be here, working with the man that him not being here at all.

"No, no you must do anything," Gaius stressed but Merlin wouldn't take that as an answer.

"But I can't just stand by and do nothing!"

"Uther is right. It's time I stepped down." Gaius told him. Merlin just stared at him unbelievingly.

"What are you doing?" He asked quietly.

"I can not stay when there is no longer any use for me."

"That is not true Gaius! I need you, Leiah needs you…you cant leave Gaius."

"I believe it's for the best." There was a small smile on Gaius face. It was a small one but it was also a sad one.

"Then I'll come with you." Merlin said sincerely. Truthfully, Gaius was one of the most important people to him. He wasn't sure what would happen if Gaius left.

"Merlin," he breathed, "you're like a son to me. I never expected such a blessing so late in my life."

Merlin looked at Gaius. He could feel the prickle of tears as he looked at the man. "And you are more that a father to me." He told him.

"Then as a father I must tell you to remain here," he walked up to Merlin. "Camelot is where you belong Merlin."

"But it is where you belong as well."

"But this is your destiny." Gaius' hands made his way to Merlin's shoulders and he smiled while he looked at Merlin. "And if there is one thing that I know it is that even if I had a small part to play in it then I am pleased."

"There is so much I still need to learn. I need you to teach me."

"I'm afraid I'm leaving here tonight, and there is nothing that you can do or say that can persuade me otherwise." Gaius told him, his voice filled with sadness.

"I will not allow this to happen." Merlin was determined to find a way to stop Gaius leaving so he went to the only person he believed would help him now.

Arthur.

He found him on the training grounds, beating the straw out of a dummy. "I can't believe that Uther would sack him over one mistake."

Arthur turned to his manservant and looked at him. "It was a mistake that nearly killed Morgana. Besides, it wasn't the only one."

Confused, Merlin asked Arthur what he meant by that. "Edwin said his work was riddled with errors." He told him.

"That's nonsense."

"No one wants Gaius to go but my father has made his decision. There's nothing anyone can do." He dug his sword into the ground and walked off. Merlin however was too preoccupied to realise that this particular action would cause the blade to dull meaning her would once again be sharpening the sword.

That was it, if Arthur wasn't going to help then nothing was and by the time Merlin had gotten back to his room, it seemed to him that Gaius had already left so not knowing what else to do, he looked through all the magic books he had; if he could find a spell that could make a person tell the truth then perhaps he could show Uther what a fraud the man actually was.

Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be a spell like that. At least, none that Merlin could see but that wasn't for lack of trying; he had spent so much time looking in the book that when he finally closed it, he realised he was late for his duties for Arthur.

Merlin ran quickly to start them off.

He was almost done with them when he ran into a rather panicked Arthur. "Merlin, my father has caught Morgana's sickness! We must find Edwin quickly!"

Merlin dropped the clothes he was holding and ran to Edwin's room hoping he would be there but what he found was something else.

Gaius was pushed back against a pillar with flames circling him while Edwin was smiling a sick, evil smile – his hands raised and making the flames grow higher.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"He was trying to kill the King. I couldn't let him." Gaius told him, still backed into the corner.

"I can rule the Kingdom now, and with you at my side we can be all powerful."

"Release him!" Merlin shouted over the fire. The smile Edwin had disappeared and was replaces with a glare.

"It's your loss Merlin." he looked over at the wall and raised his hand making the axe come off the wall and fly towards Merlin.

His magic reacted on reflex. When he saw the axe flying towards him, Merlin felt his eyes heat up and suddenly, it was flying towards Edwin faster than he could comprehend. The axe flew and landed right on it's target, killing the man instantly.

The flames around Gaius died and he stood there shocked. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes," was Gaius' shaky reply. "Thank you Merlin." He said after a moment. He nodded before quickly flying into action. Merlin grabbed the box and opened it. "What are you doing?" Gaius asked.

"Uther has the same illness Morgana had. Edwin said he used these to cure her."

"Lithia Beatles." Gaius whispered in slight awe.

"They're magic?"

"Yes. They could be enchanted to enter the brain, feed on it until they devour the person's very soul! We must go to him." They ran to Uther's room. He was there, lying on his bed and looking as helpless as Morgana had.

"How do we get the beetle out before it kills him?"

"It can only be magic." Gaius told him. Merlin looked at Gaius in shock.

"We can't use magic on Uther, he would kill us if he found out." He whispered. He didn't know whether or not he could be heard but it would be better if he covered all bases.

"There is no other choice. If you don't then he'll die."

"Gaius-"

"Merlin there are times when it is necessary, when it is your right." Merlin looked at Uther, still lying there on the bed slowly dyeing.

"I don't know how."

"If you don't, then Uther will die." He took a breath and moved towards the bed slowly, still looking at Uther.

He sat on the bed and covered the King's ears. His eyed flashed with magic, gold and power and he whispered the words he hoped would save his life. He concentrated on reaching out and finding the beetle with his magic and then drawing it out. Vaguely he heard Gaius ask something but he was trying to concentrate.

Suddenly he felt something in his hand. He pulled his hand pack and found that he had the tiny bug in his hand that was now dead.

"Have I ever told you that you're a genius Merlin?" Gaius asked laughing quietly.

"Well you certainly haven't." Merlin was smiling and chuckling nervously. Uther groaned and moved his head sleepily. Everything was fine now and hopefully it would be for a while now.

Merlin needed to find Gaius, he had decided to stay and Merlin was going to hep him bring his things back in but that would have to wait a

little bit longer because as he was walking, he bumped into Merleiah. Merlin wanted to forget all about what he was feeling but something was stopping him.

"I'm sorry My Lady, I didn't see you there." He told her quietly.

It was then that Merleiah knew she had messed up; Merlin never addresses her like that unless Uther was near them and right now, he was with Gaius somewhere. "Merlin I'm…I…" She didn't know what to say to him. For the first time in her life, she had doubted her best friend, she had sided with the actual enemy over the man she loved and if Merlin even had any slight feelings for her – even if he didn't remember them, she knew he would be feeling betrayed…and it broke her heart.

"Is there something you wanted My Lady? Because if there isn't anything you need then I need to help Gaius." Merlin wasn't even looking at her now.

"Uhh, no-" Yes! "You can go." He nodded and bowed slightly before leaving without a goodbye. Merleiah scrunched her eyes shut trying to keep back the tears and keep herself sliding down the wall.

I'm so sorry Merlin. I will fix this. I will make it right.

Uh oh, things aren't so good for the happy couple are they? Well I don't suppose that being betrayed is a very nice feeling. I would know but I just want you guys to know that the next chapter will not be the next episode, it will be something from my own creation over the next couple of days so... Bye.