A/N: This is now the story I'll be focusing on until it is finished. I don't know if that means I'll post every couple of days or once a week, but I will be focusing mainly on this one (except for OWL, once a week as always). Alright, so, back to the present, and enjoy the story! Reviews are loved.

With something like this, Arthur wasn't really the person Gaius wanted to go to. But he couldn't go to Merlin (or anyone else, really), and Gaius had promised Arthur that he would tell him what he found. If that wasn't enough, Gaius knew that if Arthur was left in the dark, he would get angry and do something reckless. And with Merlin… like he was… that could be dangerous.

So Gaius went to find the prince. It was rather early in the morning, and the prince was sitting in his room on his bed, fiddling with his boots, his sword on the bedside table next to him, when Gaius knocked.

"Come in."

Gaius walked in, and Arthur sat up, his smile a little nervous. "Gaius. Did you find anything?"

"Where's Merlin, Sire?"

"I sent him off to polish some armor. He was supposed to do it yesterday, but it never got done." Arthur paused. "I think he may be a bit angry with me. He's not around here; you can tell me whatever it is."

Gaius shut the door after checking in the hall for any sign of Merlin. When that boy was in sneaking mode, he was hard to keep track of. Coming forward, Gaius told the prince, "I think I've found the solution for everything."

"Really?" Arthur stood up eagerly, brushing his fingers through blond hair. "What is it?"

Keeping his voice low, Gaius said, "You won't like it, Sire, any more than I did… I believe Merlin is… possessed."

"He's what?"

"Possessed."

Horror was painted across Arthur's face, but he tried to remain calm and school his expression. "Like… the goblin episode?" Oh, no, not more donkey ears…

"Similar, Sire. But it's no goblin this time. The black eyes are a side effect of a very old spell, tricky to perform. They usually flash black briefly when the person who performed the spell is feeling some strong emotion, because strong emotion makes the spell harder to maintain."

Arthur stared at him, hands on his hips. "You found all that in your research?"

"The books in our library are very thorough, Sire."

Arthur took a step towards Gaius. He was taller than the old man. Not that that wasn't to be expected, but Arthur vividly remembered that not too many years ago, before he was grown, he used to literally look up to Gaius. "Are you telling me," he said slowly, "that there is a sorcerer inside Merlin… controlling him?"

"Yes, Sire."

Arthur had to sit down. He wasn't sure which to react to first… The fact that he'd been dealing with – been alone with – an evil sorcerer for days without noticing, or the fact that Merlin was being controlled by an evil sorcerer.

"How long?" he asked hoarsely.

"I don't know, Sire. When did you first noticing him acting strangely?"

"He started acting off the day we went after those four sorcerers. I thought he was just acting like that because he was unhappy with me… but… That was nearly two weeks ago!" He looked up at Gaius with his eyebrows raised in that incredulous look that only Arthur could really pull off well. "You think it's been that long?" But then, it made sense, Arthur realized. Except for the wall incident. He still couldn't figure that, not if the sorcerer had control of Merlin. Maybe it was all part of some plan?

Gaius nodded. "It makes sense, then; that was probably when it happened."

Probably the old man, thought Arthur, remembering the sorcerer's staring eyes. Merlin crying over the sorcerers' bodies... Arthur suddenly understood.

"Well… how do we fix him?" There had to be a way to fix him, right? Merlin couldn't be stuck that way! And a sorcerer couldn't be allowed to roam free in an innocent boy's body, either.

"I did find something in my research," said Gaius, and the grim smile on his face unnerved Arthur. "An antidote, so to speak, created several centuries ago to remedy a problem similar to this. It's a potion that doesn't take too long to brew, and I can collect or buy most of the herbs within a few days' time. The potion would force the person who performed the spell to leave the body they were possessing and return to their own… However, since the original body is dead, the sorcerer would die too."

"Could the sorcerer just go into another nearby body?"

"Not if everyone in the room had taken some of the antidote beforehand."

Arthur nodded, and Gaius continued, "I'd need help with it, though, Sire. I'd ask Gwen, or Morgana, but I don't want to worry them…" (Well, he didn't want worry Gwen...)

Arthur considered this. "You're right, we can't tell them. They would just worry. And Gwen wouldn't be able to hide this from the sorcerer; you can always read the lies on her face. I'll help you, Gaius." He licked his lips to wet them and his hands curled into fists. They would help Merlin and get rid of the sorcerer.

"Sire." Gaius paused and looked at the floor. This was the hardest part. "Sire, the potion… It is largely magical."

Shocked silence.

"Magic must be used to make it. A good deal of magic. Otherwise, the potion will be useless."

Arthur's voice was low and deadly. "Why didn't you mention that at once, Gaius? We can't do that. That's… that's illegal. Even if we wanted to, we don't…"

"Sire, you know that once, before the Purge and the law, I did practice… some magic."

"Gaius, no!" Arthur shook his head adamantly and turned away from the physician. "Even talking about this… is… It's akin to treason, Gaius. We can't break the law. Merlin surely wouldn't want us to… I won't do that, betray my father and…"

Gaius watched him talk, a sinking feeling in his old chest.

Arthur looked back at him, blue eyes blazing with conviction. "There must be another way to get that sorcerer out of Merlin, Gaius. One that doesn't involve using magic, which is against the law."

"Only one other way I saw in my research, Sire." Gaius fought to keep his voice steady.

"What is it?"

"The antidote I mentioned before can either be administered—"

"Which is out of the question."

"Or, to either rob the sorcerer of a body to possess or just kill the person doing the possessing outright, the person who the spell was performed on, the victim, can be killed."

Arthur took a startled step back. His eyes wandered from Gaius onto the floor, wide with something close to fear. But Gaius couldn't help noticing that, for all he looked so alarmed, Arthur's hand automatically went out to hover over the sword next to him.

A/N: Review, I'll try to update soon, and by the way, I have a poll on my profile that needs voters!