When Arthur wakes up, he usually stretches in a half-awake state of mind. Usually when he wakes up, there isn't a large lump at the foot of the bed. A lump that is snoring.

An Intruder.

The most logical way to go about this, would be to move slowly and take a peek to see who is sleeping at the foot of his bed while he very carefully reaches for his sword by his bed.

The logical way is boring and will take too long.

Arthur pulls back his foot and give an all mighty push, simultaneously reaching over the side of his bed and grabbing his sword where it always rests in case of an emergency. He hears an inhuman yelp and turns back just in time to watch…

Merlin fall off the bed.

Arthur doesn't know whether he should yell at him or laugh. He settles for just watching. And boy is it a show. Because Merlin doesn't just fall off the bed. He tumbles. One of his hindlegs gets caught in the duvet while one of his front paws manages to get twisted in the sheets. He tries to stand up on the bed but considering the state that both the prince and the dire wolf left everything in, he doesn't make it very far. In hopes of trying to save himself, he instinctually tries to lay on his stomach, but he is still caught up in all the bedding so his whole body twists around. Arthur thinks Merlin is still groggy from sleep as when the dire wolf turns his head to see who or what bumped into him, he looks the wrong way and whacks his head on one of the posts at the foot of the bed.

As if that wasn't humiliating and funny enough. Merlin tries again to stand up, using his free legs to get balance, but Arthur "accidentally" drags the sheets towards himself with his foot that is still underneath all of it, which causes Merlin's free hind leg to slip underneath his body, get tangled with the other…

… and finally fall off the edge of the bed with an added hilarious yelp of surprise; Followed by a groan of pain.

Arthur has since lowered his sword so that it lays on the bed. There is some grumbles and shuffling on the floor, but as he doesn't see any sign of the dire wolf getting up, he places the sword back in its bedside holding and scoots down the bed to peek over the foot of the bed.

Only a peek, can't be sure what Merlin will do. He could still be confused after all.

Looking over the edge, Arthur sees Merlin sprawled across the floor. His limbs keep shifting, as if he's trying to find his footing but then immediately giving up, followed by immediately trying to find a new place to place his paw. He is so out of it. Arthur actually kind of feels bad for him. He's still isn't happy that the giant wolf was sleeping on his bed, but admittedly, these past few days have been pretty rough for Merlin. He had actually been doing pretty well for the most part, but this morning…

He's definitely not doing good.

Maybe he just hit his head on the bed post to hard.

When Arthur leans a bit further over the bed, Merlin seems to finally notice him. And recognizes him.

Merlin glares at the prince as the pieces fall into place for him. With a huff, Merlin lifts himself up, a bit wobbly but still on all fours. Arthur sits back down on his bed amid his blankets and sheets. A hand cautiously reaching towards his sword. But Merlin only gives him one last glare before his ear swivels to the door.

Arthur's hand still reaches further to the sword as Merlin pauses to try to decide who or what is making the sound. Arthur is already pretty sure that it is either Liam or another servant – most likely Liam – but again, it's best to be cautious in case an intruder decided to attack in the morning. Unheard of, but still possible.

Arthur relaxes when Merlin does, as a second later, Liam indeed walks through the doors to the chambers.

Liam always tries to be quiet so as to not wake the prince too abruptly, and then get yelled at for it; but Liam is not very good at sneaking around and knows from past experience not to try to be too quiet or else risk getting his head nearly chopped off.

Arthur in the morning is a 'swing first, evaluate the situation later' kind of guy… on most mornings at least.

When Liam finally steps in with a plate of breakfast in his arms – because he's always afraid he's going to drop it – Arthur notices the moment when the serving boy becomes aware of the situation, so to speak. He pauses in his steps, looks at the disheveled Merlin, the bed that is tossed more than usual and the wide awake and frustrated Arthur sitting in that tossed up bed. A question forms on the boy's lips, but no sound comes out.

"Liam," Arthur says in the calmest voice he can manage.

"Yes!"

The boy straightens his spine and looks at Arthur, although not making eye contact as that is forbidden of someone of his class towards royalty.

"Merlin has his own bed, yes?"

That seems to be enough of an explanation. Liam looks towards the tossed duvet that lays in the corner of the room.

"Y-yes he does, Sire."

"Good," Arthur plasters a smile on his face, that doesn't completely reach his eyes and lets out a sigh. "Just checking."

Merlin grumbles before walking past Liam, making sure to rub against the boy's leg to get as much of his scent on the clean pair of trousers as he can in one go. Liam had been awkward about it to begin with, but has come to accept the weird behavior of the dire wolf. Though it could have also been that Liam, like most people, is not used to having physical contact with a dire wolf, much less being near one on a daily basis. That could be it too.

Once Merlin is almost out the door, Liam finally walks over to Arthur's bedside to arrange everything so that the prince can eat in bed. Liam's back is to Merlin so he doesn't see the threat that Merlin makes when he stops in the door way.

But Arthur sees it.

He watches as Merlin makes eye contact with him and raises his hind leg. Angled perfectly at the hinges of the door.

Panic and anger course through Arthur, but he tries to hide it as best as he can. When Liam is facing away from both the prince and the dire wolf, Arthur shakes his head vehemently, trying to convey how much Merlin will suffer if he does what he's thinking of doing.

Obviously, Arthur won't be the one to clean it up if he does it, but there is still the fact that he will have to walk through the doors knowing what Merlin did there. But with a glance at Liam, in hopes that Merlin will understand that Liam will suffer the most if Merlin goes through with it, Merlin does not keep true to his threat…

… for now.

Merlin finally leaves for his morning pee break.

Arthur lets out a sigh of relief and falls back onto his bed. His left arm whacks a hard leathery object on its way down. When Arthur looks to investigate, he sees the book of dire wolf history.

Oh, yeah. That's right. He was planning to do some reading to see if he could find anything. He remembers getting a few pages in, but… he doesn't remember anything he read.

Arthur groans, laying his head back into the pillows and closing his eyes.

"S-sire?"

"Yes," Arthur responds without opening his eyes.

"Um, well," Liam had always been a nervous speaker, but no matter Arthur's efforts, he just doesn't spit out whatever needs to be said. "The King wanted me to let you know, because Gaius wanted me to let the King know, that the King, wait no – you and the King are wanted in the physician's quarters because he thinks he found something!"

"Gaius?" Arthur is always confused after Liam explains something – the kid just can't keep the story straight.

"Yes, Sire!"

Liam is also always too enthusiastic and chirpy in the morning. At least one of them is.

"Did Gaius say what he might have found?"

There is a pause.

"I'll take that as a no."

Arthur finally pulls himself into a sitting position so that he can eat properly, because if he doesn't get up, Liam is just going to stand around waiting for him to get up rather than try to get Arthur up. The poor lad doesn't have a backbone.

Liam sets about laying out the napkins and holds out the plate for him. While Arthur could go ahead and just have Liam hold it rather than try to balance the plate on his lap, he had decided from previous experiences that it is too awkward having a servant leaning over the bed for minutes on end just watching him eat his food. Leaning over him and watching him eat his food. Obviously, servants watch the royals do a lot of stuff, and while Arthur enjoys all the attention, even he has to admit that he prefers having a little bit of space when he eats. It's also uncomfortable when he can feel the servant's breath on his bare skin because of them leaning over him. Liam on the other hand has tried multiple times to hold his breath when he has to do this – because he had drunkenly complained to the boy about the whole thing – and while Arthur appreciates that, he's not really up for Liam passing out on top of him, or at all, really.

As Liam steps back to prepare Arthur's outfit for the day, Arthur notices the slight sweat on the boy's brow and the hint of dark circles under his eyes.

Arthur resists a groan. Liam is terrible when it comes to managing his own time. He's great at arranging everything for Arthur, but he always sacrifices himself. Always had since their younger years.

Arthur picks up the only apple on his plate – and really, the healthiest thing on his plate.

"Liam."

"Y-yes, Sire?" Liam turns to address the prince.

Arthur does an underhand toss of the apple at Liam. The boy fumbles a bit, but manages not to drop it – though it did get pretty close.

"I prefer sweets," the prince states, poking around his plates to see everything there is. "But it's best not to waste such a nice apple," he adds as an afterthought.

Though Arthur doesn't look at him, he can still see in his peripheral vision, Liam bow in respect.

"Thank you… Sire."

Uther stares at the small glass vial sitting alone on the work bench. The little flowers within the water normally wouldn't interest him in the least, it wouldn't even make a good decoration for a party. But if what Gaius just said is true, then he will give this little display his undivided attention.

Even as Arthur tentatively reaches for it, he stares long and hard at it, as if trying to compel it to somehow reveal the sorcerer through his stare alone.

"Don't touch it," Gaius states, causing Arthur to retract his hand. "I had this in the water for no more than a few hours."

Arthur steps away, standing at a respectable distance from the tainted water.

"Where is the water from?" Uther askes, getting straight to the point – no use prancing around the subject, he has a job to do as the King.

Even with his eyes still focused on the vial, Uther doesn't miss the way Gaius slightly turns to face Arthur, giving him a look that Uther still can't quite see. It means something, but he will decide if that something is worth investigating later.

"The pump where the people take their daily supply," Gaius replies.

Uther sees his son shift out of the corner of his eye.

"We may have to stop the people from using it," the Crown Prince says.

"The city cannot survive without water," Gaius reminds him, although his tone shows that he also knows that they can't keep letting people drink from it.

"We have to find this sorcerer!" Uther states, his fist clenching.

This has gone for too long. His people are dying and this sorcerer is a coward by hiding and probably knows that Merlin is useless in this situation. Which is why the knights need to take care of this. At least now Gaius can give more time to finding a way to fix the Merlin problem. While the dire wolf is useless in this situation, he's not completely useless in the castle. He is still very much capable of instilling fear in others.

Arthur hesitates for a second.

"I… don't believe that they're inside Camelot."

"Then extend the search to the villages!" Uther roars, rising to feet and nearly toppling his chair.

The King spares a quick glance to the physician, and upon said man's face is a warning frown. Gaius knows his place, and knows that Uther has just as much right to act how he pleases here, as the Court Physician's office is a part of the castle, his castle; but Uther will respect his old friend's silent wish.

But only a little.

He's still the King. The very frustrated King.

"We've started, but I can't search the entire kingdom," Arthur states with a slightly raised voice.

Uther sees and hears the frustration seeping out of his son. But he himself is still just as angry, if not more.

"And I can't stand by and watch our people die," Uther says using the tone that tells the prince that this conversation is over.

Arthur's jaw clenches, and a brief look of self doubt crosses his face, but the prince has learned a long time ago to hide those kinds of faces because they show vulnerability, so he quickly nods and leaves the room. The door doesn't slam, but it doesn't close quietly either.

Uther hates seeing his son like that, but it is just a part of preparing the Crown Prince for Kinghood. If Uther was a man of lower class, he would show his son just how much he loves him in more open gestures. But if he was of a lower class, he would never have gotten to embrace his wife, his…

He turns to face Gaius. There is a stern look on his aged face, a look that Uther has come to associate as Gaius wanting to reprimand him like with a child doing something bad, but he must see the sadness on his King's face. A look, at this point, only the Court Physician is allowed to see. Not often, but Gaius knows.

Gaius always knows.

"Raising a child," Gaius sighs. "Is never easy."

"He believes I am disappointed in him."

"Obviously."

Uther glares at him. Gaius isn't fazed.

"But he also knows that you care for him, just as much as he cares for you."

Uther and Gaius have had this conversation many times over the past couple of decades, even before Arthur was born, when Uther was worried about his parental abilities to his child-to-be. But despite how many times they have had this talk, it never got any easier.

"I am glad at least one of can see that."

"And I am glad that we both can agree that Arthur loves you," Gaius retorts.

Uther scoffs. Gaius had always liked to take stabs at him when he doubted his own son's love for him. So whenever Uther unconsciously agreed that Arthur cares for him, Gaius would tease him about it. It works, obviously, as a hint of a smile graces the King's face.

Gaius walks up to him and places his hand on his good shoulder. If he were any other man, Uther would throw him the stocks for his behavior towards the King. But Gaius isn't any other man, so Uther enjoys the warm comforting hand while he can.

"He will miss you when you're gone. I know, even though the day when he will take the crown is far away, he will miss you."

Uther looks Gaius in the eye and lets a playful smile take over his face.

"You say that as if you will be here to see that day."

Gaius glares at him. Uther isn't fazed.

"As the King, I would have thought that you would have learned to respect your elders," he replies in a mock hurt tone of voice.

Gaius knows how old he is. Besides, it's an old joke between them. It doesn't matter to them if others don't get their jokes, or think that the two of them are crazy for the stuff that they say to each other. They don't care. It's just who they are with each other.

"I am respecting you," Uther states as he stands up straighter and crosses his arms. Gaius's hand remains in place, plus a slightly stronger grip, but Uther pretends he doesn't notice. "I am merely pointing out that by that time, you will have retired to a lovely cabin in the woods where you won't have to deal with the dramatics of a kingdom, as well as its King and Prince. You'll be at such peace in your new quiet home that you won't hear of Arthur's crowning."

It feels good to pass jokes with Gaius again. Just like they used to when they were silly youths, talking about a future that they didn't understand would be so different from what they hoped.

Gaius gives Uther's shoulder a firmer squeeze, followed by a pat on the back. With one last playful glare with a mischievous grin, Gaius takes one last stab at his King.

"Well maybe you can prove that respect by giving this old man some space to work. I am after all very busy with my, 'silly healer nonsense.'"

Uther would never admit to anyone that that made him snort.

For the greater part of the day, everything had been good for Gwen. First and foremost, her father had recovered miraculously. She doesn't know how but she isn't about to complain. There was gossip going about that Gaius had discovered the cause of the sickness. No one knows for sure what it is. But seeing how it was a secret meeting between the Court Physician and the royals, no one wants to risk their neck and go ask. If the King thinks it's best not to let anyone know, it must be for a good reason. Morgana is also doing much better. She still suffers from the nightmares, but she is doing better, despite the sickness that floods the town. Gwen is still upset about all that. It is sad that while her father is alive and well – again, she's relieved that he's alright – many others are suffering the loss of people they love. Merlin has also been doing better. Of course, everyone is trying to keep him in the upper most parts of the castle, which keeps him from going out often.

That's something else that Gwen wants to do. Maybe she can convince Morgana to let her borrow some books from the shelves to find something that can help protect Merlin from the enchantment.

Morgana would definitely be up for that.

Speaking of Morgana. Her clothes need to be cleaned and… oh dear, is that a wrinkle!? Gwen goes about gathering Morgana's clothes, organizing them by dirtiness and the severity of wrinkles – not that there are very many at all, Gwen always makes sure that Morgana's clothes are of the finest quality. A minute or so later, she hears the tell-tale sound of Merlin walking down the corridor. He always makes sure that his claws don't clack on the ground when he's sneaking about – from what Gwen hears of the servants' horror stories in the kitchen and the washboard area – but when he doesn't want to sneak up on others, his claws clack a bit loudly. Gwen keeps working – not knowing that she is also humming - as she hears him enter through the open door. Soon all is silent except her humming. Obviously, Merlin doesn't want to say anything if Morgana is around, so he's probably checking.

"Morgana's not hear right now."

Gwen turns around just in time to see Merlin shake his head in… pain? Confusion? He doesn't look too good? That can't be good, which confirms a thought she has been having all day.

"I also believe that you did more than sleep last night," she states, looking Merlin in the eye, or at least as much as she can when his eyes don't focus very easily.

"Why would you think that?"

He sounds almost offended. His voice takes on that pitch that it does when he knows he's been caught, just like when she first met him.

"Oh, I don't know," she hums, rocking slightly on her feet. "I just got this feeling."

Merlin finally is able to make eye contact. He sighs, resigning to his fate.

"Okay, I did it."

"Thank you," Gwen says with all of her feeling put behind those two words.

Merlin looks a bit shocked, which then morphs into shyness as he turns his head away. Gwen can still see the slight wag of his tail, no matter how much he tries to hide. But she still has one last question, but she is admittedly a little bit afraid to ask it.

"What about the others?" She asks in a quiet voice.

Merlin looks at her, confused.

"Others?"

"Everyone else, who has been… affected by the sickness."

Merlin is completely still for a few seconds before he once again looks away. This time he looks down. He is upset about his apparent disability to heal everyone else, Gwen can tell.

"I didn't know what this was at first… There wasn't anything I could do at that point."

That… makes sense.

Merlin looks up and makes eye contact with Gwen again. This time, she can see his determination. His stance physically straightens in a way that if this was a different scene to be meeting a dire wolf in, she would be afraid.

"But now that I know, I will do whatever it takes to fix all of this."

Gwen smiles at his determination.

"I hope you can," Merlin makes to leave. "But…"

Merlin pauses in the doorway and turns back to Gwen.

"You still can't go into town because the Foul Moon will only get worse."

"Rowan berries and Rowan tree bark."

Now it's Gwen's turn to pause in her movements.

"What?"

"What?"

"They are basic enchantment counter materials. They can't fix all of this, but they should be enough to protect me from Foul Moon. I would only need to wear a pouch of a hand full of the berries or have my scarf infused with the bark."

"Oh," Gwen says, if only to be able to say anything at the moment.

She is still very much confused by all that Merlin said, but she got the gist of it. After it finally sinks in she smiles triumphantly.

"I'll tell Lady Morgana! I have some Rowan berries at my house and I'm sure if Arthur knows, he can grab some when he goes out to search the nearby villages," She says excitedly, then stops to think about it. "Or maybe he'll get someone else to do it."

Gwen thinks she sees a smile grace Merlin's muzzle. It's hard to tell because of his wolfish features.

"See you later."

With that, he leaves.

It's a shame really, that after that, things only get worse for Gwen.