Only very slowly did Arthur fight his way out of unconsciousness. He heard a faint snoring right next to him. He also had the feeling that there were other people in his immediate vicinity. He tried to concentrate to find out where he was. Slowly, fragments of thoughts seeped into his consciousness and still images passed his inner eye. He knew that his wife Gwen was angry with him. What had he been up to? It had something to do with Merlin, right? Then the encounter with the dragons came back to his mind. Yes, Gwen was probably angry, but probably more angry with Merlin. But why does he feel so strange? So absolutely exhausted and tired? He hadn't gotten any sleep that night, but that shouldn't make him feel so bruised. Besides, the quiet snoring right next to him was slowly disturbing him. He could not remember his wife snoring so annoyingly. He shivered when he remembered that his half-sister Morgana was still alive and was plotting against him again. Would this go on for the rest of his life - fighting against her again and again and again? He was quite tired of continuing this pointless war, but if he wanted to protect his life and Camelot, he probably had no choice. When he turned around and looked straight into Merlin's sleeping face, he stood up straight as a die and stared at his servant speechlessly.
"What?," he began and was interrupted by the sight of a sleepy Gwen and two watchful knights in the room.
Gwen blinked, quickly rubbing the sleep from her eyes and hurried to her husband. "Thank goodness you woke up," she said in relief and kissed Arthur with joy.
"Hmph, I know that I am a morning grump, but now you are exaggerating," he said indignantly. He pruned and looked into the worried faces of Sir Gwaine and Sir Mordred. "Wait! I remember you being angry with me and Merlin, and then... The rest is very blurry," he ended. He remembered the repeated flashes of Merlin's eyes, but Sir Mordred was not supposed to learn Merlin's secret that way - at least not from him.
"Who actually allowed Merlin to take a nap next to me," Arthur asked imperiously.
Gwen shook her head and said, "That would be me. A little thanks for saving your life again."
At these words, his eyes leapt to Mordred, who did not look surprised.
"King Arthur, may I explain something?" Mordred raised his voice. Not denying this, Arthur continued: "You know that Merlin possesses magic. Probably he intuitively sensed the triggering of a curse and used a combination of magic and medicine to save you from dying of the cursed poison. He used so much magic at once that it literally burned him out. He has been sleeping motionless next to you for hours. Also the infusion of liquid is more difficult than with you. We were able to wake you up halfway so that you could take a few sips, but Merlin is not moving. If the condition does not change, he will die of thirst."
Arthur looked around in panic and asked, "What can we do?"
"If he stays in this state for more than two days, he will probably die of exhaustion and lack of water. If we do not manage to wake him up by then, perhaps an experienced healer could help him. It is quite possible that the curse has partially rubbed off on him while healing you.
Before Arthur could answer, there was a knock at the door. "Sorry to disturb you," said Gareth.
Sir Gwaine meant for him to enter. Gareth got big eyes. The King was in bed and his wife was standing beside him worried. In addition, there was another knight in the room beside Sir Gwaine. But he was disturbed by the sight of a sleeping Merlin next to the King. "l..." He choked and his eyes became bigger and bigger.
Sir Gwaine explained in a calm tone: "King Arthur and Merlin were poisoned last night. The king has recovered well thanks to the quick action of Merlin and a detox potion, but with Merlin we do not know yet what to do". This was not quite the truth, but it came very close to it.
Gareth, on the other hand, turned chalky white, began to tremble and stuttered: "I..., I...? Last night?" The panic in his eyes escaped anyone in the room.
Sir Gwaine again addressed the word to Gareth: "Calm down. Take a deep breath in and out and report. That's an order."
Gareth did as he was told. After taking several deep breaths in and out, he closed his eyes and spoke in a trembling voice:"I brought dinner to the royal chambers last night. A girl in the kitchen had put the tray in my hand. I do not know her name. She was tall, had blue eyes and brown, wavy hair. I meant no harm!"
"This description doesn't fit any of the girls in the kitchen - unless a new one has recently been added," Gwen noted.
Gareth was still standing there, frightened and with his eyes closed. Arthur slowly stood up and tested if his legs would hold him. Carefully, he stood up, went to Gareth and put his hand on his shoulder. The latter opened his eyes in horror and tears came out of them.
"Calm down. It might as well have been Merlin who brought the food or someone else. My feelings and my mind tell me that you knew nothing about this. But surely there must have been a reason why you came to me?" Arthur asked reassuringly.
Gareth nodded, cleared his throat and reported: "There are two strangers in the throne room who urgently want to see you. They spoke of the fact that it was not they who needed your help, but the other way around. Furthermore, they thought that the king must have awakened by now and their request was urgent.
"Sir Gwaine, accompany your squire back to the throne room and tell the strangers that I will appear immediately," Arthur replied.
When the two had left the room, he turned to his wife: "Help me out of my clothes quickly. Fresh water for a short wash must be enough.
Sir Percival entered just as Arthur was about to leave. "Very well. Sir Mordred will accompany me to the throne room while Sir Percival keeps watch here."
He quickly kissed his wife and hurried down the corridors with the royal cloak on. He would have liked to run, but he did not want to put his body through that yet. When he reached the throne room, he stopped. He recognized two figures wrapped in gray clothes, one considerably smaller than the other.
Before they turned around, Mordred heard a childlike voice in his head: "Nice to finally meet you in person, Mordred. Your behavior will determine the fate of Camelot and decide whether it blossoms or falls.
During this thought process, the strangers turned to the king and took off their hoods. A tall, lean woman appeared, with pale blond hair and light blue eyes. The girl, however, was even more impressive. She had long, blonde and curly hair and a beautiful face, but her eyes were icy blue and radiated a knowledge that did not match the childlike face.
"Greetings. How can I help you," the king opened the conversation.
The girl looked him straight in the eyes and answered in a tender but firm voice: "It is not we who need your help, but you need ours.
"I have no time for riddles right now. What exactly do you want," he addressed the guests impatiently.
"Yes, no time is right, King Arthur Pendragon. Your magician is dying. His life hangs by a thin thread, and yet he fights to continue to stand by your side, to protect you, even if it costs his life.
It was only a short time before Arthur understood that the girl might have meant Merlin by "his wizard". He tried to quell the panic and asked further: "How can you help him and what do you want in return?
"We can help him, because we see what is wrong with him. In return, we ask for nothing. We only ask you to allow us to live peacefully in your kingdom," said the woman.
"What happens if I do not grant the request?" Arthur asked.
"We will still help you. It is your decision, so you will have to take the consequences," the girl said.
"You are a sorcerer, you threaten me and you want to live in my kingdom," he said.
"Yes, no and yes. Yes and no, we do have magic, but there are different talents in this world. No, we are not threatening you, because everyone bears the consequences of his actions himself and yes, we would like to be part of the union of Albion and see the blossoming of magic in your realm," the girl explained.
"Who are you?" Mordred asked sharply.
The girl looked at him long before she said, "My name is Teaghan. I have the good or bad luck not to be able to see into the future very often. However, when I see something, it is fateful. My Girlfriend Bronwen is a gifted healer and has specialized in the treatment of curses, among other things".
Arthur didn't know what to choose. Was it true that Merlin was dying? The dragon's words echoed in Arthur's mind: 'Trust each other and learn to understand each other better'. Perhaps this advice was applicable in this situation, and so Arthur asked: "Why would you want to help us?
The girl smiled contentedly and said, "By the way, my friends call me Tea. If we help you, we help ourselves at the same time. If your wizard dies, Camelot is lost."
She looked in Mordred's direction and said half to him, half turned to the king: "This is just one of many opportunities to make the wrong choice, and Camelot and all the people of this realm will meet a dark fate. This shadow will not be confined to this realm and will spread."
Suddenly her eyes became glassy and she looked through Arthur and Mordred. "His time is running out."
Sir Percival burst into the throne room and whispered hastily to Arthur: "Majesty, you must return as soon as possible. I don't know what's happened, but it does not look good. I have already sent word to Gaius."
Arthur made up his mind at that moment and ordered, "Follow me quickly, all of you."
They hurried back to his chambers. On the way there, Sir Percival declared: "His condition was unchanged the whole time. Suddenly, his body cramped up and I could see that something was literally consuming him from within.
They discovered the pale Gwen crouching next to the emaciated Merlin. Bronwen and Tea lost no time and went straight to the dying man. Just as Bronwen was about to begin a spell, Tea held her back in her arm. Bronwen noticed that her eyes became glassy again.
"Find a mark on his right arm. Burn it out," said the girl motionlessly.
Everyone in the room froze as Bronwen examined Merlin's arm and opened their eyes in horror. Softly muttered words, a brief flash, and suddenly a small flame hovered over Bronwen's right index finger.
Everyone tried to stop it, only Gaius shouted, "Damn it, don't hinder them!
Everyone but Bronwen paused in their movement and they looked spellbound at Merlin. The room was filled with the smell of burning flesh and Gwen had to choke. Everyone could see the change. Merlin, who had been struggling to take one breath after another, was breathing a little easier now. His sunken cheeks seemed to be slowly getting fuller again.
Bronwen said in surprise, "This is both horrible and remarkable.
Gwen was the first to ask the question, "What do you mean?
Bronwen still looked at Merlin and explained, "This was not a simple curse. It was a curse hidden behind another curse. The first one may have made the poison worse, but the second was there to reverse any healing magic. I didn't believe until now that this was even possible. How much magic is needed to cast such a curse and to include the distance if necessary, I don't even want to imagine. Remarkable on the other hand is the recovery time of the magician. Look at him now. It is hardly recognizable anymore that he was only a few moments away from death. I wouldn't be surprised either if his eyes were shining golden and he woke up in a few moments.
As if by an invisible sign, Merlin's eyes actually began to flutter, and a golden glow could not be missed.
Gareth, who stood silently in the corner the whole time, made big eyes. So Merlin was a magician after all. This meant that his hunch was right and that Merlin had stopped him from killing. He was even more pleased that Merlin would apparently recover. Gareth was now glad that he had the presence of mind to close the door behind everyone. He couldn't remember if it was bad to be a wizard or not, but not everyone needed to know about Merlin right away.
Merlin slowly opened his eyes and croaked: "What ... ser."
Immediately a cup of cold, fresh water was held to his lips and he swallowed eagerly.
"More," he demanded, but the cup was removed. He turned towards the missing cup and looked into two icy blue eyes.
"Hello, magician, I am Tea. What do your friends call you?", said a Girl with angel curls.
Merlin shook her head in confusion and wanted to wake up from this strange dream.
"Wait, you don't know the name of my wizard," Arthur asked irritated.
"Yes, I know his name is Emrys, but not what his friends call him."
Arthur still frowned and said, "His name is not Emrys, but Merlin."
Merlin sighed, his dream turned out strange but felt too realistic and said, "Both are true. I am Merlin, but the druids have always called me Emrys. Morgana is very afraid of Emrys, because he is supposed to be her downfall. She thinks he is an old man with a long white beard and that should stay that way. When she learns the truth, she will stop at nothing to kill me."
"She almost did, too," said Tea cheerfully.
"She almost did?" Merlin asked uncertainly.
"Yes, and her actions are cunning as well as insidious. The poison was amplified, but the second curse was meant to reverse any healing magic. You had a mark on your arm, which we unfortunately had to burn out. Your magic intuitively tried to heal you, but the curse reversed the effect," Bronwen explained.
Merlin looked at the burned area on his arm that was already healing. He turned to Gaius: "Did Uther have such a mark?"
Gaius made big eyes and took a moment to think about the question and its meaning. "I am not sure, but it is conceivable that the medallion he wore shortly before his death had the same effect as this time. Could the curse also be linked to a medallion," said Gaius and addressed the question to Bronwen.
"For those who can perform this spell without physical contact, it is easy for them to curse a medallion like this."
Merlin had to digest this information first. He whispered softly: "Then perhaps I am not to blame for Uther's death after all."
"What are you saying, Merlin?" asked Gwen in disbelief.
Merlin glanced briefly into her eyes until he said: "Whenever I had to actively intervene to protect my true identity, I took an aging potion.
"You were the sorcerer who saved me from execution?" she said when she came to this realization.
"Yes, I created the sorcerer Dragoon the Great to use my magic powers without being recognized."
Merlin turned to Arthur and pleaded: "Arthur, please believe me that I was only trying to save your father. The spell should have healed him and yet his condition deteriorated so severely that he died. You cannot imagine how desperate I was. I was absolutely convinced that I could save your father. I imagined how I could tell you one day that I possessed magic and that magic is not evil by nature.
Arthur could only stare at Merlin with a blank stare. He had just felt that he knew Merlin's secret now, and the other secrets associated with it. He did not know what to say. Could he believe Merlin? Uther had always taken a firm stand against the sorcerers during his lifetime. Wouldn't it be almost understandable if Merlin hadn't saved him, but still helped him? Arthur remembered a conversation with Gaius, who had assured him that the sorcerer had not killed Uther, but simply could not save him.
Tea noticed the despair in Merlin and said boldly, "Comfort yourself, Merlin. Bronwen almost made the same mistake with you and her healing magic would have been your death sentence. And believe me, Bronwen is very knowledgeable in this area," Tea said gently.
"You really tried to save my father?" Arthur asked suspiciously.
"Yes, what else could I have done?" replied Merlin.
"Let him die! He's been tracking and killing sorcerers for decades. What reason did you have to save him?"
Merlin looked at Arthur silently for a long time until he said, "Because of you."
"Because of me?" Arthur asked, puzzled.
"What would I gain by your father dying at the hands of a sorcerer? This incident only rekindled the hatred against the sorcerers - that is exactly what I wanted to prevent. It has not always been easy to trust that one day you might become king and Uther's reign would finally end, but I believe in you and that gave me the strength to wait.
Tea was getting bored with this conversation, so she interrupted the silence with these words: "So, King, we have our promise kept, your wizard is saved. What will happen to us now?"
Arthur stared at this cute-looking girl for a moment. How could it be that she was apparently not afraid of him, he was king after all, powerful, and in the past, girls like her were also mercilessly burned at the stake? Arthur rather said to himself: "How could she actually know so exactly what to do?"
"You've just had a vision, haven't you?" Mordred expressed his suspicion.
"Yes, actually, sometimes I don't have a single one for months, and then at a fork in destiny, they often pile up. In my vision, I only saw the mark for a moment and my feeling told me that it had to disappear. Since I am not so fond of knives and blood, the flame seemed more appropriate."
Everyone stared at her, but she just shrugged her shoulders.
Gareth did not feel comfortable in his skin. It was his fault that the king and Merlin had been poisoned. Furthermore, he felt like a forbidden observer. He didn't understand the pre-commandation properly and even less the friendship between the king and Merlin. Were they actually friends or just servants and king? Did one of them perhaps see an enemy before him? He saw Merlin staring longingly at the cup of fresh water. Gareth handed it to him and Merlin thanked the boy. "Please don't thank me. It was my fault that you were poisoned," Gareth said quietly and depressed.
Merlin paused briefly in his movement but then took the cup to his mouth and drank it empty. He tried not to drink quite so greedily, but he probably didn't quite succeed, as Tea giggled.
Sir Gwaine addressed the word to Gareth: "Do not blame yourself for this, for it is not yours - on the contrary. You have given us a first clue on which to proceed. Morgana probably has an ally in the castle and we should find out who that is as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Arthur tried to sort his thoughts and organize the questions and problems in his head, but he was too upset and looked for Gwen's gaze. The latter recognized Arthur's condition and gave the following orders himself: "Sir Gwaine, find Sir Leon, exchange the current state of investigation and search for the girl described. I suspect that Morgana is not in the castle, but has put an ally up to it. I further oblige everyone in this room to maintain silence about this incident. Say that Arthur only exaggerated and that he was merely nauseous from too much wine."
Gwen waited for an objection from Arthur, who just nodded in annoyance. "Be silent about any magical intervention. Merlin, of course, provided me with medicine, but he was so reckless and also secretly tasted the wine, so he had to sleep off his intoxication. He must be pilloried for his behavior tomorrow for half an hour."
Tea shook her head laughing and said beamingly: "The suggestion is ingenious. Who would believe that Merlin is a great sorcerer who has just saved the king's life again when he is thrown out with rotten vegetables as thanks? Would it perhaps be possible, if I could listen to the conversation between you and Merlin, if you thanked and apologized at the same time? And an answer to my previous question, I'd love to have. Will you comply with our request or not?"
Gwen asked, without hesitation, "What is your request?"
Tea looked radiantly at the queen and asked hopefully, "We would like to live peacefully here in your kingdom, if that would be all right?
Arthur watched his wife and sighed. He already knew what she had decided. He was not quite sure, but he knew that his queen was not only fair and intelligent, but also had a feeling for people.
"Yes, Gwen, the two of them are allowed to live here and will be accommodated in the castle for the time being."
Gwen smiled at her husband and gave him a kiss. Tea was beside herself with joy, hugged Bronwen stormy and babbled, "Did you hear that, Bronwen? We may stay! How much I wished that this vision would come true and not just appear so good. As a thank you for the trust you have placed in us, we will never leave your or Merlin's side again. Ooh, this is going to be fun. Watching a king is certainly exciting, but watching Merlin is the best - who knows what I can learn there? May I accompany you, Merlin? You have visions too, don't you?"
Tea saw the hesitation and the pain, even the short glance in Mordred's direction did not escape her.
"Tea, I thank you and of course Bronwen first of all for saving me. Without you, I would probably be dead. It is an honor if you would like to accompany me, but I don't think that this is very exciting will. In this castle I do the work of the royal servant. I don't have many books about magic and sorcery. Other than being friends with a dragon, I can't imagine many exciting things you might otherwise see."
Bronwen got big eyes. "Dragon? You're friends with a dragon!?"
Tea bounced up and down in glee at the news. "Believe me, Merlin, playing with a dragon is an incredible experience, but it won't be the only one you won't forget.
Even if Arthur was a little hurt in his pride that Tea Merlin apparently found more exciting than him, the King, he could only agree with her. He would probably not forget his encounter with the dragons so quickly.
Gaius cleared his throat. "I suggest that we no longer besiege the royal chambers and go about our normal daily business, so that we give the impression that everything seems to be fine so far. In addition, not only Merlin, but also the king should be allowed some rest, although I would suggest a change of place. It looks very funny how Merlin is lying in bed next to you, King Arthur.
Everyone except Merlin and Arthur seemed to find Gaius' last sentence amusing. With a nudge, Merlin suddenly fell out of bed and looked baffled at laughing faces. He stood up slowly grinning and let himself sink back onto the additional mattress, exhausted.
"Sir Percival, accompany Bronwen and Tea to their rooms. Sir Gwaine visits Sir Leon as arranged. Gareth, run to the kitchen first and get something to eat and drink. Please bring the food to the throne room. Also provide Bronwen, Tea and Merlin with food and drink. Make sure that the King's cook prepares the food herself. I will go with Gwen to the throne room and prepare the next council meeting. Sir Mordred will stay here and make sure Merlin doesn't trip over his own feet," said the king in his usual commanding tone.
Occasionally a gurgling could be heard. Merlin merely stuck out his tongue and closed his eyes exhausted. He did not open them either when Tea asked, "King Arthur, I may stay with Merlin now, may I not?
The king's answer was already lost on Merlin, because his eyes were closing with tiredness.