It started out with a cough. Though to be completely honest, Gaius wasn't sure if the coughing was actually due to the overwhelming smell of his latest potion concoction that had been brewing at his desk for hours. It was a chest-tightening, tickly kind of cough that likes to sit in the back of your throat, threatening to suffocate you completely. Then came the headache and the chills running through his entire body and the bone-deep tiredness that would never normally be felt after a fairly restful night's sleep.
Ever since he and Merlin had discovered the source of the disease, they had been hoping that the water wasn't an immediate death sentence for everyone who drank from it. The town's water supply was used by hundreds of people every day and considering the entire townsfolk hadn't been killed yet, it surely wasn't affecting every person who drank from it.
But now, hours later, they were no closer to finding out why the water was causing this disease - let alone any kind of cure - and Merlin looked terrible. All he'd had was a few mouthfuls from the pump whilst he and Gaius had visited the lower town and it seems that was all it took.
Gaius could barely contain the frustration he felt as he watched Merlin from across the room. It was the physician's very nature to help those who needed it and here he was being forced to watch Merlin suffer through this with no way to remedy the sickness. Merlin's complexion was concerning. Not yet the ghostly white of the deceased victims they had seen to, but his paler than normal skin was shining with sweat and the grey-blue of his veins was beginning to creep to the surface.
Merlin had been sitting on the concrete steps with the magic spell book for a while now, trying to find anything that would help. The sunlight streaming through the window was accentuating his pallor and the thin blanket wrapped tightly around his shoulders was doing little to combat the cold he felt within. Gaius had suggested that he try to rest in bed for an hour or two, but predictable as ever, Merlin had refused to leave Gaius in the lurch to figure it all out on his own.
"Ge hailige." Merlin muttered under his breath before tutting to himself and turning the page. He had attempted that one several times now and it clearly wasn't working. There were hundreds of healing spells he could try, all notoriously difficult to master, but there was no proof that any of them would be effective against this mysterious illness.
Merlin rubbed his forehead as he tried to focus on the words on the page instead of his steadily worsening headache. He was no help to Gaius while he felt like this so the sooner he cured himself, the sooner he could save everyone else.
Taking a deep breath, he focused on the magic he could feel thrumming under his skin and slowly read the incantation. "Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare."
He barely got the full spell out before he felt it drain all that was left of his energy and Gaius watched as the gold of Merlin's irises barely flickered before his eyelids were fluttering and he was tilting to one side. Gaius wasn't exactly a man known for his speed but he barely took a second to rush over to Merlin just in time to stop him from falling off the step completely. Merlin's head lolled against his chest for a moment before righting itself.
"Woah." He mumbled softly between shallow breaths, his half-lidded eyes glancing down to where Gaius was still holding him upright. He knew he felt terrible, but maybe he was more sick than he thought. He couldn't give up now though, if it was spreading this fast within him, he wouldn't be able to do this for much longer. "I'm okay."
"No, you're not." Gaius gave him a stern look, eyebrow raised in disbelief. It was a wonder the boy had lasted this long if this is what his survival instincts looked like. He longed for something he could do to aid him. "You're in no state to be doing this much magic. I wish I could help but I've never been very good at healing spells."
"Me neither." Merlin smirked up at him, still leaning heavily against Gaius' arm. He swallowed a few times against the dryness of his throat before pushing himself upright. The blanket had fallen off one shoulder and Gaius wordlessly wrapped it around him once more, watching him warily for any further signs of deterioration.
"I think I've only managed to heal myself three or four times growing up." Merlin continued, delicately running his forefinger across the words of the spell written on the page. "Small wounds are fine, but actual sickness was practically impossible to heal. It used to annoy me so much when it wouldn't work. My mother would always scold me for trying, she thought I'd just make myself worse. But every time, when it was clear that I wasn't giving up, she would sit down with me and tell me to just take a breath and try again."
"Did that work?" Gaius asked gently, not missing the way Merlin's hands had gained a slight tremor.
Merlin chuckled lightly at the question and rubbed at his forehead once again. "No. I never exactly had the patience for taking it slowly. I thought maybe it didn't work because I wasn't using any actual spells, but clearly that wasn't the problem at all."
He gestured to the book with a huff before closing it forcefully and placing it beside him on the step. Evidently healing himself was no longer an option, so maybe he should return his focus to eradicating the disease from the water. He hadn't come across anything in the spell book that could help them, but then again he didn't fully know what he was supposed to be looking for.
There was someone who would probably have the answers he needed, but he was still debating whether it was worth visiting the dragon or not. Getting a straight answer from him would be a miracle and Merlin really didn't have time for the riddles right now.
Without thinking, he stood up suddenly, gasping as his knees buckled and his vision went black for a second. If Gaius hadn't have been there to support him he definitely would have fallen down. He could feel the coldness inside practically wrapping itself around his magic and as he looked down it was hard to miss the veins on his hands growing darker. He was running out of time.
As soon his legs felt steady enough to carry him he patted Gaius' hand as a signal that the man could let go. Maybe he didn't have a choice. Every other victim had died within twenty-four hours and he could feel in his heart that he wasn't going to last much longer. If the great dragon could provide the help they so desperately needed, he was just going to have to suffer the long-winded, cryptic clues.
"I need to go out. I think I know something that could help us." Merlin tried not to cough as he spoke confidently, walking towards the door. If he didn't make eye contact with Gaius then he could just pretend that the inevitable scowl wasn't being directed towards him.
Gaius took a moment to process the stupidity of his words before he came rushing up behind him. Merlin could barely stand up a moment ago, there was no way he was letting him go anywhere Gaius' couldn't keep an eye on him.
"Not a chance." The physician remarked as he blocked Merlin's exit. "You are in no fit state to be wandering around the castle not to mention the sight of you will undoubtedly raise a few suspicions. Whatever it is you need, I'll go and get it."
Merlin could see the concern shining bright in Gaius' eyes and he felt a wave of gratitude wash over him. Despite the trouble he often caused, Gaius truly cared for him, more than anyone else ever had besides his mother, and it was heartwarming to know that he had that support. But under all that gratefulness there was a slight pang of guilt at the worry he had caused. Gaius wasn't wrong. The longer Merlin was on his feet, the more he felt like he was going to pass out at any minute, but he needed to do this and he needed to do it alone. With a little difficulty, he swapped his blanket for one of the cloaks draped near the door. "I'll be okay, just keep looking for some way to decontaminate the water. I won't be long."
Gaius let out an exasperated sigh as Merlin lifted the hood to shadow his face. If he had learnt anything since Merlin's arrival it was that once his mind was set on something, there was no stopping the boy. He was more than aware of how strong-willed Merlin was and if he said he needed to do this, then Gaius was just going to have to trust him. As much as every fibre of his being was telling him not to.
It was bad enough that Merlin had become gravely ill under his watch, if something were to happen because Gaius had let him leave he would never forgive himself. But still, he moved out of the way and watched as Merlin closed the door behind him. A powerful sorcerer with such a great destiny didn't need Gaius watching his every move, protecting every step of his journey. He was going to be fine.
In the meantime Merlin was right about one thing, he could either spend his time worrying or he could be productive and continue looking for a cure. And if he kept glancing at the door every few minutes, hoping for Merlin's safe return, well, no-one needed to know.