He couldn't feel the beetle anymore. In fact he couldn't really feel anything. Except the burning pain that was beginning to creep through his entire body.
It was consuming him, just like he knew the beetle would soon be doing to his soul. Devouring it whole until there was nothing left to feast upon. Until he was an empty shell.
"Do you think it's contagious?" Arthur asked from the doorway into Merlin's bedroom.
Arms crossed, whole body leaning against the doorframe, anyone looking at him would think he didn't want to get any closer to his servant for fear of catching something.
Merlin was laying atop the covers, silent and unmoving, the mirror image of Morgana who was still trapped in unconsciousness within her own chambers.
When Arthur had gone looking for Merlin in the physician's quarters, he had been angry. At his untidy chambers, at his dirty socks, at anything that would give him an excuse to shout. Morgana's illness was setting his nerves on edge and he had needed to take it out on someone.
He hadn't expected to find Gaius struggling to lift the poor boy off the floor.
Face pale and breathing slow, Merlin showed no awareness to the way his body was being jostled and it was unnerving how much it reminded Arthur of Morgana's current situation. Without waiting to be asked, Arthur had wordlessly lifted Merlin into his arms and carried him to his bedroom and now, standing in the doorway, he watched as Gaius looked over his ward.
He knew better than to get in Gaius' way when he was working and he didn't want to intrude. But Morgana's illness was very serious and if Merlin had caught it too then maybe it was more dangerous that they had anticipated.
"It's too early to tell just yet what's causing it." Gaius reported as he lifted Merlin's wrist to feel for a pulse, frowning at what he felt under his fingertips. "But I very much doubt that Merlin caught something from Morgana. Her kind of illness just doesn't work like that. "
"Should I get Edwin?" Arthur asked as he chewed his bottom lip. Even if it wasn't the same as Morgana, this shouldn't be happening to Merlin for no reason. He saw a flash of hurt in Gaius' eyes though and he felt bad for how quickly he had doubted the man's abilities. Gaius may not have been able to help Morgana, but he had years of experience and a vast array of knowledge that Arthur had been on the receiving end of multiple times.
Compared to that, Edwin was still a stranger who, despite his promises of having a cure, had yet to prove his worth. Regardless of the earlier setback, Gaius was still an excellent physician so it was only fair that Arthur gave him a chance.
He hadn't meant to intrude, he just couldn't help it.
Edwin had so many interesting objects sitting on his table, none of which Merlin had ever seen before, so of course he had started snooping. Edwin was obviously a very skilled physician and if all of this equipment is what helped him make his diagnoses, maybe it would be useful to Merlin too.
He was eager to learn even the smallest piece of knowledge that might help him - and Gaius - with future patients and as Edwin wasn't there to teach him right now, he would just have to find out for himself what everything did.
He peered inside the strangely shaped tubes, observed the thick coiled piece of metal that was sitting inside a cylindrical container and playfully spun the weird circular object that made no sense to him, jumping slightly as it almost knocked a large magnifying glass to the floor.
Then amongst all these new and intriguing objects, his eyes were very quickly drawn to a simple box sitting at the back of the table. It was small and insignificant, made of wood with a few simple markings inscribed on the lid. When Merlin opened it the last thing he had expected to see was a mass of beetles. The small, black creatures were unpleasant and unmoving, they looked to be dead.
What use would Edwin have for a box of dead beetles?
Closing the lid, he ran his finger along the groove of the letters etched into the wood. They looked familiar, like words he had seen written in the book Gaius had given him.
"Bebiede þe arisan ealdu." He whispered the words out loud, his eyes glowing gold at the incantation and immediately he felt something different about the box. It felt alive.
Opening the lid once again, the sight of the beetles almost made him drop the box. Not dead then.
Watching them crawl around the small space was unnerving, their spindly legs climbing over each other, making a strange chattering sound as they moved. Merlin didn't like insects at the best of times, but these were making him squeamish.
"Very good." Edwin's quiet voice startled Merlin into dropping the lid back down with a clack. He hadn't realised anyone was in the room with him - let alone the person whose belongings he was rummaging through.
"I was just-" He flustered as he quickly tried to pull an excuse from his brain, but it was clear from Edwin's face that the man had seen everything. It was odd though, he almost looked proud.
"It's okay. I could tell you were a curious one, I just didn't realise you were magical as well." Edwin smiled as he stepped forward and took the box from Merlin. A quick muttered spell and the beetles became inanimate again.
So Merlin wasn't the only one with magic here then.
"These little angels are how I plan to cure Lady Morgana. They will repair the damage to her brain and save her life."
In a few hours Edwin was going to use his remedy to cure Morgana.
The strange, new physician had been keeping an eye on her, using whatever tinctures he had to help her condition improve and now finally he had deemed her strong enough to be given the special remedy.
Arthur thought the waiting was all a waste of time. If Edwin had a remedy to cure all ills, then surely it should be able to cure someone, no matter their condition. But no matter his views, Edwin clearly knew more in this department so who was Arthur to doubt him?
He didn't want to doubt Gaius either, but in the hours since they had found him, Merlin's condition had been rapidly deteriorating and the court physician was still no closer to a cure. Arthur had tried to encourage Gaius to let Edwin take a look - after all, it was surely better to try and use the remedy now rather than wait for Merlin to get worse and be too weak to take it - but the old man had been very clear in his instructions: do not involve Edwin.
Gaius didn't trust Edwin, that much was obvious. But Arthur was starting to think that maybe it was from embarrassment rather than a wariness of Edwin's abilities. Gaius had been publicly shown up, in front of the King no less, his skill had been brought into question and his years of service had been so easily dismissed.
But would Gaius really deny Merlin the help he so clearly needed over something like that?
He had grown up with the man, visited him on several occasions through childhood bruises to deadly battle wounds but he had never really taken the time to get to know him, to know exactly what he'd do in a situation like this.
One thing he knew for sure though was how much Gaius cared about Merlin. And vice versa. For the many months of having the bumbling idiot as a servant, he had heard countless remarks about the errands Gaius had sent him on or experiments that he was conducting or - very rarely - the arguments that they had gotten into and how Merlin was trying to fix it.
Merlin loved to ramble on whenever he tidied Arthur's chambers, almost as if his mouth was being forced to work in time with his hands, and though Arthur was half convinced Merlin continued to do it purely to annoy him, he quite liked hearing the stories.
And secretly he longed to have that kind of bond with his own father.
Which is why it was so strange that Gaius wasn't swallowing his pride and allowing the one man who could save Merlin's life to provide the help they desperately needed.
Arthur wasn't prepared to watch Merlin suffer the same fate as Morgana, so if the cure worked on her, he was going to enlist Edwin's help for his servant too.
"Magic can be a force for good." Edwin had said to him and it had been so refreshing to hear. Gaius had always told him to be careful with his magic, to keep it all a secret. But what was the point of having this gift if he couldn't use it to help people.
Gaius may still be unsure about him, but Merlin was fully onboard with Edwin's beliefs. And to have found a magical beetle that cures all? That was incredible. It would save countless lives and maybe even prove to the King that magic didn't need to be feared, that it could be used for good.
Edwin was just a passing physician though. A humble man who clearly didn't want praise for his work. So if Merlin could find out more about these beetles, maybe Gaius could continue with their use once Edwin was gone.
If only he knew what they were called.
Merlin had tried to ask, but whether intending to or not, Edwin kept avoiding the question. No matter though, Merlin needed something to do whilst everyone was busy and Gaius had plenty of books, magic or otherwise, surely there was something in one of them.
That was five books ago though and Merlin was starting to lose hope - and patience. The pages were filled with a multitude of creatures and facts on how to kill a griffin or trap a goblin, but nothing about any beetles. He'd been reading for so long that the words were starting to swim in front of his eyes and he could have sworn his finger was getting a blister from all that page turning.
Closing the latest book with a thump he made a decision, he would check one more and if it wasn't fruitful, he'd just go and ask Edwin again. The man couldn't avoid his question forever.
Gaius' shelves were full of books, rows of chunky brown leather imprinted with titles that were so small you had to be up close to read them. Any of them could contain the information he was looking for. Or none of them. But which one to read next?
Without overthinking it, he eyed one of them on the lower shelf and willed it to float over to the table, all without uttering a single word. A quick glance to the door confirmed that he hadn't accidentally used magic again in front of someone he shouldn't but thankfully it was still shut.
The binding on the outside looked the same as the others and inside revealed more curled writing and floral annotations. The first few pages provided more unhelpful facts about serkets and fomorroh, but finally as he turned the page once more, Merlin's eyes lit up at the sight of the beetle drawn neatly in blank ink.
It was exactly the same as the creatures he had seen in Edwin's box, right down to the beady little eyes.
Elanthia beetles they were called, but that couldn't be right. Merlin had been expecting the text all around it to speak highly of these beetles, to list their healing abilities and advantageous uses, but that wasn't the case at all.
Elanthia Beetle
Conjured by dark magic, these deadly
creatures can be enchanted to enter the
brain where they will place the victim
in an unwakeable sleep and continue
to feed until they devour the person's
very soul.
The entire page was filled with the horrors of which the beetles could be used for, but the first paragraph was enough for Merlin to realise they had all been tricked. There was no way Edwin had a box of these deadly creatures by accident.
So what the hell he was planning to do with them?
Gaius was sitting at the table, chin resting on his hands, mind wandering as he tried to come up with something, anything, that would help.
Merlin needed him to do something - and fast. The boy was showing all the same symptoms as Morgana, everything that would lead Gaius to the diagnosis of an inflammation of the brain, but Edwin had gotten into his head and now he was doubting himself.
A cerebral haemorrhage, that's what Edwin had claimed Morgana had but Gaius had seen nothing to prove that, no blood in her ear or any other orifice. Nothing that would go against his treatment of yarrow and rosemary.
But what if he was wrong? Rosemary was used to stimulate the cerebral circulation and if he was wrong and he used it to treat Merlin, he could be wholly responsible for the boy's death.
He had been sitting at Merlin's bedside for hours, watching closely for any indication of improvement. But he had remained eerily still laying in the small wooden bed that had been provided for him when he had arrived in Camelot, showing barely any signs of life. He was all but dead and it was a heartbreaking sight.
Gaius had never expected such a bond to form when Hunith had first written to him, but very quickly Merlin had become like son he never had. He was clever and inquisitive, more powerful than he could possibly imagine and just such a kind soul. Gaius had spent years working alone and he never realised how much he would appreciate the company.
Gaius had done his best to keep Arthur's concern at bay. The young prince had had the courtesy to bring him the good news of Morgana's complete recovery thanks to Edwin's cure, though he suspected the prince had ulterior motives for his visit.
He had stood in the doorway of Merlin's room once again, staring down at the pale boy in the bed, doing nothing to hide the worry that was swirling inside him. He had all but begged Gaius to implore Edwin's help but Gaius had shut him down once more.
Maybe it was naive. Maybe he was just losing his touch and it was time to let someone take over. But a small part of Gaius was still clinging onto the belief that Edwin wasn't to be trusted.
Arthur's visit had motivated him though, so now he was back at the desk, pouring over the many books in his collection. Herbal remedies, poison cures - you name it, he had a book on it. But none of them were helping.
In all of his years of experience, he had seen several cases of injury to the brain and what Merlin was suffering from looked exactly like an inflammation. Every mention of it in the books was leading him to that same conclusion, providing him again and again with the same method of curing it. So why was nothing working?
He rubbed his forehead as he closed the back cover of yet another book. It was getting late and he had never been fond of reading by candlelight, even with his glasses. He didn't have the luxury of taking a break though, not with Merlin's life on the line.
As he tilted his head to the side in an attempt to stretch the crick in his neck, he noticed a book sitting at the end of the table, not where it should have been. He reached over to bring it closer, brows furrowing slightly as he read the title. Thankfully, they hadn't needed to research any creatures recently but the only explanation for it to be off the shelf was that Merlin must have been looking through it.
It wasn't uncommon for the boy to pick a book at random and flick through the pages in his spare time. He was just as curious as Gaius was at his age and it was such a rewarding thing for Gaius to nurture. But as messy as he was, Merlin always but the books back. He respected Gaius far too much to leave them out in the open where they could be ruined or lost.
Before Gaius had a chance to think about why it could still be on the table he noticed a small scrap of paper sticking out between the pages and he opened the book to see what it was marking.
The Elanthia beetle. A horrid little creature that Gaius had heard about years ago.
He squinted at the page as the light of the flame danced over the words. The thought of magic being used to create something so deadly made Gaius sigh. He longed to live in a world where magic was appreciated once more but that would never happen while those who practiced dark magic were still taking free rein.
As he read the words, the cogs turned in his brain. Morgana's sudden onset of illness, Merlin's prolonged deterioration, every symptom they both displayed had a worrying correlation to the horrors that could be caused by the beetle.
If he was right, Merlin was in much more danger than he had originally thought.
And maybe Edwin wasn't as innocent as everyone believed.
If Edwin really was as dangerous as he was starting to believe, Merlin needed to be careful. But he still needed evidence - he knew that much from experience. Arthur would never believe him if there was no proof.
On the way to Edwin's chambers he had bumped into Gwen. The poor girl was still terribly worried about Morgana's condition but one mention of Edwin and her face had lit up.
"Isn't he great Merlin! He's just checking on Morgana now and as soon as she's strong enough for his cure he's going to use it."
Merlin hadn't had the heart to crush her spirits with the truth about Edwin so he had let her get on her way, grateful for the one piece of information he'd been hoping she would reveal.
Edwin's location.
If Edwin was checking on Morgana then this was the perfect time to get the beetles. It might be his only window of opportunity and he needed to be quick, their chambers weren't too far away from each other so he couldn't risk Edwin finding him.
Reaching the chambers he gave three quick taps on the wood, just to make sure, and when no reply came he pushed it open.
Edwin's desk was cluttered with the same objects as before but this time there was no sign of the box. There was every chance that Edwin actually had it with him right now, but Merlin needed to be sure before he left empty handed.
He checked under the strewn papers and behind the large metal pots, moving over to the bedside tables to look inside the drawers. Every few seconds he glanced at the door, mentally trying to prepare a believable excuse should he get caught.
"Looking for this?" Edwin's voice cut through the quiet room just as Merlin opened the second drawer and his breath caught in his throat. He hadn't heard the door open so how long had the man been lurking there? Slowly, he turned away from the drawer to face where Edwin was standing, box held within his hands.
"Sorry, I wasn't- I was just-" Merlin eyes flicked over to the door as he tripped over his words. Edwin was on the other side of the room, nowhere near the exit, so he could just make a break for it. Or would that just confirm that he knew something?
"I just wanted another look. But I shouldn't have come in, I'm sorry." He tried to hide his worry as he smiled sheepishly at Edwin. He made a point of politely closing the drawer he had been rummaging through, before walking towards the door. "I'll leave you to your work, I'm sure you're very busy."
For an old man, Gaius was quite proud of his ability to sneak around the castle. It was getting late and there were few people in the hallways but he still made sure to remain inconspicuous. Realistically, he knew that Uther would be preparing for bed right now, but rounding every corner he was praying he wouldn't bump into the King.
Uther had every right to regard Edwin more capable in the science of medicine, but after years of service, being dismissed so easily by the one man he had helped more than most had hurt. And if he was completely honest, it had angered him. Gaius had sacrificed so much to stay on Uther's good side so if he bumped into the man tonight, he feared he would not be able to hold his tongue.
Walking the final corridor to Edwin's chambers, he hadn't expected Arthur to nearly barrel into him. The prince looked frantic, hand slapping the wall for balance as he tripped in his haste.
"Gaius, my father has Morgana's illness! Edwin's not in his chambers, we must find him!" Arthur panted, the determination in his eyes resolute and Gaius' stomach dropped. He stood by what he had told Arthur before, Morgana's illness wasn't something you could catch, so for three individual cases to crop up within three days? That plus Merlin's clue was enough to tell Gaius that there was more to this situation than met the eye.
"Keep looking, I'll try and find him." Gaius barely got his words out before Arthur was off again and he was left with an opportunity. If Edwin wasn't in his room, then now was the perfect time to look for evidence. Anything that would prove these illnesses had been caused, not by coincidence, but by magic.
Reaching Edwin's door he gave two strong taps on the wood, just to make sure, and when no reply came he pushed it open. As expected, the room was empty so Gaius quickly slipped inside and closed the door behind him.
The room was fairly neat, a tidy bed, clear floor, the only clutter being the mass of equipment taking up all available space on the table. It was clear that these were prized possessions of Edwin's - the man had carried it all with him for who knows how long, after all. But none of it looked to be magical, it was more scientific, possibly even holding the intention of alchemy. Nothing that screamed dark magic.
But as he was about to look elsewhere he noticed a box near the middle of the table. Against all the golds and ornate metals, this small wooden box looked too simple, too plain to be sitting next to such wonders of science. Fading into the background almost like it was hiding in plain sight.
Being careful not to knock anything, Gaius gently picked it up and lifted the lid. The sight of the motionless beetles made him gasp but it was not entirely unexpected. Merlin really was onto something when he left out the book and now Gaius had proof of Edwin's deadly intentions.
He needed to find Arthur and warn him. But as he let the lid drop closed, a voice spoke from the doorway.
"That doesn't belong to you."
The physician's chambers were supposed to be his safe place, his sanctuary when the rest of Camelot was annoying him. Edwin wasn't supposed to have followed him here.
"You may be a good warlock Merlin, but you're a terrible liar."
Edwin had let himself into the room, being very careful to block the door this time and Merlin didn't know what to do. He was still unsure of just how dangerous Edwin was. Yes, he was using dark magic, but just how dark were his intentions of using it?
As subtly as possible he reached forward to the desk in front of him, grabbed the closest piece of paper and closed the book around it, marking the Elanthia page for later.
Edwin slowly crossed the room towards him, coming uncomfortably close and Merlin knew there was only two ways he could play this: innocent and defensive or honest and accusatory. As much as he would love to not give up what little information he had, it was very clear that Edwin was aware he knew too much.
"You used the beetles on Morgana didn't you? That's why she's ill." Merlin lifted his chin, standing tall with a fake air of confidence. He was prepared to use his magic if it came down to it, but he'd never faced someone using dark magic before, he had no idea what to expect.
"You really shouldn't have gone poking around things that don't belong to you." Edwin shook his head slowly as he edged closer, tutting in disappointment.
Merlin creeped back a few steps, his whole body jolting unexpectedly as he knocked into the second table behind him. The vials sitting atop the wood clinked together, threatening to topple at the abrupt movement. "What are you planning? If you just wanted to kill Morgana you'd be long gone by now, so there must be something else."
"You're a smart boy. It's a real shame."
Merlin's brows furrowed at the words and he lifted his hands to defend himself, a second too late. Edwin whispered a spell under his breath, the words foreign to Merlin's ears as he felt the incantation take hold. It took a mere second and suddenly he was paralysed, his feet were stuck where he stood, his arms unable to move and it was terrifying.
His head was frozen in place, unable to turn away as Edwin closed the gap between them, his eyes widening ever so slightly as Edwin pulled the wooden box out of his jacket pocket. He tried to move his lips, to recite a spell, to tell Edwin to stop, but it was impossible, he was powerless.
Or was he?
He had never needed to recite spells growing up - he hadn't even known any spells before arriving in Camelot! It had always happened in his head, a natural response. But he couldn't concentrate. His mind was cloudy, his thoughts clumsy as all he could focus on in his panic was the beetle in Edwin's hand.
He wanted to fight back, he needed to fight back but all he could do was feel as Edwin raised his hand to Merlin's ear, his eye contact unwavering as he spoke. "Bebiede þe arisan ealdu."
Instantly, Merlin could feel the beetle come to life, its legs moving against his skin, its chattering sound almost deafening alongside the heartbeat he could feel pounding in his ears. He had to stop it. He had to get it off of him!
He tried to move. His head, his hand, just a finger even! Anything to stop Edwin from doing this, because it wasn't just Merlin he was going to hurt. Edwin had stayed in Camelot for a reason seemingly more important than just killing the King's ward and now Merlin would never be able to warn anyone.
The beetle tickled as it entered his ear, making Merlin's blood run cold. Edwin was grinning at him now, his mouth wide almost with glee. This wasn't the first time he had done this, stood by and watched expectantly as his little beetle got to work.
Merlin couldn't believe how wrong he had been. Had it really only been hours ago that he was rooting for Edwin? Trusting his abilities and admiring his open and unreserved use of magic?
He blinked rapidly as he tried to clear his blurring eyesight. He couldn't feel the beetle anymore. In fact he couldn't really feel anything. Except the burning pain that was beginning to creep through his entire body.
His breath was coming out in quick gasps as Edwin watched him expectantly. The pain was everywhere now, predominantly in his head but spreading through his chest and his arms, reaching all the way down to his toes.
It was consuming him, just like he knew the beetle would soon be doing to his soul. Devouring it whole until there was nothing left to feast upon. Until he was an empty shell.
And then, like someone had flipped a switch inside him, the lights went out and he knew no more.
The fire's orange glow burned bright and Gaius could feel the heat rolling off it as the flames formed a ring around him.
It hadn't taken Edwin long to work out just how much Gaius knew and he had immediately thrown him against the wall, incapacitating him with a fire that had risen through the cracks of the stone. Gaius had tried to use his magic in a sloppy counterattack but he hadn't practiced in years and his poorly pronounced incantation had provided no help.
"You're not going to stop me, Gaius. Uther needs to pay for his crimes." Edwin snarled as the flames rose higher, dancing in the air around Gaius' head. "He has persecuted those with magic for too long."
As Gaius watched Edwin's rage, he knew there was very little he could say to quell it. He understood where that anger was coming from, he himself had been filled with it when Uther had first banned magic and ordered the executions. Innocent people needlessly dying simply because they were different. But the difference was Gaius had learned to push it deep inside him, to forget all that anger and accept that magic was no longer permitted.
Edwin had clearly let it grow until it was overflowing.
"My parents didn't deserve to die because of one man's fear." Edwin continued, hand still raised as he controlled the flames. "Uther is going to suffer the same way they suffered and you can either join me or join him."
What an ultimatum. Betray the man you've pledged loyalty to for decades, or die.
Seal Uther's death warrant or Merlin's.
Because if Gaius died now, he'd be taking Merlin down with him.
As Edwin stepped closer, eyes burning wilder than the fire, he was almost knocked over by the violent swing of the door opening.
"Edwin, are you-" Arthur bellowed into the room, freezing in the doorway as he took everything in. His eyes darted quickly between the two men, but one look at Gaius encircled by the fire was all it took to choose between them.
The only explanation for the unnatural inferno was sorcery and Arthur's hand went straight to the hilt of the dagger resting on his belt. Those with magic were dangerous, a threat that should always be eliminated immediately, that's what had been trained into him since birth. And though he had often wondered if his father's stance on magic was too strong, there was no denying Edwin's ill intentions.
Edwin barely had a second to register the shock of the interruption before his hands were raised towards the prince, incantation ready on his lips. But Arthur was faster.
There was no hesitation in Arthur's throw, the silver of the blade reflecting the flames as it spun through the air, the dagger hitting it's target with trained precision. He had seen men survive impossible wounds before, but there was no coming back from a dagger to the heart. Edwin dropped to the floor and the fire surrounding Gaius instantly doused itself.
Arthur didn't give the dead man a second look as he ran to Gaius and helped him to his feet.
"Are you alright?" Arthur asked worriedly, one hand remaining under Gaius elbow should he become unsteady. He knew Gaius had probably survived a lot in his lifetime, but anyone would be shaken after an encounter like that.
Gaius though, as resilient as ever, shook off Arthur's concern and carefully rounded Edwin's body in order to reach the desk. The box was exactly where he had left it and now that he knew what had caused the illnesses, he knew what he needed to do to cure it.
Everything was dark.
And cold.
And all he knew was pain.
He cured Uther first.
A king's life would always be worth more than a servants after all.
It hadn't been hard to connect the writing on the box to the incantation required to remove the beetle. The tricky part had been encouraging Arthur to wait outside whilst Gaius cured his father. The beetle would never be removed without magic and Gaius couldn't possibly do it with witnesses.
But after a few excuses about needing privacy to conduct his work and one lowly whispered spell, the dead Elanthia beetle was drawn out of Uther's ear and into Gaius' waiting palm. Once he had confirmed that Uther was no longer under the beetles clutches, he had happily let Arthur take over the bedside presence.
Merlin had been suffering the beetle's effects much longer than Uther and Gaius didn't want to risk waiting any longer.
His skin was paler than before and his breathing shallow, much like Morgana had been before Edwin had cured her. All but dead. That was how he had described both Morgana and Merlin's conditions and he was starting to regret his choice of words. Merlin really did look dead, an empty shell, devoid of life.
But not for long.
The bed creaked as Gaius sat by Merlin's head, noting with a heavy heart how the boy remained motionless as the edge of the mattress dipped with the new added weight. A quick glance over his shoulder reminded Gaius that he had shut the door behind him and he was safe to perform the spell.
One hand gripped the box tight while the other was gently cupped around Merlin's ear. Summoning his magic, like a ball of energy inside him, Gaius softly recited the words. "Bebiede þe arisan ealdu áblinnan."
Nothing happened for a moment, Gaius palm remaining worryingly empty but then, like it had wormed its way through miles of brain tissue, the small black beetle fell out of Merlin's ear. Gaius dropped it straight into the box without a second thought, slamming the lid down after it, vowing to burn the entire thing as soon as he knew Merlin was okay.
For a moment there was no change, but as Gaius studied Merlin's features he noticed the familiar furrow start to form between his eyebrows. The frown deepened as he let out a faint grown and tried to pry his eyes open, a stark contrast to how they would usually shoot open whenever he was late for work, yet it was a welcome sight all the same.
Merlin squirmed in confusion as he blearily looked around the room but as Gaius rested a hand on his shoulder he could practically feel the boy taking comfort in it.
"Hey. You're okay." Gaius spoke softly, keeping his tone delicate so as to not startle Merlin. He had witnessed the same confusion in Uther and knew it was best to slowly ease Merlin back into the land of the living. "Everything's okay."
"Edwin." Merlin gasped weakly as he tried - and failed - to push himself upright. He could barely keep his eyes open and it was far too easy for Gaius to keep him from sitting, but it was clear he needed to tell Gaius something. He was good like that, always putting others first, always making sure he did what he could to save those who were in danger no matter his own circumstances.
"He's gone Merlin. He can't hurt anyone else." Gaius reassured him and watching as Merlin seemed to relax instantly at the words. "Rest now. You'll feel better in the morning."
It took mere seconds for Merlin to fall back to sleep, his body desperate for it and Gaius took strength in the slight frown still visible on his brow, a clear sign that it was now a healing rest and no longer the opposite.
Content to leave the boy alone for a few minutes, he smoothed down the sheets from where he had been sitting and left the room. It wouldn't take long to get a fire going and then they would be rid of the horrific creatures for good.
Gaius longed for the day where magic could be used freely in Camelot, but the more there were people like Edwin, hell-bent on revenge and prepared to use their magic for evil, the more firmly Uther's hatred for magic would be rooted. The views of the many would never change and people like Merlin, like Edwin, like all those who have been persecuted for it will forever be seen as monsters.
He knew for sure that Merlin would see this as a lesson. Not one that Gaius would want to teach of course, not a lesson in why his magic should be kept secret and not to always trust those who said otherwise. But a lesson in how there was still hope. That one bad apple didn't need to tarnish the entire tree. Gaius himself had used magic to heal the King and that would be enough to show Merlin that there were people out there who were willing to use their magic for good and if he kept trying then one day he would be able to prove the same to the King, to Arthur, to the entire kingdom.
It was no doubt going to get him into even more trouble but until the next time he was putting his life at risk, Gaius would be there with the words of wisdom that would go unheard and the magical spell book that would be overused.
And tomorrow morning, over a specially made breakfast, he would tell Merlin how proud he was for all he was trying to do.