Gaius came to Arthur as the sun was sinking below the horizon. The king was in his solar, seated in a high-backed chair, watching the gathering dark with his back towards the doors. He did not look around as the physician entered.
Gaius sank to one knee, stiffly, as the doors were closed behind him. He barely noticed the dull aching in his joints.
How many kings has it been now? Gaius thought. Each time I bend the knee it gets harder. But refusing to bend was always the hardest thing of all.
"Rise," said the king, without moving, and Gaius did so, making some laboured grunting noises, which Arthur had the good grace to ignore.
"Well?" the king said eventually.
"It is done, sire. I have disposed of Agravaine's personal effects myself."
"And? What did you make of them?"
"I'm afraid I have little fresh insight to add. It is as you said. The records show he was diverting funds to Morgana for months. No doubt that is how she amassed such a large mercenary force so quickly. More pernicious was his diplomatic sway. He brought many lords to Camelot's side, yet he undermined you subtly as he did so. When he broke faith with you, he intended to take many with him."
"And have you read the letters?"
Gaius was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Yes, sire."
"And your counsel?"
"Burn them and never speak of them again."
Arthur steepled his fingers. "Why should I do that? Is my grip on the throne so unsure?"
Gaius heaved a sigh. "Sire. You must marry and beget sons quickly. You are the last trueborn male in the line of the old king. But should you die without an heir…
"Agravaine's letters have the power to harm you. He claims Morgana is your kin, and that he has written evidence from his sisters to that effect. Even if his story were true, Morgana is a woman and illegitimate, and her own alleged father disavowed her in life. But if you were gone, and a lord from Agravaine's faction were to vouch for her Pendragon blood, she could use these documents to rally support. It gives her a motive to harm you. Destroy every parchment, and end this malicious rumour before it spreads."
"Is it just a rumour, Gaius?"
"I will not dignify the witch's lies by even considering them, sire. Your father was my king, and I trusted him with my life."
"Indeed," said Arthur. "Tell me, did you examine Agravaine's body?"
"I did."
"And?"
"Once again, I have no new insight to add. The body was… decomposed by the time I had the chance to see it. In that state it is difficult to determine anything."
"Knights are not physicians, Gaius, but we have seen our share of death. Sir Leon found my uncle's body, and I found his description of the circumstances most… intriguing. Outside the cave in Ealdor were piles of Southron corpses, scorched by dragonfire. But my uncle escaped that fate. He and a small party of Southrons made it inside the caves to pursue us. And when Sir Leon discovered their dead bodies, there was not a single mark upon them. No cuts. No burns. No footprints or blood surrounding them. Yet their bodies were flung about everywhere, as if by a great storm, and they were cold as stones. It was as if the life had simply been wrung out of them."
Gaius cleared his throat slightly. "There are means of killing people that leave no trace. A skilled strangler or assassin-"
"Leon knows what strangulation looks like, Gaius. And there were no broken bones. I fail to see how they could have all been poisoned - by what? A ghost? Do you have any other suggestions?"
"As I said, sire, the body was decomposed-"
"Well then. I suppose it remains a mystery. There was no one else with us in those caverns. No one else who can tell us anything. Except my manservant, who went back to distract our pursuers…" Arthur trailed off. "In any case, I have no uncle now, nor parents. I am alone in the world, Gaius. If Morgana claims to be my sister-"
"Sire!" Gaius interrupted. "Don't even think of lending credence to these claims. Morgana is a witch and an enemy of your kingdom. That is all you need to know of her. Don't jeopardise your rule by reaching out to her out of some sense of familial loyalty, or some misplaced loneliness. She is not the girl you once knew."
Arthur was silent for a while. Then he said, "Very well, Gaius. I thank you for your counsel. You, at least, I can rely on. If there's nothing else to report, you may take your leave."
"Actually, sire, there is one more thing. I found an… object concealed among Agravaine's possessions. It is a prayer book that once belonged to your mother. I believe it to be a gift to her from your grandfather."
Arthur sat bolt upright, then rose and walked around the chair. "What was he doing with it? Mining her words for some other secrets? Looking for more ways to weaken me?"
"It would seem not, sire. The book is from your mother's youth. It contains nothing more than some words of scripture, and bound to it are pages detailing your mother's musings on religion. I believe Agravaine kept it for sentimental value. I thought you should have it."
Arthur came toward Gaius hesitantly, like a child being offered a gift that might be snatched away by a capricious parent. In the physician's hands was an expensive tome and some parchments, wrapped in fine silk. The silk was all embroidered with white turtle-doves, which were the sigil of Ygraine Dubois.
Arthur took the book and examined it. It was bound with a silk ribbon, on which was inscribed some text he could not decipher.
"What does this mean?" Arthur asked. "Sicut scriptum est in lege Domini: Quia omne masculinum adaperiens vulvam, Sanctum Domino vocabitur."
Gaius cleared his throat. "'As it is written in the law of the Lord, every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord.' It is a reference to a practice among the ancient Avramites, in which the firstborn son inherited the covenant and the holy duty of his father. In this context it refers to Our Lady, as well as her cousin, Elizabeth, who was barren for many years, and whose husband's priestly line would end with no child.
"That line is in your mother's writing. She must have intended for her eldest son to have this book, since he would one day inherit the headship of the family line. But in the end, of course, she did not have the chance to meet you… "
Arthur's face twitched. He took the bag from Gaius and turned away. "Thank you, Gaius. That will be all."
The physician bowed deeply. "God keep you, sire," he said, before retreating from the room.
It was very late when Merlin entered Gaius' chambers, exhausted and begrimed, but wearing finer garments than he usually did.
"So," Gaius said, looking up from the side of his bed, which he had given over to a patient. "You must be proud of yourself, Merlin. The king of Camelot is restored to his throne by a mere serving boy. And the talk of the palace is that he will wed a blacksmith's daughter. The world is turned upside down, and we are all saved again, thanks to you."
"I wish the world would leave me alone for a bit," said Merlin, wincing, as he came to stand by the fire. "Why is that boy in here?"
Gaius turned to look at Merlin. "Sir Leon brought him to me. He was found when our knights went back to Ealdor to search for survivors. It was too dangerous for him to be in the infirmary with the other patients."
Merlin spun around. "Why? Is Morgana after him?"
"Our people are after him, Merlin. The boy is a Southron. The king wants to extract information on Agravaine's movements from him."
Merlin didn't say anything for a while. Then: "What's wrong with him?"
"He refuses to eat. I have managed to give him water, with difficulty. There is no physical symptom I can find. Sir Leon found this lad… under a pile of burning corpses. He was trapped beneath a mound of his dead brethren for three days. I have seen grown men, strong men, develop strange injuries in war. It seems to affect certain people's minds, even when their bodies remain undamaged. I remember the terror people felt when Kilgharrah attacked Camelot, and we were protected by stone walls. When you called the great dragon to the open forest, it was slaughter… "
"If I hadn't done so, Arthur and I would be dead!" Merlin said defensively.
"I'm not blaming you, Merlin. This young man chose to serve under Helios and Morgana. It is only because of your actions that Camelot is safe from them."
"And because of me that this boy is starving himself."
Gaius shrugged. "Guilt is a burden we all have to bear. It is the problem that comes with seeing one's enemies as human. Fortunately for our security, kings rarely suffer from that affliction."
"He can sleep in my room," Merlin offered.
"That's kind of you, Merlin, but I think it's best he remain here where I can observe him. You need rest, after all you've been through, and it will do my old bones some good to lie on a hard pallet on the ground. I am sure I will need your help to treat him in other ways. But you will be no good to me, half dead as you are. Go and get some rest."
Gaius took a flask and leaned over the Southron lad, forcing his jaw open, and letting a few drops trickle between his lips. The boy, who looked a few years younger than Merlin, swallowed, but his gaze remained blank. His large hazel eyes stared fixedly into the ceiling, as if looking out for the shadow of vast wings, and the blaze of fire from heaven.