Merlin
The New Wave
France Gamble
Chapter 9
He slid into the small round table meeting just as everyone was settling down for whatever Arthur had gathered them for. He saw Merlin and nodded. The sorcerer nodded back.
"What did you find," the king turned to the lead knight.
Leon pointed to a map as he unfurled it, "A patrol came back with news that the bodies of six women were dumped around a week ago right here on our border with Nemeth."
Merlin came further into the room to look with the rest of them at the location. "Cause of death?" Gwaine asked.
Leon shook his head, "The best that the village healer could tell was that they died in childbirth. One even still had the child inside."
"So, she was taking women to get babies. Why didn't she save them from dying?" Elyan asked. Everyone shook their heads.
"Lilly almost died, too. Gaius said humans aren't made to have babies that quickly," Merlin added for them.
"She must still have some, though. They have to feed the babies," Percival added.
"Are we to assume that she is somewhere near Nemeth?" Leon asked the group.
"We have to assume that unless we find more bodies anywhere else. I will contact our allies again about this find. We know she has at least fifty women captured after she took Lilly and Merlin. Six deaths in that large of a number is really nothing," Arthur finished by rolling up the map.
They all turned to Merlin, "Where is your new growth, anyway?"
"His mother has him," now that the meeting was over, he sat down in one of the seats, "I'm here to tell you, his name. I was given permission."
"I told you to tell me a week ago!" Arthur said indignantly.
"Not permission from you," Merlin snarked back.
"He has a new master now," Elyan laughed.
"What's the name," Leon interrupted them.
"We decided to name him River," Merlin was congratulated very heartily by everyone. Gwaine even stood up to clap onto his back.
"Not a bad name," Arthur grumbled. Everyone could tell that it was a fake complaint, though.
The distraction of the current, or later, threat was enough for them all. They went back to a comfortable silence. Merlin had thought that the others would have places to be for a while, but no one moved. Their thoughts had anchored them still into their chairs.
"Could she teach them magic?" Arthur said to the silence. They weren't talking about Merlin and Lilly any longer. The conversation had come back around since no one had left.
"I have never come across a child sorcerer," Percival replied back.
"Maybe about 10 or 11 summers old," Gwaine said. "Once."
Gwaine had come across a child who could do magic? Merlin looked over at him with the same shock as everyone else. Different reason, though.
"Merlin, can you ask Gaius at what age could someone learn magic?" Arthur asked. Merlin nodded. He knew the answer, but it would be too suspicious to answer without their book's master.
"That is a very long game," Leon supplied.
"She sped the pregnancies up with magic, so maybe she was making the children grow just as fast?" Elyan asked.
"Gaius had already said that River has stopped all of the magic growth. It took a toll on him as well, too. He is healthy, but we aren't meant to grow that fast. If she is speeding things along to make them into adulthood faster, then they will have many problems. We are meant to learn at the rate we do now. They will be brainless," Merlin supplied for them. Of course, he had made sure that there wasn't any more curses on his son.
"The perfect magical slaves," Arthur sighed, "Capable of learning magic."
"Possibly," Merlin muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.
The light was now streaming in from west of the chambers. They did have places to be now. Arthur had an actual council meeting to get to, the knights had patrols and watches, and Merlin needed to get Arthur's laundry back into his wardrobe from the wash.
No one moved until Arthur stood up. "Ask him anyway," he instructed Merlin. The dark-haired man nodded.
They left the room with the men again congratulating Merlin on his son's name. His child would grow at a proper rate. Hopefully not show signs of magic until after he convinced Arthur to change the laws, and Morgana would find that magically growing slave children too difficult. He could probably get two out of three of those, and hope it meant peace for his new family.
The night progressed well, and Merlin finished his job as he set the used dishes of the queen and king into the kitchen for the scullery maids. He was pleased to find Lilly awake in the bed and sitting up when he returned to the physician's chambers.
"We had been talking about what jobs I could do once I am healed enough," Lilly supplied for him as he dipped a roll into his stew. She smiled, "Gaius tells me that you are really good now at being a healer on your own, but King Arthur keeps you busy."
"She is trying to say that I have asked Guinevere if she can be my new apprentice, but a paid position this time. Having you both trained will keep this growing city well supplied in physicians when I pass," Gaius said from his book across from Merlin.
"That's a great idea. Arthur likes to take me out on his little adventures, too. Having someone here to help Gaius would be a good job," he agreed.
"You'll let me work?" she asked almost in shock.
Merlin looked confused as the old man answered her back, "I told you he would, Lilly."
Merlin shook his head looking back and forth from them, "Why wouldn't I?"
Lilly hid her face now for a bit into the soft head of their son in her arms. She mumbled something that neither man caught.
"Lilly, my mother didn't have my father to help," Merlin supplied. He was sure he had told her this before, but she needed to hear it again. "I like you as you are. If you want to work, then I say you should work. I'm not pigheaded like the king." He smiled as he put his dishes into the wash bucket. He sat down next to her on the smaller bed, "You are my wife now. Not my slave. My partner in raising River."
She smiled as she looked up at him, "So, we can both be physicians?"
"I think you may find yourself even more the physician than I am. I mainly follow Arthur around. Also, I agree with Gaius on that it will be a great job for both of us to handle in twenty years when he is old enough to retire."
"I'm old enough now, thanks to you," Gaius muttered with a smile.
"Yes, another thing to worry about with River. Boys are difficult to raise," he smiled more when she giggled. He gently hugged her with the baby in between them. "I will get us into one of the houses close to the upper town tomorrow. Gwen said she knows a place that is empty that will fit us."
"Even once in the house, though," Gaius continued from the bench, "I want Lilly to rest for another fortnight." Merlin nodded. "Light housework to gain strength and caring for the baby. That means, Merlin, that you'll need to make sure the wood is small enough to be lifted by one hand only. That she has enough for the winter inside, too." Merlin nodded again and tried hard not to roll his eyes. He was a grown, married, man now. He also knew all of this from his own time training to help Gaius.
Lilly yawned. Merlin lifted River from her arms so she could get comfortable again. "Rest," he told her gently. "You were stressing about my reaction," he kissed the top of her head. She nodded slightly, yawned again, and fell into an easy sleep. Merlin laid the baby down in the basket they had made for him by the fire to keep warm.
Making sure that Lilly really was asleep, Gaius and Merlin sat down by the fire to discuss the knights meeting he had attended earlier that day.
"Do you think she chose women or men for their magic usefulness?" Merlin asked quietly as he added another log to their fire.
"I cannot think how she would have that information."
"I agree with Arthur, though, that she is trying to create a little sorcerer army," Gaius nodded to this. Merlin continued, "So we have about five years?"
"I can't think that she could make them grow any faster than by half. She would also need to train them during their growth. Five years is even a bit quick," Gaius sighed. "River may show signs by that time, but he would need years to be able to control it like you do. Even then, Merlin, you aren't like the others."
Merlin sighed, looked over at his wife to make sure she was still sleeping peacefully, "I know. I also know you are scolding me again for not telling her. I will, but she knows the prophecies. I have a bit of fear of what she is going to do once she knows who I am. We will be visiting her tribe in the spring. Just about six or seven more weeks. Get her into working for you and settled enough into a home. I want everything to be going well here before we leave."
"How are you going to keep your magic secret until then? You won't be up in your own room anymore," he pointed out.
Merlin sighed but didn't answer. He could never go a full six or seven weeks without doing some magic. He would be next to her a lot, but he was also next to Arthur a lot. He would figure it out. Then, once he told her, it would be easier for him to be himself again. He knew his hesitancy was due to fear again. He really did like Lilly. He never thought he would be married to anyone. Have kids? It was as if the fates threw this at him and knew that it would be the only way he could have a family.
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A/N: Sorry this is a day late. I hope to be on time for Friday's upload. We spent yesterday on the side of a highway waiting for a tow truck.