Author's Note: Here's the next chapter. I'm planning to have this chapter finish out the Poison Chalice episode. Then the next chapter will have the knights (most of them) coming in, so that'll be fun. I hope you read, review, and enjoy!

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Gaius considered himself successful. He had not only convinced Uther to let Bayard and his people go, but he had also convinced Uther that Nimueh was behind many of the recent attacks. At first, he had been adamant against it, saying that, "she would never dare to come into this kingdom ever again" and, "she's not powerful enough to do all of those things". At that last statement, Gaius had been hard pressed to not tell Uther right then and there about the Resistance. The only thing that stopped him was what Merlin would have said. The boy worshiped his father and step-mother, fully believing in their ideals and somehow making himself believe that their agenda wouldn't interrupt his destiny.

In the end, however, Gaius hadn't told his king and Uther had come around to the idea of Nimueh being the perpetrator of the recent magical crimes. After that, he was promptly kicked out of the king's chambers. He immediately went back to his chambers, needing to check on Merlin again. He knew in his mind that he was mother hen-ing him and that there was really nothing he could do. All he could do was wait for Arthur to return from his quest, hopefully victorious.

Speaking of Arthur, Gaius could see the lad standing a bit into his chambers. He too heard the tail end of Morgana and Gwen's whispered conversation and his blood ran cold. Merlin had told the old physician that the two girls had some sort of secret, but he didn't expect it to involve treason! This was the king's own daughter and her handmaiden!

The old man made to move forward, but was stopped by a hand pulling one of his flowing sleeves back. Gaius listened and only heard silence from his rooms, so he turned around and saw that it was young Mordred who had latched onto his sleeve. Gaius bent down, ignoring his protesting knees, "Hello Mordred. Is there anything I can do for you right now? Are you hurt?"

Mordred, in that strange way of his, only shook his head and then started to speak, "You'll make sure that Emrys is alright, won't you? You'll find a way to cure him?"

Gaius paled dramatically and felt as if he was falling down. He steadied himself and looked at Mordred with fear, "How do you know that name? Nevermind, I will find that out later. For now, just don't say that unless it's only Merlin and myself around, alright? And I will do my best to save him, Mordred. I found the cure, but now Arthur has to go out and get it."

The young boy got a strange look in his eye and tilted his head to the side. For the first time, Gaius understood why Merlin thought the boy was creepy. Then he spoke, "What is the cure and where will Arthur be going to get it?"

For a moment, the physician considered not telling him, but thought better of it. Vivienne and Uther were fiercely protective of their youngest child and if he told them that Gaius had denied him information, heads would roll. So, he sighed and said to Mordred, "The cure is the leaf of the Morteaus flower and you can only get it from the Forests of Balor." Mordred simply nodded and swirled away, a look of intense concentration darkening his small features.

Before Gaius could contemplate that further, he heard someone yell from his room. He stood back up as quickly as he could, once again ignoring his knees. He hobbled to his chambers and asked loudly, "What is going on here?!"

Arthur, Gwen, and Morgana looked at each other guiltily before Arthur remembered that he was supposed to be mad at them. Something possessed the prince to talk about the problem in front of Gaius, where he normally wouldn't have. Arthur practically shouted, "They're plotting something! Merlin is involved too!" Ah, that explained why Arthur included him in the conversation. He believed that Gaius would be just as betrayed as Arthur when he found out.

Gaius quickly shut and latched the door before walking over to the group and getting them to all sit in chairs facing each other. He sighed wearily and said, "Arthur, you don't even know what the Diamond of the Day is. It could be anything, really."

Arthur shook his head, already prepared for this, "They said that Merlin would agree with their case especially after what Uther had just made Merlin do. And the way she said Uther!"

Gwen, momentarily forgetting her station to protect her mistress, cried out, "Of course she said the King's name that way! He's the reason that she's here and not with her father back at her home!"

The prince stared incredulously at the princess, "You're still bitter about that?"

Morgana sneered at him, "You're still bitter about Mordred and it's been over nine years since that happened. You still don't like my mother."

The old physician raised a hand for silence, sensing how easily this conversation could lose control. He looked Morgana deep in the eyes, willing them to convey his message. He said, "I'm sure that Morgana could tell you what the Diamond of the Day is and why Merlin would want to join."

She nodded slightly, understanding that Gaius wanted her to lie to get them out of this mess. The princess took a deep breath and looked Arthur straight in the eye, "Arthur, Diamond of the Day is not what you think it is. It's not some treasonous plot to overthrow the king or place me on the throne. It's a servant's rights group. Gwen has informed me of the way that some masters treat their servants and we decided to do something about it. So, we gathered some people together and meet in secret, discussing ways that we can protest the way servants are treated. Even you would have to agree that Uther was horrible to Merlin, making him drink that poison! And we thought that Merlin ought to know about it when he wakes up because you treat him so horribly. There, are you happy now?" She raised her chin, proud of her lies, but hating that she had to tell them in the first place.

Arthur sighed and put his face in his hands. He sighed again, deeper this time, before saying, "I am… sorry that I acted so rashly, but you must understand what that sounded like for me. You should have told me of this earlier. I would have supported you. I can support you now, join your cause maybe?"

Morgana's eyes opened in panic and she looked to Gwen for a way out. Gwen was looking back at her with the same wide-eyed panic. Gaius sighed inwardly and spoke up, "Perhaps that is not the best idea, sire. I'm sure that a number of the people who help them were once your servants. I know that you have changed recently and that you don't treat most servants like that, although you do certainly have your fun with your Shadow."

The prince winced and nodded his acceptance. At the reminder of Merlin, however, he looked back at the fitfully sleeping warlock and his eyes widened. He stood abruptly and cried out, "I've wasted so much time! I have to go now, or I'll never make it!"

Merlin's closest friend and greatest tormentor stopped just short of the doorway, turning slightly to show the rest what had stopped him. Gaius frowned when he saw Mordred standing there, his head tilted again in that strange manner of his. He smiled at Arthur and passed a flower off to him. Then he went and plopped down next to Merlin's bed, staring intently at him as if that would make him wake up and talk to him. Gaius was going to have to get the two of them together at some point to talk over what each person knew about the destiny.

Arthur stared at the flower in his hand in confusion, looking between it and the door, not sure which to address. Eventually, Mordred spoke up, "I got you the flower that you need to heal… Merlin." He looked up at Arthur with such adoration that Gaius couldn't help but feel proud of the youngest royal. He had received nothing but disdain from his elder siblings, but he still maintained his innocent love of them.

Gaius watched at Arthur's shoulders sagged and the old man realized just how much the prince had weighing on his shoulders. Then Arthur straightened and kneeled down next to Mordred, talking to him, saying thank you, and gently telling Mordred that it wasn't right. Gaius wasn't really listening. He was peering intently at the flower, noticing the way the leaves were formed and the unique color of its pollen.

He cut Arthur off in the middle of a word, but didn't care, "Prince Mordred! You are amazing! That is a real Morteaus flower. How did you ever find it?"

Mordred shrugged slightly, a secret smile tugging at the ends of his lips. Gaius watched him suspiciously for a few more seconds before deciding that Merlin would help him figure it out later when the three of them had a chat. The physician grabbed the flower out of Arthur's limp hand and started crushing it into the cure.

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Merlin came to with a raging headache and a dry mouth. He tried to lick his chapped lips, but only managed to peel off some dead skin. He grimaced and sat up with a barely repressed groan. The world spun and reeled and he covered his eyes, lying back down again. Before he could fall back into a nice, deep slumber, a voice called out, "Merlin!"

The young warlock frowned; that was Mordred. Why would Mordred be in his room? He had always figured that the youngest prince would someday come and talk to him about destiny (he still couldn't figure out why he never told Kilgharrah about Mordred, but he had a strong feeling that he shouldn't). Merlin opened his eyes again and blinked them blearily. Mordred's cherubic face swam into view before subsiding to be replaced by a worried Gaius. Soon after Morgana and Gwen's faces appeared above him. There was no sight of Arthur anywhere. That saddened him slightly, but he ignored it.

Finally, Gaius' words broke through the haze covering his mind and his head started to clear. He attempted to sit up again, being guided this time by several pairs of hands, and managed a sitting position without feeling like he was going to fall apart. Merlin swallowed thickly and asked piteously, "Water… please?"

Gwen put her hand to her mouth as if she should have known that he would have needed water and she poured some in a cup before helping him drink it. He was ashamed to admit that he wouldn't have been able to hold it on his own. The young warlock smiled his gratitude at her and asked, his voice still rough, "Arthur… alright? Everyone… alright?"

Gaius smiled at him reassuringly and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Yes, because of you, yes, they are." That was all he got before plunging back into the painless darkness.

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The drunkard leaned back in his stall, nursing his mug like it was his small child. The bar was pretty quiet, being rather early in the morning. There was only himself, the innkeeper, and his wife It had taken him a long time to get to Camelot, traveling through towns and towns, ever eastward before crossing the border and continuing on to the middle of the kingdom, where it was said that the Rising Sun Inn had the best ale in the five kingdoms. Drinking it now, he was forced to agree. He swept his eyes over the bar again before hearing a commotion at the door.

A young man, tall, thin, with a mop of raven black hair sprawled above cerulean blue orbs tripped into the bar. And he literally meant tripped. The wife reached out and steadied him as if that was the normal thing to do when he came into someone's home. Tom, the innkeeper, called out to him, "Merlin, ma boy! Whatcha doin' out 'n about already? Ya should still be 'n bed, ya should!"

The boy, Merlin, smiled weakly at the bartender and called back, "I have some medicine for Mr. Hazel, if he's awake." The drunkard noticed the slightly hoarse quality of the young man's voice and realized that he must have been sick recently. That would account for his unnaturally white pallor and the bags under his eyes. The poor boy looked as if he had died and come back!

Tom's wife, Martha, smiled amiably at him and said, "Tom here'll go an' get him for ya, sweetie. Is there anyt'ing we can get ya while you're here, pumpkin?"

He shook his head and smiled. The drunkard could tell that Martha wasn't pleased with the answer and he assumed that normally the Merlin kid was peppier than that. Tom was already going up the stairs to the higher levels of the inn and Martha was called away from the front by a disgruntled customer out back. The drunkard figured that this was his time to get to know the recently sick lad better. Something about him intrigued the stranger and he just had to know. So he called out, "Merlin! Merlin, right? Why don't you come wait over here for Tom to get back? You look as if you're about to fall over any minute!"

There was a brief moment where the boy looked at him with such suspicion and weary fear that it actually scared him, but then it was gone and Merlin was loping towards his table. Merlin tripped/fell into the chair opposite him and gave him a huge, goofy grin. He just couldn't help but grin back. Merlin asked happily, "Well, you know my name, how 'bout yours?"

The stranger smiled back at him and tossed his long, brown hair. He smiled again and said, "Hello, mate. The name's Gwaine."