Hi guys, here is the next chapter. And thanks to all you folks who reviewed!

o}O{o

"But it's not fair," Mordred insisted, "Gaius is Camelot's physician."

Arthur gave the dummy he was facing a last hit with his sword before turning to his servant. "Well it will be Edwin's position now," he said not unkindly.

"But that's-"

"-Not fair," Arthur said with budding impatience, "yes I know." Mordred glared at him when Arthur looked back at the target. "Besides, Edwin said that Gaius' work was riddled with errors."

"What?" Mordred demanded, not hearing the strange tone in Arthur's voice.

Giving up on training, Arthur turned back to the boy. "Look, no one wants Gaius to go, but my father's made his decision. There's nothing anyone can do." He stabbed his sword into the ground and stalked off, leaving Mordred behind. The boy was left frustrated and did not go after the prince right away. His eyes followed the prince's retreating back and not wanting to risk the stocks, Mordred decided he would go see Edwin after he finished tending to Arthur.

o}O{o

Mordred was convinced that Arthur was purposely keeping him from leaving. After Arthur's dinner had been served, the prince had made Mordred clean his chambers until they were spotless (Merlin had thoughtfully helped by hiding various items under the bed), and then ordered him to clean all of the boots he had in the chambers. Uninterested in the chore, Merlin did not offer his help so Mordred was left to sit sulkily in the corner and brush Arthur's royal shoes. He only looked up when Merlin proclaimed that he knew how to play chess. Mordred had not told Merlin that they would be losing their home yet.

Arthur clearly did not believe him. "Really?" he asked while sipping at the last of his wine.

Merlin grinned at him from the bed. The prince did not seem to mind Merlin setting up his toys there. "Uh uh," Merlin said happily and left his three knights and one horse, "can we play, Arthur?" The boy wandered to the prince and smiled up at him.

Mordred smirked and watched to see what Arthur would say. Predictably, he could not say no. "Yes, why not," he chuckled and looked around the chambers.

Anticipating Arthur's next move, Mordred got up from the ground and headed to the other side of the dining area. He remembered seeing a chess board somewhere inside a short rosewood cabinet. "Get the chessboard will you, Mordred," Arthur called unnecessarily.

Free to roll his eyes since Arthur couldn't see him, Mordred did so. Merlin cheered and skipped after Mordred, hovering around him when the older boy searched through the cabinet. There were many wooden board games, all dusty since the prince never used them. But Mordred quickly found the ornate chess set and handed it to Merlin.

In his excitement, Merlin forgot his manners and did not say thank you. But Mordred didn't say anything, pleased as always to see him happy. The set rattled with all of the pieces under the surface, jostled by Merlin running with it. Both Arthur and Mordred watched him warily, expecting him to trip. But they were pleasantly surprised when Merlin made it to the table without losing his balance.

Mordred did not return to cleaning Arthur's boots. He was close to the door now and considered whether he would be able to leave without being detected. All he wanted to do was convince Edwin to turn down the position as court physician. Deciding to wait just a little more, Mordred observed Arthur and Merlin.

The prince was setting up the board while Merlin waited impatiently, bobbing up and down in his seat. He frequently beamed at Mordred until Arthur was done and it turned out that Merlin did not in fact know the rules. "The horsey," Merlin said, holding up a knight and putting it next to the king, "is the best. He can take the king all over the kingdom and fight away all the bad people." Merlin demonstrated by grabbing both of the pieces and sending various pieces flying.

Arthur was surprised when Merlin hit the pawns away, likely bemoaning his wasted time setting them all up. Mordred concealed a laugh when Merlin wacked more off the board, leaving half of Arthur's force decimated and rolling to the floor. Merlin then stopped and looked at Arthur expectantly. Not knowing what he wanted, Arthur looked at Mordred who shrugged.

"Get your king, Arthur," Merlin said. "You try!" Arthur did as ordered, though when he attempted to knock over Merlin's pieces, the child stopped him. "No! We're having a feast now," Merlin declared. "You're going to marry the queen."

Arthur did not try to fight a smile. "Oh? Who is the lucky lady then?" he laughed.

Mordred smiled as he watched Merlin create scenarios with the chess pieces, quickly boring of the wedding and having a tower kidnap the queen. Upon seeing that Arthur was busy suggesting ways to save her, Mordred took his chance to leave. He kept to the wall, slowly sidling toward the door quiet as a mouse. Arthur did not see him, even when Mordred opened the door only wide enough so he could squeeze through. The boy held his breath as he left the room and eased the door shut behind him.

Once outside, Mordred spared no time in lingering and hurried to the east wing where the guest chambers were. He ran all the way, eager to talk to Edwin after being made to wait so long. He passed servants who were leaving their masters for the night, all looking after him as he tore passed. Mordred was out of breath when he arrived and knocked on the door rapidly. There was a moment of silence before he was called to enter.

Mordred hurried in and earned Edwin's surprised gaze. "You're late," the sorcerer said, going to back to bottling some kind of mixture. With only the torchlight to see, Mordred could not see the colour.

Not knowing what else to say, he declared, "Gaius doesn't make mistakes."

"I am afraid old age is not kind, Mordred," Edwin said, his blank tone at odds with his comforting smile.

"He's a good physician," Mordred argued, "why do you have to ruin everything?"

"The king requested it," Edwin told him dismissively.

Mordred was angry with Edwin so did not give him the benefit of the doubt. "So you had nothing to do with it?" he asked scathingly.

Edwin laughed coldly, and it sent shivers down Mordred's spine. "Your anger is not meant for me."

"Isn't it?" Mordred countered, striding closer to the table where Edwin was working. The sorcerer was corking the bottle when Mordred gave a cursory sweep of the table, his eyes stopping on a familiar looking root. He would not have remembered it if were not for the incident a few weeks ago. Mordred had been helping Gaius brew potions, when the physician had called for ginger root and Mordred had brought him ice root. It was hardly his fault if Gaius kept all the different kinds of roots in the same place. He didn't know that the similar looking root could cause 'paralysis so strong it can cause a man's organs to fail if enough is used!' In his opinion, Gaius had overreacted. He had been subjected to a lecture entailing all the properties of the blasted plant.

He made his eyes pass over the root and pretended like he did not recognize it, secretly pleased with his sneaking skills tonight. "What are you doing?" Mordred asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Preparing a remedy for the king," Edwin replied, admiring the small vial.

Mordred's eyes widened and his fake interested expression fell right off his face. Before he was about to voice his realization, Mordred grasped the magnitude. Edwin intended to kill the king. The sorcerer met his eyes and the silence became hollow. We would be free. The stubborn thought would not leave once it had burrowed inside Mordred's head.

"He's a monster," Mordred whispered to himself. Having understood that Mordred knew what he was up to, Edwin slowly circled the table with the vial of poison in hand. Feeling cornered, Mordred turned to face him.

"I am merely gaining revenge for our kind, Mordred," Edwin told him. "It could be a new era."

The thought resonated with Mordred. He looked down and thought about what it could be like with the king gone. He and Merlin would no longer be in danger because of the way they were born. They could use magic freely and without fear. And all he had to do was nothing.

But it felt wrong somehow. And Arthur and Morgana would be devastated. Mordred looked up at once as a new thought struck him. "Did you plan all this?"

Edwin made no answer except to smile. Mordred did not know how he did not notice it before but when the sorcerer smiled it transformed him into something other than human. But despite the unsettling feeling making him cold, Morded did not feel it as much as his sudden fury.

"You made Morgana sick on purpose," he growled.

"What of it?" Edwin asked coldly.

"She could have died!" Mordred's shout was punctuated by all the items on Edwin's table flying to the ceiling and clattering down to the floor.

Edwin's shocked eyes surveyed the broken tools but he was not angry. "Impossible. You are a warlock…"

"And you're a monster!" Mordred seethed, unconsciously extinguishing the torches.

A hint of a smile flashed across Edwin's lips. "Help me kill Uther," he proposed, "we could be great, you and I."

"No. You hurt Morgana, I'll never forgive you for that," Mordred said quietly, glaring at the sorcerer.

Edwin turned his chin up and regarded him coldly. "A shame," he said with no regret colouring his tone. "But you see, I cannot allow you expose me."

Mordred braced himself but too late. Edwin hissed a spell and Mordred could not defend himself before he was thrown across the room. His stomach flipped as he flew through the air but within seconds he crashed brutally into the wall. Blinding pain exploded in his head and he did not feel himself dropping to the floor. He was too shocked to move and vaguely noticed that the marble floor was strangely soft under his cheek. Mordred blinked only once before darkness washed over him.

o}O{o

When the sun had started slipping below the horizon Gaius had stopped packing, not having made much progress in the first place. He wandered to the dining table and sat down to think. Tonight Edwin would be killing the king, Gaius was sure of it. But if he tried to stop the evil sorcerer, he would kill Mordred and Merlin. It was either his boys or the king and despite all that he had been through with Uther, Mordred and Merlin were like sons to him.

The physician felt conflicted. Uther's death would bring turmoil to Camelot- war, death, and sorrow. But Edwin was stronger than Gaius and if the physician attempted to stop him and failed he would lose all three of them. The fate of Camelot rested on his shoulders, a crushing weight too heavy for an old man filled with the lives of thousands. Compared to the lives of Mordred and Merlin, the boys meant to usher in a golden age with the Once and Future King. Gaius looked up from his hands. It was not he who held the fate of Camelot in his hands, it was Emrys. If Uther died, their time would come just as the dragon had said.

No, Gaius thought. Merlin was far too young and so was Mordred. Arthur too for that matter. He would not let them bare that weight so soon. The physician stood up, his bones creaking from sitting still so long. Even though Edwin was stronger than him, that did not mean Gaius could not try. He would protect them or die trying. With that thought in mind, the physician set off to Edwin's chambers at as brisk a pace he could manage.

The castle never felt so large as he made his way up staircases and through empty halls, and though he quickly lost his breath he did not change pace. It was with great relief and surge of determination when he arrived at Edwin's door. Gaius barged in, leaving the safety of a torch lit hallway and entering a darkened room with only moonlight to see. He knew it was empty at once and that meant Edwin had gone to kill the king. He was too late. "No," Gaius uttered began to turn back to the door.

As he did, he saw an out of place form at the corner of his vision. His gaze was automatically drawn and his blood leeched of warmth when it landed on the still figure of Mordred. "No!"

Gaius rushed forward and onto his knees beside the boy, his hand hovering over Mordred's head. Blood was tangled in Mordred's hair and the silver moonlight made the boy's skin look pale as ivory. "Mordred," Gaius called urgently, "Mordred." The boy stirred and groaned, causing Gaius' heart to soar. "Oh thank heaven."

Gaius laid a steady hand on Mordred's shoulder as the boy slowly woke. "Come on, child," Gaius coaxed gently.

Mordred moaned and opened his eyes but squinted them shut almost instantly. Only with Gaius's continued instruction did the boy open his eyes again. Tears trickled out of them, unable to be blocked by Mordred's downed defences. "Gaius," he whimpered.

"Hush," the old man said and slowly helped Mordred to a sitting position. He could not hold his own weight yet and clung to Gaius who supported him.

"My head," Mordred groaned, "Edwin… the king." The boy gasped and sat up straight, his eyes roaming. "He's gunna kill th' ing."

Mordred looked at Gaius and waited for him to do something, still too muddled to do anything but. The physician took the opportunity to peer into Mordred's pale eyes. He was relieved at finding Mordred's pupils of equal size but his muddled gaze did not linger anywhere for long. The next second the boy tensed and hunched his shoulders- only through practice Gaius dodged out of the way on time. He held Mordred up as the boy vomited up his dinner.

As he coughed pathetically, more tears leaking out of his eyes. Rage, stronger than Gaius had felt in a long time made his blood boil. "It's alright," the old man soothed, rubbing Mordred's back. Ready to use magic to heal his concussed ward, Gaius put his hand on Mordred's head. But before he could open his mouth, the door opened and Edwin strolled through.

He had the audacity to look content, and not even surprised when Gaius rose to his feet. Without his support, Mordred sank back to the ground despite his attempt to keep sitting.

"You will pay for this, Edwin," Gaius said coldly. Behind him, Mordred rolled onto his hands and knees so the physician took a step forward to block him from view.

"And how do you propose to stop me?" Edwin wondered loftily.

Gaius held his hand out. "Wáce wærlic!" he cried but no magic surged out of his fingers. Nothing happened and Edwin looked around mockingly.

"Hmm. I think you meant, wáce ierlic," he stated calmly.

The spell knocked Gaius off his feet and he was thrown against the wall behind him, narrowly missing Mordred. He slid down the wall, the wind knocked out of him.

Mordred cried out wordlessly, stumbling upward and standing in front of Gaius. His balance was precarious and he was unable to stay still.

"Have you forgotten everything, Gaius? You're getting too old," Edwin said disparagingly, ignoring the boy. "I have a cure though. Forbærne yfel."

A ring of fire started to creep around them, and Gaius had just enough time to drag Mordred back down before the leaping flames surged upward. The bright flames caused Mordred to cry out in pain, his eyes sensitive to the light. "Mordred!" Gaius dragged the boy behind him, doing his best to shield Mordred from the fire. Edwin looked on with a smile as smoke began to fill the chambers.

o}O{o

"How is this happening?" Arthur asked, running a hand through his hair. King Uther was still and pale, the symptoms all too similar to Morgana's. It was alien how small he looked on his grand bed.

His father's servants waited by the door, one fidgeting worriedly and the other simply standing still. The calm one snapped Arthur out of his horrified stupor. "Sire, we need Gaius," he said. Arthur could not tell the difference between the two men but he did not care at the moment.

"Yes! No, no, we need Edwin. He healed Morgana," Arthur stated and looked around for Mordred. The damned boy had disappeared from under his nose. It was only when Merlin had grown bored of their game did Arthur look for his servant. "Damn it."

He looked back at his father, swearing that the king became paler in the seconds he had looked away. "Both of you get Gaius and find my bloody servant," Arthur ordered, "I'm going to get Edwin." The prince stormed to the door, sparing another order for the small boy in the corner. "Stay here, Merlin."

Merlin watched him go with wide eyes but did as asked, leaning further into the walls as the prince passed. Arthur shed dignity and ran through the halls to where he knew Edwin's chambers to be. Panicked by the state of his father, Arthur forgot that he did not like Edwin. He did at first when the man saved Morgana but the longer he stayed in Camelot, the more Arthur second guessed his first impression. But none of those thoughts were in his head, his only goal to save his father.

Seeing the door, Arthur sped up but faltered when he caught the smell of smoke. He opened the door with a loud bang but stopped in shock- at the far wall Gaius and Mordred were surrounded by fire. Edwin stood between them, and when he looked at Arthur the prince felt his stomach clench.

"You're a sorcerer," he spat, reaching for his sword only to remember he did not have it.

A horrible smile formed on Edwin's lips. "My lord," he greeted pleasantly.

"Release them!" Arthur demanded, glancing worriedly at Gaius who was trying to protect Mordred.

"I think not," Edwin said and looked at the two axes hanging on the wall surrounding a decorative shield. Arthur watched as the weapon floated upward at Edwin's silent command.

"Swilte, Pendragon," the sorcerer chanted, making the mistake of warning Arthur. The axe soared through the air, spinning toward Arthur's head. He bent backwards and just as the axe broached the air above his head, and seized the handle. It was a feat he would brag about for years but he didn't let himself think now. The prince hurled the axe back toward Edwin and the sorcerer was too surprised to be able to dodge on time.

Edwin crumpled to the ground and the fire instantly faded. "Sire," Gaius exclaimed.

Arthur rushed toward the physician. "Gaius you have to come quick, my father- Mordred?"

The focus of Arthur's attention was wavering where he stood, under his own power but visibly injured. "Tried to stoppim," he mumbled, turning his head to look at Edwin and nearly falling in the process. Gaius grabbed his waist before he could fall and Arthur saw the wound on the back of the boy's head.

"He will be fine, Arthur," Gaius said, "how is your father?"

"M' fine," Mordred agreed and squinted at Arthur.

The prince nodded and gritted his teeth. "He's dying, you need to help him." Gaius nodded and allowed Arthur to lead the way.

"Beetles!" Mordred called as Gaius dragged him behind, "the beetles." Both men regarded him worriedly and Arthur doubled back.

"Can I carry him?" Arthur asked Gaius impatiently.

Gaius looked Mordred in the eyes for a short moment. The boy was able to stand on his own and his eyes were clearer than they had been but he would slow them down. "Yes," Gaius felt safe in answering. It was likely better like that anyway.

Arthur wasted no time and had Mordred on his broad shoulders before the boy knew what was happening. The prince felt bad but did not slow his pace when Mordred whimpered at the treatment.

"Sorry, Mordred," Arthur said distractedly as he led Gaius back to the king's chambers. His servant weighed as much as a sack of flour so it was no trouble for Arthur to conquer the steps to the upper floors. Uther's servants were nowhere to be found, still on their search for Gaius and Mordred. But the guards were there and they were shocked to see their prince carrying his servant. Arthur gently put Mordred down, and steadied him when he swayed.

"Bring him to the physician's chambers and keep an eye on him," Arthur told one of the guards.

"Yes, Sire," the beefy man said and reached his arm out to support Mordred. The boy made no protest and allowed himself to be led, giving Arthur a good view of the dried blood congealed in his hair.

"And do not let him sleep!" Gaius barked and followed Arthur into the chambers. The prince wondered if his father was still alive.

o}O{o

Arthur had left him with the scary man.

Merlin stayed in the corner just as Arthur said and felt too scared to open his eyes. The king of Camelot was sleeping in his bed and Merlin feared that if he woke up, he'd eat him. King Uther did that to sorcerers. He knew he'd be eaten or drowned or hanged or even burnt if he was caught using magic. Merlin tried to calm down, feeling his magic thrum beneath his skin.

It was hard not to cry but he managed to stay quiet, squinting his eyes together and singing a song in his head. It was the sound of wheezing that made Merlin open his eyes. He looked slowly to the king who did not move even though Merlin was staring at him.

The sound of breath fighting to receive air reminded Merlin of how Morgana was just a few days ago. Arthur was worried about his father and it didn't look like he was getting any better. The child cautiously moved forward, taking tiny steps. As he got closer, the less King Uther looked like a monster. And when Merlin managed to get beside the bed, Arthur's dad looked just like a normal person. A very sick person. Uther's head was propped up on the pillows so Merlin had to look up a few inches to look at his closed eyes.

Merlin felt the king's life slip away and worried that Arthur would be sad if Uther died. "H-hello?" Merlin ventured. His query received no answer and King Uther remained deathly still. "King Arthur's dad?" The child bit his lip, somehow knowing that the man before him did not have long.

"Everyone says you're mean," Merlin whispered and began to twist his neckerchief in his hands. "But Arthur likes you… so maybe you're not too much mean."

He bit his lip, wondering what to do- hearing the warnings of Gaius and Mordred in his head. But when he felt the indescribable warmth inside the king grow cooler, the young warlock made his decision. He knew what death was and he knew he couldn't let Arthur lose his father like Merlin lost his mother. "Don't tell Gaius," Merlin whispered and held his small hands over the king.

Knowing what he wanted to do but not knowing how, Merlin just called upon his magic. He closed his eyes and felt it go to King Uther. There was something in the king that should not have been there, and it felt dark to him. The comfort Merlin associated with his magic left his body and wrapped around the king. Merlin furrowed his brow when he realized it wasn't working so he pushed his magic away harder. He felt a resistance, a sort of sensation in his head but tried harder anyway. "Come on," he told his magic. Then it listened and Merlin felt the darkness leave the king.

Feeling triumphant, Merlin opened his eyes and stepped back, nearly falling over. He didn't feel quite right, like his mind was in a fog and his arms and legs were hollow. So Merlin stayed there blinking, idly trying to make sense of the airy feeling in his head. When the chamber doors opened, Merlin did not know how much time had passed but found he didn't care. Without really realizing it, Merlin turned to look at whoever entered.

Gaius was looking at him with a wary expression and the prince did not even take notice. Arthur hurried beside Merlin to lean over his father while Gaius grabbed his youngest ward.

"Father?" Arthur called.

Taking a glance at Merlin and finding the boy just staring at Uther as he leaned against him, Gaius scrutinized the king. Arthur gave him room while he checked the king's pulse and peered under his eyes. Merlin wanted to go home- he didn't feel good. The young warlock looked up at Gaius to find he was being scrutinized by the physician.

"Your father is fine, Arthur. Only sleeping," Gaius looked up and said.

The prince was stunned. "But he was ill," he insisted.

Merlin wondered why no one appeared to be happy. "M'tired," he mumbled to Gaius.

Gaius fingers balled into fists. "The enchantment must have lifted when you killed Edwin, Sire," he explained. "Now I am certain he will be better in the morning, so I will check on him then."

"You're leaving?" Arthur asked incredulously.

"It has been a long day and I assure you the king will be fine," Gaius said and bent to lift Merlin into his arms, allowing the boy to get off his feet. The physician was pleasantly warm and Merlin gratefully curled up the best he could. "You saved him, Arthur." The prince just watched them leave with a shocked look on his face.

The rocking motion of Gaius walking made Merlin want to sleep but as he was closing his eyes Gaius asked him, "What have you done, Merlin?"

"I helped him," Merlin slurred and then groaned when his stomach started churning. "Don't feel good," he complained. He heard Gaius say something but the sudden rushing noise in his head prevented him from hearing. Feeling disoriented, Merlin clung to Gaius with the feeble strength he possessed. He finally lost consciousness after it felt all of his warmth slipped away from him.

o}O{o

Uh oh, Merlin's gone and KO-ed himself. Don't worry he will be okay, not that that's a spoiler or anything.

Thanks for reading, and please leave a review if you'd be so kind :)