A/N: Hey, sorry it's been a little too long since the last chapter, I really am sorry. Just a warning, this one is all in third person. I know this is usually all first person, but there is a reason for it, and you guys will understand when you read it. Enjoy!
Arthur had been watching as Isabella slept. Although she claimed that she was just exhausted, he knew that the wine had gotten to her head a little. Every time they had drunk some wine, he had noticed the change in her behaviour. He noticed the way that she giggled more, the way that she seemed to always end up closer to him. It made him think that there was hope, hope that maybe one day she would see him as more than just her good friend, even if they had kissed a few times already.
He turned his attention back to the papers on his desk, and found that his own eyes were struggling to focus. Every time he looked at the words, it all began to blur into one. He just tried to shake it off, knowing that he had work that needed to be done, and he had a better chance of doing it while Isabella was sleeping.
Only it seemed that he was not to get any work done, as his eyes started to grow extremely heavy and began to close. Before he even realised it, he was resting his head in his arms, which were now comfortably on the desk. He was out like a light in a matter of seconds.
It was a few hours later when Merlin came knocking on the door, bringing the Prince and Princess their evening meal. He had left them both in peace, since he had his own chores to be getting on with, and since Isabella was sleeping. After not hearing a reply, the young boy opened the door and stepped inside.
He was surprised to find that Isabella was still curled up on her bed, sound asleep. But what surprised him the most was that Prince Arthur seemed to have fallen asleep at his desk, while trying to get some of his own work done. "Arthur? Arthur, time for dinner." Merlin called, bringing in the silver tray and placing it down loudly on the table.
He had expected that to disturb Arthur at least, but the Prince didn't even flinch at the sound. A frown formed on his face as he walked over to the bed and decided to wake Isabella up first. He knew she would enjoy waking Arthur up if she was given the chance. "Isabella, time to wake up now." He called, standing to the side of the bed. But there was no response, not even a groan. "Isabella?" He asked, now sounding a little more concerned than before. Merlin reached out and gently shook her, hoping it would rouse her from her slumber. But it didn't.
The panic was starting to rise inside of him now. The Princess wouldn't wake up, and neither would the Prince. He called at both of them a few more times, shaking Arthur and even throwing water over him, but nothing worked.
The guard who was standing outside heard Merlin calling the names and opened the door. "Is everything all right in here?" He asked, a curious look on his face.
"You need to fetch Gaius." Merlin replied in a hurry. "Something's wrong, neither of them will wake up."
The guard disappeared out of the door, informing the other man who had been standing with him to fetch for the court physician, before returning to the room. "Let me try." He said, walking over to where Prince Arthur was slumped over his desk still. "Prince Arthur? Prince Arthur, you must wake up now." He said, gently shaking the man's shoulder. But as with when Merlin tried, nothing happened.
"Princess Isabella won't wake either. I've tried, but something's wrong." Merlin really didn't know what to do. "Has anyone else been in here? Have you seen anyone else come in or leave this room?" He feared that someone had possibly been in there, another spy of Lord Donald's.
The guard shook his head. "No one has come or gone since you left and just returned. No one has even passed by this way." The man told him, wandering over to where Isabella was lying on the bed.
"Are you sure?" It wasn't that Merlin didn't believe him, he just wanted to be certain that no one had been there.
The man nodded his head, before turning his attention to the woman lying on the bed. "Princess Isabella, it is time for you to eat." He said, not knowing whether he should try to shake her awake or not. "My Lady, you must wake up and eat something, or you shall become ill again." He told her, gently placing a hand on her arm and shaking her only a little.
But as with what happened when he tried to wake Arthur, he received no response at all. "See, neither of them will wake up. Something's wrong, it has to be."
Both of them continued to try and wake them, Merlin now with Isabella while the guard tried to get Arthur to wake. It wasn't that he didn't trust the guard, even though he didn't because he didn't know him, he knew that Isabella would likely panic if she did wake up and saw someone that she didn't recognise.
They were still trying to wake them both when Gaius came rushing into the room, his medical bag hanging from his shoulder. "Merlin, what's happened?" The old man asked, looking at the young dark haired boy.
"Gaius, they won't wake up. I've called at them, shaken them, I even threw water over Arthur, but they just won't wake up." He told him, the desperation coming through in his voice. He was beyond worried for both of them.
Because of her recent illness, Gaius decided to check over Isabella first. He sat down on the edge of the bed, and used his thumb to lift her eyelids. Her pupils were large, larger than they should have been and not reducing size in the light. A frown formed on his face as he placed his ear close to her chest, listening to her heart beating. "How long has she been sleeping for?" The old man asked, feeling her forehead.
"Uh, a few hours. They came back from lunch and she went straight to sleep." Merlin informed him. "What's wrong with her, Gaius?"
"I do not yet know, Merlin." He replied, before going and checking Arthur. He found that the Prince also had blown pupils, and a much slower heart beat, even for someone who was sleeping. "And what about Arthur? Do you know when he fell asleep?"
Merlin shook his head at the old man. "He was awake when I left, he was going to go through some paperwork while Isabella slept. I didn't think he was tired, he wouldn't normally just fall asleep at his desk." That was something that bothered him. It looked like the Prince had fallen sleeping while he was working, and that didn't seem natural at all.
"Get Arthur on the bed." Gaius said, causing the guard that was still in the room to assist them both in moving the Prince over to his bed. The old man knew something wasn't right, but he wasn't entirely sure of what it was.
"Gaius, what's wrong with them?" Merlin asked once more. He needed to know that they were both going to be okay, that he was just panicking for nothing, that they were both going to wake up and be fine.
With the Prince now lying down on his bed, Gaius listened to his heart once more, hoping that there had been a change. There hadn't. "This sleep that they are in isn't natural." The physician announced, before he turned to face the guard. "I suggest you inform the King and bring him here immediately." The guard nodded at him before rushing out of the room.
Once they were alone, Merlin asked the burning question. "Is it magic?"
"I cannot be certain, Merlin. I will need to do some research, but this is no natural sleep." There was a grim look on his face, and although he wasn't admitting to it being magic, he did fear that it was. "Even while sleeping, the blacks of someone's eyes respond to light. Naturally, the blacks of the eyes would be small when sleeping, but both of theirs are large." Gaius explained to him.
"What does that mean?" It was easy to see that Merlin really didn't understand any of it. He didn't have very much medical knowledge, no matter how much Gaius tried to push some upon him.
"It means that by looking at their eyes, I can see that this is not a natural sleep." He really didn't have any idea of what could have caused it. There were certain plants that could send someone to sleep, the man himself had created plenty of sleeping draughts in his time, but none that had caused such a reaction to the eyes. "I really must look into this further before coming to a conclusion, Merlin."
Gaius continued to examine the Prince, before going and checking Isabella over once more. It really didn't seem right, and although he didn't want it to be magic, he had a terrible feeling that it was. Nothing about their so-called sleep seemed right to him. Their pupils were large, when they should have been small, their heart beats were slow, much slower than they should have been for someone who was sleeping. He was racking his brain trying to work out what could have caused the current condition the Prince and Princess was in.
He was still checking on Isabella when King Uther charged into the room, his face showing pure concern. "Gaius, what has happened?" He asked, looking over at his son and then to Isabella.
"We have been unable to wake both Arthur and Princess Isabella, Sire." Gaius told him calmly. "Their state does not seem natural and I am afraid it will take some time for me to diagnose their condition." He didn't want to scare him, he didn't want him to jump to the conclusion that it was magic, or that Isabella's uncle was behind it.
"But you must have some idea of what has caused this." The King asked, going and taking a look at his son for himself.
Gaius had anticipated Uther asking him something like that. "There are several reason that I can think of, most of them pointing towards some form of potion, similar to a sleeping draught." He was not going to mention any of the reasons that involved magic.
After checking his son over, and not being able to wake him for himself, he went to Isabella. "And it has affected both of them?" He wondered, looking at Isabella and noticing that she was starting to look rather pale.
"Indeed, Sire." Gaius told him, watching as the King gently scooped Isabella up in his arms. She had been curled up on the middle of the bed, and he was not satisfied that she should be left like that. Instead, he held her while Merlin pulled the covers down, allowing him to carefully place her in her bed.
He pulled the covers up over her and tried to make her more comfortable. "How long will it take to discover the reason for their sudden illness?" Uther asked, brushing Isabella's hair away from her face. He really did not like the way she was looking, she looked sick, pale and thin.
"I cannot say, Sire. I will first need to identify what it could have been that may have contained any form of potion." If it was a potion of some kind that had caused their unnatural sleep. "It must have been something that they both had. A food or a drink, possibly. If it were in the water, then it could only have been done at the water supply."
Uther's gazed turned to Merlin. "You served them both this morning. What did you give them?" He asked, and not very politely either. It was plain to see that he was distressed, he was looking at his son and the Princess that was under his care both lying there with an unknown illness.
"Uh… Arthur had his normal breakfast, bread and meat, and Isabella had an apple, and some oats." Merlin said, knowing that Isabella always had her apple before trying to eat something more. She had gotten better with her eating, but she still wasn't managing an apple and a full bowl of oats. "They both had water that I collected myself, and I cooked the food myself this morning as well. Arthur wanted breakfast earlier this morning, and the cook wasn't in the kitchen." He explained, knowing that there was no way that he could have poisoned them, because he knew that was what Uther was thinking.
"And none of it ever left your sight?" Gaius asked him, just wanting to be sure that no one could have slipped anything into their breakfast.
Merlin shook his head at him. "No. I cooked it, and brought it all straight here. I swear to you, there was no way that anyone could have put something in their food this morning."
The old man nodded at him, trusting him completely. He knew that Merlin was being more cautious due to the fact that there were more spies in Camelot, spies that were after Isabella. "Then it cannot have been caused by what they ate this morning." He said, still trying to work it all out.
That was when something that Arthur had said to him suddenly hit him. "Wait, the wine…" He said, thinking back to what the Prince had told him after their picnic lunch. "Arthur said that it tasted a lot stronger, and a little strange. He told me that Isabella started acting more strange than normal, and that was after just a few sips of it. When they came back from lunch and Isabella decided to get some sleep, Arthur told me that he didn't want that wine again, that it made Isabella act odd and made his head spin after just one goblet of it."
"And where did you get this wine from?" Uther asked him, knowing that his son could drink plenty before feeling the affects of the alcohol.
"The tavern. They didn't have the normal one that Arthur has, he told me that they had a new one come in, one that was fit for a King, or a Prince." Things seemed to be falling into place now, at least in Merlin's head they did. "I didn't think anything of it, I just thought that he was trying to keep himself out of trouble for not having the wine Arthur wanted."
It seemed like Gaius was coming to the same conclusion now as well. "Do you still have this wine, Merlin?" The old man asking, hoping with everything that he had that there was some left so that he could run some tests and find out what they had both been given. It was definitely sounded suspicious to him now.
Merlin nodded at him and grabbed the glass bottle that wasn't even half way down yet. "They didn't even bother to drink that much of it. I was going to return what was left later, like Arthur told me to, and tell him that the Prince didn't like it and didn't want it again."
Gaius nodded at him as he took the bottle. "I will need to run some tests, Sire. It is the only way I can find out what they are suffering from and to find an antidote." He also knew that he had to work quickly. He had no idea how long it was going to be before either of them became worse, although he hoped that they wouldn't.
"Of course, Gaius." Uther said to him, before turning to look at Merlin. "You will help him. I will stay and watch over Arthur and Isabella." All Merlin could do was nod at him, before bowing out of the room with Gaius.
"Do you think they've been poisoned, Gaius?" He asked, as they walked the stone corridors in a rush to get back to the physician's chamber.
The grim expression on his face said it all. "I do not wish to say, but I think it is highly possible. It all seems a little too convenient that the wine Arthur would usually have was not available and they just so happened to have something new and better there." Gaius replied, holding the bottle carefully, not wanting to drop it and break it. It was all they had, and he needed as much of it as possible to complete his tests.
They made it the rest of the way in silence. Merlin was upset with himself for give them that wine, telling himself that he should have taken one that the Prince had had before, not something that no one had tried before. He had been tricked, he just knew that he had.
But Gaius was more concerned with finding out what was in that wine, and he started his tests straight away, while he got Merlin to research through some books. He was looking through the herbs that could induce sleep, and anything else that might be related to the condition Arthur and Isabella were in.
"There are loads of different herbs in here, how are we going to work out which one it is?" Merlin asked, turning the page of yet another book. There were four books in front of him, all on pages that had some herb or plant that could be used to make a sleeping draught.
"Do you actually want to know, or are you just making conversation?" Gaius replied, knowing that Merlin very rarely took an interest in his work and was probably only saying it because he was getting frustrated.
Merlin looked up at the man, who was looking at him with an eyebrow raised. "Uh, I'll keep looking." He said, before going back to his book, while Gaius went back to his own work.
While they worked diligently to uncover what had happened, Uther was sitting in Arthur's chamber, now sitting by his son's side after checking on Isabella. Neither of them seemed to be getting any better, they still refused to wake up and all he could do was hope that Gaius found something.
Suddenly, the quiet that was in the room was broken when Morgana burst in, a guard having been sent to fetch her. "What's happened? What's going on?" She asked, having only been told that the King requested to see her in Prince Arthur's chamber.
"I am afraid that Arthur and Isabella appear to have been poisoned." Uther told her, as she walked over to Isabella in her bed. "Gaius is currently trying to find a remedy."
Morgana at herself on the edge of the bed and looked at the woman who had become a good friend to her. "They were poisoned?"
"It is believed that the wine they had contained something that as caused them to sleep. No one has been able to wake them up." Uther explained, watching as Morgana fussed around Isabella, pulling the covers over her more and lightly running her fingers through the woman's hair. "We must watch over them until he has found a cure."
Gwen had accompanied Morgana, at the woman's insistence. She was shocked to see both Arthur and Isabella lying there, when only hours before she had seen them both heading back inside. Isabella had been hanging onto Arthur's arm, smiling away and resting her head against him slightly. Arthur had been smiling as well, but his was much bigger, and he had been holding his head up high.
"I saw them both earlier, when they were having the picnic that Arthur had set up. They were both fine then, Isabella was smiling and laughing." Morgana said, remembering making a comment to Gwen about how happy they both seemed together, even with the threat on Isabella's life. "How did someone poison the wine? With the way Arthur is being so protective over Isabella, I would have thought he would be making sure that there was no way that anyone could get to her." She was trying to figure it all out in her head, because she didn't understand when someone would have the change to poison them both.
"Some guards have been sent to bring the tavern keeper in for questioning. The wine that Arthur's servant brought back was not what Arthur had wanted, the boy was given something different. Hopefully we can soon get some answers and both of them will recover quickly." That was what Uther was hoping for. He hated seeing his son in such a condition, he wanted to do something, to help, but the King knew he just had to wait.
Morgana was thinking something similar. Isabella had suffered nothing but pain and suffering, and things just kept getting worse for her. The raven haired woman wished that there was something that she could do to help, to help free her from her uncle. It just seemed to be one thing after another, Lord Donald trying to reach her or kill her, being sick because of everything that had happened, it was nonstop for the Princess.
She reached out and gently placed her hand on the side of Isabella's face. "Her skin feels so cold." She muttered, feeling the iciness of Isabella's skin.
Gwen had been standing close to her, looking at Isabella's frail form on the bed. "I'll go fetch some more blankets, My Lady." She said, bowing to Morgana before leaving the room in a hurry. There were actually tears in her eyes from seeing them both, from knowing that Isabella's uncle was still trying to get to reach the Princess.
With Gwen now gone, running the chore she gave herself, Uther was able to discuss things better with his ward. "Morgana, it is possible this is the work of Lord Donald." He told her, speaking to her gently. "Isabella's life is already in danger, and it appeared his is not afraid to bring harm to others who stand in his way. We must all be cautious in these times."
Morgana nodded at him. "Of course. Isabella was worried that something like this was going to happen. She told me that she was scared that her uncle would hurt Arthur, I could see how scared she was." Even when Arthur had been in the room, the two ladies had managed to have a few secret conversations by sitting on the middle of her bed and pulling all the curtains around the bed. It wasn't complete privacy, but it was better than nothing. "Isabella has nightmares about it, about her uncle and the things he could do."
"Which is why Arthur is determined to protect her." Uther told her, seeing that she was getting a little upset and getting up from where he was sitting and moving towards her. "He knows about her nightmares, I have had glimpses of the lengths he will go to for her. Although he will not admit it, he cares for her greatly."
"Any one who sees them both together can see it. Isabella refuses to admit it as well, but I know she cares about Arthur. Why else would she be worried about what her uncle could do to Arthur?" Morgana had teased Isabella about actually liking Arthur, and all the woman could do was deny it hastily, while also blushing furiously.
The King knew what she was saying was true, he had seen it himself as well. He had never met a woman like Isabella before, and she was talking to his son, as much as his son was taken with her. "Maybe one day they will both be able to see that. When this is all over and Isabella is freed from her uncle, maybe the pair of them will have time to notice what is right there in front of them." He told her, just before there was a light knocking at the door.
After being told to enter, the door opened and Gwen stepped in, a pile of blankets and soft coverings held in her arms. "I have more blankets, Sire." She said, waiting for his approval to take them over to Morgana.
Once he had, she rushed over, and Morgana took one straightaway and placed it on top of the other covers that were keeping Isabella warm. "She feels even colder than before." The woman mumbled, resting the back of her hand on Isabella's cheek again. She didn't stop placing the covers over the sleeping Princess, hoping that she would soon warm up.
The three of them stayed in the room, keeping watch over the pair. Morgana kept a close eye on Isabella, while Uther stuck by his son. He was glad to have Morgana there with him, so that they could each keep check on one of them. All Uther kept thinking of was what would happen if Gaius couldn't find a cure for whatever illness they were suffering from.
Luckily, Gaius and Merlin had been working tremendously hard to find out what was in the wine that both the royals had consumed. All the tests that Gaius had done, along with the research that Merlin had been doing, had uncovered that there were several different herbs and plants that had been added to the wine. This had made it not only more potent, as Isabella had recognised straight away, but had also induced the sleep that they were in.
But Gaius worked quickly, and he had managed to make an antidote for the pair. Now, he was rushing to the Prince's chamber, the vials grasped tightly in his hands. He knew that they had to hurry, the longer they were asleep for, the more damage that could be done to their bodies by the poison.
Uther and Morgana were both startled by the door suddenly being thrown open, with the physician rushing in with Merlin behind him. "Have you discovered a cure?" Uther asked him, his eyes full of hope at seeing the small glass bottles in his hands.
"We hope so, Sire. The wine contained different herbs and plants, mainly used in aiding with sleep. This should reverse the affects of them." Gaius replied, before stepping over to Arthur. Merlin held the Prince's head back while Gaius poured the liquid into Arthur's mouth.
They all waited, and watched, and felt slightly relieved when they saw that the Prince had swallowed the liquid that Gaius had given him. He then moved over to Isabella, Merlin right behind him, before they proceeded to do the same thing again. Once the antidote was poured in her mouth, they had to wait again for her to swallow it.
It seemed to take longer, but eventually it did happen. And everyone let out a breath that none of them knew they were holding. "It will take some time for it to work properly, but they should both wake up soon." Gaius told him, putting the two small bottles into the pockets of his long robe.
"Morgana and I will stay with them. We will have you sent for when they woke." Uther told him, grateful that he had managed to find something to cure them. "Thank you, Gaius."
The old man nodded and bowed at him before leaving the chamber, Merlin staying behind and pretending to do his chores. He managed to get Gwen over to one side, and whispered to her quietly. "I take it there has been no change?" He asked her, glancing over at the King with his son.
Gwen shook her head a little. "No, but Isabella was getting cold. I don't think Arthur has been cold, but she was getting so cold, Morgana said she felt like ice. I had to fetch some more blankets to help try to keep her warm." She informed him.
Merlin couldn't help but frown at that. Gaius never mentioned anything about the poison making someone cold, and neither did anything in the pile of books that he had read through for the research. "Well, hopefully she will start to warm up now." Merlin told her, trying to reassure the woman. "We're just going to have to wait and see."
The waiting was the worst part. All of them were on edge, every little noise, every breath made them all look towards the beds. Merlin and Gwen were not just hanging around, having no chores to do, but still trying to make it look as if they were doing something useful rather than just standing around.
It was quite some time later when they heard a low groan, and all eyes darted to the Prince's bed. Arthur was finally waking up, and Merlin wasted no time is running out of the room and going to get Gaius.
"Arthur?" Uther said, watching as his son finally woke up.
The Prince rubbed his head, letting out another groan. "What happened? Why does my head hurt so much?" He asked, talking but not yet opening his eyes because of the throbbing in his head.
"It would appear that Lord Donald has made another attempt on Isabella's life, and yours as well." The King replied, knowing that he had to explain everything to his son. "The wine that your servant collected from the tavern contained a poison, meant for Isabella."
Immediately, Arthur sat up in his bed and looked over to Isabella's, seeing Morgana sitting there, holding onto her hand tightly. "Isabella…" He whispered, ready to get out of his own bed and to go and check on her for himself.
But his father was quick to put a hand on his arm, to stop him from getting out of bed. "She has been given an antidote, the same as you. She should be waking soon, Arthur." Uther assured him. "As you can see, Morgana is taking care of her. You need to rest, Gaius is on his way." He had seen Merlin run out of the room, and he was impressed with the young man's quick attitude.
"What actually happened?" Arthur asked, back to rubbing his head. "I was sitting at the table, going through some paperwork while Isabella was sleeping." Everything seemed to be a bit of a blur for him, he didn't remember getting himself to bed.
Uther knew he had to tell his son the truth. "The wine you both consumed contained a poison which sent you both into an unnatural sleep. Gaius has worked hard to find an antidote, and it has worked."
"And you think it was Isabella's uncle that done this?" Arthur still wasn't sure he understood everything, but he was trying.
"We fear so. The tavern keeper is currently waiting in the cells. He will be questioned about this wine and where he obtained it from." Although Uther wanted to go and see the to the man straight away, he knew he had to stay with his son. It was his anger that had made him want to deal with the tavern keeper and get his answers.
There was nothing more that the Prince could really say, so he rested his head back, but kept his eyes firmly fixed on Isabella, sleeping in her bed. It was only a few minutes later when Gaius entered the room, the look of relief on his face when he saw that Arthur was awake. "How are you feeling, My Lord?" The old man asked, giving him a quick check over.
"I feel like my head has taken a good pounding, but that is all." The Prince replied, not happy that he could no longer see Isabella with the physician standing in the way and blocking his view.
"You will need to rest for a little longer. The headache should fade soon enough, as long as you get some rest." It was clear that Gaius was telling him that he needed to stay in bed, whether he wanted to or not.
Before Arthur had a chance to reply, Morgana was speaking. "Gaius… Isabella she's… she not breathing…" The woman said in a panic, her eyes firmly fixed on the body in the bed. She had noticed how her breathing seemed to be slowing down even more, but now it had stopped completely.
The old man swiftly moved from Arthur and over to Isabella, taking a hold of her cold hand and placing his ear close to her chest, listening for her heart beating. But the Arthur was doing exactly what he was told not to, he was trying to get out of bed and get to Isabella. "Arthur, you need to…" His father said weakly.
"Isabella, I can't… I need to help." Arthur told his father, trying to pull away from his grip.
But he was still weak, and his father was strong enough to hold him back. "Let Gaius do his job." The King told him, trying to calm him even though he was worried himself. "You have to leave this to him."
Arthur sat on the edge of his bed, watching as Gaius checked Isabella's eyes, listened to her chest once more, before turning to them all with a grim expression on his face. "I am afraid Princess Isabella is dead."
His words caused gasps to escape from both Morgana and Gwen, while Arthur leapt off his bed. "No!" He cried, reaching out for the woman. "No, she can't be dead!" Arthur ended up shouting, before grabbing a hold of her shoulders. "Wake up, Isabella! Wake up!"
"Arthur, she is gone. There is nothing that we can do." Uther told him, trying to keep himself together while his son tried in desperation to shake the Princess awake. "Arthur, please…"
He wasn't listening. "Isabella, come on, you have to wake up!" He called, shaking her harder, ignoring the tears that were rolling down his cheeks. "Just… just wake up…"
Merlin was standing there in shock, tears in his own eyes as he watched Arthur try to shake her awake, rather violently now with his despair. He wished that there was something he could do, something that could bring Isabella back, but he couldn't. Princess Isabella was dead, and he was blaming himself. Lord Donald had won.
A/N: I'm so, so sorry! Please, please, please don't hate me! I know it has been way too long since I last updated, and I really don't have a valid excuse. I know I need to try hard, and I will, I promise.
Anyway, I want to say thank you to everyone who has favourited/followed the story, and all of you who have stuck by me through my absence. Also, an absolutely massive thank you to all of you who have taken the time to leave me a review.
So, until next time (if there is one)…
Pippa.