The Fourth Day
Welcome to the Fourth Day in which Merlin meets centaurs in the Perilous Lands and gets just a little bit homesick, Camelot suffers a poisoning scare and Arthur tries breaking into the Court Sorcerer's tower.
Merlin stood on the ramparts of the castle watching the Mercians ride away. Arthur approached him.
"I didn't even get to say hello or try to make friends," the sorcerer said without turning.
"You didn't miss out on much," answered Arthur. "They were pretty short on charm."
"Why doesn't anybody like me?"
"What're you on about? Everybody likes you."
"No, you get invited to dinner but I don't," Merlin shook his head sadly and climbed up onto the wall.
"What're you doing, you idiot!" yelled Arthur in a panic. "Stop being stupid!"
"See," he replied, tears spilling over, "even you hate me." And with that, he stepped off the wall and walked out onto thin air, where he waited for a moment or two before allowing himself to drop just as Aithusa swept under him and carried him away.
"No!" Arthur sat straight up in bed and threw out his arm to catch at his friend and caught bed curtains instead.
He dropped his arm and tried to get his breath under control. It was just another one of those mad dreams. He looked over at Guinevere who continued to sleep peacefully. He hoped there was at least another hour left before dawn. Maybe he could drop off once more and this time enjoy some dreamless sleep. He inhaled deeply and released the breath slowly.
Then George opened the door with an urgent message on his lips and no breakfast in his hands.
"It's the Mercian delegation, Sire. They're all terribly sick."
"They're all what?" he hissed in a whisper, glancing at his still-sleeping wife.
"They're all terribly sick, Sire, and demanding to see your Majesty," George whispered back.
Arthur scrubbed his face. The headache potion had unfortunately worn off.
"Help me dress."
—-m—
Merlin awoke to the loveliest smells and the cheerful crackling of a lively cook fire. Grettir grinned over at him, "Breakfast today is bacon with apple cakes. 'Sound good?"
"Does it ever!" Merlin responded. He pushed his blankets back and headed for a quick, refreshing wash in the stream, watching the sunrise blooming through the trees.
"What are your plans for the day, Emrys?" asked Grettir, speaking around his bite of breakfast.
Merlin swallowed his bacon before replying, "I was actually hoping that you could help me a bit with that. Like I said last night, I'm on holiday and I want to learn what I can from magical people, creatures and places that I haven't had the time to explore until now. I've come to realize just how limited my knowledge of the magical world is."
"And you think I can help you in your quest for knowledge and experience?"
"I feel sure you can. You too are a creature of magic, if I'm not mistaken."
Grettir spread his arms wide.
"I am simply the gatekeeper to the Perilous Lands."
Merlin raised an eyebrow.
"You say that as though it were a small thing. I know the Perilous Lands are not entirely of this world."
Grettir smiled more openly.
"I can help you, my friend. You and Courage are returning magic to Albion. While it is true that the Perilous Lands are not entirely of this world, they are also not entirely not of this world and therefore have a special place in Albion. You may enjoy seeing the changes that have come to the lands of the Fisher King since your last visit. It is a time of joyous renewal. It is only right that you should share in it. You should cross my bridge today and make some new friends."
"Gladly," Merlin answered with a wide grin of his own. "Thank you."
—-m—
A weary Arthur returned to the royal chambers just as Guinevere was finishing up her breakfast. He leaned up against the door to close it. He sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Arthur?" she asked, "What's wrong?"
"The Mercians," he began in a flat voice, "and everyone who had dinner with them last night have been poisoned."
"They're dead?" she gasped.
"No. It's just bad enough that several of them are wishing they were. The ones well enough to speak to me were convinced that it was a plot against them by Merlin and myself."
"What on earth brought them to that conclusion?"
"I turned down their invitation to dinner last night. They think that I knew beforehand that the meal would be poisoned. And they've seen neither hide nor hair of Merlin since they arrived. I thought they'd be happier with him kept out of their way but apparently they're of the opinion that he's up to something nefarious, you know, revenge and all that. It doesn't help that it's Bayard's people and it's poisoning."
"It would make all the difference to know whether it is true poison or just bad food."
"Yes. I asked Gaius to look into the matter but apparently his distillation equipment was accidentally broken by one of his apprentices yesterday and there's no way to replace it quickly. Merlin could fix it but he's still nowhere to be seen. Gaius is currently visiting the kitchen to see what he can find."
Guinevere stood and pulled him toward breakfast. She fussed over him solicitously while he ate and then encouraged him to try to get some sleep. "There'll be no meetings this morning if so many are ill and you look worn out. Sleep, my love."
—m—
The greenery of the forest beyond the bridge did not give way to desolate lands, much to Merlin's surprised delight. The hills teemed with wildflowers. A lake sparkled in the distance. A flock of wyverns circled high above head like gigantic birds but made no moves to attack. Every so often he heard a high pitched giggle in the bushes from some small magical being but sensed no darkness, no aggression. Birds sang, adding to the refreshed feeling of renewal in the pleasant land. The Fisher King's realm was healing. He struck out toward the distant glittering lake.
—m—
A lanky form, appearing thinner than ever, stood alone, looking wistfully out the window. In contrast to the bright sunny day outside, the chambers were dark and seemed almost oppressive. The man turned. He looked as diminished and cheerless as he had in the days leading up to Camlann. Turning away from the view of Camelot, he sat down at his desk to give his attention to a stack of papers a mile high. He poured himself a drink from the handy pitcher and lifted the cup to his lips as he summoned a paper to his hand. He coughed a little as he perused it, then stopped and stared at his cup. He grimaced, tossing the cup and paper away from him. He stood but doubled over, gripping his middle, and let out a grunt of pain. "Arthur!" he rasped. "Ar-thur..Ar.." he tumbled to the floor, violently knocking his head on the corner of the desk as he fell. The precariously placed pitcher fell as well, splashing red wine across his hair to mix with the blood pooling on the floor, soaking his neckerchief. His legs kicked in weakening spasms. "Arthur.." he whispered. Then he lay absolutely still. The sun still shone brightly outside his window.
"NOOOO!" Arthur awoke to his own scream. Guinevere rushed to his side. "It was just a dream, Arthur. Just a dream," she soothed him as he trembled beneath her gentle touch, his chest heaving. "It was a bad dream, that's all, Arthur. Just a bad dream. Do you want to tell me about it?"
"Merlin..Merlin was poisoned and he was unhappy and alone and overworked and.. poisoned! Dying!"
"You know he can take care of himself, Arthur. It sounds like it was a bad dream prompted by a mix of your worry over him and the food poisoning incident. I'm sure he's fine."
"But what if he's ill or he's incapacitated himself somehow. I have to find out. His doors are sealed, and he only does that when he's angry with me or experimenting with something dangerous. I know we didn't part well but his grudges don't last this long. He may have hurt himself somehow!" He leapt from the bed.
"He also seals his chamber door when he leaves for a time, Arthur. You know that. Calm down and stop jumping to the worst conclusions."
The king shook his head and headed for the doors.
"What are you going to do?" asked the queen.
"I'm going to break into our Court Idiot's chambers!"
He threw open the door and addressed the nearest guard. "Find me the druidess elder, Bodhmall, and Sirs Leon, Percival and Gwaine. Have them meet me in the council chamber as soon as possible."
—-m—
The growing sound of hooves beating the ground made Merlin leap aside as a herd of centaurs thundered past, heading for the glittering lake. Centaurs! Actual centaurs! Excited, he called out to them.
"Wait!"
They turned almost like a flock of birds and rushed back toward him, as he stood firm, chin high, waiting for them to slow down and talk. Gaius would love to see this!
—m—
"To what do we owe the pleasure of this little mid-afternoon meeting, Sire?" drawled Gwaine as Bodhmall, the last to arrive, took her seat and the doors closed.
"This is about Merlin. I'm concerned. No one has seen him since he left the training ground three days ago." He frowned at Gwaine and held up a hand to forestall any commentary on that point. "He didn't respond when Gaius appealed to him for help with the poisoning and I think we all know that however angry he could be, he would never not respond to Gaius. I hate to think the worst but the only conclusions I can come to are that he's hurt himself while experimenting," -Percival frowned- "that he's left on some errand," - Leon and Gwaine looked highly concerned, being fully aware of the dangers of Merlin's self-appointed secret missions- "..or that he's been abducted." - Bodhmall looked skeptical.
"Alined has definitely been angling to get his hands on Merlin's might," said Gwaine.
"And everyone knows that detestable man would stoop to anything," grumbled Arthur. They all exchanged dark looks, remembering the reason for having guards stationed at Merlin's door. Kidnapping had already been tried once although only the barest leads could be traced back to the wiley king.
"I believe you're right to be concerned, Sire," said Leon. "What course of action do you recommend?"
"We must first ascertain whether or not he is in his chambers."
Gwaine whooped. "Hahaa! We're breaking in!"
The king turned to the druid elder. "We'll need your help."
Bodhmall blanched. "You mean to break into the Emrys' inner sanctum… I..I..could never.." she protested in horror.
"Trust me, if he's angry about it he'll definitely lay the blame at my feet. Now, I know he's spelled his chamber door and I don't expect anyone to be able to get past that but there is always the window." He turned his gaze meaningfully to the grinning Gwaine, who didn't seem at all cowed by the idea of hanging off the top of a tower to break in through a small window. In fact, Arthur thought, if all of Gwaine's tales of his wild exploits were to be believed, those skills were already in the knight's toolbox.
—m—
The centaurs circled about him and Merlin would have given anything to have Gaius by his side to witness the awesome spectacle. These creatures, given only a passing mention and vague description in Cadwalader's Bestiary of Magical Creatures, had prompted a lengthy, speculative discussion between himself and his mentor one winter's night years ago.
If only Gaius could see them! The wild hair and muscular torsos reminded him of the burly barbarian warriors of Carleon. The glorious horse bodies were strong and glossy. An especially fierce-looking dark chestnut centaur was currently leaning in to eye him closely. Merlin twitched and offered a hesitant smile. Cadwalader's bestiary had said nothing of the temperament or habits of these creatures. It had only said that they could speak human languages and read the stars like a book.
"The man Emrys has come, as the heavens foretold," the centaur proclaimed in a deep voice.
"You are the man Emrys?" asked a roan centaur who sported a truly wild beard.
"Yes." Merlin finally felt comfortable owning his magical name after all these years.
"Emrys, Emrys" the others murmured, stamping in agreement.
"And do you bring with you spirits?" inquired the chestnut colored centaur.
"S-spirits?" Merlin echoed, confused.
"Spirits! Yes! Spirits! Yes? Yes, spirits?" The other's voices raised in a supremely hopeful cacophony. Two cantered closer and one nudged his shoulder while the other stole his water flask.
"I'm sorry. It's.. um..no? I just came alone. No company from the other side of the veil today -at least, I hope not?" Why would magical creatures think he dragged ghosts along with him?
"Oh! Hey.." he began as now all the centaurs crowded around him pushing at his shoulders and tugging at his pack, picking at his hair. It was more than a little intimidating and he was still unsure of their motives. His magic rose within, ready to defend him if needed.
The water bandit uncorked his flask and tipped it high above his open mouth. As the water hit his tongue he spluttered and tossed the flask away disgustedly.
"Bah! No! Not spirits!" he huffed.
"Aww. No spirits. None..aww.." came the downhearted responses.
"Oh! Spirits!" Merlin laughed. "Sorry! I didn't understand. No, I don't have any with me right now.." The nearest centaurs scuffed dejectedly at the dirt while others began wandering away in obvious disappointment. "..but, -and you have got to promise never to tell anyone that I can do this! Good lord, if Gwaine ever found out!- but, I can actually conjure up mead and hard cider."
"Spirits, Emrys? You are a maker of spirits?"
He casually summoned his flask and cork and beat it against his leg to remove the dust.
"Yeah. Sure. I can be a maker of spirits."
"Hahaaaa!" They cheered. "Emrys!-Emrys!-Emrys!" they chanted.
"You will join us for festivities by the lake and for stargazing this night! And you will make spirits!" declared the heavyset chestnut centaur who grabbed his bicep in a crushing grip and swung him up onto his back. As awkward as it was, Merlin scrambled to center himself, threw his arms around the centaur's bare waist and held on for dear life as they leaped forward and the herd rumbled down the steep draw, heading for the lake at a hard gallop. What an adventure this was turning out to be! When he got home, he'd definitely have to augment Gaius' copy of the bestiary with the note that centaurs had a deep seated penchant for enthusiastic drinking reminiscent of the fabled Sir Gwaine of Camelot.
—m—
Gwaine joyed in the rush of adrenaline as he was lowered by rope from the top of the tower to the window ledge with three druids charged with his safety, sweating buckets below. He wasn't at all worried because he knew the strength of his own grip and had complete faith in Percival and Leon at the other end of the rope.
"Alright, Gwaine?" called Arthur from his position beside the druids.
"Never better! Bring on the magic!" he hollered back. The druids chanted with raised hands, directing spells at the window but try as Gwaine might, he still couldn't get the latch to budge. Trading his grip on the rope to his other hand, he banged on the glass and yelled, "Merlin!"
"What can you see?" called the king.
The daring knight gripped the ledge with his finger tips to get close enough to peer through the glass.
" 'Can't see anything much! It's dark in there!"
"Break the glass! He can fix it later!" shouted the king.
Gwaine shouted up at his fellow knights, "Take me up a foot or two!" Once he reached the desired height, he drew back his boot to kick the window but his kick rebounded violently and sent him swinging out and away from the castle wall. Hollering and flailing with his legs, his grip began to fail and he slid lower as he smacked against the castle wall and the rope again jerked taut. The onlookers above and below gasped. Leon and Percival began hastily pulling on the rope. Gwaine's grip was clearly slipping.
"Help him!" Arthur cried to the druids beside him.
"This is not the kind of magic that we.."
"I don't care!" he shouted. "I charge you with his safety because you're the only ones who can help at this point! Do something!"
Eyes wide, they began frantically calling out any spell they could think of to push the flailing knight back toward the top of the tower.
"Astrice!"
Gwaine reacted as though he'd been punched in the stomach, he flew up backwards and hit the eaves, knocking the breath out of him, letting go of the rope on impact. Percival and Leon tumbled backwards while Gwaine began falling straight for the cobblestones below. He was halfway there, when another druid screamed, "Hleap on baec!" sending Gwaine smashing sideways into a balcony with his legs and flipping backward over the railing like a rag doll. He finally landed face down on Lady Marguerite's balcony with another grunt of pain. The balcony door opened and a woman shrieked. "Sir Gwaine! Oh, my cunning dove! Are you quite alright?"
"I'm…all..alright..my lady.." They could hear him croak just loud enough to be heard below. "Just like ..old times!" he chuffed. "D'you think Gaius ..is busy ..right about now? I believe ..a visit wouldn't ..be amiss."
The sweating druids fell to the ground in relief and horror at having had to use such aggressive magic while Arthur was left staring up at the inaccessible window.
Why did I ever give him a tower?
Bodhmall pushed herself to her feet and approached him. "My Lord, I believe we can safely say that Emrys is not presently in his chambers. To have sealed his window as strongly as his doors would indicate that he left on purpose and intended to be away for a while."
"Yes. Yes, I believe you're right. Thank you for your assistance."
She nodded and retreated with the others.
—m—
"Away from the stars, Dragonlings!" roared Baylock, the brawny chestnut centaur who appeared to be the leader of this band -insofar as they actually would consent to any leadership.
"Cursed dragonlings! Curse them, curse them," muttered the centaurs angrily, a few of them shaking their fists at the night sky where a flock of wyverns circled around, their dark silhouettes obscuring the centaurs' view. One of the centaurs unslung a bow from his back, nocked an arrow and let fly. A wyvern screeched in annoyance as the arrow bounced ineffectually off its scaly body. The other wyverns screeched and the centaurs unslung their weapons, angry eyes still intent upon their sky's invaders.
Would wyverns attack centaurs? Merlin wondered. Finding himself in the middle of a battle between centaurs and wyverns could possibly mean being trampled to death while simultaneously being torn apart and roasted. He vaulted to his feet, summoning his voice of dragon command. At his first guttural utterance, the centaurs reared back snorting in apprehension until they realized what he was doing, then they whooped and cheered as the wyverns immediately wheeled and left. "Emrys! Hahaaa! Defeater of Dragonlings and Maker of Spirits! Hahaaa! Emrys!-Emrys!-Emrys!"
The centaurs clinked their enchanted mugs together before draining them in his honor -again. Merlin grinned at their boisterous celebration of his rout of the wyverns. To be honest, though, from the moment they'd picked him up it'd been overwhelming to be surrounded by such a lawless and demanding herd of creatures. They towered above him and he found himself seeking some respite from their jostling bodies, strong legs and strident voices. He started a fire to ward off the chill as the sun was setting and sat, tending the flames and watching the centaurs enjoy the drinks he'd conjured, tussling and bounding, galloping and calling out challenges to one another. As the crescent moon rose and the stars appeared, the centaurs had minded their cups less and less and the stars more and more until the wyverns came.
Merlin stared past the licking flames into the darkness and noted the centaurs calming down once again with their faces turned skyward to read the stars. He'd asked Baylock what was written there tonight but the centaur had only managed a couple of barely intelligible sentences before his voice dropped off and he was completely enthralled by the heavens, unable to spare attention for anything lower than the few sparse clouds. He stirred the bright embers with a stick, eliciting a bevy of sparks and smiled to himself. The last time he'd been here he and Gwaine had stopped in approximately this same area and sat by the fire all night, keeping watch for "pheasants". Of course, the land had been a dead marsh at that point with only the mucky skeletal remains of a rotted forest. Gwaine had been the best companion for a quest like that. He guessed his present company wasn't too far off the mark then but nevertheless felt a sudden twinge of homesickness for his friends. In a moment of inspiration, he fished a bowl out of his pack, dipped it in the lake water and returned to his seat by the fire. When the water stilled to glass, he whispered the words of a scrying spell and the reflected stars gave way before the vision of a dim room. Merlin could only just make out Arthur's face in the darkness.
—-m—
Arthur lay in bed unable to sleep, fretting.
He would've left a note!
Yes, he answered himself, unless he was really upset. But if he had been taken, he wouldn't have sealed the room.
Maybe he's still there and just really angry.
No, I've behaved badly before and he's taken it. I've definitely behaved worse.
O gods.. I've behaved worse.
Tears trickled down his temples as he stared ahead at the canopy above his pillow. He thought to brush the tears away then huffed. No one could see the king's tears in the dark privacy of his bedroom. He ground his teeth. When Merlin returned he was going to give him a feast and then throw him in the stocks and give him the tongue lashing of a lifetime!
His eyes welled up again.
Please, just let him be okay.
—m—
Merlin squinted at Arthur's face trying to read his expression in the darkness. He definitely wasn't asleep. He was lying awake, jaw clenched. Uh oh, he's grinding his teeth. Merlin sighed. All this stress is going to kill him. 'Wish I could do something to remedy that but all I've done lately is aggravate him. He sighed again. Guess I'd better stay out of the way a little longer. He mentally reviewed the list of other places he'd planned to visit and tried to muster his excitement for continuing his adventure but as tantalizing as his upcoming vacation prospects were, he couldn't quite shake his melancholy.
I miss home. I miss Arthur.
Finally he slipped into sleep, surrounded by silent centaurs standing watch on the heavens above.