Out of Time

AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: Happy Thursday my wonderful readers! So we're back with another chapter and we can see that Arthur is being annoying and stubborn. Though I was certain to add some of the humor of this chapter into the story so I hope it makes you guys laugh. It is a little bit shorter than usual, but I'm saving most of the big action for next week's update. As always don't forget to review, or to drop a like or a follow if you want to be in the shoutouts and I'll see you guys next Thursday (Hopefully)

Shoutouts: Crazy Artemis and Ijustdon'tcare132

Chapter 48: Out of Exasperation

They had realized right away that the tomb had been burglarized. The morning shift guards came to take off the night and there they were. Unconscious. Or well, asleep. Much like Merlin had been that day in the stables.

There wasn't much missing from the tomb, just some trinkets and gold, and of course the sapphire the size of a fist that Merlin already knew held the soul of Cornelius Sigan. The man the tomb belonged to.

But how was he to get Arthur to believe that the person who took the heart out of the placement would be possessed by Sigan? It was crazy. It was magic, and everything around magic was on shaky ground right now.

Yes Uther had been more lenient as of late, but only because he felt bad about what happened with Addison. Sooner or later he was going to go back to his normal murder-y self. It was only a matter of time.

Arthur had been called first, and Gaius had gone with him, because he had an invested interest in that tomb, being the one who had figured out that it was Sigan. And that he had managed to transmute his soul into that jewel.

Merlin had been in the kitchens getting Arthur's breakfast when he heard the news. By then Arthur had already gone through everything.

"Sound the warning bell," he ordered to no one in particular. Both Merlin and Gaius were not in charge of the warning bell. But a soldier outside the tomb must have heard him because they heard boots scraping against the stone as the person rushed off to obey the order.

Arthur then left, no doubt to inform his father or the other knights. Merlin went to go after him but Gaius called him back.

In his hand he held a completely clear crystal heart, just like the one that used to rest on the coffin. Except it wasn't blue. Which meant the soul was gone.

"whoever did this go more than they bargained for," he said.

"I just don't understand how they got in," Merlin said with a shake of his head. "The gate's not even damaged."

"They must have used a key."

Merlin shook his head again. "Arthur's got the only key."

"Where does he keep it?"

"On his belt with the others."

"Does he ever take it off?"

Sheesh what was with the third degree?

"Only when he's asleep. He keeps it next to his bed."

Gaius actually pivoted that time to look at him directly. What the hell was going on? "Who had access to his chambers last night?"

"Just me…" he said and then he broke off, because he wasn't on duty last night. "… and Cedric."

He was the thief, he'd was now possessed by a dangerous sorcerer. He had to warn Arthur!

Merlin went all over the castle looking for Cedric. He figured he could go to him first, attack him, throw some spells at him, lock him up or something, before he went to Arthur with barely any evidence.

But he had gone all around the castle and Cedric was no where to be found. So that meant that Merlin was going to have to do what he dreaded. He was going to have to ask Arthur to trust him.

He had no evidence what so ever, no proof, he was going to have to hope that Arthur believed him.

So he went up to Arthur's quarters, found him sitting at his desk. He approached slowly in cautiously. Firstly, he was looking to see if Cedric was around, and because, honestly he was dreading this. He wasn't exactly in Arthur's rapport at that moment so this could go very bad for him.

He didn't say hello, he didn't try to ease into it. Arthur looked him up and down with those cool unimpressed blue eyes and Merlin just blurt it all out.

"Cedric is possessed by an evil spirt."

There he just spit out, laid all the cards on the table.

Arthur looked far from impressed. In fact, he looked rather indifferent. "What?"

"He tried to steal the jewel. But it wasn't a jewel. It was the soul of an ancient sorcerer, Sigan."

At that Arthur's eyebrows drew together. It was the name Sigan, he seemed concerned about the name.

But he quickly shook it off. "Merlin, have you been on the cider?"

Oh god, now was not the time. "Please. Listen to me, Camelot is in mortal danger. Sigan is using Cedric's body to take his revenge!"

It had been so long since he had to convince Arthur of anything. When Addison was around he could have taken it to her and she would have taken it to Arthur and Arthur would have listened. Now Merlin was rusty and Arthur was jaded. It just wasn't working.

"This nonsense isn't helping you keep your job."

Wow threatening to sack him again? Well maybe Merlin didn't want the job.

"You're not listening to me!" Merlin shouted.

"If you're going to shout anyway," Arthur said as he stood up. "Cedric!"

Merlin turned to watch Cedric approach them. He moved stiffly, not in the sense that he was possessed and the spirit of Sigan was piloting him stiffly, but in the way he held himself. He was holding himself with the same air that Arthur held himself. There was a single humble thing about that stature. It was not the stature of a servant.

"Will you escort Merlin from the palace?"

Oh wow! Wow! Since when was Arthur such an ungrateful clotpole? Clotpole he always knew but the ungrateful part was… well actually it wasn't new either but it was infuriating Merlin none-the-less.

But Merlin wasn't going to let this go without a fight. So, he charged Cedric and took him down to the ground. For a while they wrestled, though it was quite awkward. Merlin just slapped a hand to Cedric's face and pushed, and Cedric did the same to him, which left them both with faces being pushed to the side while they held the other's arm trying to dislodge it.

Arthur sighed to the two of them, before he forced himself to stand. Honestly the two looked pathetic rolling around like that. coming round the table "Merlin!"

Cedric had managed to push Merlin away, by kicking him in the stomach and into the foot of Arthur's bed. Merlin grunted in pain but it was going to take more than that to stop him. He charged Cedric again, but the man used his extended leg to flip Merlin, right into Arthur who had been coming to break up the fight.

Both Merlin and Arthur hit the ground and by all means that should have been the ended of it. He just knocked his royal highness, the crown prince, flat on his ass with his own two scrawny legs but no! Merlin wasn't going to let that stop him either.

As soon as Cedric realized that Merlin was coming after him again, he scrambled under Arthur's bed and Merlin followed him.

Arthur got up to his feet, and went to pull Merlin out from under his bed, but his feet disappeared. He was going to go around the bed, but he noticed that Cedric had come out the other side, so Merlin would be as well.

Just as he saw Merlin pop up on the other side of his bed, Arthur vaulted over and slammed the boy back to the floor.

Arthur forced his arms behind his back as he pulled him up from the ground. "You've gone too far this time, Merlin," he snapped as he personally dragged him out of his chambers and then all the way down to the dungeons.

"You can spend a few days cooling off in the cells!" he said once he had him in there.

"He's going to destroy Camelot!" Merlin had tried to tell him but Arthur wouldn't listen.

The door to the cells slammed shut and as Arthur left Merlin shouted: "Addison would have listened!"

It was a low blow and he saw the way it landed on Arthur. The way it stiffened his shoulders. But he didn't turn back. And with a heavy finality the lock clicked and Merlin was left alone in the dungeons.

Merlin had gone insane. Legitimately insane.

Making up a terrible story, and picking a fight with another servant just because he was jealous that someone else was doing his job and better. If he was that concerned, he should have done his job better. That would have gotten rid of Cedric better than lies and a foolish fight.

Using Addison's name like that. Regardless of whether or not it was true, which it was, he had no right to bring her into their argument.

Also, he had the fighting skills god gave a goat.

Lies, cause a goat at least had horns and the ability to charge. Merlin was just gangly limbs, awkward wrestling and slap fights.

He figured a night in the dungeons would cool him off. Since realizing that Merlin was jealous of Cedric though, Arthur had done some thinking. Cedric would have to go. He'd just have to find him somewhere else in the castle to work. Not with Morgana, Cedric was too shifty to go to Morgana.

Maybe he'd punish his father with him.

Arthur.

Arthur came to a full stop. He knew that voice, that little tinkling voice. It was Addison.

Listen.

Where the hell was she? She didn't usually manifest in her ghostly form unless he had the watch out, and never during the day. Too many people about, too many people could see her and report her presence in his chamber to his father.

It wasn't like he could kill her again, but he was worried of what Uther would do if he found she was haunting him now.

Arthur.

Arthur went to the drawer where he kept her watch, he noticed that the front was open and the clock face was turned up to him. It had a sort of blinking glow about it that was new. Her voice was coming from there, but the rest of her wasn't. Could she not manifest? What was going on?

Arthur. Her voice came again in time with the blinking of the watch face. Listen. I can't stay if he's here.

What the hell did that mean? What did that mean? Who? Who was stopping her from coming to him?

And then the glow died and with it went the ticking. The watch had never stopped before.

"Is there anything I can help you with sire?" ceric asked appearing behind him.

Arthur started and he came away from the drawers where he kept the watch and turned to him. He looked him up and down and he swore in his hand the clock began to tremble.

"No, that's all I'll need for today. Why don't you take the rest of the day off, today was… tiring, no doubt," he said. It would be a pain to be without a servant tonight, but he could just use any of the others, a kitchen maid or something. Or put off all of his really heavy chores until he let Merlin out of the cells tomorrow.

Cedric nodded and left the room. Arthur stood there in silence waiting and he was rewarded. Rewarded with Addison's sweet voice.

He's strong than me Arthur. You should have listened.

Arthur looked down to the watch in his hand, it was once again ticking but it sounded strained. He realized then that it was Cedric. Something about Cedric was affecting Addison and his watch.

You should have listened to Merlin.

Yes, he should have. Merlin might have been wrong about the possession, but he was definitely right about sending Cedric away.

It didn't matter that Cedric had saved Arthur's life. He was as good as fired once he got Merlin out of the dungeons tomorrow morning.