Strongest of the Warlocks: Chapter Fourteen: The Will of an Apprentice
AN: There may or may not be anymore Mercival flashbacks, since a reviewer asked, but we'll see when we get there, I suppose.
Merlin slept terribly, plagued by nightmares that would not cease and when she awoke she felt faintly ill.
There was something off about Edwin Muirden, there could be no denying that matter, but just what he sought was what made Merlin uneasy, particularly because she did not know what exactly it was.
Perhaps she should have been a bit more careful concerning her magic, but that was neither here nor there. The fact remained that Edwin could use magic himself, which led Merlin to believe that Morgana's supposed illness had been a product of magic and had been cured by magic, not medical means.
But the way he'd made Gaius seem…as though he was getting old and missing things…that was intentional. And the only sorcerers that had passed through Camelot where there to cause harm; not that Merlin could blame them, given how Camelot brought it on itself, executing any sorcerer that was within Camelot, whether they were peaceful or not.
Merlin couldn't really fault them for wanting retribution, she would too, but she was a healer not a warrior; she didn't use her magic for violence.
She threw her legs over the side of the bed, raking her fingers into her hair as she plaited her dark locks into a single braid. In a surprisingly short amount of time Merlin was dressed and then she knelt on the floor
"Píl áberan," she murmured, her eyes glowing gold just faintly as the nails that bolted the wood plank to the floor rose into the air and Merlin grasped them from the air before gently removing the plank.
It was true that her room had a loose plank that Merlin could stash things within, but it was also far too obvious to Merlin. If she was going to hide something beneath a plank, it wouldn't be in the first place you'd look. And no one would look under a wooden plank that had been nailed down.
Merlin looked down into the hidden cache where she kept all the things she didn't want people to find.
The grimoire that Gaius had given her rested within, as well as copies of the books Merlin had asked Geoffrey for, the ones that dealt with curing magical illnesses, a triskelion pendent that Iseldir had gifted her but Merlin didn't dare wear in Camelot, and a sack of gold that Arthur had given her for her troubles as Morgana's decoy.
Merlin pulled the grimoire free, pulling it open on her lap as she thumbed through the pages, searching for any hint of the beetles she had seen in the box that Edwin possessed.
A great deal of what was within the book dealt primarily with magic itself, but there were still quite a few passages concerning enchanted objects and creatures.
She trailed her finger down the pages, searching for any image, any at all, concerning magical beetles. Merlin had all but given up hope when she came across the passage on something called the Elanthia Beetles.
According to the passage, Elanthia Beetles were magical insects conjured by dark magic and were particularly deadly in how they could be enchanted to enter one's brain and devour it right down to the person's very soul.
It was quite repulsive, Merlin couldn't deny it, and somehow she wasn't all that surprised that Edwin had used dark magic in the first place.
But the book also gave a remedy of sorts and a spell to remove the beetle when it was still inside its victim. The potion was to repair the damage the beetles left, and it was one that Merlin was certain that Morgana hadn't had yet.
"Elderberry, Ginger, Burdock Root, Sage, Valerian," Merlin read off in a murmur, repeating them in her head so as not to forget before shutting the book and stuffing it back under the floorboards, replacing the plank where it was and returning the nails to their slots.
It was as though there was nothing underneath them, and that was what had been Merlin's intention.
She grabbed her jacket, throwing it over her shoulders and grabbing her herb bag from the hook behind the door before opening it and making her way down the stairs.
Gaius was already awake, sitting at his table with a thick tome open and candles lit.
Merlin arched an eyebrow. "Gaius, did you even go to sleep last night?"
"Is it morning?" Gaius asked, blinking thickly as he turned to look out the window where sunlight was pouring in through the window. "Ah, yes, it seems I did not, but it was worth it." He straightened his back slightly to knock out the kinks that had formed in the night. "Where are you going?"
"I've got to collect some herbs that we're running low on," Merlin said, not wanting to tell Gaius what she was up to if the potion didn't work.
"Which ones?" Gaius pressed, no doubt trying to find a lie in her words as she collected the jars that they usually stored certain herbs in.
"We're almost out of Elderberries, Sage, Burdock Root, Valerian, and Ginger," Merlin informed him, shoving the jars carefully into her bag before grabbing an apple from the table. "I'll be back by lunch, maybe earlier if I'm lucky."
Gaius hummed in agreement. "Well, you better get a move on then."
Merlin gave a small wave before pulling the door shut behind her and breathing a small sigh before continuing her way through the castle before making her way into the courtyard and into the royal stables.
When Triton saw her, he nickered loudly and Merlin smiled, taking a few bites out of the apple before giving the rest to him to finish.
"Want to help me collect some herbs?" she asked him with a smile, laughing when he bobbed his head in agreement.
"Come on, then, we've got a lot of work to do."
Merlin picked the Elderberries carefully so as to avoid squashing them in the jar, even though potions often called for squashed Elderberries, but they only worked when the berries' insides weren't exposed to air for a prolonged amount of time.
"Think that's enough?" she asked the horse as she held up the almost jar for him to see, but Triton could see nothing wrong with amount of berries she'd picked.
"Maybe a few more," Merlin contemplated, adding several more berries to the before screwing the top on tightly.
Burdock Root was easy enough to find, as was Ginger, but Sage and Valerian were proving to be elusive, even to Merlin who seemed to know that best places to collect herbs out of everyone in Camelot.
Luckily, Merlin knew a spell or two to help you find what you were looking for, and sooner, rather than later, Merlin had all her jars full and tucked safely in her bag as she fitted one foot in a stirrup and hoisted herself onto the horse's back, nudging him back in the direction of Camelot.
The trip had been, for the most part, relatively silent, but Merlin had a habit of talking to Triton as though he was person, but it wasn't as though horses lacked intelligence, so he understood her fairly well (but only to a certain degree).
"Nice ride, Merlin?"
Merlin spared a grin to the stable-hand, Neal. "Pretty nice, yeah."
Neal was a flirt and he flirted with nearly every servant, whether they were male or female. Merlin had once seen him get Cook to blush, and that was impressive to say the least.
"Would've been better with company," Neal whistled innocently, throwing a wink her way as she dismounted and he took Triton's reins.
"As always, my own company is far better than yours," Merlin replied with a laugh as Neal clutched his chest as though mortally injured by her words alone.
"You wound me!" he cried dramatically before waving her farewell as she made her way towards the side entrance (as opposed to taking the massive double doors which were a nuisance to get through).
Merlin pulled the bag closer to her side as she checked to make sure she hadn't dropped anything on her way in before taking the steps two at a time, looping up the spiral staircase before making her way towards the Court Physician's quarters when Gaius' voice made her pause.
"Edwin," Gaius said from beyond the barely open door that med into the guest quarters that Edwin Muirden was staying in and Merlin pressed herself against the wall, listening intently. "Your scar has healed well. I often wondered what happened to that poor young boy."
"I told you we've never met before," Edwin said, but Merlin could sense the lie in his tone of voice alone.
It seemed Gaius heard the lie as well as he ignored the statement. "I didn't realize who you were until I checked the records," he said. "You used your mother's maiden name. You are Gregor and Jaden's son."
There was a moment of silence following a remarkably cool statement. "They were friends of yours."
"They were sorcerers," Gaius accused and Merlin swallowed thickly.
"They practiced magic. And so did a lot of people back then, Gaius," Edwin returned and Merlin was certain he was giving Gaius a stare that indicated Gaius was one who used magic as well (which Merlin knew he did).
Gaius ignored the jibe towards him. "Uther will be furious when he finds out who you are."
Edwin did not react as Merlin expected him to. "Fine," he said simply, "fine. Shall we tell him? Let's go and tell him. Let's tell him –let's tell him everything. Ooh, I know… We could also tell him about Merlin."
Blood ran cold like ice in Merlin's veins at those words. She knew that using her magic was going to come and bite her in the ass, but this…Merlin being revealed for who she really was to the man who had killed most of her kind…this was the worst possible outcome.
"Merlin?" Gaius repeated in careful confusion.
"You didn't know she was a sorceress?" Edwin queried. "Ah. I wonder what Uther will do…Probably have her burnt…Imagine naming a sorceress as your son's servant…what a shame that would be."
Burnt at the stake…that was an image that had plagued Merlin's darkest nightmares, one that she'd had since she was a very young child, but it was one that was understandable, given what usually happened to those that were discovered using witchcraft.
"You would betray another sorcerer?" Gaius asked, startled by the information.
"You did," Edwin replied with cold accusation, "when you turned a blind eye and let my parents die at the hands of Uther! At least Merlin doesn't have a son who will try to rescue her from the flames!"
Merlin flinched.
"You're here to take revenge," Gaius assessed quietly.
"And I have waited a long time," Edwin responded lowly.
"You think I will sacrifice the King to save Merlin?" Gaius asked and Merlin could hear the sound of steps being taken around the table that was laden with all Edwin's supplies.
"Oh, I think you will," Merlin could practically hear the smirk in Edwin's voice, "because she's not just any sorceress, is she? She's powerful. I could sense it when she performed magic in front of me…it truly would be a waste to lose her to the flames, don't you think? And if I find out that you have told one other person, including the girl, I will go straight to Uther."
Merlin was gone when the door opened and Gaius stepped out into the hall.
A familiar head of dark hair greeted Gaius when he returned to his quarters to find Merlin hard at work.
"Already back?" he asked her. "Did you find everything?"
"Yes," Merlin said without looking up from her task and if Gaius didn't know her so well, he wouldn't have thought anything was wrong, but he did, and he could detect an underlying tension in the way that Merlin had spoken.
"What potion are you making?" he asked her as she counted out a number of berries into her mortar before grinding them with her pestle with more force than was necessary.
"Something for Morgana," Merlin replied, "to repair the damage done to her brain."
"Merlin," Gaius spoke with a reprimand, "Morgana doesn't need—"
"You know what?" Merlin snapped, twisting around to look at him with eyes a blazing blue fire; Gaius had never seen her so furious before. "No! A few days ago you were ready to give up on Morgana, my friend! Because you couldn't find an answer in your science! You never even thought to consider magic! You shot me down every time I suggested it! But it was here the whole time!" Merlin jabbed a finger to her propped open grimoire. "So I'm going to fix what's been done to her since no one else is!"
"Merlin," Gaius spoke gently, but Merlin was far too angry.
"Not all of us can give up on our friends so easily, Gaius," Merlin retorted, dumping the squashing remnants of the Elderberries into the cauldron, murmuring a spell too soft for Gaius to hear, but it caused the potion to bubble a thick pale purple as Merlin ladled it into a bottle easily held in one hand before dashing out of the room without a glance back.
She did not see Edwin even as she strode past his room, and that was all well for her; she wasn't sure how she would react to seeing him.
After a sharp tap on the door to Morgana's chamber followed by a replying, "Enter," Merlin made it to her destination.
Morgana was still in bed, but she was looking much better with far more color to her cheeks than the previous night.
"Merlin," Morgana said with an easy smile, "you know I'm fine, you don't have to keep checking up on me."
Merlin rolled her eyes for good measure before looking to Gwen who was pulling out a dress for Morgana to wear. "Is she?" she asked, trusting Gwen's judgment over Morgana's.
"She has been complaining about a pain in the back of her head," Gwen admitted as Morgana scowled at the pair of them.
Merlin placed the bottle of potion she'd been carrying on Morgana's beside as she extended her hands forward with a "May I?" that Morgana granted. Merlin felt along the back of her head until she found the spot where the beetle had gnawed on the most.
"Yes, there," Morgana said with a wince, "was it caused from the cerebral hemorrhage?"
Merlin drew her hands back. "The kind of…illness you had caused a small breakdown of your brain tissue," she explained carefully, "the pain you're feeling now is from that."
"But I felt fine yesterday!"
Merlin shrugged. "Sometimes these things take time for us to notice them. I have a potion that should ease the pain and repair the damage."
"But she's going to be fine?" Gwen insisted, relief present in her eyes.
"In a day or so it'll be as though nothing happened," Merlin concurred.
But the fact remained that it had.
Gaius heaved a sigh as he looked up to where Merlin's room was, the girl hidden from view by the door that had been shut behind her angrily when she had returned for the night, skipping dinner all together saying she was going to study in her room.
Gaius suspected the grimoire might have been involved, but he couldn't fault her for wanting to learn about the magic that he always feared her use of.
She had to have heard what was said between himself and Edwin, even if she did not admit it, how else could she have learned what he did in permitting so many sorcerers to die?
But the fact remained that she needed his help, even if she did not want it.
So Gaius stood, leaving the quarters as quietly as he could manage, in case Merlin was still awake, and taking the steps down to the dungeons, taking a separate tunnel that led directly to his destination, rather than the one that passed by the two soldiers always sitting guard (which he remained blissfully unaware as the way that Merlin took).
He took a torch from the wall and descended slowly down the corridor until he found himself in the cave at long last.
"Hello?" he called cautiously into the vast darkness, the only light coming from his illuminating torch. "It is me, Gaius."
There was a sound of scales scraping against stone and air whistling from the flapping of large wings as the Great Dragon flew up from where he had been resting in order to be seen on the nearby ledge of rock across from Gaius.
"How old a man can become and yet change so little," Kilgharrah intoned.
"You have not changed either," Gaius responded solemnly.
"Twenty years, almost a lifetime to make the short journey back to where you began," Kilgharrah spoke with a subtle jibe towards Gaius, but he ignored it.
"I'm not here for myself," he said.
"The girl?" the Great Dragon surmised.
"You know about Merlin?" He phrased it as a question, but they both knew it was not.
"You are not the only visitor I have had of late," Kilgharrah replied. "You have struggled against her destiny, but you can no more prevent it than she can."
"So it is true, then?" Gaius pressed.
"Oh, yes," Kilgharrah uttered in agreement, nodding his great head. "She and the young Pendragon one day will unite the land of Albion."
"But she is in danger," Gaius said, fear for his ward leaking into his voice.
That statement seemed to amuse the dragon. "No, it is my jailor who stands in peril."
It was always clear how much distaste Kilgharrah held for Uther, but this time Gaius needed an answer, an explanation. "Must Uther be sacrificed for the girl?"
"Their time cannot come until his has past," Kilgharrah said, his voice loud and echoing in the cave so that it seemed to come from several different directions.
"But is that time now?"
The dragon merely chuckled in reply. "That is of your choosing."
"I will not choose between them," Gaius called to the dragon.
"Then turn a blind eye," Kilgharrah invited of him. "That is, after all, your talent."
And in that moment, he sounded so very much like Merlin, or perhaps, it was Merlin who sounded so very much like him?
Arthur had seen her coming a mile away, and he had been expecting it; Gaius was, after all, her uncle, and the news of his sacking must have been a shock.
"You know it's not right," Merlin said, without bothering with any formalities, which was her usual. "Gaius is getting old, sure, but he's not senile, he knows what he's doing!"
Arthur stabbed his sword into the ground to wheel around to face his former maid-servant. Truth be told, he did miss her as his maid-servant, mostly because the others that had been assigned to him weren't up to par. Merlin had a way of relaxing the atmosphere and inspiring him to be better, but now it seemed she, herself, was a bundle of tension.
He could still see the thick bandage around her arm hiding the healing wound from her stabbing and there were thick crescent circles under her eyes.
"Look, he made a mistake, all right?" he said firmly. "A mistake that nearly killed Morgana. Besides, it wasn't the only one."
Her blue eyes were defiant. "What are you going on about?"
"Edwin said his work was riddled with errors," Arthur said quietly, noticing a sharp change in Merlin's demeanor.
Her hands clenched into fists at her side and she squared her jaw. "And you trust the word of a man you hardly know over Gaius? Besides, I would know if he'd made any mistakes!"
And then she stormed off before he could say anything else, so Arthur vented his frustration on the practice dummy in front of him.
Merlin watched Gaius ride out of Camelot with a dark expression creasing her face. There was no denying that she was furious with him concerning the matters of the Great Purge, anyone would be, but Merlin still trusted Edwin far less than Gaius, and the knowledge that he was only in Camelot for revenge had Merlin on edge.
She tried to keep an eye on the elusive sorcerer, but that proved rather difficult and Merlin lost him by the time night fell, and it was only when Arthur came rushing through the corridors that she realized he'd already played his hand.
"Merlin!" he called. "Find Edwin, my father has Morgana's illness!"
Merlin raced on swift feet to the guest quarters that Edwin had taken up residence within, throwing the door open with a loud bang, only to stare at the orange flames encircling a pillar to which Gaius (when had he returned to Camelot?) was backed against.
Edwin turned impassively towards her accusing eyes as Gaius defended himself.
"He was trying to kill the king, I couldn't let him."
"I can rule the kingdom now," Edwin said with a smile that lit his cold eyes before extending a hand to Merlin. "And with you at my side, we can be all-powerful. Think of it, the two of us!"
There was a manic gleam in his eyes that reminded Merlin of Girec and made her want to take a step back, but she held her ground.
"I don't think so," she replied, cold and direct, "I could never ally myself with someone who uses dark magic."
His expression darkened. "It's your loss, Merlin." And he lifted an arm to use his magic to raise an axe from where it was mounted on the wall, flinging it towards Merlin.
Merlin didn't move as it came closer and closer, only to stop midair as the Merlin reached out with her own magic, her eyes blazing gold.
"Swilte, Merlin," Edwin breathed, his own eyes attaining a similar golden color, but the spell did him no good as Merlin's eyes gleamed brighter as she sent the axe hurtling back to collide with his chest.
Two men dead by her hand in less than two weeks…Merlin felt sick, but she tried to ignore it as best as she could as the flames abated, instead choosing to dart to the table stacked with Edwin's things, grabbing the box that held the Elanthia Beetles, before shooting out of the room before Gaius could question her.
Uther certainly looked quite ill when she entered his chambers, his skin a sickly sheen of grey.
Merlin knew the spell to remove the beetle, the problem was, she'd never used it before, so there was a possibility for failure…but if she did nothing he still died.
Not that it mattered to her; Merlin hated Uther, but Arthur would be distraught.
She moved forward to place her hands on either side of the king's head, closing her eyes and wrinkling her brow in concentration.
"Bebeode þe arisan ealdu. Áblinnen," Merlin spoke softly, sending a thin tendril of magic into Uther's head where the beetle was gnawing on his brain before pulling it out to crush it in her hand.
When Arthur saw Merlin again, she was sitting on a stone bench admiring what appeared to be a wind chime of sorts. Only instead of metal cylinders hanging from the top piece, they were crystals, ranging from clear to deep purple, a few feathers, what appeared to be a ball of twine, and a small pouch filled with a substance he could not ascertain.
Merlin noticed his perplexed expression. "Nice, isn't it? My cousin sent it to me."
"You have a cousin?" the fact seemed to startle Arthur who couldn't imagine a miniature Merlin running around.
"Sort of," Merlin said, but she did not elaborate, clearing her throat, "I hear there's an opening as the maid-servant to the prince."
Arthur's eyes widened. "I wouldn't've thought you'd want your job back after last time…"
Merlin's smile became brittle. "Arthur, I killed someone last night…it seems an unfortunate certainty that people are going to die around the Pendragon family." She heaved a sigh. "We don't see the world the same, you know? It's very black and white for you, but it isn't for me…and I'd rather like to avoid killing if it isn't necessary."
"I understand," Arthur said, and this time he meant it. "So, when can you start? I need someone to wash my clothes, repair my armor, sweep my fireplace, change my bed sheets—"
"You really do delight in making my life difficult, don't you?" Merlin asked him shrewdly.
"I haven't any idea what you're talking about," he denied and Merlin rolled her eyes for good measure.
AN: Anyone recognize the gift Caedmon sent Merlin? It's a Sorcerer's Chime similar to what Alice had hanging in the inn. I really like the idea of Merlin having a thing with crystals.
So Arthur and Merlin have made up but now Merlin's mad at Gaius, how fun is that?
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