IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters, although I do love them very much. These characters belong to the BBC and the relevant production companies. Any characters that are of my own creation will be listed below.
OCs: Alara, Gaheris, Meilyr
CHAPTER FIVE
It took all of her willpower to not leap on Mordred right then; she couldn't believe her eyes as she saw Mordred stare at her, blue eyes bright in the morning sunlight. Not knowing what to do, Alara sat in shock as Mordred moved about, trying to hoist himself into a sitting position.
Gaius entered the room, fresh water and a bowl of porridge in hand. "And how is-" He looked up and saw Mordred. "Oh. I guess we won't be needing this water."
"I wouldn't mind a bit of that porridge though, Gaius. I'm starving."
The physician obliged, not before Alara stuck a finger in the bowl and took a scoop of the porridge. "Sorry." She smirked.
Gaius bowed his head. "I'll leave the two of you to look after yourselves?"
Alara nodded. "I'll give Mordred his ointment before I join the queen with the princes' breakfasts."
"I don't know what made my horse behave like that," Mordred said. "That one is usually very calm."
Alara didn't reply: she was inspecting Mordred's arm, softly running her fingers over the areas where the major breaks were. "Doesn't feel as if there's anything to worry about." She said. Before Mordred could move, she stopped him. "You need to be careful. Your arm broke in a few places. No swinging a sword for you just yet."
"But what about my duties? I can't be off to the side! What if-"
"I'll tell Arthur that you need time to rest. Some simple exercises will be enough to help with regaining basic movement."
"Yes Mother." He grumbled.
Alara flicked Mordred's thigh. "Oi. Cheeky." She picked up the breakfast things and went to go clean them, giving Mordred the privacy to dress in some fresh clothes. She was caught up in her thoughts, letting them wash away in the hot water. Do I really think that Mordred loves me? I was stupid enough to love him, and to go as far as kissing him. Oh Gods I hope he can't hear my thoughts.
Not wanting to disturb her, Mordred crept into the workroom, watching as Alara cleaned the dishes. He couldn't help but gaze upon the way that she had tied her hair away; the dark tresses wrapped up in cloth, stray curls tracing her neck. He thought about her eyes and how brilliant they looked as he stared at her for the first time.
"Did you kiss me?" He asked.
Alara visibly tensed. He knew. "Um, maybe? I don't know."
"I was dreaming, and I remember you kissing me."
"Oh did I? Well, I guess your head must've been badly hurt." Her voice was shaking. Oh Gods! What do I do? Do I tell him the truth? Do I just lie and see where that gets me? She jumped as she felt Mordred lightly touched her elbow. "Mordred... I-"
"There's been something I've been wanting to say for a really long time," He said. "And it's weird to think that it's taken until my accident to see."
"See what?"
"That I love you."
Her breath hitched. She opened her mouth to speak, but Mordred shook his head.
"Don't speak," He told her. "I want to tell you how I really feel."
"Oh shut up and kiss me you big idiot." She pulled his lips to hers as she kissed him deeply, threading her soapy fingers through his hair. Mordred followed Alara's lead as they kissed.
It was like music was playing in their heads as passion took over. They grasped and caressed and moved as one, not speaking or pausing for breath. It was perfect. Nothing stopped either of them as the dishes lay forgotten in the water, as Mordred moved his head down to pepper Alara's neck with soft kisses, pulling her body tighter to his.
Both Merlin and Gaius entered the room, coming across the two young lovers. Merlin opened his mouth to protest, but Gaius stopped him, closing the door to the workroom, letting them have their privacy.
For the rest of the day, Alara felt like she was walking on air. A tune in her heart and a spring in her step, she went about her duties thinking about her kiss with Mordred. He loves me, she kept thinking, he loves me, he loves me, he loves me!
Arthur and Gwen didn't let her chipper attitude go unnoticed. "I heard Mordred is awake," Arthur said. "I bet you're happy. You were really worried for him."
"Hm? Oh, yes, I am glad that he's finally come around." She replied.
Gwen smirked into her breakfast as she watched Alara float around the room, a big grin on her face. "I assume you'll still want to care for him?"
"Now he's up and about, I'll take a step back. Let Gaius do his work. I've done everything I could."
"I bet you did more than that." Arthur muttered.
Gwen slapped her husbands arm in chastisement for his comment. "That's not a comment befitting a king, is it now?"
Arthur tried and failed to hide his laughter. "No, no it isn't," He took a deep and serious tone, catching Alara's eye and winking when Gwen wasn't looking. "Will Mordred be allowed to return to full service?"
"Not quite yet," Alara replied. "He was unconscious for almost two months, and his arm was severely broken in several places. Mordred needs the time to recuperate and regain strength back into his arm."
"Does Gaius recommend any treatment?"
"He hasn't mentioned anything to Mordred just yet, but I assume that he would prescribe basic exercise and some movement to help with his arm."
"And I assume that you, as his caregiver, would want to oversee that treatment be carried out to its fullest?"
Alara blushed. "With my duties with the princes, my lord, I don't think I'll have the appropriate time to oversee-"
"Gaheris is old enough now to start basic training with some weapons," Arthur said. "You can escort him to the training grounds whilst the knights have their daily training. It is of no matter."
Over the following weeks, with Gaheris starting to take part in basic training and Meilyr beginning his lessons with tutors, Alara split her time between aiding Mordred with his recovery and continuing her apprenticeship under Gaius. It seemed that the head injury took far more of a toll on Mordred: he was becoming more lethargic, he sometimes lost focus during training exercises, and he was having trouble sleeping. One night, he was caught by the guards wandering about the castle, described as being in a trance. It worried both Gaius and Alara.
"So these episodes of sleep-walking," Gaius asked. "Do they happen every night?"
Mordred shook his head. "Not always."
Alara studied that scar on Mordred's hairline; there didn't seem to be any sign of infection around the wound, nor did Mordred show any other signs of possible infection. "That's very strange."
Gaius turned to Alara. "Has there been any other odd symptoms?"
"Mordred has been showing signs of excessive tiredness, bouts of poor concentration, and lately he's been suffering from prolonged headaches."
Gaius took note and began to root through his various vials and bottles. "I recommend that you take one sip of poppy juice at night to help you sleep, and if you have another bad headache, I want you to go to your chambers, draw your curtains and lay in bed with a thick cloth over your eyes." Handing over a small bottle, Gaius offered a small posset. "This is willow bark. It's a strong painkiller - not as strong as poppy juice, but it will help with your headaches."
Mordred nodded and took the medicine gladly.
"Alara, could you make note of Mordred's symptoms when he has a headache? It would be useful to me for future patients."
"Of course, Gaius."
Under Gaius' prescribed medicine, Mordred did seem to make improvements; he did seem to be more alert and his bouts of sleep-walking reduced. The headaches seemed to increase, however: Mordred was more or less bedridden. The headache started after a rough training session and only got worse the more her moved about. Arthur relieved him of his duties until he was deemed fit by Gaius.
Mordred laid down on his bed. The fire was smothered and his curtains drawn tight, letting in very little light. Alara sat in a chair next to his bed, recording Mordred's symptoms.
"Where is the pain focused? Is it all over your head or in your eyes?"
He grunted. "All over really. It started in my eyes, and then it got worse really fast."
"Do you feel nauseated, like you're going to be sick? Or do you feel normal?"
"Uh, I have been sick when no-one's looking, but that's usually when the pain gets unbearable."
Alara stopped writing and went into a moment of deep thought. "I wonder..." She readjusted the cloth covering Mordred's eyes and softly kissed him. "I'm just going to see Gaius. I won't be gone long."
"What if Mordred needs some time away from Camelot?"
"What do you mean?"
Alara opened her notebook and showed Gaius the list of Mordred's symptoms. "It seems that constant loud noise and movement aggravates Mordred's headaches, and being in a dark room with little to no noise appears to offer relief. Why not send Mordred away for a few days, maybe even a week, giving him time in a peaceful environment that could potentially aid in his recovery."
Gaius pondered the suggestion for a moment. "Where would you suggest that Mordred go?"
"Ealdor." Alara mumbled.
"You want to send Mordred all the way to Ealdor? That's at least a day and a half riding away! And you'll be entering an enemy kingdom!"
"Once Cendred died what was left of his bloodline merged with Queen Mithian's kingdom. We'll be safe."
"We?" Gaius laughed. "You'll be going with him?'
"Well someone needs to!"
"What on earth is going on?" Merlin asked. He stood in the doorway, his clothing giving him a regal air. "All I can hear is shouting as I've made my way down the hall. What's with all the raised voices?"
Gaius beat Alara to answering. "She thinks that both herself and Mordred should travel all the way to Ealdor so Mordred can recover."
Merlin turned to his sister. "Is this true?"
She nodded. "Gaius is the physician here. I was only making a suggestion to further Mordred's recovery. I didn't mean for this fighting to start."
"Alara, please go back to your duties. I'll come by your chambers later to talk."
Alara didn't realise that she had fallen asleep at Mordred's bedside until a soft hand on her shoulder woke her up. It was Merlin. He gestured for her to follow, and she did once she was assured that Mordred was deeply asleep.
He bought her to a secluded alcove. "I need to talk to you."
"Is this about what happened with Gaius? I didn't mean to-"
"No, no, no. I've spoken to Gaius and he admits that he reacted poorly to your suggestion. I'll admit myself that he's done that to me a few times over the years."
Alara sighed, the tension releasing from her shoulders. "That's good at least. It bothered me."
"I need to talk to you about Mordred."
"What about Mordred?"
Merlin bit his lip, unsure of where to begin. "Mordred ... I've been ... Ugh this is a lot harder than I thought."
"What seems to be the problem?"
"I've been having dreams lately." He said. "And I feel like they mean something is going to happen. Something bad."
"Like what?"
Merlin briefly looks around and sees that there are no guards visible in the corridor. He also checks the courtyard - one could never be too careful these days. "It's Mordred. He's responsible for Arthur's murder."
A/N: Thank you for bearing with me, guys. Life is getting a little busy now that it's coming up to Christmas.
