Note: Hi guys, I'm back again from one of those unreasonably long breaks. I'm going to try to wrap this up in three or four chapters. Thanks again if you've stuck with me this far. I promise this story will have an end.
In the morning light, Arthur caught Merlin wandering the gardens in a dreamy state.
"Where've you been, then?" Arthur asked. "I've been stuck alone all night."
"You mean pining after Gwen," Merlin returned.
"Shut up," Arthur snarled. He grabbed the fistful of wildflowers from Merlin's hands and tossed them on the ground. Merlin scowled and collected them again. "That woman is still here, isn't she?"
"Her name is Marissa," Merlin said.
"And you left her in the castle?"
"What was I supposed to do, put her out on the street? Her arm was very badly hurt. I had to use magic to heal it."
"Magic!" Arthur sputtered. He kicked a rock and it went tumbling along the dirt path. Merlin watched the rock roll, idly wondering when Arthur had developed such a definite grasp on moving solid objects. "Are you even listening to me, Merlin? What if that woman is dangerous? Or what if she vehemently hates magic and brings an army to Camelot?"
"Arthur, she isn't dangerous, and Magic is legal now."
"You're being a fool, Merlin," Arthur snarled.
"Am not," Merlin said, turning his back on the king.
Arthur appeared in front of Merlin and hit him – not a playful or irritated hit as Arthur had so often done in life, but a full-on punch square in the face. Merlin clasped his nose, and bent all the flower stems in the process.
"Ow!" he said, drawing out the sound as much as possible to make it clear he was not pleased.
Arthur took one step back, looking as awkward as ever. "I'm sorry," he said uncertainly, "I don't know what came over me."
"I think you broke my nose," Merlin said. He rested his index finger on the bridge of his nose and his eyes flashed golden. "And now, it's unbroken. You're just lucky I have magic."
"Am I now?" Arthur said. "Really, Merlin, I am sorry."
Merlin shrugged, because it was all he could do. It wasn't in his nature to be mad at Arthur, and he was in too good of a mood otherwise to have his day ruined by something as trivial as a once-but-no-longer-broken nose.
After a sufficiently long pause, Merlin asked, "So you don't think Marissa is trustworthy, then?"
Arthur nodded.
"Why?"
"Funny feeling," he said. "Didn't you used to get those?"
"Yeah, but my funny feelings were right," Merlin said.
Sorcerer and ghost walked back towards the castle. In the courtyard, Tristian tickled Aithusa's chin. The dragon let out an affectionate huff, which was enough to throw the knight back and into his grumpy counterpart's arms. Both Tristian and Galahad landed gracelessly on the pavement.
"Get off me!" Galahad growled.
Aithusa nudged them both with her snout.
"I think she's beginning to like you," Tristian said.
Arthur let out a sigh. "These knights," he said to Merlin. "Are they really the best Camelot can offer? What happened to my knights?"
Merlin watched Tristian get to his feet.
"Gwaine died," Merlin explained. "Morgana killed him just before she came to find us. Percival, I think, stayed in Camelot for a short time after that. Gwen told me he left one day on a patrol and did not return."
"Gwaine," Arthur said. "He was a good man. I always imagined he was too foolhardy to die." Even as he said it, Arthur knew they were both thinking the same thing: everyone dies. Then, it seemed that every once in a rare while, someone comes back.
IOIOIOIOIOI
Arthur left Merlin at Marissa's door. He could not shake his ultimate dislike for the woman, which seemed to grow every time he saw her.
He went to Gwen's chambers and sat with her while she read over some official documents. There were taxes to be collected and treaties to be maintained. She read carefully and considered each piece of information.
"You don't need anyone's help, do you?" Arthur said. He put a hand on her shoulder, and she jumped up, knocking her chair over.
Asha came running from the other room. "My lady," she said, "Is everything alright?"
"Yes," Gwen said. "I just got a chill." It was a rather palpable chill, which felt very much like a cold hand on her shoulder.
Asha put the chair upright and Gwen went back to reading, though the hairs on the nape of her neck stood at attention. Arthur puzzled over her, and puzzled over his own hand. What was he becoming?
IOIOIOIOIOI
Marissa was exceedingly grateful for the flowers, even if the stems were a little bent. She fawned over them while Merlin checked her arm. He pronounced it much, much better.
"You can leave Camelot tomorrow if you wish," Merlin said.
"Do you want me to leave?" Marissa asked. The way she said it was a perfect mixture of teasing, disappointment, and offense. It flustered Merlin. He stammered out a few empty vowels.
"I would very much like you to stay in Camelot," he finally said, "But I know your kin are waiting."
Marissa resolved quickly to write them a letter saying she had been delayed. She did so immediately, and smiled sweetly as she folded the paper over.
"Have you any messenger birds?" she asked.
"Sure," Merlin said, "But they are only trained to fly familiar places."
"I thought you could use your magic to direct the bird," Marissa said.
"Oh." With magic, one did not need a trained bird. Any old black bird would do the trick. Merlin called out the window in his very old language and a raven came. Its beady black eyes stared at him with mild annoyance. Birds, like dragons, did not care for being summoned.
Marissa scooped up the bird in her palms and tied her message to it. Merlin gave the creature a small piece of bread for its patience. With the note secured and the bird's belly full, Merlin spoke a spell.
"Tell him to whom he should deliver the message," Merlin said.
"Gareth," Marissa said.
The bird twisted its head once as if committing the information to memory, and then it was off.
IOIOIOIOIOI
The raven did not have far to go; Gareth was waiting at the edge of the forest. He unfurled the message which simply read, "the hour is upon us." He returned it to the bird.
"Take this to Adrian," he said. The bird complied, flying up and up until it became part of the shadows of the canopy.
Gareth took a very long, deep breath and slunk into the field which boarded the lower town. He approached the castle from behind. The guards were at their posts, but they were yawning. Almost everyone in Camelot had very suddenly become tired to the point of exhaustion. Marissa's long night of spell work in the castle had done the trick. Camelot was asleep on its feet.
Arthur was not affected by such things. He had noticed Gwen yawning, and thought nothing of it until her eyes slipped entirely closed and she gently set her head on the table. Again, he put a hand on her shoulder, and it startled her awake.
"Something is wrong," he said, though she still could not hear him. "I'll go find Merlin."
On his way to get Merlin, he found Gareth instead, and recognized him as the shady figure that had been lurking around the castle at night. Arthur stopped in his tracks. Did he really need Merlin? He had the ability to touch objects. He could probably wield a sword if he really tried. Anyway, Merlin had developed – or rather re-developed – a nasty habit of not listening to him. He would handle this on his own.
IOIOIOIOIOI
"Do you feel sleepy?" Merlin asked Marissa.
She feigned confusion. "Do you?"
Merlin was suddenly aware of a carnivorous magic pulsing through the castle. It must have been there for a while, because it was strong and it was everywhere. Something had suddenly woken it up.
"This isn't right," Merlin said definitively. "I have to go check on the queen and the prince."
Marissa caught his arm. "Wait, don't leave," she said.
Merlin stared at her. He had the strangest sense of déjà vu. This magic was familiar.
"Aren't you tired at all?" he asked.
Marissa blinked a few times and then let out a comically overdone yawn. "Now that you mention it, I am," she said.
Merlin pulled away his arm. He saw it now: Marissa's beauty wasn't naturally forgettable, it was a spell designed to entice and obscure. It was magic that had drawn Merlin to Marissa – he sensed she was, in some way, like him, and that was why he felt so connected.
"I've seen a sleeping spell like this before. If affects everyone but the caster and live host," he said.
"I don't know what you mean," Marissa said. She yawned again, but it was an empty gesture. "Please, Merlin, you're scaring me. What is going on?"
"You have magic," Merlin said. "You're using it to put all of Camelot to sleep. Arthur was right, you are up to no good."
"Arthur?"
"Never mind," Merlin said. He hissed out a spell that should have knocked Marissa out cold, but at the very same moment she countered. The air between them exploded violently, throwing them both against opposite walls.
Marissa's smile turned blood-curdling. "Come now, Emrys, play nice."
