In a land of myth and a time of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young girl. Her name: Merlyn.
As I'm carrying a heavy bag, I pass Gaius in the upper corridor.
"Why do I always get landed with the donkey work?" I ask him.
"You're a servant, Merlyn. It's what you do." He tells me.
"My arms will be a foot longer by the time I get this lot inside." I mutter, setting the bag down.
"It's character building. As the old proverb says, hard work breeds...a harder soul." Gaius says.
"There is no way that's a proverb. You just made that up." I argue.
"No. I didn't." He disagrees, and a girl falls right in front of me.
"Sorry." She says to me, picking up the pillow and sheets.
"It's alright." I tell her, shrugging.
"Excuse me." She says going back to collecting the things she dropped.
"Let me give you a hand with that." I offer, crouching down and I look at her, and we stand up.
"Hi. I'm Merlyn." I tell her, shaking her hand.
"Cara. You're Arthur's maidservant. That must be such an honor." She tells me and I roll my eyes.
"Oh, yeah. It is." I tell her, sarcastically.
"Thank you, Merlyn." She tells me and I smile politely.
"It was nice meeting you." She says causing me to nod, and after she leaves. Gaius tells me to get back to work. I head to Arthur's chambers and lay out the clothes for the feast, and reel back when I smell them.
"When's the last time these were cleaned?" I ask him, disgusted by the smell.
"Last year some time. Before the feast of Beltane." He replies.
"Did it end in a food fight?" I ask him, curiously.
"Don't all feasts?" He asks me.
"I wouldn't know. The heirs and graces of the court are a mystery to me." I mutter to him.
"Not tonight they won't be." He says and I look up at him.
"I'm gonna be at the banquet?" I ask him, surprised.
"Not quite. You'll be there to make sure my cup doesn't run dry. If I have to sit through Bayard's boring speeches, I don't see why you should get out of it. Be sure to polish the buttons. Do you want to see what you'll be wearing tonight?" He tells me.
"Won't this do?" I ask, glancing down at my brown dress, red scarf and my tan boots.
"No. Tonight you'll be wearing the official ceremonial robes of the servants of Camelot." He says, smirking, holding up my 'ceremonial robes' and I gape.
"You can't be serious." I say and he tosses them to me, before I leave. Later that night I'm wearing the ridiculous feather hat that Arthur gave me, and I'm talking with Gwen.
"Nice hat." She says, giggling and I sigh.
"Thanks." I tell her, taking the hat off. I see that girl from earlier, Cara. Bayard and Uther finish signing the treaty and graps arms. Gwen says something about having to go and she leaves.
"People of Camelot, for a great many years we have been mortal enemies, and the blood of our men stains the ground from the walls of Camelot to the gates of Mercia. And though we remember those who have died, we must not allow any more to join them." Bayard says and a serving girl brings in a box.
"As a symbol of our goodwill, and of our newfound friendship, I present these ceremonial goblets to you, Uther, and to your son, Arthur, in the hope that our friendship may last." He continues. Cara comes over, looking anxious.
"Merlyn, I need to speak to you." She tells me sounding as nervous as she looks.
"What is it?" I ask, concerned.
"Not here, please. I don't know who else to tell." She says and we step into the hallway.
"It wasn't until I saw him give the goblet to Arthur that I realized..." She says and I raise a brow.
"Whoa, slow down. Start from the beginning." I tell her soothingly.
"Two days ago, I was bringing Bayard his evening meal. We're supposed to knock. He didn't expect me to walk in..." She explains to me.
"So, what are you trying to say?" I ask her, unsure as to her point.
"If he knows I said anything, he will kill me." She tells me, nervously.
"I would not let that happen to you, I promise. Please tell me what you saw." I tell her.
"Bayard is no friend of Camelot. He craves the kingdom for himself." She informs me.
"Cara...Tell me. What has Bayard done with the goblet?" I ask her, becoming frightened.
"He believes that if he kills Arthur, Uther's spirit will be broken and Camelot will fall." She explains.
"What has he done with the goblet?" I ask, terrified at the thought something could befall Arthur.
"I saw him putting something in it." She tells me, fearfully.
"What?" I ask, fearing her answer.
"I shouldn't! He'll kill me!" She tells me, scared of being killed for her accusations.
"Please, tell me! Was it poison?" I plead for her tell me and she nods. I suck in a breath and run back into the Hall of Ceremonies. I run in just as everyone begins to drink.
"It's poisoned! Don't drink it!" I call out, running up to Arthur and taking his goblet.
"What?" Uther asks me, irritated by my disruption.
"Merlyn, what are you doing?" Arthur asks me, confused.
"Bayard laced Arthur's goblet with poison." I explain.
"This is an outrage!" Bayrad cries and his men draw their swords, causing the knights of Camelot to do the same.
"Order your men to put down their swords." Uther orders him, and Camelot guards rush in. "You are outnumbered." He tells Bayard.
"I will not allow this insult to go unchallenged!" Bayard retorts.
"On what grounds do you base this accusation?" Uther asks me, and I swallow hard.
"I'll handle this." Arthur tells him, skirting around the table.
"Merlyn, you idiot. Have we been at the sloe gin again?" He asks me, obviously thinking I'm drunk, taking the goblet from me.
"Unless you want to be strung up, you will tell me why you think why you think it's poisoned now." Uther tells me, demanding an answer.
"He was seen lacing it." I tell him.
"By whom?" Uther asks me.
"I can't say." I say respectfully.
"I won't listen to this anymore." Bayard says.
"Pass me the goblet." Uther commands and Arthur hands it to him.
"If you're telling the truth..." Uther says to Bayard.
"I am." Bayard tells him confidently.
"Then you have nothing to fear, do you?" Uther asks him, and Bayard sheathes his sword, reaching for the goblet.
"No. If this does prove to be poisoned, I want the pleasure of killing you myself." Uther tells him and Bayard snorts. Suddenly Uther holds the goblet up to me.
"She'll drink it." He announces and my eyes widen.
"But if it is poisoned, she'll die!" Arthur objects.
"Then we'll know she was telling the truth." Uther says, simply.
"And what if she lives?" Bayard asks, looking at me, his eyes roaming up and down my body, and I restrain a shudder.
"Then you have my apologies, and you can do with her as you will." Uther tells him and Bayard smirks at me.
"Uther, please! She's just a girl! She doesn't know what she's saying!" Gaius tries to argue, knowing what Bayard wants to do with me.
"Then you should've schooled her better." Uther retorts.
"Merlyn, apologize. This is a mistake. I'll drink it." Arthur says, and if I didn't know any better I'd swear he sounded scared for me.
"No, no, no, no, no. It's, it's alright." I say, taking a breath and I toast to Bayard, Uther and Arthur before drinking it. After a minute I realize nothing happened.
"It's fine." I announce.
"She's all yours." Uther says and I start to feel my vision blur. Suddenly I can't breathe, I'm choking before I fall to the floor, the world around me turning black.
Arthur POV
I don't understand what possessed her to come in the middle of the toasting and accuse Bayard of poisoning the goblet. I panic when my father tells her to drink it and I realize that I'm actually scared, for Merlyn. I'm scared of losing her. Which is ridiculous because she's my idiot maidservant who is always late and talking all the bloody time, but she's also caring and she listens and she treats me like a normal person and not 'Prince Arthur' but just Arthur, and I like it. I like her. What Morgana said in my chambers, when she was convincing me to help them, consumes my thoughts. 'But that's why you like Merlyn...' And what I think about the most, 'Don't know what she sees in you, if you ask me.'
"Merlyn, apologize. This is a mistake. I'll drink it." I say, and she looks at me, fear in her brilliant blue eyes that wasn't there a moment ago. Fear for me, I realize.
"No, no, no, no, no. It's, it's alright." She says and drinks it. Nothing happens and I sigh in relief. Then she starts to choke and she falls to the floor, and the relief I felt a moment ago is shattered.
"It's poisoned. Guards seize him!" I hear my father call out, but I'm running to her, and I crouch down next to her.
"Merlyn. Can you hear me? We have to get her back to my chambers. Bring the goblet. I need to identify the poison." I hear Gaius say, and I pick her up walking out of the hall, with my father calling after me, but I'm only worried about Merlyn. We hurry to Gaius's chambers and he opens the door and we walk inside and I can hear her gasping softly.
"Lay her on the bed quickly; she's struggling to breathe. Gwen, fetch me some water and a towel." Gaius orders her and she rushes to get what he asked for.
"Is she gonna be alright?" I ask, my voice shaking slightly, but at Gaius's quirked eyebrow, I see he noticed. I sit on a bench next to the bed, my eyes not leaving her beautifully freckled face, paler than usual.
"She's burning up." He tells me.
"You can cure her, can't you Gaius?" Gwen asks giving him the towel and bucket of water, which he wets and then places on her forehead.
"I won't know until I can identify the poison. Pass me the goblet." He tells her and she hands it to him. He stands and Gwen takes over placing the cloth on Merlyn's brow.
"Ah. There's something stuck on the inside." He notices after looking at it. I stand up and walk over.
"What is it?" I ask him, as he pulls something out of the goblet.
"It looks like a flower petal of some kind." He tells me.
"Her brow's on fire." Gwen tells Gaius and I glance at Merlyn.
"Keep her cool; it'll help control her fever." He informs her and she tends to Merlyn as he pulls out a book.
"Ah. The petal comes from the Mortaeus flower. It says here that someone poisoned by the Mortaeus can only be saved by a potion made from the leaf of the very same flower. It can only be found in the caves deep beneath the Forest of Balor. The flower grows on the roots of the Mortaeus tree." Gaius reads.
"That's not particularly friendly." I comment to him.
"A Cockatrice. It guards the forest. Its venom is potent. A single drop would mean certain death. Few who have crossed the Mountains of Isgaard in search of the Mortaeus flower have made it back alive." Gaius tells me.
"Sounds like fun." I say, sarcastically.
"Arthur, it's too dangerous." Gaius warns me.
"If I don't get the antidote, what happens to Merlyn?" I ask him, fearing the answer.
"The Mortaeus induces a slow and painful death . She may hold out for four, maybe five days, but not for much longer. Eventually she will die." He tells me, looking regretful. I leave to go talk with my father while Guinevere goes to tend to Morgana and to update her about Merlyn, I'm sure. I walk with my father, after dressing in my chainmail.
"What's the point of having people to taste for you if you're going to get yourself killed anyway?" He asks me, sounding as if I said she'd been late rather than dying.
"I won't fail, no matter what you think." I tell him, confidently.
"Arthur, you are my only son and heir. I can't risk losing you for the sake of some serving girl." He tells me.
"Oh, because her life's worthless?" I ask, getting angry at the notion that she isn't important, because however inappropriate it is, she's important to me.
"No, because it's worth less than yours." He tells me, sounding almost sympathetic.
"I can save her. Let me take some men." I plead with him.
"No." He tells me.
"We'll find the antidote and bring it back." I continue, trying to change his mind.
"No." He repeats again.
"Why not?!" I exclaim and take a breath.
"Because one day I will be dead and Camelot will need a king. I'm not going to let you jeopardize the future of this kingdom over some fool's errand." Father says to me.
"It's not a fool's errand. Gaius says that if we can get the antidote..." I try to explain.
"Oh, Gaius says? That's exactly what makes it so." He tells me.
"Please, Father. She saved my life. I can't stand by and watch her die." I settle on saying rather than everything I'm thinking. I care for her. I can't imagine not seeing her everyday, I'd never forgive myself if I didn't do whatever I could to save her.
"Then don't look. This girl won't be the last to die on your behalf. You're going to be King. It's something you'll have to get used to." He says, coldly.
"I can't accept that." I tell him.
"You're not going." He says to me.
"You can't stop me." I say, defiantly.
"Damn it, Arthur, that's an end to it! You're not leaving this castle tonight." He yells at me and I storm back to my chambers, open the door, drop my sword on the table and lean over the fireplace.
"Say what you like about the food, but you can't beat our feast for entertainment." Morgana says, and I try not to tense up, knowing she's only making the situation light because Merlyn is her friend and she's worried.
"Morgana, I'm sorry, I should have made sure you were alright." I say, realizing I left her in the middle of the knights apprehending Bayard's men but after Merlyn collapsed I forgot about it all, except her.
"Disappointed actually. I was looking forward to clumping a couple around the head with a ladle." She says to me.
"I'm sure the guards could have handled Bayard and his men." I assure her and she smirks.
"Yeah, but why let the boys have all the fun?" She asks me and I frown.
"Morgana, you shouldn't get involved. It's dangerous." I warn her and she rolls her eyes.
"Spare me the lecture, I've already had it from Uther." She tells me.
"If it's any consolation, you weren't the only one." I say to her.
"Not that I listen to him. Sometimes you've got to do what you think is right, and damn the consequences." She says to me and I turn around. She looks at me pointedly.
"You think I should go?" I ask her.
"It doesn't matter what I think. I know you, Arthur, and want to go. Don't let Uther stop you from saving her if you truly care for her. " She replies.
"If I don't make it back, who will be the next king of Camelot? There's more than just my life at stake." I tell her, trying to convince myself more than her.
"And what kind of king would Camelot want? One that would risk his life to save that of a lowly maidservant?" She asks, drawing my sword. "Or one who does what his father tells him to?" She asks, presenting my sword and I take it. I sneak out to the barn, mount my horse, and ride, past the guards, over the drawbridge and out of Camelot.
3rd person POV
"She's getting hotter." Gwen calls over to Gaius from her spot by her best friend's bedside.
"Him. Liffrea, wuldres wealdend, woroldare forgeaf." Merlyn mutters incoherently.
"What language is that?" Gwen asks, confused. Gaius walks over and sits down beside her.
"None. The fever's taken hold. None of those words are her own. Her pulse is weaker." Gaius says after checking it and he finds a large, circular rash on Merlyn's arm.
"What is it?" Gwen asks him, concerned.
"That can't be right. The rash is not supposed to appear until the final stage." Gaius informs her.
"What does that mean?" Gwen asks him. Gaius checks his book with a magnifying glass.
"It says here that "once a rash appears, death will follow within two days."" He reads to her.
"You said she had four days." Gwen tells him, referring to the deadline Gaius gave Arthur.
"Something's increased the flower's potency. It warns that "the effect of the Mortaeus will be more rapid if an enchantment is used during the flower's preparation."" He tells her, referring to the hastening of the deadline.
"An enchantment? But Bayard's no sorcerer." Gwen says to him.
"No, he isn't." Gaius agrees.
"Then who did this?" Gwen asks confused.
"It can't have been. She wouldn't dare come here. Unless..." Gaius starts to say but stops.
"Unless what?" Gwen asks him.
"What happened to that girl?" He asks her suddenly.
"Which girl?" Gwen asks him.
"Just before Merlyn burst into the hall one of Bayard's serving girls took her outside." Gaius informs her.
"She had dark hair. Very beautiful." Gwen describes.
"Find her. Quickly." Gaius tells her and she leaves.
"Arthur... swa..." Merlyn mutters again. She begins to stir restlessly, and Gaius is inspecting her rash as Gwen enters.
"Let me guess, she wasn't there." Gaius guesses, looking up from the magnifying glass.
"No one has seen her since the banquet. Who is she?" Gwen asks him.
"Not who she claims to be." Gaius replies.
"But you know, don't you?" Gwen says to him.
"Cara. Though, that's not her name. Not her real name, anyway." He tells her.
"Then who is she?" She asks him, confused.
"A powerful sorceress." Gaius tells her.
"Well, we should tell Uther. Maybe he could send riders out after her." She says, stepping forward and grabbing the back of a chair.
"No, she'll be long gone. It's impossible to know where, though. Oh, no." Gaius says, realizing something important.
"What?" Gwen asks him, worried.
"She knows the only place an antidote can be found is the Forest of Balor. Arthur could be walking into a trap." Gaius explains to her.
"Arthur. Arthur." Merlyn whimpers incoherently. Merlyn continues muttering incoherently. The chanting was a spell allowing her to shadow travel to Arthur's location, but only her consciousness, so she could see and hear him but he couldn't see or hear her.
Merlyn POV
Arthur leads his horse through the forest, with the Cockatrice hiding behind a fallen log. He hears someone crying and comes across Cara, pretending to cry, sitting on a fallen log with fake bruises.
"Hello? Are you alright?" He asks Cara, and the Cockatrice roars behind him, causing Cara to shriek.
"Stay back." He tells her as he faces the beast, I notice Cara smile. The cockatrice lunges at Arthur and he rolls under it as it jumps, throwing his sword, and killing it. Cara grimaces and Arthur looks at her as she gets up and backs away, pretending to be afraid. I scoff and roll my eyes. I have a bad feeling about Cara, so I decide to watch her closely.
"It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you. Who did that to you?" He asks, pointing to her bruises.
"My master. I ran away from him, but then I got lost. Please don't leave me." She begs him, sounding scared.
"I won't. I'm not going to." He tells her and I frown.
"You can take me away from here?" She asks him, and I glare at her because of the way she says it.
"Not yet. There's something I have to do first." Arthur tells her determined as he looks at the cave mouth then walking over to his horse.
"Why have you come to the caves?" She asks him, although by her face, she knows why.
"I'm looking for something. It can only be found here." He explains, as he unties the horse.
"What is it? I know this place; I could help you." She offers him, trying to sound innocent.
"It's a type of flower that only grows inside the cave. It's very rare." He tells her as he leads his horse over to where she is.
"The Mortaeus flower? I know where they are. I'll show you." Cara tells him and he follows her, leading his horse. I fall into step beside him, not wanting to leave him alone with Cara. They enter the cave with torches and I follow.
3rd person POV
"Arthur, it...it's a trap. It's a trap." Merlyn mutters but her consciousness is with Arthur and she's trying to warn him of the trap.
"Her fever's getting worse, isn't it?" Gwen asks Gaius as they sit by his bedside.
"The poison's setting in." Gaius explains sadly.
"eft gewunigen wilgesiþas, þonne wig cume." Meryln chants quietly. Gaius wipes her brow.
"Shh. Could you fetch me some more Wolfbane?" Gaius asks Gwen, as he's tending to Merlyn.
"Yes, of course." Gwen replies, standing and going to get the wolfbane.
"Merlyn, you must fight it." He whispers to her, hoping somehow, that she could hear him.
Merlyn POV
Cara and Arthur head deeper into the cave and turn a corner.
"There they are." Cara tells him, and he looks to see the flowers are on a narrow ledge across from us with a long drop. Arthur looks down. Cara smirks and my bad feeling is back.
"Keep back from the edge. Don't worry. We'll be out of here soon." He reassures her and I smile, because despite it, he cares about people, not even thinking she could be part of it.
"Eorthe, lyft, fyr, waeter, hiersumie me." Cara chants and the cave begins to shake. "Eorthe ac stanas hiersumie me. Ic can stanas tobrytan..." She continues her chanting and Arthur turns around.
"What are you doing?!" He exclaims, not understanding.
"...hiersumie me." She finishes and I gasp when the rock falls out from under Arthur, causing him to drop his torch and jump for the opposite ledge, catching it with his hand. I sigh in relief that he's okay, for now at least.
"I expected so much more." Cara complains and I glare daggers at her.
"Who are you?!" Arthur calls out to her.
"The last face you'll ever see." She tells him, pulling down her hood, rather too dramatically for me. Then I see a giant spider and comes towards Arthur.
"It seems we have a visitor." She says and Arthur edges away from the spider, drawing his sword and kills it, while dangling from the ledge.
"Very good. But he won't be the last. I'll let his friends finish you off, Arthur Pendragon. It's not your destiny to die at my hand." She tells him cryptically, then leaves with the torch, leaving Arthur dangling from the ledge in the dark.
"Who are you?!" He yells after her and I try to think of a way to get him out of this.
3rd person POV
"Arthur. It's too dark. Too dark. Fromum feohgiftum on fæder bearme. Fromum feohgiftum." Merlyn mutters and Gaius notices something glowing.
"Merlyn." He says, folding down the blanket to reveal Merlyn holding a glowing ball of light in her hand.
"What are you doing?" He asks her, in wonder at what she's doing while dying.
Merlyn POV
It's too dark, so I say a spell and a ball of light appears in my hand, to light the cave for Arthur and he sees it.
"Come on, then! What are you waiting for?! Finish me off!" He calls out and I realize he thinks that the light in my hand is Cara toying with him. I move the light above Arthur and he pulls himself up onto the ledge. I move the light higher but Arthur sees the Mortaeus flower on the wall.
"Leave them, Arthur." I beg him, and I swear he looks as if he might've heard me. Then we hear more spiders screech and crawl towards Arthur.
"Go. Save yourself. Follow the light." I tell him, but he climbs to the flower and grabs it, putting it in a pouch on his belt. Spiders keep coming and Arthur races to the top.
"Faster. Go faster. Follow the light! Move. Climb." I tell him and he makes it to the top and I end the light spell, making the ball of light disappear.
Arthur POV
Once I make it back to Camelot, I don't exactly get the welcome I was hoping. The guards inform my father I've returned, arrest me and take me to a cell. My father comes by a short time later.
"You disobeyed me." He says to me.
"Of course I did, a woman's life is at stake. Do not let Merlyn die because of something I did." I plead.
"Why do you care so much? The girl is just a servant." He says bluntly.
"She knew the danger she was putting herself in, and she knew what would happen if she drank from that goblet, but she did it anyway. She saved my life. There's more. There was a woman at the mountain. She knew I was there for the flower. I don't think it was Bayard who tried to poison me." I tell him.
"Of course it was." Father says, dismissing my story. I pull out the flower.
"Gaius knows what to do with it." I tell him, handing it to him and he takes it.
"Put me in the stocks for a week, a month even, I don't care. Just make sure it gets to him. I'm begging you." I beg him and my father crushes the flower.
"NO!" I yell, rushing forward, realizing with a sickening tightening in my stomach that my father just destroyed the one chance Merlyn had of surviving.
"You have to learn there's a right and a wrong way of doing things. I'll see you're let out in a week. Then you can find yourself another maidservant." He tells me, dropping the flower just outside my cell door, and the guards lock the door. I try to reach the flower but it's just beyond my reach.
3rd person POV
"She hasn't got much longer. Has Arthur got the flower?" Gaius asks Gwen as she enters.
"I don't know. Uther won't allow anyone to see him. Is there nothing we can do to help?" She asks him.
"Only the leaf of the Mortaeus flower can save her." Gaius informs her.
"Then we have to find out if Arthur has it. I could sneak into the dungeon." Gwen suggests.
"That would be very dangerous." Gaius argues, worrying for her safety.
"I've got to. Merlyn will die if I don't." She says, looking over at her best friend as Merlyn struggles to breathe.
"Be careful." Gaius tells her.
Arthur POV
Father left some time ago and all I can think about is Merlyn. She's dying and I can't do anything to save her. I hadn't realized how much I cared for her, or that I cared for her at all. She is stubborn, sarcastic, late, talkative, but also caring, compassionate, brave, selfless and of course, she's beautiful. I can't believe I feel this way for my maidservant and if Morgana can be trusted, she feels the same.
"Food for the prisoner." I hear Gwen say and the guard unlocks the door for her.
"Set it down over there." I tell her, and she sets it down on a small table and steps back. I get up and go to the table.
"Thank you." I say and she turns to leave, but I place the flower on the tray.
"Wait a minute." I tell her, putting the plate back down and walking to my place on the floor.
"I couldn't possibly eat this, it's disgusting. The state it's in, I'm not sure it's fit for anyone." I tell her and she picks up the plate, smiles when she sees the flower, then she leaves the cell.
3rd person POV
Gwen rushes into Gaius's chambers with the Mortaeus flower.
"How is she?" She asks, rushing over to Gaius.
"Have you got the Mortaeus?" He asks, stopping his pacing.
"Here." She says, handing him the flower.
"Her breathing's much worse. We have to hurry." He informs her. Gwen sits down next to Merlyn's sickbed as Gaius crushes the flower leaf but stops.
"Why have you stopped?" She asks him, worriedly.
"The poison was created using magic. We may need magic to make an antidote." Gaius tells her.
"But we can't. It's forbidden. Even if we could." Gwen argues.
"I'll try and make it work without it. Oh, I need some fresh water." He tells her, handing her a bowl and she runs off. Gaius lifts the bowl he's holding.
"Sythan..." He starts, looking around, nervously. "Sythan arrest wearth feasceaft funden. Denum æfter dome. Dreamleas gebad he gewinnes longsum." He chants, causing the potion to sizzle and foam for a moment. Gwen runs back in and hands him the bowl of water before rushing back to her friend's side.
"Thank you." He says, pouring the potion in a small cup and going to Merlyn.
"Hold her nose." Gaius orders Gwen and she pinches Merlyn's nose as he pours the potion into her mouth.
"Swallow, Merlyn. Swallow it." Gaius commands the silly witch he's grown to see as a daughter.
"She's stopped breathing. What's happening? Gaius?" Gwen asks him, worriedly. Gaius puts his head to Merlyn's chest.
"Her heart has stopped." Gaius announces.
"She's dead?" Gwen asks him, her voice breaking.
"She can't be. She can't be. It was her destiny." Gaius says, standing up.
"It's my fault. If I'd have got here sooner. If I'd have been quicker." Gwen says, standing and crying in Gaius's arms.
"No, no. It was me. I should've looked after her better. It's my fault." He tells her, kissing her head.
Merlyn POV
I open my eyes to see Gwen crying in Gaius's arms, and Gaius kissing Gwen on the head and I sit up slightly.
"That's disgusting. You should be ashamed of yourself. You're old enough to be her grandfather." I say weakly and they both turn to me, shocked.
"Merlyn. You're alive." He says to me and I give him a look.
"No. I'm the ghost come back to haunt you." I say sarcastically. Gwen launches at me and hugs me tightly. I hug her back weakly.
"Sorry, I'm just...You're my best friend and I thought you were dead." She says letting go and sitting back. I shrug slightly.
"It's fine...erm...what happened? The last thing I remember is drinking the wine." I tell them and they begin to explain how Arthur risked his life to save me, and I smile. Later, I'm sitting at the table with a brown blanket wrapped around my shoulders and I hear someone come in.
"Still alive, then?" Arthur asks walking up to me and I turn to look at him.
"Oh. Yeah, just about. I understand I have you to thank for that." I say to him, smiling.
"Yeah, well, it was nothing. A half decent maidservant is hard to come by. I was only dropping by to make sure you're alright. I expect you to be back to work tomorrow." He says to me and I nod.
"Oh yeah, yeah of course, er, bright and early." I tell him and he turns to leave, but I stand and walk over. "Arthur. Thank you." I tell him kissing his cheek and I think I see him blush slightly.
"You too. Get some rest." He says, before leaving.
"Arthur may give you a hard time, but at heart he's a man of honor. There aren't many who'd have risk what he did for a servant, but then again, there aren't many that would fall for a servant either." Gaius says and I blush a deep scarlet.
"I-uh well, it all would've been for nothing if you didn't know how to make the antidote." I tell him.
"Eat your dinner." Gaius says to me and I go back to the table, sit down, and pick up the spoon.
"I still don't understand why she went to all the trouble of framing Bayard. She could've just kept quiet and killed Arthur." I say to Gaius.
"But destroying Arthur and Camelot wasn't all she was after. She knew you would be forced to drink that wine. It was you she wanted to kill. Seems someone else knows you're destined for great things, Merlyn." Gaius tells me and I frown, before eating my dinner.