Chapter 21 – Healing Arthur
After Willow left the grieving children, she found Granny Mill checking on Samo's recovery. Granny told the boy, "You're a fast healer. You'll be allowed out of bed tomorrow morning. For now, just rest a little bit more."
Samo smiled, "Then I'll be well enough to join Prince Arthur's upcoming battle?"
Granny tsked. "Getting out of bed hardly means marching off to war, boy. Don't you think your family has had enough grief?"
Samo frowned. "This is the opportunity of a lifetime. I can't miss this."
Willow stepped forward. "Arthur's already wounded. He'll need strong healthy fighting men around him to make up for his own wounds. There won't be any extra hands to look after you. Besides, your family needs you right now. There'll be plenty of other opportunities to risk your life at Prince Arthur's side." Samo pouted but brightened a little at her promise. Willow turned to Granny. "I need to talk to you."
Granny nodded and led Willow to the herbal preparation room. "We're running low on Valerian. You'll need to harvest more soon."
Once they were behind closed doors, Willow told Granny Mill all about Granny Tock's curse. Granny Mill said, "And I've been treating that ingrate for years for her gout! Tell me exactly what that evil, old hag told you about the curse."
Willow sighed. "When I asked her how do I break the curse? She said I couldn't. She said, 'That's the beauty of it. Beauty! Hilarious! I crack myself up!' Then she went into another fit of cackling."
Granny Mill pounded her fist on the counter. "Beauty must be the key to this curse. Tock always was the jealous type. She must have connected this curse to your beauty."
Willow frowned. She didn't rate her own beauty very highly, but she'd had too much interest in it lately to dismiss the idea of a curse. Please, don't let that be what has made Merlin show interest in her too. There was a pounding on the front door. A man's voice yelled. "Willow, Arthur is hurt and is asking for you."
Willow's eyes bugged at Granny Mill then she left to go with the man at the door. In the center of town, Merlin intercepted her. "Willow, are you alright? I saw you run through earlier. You looked upset."
Willow gave him a grim smile. "I'll be fine."
He reached out to take hold of her hand. "So you've heard then? I'm sorry, Willow. Neither Arthur nor I feel it's safe."
Willow frowned. "Merlin, what are you talking about?"
He frowned. "That we're going into Ithel and decided it would be best if you didn't come."
Is this them casting me aside already? She looked him in the eye. "But what about Arthur's wound?"
Merlin nodded then looked around to make sure no one would overhear them. "You and I worked together so well back at the cottage when we saved Samo. Perhaps together we could mostly heal Arthur's wound so that I will be able to look after it without you. Ithel will be dangerous. If anything were to happen to you, I couldn't live with myself. Arthur feels the same way, I'm sure."
His concern for her safety sounded genuine enough. "But Merlin, Samo was almost dead. Arthur isn't. What will Arthur do when he discovers we're doing magic?"
He gave her hand a squeeze. "If Granny has any sleeping droughts I could slip some to Arthur and we could heal him while he slept."
Willow nodded. "That might work." She felt a lump forming in her throat. She didn't want to lose Merlin. Especially not now when he was teaching her how to focus her magic for healing. They were so good for each other. How could that old hag have been so cruel to mess with Willow's heart like this? "Will you come back here for me after you've finished in Ithel?"
Merlin shook his head sadly. "I don't think Camelot is a good place for you with Uther watching you. He isn't easy to put off."
Her heart constricted. He is casting me aside. This whole time the curse has been making this all happen. "But what of my work with Gaius?"
Merlin looked away but handed her a letter. "Gaius asked me to give this to you."
Willow took the letter with a sinking heart. She nodded. "I'll read it later. I need to go to Arthur now and get a sleeping drought to you." She slipped away before her tears embarrassed her. Merlin and she were over. It happened way faster than she thought it would. She steeled her heart. She had work to do. She'd cry later. She made her way to Arthur. He was lying on some straw bales. There was blood on his tunic. After greeting him, she examined him in silence. The wound had reopened with all of the activity it was getting. Finally, Willow said, "Arthur, you need to take it easy. You can't go into battle with an open wound."
He smiled. "I'm just getting a head start."
She frowned. "That's not funny."
He smiled fondly at her. "I wish we could take you with us, Willow. Will Merlin be able to handle tending this wound from here out? Merlin told you of our plans, right? Of our desire for you to stay here where it's safe?"
She nodded but didn't trust herself to talk. She got to work putting a few more stitches to close the tear again and re-bandaged it. As she worked she couldn't stop thinking this is definitely the cast aside part of the curse. She steeled her heart again against tears and worked as swiftly as she could.
After a time, Arthur smiled. "We will miss you, Willow. Merlin especially, I'm sure. And we appreciate all of your help and your good ideas, but we need you to stay safe. Ithel isn't safe right now."
She nodded glumly. "Goodbye, Prince Arthur Pendragon. I am glad to have been your friend."
He snorted. "Don't make it sound like we are going off to die. We will still visit you."
She smiled and nodded though she knew there'd never be any visits. She felt the tears at the back of her eyes despite her best efforts. She finished up and found an excuse to leave quickly. She had Valerian root to prepare for the sleeping drought. She avoided encountering Merlin again as she left.
Back home, she gathered handfuls of Valerian from the garden and went to the preparation room. With tears flowing freely, she chopped and ground the roots to make the medicine to knock Arthur out. When she needed a break and felt strong enough, she stopped to read Gaius's letter.
Dearest Willow,
It is with great sorrow that I feel, for your own safety, that I must terminate out arrangements before they even begin. Truly this pains me as I was looking forward to working with an apprentice with a sweet countenance instead of Merlin's hangdog grimaces all the time. But Uther's attention to you is most likely a result of his embarrassment over grossly misjudging you, and his subsequent inability to admit his mistake and apologize. His guilt creates a strong connection that he misinterprets as affection. It has been a long while since he'd had any sort of companion. A common sorrow in old age. I've afraid now that the idea is in his head, he will not be able to dismiss it. It would be for the best if you were away from him and therefore Camelot. I am truly sorry for the loss of your help and knowledge. I'm sure Lady Morgana and her maidservant Guinevere will both miss you as well. But you returning to Camelot will only antagonize the king.
Please be safe and write telling me of all that you are learning. Farewell, Willow.
From your dear friend, Gaius
Willow closed her eyes. Sweet countenance? Write to him? Was this curse even affecting Gais? This had to end. She finished preparing the Valerian for the sleeping drought gave it to Bretty to deliver to Merlin. She went to check on the quartering of Arthur's men among the villagers and Samo's grieving family.
Bretty was late returning from her delivery. Joel had been flirting with her. "Merlin said, 'Come three hours after dusk.'" Bretty wiggled her eyebrows at Willow. Willow grimaced and sent Bretty along to her mother.
Three hours after dusk Willow made her way to where Arthur and Merlin were quartered. Merlin spotted her and waved her into Arthur's room. "He's out like a candle flame. That's strong stuff you have."
She nodded. Merlin took her hand and kissed it. She pulled her hand away. "Let's get this over with."
Merlin gave her a concerned look but led her into where Arthur slept, a mug still in his hand.
Willow went over to Arthur and laid her hands over the wound. She sighed. "Okay, Merlin, enter my mind so I can have enough power to heal him up proper."
"Thank you, Willow, for all you're doing." Merlin laid his hands over hers. He closed his eyes. Willow felt him enter her mind. Where before it had felt glorious the first time, now it felt invasive. She didn't want him to see her sorrow over the ending of their relationship, but there was no way to hide it. She was open and exposed to him.
To her relief, Merlin didn't explore her mind as he had done the last time. He just pumped energy into the area of her mind that was the source of her power. She felt the energy flow through her as she focused on Arthur's deep internal wound. The power coursing through her was heady and glorious but felt foreign more than it had that afternoon when they had healed Samo. Before long Willow felt Arthur's wound all but heal. It was safe enough for Merlin to tend it. After Merlin withdrew his power Willow felt alone and abandoned. Why was this all so hard?
Merlin picked up Willow's hands and turned her to face him. "Willow, I'm so sorry we're leaving you behind and that I'm not bringing you back to Camelot with me. It was amazing having you there." He grinned. "But I'm of the same mind as Gaius and Arthur on this. Uther is dangerous. Perhaps sometime in the future he'll find a more suitable companion to occupy him and it might be safe for you there, but he's irrational and obsessive. He would discover your magic in the end. He always does. Or he'd discover mine. I hope you understand that we can't let either of us be discovered." He looked at her with concern. "I'll be back to visit you whenever I can get a day off from Arthur and Gaius at the same time." He smiled at the impossibility of that.
"Visit me?" Willow's head hurt with confusion almost as much as her heart. "No, you won't, Merlin. Let's be honest here."
"What are you saying?" Merlin sounded distraught. "You don't want me to visit you?" He turned away. "I had thought–but of course, I hadn't th–you have your own ideas–I shouldn't assume–"
His confusion made her angry. She hated Granny Tock for this pain. She rolled her eyes. "Merlin just cast me aside and be done. This is making no sense. What is it you want?"
He looked back at her with pain in his eyes.