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: Merlynn
-0-
"Is she any better?" Gwen asked Gaius urgently when he appeared from Morgana's room. The Kings ward was ill. She had no woken up for two days now and everyone was on edge as a result. The lady was well liked and everyone was distraught including Merlynn.
Gaius shook his head sadly at her. Gwen quickly made an exit, climbing the stairs as Gaius descended and met Merlynn on the landing.
"She's all but dead, Merlynn." Gaius informed her sadly.
Merlynn shook her head in denial. "No, you're going to cure her. You have to." She begged him.
Gaius shook his head at her. "Don't you start. I've tried everything."
Merlynn looked at him hesitantly. "I was wondering..."
"What?" Her uncle questioned her looking at her suspiciously.
"Maybe I could..." She paused as a guard passed them. She lowered her voice. "...help."
"If you're suggesting magic...have you forgotten what happened with Gwen's father?" This made her lower her eyes in shame. "This is not a magical illness, it must be cured by conventional means. We keep trying. See if you can find me some fresh rosemary."
"There must be something more I can do." She told him despairingly.
Gaius looked at her. "And yarrow." He added.
-0-
Merlynn was pacing in Arthurs chambers. She was worried, Morgana wasn't getting any better.
"It's gonna be alright. It is. I know it is. She's gonna be absolutely..." She trailed off when Arthur looked up at her.
"Merlynn."
"What?"
Arthur gave her an annoyed look. "You're making me anxious." He scolded her.
"But I'm not worried." She protested.
"Then stop pacing." He ordered her. She did as asked taking a seat at the table. She watched as Arthur stared down at the table for a few moments before he stood up and began pacing himself.
Merlynn hesitated for a second before muttering vulnerably, "I don't want her to die."
Arthur stopped in front of her, he didn't know what to say to comfort his servant. He gently lay a hand on her shoulder. She gave him a tentative smile as he tried to give her a reassuring one.
"Can I go and sit with her?" Merlynn requested. Even if she had been forbidden to do her magic, at the very least she could sit with someone that she had begun to consider a friend.
Arthur looked at her for a few seconds before he nodded. She immediately ran to Morgana's chambers, where she found Gwen leaning over the dying woman. After she saw Gwen yawn she approached the servant.
"Gwen why don't you go and get some sleep. I will tend to her for you." She told Gwen. She argued slightly before finally agreeing and going to sleep in the anti-chamber. Merlynn took a seat on the edge of the bed and gently wiped the hair from Morgana's face.
"You need to listen to me Morgana." Merlynn instructed the sleeping woman. "You are going to be fine. You are going to wake up. You have no choice. Because we all need you. Gwen needs her mistress, Arthur needs his sister, because you are you know, like his sister. No matter how the stupid ass may deny it, he does love you like a sister. Gaius needs his patient, the king needs his ward, and I... well I need my friend." Merlynn's voice broke on the last word. A tear sliding down her cheek. She wiped it away while swallowing down her sadness. "So just get better, because we both know that you are stronger then this, you are going to go down fighting not in bed. So prove me right."
-0-
The next day, Morgana had shown no improvement so the king and prince were taking a risk and had brought a random man in to the castle in order to try and cure the lady. Merlynn had been instructed to bring all of his equipment in to his new chambers. She was examining it when he came in.
"Yes...it was all originally designed for alchemy." He informed her. He was a tall man, and slightly haunting, half of his face was covered in excessive scaring.
"Making gold?" She asked.
Edwin nodded at her, giving her a smile. "You have an interest in science?" He asked.
Merlynn shrugged. "Well, science is knowledge." She repeated, she had heard Gaius saying it before.
"It has the answers to everything." Edwin informed her.
"Maybe. It can't explain love." She commented distractedly looking at all of the tools.
Edwin smirked at her. "So, you are in love?" He questioned.
Merlynn looked up at him in shock. A bright blush warmed her cheeks as she looked up at him wide eyed. "No. I-I mean f-feelings, emotions." She stuttered out. She ignored the fact that her mind flashed to a pair of crystal blue eyes, which she had found herself noticing more and more recently.
Edwin smiled at her. "You seem too bright to be just a servant."
Merlynn scoffed, "Oh, don't be fooled, I'm not that bright." She informed him as she held up a small wooden box looking at it.
"Yes, we will need that." Edwin declared snatching the box from her hands. "Now, we must hurry to the Lady Morgana. before it is too late."
-0-
"Put my equipment over there." Edwin ordered her as they entered Morgana's chambers. "Sire, I would be grateful if you could have everyone leave the room. I require peace and privacy." He informed the king.
"Certainly." Uther nodded. They all left except for Gaius who lingered.
After Gaius had followed them down the steps, they all stood around and waited. They were there a few moments in which Merlynn felt a shiver go down her spine.
They all jumped as Edwin suddenly crashed down the stairs. "Great news, Your Majesty. You will be glad to hear it is not an inflammation of the brain." He informed the king.
"What is it then?" Uther asked.
"It is cerebral haemorrhage."
Gaius moved forward. "Haemorrhage? I don't think so."
Edwin held up a scrap of cloth with a trace of red on it. "I found this trace of blood in her ear."
"God in heaven." Uther breathed moving forward.
Edwin continued. "The severity depends upon the site and volume of the bleed. If not treated, it can lead to coma, and eventually death."
Uther immediately rounded on Gaius. "How could you have missed this?"
Gaius shook his head. "I didn't see any blood."
"Please. Just thank the fates that you did not administer more rosemary to stimulate the circulation. Can you imagine what that might have done?" Edwin told them. Merlynn didn't like this man, he seemed to be trying to deliberately get Gaius in trouble.
Uther turned to Gaius for an explanation to Edwin's question.
Gaius hesitated before telling the king. "It may have increased the bleed."
Uther turned to Edwin. "Is there a cure?"
Edwin smiled at the king. "See for yourself."
The king rushed up the stairs to Morgana's chambers as did the rest of them. Merlynn got through the door just in time to hear Morgana say, "Oh, you won't get rid of me that easily." She couldn't control the large smile that spread across her lips at this.
Gaius quickly approached the recovering woman in the bed. "What exactly did he give you?" He asked.
"I have no idea. But thank heaven he did." Morgana told him.
They were advised to leave so as to allow Morgana to rest. Merlynn lingered coming up with the excuse of aiding Morgana. The minute everyone was gone she practically lunged at Morgana giving her a big hug. Morgana fell onto the bed laughing.
-0-
Edwin had been invited to stay and Merlynn had to continue to act as his servant. Which annoyed her tremendously considering he gave her the creeps.
"Edwin?" She called out as she entered his chambers. She put down the supplies that he had requested and moved over to examine his equipment. She didn't trust him, and this seemed to be a perfect opportunity to snoop. She noticed the box she had seen the day before. She opened the box only to see that it was full of small black bugs. But they lay still as if they were dead. She closed the box again and noticed that the top had an inscription on it. She looked at it in shock, she could read the ancient symbols which could only mean one thing, it was written in the old religion.
"Bebeode þe arisan ealdu." She whispered, her eyes flashing.
Merlynn opened the box and looked down in surprise when she saw the bugs moving.
"Very good." A voice interrupted her thoughts.
Merlynn turned around in surprise, managing to knock over a jar with powder in it. She handed the box to Edwin nervously.
Edwin smiled at her before hovering his hand above the box. "Swefn." The bugs went still.
"You have magic." Edwin declared staring at her.
Merlynn quickly shook her head. "I-It wasn't me, I didn't do anything." She told him hastily.
"Then how else did you bring them to life? Only magic can do such a thing." He informed her. He smiled at her before walking to stand next to her. "These little angels are how I cured Lady Morgana. They repaired the damage to her brain. They saved her life. Magic can be a force for good." He told her, his tone making her feel like he was educating her.
"I know." She told him.
Edwin looked at her curiously. "Then why do you fear it?"
"Uther has banned it, it's not permitted." She told him.
"Should I have let Morgana die?" He asked her rhetorically.
"No." Merlynn said immediately.
Edwin gave her a soft smile. "People like us, we have a gift. Do you not think it should be used to make this a better world?" He questioned.
Merlynn looked away from his piercing gaze. "Perhaps." Merlynn began to clear up the powder she had spilled, with her hands when Edwin interrupted her.
"Don't waste your time picking that up." He instructed her, before lifting his hand up and hovering it over the powder. "Feormian dærst rénian." The powder lifts from the table before sifting back into the jar.
"Why was a talent like that? And I can teach you." He told her. Merlynn simply continued to stand their silently. She didn't feel comfortable using magic in front of him.
"What do you use it for?" Edwin asked her.
"I don't like to." She lied to him. She didn't want to tell him that Gaius knew.
Edwin just shook his head at her. "A gift like yours should be nurtured, practised, enjoyed. You need someone to help you, to encourage you."
Merlynn shrugged at him. "Perhaps."
"Imagine what we could achieve, if we shared our knowledge." He coaxed her. She felt the feeling of being drawn into him. But she managed to stop herself, she still didn't trust him. She of all people knew that just because he had magic didn't mean that he was good, or that his intentions were pure.
"I should be getting back." She told him.
"Of course. But you must promise to keep our secret safe." He told her warningly.
"Of course." She muttered as she was trying to leave soon rather then later.
"People like you and I," He began moving his hand up to push a strand of hair away from her eyes. "we must look after each other."
-0-
Gaius was reading when Merlynn exited her room the next morning. She was dressed in her normal blue working dress and she had her hair pulled pack into a bun letting small strands fall around her face.
"Have you been up all night?" She questioned her uncle.
Gaius nodded from where he was sat. "Yes, but it was worth it. Where are you going?" He asked noticing she was dressed and ready for the day with a bag around her shoulders.
"Er, I told Edwin I'd be up at dawn to collect some supplies." She informed as she grabbed her jacket and slipped it on. It really was more practical then a cloak.
"Well, you better get a move on then." Gaius nodded looking distracted. She simply shrugged.
"Ok. Come on Will." She called causing the dog to leap from his bed in the corner and run after her.
-0-
"Think about it, Gaius. But if I find out that you have told one other person, including the girl, I will go straight to Uther." Edwin snarled at Gaius later on that day, but he was interrupted as the subject of their conversation walked in.
Merlynn looked between the two men, noticing the tense atmosphere. "I got your provisions." She explained her sudden entrance.
Edwin nodded and his hard look softened as he looked at her. This didn't go unnoticed by Gaius. "Oh, thank you, Merlynn. Gaius was just reminiscing about old times, weren't you, Gaius?"
Gaius looked at Edwin hesitantly before looking at Merlynn. "Yes."
Edwin then dismissed him. "But now, I must get back to work."
Both Merlynn and Gaius left the room, and walked down the corridor together.
"I'd better get on with my errands." She told her uncle.
Gaius nodded at her. "Yes, of course, you must." He told her.
Merlynn hesitated, noticing the tense attitude in her uncle. "Do you want me to get you anything?" She asked.
Gaius gave her a smile. "No, I'm fine. Just do what Edwin asks." He instructed her before he left. Little did they both know that everything was about to change.
-0-
Merlynn was shocked to say the least when she was informed of Gaius' dismissal. She dropped everything she was doing and rushed to her chambers.
"Gaius! Uther cannot do this to you. You tried to save Morgana." She protested desperately.
"Uther's not to blame." Gaius told her as he picked up a bag and placed some things inside of it.
"I will speak to Edwin, you can work together." She tried desperately again.
Gaius stops and looks at her seriously. "No, you mustn't do anything." He instructed her.
Merlynn gave him a look that showed her exasperation and desperateness with his answers. "I can't stand by and do nothing." She cried.
Gaius looked at her sadly. "Uther's right. It's time I stepped down." He told her, turning away and continuing to put clothes in to the bag. Which Merlynn finally noticed.
"What are you doing?" She asked hesitantly, not sure if she wanted to really notice the answer.
Gaius looked at her. "I cannot stay when there's no longer a use for me."
Merlynn looked at him in shock and despair. "You're not leaving?"
"I believe it's for the best." Gaius told her.
"Then I will come with you." She declared moving past him to get to her room and pack but he stopped her by putting a hand on her arm. Seeing the tears that were filling her eyes, he placed a hand gently on her cheek.
"Merlynn, you're like a daughter to me. I never expected such a blessing so late in life." He told her honestly.
Merlynn allowed a small sob to leave her lips. "And you are more than a father to me." She whispered back to him.
Gaius smiled at her, and she could swear that she also saw tears in his eyes. "Then, as a father, I must tell you, you must remain here. Camelot is where you belong."
"But you belong here too." She argued.
"Not anymore. Merlynn, you must promise me you will not waste your gifts." He ordered her.
"My gifts mean nothing without you to guide me." She told him.
"You have a great destiny. If I have had a small part to play in that, then I'm pleased." He told her smiling down at her tear stained face.
"There is so much I have yet to learn. I need you to teach me." She argued weakly, she knew it wouldn't work, but it was worth a try right.
"I'm afraid I am leaving here tonight, Merlynn. And there's nothing you can do or say that can persuade me otherwise."
"I will not let this happen." She promised pulling herself from his hands and rushing out the door to talk to Arthur.
Gaius smiled at the door she had just left through gently. "Goodbye, Merlynn."
-0-
"I can't understand why Uther would sack him over one mistake." She muttered to herself as she stood by Arthur.
"A mistake that nearly killed Morgana. Besides, it wasn't the only one." He informed her carefully, he knew she had a temper, and was very protective of Gaius.
Merlynn looked up at him confused. "What do you mean?"
"Edwin said his work was riddled with errors." He told her.
Merlynn scoffed. "That's nonsense."
Arthur rolled his eyes. "No one wants Gaius to go," He assured her. "...but my father's made his decision. There's nothing anyone can do." He was leaving but stopped when he heard her broken whisper behind him.
"He was the only father I ever had."
He left, not wanting to see the heartbroken look on her face.
-0-
Later on Merlynn was walking back to her chambers when Arthur suddenly appeared in an obvious rush. "Merlynn! My father has Morgana's illness! We must find Edwin!" She nodded quickly and ran to his chambers and was shocked at what she saw.
"What are you doing?" She cried seeing her uncle pressed up against a pillar with a ring of fire around him, obviously being controlled by Edwin who didn't appear to be fazed by her presence.
"He was trying to kill the King. I couldn't let him." Gaius called to her.
Edwin looked at her smirking. "I can rule the kingdom now. And with you at my side, we can be all-powerful. You could be my queen."
Merlynn's face turned cold. "Release him!" She cried, with a sense of authority that Gaius had not seen in her before.
Edwin just sighed sadly. "It's your loss, Merlynn."
Edwin turns his gaze to the axes that were decorating the wall and uses his magic to throw one at Merlynn. As it sails towards her she only just managed to halt it as it hovered over her face.
"Swilte, Merlynn." Edwin pressured the axe. Trying to make it fall onto the young witch.
Merlynn's magic overpowers Edwin's, sending the axe flying back causing it to kill Edwin. This made the flames around Gaius fade and he stood up shakily as Merlynn ran to him.
"Are you alright?" She asked quickly.
Gaius smiled at her. "Yes. Thank you Merlynn."
Merlynn nods and runs over to the table, grabbing the box that she had examined the day before.
"What are you doing?" Gaius asked her confused.
"Uther's ill; the same thing Morgana had." She told him. "Edwin said he used these to cure Morgana. Maybe we can too."
Gaius looks down at the beetles before a look of shock flashes across his face. "Elanthia beetles." He declared.
"They're magical?" Merlynn checked.
"Yes." Gaius nodded. "They can be enchanted to enter the brain, feed on it until they devour the person's very soul. We must going to him."
-0-
"How do we get the beetle out before it kills him?" Merlynn asked Gaius as they entered the Kings chambers.
"It can only be magic." Gaius informed her.
Merlynn looked at him in shock. "We can't use magic on Uther, he'd kill us."
"We don't have a choice." He told her gravely.
"Gaius!" She exclaimed.
"There are times when it is necessary. It is your right." He told her.
Merlynn shook her head. "I don't know how." She argued.
Gaius looked at her seriously. "If you don't, he's going to die."
Merlynn nods and moves to sit on the bed and hesitantly she places her hands over Uther's ears. She took a deep breath before allowing the words to form in her mind. "Bebeode þe arisan ealdu. Áblinnen."
"What's happening?" Gaius asked after a few moments had passed.
Merlynn pulled her hand back, revealing the small, still bug that she was now holding.
Gaius looked at her with a smile. "Has anyone ever told you, you're a genius?"
Merlynn looked at him, letting out a small surprised laugh. "You certainly haven't."
-0-
"Of course, it's all ridiculous. I didn't save Uther, you did." Gaius told her as they entered their chambers. Gaius had just been rewarded by being given a permanent place in the court and being declared a free man by Uther as thanks for saving his life.
Merlynn shook her head at her uncle. "No, no. For once, I'm happy for someone else to take the credit. You were prepared to sacrifice your life to save me."
Gaius looked at her confused. "Where do you get that from?" He asked her.
"I thought..." She trailed off unsure.
Gaius shook his head at her. "No. I didn't do anything. You saved me and you saved Uther." He paused looking at her. "Maybe you are a genius."
Merlynn smiled at him teasingly. "You think so?"
Gaius gave her a teasing smile back. "Well, almost. One day..." He assured her, making them b0th laugh.