The room Merlin had lead Medea to was tucked away at the end of a narrow passageway, natural light spilled in from a large window on the left and the smell of old books and burnt sage hung in the air. Every surface was laden with curiosities; herbs and potions, crystals and books... Medea didn't know where to look.
"Gaius?" Merlin called out, leading Medea over to a chair and gesturing for her to sit down. Barely a second had passed before an elderly man appeared in the doorway. He was dressed in a long blue tunic and wore a kind smile.
"You must be Medea" He greeted, making his way over to where she was sat.
"And you must be Gaius" She smiled back. He gave a small nod.
"What were you doing in my room?" Merlin asked the man, confusion laced in his voice.
"Looking for a book. Though why I thought I'd be able to find anything in that mess eludes me" Gaius replied with a stern look. Merlin simply grinned.
"Well, you're in good hands, I'll go get packing" Merlin said, making his way over to the door Gaius had just appeared from.
"So my dear" Gaius turned to Medea. "I hear you have a rather curious case of memory loss".
"Yes, I've been told you may be able to help" Medea sheepishly replied.
"I'll certainly endeavor to" he answered with a nod. "But first i'll have to do a quick examination".
Gaius's examination was relatively swift. He had searched her head for wounds and checked her reaction speeds, all of which had checked out as normal. She showed no signs of major external injury, nor of extreme hunger or dehydration and the only answer Medea had for any of Gaius's questions was "I don't remember" or "I'm not sure". She was starting to feel frustratingly useless.
"There's no need to strain yourself my dear. Memory is a tricky thing, it may take time to recover what was lost" Gaius said with a reassuring smile.
"But why was it lost, Gaius?" Medea sighed hopelessly.
"I can't say for sure... but memory loss is usually triggered by trauma, due to your lack of physical injury, I would diagnose that you suffered a terrible emotional trauma in the forest" Gaius answered gravely, placing a comforting hand of the lady's shoulder. "Try not to worry. When the mind is ready to remember, it will". Medea gave the physician a dubious look but nodded at his words regardless of her apprehension. "Talking about the memories you do have may help your recovery... How about you come back tomorrow after some rest and we can continue from there?"
"Perhaps when I get back" Medea replied as she stood up.
"Get back?" Gaius questioned, his eyebrows raised in confusion.
"I'm going on an... errand... for Morgana" Medea replied evasively. Gaius merely smiled at her.
"The same errand Merlin seems to be going on, no doubt" he said, turning towards his ward who had reemerged carrying a large traveling bag. Merlin shot Medea a confused look.
"Very well... But be careful" Gaius continued turning back to Medea who smiled at him warmly, giving him a reassuring nod.
"I'm lost" Merlin stated, looking between Medea and Gaius.
"I'm coming with you" Medea stated simply.
"What? No you're not! It's dangerous!" Merlin replied, worry clear in his eyes.
"I'll be fine. I know how to shoot and I already promised Morgana" Medea knew Merlin was just looking out for her but she couldn't let her new friend down.
"You've already done enough for Morgana! Let me and Arthur handle this." He responded
"But surely it would be useful, to have someone with you that knows the exact direction Morgana escaped from Medea stated with a raised eyebrow.
"Well yes...but..." Merlin stuttered
"And I can lead you to where I shot one of the bandits, his body should still be there. That might give us some clues as to where they've taken your friend" Medea finished.
"Well we've figured one more thing out about you" Merlin smirked.
"Whats that?" Medea questioned, her head tilted in confusion.
"You're stubborn as a mule" Merlin chuckled, shaking his head. Medea grinned at him.
"Fine" Merlin sighed, throwing up his arms in defeat "but you're going to have to convince Arthur."
"Deal" Medea grinned, making her way to the door. "I'll meet you in the courtyard in fifteen minutes!" She called over her shoulder before exiting the room.
"She's going to make things interesting around here" Merlin chuckled, turning back to Gaius.
"For better or for worse." The physician replied, his smile slowly fading. Merlin knew that look all to well.
"What is it?" He asked hesitantly.
"Well, memory loss is complicated but generally it doesn't have such a sever effect. Most victims only loose part of their memories, usually the ones immediately connected to the trauma they may have suffered. Or sometimes people loose the ability to commit new things to their long term memory. I've never known someone to loose their memory entirely... at least not naturally" Gaius explained.
"Not naturally..." Merlin repeated "you mean magic?" he asked with a frown. Gaius nodded gravely. "you think a sorcerer purposely took her memories? Is that even possible?"
"There are a few spells that could indeed have such an effect" Gaius replied.
"But why?" Merlin questioned, bewildered.
"That Merlin, is what we must find out."