Chapter Five

Merlin woke early that morning, not aware that Isabel was still asleep or what had occurred the night before. He hurried down to the kitchen to retrieve Arthur's breakfast before scurrying back through the castle, up the many stairs, to the Prince's chambers. He rushed right in, not even bothering to knock.

"Is that lunch?" Arthur asked as Merlin entered the room, a snide smirk on his face already. Merlin looked at Arthur in shock, finally seeing all the food that was placed in front of him, more than what Merlin usually brought him.

"No, it's breakfas.." Merlin saw Cedric walking about the room.

"This is lovely, Cedric," Arthur complimented the man. He was more interested in seeing how riled up he could get Merlin than paying attention to the man who was wondering his chambers. He wasn't going to keep Cedric around long, just enough to annoy Merlin and teach him to better serve Arthur.

"Is there anything else that you need doing, Sire?" Merlin questioned. He may dislike Cedric, but with him taking care of Arthur, and all of Merlin's chores, Merlin might have a day off, and he could spend it with Isabel.

"No, I think Cedric's got it all covered," Arthur told his loyal servant.

"Oh," Cedric interjected. "I regret, Sire, there is one thing I failed to do. Uh, muck out your horses." Cedric gave Merlin a self-satisfied look, knowing that mucking out horses was the worst job in the castle.

"Off you go," Arthur told Merlin, focusing on paperwork that his father had sent him.

"I'll get the door for you," Cedric grinned as he escorted Merlin out of the Prince's chambers.

Merlin stomped off through the castle, hating Cedric even more than he had before. As he was stomping off, he nearly ran into Isabel, who was running through the halls. "Bel!" He called out to his sister, his day brightening up just by being able to see her.

"Sorry, Merlin! Can't talk! Have to get Uncle!" She gave a quick wave to her brother before continuing on to their Uncle's chambers. Merlin continued on to the Prince's stable.

Isabel quickly arrived at her Uncle's chambers, bursting through the door so quickly that it slammed open. Gaius turned around quickly, fearing the worse. Instead, he saw the nearly grinning face of his niece. "Isabel, what bring you here?" He asked as he moved to be closer to the girl.

Isabel took several deep breaths before responding. "Morgana needs you, Uncle. She sent me to fetch you and Genevieve." As she was telling Gaius this, she was reaching out to Genevieve mentally, letting her know that Morgana wanted to talk as quickly as possible. Genevieve quickly replied, letting the young witch know that she would be there as quickly as possible. Gaius and Isabel quickly made their way to Morgana's chamber. They arrived at the room at the same time that Genevieve did, and all three made their way inside quickly.

Genevieve quickly moved to the bed where Morgana was still laying. "What's wrong, Morgana?" She asked the girl as she took one of Morgana's shaking hands into her own.

"It was a nightmare, a horrible, horrible nightmare." Morgana's voice was shaking, showing how afraid she truly was.

"What was this dream about?" Gaius questioned, hoping that it was just a dream, and not a vision.

"A bird," Morgana replied, taking comfort that Genevieve was there, and would believe her and advocate for her, even against Gaius.

"What kind of bird?"

"A raven." It took all of Gaius's control not to jump at the mention of Cornelius Sigan's favored bird, and personal symbol.

"A raven?"

"It was terrifying, Gaius. What do you think it means?"

"Probably nothing," Gaius moved to assure the king's ward. Genevieve was giving him a look that said she didn't believe him.

"It's happening again, isn't it?" Genevieve let go of Morgana's hand to draw the girl into a hug, hoping to comfort the terrified girl.

"Morgana, one raven doesn't mean that your nightmares are returning. Are you taking the sleeping draughts I prepared for you? I'll get Gwen to give you something stronger." Gaius dismissed her fears, hoping to keep her secret as long as possible, even from the young woman.

"Like a blow to the head? I'm sure she wants to," Morgana said, only partially joking. Genevieve let out a small laugh to take some of the tension out of the room. Gaius took his leave of the ladies and was surprised when Genevieve began to follow him out.

When the door closed, Genevieve pounced. "Why have you not told her about her gifts, Gaius?" She demanded, fury rolling off of her.

"And let Uther kill her? I dare not tell her."

"She deserves to know, Gaius. Especially if they have become more frequent."

"Princess, Uther is still king, and magic is still outlawed here. She wouldn't have the same protection that you have."

"She will be under my protection," Genevieve imperiously stated. Gaius could see her father's stubbornness shining through. She was very much like her father, which could be a good thing. Even the way she was looking at Gaius was more like Uther than it was her mother.

When Gaius didn't reply, Genevieve swept away, heading toward the stables with the intention of going for a ride, just wanting to get out of the castle, even for a little bit. She knew of a druid camp nearby, and wanted to go visit and see how they were doing.

She gracefully made her way to the stables, where she could hear arguing occurring. "One mistake I can understand. Everyone has a bad day now and then, but this is one thing after another!" Genevieve could hear Arthur yelling, so she hurried to the stable, where she saw Merlin standing between Arthur and Cedric. It took all her control not to sneer at Cedric.

"I- I don't know what happened!" Merlin was distraught.

"Sire. Please, Sire, don't be too hard on him. He's a good servant, he just... he's tired." Genevieve laughed aloud at this, bringing the three men's attention to her. Arthur shot her a look that said to stay quiet, which she returned with a look of her own that dared him to try to make her be quiet.

"I am not tired!" Merlin protested, glad to see that Genevieve was there because he knew she would side with him.

"Maybe... maybe if he had the evening off..." Cedric suggested.

Merlin! Don't let that happen! Genevieve sent a message to Merlin, realizing that Cedric wanted Merlin out of the way for some reason.

"I don't want the evening off," Merlin protested.

"A good night's rest..." Cedric continued as if Merlin hadn't said anything.

"I did not fall asleep!" Merlin all but yelled, trying to convince Arthur of his innocence. He knew that Genevieve was on his side, but he needed Arthur to listen, and pay attention.

"I'm more than willing to take over his duties tonight." Once again, Cedric continued as if Merlin hadn't said anything.

"Perhaps you're right," Arthur responded thoughtfully, being taken in my Cedric's charm. It was at this point Genevieve made herself known to all three gentlemen, and she was furious. Arthur wisely took a step back from his sister, realizing just how angry she was. She even scared Merlin, who could feel her anger through his magic. Cedric looked vaguely uncomfortable, but he couldn't identify why he was feeling this way. His magic was learned, not something he was born with.

Merlin, in an effort to keep Genevieve from killing Cedric, and quite possibly her brother, spoke up, bringing the attention back to him. "No."

"Shut up, Merlin," Arthur told his, completely forgetting what Merlin was protesting because of the look on his sister's face. He would never tell her this, but when she was angry, she reminded him of their father.

"Can't you see what he's trying to do?" Merlin was desperate. This whole situation was getting out of hand. "He's trying to get rid of me, and if you weren't a clotpole, you'd see that!" All eyes turned to him. Genevieve had a smile on her face, liking what Merlin had called her brother, promising herself that she would use that word on Arthur more often. Arthur, however, was furious at what Merlin had called him. Merlin was his servant and while he may not be the best servant in Arthur's eyes (really, he could barely do the duties assigned to him without help and refused to address Arthur as anything else but Arthur), but this was too much. He should not have called him a clotpole, whatever that was.

"A what?" Arthur asked menacingly.

Cedric saw the opportunity and took it, further making the situation worse. "Clotpole," he gleefully informed the gaping prince. "He said clotpole."

"Cedric's right. He can look after me tonight. You can go home and think about whether you want to be my servant or not." Arthur was furious, and he had the bad habit of reacting before he thought his actions through. He didn't think about the entire protest from Merlin, he only reacted to being called a clotpole.

"But..."

"Go." Merlin looked at Arthur in disbelief before looking at Genevieve for help. All Genevieve could do was shrug her shoulders. She would talk, or most likely yell, at Arthur later when she managed to corner him. Merlin all but fled from the stable, tears threatening to coat his face. He knew that Genevieve was on his side and would deal with Arthur, but he expected so much more from Arthur, especially after the whole Gwaine ordeal.

Genevieve watched the retreating form of Merlin, fury rising as he ran further and further away. She turned to face her brother, and his new servant. "Cedric, leave us, now," she all but spat.

"And who are you to order me around?" He questioned in feigned politeness.

Genevieve mustered all her royal authority. "I am Princess of Camelot, and you will leave us." Both men shivered unconsciously at her impression of Uther. Cedric quickly left, with a gentle magical nudge from Genevieve that he was unaware of. Arthur, however, knew he couldn't escape, but still looked for a quick exit. When none was available, he turned to face his sister, giving a sheepish smile. "You are an idiot," she said to her brother. Arthur gave a small sigh of relief, figuring that was the worse of what was to come from his sister. "Merlin would give his life up for you, and has proven himself a trustworthy servant, but you choose to believe someone we don't know at all who, for all you know, could be plotting to kill you. But, why would that matter to the great Prince Arthur?" Her rant was spoken, not yelled, which managed to scare Arthur more. He was used to their father, who would yell and rage to get his way. He forgot that while his sister was similar to Uther in many ways, she was scary in her own, quiet way. "This man just happens to come into palace life just as we discover a tomb with unknown riches? Merlin seems to be doing worse in his duties since his arrival, and you believe this stranger over Merlin? Merlin? The same boy who was willing to give his life for Camelot after you killed a unicorn." Arthur thought back to that particular event with a grimace. His own pride had nearly brought destruction to Camelot. "Or, when Merlin drank poison because he believed it was meant for you," causing another image, one of Merlin dying and Isabel crying fearfully to Arthur's mind. He knew that Genevieve was right, but he didn't want to admit that he was wrong. "But, why would any of that matter. You are having your ego stroked."

Genevieve gave her brother one last look, too angered to even continue her beratement of him. She turned on her heels, causing her dress to billow out from behind her, and stormed off, intent on finding Gwaine and going to a nice long ride to clear her head, and go see the druid camp. She quickly found Gwaine, who, upon seeing how angry she was, immediately suggested they go for a nice, long, ride. Genevieve gave a small laugh, thankful that her fiancé knew her so well.

They quickly took off, enjoying the beautiful day. When they were out of sight of Camelot, they quickly adjusted their course to enter into the forest. Following her magical senses, Genevieve led them to the druid camp, where both were immediately greeted warmly. Aglain, the leader of this group of Druids, came up to the Princess and her Knight. "Welcome, Princess." He gave her a small bow, which she returned.

"Hello, brother. How are you doing?" She inquired.

"We are well, Princess. Your father's forces don't come this far into the forest, so we are safe." He noticed her troubled expression. "What troubles you, Princess?"

Genevieve related her story, explaining how much of an idiot her brother was. She didn't reveal Merlin's identity, however, which was odd because she trusted the Druids, but a small voice told her to keep quiet Merlin's identity.

Aglain sat in silence after Genevieve finished her story. "And you say that the Lady Morgana had a dream about a raven?"

"Yes, why?"

"You may not be aware of this, Princess, but the Ladt Morgana possess magic, more specifically she is a seer," Aglain watched the Princess's face. Much to his surprise, there was no look of shock or confusion, so, he continued. "Her dreams are when her visions come easily to her. For her to be dreaming of a raven does not bode well for Camelot. A great danger is coming," he informed the couple.

Genevieve and Gwaine exchanged a significant look. "Thank you, Aglain. If you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to ask. Be careful, my friend."

"Until we see each other again, Princess," Aglain replied. The couple quickly returned to their horses and made their way back to Camelot, Genevieve certain that Cedric was the cause of this great danger coming to Camelot.

They arrived right before nightfall, and thus were unable to do anything regarding Cedric. They parted ways and went to their respective rooms.

Morgana had dismissed Isabel early that night and prepared herself for bed. She heard a knock at her door and was pleasantly surprised to find Merlin standing at her door, sleeping draught in hand. "Merlin," she greeted with a small smile. "Where is Gaius?" She questioned.

"He had some errands to take care of, so he asked me to bring you your sleeping draught tonight." Merlin couldn't take his eyes off the beautiful woman standing in front of him. She had captured his attention since he first met her, like had happened with most men, but Merlin knew that he would never have a chance with the King's Ward, so he just hoped to be friends with her. Unbeknownst to him, Morgana shared his feelings of attraction and his fears of Uther.

"Oh! I was beginning to worry that he had forgotten," she unthinkingly said, instead choosing to focus on the handsome servant that was standing nervously in front of her. If only she could hear his thoughts like she could with the druid boy. Things would be much simpler then.

They stood in an awkward silence for a few moments before Merlin realized that he was still holding the sleeping draught. He quickly, and shakily, handed the small bottle to Morgana before quickly making his escape. He got back to the room he shared with Isabel, his face burning red.

"Merlin!" His sister exclaimed with a small laugh. She knew that her brother had been by to see Morgana, and that he tended to return in a similar state any time he had seen her. Merlin gaped at his sister, unsure of what to say. He looked over to his sister, who was laughing so hard her face was turning the same shade of red that Merlin's face was currently. Her laughter was infectious, and he soon began to laugh with her. It had been a while since he heard her laugh, and he was glad that she was laughing, even if it was at him.

After they had finally finished laughing, they both went to bed and were soon soundly asleep. The castle as a whole was quiet as all settled in for the night. It was at this time that Cedric snuck into the tunnels, and into the tomb, where he was delighted to discover the great treasures hidden away there. His greed caused him to take as much as he possibly could, including a glowing blue gem that sat on top of the coffin. He gleefully pried it out of its resting place and cradled it, as the glow grew brighter and brighter. Suddenly, the blue glow escaped from the gem, and found a new home in Cedric.

Arthur woke up the next day to a pounding at his door. He slowly, and angrily, moved to his door, prepared to berate whoever it was that was interrupting his sleep. He flung open the door, mouth opened to begin his tirade, and saw his sister standing there, hand on hip, angry expression on her face. "Good morning, Genevieve," Arthur quickly said, hoping to stop whatever tirade his sister obviously had planned. She pushed past him into the room, and sat on his rumpled bed. Arthur quickly closed the door.

"Don't you "Good morning, Genevieve," me, Arthur Pendragon! Someone used powerful magic last night!"

"Well, couldn't it have been Merlin, or Isabel?" Arthur asked, trying to figure out why his sister was so mad at someone using magic.

"Isabel was the one who informed me of this, Arthur. If it had been her, or Merlin, she wouldn't have bothered telling me. For her to tell me means that it is bad! She was shaking, Arthur!" She had stood up at this point, advancing on her brother. "Which can only mean that the magical signature was the same as what was in the tomb, which in turn means," she had reached Arthur at this point, "that someone messed with the tomb!" She hit her brother with each word, showing just how upset she was.

"That's impossible!" Arthur defended himself, while quickly moving away from his very angry sister. He wasn't running (Pendragons don't run), he told himself.

"If it's impossible, then why don't you go check the tomb," she challenged him in the way only a sibling could. Arthur stormed over to the box where he kept the key, grabbed it, and stormed out of the room to the tomb, Genevieve following close behind. They ran into Merlin on their way down, and Arthur ordered him to get Gaius and meet them down in the tomb. After Merlin scurried off, Arthur and Genevieve continued to the tomb.

When they got there, Arthur was shocked to find the tomb ransacked. Merlin and Gaius quickly arrived behind the two royals. "Sound the warning bell," Arthur managed to say, finally. Genevieve, despite feeling pleased with herself for being right, was wondering around the tomb. She noticed the divot from where the jewel had been and walked over to examine it. She didn't notice that Arthur had left, furious that someone had broken into the tomb, nor did she pay attention to the conversation being had by Merlin and Gaius.

"Gaius," She finally called out. "Can you come here really quick?" She politely asked. Gaius made his way over to the inquisitive Princess. When he arrived, she pointed at the divot. "What was here?"

"There was a large, blue gem that was shaped like a heart, Milady," he informed her, concerned that it was no longer there. He looked over to Merlin, who understood immediately what was going, and rushed out of the room in search of Arthur.

"And who's tomb is this, Gaius?"

"From the evidence I have gathered, Milady, the tomb belongs to Cornelius Sigan."

Genevieve slowly made her way back to her chambers, deep in thought. It was the sounds of shouting and struggling that brought her out of her musings. She moved to where the sounds were coming from and noticed Merlin struggling against the guards. Before she could move over to the young warlock, Gwaine swooped in, talking to the guards. When he left, the guards were laughing, and Merlin was no longer struggling. Gwaine saw Genevieve and sauntered over to her in his usual confident way.

"Hello, love," he greeted her before kissing her lightly on the cheek. "Did you know that your brother doesn't appreciate being called a clotpole, and having his intelligence questioned?" He asked while informing her of what had happened with Merlin.

"I know. Why do you think I constantly question his intelligence? Like by hiring some man off the street to be his manservant." Gwaine let out a chuckle.

"Well, you have a bit more power than Merlin does in this situation, love. Arthur does not see the value in having a servant who speaks his mind."

"He wouldn't," she agreed. They began walking along the corridor, enjoying each other's presence. "Were you not able to help Merlin?" She asked, breaking their companionable silence.

"Sadly, no. Your brother, and Cedric, had ordered the boy to be taken to the dungeons, and those particular guards are terrified of your brother and wouldn't dare to risk his anger by letting the boy go."

"So, he's going to be stuck there until Cedric does whatever he has planned and proves that Merlin was right. Which means we can't do anything until Cedric shows his hand."

They looked at each other apprehensively, knowing that anything could happen at this point. "I have training with Arthur soon," Gwaine informed her.

"And I need to go talk to Isabel, see what she is feeling currently." They parted ways, both apprehensive about what could occur.

Genevieve found Isabel in Morgana's chambers, looking out the window. "Isabel," she said softly, trying to gently get the attention of the maidservant. Isabel slowly turned around, allowing Genevieve to see that her eyes were glowing gold. Genevieve hurried over quickly and gathered her maidservant into her arms, shielding her from view.

"The dark sorcerer returns," she ominously said. Genevieve took note of what the girl said before moving the two of them to her own chambers, where she could keep the young witch from view.

They remained there until after nightfall, Genevieve comforting the girl who was scared witless. Genevieve had finally calmed the girl down enough for her to stop shaking when Camelot's warning bells went off. Genevieve told the girl to stay put before rushing out of the room and making her way to the Council chamber, where she knew her father would be. To get to the Council Chamber, she had to walk through the courtyard, which she always did.

As she was walking through the courtyard, she noticed the destruction that had taken place. She felt her stomach drop before hearing her name being yelled. Instead of reacting to the voice, she whipped around, noticing a creature bearing down on her. Before she could use her magic, something heavy rammed into her, taking her down to the ground and causing all the air to leave her lungs. She felt the air move from where the creature swooped in.

"Genevieve, what are you doing out here?" She heard the familiar voice of her brother say.

"The warning bells sounded. What did you expect me to do? Stay in my room while Camelot is under attack?"

Arthur helped her up, looking at her now rumpled dress that was stained beyond repair. He noticed that it was the same dress from earlier, which indicated to him that she hadn't gone to bed yet. "It's not safe out here, Gen," he told her, using his nickname for her. He had heard Gwaine use it once, but had since used pet names for his sister.

"Arthur, those are creatures made of magic. It's not safe anywhere," she forcefully told him. Arthur looked at the night sky, looking to see if one of the creatures was about to attack again. He didn't see any of them, but that was a small comfort. If Genevieve was right about those creatures being made from magic (and she usually was), then it wouldn't matter what Arthur did, he couldn't defeat them.

"Be as that may, you are a Princess. You should be in a safer place. This isn't your duty, Gen. Please." He was begging, and he knew it. The only time he ever begged was when it involved his sister, and it was usually to her face that he begged. Their father had always said that a Pendragon never begged, but when it came to the twins, they both begged the other constantly.

Genevieve nodded, agreeing to Arthur's request that she go somewhere safer. He escorted her to a temporary ward, where Gaius had set up his materials to be able to help those who had been injured by the creatures. Morgana and Gwen were already here, running around helping where they could. Genevieve saw Gaius stop Morgana at one point, most likely admonishing her. She walked over to where Gaius was, ready to offer her help, when she noticed that Merlin was still oddly absent. She started to wander around, offering comfort to the people laid up in the temporary ward that were awake enough to see her while looking for Merlin.

After a while, she gave up on looking for him in the room, having gone to every bed and every person in the room, and snuck out, intent on finding either Merlin, or a way to stop the creatures. She decided to make her way to Kilgharrah, hoping that if nothing else he would be willing to help her, when she ran into Merlin, who was exiting a corridor. "Merlin!" She exclaimed as she nearly lost her balance.

"Genevieve! I was just on my way..." He hesitated, unsure if she knew about the dragon, but figured that if she didn't know about him already, she should know about him now. "I was on my way to see the dragon."

"Oh! Good! I'll let you go down there, then. He kinda gets overwhelmed by more than one person visiting him at a time," she informed the warlock. She turned away from him, and made her way to the courtyard, fully deciding to ignore her brother and go help.

When she made it back to the courtyard, most of the knights were on the stone floor, unmoving. She quickly looked around, praying to the Triple Goddess that she wouldn't see Arthur or Gwaine laying there. What she found was the final group of knights, with Arthur and Gwaine at the front, leading the charge. She immediately began incanting, saying protection spells over the two most important men in her life, hoping that it would be enough to keep them safe.

She kept incanting, even as all of the other knights ran away, closing and locking the doors before either of her men could make it to them. They had their backs to the door, exchanged a look, and ran straight towards one of the creatures, prepared to die to defend Camelot. They were each knocked unconscious. They would have been killed if it hadn't been for Genevieve. She was prepared to move out from the covered portion of the courtyard when she heard Merlin cry out "Astrice!"

The creatures immediately broke apart, and Cedric appeared. "Who would've believed it? You, a sorcerer, and a powerful one."

"I won't let you hurt them." Genevieve took this opportunity to sneak out from where she was hiding and moved to where Arthur and Gwaine were laying, hoping to be able to move them somewhere a bit safer.

"And you're going to stop me?"

"I'll stop you."

"He does not deserve your loyalty. He treats you like a slave." Sigab was doing everything he could to turn Merlin to his side, not realizing that the boy that stood in front of him was the strongest magic user to ever exist.

"That's not true."

"He cast you aside without a moment's thought.

"That doesn't matter."

"But it must hurt so much to be so put upon, so overlooked, when all the while you have such power."

"That's the way it has to be."

"Does it? You're young, Merlin. Look inside yourself. You have yet to discover your true power. I can help you. Think, Merlin. To have the world appreciate your greatness. To have Arthur know you for what you are."

"He already does," Genevieve spoke out, bringing the attention to herself. "You don't realize the true power that Merlin possesses, Sigan. But Merlin does. Merlin has power you could never imagine."

Sigan shot a blast of magic towards the Princess, knocking her off her feet and between the bodies of her brother and fiance. Sigan continued trying to convince Merlin to join his side, to take over Camelot, but Merlin kept refusing.

When Sigan finally realized that Merlin wouldn't join him, he decided that the next best thing was to possess him. Merlin immediately began chanting in the Ancient Language, hoping that it would work and would contain the spirit of Sigan.

Gaius had entered the courtyard just as Sigan left Cedric's body and quickly, but cautiously, made his way over to his nephew, who turned around slowly, only to reveal that Sigan's soul was returned to its gem, and Merlin was unharmed. Arthur and Gwaine slowly woke up at this point and immediately noticed that Genevieve was unconscious between the two of them. They exchanged a look with Gaius who nodded to them to take her to her rooms, away from Uther and other prying eyes.

Genevieve woke up the next morning, feeling oddly refreshed despite what had occurred. She knew that if she was waking up, then Merlin had succeeded in defeating Sigan, which was a breath of relief. Now, it was time to focus on her wedding.