A/N: Hey, flute1021, I play the flute too! Anywhoo,I know it took me longer than I said it would, but the next two chapters are already written and on their way to my beta!

dedicated to my friend Diana, because she made me feel better this week ^^

Chapter 2: The Curse of Cornelius Sigan – part 2

"Cedric is the thief, and he's now possessed by an evil sorcerer named Cornelius Sigan," I said as I strode into Arthur's chambers. No need to beat around the bush, it wouldn't make it any easier.

"What?" Arthur asked, looking at me like I was a lunatic.

"He tried to steal the jewel, but it wasn't a jewel, it was the soul of an ancient sorcerer – Sigan."

Arthur leaned forward, an annoyed expression on his face. "Merlynn, have you been on the cider?"

"Please, listen to me," I begged. Hadn't he learned by now that I was always right about these kinds of things? "Camelot is in mortal danger. Sigan is using Cedric's body to take his revenge!"

"This nonsense isn't helping you keep your job."

"You are not listening to me!" I shouted, getting more and more annoyed with that idiot.

"If you're going to shout anyway… Cedric!"

"Arthur, you're being an idiot! Listen to me!" I screamed.

The prince just raised an unimpressed eyebrow and motioned for Cedric to escort me out. I considered lunging at him, but figured I wasn't really strong enough, even if Cedric was rather wiry and thin.

Guards had followed Cedric in, hearing the shouting, and Arthur now motioned for them to grab my arms. "Maybe you'll learn some manners after a night in the cells."

/*/

Gwen came by about an hour before sunset, bringing me some food. "What's going on?" she asked quietly, so the guards wouldn't hear.

"Cedric, Arthur's new servant, is being possessed by an evil, ancient sorcerer named Cornelius Sigan. He's going to destroy Camelot, and Arthur won't listen to me," I said. I'd kept my tears at bay as long as I could, but now that Gwen was here, I fell apart.

"Why do I still feel this way, Gwen? He's a prat, and he's spoiled and childish, and he can be so cruel…"

Gwen smiled, a little sadly. "Because of all the good sides of his personality, and because you wouldn't love him if he weren't childish from time to time," she replied sympathetically. "You can see the potential in him, and he'll change eventually, Merlynn."

I closed my eyes and rested my head against the wall, suddenly exhausted. "But that's just the thing, Gwen; I can wait for him to grow up, but then what? He's not mine, and he never will be. He's the prince, and I'm just a servant, and not exactly a normal one," I said, not willing to say the word 'sorceress' this close to the guards. "One day he'll marry a princess or lady, and I'll still be beside him."

"You don't know that. Uther might enforce that law about commoners and nobility, but Arthur won't, you know he won't. He doesn't care about social status. He loves you, Merlynn," the other maid reasoned.

I snorted. "He has a funny way of showing it." I looked out the small window in my cell. "You should go home, Gwen, it's getting dark."

Gwen hesitated, clearly not willing to leave me with my self-pity. I gave her a pointed look, and she smiled, getting to her feat. She called for the guard, and he opened the cell door.

"I'll come by Gaius's tomorrow, all right?" she said, but was already being ushered out by the guard.

I was left to spend an uncomfortable night in the cells… again.

/*/

I had barely closed my eyes when the screaming started. I shouted at the bars, but every guard in the castle was probably helping outside. Trusting that no one would hear me, I held out my hand towards the bars. "Tospringe."

I ran straight for the central courtyard. My guess was that the main battle was going on there, and Arthur was always where the battle was. Of course, I was right. Just as I got there, Arthur was getting up, dodging a… a gargoyle? No time to think about it. I ran to him.

"Merlynn? What are you doing out? That thing could have kill you!" Arthur said, putting a hand on my shoulder.

I was about to give a very witty retort when I spotted the gargoyles circling back behind the prince. "It still might!" I shouted as I dived at the prince, knocking him to the ground in the process. Of course, this meant that I ended up on top of him.

As I helped him up, I noticed Arthur wince. "You're hurt," I said, noting the blood on his chainmail. I lifted a hand, already in physician mode, but he stopped me.

"Maybe we should get inside, Merlynn?" he said with a raised eyebrow.

"Right…" I said, and allowed the prince to lead me to the temporary infirmary.

"I'll get you something to stop the bleeding," I said once Arthur sat down, and moved to get supplies.

"Merlynn," Arthur called back. I turned. "Just… You keep surprising me…"

I grinned. "I'm a mystery," I joked, and turned, only for Arthur's voice to stop me again.

"Merlynn… Thank you."

I smiled softly. He might've been a prat, and arrogant, and plain mean, but he was also noble, and kind, and gentle when he wanted to be.

Gwen accompanied me on my way back to Arthur. I realized I wouldn't have enough bandages, so I sent her ahead. It's a good thing that I did, because Uther walked in, asking for a report from his son. I quickly hid behind a column, pretending to tend to another patient and keeping my head down.

Uther ordered that the citadel be sealed, to protect those who had a chance. And, naturally, Arthur wouldn't let the people trapped on the drawbridge just be killed, so he stormed out, half a dozen men following him.

That idiot was going to get himself killed! He could barely move his left arm!

I snuck away, and drew Gaius's attention.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed, pulling me deeper into the shadows.

"I have to help Arthur," I said, ignoring his question.

"Merlynn, Sigan's power is far beyond yours," Gaius reasoned.

"I don't have a choice."

"But Sigan is immortal, and you are not. If you face him, he will destroy you," he warned.

"There must be a way," I pleaded.

Gaius sighed. "There is only one alive who is old enough to give us the answers we seek."

I had a sinking suspicion I knew who he was talking about. "What do you mean?"

"The Great Dragon."

"You knew, then… that I used to visit him?" I asked.

"Yes, Merlynn, of course I knew. You're a creature of magic, just as he is. I'd hoped that he could help you."

"He helps no one but himself," I said bitterly, thinking of how he'd tricked me to give up my mother's life.

"For Arthur's sake, you must go to him now."

"I can't," I refused, not wanting to face the truth.

"We have no choice," Gaius pressed. Eventually, I gave in.

/*/

The Dragon made me promise to release him one day, and while I didn't want that, I had no choice. It was either release him, or risk losing Arthur. He gave me a powerful spell to defeat Sigan, and the instant knowledge of how to use it. I could tell that anyone even a little less powerful than myself would not be able to cast it.

I ran towards the drawbridge, but found Arthur in the central courtyard, facing those gargoyles all by himself. He was knocked unconscious and helpless as another creature flew at him. A simple spell turned it to nothing but rubble.

He was still alive, thank God, only out cold. As I checked him over, a voice echoed over the square.

"Who would have believed it? You, a sorceress, and a powerful one…" Cedric – or rather Sigan – said, calmly stepping over rubble and dead bodies towards me.

"I won't let you hurt him," I said defiantly, standing to protect my prince.

"And you're going to stop me?" he asked derisively.

I stepped clear of the prince, circling Sigan so that he was no longer facing Arthur. "I will stop you."

"He does not deserve your loyalty. He treats you like a slave!"

"That's not true."

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

"It doesn't matter." I knew he was baiting me, but his words still stung. Arthur hadn't been the nicest person lately, and I had been mad at him.

"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," I answered, but could tell that it was a weak argument. I would've liked to say that Arthur would change, that it wouldn't always be like this, but did I really know that?

"Does it? You're young and beautiful, Merlynn, look inside yourself. You've yet to discover your true power. I can help you." And that's where he had me. My insatiable curiosity and desire to learn new things, especially magic things, were going to be the end of me. I did sometimes wish that I had more knowledge, and was better at magic, and Sigan knew more than I could possibly imagine.

"Think, Merlynn," he went on. "To have the world appreciate your greatness, to have Arthur know you for what you are." How did he know exactly the things I wished for most? Recognition, especially from Arthur, were what I wanted more than anything.

I hesitated. "That can never be," I replied, but even to my own ears, it sounded as though I was trying to convince myself.

"It can! If you join me. Together we can rule over this land; you would be queen! Arthur would tremble at your voice, he will kneel at your feet!"

The trance was broken. I pictured Arthur as Sigan described, and felt horrified at the scene. I never wanted Arthur to be afraid of me, I only wanted him to see me as an equal. "I don't want that," I said firmly.

Sigan looked disgusted at my answer. "You'd rather be a servant?"

"Better to serve a good man, than to rule with an evil one!" I spat.

Sigan looked furious. "So be it. If you will not join me, I will become you, and your power will be harnessed to my will!"

And with that, Cedric fell to the ground, lifeless, as a blue wisp of fog crawled out of him and towards me. As it swirled faster and faster, I recited the spell the Dragon had given me. The fog was now creeping up my leg, and I hurried to say the rest of the spell. Then it entered my mouth, and I felt Sigan trying to take control.

A battle of wills commenced, and at first Sigan felt triumphant – I could feel what he felt. Then, as I threw everything I had into stopping him, his surprise was palpable, but his greed was, too. He wanted my power, and he wanted my body for himself. It made me feel sick.

Vaguely, I realized I was now on the ground, and wondered how I had gotten there. But that brief moment of distraction gave Sigan what he wanted. He took control, and I panicked as he made my body stand up against my will.

As Arthur's prone form caught my eyes again, anger flared up in me. There was no way in hell that I was going to let this bastard use my body to torture and murder my friends. Again I felt Sigan's surprise, as I was suddenly able to take control again. It was easy. I violently pushed the evil sorcerer to a corner of my mind and grabbed the empty jewel that I'd shoved in my pocket. I used all my anger and frustration – and I had a lot of it – to finished the Dragon's spell and shove Sigan into the jewel.

It was over…

I was exhausted, but it was over. As the fog around me cleared, I saw Gaius standing at the edge of the courtyard, watching me warily. I smiled and held up the now-blue jewel. Sigan was gone.

I rushed forward and enveloped my uncle in a hug. "Well done, my girl, well done!" he said in my ear.

Suddenly, I remembered Arthur, and let go of Gaius to run to him. He was still unconscious, but he was stirring. "We have to get him inside," I said, and ran off to get some guards to help me.

/*/

Arthur finally woke up when I was cleaning out the wound on his chest. "Good morning, sire. Sleep well?" I joked, keeping my eyes on my task. He tried to sit up, but winced. I pushed him back and looked him in the eyes, raising an eyebrow.

"What happened? Where's Sigan?" he asked, but stayed down.

"Sigan's dead, sire, and you're hurt, so lie still, will you?" I asked, maybe a little more bitingly than I'd intended.

The prince was about to reply when the King walked into the temporary infirmary. I froze, but there was nowhere to hide. Uther walked all the way up to Arthur's bed, but unlike usually, he didn't immediately ignore me. "Weren't you in the dungeons?"

I was inwardly scrambling for an excuse, but my mind came up blank. "I let her out when Sigan attacked, father. We needed more nurses," Arthur replied in my place.

The King nodded absently and asked Arthur how he was doing.

"Just a little sore, I'll be fine in the morning," he replied nonchalantly.

I turned to the prince sharply. "No you will not! You need time to heal, sire. You're not using that arm for at least two days," I said firmly, forgetting for the moment who was present.

I blushed deeply when the King raised an eyebrow at me. I quickly mumbled an apology and fled the infirmary.

/*/

Later that day, I was outside, helping Morgana and Gwen go around town and tend to those who hadn't made it to the infirmary. The Lady seemed much calmer and more focussed than the last time I'd seen her. She really cared about the people.

"Morgana?" I asked when we finally took a break. It'd been five hours since we started, and we hadn't even made a dent in all the work.

"Yes, Merlynn?" she replied, passing a cup of water to Gwen.

"How are you feeling? I know you had another dream before this mess started…" I said, hoping I wasn't offending her.

Morgana smiled kindly. "I'm fine, Merlynn; Gaius gave me another sleeping draught. But thank you for asking."

I returned the smile, but I was still worried. "Just don't overdo it. I know you care about the people, but if you need rest, take it. You aren't any good exhausted."

"Of course," she said, and got back up to help a nearby woman with a head wound.

"You know she'll just ignore that advice, right?" Gwen asked, handing the cup of water back.

"Yes, I know."

/*/

Arthur POV

Arthur stood on the battlements, overseeing the work being done in the upper town. Sigan's gargoyles had done considerable damage, and it would take months for everything to be restored to the way it was before. His eyes caught two familiar forms tending to another injured person at the edge of the upper town. A green and a blue dress: Morgana and Merlynn.

He realized he'd acted horribly towards his maidservant these past few days. 'Former maidservant,' he thought bitterly as he remembered her quitting. Why did this always happen to them? They were the closest friends – though he'd never admit it, least of all to Merlynn – yet they always seemed to end up fighting. A little ashamedly, he recalled that most times it was because he was being, in Merlynn's words, a clotpole.

And then there was the fact that she was hiding something from him. Something she'd said or done while he was unconscious during the Questing Beast debacle.

As he looked down at her now, he couldn't help a small smile. She was probably the most selfless person he'd ever met, and she was always there for her friends. And she had this annoying knack of always being right.

When she'd come to his chambers to warn him about Cedric, he'd assumed that she was jealous, or just wanted attention, which just proved how little he really knew about her. He spent almost his entire day in her presence, and yet he barely knew her.

"Sire," a voice behind him said. For a moment he thought it might be Merlynn, and he felt far too happy about that, until he remembered that she was in the town below, and that the voice had been male.

Arthur turned around to face Gaius. "Gaius, can I help you?"

"I need to look at your shoulder, sire. You might want to come inside," the old physician replied, gesturing to the door.

The prince sighed and looked behind him at the familiar form in the blue dress again. "Gaius, how long have you known Merlynn?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Gaius came to stand beside him, following the prince's gaze. "Since she came to Camelot, sire."

"But you're her uncle…" Arthur said. Surely he must've known her since birth?

"I knew she existed, but I'd never seen her before she arrived here. Her mother and I were born so far apart, we weren't very close," he explained.

Arthur knew he was staring at the physician, and he knew that Gaius was suspicious. After all, why would a prince want to know about the life of a lowly servant? But he couldn't help himself. Merlynn was a mystery to him, a mystery he absolutely had to solve. "What can you tell me about her?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" the old man suggested kindly.

Arthur had a suspicion he didn't want to talk about his niece without her there, but the prince had to know. "I'm asking you."

Gaius took a deep breath and stared down at where he knew his niece to be. "She's generally a very cheerful person, she likes to have fun. She can be a bit lazy when not prompted often enough, but I suspect you already know that," he said, but Arthur didn't respond. His eyes were glued to the blue figure down on the ground. "She's had a very lonely childhood, with only her mother and one friend to keep her company, so any friends she has now, she would do anything for."

"I've noticed," Arthur replied, thinking of how Merlynn had claimed she was a sorceress when Gwen had been accused, and of every time he'd needed her.

"I don't know exactly what you want to know, sire."

Arthur sighed and tore his gaze away from the enigma that was his maidservant. "You've told me enough for now, Gaius. Let's get inside."

Gaius gave a respectful bow and preceded him into the castle. Arthur shot one more look over his shoulder, but Merlynn was nowhere to be seen.

He vowed to apologise to her, later. Maybe she'd give him some answers as well.

/*/

Arthur stood nervously outside Gaius's chambers, thinking about what to say. Then, telling himself he was being ridiculous, he raised his hand and knocked. A moment later, Merlynn opened the door, looking surprised.

"Arthur? You never knock," she said. Of course. Not 'Arthur, what are you doing here,' but 'You never knock.'

The prince rolled his eyes. "A habit I picked up from you. Can I come in, or do you expect me to stand out here?"

Merlynn stood aside and waved him in. He'd been in Gaius's chambers a million times, yet this time, he was nervous. Which was preposterous; it was his castle, after all. Arthur shook his head, and told himself to just apologise.

"What are you doing here, sire? I quit, remember? And Gaius is still in the infirmary," Merlynn said, busying herself by cleaning up some of the infinite mess. She didn't face me.

"I know. I came to talk to you."

Merlynn stopped what she was doing, but kept her eyes on her hands. "I came to apologise," Arthur said calmly. "There may have been some truth to your allegations against Cedric."

Finally, Merlynn turned around and faced him. "Some truth?" she asked, icily.

Arthur sat down on a bench. "Fine, you were right. Cedric was being possessed."

"Is that all you're here for?" she asked, turning back to the flasks she was organizing.

Arthur frowned. Merlynn wouldn't have asked if she hadn't expected him to say something else. But what? "Uhm… no?" he asked more than said.

Merlynn simply raised her eyebrows at him again. "Yes?"

Arthur frantically thought back to the last few days. What else–? Oh… that. "I'm… I'm sorry for how I treated you. I shouldn't have trusted Cedric so easily."

Merlynn grinned widely. "I did tell you never to get a bootlicker."

The prince immediately returned the grin: Merlynn's good humour was always infectious.

"I'll be back to work the day after tomorrow, sire," she said. Arthur's grin fell a little. He'd expected her to come back that day or maybe the next.

"Oh, don't be a child," she chided, lightly slapping his arm. "Gaius needs me to take care of the wounded. You can dress yourself for a little while longer, can't you?"

Arthur rolled his eyes and left without replying, because when had he ever gotten the last word around Merlynn?

A/N: Yup, it's not long now until they FINALLY get together. Seriously, I can't wait to write that ^^

From now on I'll start messing up the timeline a little more.

Review!