I was going to go on a huge long rant in reply to one of the guest reviewsBut I won't. That person apparently isn't going to be reading this story anymore, which is their choice. I don't resent that. But I will say a few things in response to it.

I'm not pairing Merlin with Kerenza simply because she's my creation. I honestly felt like Merlin never really connected with anyone (who is currently still alive) from the show well enough to make a good marriage. And seriously, he needs someone who really understands magic. Kerenza was basically created to be that someone for Merlin. That has always been my intention for her, and it's not like I haven't been hinting at that all along. She's her own character, though, so there's still a chance that they won't end up together. I mean, she was supposed to be a princess to begin with, so who knows with her.

And I know that I'm not a perfect writer; no one is. But I really don't like criticism that isn't beneficial in any way. If you're going to criticize my work, please be constructive about it. Simply telling me that a character is terrible doesn't help me with my writing; it doesn't help me make that character better. If you think one of my OCs is terrible (or all of them), tell me why. You have every right to dislike my OCs. It doesn't hurt my feelings if you don't like one of them. We all have characters that we like and dislike for various reasons. Just make sure to inform me of why you dislike them. And if it's something that I feel needs to be changed or modified or explained better, I will do that. I value your opinions. I can't make something better if I don't know how. I'm a bit biased toward my own characters (honestly, who isn't?); I don't always notice the flaws. So if you see something, let me know. In a way that I can actually benefit from. I hope that makes sense.

Okay. Sorry about that, guys. I guess I did go on a huge long rant, even though I hadn't intended to.

Oh, and to NightsAnger: Ah, the day counter. I wondered if anyone was ever going to mention it. I thought about taking it down, but I don't know. I haven't decided how necessary it is for the rest of the story, so for now, it's staying. That may or may not be an ominous thing. Love that you pointed it out.

Dmcmeel412: Glad you like Merlin being poisoned, I guess? Lol. I get what you mean. I'm glad you're enjoying it, because I'm actually usually really bad at making good plots. It is not my strongest point when it comes to writing.

Saroura92: Is he that stupid?

One last thing, I promise. The poison used on Merlin is made up. I couldn't find one that filled my needs exactly, so I created one. And now that you've all read this insanely long AN, here's the story.


NINETEEN: POISON (291 days)

Kerenza shook herself out of her shock. She remembered what Emrys had told her earlier that very day. "I don't think Ennis would have done this," she told the king. "Emrys told me, just fifteen minutes ago, that he had arrived on time this morning. And he willingly brought him…lunch…" she trailed off, horror filling her.

King Arthur turned to the knight. "Gwaine, find Ennis. Put him in the dungeons. Now. I want him under lock and key until I can come talk to him."

Gwaine nodded and left in a rush.

The king looked back at Gaius. He was obviously trying not to look at the shaking body on the table. Kerenza was trying not to look herself. The sight made her heart ache. "Do you know what kind of poison it was?"

The physician hesitated. "I can't be certain, sire."

Kerenza narrowed her eyes. She hadn't been living with Gaius for very long, but she felt like she was getting to know him, well enough to know that he was almost certain about which poison had been used. The fact that he didn't want to tell the king was a bad sign. A very bad sign.

Arthur turned his gaze back to the Court Sorcerer. He looked pained when Emrys slammed his fist against his chest, as if it was hurting. "Do what you can for him, Gaius. An antidote, magic, whatever can cure him."

"I need to know exactly which poison I'm dealing with first."

Arthur nodded. "Of course."

Only a moment later, Percival returned. He was carrying a tray with a plate, bowl, and goblet. The plate and goblet were both empty, but there were still blueberries in the bowl. If Emrys hadn't given his two servants the remainder of the day off, the dishes probably would have already been taken back to the kitchens. Gaius immediately began inspecting each dish.

He sniffed the blueberries with extra care, a frown pulling at his lips. "The poison used is a colorless liquid and has a very slight odor to it, very similar to that of blueberries. I can't smell any trace of it on the plate or in the goblet. Only on the blueberries themselves. It's similar enough that Merlin might not have noticed the smell. The taste would have been a little bitter, which might be why he didn't finish eating them."

"Wouldn't he notice the liquid coating them?"

"It doesn't take very much to be lethal, sire. And because it has no color, it gives the appearance that the berries were freshly washed. He wouldn't have thought much about a small amount of liquid on them, especially if he was distracted by something else as he was eating."

"So you can tell what poison it was?"

Gaius nodded, and Kerenza had a feeling she also knew exactly which poison had been used. The convulsions, the grogginess earlier, the blueberries. She knew what Gaius was going to say before he said it.

"It's a liquid poison extracted from the root of the Arcanis flower." Kerenza felt tears rolling down her cheeks. She knew what this poison was capable of. "It is more commonly known as Demon's Curse, because of the violent convulsions that it causes. The flower is very rare, and therefore the poison is extremely difficult to attain. And there is no known antidote."

The king sank onto the nearest stool, his face devoid of any color. "No antidote?"

Gaius shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid not. The symptoms begin manifesting about an hour after the poison is consumed. Grogginess, blurred vision, chest pains, convulsions, and unconsciousness."

"How long? How long does he have?"

Kerenza heard herself speaking, her voice a monotone. "It depends on the…victim and the amount of poison consumed. It really does not take a lot of the vile stuff. Some die of sheer exhaustion, if the convulsions are violent enough. Some die when their hearts give out. It could take hours, or days."

"Magic?"

She didn't have the heart to tell him that magic rarely worked against a poison this strong - it took too much power and energy to both heal what had already been damaged and to drive out the poison. "It isn't always successful. But I'll try," she said, stepping forward. It rarely worked, but that didn't mean that it never worked. She doubted she was powerful enough to do it, but she wasn't about to just give up.

She reached out with her magic, with the intention of learning exactly what was being affected by the poison, so she would know where to focus her healing spells.

But just as her magic touched Emrys, an invisible force threw her backward. Her back hit the wall, her arm knocking over and breaking several of the vials on a table to her right in the process.

They all stared at Emrys. A shimmering barrier surrounded his body. She frowned. "His magic…pushed mine away."

Arthur looked simultaneously worried and relieved - Emrys's convulsions had suddenly become much less violent, which was a relief. "What does that mean?"

Gaius shrugged. "It seems as though his magic is defending him."

"From Kerenza's healing spell? Why would Merlin's magic push hers away, when she's only trying to help?"

"Merlin's magic can be very instinctual. It might not be able to decipher that her magic isn't a threat at the moment. It's possible that it's trying to heal him on its own, and to protect him from getting hurt any further."

"Can he do that? Heal himself while he's…unconscious?"

Gaius shrugged. "I don't know everything that Merlin is capable of. Most people can't perform spells while unconscious and under the influence of poison. And healing spells are especially difficult when it involves powerful poison. It requires focusing the magic on several things at once. Most sorcerers can't perform spells like that. Kerenza said that she would try, but even as powerful as she is, she knows that she might not have been successful." The physician nodded in her direction, almost apologetically. She wasn't offended. He was only voicing what she had been thinking herself. "But Merlin is…"

"Magic itself," Arthur finished for him. "That's what he told me. So you're saying that if anyone can use magic to get rid of this poison, it's Merlin? He might be the only one powerful enough to do it? Even while it's trying to kill him."

"Precisely."

"Is there anything we can do to help him?"

Kerenza sighed, shaking her head. "No. His magic has gone on the defensive. It's blocking all outside influences, good and bad. It isn't even allowing me to assess the damage." She chewed her lip. "There is nothing we can do but wait."

The king nodded, getting to his feet. "I sometimes forget just how powerful he is. If his magic is that strong, he should be able to heal himself from this. I have to believe that." He took a deep breath, looking down at his friend one last time. "Send word as soon as anything changes. I need to deal with Ennis. Unless he decided to leave Camelot, I'm sure Gwaine's found him by now." Arthur left the room.

Kerenza looked back at Emrys. His muscles were tense, but at least he wasn't convulsing anymore. The barrier was still there. She'd heard - and seen - just how powerful he was. He had shown that he was capable of holding multiple spells at one time, when they'd faced Morgana. She could only hope that he was powerful enough to overcome this as well.


Arthur entered the dungeons, his mouth set in a thin line. Gwaine stood near the occupied cell, his arms crossed, his expression furious. "He claims he didn't know that Merlin had been poisoned," he whispered to the king. His tone said that he didn't believe it any more than Arthur did. "How is he? Is Gaius able to do anything?"

"The poison has no antidote," the king answered, his voice also a whisper. He didn't have any desire for the prisoner to hear what he was saying at the moment. "But magic might be able to cure him. We just have to wait and see."

Gwaine looked at the servant inside the cell. "If he dies, I will kill you myself," the knight warned quietly.

Ennis looked up at the king, his face full of fear. Had he honestly thought that the poison wouldn't be traced back to him? "Sire, I -"

"Powder in the bed, stained clothes…Those are fairly harmless acts, comparatively speaking. Those are forgivable acts. But poison that has no antidote? This has gone too far, and I regret giving you a second chance, Ennis. You have proven beyond a doubt that you didn't deserve it."

"Sire, I didn't poison him, I swear it. I…I don't like him, it's true. But I never -"

"You brought him lunch today, did you not?"

"Y-yes. He asked me to, and I was happy to do it. But -"

"It was poisoned. Care to explain that?" Arthur was struggling to keep himself calm and under control. He was furious. And he was worried. It wasn't the best combination at the moment. He knew that. He also knew that he had no intention of making any rash decisions today. He wouldn't decide this servant's fate until Merlin was either healed, or…

He didn't want to think about that.

Ennis shook his head. "I don't know how the poison got on his food. I didn't put it there, I swear. I took the food directly from the kitchens to Merlin's rooms. I never…I didn't poison it. I wouldn't do that."

"Even to a man that you hate?"

"I don't...hate him. I don't like him, but I no longer hate him. Sire, please. I didn't -"

"The evidence points to you, Ennis. Any food coming out of the kitchens is thoroughly checked for any kind of poison. And you were the only one to have access to it between the kitchens and his rooms. There was no one else who could have done it." He took a deep breath. He was starting to lose his control. He needed to leave, before he did something he would regret. He prided himself on being a fair king. This worthless man would get a fair trial, he would make sure of it. "Your fate will be determined by whether or not my Court Sorcerer survives. You had best hope that he does."

"Sire, he wasn't even in -"

The king left, before he could kill the servant. He was afraid that if he heard another word out of the man's mouth, he would kill him.


I know it's shorter than most of my chapters. Sorry. I threw around a few more ideas to add to it, but they all felt forced and out of place, so they'll have to wait. And again, I'm sorry for the really long AN at the beginning. Don't hate me for it. I felt it all needed to be said.