I've been on a roll this weekend. Yay for you! Sorry it's a little shorter than usual.


TWENTY-ONE: GONE (290 days)

Kerenza looked up as the door opened again, and Mordred and Percival entered. She and the queen had been keeping each other company at Emrys's bedside for several hours, and several people had come and gone in that time.

Dera had offered to do the rounds for Kerenza that morning, once she'd seen that there was nothing she could do to help Emrys himself. The druid girl had agreed, and was more than grateful for the offer. Dera knew the other residents of the castle, so she had been confident that she wouldn't have any problems with the rounds. Sir Elyan and Sir Leon had checked in briefly. Sir Gwaine had come in, to check on Emrys and to speak to Gaius about where a person could purchase the poison that had been used. He and Gaius left together after that. Neither of them had returned yet.

The two knights nodded at the queen. "Has there been any change?" Mordred asked quietly. He was always quiet, Kerenza had noticed.

She shook her head. "Not really. But he does seem to be getting better. I think. His symptoms are becoming less noticeable."

"Any idea how long it will take him to heal himself?" Percival questioned.

The druid girl shook her head. She wished she had better answers to give them, but she just didn't. "He's extremely powerful, but a healing spell like this is very complicated. I wouldn't be surprised if it took him at least two days. That's just an estimate, though. I really have no idea."

The large knight sighed. "I don't like waiting."

"None of us do," the queen told him wryly. "Have either of you seen Arthur today? I'm surprised he hasn't come here to see Merlin."

Mordred nodded. "He went with Gwaine to speak to Ennis again this morning. They think that Ennis might not have been the one responsible, so they're looking into it."

Guinevere nodded. Kerenza had thought that Gwaine's conversation with her new mentor was a little odd, considering they had the culprit in the dungeons already. But if Ennis hadn't done it, then someone else had. It made sense that they would be investigating.

Percival clenched his fists, which was quite intimidating. The action made the tendons and veins on his bare arms bulge. Kerenza would not want him angry with her. He could snap her like a twig, if he chose to. From what she'd seen of him, she doubted he would do anything like that. But that knowledge didn't make his giant muscles any less intimidating. "Whoever did this will suffer."

Nobody argued with him. They were probably all wishing harm on whoever had poisoned the Court Sorcerer.

A somewhat awkward silence filled the air. Kerenza wanted something to do with her hands, but she didn't know what. She and the queen had already eaten their lunch, so there was no reason for her to cook. She was sure the knights would have eaten already.

Maybe she should go for a walk, speak with Ma for a bit. It would probably be a good idea to clear her -

The door to the Court Physician's chambers opened yet again.

This time, it was a village woman in a simple green dress. A dark green headscarf covered most of her raven hair, though a few curls had escaped near her ears. Her face, even with a smile on it, had a serene look to it. Her eyes were nearly the same shade of blue as her son's - because this could only be Hunith, if the horror on Queen Guinevere's face was anything to go by.

Hunith seemed to notice the queen first, and her smile slipped into a frown. She obviously hadn't expected to see the Queen of Camelot in the Court Physician's chambers.

Then her eyes fell on Emrys, and she gasped. The bag she'd been holding hit the floor with a thud. "Merlin!" she cried. She rushed forward, her arms outstretched.

Kerenza stepped between her and the bed, gripping her arms to keep her from being thrown backwards. "I'm sorry, but it's probably better if you keep your distance. His magic hasn't been letting anyone touch him."

With tears in her eyes, Hunith firmly pulled away. "I'm his mother," she said simply. Slowly, carefully, she reached toward Emrys's face. Her hand passed through the magical barrier as though it didn't exist. She cupped his cheek in her palm. "My son. What has happened to you?" The despair in her voice was obvious, and nearly broke Kerenza's heart.

Guinevere got to her feet and moved to stand beside the older woman. She gulped before saying, "He was poisoned. Arthur is working to find out who did it."

"Poisoned?"

"I'm so sorry, Hunith. Even though we've made magic legal, it seems that there are still those who hate it and fear it. He will be fine, though. He's healing."

"Why did no one send word to me?"

"It just happened yesterday," the queen explained. "You were already on your way. There was no guarantee that a messenger would pass you on the roads. And we thought it would be easier to hear in person, rather than through a letter."

Hunith moved her hand to grip Emrys's tightly. She used her free hand to cover her mouth as she began crying softly. Percival and Mordred, looking as awkward as Kerenza felt, quickly left the room, with a promise to return later to see how he was doing.

Kerenza wished there was something she could do, some way she could help. But so far, Hunith was the only one that his magic had allowed in. Every time she had tried to touch him - physically or magically - she was pushed back.

Sighing, she began making her way toward the door. She couldn't do anything to help, so she may as well give the woman a bit of privacy with her son. "I think I'll take a walk," she muttered.

The queen nodded, even as she gently guided Hunith to sit in the chair.

Kerenza stopped moving when she heard an exclamation of pain. She turned around. Emrys's back was arched, every muscle in his body tensed. Sweat beaded on his forehead. His magic barrier wavered, then disappeared altogether when he collapsed limply back on the bed.

Hunith's hands flew over him. "He's not breathing," she gasped. "He's gone. My boy's gone."

Kerenza ran forward.


Arthur sat at his desk, frustrated. He hoped that Gwaine and Gaius were having more luck than he'd had so far. All morning, he'd been trying to discover where Merlin had gone while Ennis was getting his food. Arthur hoped that would give him a clue as to who could have poisoned his Court Sorcerer. He had a feeling that Merlin might have been lured out, giving the would-be murderer a chance to leave the poisoned blueberries behind. Unfortunately, he hadn't learned anything. Nobody that he had spoken to had seen Merlin.

A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts - not that his thoughts had been getting him anywhere. "Enter," he called. A moment later, Gwaine and Gaius were walking in. They didn't look particularly happy. "Were you able to find anything useful?"

The old man sighed. "There's only two men in Camelot who sell Demon's Curse. Only one of them has had anyone purchase it in the last month, and that purchase was made just the day before yesterday."

"Was this seller able to describe the person who bought it?" That buyer had to be the one who had tried to kill Merlin. The timing was too coincidental to be anything else.

Gwaine shook his head. "The description wasn't as helpful as we'd hoped. The buyer was male - his deep voice and tall stature revealed that. But he wore a cloth over the majority of his face, and a low hood over his head. The only thing the seller could see were his eyes, and it was too dark for him to be able to make out exactly what color they were. Whoever bought the poison was careful to keep his identity a secret."

Arthur swore. That wasn't what he'd wanted to hear, though it was basically what he'd been expecting.

Gwaine continued to speak. "Not as careful as he should have been, though. The seller noticed that the man's clothes were high quality. He was also wearing an emerald ring on one hand. The man who bought the poison was no lowly servant, that much is certain."

The king frowned.

"The cost of the poison is beyond what a servant could earn in even three months," Gaius told him. "It's very expensive. For a servant to have purchased it would have required several months of advanced planning and saving. It is not something that somewhat with a limited income could simply buy in a whim."

Arthur's frown deepened. "You think a noble did this?"

Neither of them answered, but that in and of itself was an answer to Arthur.


Emrys was breathing, Kerenza realized it as soon as she held her hand against his lips. His breaths were shallow, but they were there.

"He's breathing," she announced. "He's alive."

Hunith sobbed in relief, leaning back in her chair. Guinevere clasped her shoulders gently, offering comfort.

Kerenza took this chance to use her magic to look Emrys over. She leaned over him, sending out her magic. The more she examined, the more amazed she became.

After several minutes, she straightened, a smile pulling at her lips. She stared down at this man. He didn't look like the most powerful sorcerer to walk the earth, with his goofy ears and pale skin and ridiculous cheekbones. But he was. He most certainly was. "I don't believe it."

"What is it?" the queen asked.

"He's healed himself already. The poison…it's completely gone. And as far as I can tell, he's healed all of the damage it did to him. I hadn't expected him to do it so quickly." He had managed to do it all in the span of about a day.

Amazing.

"Why hasn't he woken, then?" Hunith wanted to know, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Kerenza sighed. "He's used a lot of magic recently. Now, he's just resting and regaining the energy that he used. But he'll be fine." She shared a smile with the queen. "He's past the worst of it."


He clenched his fist before slamming it into the stone wall. He didn't feel the pain in his anger, though he knew it would be bruised by morning. "He's been cured," he growled to his companion.

"How? You were assured that the poison had no antidote, weren't you?"

He scowled. "He used his magic to heal himself, apparently."

"Does the king still believe Ennis did it?"

He smirked. The plan might have failed, but at least no one knew who was truly behind it. They would have to come up with a different way to get rid of the insufferable sorcerer. "The servant is still in the dungeons, awaiting his trial for the attempted murder of the Court Sorcerer. The king has no idea it was us."


To RainbowUnicorn: I was wondering what "don't bond on it" meant. Lol. Stupid autocorrect, right? And thanks! I don't plan on abandoning it.

To Annie O: Don't be sorry! It's okay that you don't like her. It sounds like it's just her personality that you don't like, right? Like I said, you can dislike my characters all you want. Just tell me why, which is exactly what you did (I can see why you'd think she was annoying). If it's because I haven't written the character well, then I want to fix that. The other person simply said that she was a terrible character, which doesn't help either the author or the reader. I don't know if they thought she was terrible because of her personality, or because I wasn't doing a good job of writing about her.

I hope I didn't give anyone a heart attack, with where I put the first page break, even if it was only temporary. I probably had more fun with that than I should have.