THIRTY-EIGHT: BED (239 days)
My little bean,
It's been far too long since I've heard from you. You need to write more often. I miss my little girl. I am thrilled to hear that you are so happy there in Camelot. You certainly seem to be thriving. I am so very proud of you, Kerenza, and the mature young woman you have grown into.
Kerenza felt herself smiling at that. She had never really given her mother many reasons to be proud. Worried, embarrassed, and exasperated, yes. She had caused those emotions in Ma more times than she cared to remember. But she rarely made Treasa proud. So it always warmed her heart to hear - or read - those words from her mother.
I have only ever wanted to see you happy and successful. And here you are. You are well on your way to becoming Court Physician someday. I know that you've always enjoyed healing others. And you're happily in love. And for once, I fully approve of the young man you are courting.
That made her chuckle. Kerenza had courted many boys over the years, though not seriously. None of those boys had ever really meant anything to her. Not until Merlin. Of course her mother hadn't liked any of them. Well, she had somewhat liked Bram. But Kerenza had only courted him for a week before she grew bored with him.
Speaking of courting, just when will the two of you get married? If he loves you even half as much as you love him, there is no reason for you not to be wed. I want grandchildren, Kerenza. Before I'm too old to enjoy them.
She groaned. She knew her mother was mostly just teasing her, but that didn't make it any less embarrassing. Merlin's mother hadn't mentioned anything about marriage or children to him. At least, not as far as Kerenza knew.
Although, I do wonder if you and Merlin have discussed his destiny, as Emrys. Is that what is holding you back? I'm sure you will find a way to make it work. If you truly love each other, you'll make it work.
Merlin's destiny. There was a reason the druids called him Emrys. The name meant immortal, which Merlin was, according to the prophecies. Prophecies could be misinterpreted, but she doubted this one had been. Merlin would live forever, so he could be there when King Arthur rose again. Kerenza knew that Merlin wasn't aware of why he was called Emrys, or why Arthur was called the Once and Future King. He wasn't aware that Arthur was destined to fall into an enchanted sleep upon his death, only to return years later, when Albion once again needed him. When Arthur returned, sometime in the future, he would need guidance from someone who understood the world in that time, whatever time it happened to be. That someone was destined to be Merlin.
Merlin was destined to live as long as it took for Arthur to be needed again. If Kerenza married him, he would have to watch her age and die while he lived on. If they had children, he would have to bury them. Or at least, that was a possibility. No one knew exactly how long Arthur was supposed to stay in that enchanted sleep. It could be ten years, it could be a hundred.
Was it selfish of her to let Merlin suffer through that? Of course it was. It was terribly selfish. She knew that they couldn't just...get married, not without having that conversation first. Would it better for him to not love at all than to have to watch everyone he loves fade away? She wasn't sure which was worse. She knew that she didn't want to not be with him. But she didn't think she could hurt him like that. It was a conversation that they would need to have, and soon, but not with the threat of Alined and Trickler. There was too much going on at the moment. And Merlin was still grieving over Kilgharrah, though he tried to hide it.
As for your question, I have not had any recent visions, not regarding any kind of threat. I can only assume that you're asking because something has happened. I understood that you can't tell me through a letter, so I won't ask what. I am sorry that I have no information for you. I doubt that a vision about the birth of a nobleman's daughter is of any help to you. Unfortunately, as you know, I can't see everything. Please, be safe. And tell Merlin to keep himself safe as well. He is not indestructible.
She snorted. Of course he wasn't, even if he sometimes thought he was.
I love you, my little bean. Love, Ma
With a sigh, she set the letter on the small table beside her bed. She was frustrated, and a little disappointed. She had been hoping to give Merlin some useful information. She'd written her mother almost as soon as Merlin had told her what he'd found out. Her mother's response had arrived just an hour ago.
A thud, and then a clang, sounded, startling Kerenza. With a small squeal, she jumped to her feet and spun around. The door, which had been open just a crack, was now closed, with Merlin bracing himself against it. She could only assume that he'd teleported himself into the room, and then lost his balance and fell into the door, pushing it shut. It had happened once before, just two days earlier.
He looked around the room with a frown, yawning. "I did it again. I was aiming for the main chamber. Sorry."
"Merlin," she breathed. He looked utterly exhausted. "Merlin, you're being an idiot. Bed, now."
"I'm fine, Kerenza." He paused to yawn widely. "Where's Gaius?"
"At the market." She hadn't wanted him to go, but he had insisted. Fortunately, the queen had been in the room - Gaius had been giving her an examination, for the sake of the babe - and had offered to join him. With the queen and her strong guards, Kerenza knew that Gaius was in good hands. The old man would never admit it, but he was getting weaker. It really was better if he wasn't walking much without someone nearby. He'd fallen and nearly broken his hip earlier in the week.
She gave Merlin a stern look and pointed at the bed. "Bed. Now. Before you pass out from exhaustion."
He tried to give the bed a disdainful look, but she could see the corners of his mouth twitching upward. "I could never…sleep on that thing. It's…hard as a rock." He kept pausing to yawn, which was never a good sign.
She rolled her eyes. "Har, har, Merlin. Hilarious. You need sleep."
"I need…to tell the council what I…found out."
"The council can wait a little while longer. You can tell them after you've rested for a bit."
"I don't need to…rest. Arthur made me rest…all morning."
"Clearly it didn't do much for you." She sighed, frustrated with him. He could be so stubborn sometimes. "Merlin. You can't even say a full sentence without yawning. Get your cute little bottom in that bed right this instant."
He smirked. "'Cute little bottom?'" he repeated.
Kerenza blushed just slightly. "Well, it is a bit cute. Oh, just…get in bed!"
"Fine," he said, pushing away from the door. He staggered toward the bed and plopped down into it, barely managing to make it that short distance without falling. "I'll sleep for…thirty minutes."
"Three hours," she countered. And honestly, she didn't think that three hours would be enough to get him properly rested. But she'd be lucky if she could get him to agree to even that.
He shook his head as he laid down. "Forty-five minutes," he mumbled.
"Two and a half hours."
But he'd already fallen asleep.
She rolled her eyes, but in was in fondness, as she gently pulled off his boots and set them on the floor. It was warm enough that she doubted he'd need the blanket. She pressed a soft kiss to his forehead and left the room.
She tidied the main chamber, lost in her thoughts as she let Merlin sleep. She wished that he would learn to use a bit more caution, but she knew better than to expect it. Merlin wanted nothing more than to protect others - especially his king - even at his own risk.
He was teleporting too often, without allowing himself enough time to properly rest between each jump. He was immortal, supposedly, but he was not indestructible. There was a fine line between the two. It was possible to destroy even the great Emrys, and if he wasn't careful, he would end up doing just that.
She let him sleep for about two hours before she went to check on him. Not because she felt that two hours was long enough, but because she could hear him shifting around. He was probably already awake. Maybe, just maybe, she could convince him to go back to sleep.
Doubtful, but worth a try.
Sure enough, when she entered the room, he was sitting up. She smiled - he did look a little better - until she realized what he was holding in his hands.
Ma's letter.
"Merlin!" Kerenza yelped, lunging forward to snatch the parchment from him.
The sorcerer somehow managed to look both abashed and teasing at the same time. How the hell did he manage that? "'My little bean?'" he questioned.
She groaned. "How much did you read?"
"Just the greeting, and the first two lines. Sorry." He did actually sound a bit sorry. A bit. "I was curious. I couldn't resist. Is it from your mother?"
"Yes," she muttered. "That's been her pet name for me as long as I can remember. It's mortifying."
He sent her a slightly crooked grin, which of course made her heart melt. That was her absolute favorite expression on his face, that crooked grin. "I think it's sweet. What else did she say?"
"She didn't have any information that would help with Alined and Trickler. She also wants to know when we're going to get married." She had to get a bit of revenge for him trying to read her letter, even if he hadn't gotten very far. And the topic of marriage tended to make any man uncomfortable.
Merlin groaned. "Not her, too. The knights will not shut up about it. They've taken bets on when they think it will happen."
She arched an eyebrow. Now that was interesting news. "Well, you know what that means, don't you? We have to find out when they each think it's going to happen, and then plan it so they'll all lose their money. That will teach them."
He laughed, getting to his feet. "That's exactly what Gwaine said we'd do, so he refuses to tell me. They're all keeping their silence."
Kerenza smirked. "I'm sure I can find out. You know how these things work. The entire castle staff is likely to know the details."
His smile faded. He looked quite serious as he said, "Are you sure we should do that, though? Didn't we learn our lesson, with the courtship? We shouldn't plan a marriage based on bets. We don't even know if that's what we want."
"We don't have to get married. I am extremely curious about when they think we'll get married. So, I still want to find out, even if nothing comes of it. And if we do choose to get married, then we can have some fun with it."
"Gwen might be able to help you, then. She was a servant once, too. And I'm sure she'd be more than willing. She likes you." He bent down to put on his boots.
Her cheeks colored at the slight praise. "I'll ask her," she muttered. She felt more comfortable with the queen than she had when she'd first met her, but the idea of asking Guinevere for help with something so trivial still seemed daunting. But maybe she could use this to her advantage. "On one condition."
Merlin, who had just started to pull on his second boot, paused. He looked at her, his eyes narrowed. "Which is?"
"You are not allowed to teleport more than twice per day, one time in each direction."
"So that's how it is. Bribery."
"Yes. I can't seem to get you to listen any other way, obviously. And you're going to hurt yourself if you keep going at this rate. You and I both know it. Besides, think of how much money they'll all lose. Has Arthur placed a wager?"
Merlin shrugged, yanking on his boot. "I wouldn't doubt it. I do enjoy any chance to make Arthur lose his money. All right. Two teleportations per day, and no more."
Kerenza allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Now, can we go talk to the council, or are you going to force me back into the bed?"
She knew that he hadn't meant it sexually. That was probably the furthest thing on his mind at the moment. But, somehow, that was how it had sounded. "Don't tempt me," she warned. "I could happily tie you down to that bed. But Ma would kill me if I wasn't a virgin on my wedding day."
His ears turned pink. It was rather adorable. She enjoyed making him flustered. "Kerenza!" She noticed that he had scurried even further away from the bed. "Focus, please."
"You're the one who mentioned the bed," she pointed out.
Merlin opened the door. "I really need to talk to the council. I finally was able to figure out what potion Trickler used, from the sample I managed to steal the day before yesterday. Now I know what enchantment, exactly, the villagers are under."
"That's good, isn't it?" She followed him through the main room and into the castle itself.
He sighed. "It would be, if I could actually do something about it. All it took was one large vial of Trickler's potion, poured into the main water supply of each village, and it slowly started turning their fear and mistrust into absolute hatred. Even the tiniest fleck of mistrust or fear would have been amplified. He was also able to focus that hatred onto something specific - magic. The only way to break the spell, that I know of, is to have the sorcerer who cast it renounce it. It's strange. And it sounds a bit ridiculous, but Trickler would have to publicly announce, at the site that the potion was used, what he had done and call an end to the enchantment. That would then make the potion useless. So I would have to somehow get Trickler to do this in each village."
She winced. "That's not good. I'm assuming he would never do something like that."
He shook his head. "I doubt it. He's a slimy creature, and he seems incredibly loyal to Alined. I don't think we're going to be able to avoid a battle, not this time. The villagers are too angry. And, honestly, I don't know how much of that anger is caused by the spell. We're not going to be able to talk anyone out of this, or break the spell before a battle happens. I just hope I'm wrong this time."
Sometimes, Merlin really hated being right.
He'd spoken with the council, who had agreed that it was time to send reinforcements. The idea had been thrown around several times in the past few days. Both Arthur and the council had thought there was still a chance to resolve this without the need for violence, though, so that had been everyone's first priority. It was obvious that that was not going to be an option. They still needed to decide the best way to keep the men's movements hidden, but an army would be coming.
But of course, none of those plans ended up coming to fruition.
Because as soon as he teleported back to their camp, Merlin realized that it was surrounded. By angry-looking villagers.
Before he could so much as blink, a collar of cold iron was being clamped around his neck. Almost immediately, his magic seemed to recoil and draw into a tight ball in the pit of his stomach. The cold iron was very rare, and therefore expensive, but it was worth its price. It created a barrier between a sorcerer and his magic, making impossible for the sorcerer to cast any spells, verbal or mental.
And now Merlin was wearing a damn collar made of the vile metal.
Ugh. I hate the word yawn. Every time I type it, or read it, or even think it, I do it.
And yes, Kerenza's comment about the bed was probably way too bold for the time period, but the show didn't always stick to proper social conventions for the era, so I don't have to, either.
Cold iron. So, I've seen several other fics with the stuff (I think that's what they called it), and it's always intrigued me. Most people seem to use it just a bit differently, so I decided to go for it. I thought about having Morgana use it way when - except she wouldn't have any reason to put it on Merlin, as she didn't know that he was Emrys. And she wasn't stupid enough to think that she could ever get close enough to Emrys to use the cold iron against him, while he had his powers.
I'll tell you all now, the war probably won't really be drawn out. I'm not all that great with writing war scenes. You've been warned.
And Merlin's immortality - it will be discussed at some point in the fic, between Merlin and maybe Kerenza or some other druid or something. Ugh. I wish I could ignore the immortality. It's kind of annoying. I did take some liberties with the prophecies or whatever. Well, kind of.
mersan123: I'd be a little worried if it didn't fill you with some dread.
Guest: They were actually really easy to capture, especially Trickler. I was pleasantly surprised.
Guest: Please, please don't take this the wrong way, but I think they would still need to be fertilized. I think it takes two, even for dragons. In my mind, magic is capable of a lot of things, but not everything. Someone else is welcome to write that she lays a clutch of eggs, but it won't be me. Sorry.
SisterOfAnElvenWannabe: Those two just disappeared in the show. There's no way they wouldn't have kept plotting.
NerdGirlAlert: I don't remember what first inspired me to bring them into the story, but then I couldn't get the idea out of my head.
Superwholockmerlinwestwing: Wow. Longest username I've seen, I think. Probably not, because I suck at writing wars. Was that enough Merlenza (I already had a rough outline of the chapter when I read your review, and I thought that was ironic that I was already planning some Merlenza fluff - hopefully it was enough for now). And there isn't really a schedule. I just update when I finish a chapter. Some take longer to write than others. I don't box myself in with update schedules. If I did that, I'd never update, because nothing would be good enough because I'd always be rushing it.
xxxLeanniexxx: Thanks! I can't stand Trickler and Alined, but it makes sense (to me) that they would try something. And ha, you're so punny.
Eleobeth: You sound like me. I don't like to stop in the middle of a binge read to leave a review. I respect those that can, and I totally understand those that can't. I'm so glad that it fells well-balanced to you. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.
