CHAPTER 2 : FOR THE BEST

Hunith leant against the door and sobbed. She went to the back room and opened the bundle she had brought with her and laid some clothes and odds and ends on the bed. She placed a letter she had written on Gaius's workbench and looked again around the room, walking to the door, she glanced back and said to the empty room, "Be happy, Merlin My Love!"

-0-0-

Merlin had a lovely time with Gaius. They walked across the courtyard and under the portcullis, Gaius explaining to him the significance of the feature. Merlin was impressed as his Mam's friend was greeted by a guard and Gaius asked after one of his children. Glancing up, Merlin could see the respect on the man's face.

A horse came by and a knight leant down and asked after some prince.

Gaius said, "I'd say in about two days, he perked up thinking about your lessons, Richard."

Richard glanced at the boy with Gaius then said, "He needs an interest in life beyond lessons. I'll go along with anything you come up with, Gaius. Who's your little friend?"

Gaius smiled at Merlin and said, "This is Merlin, the son of a friend. It's his first visit to the castle and I think you are the first knight whom he has seen up close."

Richard dismounted and said to Merlin, "Welcome to Camelot, young man."

Merlin ducked his head and said quietly, "I like your red cloak and the golden dragon. Does it have a name?"

Richard was entranced, no one had ever asked him that before, so he said, just as seriously, "Yes, he's called Pendragon."

Gaius put his hand on Merlin's head but not before he'd said, "Gaius, I'd like to have a dragon along with Knightly."

"Merlin, dragons are very big and they live in caves. I think that rabbits are better, don't you?"

Richard laughed and Gaius glanced at Merlin warning him by raising an eyebrow. He didn't need a dragon materializing in Camelot right now.

They continued on their rounds and Merlin appreciated the hens in the kitchen courtyard and the fish in the fishpond near the kitchen.

"Are they pets?"

"No, they're food. The kitchen maids feed them and the stay fresh until they are cooked. The hens lay eggs and then when they no longer lay, we eat them."

"I eat eggs and chicken but not rabbits because Knightly wouldn't like it, would he, Gaius?"

"No, I expect not! Are you hungry? Let's see if the cook can spare a treat for you."

Merlin had thought that Gaius's chambers had been large, but the kitchen astounded him, all those people and the shining copper and the food being prepared for supper. He had never seen so much food in his life as his mam and he ate sparingly.

The cook took one look at the lad's grin and found a sweetmeat for him. She smiled at Gaius and slipped him one too. She liked him as besides getting his own meals, he often came down to pick up a treat for the little prince. Gaius asked if he could have meals for two adult and one child sent to his chambers at supper and the women who rather fancied him, smiled and promised that one of the kitchen maids would make the delivery in plenty of time.

Gaius decided to return to his chambers through the castle itself. "Have you seen enough for your first day? Maybe tomorrow, if your mother allows you, we could visit the stables and the training grounds to see the knights practice with their swords."

"I like my little room in your house, Gaius!" The court physician smiled, his house no less. "I have my own bed and my own window and door and even my own stairs. We don't have stairs at home!"

Gaius smiled, this little boy had already charmed his way into the bachelor's heart. He was fascinated with his observations and questions. Maybe, there was something he had missed by not getting married. Not, that he hadn't had offers but he was always so busy and obviously the true love of his life had never come along.

Together they made their way back through the castle, Merlin couldn't believe the number of stairs they climbed and corridors they walked along. Everyone seemed to know Gaius. At one point, he stopped to talk to a man called Charles about an Arthur who was ill.

Wait until he got back to his Mam, he had so much to tell her...

-0-0-

Gaius opened the door for Merlin and he called, "Mam?" No answer, so he went to the little courtyard and checked it out. "Gaius, she must have gone to the market for something, she's not here!"

Merlin wasn't too worried, he had a sweetmeat to eat and he knew that she'd be back soon and Gaius was with him. He sat in the courtyard and Knightly soon joined him as well as a miniature golden dragon. Gaius smiled that would keep him occupied until Hunith returned.

He returned to his room and set the table for supper. He lifted a pile of books and put it on his workbench and saw the note addressed to him. His heart fell...he knew it concerned the lad.

Dear Gaius,
Forgive me for what I have done. For reasons, which I will explain,
I have abandoned my lovely boy.
I know that you don't need a child but I am hoping that out of the
kindness of your heart you might consider giving him a home in the
light of your common talents.

We were managing so well, the two of us. I had a cottage, a vegetable
garden, hens and ducks. I received money for bringing babies into the
world and looking after the sick and the dying. It all seemed wonderful.

Then, a while before Samhain, I was called to a farm where the wife was
ready to deliver. She'd been sickly during each of her pregnancies and
spent most of the time bedridden. Her husband was a bitter man but
seemed to be coping. The baby decided to take its time and I spent the
night in the barn as the house was small. To make a long and upsetting
story short, I was raped by the farmer who blamed me for allowing his
wife to continually get pregnant and deny him his rights.

Once the baby was delivered, I could see that the mother would cope.
I collected my belongings, left, throwing the money for the confinement
back into the farmer's face.

Gaius, I took Queen Anne's Lace seeds, Smart Weed and Rue but nothing
worked. The baby is due mid-summer. I can't stay in the village as the
women would drive me out, saying that the baby is devil's spawn. I am
going away until the baby is born, and plan to find a family to take it in.

I will return for Merlin in the autumn. He needs leadership and understanding.
I know that he is very powerful and I pray that you will consider taking him
under your wing and raising him in a way which will enable him to cope with
his magic in a difficult world.

Gaius, I love him so much. It is breaking my heart to leave him but watching
the two of you together, I could see his looking up to you and learning how
to control his magical impulses.

I have left his clothes in the little room and some money to cover his meals.

Tell him only what you think he is able to understand.
Hunith.

Gaius dropped his head in his hands. He didn't want to be encumbered with the boy. His heart became cold, his hands unfeeling and his mind swirled with visions, a crown, a dragon, a pyre. He jumped as someone touched him. he looked up, Merlin was standing there with his rabbit in his arms, looking frightened.

"Something's wrong, Gaius. I can feel it, right inside of me. The castle is moaning, people are crying and there is a little boy at the top of the stairs calling for someone. I'm frightened, I don't like it..." A tear ran down his cheek.

Gaius leaned over and pulled him onto his lap and held him telling him that it was only a feeling and sometimes he had daydreams like that. 'Well,' he thought, 'Maybe this special boy was sent to me for a reason'. He'd look after him until his mother returned. They'd manage somehow... He folded the note and put it in his pocket.

"Is that from my Mam, is that why you looked sad, Gaius?"

"Merlin, your Mam has asked me to let you stay in your little room at the top of the stairs while she is away. She will come back at the end of the summer to take you home. Would you like to stay with me until then? I'd be happy to have you here as you can help with the leeches and collect herbs with me as you did with your Mam."

"She left me and she didn't even say good-bye, Gaius" Tears ran down the boy's face and he used the back of his hand to wipe them away.

"Yes, I know but we did go out to explore and maybe she expected us back before she had to leave." Gaius thought, 'Please let me find the right words to help him.'

Merlin turned his head into Gaius's shoulder and sobbed. They were interrupted by someone knocking on the door. Gaius stood up and put Merlin in the chair and walked over to take the food from the maid. The cook had outdone herself, there was a creamy soup, some fish, bread, cider and cheese. He put the hot foods near the hearth and turned back to Merlin who was watching him like a hawk.

"You won't leave me, will you Gaius? I wouldn't be able to find my way back to the village. I can't remember the way we came here. I don't know anybody here and I'd be very lonely."

Gaius smiled, "Merlin, I promise that I will never leave you. We will work it out. You will stay in your little room and I'm sure, you will soon meet the children from the lower town and Knightly is welcomed to stay here too and the little dragon. By the way, what is his name?"

Merlin sniffed and held out his hand and whispered, "Adveho mihi iam, Draco!" He turned his hand so that his palm was up and Gaius watched in amazement as a small golden dragon appeared. Merlin smiled and whispered, "Pendragon, this is my friend Gaius..."

Gaius watched in wonder as the dragon raised its head, squinted at him, blinked and then lowered it in acknowledgement. He was so taken with it that he found himself nodding in return. He could feel Merlin's eyes on him so he turned to him and smiled.

"Merlin, promise me that you will never show Pendragon to anyone else. They would know that you have magic."

"But you have magic too, I can feel it, it's a little rusty but honestly, Gaius, if you used it more, it would shine more brilliantly when I look at you."

Gaius decided that Merlin had enough on his mind without introducing the threat of death. Uther felt no guilt about slaughtering children and already Gaius knew that he would fight tooth and nail, to protect Hunith's son.

"Let's put Knightly and Pendragon away for the time being and have something to eat. You must be hungry, let's just sit near the fire and have a little picnic.

Merlin refused the chair and sat on the floor, "Gaius, you can't have a picnic in the chair, sit on the floor as well. This is exciting, my Mam and I never had a picnic in our house." He smiled up at his new guardian.

"Very well, how about a little soup and bread? Do you like fish? You'll have to teach me all the foods you like and those you don't like."

"We only ever ate, eggs, chicken, duck, sometimes my Mam had rabbit but not me...Yuck! But we also ate vegetable and bread and once a deer that a villager had shot and we had a party. We drank water and..." He finished with a sigh, "I eat porridge for breakfast..."

"So do I, I can see that we are going to get along very well. Now, drink your soup and then you can try a little fish." Gaius had put his soup in a mug and then he gingerly sat down on the floor next to his new little friend.

He smiled thinking, 'What would his friends say if they could see him now, sitting on the floor, in front of the fire, with his back against a chair, being entertained by the most wonderful person who had come into his life in ages?'

Merlin glanced at him, "You like picnicking, don't you Gaius, I can tell because you're smiling."

They ate the fish but Merlin was non-committal. According to him it tasted better if you ate it with your eyes closed as it looked dead! He liked the cheese and loved the yellow colour. He was quite happy drinking water while Gaius had cider.

Soon Gaius noticed that Merlin was having trouble keeping his eyes open. He stood up carefully, and said, "Come on, Sleepy Head, it's time you went to bed!"

Merlin walked across to the stairs and went up to his little room. Gaius followed and waited while he got undressed and then made sure he was comfortable and tucked him in. "Now, you have a good night's sleep and I'll be right down the stairs in my bed."

"You'll be there when I wake up in the morning, won't you, Gaius?"

"Yes, probably getting the porridge ready for our breakfast." Gaius bent over and kissed him on the forehead

Merlin wrapped his arms around his neck and whispered, "Thank you for a lovely day...see you tomorrow and we're going to watch the knights, right?"

Gaius stood up straight and said, "Right, knights and horses tomorrow. I'll leave this candle stub burning and the door ajar so you can see into the main chamber."

Sitting on the edge of his bed, near the fire, Gaius's mind wouldn't stop racing. He felt sure that Merlin would have him up during the night with bad dreams.

Tears seeped between Merlin's eyelids and made wet smudges on his pillow. He had to be brave, he was a big boy now but he missed his Mam so much. He mustn't cry aloud as he might waken the man who had been so kind to him. He made his voice mute and sobbed his heart out. He needed his Mam; he had so much to say to her. Questions hurtled through his mind. Where had she gone that she couldn't have taken him with her? Would she forget about him? Did she mean to come back for him? Who would help him with his reading and writing? He started to fall asleep and his last thought was that he didn't think he'd like to try fish again...

-0-0-

Gaius woke with the birds, then remembered that he had a guest. He hoped that today, the boy would feel less upset. Hopefully, new and exciting sights might, for a little while, take his mind off his mother's leaving. He sat up and stretched. He decided to check on the lad before he started breakfast. He tiptoed up the stairs and found an empty cot, his heart dropped. The boy would never survive by himself, he felt sick. Hunith had entrusted him with him and already he was gone.

He heard a chuckle and turned around Merlin was wrapped up in a blanket in the chair by the fire. He said, "Good Morning, I didn't sleep very well and came to find you but you were fast asleep so I slept near you instead."

Gaius turned and said, "Oh, Merlin, I was frightened that you had left me."

"I wouldn't do that, my Mam left me here and I have to stay until she comes back to take me home. Right?"

"Yes, you are to stay with me so she will know, where to find you when she returns."

"Do you want me to be here with you, Gaius? I could find somewhere else to stay if you don't want me."

Looking at the young boy, Gaius knew that he was being truthful when he said, "Merlin, until your Mam returns, you are mine to look after..." and feeling the power emanating from the boy, he thought, 'to teach and...to love!'

Hanging onto the blanket around him, the boy walked across the room and hugged the court physician. "I think, you and I will get on very well, don't you, Gaius?"

Gaius laughed at him, "Yes, I think we will get on famously, if you let me cook the porridge. Now, get yourself back up the stairs and into your clothes. You can wash after breakfast. Hurry up now, we have things to do and people to see before we can continue exploring Camelot."

Merlin scampered up the stairs and by the time the porridge was on the table, he was back. "Do leeches have babies, Gaius?" What is moving in the green bottle over there? Do you have mice, I could make a cat to keep them away? What do dragons eat for breakfast...?

Gaius smiled thinking, 'Life isn't going to be dull around here any more.'

Breakfast finished, dishes put away, Merlin washed, beds sort of made. Gaius began to plan his day. His visits in the castle included the prince and old Sir Manfred who had come down with a severe bout of arthritis. He also knew that there would be people dropping by for salves and ointments as well as tonics and the like.

He set himself up at the table and began to work on ointments that had to be prepared fresh for best results. He was amused that Merlin knew the names of so many of the herbs. He was taking in everything which Gaius said and had a quick mind and good memory for a young one.

Gaius said, "Pass me that paper, I need to jot down a few things." Merlin got the paper from the dresser against the wall, took the quill, sharpened it and dipped it in the little bottle of iron gall, made from iron, sulphur, brown rotted leaves and sticky gum. His Mam sometimes used a mixture of soot and water.

"Do you want me to write things down for you? I can you know but you will have to spell the difficult words slowly for me."

The court physician was impressed, he knew that Hunith could read and write and it wasn't too far fetched to suppose that she has started Merlin doing the same. "Alright, I'll work and you can write down what I tell you."

"Spell, Gaius for me, please!"

"G...A...I...U...S"

"Good, I'm ready now."

Gaius glanced over and saw that Merlin had started his list with the words, 'Gaius List' in very good printing. He glanced up at Gaius and smiled.

"Write down, herbs and flowers...beyond the stream." Merlin started the list, Gaius wanted to laugh as he held his tongue between his teeth as he carefully printed each word. When he was finished he looked up and waiting for the next words. Gaius said, "now write down Arthur's tonic..."

"Who's Arthur and why does he need a tonic?"

"He's a prince and he has a cold."

"...and knights' training field and stables"

Merlin looked up and grinned then seemed downcast, "I can't write the words Arthur, knights or training, Can you spell them?" and that is what Gaius did as he packed up his satchel.

Merlin blew powder over the list to dry up any excess ink. Gaius smiled, as he looked at the list and saw 'prins'.

Looking a little worried, Merlin said, "Did I make a lot of mistakes?"

"No! I can read it perfectly. Your Mam is a good teacher. Let's go, we'll do the castle patients first..."