CHAPTER 3
The Search
...
"Um," said Merlin nervously, uncomfortable. He hadn't prepared himself for any company, he really hadn't - and certainly not for ten men who looked like they wanted to kill him and take all of his belongings. "Hello." He smiled at them and waved his hand.
"You look lost, young man," one of the bandits said, but Merlin tried to ignore him. He found himself glancing around the area, trying to come up with an idea of what to do – how he could save himself and what he might be able to use as an advantage.
Because the only advantage Merlin had right now was that he was alone - Arthur wasn't with him, and therefore he could openly use magic in his defense. He liked to think that he had good practice in that, seeing as how he'd had to save Arthur's ass in situations like this practically every day for the past three years.
Of course, he didn't want to use magic unless it was truly necessary. In this situation though? It was almost inevitable - he didn't have any other weapons on him. And he didn't have the time to find any suitable spell for this situation in his spellbook – once again, he would have to rely on spells that he already knew how to use.
So stunning spells it was.
Merlin dropped his innocent persona and straightened, trying to look threatening – an attempt that failed almost immediately as the bandits started laughing. "I'm not lost," he told them defiantly.
"We don't really care," said another bandit, pursing his lips.
The wind was still blowing hard and after a moment's quick thinking, Merlin unfolded his arms from his chest and closed his hands into fists. He felt the change immediately - his chest felt too cold and so did his bare hands. The weather really wasn't that nice today.
"You should really think twice before you try to hurt me."
"Oh, look at him!" The first bandit - probably the leader of the group - smirked as he turned to the rest of his men. "He's trying to sound dangerous now."
Okay, Merlin didn't appreciate being mocked. He could tolerate that from Arthur, but not from these men who didn't even know who they were talking to.
"I'm serious." Merlin knew he shouldn't use magic because he was still in Camelot - and since the bandits had already seen his face, it was even a worse idea to use magic against them. But Merlin really didn't want to die and if they found his spellbook, they'd know he was a sorcerer anyway.
No, Merlin needed to be clever for this.
And then he got an idea. He got a chance to try it out the very next second, just as one of the bandits tightened his grip on his sword and started getting dangerously close to him.
"Oh my god!" Merlin yelled at the top of his lungs and pointed behind the leader, quickly ducking and dropping to the ground. To his surprise, the leader of the group along with the rest of the bandits all quickly looked where Merlin had pointed, and in that moment, Merlin touched the ground with his palm and whispered, "Ic the bebode thaet thu astrice!"
All of the bandits flew away from him at once, hitting the ground or trees and staying there, not moving. They weren't dead, but they were unconscious and once they woke up, hopefully they wouldn't remember what happened or wouldn't think it was he who'd used magic on them. He did try to warn them just before the spell, didn't he? Maybe they'd think someone had found them and knocked all of them out . . .
But that wasn't one of Merlin's concerns right now. He had to disappear before they woke up and saw him. He grinned to himself and then quickly shoved his cold fingers under his armpits again, turning away from them and continuing to walk, this time faster.
He was proud of that spell. He hadn't even been sure that it would work, to be completely honest. He'd been trying to study his spellbook more seriously lately, and that included new spells that he hadn't had the chance to use yet.
This spell was among them. The fact that it had worked on the bandits made Merlin think that maybe his destiny wasn't wrong. Maybe he really was supposed to be a very powerful sorcerer one day. Not yet, that was absurd - he was still young and didn't have enough experience, but one day.
After about an hour of fast traveling on foot, the wind became gentler and Merlin was happy to find a cave. True, it was fairly tiny - but it was already almost dark and he was very, very cold. And hungry. He'd already ate the rest of his breakfast, and one of the apples as a lunch.
So once he made sure there wasn't anyone nearby who'd try to disrupt him and steal his things again, he entered the tiny cave and sat down on the hard stone ground.
"Finally," he mumbled. With a twist of his wrist and a simple "Forbearnan," he started a little fire from the twigs he'd gathered while walking. As soon as that was done, he reached out his hands towards the red flames and closed his eyes. He felt the warmth spreading from his fingertips to his forearms, causing his arms to tingle.
He sighed with a smile.
Next he opened his little backpack and drew out another tunic, pulling it over his old one so that he would get even warmer. He also found the last apple and ate it, satisfying his stomach that had been growling at him for most of the day anyway.
With nothing else to do and only sleep in his near future, he pulled his spellbook out from his backpack, opening it to the page where he'd left off the day before - elemental spells.
But before he could really get into it, he heard undeniable footsteps nearby.
His first instinct was to hide his spellbook – he stuffed it back into his bag immediately before hurrying to put out the fire. A moment later he was standing up, backing up deeper into the cave, his back hitting the stone wall behind him.
The footsteps started getting louder, and together with them he heard someone sigh loudly. "I can't believe I'm actually doing this for that idiot." The words were quiet, but it sounded an awful lot like-
"Merlin!"
Arthur.
"Oh no," Merlin closed his eyes and sighed. This couldn't be happening, right? How could he have followed him here? He even left a letter . . . Now that he was thinking about it, he probably should have made up a reason for him leaving - he should have lied to ensure that Arthur wouldn't follow him. Because now, here he was!
"Merlin! You may not know this, but I can actually track people and all those tracks you so carelessly left behind are really easy to follow!"
Merlin had to roll his eyes at that.
"Okay, okay, I'm here!" He called out, stepping out from the shadows of the cave to reveal himself, his gaze immediately finding Arthur in the gloom - oh my god, he even had a horse?
"Merlin," Arthur smiled as he jumped off the said horse and rushed towards him. But when he got closer, that smile turned into a frown. "What the hell were you thinking?" he asked, anger abruptly replacing the relief in his voice. "Why did you leave? Did you really think a letter would stop me from following you?"
"Does that mean you care about me so much that you rode out in weather like this just to find me?" Merlin smirked at him, enjoying the expression that came across Arthur's face at his words.
"I'm responsible for you, Merlin," he stated very seriously. "And you can't just leave like that, not without permission."
"Alright," Merlin nodded. "So now that you're here, do I have your permission to leave Camelot?"
Arthur, who'd been standing there with his arms folded stubbornly against his chest, now put his arms down again and shook his head firmly. "Not unless you give me a good reason to."
So that was what Arthur wanted to hear. Just like Merlin had expected. Before he could make up a believable lie, Arthur's expression softened.
"Did something happen to your mother?" he asked.
Oh, that was a great lie. Merlin still didn't like the fact that it was his mother he was considering lying about, but he didn't really have any options left and he hadn't prepared another lie beforehand. So he simply nodded. "Yeah, she's . . . She's ill. I wanted to see her."
"Merlin," Arthur looked at him with sympathy in his eyes. "You should have told me that."
Merlin shrugged at that. "I didn't want you to worry. You have enough work to do with Kaunos and everything else in Camelot."
"But this is your mother we're talking about." Arthur pursed his lips, walking closer to Merlin again, one hand still gripping his horse's reins. "I know she's important to you, so she's important to me too." He smiled.
"Because I'm your servant," Merlin raised his eyebrows as he folded his arms on his chest again.
Arthur pursed his lips a little and then nodded. "Exactly." He seemed really convinced that Merlin believed him. "Now show me that cave you've found there, it's cold out here. I can't believe you left wearing only this," he pointed at Merlin, looking up and down over his whole body. "You'll freeze to death. Even the royal attire for Camelot servants would serve you better now."
"It really wouldn't. And I wanted to leave as soon as I could," Merlin defended himself.
That seemed to silence Arthur for a second. "I can understand that," he said simply.
Arthur tied the horse to a tree nearby and followed Merlin, who internally groaned - great, so Arthur intended to accompany him on his way to Ealdor, and that only meant that Merlin had to figure out a way to get rid of him before they reached the village. He couldn't go there, it was too dangerous for his mother.
They entered the cave together and both sat down. Merlin hugged himself to feel warmer and as he looked at the still hot, scorched twigs on the ground in between them, he realized something - he didn't have anything to start the fire with, without using his magic. He hadn't thought about that, he just packed the most important things and left.
"Um, do you by any chance have a tinderbox on you?" Merlin asked awkwardly, hoping Arthur wouldn't notice that the fire had been recently burning.
Arthur looked up at Merlin with eyes ridiculously wide, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What were you thinking when you left Camelot? Do you only know how to pack my things when we leave the castle?"
"I forgot." Merlin rolled his eyes.
"You forgot?"
Merlin really didn't know why Arthur was making such a big deal out of this. Arthur himself thought that Merlin forgot everything he ever told him, so why would he be surprised that Merlin didn't have a tinderbox? (Especially since he had thought he'd be alone here and could use his magic to do simple things - like start a fire, for example.)
"You also forget things, you know? Like this morning. You forgot you had to meet Kaunos in the throne room and be there early. I didn't forget that."
"You really shouldn't talk to a prince like that, Merlin."
"You don't act like a prince most of the time, so I'm sorry I so often forget that."
Arthur sighed at that and closed his eyes. "You really are lucky I'm here," he said as he stood up with a grunt and went to fetch the tinderbox from his saddlebag. "Without me, you wouldn't have survived anywhere near this long."
"Hm, likewise," Merlin mumbled under his breath. Arthur didn't seem to hear him.
When he returned, Arthur started the fire himself before storing the tinderbox back into the saddlebag that he'd brought into the cave with him. Then he reached deeper into the bag and pulled out an apple. "Hungry?" He smiled at Merlin.
Merlin said nothing, surprised. This was one of the moments that he didn't have any doubts that Arthur truly cared about him. It gave Merlin a warm and glowy feeling inside, despite the fire that was still far too small.
"I figured that since you forgot the tinderbox, you'd forget to bring more food than just your breakfast and maybe an apple as well."
Merlin chuckled at that silently. Even though Arthur didn't know his secret, he really did know him. "Thanks," Merlin accepted the apple - it looked a tiny bit bruised - and took a bite. "It's good," he nodded at Arthur.
"Of course it is," Arthur smirked. "It's the one you offered me for breakfast."
Merlin quickly swallowed so he wouldn't spit it out and coughed. Of course it was that apple. Shocking – Arthur was, after all, still a prat.
"So I guess it really did fall down all those stairs, huh?" Arthur laughed.
"Well, it's still good to eat, so your loss," Merlin smirked at him in return and polished the apple with his tunic. Then he took another bite - he really was hungry, and now they both needed as much food as they could get.
Arthur then fished out another apple from his bag and took a bite, shrugging at Merlin. The warlock only rolled his eyes.
This was what being a friend with Arthur was like. But Merlin wouldn't change a thing. He'd fallen in love with him just as he was - a royal prat with a good heart.
After they both finished their apples, Arthur informed Merlin that he'd also brought bread, some dried meat, and cheese for the next few days. Then he handed Merlin a waterskin and they both took a sip.
After a while, Merlin noticed Arthur was eyeing him suspiciously. "What is it?" he asked eventually, when the awkward silence and Arthur's stare became unbearable.
"I have a question for you," he said as he leaned forward. "I've followed your tracks all the way here and . . . I came across a group of bandits, all lying unconscious . . . in a circle." Merlin's heart skipped a beat when he heard that. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
"Me? No," Merlin lied and looked down. He really wasn't a good liar. The only lie he'd become good at was pretending he didn't have magic - but he hadn't prepared himself for this. "It must have happened after I went through the valley."
Arthur's eyes narrowed even more. "I didn't say it happened in a valley," he pointed out.
Oh shit. Merlin had made yet another mistake. Oh shit. What should he do?
He only shrugged. "Where else would there be enough space for bandits to lie in a circle? I've only traveled through the forest and one small valley so far."
Can this lie work? Please? . . .
Arthur sighed and swallowed. "Merlin, I know when you're lying to me," he said, clearing his throat.
. . . It couldn't.
At least Arthur had been waiting to talk about this only after making sure that Merlin was warm and had had some food and water.
There really wasn't any getting out of this.
"You really don't." Merlin simply answered.
That made Arthur frown. "Do you lie to me often?"
"No."
"Then tell me how you could have possibly handled over ten grown men on your own."
"I didn't," Merlin shrugged again. But he could already feel his heart beating faster. He had to make up another lie and fast.
"Except that I know you did. I heard you yell something from the same direction where I later found the bandits," Arthur pressed.
Oh shit. He wouldn't stop, would he?
"How can you be sure it was me?" Merlin asked. "With all that wind, you could have possibly mistaken someone else's voice for mine."
"I'm a prince, I'm never wrong."
What a great attitude. "Of course you're not," Merlin mumbled. "Maybe it was the wind," he said aloud. But that wasn't the best explanation for Arthur's question.
"How stupid do you think I am?" snapped Arthur, raising his voice with a scowl.
"Honestly?"
"Shut up, Merlin."
Why were they always arguing?
"Now tell me how you managed to overpower them."
"I thought you wanted me to shut up?" Merlin widened his eyes sarcastically, looking away from the prince.
"Merlin." There was a warning in Arthur's voice - but also fear and doubt. There was really no possible answer other than magic, but even if that word was in Arthur's mind, he didn't want to say it - he probably didn't even want to hear it, but he'd never suggest it himself, so he wanted Merlin to tell him. And Merlin hated that, but he wasn't going to give up; he couldn't tell Arthur. If he did, the Camelot he'd return to would never be the same as the one he'd left behind this morning. And he desperately wanted things to go back to normal.
"I'm stronger than I look," replied Merlin eventually, grinning at Arthur. But judging by the prince's face, he really wasn't in a mood for a joke right now. "Alright, okay, listen," Merlin sighed and closed his eyes, still not finding any better lie. So in the end, he settled for: "I can't tell you."
"Then I order you to tell me," said Arthur immediately.
"That really won't make me tell you, sorry." When did Merlin's life stop being simple? "I didn't do anything, okay?" he continued, trying to look as honest as he could. "I was just as surprised as you were when I found them."
"So what you're saying is that you had nothing to do with it." Arthur's eyes were still narrowed. He didn't believe him, but he was probably scared of the alternative.
"That's exactly what I just said," Merlin nodded.
Arthur seemed to think about that, but Merlin knew he wasn't stupid. Maybe he gave up though because he realized he wouldn't get an answer from Merlin easily.
Before Arthur could say anything then, Merlin swallowed and changed the subject. "How did the meeting go?" It wasn't a better thing to talk about, really. The reason he had to leave Camelot over a mistake that could lead Arthur to find out about his magic – the two options were hard to choose from. But since Arthur didn't know Kaunos was the reason he had to leave, Merlin decided to talk about that.
Arthur sighed. "Just so you know, this isn't the last time that I'll be asking you about those bandits," added Arthur stubbornly. Then he rolled his eyes and looked into the fire. "It went fine."
"So . . . What's Kaunos like?" It was a simple question. One that Merlin didn't really want to have the answer for though - if he could talk about anything else, he would, but what options did he have left? He couldn't possibly let Arthur know why he left Camelot.
"He's nice, actually," Arthur shrugged. "Remember the last Witchfinder? This one is like the opposite of him . . . And he's not a sorcerer, I don't think."
"Well, that's good to hear," Merlin managed a smile, "at least he'll do a good job in Camelot." Merlin couldn't believe how uncomfortable it was for him to talk about this. And that the new witchfinder was nice? Please.
"He'll definitely do a good job in Camelot," Arthur agreed with him, not knowing that this would forever be the subject that they would not agree on. "I showed him to his chambers, and once he settles in, I'm sure he'll find Camelot a great place to live."
Wait. "What? What do you mean?"
Arthur paused in momentary confusion before continuing, taking a breath. "Oh - another thing we discussed at the meeting. Kaunos will be staying in Camelot."
What?
"Merlin?" Arthur's frown returned, but Merlin couldn't force himself to respond. He was frozen, too still. He didn't know what to say or what to do . . . he and Gaius had been wrong after all.
He wouldn't be returning to Camelot in a few days or weeks.
He wouldn't be returning to Camelot - at all.
And Merlin couldn't take that.
"Merlin?" Arthur stood up and waved his hand in front of Merlin's face, an incredulous look on his face. That seemed to wake Merlin up.
He blinked and looked up at Arthur. "Kaunos isn't leaving Camelot?" He couldn't help but ask. It wasn't exactly subtle, but at the moment he couldn't bring himself to care.
"No, he said he'd always dreamt of having a life here. He's spent most of his years traveling." Arthur explained, not really understanding why Merlin was acting the way he was. He squinted, peering suspiciously at Merlin. "Are you alright?"
Merlin tried to give him a smile. "Is that concern I hear in your voice?" That should shut Arthur up for a while.
And of course it did. Arthur pursed his lips and rolled his eyes. "It definitely wasn't," he replied.
Merlin only nodded and stared into the flames, trying to fight back tears. Kaunos wasn't just preventing him from staying with Arthur in Camelot for a few weeks, which would have been fine . . . mostly. Now he was standing in the way of Merlin's entire destiny, his life, his everything. He couldn't just pack his things and stay away from Camelot forever, that was unthinkable.
He had to be with Arthur, he needed to be with him – because life without him . . . that was no life at all. And Arthur? He needed to stay in Camelot. He was the prince after all, destined to be a great king. But would he become a king if Merlin wasn't there with him? Merlin had to believe that he would.
What else did he have left to do?
Maybe he could find some way to protect Arthur from the forest. But he couldn't live in the forests forever, he'd have to find some village, and not Ealdor - they would find him there, if they ever became suspicious. And he couldn't just stay in Camelot in a disguise - first, for it to be a good disguise, he'd have to use magic, and second, he would never be able to hold such a spell for such a long time. Besides, he would still want to be near Arthur. And where would that lead him? He'd change his face and become Arthur's manservant again, but things would never be the way that they were now – the way he wanted things to be.
Merlin sighed and only then he realized Arthur was talking to him.
"- and if we want to reach Ealdor as soon as we can, we'll need to head East," Arthur finished. Merlin couldn't believe how much Arthur cared about him and his mother. If only he felt the same way that Merlin did . . .
"Okay," replied Merlin, smiling up at him. He was glad to see Arthur return that smile - it might as well be the last smile he'd ever receive from Arthur. That thought was enough to break his heart.
"We only need to hope that the wind isn't as strong as it was today," Arthur added. "I packed some food for both of us and you can ride the horse with me . . . if you want," he cleared his throat and looked away from Merlin.
Merlin couldn't help but grin. Arthur's cheeks looked a little pinker than usual - but that could have just been the fire and the cold air from earlier.
"That would be nice," said Merlin with a smile, already feeling the tears in his eyes. "Thanks."
Arthur only nodded.
About an hour later, the sun was already hidden behind the cliff that housed the cave Merlin had found. The last rays of sunlight just barely brushed the tops of the faraway trees on the horizon, the long shadows looking like dragon tails.
Arthur seemed to have forgotten about the bandits. Right now, he was lying beside the fire on his side, facing Merlin. His eyes were closed and he was snoring softly, the sound adding to the cracking of the fire between them.
Merlin realized that this was the first time he'd ever found Arthur's snoring comforting instead of annoying. With that thought, the tears that he'd been holding finally spilled. He covered his mouth and closed his eyes, trying to be as silent as possible - he could not wake Arthur.
This was the moment he had to decide.
If he continued with Arthur to Ealdor, the prince would soon find out that Merlin had been lying to him. He'd be angry, disappointed and he'd want to hear Merlin's explanation – one that Merlin couldn't give him.
If he . . . left Arthur tonight, at least he'd have time to think of something. He . . . could go to the dragon for advice like he used to (but after he had attacked Camelot and Merlin's father had died, he didn't really trust the dragon anymore) and maybe, maybe they could come up with a solution. But Arthur would feel abandoned and confused – and angry too. He'd probably think that Merlin had run away from him and would go searching for him in Ealdor. And Merlin wouldn't be there.
Arthur would then return to Camelot and be forced to return to his normal life as prince, and then Merlin could hopefully see him from time to time - in disguise. That was the most plausible solution Merlin could think of at the moment. . . even if it would break both their hearts.
But one thing was certain - once Arthur woke up the next morning, Merlin wouldn't be here. He'd have left the cave long ago.
With a heavy heart, Merlin brushed away his tears. He had to be strong, he needed to remember that. Trying to do so as silently as possible, he stood up and quickly packed up his things again.
He paused to stand there for a moment, above the fire and the sleeping Arthur – and in that moment, he felt more lonely than he'd ever felt before. He raised his hand and whispered a protection spell, "Grith fæstne mid thisse sawole, in fæstne gereste, min ætheling." He couldn't just leave Arthur alone like this, especially not with the bandits that he'd met earlier.
And with one last look at Arthur's peaceful face, Merlin turned around and once again disappeared into the forest.
xoXÖXox
It's been a whole day and Gwen hasn't seen Merlin at all. In fact, since that morning, she hasn't seen Arthur either. She was sure that he'd gone to search for Merlin. He'd told her he hadn't decided yet, but she knew the answer. They were inseparable, after all.
Ever since Morgana went missing, Gwen didn't have much to do in the castle. She was still a maid, that was true, but instead of being there for Morgana and following her around the entire city (which had usually involved shopping and a lot of fun), she now only cleaned random chambers belonging to some lord or lady, or helped out in the kitchen or with the laundry. It wasn't enjoyable like it used to be, but it was still a job, and combined with the money she made as an occasional blacksmith, she made just enough to survive. Even though her best friend and lady was missing, for now she felt almost happy with her life.
But now – two more of her friends had seemingly disappeared. She missed them a lot already.
Gwen sighed and stepped away from the window. She was watching the street, and though there wasn't much to see, at least she felt like she was among people. But as she pulled back the curtains and turned back to her little house, her responsibilities returned like the clouds that hid the sun.
She went back to her little kitchen and checked the watercress soup that she was cooking. It didn't smell as great as she'd imagined, but she'd never had the opportunity to learn to cook from her mother - not after she'd died. Her father had taught her a little bit, just enough to keep them both fed, but he wasn't the best cook in the world either. So now Gwen only counted on Mary, the royal cook, who let her watch as the kitchen staff worked from time to time.
Just as Gwen put out the fire under the pot, she heard a knock at the door. She frowned and stepped away from her soup. Could it be Merlin? Hope brought a smile to her face, but as she rushed to open the door she was met instead by someone she hadn't been expecting at all.
"My lord," she bowed when she saw Kaunos. She hadn't been at the meeting to welcome him to Camelot - she had been helping with the cleaning of the castle chambers at the time, but she knew exactly who he was. He'd become quite popular in Camelot over the last few days, what with everyone anticipating his arrival.
"No need to call me that," Kaunos smiled. "I'm Kaunos," he added with a nod. Now that Gwen had the opportunity to look at him from close, she had to admit that he didn't look like any other lords she's met so far, apart from Arthur. Kaunos was treating her with kindness, just like the prince.
"Kaunos," she bowed again. Her eyes wandered to the knights behind him and anxiety gripped her heart. One of them was Leon. She swallowed nervously, "May I ask, what brings you here? Of all places?"
"Well, I'm sorry," he looked at a piece of paper that he was holding in his hand and narrowed his eyes, "Guinevere," he said, "but I'm here to search your house. Don't worry, the knights will try to be as gentle as they can, but you should understand that we need to be thorough. There is magic in Camelot and it needs to be eliminated."
"Magic in Camelot?" Gwen frowned. The last time she was aware of magic in Camelot was probably when the great dragon had attacked the castle. It was a creature of magic, wasn't it?
"Yes," Kaunos nodded. "You have been accused of using magic before, so we decided to take you first." This was horrible news, but Kaunos was smiling the whole time in such a way that Gwen didn't feel as scared as she normally would. She had nothing to hide, after all.
"Alright," Gwen stepped away to let them all inside. What else was she supposed to do?
"I'm truly sorry, Gwen," Leon whispered as he went past her. Gwen only nodded and tried to smile at him in return.
Kaunos turned around on the spot, looking at the poor house and counting the rooms. Then he nodded, "You two, go over there, you can search that room and you three stay here." He gave orders as if he was born to do this. Then he turned to Gwen with a smile. "Have you been cooking? I smell something delicious."
Gwen couldn't help but smile at that. "Yes, in fact I have. Just now." When she looked back at her room though, that smile disappeared. It was true that the knights weren't as violent as they were with Aredian, the first witchfinder who came to Camelot almost a year ago, but they were still invading her privacy and she didn't like it.
After roughly twenty minutes, the knights finished and left the house, Leon giving her another reassuring smile. Kaunos stayed behind. "Thank you for your cooperation. We haven't found anything here, so you can relax and continue as if nothing happened." He pulled out a quill from his pocket and a tiny bottle of blue ink. He used the wall of her house as a surface to write on and crossed out Gwen's name.
Then he left.
Gwen looked around her house and sighed. Now she not only had to go back to the castle to help with the laundry, but she also had to take care of the new mess that the knights had made.
But before that, there was one thing that she had to do first - warn Gaius. He'd also been accused of sorcery before, and he'd almost burned for it. How would he feel if Kaunos visited him without any warning just like he did to her?
Gwen couldn't waste another moment. Glancing out her window to confirm that Kaunos had truly moved on, she quickly left her house and hurried up to the castle and to Gaius' tower. She could only hope that he was home.
Once she arrived there, she knocked on the door three times and then let herself in. Gaius had never had a problem with her entering his quarters like that before, and he didn't have a problem with it now.
"Gwen," said Gaius, smiling at the sight of her. Despite the smile, Gwen immediately noticed – something was wrong. He didn't look as he usually looked, instead seeming . . . older. As if something serious was troubling him.
But she let that go, for now. "Gaius," said Gwen hurriedly as she walked over to him. "Kaunos, the new Witchfinder, he's just searched through my house."
"So he's started his work already." Gaius merely nodded.
"Yes, and he said . . . He said he wanted to check me first because I've already been accused of magic. That's why I came here as soon as I could, I-"
"You were worried he'd go after me next," Gaius finished for her. Gwen nodded. "Well, you don't have to worry about that, my dear. Uther has given me an exception. Kaunos won't come here for me."
Just as Gwen let out a sigh of relief, there was a knock on the door.
And then, with a sudden spike of fear, it occurred to her - Kaunos couldn't come here for Gaius, but he could come here for Merlin. Merlin was another person that Aredian had accused of sorcery.
Sure enough, as soon as Gaius called out, "Come in," the door opened to reveal Kaunos standing there, that same smile on his face.
"Hello," he greeted them pleasantly.
It was the same as before – Leon and the rest of the knights were standing behind Kaunos, who was already walking towards Gwen and Gaius. "Guinevere - and Gaius, the court physician," he began, "pleasure to meet you."
Gaius only nodded, unsmiling. "What are you doing here?" he asked. He didn't sound happy at all and Gwen understood completely.
"Oh, I'm not here for you - I'm sure you know that," Kaunos smiled at him. His eyes wandered away from them, towards Merlin's little room at the back of the chambers. "But there is one other person who lives here, isn't there? Sir Leon?"
"Merlin," Leon confirmed.
"That's right," Kaunos lifted his finger to make them wait while he pulled out a folded piece of paper from his inside pocket. He skimmed through the lines until his finger stopped on a name. "Merlin, the prince's personal servant. Accused of sorcery once and admitted to sorcery once also," he read from the piece of paper, before looking up at Gwen and Gaius again.
When Gaius maintained his silence, Gwen had to ask - "When did Merlin admit to having magic?" She'd never heard about this before. She knew that Merlin had been the first person that Aredian had focused on before he took Gaius instead. But when had Merlin ever said that he had magic?
"I remember that," Gaius sighed. He looked weary as he turned to Gwen. "He tried to sacrifice himself for you after you'd been accused of using magic to cure your father."
"Yes," Kaunos nodded before Gwen could say anything else. "Which is why he's my main focus, just as Gwen here was. Now, Gwen has already proved to be innocent, so I just need the same for . . . Merlin."
"He is innocent," Gaius told him firmly.
"Merlin is the nicest person I know," Gwen agreed fervently. "He wouldn't hurt a fly. And he never puts himself before others."
Kaunos narrowed his eyes. "Then let's prove it, shall we?"
As soon as he said that, he continued farther into the room until he reached Merlin's little chamber. Gaius and Gwen followed him, and after them came the knights. Only Leon looked apologetic.
Kaunos pointed at many things in the room and the knights began to work. They dug through the closet, turned the mattress in the bed upside-down to look under it, and even managed to find a loose parquet in the floor, under which a hollow space existed.
As Leon got down on his knees to peer underneath the bed, the room grew silent. Gwen held her breath as she watched Leon rise again, holding a strange staff in his hand. He looked just as surprised as she felt.
"What is it?" Leon asked as Kaunos took the staff away from him, examining it. He looked pleased and for the first time, Gwen felt like punching that smile off his face.
The staff was long and wooden with a large blue crystal adorning its crown. It had strange writing engraved all around it, partially hidden by a brown strap tied around it. Gwen had seen a similar staff only once in her life - when that girl, Sophia, and her father had visited Camelot after Arthur and Merlin had saved them.
"This is a Sidhe staff," Kaunos told them. When he looked around at the knights, Gwen and Gaius, and saw that no one understood what he meant, he explained further. "It's a magical staff that possesses the magic of the Sidhe . . . It can only be wielded by a strong sorcerer," he added. When he brought the staff closer to his face, he read the writing on it with a smirk on his face. "Abas ocus bithe duthected bithlane, which means To hold life and death in your arms. Very interesting. But that is of course the entire nature of Sidhe's greatest magic after all."
"What does this mean?" Gwen asked, surprised to realize she had tears in her eyes. It couldn't be true – it was impossible to believe that Merlin might be a sorcerer, and that now he could be sentenced to death. But then- that might be the reason why he'd run away that morning . . .
Kaunos smiled at her. "This means that I've found the source of magic in Camelot! And I'm sure there will be more - this city is full of it. I've only just begun."
"That staff isn't Merlin's." Gaius interrupted his enthusiasm with the stubborn words. Everyone turned to look at him – Kaunos still wearing that terrible smirk on his face. Gaius straightened, pursing his lips. "It belongs to me."
"And you hid it in your apprentice's room? Under his bed?" Kaunos laughed. "Gaius, this might have worked with the previous Witchfinder, but your tricks won't work with me. I already know the truth, and you can't change that."
Without another word, he strode out of the chambers, calling for the knights to follow him. Gwen turned to face the old physician once more – and in his expression, she found only regret and sorrow. Suddenly, she knew exactly what had been wrong earlier – what was so very wrong now.
"Gaius?" She asked hesitantly, the question clear in her teary eyes.
He only nodded. "Yes," he said. "And now . . . they know about him, too."
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This chapter includes art on ao3.
SPELLS
- "Ic the bebode thaet thu astrice!" - from Merlin 5x04 Another's Sorrow, where Merlin uses this spell to cause an earthquake when he touches the ground in the cave. I used the first part of the spell "Ic the bebode thaet thu" which means "I command you to" and changed the ending from "abifiast nu" (=be shaken) to "astrice" which is a simple stunning spell. It means "I strike" and it was used in episodes 1x13 Le Morte d'Arthur, 2x01 The Curse of Cornelius Sigan and 2x12 The Fires of Idirsholas.
- "Forbearnan" = a simple spell that means "Burn up" and was used in episodes 1x07 The Gates of Avalon, 2x03 The Nightmare Begins, 2x07 The Wtichfinder, 3x02 The Tears of Uther Pendragon Part Two, and 3x11 The Sorcerer's Shadow.
- "Grith fæstne mid thisse sawole, in fæstne gereste, min ætheling." - my own spell, that should mean "Give protection to this soul, rest in protection, my prince". I used wiki/spells for this - 5x13 "In Sibbe Gereste" (rest in peace) and 4x09 "Grith fæstne mid thisse tintregedan sawole!" (Give Truce/peace/protection to this tormented soul!). + "min ætheling" (my prince).