Arthur awoke the next morning to the sound of the warning bell ringing and Sir Leon entering his chambers.
"Sorry to disturb you Sire, but we require your presence at the inn at once."
The knight stepped outside of the room, allowing his king some privacy while he dressed.
"Evoric found him like this earlier this morning," Sir Leon informed him. They were standing in the doorway of one of the rooms, looking at the pale body of a thug, slumped in the corner. Gaius was hovering nearby, clearly having just finished his examination the corpse.
"By the looks of the wound and the amount of blood he lost, I would say he died late last night." The court physician stood beside the dead man, hands clasped behind his back.
"Did anyone come through here last night?" Arthur asked the wide-eyed innkeeper.
"Not that I know of. We had quite a crowd last night…" His face had lost all of its normal color and he was bearing a startled expression.
"That will be all Evoric, thank you." Arthur dismissed the man with a wave of his hand. He promptly bowed and sped from the room, not even daring to glance back.
"Does he have any identification?" Arthur had begun to study the room even as he addressed Leon.
"I'm afraid not Sire, there are no personal items in his bag."
"Thank you, Leon." With a nod of his head Arthur was off.
Once again, Merlin awoke in his bed, sitting up slowly as he rubbed the back of his head and yawned, the moonlight softly filing the room. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment, attempting to remember what he had to do tonight. Rising carefully, he began to dress, not noticing the rough fabric rubbing against his open wounds. The young boy pushed the door open with a small creak, finding his guardian snoring loudly. He crept past as quietly as possible and jumped when Gaius mumbled and rolled over without waking. Making it the rest of the way to the door, he pulled it open with a shaking hand. Turning right, he followed the familiar path down the moonlit corridor. A cool breeze whipped his face when he strode out across the cobblestone, looking around for any sign of life before walking up the stone steps and into the main castle. He knew all the shortcuts through here like the back of his hand; luckily one of them just happened to drop him right near the armory. He opened the door as little as possible and slid in, taking in all the glimmering metal that lay in various states across the room. Walking to a small shelf on the side, Merlin pulled open the lid of a long, wooden box. He lifted the dagger from its cushion and weighed it in his hands, satisfied with what he saw. Sidling out the door, he tucked the small blade into his waistband, turning to the right and continuing forth to his destination. Even though the corridors were empty, his footsteps didn't echo, almost as if he were weightless…He knocked softly on the cherry door before him.
"Merlin," the man's voice boomed as he opened the door. His smile quickly faded when he saw the cuts across Merlin's face. "You look bloody awful!"
"Why thank you Geraint, it's nice to see you too!" Merlin couldn't help but laugh back.
"Right, sorry!" the knight said stepping back allowing the boy to enter "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Sir Geraint was a tall man with short, sandy blonde hair and ginger stubble covering his square jaw, bright blue eyes contrasting with the dark navy sleeping shirt he wore.
"There have been whispers of you and a girl named Lillian; I just wanted to check if they were true, so I could clear the air for you…"
"Yes." He confirmed after a long pause. "Erm…She was my lover for a while, but things …they didn't work out…"
"What happened?" Merlin asked gently, letting out a slow, forced breath as he tried to hold back a scoff.
"Well…Being a knight in training doesn't allow a lot of spare time…" Geraint said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head "I didn't have enough time off to spend with her…So- erm - she ended it…"
This time he didn't hold back, the scoff earned him an uncomfortable glance.
"She would have waited for you!" Merlin nearly shouted, crossing his arms.
"What?"
"She would've waited for you, but you had to go and break her heart!"
"Merlin, what the hell are you talking about?"
"Oh, so that's what you call me now? I liked it better when you were calling me 'mum!'" he spat, pulling out the dagger and backing the knight against the wall.
"Merlin, what are you doing?" His eyes were wide and horrified as the blade pushed against his neck, his hands raised in surrender.
"You broke my daughter's heart…Now I'm going to break yours."
And with that he pulled the blade away from his neck, only to bring it back and stab him in the chest, ignoring the knight's frantic pleas.
"That is for my daughter! She would have waited for you to become a knight, she could have waited through your training, but no! You couldn't be seen with her! You could have easily dated her with no one noticing but you didn't want to take that risk, no matter if she loved you!"
"I-I didn't want this…It-it was Sir Cador, he made…made me…" Geraint clutched the wound as he sputtered, and with one last shaking breath, he fell limp.
Merlin sat back on his heels looking at the dagger in his hand, blood sliding down the cool metal onto his skin. He started for the door but backed away as soon as he reached it, hearing footsteps approaching. There was no way out. He looked around frantically, spotting a vase sitting in the middle of a table nearby. He grabbed it and hurried back in front of the knight's body, throwing down the weapon. After a moment of hesitation, he bashed the blue vase over his head, falling to the floor. The last thing he remembered was a chill traveling up his spine, then blackness.
"Merlin!" a distant voice was calling him, but who did it belong to?
"Merlin!" It called again.
He opened his eyes and blinked away the haze.
"What happened?" Merlin asked, shuffling into a sitting position with a groan. The owner of the voice appeared to be Arthur. He was rising from a crouch, clearly having tried to rouse the boy. His face bore an emotionless mask, but he couldn't hide the slight glint of concern in his eyes.
"I was going to ask you the same thing!" the king said, eyebrows raised. He gestured to his right and Merlin looked over.
The servant blanched, scrambling backwards slightly, eyes wide. "There's a dead body next to me," he said quietly, voice low with panic. "Sir Geraint's dead body is next to me. Arthur, why the hell am I next to Sir Geraint's body?"
"Merlin, what happened?" Arthur couldn't help the suspicion growing in the back of his mind as he gauged the servant's reaction.
"I-I don't remember." He responded, furrowing his brow and rubbing his head.
"What is the last thing you do remember?" Arthur helped Merlin to his feet.
"Well…I was coming to talk to Sir Geraint about…about…" He swayed dangerously before falling into Arthur's awaiting arms.
"Merlin, can you do anything right?" The king demanded stubbornly. He pushed the boy back to his feet before trying again. "What were you coming to talk to him about?"
"I – uh - I don't remember…I just remember him greeting me and then waking up here…Who could have done this?"
"Well gee Merlin, let's think," He said in mock confusion. "Who would want to kill a Knight of Camelot? It's not like he had many enemies!"
Merlin glared at him, clearly bemused by his sarcasm.
"What were you doing out of bed anyway?" Arthur asked, crossing his arms in disapproval.
"I don't know…I just - I barely remember him opening the door…" He answered shaking his head again, he couldn't rid himself of the dark cloud that shrouded his memories.
"Come on…" Arthur sighed, turning to leave to room.
"Where are we going?" Merlin asked, stumbling after him almost without thinking what he was doing. It just came as second nature to follow Arthur these days.
"Where do you think, Merlin? Look at the state you're in!"
Walking down the hall a few paces behind Arthur, Merlin stopped abruptly as he felt his stomach lurch.
"So pray tell, how exactly did you not notice someone come into the room? You were both standing right in front of the door!" Arthur threw his hands up in exasperation. Being a knight, he thought that he noticed everything and therefore couldn't understand when others missed details that he needed to be filled in.
All he got in response was a small scuffle and a sharp intake of breath.
"Well that's hardly a response." he muttered, rolling his eyes as he turned around. His body immediately stiffened when he did so. Merlin was on all fours, his breathing rapid, sweat glistening on his forehead. For a moment, he couldn't move, thoughts of the vase causing further damage attacking his mind. He blinked rapidly, pushing the dark thoughts away before finally moving.
"Merlin," he breathed, sliding onto the floor next to the boy. "What's wrong?"
"Arthur…I-I feel…" And with that, Merlin tumbled onto his side, eyes closed.
"Honestly Merlin!" he sighed trying to rouse his servant. No such luck.
After a few minutes he finally resorted to slinging his friend over his shoulder and carrying him down to Gaius, distress humming in his veins.
"Come in," Gaius called after the soft knock on his door.
Arthur moved carefully into the room with a sigh, causing Gaius to look around.
"What happened?" the old man asked. He jumped from his stool and lead the king to the patient's bed.
"I'm not sure, he just collapsed in the hallway…" Arthur muttered, placing Merlin down on top of the worn blanket.
"Where were you two? I looked everywhere; I thought I told you he needed his rest!"
"It's not my fault! The idiot was found in Sir Geraint's chambers!" the blond practically yelled, he gestured wildly to Merlin, just as confused as Gaius appeared to be.
"What was he doing there?" the physician questioned curiously, looking up from his shivering ward to the defensive king as he did so.
"He said he doesn't remember…" Arthur replied, softening his voice as he glanced towards Merlin's still figure. "Is he ok?"
"Well he has a fever, we have to keep him warm, but there are no other signs of any physical afflictions."
"Then what happened to him?"
"We will have to wait until he wakes up, then we can ask."
Arthur just answered with a sigh. Once again placing Merlin over his shoulder, he took him up to his room, thinking that he would be more comfortable in his own bed.
"Rise and shine!" Arthur groaned as the sunlight assaulted his eyes, streaming in the newly revealed window.
"Goaway!" he groaned, putting his pillow over his face in a feeble attempt to block out some of the light.
"Your breakfast is ready Sire."
Arthur removed the pillow and glared at George, who was smiling cheerily over at him. He slowly rolled out of bed and dragged his feet over to the table, sitting down and beginning to eat sluggishly. He was halfway through a sausage when a knock echoed throughout the room.
"Enter." The king called, setting the meat back down.
"Good morning Sire. I have been sent to inform you that your servant, Merlin, is awake." A small servant squeaked from the doorway. She finally looked up from the floor, shooting George a small smile before turning around and scampering away.
"I have your clothes laid out already, Sire!" the man said proudly, gesturing to the garments lying on the bed.
"Thank you, George." In all honesty, Arthur had given up trying to change the boy, it was never going to happen.
He dressed quickly and ate the last bit of his breakfast on the way to Merlin's chambers. He knocked on the door before entering to find Gaius grinding away at some herbs with a mortar and pestle. The court physician silently gestured to the wooden door at the top of the stairs, to which Arthur responded with a nod before making his way up the steps and entering without knocking.
"Arthur!" Merlin croaked in surprise, trying to shift up into a sitting position when he saw the king.
"Merlin, how do you feel?" Arthur asked, wandering to the side of the warlock's bed.
"I'm fine!" Merlin tried to smile but it ended up looking more like a grimace.
"What happened, Merlin?"
"Nothing, it's probably just the heat…"
"The heat, Merlin, you haven't been outside for days!"
"Maybe it's my master's constant badgering?"
"Well if you weren't such a useless servant then I wouldn't have to badger you!"
Merlin laughed but stopped almost as soon as he started, a pained expression painted across his face as he gripped his chest.
"What is it?" All thoughts of masking his concern vanished when he saw the look on Merlin's face.
"Nothing, nothing! I probably just pulled a muscle." Merlin said quickly. Arthur didn't buy it, but he couldn't force Merlin to tell him the truth either.
"Fine then. I have work to do…" He marched down stairs into the sweet smelling room and walked over to Gaius' bench.
"Gaius, what's wrong with him?"
"He just seems to be weak. He said that he felt lightheaded and dizzy before he fainted yesterday. It's probably just exhaustion."
"Alright. Send for me if anything changes."
Once again, Merlin slipped past Gaius, marveling at how unobservant the man was. He had his sword in hand, but he faced a greater challenge this time. He dodged in and out of the crowd of town's people hustling in all directions, making his way to the blacksmith's house and ignoring gravity's pull on his weak muscles. Once he broke free of the crowd, he rounded the corner, almost running into two cloaked figures. He was surprised to see the Lady Vivian, her hood drawn up on her long black cloak, talking to a smaller girl. They both stared at him as he nodded with a smile and continued on; as soon as he turned around they carried on with their conversation.
"I was thinking roses and daises for the garland…"
"Has he picked out the wedding band yet?"
'Weddings…Typical girl talk…' He smiled reminiscently to himself but stopped abruptly as he reached his destination. He slid up to the door, holding the blade flat against his chest. He pushed the door open with a creak to find the beautiful seamstress with her back turned to him. He shut the door and crept closer, hiding the sword behind his back. Gwen squeaked as she turned around.
"Merlin, you scared me!" She gasped, resting a hand on her chest. "Oh, you look awful, poor thing!"
The boy just stood there, a frightful look on his face.
"You better have a good reason for scaring me like that!" She told him as she folded a sheet of cloth, trying to resume what she had been doing before Merlin had entered.
Once again he had his sword in the air, stepping closer.
"Merlin, what are you doing?" Gwen asked with a trembling voice, jumping back when she saw the weapon, fear glinting noticeably in her eyes.
"Taking my revenge…It was your father who gave my son a blunt sword; it was your father's fault that it was a useless blade, he lost his life in ba-!"
There was a loud clang and Merlin dropped to the floor with a thud.
"Elyan!" Gwen gasped. She ran forward to hug her brother as he set the pot on the table.
"What happened?" he asked his sister as he gazed down at the limp form of his friend.
"I don't know, he just came in, didn't say a word! Then all of a sudden he was pointing that sword at me saying that it was Father's fault for his son's death…"
"Why would he say that?" Elyan let go of Gwen and knelt down next to Merlin. "He looks awful…you should go get Arthur. I'll stay here and keep an eye on him."
"Enter," Arthur replied to the knock. "Guinevere!"
"Sire," She dropped into a small curtsey, concern written plainly across her face.
"What's wrong?" Arthur asked, smile faltering as he noticed.
"It's Merlin…"
"Is he alright?" he sat up straighter. Gwen was the only other person who could see through his neutral mask.
"I don't know, he was in our house and, well…you should just come and see for yourself…I mean, if you don't mind…if you're not busy…"
The king stood up, silencing the maid, and rested his hand on her lower back, leading her out of the room. They made their way quickly to the lower town.
"What happened," he asked crouching next to the Merlin. "He's out cold!"
"He came in and started saying all this stuff about how it was our father's fault that his son died in battle, that the sword he made for him was blunt. He said he came for revenge…" She informed him, biting her lower lip with a furrowed brow.
"Merlin said this? Why would he say he has a son?" he looked up at her, eyes confused and nose wrinkled. Gwen shook her head, not knowing the answers to the king's questions. She simply didn't know what to say. None of it made any sense to her.
Just then Merlin let out a small groan and grimaced before opening his eyes.
"What am I doing here?" he asked hoarsely, lifting his head slowly and taking in his surroundings Confusion more than obvious in his expression, his eyes clouded with lingering pain.
"Merlin, what is the last thing you remember?" Gwen asked timidly, moving into his line of view.
He allowed his head to fall back to the floor, taking a moment to think. "I dunno know…I think I was sleeping."
Elyan, Gwen and Arthur exchanged looks.
"Ugh, how did I get here?" he asked, turning over and trying to stand up. He started to sway but Arthur caught him once again before he fell.
"You clumsy fool…" Arthur mumbled fondly, lifting him back to his feet and keeping a hand on his shoulder.
"Prat…" he responded, smirking sleepily at Arthur.
"So you have no idea what you're doing here?" Arthur asked, turning serious as he looked Merlin directly in the eye.
"No, Gaius won't even let me leave our chambers." He responded, rubbing his temple with one hand.
"Come on, let's get you back home." Arthur steered him out the door, making sure he didn't fall on the way.
"Merlin!" Gaius shouted looking surprised and slightly annoyed. "When did you leave?"
Arthur shook his head and continued to lead Merlin towards his bedroom, allowing him to collapse in bed.
"I'm going to go talk to Gaius." Arthur said simply and went back the way he came.
"Arthur, what happened?" Gaius' face was all confusion. "I didn't even see Merlin leave!"
"Gaius, he doesn't remember leaving. He said the last thing he remembers was sleeping."
The man contemplated this for a moment before asking, "Do you know if he has hit his head recently?" the physician lit a candle and hobbled to the bookshelf.
"Not that you haven't already heard of, but it wouldn't surprise me if he had."
There was a creak of the stairs and they both turned around to see Merlin trying to sneak off yet again, sword in hand.
"Merlin, where do you think you're going?" Gaius asked sassily.
"I seek King Arthur." He stated, turning towards his guardian with a blank face.
"Merlin, I'm right here…" Arthur said stepping forward, his brow furrowed. There was something so wrong about this, something that he couldn't quite put his finger on, but Arthur was determined to find out. This was not like Merlin in the slightest.
Merlin's head snapped toward him and he raised his sword.
"What are you doing?"
"Rache." The single word came out in a low hiss, the servant advancing. Arthur unsheathed his own sword as the boy darted forward quickly, and soon the two began to battle.
He was surprised at how well this gangly boy could fight with a sword; he hadn't even flinched.
"Merlin, what the hell are you doing?" Arthur yelled. But he got no response.
Merlin had somehow backed him into the corner, pressing his sword inwards, pushing Arthur's towards his throat. He wouldn't take any more of this. He kneed Merlin in the stomach, making his double over, and then proceeded to slam the hilt of his sword against the boy's hand, making him drop the weapon. He let his own clatter to the floor, their gazes meeting. Just then Merlin's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he hit the floor, blue smoke flowing out of his mouth.