Hey 'Friends'. Though I suppose I can't really call you guys friends anymore because only 7 of my 'friends' bothered to review! Ya know, I'm still in elementary school, and I like getting praise on my work (It makes me feel special)! So please review today, because I actually had to do reasearch for this chapter! Yup, I kid you not, sublimation is a real thing! So yeah, review, please, for the cute (not) little elementary school girl who has next to no social life and lives on her minilaptop! Anyways, enjoy!
Wisegirl6

Chapter 8 ~ Sublimation, Spectacles, and Sage

"Sage?!"

A brief look of shock crossed Sage's face before a smile lit up her eyes which were enhanced by the large spectacles balanced precariously on the bridge of her nose. "Merl'n."

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked disbelieving as the guards ushered him into a chair next to Sage. He was starting to really hate these guards in particular.

She grinned brightly, reminding Merlin slightly of Gwaine,"By a large extent, I am your new boss."

"You? My boss?" he laughed, trying to pick his jaw up off of the ground.

"I am the new manor librarian. You're to be my assistantin saving all of these damaged books," said Sage, an underline of authority creeping into her voice.

Merlin watched as she brought out two glowing blue stones and reached for a book in the large stack next to her. "And you know how to do that? Saving damaged books, I mean."

Sage nodded, her glasses slipping farther down her face. She really did look ridiculous in them.

The slave girl immediately sprang into an explanation on how they were to do their jobs. All of the books were soaked through and needed to be dried out. Isobel had enchanted two large stones that were to cool down so much that they drew out the water right out of the book and it evaporated into the air. The process was called sublimation and would normally take many months as well as a mountain of snow and ice to dry out the entire library without magic. Merlin's job was to pass the enchanted stones over the pages of the books until they were completely dry before handing the book off to Sage who would catalogue them and shelve them according to some system that she had worked out.

So the two of them set to work on their respective jobs. Merlin drying the books and Sage organizing them.

Merlin really liked his job, not only did he get to spend time in a beautiful library with one of his good friends but all of the books were on magic. He could spend time reading them and just make it look like he was doing his job for Cavell (Though he was actually drying them). The point is, he was perfectly content with the new arrangement.

After a few hours of tireless working Cavell sent the same two guards to collect Merlin and bring him to an actual room, though the size of a broom closet, with an actual fireplace. According to them Cavell wanted him to stay there while he was working at the library so that he wouldn't have to walk as far to go to work. He really wanted his library done soon.

Weeks passed in a daily routine. Merlin would wake up, actually knowing when morning was now that he could see the sun, eat his still meager meal for the day and then would be whisked to work by his two guards, who's names Merlin learned were Jonathan and Dane, and work with Sage for the next 12 hours reading magic books. His life was better, but far from complete.

Merlin sat at his small table, still crowded with books, concentrating hard on memorizing a spell for shrinking, as well as drying the last page of a volume. The magic inside of him stirred as he recited the spell in his mind. Even though the warlock studied magic everyday Merlin hadn't actually performed any enchantments or spells or incantations in months.

Isobel's orders had been very clear when she made him swear 'No performing any magic' on his Blood Oath when he'd been first taken into captivity. He hadn't been able to practice magic at all, and it was literally killing him. Merlin's magic was endless and boundless, few things could contain it, and it had just been building, storing itself for over two years ready to be freed at any second. Sadly, Blood Oaths were one of the things on the list of things powerful enough to render Emrys powerless, doing any magic resulted in a pain so great that it had yet to be described. Merlin knew that sooner or later his magic would have to expel itself in some way and he would be killed in the intense pain that followed. And Merlin had a sneaking suspicion that need would occur sometime soon.

He gazed miserably at his wrists. The effects of magic-deprivation were already too apparent. The veins on his arms were all either completely gold with contained magic or getting there.

"Merl'n?" said a quiet voice, knocking the slave from his reprieve. Sage was looking at him curiously, her eyes magnified to twice their size behind her glasses.

The warlock smiled and said something that caught Sage completely off guard,"You do realize how weird you look in those glasses, right?" he asked with a laugh.

Sage smiled widely, she had been wondering when her friend would say something about her new eyewear. Although she didn't tell many people, Sage was practically blind without her glasses. She'd had a pair back before being a slave but the traders had taken them from her. Glasses were expensive and barely anyone actually bothered to own a pair. If you ever saw a commoner wearing spectacles rest assured that they had been passed down in the family, not bought with their own money. "Thanks, and yes I do, I just really need them if I'm to read all of these spines and catalogue the books."

Merlin was reminded of the few times that Gaius had worn glasses like those. He had looked just as strange in them as Sage did. The smile melted off his face as quick as it had come.

A question that had been irking Merlin for some time surfaced in his mind,"Where did you learn to read and write and catalogue books anyways?"

Sage's smile dropped as she recalled the memories."My pa, he was a scholar, and he was the Court librarian of Caerleon. He taught me and my older brothers how to read, he wanted them to take over his duties once he'd died like his father did for him, but my brothers wanted to become knights. In the end they chose brawn over brains so I took up the task of carrying on our family legacy. So my pa took me from my village, Daele, and educated me in everything I'd need to know. It was on the trip home when the bandits attacked. They disarmed my father and one of my brothers that had come with us and knocked them out. When they woke up we were long gone."

Merlin was shocked. Sage had never opened up to any of the slaves like this, nevermind him. The warlock was shocked to see tears slip silently down the slave girl's face. Her expression remained the same but her her eyes were glassy. Merlin moved away, recognizing the feeling as the same one that overtook him when he reminisced about the past. Wordlessly, Merlin reached down and hugged the unresponsive girl before heading for the doors to the library, Sage needed time alone, that much was obvious.

Okay, that was an uncalled for ending. Just in case you guys were wondering, this will NOT be a Merlin/OC story, Sage is just a friend to Merlin. Like a really annoying little sister.
Also please vote on my poll, because once I finish writing this story (I'm already on chapter 16) I need something else to write and I have sooooo many plot bunnies!
NOTICE: Wisegirl6 will be on vactaion at Eagle Lake Ringette Camp from Sun. to Sat. this week, so unless you want the next chapter to be a week from now I advise you to review and I will update on Saturday (This Saturday) but I want at least 10 reviews!
Please review, it not only makes me update faster but it really helps with the crteative writing process *Wink Wink*

Wisegirl6