Sorry for the break I've taken. I really haven't been able to force myself to write anything lately. But, I will do better, hopefully. Have a wonderful weekend and I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.
Lancelot paced nervously around Leon's chambers. The continual tapping of his leather boots on the stone floor was the only noise in the otherwise quiet chambers. Lancelot was restless to say the least. The man was constantly moving ever since the group had come back from the cave that held Merlin. If Lancelot wasn't pacing, he was drumming his fingers on something. If he wasn't doing that, his knee was bouncing up and down in a rapid motion. The other knights were sitting at a table playing a card game. Gwaine had suggested the group have a sort of "boys night out" in an attempt to get Lancelot's mind off of the boy. However, Leon didn't want to visit a brothel (Gwaine's first suggestion). Lancelot didn't want to drink himself into a stupor (Gwaine's second suggestion). Percival didn't fancy going hunting again (Gwaine's third suggestion). And Elyan wasn't too keen about playing pranks on various castle residents (Gwaine's fourth suggestion). This led to the knights all playing a very boring game of tarot cards in Leon's chambers with very little alcohol and no gambling. Gwaine knew this wasn't his most successful of wild parties. It hadn't even made Lancelot forget about his worries. Gwaine was worried too. He was worried that something terrible would happen to the kid and they wouldn't be able to help him. Instead, the knights were all sitting here playing cards while a poor boy was shivering and alone in the middle of a storm. So yes, the card game was a complete disaster because now everyone was restless and worried about Merlin. Gwaine decided he still needed to try and help Lancelot. That was the point of this entire thing.
"Lance, relax will ya?" Gwaine called. Alright, not his best line. But the other knights seemed to give each other tense smiles before starting to slowly dissipate some of the tension.
"You'll wear a hole through the floor," Elyan added. Lancelot moved the curtains to show rain still pouring down outside. A steady drum beat on the glass pains. The water droplets hit the window with a ping before rolling down and continuing their descent towards the ground. The water obscured the view of the outside, darkening the sky world around and turning it into something dreary and melancholy. Gwaine wished Lancelot would close the curtains. Hopefully then Gwaine would be able to ignore the thoughts of Merlin feeling the same way. He remembered the kid having such a bright smile when he healed Leon, like nothing bad would ever happen. Gwaine looked away from the downpour and tried not to think of Merlin. Lancelot had other ideas.
"Guys, it's been three days. I'm worried," he said, not taking his eyes off the outside world. Below there were a few servants running across the courtyard, trying to not get too wet. Most people were staying inside. Even Arthur had agreed to cancel training until the field they normally practiced on was no longer flooded. Leon sighed and turned towards Lancelot.
"I know you're worried. I'm starting to get worried as well," Leon admitted. "One of us should go down and at least make sure he's okay. This rain could be nothing more than some bad weather." Lancelot nodded. Leon had a point. This wasn't the first time there had been days of rain in Camelot. This could have nothing to do with Merlin whatsoever. But even Leon didn't sound convinced in his reasoning. This wasn't just a coincidence. Something was wrong. Everyone could feel it. It was in the air, in their words, in every action. Merlin was in trouble and they had to be the ones to fix it. It may have been Arthur's destiny to become a great king. The knights might not play any direct role in Merlin and Arthur's relationship. But they still felt a connection with the child. They still cared about the boy and everything he stood for. They couldn't just let Merlin go. They were his guardians.
"I have the afternoon off. I can ride down with some food and blankets and hopefully talk to Merlin some more," Lancelot said. Gwaine put down his cards. Lancelot wrapped himself back in his cloak and made his way towards the door. Hopefully Merlin would be in the mood for talking.
"I'm coming with you," Gwaine said, standing and making his way towards the door. Lancelot was grateful for this act. Merlin seemed to trust Gwaine. It would also be nice to have someone there with Lancelot, just in case things got hairy again.
"Gwaine, you have a patrol this afternoon. You can't skip it," Leon reminded the knight. Gwaine slammed his fist on the table and stood up. The action caused the others to jump.
"Merlin doesn't react well to anyone! He barely knows Lance but he saved my life. He might see me as less of a threat because I owe him," Gwaine shouted. Percival stood up and patted Gwaine on the shoulder comfortingly. Leon straightened the table and attempted to think of things that could convince Gwaine to stay.
"I know you want to help the child," Leon said, "but we can't draw attention to him. If he is going to live here in Camelot with us, we need to keep him as inconspicuous as possible. Uther doesn't have pity on anyone with magic, child or not. We cannot risk Merlin's safety. A knight skipping a routine patrol to visit a former slave in the woods will cause suspicion. Just let Lancelot go, he'll be fine." Arthur had announced to Leon that he had intentions of keeping Merlin with him and the knights. Leon thought it was both the safest option and the most dangerous. No one would expect five knights, the prince, and the king's ward to harbor a sorcerer. And Merlin already knew the knights so he would be more willing to trust them. However, trying to hide a warlock right under Uther's nose was probably the most dangerous thing Leon had ever tried to do. It would be different if the boy could actually control his powers. But from what Leon saw, he was more reliant on his emotions than anything. Still, after Arthur explained that Merlin was to help him unite all of Albion and shape him to be a wonderful king, Leon knew the child needed to stay here with them. This didn't stop Leon from staying up at night and going over every scenario in which he fails as a protector.
"I will take my leave immediately. Hopefully I'll be back by nightfall," Lancelot said. He swept out of the chambers and began to prepare for his journey. Gwaine scowled.
"I have a bad feeling about this," he muttered before turning to prepare for his patrol. Percival and Elyan waved their goodbyes before also leaving the room. Leon sank back in his chair and looked around the chambers. Only a few candles cast light on the room, leaving much of it in shadow. The fire was roaring in an attempt to keep most of the heat in. It as quiet here. Now, there was only the sounds of rain to keep Leon company. A sound that he hoped would be disappearing soon.
oOoOoOo
"Has the prisoner said anything?" Uther snapped. His patience was wearing thin towards the man called Drake. Somebody wanted to take down Camelot and Uther wanted to know who it was. He suspected Cenred. The bastard was always trying to claim lands for himself. Uther continually stopped him, but if this was his doing then there would be nothing that could stop Uther from war. Then there was Odin. Another scornful king who wanted what Uther had. Perhaps these two men were plotting together to overthrow Uther using his son. Well, their plans were going to fail. Uther would make sure of it.
"He refuses to talk," Sir Kay responded. Even facing Uther's wrath, the knight was still composed and not showing a hint of fear. Arthur sighed and leaned back in his chair. Drake awoke yesterday in one of the deepest cells Camelot had. The guards that had been stationed there immediately found Uther who delegated Kay to questioning the man. Uther also had the foresight to put cold iron on Drake so that he couldn't do any magic. Arthur's account of the experience and the reactions of his men were not wished to be repeated. It was also decided that Kay should be the one to do it and not Leon, since Leon had been a victim. But after several hours, Kay still had nothing. Uther was getting more frustrated by the minute.
"Do something harsher then. We need to know who hired him and why," Uther snarled. Kay bowed and exited the room. Arthur tried to pull his attention back to whatever his father and some lords were talking about, but he couldn't help but hear Kay speaking softly to someone else. Arthur looked back to see Leon and Kay talking to one another. Leon glanced at Arthur and motioned for him to leave.
"Excuse me, Father, Leon and I need to discuss some things," he said. He prepared to come up with what exactly Leon wanted to discuss. He didn't think any of them sound very good. But, Arthur didn't end up using any of his excuses. Uther just waved disinterestedly at Arthur. Clearly the yearly grain exports were more interesting than Arthur and Leon's potential topics of discussion. Arthur took that to mean he could leave before standing up and walking to Leon.
"Lancelot is going to talk to Merlin today," Leon whispered, leading Arthur out of the council chambers and into the hallway. A few servants and guards were scattered about.
"The rain hasn't stopped yet, though," Arthur replied.
"That's what has me worried. Something could have happened to the child."
"I agree. It has been getting worrisome. I hope the kid is okay," Arthur said. Last night he had had a particularly bad nightmare about Merlin being found by his father and burned at the stake. The Merlin in his dreams screamed for Arthur to come help him, but Arthur just sat by his father and watched as the child went up in flames. Arthur swallowed and attempted to force the image from his mind. Leon chuckled.
"Careful, sire, you appear to care about someone," he said. Arthur gave him a playful shove before turning into his room.
"Shut up. I just understand what a valuable asset he'll be," Arthur snickered.
"Better not let Morgana hear you say that. She may be your sister, but she will make you suffer should she think Merlin is being mistreated," Leon responded.
"Have you thought of how to keep Merlin with us?" Arthur asked. He had been racking his brain but to no avail. He could always ask Gaius to look after the kid, but Gaius was old and Merlin seemed like he would be difficult to keep an eye on. Of course one of the knights could claim it as their own child, but Uther might not react well to the news. He was always looking for excuses to try and belittle the commoners who had become knights.
"I have some ideas," Leon said, trying to hold back a grin.
"What did you have in mind?" Arthur asked, suddenly suspicious of his senior knight's intentions.
"Oh, you'll see," Leon laughed. Arthur knew it was no use to press for more information. He just sat down at his desk, reading over some documents. It was times like these that Arthur really hated how much he trusted Leon. Knowing the man, Merlin was probably going to become Arthur's servant or something.
oOoOoOo
Lancelot wiped more water from his face as the rain continued to pour down. He really wished Merlin would change the weather to anything else, well maybe not snow. There were some weather patterns that were even worse than a steady downpour. But seriously, why couldn't Merlin make it sunny? Lancelot was cold, wet, tired, and the horse he was riding on was very tired. The entire forest seemed to be one giant mess of mud and water. This little development meant that Lancelot could really only go about half of his normal speed. The horse was breathing heavily and struggling to keep its footing on the slick path. He should have just gone on foot. It probably would have taken the same amount of time.
Lancelot wondered what got Merlin so worked up that the child had caused such a massive rainstorm. While he seemed upset when the knights were pestering him, he also seemed like the kind of person who would forgive easily and not hold a grudge. Perhaps it wasn't magic that was causing such horrible weather in Camelot. Perhaps it was just natural like Leon mentioned before. But Lancelot still felt the need to go and check on the boy. He patted some blankets and packets of food he had tied to the horse to ensure they were still there. When Gwen found out Lancelot was going to visit Merlin, she had laden Lancelot with so much supplies that he had to leave some behind. The blankets would be soaked through, but Merlin could just dry them off with magic should the need arise. Lancelot bit his lip and tried to convince himself that Merlin was still okay, that he wasn't currently dying of some terrible disease or injury bestowed on him by Drake. It wasn't working.
Lancelot got to the cave from before and sighed with relief. He tethered the horse right inside the entrance and relieved her of her burden. Once sheltered from the rain, the horse seemed to perk up. There was still the occasional shiver, but she was resting now and that was all Lancelot needed to know. With his arms full of blankets and food, Lancelot walked to the large boulder that hid Merlin's actual home. It was moved partway, revealing a sliver of the cave. Lancelot peeked in to see Merlin's still form next to the fire, Leon's cloak still draped over him. Lancelot placed the supplies down and sat right by the boulder. He had to go about this carefully. He didn't think bursting into Merlin's home would be the best way to establish trust between them.
"Merlin, it's Lancelot." Lancelot paused for a minute, realizing that Merlin probably didn't know his name. "One of the knights from a few days ago, from the clearing. You helped save us from Drake," Lancelot clarified. Merlin made no indication that he heard him. Lancelot thought the silent treatment was a bit childish, before remembering that Merlin was a child.
"Listen, I know you didn't want to come with us, but we still thought you should have some more blankets and food. Think of it as a thank you for saving us," Lancelot continued. He peeked back around the boulder to see Merlin still lying there. He leaned back and ran his hand through his hair.
"Merlin, I know you can take care of yourself. Your home is amazing and your magic is just beautiful. But we would still like to help you. You wouldn't have to come live with us or anything. We'd just visit a few times a week, talk, bring some food, books, things like that. Is that alright with you?" Lancelot looked back in and groaned when he realized that Merlin hadn't turned towards him once. Clearly Lancelot was wrong. Merlin was the kind of boy who could hold a grudge.
"Look, Merlin, I get that you're angry at us for imposing, but at least stop the storm. The people can't survive much longer if it keeps raining like this. The crops will flood, the food will rot," Lancelot pleaded. He hated using a guilt trip and it may only serve as a backlash later, but he was desperate to get Merlin to talk with him. He heard a small whimper and turned back. Something in his gut was telling him something wasn't right. It was the same feeling that had been with him since they left Merlin three days ago. But now it was stronger. It was almost painful and it was pulling desperately on Lancelot, begging him to go into the cave with Merlin. Lancelot decided this was the best action. Merlin may be upset, but maybe if Lancelot was in the cave, he'd feel less angry. Lancelot stood and ducked under the entrance. He stepped into the cave and realized that the fire wasn't going like it should be. It was barely giving off heat. Lancelot added some logs and continued to look around. It was much darker and drearier than when he first came in. There was only a single orb of light floating aimlessly in the cave. There was no direction like before when the orbs had been placed to give the best amount of light. Lancelot looked at Merlin and realized that the child was shaking badly. Lancelot gasped and rushed towards his side. He put his hand on the boy's shoulder and withdrew it immediately; Merlin was burning up. He was so hot that even touching him hurt.
"Merlin!" Lancelot cried, shaking the boy gently. Merlin groaned and curled into a tighter ball. Lancelot pulled back Leon's cloak and widened his eyes when he saw Merlin's pant leg bunched up to reveal a badly infected cut. It looked as though a talon had sliced the young boy's leg. Merlin had never properly cared for the injury, that much was obvious. No wonder he hadn't answered Lancelot. He was dying.
Lancelot looked wildly around for anything that could help Merlin, but none of the herbs were labeled and there were too many floating around for Lancelot to find yarrow. Now the signs of Merlin's illness had began to fully hit Lancelot. The single light that was probably created out of habit rather than purpose. The sagging plants that were barely scraping the ground. Scraps of meat that had just fallen where they had previously hung. The cave was a mere shadow of itself, unable to truly be the beautiful splendor that Merlin had created before.
Lancelot looked back at the feverish boy before making a decision. Merlin was getting help whether he wanted it or not. Besides, he was in no state to say no the Lancelot or fight his decision. With this thought, Lancelot wrapped Merlin back in Leon's cloak and scooped him up into his arms. He squeezed back through the entrance, which was harder with Merlin in his arms, and ran to his mare. He set Merlin in the saddle. He untethered her and led out our of the entrance of the cave before swinging up behind the boy and galloping back to Camelot. The mare seemed to sense Lancelot's urgency and did her best to speed herself up. The horse started to slow after a while, due to the mud. Lancelot groaned and continued to urge her forward. He wondered how long Merlin had had the cut and why he hadn't done anything to help it. He knew about herbs, surely he could have dressed it and healed it.
Lancelot finally made it back to Camelot and tore through the streets. Luckily no one was out because of the bad weather. He entered the courtyard and sprinted towards Gaius' chambers. Someone would deal with his horse later. Right now he had to make sure the child in his arms got proper care. Lancelot vaulted through the doors, causing Gaius to jump. Gaius took one look at the boy before moving about the room.
"Put him on the bed," he barked. Lancelot gently placed Merlin on the patient's cot and unwrapped the cloak around his shoulders.
"What happened?" Gaius asked.
"I don't really know. He has an infected cut and a high fever," Lancelot explained. He was glad Gaius didn't ask who he was or why Lancelot brought him in. He simply continued to mix a potion together. Lancelot collapsed on the chair besides the bed and took Merlin's small hand in his own. It was going to be a long night.
Not really my best chapter. But now Merlin is in Camelot. Yay! I will see you next week with the next chapter. Have a great day.