Hey guys! I hope everyone has had a great summer, but now most people are back in school. Myself included. I hope you all have a great week and I look forward to expanding this story every week.
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.
Gwaine was quickly brought back to the land of the living with a sharp poke to his cheek. The knight groaned, swatted away whoever was poking him, and continued to try and sleep. Once he woke up, there would be responsibilities. Only when he was asleep could Gwaine continue to live his life with no worries other than where the next tavern was. So he didn't wake up. He snuggled down into the blankets and continued to gallivant through fields of endless mead, women, and other pleasures life has to offer. That is, until another poke from a small and bony finger once again found his cheek. This one was more insistent, pressing into his flesh for longer than before. It almost seemed as though his companion was trying to make Gwaine wake up. It was annoying but he could tell that this young lady was going to be persistent.
Gwaine cursed his choice in women once again, though that would only last until the next night he went out drinking. Somehow, alcohol lowered Gwaine's inhibitions and standards. He should really work on his drinking problem. Another sharp poke to his cheek. Gwaine groaned and attempted to ignore his most recent conquest. He didn't want to have the awkward "morning after" talk with some girl. Why wouldn't she just leave like all the others? Gwaine decided that the best course of action was to roll over, out of her bony reach. So that's just what he did. He just didn't account for the bed suddenly ending. Gwaine let out a yelp and hit the floor with a thump.
"Ow," he groaned. There was no way he could pretend to be asleep now. Maybe a head injury would work? No, then she would probably run off to Gaius. He didn't want to bother the old man quite this early in the morning. He rolled over on his back and opened his eyes. Blinking a few times so that he could see clearly, Gwaine put on his most charming smile and prepared to let his companion down easy. What met him wasn't the sight of a woman, but rather a boy. A boy with raven hair and blue eyes. Gwaine's sleep addled brain struggled to make a connection. When it finally did, Gwaine put on his bright and cheery smile, the one that he didn't use to charm his way into the skirts of women.
"Merlin, kiddo, you're awake," he said cheerfully. He was trying to ignore the ache in his head from hitting the floor. Now that Gwaine was more awake, he took the chance to look at his surroundings. He was in the physician's chambers, and he was still wearing all his clothes, even his boots. His feet were going to be extremely sore tomorrow. There was a lack of Gaius in the room, which was probably a good thing. Merlin didn't do very well with new people. Gwaine managed to stand up and sit in a stool that was next to the bed.
"How are you feeling?" Gwaine asked. Merlin looked away from him and shrugged. He pulled Leon's cloak up a little so that it was covering his shoulders. Merlin looked around the room, trying to gauge where he was at. Gwaine pursed his lips and tried to think of other ways to get the kid to talk.
"There was a man here earlier. He was scary," Merlin whispered, looking at Gwaine with overly large eyes. Seriously, how did the kid get them this big? He looked like a puppy.
"I'm sorry. That man was probably Gaius. He's not that scary. He's the physician. I know you didn't want to come here. But you were very sick," Gwaine said, all playfulness was gone from his voice. Merlin shrugged again.
"I would have been fine," he murmured, still not looking away from Gwaine. Gwaine sighed and leaned forward so that his elbows rested on his knees.
"When Lancelot went to check on you, he said you didn't even recognize he had entered your cave," he explained.
"I was sleeping," Merlin said defensively. Gwaine smiled and ruffled Merlin's hair. He looked around to see if Gaius had left anything for Merlin to take should the boy wake up. He saw a small vile next to a bowl of porridge and a glass of water. Gwaine grabbed the porridge and water and handed it to Merlin.
"Eat this. It'll make you feel better," Gwaine said. Merlin took the bowl and stared at it. "Go on, its not going to bite you," Gwaine joked. Merlin raised a tentative spoonful to his mouth and took a bite. He grimaced and swallowed.
"If its not going to bite, why aren't you eating any of it?" Merlin asked, taking another spoonful and begrudgingly eating it. Gwaine leaned back and tried to think of a plausible answer.
"Because, I'm not the one who's sick," he finally said.
"I'm not sick!" Merlin cried, turning to Gwaine with a glare. Now he looked like an angry puppy. Gwaine let out a chuckle and ran his hand through Merlin's hair. Merlin squawked at the contact and tried to swat Gwaine's hand away.
"You may not be sick, but the cut on your leg was infected." Merlin looked back down at his bowl with a sheepish expression on his face. "How'd you get that anyways?" Gwaine asked.
"Bandit," Merlin replied simply. He finished off the porridge and drained the water down. Gwaine took the bowl and cup from him and handed Merlin the vile.
"Drink this too," he commanded.
"Do I have to?" Merlin whined. Gwaine laughed and shook his head.
"Sorry, kiddo, if you want to get better, you're going to need to drink this," Gwaine replied. Merlin sniffed the contents before pulling back with a face.
"This smells even worse that the porridge!" he cried. "What's in this?"
"We make it a point to not ask Gaius what he puts in the potions," Gwaine answered. Merlin looked at the potion, then back at Gwaine with large, pleading eyes. Gwaine almost relented right there and took the potion away from Merlin. But, he managed to remind himself that Merlin needed this if he was to get better. Right now, the boy was pale, shaking, and thinner than before. He had dark circles under his eyes, his skin was waxy, and he was sweating. He didn't look like the boy Gwaine had met in the forest. He didn't look like the boy who had saved the knights' lives. Finally, Merlin took a deep breath and swallowed the potion in one go. He shuddered and thrust the vial back into Gwaine's hands.
"I hate you," he muttered, crossing his arms and pouting. Gwaine smiled.
"No, you hate Gaius. Tell him to make his potions taste better. I'll support you," he said. Merlin gave him a weak smile before yawning.
"Are you tired?" Gwaine asked. He placed a hand on Merlin's forehead to see if there was any fever. The temperature seemed to have gone down. Gwaine also took this moment to listen. He didn't hear any rain hitting the walls of the castle. Hopefully this meant that Merlin was getting better. The door opened, causing Merlin and Gwaine to jump. Merlin grabbed onto Gwaine's tunic and pulled himself into the knight's side, shielding himself from the new visitor in the chambers. Gaius stepped in the room and looked at the pair.
"Did you give him his medicine," Gaius said. He walked over to the bench and set down his bag.
"Yes, and the food that was on the table," Gwaine said. He sat down next to Merlin and began rubbing the boy's back. "Merlin, this is Gaius. He's the physician. He's not going to hurt you," Gwaine said. Merlin looked up at Gwaine and pulled the knight's head down so that he could whisper in his ear.
"Does he know about me?" Merlin asked. Gwaine assumed he was talking about the magic.
"Gaius does know." Merlin's eyes widened in a panic and his breathing increased. "But, he's not going to tell anyone or hurt you," Gwaine said hurriedly. Camelot didn't need another rainstorm to drown her crops. Merlin still gripped Gwaine but nodded.
"Sir Gwaine," Gaius said, stepping over to the pair. "I need to check his leg to ensure its healing." Gwaine nodded and shifted Merlin so that the boy's legs were hanging over the bed. Merlin winced as Gaius pulled up the leg of his trouser and undid the bandages.
"Do you mind telling me why one with your skill didn't manage to heal such a minor cut?" Gaius asked.
"I forgot," Merlin mumbled. Gaius looked up at the boy, raising his infamous eyebrow. Merlin sighed. "I forgot, then I remembered. Then I was too tired from healing Leon and stopping the bad man to do anything about it," he explained. Gaius nodded and went to dab the cut with a purple paste. Merlin hissed and attempted to jerk his leg away, but Gaius held firm and refused to let the appendage get away from him.
"Well, it looks to be healing nicely. No doubt your magic is helping it along." Merlin looked proud at the last sentence.
"So, can I go home now?" he asked. Gaius looked surprised at the question, quite frankly, Gwaine was as well. Merlin seemed to want to be here, glued to Gwaine's side. Why was he so stubborn?
"I'm afraid not, dear boy. That cut was horribly infected. It will take a few days for it to heal properly," Gaius said. Merlin looked as though he was about to argue when Gwaine stepped in.
"Merlin, just wait it out here for a few days. You'll be fine. Me and the others will help protect you," Gwaine said.
"Its not that. If I don't use my magic, I get all itchy and sick. But I can't use it here!" Merlin cried. Gaius looked thoughtfully for a few seconds before smiling.
"Merlin, that room back there is just a store room. Once a day you can go back there and do some small spells to help release some of your magic," Gaius said. Merlin stared at him but then nodded. It was then that the door opened once again, revealing Leon and Percival.
"Sir Leon, Sir Percival," Gaius said. "Merlin will be fine after a few days. No permanent damage should occur to the limb," Gaius stated. He stood up and left to do his rounds, leaving the three knights alone with the child.
"Gwaine, you need to get to training," Leon said. Gwaine groaned.
"Do I have to?" he whined. Merlin giggled and looked at the two knights.
"Sorry, Gwaine. We'll stay here with Merlin," Percival said. Gwaine grumbled and untangled himself from Merlin. He stood up, gave Merlin a sweeping bow, and left the room. Leon and Percival sat down on the bench and looked at Merlin.
"You seem to be doing better," Leon commented. Merlin nodded and began twisting the blanket in his fingers.
"You want me to stay," he said quietly. Leon sighed and leaned forward. He gently placed his hands over Merlin's to get them to stop twisting the blanket.
"We do. But this is ultimately your choice," he said softly. Merlin looked up.
"If I'm found out, I could be killed," he whimpered.
"If you stay out in the forest, the same thing could happen. Had Lancelot not found you, you would still be suffering. You may have even died," Percival countered.
"I can take care of myself," Merlin snapped. Leon and Percival looked at each other.
"No one is saying you can't. What we are saying is that we want you here, in Camelot," Leon explained.
"You want to use me," Merlin said.
"No, we don't. We want to keep you safe. You're different, Merlin. You're special and we want to ensure that you have the resources needed to properly develop your gifts," Leon said.
"Why would you want me to develop my magic if you don't want to use me?" Merlin asked.
"Because, you have potential to be something greater than yourself. You have the resources to help make this place better. If we let you back into the forest, there's no telling what would happen," Leon said.
"You don't know what's going to happen here either," Merlin grumbled.
"We don't. But we know that with five knights, a prince, a lady and her friend, as well as the physician, you can come closer to reaching your full potential," Percival finished. Merlin looked at the two of them.
"Who is the lady and her friend?" he asked.
"Morgana is Uther's daughter, and she has magic like yours. Gwen is her handmaiden, but she's really is Morgana's friend," Leon explained. He reached over and brushed some hair out of Merlin's eyes.
"How about this," Percival said. "You stay here for two months. If you don't like it or don't feel safe, then you can return back to the forest. If that happens, we will never bother you again." Merlin bit his lip and pondered the proposition.
"Okay," he said softly. Leon and Percival smiled and sat back. "But, my magic needs to be practiced once a day so I don't get sick," Merlin continued.
"That's alright. I can set up a schedule so that you can learn with Gaius for an hour or two a day," Leon said. He stood up and made his way to the door.
"Where are you going?" Percival called.
"To tell the others the good news and to secure Merlin's job," Leon responded.
"What do you mean job?" Percival said.
"Well, he's going to have to earn his living somehow. Don't worry, it'll be fine," Leon said before disappearing through the door. Percival turned to Merlin.
"I think you'll like it here," he said. Merlin gave him a weak smile before launching into some tales he had done in the forest. Percival was content just to sit back and listen.
oOoOoOo
Leon knocked on Arthur's door before marching in, not waiting for a command. Arthur jumped upon Leon's entrance and glared at the man. He knew that Leon and Percival were meant to be watching Merlin. Hopefully the child had gotten better in the night and not worse. Leon didn't look panicked so Arthur hoped Merlin was still doing well.
"How's Merlin doing?" he asked, returning to some papers he had been reading before Leon so rudely burst through the door. He really ought to exercise more control over his men. He outranked Leon, and yet Leon was constantly telling Arthur what to do. It was frustrating.
"He's awake now. He's also agreed to stay in Camelot," Leon said with a hint of a smile on his face.
"That's excellent," Arthur said. He dropped the papers in favor of turning to Leon and getting some more answers. "Do we know anything about his accommodations yet?" Leon grinned roguishly, causing Arthur to worry. Nothing good ever came out of Leon's mischievous side.
"Actually, I got him a job," Leon admitted. The smile on his face grew larger.
"A job? Are you sure that's wise?" Arthur asked.
"Yes," Leon replied. Arthur leaned forward. Now he was intrigued. How did Leon manage to secure Merlin a job so soon? And more to the point, what was it? It had to be something that Leon thought was safe. So something in the castle? A
"Are you going to tell me what it is?" Arthur asked, leaning forward. Leon smiled and opened the door.
"He's your manservant." Leon laughed before turning and walking briskly out the door. Arthur stared blankly at the open door before his brain finally managed to comprehend the situation that Leon had put him in. Once he did finally manage to release himself from the state of shock, Arthur stood up and ran to the door.
"Why would you do that?" Arthur cried as Leon disappeared around a corner. He received no answer, only a booming laugh. Arthur groaned and made his way back over to the desk. The stress of having Merlin as his personal servant was already getting to him, and the kid hadn't even started yet!
I think there is a good place to stop. Have a great week everyone and I hope to update next week.