A/N I hope I can update more often when school ends (2 weeks) but I doubt I can get another update within a month. I have vacation and then camp the two weeks after that.
So Arthur saw the 9-headed creature and hurt his ankle, Merlin helped him back to the castle and dissappeared. Go!
Arthur tried (and failed) to hold in a hiss as Gaius gently prodded at Arthur's injured ankle. He was sitting on a worktable in the middle of Gaius's main room, legs outstretched before him and arms propping him up from behind. Arthur's left pant-leg was rolled up to accommodate Gaius who was standing to Arthur's left, inspecting his swollen bare ankle, occasionally muttering a "stop squirming".
Immediately after stepping onto the castle grounds, a nearby guard had stopped to help the poor, limping boy only to discover that the blonde mess was the one and only Prince Arthur. The guard had been surprised to see him and Arthur discovered that his father was just about to send a small search party into the forest after him. Arthur had ordered the guard to help him to Gaius's chambers and to make sure Uther was informed of his return. At seeing the injured prince, the sleep-haggard physician had completely thrown himself into his job, ushering Arthur onto the table and prodding the purple ankle a little more than Arthur thought necessary.
Gaius repositioned his glasses upon his nose and looked up at Arthur. "Well the good news is your ankle isn't broken. I'm going to give you some ginger and wrap it to decrease swelling and a bit of boswellia will help ease the pain. The bad news is all that walking," Arthur could have sworn Gaius glared at him "you did on it tore the ligaments. You have a fairly major sprain. You'll need to stay off that ankle for a day or two. I'll be there to check on it in the morning." Gaius said as he bustled around, looking for a clean cloth and his herbs. Arthur decided not to press the "bedridden" issue – he was tired and the old physician could be stubborn when it came to his patients. Besides, Arthur had another issue to address.
"You help my father with… unnatural creatures, correct?" Arthur hadn't really meant it as a question, but it just came out that way. Maybe the pain was messing with his head. Gaius's trademark eyebrow rose curiously.
"Does this have anything to do with your newest injury, sire?" Gaius started rubbing a salve of some sort – probably the ginger – on his ankle, causing Arthur to clench his teeth slightly.
"When I was in the woods, I saw this dragon-creature. I believe it to be a threat to Camelot. We need to know what it is and how to kill it." Arthur said seriously. Arthur caught how Gaius's eyes widened at the word "dragon", but brushed it off as fear or surprise. After all, Gaius was Uther's oldest friend, his doctor. Gaius helps Uther fight against the evil ofmagic.
"A dragon, sire? Are you absolutely positive?" Gaius asked, nervously fisting the white cloth he had found. Arthur resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the similarities between Gaius and Merlin, but he couldn't stop a small smile from escaping. Like Merlin, Gaius must have stopped listening after "dragon". Why would they need information on how to kill a dragon? You do it the same way Uther did during the Great Purge. Curiously enough, Arthur actually didn't know how to kill a dragon. He'd have to ask Uther about that later.
"Similar, but the creature I saw had nine heads." Gaius was now tightly wrapping a cloth around Arthur's ankle. How that was supposed to help him, Arthur didn't know, but he trusted that Gaius knew what he was doing.
"Nine heads" Gaius muttered, a contemplative look crossed his features as he tied the cloth tight. Arthur didn't notice. "Now let me think about this for a moment" Gaius whipped up a quick boswellia potion – non-magical, of course – and handed it to Arthur to drink. Gaius turned away and walked towards a pile of books in the corner, glancing over the titles and running his fingers over the binds. "The Complete Index of Magical Creatures, this should do it." Gaius picked the oversized book up and brought it over to table Arthur was still sitting on.
The book hit the table with a "thump", sending up a small cloud of dust. Arthur waved the dust away and leaned forward so he could see the book that was situated to the right of his legs, facing so that Arthur could read it. Gaius stood to Arthur's right opening to the table of contents.
"Here, it should be under 'Dragons and Creatures of Similar Visage'" Gaius flipped to the page indicated on the table of contents. It was about one quarter of the way through the book. "See if you can find the creature you saw. Be careful, though, that book is very fragile."
Arthur turned the pages of the book delicately, as Gaius had requested. The first half-dozen pages were solely reserved for Dragons. Every creature had a detailed drawing done of them in the top right-hand corner, which Arthur was primarily using for his search. Each new entry was hand-written in slightly cramped yet still legible writing that described seemingly everything known about the creature. Despite this fact, some pages were mostly barren. Some creatures must still be a mystery.
"See if any of these match the creature you saw" Gaius said, looking over Arthur's shoulder at the book. Arthur was studying the drawings to find a match for his forest monster, but he couldn't help but marvel at the multitudes of the magical beings. Here, sitting on the pages, the creatures didn't look malicious or generally evil as he was taught. The brief notion of these creatures being more natural – more right – than he previously thought barely grazed his mind when the next page turned revealed a nine-headed beast gazing at him.
The cramped words beneath the picture read:
Species: Hydra
Known relatives: none
Hydra are generally found secluded in forests. It is rare to find more than one Hydra together because of their territorial nature and the fact that they tend not to care for their single offspring. Hydra normally have nine heads with the middle able to produce fire, yet there have been sightings of Hydra with more than nine heads. Hydra will attack only when provoked. Little is known about the life of these creatures because of their seclusion and rarity. Less than fifty of these creatures have been documented to date.
Arthur reread the information, searching for a weakness. He realized that the book would be of little help to him. Arthur started to close the book when he remembered the mass of creatures he had flipped by when trying to find the Hydra. The prince turned to look at his doctor.
"May I borrow this book?" Arthur asked. Of course, he may need this information later. He's just being prepared, informed, like a king should be.
"Of course, sire." Gaius replied, motioning with his hand that the book was Arthur's. Gaius walked towards the back corner of his workshop to return with a carved wooden walking-stick for Arthur. "If that is all..?" Gaius said while handing the walking stick to Arthur. Arthur nodded and tried to stand up off the table without putting any weight on his left foot, bracing himself against the table. Arthur seized the walking-stick from Gaius with his left hand while grasping the heavy book from the table in his right.
He took a test step forward, feeling awkward using the stick. Gaius's walking-stick was easier to use than the branch Arthur had previously, but it also made him feel like a bumbling old man or a clumsy newborn foal. Arthur's left foot hovered above the floor and he readjusted the heavy weight in his right arm. Arthur thanked the physician for his help and hobbled out the door, cradling The Complete Index of Magical Creatures under his arm.
A/N I apologize for the lack of Merlin, (and that I'm back to the shorter chapters) but I needed Gaius here. The "no known relatives" part of the Hydra info is my way of saying Dragonlords can't control them. I've been watching superhero shows (Smallville, Arrow, Young Justice) so my knowledge of Merlin is wanning but I promise to rewatch some episodes before the next chapter (any suggestions?). Alright, see ya and happy Summer!
