Disclaimer: I still don't own BBC Merlin
Wow, I'm kind of overwhelmed at the response! I'm so happy that you all like it so much! Thank you everyone for your amazing reviews!
A big huge thank you to Paralelsky for taking the time to beta :)
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The warning bells were clanging when Arthur passed through the courtyard, so Gaius was up and alert when the king shoved the door open and entered the physician's chambers with an unconscious Merlin thrown over his shoulders. Gaius was just coming down the steps from Merlin's room with a pinched expression and nearly fell down the stairs at the suddenness of the king's entrance.
"He tried to kill me," Arthur's greeting was hollow. He set Merlin gently down on the patient's cot and motioned impatiently to Gaius. "See if he's alright and find out what the hell is wrong with him."
Arthur stepped aside and frowned as Gaius bustled past him. The old man spoke to him while he checked Merlin's pulse. "Tell me everything," Gaius demanded.
Arthur nodded and took in a breath, but before he started he grabbed a stool to sit on. His shoulders slumped as he explained. "I woke up to Merlin holding a dagger over me," Arthur began and watched Gaius glance at him as he cleaned up the blood from Merlin's nose. "And then all of a sudden he tried to stab himself. I thought I was dreaming." This time Gaius froze in alarm. "I stopped him but it turned into a fight to keep the dagger away from him and then me. It was back and forth." Gaius may have wanted to ask a question but Arthur kept going and talked faster. "His eyes glowed like a sorcerer's, he must be enchanted! But he begged me to kill him, Gaius, he was terrified! He was losing control and I thought- "
"Arthur!" Gaius shouted and then proceeded in a calmer voice as Arthur became still. "Calm down and sit him up."
Arthur nodded and ran a wavering hand over his face. He stood up and did as Gaius asked. He supported Merlin against his arm and watched Gaius as the physician leaned in. "Impossible," he murmured and motioned to the back of Merlin's neck. Arthur leaned forward to see what Gaius was looking at and tensed when he saw a clean laceration over a large bruise on Merlin's skin. But then it moved. Arthur flinched and almost drew back upon realizing that there was something alive under Merlin's skin.
"It's inside him!" Arthur choked out. The king was very close to panicking, but upon looking desperately at Gaius and finding him darkly calm, he regained his senses. "What is it? Can you get it out?"
Gaius looked at him before hurrying to the table and grabbing a black bound book. "It's called a fomorroh," he told Arthur after finding a bookmarked page and showing him. Arthur looked at the illustration of an eleven headed snake and then horrified to the squirming thing under Merlin's skin. "And I have tried to extract it earlier this evening," he frowned, "whoever did this was more powerful than I had considered."
Arthur unknowingly tightened his hands on Merlin's shoulders. To think that someone took advantage of his injured friend. Who knew what Merlin had endured? The only thing that stopped Arthur's anger from boiling over was the door bursting open.
Gwen entered in a flurry of swishing fabric but halted upon seeing the scene that awaited her. "What's going on?" she asked slowly, her dark eyes taking in Arthur and Merlin before regarding Gaius.
The physician grabbed a bowl and a small blade from the table. "The fomorroh grew back and Merlin tried to kill Arthur," he informed her.
"But how?" Gwen said aghast.
Arthur's eyebrows rose. "You knew?"
She bit her lip and strode over to him. "He was acting strangely today. Gaius and I had to stop him."
Arthur nodded upon recalling how odd the two had been acting. He cleared his throat in embarrassment when he remembered that Gwen had seen him naked.
Gaius came over and handed the blade to Gwen while he loomed over Merlin, dabbing a small poultice over the fomorroh. "But what is it?" Arthur asked again.
Gwen answered for Gaius since the physician was diverting his attention to Merlin. "Powerful sorceresses used to use them. They plant it in their victim with one task for them to do, and they can't stop until they've done it." She looked to Gaius who nodded.
"His mind is not his own," the physician added.
Arthur stared at the now still fomorroh under Merlin's skin. "Then how did he fight it? He nearly killed himself in an effort to keep me from harm."
Gwen gasped and looked at Gaius in time with Arthur. The physician shook his head. "I could not say. Fomorrohs are supposed to completely enslave the mind. Would you lay him on his stomach please?"
Arthur took in what Gaius said and laid Merlin down before stepping back to give the old man room. "He always did have a hard head," Arthur said quietly.
Gwen handed Gaius the knife and Arthur rocked forward but did not stop the physician as he lifted the blade, using it to reopen Merlin's wound. Arthur winced but forced himself to not look away, because he owed Merlin at least that much. He was tempted to, especially when Gwen took a cloth and wiped the remnants of Merlin's nosebleed off Arthur's face. The king took her hand when she was done and held it tightly.
"Won't it just grow back?" Arthur asked.
Gaius nodded as he lifted a small snake from Merlin's neck. Arthur did not quite manage to clear his face of disgust. Gwen surged forward and held a cloth to Merlin's now bleeding neck. When Gaius threw the snake in the fire, the king felt a moment of relief.
"I believe it will, but it is far better to have it out momentarily so Merlin can regain his strength. You can see the toll that was placed on him from fighting the fomorroh."
Arthur nodded and studied the side of Merlin's face that he could see. There was a sheen of cold sweat on the servant's pale skin and he looked exhausted even while sleeping. Arthur's eyes narrowed- he was utterly sick of his friend coming to harm.
"How do we kill it then?" Arthur asked, unaware that his voice had turned cold and dangerous. Beside him, Gwen hooked her arm under his own and Arthur put his other hand on her shoulder to reassure her.
Gaius sat down beside Merlin and checked the dressing Gwen had placed on his neck before answering. "We must kill the mother beast," he said slowly.
"And I assume the sorcerer has it," Arthur bit out. He broke away from Gwen and started to pace.
The former maidservant bit her lip. "How on earth are we going to find it?"
Before Gaius could think out loud, Arthur stopped abruptly. He looked at them with gleaming blue eyes. "The sorcerer has to be somewhere around where we found Merlin, towards the Valley of the Fallen Kings."
"The forest is vast, Arthur, and a patrol is hardly discreet," Gaius frowned.
"Then I'll go alone," Arthur countered and began pacing again.
"Arthur," Gwen scolded.
"And if you manage to find it, you will have to face a very powerful sorcerer who wants you dead," Gaius said flatly.
The king stopped moving and stared at Gaius. "The sorcerer, do you think they've allied themselves with the traitor?"
The physician's white brows furrowed. "...I believe it would be too much of a coincidence if they did not."
Arthur looked away from Gaius and Guinevere to Merlin so he could think. If he were to believe Agravaine in thinking that the traitor was Gaius, he would have to believe that Gaius would want Merlin to come to harm. Arthur flicked his gaze up to see concern lurking behind Gaius' eyes and wrinkles appear where he did not notice them before. No, Merlin meant the world to Gaius and the physician would never let his ward continue to suffer.
"Arthur?" Gwen called softly but the king was too lost in his thoughts to hear. His light eyes darkened as one chilling idea entered his mind and would not leave. The only viable option for the identity of the traitor was Agravaine. He had known of their route, and he had pointed the finger at Gaius. Arthur looked at Merlin. Agravaine was the one to find the part of Merlin's jacket, and had been so quick to write Merlin off. Arthur quickly scrambled for reason to cool the fiery roar of anger bursting in his chest. Agravaine had seemed genuinely offended when Arthur confronted him earlier, so earnest in his promise that he was loyal to Arthur. Could he be that good of an actor? No, Arthur did not think so. But sickly doubt leeched confidence in his uncle. He had no proof other than Agravaine was the only one who had known the route Arthur was planning to take.
Gwen saved him from thinking more on it by bringing up the matter at hand. "Perhaps when Merlin wakes up he can describe where he was?"
Arthur looked up at her voice to see her speaking to Gaius, and Arthur surprised them both by speaking suddenly. "Then wake him now," he insisted to the physician.
Gaius shook his head. "I fear that it could do more harm than good. He needs rest."
"But won't that thing just grow back?" Gwen asked in a low voice.
When Gaius said nothing, Arthur's features grew dark. "You just plan to keep cutting him open?"
"Until you can find the mother beast, I have no choice." Ruthless words, if not for the emotion in them.
"But we have no idea where to start! Merlin can help us!" Arthur appealed. "Don't you want to help him?"
"Of course I do!" Gaius shouted and looked unrepentant for doing so. "I guarantee you that he will not be in any state to help, Arthur. I don't think you realize the amount of effort to takes to resist the fomorroh. It was thought to be impossible until now!"
Arthur fell quiet at this and pressed his lips together. He was now absolutely positive Gaius wasn't the traitor but they still needed to find this mother beast, and fast. The king strode to the table and thumped his fists upon it, thinking furiously.
They were in silence until Guinevere broke it softly. "Well...what if you send knights toward Caerleon, Arthur? Under the guise of them patrolling our side of the border? But then have them double back at the same time another leaves from here. Hopefully you will be able cut off the sorcerer's attempt to escape and not alert the traitor."
Arthur turned around and stared at her. "That will work!" He exclaimed and looked to Gaius for approval. The physician bobbed his head in thought and that was good enough for Arthur. He strode to Guinevere and captured her lips in a firm kiss. "You're brilliant," Arthur told her.
A flush was growing on her face and she gave a small laugh. Arthur smiled at her before striding suddenly to the exit. "I'll see to it straight away and have them leave at first light. And Gaius-" He stopped before the door to regard the physician and paused. His eyes fell on Merlin and then he shared an understanding nod with the old man. The king left and shut the door behind him.
Arthur went to his room before finding Sir Leon, to change into tomorrow's clothes for he would not be sleeping the rest of the night. Arthur bypassed the garments the enchanted Merlin had placed upon the dressing screen and delved into his closet for something else. He felt as if he should have been changing into armour as he planned his course of action.
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The next afternoon, Arthur had made his plans and there was nothing left to do. He was left to wait in the physician's chambers for Merlin to wake up. The servant remained sleeping deeply on the patient's cot and had not stirred even when the king and Gwaine had turned him over and tied him down. The long haired knight had protested most loudly when they had wound a restraint around Merlin's arms to the bed underneath, but Arthur had doubted anyone had detested it more than him. But no one wanted a murderous Merlin when he woke up.
From where he was pacing beside Merlin's bed, Arthur watched Gwaine who was prowling agitatedly around the whole chambers. The knight could not wait until they set off to look for the sorcerer and kept sending anxious and protective glances toward Merlin. Arthur knew that if they had a location, Gwaine would have not hesitated- and he would have been leading the knight. Arthur could not discount the prospect of them going for the sorcerer themselves if Merlin remembered where exactly it was. But he held that information to himself. Perhaps a day's ride away at most- Merlin had not been that far from Camelot when they found him, a mere few hours away even.
"Well, what's going on in that queenly head of yours, your highness?" Gwaine had come over and was smirking at him. Though he was standing still, his foot was tapping an impatient beat on the ground.
"I'm just wondering if Merlin remembers where the sorcerer is," Arthur replied calmly.
"Let's hope he does, I'm tired of waiting." Gwaine glanced down to Merlin and frowned momentarily at finding him still asleep.
Arthur nodded and exchanged a significant glance with the knight who smiled. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped abruptly at viewing a change in their patient. Arthur quickly followed his gaze to Merlin whose brow had pinched together. "Merlin?" The two knights called out and hovered over the servant.
A quiet groan passed through Merlin's lips and his head turned on the pillow as if he were uncomfortable. Gwaine sent a glare to the rope across Merlin's arms and chest but gently placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "Merlin, mate, you awake?"
Another groan from Merlin and this one preceded his eyes slowly opening. A grin sprang onto Arthur's face but as Merlin blinked uncomprehendingly at the ceiling he stepped back, suddenly afraid that his presence would awaken the fomorroh if it was not back already. Gwaine looked as if he understood and tried to coax Merlin awake.
"Gwaine?" Merlin mumbled and his voice was weak. Arthur stepped forward despite himself. "Arthur?" Merlin squinted at him. He tried to sit up but was held back by the rope. His eyes became clearer and found Arthur's quickly. "What?...Oh." He closed his eyes in pain.
"Merlin? Are you alright?" Arthur asked, torn between stepping forward or away.
"Head hurts," Merlin slurred and then strained his eyes to look at Arthur. "What's going on? Where's Gaius?"
"He's talking to the council for me," Arthur told him, not that he thought Merlin could understand from the state he was in. Arthur had Gaius inform the council of the patrol to Caerleon so they would assume that the matter was of trivial importance to the king and need not be delivered by Arthur, himself.
"Tell us what you remember," Gwaine interrupted and leaned forward. But Merlin had relaxed and his eyes were closing. "Merlin!" The servant's dull blue eyes fluttered open but started blinking heavily and Gwaine tried again. "What's the last thing you remember?"
Merlin exhaled and did his best to answer. "Snake...Morgana she..."
"Merlin, Merlin!" Arthur called when the servant nodded off. "It was Morgana?" He asked furiously which earned him a half hearted glare from Gwaine. But Merlin was not aware of their surprise for he had fallen asleep once again and neither of their calls roused him.
The king leaned back, gritting his jaw and clenching his fists, taking a moment to calm down. How dare she?
"Arthur?" Gwaine frowned.
The king ignored the knight, just trying to keep his fury from lashing out through his fists- he did not think that Gaius would appreciate the loss of any of his possessions.
The sound of the door opening caused both of them to glare at the door. The physician walked through but stopped when sensing the sudden tension.
"Merlin woke up for a bit," Gwaine told him immediately. His voice was low in the way it became when he was particularly furious.
Gaius then made a beeline to his ward. "Was he himself?"
"Yes," Arthur forced himself to speak because a king did not let anger get in the way of anything, even if it involved a friend, especially so even. "He mentioned Morgana. She was the one who did this." The blue in his eyes blazed vividly.
Gwaine nodded and headed for the door. "I'll meet you in the training field," he called back to Arthur.
Arthur looked after him but then back to Gaius. "He said his head was hurting. He was tired."
Gaius acknowledged him but was focused on hovering over Merlin. When the king was staring down at the floor silently, he regarded him. "Arthur?"
"How far is she going to go, Gaius?" the king whispered. Arthur remembered that Merlin had fancied Morgana for a time. And she was always fond of him. But she was now using Merlin to try and kill Arthur. He had thought of her like a sister- she was his sister. "How could she do this? We were her friends!"
Arthur could not help himself from whirling around and kicking the innocent bucket by his feet. The mop inside hurtled out and the wooden bucket clattered across the floor.
Gaius looked at Arthur with sympathy. "I am sorry, Arthur."
The king shook his head. "It isn't your fault." Arthur sighed and strode for the door but stopped before exiting and turned back to Gaius. "Let us know if he wakes up again." He left after glancing at Merlin one more time.
Gaius hung his head and grabbed Merlin's hand. It did not look like the boy would wake again for a while. He looked at the door Arthur had vacated and sighed, knowing that neither he nor Gwaine would be back for a few hours at least. When one of them wanted to well and truly vent, the other was the only one able to handle the resulting outcome. Gaius had witnessed one such sword fight and he was not ashamed to admit that the clash of swords had been terrifying.
But there was only less than a day left, and tomorrow Arthur would lead a large force of knights against Morgana. He could only hope that the mother beast was found and Merlin would be saved. Gaius sighed and looked at the lone candle burning slowly. He well and truly hated waiting.
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Dawn had not yet arrived over the kingdom, instead settling below the trees and staining the horizon a blushing gold. But the dark clad man galloping towards the forest was much more suited to the cold blue still lingering in the deep sky. Agravaine's pallid face was almost white in the predawn light, clashing against his billowing dark robes. He urged his horse on faster, knowing that he needed to get to Morgana as soon as possible. The beast's hooves thundered across the rough ground and the lord had to slow his pace once he reached the forest. He still had the horse travel dangerously fast for the terrain even though it might trip over the forest floor, and the cramped trees blocked out most of the meager sunlight as it was. But he had a mission.
Not long later, Agravaine directed his horse to the crude trail down a slope and kicked the gelding when it was not ambling fast enough. As soon as the hooves touched the path, Agravaine urged the horse faster. Two hours after dawn, Morgana's destitute hut emerged from behind the trees. He hauled the horse to an abrupt stop and it nickered impatiently at its treatment, but the lord cared not and nearly stumbled in his haste to dismount. Agravaine rushed toward the wooden door and it opened with a piercing squeak, calling out to the sorceress inside.
Morgana heard his calls and had bolted out of her bed, ready to react to a threat. When her cool eyes rested on Agravaine and found him alone trying to catch his breath, they narrowed. "You better have a good reason for waking me at this hour," she hissed. Her sleep had been dreamless instead of haunted by the phantom of Emrys, so whatever Agravaine had to say had better be worth it.
The lord raised his hand as if to appease her but it only served to infuriate her more. Agravaine took in a breath and wiped his forehead of the sweat that had gathered there from the fast ride. "Arthur is riding towards your location with a small army of knights at first light."
Morgana's eyes widened and the silence that bloomed into being was almost painful, making the bearer of bad news cringe. "And how, my dear Agravaine, has he found my location?" Her voice was dangerously soft.
Agravaine slid backward when the sorceress took a menacing step forward. "I do not know- the only explanation is they found the fomorroh" he rushed out, "but I overheard some knights talking this morning. Arthur sent out a patrol to the east two days ago, but they were to circle back and ambush you with another contingent leaving from Camelot."
Morgana quivered with fury. "Merlin has not succeeded in his task then?"
Agravaine shook his head. "No."
"I must leave," she muttered and swiftly went to the back where the shelves bearing the fomorroh were.
The lord appealed to her. "You have nowhere to go. If you listen to my plan, I am certain they will not find you."
Morgana casted a glance to the six headed snake in the jar she was holding before giving her attention back to Agravaine. The dark haired lord swallowed at the fear and awe she inspired in him and his voice was thick with it as he continued. "The prince will not stop until the fomorroh is found, so I propose that we let him find it. I shall make a camp closer to Camelot and place the snake there. Arthur will find it before coming here. You will be safe."
A scowl took the beauty out of Morgana's face as she regarded Agravaine. "And what of the knights at my back? Have you made a plan for them?"
"I have paid a band of mercenaries to deal with them," he answered. "Please, Morgana. We haven't time."
Her slender fingers tightened around the jar in dislike of this situation, and she strode to Agravaine but did not hand the snake over. "I will bring this after you construct the decoy camp, you will likely drop it," she spat. "Hurry so you can hop back to Camelot and join the search."
Agravaine blinked at her. "Yes, my lady."
"If this does not work, there will be no where you can hide," she whispered. Agravaine nodded and could not stop himself from swallowing. "What are you waiting for?"
The lord jumped at her furious tone and quickly scurried for the exit. Morgana sent one last withering glare after him in farewell.
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This new set up is going to make anonymous review replies confusing but here goes.
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Guest- Ya I really liked the episode but I think a lot of it's potential was lost. But that's what fanfiction is for :) Thanks for reviewing!
Cruelest Sea- :D Thank you very much!
Guest- Thanks! I'm happy you liked it :)
Guest- Aw thank you! For the nosebleed, I just wanted a symptom of the strain Merlin using his magic like that would cause. And I figure it would add some more drama lol. Thanks for reviewing :)
Guest- It was, wasn't it :) Heh well it was all Arthur's POV this time so I hope you enjoyed it just as much! Thank you for the review!
Potato Fairy- Thank you! And this was soon right? :D
Guest- Well I am working on a longer story. Writing it is slow going though - .-' But I'm glad you liked this! Thank you for reviewing :)
Guest- Thank you! I certainly hope that you liked this and the next chapters :)
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I know not much happened in this chapter but it was necessary! Hopefully I made you all excited for the next one though :)
Please review if you enjoyed it, hey or even if you didn't :D