A/N - I wanted to answer a review I got, but the poster didn't sign in so there was no way for me to respond privately. See my response at the end.

I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Please enjoy this chapter and I'll see you after the holiday.

Alice I

Chapter Eighteen

Eryl walked confidently through the streets of Camelot seeming to be throughly enjoying the busy atmosphere. Any who saw the figure would have assumed that Eryl had walked this route a thousand times. Once the seer reached the main courtyard, Eryl crossed to the entrance leading most directly to the west tower, again, as though this was a very familiar route. The seer smiled pleasantly at everyone bidding them a good day. As the ancient druid approached the west tower stairs a slight bow of the head in the direction of the two guards on duty seemed to be all the seer needed in order to pass uncontested. The guards were speaking to one another in low tones and never even looked up as the cloaked figure passed within inches of them. To any on-looker who was paying close attention, it would have seemed as though the guards had not even noticed the druid.

Eryl approached Gaius's chambers only to find the door slightly ajar. Pushing the door open further the druid entered and looked around at the chamber. A smile played across the weathered old face as ancient eyes took in the sight of the court physician's rooms. The extensive library of medical texts as well as all manner of scientific tomes that lined the upper walls of the chamber were a marvelous sight for Eryl to behold. Three work tables stood at different positions within the room. The table furthest from the door clearly had a dual purpose for on one end it held several glass vials as well as a heating system for potion brewing, while the opposite end sported bowls and spoons from a meal that had yet to be cleaned up. The other two tables were clearly dedicated to the use of the court physician's craft. Texts and scrolls littered the surfaces of both tables as well as all manner of herbs, potions, two mortar and pestles, and a very complicated looking contraption with odd shaped glass containers and looping tubes leading from one section to the next within the device.

A soft moan drew Eryl's attention to the fireplace and a short bed where Merlin lay. His head was tossing back and forth indicating that the young warlock was caught in the throws of some nightmare. The ancient seer steeped over carefully to the bed and bent low over the feverish young man, placing a wrinkled hand upon the heated brow. Eryl was immediately assaulted with a whirlwind of images.

If there had been any lingering doubts in the recesses of the ancient druid's mind as to the true identity of the young man before him, they were washed away in a sea of certainty. Not unlike the skill that Nelora possessed, Eryl could see images and the feelings associated with them when in physical contact with someone. Eryl's mind was awash with scenes from the young man's mind that primarily concerned Arthur Pendragon. The young Prince was climbing a steep wall pursued by evil and led by a glowing orb of blue light. A questing beast hovered over the fallen Prince, blood dripping from it's gaping maw. Two snakes emerge from a shield of an opponent in battle with the young Prince. These images all had a feeling of fear or urgency. The clear image of a great dragon captured the seer's attention but unlike the other flashes of vision this one had mixed emotions connected to it. He felt a strong anger almost akin to hatred, suspicion, and yet at the same time an underlying belief and trust.

The cup of life held by the sorceress Nimueah made Eryl's heart skip a beat. The cup had long been sought out by the druids to collect and protect. Flashes of a battle of magic Emrys and Nimueah in a courtyard of grass and stone told Eryl the story of how the sorceress ultimately fell before the power of warlock. The face of a beautiful young woman with long dark hair appeared more than once and the feeling associated with her was that of deepest grief. This must be the druid girl, Freya, that the council had told him about. A peaceful lake also appeared frequently always in association with Freya and again the feeling was one of sorrow.

Many more images of beasts, places, and different people ran across Eryl's consciousness that a long meditation would be needed to try and sort them all out. The strongest feeling underlying everything was a combination of fear and uncertainty, and a strong feeling that Arthur was in danger. All of the images that Eryl saw, ultimately came back to the Prince and an intense need to protect him.

The contact became nearly unbearable for the ancient druid as the nightmarish dreamscape exploded in a frenzy of emotion. Eryl closed his eyes and concentrated; emanating a wave of peaceful energy that flowed like a gentle breeze over the young warlock calming his fevered murmurings. This young man was barely more than a boy, younger than Grigor, and yet the fate of an entire kingdom rested on his shoulders. He had so much yet to learn that it seemed an insurmountable task, and yet Eryl knew that this young man was destined to fulfill the ancient prophecy, as long as he lived long enough to do so.

Gaius was tired after leaving Uther, but he still needed to go to the marketplace. He made the trip as quickly as he could, wanting to get back to his chambers and tend to Merlin, who should be waking soon. When he opened the door to his chambers he stopped short when he saw a cloaked figure step over to his ward and place a hand on his head.

The court physician could hear Merlin panting and moaning in a fevered delirium, but his fear escalated at the sight of the intruder. Without any thought to his own safety or the fact that he was an old man recklessly approaching an unknown and possibly dangerous assailant, Gaius dropped his bag and moved quickly into the room.

"What are you doing? Get away from him!"

Much to the physician's surprise the figure raised an arm with one finger extended in a clear sign to wait for a moment. Gaius was about to call out to the guards, but his voice died in his throat as he watched Merlin calm under the stranger's touch. A moment later the figure straightened up and began to turn around.

"Who are you?" was all Gaius could think to ask as he tried to see past the cloaked figure at his patient.

As the figure turned to face Gaius two weathered old hands reached up and lowered the hood of the cloak, and Gaius found himself staring into ancient yet familiar eyes.

"Do you not remember me, old friend?"

Gaius stared at the figure before him a moment longer as recognition made his eyes open wide. "Eryl, is that you?"

The two approached each other and embraced warmly.

Gaius, mindful of the still open door turned around and moved swiftly to close it making sure it latched closed tightly. In a low voice he asked, "What brings you here to Camelot? Surly you know how dangerous it is for you to be here."

Eryl's eyes become very serious. "The prophecy is broken, Gaius, but I fear you may already know this."

Gaius indicated that they should take a seat at his work bench. "I'm afraid you have me at a loss. I know, no such thing. What I do know is that Merlin nearly died, and in an attempt to save him the druid council made a serious decision concerning Prince Arthur. The end result was that Merlin responded as they had hoped, but revealed his secret in the process."

Eryl sighed and nodded. "Arthur Pendragon was not meant to know of Emrys' magic, not at this time. I have spoken with the druid council and they explained what they did in an attempt try to rectify the damage, but I'm afraid it has only delayed the inevitable."

Gaius knew of Eryl's sight and how powerfully accurate it was. It was Eryl's direct ancestor who divined the prophecy of Emrys in the first place. "What are you talking about, what is inevitable?"

"The death of Emrys."

Gaius felt as though his heart had stopped. He had no breath in his lungs and found it impossible to form any sort of reply. Merlin was not just his ward, not any longer. The aging physician had come to view Merlin as a son and cared for him as deeply as he would any child of his own. The thought that his demise had been foreseen by someone like Eryl felt like a death sentence that could not be avoided. After taking a few deep breaths Gaius was able to find his voice.

"You have seen his death in a vision?"

Eryl's expression never changed. "I have; sometime within the next year."

Gaius felt as though someone had punched him in the midriff. It was incomprehensible that he was going to lose Merlin, now. He would do anything necessary to prevent his death. "Is there nothing that can be done to save him?"

Eryl took a moment to answer as the ancient seer looked at Gaius as though seeing through him. "You have love for the boy?"

Gaius nodded. "He is as a son to me, Eryl. I would gladly give my life for him as if he were of my own flesh and blood."

Eryl smiled at him which threw Gaius completely off guard. He could not see why anything that had been said between them could be cause for smiling.

"I am pleased to be able to tell you that no such sacrifice will be necessary."

Gaius was still a little stunned by Eryl's pronouncement. The seer's visions had never been wrong to the best of his knowledge. "I don't understand. If you have seen this, seen Merlin's death, how can it be prevented?"

"There is nothing that you can do, Gaius. The only person who can change Emrys' fate is Arthur Pendragon. It is the knowledge that the Prince possesses that has caused the prophecy to change, and will ultimately lead to Emrys' death."

Gaius shook his head. He found this extremely difficult to believe. He had always assumed that eventually Arthur would know of Merlin's magic. It had to be kept a secret now while Uther was King, but Arthur was not his father. Arthur would understand, and indeed he did understand. He had accepted Merlin even though he now knew of his magic. He was willing to go along with the ruse of ignorance to prevent Merlin from knowing that his secret was out. None of this made sense.

"Eryl, I do not mean to question your vision, or your conclusions, for I am well aware of how powerful those visions are, but I don't see how the Prince knowing about Merlin will cause his death. I know for an absolute fact that Arthur would never turn Merlin into the King. He told me this himself."

"I believe you, old friend. I also believe that the young Pendragon would never knowingly do anything that would result in harm coming to Emrys. We are aware of the strength of the bond between them. The events that will ultimately lead to Emrys' death have more to do with the difference in how the Prince perceives his servant now that he has this knowledge."

"How does it happen?" Gaius wanted to know.

"I only know that if we do not act now, Emrys will die a violent and brutal death. It is a death that would not have occurred if Prince Arthur was unaware of his magic. The vision is incomplete but very powerful. This can mean only one thing; that the vision is not irrevocable. It can be changed. That is why the details of the event are not clear."

Gaius felt as though a weight had suddenly been lifted from his heart. "So there is hope?"

"Gaius, there is always hope. This is a situation that can be resolved, but we will need the cooperation of Prince Arthur."

Gaius frowned as he stared at his old friend. The ancient druid had spoken in riddles for as long as Gaius had known Eryl, but this didn't sound like a riddle. He, nevertheless, had no idea what Eryl was suggesting.

"What is it that Arthur can do to resolve this new prophetic vision?"

Eryl sat back a little on the stool and sighed. "He will need to agree to purge his memory of the events surrounding his discovery."

Gaius wondered if he had heard the seer correctly. "How is that even possible? How does a man choose to forget something so monumental?"

"I can preform an ancient spell from the old religion that will do just that, but only if the Prince willing submits to the incantation."

Gaius didn't doubt that Eryl could preform such magic, but he did not believe that Arthur would ever willing submit. "The events of this trip have dramatically altered Arthur's views of magic, in a very beneficial manner. To make him forget, will be to wipe out all of the progress that he has made emotionally over the last few days."

For the first time in all the years that Gaius had known the druid he saw real anger flash in the ancient seer's eyes. "That is extremely regrettable. The council of elders who decided to put Arthur Pendragon's life at risk in an attempt to save Emrys have seriously damaged the balance and the natural order of the prophecy. Arthur was meant to experience his time with the druid community. Those experiences were meant to help mold his perceptions of magic and how it is used, but he was never meant to learn of Emrys' power, not in this way or at this time. The only hope we all have, is to salvage what we can.

"Arthur Pendragon will still learn of the true nature of magic. Even I cannot say how that will happen now. What I can say with absolute certainty is that it will not happen if Emrys is not here to guide him to that point in time. Emrys is not only the young Pendragon's magical guardian, ensuring that he lives to take the throne. He is the Prince's moral guardian as well. It is through Arthur Pendragon's friendship with Emrys that his views will be changed. As I have said, they are bound together, but only so long as they both live."

Gaius stood and began to pace. It was a habit he seemed to have picked up from Merlin. "I still do not know how it is possible to make Arthur forget. How will he explain that he has no memory of the trip he and Merlin took? There are other considerations to take into account. After Arthur and Merlin left the druid camp to come back to Camelot they were attacked by Cenred's men. The King has sent a dispatch to Mercia about this attack. Arthur isn't even in Camelot at the moment. He and a small number of knights have gone on some sort of secret mission into Mercia. I believe they are to try and gauge how battle ready Cenred's army is."

Eryl shook his head. "These are minor details in comparison to the problem at hand, old friend. A simple thump on the head could account for lost memory. You must speak with the Prince when he returns and explain to him that I am here and must speak with him privately."

Gaius came back to the workbench and sat down. "He will be gone for some time, Eryl. He indicated that it could be a couple of weeks before his return."

"My apprentice and I are staying at the Inn in the lower town. We will wait for as long as we need to, but you must understand; it is imperative that Arthur Pendragon come to see me. I will make sure he understands what the implications are. I must count on you to make Prince Arthur understand how vital this meeting is to both of their futures."

Eryl looked over at Merlin before speaking again. "What does he remember?"

"Thankfully, nothing much, or at the least nothing that cannot be explained."

Eryl turned sharp eyes on Gaius clearly wanting the physician to elaborate.

"Merlin did say that he had a strong sense of fire and rain, but being delirious with fever is an excellent cover for what he remembers. I will come to see you tomorrow. Stay at the Inn and out of sight. I fear for your safety here in Camelot."

Eryl smiled slightly at the physician's comment. "You sound like Grigor, my apprentice. There is no need to fear for me, my friend. Uther Pendragon would never know I was in Camelot, even if he were to sit next to me with a goblet of mead at the tavern. I will leave you to tend to your patient. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow."

With that the druid stood and stepped over to the door. "Until we meet again."

Gaius still felt concerned for Eryl, but he understood why it was so important for the seer to wait for Arthur's return. He had no doubt that Eryl could avoid the guards notice, and so put the matter out of his mind as he got up and moved to the bed where Merlin lay to check on his fever.

The day dawned bright and clear, and Gaius woke to find Merlin sitting up in the small bed by the cold fireplace looking around with a slightly confused look on his face. His color was much better and he looked as though he had finally broken the fever.

"Good morning," the court physician said, by way of greeting.

"Speak for yourself. My head feels like someone has used it for target practice with a mace." Merlin answered, miserably.

Gaius couldn't help but smirk at the picture that formed in his mind. "Well you may have a headache, but you look much better than you did yesterday. How does your arm feel?"

Merlin flexed his fingers and drew in a sharp breath as pain shot through his arm. "Like I have been shot with a crossbow."

Gaius grabbed some supplies to change the bandage and cleanse the wound. As he unwrapped the dressing he was pleased to see that the infection was markedly improved. Merlin made quite a sour face when he saw his injury in the bright morning sunlight, however. Once Gaius was satisfied with his ministrations he instructed Merlin to just sit quietly while he started a fire to heat up some water for tea.

"I'd like to get cleaned up and move back to my own bed if that is all right." Merlin said.

"I want you to eat something first, Merlin. You have a long way to go before you get your strength back. It has been quite a long time since you have eaten anything and you won't heal without proper nourishment. I'll start you on some broth and bread and see how that sits with you."

Merlin wasn't hungry at all, but he knew there would be no point in arguing with Gaius so he just leaned back and waited.

As it turned out Merlin's appetite came back with a vengeance as soon as he began to eat, and before he realized it, he had finished off two bowls of broth and three pieces of bread. The mere act of eating had completely wiped the young man out, however, and he felt the need to lie down and get some sleep immediately afterward. He cradled his arm protectively against his stomach as he stumbled up the short flight of steps that led to the room he normally occupied. Before Gaius had even finished clearing away the dishes and packing up his rounds kit, Merlin was fast asleep.

Luckily Gaius only needed to see a few of the courtiers that morning. He was eager to go to the Inn to see Eryl again, if for no other reason than to let the ancient druid know that Merlin was making very good progress in recovering from his injuries. By the time Gaius found his way down to the lower town the marketplace and streets were crowded and busy. When he entered the Inn he spied Eryl easily enough and walked over to the table where the druid and a young man sat in the corner.

Much to the court physician's surprise Eryl's young apprentice stood up quickly as he approached; the young man looking like he had seen a ghost as the color drained from his face. Before Gaius could ask if he was feeling well, the boy fainted dead away falling with a loud thump where he stood.

TBC

NaomiLithe 2010-12-05 . chapter 17

Although you have a clear and fluid style of writing, which is an absolute pleasure to read, I often find that there are one too many missing commas. One would be needed here, as shown in brackets:

"Merlin looked up into his mentor's eyes(,) possibly wondering if he would see reproach, but was met by a completely non-plussed expression."

Although its absence wasn't such an issue with this sentence, there have been previous occasions when punctuation has been lacking and I've had to go back and start the sentence over, sometimes repeatedly, so that I could understand WHO was doing WHAT and WHEN with WHICH feeling. (Using the previous example to loosely illustrate this, one might consider that the EYES were "possibly wondering", because the separation is not indicated in the form of a comma.

I'm only pointing it out because I think you're perfectly capable of rectifying the issue; I normally wouldn't bother with a 'fresher' author. I hope you don't think of this as a flame, that certainly wasn't my intent. I wish you the best of luck with your future writing endeavours!

Hello, Naomi. I would have invited you to join the group of betas that I use. Actually for the last three or four chapters I have only had one beta. It is a busy time of year. If you want to log in the next time you review I can respond to your comments more effectively. I am not the best with things like commas. I have often been told I use too many of them. The invitation remains open. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to give these chapters a quick once over for things like comma placement.

One other quick question: is "endeavours" a British spelling of the word?