A/N: Please don't kill me or torture me! I didn't mean to leave the fic alone for a good 2 years! It's just that I had just shifted schools and was trying to get used to a new curriculum and to top it of last year sucked bad... Any one there thinking of shifting to a new curriculum (from an easy one to a tough one) in your 11th year...DON'T! Its a bloody pain that what it is!
Well seeing as I haven't updated in a LONG time I tried to make this chapter long and good- no cliffhangers! xD
Thanks to my readers and reviwers who haven't given up and to the lovely ischiri who's a dear friend in RL and who betaed this chapter!
Enjoy! And please Review! (Even if it's just to rant about how long I've taken. At least I can look back at them and make sure I down keep this wide a gap between chapters- ever.)
"Turhhæle dolgbenn!"Merlin whispered forcefully. His eyes flashed gold as he drew from the magic within him, willing the infection to leave Lancelot's wound. But nothing happened. The wound remained the same, with Lancelot's fever worsening steadily.
He tried again. And again.
Something's wrong, his instinct told him, something's drastically wrong.
Merlin's used this spell before, numerous times before, and never has it failed him since the very first time he used it successfully. But why wasn't it working now?
"No-no!" Merlin thought frantically, "This can't be happening!"
Infected wounds were hard enough to heal without magic, more so now that they were in the middle of a forest!
"Leon!" his mind shouted at him, "Get Leon!"
Merlin rushed out of the tent. A gush of chilly air blew through the camp as Merlin stumbled into Leon's tent.
"Leon! Please, you have to wake up!" said Merlin as he shook Leon awake.
"Mer-Merlin? What-", said Leon blearily, blinking as he tried to make Merlin out in the darkness.
"No time! It's Lancelot… his wound's infected!"
"What?" That certainly woke him up.
"Tell me you have something for it! Anything!" Merlin was almost shouting in his desperation to see his companion survive.
"We've got no supplies to battle infection here and none of us have the skills to do so either. If we do anything to help him we might even end up harming him-"
"Then we leave for Camelot at dawn."
Both Merlin and Leon jumped, startled. Because suddenly outside the tent- complete with crossed arms, a flat expression on his face and his shirt worn inside out- stood Prince Arthur.
'Huh. He really doesn't know how to dress himself- and I thought they were just rumours!' thought Merlin ruefully as he took in the upturned, half–tucked-into-his-trousers shirt that Arthur wore.
"Sire!" exclaimed Leon.
"All that ruckus you were making woke me up", grumbled the Prince, then added, "Now, if you don't mind… I'm going back to sleep", before striding back into his tent.
Leon sighed looking apologetic at Merlin as he said, "He's a bit grumpy when he wakes up."
"Really? I hadn't noticed" said Merlin, deadpanned.
"Well, then. That settles it. Get some sleep, Merlin. We'll have to wake up in a few hours."
"But-"
"Don't worry about Lancelot. If the infection just set in then we're sure to have a few days before anything becomes serious", said Leon with a reassuring smile on his face.
"Thanks. I'm sorry for waking you. Good night."
And with that, Merlin slowly walked out of the tent wishing he could have done something more.
True to Arthur's word, they were on their way to Camelot at dawn. With Lancelot's condition showing no signs of improvement, they successfully tried to make it back to Camelot twice as fast. They made haste through the city, galloping through the courtyard before pulling to a stop at the flight of stairs before the front gates.
"Get Lancelot to Gaius, immediately!" commanded Arthur to two of his knights and to Merlin he said, "Gaius is our physician. I have to report to my Father now, so I'll join you there later."
Merlin nodded his thanks and hurried after the knights as they sped towards the physician's chambers.
Lancelot was sleeping peacefully by the time Arthur entered the room. Merlin was sleeping on another cot beside Lancelot's. Gaius was bustling around the room sorting out his potions and stock of herbs but stopped to look up when Arthur entered.
"Ah, come to check on your guests, have you?" asked Gaius with a smile.
"Well, yes- but I was expecting Merlin to be awake", replied Arthur, with a frown.
"Merlin fell asleep almost as soon as I treated Lancelot's wound. And I'm not surprised either. With how exhausted he looks, it seems like he hasn't been getting a full night's sleep for a while now. "
Arthur sighed. He had been hoping to find out at least who exactly this Merlin character was.
"Send for me the moment Merlin wakes", he requested Gaius before turning to walk out.
Merlin awoke a few hours later feeling much better than before. He sat up for a moment having no idea where he was- and looked around sharply.
"Finally awake, I see?" asked Gaius when Merlin sat up.
Merlin's head snapped towards Gaius.
"Where-?" Merlin trailed off, looking around the chamber and taking in his surroundings.
"Don't you remember, boy? You're in Camelot. I'm the physician whose bed you decided to fall asleep in", chided Gaius with a raised eyebrow as a look of realisation dawned on Merlin's face. The exchange was followed by an apology, which Gaius promptly waved off. He then went to send for the guard, who was stationed outside the door, to tell the Prince that Merlin was awake.
"How long was I asleep?"
"A little more than 4 hours, give or take. Would you mind telling me the reason you are this exhausted? It's unusual for a boy your age to be this run down."
Merlin hesitated a little before spouting out a curt answer.
"Nightmares."
"Ah, I see. I can prescribe you sleeping draughts to help with your sleep should you need it. It is inadvisable for you to lose as much sleep as you are losing."
"No, thank you. Sleeping draughts don't have much of an effect on me for some reason. I will try to get the sleep I need, though. How is Lancelot?"
"He is stable for now, but the fever hasn't yet broken. How did he get injured?"
"He fell off his horse when a snake spooked him."
"I'm sure that's what you told Arthur, but if you want me to heal your friend then you must tell me exactly what happened. You can't fool me into believing that he got that wound by falling off a horse. Now, Merlin, tell me. How did he get hurt?"
Oh, no. There's the dreaded eyebrow again. Somehow he had a feeling that he would be seeing that eyebrow quite a lot.
Merlin sighed and gave in. "Fine. Just don't tell Arthur."
He paused in an attempt to collect his thoughts. He was getting a sick feeling that one way or another he would never be able to keep anything from Gaius. Including the fact that he was a Prince on the run.
"Lancelot and I were out hunting in the forest about two days ago-" Gods,has itonly been a few days since? "-when we were attacked by a gryphon. We were caught unawares because weren't expecting a gryphon to attack us. We managed to fend it off but Lancelot got wounded by its claws."
And there goes the eyebrow again…
"You managed to'fend it off'?" asked Gaius disbelievingly, "You expect me to believe that you managed to 'fend off' a creature of magic-" Gaius's voice lowered at that to make sure no one overheard what was being said "-with a sword?"
"Well-" Merlin tried to get a word in edgewise but failed completely.
"Now, I would have thought that you'd care enough for your friend to tell me the truth of the matter but I have apparently misjudged the situation."
"What? No, wait! I am telling the truth!"
Gaius' eyebrow spoke volumes.
Merlin sighed in exasperation.
"What do you want me to say?"
"The truth."
"Well, that is one thing I cannot do. You have to believe me when I say that there was a gryphon in the forest and that Lancelot was wounded by it. Now I would like it if you would kindly tell me of my friend's condition."
"His wound's been infected. I've done what I can to lessen the fever but…" he trailed off not knowing how to continue.
Merlin's eyes widened as he expected the worst but he wasn't able to demand more information as the door opened, announcing the arrival of Prince Arthur. Gaius' expression gave nothing away as Prince Arthur addressed him.
"Ah, Gaius! How do my guests fare so far?"
"I'm standing right here", said Merlin, annoyed.
"Well, yes, Merlin. I'm not blind" scoffed Arthur. "But you'rehardly going to give me a straight answer, are you?"
Merlin shook his head in disbelief. Never in a million years would he have imagined the Prince of Camelot to be such a pompousbrat. And he wasn't about to hide his feelings on the matter either. He had had enough of his arrogance. He opened his mouth to say exactly what he thought of the Prince…
… Only to hold his tongue when he saw Gaius' look of utter disapproval at the anger Merlin was sure could be seen clearly on his face. He never could keep his face neutral.
"Merlin is fine, sire, if not exhausted. Nothing a few days' rest won't cure."
"And Lancelot?"
"As I was telling Merlin as you entered, sire, Lancelot's wound is infected, but it won't take much effort for me to cure him."
"Good." He then turned to address Merlin and was slightly taken aback by the death glare that the young man was directing at him. Still, Arthur being completely oblivious to his recent behaviour, and simply went on to tell him that he was expected in the Throne room and that Arthur was to escort him there once Merlin was decent enough to meet with the King.
"If by 'decent', you mean after a bath and a change of attire, I'm afraid that's not possible. I haven't got anything but the clothes off my back."
Arthur brows furrowed in confusion but did not prod further, for which Merlin was grateful. He was still not sure of how to reveal who he was to Arthur.
Well, by 'reveal', he meant telling him his cover story.
"Then those will have to do for now. I'll see if I can find any servants who can get you a fresh set of clothes."
"Thank you", said Merlin, who was slightly surprised by Arthur's thoughtfulness.
A few moments later, with Merlin's face and hands as clean as possible from washing from a bowl, they were on their way to the Throne room.
"You know you still haven't told me who you are, or where you hail from", Arthur remarked.
"You'll have to wait, then. I'm sure the king would like to know that too and I have no wish to repeat my story twice."
"Very well."
The walk to the Throne room was short, being relatively close to Gaius' chambers. Arthur motioned for Merlin, who was amazed by how less lively Camelot's Court was compared to the Court of Albion, to follow him in. Merlin was struck by a wave of grief as he remembered his court. In contrast with Camelot's, his court was almost always filled with people either bringing gifts for their King and Prince- or telling them of their problems, which were dealt with quite efficiently. Albion's people certainly had nothing to fear of their rulers.
He was wondering why the courtroom was near deserted when he noticed that Uther was holding court. Watching the poor man tremble in front of the King, Merlin finally understood. The people feared Uther. And that gave Merlin something else to ponder on. Why did the people fear him?
From what Merlin heard from the case unravelling in front of him, the problem was resolved swiftly and with justice. Uther informed the man in front of him that he would send someone to help him with his problem- something about wolves attacking his livestock.
'Well, I'll probably find out sooner or later', Merlin figured.
Once the man had babbled out his gratitude, bowed and then left the Courtroom, Arthur walked up to his father and bowed his in respect.
"Sire," He looked towards Merlin and motioned him forward.
Uther gave Merlin a look-over, his expression completely neutral. Merlin bowed respectfully before the King, his expression in turn giving nothing away.
"Ah, Arthur, is this the man you encountered in the woods?"
"Yes, sire."
Uther then smiled slightly, which Merlin took as an invitation to step forward.
"I am Sir Merlin of Albion, Your Majesty."
Uther and Arthur's face clouded at the revelation and Merlin hurried to continue.
"I realise that our kingdoms are not on the friendliest of terms and I have no wish to make things worse", Merlin reassured them and watched in relief as their faces lost some of their anger.
"Sir Lancelot and I were only passing through Camelot when he got injured. This forced us to seek help from Prince Arthur and his party."
"May I enquire as to why you were passing through?" questioned Uther, his face once again a mask of indifference.
Merlin knew he had to tell them or risk being imprisoned… or worse still, be forced to return to Albion. He wasn't ready for that. Not yet.
"I'm not certain if you have heard, but Albion has been taken over by a Priestess of the Old religion who had been banished years ago, the Priestess Nimueh."
Uther's eyes widened as if he recognised that name but said nothing. "It was the day of my… uh, the Prince's coronation when the witch attacked out of nowhere and overwhelmed our army. The Prince's bodyguard took the Prince and fled. The rest of us managed to find out that Nimueh", Merlin spat out "had crowned herself Queen."
Merlin then took a breath to calm himself down as he watched Uther and Arthur's reaction. Seeing nothing that warned him to stop, he continued speaking.
"Please, sire, I have no reason lie. I only wish for my companion to recover before continuing our journey."
Uther sighed heavily.
"This is the reason why I outlawed magic- its very existence is pure evil and it will not stop until we all perish", Uther said gravely, before adding in a lighter tone. "There is no necessity for you to leave Camelot. You and your companion are welcome to stay. As I have just said, magic is outlawed here, so should you see anything… suspicious, do not hesitate to report it to Arthur immediately. Now, I'm sure you are tired. I will have Arthur prepare a guest room for you and one for your companion once he is well."
"Thank you, Sire."
Merlin took Uther's parting words as his dismissal. He bowed to the king and left the throne room.
Once Merlin had left, Uther turned to Arthur.
"I want you to keep a close eye on the two of them, Arthur. I'm certain you already know this but magic was revered in Albion under the king- well, formerking. He made sure to cultivate in his knights, at the very least, rudimentary skills in magic if they happened to show potential. If, on the other hand, these two show no aptitude towards it, use whatever knowledge they do know so that we may better strike at the heart of Magic."
"As you wish, Father."
Arthur bowed before turning and leaving.
Meanwhile, Merlin hurried towards Gaius's chambers. Gaius' expression before Arthur had entered startled him. Surely there couldn't be anything wrong? Wounds inflicted by gryphons aren't known to be poisonous. 'Unless…'Merlin's eyes widened at the thought.
'No!'
He pushed open the door forcefully and spotted Gaius bent over a potion that was brewing in a hand-sized iron cauldron.
"Gaius! Tell me that Lancelot's wound wasn't pois-" Merlin's cry broke off when Gaius looked up with a spell dying on his lips. Merlin swore that his eyes glowed gold.
Gaius' eyes widened in shock and fear as a plethora of emotions passed through his face, before eventually settling on resignation.
"You're a-"
Gaius sighed, seeing no way out but to come clean.
"Yes, I am. And it would be best if you didn't tell anyone-"
"No! Gods no! I would never-"
Merlin looked shocked at the prospect, which in turn perplexed Gaius.
"We're going to have to talk, but it will have to be after I put together a cure for your companion."
Gaius said as he returned to creating a cure.
"So, it is poisoned. She had no right!" Merlin muttered under his breath, his eyes ablaze with fury.
"She?" Gaius inquired.
"Nimueh", Merlin spat out. He was never going to be able to say her name without feeling waves of grief and fury wash over him.
Gaius' eyes widened in recognition but only said,
"This will help me make the cure faster as I am familiar with her magic. Thank you, Merlin."
"You know-"
"Not now, please. We will talk, but I have to see to Lancelot first."
Merlin nodded. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Short of making this potion more…potent…no, Merlin, there is nothing. And this is the last potion I can make as I am running short of supplies, so please don't startle me again and make me lose my concentration. I'm sure you wouldn't want your companionto break out in warts…or worse."
"Gwared a mae'r hud geir ac yn iacháu anaf!" intoned Gaius, his eyes glowing gold as his magic flowed out- the potion started bubbling in its container.
"There. It's done. Now, I'll just-"
Saying this, Gaius turned towards the table next to him and 'accidentally' toppled the cauldron. Before Merlin realized what he was doing, he pushed his magic out and caught the cauldron before it fell. In an instant it was back on the table, the potion safe within its cauldron.
He winced, realising what he had done. Merlin had acted on pure instinct- his subconscious desire to save the only potion Gaius could make for Lancelot with the last of his supplies from spilling on the floor had compelled him to reveal his magic, even though he certainly did not want to. Merlin sighed before looking up, resigned to the fact that Gaius now knew about his magic. He really needed to remember to be more careful.
Gaius was looking at him with a smug expression on his face,
"Hmmm. I thought so. You needn't worry, Merlin. Your secret is safe with me. I have no wish in handing in a fellow sorcerer, especially one with your skill. Now, let me just finish up and then we'll talk."
Merlin nodded and stood aside while Gaius finished up by adding a few final touches to the cure before administering it to Lancelot.
"Lancelot will be fine now, Merlin. The poison should be out of his system by the end of today and he should be waking up within the next few days."
A huge, relieved grin appeared on Merlin's face at Gaius' words. Lancelot would live!
"Thank you, Gaius! We are in your debt; if there is anything that you need-anything-don't hesitate to ask it of us."
"Nonsense, Merlin-"
"No, I'm being serious. And I'm certain that Lancelot would feel the same once he wakes up."
Gaius said nothing and only bowed his head in acceptance, a smile gracing his lips. He then looked up, his face growing serious once more.
"There are many things that I have to tell you, Merlin, and most of them about a past that I hoped that I would never have to reveal. But fate has played their hand and I now have no choice… but seeing as Prince Arthur will be back any minute now to show you around the castle and to take you to your room, there is no time. Come to me tonight under the pretence of getting a sleeping potion, or perhaps to check up on Lancelot. We will speak then."
Merlin frowned in confusion. What past? He wanted to know now, not later.
"Later", said Gaius firmly, knowing that Merlin wanted answers. "I'll tell you everything and answer any questions that you have, but later."
And at that moment Merlin could swear that Gaius possessed the Sight because Arthur opened the door almost as soon as Gaius had finished speaking.
"There you are, Merlin! Come on then. It's time for the grand tour of Camelot! Do try and keep up."
With that Arthur turned on his heel and walked off without even waiting for Merlin to catch up.
Merlin's eyes widened in disbelief and looked to Gaius.
"Is he always-" he broke off, unwilling to say ill of Arthur in front of one of his subjects not that he had to because Gaius was smiling at him apologetically and nodding to what Merlin wanted to say.
"Merlin!"
They both winced as they heard Arthur's shout. Merlin thanked Gaius once again before leaving to follow Arthur.
"I'm coming!"
Gaius winced again when he heard Merlin's answering yell and tried to smother a grin when he heard Merlin finish that sentence with a muttered 'Prat!'
Well, life certainly wasn't going to be monotonous any more with these two around. Gaius looked at a book that was lying inconspicuously on the table. His face grew sad as he thought, 'Has it started?'
He looked back up to where Merlin and Arthur had gone , Arthur's laughter at something Merlin did echoing through the corridors. He knew that, if the time had indeed come, they both would have rough times ahead of them. He sighed before going back to making his potions and monitoring Lancelot.
Nothing could stop Fate's hand when it is in play.
Note: The potion roughly translates to: Banish the dark magic that is found and heal!