AN: Hey babes! Sorry for a delay in updates! Hopefully it wasn't too long for you. :)
I work on a family therapy team for kids at risk of removal from the home for mental health issues, and it's been super busy. And then my in-laws are moving so we've been doing weekend garage sales for them.
It's been busy in my world!
But, here's part one of La Morte d'Arthur, and i hope you enjoy it! The next chapter is part two, and then the chapter after that is back to the sexual tension buffet that we all love. We're going to need it after this dish of drama. ;)
Hope you're all well!
xoxo
Chapter 7
We were being quiet as we stalked an animal through the woods. Arthur and some of the knights crouched low and crept through the leaves and brush of the forest. I tip toed just behind Arthur, trying to keep quiet and balanced while carrying Arthur's supplies and a few weapons. They were hunting for fun, but they all treated the trip like a terribly serious mission with utmost importance.
Arthur signaled for us all to stop after a sound of movement was heard ahead. "Merlin, spear," he demanded quietly.
I located the spear in the many items I was carrying, and clumsily held it out for Arthur. He, of course, made a comment about my natural grace, and I quipped back about his rudeness.
It had been a tense few weeks since rumor quickly spread that Lancelot and I had kissed. I had made the mistake of telling Gwen in public and our conversation had been overheard. It was just another few days until Morgana heard, who mentioned it while I served dinner to the royal family. Horrifying embarrassment was putting it lightly. Servants were to be hardly seen and never heard, especially while serving dinner to King Uther. But Morgana, thinking she was being funny, brought it up while I was pouring wine into Arthur's goblet. Needless to say, I spilled wine over Arthur's plate of chicken and vegetables. The rest of that evening had not gone well; Uther made a rude comment, Arthur dismissed me for the night, Morgana tried to apologize, and Gaius laughed at me. Now, Arthur and I weren't quite avoiding each other like we've done in the past, but we weren't exactly friendly.
I was lost in thought, following the knights, when there was a loud, low growl in the distance. It sounded huge, and nothing like a buck or a rabbit….
Arthur must have sensed my hesitance because he looked back at me, a softness on his face now. "Don't worry, it's likely more afraid of you than you are of it," he tried to assure me.
But, he was very wrong. While he was still looking back at me, a beast jumped into view. It looked like nothing I had ever seen before, but I mostly saw claws and teeth. Arthur dropped his spear and ran with the knights, away from the beast. He was not wearing his armor and the knights were in minimal chainmail. There was no way they were equipped for fighting this beast. I ran amongst them, dropping supplies and weapons as I went to help my speed. I chanced a glance back at the beast, and tripped over a root. A few of the knights rushed to help me get back up and run again. My magic didn't even have time to react.
We ran until the beast stopped chasing us and we all stopped to catch our breath.
"Who's missing?" Arthur asked, out of breath and looking around.
I took note of the winded knights as I took as much air into my aching lungs as possible. "Sir Bedivere…"
There was screaming in the distance, it was Sir Bedivere. He was one of the knights who stopped to help me up when I fell, and he was being killed by the beast. Guilt filled me and stayed there as we made our way back to the castle to inform the king.
Gaius was present when the council was called to discuss the attack from the beast. "The beast you are describing fits the description of the Questing Beast," he said gravely. That sounded like a magical creature. I narrowed my eyes at Gaius. Hopefully he was mistaken.
"Surely that's a myth," Arthur said, but didn't dismiss Gaius.
"Gaius, it's an old wives' tale," King Uther said, warning on his tone.
"Look, whatever it is, it's spreading panic," Arthur said, removing the conversation from Gaius. "The people fear it will enter the city."
"Then you must kill it. Gather the guard. You ride at dawn," Uther commanded Arthur and started to leave the council.
Arthur glanced at me. I nodded in understanding that I was the one to gather the guard for the morning and get him ready.
I sent word to his knights, prepared Arthur a bath, and then started gathering the things he would need for the hunt. When his armor was ready, I headed to Gaius' chambers to sharpen Arthur's sword and head to bed.
Gaius was stooped over his books when I got there, his brow furrowed in worry.
"This is no ordinary beast, Merlin," he warned.
"Don't worry," I said dismissively. Experience told me that every beast that came into Camelot was not an ordinary beast, and that Arthur and I could defeat it.
"No, listen to me, you don't understand. Uther may not respect the Old Religion, but it is very real. To face a beast such as this, you must understand where it came from. At the very heart of the Old Religion lies the magic of life and death itself. The Questing Beast carries that power. One bite, you die, and there is no cure," Gaius explained.
I sighed. Of course there was no cure. "We will be careful, Gaius. I'll watch over Arthur," I said with less confidence than before.
The next morning, Arthur stood before the knights, giving them a speech to bolster their confidence, when Morgana came running out of the castle in her night clothes. She called his name frantically, tears on her cheeks. She ran to Arthur and gripped his arms. "Arthur, you can't go! No!" She pleaded him.
"Morgana, what are you doing? Go back to bed, there's nothing to be afraid of," Arthur said, trying to calm her.
Gwen and I had spoken often of Morgana's nightmares and I knew Gaius had often given her a potion to help her sleep. I approached Morgana and tried to pull her off of Arthur. "She probably had a bad dream, sire. I'll take her to see Gaius," I said and struggled to help Morgana up the stairs. Guards were called to help me.
"No! I will not let you go!" Morgana cried out.
"I will make sure he's safe, my lady. I promise," I said as the guards practically carried her into the castle.
Everyone was shaken by Morgana's outburst, but Arthur reprised his speech about bravery and fortitude. It worked, and the knights and Arthur and I were off for the forest.
We returned to where we had seen the beast the day before and started our search there. Arthur assumed the lair of the beast was nearby and that we had stumbled across it during the hunt. Gaius' warning and Morgana's fear followed me through the woods. Something was different, something was wrong. My magic was on high alert as we searched the woods on foot, weapons out.
We were silent as Arthur and the knights scanned the ground for tracks. Something caught Arthur's eye and he quickly lead us to a large claw print in the mud. It was huge and seemed freshly made. A growl was heard not far away and I took an unsteady breath. Arthur looked back at me. "Stay close," he said quietly.
We followed the tracks to a cave and my heart sank. It had to be a cave, didn't it? It had to be dark, with unclear routes, with never ending tunnels leading to who knows where. We lit torches and went in pairs through the tunnels.
My magic perked up when I sensed the presence of another magical creature. Gaius was right, it was a creature of the Old Religion. I lead the way for Arthur, holding the torch out to illuminate our path. The tunnel we took opened up to a larger space. Bones littered the ground, and I was sure that this was where the beast lived.
There was a hissing sound and Arthur stepped up to stand in front of me. "What was that?" I asked.
"Shh!" Arthur shushed me, as he looked around. His eyes were wide and almost fearful, as noises of movement echoed throughout the larger space. We turned to where a sound echoed, but nothing was there. Then my magic jumped in warning as the creature was closest now, and I turned to see it just behind Arthur.
Arthur roughly pushed me away from him and the beast and swung his sword. He swiped at the beast a few times as I ran for higher ground on a rock. I needed to get it away from Arthur. Surely the other knights would hear the fight and come to help. But Arthur could not get bit. I climbed in large leaps that would likely not be possible without magic, and waved the torch. "Hey!" I called out. "Hey, over here!"
The beast took one last swipe at Arthur before rounding on me. It was successful and Arthur was thrown to the ground, his sword skidding across the rocks. I used my magic to fling the sword into the neck of the beast. It glowed purple as it roared in pain before it fell to the ground, presumably dead.
I ran to Arthur, who was still unmoving on the ground. "It didn't bite you, did it?" I asked his unconscious body frantically.
I shook him by his shoulders and when I pulled away, my hand was wet with blood. Panic seized my body and my own blood ran cold. "Arthur! Arthur!" I called his name but he did not respond.
"Somebody help me!" I screamed for the knights. I checked for a pulse, it was weak but there. He was alive. I pushed his hair back from his face. He was pale like death. Tears poured down my face and splashed onto Arthur's armor. I summoned my magic and tried a few quick spells, but nothing worked. "Somebody!" I screamed again, my voice screeching and echoing off the cave walls.
The knights made it to where we were and immediately lifted Arthur from the rocky floor. One of them helped me up, I didn't see who it was, as my eyes were fixed on Arthur's lifeless form.
The frantic run back to the horses and then speeding ride back to the castle was done blinded by tears and filled with panic. The knights took him immediately to Gauis' chambers and I rushed ahead. I burst through the chamber doors and pushed everything off of the table. Gaius looked offended for a fraction of a second before he took in the still Arthur.
"What's happened?" he demanded of me but I didn't have any words. Gaius leaned over Arthur to see where the blood on his shoulder was coming from. "He's been bitten!" He said and looked at me again.
"I tried to protect him," I said, my voice thick with tears.
"Go and tell the king," Gaius demanded of a guard.
After the guard left, Gaius and I were alone with Arthur. "There must me something you can do," I begged of Gaius.
"I wish there was," he said and looked sadly down at the fallen prince.
Rage filled me now. This was my fault. I failed to complete my purpose in life- I failed to protect Arthur. I had to fix this. "I will find a cure," I said determinedly and rushed to my spell book.
"Merlin!" Gaius called after me.
"Trust me, Gaius!" I called back to him as I located the book in my room. I would do anything required to make sure Arthur lived.
I rushed back down to the main room and began flipping through the pages hurriedly. Gaius looked at what I was holding and said incredulously "The king will be here any moment!"
"He can't die! It's my destiny to protect him!" I snapped at Gaius. I took a shaky breath and wiped at my tears. "We haven't done everything we were meant to."
Gaius looked as if he didn't understand. "That's the lament of all men."
"Gaius," I said more calmly now, realizing that snapping at the physician did us no good. "He's my friend."
"Then save him," Gaius said, giving me permission to use magic.
I looked at the book. This would take too much time if I had to flip through every page. I closed my eyes and asked the book to show me it's best healing spell. I opened my eyes to see the pages opening to a spell. I tried it on Arthur, but nothing happened. I asked the book for another, but this one also didn't work.
We stepped to the still unmoving Arthur. "Maybe the spells need time to take effect," I desperately suggested to Gaius.
"The bite of the Questing Beast is a death sentence that no magic can overturn," Gaius said seriously.
Uther was heard coming down the hall, shouting for Arthur. He burst into the chamber and immediately went to his son's side. I had never seen Uther care so much for Arthur as when he thought he was loosing him.
"Do something, Gaius!" Uther demanded.
"I am trying, your majesty," Gaius assured him.
"Gaius will find a cure. He will not let him die," I said, truly meaning that I would find a cure and that I would not let him die. I would use magic.
Gaius gave me a look of warning. "I will do everything in my power."
Uther pulled Arthur into his arms. "I will bear him to his chambers," he said quietly.
I watched silently as Uther carried Arthur out of Gaius' chambers. I felt sick to my stomach and entirely responsible. I should have stopped him from going after the beast. I should have had more knights accompany him. This should not have happened.
Gaius and I followed Uther out into the courtyard. Uther went to his knees under the weight of his son and his grief. Knights rushed to help him and carried Arthur the rest of the way to his chambers. The heartbroken and grief stricken Uther remained on his knees until Gaius helped him up.
My magic wasn't strong enough to save him, I knew this now. I needed help. I needed the dragon. So while Gaius hurried to Arthur's chambers to tend to his wounds as best as he could, I sprinted to the dungeons to the passage that led to the dragon. He was waiting for me when I got there.
"I've failed Arthur," I said with tears threatening to fall. "Failed in my destiny."
"And yet you would not be here if that we true," the dragon replied.
"He was bitten by the Questing Beast," I explained. "He's going to die."
"Does he still breathe?" the dragon asked.
"Only just."
"Then there is still time to heal him," the dragon said.
"I've tried, I cannot save him," I admitted.
"You do not know how to save him," the dragon said cryptically.
"But you could tell me?" I asked hopefully.
"Perhaps…. It will not be easy," the dragon said, a teasing lilt in his tone
"Please, I'll do anything," I pleaded. "Just tell me what I have to do."
"Very well. The Questing Beast is a creature conjured by the powers of the Old Religion. You must use the same ancient magic to save him. It is the magic of the earth itself. It is the essence which binds all things together. It will last long beyond the time of men. You must find those who still serve it. Those who hold dominion over life and death. Go to the place that men call the Isle of the Blessed, where the power of the ancients can still be felt. There you will discover Arthur's salvation."
"Thank you," I said to the dragon, trying to convey just how deeply grateful I was. "Thank you."
"And Merlin, Arthur must live… no matter what the cost," he said warningly.
I nodded at the dragon. I could not agree more.
I returned to Gaius' chambers where he was working on a potion. "Merlin, you're back. You must give this to Arthur to ease his passing."
"No, we have to save him," I said and started gathering supplies for a journey.
"But you've already tried!" Gaius said, trying to talk sense into me.
"The beast comes from the Old Religion so the cure must come from there, as well," I said, summarizing what the dragon had told me.
"There are not many left with such an art," Gaius said with a shake of his head.
"You said yourself, the Old Religion is still alive. And, there is an island beyond the White Mountains-"
"No!"
"The Isle of the Blessed. You've heard of it?"
"It was said to be the center of the Old Religion, the focus of it's power," Gaius explained.
"Why did you keep this from me?" I questioned angrily.
"Because it was too dangerous," Gaius said as if it was enough.
"It's our only chance!" I exclaimed. Why couldn't Gaius see this?
"The High Priests have the power to mirror life and death, but there will be a price to pay. They will demand a life in return. Merlin, please, I beg of you," Gaius said, desperation in his voice.
"I'm sorry, Gaius. Whatever the price is, I will pay it gladly," I said before finishing packing.
Gaius ended up agreeing with me going to the Isle of the Blessed. As I was preparing a horse, he met me outside and gave me a map of the way and a small wrapped gift. It was a rabbit's foot that his mother had given him for protection against evil spirits. I thanked him and kept the foot in my pocket.
The journey took a full day's hard ride. It was evening again when I reached the lake. I left the horse with some apples and grain before I summoned a boat to take me to the island. It was foggy on the lake, and quiet and still. I was weary from my travels and exhausted emotionally, but I did not sleep on the boat. My mind was solely fixed on the mission in front of me. The isle came into view, a ruined castle covered most of it. Water ran through the lower part of the castle now, and the boat led me through it. It was quiet and eerie in the early evening. My skin prickled and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. The magic in my veins made my heart pump faster the closer we got to land. At the center of the castle, on land, there was a green courtyard with stones in a circle and a large stone altar. This must have been where the High Priests lived. But there was nobody here. Had they all died off like we were led to believe?
I spun around. "Hello?" I called out.
"Hello, Merlin," a woman's voice said.
I spun to see the maid who had poisoned me all those months ago. But that maid was actually Nimueh, I knew now.
"You," I said accusingly.
"Do you know who I am?" she asked with humor as she approached me.
"Nimueh. You can't be who the dragon meant," I said and shook my head.
"And why is that?" she challenged.
"Because you tried to kill me," I explained.
"That was before I understood your importance," she replied.
"And Arthur?" I questioned.
"Arthur was never destined to die at my hand, and now it seems that I will be his salvation," she said coyly.
"So you know what I've come to ask?" I surmised.
"Yes," she said with a smirk.
"Will you do it?" I asked of her, even though I now felt like this was all wrong.
"I do not have the power to mirror life itself and yet give nothing in return. To save a life, there must be a death. The balance of the world must be restored," she explained.
"I willingly give my life for Arthurs'," I said determinedly and raised my chin.
"How brave you are, Merlin," she said with humor. "If only it were that simple."
"What do you mean?" I asked, hesitating.
"Once you enter into this bargain, it cannot be undone," she warned me.
"Whatever I need to do, I will do," I said sternly to her, stepping forward. I knew what I was doing, why did she have to question me? "His life is worth a hundred of mine."
Nimueh must have seen that I wasn't playing around because she conjured a golden goblet out of the air. She held it out to me. "The Cup of Life. Blessed by centuries of powerful sorcerers so that it contains the very secret of life itself. If Arthur drinks water from the cup, he will live."
I walked towards her, feeling powerful magic emanating from the goblet as I got closer. She wasn't lying, this had to contain more power than I had ever come in contact with. I could feel it. My bones felt like they were vibrating as I reached out to take it.
She handed it over to me easily and then called into being a rain shower. The skies opened up and poured down a cool rain. I held out the cup and let it fill with rain water. When the cup was sufficiently filled, the rain stopped. The air around me smelled like wet grass and cotton, and the ground began to steam as the reemerged sun dried the rain. Nimueh poured the water from the Cup of Life into a small flask.
"The bargain is struck," she said and handed me the flask. Then she grabbed my wrist with a coy look. "I hope it pleases you."
If I hadn't had the exact thing I was looking for in my hand, then I would have thought she was up to something. But I paid her behavior no mind and quickly left without another word. I had to get back to Arthur.
I ran to the boat and used magic to make it faster to the shore. Then I rode as fast and as hard as I could back to the castle. The horse must have known that this was a serious occasion because he didn't complain or slow as we sped through the forest.
It was morning, some time after the servants' bell, when I arrived back in Camelot. I left the horse for the stable hands and sprinted to Gaius' chambers despite the protest of my body. I burst into the room, starling the old man.
"Merlin!" He exclaimed.
"Gaius we have to give this to Arthur. It's water from the Cup of Life. If he drinks from it, he will survive. We need to hurry," I said, out of breath.
Gaius took in my appearance, which was likely dirty and disheveled. He started to walk towards the door and then stopped suddenly.
"What are you waiting for? We need to hurry," I insisted.
"What price did you pay to redeem his life?" Gaius demanded, angrily. "Whose life did you bargain?!"
"Don't worry, Gaius. Everything's going to be alright!" I tried my best to reassure him with a bright smile.
It worked because we were able to rush up to Arthur's chambers and give him the water. I sat behind him and propped up his head on my lap as Gaius poured some of the water into his mouth. Arthur swallowed the water and I pushed back his sweaty hair from his forehead.
Nothing happened. It didn't work. My breath caught in my throat and came out as a sob.
"I will go get the King," Gaius said after a few moments of no response from Arthur. He shut the door behind him softly.
"Arthur you need to wake up," I said, tears rolling down my cheeks. "We still need you here. Camelot needs you. Your father needs you. I- I need you. And not just for a job. You're my friend. And- and you're going to be the best King that Albion has ever seen. That the world has ever seen. Arthur, we still have so much to do. Please, Arthur," I cried and pressed my forehead against his.
Maybe it wasn't enough of the water. Maybe he needed another swallow. I opened the flask and poured the rest of the water into his mouth and he swallowed it just as the door opened.
King Uther and Gaius came into the room. "What are you doing? What is she giving him, physician?"
"It's a… tincture made from the lobelia plant, an ancient remedy for poisonous bites," Gaius lied.
"A cure?" Uther asked, breathless with hope.
"We hope," Gaius said.
"Do you really think it will have some effect?" Uther asked, coming closer and seeing my tear streaked, dirty face.
"It's our last resort, sire. Perhaps you should allow him to rest," Gaius suggested.
"I will not leave him," Uther said and sat next to Arthur on the bed.
I stood up, clearly intruding on Uther's time with his son. I didn't want to leave. If I was to die to save Arthur, I wished I could do it next to him. But, perhaps this was better. He wouldn't have to wake up with a dead body so close to him.
I sighed as Gaius ushered me out of the room and back to his chambers. We passed Morgana, who looked like she hadn't slept as long as I had been gone. She grabbed my arm as we passed. "Please, Merlin. You must beware. This is only the beginning," she said frantically.
I apologized to her and rushed after Gaius back to his chambers. I didn't understand what Morgana was saying and I didn't want to let on like I knew anything of what she was saying. A chill set into my bones and wouldn't leave.
I couldn't sleep, despite the exhaustion of my body. I paced Gaius chambers back and forth for hours. Gaius went to check on Arthur and Uther after he ate dinner and took awhile to come back. I couldn't stand the waiting. If Arthur was going to wake up and live, then shouldn't I drop dead? Was that how it worked? Was the fact that I was still up and walking mean that Arthur was still unconscious?
Gaius opened the door and entered, a solemn look on his face. I stopped my pacing and waited. "The Prince lives," Gaius said.
Relief and happiness swept over my body. I ran my hands through my matted and dirty hair as tears fell from my eyes. I was more relieved and happy than I had ever been in my life. I was ecstatic. I did it. It worked!
Gaius shut the door behind him and looked at me solemnly and bowed his head. He looked like he knew exactly what I had done. Some of the happiness slipped away as I remembered that this meant I was to die.
I needed to see for myself that he was alive. I needed to see him again before I died. Gaius prepared for bed and turned in, and I quietly slipped out of the room.
Candles were lit in Arthur's room when I entered and he looked up at me. He smiled.
"I knew it. I knew you'd be alright," I said with a relieved sigh. My relief was tenfold now that I saw him awake and smiling at me.
"I can remember you talking to me," he said, looking like he was straining to remember.
"Y- you can?" I hesitated and turned away from him and poured a glass of water.
"You stroked my forehead," he said thoughtfully.
"I was tending to your fever," I tried to say defensively.
"You still need me," Arthur said, repeating what I had said.
"I was just talking," I tried to dismiss him.
"Tell me again what you said?" He requested.
"I don't remember," I said with a shake of my head.
"Yes you do," he said in a teasing tone.
"No, I don't," I tried. A deep blush crept over my face and neck.
"Oh come on! Something about how I am going to be the best king in the world and that you need me, and that you want me, oh! You love me!" he teased.
"I never said that!" I insisted, turning back to him.
"You might as well have," he laughed as he took in my blush. "Say it now."
"I- need to get these washed," I said and picked up the clothes used to wash away his feverish sweat.
Arthur was laughing as I shut the door behind me. If that was the last that I spoke to Arthur, it was alright. He knew how much I cared for him.
I went to bed, finally, ready to give my life for Arthur's. I knew that I would not wake up. I wrote a letter to Gaius and my mother and lay in my bed until sleep enveloped me. I had no regrets. I had fulfilled my destiny to protect Arthur, and I had done it well. I fell asleep with the image of Arthur's laughing face in my head.