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"What?" Merlin asked as he and Arthur leaned against the fence surrounding the knight's practice field. It was an off day for him, meant to give him rest while the two parties discussed the latest demands that this treaty had brought up.
"King Bayard of Mercia will be arriving here in a few weeks to celebrate a treaty that my father has finished with them." Arthur explained patiently.
Merlin thought this over as he watched the two current knights in the ring duke it out with maces. "Your father has been a busy man." He finally said aloud. Arthur snorted but waited for him to continue. "So what has this to do with me?"
"Well, for one, he mentioned in his letter that he would like to meet with you. A peaceful Druid among humans is almost unheard of."
"So what, I'm some circus attraction now?" He asked waspishly. It seemed he was always being watched like some great attraction, some rare beast that was watched in curiosity or in fear of attack.
Arthur just arched a brow at him. "You knew this would happen when you said yes to coming with me."
He let a sigh loose. "I know. I'm just tired right now. And I do know, but for just a little while, I'd like to be able to walk among them and not be the center of attention." He explained.
"Well, you could always use a glamor, but that not what you meant." He said as Merlin let out a huff in exasperation. "Merlin, you don't think you're the only one who's always in the center of attention. I have to deal with it, too."
He sent him an apologetic look, but didn't say anything. "Alright, come on. Let's spare. It will get your mind off of things for a little while." He pushed and shoved at the reluctant Druid towards the weapons shed.
"Ready, Merlin?" Arthur asked him just outside of the doors leading to the banquet hall. IT was an odd sense of déjà vu, the two of them standing there waiting to go in. This time though, Merlin was more experienced with these things, less nervous.
"I guess. Let's just get this over with so I can go back to bed." The horn blared and the doors opened, letting noise and light out to momentarily deafen and blind them. Blinking, they walked in.
The seating was the same as usual, the high table on the other side of the room, Merlin's table just below it, and four long rows of benches for the others. Except, there was an extra chair at the high table next to Uther.
King Bayard of Mercia was a large man with chestnut colored locks that only had a few gray to give evidence to his age. A large beard was neatly groomed and trimmed on his cheeks and chin. His colors were the opposite of the Pendragon colors: blue to Pendragon red and silver to Pendragon gold.
The tables were fairly evenly split, with Mercian and Camelot knights sitting on opposite sides. As Arthur and Merlin walked down the main isle, figures in blue turned to stare at the first druid they most likely had ever seen. Merlin just gritted his teeth and ignored them as he left Arthur to take his seat at his own table.
It was like his first feat here all over again. All the new comers were scrutinizing his every move, comparing how he acted to the myths that humans created about his people. Still, he ignored them through the many courses of the feast from the fish soup to the mincemeat pie at the end.
Except that it was the end of the feast that would be the hardest to get through. Now he must socialize with these people, most specifically, Bayard. Sighing, he wiped at his mouth and stood slowly as the others did likewise. Already he could feel a headache pounding just behind his eyes.
For the next half an hour, he circulated, talking with visiting knights and nobles. He was dissuading a knight about what a Druid would normally eat, again, when he looked up and saw Arthur and Uther walking over towards him, King Bayard following behind them.
"Excuse me." The man nodded, turning to his other companion, as Merlin walked over to meet the three royals. "Your majesties." He bowed slightly to the three.
"Ah, Merlin, just the one we wanted. King Bayard was just asking if he might have a brief talk with you. He has some interest in the Druidic culture." Uther said aloud, looking pointedly at the paler man.
He nodded. "I am at your disposal. Please, ask away." Uther nodded and left, drawn away by another noble with a question for him. His talk with Bayard was actually not as horrible as he thought it would be. The man asked intelligent questions and listened politely as he answered, not over riding him with his own theories.
It was only an urgent matter that one of his nobles brought to him that ended the discussion. By now, Merlin was feeling the effects of the strong wine and rich food he had had already. He really needed to get away for a few minutes to catch his breath and cool down from this body packed room.
Telling Arthur he would be back in a few minutes, he made his way as quickly as he could from the room. Even then, it still took ten minutes to walk from one side of the room to the other as people tried to talk with him.
It was with a heartfelt sigh of relief that he made it out of the banquet hall to the hallway. He made a quick dash for one of the nearby balconies and flung himself onto it. He drew in lungfuls of cool night air, feeling the sweat on his brow cool as the night breeze feathered his bangs.
It was dark out, the stars a shining brocade of light, the moon, a small portion of its full glory. Outside, all was quiet, the towns people already abed in preparation for the morrow. The only souls out at the moment were guards and a few of the older banquet guest who were making their way to their beds.
Straightening up, he jerked around at an alarmed squeak behind him. A woman stood in the balcony entrance, eyes large as she took him in. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you. It just, I needed to speak with someone and it's so important…" She faded off.
She was fairly tall, not as tall as him though, with pale unblemished skin, midnight black hair and deep blue eyes that looked almost black in the dark out here. She wore a servant's garb, colored in Mercian blue.
"You may talk with me if you like." He coaxed her, smiling gently so as not to startle her again. "What is this great matter?" He asked.
She glanced around, checking for others in the area, but none were near. Taking a step forward, she said softly to him. "There is a plot afoot."
"A plot?" he asked, brow furrowed in thought. "Who's?"
"King Bayard. I overheard him talking to one of his advisors. He means to poison your Prince…or the King, whomever he can get at first." She said nervously, glancing around fearfully for spies that weren't there to catch her betrayal.
"Do you know how?"
"No, I wasn't able to see since I was behind his changing screen, but he said something about their love of wine." She told him.
"I will go at once and stop it. Thank you for informing me. What is your name by the way?" he asked her.
'Oh, please, no. If they were to find out, I would surely be killed." She exclaimed in alarm.
"Alright, don't tell me, but I must go." He left without looking back; feet carrying him swiftly back to the banquet hall. As he neared the doors, he slowed, catching his breath and smoothing down his wind swept hair.
His entrance went unnoticed for a few minutes, enough time to locate Arthur and Uther. Uther was on one side of the room, opposite his position. His hands were empty; he drank only a little wine at feast like this to keep from getting inebriated and doing something stupid. That left only Arthur.
The blonde was close by, hands empty for the moment. He quickly walked over to him. As he arrived, a servant, in blue, brought him a fresh goblet of the wine that flowed so freely tonight. He acted without thinking, and reaching out, snagged the goblet from his hand. He quickly drained it before the Prince could snatch it back.
"That was a little unorthodox, Merlin." He complained to the Druid.
"What can I say? I just got really thirsty all of a sudden." The Druid smiled as sweetly as he could to the blonde. Arthur just shot him a glare and flagged down another servant, this time in red, and got another goblet.
He quickly took a sip before Merlin could snatch it from him. Merlin couldn't help but smile. He had to fix it in place as something inside him clenched. "I think I've had enough of this banquet for one night. I'm going to bed." He told the prince.
"I'll help you back. You've had too much wine to be very coordinated." Arthur offered.
"No, no. I can make it on my own. You just stay here. I'm sure they would rather hear what Avlin looks like from a human than a druid anyhow." He smiled at Arthur and waved at Morgana as she headed for the Prince.
"Arthur." Morgana said to him. She didn't get to continue as a woman screamed. The two siblings turned as one to see what had happened. A small crowd had gathered around something. The hastened over to them, pushing through those gathered to see what or who was in their center.
"Merlin!" Arthur shouted, pushing his way through with more force until he could come to the pale Druid who lay on the floor. He was sweating heavily, his body shaking as if wrack with cold. He turned him over onto his back, trying to get his attention.
The goblet in his hand rolled to the floor with a clatter. Staring at it with some trepidation, he lifted it up and sniffed. The unmistakable scent of strong wine came back, but there was something underneath it. It smelt like…
"Mint?" There hadn't been mint in the wine. He'd made sure of that. "Quickly, help me get him to Gaius." One of Camelot's knights came forward to help pick up the poison Druid.
The crowd parted to let them through and they trotted at a steady pace to Gaius's work room. Not even knocking, the door was thrust open, the old physician jerking up from his bed in surprise. "Quickly, Gaius, we haven't much time." The physician stood from his bed, motioning them to his surprisingly clear table.
Merlin was lain down gently as Gaius looked over him. "What's wrong?" The older man asked.
"He's been poison with mint." Arthur described.
"Mint, but it's not a poison." He stated confusedly.
"Among druids, it is a poison." He explained, turning to the man. "Where is your Hemlock?" He asked him.
"Hemlock?" He raised an eyebrow at the prince.
"Gaius, we don't have time for questions now. Just get me your Hemlock." The physician complied, rummaging through his many bottled concoctions to pull out a small, nondescript one with 'Hemlock' written in spidery script on a faded paper label.
Quickly, he snatched it from the physician's hand and turned back to the slowly dying Druid. Plucking out the corked, he motioned for the other knight, just now noticed that it was Sir Leon, to hold up his head.
Opening his mouth slightly, he steadily poured in three drops of the fluid, letting it trickle into his mouth. He held his breath, letting it out in a rush as Merlin swallowed it down. The seconds ticked by as they waited.
Gradually, his shaking stopped, his chest rising and falling in even strokes. He cracked his eyes open, staring up at Arthur who looked down at him in worry. "What−" His voice broke and he swallowed again. "What happened?"
"You were poisoned…" Arthur said softly. "…with mint."
Merlin let out a hoarse bark of laughter. "I'm such an idiot." He choked out.
"What do you mean?" Arthur asked as Leon laid him back onto the table, a pillow provided by Gaius to support him.
He explained to them in a few words what had taken place on the balcony. Arthur was tense as he finished. "Who would do this? It would mean war with the Druids."
"That's probably what they wanted." A voice said behind him. Uther stood in Gaius's doorway, Ygraine and Morgana just behind him.
He strode in. "How many know of this weakness of your people?" He asked the Druid.
"It would not be common knowledge among humans. It must be either one of the humans who live on the edge of our forests or…" He stopped.
"…another Druid." Arthur finished, face grim as they thought over this new line of thought.
[A/N]: I know that Mint is not a poison and Hemlock is, but these are Druids and a different rase from humans so they are able to be hurt by different things. That's one reason why Merlin took the goblet, because a poison that would hurt a human, wouldn't affect a Druid.
How many saw the mention of Mint from earlier in the story?