Chapter 14
"I need you to talk to Arthur."
"My Lord, I must talk to you." Gwen requested as she knocked on the doors to Arthur's chambers.
"Gwen." The young King sighed, his troubled features softening upon spotting her face.
Gesturing for her to come in he continued removing his battle garments, tossing them carelessly on the floor, the worried look of before returning to his face.
"Gwen, I don't have the time right now, Merlin's been hurt and I need to go and see if – "
"Please, it will only take a moment."
Seeing her earnest expression and wrinkled brow, Arthur stopped his movements and went to stand in front of his friend. "Go on then."
"It's about Jack, the man you arrested."
"Gwen." Arthur sighed exasperated.
"If you would just listen to me" she carried on.
"Gwen."
"I know I'm just a servant but I can vouch for him and -"
"Guinevere!" Arthur interrupted once more, placing his hands softly but firmly on her shoulders. "You are not just a servant, not to me." He whispered, gazing into her eyes before quickly looking and moving away. "But that man, he's not just a man. I saw it with my own eyes."
"Arthur please."
"No, I'll hear no more of it."
"Arthur"
"You should be more worried about your friend who could be dying, instead of running around doing favours for people you just met." Arthur's harsh words hit Gwen like a blow, causing her to stumble backwards. "I must go," and brushing past her Arthur left his chambers leaving Gwen behind wondering if perhaps her friend had been right.
"Doctor!" Rose called out as she stormed into Merlin's chambers. "There you are!" she cried upon spotting him knelt beside a prone Merlin. The latter man was lying fitfully on his bed, thrashing this way and that, muttering words in a language Rose didn't understand. The former man was leaning over his new friend, sonic out and pointing at the gash on the young man's chest.
"Is he going to be alright?" she asked softly, her worry for Jack momentarily cast aside. "I mean he has to be, right? Half the stuff from the legends hasn't even happened yet, he can't die now."
"Time can be rewritten, you know that Rose." The Doctor muttered as he leant in closer and peeled back the young man's eyelids only to shine the sonic in them.
"But not these times. Not him. He's only a boy, he can't be more than 18."
"I'm trying my best Rose, but this isn't the 21st Century or 3rd Century Blatamonia, they simply don't have the stuff he needs."
"But I do." Gaius declared as he strode into the room, a big ancient looking book clutched in his arms. "I do."
Brushing past the Doctor he moved to kneel beside his ward. Opening the book, he began searching for the right page.
"Doctor, what is he doing?" Rose asked, moving to approach Merlin, only to be held back by a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"He's helping."
Having found the right page Gaius spared a glance towards the two strangers, worry shining in his eyes, only to dismiss them and turn back to his dying ward.
"Gestepe hole! Þurhhæle" the old man chanted, his eyes flashing.
"Is he? Is that? Is that magic? Magic's real?" Rose asked the doctor, awe creeping into her voice.
"You call it magic but it's just another form of science, of power. You lot have maths, they have magic."
"Þurhhæle dolgbenn"
"If he gets caught doing this…" Rose trailed off, knowing the answer to her unspoken question. "We need to make sure no one sees. Doctor, go and stop Arthur from getting in."
"Jack's the one for distractions." The Doctor almost pouted.
"Yeah well, Jack is in a dungeon somewhere at the moment and we'll all be joining him soon if you don't deal with Arthur. Get to it!"
"You sound like your mother." The Doctor snarked teasingly before quickly leaving the room, narrowly avoiding a playful slap from the blonde. Smiling in fond amusement Rose turned back to the ailing Merlin, her smile quickly fading.
"Ge hailige. Ge hailige."
"It's not working, is it?" Rose asked softly.
Gaius turned to look at the young girl, staring for a few moments before looking back it his ward, his hands shakily turning pages in the book.
"How is he?" asked a voice from the doorway.
Spinning to face the newcomer Rose used her body to block their view of the room. 'Great work Doctor' Rose thought scathingly.
"Gwen!" Rose exclaimed. "How did it go with Arthur?" she asked, momentarily forgetting about her attempts to protect Gaius and concentrating once more on her friend who'd been locked away.
"I'm sorry, he wouldn't listen. How's Merlin?" Gwen asked again, her worry for her old friend outweighing her kindness towards her new one.
"He's…Gaius is doing everything he can but he needs privacy."
"Yet you're here." Gwen stated incredulously.
"Yeah, well he uh he needs my help. But you need to leave. Now. Please."
Although anxious to see him Gwen was genuinely worried about her friend and decided to give in, for now, leaving the chamber and moving to wait in the outer room.
"That was close." Rose muttered, leaning against the now closed door. "But what am I going to do about Jack?"
"Aha!" Gaius suddenly exclaimed, the uncharacteristic shout showing his relief.
"Have you found the right spell or whatever you call it?" Rose queried, rushing to Gaius' side.
"I do believe so."
"What are you waiting for? Magic away."
"I do not know if I am powerful enough." The old man sighed.
Placing her hand softly on Gaius' Rose whispered, "you have to try."
Nodding Gaius absently patted her hand. Sitting up straight the old man closed his eyes and seemed to mentally prepare himself.
"Ic þe þurhhæle þin licsare mid þam sundorcræftas þære ealdaþ æ!"
Merlin let out a small gasp of air as his eyes burst open. Sitting up he looked down at his chest, which was now free of all wounds. Eyes meeting Gaius' the boy smiled before laughing boyishly.
"Merlin!" a loud bellow preceded the King as he barged into the room, a frantic Doctor and Gwen following behind him. Upon seeing his friend awake and unharmed Arthur came to a sudden halt.
"What? How? You were, you were dying."
Quickly realising the danger they were in, Merlin hastily spoke up, "well you know how good Gaius is."
Approaching the bed, as if in a trance, Arthur moved Merlin's torn and bloodied shirt to the side, revealing the unmarked flesh.
"That's not possible." Arthur whispered, before he straightened and his voice hardened. "What kind of sorcery is this!"
Merlin looked to Gaius who looked at the floor ashamed but unrepentant.
"It was-" Gaius started only to be interrupted.
"It was me!" Rose declared.
Everyone turned to look at the blonde. Arthur looked enraged, Gaius, Merlin and Gwen looked shocked, and the Doctor, he just looked exasperated.
"I did magic stuff and healed him." Rose carried on, ignoring the Doctor's attempts to get her to stop. "In fact, I'm the one that healed Jack too, he's not a witch I am. And I'm not sorry. So, I guess you'll just have to arrest me." Rose declared presenting her wrists as if expecting handcuffs only to lower them upon remembering where and when she was.
The room fell silent for a moment before a cacophony of voices broke in.
"Sire, the girl is just confused."
"Please forgive my companion she's prone to dramatics."
"I can't let you take the blame."
"Arthur you can't believe this."
"Really Rose, 'magic stuff'?"
"It was medicine that's all, not magic!"
"I was improvising, alright!"
"Silence!" Arthur yelled. "I am arresting you for practicing sorcery, the sentence for which is death."
"Arthur, you can't! If she really did use magic she only did it to save Merlin and her friend. She's not a bad person." Gwen spoke up.
"You don't know them. You met them today, we all did." Arthur spoke, his voice hard and emotionless. "And even if you did, you know how I feel about magic. You know the law."
Grabbing Rose by the shoulder he began moving from the room.
"Doctor!" Rose called out as they left the room. "Slight change of plans, yeah."
Left standing in the room the Doctor sighed and turned towards the young sorcerer. "Companions huh. Who'd have 'em?"