Hello everyone, me again! I did promise to finish the masquerade storyline so here it is!
Demons: Imagine Dragons
Hope you like it!
Gaius threw the door to his rooms open quickly, brushed everything off of one of the tables, and gestured for Gwaine to set his ward down on it. Merlin groaned when he hit the hard wood. Gaius quickly began barking orders.
"Gwen, go fetch some warm water, cloth, and bandages. Gwaine, help me."
The Princess grabbed a bucket from the floor and ran over to a small pump in the corner of the room, moving the handle round and round to get water. Filling it to the brim, she walked back to where Gaius and Gwaine were using knives to cut off Merlin's shirt, strip by strip to avoid pulling at any of the wounds. She then grabbed the cloths and bandages, setting them on another table nearby. By now, they had removed the front half of his shirt, and Gwen's heart filled with fear as she saw the large burn in the center of his chest.
"We can't do anything for it now," Gaius said, seeing the look on her face. "We need to stitch up the wounds on his back before he loses more blood. Gwaine, turn him over, GENTLY. Gwen, wet two cloths, one for me, one for you; we need to clean out the cuts."
Gwaine turned the warlock over and peeled the rest of the shirt off of him, almost crying out at the mutilated mess.
"Don't worry, Gwaine, it's worse than it looks. These are all old wounds, we just need to clean and stitch them back up." The physician began to wash away some of the blood. Gwen flinched when she heard Merlin groan in pain, beginning to struggle under Gaius's hands.
"Can't you give him something for the pain?" she asked shrilly, the cloth in her hand dripping water on the floor, the Princess afraid to hurt her friend.
"The magic is still too fresh in his body. Any poppy we use would go to waste. Gwaine, fetch that piece of leather on the table and put it in his mouth. While Gwen and I work, I need you to hold him down."
The knight looked up at the physician, fear plain in his eyes. Gwaine was a warrior, not a healer. He was used to being the one on the table, not the one watching. But he picked up the leather and put it in Merlin's mouth anyways, pulling up a chair and sitting in front of the warlock's head, holding his friend's hands tightly.
It was a long process and terrible for everyone in the room, and by the time Gaius finished the final stitch on the final wound, Gwen and Gwaine were at their wits end. Merlin's incessant cries of pain and struggles had rubbed their nerves raw, and when Gaius finally nodded to tell them that the worst was over, both young people breathed a sigh of relief. Miraculously, the warlock had managed to stay conscious through the ordeal-much to the dismay of his friends-but his breaths were ragged, eyes glazed over in pain.
"Help me turn him over," Gaius told the knight tiredly, and the two flipped Merlin onto his back, ignoring the grunt of pain. The burn on his chest hadn't gotten any better; in fact, in Gwen's eyes, it looked even worse.
"Cool down the wound, the water will help with the pain. I'm going to go make a salve to heal it. Gwaine, please talk to him since he's still awake. I want him to remain conscious just a bit longer so he can tell me if the salve is working."
The two nodded. Gwen moved to use more water before stopping. The water was a deep crimson. She looked down at her hands and inhaled sharply at the sight of them—they were covered in blood. Gwaine saw this and looked at her with comforting eyes before picking up the bucket and emptying it out the window, refilling it with fresh water. Washing their hands, Gwen picked up a new cloth and wet it carefully, watching her friend's face as she hesitantly began to dab the wound. The warlock winced but did not cry out, doing his best to remain still. Gwaine took his seat and put his hand in his friend's, squeezing it gently to comfort him.
"How are you doing?" The knight asked softly, and above them, Gwen smiled. She rarely saw Gwaine so gentle.
"Been better," Merlin replied, his voice so quiet that his friends had to strain to hear it.
"Tell me, where does it hurt?"
"I think the better question is where does it not hurt."
Gwaine laughed. "Alright, answer that question."
"Nowhere," The warlock said with a smile, flinching as Gwen pulled out a bit of fabric from the torn flesh. His eyes glazed over in pain and he coughed, beginning to nod off.
"Nope, sorry, buddy, I need you to stay awake," Gwaine said sharply, but the warlock ignored him. "Don't make me kiss you!"
That opened Merlin's eyes, and he looked at Gwaine in horror. "If you kissed me, I'd probably die right here."
"Or you'd turn into a handsome prince."
"Then what am I now?"
"A frog," Gwaine replied with a skilled poker face, looking the warlock up and down he elaborated further. "A frog whose just been stepped on."
"Squished."
"Mangled."
"Cooked."
"Dissected."
"Enough!" Gwen interrupted, looking down at the warlock with accusing eyes. "You are supposed to be moaning in agony, not poking fun at yourself."
Merlin raised an eyebrow at her. "So you'd prefer me to be in pain?"
"—To acting like an idiot with idiot number one here, yes!"
"Hey!" Gwaine cried, but he couldn't remain serious for long and the three began laughing-stopping abruptly when Merlin winced.
Luckily, Gaius was finished with the salve and came rushing over. "This should also help with the pain…" the physician said softly, gently rubbing the burn.
The warlock sighed in relief. The salve was cool and dulled the fire in his chest, and Merlin closed his eyes as the jarring pain began to lessen. Gaius smiled softly and finished the salve, adding on a little extra. He then turned to his helpers.
"Gwaine, help me carry him to the tub in the corner so we can clean him up and get him into some clean clothes. Gwen, if you could go to your father—he and King Uther are probably being held safe with their families in the throne room. Make sure he knows where you've been and tell him you'll be staying with me tonight. Also inform him that I'll be visiting shortly. Then go bathe, change, and come straight here. By then, we should have Merlin in bed and you can take over watching him and give Gwaine a chance to do the same. Off you go."
The Princess nodded at the instructions and quickly made her way to the throne room, stopping just outside the doors and realizing she looked a mess. Her once beautiful costume was covered in blood, the sleeves ripped to the elbow where she had torn them so that they wouldn't get in her way while she worked. Pulling a strand of hair behind her ear, she nodded to the guards to open the doors.
She walked in to see her father on the throne, talking hurriedly with Uther. Near them, Arthur was speaking to Morgana, and the lady had a bandage around her neck. Uther was the first to see her and nudged his companion to get his attention. Gwen didn't have time to greet the other royals before her father had her in his arms, holding her tightly.
"I thought I saw you leave with Gaius but I wasn't sure, and when I went to go check the quarters the door was locked. I was so worried. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Dad, really." She followed his gaze as he looked down at her, his eyes widening at the stains on her dress. "Merlin's," Gwen said quietly, and the King pulled away. Over where Arthur was sitting, Morgana had risen, her eyes filled with worry.
"Is he alright?" she asked, and Gwen looked over at her. The lady's once gorgeous costume was ripped, torn, and covered in blood—Merlin's for sure, probably when she'd held him. Her hair was tied in a messy bun, makeup smudged from the ordeal.
"I think he's going to be alright. The court physician will be down here shortly to give you the details," Gwen turned to her father. "I'm going to go get changed, and I'll be spending the night with Gaius to help him. Don't worry, I'm perfectly safe."
Her father nodded and gave her a quick embrace. The Princess curtsied to Uther, and then to his son and ward, catching Arthur's eye. He was looking at her with a mixture of apprehension and something else—admiration? But Gwen wrote it off and left the room, leaving the royals to their brooding.
Uther finally spoke, looking at the other King. "Is it suitable for her to work with the court physician? And help him work on a boy who is nothing more than a servant—"
"Merlin is not a servant but a member of court. And more importantly, he is her friend. She spends a lot of time with him, and so spends a lot of time in the presence of the physician. It was only natural for her to learn a few things about the physician's art—"
"-But still, she is a princess! She should just not be seeing such vulgarities and working so—"
"-When I want your opinion on how to raise my children, I will tell you, Uther," the King snapped before regaining his composure. "Yes, Gwenivere is a princess, but that does not mean she is below work. If she wants to help the physician, she can. In fact, she can do anything she wants to so long that it is for the good of the people."
Uther nodded, keeping quiet, and resumed their previous conversation as if nothing had happened. The King of Glendale smiled—being kings, they were both good at diplomacy…Even if the other person was a warty son of a bitch, he thought grimly, and replied to Uther's small talk with similar vigor.
When Gwen opened the doors to the physician's chambers, she found the door to Merlin's room open. She walked quietly towards it, stopping as she saw Gwaine help his friend into bed. The Princess made her way up the stairs and saw Gaius seated on a chair next to Merlin's side, dipping a cloth in water and putting the fabric on the warlock's forehead when he was comfortable.
"He's developed a fever," Gaius said, not looking up.
The Princess looked back down at her friend, heart breaking. He looked so small on the white sheets, topless, the cut on his side bandaged, the burn covered in a green paste. Small beads of sweat ran down his pale skin and Gwen noticed how painfully thin he was—he'd been through a lot these last couple of weeks. Gwaine slipped out of the room, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder before leaving.
Turning her attention to Gaius, she walked over and stood behind him. "Gaius? You should go wash up and get changed, I'll watch him."
"Thank you, Gwenivere." The old man gave his ward one parting look before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.
Gwen settled down in the chair and dipped the cloth in water, wiping the sweat from her friend's skin. Merlin's eyes opened and he gave her a feeble smile.
"I thought you were asleep," she told him softly.
"Gwaine talks too much," he replied, and Gwen smiled down at him. His eyebrows narrowed at the worry in her eyes, and he moved his hand (even that required a lot of effort) and held hers from where it sat on the edge of his bed. "Don't worry about me…I'm alright."
"I know," she replied, a small tear running down her cheek which he weakly brushed away.
"Then why are you crying, Princess?"
"Because I'm your friend and I'm going to be afraid for you anyways. Now go to sleep. Just a day's rest and you'll be back to people watching with me on the roof."
"Only if you bring the snacks."
"Deal," Gwen replied with a smile, dipping the cloth in water again.
Merlin closed his eyes and was fast asleep in a minute, breaths evening out. The Princess wrung the fabric and dabbed his forehead, comforted by the steady rise and fall of his chest because it meant that for now he was safe and for now she could protect him—something she rarely could do because he was always so busy protecting her.
Gaius opened the door quietly and smiled at the two of them, walking over and putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Is he going to be alright, Gaius?"
"Yes. Most of the wounds are old- all he needs is rest now. After a long sleep and a day in bed, he'll be back to stealing food from the kitchens with Gwaine."
Laughing quietly, she looked back up to the old man. "I'll watch him tonight. You should go to my father and then get some rest."
The old physician nodded and squeezed her shoulder before leaving the room, making his way through the castle. The halls were noiseless and the light dim-most everyone would be asleep after such a trying night. Even now, he knew servants were bustling silently through their secret passages, ensuring that everything was clean for when the castle would wake up in the morning. The steady sound of his shoes against the floor was the only thing he could hear and the quiet gave the physician time to compose himself before speaking to the Kings. His heart was still racing with worry for his ward, and even now he longed to be watching the boy and ensuring that he was alright. But duty called, and soon he found himself at the doors of the throne room—guarded by several knights.
Recognizing the physician, they opened the doors and Gaius walked in to find Edwin examining the wound on the Lady Morgana's neck, Uther bustling about the two of them like a frantic mother hen.
"My lord, I'm fine, it's just a scratch—"
"-But it was bleeding—"
"Father, I'm sure she's fine," Arthur said from the corner, and the old physician had a sense that he'd been saying the same thing through the whole process. King Leodogrance was watching the scene with a small amused smile, and that smile widened upon seeing one of his advisors.
"Gaius!"
"My lord," the physician bowed and all the attention in the room turned to him—Morgana looked relieved.
"How is he?" she asked in a small voice.
"Merlin is going to be alright. We restitched—"
"Sorry, 'restitched?" Arthur interrupted.
Gaius turned to the Prince with narrowed eyes. "Merlin was on a quest only a month ago. He fell into the hands of some slave traders and was wounded. But we re-stitched them—and the extra gash he acquired in his fight with you the other day."
Arthur looked away, and for the first time since he had arrived in Glendale, the physician saw shame and humility in his eyes.
"Then he should be fine?" the King pressed.
"Oh yes. He'll need a couple days of rest though—he used quite a bit of magic."
"And what should that have to do with anything?" Uther spoke for the first time, his tone off-hand if not a tad curious.
"All sorcerers have a certain amount of magic in them," Edwin replied, and Gaius nodded for him to continue. "For most of us, it takes effort to draw on the magic. But Merlin is different. He possesses so much magic that it takes an effort to keep himself from using it, and when he releases that power, it becomes difficult to contain again after a long period of time. Not to mention the use of magic exhausts the sorcerer. I held up his shield for only a brief time and I could barely stand afterwards, and he was holding that up, a similar shield to protect himself and the Lady Morgana, all the while attacking the others. It's truly phenomenal, and now it is only natural that he should need time to regain his strength."
"Then just a few days rest and he'll be alright?" Morgana asked, and Gaius didn't miss the look that Uther shot her.
"Yes, my dear. Merlin is strong. He should be on his feet the day after tomorrow. Will that be all, my lords? I am eager to return to my patient," the physician said with a bow.
"Thank you, Gaius, you are dismissed. Oh, and please inform Gwen that she'll be taking a ride with Prince Arthur tomorrow for lunch."
"Are you sure it's wise to allow them to leave the castle so early after an attack?"
"We cannot let the people sense our fear. It will be good for them to see the two of them together—giving a sense of unity and strength."
Gaius nodded. "As you wish, my lord." He bowed to the dignitaries and made his way back to his chambers swiftly, informing Gwen of her arranged plans for tomorrow. And the princess took the news just as he expected.
"WHAT!"
The physician narrowed his eyes at her, and she shot a look at Merlin (who was fast asleep) and lowered her voice. "I need to stay here with Merlin!"
"Your duty is to your kingdom."
"My duty is to my friend."
"A friend who I can promise you will be well looked after. Gwenivere…" Gaius sat in the chair across from her, covering her young hands with his wrinkled ones. "Someday you'll be Queen, and you won't have your father or me to guide and protect you. But you will have the allegiances we build in these days. Someday, Arthur Pendragon will be the king to one of the most powerful kingdoms in the land, and if you are friends, your kingdom will be so much safer. When you're Queen, you'll have nothing but your allies there with you."
"-And Merlin."
The man smiled and kissed her forehead gently. "I know we ask a lot from you kids but it's because we believe in the world you're going to build. So set your animosity for the Prince aside and be the queen I know are. Now, go get some sleep."
Gwen nodded and got to her feet, brushing down her dress and shooting her friend a last look—a look that Gaius didn't miss. "He'll be fine."
"I know."
With that, the Princess made her way out of the physician's chambers and into the night of the castle, the coming morning bringing anew feelings of fear and apprehension that three hours of sleep couldn't cast away.
Arthur Pendragon was nervous. That was not a thing to be said lightly, because Arthur Pendragon was rarely nervous or frightened because he was Arthur Pendragon, and that stately name simply doesn't warrant such commonly feels. However, when the light flooded his room with the opening of his curtains, he was gripped with a feeling that he could never admit to having. Washing his face didn't make it go away. Getting dressed surely didn't dull its edge. Yelling at his servant—a pastime he usually found most amusing—only made the feeling worse.
And so when the Princess walked up to him in the afternoon, Arthur Pendragon had had a rough morning filled with strange feelings and uncertainties that someone of his stature should not be feeling—especially if the reason for those feelings was the daughter of his "enemy". But a small part of his mind whispered that those feelings were quite warranted when he came face to face to the subject of his emotions. Her hair was down, but pulled back slightly with a small jeweled clip. She wore a simple lavender dress and her tall brown riding boots could just be seen under the tresses. Curtseying, she looked up at him with those large brown eyes, and in their depths he could understand nothing.
"Good afternoon, my lord."
Years of grooming and diplomatic preparation kicked in and he kissed her gloved hand, rising up with an overly straightened back. "Good afternoon, my lady. Shall we go?"
Gwen raised an elegant eyebrow at the stiffness in his tone and replied with a small smile barely hidden on her red lips. "Yes, we shall."
The Princess moved to her horse, a small touch of surprise lining her features when Arthur offered her a hand to help her up. She took it and butterflies lit up her stomach as he placed a hand on her hip and gripped her palm, lifting her up on the chestnut steed. Up on the stairs, their fathers were watching with appraising eyes, doing their best not to intervene. But before their wits reached the end, Arthur mounted his white horse fluidly and allowed the princess to lead the way as they made their way out of the citadel, servants close behind.
Similarly, a lady watched the two royals making their way through the gates and into the woods, shared the same nervousness that the two other young people were feeling. She looked around, ensuring that she wasn't being followed, and made her way down the winding corridors to a worn wooden door, reading the plaque above the entrance before knocking hesitantly.
Gaius looked up and called out for the guest to enter, eyes widening in surprise at the sight of the Lady Morgana making her way through his door. "My lady, how may I be of service?"
She looked down before smiling softly, if not a little uncertainly. "I just came here to see how Merlin was doing…and to thank him for what he did for me last night."
"He was merely doing his duty, my lady, there is no need to thank—"
"—I would feel better if I did."
The physician smiled at her and gestured to a door at the end of the chamber. "I'd call him out but I would rather he rest for the day."
"Of course." Morgana made her way up the stairs, looking back at the physician and going in when he nodded.
He was seated, leaning against the headboard of his small bed, a large leather-bound volume in his hands. Looking up at the sound of the hinges creaking, he hurriedly tried to right himself upon seeing the richly-clad lady.
"Please, don't," Morgana said quickly and Merlin froze, the two looking at each other in silence, both unsure how to proceed, both inexplicably drawn to the other. She sat down gracefully on the wooden chair by his bedside, looking up at him with kohl-lined, jade eyes. "I just wanted to thank you for protecting me last night."
Merlin cocked his head in surprise, mouth dry as he replied. "It was my duty, my lady. I could surely not leave you in the hands of those sorcerers."
"Yes, of course, I know." She blushed softly and looked down. "It's just that I was listening to what Edwin was saying last night, about how much magic you were using—"
"You think my getting hurt was your fault," Merlin said incredulously.
Morgana looked up at him. "If I had gotten out of the way faster, that sorcerer wouldn't have grabbed me and you wouldn't have needed to worry about me…"
"No no, don't think like that!" he interrupted. "I'm just amazed that you could even think that this was your fault. If you are so worried, then I can assure you that I am perfectly fine, and that protecting you didn't hurt in any way or form. In fact, it was an honor serving you, my lady." Merlin gave her a cheeky smile, bowing as best as he could in his seated position to accentuate his words.
Morgana laughed. "Good...I'm glad you're alright."
The two were silent for a bit, each avoiding looking at the other. Merlin broke the quiet with his soft voice, and their eyes met as he spoke to her hesitantly.
"Why are you here, my lady?"
"I wanted to thank you…"
"But why? I did my duty. I'm sure hundreds protect you every day. Do you go to visit each and every one of them?"
"No…"
"Then why did you come to me?"
"Because I knew that Uther wouldn't thank you for saving my life—neither would Arthur, so I felt that I needed to."
"Why do you think they wouldn't thank me?"
"Because they are afraid of you."
"And you're not afraid of me?"
"No," Merlin's eyes widened and Morgana looked away, continuing in a whisper.
"What if magic isn't something you choose? What if it chooses you? Surely not all people with magic can be evil, and you proved that last night."
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For coming to thank me."
Morgana smiled and got to her feet, making her way to the door before turning around and giving the raven-haired warlock another look, studying his motionless figure as he looked back at her with those deep blue eyes. "Tomorrow, if you're feeling better, Gwen, Arthur and I are to go for a ride, if you wanted to come with us…"
"It would be my pleasure, my lady."
"There's no need to be so formal, you can call me Morgana, you know."
"Then it would be my pleasure…Morgana."
"I'll look forward to it…Merlin."
Had Gaius asked the warlock why his smile never faded that whole day, Merlin would have only smiled wider and told the physician that he was feeling a lot better, which was both true and not true, because the sorcerer was still in excruciating pain, but the pain was forgotten with the image of ruby red lips smiling. So it wasn't that the pain was gone, it was that his mind was too busy with other things to register that the pain was ever there in the first place.
Tadaaaa (takes a bow). Figured I might as well post this because I FINALLY FINISHED CHAPTER 16. The boob and I had quite a lot of difficulty, but it's officially up to standard!
Ok. The information.
I am traveling tomorrow night to the United States, I'm excited but I also won't have internet except for the wifi I hack into in Barnes and Nobels :P Therefore, publishing will be sporadic if I can publish at all, and I apologize in advance for that. I ended at this chapter because I figured it wasn't a cliffhanger, and after this chapter is a little time jump that leads on into a new storyline, so it felt like a good place to stop.
Thank you all for the lovely reviews, they are all so flattering and I'm in love with each and every one of you! 45 REVIEWS FOR 9 CHAPTERS! gahhh I'm so pleased. Really, in all honesty, the messages really help motivate me when I write and also let me know what you like so I can give you more of it.
So thank you so so so so much, it's honestly a pleasure.
Finally, I have a question to ask. Because I'm going to be on vacation I'm planning on doing a lot of writing, and it's about time that I ask you how sexual you want the story to be. Description wise, I mean. I can go full out, or a I can go halfway, or if you lot don't want, I won't write it at all. Please, please, please answer this! It's an important question and will help shape the direction the story goes! Just tell me, I don't care either way, this is your story, do with it what you please!
Happy Holidays everyone and Merry Merlin Watching!
-ladywarlock