Attention Artists: If you're an artist and wish to draw pictures (doujin/fancomic included) of any story I've written, you have my permission to do so on the condition that I get credit for the idea and you send it to me (links please, no file attachments). Simply send it to me via the message option on my profile or by using the email option on my profile. Either one works fine. Thanks.

Chapter 2

"I'm back!" Merlin announced as he entered the physician's chambers. Gaius was reading some odd text Merlin would probably never understand. He wasn't one for science… one thing he and Arthur shared. Gaius looked up when he entered and gave him a curious look.

"Merlin, where have you been? You've been out for nearly an hour too long," Gaius accused. Merlin shrugged and just smiled.

"I don't know. I think I passed out after tripping over some stone statue left in the forest," Merlin explained. He unloaded all the herbs Gaius had asked for, placing them in their correct spots on the tables and shelves.

"Stone statue?" Gaius inquired, walking over to examine Merlin more closely, as though he may have injured himself more seriously than he was letting on.

"Yep. I don't remember doing it, but when I woke up, this cute little stone figure was by my feet. Here, look," Merlin said, pulling a small figurine out of his bag. It was stone, almost clay, and wore a long robe. It covered all but the face and the tips of the figure's hands. The face had a small smile on it. It was decent work. "Anyway, I thought it was neat so I brought it with me. Do you mind?"

"No… No not at all," Gaius assured, peering closely at the doll. "But, if you don't mind, keep it in your room. I'm not a fan of statuary."

Merlin laughed and nodded. He quickly entered his room and set it on his table by his candle. Then he returned and nearly bounced down the stairs. He seemed to float across to the other door and bounced up those stairs as well.

"Well, I have to go see Arthur now. Got a lot to do today," the magician explained. Gaius looked confused again, almost worried.

"Merlin, are you feeling alright?" he asked, walking toward the young man. Merlin shrugged and smiled.

"Yeah. I feel fantastic," he replied. Then he noticed the look on Gaius's face and almost laughed. "Relax, Gaius. I just took a fall. You can check later. I swear, I'm not even scratched. You have to trust me."

With that, Merlin left the room. The door shut slowly behind him, and Gaius frowned. He looked over all the ingredients Merlin brought. He was accustomed to 'trusting' Merlin. That usually meant something was going to need fixing soon. Gaius sighed and put some bandages to the side just in case Merlin truly was injured and oblivious.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Merlin strolled into Arthur's chambers and closed the door behind him. Arthur turned from looking at the fire and scoffed.

"Honestly, Merlin. What if I was doing something private?" he asked harshly. Merlin smirked.

"You'd probably tell me I deserved it," he replied smugly. Arthur took a moment and then shrugged and nodded.

"And you're probably right," he conceded. He grabbed a goblet of water off his table and took a long drink. When he set it back down, he let out a sigh. "Alright, Merlin. Get to work."

Merlin nodded even though Arthur was back to watching his fireplace. The wizard began cleaning up breakfast when his head snapped to the bed. His eyes flashed golden and the pillows lifted, the sheets smoothed out, the covers pulled up, and the pillows set themselves back in place. His eyes darted to the clothes Arthur had thrown everywhere while changing that morning. With a thought, they jumped into a pile and waited to be washed. Merlin looked down at the dishes, and his hands shook as he laid them all on a tray. Why had he done that? He'd just used magic to entirely fix the prince's room… while the prince was sitting only a few feet away!

"Um… I'll give these to the kitchen and I'll be back shortly," Merlin informed Arthur and quickly left the room with his load. Arthur barely made a noise to show he'd heard.

Merlin was doing the one that took longest first. Typical. Arthur turned to gauge how much he needed to tell Merlin to do when he got back. He stopped, mouth open to take a breath. How had Merlin done all of that in such a short time? Had he lost track of time so easily while staring at the fire?

Arthur turned back to said fire and leaned his chin in his hand. Maybe Merlin was better at this servant job than Arthur had given him credit for. He'd cleaned the entire room without Arthur hearing anything. Maybe Arthur should lay off some of the jokes about Merlin being the worst manservant ever… Nah.

Merlin really was the worst and the best at the same time. He back talked but it helped Arthur understand things, realize things he hadn't noticed. Merlin did things at his own pace and yet always seemed to get done on time. He complained all day and yet his work was fantastic in the end. He called Arthur names, but he managed to show he cared by saving Arthur's life whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Arthur frowned. How did he show he cared? Merlin did everything asked of him unless he found it cruel. He did quality work. He protected Arthur… from that witch's dagger, warning him of Knight Valiant's snakes, from his poisoned goblet, from his own infatuated heart, and making sure he was cared for after his encounter with the Questing Beast. That didn't even count all the times Merlin gave him just the insight he needed to solve his own inner turmoil. Sometimes… Sometimes he thought Merlin was magic.

But of course Merlin was completely normal. There was no way Merlin was a sorcerer. If Merlin was a sorcerer, his duties would be completed with an even better quality than he already had. If he was a sorcerer, Arthur would have no doubt caught him using magic by now. If he was a sorcerer, he wouldn't be so wimpy looking or innocent. He wouldn't be so carefree. He'd be more nervous, more careful around people – especially Arthur. After all, magic was banned in Camelot.

That's when a thought crossed Arthur's mind. Merlin did manage to complete an insane amount of work each day. Perhaps he was magical… and if he was, the law said he was to be beheaded or burned to death. If Merlin was a warlock, would Arthur support that sentencing? Would he be able to let Merlin go to his death? Merlin was the kindest person Arthur knew, well… besides Gwen, and when it came to children, Morgana.

So if he didn't let Merlin go to the chopping block, what would he do?

"I'm back," his servant's voice announced as he popped back into the room. Arthur almost jumped. He'd been lost in thought again. Damn.

"It's about time," the prince nearly whined as he stood up, pretending like he'd been impatiently waiting. "We have a lot to do today. We're behind as it is, thanks to Gaius. Follow me, quickly."

Arthur led the way out of his room, Merlin tagging along behind him obediently. Now Arthur walked proud, but inside he was doing some quick thinking. He had to come up with something he needed Merlin to assist him with. All they were heading toward was knight practice. Arthur wiggled his fingers a bit and he let out a long breath.

"Merlin, I need my sword sharpened," he decided. Merlin jumped. He hadn't expected Arthur to speak in the midst of their walking.

"Yes, Sire," the young magic user agreed, though he didn't understand. He'd just sharpened the prince's weapons, including his daggers, two days ago. Still, it wasn't for him to argue. It was just Arthur coming up with something for him to do, as always, and the work was never done.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Gaius frowned. There was this odd, high pitched squeak of a sound. He just couldn't figure out where it was coming from. It had started almost a full minute ago. After looking at all his vials and determining they were not the cause, Gaius walked towards Merlin's room. The sound got louder as he got closer. Gaius wrinkled his brow. As he reached the door, the sound stopped. Gaius stepped into Merlin's room, a bit hesitant when he remembered the incident with the dog that occurred only days after Merlin arrived.

However, when he looked around the room, there was nothing out of the ordinary. The magic book was properly put away. The clothes were actually folded and put up. The cabinet was actually being used for its designated purpose. In fact, the only thing odd about the room was that it was clean at all. When had Merlin found the time to clean? Gaius shook his head. The boy had probably used magic.

As Gaius turned to leave, his eyes fell upon the statue Merlin had brought back from the forest. He frowned. It was the only new addition to the room, but since when did statues squeak? Gaius eyed it curiously. If he didn't know better, he'd say the statue had changed positions… but that was impossible. It was a statue.

Gaius made a curious noise and turned to go searching through his books after an idea that caught him.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Arthur looked out the window. Night had fallen and dinner had been completed. The prince sighed. He'd spent all day coming up with random things for Merlin to do. It had been fun, no doubt, but not as fun as usual. As Arthur looked back on the day, he supposed it was because Merlin had not once complained. In fact, as the day had progressed, he'd gotten more respectful and calm if anything.

"Merlin, come here," Arthur called. He sat in his chair behind his desk. His manservant popped up as commanded, looking curious.

"Yes, your highness?" Merlin asked. Arthur scowled lightly. Well Merlin seemed perfectly fine. In fact, he was almost too fine… servant wise.

"Nothing. You can go home now. See you in the morning," Arthur murmured. Merlin nodded.

"Yes, sir. Good night," he said and left the room quietly. Arthur sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. Would he never solve the mystery that was Merlin?

Meanwhile, Merlin was rushing down the halls, going just slow enough to barely still be considered walking. His face looked completely calm, but his heart was thrumming wildly in his chest. Merlin consciously tried to smile, to gasp, to look frightened. However, he couldn't feel his face move at all. It was like he couldn't be anything but blank, sullen, or curious – and he'd barely managed that.

Gaius. Gaius would know what to do.

Merlin winced. There was a high pitched ring in his ear. He tried to ignore it. It wasn't important. He had to get to Gaius. However, when he walked into the physician's chambers, he found himself alone. Gaius was nowhere to be seen.

"Gaius," Merlin said. He'd meant to say it as a question, yet his voice lost the tone. "Gaius," he tried again. This time he'd tried to call it out, but his voice stayed just as soft as before.

Merlin inwardly panicked. It was impossible to tell from the outside. Merlin rushed into his room and grabbed his magic book. There had to be a spell somewhere to explain what was happening to him. The sorcerer's eyes flashed golden and the pages of his book flew past. Finally, the book opened flat. Merlin frowned, an emotion he could show. He was looking at a tonic. Merlin hated tonics. They were gross…. Still, he was near desperate, so he rushed back out with his book and began to pull ingredients off Gaius's shelves.