Merlin was staring straight into Arthur's now pink eyes.
"Erm, Arthur?" Merlin really didn't know what to say. He was frightened. Had Arthur sensed his movements in his mind? The snake just stared at him for a moment before he hissed.
"Were you jussst inside my mind Merlin? I'm sssure you were…I sssensed you," he was positive that he'd felt an intrusion deep in his thoughts.
"No, of course not, Arthur, you must of being imagining it," Merlin looked away, trying to find a distraction.
"But I'm sssure there was sssomething there," Arthur whispered. "I felt something deep inssside my mind like a perssson was reading my memoriesss."
"Arthur, you really must have being imagining it," Merlin rebuked hastily. "Erm…by the way, Gaius says he knows how to turn you back to a human."
Arthur eyed Merlin again. He knew the subject was being purposefully changed, but let it drop at the prospect of being made a human prince again.
"Ssso how do we do it then?" he inquired.
"Well, Gaius said that if we find the snake you met in the forest, then, if we can persuade them to take back the animagi curse, you'll be just fine," Merlin tried to sound optimistic about it, but the words sounded hollow and he knew it.
"Oh that'sss jussst great, Merlin, jussst great," Arthur drawled. "Of courssse it's that sssimple, isssn't it? Jussst waltz up to a sssorcerer and demand he take back a curssse that he probably put on me to make both Camelot and I sssuffer! Of courssse there'sss not going to be a problem, isss there?"
"Well, I know it's not ideal, but there has to be a way -" Merlin protested, but Arthur cut him off.
"I cannot negotiate with sssorcerersss; my father would never allow it. And of courssse I'm in perfect ssshape to negotiate, aren't I?" Arthur was angry now.
"Arthur, please try and be a little optimistic about this. It's the only way possible or you'll have to stay like this forever," Merlin was determined that if Arthur wasn't prepared to give this a try, then he'd have no choice but to do it alone. Either way it was going to happen.
Arthur looked – if as a snake it was possible – like he was about to square up to Merlin and yell and scream at him. But just then, Gaius entered the room.
"Are you two arguing again?" he exasperated.
"Yesss! Sssomebody ssseemsss to think that we can negotiate with sssorcerersss and get them to turn me back," Arthur hissed.
"Gaius, please will you tell him that there's no other way for him to regain his human form," Merlin pleaded.
"He's telling the truth, sire," Gaius confirmed. "There really is no other way the sorcerer who did this has to retract the curse upon themselves in order for you to return back!"
"Oh, that'sss even better! He'sss got to put the curssse back on himself! It isss even better!" Arthur just wasn't prepared to listen and slunk off Merlin's legs and crawled into his basket that Merlin had given him.
"He's not going to listen, Gaius, what am I supposed to do?" Merlin moaned.
Gaius beckoned Merlin out of the room so that Arthur couldn't hear them.
"Did you find out the information needed?" he asked when he was sure they were out of earshot.
"Yes, the snake looks exactly like Arthur does currently. He's eyes flashed a different colour, and then he slipped away."
"What colour did his eyes flash?" Gaius pressed.
"Blue, definitely blue," Merlin said.
"Blue, eh?" Gaius crossed the room and picked up an old, dusty book. He began flicking through the pages, stopping on one, and began scanning it before saying: "Merlin, look at this!"
The young warlock hurried forward and looked down at the open page. It had an image on it of a tall, over-combed dark haired, handsome man upon it. The man had deep blue eyes similar to Merlin's own and very pale skin. Beneath the picture was a caption: Lord Dellarux of Albion, Fifth son of King Francios, Sorcerer and animagi.
"Do you think this is the man who did this?" Merlin asked.
"I'm almost certain of it. It says here that the man was thrown out of his father's court for five hundred years, due to his rebelling actions. His father disowned him and he fled to Voland, where he learned sorcerery and how to turn into an animal. However, about twenty years after his disownment, it says that he disappeared, and many believed that he had experimented too far and left himself trapped. Over fivehundred years he's being recognised as the sorcerer who had remarkable flashing blue eyes with an extreme vendetta against any royalty of Albion."
"So your saying I've got to find a sorcerer who's got a large vendetta against this crown and is a very potent sorcerer?"
"Yes," Gaius said. "But perhaps you shouldn't if his vendetta is against the crown then I doubt he will remove the curse. And you might get damaged yourself. It's too risky."
"Gaius, I'm going to find this sorcerer and I'm going to persuade him to turn Arthur back. He's my best friend, Gaius, I can't bear him to stay like this," Merlin looked at Gaius with a glare that he knew the physician wouldn't go against.
"Then you had better pack your bags. It's going to be a long journey. I'll get you some supplies," Gaius sighed.
Merlin climbed up to his room and crossed to the basket where Arthur was snoozing. Arthur looked up as Merlin smiled down at him.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"I'm going to get you turned back. I promise I won't let you stay like this," Merlin whispered.
"It's hopelessss, Merlin, face it, I have!" Arthur curled up tighter and shivered at the prospect of being stuck like this forever.
"Don't give up, Arthur, it's going to be okay!" Merlin insisted. He stroked Arthur once more and began packing a bag.
When Gaius called him, Merlin hurried downstairs to see him. It was then that Arthur crawled out his basket and slithered into the open bag, closing the basket behind him. If Merlin was going to do this then he wasn't going to do it alone.
"Heck," Arthur hissed to himself. "He can't even handle a sword!"