Alaia Skyhawk: Next sub-ep :D
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.
Music: Hunith's Letter To Gaius (Merlin OST)
"Whom History Won't Remember" Episode: N/A
~(-)~
Chapter 22: To Ponder a Mystery ~Part 1~
"Pulse nice and steady, no fever, good colour to the skin... Well it looks like there won't be any lasting damage."
Gaius let go of Merlin's wrist, the warlock sighing. He was back in his own bed now, although with a load of extra pillows, and was becoming decidedly bored having lain here all afternoon.
"So when can I get out of bed?"
Gaius gave him a long look, all too familiar with that particular question. He'd heard it countless times in all his years as a physician.
"When I say you can. You may get up to use the chamberpot, but that is it. If I come back and find you've been moving about, I'll sedate to make you stay there."
Merlin winced at the threat, the glint in Gaius' eyes telling him the man meant it.
"Ok, I'll stay in bed... Where are you going?"
Gaius stood up, heading for the door to the main chamber.
"A guard stopped by to tell me Arthur wanted me to attend to him. After the trip to the Forest of Balor, I can probably guess he picked up a minor wound and just wants to make sure it doesn't become infected."
Merlin stared at him, his expression reflecting his words.
"Then why can't he just come here to get it treated?"
"He's the prince, Merlin. Unless he's brought here specifically in an emergency, most of the time it is I who goes to him."
He left the room, Merlin's disgusted mutterings about lazy princes reaching his ears. He smiled a little at them, before picking up his bag of medicines and setting off through the castle. If Arthur's injuries were as minor as he expected, then he wouldn't be gone for long.
Arthur was already watching the door when he arrived, nodding once in greeting before rising from his chair near the fire.
"Gaius."
The physician entered the room, heading for Arthur's bed and the prince following him. Both knew the routine; he would set up his medicines, and Arthur would show him what he wanted him to take a look at. In this case Arthur sat on the edge of his bed, rolling up his breeches to his knees and removing his shirt.
His knees and shins were marked with bruises and scrapes, and the underside of his forearms were similarly mottled. Gaius checked the scrapes for signs of infection, finding none but covering them with the same salve he applied to all the bruises. The main thing that drew his attention though was the state of Arthur's hands. His palms and fingers were reddened and abraded, the prince wincing a little when Gaius prodded at them.
"So how did all this happen? They're not the sort of injuries I'd expect from a fight. Not bruises and scrapes to just the hands, forearms, and lower leg."
Arthur sighed, explaining.
"When the sorceress tried to kill me by making the ledge collapse from under me, I had to jump across a crevasse to a ledge on the other side. After that I... I had to climb out of the cave. I didn't tell my father quite how bad the situation was, so he doesn't know about how I was forced to out-climb a mass of giant spiders. I thought that since Bayard had now left, I should get all this looked at."
Gaius heard the hesitation in the prince's explanation, realising and suspecting he knew what had been left out.
"What's troubling you, Sire?"
Arthur remained silent for several moments, before frowning slightly.
"Do you swear not to tell my father this?"
"If it is something you do not want the king to hear, you can trust me not to say anything to him."
Arthur gave him a long look, before taking a deep breath and starting to explain.
"At that cave, I was trapped in almost total darkness. I couldn't see where to put my hands to climb to safety, was trapped hanging from the ledge where I landed after I'd jumped... And that's when it came."
Gaius frowned.
"What came?"
"The light." Arthur clasped his hands, his elbows braced on his knees as he looked at them, troubled. "It appeared from nowhere, lighting my way and guiding me out of the cave... My father says that all magic is evil, and yet it's because of that act of magic that I lived." He looked to Gaius. "Someone saved me, Gaius, despite my father's beliefs. I just can't understand why."
And there was an answer to one question... Merlin really had been helping Arthur during that time he'd conjured the light. Gaius sighed at the though, before turning to the prince.
"I personally believe that magic is neither good nor bad, but indeed it does have the tendency to corrupt those unprepared for the responsibilities of having it. It's because of that, that magic was banned. Too many who wielded it turned to darkness, and it caused misery and chaos in its wake."
Arthur frowned.
"Does that mean that you're implying there could be good sorcerers out there?"
Gaius shook his head, non-committal.
"I imply nothing, Sire, but in my mind it does remain a possibility. Your experience with that light would seem to support the idea." He stood up, packing away his medicines. "If you need to do any intensive work with your hands in the next few days, make sure to wear gloves to protect them. They will heal fine on their own."
Arthur stood as well, thoughtful.
"Thank you for your time, Gaius... And for answering my questions."
Gaius bowed slightly in acceptance of the praise, before making his way to the door.
"If ever you need advice, feel free to ask me, for I am oft an advisor to your father."
Arthur nodded once and returned to the chair by the fire, Gaius leaving him to his thoughts.
~(-)~
The pages of the book were turned, blue eyes scanning over the words upon them but not really taking note of what they saw.
Merlin sighed, giving up and returning his spellbook to its hiding place. It was no good, he just couldn't concentrate on it, not with the fragments of memories he couldn't get out of his mind. Glimpses of Arthur hanging from a rock ledge in darkness, then of him following an obviously magical light, the warlock frowning as he found himself recalling urging Arthur to follow it. Was it real, or had it been some fever-induced dream?
He heard the door of the outer chamber open, leaning to one side in his bed so he could see through his open door and check who it was. It was his mentor, back from visiting Arthur, and wanting some questions answered, Merlin called out to him.
"Gaius?"
"What is it, Merlin?"
"Can I talk to you about something?"
Gaius set down his bag, climbing the steps and entering the smaller room.
"What is it?"
Merlin frowned a little, hesitating.
"Gaius, I know Gwen told me what happened while I was poisoned, but I know she couldn't have been here all the time." His expression became uncertain. "Did I do anything... strange... while I was ill?"
Gaius tried to act innocent.
"Strange?"
Merlin regarded him for a long moment, not fooled, and cast the spell he could remember saying.
"Min leoma be raeswa ou..." An orb of light, identical the one he could remember seeing Arthur follow, appeared in his hand, and he held it up while looking at his mentor solemnly. "Tell me the truth, Gaius... For some reason I can remember helping Arthur, seeing him climb out of that cave almost like I was there with him. But I know I never left Camelot, so how can that be?"
Gaius sighed after a moment, sitting himself on a stool beside the bed while Merlin dismissed the light. It seemed like both of them wanted someone to talk to tonight.
"You used that spell while you were unconscious, calling out to Arthur. Telling him to follow the light, to climb faster. After a short while you stopped, calmed down, and the spell ended."
Merlin slumped back among his pillows.
"So do you think it was just a nightmare then? Was I just imagining it?"
Gaius sighed again, shaking his head. There was no point in denying it.
"No... You weren't." Merlin stared at him, suddenly attentive, his expression asking for an explanation. Gaius gave it to him. "As you know, I've just been to see Arthur, to treat the scrapes and bruises he sustained... climbing out of the Caves of Balor after a sorceress left him there to die... He never told his father, but I did get him to tell me. A light appeared in the cave with him, and guided him out to safety. He would have died without it."
Merlin took a shuddering breath, confused.
"But how could I have seen him, while lying here? How could I have known?"
Gaius regarded him solemnly, only able to suggest a possibility.
"Perhaps in your weakened condition, your magic acted upon your concern for Arthur and desire to protect him. Making you aware of his plight and allowing you to aid him."
Merlin went quiet at that, his following words just as muted.
"Have you ever heard of a sorcerer doing anything like this before?"
There was a long pause before his mentor answered with a shake of his head.
"No, never. All long-distance spells require there to be a focus or a vessel close to the target area, without it not even small spells would be possible at such a distance... You had no focus, no crystal or magical idem to stabilise and channel the power into the form of a light. You did on your own, by strength of will... and with an undeniable amount of sheer raw power. It is the only explanation."
Merlin's frown returned, a quiet mutter passing his lips barely audible to the man seated beside him.
"I guess I am a freak..."
Gaius reacted in immediate shock. Merlin could well be Emrys, a foretold bringer of hope!
"Merlin, don't you dare think that! Your magic is a gift, so that you can protect those around you for the sake of all that is good in this world." He got up, his tone firm. "I'll go get you something to eat. You stay in bed, and I don't ever want to hear you thinking that way again."
For Merlin, those words were something he had needed to hear. For Gaius to react so strongly, he really must have believed that. If being different, even for a warlock, meant he could protect those he cared about... Then it was worth it.
~(-)~
Alaia Skyhawk: Hehehe, it's Gaius' turn to get the majority of the lessons this sub-eb. He's just found out that Merlin could be Emrys, and Arthur the Once and Future King. For an old one-time sorcerer, who abandoned magic to save his own skin, to find himself in a position to guide the foretold saviours of it must be quite the shocker XD