Alaia Skyhawk: lol, lots of people liked the conversation last chapter between Arthur and Merlin... That and Merlin whupping him at Fox and Geese XD

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

Music: Hunith's Letter To Gaius (Merlin OST)

"Whom History Won't Remember" Episode: N/A

~(-)~

Chapter 24: To Ponder a Mystery ~Part 3~

He stood there in Gaius' chambers, idly crumpling up the note he'd written earlier. The physician hadn't come back yet, but that suited his ward just fine... He didn't want to involve Gaius in this anyway.

Merlin tossed the note into the fireplace, before turning to face the monumental task arrayed on the many shelves spread across the far wall. Gaius had a lot of books, although most were about science and medicine. If any were going to have something in them about the Once and Future King, the one clue he had about his destiny, then it was going to be the ones Gaius had told him not to look in unless it was a magical emergency and he wasn't there to help him look.

Merlin eyed that small section of books in question, the ones Gaius had informed him he was only permitted to own so that he could research magical threats or groups of sorcerers that might show up. For anyone without such permission from the king, the information in those books could warrant a death sentence... Hence why his ward was not permitted to look at them unless he was present. If Merlin were caught reading them by anyone who knew their significance, it could get him into a lot of trouble.

Merlin climbed the narrow set of steps to reach them, pulling down the three that were most likely to contain what he was looking for. If he was willing to risk reading his spellbook in his room, then reading these slightly more legal tomes in the main chamber didn't daunt him. Besides, he intended to use a short-cut and have this done before Gaius got back.

He took them to one of the tables, seating himself there and holding a hand over the first book, eyes glowing gold at his murmur.

"Acyoan casus de se Cierr ond Toweardnes Cyncg." Nothing happened, but he knew his hastily made-up spell had worked, so he set that book aside and held a hand over the next. "Acyoan casus de se Cierr ond Toweardnes Cyncg."

The book flew open all on its own, pages rapidly turning before coming to a halt about halfway through. Merlin began to read through the cramped and tiny text that covered the pages in columns, squinting to see them until he found what his magic has indicated would be there somewhere... Words referring to the Once and Future King.

It was an entry about popular folklore, or more accurately stories from folklore that has a basis in important prophecies originating from the Old Religion. The author of this particular entry noted the predominance among Druids of a tale about a time of a great purging of magic, a dark time of suffering that would be ended by the Once and Future King.

"The Druids speak of the King with great reverence and praise, while the time of purging has not yet come to pass. Greater still though is the reverence they hold for the promised protector of that king, whose sacred name they refuse to speak of to outsiders. Few but those of magic may learn it, and even then the knowledge is guarded with great care. Thus the Once and Future King remains the most prominent part of the lore, with his destined sorcerous protector gaining little mention in fireside tales."

Merlin remained oblivious as he read the passage aloud in a quite murmur, so intent on the information that he did not notice Gaius arrive back from his rounds.

"Merlin?" Merlin snapped his head up, jolted from his reading when he found his mentor standing over him. The physician frowned down at him, some unreadable emotion flitting across his features. "Why were you looking through those books? I told you they were only for magical emergencies. What would you have done if someone else had come in here and caught you reading those?"

Merlin swallowed nervously.

"Um..."

The physician folded his arms across his chest, angry and concerned all at the same time. Did Merlin know about himself?

"Don't lie to me, where did you hear about the Once and Future King?"

The warlock hesitated, quickly closing the offending book and grimacing like he was expecting to be told off.

"Th-The Great Dragon told me about him... He told me that Arthur was the Once and Future King, destined to unite the land of Albion."

Gaius' eyes widened slightly, before he started to frown. There was an odd edge to his voice.

"Are you telling me you've been down to see him? How did you even learn where he was?"

Merlin stood up, trying to explain and talking rather quickly due to nerves.

"He called me, a voice in my head that seemed to echo from below my feet... I just followed it, and found him, and he told me it was my destiny to make sure Arthur lived to become king. The next day, at the feast, when that witch attacked Arthur I just reacted. I didn't even think about it, it was just my instinct to protect him. You know everything else after that."

Gaius regarded him thoughtfully, his expression unreadable.

"Did he tell you anything else besides that? Anything else about this 'destiny'?"

Merlin shook his head vigorously.

"Nothing, just that I was meant to protect Arthur, and perhaps help him become the great king the prophesy says he'll be. The only other time I've been to see him was to ask about the afanc."

Gaius, raising his eyebrows.

"Ah, so it was him who told you to use the base elements to defeat it. I also gather he was the one who said you were 'one side of a coin'."

Merlin grimaced.

"Uh, yeah... You're not angry with me, are you? For not telling you? I only looked in the books because I wanted to find out more than the dragon would tell me."

Gaius sighed, so Merlin already knew his destiny, although not the name by which those of magic would know him. If the Great Dragon said it was so, then he really was Emrys, with all the burdens that would entail.

"Well it would have been nice, but I can understand why you'd hesitate. Go on, off with you. If you're fit enough now to go traipsing to Arthur's chambers, and then lug around heavy books in here, you can go down to the market and get us something for our supper."

He handed Merlin some coins to pay for the food, watching him leave before suddenly sinking into a chair once his ward was out of sight. Merlin had been down to see the Great Dragon, and the dragon had told him Arthur was the Once and Future King, and that he was Arthur's destined protector?

Gaius set his head into his hands, stuck somewhere between wanting to deny it and the strife and suffering it would mean for Merlin... and a sense of pride from knowing his ward was destined to do such great things. It was almost too much for him to take in, to think that he, a man who had stood by while magic was purged from the kingdom, should now find himself as the guardian of the one fated to ensure it could return.

He raised his head, wondering. Was this fate handing him a chance of redemption?

~(-)~

Merlin walked through the market, doing his best not to feel completely freaked out. Everywhere he went, random people he didn't have a clue who they were, were greeting him as he passed. At the market himself, some of the stall owners gave him extra for his money, or add little things he didn't ask for without charging him for them. It had been baffling at first, until he realised that everyone in Camelot had heard about how he drank poison to save Arthur, but even knowing that didn't stop it from being extremely odd to experience.

He was used to people barely giving him a second glance.

He began to make his way back to the castle, trying to keep his head down or pretend to be in a hurry, but even so he got caught near the gates by three of the maids from the laundry.

The black-haired one of the three, who he knew to be the biggest gossip in the castle, smiled at him when she came over.

"Nice job protecting the prince, you've done your fellow servants proud. You should hear the talk going around right now."

Merlin really wanted to cringe at that, but opted instead for a polite smile.

"Thanks, Catherine. Apparently I have a good reputation now."

At the bland way he said it, the three women began to chuckle, Merlin unable to help blushing in the face of being teased by them. Catherine just smiled when he started to look flustered, giving him a reprieve.

"That you do, just make sure you keep it and you'll find the castle to be a good place to be." Her gaze moved to take notice of something behind him, and her smile widened even further. "Hey there, Georg. Off duty for the rest of the day?"

Merlin nearly jumped out of his skin when the man's calloused hand landed on his shoulder, turning sharply to see the Captain of the Castle Guard stood there in a regular shirt and breeches.

He nodded to the laundry maid, smiling in return.

"I just came down for a couple of drinks at the tavern. A man's got to relax once in a while."

Catherine chuckled, shaking her head.

"Well then, I'll just leave you two 'men' to it. See you around, Merlin, and tell the prince if he sends one more shirt to us splattered with oil from tending his sword... I'll see if I can't find a way for some of his clothing to conveniently shrink."

Georg and Merlin watched the three women walk away, the latter musing to himself.

"Everyone being so nice to me is starting to get really strange."

The guardsman beside him laughed.

"Don't get too used to it. They'll only do it for the first couple of days you're back on your feet, although Catherine is always a pleasant woman. Just don't get on her bad side, or you may find embarrassing secrets of yours have become the subject of all the castle gossip."

Merlin found himself smiling. Ever since first meeting Georg when the captain had released him from the stocks, he'd found the guardsman to be an approachable man. He was a commoner with probably the highest rank one could hope to get, and he hadn't allowed it to turn him into an arrogant and self-obsessed ass.

"Still, it's nice to be recognised, even if it was for something as stupid as willingly drinking poisoned wine."

Georg caught the humour in the servant's tone, turning to face him fully. His expression showed his approval.

"Which you did to save the prince. It was very brave of you, and gained you a lot of respect."

"That's what Bern said."

Georg remained quiet for a moment, glancing after where Catherine had gone and recalling something she'd said when reporting to him earlier.

"Rumour has it that Bern has suddenly started standing up for you, his biggest rival. Any idea why?"

Merlin glanced at him, thinking about how friendly the guardsman seemed to be with Catherine.

"Can I count on this not becoming a topic of castle gossip?"

Georg smiled.

"My lips are sealed."

"I made a bet with him, that if I couldn't get Arthur to stop acting as much of an arrogant ass, or get him to choose to do something he would never have done before I became his servant, I would quit and give Bern his job back. But if I won, Bern had to accept I deserved to keep it."

"Ah, Prince Arthur disobeying his father to get the cure for you... So that's what won it." He patted Merlin on the shoulder, before starting to walk away. "You're doing well for yourself, Merlin. Just make sure you continue to do as well. I'd hate to have to unlock you from the stocks again."

Merlin watched him go, with the oddest feeling that their conversation was somehow significant, before shaking his head and resuming his walk back to Gaius' chambers. What could possibly have been significant about talking to a guardsman and a laundry maid? No, he had better things to think about, like what else he could start doing to try and get Arthur to learn and change.

~(-)~

Alaia Skyhawk: Hehehe, yeah, what could be significant about that indeed? (coughs) I'll be posting two chapters together (One for this, and one for Whom History Won't Remember), tomorrow, Friday, and Sunday. Those chapters being the episode "Lancelot" and the WH episode that corresponds to it "Questions and Responsibility" :D