Alaia Skyhawk: Here's the next chapter, and the much anticipated conversation between Gaius and Nellan :D
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.
Music: The Dragon's Breath (Folk Music) The Forged Seal (Merlin OST)
"Whom History Won't Remember" Episode: N/A
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Chapter 29: The Nature of Magic ~Part 2~
An old physician and a druid stared at each other across the chamber, one frowning, the other seeming unconcerned, the former irritated, and the latter apparently indifferent to that fact. Glancing between them, Merlin was blissfully oblivious to anything except he was doing his good deed for the day.
He walked a short way into the chamber, smiling at his mentor while indicating the man behind him.
"Gaius, this is Nellan, a druid. I uh... fell into his camp while getting the herbs for you." The smile became a little forced, a hint of apprehension starting to show. "And um... He saw me last night, killing the griffin."
When Gaius stiffened in reaction, Nellan raised a hand.
"Although to be honest, I didn't actually see him kill it, but I would have to have been blind not to see his power. My clan tends to specialise in detecting the magic of others. Have not worry, I mean no harm by being here."
Awkward silence fell, before Gaius slowly got to his feet and faced his ward.
"Why on earth are you trusting him so easily! Are you a complete fool! He could be lying for all you know! A trap!"
Merlin began to back up in the face of his mentor's shouting, starting to stammer.
"I... I don't know why... I-I just..."
He backed right up into Nellan, who placed his hand on the young warlock's shoulder while regarding the physician with a small frown. Merlin had a good heart, and did not deserve to be yelled at in such a fashion.
"The explanation is simple, and one I should think you would be aware of since it's obvious you know your ward is a warlock. Or have you forgotten all the lore you were once reputed to know? Magic draws magic, and allows those who share similar morals to instinctively know they can trust one another. His power told him he could trust me, inside, as mine told me I could trust him. That is all there is to it."
He lowered his hand, wincing a little at the movement, that sign of pain then reminded Merlin why the man was here.
He turned to his mentor, urgent.
"Gaius, he's hurt. He said he faced up against the griffin just over a week ago. And came after it to slay it. He's the one that caused the flash of fire I saw last night."
Nellan sighed.
"My injuries have already been tended to once, by an acquaintance of mine. They do not need further attention. I only came with you because you were so insistent."
Gaius looked between the two, all too aware of how true that could be. He sighed.
"I'll be the judge of that. Merlin, be off with you. You have chores to do, and Arthur's meal to prepare. He'll probably want you to clean his armour as well seeing as he used it last night. I will see to this man while you do so."
Merlin hesitated, but left when Nellan gave him a nudge, both men watching him go before he closed the door and walked over to the physician. They stared at each other for a long moment, before the druid spoke almost with slight disapproval.
"So you are his guardian. I will admit to finding that... surprising." He sat on a nearby stool, eyes never leaving Gaius. "But at the same time, I will not hold the past against you... yet."
Gaius frowned at him, wary, before starting to gather a few basic materials and remedies together.
"You have an odd viewpoint, and manner, for a druid. Not to mention hunting down a griffin is not something one of your would normally do... What clan are you from?"
Nellan remained unperturbed, his tone guarded.
"While you hiding a young sorcerer, right under Uther's nose no less, raises my opinion of you slightly... It does not redeem you enough in my eyes for you to be trusted with more than my name. You have a long way to go before you have atoned for your actions enough for that."
Gaius returned to his side, setting his arm load of materials on the table beside him.
"I will admit I have done things I am not proud of, things I regret, but do not mistake me... If I believe you to be a threat to my ward, I will not hesitate to hand you over to the king."
Again Nellan did not look concerned, instead starting to remove his shirt to expose the bandages that wrapped his torso from neck to navel. At this point it was clear he was a druid though, for he bore a number of their typical tattoos on his arms.
Gaius frowned, noticing that blood had seeped through the cloth in a few places, getting a pair of shears and cutting the bandages from bottom to top at the back. That way he would be able to peel them away in one mass from whatever wounds were on the man's front.
Gaius gasped in horror once that was done, and Nellan eased the bandages away to reveal three long slashes running from his right shoulder and down to just above his waist. They looked like they'd been made by claws.
"How? How could you possibly have survived this?"
Nellan glanced at him, tilting his head.
"A fringe benefit of having studied advanced healing magic. My power acts on its own should I become wounded and lose consciousness. It bought me the time for my ally to stitch the wounds and apply medicines. Without it I would have died."
Gaius took a moment to recover from his shock, before his expression became focused and professional as he leaned in to take a closer look. He prodded at a few of the stitches that held the savage wounds closed.
"Even so, it's clear you've been moving around too much. You've pulled the skin on some of the sutures, and the tears are becoming infected."
A little surprised, Nellan looked down to see the tell tale reddening around the stitches in question.
"It would appear you are correct. But after the griffin did this to me, I could hardly wait long before going after it. It was I who unintentionally set it free, and so it was I who had to take responsibility and stop it."
Gaius frowned at him.
"You are the cause of it coming here?"
Nellan ignored the disapproval in his tone.
"Yes and no. It was being transported in a covered cage, by a group of King Cenrid's men. They spotted me, and instead of letting me go on my way as his men usually do for druids, they had orders to kill anyone who saw them. I objected, defended myself... and made the mistake of setting fire to cage transport without checking what kind of seals were holding the cage closed."
Gaius seemed a little surprised.
"They were held by a wax-set, five point seal?"
Nellan nodded, with a small smile.
"It seems you haven't forgotten everything, at least. I would assume that style of seal was picked because it's the easiest kind for a non-sorcerer to break. No magical key required, you can break it with a piece of burning stick if you wanted to. It meant that after I'd dealt with Cenrid's men, my mistake of burning the transport only caused his plan to happen anyway. It's clear that thing was meant to be released in Camelot regardless."
Gaius went quiet.
"'Dealt with Cenrid's men'... By that would you mean you killed them? Druids do not kill people."
Nellan seemed to close in for a moment, his eyes narrowing, wary.
"My clan is an exception. We kill when required, but only when left no other option. I gave those men the chance to back down, they didn't. I killed their commander as a final warning, and again they didn't pay heed. I warned them three times in all."
"...Are you from the Blood Clan?"
Nellan choked at those words, staring at the physician in disbelief.
"Good heavens no... That clan is almost certainly extinct. No one has heard from them in centuries. My clan have no relation to them, we are cousins of the Earth Clan."
Gaius became thoughtful.
"So you're from one of the clans that deal in earth-based magics, those concerning healing and vision?"
Nellan frowned a little.
"That only narrows it down to being one of almost a dozen clans that describes... Yes, I will admit to being from one of those."
That seemed to satisfy Gaius for now, the two of them seeming to have come to a truce of sorts, Nellan sitting there while Gaius applied salve to the wounds after replacing the torn sutures. Little else was said as Nellan watched him do it, until as Gaius started re-wrapping his torso with bandages, the druid started asking questions about Merlin.
"So how long have you known the boy has magic."
Gaius did not look up, remaining focused on his work.
"A while."
Nellan eyed him.
"He's very talented."
"Indeed, he learns spells with a speed the likes of which I have never seen before."
A hint of annoyance, Gaius was still wary as would be expected, but still Nellan pressed him.
"Where has he been learning it from."
A moment of hesitation, but still, an answer.
"...I gave him my old spellbook. I kept and hid it after the Purge. Don't ask me why, I just did."
"So that makes you his teacher?"
Gaius finally looked up, glaring at him.
"Must you ask so many questions? Merlin is my ward, and none of your concern."
Nellan remained silent for several moments, before speaking with quiet warning.
"My concern is that you stood by while so many were killed before, including children. I see a talented young warlock, living right in the middle of Camelot, in the care of a man who watched so many others just like him be murdered. Now, will you answer my question?"
Gaius flinched at those words, still frowning before reluctantly answering.
"...Yes, you could say I am his teacher. I advise on the things he should concentrate on most from the book, much like which spell from within it he could use kill the griffin... Something I lacked the power to do." He stood up, walking away from the druid and then turning to look back at him. "I am a tired old man, who's skill with magic has long since withered away. Merlin is young, so bright with hope, with so much to give to those around him, to the world." He paused, eyes distant as he murmured something. "...To bring light to the people's pleas for hope and mercy..."
He jolted back from his thoughts and turned away, bustling with the contents of a number of jars, while behind him Nellan was forced to hide his shock.
Gaius had just quoted what seemed a part of the passage about Emrys, from the original form of the prophesy. Did he know, or at least suspect, who Merlin was? If he did, then this was big, bigger than when Fyren had confirmed Merlin had a spellbook and that Gaius was the only one who could have given it to him. It meant that Gaius was actively working to ensure the success of the prophesy and the return of magic, not just passively ignoring his ward's actions and sorcery... It meant he was on magic's side.
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Musing to himself, wondering how things were going back in Gaius' chambers, Merlin made his way along the deserted hall past the disused guest rooms. There were more bonuses this short-cut than just the saving of time, it meant he was free to think instead of concentrating on not bumping into other servants.
He sighed, wishing he hadn't had to go do chores. He was still wound up from all the tension of the past few days, and being forced to act normal when a druid was in the castle as his guest-of-sorts wasn't helping that.
Merlin arrived at Arthur's chambers, cheating and opening the latch with a touch of silent magic instead of messing around balancing the tray. Inside those rooms sat Arthur, brooding by the window, much like he had after coming back from the Forest of Balor. He'd found another one of his father's rules he now doubted, although he was far more certain of his dislike of the First Code than the 'shall I shan't I' response to idea that some magic could be good. Seriously, this had to be the first time his servant had see him this depressed.
Merlin went to the table and started setting out the food on it, going to the extra trouble of moving everything off the day instead of just leaving everything on it. He then raised his voice a little, catching the prince's attention.
"Lancelot wouldn't be happy to know you were acting like this. It was his choice to leave, rather than be the cause of a massive argument between you and your father. Stop sulking already."
He was forced to duck when Arthur grabbed an empty mug from his nearby desk, throwing it at him in irritation.
"Will you just shut up, Merlin. I am not sulking."
Merlin stepped away from the table when Arthur stormed over and sat down, muttering under his breath.
"That's not what it looks like."
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
Arthur started to eat his food, Merlin pointedly getting out of the way and checking the fire in the hearth. He was just starting to hum a little under his breath when the prince's irritated voice interrupted him.
"You sound in a disgustingly cheerful mood."
Merlin glanced at him sidelong, shrugging.
"And why shouldn't I? The griffin is dead, Lancelot, while he did leave, isn't locked up in jail, and an old acquaintance of Gaius' is visiting."
Arthur frowned at him.
"And how do you know they're acquaintances? It could just be someone coming for treatment."
Merlin shrugged again, nonchalant. This was true, sort of... Nellan had clearly known something about Gaius' past at least.
"He just seemed to know Gaius well, that's all. Like he knew him a long time ago. It's a passing visit, just for today. I didn't want to stick my nose in their business."
The prince raised his eyebrows, leaning on the table.
"And I find that highly surprising given your record for sticking that nose of yours where it doesn't belong."
Merlin stood up, regarding him stubbornly.
"And if I hadn't, then you wouldn't have known about those snakes in Valiant's shield."
"And what about Lancelot?"
Merlin paused, starting to frown.
"Look, he saved me when the griffin attacked me near Greenswood. I owed him. He had his heart set on becoming a Knight of Camelot, so I offered to introduce him to you."
"And did you know he wasn't a noble."
The two of them looked at each other in silence, until the servant of the two averted his gaze, seeming a bit annoyed.
"I saw him in action. Heard from him why he wanted to be a knight. I know it was wrong of him to lie, but it doesn't change the fact that he could have been one the best knights that Camelot has ever had. The First Code was the only thing stopping him from being given a chance, and that's wrong. Camelot needs knights, knights like him... How many more might have been lost and wasted because of that stupid law?"
Silence fell again between them, before Arthur began to pick at his food again.
"And for once we actually agree on something... He was more of a knight than half of those who already serve as one. When I am king... Never mind."
He'd left the rest unsaid, but Merlin knew what it would have been. 'When I am king, I'm going change that law.' The servant picked up the large hemp sack by the door, wincing a little at the weight when he balanced the bag of armour in his arms. Gaius had been right when he'd said he would have to clean it.
"I'll go clean your armour now. I'll be back later to clear away those plates and then bring up your supper."
Arthur didn't say another word, and Merlin didn't need to hear him say one. He knew exactly what would be running through that prince's mind right now. And to think, Arthur called him stupid.
He shook his head, stopping by the storeroom near the armoury to grab the things he needed to clean the armour, before hiking back to Gaius' chambers. He liked to sit in his room for this chore. Even when doing the work by hand, he could still read through a couple of pages in is spellbook while he did it. Today though, there was a different motive... Talk to Nellan while he worked on it.
When he arrived at the chambers he peered in through the door, noting that Gaius was out on his rounds and the druid seemed to be perusing the books on the physician's shelves. Nellan turned, noticing him standing there, and smiled when he turned to face him.
"Back already? You've barely been gone an hour."
Merlin came fully into the room, lugging the sack of armour.
"Yeah well, taking a basket of dirty clothing to the laundry doesn't take that long, and neither does bringing the clean bedding up and putting it on the bed. I went and grabbed Arthur's food after that, he's in his room eating it right now... And sulking."
Nellan raised an eyebrow.
"Sulking?"
Merlin dumped the sack on one of the tables, speaking over the clatter and clang of its contents.
"He's down in the dumps because Lancelot, the guy who 'killed' the griffin, left. After it came out that he wasn't a noble, the king threw a fit over it. After Lancelot saved the day, thanks to a bit of unknown help from me, Arthur wanted him to restore Lancelot's knighthood even though he's a commoner. The king said no, and Lancelot left rather than be the cause of an argument between Arthur and his father. So yeah, Arthur's not a happy prince right now."
He started to shake the armour out of the sack and onto the table, separating the pieces while Nellan came over to look.
He frowned a little.
"You're expected to clean all this?"
Merlin nodded, eyeing the mud splatters and smears over several of the pieces from where the griffin had knocked Arthur into the mud last night.
"Yeah, by morning, and I have to do all my evening chores as well. Like get his supper, and turn back the covers on his bed, stoke his fire. And tomorrow, tomorrow I get to scrub his floor." He glanced at the druid beside him. "It's a Wednesday. Wednesday is one of the two 'floor days', unless Arthur happens to trek something nasty into the castle and all over his room. He's done that a few times since I started serving him. and I know at least two of them he did it on purpose."
Nellan raised his eyebrows again. And Merlin was describing the man who was the Once and Future King?
"Sounds like a lot of work."
Merlin turned to him, a smile of mischief starting to form... Well, he had been about to clean this lot the normal way, but a small 'demonstration' wouldn't really hurt. Besides, he'd been wanting to try this for a while.
"It is, unless I want time to study my spellbook. When that happens I um... cheat." He closed his eyes for a moment, muttering to himself quietly to decide what words to use, before pointing to the pile of armour. "Ic afeorme pu dol maith maerweorc."
Mud from the armour disappeared, along with every other speck of grime. Merlin then grabbed a rag from among the cleaning things he'd brought up, and the bottle of oil used to treat metal work. Oiling the whole set would only take five minutes.
Nellan stared at the warlock when Merlin nonchalantly sat down with the rag and the first piece of armour, shocked.
"Where did you learn that spell?"
Merlin chuckled.
"I made it up, just now." He grinned up at him. "I meant it when I said I'd just make up a spell to make you sit. I found out I have an instinctive knowledge for the Old Tongue, and can call up the words I want when I need them. I still need my book though, for the complicated spells. I'm not good enough at magic to make up powerful ones. Just little ones."
The druid seemed to pause to let those words sink in, before sitting himself down where he could watch the warlock work. When Merlin neared finishing the last piece, that was when Nellan decided something.
"Merlin, I have an offer for you. I know you were interested in the idea of becoming a High Priest, and with that in mind I'd like to test you... If you can get out of the city, meet me in the woods where you first found me, tonight after the Great Bell rings. I'll give you a lesson in magic, as thanks for bringing me to see Gaius, and you can make up your mind about whether you'd want to pursue that goal or not."
He stood up, starting towards the door, Merlin frowning and rising to his feet.
"You're leaving? You won't even stay for supper?"
Nellan glanced back at him.
"I think I make your guardian uncomfortable, and being what I am it is best I do not linger here. I will see you tonight, young warlock. Until then."
Merlin watched him go, confused until a realisation sunk in. Nellan had said it before. If he wanted the druid to teach him, then he would have to leave Camelot... All of a sudden he was glad Nellan had left to give him time to think.
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Alaia Skyhawk: Yeah, we all know how this is going to turn out, but you have to admit that for Merlin, being taught advanced magic by someone would be a real temptation (Considering Gaius won't actually teach him any)... A temptation he'll encounter again in the episode that follows this.
Oh, and the cleaning spell Merlin made up was 'Ic afeorme pu dol maith maerweorc.' 'I cleanse you for noble work.'