"Don't forget to check on Sir Leon sometime this morning," Gaius said as Merlin tied his neckerchief. "And you still have to scrub out the leech tank."
Merlin groaned. "Come on, Gaius! Arthur will be working me hard enough today!"
"I mean it. Today. You've put it off long enough. These chambers are a mess; I'm almost ashamed to have a visitor seeing them. Have you met Anna yet?"
"No, but I was with Arthur and Agravaine when Percival and Elyan reported, so I heard all about her. Do you know yet who you're going to recommend she try for her apprenticeship?"
"Not yet," Gaius said shortly, "but I've got some ideas. Meanwhile, she's going to come and observe my work while she's here." The sound of maids chattering in the corridor came through the closed door. "Haven't you got somewhere to be?"
Merlin pulled his boots on and dashed out the door, nearly colliding with Anna as she came in. "Hi! I'm Merlin. Got to go!"
"Nice to meet you, Merlin!" she called back as he disappeared around the corner.
"Sorry about him," Gaius said as she shut the door, laughing. "I've managed teach him medicine, but apparently not manners."
"That's alright. He must be very busy, working for you and the prince," Anna answered.
"Yes. Now, I must warn you, this is about the time for Ger—"
A knock at the door cut him off, and Anna opened it for a well-built, silver-haired man, about sixty-five years old, who came in already complaining. "Gaius, I swear there's something wrong with my lungs—oh. Who's this pretty thing?"
"Geraint, this is Anwen of Aberffraw. Anna, Geraint is one of my most… faithful clients."
"How do you do, Sir," Anna said, dropping him a curtsey.
"How do. Gaius," Geraint said, returning to the charge, "I think my elbow's a little swollen today. And my lungs! I coughed so much last night I'm sure I've got consumption."
Gaius forced himself not to roll his eyes. "How's your heart?"
"Terrible! Palpitations all the time! Especially when I'm chopping wood."
"Mm-hm."
"Oh, that must be awful!" Anna said sympathetically, if a little mendaciously.
"No one knows how I suffer!" Geraint agreed.
"Have you been taking that extract of eagle's heart I gave you?" Gaius asked.
Anna frowned at him in astonishment, but Geraint didn't notice.
"Oh—I may have forgotten to take a few doses," he said guiltily.
"Well, no wonder you're having heart problems!" Gaius said. "You take a dose as soon as you get home, and the next time you chop wood, your heart will just beat a little harder and faster than usual—perfectly normal. Have you been keeping up with that powdered wyvern tongue I gave you for a sore mouth?"
"Yes, but it didn't work. I noticed after I had potato stew last night that my mouth was hurting again."
"Did you blow on your stew before you ate it?"
"Eh?"
Gaius put his hands on the table and leaned over as if he wanted to bang his head on it.
"Dreadful. Just dreadful," Anna said, coming to his rescue.
"Anna!" Gaius lifted his head. "What would you prescribe for Geraint's consumptive cough?"
Anna stood very still for a moment, and then suggested, "Snail tears."
"Snail tears?" Geraint looked equal parts thrilled and disgusted.
"Yes. The Gauls have used them to great effect," Anna said positively. "And luckily, I believe I saw some in Gaius's stores." She fetched an empty bottle from a cupboard and filled it at the little cistern.
"That's just water," Geraint said accusingly.
"We must dilute it," Anna assured him, wide-eyed. "It's terribly potent stuff. Now let me see here…" She walked over to the table where Gaius and Merlin had eaten their breakfast that morning, turned her back on them, and did something with the bottle. She turned back and held the bottle up to the light, as if checking the consistency.
"Let me see if you mixed that properly," Gaius said, and dipping the tip of one finger in the mixture, dropped it on his tongue. It was salt water. "Perfect. Glynis taught you how to mix medicines well."
Anna smiled, her eyes brimful of secret laughter, and corked the bottle. "Here you are, Geraint," she said. "Now remember, no more than three drops a day! It should last you a long time."
Geraint took the bottle reverently, and was so impressed with it that he forgot to say thank you or goodbye. Anna shut the door after him and turned back to Gaius.
"'Did you blow on your stew before you ate it?'" she quoted, and went off in a peal of laughter.
"He's not nearly as funny when you have to deal with him every morning," Gaius said, but he was smiling.
There was another knock at the door, and a peasant woman from the lower town walked in. "And how are you today, Nerys?"
"Oh, I can't complain," she said, taking the chair he offered. He introduced Anna as he removed a bandage on her arm, revealing a nasty burn.
"I think that's looking a little better," he said. "Anna, what do you think?"
Anna examined Nerys's arm gently, then suggested, "A poultice of comfrey?"
Gaius smiled. "I have some over here. Let's see you make the poultice."
000
Merlin's stomach growled as he trudged up the stairs toward Gaius's chambers. Arthur had been particularly demanding since morning, and he had hardly had a moment to himself all day. His arms were sore from polishing Arthur's armor, he was starving—and he still had that leech tank to clean! He groaned.
"Bad day?" Gaius said, meeting him at the top of the stair. He had come into the castle through a side door. Merlin took his bag from him and shortened his long strides to walk beside him.
"Tiring. How about you? Where have you been?"
"I had some house calls to make in the lower town. Rather complicated cases. I left Anna in charge of the surgery most of the day."
Merlin frowned. "Are you sure she can handle that?"
"Oh, yes. We had a long talk yesterday evening that proved to me she knew what she was doing. Glynis wouldn't take on a student who wasn't clever at her work and ready to learn. Very discerning woman, Glynis. And a good teacher. Anna is only a year or two shy of completing her apprenticeship. I'm sure she could treat any minor cases that came up while I was away."
Merlin was more dubious. They had reached the door, and Merlin took the handle. "I just hope when she went searching for ingredients she didn't make a… mess."
He and Gaius stared around at the sight that met them inside the door. The floor was swept clean, the tables were wiped down, the bottles and jars that had begun to accumulate in odd corners had been returned to shelves and cupboards, and the smell that met Merlin's nose told him dinner was cooking over the fire. The room looked cleaner and brighter than Gaius had seen it in a long time. Anna was sitting at one of the tables with her chin in her hands, reading one of Gaius's books. She looked up and smiled. "Good evening, Gaius. Merlin."
Merlin was still staring, and Gaius gave him a prod so he could get in the door behind him. "You've been busy," he said, looking around.
"Only three people came in all afternoon," she said, almost apologetically, as she rose and replaced her book on the shelf, "so I had some time on my hands. You don't mind, do you?"
Gaius chuckled. "Not at all. Won't you stay and join us for dinner?"
"Thank you, but I promised the maids I'm rooming with that I'd eat with them," Anna said, dropping a curtsey. "Good night!"
The door shut behind her.
Merlin dropped onto a stool. "'Only a couple people came in!' It's obvious what she's doing."
"Making herself useful?" Gaius suggested, getting out plates for their supper and peeking in the pot at the stew she had put together from their supplies. "Getting this place neater than you've ever managed, even with magic?"
"Trying to impress you! Trying to get you to take her on as an apprentice!"
"I'm not sure it isn't working," Gaius admitted, gazing at a bowl of fresh bandages she had rolled.
"Gaius!"
"Oh, don't sound so betrayed, Merlin," Gaius answered, spooning up some stew into two bowls. "She's at about the same stage in her education as you are—if not a little farther. I could easily teach both of you. Besides, I'm getting older—I could use some help around here. Some more help," he added, as Merlin made an indignant noise. "As you pointed out this morning, you are very busy working for Arthur. Anna could take care of some of the chores around here so you wouldn't have to. And she could do some of my legwork, especially when you're away from Camelot with Arthur. It's never a bad thing to have more trained healers in a town, especially one with so many knights and soldiers."
"Unless they're bad healers," Merlin said. Gaius shot him a look, and he changed tacks. "Or they don't know who's in charge. What if she starts thinking she knows more than you do, or arguing with your plans for treatment?"
"Then we could deal with that problem when it arises. If it arises. You're overreacting." He looked at the young man's concerned face, and softened. "She won't be replacing you, Merlin. No one could."
"I wasn't worried about that," Merlin said gruffly, in a tone that made it obvious to Gaius that he had. Gaius turned back to his stew and Merlin picked up Gaius's bag again, to put it back in its corner. When he reached the place, he stopped and squawked.
"Oh, what is it now?" Gaius asked. Merlin didn't answer, so Gaius walked over to see what Merlin was staring at.
In the corner sat the leech tank, clean as the day Gaius had bought it. The glass positively shone in the candlelight. Even the leeches seemed to be squelching around happily.
"I take it all back," Merlin said quickly, his eyes shining. "Can we keep her?"
TBC
