Pairing: Merlin/Arthur.
Warnings: Nothing more than A remedy to cure all ills. And Merlin and Arthur being fluffly~~
Our Past
Chapter 6: A remedy to cure all ills.
Arthur smirked slightly. "Oh, I can think of something else that would prevent you from catching your breath."
The King watched as Merlin turned a nice shade of red. He chuckled as his lover hit his arm, but didn't say more. He did want to hear the next story, after all.
"The next story is about Edwin." Merlin started, biting out the name with some venom.
Arthur frowned, trying to organize his memories. "He tried to kill my father, right?" Merlin nodded. Arthur's eyes widened. "Did you save my father this day?"
Merlin grinned. "I told you I did save your father in the past." Then he sobered. "He also was the one to make Morgana ill; and he also wanted to take revenge on Gaius."
Arthur blinked. "Why?"
Merlin smiled faintly. "Let's go in order, yeah? As you remember, Morgana became ill one day, and Gaius couldn't do anything. I proposed curing her; but Gaius told me it wasn't a magical illness and I shouldn't use magic to cure a conventional illness."
Arthur sighed. And once again, magic could have been so useful. "And then Edwin appeared, claiming to have a remedy to cure all ills. I admit he was clever, waiting some days after Morgana became ill; and not pushing. He only told me he would be at the inn, in case we changed our mind. Basically, he waited for us to welcome his trap with open arms."
Merlin wriggled a bit, tucking his head under Arthur's chin and kissing his neck. He smiled faintly at the pleased sigh he heard from Arthur. "He deceived us all." Then he let out a chuckle. "Do you remember how nervous I was?"
Arthur laughed. "You wouldn't stay in place! Neither did your legs!" He teased.
"You ended up pacing because of me." He slyly retorted.
Arthur taped his ear with his finger, smirking at Merlin's yelp of protest. "It was only once Gaius announced Morgana had some hours left that I talked about Edwin." He frowned. "Now that I think about it, the first thing Gaius asked was if he knew him."
Merlin looked up; catching Arthur's inquiring sky blue eyes. "As you might guess, they did know each other. Gaius didn't realize how he was until later."
Arthur snorted. "Edwin was a real bootlicker. Do you remember how he was all praise for Gaius and bows to my father?"
Merlin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I do." Then he blinked. "How did you know I was here?"
"I saw you arrive."
"Oh... That's why you said right away I was at his service." Merlin observed sheepishly. Then, he smiled with a hint of cockiness. "Even then you couldn't help but watch me?" he teased.
Arthur growled, tightening his grip on Merlin and brushing his mouth on his cheek. "Watch your tongue, or else I will punish it."
Merlin scowled as he felt once again hotness on his face. He chose to proceed with the tale. "I should have known all his materials weren't strictly 'alchemy', as he called it."
"No one could know." Arthur paused. "Now I understand better why he wanted everyone out the room." He glanced down at the raven haired. "What did he do?"
"I believe he commanded out the beetle that was eating Morgana's brain."
Arthur winced. "And he had been the one putting it here?"
Merlin nodded. "It was the first step to gain trust. And it explains how he had a tissue of blood to show."
"Too much clever for our sake." Arthur commented dryly. "To the point that he didn't even have to ask for reward! It was so much more successful to deny rewards to have my father propose for him to stay and help Gaius."
Merlin raised himself, coming face to face with his King. "We now know to be more careful." He grinned. "And you know now you can ask me if you suspect someone."
Arthur smiled, leaning up and kissing chastely his warlock's mouth in agreement. Merlin closed his eyes, returning the light kiss with a sigh. Then they parted as Merlin opened his eyes, smiling down at the man he loved. Finally, he laid back down on his chest.
"I was fooled too. I visited and he wasn't here; and of course I entered. I was curious. One box caught my attention-I guess my magic felt the one around it-and I opened it. There were unmoving beetles inside. I closed it, and I saw words in the old tongue. I said them, and they started moving. Of course, it was the moment Edwin decided to praise me. He must have entered while I said the spell. I tried to play innocent, but he opened the box and used a word to make them stop. He then affirmed I had magic. I denied it, saying it wasn't me; but only magic could have bring them to life."
Arthur sighed. "Remind me to warn you against randomly reading things in the tongue of spells?"
"I didn't know at that time that it was magic!" Merlin protested. "And you should know not everything in the old tongue is a spell!"
Arthur turned curious. "Really?"
Merlin nodded. "Sometimes it can be simple stories, or warnings. Things like that."
Arthur nodded too. He nudged Merlin, hoping to hear what happened.
Merlin grinned up at him, amused by the blond's eagerness. "He pretended the beetles cured Morgana. He said magic could be a force for good."
Arthur felt his heart break a little. "This is something you rarely heard-and that you wanted to hear."
Merlin smiled at the understanding of his King. "This is how he fooled me. He said that we had a gift. When he saw that I gathered some powder I knocked down, he did it with magic. He proposed to teach me. I... I wanted to show off then. At that time I wasn't as careful as now."
"You don't have to justify your action, Merlin. I understand." Arthur felt good to admit.
Merlin smiled up gratefully. "I used my own spell to make the bottle of powder levitate and pour it. He asked how I used this, but I retorted Gaius didn't let me. He affirmed my gift should be nurtured, enjoyed." He groaned. "I can't believe how easily I fell for this."
"He was very good at using weakness." Arthur muttered.
Merlin rubbed the red bracelet with his fingers, silently agreeing. He stroke up and down the gift he gave Arthur hours earlier until he spoke again. "I just don't like how he wanted me to turn against Gaius. I realize it now; he was here to destroy Gaius' life, and I was one of his ways to do so."
Arthur didn't like too to know someone had wanted to use Merlin. "It's in the past now. I'm sure Gaius has forgiven you, and even forgotten."
Merlin smiled. He shifted, kissing softly Arthur's bracelet before trailing his lips on his wrist. "You're right." He whispered. Then he went back to resting his head on Arthur's heart. "I think Gaius had been researching for who Edwin was meanwhile. I remember one morning where I found him with a book."
"And I guess it's also around that time that my father asked Edwin to review Gaius' works."
"Probably. Gaius didn't tell me what he found. I think he didn't want me to feel worried, or to burden me." He frowned. "I wish he did. He was more important than him."
"He was trying to protect you, Merlin." Arthur soothed.
"I know. I came back from gathering supplies and I came to see Edwin, but Gaius was here. I felt curious, but he simply said that they had been talking. I learned later that Gaius had confronted Edwin with the knowledge he had been the son of two dark magic users. Edwin was here to take revenge because Gaius didn't do anything to save them, he was their friends." He glanced up at Arthur. "But they hadn't been innocent. I understand Gaius." His fingers tightened on Arthur's shirt. "When Gaius threatened to talk to your father, Edwin told him they could also talk about me. Basically, he threatened him to tell the truth about me if Gaius talked about Edwin."
Arthur let out an unhappy sound. "Bastard." He muttered. "He guessed Gaius cared about you."
"Indeed. I understand now, why he told me to do what Edwin asks. I think he was in fact telling himself to stay silent."
Arthur stroked through Merlin's hairs, kissing the top of his head. He could feel how unhappy all this made Merlin. He hesitated speaking, but Merlin threw a piercing look. "It was then that he pretended he found mistakes in Gaius' works. That Gaius was outdated. It made me unhappy, too. I always loved Gaius. Even Morgana didn't agree." He smiled sadly. "She loved him too."
Merlin snuggled closer. "We all do. Kilgharrah told me Gaius visited him one of these nights. He needed advice. Kilgharrah wasn't too helpful; he was still full of anger. Though, that's how Gaius learned I really had this destiny with you-and that I talked with Kilgharrah." He kissed Arthur's right hand, still stroking the left one-and its bracelet-without really realizing.
"In the end, Gaius didn't tell about Edwin when my father decided to replace him by Edwin." Arthur commented, breathing Merlin's scent-his nose in his hairs. "Poor Gaius..."
"And did you know he planned to leave?"
Arthur widened his eyes. "What?"
"As soon as I learned, I came back to our chambers. He was packing. He said he couldn't stay where they was no use for him. But I guess he didn't want to watch-not when he knew what his choice would bring." Merlin admitted with sympathy. "I tried to reason with him, I didn't want him to go. But he wouldn't be swayed. I left saying I wouldn't let this happen."
Arthur's eyes brightened in understanding. "That was then that you asked me why my father would sack him for one mistake."
Merlin nodded. "And when you answered it wasn't the only one, I knew something was wrong Though, I didn't think of speaking to Edwin. I only went to seek him when you asked me, after your father had Morgana's sickness. Though, we both now know it was the beetle. Edwin wanted revenge on your father too." He paused, eyes shadowing with anger. "I found Edwin in his chambers, having encircled Gaius with fire."
Arthur let out a sound of shock.
"Gaius told me later Gwen was the one to convince him he still had a choice. He came back to stop Edwin, but his magic wasn't strong enough. I asked what he was doing, and Gaius answered that he was trying to kill the king and that he couldn't let him. Edwin said he could rule the kingdom with me by his side." Merlin snorted.
"Wrong thing to say?" Arthur ventured.
"Of course! I told him to release Gaius. He threw at me a decorative axe, but thankfully I have quick reflex with magic. I hadn't had the time for spells; I stopped it like I've always been able to. He tried to use a spell to kill me with the axe, but my magic was stronger. I threw back the axe."
"And... he couldn't dodge it, I guess?"
"No. The magic I used had been instinctive. He tried to kill me, and it reacted." Merlin smiled faintly. "I could say this is my most dangerous magic, the one that protects me from death."
Arthur noticed a certain... sadness. His mind searched a cause, and he didn't need to seek much to take a guess. "It was the first time you killed someone?"
Merlin glanced up, sad. "Yes. I busied myself with asking if Gaius was fine; then I took the box of beetles. I still believed they had cured Morgana, and so that they could your father."
Arthur didn't comment out loud, but he felt happy to know Merlin hadn't hesitate in saving his father-the man who would had wronged his kin.
"Gaius told me they were called elanthia beetles. They were magical, and could be enchanted to enter the brain and feed from it." He stuck his tongue out in disgust. "All was clearer then."
Arthur shuddered. "Indeed."
"I asked Gaius how to remove the beetle, and he said it could only be magic. I was afraid; your father could kill us for that. But Gaius said there were times where it was necessary. I couldn't let your father die. I used the spell on the box; and willed my magic to take out the beetle." Merlin grinned. "It worked; and Gaius called me a genius! Your father awakened then-he didn't hear me casting the spell. Gaius pretended he had given him something."
Arthur smiled. He nudged Merlin, making him look up. When the ocean blue eyes caught his sky blue ones, he bent down and took Merlin's upper lips between his own. His eyes fluttered closed at the same time as his lover, enjoying the soft pleased sounds the warlock made as Arthur nipped each of his lips.
"I'm proud of you." Arthur murmured once they broke apart; and he took delight in Merlin's flushed skin.
"Gaius was too." Merlin mumbled. "Like us, he liked when he was made free man of Camelot-of course. But he said it was ridiculous because I was the one who saved your father." He smiled. "I told him that for once, I was happy to let someone else take the credit."
Arthur grinned with pride and kissed Merlin. The raven haired gasped at the sudden kiss; which allowed Arthur to invade his mouth with his tongue. Merlin moaned at the feel of his king massaging his tongue with his own. They kissed for a minute or two, lost in the feeling.
Eventually, they parted. Arthur gave Merlin a hot gaze while the warlock rested back beside his King, his head on his chest. He listened to Arthur's heart, smiling as he noticed it was quicker than normal.
"You seem affected, my King."
Arthur flushed. "Shut up and move on to the next story, Merlin!"
Merlin smirked. "How can I continue if I shut up?"
"Oh, just talk!"
To be continued...
