Chapter Three

Hello!

This one's way shorter than usual; just a transition chapter, really.

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

Merlin made sure to enter the court physician's chambers quietly. As he'd expected, Elwin was fast asleep on a cot in the corner, while Everard was slumped in a chair next to him. Gaius sat at the table, stirring up some sort of brownish potion. Merlin sat down across from him. "How are they?"

Gaius glanced over his shoulder at the twins. "They'll be fine. Elwin's fever broke; he'll recover quickly now. Everard seemed merely exhausted."

"He didn't sleep well last night and he wouldn't spare himself today; he was too worried for his brother." Merlin watched the sleeping boys for a minute, thinking.

The journey back to Camelot had been mostly uneventful. Elwin had woken a couple times on the way; frightened at first, but soon reassured by the presence of his twin. Everard had stayed by his side all day, refusing to let him out of his sight. Merlin couldn't help but admire his fierce devotion to his brother, but he did find Everard's stubbornness mildly frustrating. Oh, well, perhaps now that Elwin was recovering, Everard would relax a bit. He had been through quite an ordeal.

Merlin was pulled from his musings by Gaius' questioning, "Is Arthur going to speak with them? Question them about where they're from?"

"Yeah, tomorrow. He said that they ought to get some rest." Merlin half-smiled. "That I agree with."

"As do I. Everard may not by injured, but he's clearly spent himself over the last few days…or weeks. There's no way to be sure until they tell us themselves…" Gaius paused, frowning slightly. "Did you notice their clothes, Merlin?"

Merlin shrugged. He'd been the one to fetch clean, new clothes for the boys, but he hadn't had a chance to examine their original garments. "No, not really. Why?"

"They were quite fine; simple, rather like the clothes nobles prefers for hunting trips, but the cloth was of high quality. When you looked underneath the crusted filth, that is. What those boys must've gone through…" Gaius trailed off with a sigh.

Merlin nodded, but said jokingly, "I didn't know you were an expert on clothes, Gaius!"

The physician chuckled and cuffed Merlin lightly on the shoulder. "I'm an old man, Merlin; I've picked up more knowledge than you know!"

Merlin snorted in amusement, but then asked seriously, "Do you think they're nobles?"

"It's possible." Gaius replied. "Did you notice; they look almost exactly alike, but their eyes are different colors?"

"Yeah, I did. Elwin's are grey, no brown." That had actually startled Merlin when the boy awoken the first time. "I wish they'd told us more before they decided to go to sleep…"

"Well, all we can do now is wait. What is the time? You ought to get to bed, Merlin, Arthur will want you up early tomorrow, I daresay."

Merlin nodded and stood up, but his stomach lurched as he suddenly remembered something that he'd forgotten to mention to Gaius before. "Oh, Gaius?"

"Yes, Merlin?"

"I think Everard saw me use magic."

Sir Gwaine slipped into his private chambers, locking the door behind him. Shrugging off his red cloak, he undid the ties of a leather pouch from his belt and tossed the small sack on his bed. He forced himself to get cleaned up first, discarding various articles of clothing until he was in comfortable trousers and a undershirt. He also washed his hands and face, wetting his hair and brushing it roughly from his face with his fingers. Then, and only then, did he retrieve the pouch and pull out the two small objects he'd taken from the slave traders' camp.

While helping to dispose of the bodies, he'd checked the pockets of the best-dressed slave trader (probably the leader) on a hunch. And as he'd expected, he found them.

At first glance, they were unremarkable, really. Two small silver pendants, dragon scale-shaped, on slender chains. And on the back of each one was etched a seven-pointed star.

Well, if you weren't sure before, you are now. But his attempt at internal humor did nothing to lift the scowl from his face, or to relieve the churning in his stomach that had been there all day.

Dropping one of the baubles on the bed covers, he carefully took off the pendant he always wore around his own neck. He compared his with the one that he already held.

They were identical.

Just as I remember.

Okay, a couple things about the seven-pointed star:

One, I really have no idea exactly what is on the back of Sir Gwaine's pendant in the show, but I do know that it's supposed to be his family crest or something like that (and I'm tying into that, sort of) And I haven't forgotten about the ring, either! :)

Two, there are so many meanings for a seven-pointed star that I'm kind of going with my own meaning here. Besides, I happen to like the number seven and star shapes with any number of points, so I'm just going with it.

Review, please? I'd really appreciate it!