Camelot
January, 504 AD
Gaius started to throw orders left and right as soon as we got to the apartment, "Arthur, lay him on the bed. He is struggling to breathe! Gwen, fetch me some water! And, Astra, a towel!" In the meantime, he gathered some stuff from the shelves.
With a dazed mind, I glanced around the room for a few seconds until I finally spotted a white piece of cloth laying atop a kitchen counter. I stumbled towards it and struggled to grab it, given that my hands were still trembling badly, but I managed it and hurried to give it to the physician.
Getting no further commands, I hopped to sit on the work table and I pulled my knees to my chest while I took deep breaths in an attempt to calm my strained lungs.
"Is he going to be all right?" the Prince asked as he nervously nibbled on his thumbnail while he watched Gaius work with a lost expression.
Gwen pulled a chair next to Merlin and she pressed the now dampened towel to his forehead while the physician examined him.
"He is burning up," the physician commented in a grave tone as he touched the young sorcerer's cheek.
"You can cure him, can you not, Gaius?" Gwen asked the elderly man, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I will not know until I can identify the poison," he responded before turning to me, "Pass me the goblet."
I frowned and looked around, soon finding that said object was placed next to me on the table. I quickly grabbed it and handed it over.
Gaius moved towards a desk and he grabbed a magnifying glass before moving to examine the silver cup for a few moments, turning it over in his hands. His eyes widened as he looked inside of it. "Ah. There is something stuck on the inside," he noted.
I jumped off the table and moved to grab some tweezers from a drawer, which I promptly passed on to the physician. He nodded in thanks and reached inside the goblet, pulling out a small yellow thing.
"What is it?" Arthur asked as he stepped closer to Gaius.
"It looks like a flower petal of some kind," the elderly man replied, squinting his eyes as he analysed it. I moved closer in curiosity.
"His brow is on fire," Gwen informed the physician.
"Keep him cool," he instructed her, "it will help control his fever." She nodded and returned her attention to Merlin.
I tilted my head as I watched Gaius move towards the book stands. He pulled out a huge book on botany and he brought it over to the desk, setting it down before he started skimming through it. I stood next to him and eyed the book as he flipped the pages, figuring that two pairs of eyes are better than one.
A yellow sketch on a page caught my attention and I put my hand over it, stopping Gaius from turning over the page.
"Mortaeus flower?" I mumbled as I read the title, thinking of the Latin word 'morte'. "That can't be good."
Gaius took a minute to read carefully before explaining, "The petal comes from the Mortaeus flower. It says here that someone poisoned by the Mortaeus can only be saved by a potion made from the leaf of the very same flower. It can only be found in the caves deep beneath the Forest of Balor. The flower grows on the roots of the Mortaeus tree."
I felt my heart shrinking further with each word he spoke.
Arthur moved to stand to Gaius's other side and he looked over his arm at the book, skimming it until his eyes stopped on something. "That is not particularly friendly," he commented with a frown. I followed his gaze and noticed a sketch towards the bottom of the page that depicted an ugly creature that resembled a Komodo dragon, only it had what I can only describe as poorly-developed wings on its back.
"That is a Cockatrice," the physician explained in a grave tone. "It guards the forest. Its venom is potent, a single drop would mean certain death. Few who have crossed the Mountains of Isgaard in search of the Mortaeus flower have made it back alive."
"Sounds awesome!" I exclaimed sarcastically, earning a displeased look from the elderly man. "Do you have a map?" I asked him while ignoring the stare, which instantly turned into a puzzled frown. "Y'know, so I can go n' get the stupid thing?"
"I will get it," Arthur spoke up with determination in his voice. I turned to him with widened eyes, feeling shocked that he was willing to risk his life for a simple servant, but I forced myself to recover from the surprise.
"When do we leave?" I asked.
"Astra, Arthur, it is too dangerous," Gaius warned sternly.
"Well, it's either that or Merls dies," I retorted as I crossed my arms, standing my ground. The physician sighed as he looked down at me with clouded eyes.
My heart jumped for a moment when Arthur moved to stand beside me. "I will make sure that she is safe," he stated, causing another wave of surprise to run through my body.
Gaius's eyes travelled towards Merlin's unconscious figure. "Fine," he finally relented and went to get another book, from which he tore out a page. I noticed that it contained a detailed map to the 'Forest of Balor'.
I thanked him with a small grin and rapidly folded the paper, reaching to stuff it into the pocket of my hoodie only to realise that I wasn't wearing one because of the stupid dress. So I just kept it in my hand until I could put it in a safer place.
Arthur and I exchanged a nod and we walked out of the apartment, with him stating that he would need to speak to his father first. I knew that that would be an interesting show, considering how easily the man had put Merlin's life on the line in the first place.
"Well, you don't have to tell him the truth," I noted as we began to climb the stairs. "Just tell him you're going shoppin', or whatever it is that princes do."
"I cannot lie to him, Astraea," he replied with a shake of his head.
"Okay, but know that I'm going with or without you," I responded with a pointed look, earning a glare.
We agreed to meet in the corridor outside our rooms in an hour, and then Arthur went to find his father without another word while I busied myself with changing back into normal clothes and packing some supplies for the trip.
An hour-and-a-half later, I found myself pacing the corridor as I nibbled on my bottom lip, mentally cursing the Prince for taking so long.
I huffed and picked up my backpack (which laid discarded on the floor after its weight had started to tire my shoulders), finally deciding that I'd just go on my own.
I have Gaius's map, I can do it. I can save Merlin, or die trying. I doubt I'll ever get to go home, anyways, and it's not like anyone here will miss me. Not even Dallas. He's fond of me, but he won't mind as long as he gets to hang out around other horses.
"Is everything all right, Astraea?" Morgana's voice startled me as I slung the backpack over my shoulders.
I turned around to face her as I explained quickly, aching to get going, "Oh, hey! I was just waitin' for Arthur. We were supposed to leave half-an-hour ago to find the flower that Gaius needs to heal Merlin, but he's nowhere to be found."
"Oh, but Arthur left about an hour ago..." she informed me, trailing off as I clenched my jaw in anger.
"He what?!" She nodded sheepishly, giving me a pitying look. "Son of a female dog!" I exclaimed, making her eyes widen. "Sorry," I gave her an apologetic look. "I'm goin' after him. See ya' later!"
I took off sprinting down the corridor and didn't stop for a moment until I got to the equestrian facilities.
I whistled Dallas over to me and opened the gate to his paddock, letting him out and quickly shutting it before Cinderella could follow. "Sorry, baby-girl. He'll be back soon," I assured her rapidly before jogging over to the tack room with my Thoroughbred behind me. I hurried to tack him up and put on my helmet and safety vest before using an upside down bucket to climb on him. Then I pulled the map out of my pocket and clutched it in one hand as I guided my horse into the woods.
After cantering through the snow-layered forest non-stop for what felt like an eternity, I finally spotted Arthur's bronze-coloured horse tied to a tree. I jumped off Dallas and led him to where the horse stood.
"Hey… whatever your name is!" I greeted the equine and rubbed his neck for a second before turning towards my own horse. "Dal, stay," I ordered and placed a kiss on his muzzle.
I pulled my Swiss army knife out of my backpack and let the latter drop to the ground beside a tree before rushing off to find Arthur, following some dips in the snow that I assumed were his footprints.
I froze in my tracks when I came across the monster from Gaius's book, which laid on its side on the ground, a nauseating pool of blood underneath it. "Ya' better be dead," I whispered before continuing to move cautiously through the forest, keeping my eyes trained for any sort of yellow plants – although, winter-time meant that none of the trees had anything growing on them, leaving me to wonder how I would ever find the darn thing.
After some minutes, I came across a giant tree that looked very different from the rest of the trees around me, as its trunk was paler in colour and it towered above the common pines. "This has to be it, " I mumbled to myself, looking around to see if there was any way to access the roots. I walked a bit further and spotted an entrance to a cave. "Bingo!"
Despite the fact that I had my phone in the pocket of my riding leggings – out of habit – I figured that it'd be smarter to use a torch to light the way, a la caveman; otherwise I'd have a lot of explaining to do if I did find Arthur. So I grabbed a decently long branch off the ground and lit it with a small fire that had conveniently been created nearby before stepping inside the cave, swallowing my claustrophobic feelings.
"Arthur, are you in here?" I whisper-yelled through the cave as I navigated it hesitantly. I'm too young to become bear food! "Dude, come on! Merls is dying!" I called out to the Prince of Camelot again, this time a bit louder. My heart raced as I began to fear that he wasn't in the cave. Or worse, that he was dead.
Uther will kill me if I return without him!
"Astraea?! Is that you?!" I finally heard a reply. He sounded strained and shaken up, which caused my stomach to churn.
"No, this is Patrick!" I couldn't help but reference 'SpongeBob Squarepants' as I hurried to follow the sound of his voice.
"Quick, I need your help!" he called out, ignoring my response.
"I'm coming, chill!"
I entered an enormous chamber inside the cave and skidded to a stop when the forward path ended abruptly, followed by a huge drop into a dark, seemingly bottomless pit that appeared to extend for a long distance to either side of where I stood. There must've been an opening somewhere above, for I could see some faint sun-rays filtering inside.
My eyes widened in horror when I spotted the mighty Prince Arthur Pendragon on the other side of the cavity, hanging from a small ledge that peeked out of the rocky wall – which had little yellow flowers blooming through the cracks on it.
Well, at least he found them… but I don't think he stopped to think of a sensible plan to get them.
"What the heck did you do?!" I asked as I stepped closer to the edge, looking around for anything that could possibly help me get him to safety.
"It was a trap, a sorceress got me," he explained in a strained voice. I knew he had to be focusing all of his energy on, y'know, not falling. The mental image of that happening sent chills down my spine.
"Yeah, well, that's what you get for leaving without me," I replied as I shone the torch around, my eyes still analysing the space.
"Not the time," he grunted.
"Right, sorry," I mumbled as I bit down on my lip.
Close to the edge, I noticed, was a sturdy-looking rock formation separate from the wall that was at least three times my height, and it had a narrow parting at the top.
I grinned as a plan formed in my head. "Hold on, I'll be right back!" I told the Prince before running out of the cave, too preoccupied with my task to laugh at the accidental pun.
I sprinted back to where I'd left the horses and hurried to search my backpack for the rope I had brought (I've seen enough action movies to know that they always come in handy). "Yahtzee!" I cheered triumphantly as I pulled the hemp item out and thanked Connor MacManus in my mind as I ran back into the cave and to Arthur.
"Okay, I got a rope, lemme just secure it up there," I informed the Prince as I paused to figure out a way to get it through the gap at the top of the stone formation… I should've brought a ladder.
Perhaps it would be helpful to try to distract Arthur from the fact that he could fall to his death at any moment while I work this out… "What's your horse's name, by the way?" I asked as I climbed on top of a different rock to give myself a little boost in height.
"He does not have one," he grumbled in response.
I huffed, finding that I still couldn't reach the top of the pillar. Fork it, I'll just throw the rope until it miraculously gets through.
"That's not very nice!" I responded in between efforts. "You should give him one."
"Astra, please," he whined, sounding genuinely scared.
I felt a pang in my heart at the change in his tone and dropped the attempts to distract him. "Just breathe, Artie. I'll get ya' out," I said softly.
I threw the rope once again. "Yes!" I cheered in victory as it finally went through the crack, falling onto the other side of the column. I cautiously stepped towards the edge of the deadly vacuum and grabbed the hanging end of the rope, tying a hoop. "Okay, ya' ready?" I asked Arthur as I readied to throw it to him. He quickly nodded and I tossed it. He caught it with one hand, as the other one held on for dear life, and he fumbled to wrap the rope around his torso.
I smiled at yet another small victory.
"Great! Now, push off the wall and swing like Tarzan," I instructed as I tightly held onto the other end of the rope, praying that the simple pulley system I'd arranged would be enough to keep his weight from overwhelming me. "The momentum will bring you to the other side."
"I still have to climb up and get the flower," he mentioned while looking up at the yellow flowers that sprung out just a metre or so above his head.
I sighed and nodded, knowing that we had no other choice.
"Are you strong enough to hold me?" he questioned.
No.
"The anchor will help," I responded with a shrug. "And if it doesn't, we're both dead anyways."
"All right," he responded with a shaky sigh before starting to climb up.
"Oh, sheep, you're heavy," I muttered through gritted teeth as I struggled to pull on the rope to help him upwards.
"Do not you dare let go!" he shouted in alarm as I accidentally let a few centimetres slip through my fingers.
"Hurry up, then!" I shot back, my palms already feeling sore from the roughness of the rope.
Sweat began to drip from my forehead as he finally pulled out a flower, quickly tucking it into a pocket in his trousers.
"I am going to swing now," Arthur announced. "Can you hold on?"
"Let's pray so," I mumbled as I braced my feet on the ground and tied the rope around my own waist for extra strength. "Okay, go," I told him with a nod.
He took in a deep breath and pushed off the wall.
"F*ck!" I gasped as my body was jerked forwards by the heavy load, but I managed to catch myself by simply dropping to my butt on the ground and allowing my own weight to do all the work in hand with the support from the big rock.
A relieved chuckle escaped me as Arthur landed safely next to me, instantly dropping to the ground in exhaustion as we both panted from the physical strain. I let myself fall onto my back on the dirt.
"Are you all right?" I asked as I turned to face him, recoiling when I found his face closer than I'd anticipated. Luckily, the dim illumination masked the blush that no doubt filled my cheeks immediately.
"Yes," he replied with a small smile. "Thank you."
I nudged his arm and sat up, then I rubbed my hands against my leggings. Even in the poor lighting I could see the blisters and bits of blood plaguing my palms. But the Prince is safe, so I guess it's a fair price to pay.
"Your dad's not gonna make me a servant now that I've saved your life, is he?" I questioned playfully.
He snorted, "Of course not."
"Okay, good," I said with a nod. Then our eyes connected and we shared a chuckle, though I had to avert my gaze before his stare could become too much for me.
Arthur sat up as well and he spoke in a soft tone, "Sorry for leaving without you. I did not want to put you in danger."
"It's fine," I waved him off while a smirk formed on my lips. "Now I get to brag that I saved your life."
He rolled his eyes and stood up, then he offered me a hand and I hesitantly grabbed it, allowing him to pull me to my feet while trying to ignore the tingling sensation that his touch left behind.
"Seriously, though. You need to name your horse," I told the Prince as we exited the cave.
He chuckled, "Fine, you can pick a name for him."
"Oh, cool!" I smiled. "Let's call 'em..." I thought for a few seconds, before realising that I had already kinda given him a nickname, "Bronze."
"Bronze it is," Arthur agreed with a nod, probably just feeling glad that I'd stop bothering him about it now.
"Inform the King! Arthur has returned to Camelot!" a guard called out as soon as we arrived at the castle and a bunch of them swiftly moved to block our path towards the archway that leads to the courtyard.
My eyes widened as my grip on Dallas's neck-rope tightened, and I turned to look at the Prince for guidance on how to deal with the puzzling plot twist.
"What are you doing!?" Arthur questioned angrily as he halted his horse. "Let us pass!"
"I am sorry, Sire, you are under arrest by order of the King," one of the guards replied with an apologetic look while two others restrained Bronze.
I felt my heart begin to pound on my ribcage as I watched the Prince be forced off his saddle and he gave me a panicked look, which only caused my own anxiety to worsen.
"What about me?" I asked the guards, realising that none of them had made a move towards me.
"We were not given any orders regarding you, so I suppose you are free to go," one man replied with a shrug.
My eyes widened in surprise and I jumped off my horse to approach Arthur as I said, "Give me the flower."
He forcibly shoved off the guards who were holding him and he dug into his pocket, getting the yellow plant and handing it to me.
"Thanks," I told him with a small smile, feeling incredibly bad for him as the men grabbed him once more. "And good luck."
"You, too," he responded with a nod. I returned the gesture and then hurried to climb back on Dallas, figuring that he was the fastest way to get to Gaius's apartment.
Once we got to a door to the castle, I hopped off again and sprinted the rest of the way.
"I'm back!" I announced as I flung the door open, startling both the physician and Gwen.
"Astra!" the girl exclaimed, running to hug me. My body tensed up and I patted her back awkwardly for a few seconds until she finally released me.
"Have you got the Mortaeus?" Gaius asked with hope shining in his eyes.
"Obviously," I replied with a grin as I handed him the flower.
The elderly man squeezed my shoulder gently and gave me a small smile, "Great work, dear girl." Then he moved to start preparing the antidote, leaving me stunned for a few moments as I felt my heart warm up in a way that wasn't unpleasant.
"How's Merls?" I asked Gwen as I hesitantly moved towards the unconscious boy on the medieval medical bed.
"His fever has gotten worse, but he is fighting bravely," she replied, looking down at him sadly. I let out a shaky sigh.
The girl's head suddenly shot my way. "Where is Arthur?" she wondered with a frown.
"I gave him as a sacrifice to the forest monster in exchange for the flower," I replied, grinning to let her know that I was kidding – but that message did not appear to get across as her dark brown eyes widened in horror, causing me to snort. "I'm joking. Uther had him arrested for defying orders."
"You have a strange sense of humour," Gwen mumbled and I shrugged in response.
My eyes travelled to Gaius, who'd frozen while he'd been mixing something in a glass beaker. "Earth to Gaius?" I called out with a frown.
"What is it? Why have you stopped?" Gwen asked, moving towards him in concern.
"The poison was created using magic. We may need magic to make an antidote," the man noted gravely.
"But we cannot," the serving girl argued with a worried look. "It is forbidden, even if we could."
I tilted my head, but said nothing in reply. I guess the King has taught everyone to fear magic.
"I will try and make it work without it," Gaius stated with a pensive frown. "Oh, and I need some fresh water," he added, his words directed towards Gwen. She nodded and quickly ran out of the room after grabbing a bucket off the floor.
A smirk formed on my lips as I watched Gaius speak a quick spell above the antidote.
"You sneaky old man," I teased.
"Not a word," he told me sternly.
"Oh, too bad, I was about to inform the King," I replied with a snort. He rolled his eyes, though I could see a faint grin forming on his lips.
Gwen came back just as Gaius finished preparing the antidote and he waved her over towards the unconscious sorcerer as he also moved his way, a small vial in his hand.
"Hold his nose," he instructed the girl, who immediately complied. The physician pressed the small glass bottle to Merlin's lips and tilted it to let the liquid pour into his mouth. I bit down on my bottom lip as I watched the scene, mentally praying that the antidote would work.
"He has stopped breathing," Gwen noted as her eyes widened, tears clouding them. "What is happening, Gaius?"
Gaius promptly put his head to Merlin's chest and my lungs froze as I watched his face fall in dread. "His heart has stopped," he informed in a barely audible voice.
"Do you have a defibrillator?!" I asked in a panic as my eyes jumped around the room. Then I stumbled and had to steady myself against a table when I remembered that no such thing has been invented yet because I'm trapped in the freaking sixth century.
Gwen bursted out crying and Gaius moved to comfort her with a hug.
I hastened towards the door, not wanting to be here anymore, as my vision became blurry and my heart began to pound against my ribcage, trying to force its way out. I should've never allowed myself to get so close to Merlin! It's a known fact that life expectancy is crap in this time period!
I was about to slam the door shut when a voice pulled me back into the room.
"That is disgusting. You should be ashamed of yourself. You are old enough to be her grandfather!"
My eyes widened as they fell on Merlin's very-much-alive figure.
"Dude, you scared the crap out of me!" I scolded, taking a couple of deep breaths to calm myself down as I leaned my back against the door frame.
"You are alive!" Gaius exclaimed happily as he smiled down at his ward.
"No. I am his ghost coming back to haunt you," the sorcerer replied, wiggling his fingers at the man. I chuckled at his comment while wiping the rebellious tears from my cheeks.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Gwen grabbed my friend's face and she kissed him… on the lips. My eyes widened in shock for a moment as I averted my gaze, giving them a bit of privacy. Then I returned my attention to them when they pulled away and I smirked.
"Yes! My ship is sailing!" I exclaimed – earning confused looks from the girl and Gaius, and an eye-roll from Merlin.
"Sorry, I just– I thought you were dead," Gwen tried to explain her actions as she looked down with a blush.
"It is fine," Merlin assured her softly, and they stared into each other's eyes. "It is more than fine."
"Merwen! Merwen! Merwen!" I started chanting, ruining the moment and making them both blush.
"Shut up!" the sorcerer scolded with a chuckle and he threw a pillow at me. I laughed as it hit me in the face.
Merlin straightened up and he turned serious as he looked at Gaius, "What happened? The last thing I remember is drinking the wine."
"Uther tried to kill you, so Arthur went inside a cave where a sorceress tried to kill him, too, but luckily I got there just in time to save him, and then you," I explained with a proud grin. My friend tilted his head in confusion and I puffed, realising that, out of context, my words didn't make much sense.
Gaius and Gwen actually took the time to explain to Merlin what had happened in better detail, until I had to chip in again to recount the part where I'd saved the Prince's life. Y'know, like a superhero.
I may have my own fancy room in the castle now, but that doesn't stop me from spending a lot of time hanging out in Gaius's apartment. Especially after Merlin's close call with death had made me realise that I had been undervaluing what his friendship means to me. So, now that we're not living in close proximity anymore, I know that I have to put in an extra effort to nurture that bond. I also know that I should still help the physician with anything he might need as a way to repay him for putting up with me.
Merlin and I sat at a desk in the apartment while we played 'Plants vs Zombies' on my tablet. Okay, I was playing while he watched in confusion, not quite understanding what was going on. He just needs a little more time to get used to electronic devices and I'm sure he'll be building castles on 'Minecraft' in no time.
Gaius – who was preparing dinner – cleared his throat suddenly and gave me an alarmed look when I turned to him. He nodded towards the apartment door and I heard footsteps approaching, so I scrambled to turn off my tablet and hide it under a stack of books.
Only a second later, Arthur barged into the living space and I couldn't help the grin that formed on my lips at seeing him while my heart did its dumb cartwheel once more. Curse it! And him!
"Hey! How was jail?" I asked teasingly.
The Prince smirked a little as he responded, "It was great. I should put you there some time."
"Please," I scoffed, "you don't have the guts to do that, or you would've already."
"Do not test me," he responded while pointing a menacing finger at me.
I winked in response and leaned back on my chair while crossing my arms over my chest.
Arthur snorted and shook his head before turning his attention to Merlin, "You are still alive, then?"
"No, that's a ghost," I quipped, earning a chuckle from my friend and an eye-roll from the Prince.
"Just about alive," Merlin then gave him a more genuine answer. "I understand I have you to thank for that."
"Yeah, well, it was nothing. A half decent servant is hard to come by," Arthur responded while shifting as if he were uncomfortable under the boy's words. "I was only dropping by to make sure you are all right."
"It was nothing?!" I asked in exasperation. "Give yourself a bit more credit – you almost died!"
He breathed out a 'right' and I narrowed my eyes at him for a moment before looking away when my stomach began to buzz. Then I smiled a little, thinking that he's much more than the arrogant jerk, royal prat that Merlin and I had believed him to be at first impression. I guess he just struggles under the weight of all that is expected of him as future king – but I think he has a truly good heart underneath it all, and that's what matters in the end.
"I expect you to be back to work tomorrow," the Prince added – addressing Merlin again, obviously.
"Yeah of course, um, bright and early," the sorcerer responded.
Arthur nodded at him; then he met my gaze and we exchanged a small grin that caused my dumb heart to forget one beat before he started to make his way towards the door of the apartment.
"Arthur," Merlin called again. The Prince halted and turned around. "Thank you."
"You, too," he responded. "Both of you."