Camelot
April, 509 AD
"Well," I began as I plopped down on a chair next to Arthur, who sat at his desk, "I spoke to Tyr's mom, and gave her some money, and promised her that she'll keep getting his salary 'til she's not here anymore." I lowered my voice to a bitter whisper, "Of course, none of that does anything to ease the pain of losing a son, but at least she won't starve to death while she mourns the only person she had in her life."
"You went to tell her the news personally?!" Arthur asked, a slightly bewildered look taking his handsome features.
"It's the bare minimum," I noted with a shrug, not meeting his gaze as I kept my eyes on my knee, which was bouncing up and down on the chair, matching the rhythm of my racing heart.
"Astraea –" he grabbed my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, causing me to gulp, "we will figure out who did this and Tyr will get the justice he deserves, all right? I promise."
I clenched my jaw and nodded.
He let go of my hand and slipped his under my chin, forcing me to look at him. "You have to stop trying to carry the weight of everything that goes wrong. Some things are simply out of our control."
"But this wasn't," I argued. "We could've prevented this."
Arthur sighed.
"Tell me I'm wrong," I challenged.
"You are not wrong," he admitted in a whisper. I gave him a look that silently said 'told you' and leaned backwards on my seat, forcing his hand to drop. "But that does not mean it is our fault. The only person to blame is Morgana – or whoever did this," Arthur added, now speaking in a normal tone again.
"Sure," I mumbled.
Three knocks sounded at the door and Arthur called out for whoever it was to come in.
In came Merlin.
"Sire, Astra... Gwaine might have found something," he said, speaking slowly, as if he were trying to be careful with his words.
"Well, where is he?" my King inquired.
My brother sighed and glanced at me for a moment before responding, "With Gaius... he was injured." The familiar feeling of a twisting heart returned. "Nothing serious, though!" he quickly added.
I darted out of my seat and flew down to the physician's chambers.
"What the hell happened?!" I asked as I barged in, my heart lodging up in my throat as I scanned Gwaine's figure. He seemed a little pained and his clothes were partly dirty, but there was no blood in sight and the small grin on his face let me know that it really isn't that serious.
"Something knocked me off Fallyn," Gwaine responded.
"Something?" I echoed while raising an eyebrow.
He sighed. "I think it was magic."
"Of course it was," I scoffed and moved to sit on a table, taking a few deep breaths to calm myself.
Morgana has been getting more daring with her assassination attempts. Her hanging out this close to the castle... It can't be good. She must be planning something big.
Arthur and Merlin reached the apartment soon and Gwaine promptly explained what happened once more.
"No broken bones, I am glad to say," Gaius reported.
"Anything else you remember?" Arthur asked the knight.
"Nothing," he responded with a sigh. "One minute I was pursuing them through the trees, the next I was flat on the ground."
"You got lucky," I whispered shakily.
Arthur moved to stand beside me and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, drawing me closer to him. Then he turned to Gwaine again and asked, "You are sure it was sorcery?"
"Without a doubt," the knight answered. "Powerful, too."
"It has to be Morgana or Thanata, then," I pointed out.
Gwaine nodded. "The question is – why were they there?"
I shrugged. "Planning another murder, probably."
"Or maybe they were meeting someone," Merlin countered.
"You mean like another accomplice?" I asked while tilting my head, getting a nod in response.
"Why would they come so close to the citadel?" Arthur inquired.
"Maybe they had to," Merlin replied. "Maybe whoever they were meeting was here in Camelot."
"Do you think they might've planted another mole? Like Sefa?" I asked.
My brother sighed. "It would explain a lot of things."
"Yeah, you're right," I said with a puff.
"Until we have more to go on, this is idle speculation," Arthur stated before aiming his gaze at Gaius and Merlin. "Gaius, Merlin – see what you can find in the woods. Perhaps there is something we overlooked."
"I'll go with them," Gwaine proposed while standing up.
"You will do no such thing," Gaius quickly shut him down. "You will rest, Gwaine. Physician's orders."
"Tough luck, buddy," I said and sent him a sympathetic look before jumping off the table and I started walking over to my brother. "Let's go."
"No," Arthur protested and he grabbed my arm before I could get very far. "You are not leaving my side until this is resolved."
"But–"
"He is right, Trae," Gwaine piped in. "They are targeting you."
I huffed, but didn't try to argue further and I watched with a sinking heart as Merlin and Gaius left the room, both of them shooting me stern glances that silently told me not to try anything.
With a sigh, I gently shrugged off Arthur's hand and moved to sit next to Gwaine, wrapping my arms around his torso while mentally thanking the heavens that he came out of his little face-off with the witches relatively unharmed. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders in response.
"You scared the crap outta me for a minute there, dude," I told him while sending him a narrow-eyed look.
He scoffed. "I told Merlin to be careful about that."
"He tried," I assured him. "I'm kinda just on overdrive right now."
"I know, Trae. But I am fine. You should get some rest."
"What if they try to come for you again?" I asked in a whisper.
"It is not me they're after," he reminded me gently.
I let out a shaky breath and looked towards Arthur, whose expression I couldn't read as he stared at me.
My breath hitched in my throat and a shiver ran down my spine as a realisation hit me like a freight train.
This is all my fault! I gave Morgana the idea of using me to break Arthur!
"We will not let them get to either of you, Trae," Gwaine promised.
"And if we lose another one of you in the process?" I questioned, my heart starting to race again as my breathing became more shallow.
"You are exhausted, Astra," Arthur said in a stern voice and, before I could protest, he was picking me up bridal-style. "We are going upstairs."
I sent my best friend an annoyed look over the King's shoulder, glaring when I noticed the amusement on his features.
Operating under a brain that was eager to get absorbed into a different reality for a little while, my eyes scanned the pages of Miguel de Cervantes's 'Don Quixote'. It was only a slightly uncomfortable task, since the lighting wasn't great considering that I was facing the window, and that reading in a sideways lying position isn't ideal. But what else can I do with a fast-asleep Arthur wrapped around me?
He had demanded we take a nap as soon as we got back from seeing Gwaine, and he'd fallen asleep almost as soon as we'd hit the bed. I, on the other hand, gave up on sleeping quickly and decided to pass the time by reading.
I must've been about a third of the way through the novel when I felt the rhythm of Arthur's rising and falling chest change against my back, indicating that he was waking up. I felt him press a kiss against the shoulder of my hoodie and I turned my head slightly so that I could kind of meet his gaze.
"Did you sleep at all?" he asked in a sleepy whisper.
"Nope."
"Did you try?"
"For a couple of minutes."
"Astraea," he sighed in frustration.
I turned to face forwards again, feeling a pang in my chest that reminded me that he deserves so much better than me. "Hey, you knew that I'm a mess when you decided to marry me," I defended.
"You are not a mess, darling, and I am not mad at you," he responded and pressed another kiss to my shoulder. "I am frustrated that I cannot seem to help you no matter what I do."
I felt another pang, this one coming from guilt, and I closed the book and placed it on the nightstand before turning around to fully face him. "You do help me, Artie. Just having you with me means the world," I replied.
He sighed and leaned his forehead against mine.
"Everything will turn out all right, my girl. I need you to believe me," he said softly.
"I do believe you," I assured him and reached up to brush my fingers against his jaw. "It's just hard to see how, with all this chaos around. But I have faith."
"Let me inside, Astra. Tell me how you are feeling," he demanded, making me gulp.
The idea of letting him into my mind is a scary one... But I kinda did marry him, didn't I?
I let out a shaky breath. "I feel like I'm drowning. Like... there's this invisible force that's draggin' me down to the bottom of the ocean, and no matter how much I try to fight it, I'm scared that it will eventually wear me out and win."
Arthur pulled me closer just as I felt tears pooling in my eyes.
"I'm terrified, Artie," I admitted in a whisper. "I'm terrified that we keep losing friends, and I'm terrified that I might go completely crazy and fail Camelot one day... And I'm even more terrified that I might fail you... But, more than anything, I'm terrified to see you hurt... or worse..."
The sobs got to me and I had to stop talking, squeezing my eyes shut and hiding my face in the crook of Arthur's neck as I clung tightly to him, my body trembling slightly as unwelcome images of fiery chaos enveloping the kingdom flashed through my mind.
"I feel all of that as well, Astra. You are not alone," he assured me gently. "But I know that I can fight it as long as I have got you to fight for. We will fight it together, my love."
All I could do was nod, still unable to speak as I continued to cry. He rubbed gentle circles on my back while continuously pressing the softest of kisses to the side of my head and whispering sweet reassurances until, finally, I was able to start calming down.
"Artie?" I squeaked out after a few minutes.
"Yeah?"
"I love you three-thousand to the three-thousandth power times infinity."
He released a breathy chuckle. "You have no idea how much I love you, Astra."
I was feeling much more lucid after finally managing to get an hour-long nap in my system, which was followed by a warm and distracting bath.
Arthur and I shared a sheepish look when we returned to our room and realised that we haven't really done anything during the whole day, regarding the running-the-kingdom part of our jobs.
"It is all right. We both needed a break," he waved it off and moved to sit at the dining table, patting his legs. I felt myself blush as I slowly walked towards him and he pulled me onto his lap when I was close enough. "Where is Merlin? Is it not his turn to bring dinner?" he inquired.
"How would I know where he is? I've been with you all day," I responded with a shrug.
A knock sounded on the door almost as if on cue. "Come in!" Arthur called out, and it opened to reveal... none other than George, who was carrying a heavy-looking tray with a bunch of different dishes on it.
I sprang out of my comfortable seat and helped out the poor guy, whose trembling arms seemed to be a second away from breaking off his body.
"There really is no need, your majesty," George protested as I grabbed one of the handles.
I sent him a playful glare. "We've been over this, Georgie."
"Sorry – Astra," he corrected, giving a small grin as we collaborated to place the tray atop the dining table.
"Good boy," I cooed jokingly and patted his arm, which hilariously caused him to blush.
Arthur pulled me back onto his lap and I playfully rolled my eyes at his clinginess, but I didn't protest and let my head fall onto his shoulder. I do love his clinginess, after all.
"What brings you here, George?" he then asked the servant, who was now meticulously setting the table.
George stopped his actions and he straightened up as he replied, "Merlin is not back yet, my Lord, so I was asked to serve you dinner."
"Merls and Pops aren't back yet?!" I asked, feeling my face going pale as my lungs froze.
"I am sure they are all right, darling," Arthur whispered and kissed the side of my head before addressing George again. "Could you find Sir Leon and tell him to go outside to look for Merlin and Gaius?"
"Certainly, Sire," George responded and gave a full bow before leaving the room.
I relaxed a little at the sound of that and sighed, then I gulped when I looked over at the unnecessary amount of food atop the table. "Well, I hope you're hungry," I muttered to Arthur as I moved to sit on an actual chair.
"After that bath, you bet I am," he responded with a wink.
It would've been impossible to try to ignore the heat that instantly flooded my face. "Arthur!" I scolded and threw a napkin at him – instantly feeling bad because George had taken the time to fold it into a rose.
Knowing that his sister – and perhaps even Arthur – would want to know that he's okay after he returned from searching the woods with Gaius (with no findings); Merlin promptly made his way to the royal chambers.
The sight that greeted him caused his heart to twist inside his chest as pure horror burned through him. The King was slouched in his chair, his skin looking pale and coated with a thin layer of sweat; and the Queen lay on the floor, looking just as bad.
"Louis, get Gaius!" Merlin called out to the guard in the hallway before rushing to kneel down beside Astra, shaking her body with desperation, "Astra – wake up!" And when that didn't work, he moved on to Arthur and shook his shoulder. "Arthur, come on!"
Realising that his efforts were helpless and that something terrible happened, Merlin hastened to pick up his sister and he gently laid her down on the bed. Then he raced outside the room and was slightly relieved to see his guardian heading his way, with Gwaine and Gwen in tow.
Gwaine and Merlin teamed up to move Arthur to the bed as well, and then they stepped back to allow the physician to do his thing. The rest of the knights gradually began to pour into the room, all of them sporting heart-breaking sad expressions.
"All the evidence suggests that the King and Queen have been poisoned," Gaius announced after some five minutes, his tone grave as he felt his heart constricting.
"You are certain, Gaius?" Gwen questioned.
"Quite certain," the man replied sorrowfully. "The sweating, the corruption of the skin, the traces of tincture around the ear... They all point to the use of henbane."
"Can anything be done?" Gwaine asked, his jaw clenching tightly as he fought hard to keep holding back the tears that had pooled in his eyes the moment he'd laid eyes on Astra.
"The poison is a deadly one," the physician explained while holding back tears of his own. "There may be a way to arrest its course, but I cannot guarantee it."
"Who was the last person to be seen entering these chambers before Merlin found them?" Leon inquired.
Louis cleared his throat before responding, "George brought their dinner."
Gwen gasped.
The knights all exchanged some determined looks and nods, quietly agreeing to find the servant and question him. In a flash, they all left the room.
"We have arrested George," Gwaine announced upon returning to the royal chambers some time later, knowing that Merlin would still be there, looking after Astra and Arthur. He was not mistaken, and the sorcerer looked up at him with bloodshot eyes. "But I do not believe he did it."
"Yes. I do not believe so, either," Merlin responded as he wiped some tears from his cheeks. "He has no reason to want to hurt them, and he's an orphan, so I doubt there is anything Morgana could be holding over him."
"Could someone have framed him?" Gwaine wondered.
Merlin nodded. "Whoever broke the girth and killed Tyr could have snuck in here and done this to them."
"Would there not be signs of a struggle?" the knight questioned. "This person could have only administered the poison to one of them at a time."
Merlin's eyes widened in realisation. "They must have done something to put them to sleep first."
"Perhaps there is something in the food," Gwaine suggested, and he sprinted out of the room and towards the kitchen, where he soon found the head cook asleep on the floor with a bowl of soup spilled next to her. The knight sighed heavily and raced back to the royal chambers. "Yep. They put something in the soup," he confirmed.
The sorcerer squeezed his eyes shut in frustration for a moment, and then he began to absentmindedly stroke his sister's hand – which he'd been holding ever since he'd been left alone in the room after Gaius had said that he was going to search for a cure (also known as a magic spell).
Gwaine's eyes scanned the girl's face. "The last time she looked like that–" he whispered, recalling the time when she almost bled out in Gwen's house.
"I know," Merlin cut him off.
"At least she's getting some sleep now," the knight tried a joke, earning a humourless snort. He grinned to himself for a moment before turning serious again as he asked the sorcerer, "You can save them, can you not?"
"Gaius believes so," Merlin responded in a mumble. "I should probably go down and help him. Will you stay with them?"
"Of course."
Merlin let out a shaky breath and slowly and very reluctantly let go of Astra's hand before standing up and leaving the room. Gwaine took the chair and reached to remove a stray lock from the girl's face before leaning backwards and sighing.
It took Merlin and Gaius two more hours, but they finally found a spell that could both draw out the poison from Arthur and Astra, and repair the damage that it has already caused – particularly to their hearts.
Knowing that there wasn't much time left, the pair rushed back to the royal chambers, startling the soul out of a napping Gwaine as they barged in.
The sorcerer darted to his sister's side and he grabbed her hand again; while Gaius moved to Arthur's side and checked his pulse.
"His heart has nearly stopped," the physician noted. "I fear he is close to death."
"She's not much better," Merlin stated, feeling his heart churning at the barely noticeable pulse on Astra's wrist. He moved to press his cheek against her forehead and he let out a shaky exhale at what his magical sixth sense revealed about her state. "The sickness is so deep in her..." he said, pausing to gulp as he glanced over at Arthur. "I don't know if I have the power to bring them both back."
Gwaine's heart dropped, his eyes drifting towards Astra's near-transparent face.
"You can do this, Merlin," Gaius encouraged.
The young sorcerer nodded and moved a hand to let it hover over his sister's chest – being careful not to actually touch her, for he didn't really feel like getting to second base with her – and he drew a deep breath before speaking the spell he learnt. His eyes glowed gold and then he stepped backwards, his eyes scanning over the girl for any signs that it worked.
Gaius's own heart almost stopped when he realised that Arthur's was dangerously close to giving out. "Hurry, Merlin! He needs you now!"
Already feeling somewhat exhausted, the sorcerer dashed over to the King's side of the bed. Gwaine remained next to Astra and he felt her wrist for her pulse, finding that it was a bit steadier than the last time he'd checked. He sighed in relief and gave Gaius a discreet nod, not wanting to distract Merlin while he repeated the spell on Arthur.
Merlin staggered a little when he was done and he steadied himself against the nightstand while the physician moved to feel Arthur's pulse. He waited a moment. Then another. Then several more. But he couldn't find a thing and he turned to his ward with a grief-stricken look.
The sorcerer instantly covered his mouth with his hands, trying to muffle some whimpers as his body began to tremble.
Gwaine's eyes returned to Astra and he felt as if someone had kicked him in the chest and expelled all air from his lungs. On top of the unthinkable idea of losing a friend in Arthur, he dreads to think what might become of the girl without him.
Suddenly, Arthur's face scrunched up and he mumbled something unintelligible before turning onto his side and putting an arm around Astra's waist, pulling her flush against his body and tucking her head under his chin. She responded by nuzzling into his chest and her lips curved upwards.
"Merlin," Gaius let out a relieved chuckle as he turned to the boy.
"You did it!" Gwaine cheered as he sprang to his feet.
"Well done, Merlin!" the physician praised while moving to hug him tightly.
The knight thought it was only logical that he joined in.
Eventually, the three men pulled apart and Merlin wiped the tears from his face as he gazed over at the sleeping pair on the bed. He couldn't hold back a chuckle that spewed past his lips before he commented, "Even while on the brink of death they're clingy."
A vicious, killer headache was the first thing I noticed when my senses exited a dreamless sleep to refocus on real life. Next I noticed that my muscles hurt all over, as if I'd run a Spartan Race that lasted an entire week without rest stops. Then I felt a comforting warmth around me and I opened my eyes to find Arthur – his face tucked into the crook of my neck, one of his arms draped around my waist, and his legs tangled with mine.
Concern struck at my chest when I noticed that he looked very pale and my heart began to race.
"You are awake." I heard a third person in the room and jumped out of my skin as I violently sat up with a gasp, finding Gaius sitting at the dining table.
"Pops!" I scolded. "What the f*ck are you doing?! It's creepy as heck to watch people sleep!"
Arthur was now sitting beside me, looking just as bewildered with his gaze fixed on the physician.
"What is the last thing that the two of you remember?" Gaius asked, ignoring my outburst.
I shared a puzzled look with my King and tilted my head as I returned my attention to the man. I squinted my eyes as I tried to grasp onto any fleeting images in my brain. "Uh... bathing... George... dinner..."
"Feeling incredibly sleepy..." Arthur threw in and I nodded.
Gaius sighed, his eyes darting between us for a few moments until he finally responded, "Sire, Astra... there was an assassination attempt last night." My eyes widened as my stomach twisted. "You were both poisoned."
"For real?!" I asked.
"Yes, dear child. We barely managed to save you on time," he replied.
"Darn," I breathed out and let myself fall backwards onto my pillow again.
Arthur, whose face had blanched even further at the revelation, reached for my hand and gripped it tightly as he questioned Gaius, "Do we know who did it?"
"George was apprehended, considering that he was the last person to be seen entering these chambers before Merlin found you, but–"
I cut off Gaius as I sat up again, "There's no way he did it!"
"No. Gwaine checked his alibi," the physician responded. "And Merlin and Gwen went to visit the apothecary and ask him some questions... They received some interesting answers."
I tilted my head in curiosity while feeling my heart warm at the display of loyalty from both of my friends. I wouldn't blame Gwen if she hated me after what happened with her brother...
"Well, what did they learn?" Arthur inquired.
"I believe they will want to tell you themselves, once you are feeling better."
"No," I whined. "Get my brother in here, I don't wanna be left with the intrigue."
As if by summoning, Merlin peeked his head into the room and he smiled widely as he rushed towards me, plopping down on the bed and pulling me into a tight hug. "Hey, old pal," I greeted him in a slightly strained voice while returning the embrace and ignoring the pain in my muscles.
"You have to stop scaring me like this," he whispered.
"Don't worry, it's gonna take a lot more than poison for you to get rid of me," I responded with a giggle.
"It is not funny, Astra!" he scolded.
"It is a little!" I defended. "I'm like a Disney princess!"
"No, you are crazy."
"I know."
Arthur cleared his throat after a few moments, and that's when Merlin and I finally separated. He rapidly got off the bed and we shared a sheepish look.
Then I remembered what Gaius said and my eyes widened as I asked my brother, "What did you n' Gwennie find?!"
Merlin revealed that the apothecary confessed that he sold a vial of valerian and a vial of henbane to whom he believes was Morgana. It's obviously not at all shocking, 'cause we were already almost certain that she's behind the recent attempts on Arthur and I's lives. Merlin also said that the man has been placed under guard for his own protection, seeing as she could easily come back and take revenge.
I smirked once he finished his tale and turned to Arthur as I said, "Well, this deserves some kind of reward, doesn't it?"
"I suppose it does," he mumbled.
"How about a day off, buddy?" I asked my brother. Arthur groaned, but we both ignored it as we shared a smile.
"Sounds perfect!" Merlin chirped. "May I recommend George to fill in for the day? After all, he does deserve some sort of recompense for being made to spend the night in jail, and I know that nothing would make him happier than serving the King."
Arthur groaned again and let himself fall back onto the bed.
"That's a great idea!" I replied and we both laughed as we glanced at the suddenly miserable-looking King. "Oh, and tell Gwen that she can have the week off... The month, even..."
Merlin gave me a look that informed me that he wasn't pleased with that idea, but he didn't say anything and instead kissed my forehead before walking towards the door, where Gaius was waiting for him.
"Get some rest, you two. Physician's orders," Gaius said sternly as he looked between Arthur and I.
"Aye, aye, captain!" I said and gave him a mock salute.
As soon as the door was closed, I cuddled up with my King again and we soon fell back asleep.