A/N: I debated whether to include this in Part II since it is essentially a brief recap for those who have waited years for Passions and doesn't really move the plot along. But here it is as a prologue and I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks goes to Charis77 and faedemon for their help. I couldn't do this without them. IDOM

Precious Things Part I

Gaius added the last ingredient for the potion into the flask and lit the flame beneath it. Retrieving quill, ink and parchment from the cupboard, he settled on the bench until he was comfortable—well, reasonably comfortable. Merlin had already made the potions and remedies for the morning's rounds and then slipped out of their dimly-lit chamber, slipping past him while he'd lain in his cot, trying not to disturb the air as he spirited out the door. Gaius placed a piece of parchment in front of him and reached from the quill, dipping it into the ink pot.

The scratch of the quill was slow, measured, the slight tremor in his hand ruining his once perfect penmanship. The words spilling out came easy enough to Gaius, writing from his heart, sharing feelings through the comfort of distance. If he could only say them to her personally, perhaps his heart would not ache as much as his bones.

My beloved Alice,

All hopes my words find you well, my dearest, for I have weathered yet another storm in Camelot. News may have reached Escetir that Morgana and the Southron warlord Helios were defeated in a great battle to retake Camelot. All of our enemies were vanquished by King Arthur, our courageous allies, and a new breed of valiant knights. Morgana's time has come and gone and she was near to meeting her very end.

Oh, my dear, as fantastical as this may sound, the great dragon snatched her from the very platform just as she faced the executioner. What a frightful spectacle that must have been, for I was recovering in my chamber and did not witness it; but it's unfathomable to the mind. We would have been rid of her and at last have peace in the land had it not been so.

Morgana's path of destruction left many dead and I, myself, was held captive during her terrible reign. Many of us suffered starvation, needless brutality, and abject humiliation under the cruel hand of the Southrons and I fear it will take us time to recover and restore our battered souls as much as our beleaguered city. But do not fret, my love. A new day is on the horizon for all of Camelot.

Our young king married his long love, Guinevere, in a private ceremony and in the royal library no less, which I am sorrowful to say I could not attend. Camelot has been without a true queen for twenty-six years and that alone gives us reason enough to rejoice.

I miss you, dear Alice; and as much as I desire to be with you and start a new life, I must remain in Camelot. Merlin needs me now more than ever and despite my new role as his mentor, I know he still has much to learn from me, and that is encouraging enough to balm my dreary spirit.

Stay well, my love. I continue to count the days since our last parting and I will continue to do so until you and I are united once more. You are precious to me.

Eternally with Love,

Gaius

Returning the quill to the ink pot, he moved the candle closer to glance over his written words. The letter would reach Escetir in a few hours by pigeon and then Alice in Airaldii within a day by rider. She would be expecting it, perhaps worried for him since this missive was overdue. He had different things to tell her before Gwen's banishment and Morgana's invasion, tidings of love and hope, but now he couldn't find the courage to confess that the king released him from service.

Gaius sighed, his thoughts warring between trying to read the letter and Arthur's order regarding him. So, carefully folding the parchment, he wrote Alice's name and location on the smooth side before securing the fold with wax and his modest pheasant seal. His fingers radiated with pain as he stuffed it into a pocket on his robe.

Stretching a little for the cup of water on the other side of the candle, he sipped a few drops before lowing his arm onto the table. His shoulders slumped.

He was sure Arthur believed it was a kindness he was doing by easing his responsibilities. Perhaps, his steps have slowed in pace and his back was ever sore, but his mind was still as sharp as ever. Gaius swallowed, his throat dry once more. He'd never intended to do anything less than what he has ever done: to be in the service of the crown, to counsel the king, to help the sick and injured.

The last time his king had wrongfully released him from service, he'd packed up his horse and headed out of town almost immediately after. Older now, he was, indeed, weary at times. His good years in Camelot had blessed him with a fullness of life, with honor and status and the wages of a free man, and all at the cost of unsustainable love. Alice was his love lost, then found; then lost again, their only form of contact through letters every few months. For either of them to cross their kingdom's boundary could lead one of them to death if not both of them.

No. Holding to hope now that Arthur's easing of the laws on magic, it could mean a pardon for Alice and allow her to return to Camelot. Would the king forgive Alice, for she was coerced by the Manticore to attempt to assassinate his father? Or forget that she had mysteriously escaped the dungeons and execution? He'd tried to tell Arthur and Uther that the woman had been in the thralls of the magical creature, but his defense of her had held no sway on either of them.

Surely, Gaius had enough coin to settle any place he chose and live quite comfortably with Alice, both of them practicing their special kind of magic—him doing the healing and she making the potions. The generous stipend Arthur portioned him for retirement was more than enough to sustain his meager needs now. The rest saved for him and Alice.

A dog barked outside as the sounds of construction and repair began to drift into the air and Gaius looked toward the window, bands of sunlight spilling in. These were exciting times for the once servant, having wanted what he and Arthur were now heading toward for so many years and with nothing to obstructed them. Oh, yes. Merlin deserved a better life having suffered, grieved, and lost so much for one so young. It was his time, and as much as Gaius knew that dusk would be upon him someday, he couldn't leave his boy now. He longed to be with Alice, but the journey they'd embarked upon was just as important to him as it was to Merlin, Arthur, Gwen, and his kingdom.

Gaius exhaled. As with all change, he knew it would take time for him to heal in both body and spirit. He would do his best to mentor Merlin, counsel Arthur, and encourage Gwen until he was utterly spent.

But Alice.

The potion for his aching joints bubbled from the flame, reminding him that it ready for consumption or else evaporate entirely if left unattended. Its healing properties would take effect as he traversed through the crowds already filling the lanes. Gaius pushed himself to stand, his knees a little wobbly, but crossed the floor to blow out the fire. He would have to wait for it to cool before heading for the dovecote so he returned to the bench and eased down again.

The distress over his lost role and love crept into his thoughts again, but for now, he'd do his part for the kingdom as best he could and start his climb out of his own pit of depression.