Camelot

April, 507 AD

I was making myself a midday lunch in the kitchen when I spotted Merlin across the room. I grinned and ran up to him, throwing my arms around his torso in a surprise hug and giggling when he jolted. When I released him, I noticed that he was pouring something out of a vial onto some food on a plate, and I tilted my head at the strange sight.

"What's that?" I inquired while watching the bluish liquid seep into a chicken breast.

Merlin frowned down at me for a second before smirking and replying, "It is for Arthur. It will make him gassy."

My eyes widened as a smile formed on my face. "You're playing a prank on him!?" I asked. He nodded. "Without me?!"

He snorted. "You are here now, are you not?"

"Fine, we can pretend you came to me with the idea first. Let's go!"

He smirked mischievously and covered the plate before placing it on a tray. We scurried out of the kitchen and went towards Arthur's room. Only, we were stopped in the corridor by Gwaine.

"Ah, Bog Man!" he teased and winked at my best friend as he blocked our path. I giggled at the nickname. "I have to say, you are smelling better."

It apparently took Merlin at least five showers to get the mud completely out of his system. He even shared that he found some in places he never thought could be reached. I recoiled at the excessive information and begged him to stop talking.

Gwaine reached to uncover the plate, but my brother quickly moved it out of the way. "This is food for the King of Camelot, and is not meant to be soiled by your filthy fingers!" he snarled and stormed off with a grumpy expression, causing the knight to frown. I tilted my head as I watched him go, then I shrugged it off.

"He prepared a prank for Art. You're lucky he didn't let you get a bite," I said and patted Gwaine's arm before running after my brother.

"What is this?!" I heard Merlin ask in exasperation when I entered the room. I frowned when I found Arthur sitting at his dining table, with a plate already in front of him, and Gwen was pouring some water into a cup.

"Uh... lunch?" Arthur replied with a cute head tilt.

"I thought you were still recovering," Gwen said, appearing confused.

Merlin was told to take a couple of days off – apparently Arthur is really grateful that he saved his life, as he should be – but my dear brother, noble as ever, obviously shrugged off the suggestion and jumped back into work. Honestly, if I had his job, I would've taken the time off and stretched it out for as long as possible…

Merlin's head snapped towards Gwen and he narrowed his eyes. "Look, I know you feel that you have a lot to make up to me…" he began in a spiteful tone, making my jaw drop. The girl's eyes widened in horror while Arthur turned to me with a quizzical expression. "But this is getting ridiculous. Will you be serving me dinner next?"

"Woah, Merls, chill," I said softly as I moved to place a hand on his shoulder. He grunted in response.

I know how bad it sucks to have a plan interrupted. Especially when one is trying to pull a fun prank! But he can't be rude to Gwen because of it!

"I was just trying to help. I thought you needed some rest," Gwen defended.

"Rest? No, no, I do not need rest," Merlin ranted and he shrugged my hand off. "Do you know how long it took me to prepare this meal?! I cooked it myself!"

He switched the plates on the table.

I guess he's really eager to play this prank…

"I think this is just a case of a simple misunderstanding," Arthur said while he switched the plates again. What Gwen brought him is already halfway gone, anyway.

"Ah, yes, of course," Merlin scoffed. "I save your life and you still cannot bother to appreciate my efforts."

I stepped in and grabbed his arm to pull him backwards before he could land himself in the stocks, or something. "Look, let's just save that for dinner. You'll have plenty of chances to serve him special meals."

He regarded me for a moment, then he huffed and turned to address Arthur again, "I just want to resume my normal duties."

"Well, I will be pleased to have your assistance preparing for the knighting ceremony later," Arthur replied.

Merlin seemed satisfied by that as a small smile formed on his lips. "Thank you, Sire," he said before grabbing the plate again and moving to leave the room. He stopped at the threshold and glanced back, shot us all a grin, and kept walking.

Arthur and Gwen turned towards me with puzzled looks.

"Uh... I guess he's cranky 'cause he's still got mud trapped somewhere," I offered with a slight shrug and a sheepish smile.

"Trapped where?" Arthur wondered, his pretty face scrunching up in disgust.

I grimaced. "Don't know, don't wanna know."

"There was no harm done. He has been through a lot," Gwen waved me off with a small smile – which I could tell was forced, but I didn't comment on it.

I bit down on my bottom lip and glanced towards the door. "Yeah… I'm gonna make sure he's all right."

I skipped over to give Gwen a quick hug, then I moved to kiss Arthur's cheek, and I left the room. "See ya' later."

I found Merlin sitting on his bed, his shoulders slumped and a pout on his face. I plopped down next to him and offered a small grin when his eyes found mine.

"Hey, if you really wanna prank Artie, we can come up with something far better than bad food," I said as I nudged his side.

I can't lie, I'm only a little too eager to help him with this quest. After so many years of begging him to let me prank Arthur and being shut down, he's finally on my side! I do wonder what changed his mind… but I'm not gonna stop and ask, lest he reconsider.

A small mischievous grin formed on his face. "Like what?"

I gave him a wink and pulled my phone out of my pocket, then I opened the Notes App – where I've kept a list of ideas for pranks I could play on people pretty much since I was old enough to use a mobile device. It's safe to say the list is a long one.

Very few things have ever been scratched off, considering that I never had any friends growing up and that my cousins both moved out before I was eleven. Recently, Gwaine agreed to join me in my shenanigans. However, he blew it by bursting out in giggles, alerting Arthur that something was wrong before he could open the door to his closet – which we had filled with stacks of flour that we stole from the kitchen. Sadly, the knight was promptly taken off my list of potential partners-in-pranks after that.

"This one," Merlin stated as he stopped scrolling, placing his finger above idea number forty-seven: wardrobe booby trap'.

"Yeah! We can rig a crossbow and have it shoot something disgusting like..." I paused to think of something for a moment, "…a balloon filled with spoiled milk!"

Then I frowned when I realised that we don't have any balloons. I smiled again when I remembered I still have a couple of plastic bags that I used to transport stuff when I returned from Texas the first time.

We promptly solidified the plan, and we split tasks. I went to find a plastic bag and borrowed some jam from the kitchen (they didn't have spoiled milk), while Merlin went to get a crossbow from the armoury. We reunited in Arthur's room after making sure that he wasn't around and started working on the rig.

"All right, test it," I told Merlin as I handed him an arrow. That way we won't waste more food than is necessary. He loaded the weapon and then closed one of the doors. I tied a cord to the handle on the inside, and we closed the second door. Then we stepped back and I pulled the handle to re-open the wardrobe. Sure enough, the arrow flew out and embedded itself on a bedpost right in front.

"It works!" I cheered and we shared a mischievous grin.

"Talk about a bad use of time," Arthur's voice sounded in the near distance.

I hastened to pull the arrow out of the wood and tossed it inside the wardrobe, then Merlin closed it with a frustrated huff and pretended to be dusting it. I sat down on the bed, trying to appear as casual as possible.

"There is a potential traitor in our midst and I have to prepare for a knighting ceremony," the King continued speaking as he stepped into his room. "Maybe it is one of the knights who wants to kill me."

I raised an eyebrow at him when our eyes connected, unable to think of any knight who might not be loyal to him. Why wouldn't they be loyal to him? He's awesome!

Merlin turned away from his 'task' and nodded pensively as he leaned his back against the wardrobe.

Arthur moved to stand next to me and he pulled me to his chest before kissing the top of my head. Then he turned his head to address Merlin as he joked, "Maybe it is you!"

I snorted, then I titled my head when my brother tensed up with a worried look. Obviously he's kidding!

"Do not look so worried, Merlin. I do not really think you want to kill me," Arthur said with a slight frown. Then he squeezed me softly before walking away to get something from the back of the room…

Where he won't see me if I reset the booby trap!

I motioned for Merlin to keep watch and quickly moved to reload the crossbow, this time with the strawberry jam-filled plastic bag. Merlin insisted that he be the one to reset the rig for a moment, but I waved him off and he reluctantly moved to fulfil his appointed task. I was able to get everything in place again and I re-shut the doors with seconds to spare before Arthur reappeared on the scene. He seemed completely oblivious to what awaited him as he grabbed a shirt that hung from a chair before going behind a screen.

A dressing screen, not a TV screen. Obviously.

"What do you think about Percival?" Arthur inquired.

Strange question, but okay.

"Very big," Merlin responded.

"Yeah, like a giant teddy-bear," I threw in with a little grin.

"Does that make him a traitor?" Arthur questioned.

My jaw dropped. "Artie, you're crazier than I am if you think that Perci would betray you!"

He stepped slightly out from behind the screen and I instantly felt blood rushing to my cheeks upon realising that he wasn't wearing a shirt. I averted my gaze, suddenly finding much entertainment in a loose thread that stuck out from the right knee-patch on my riding leggings.

Merlin stared at me with a teasing look for a few moments. I gave him a glare. He smirked in response and finally removed his attention from me as he added, "Percival's family were killed by Cenred's army. He hates everything to do with Morgana."

Arthur sighed. "You are right. And he has pledged his allegiance."

"Yes, that's the only indicator that he's on our side," I mumbled.

My heart nearly stopped when the King walked over to his wardrobe – only some metres away from where I sat. So I stood up from the bed and went towards the window, hoping that it would look as if I was avoiding looking at his shirtless figure – which I kinda was – but I mostly wanted to get away from the splash-zone.

"I am wrong to doubt him. I need to put it off my mind," Arthur said with a shake of his head as he reached to open the doors.

I held my breath in anticipation as I watched the scene from the corner of my eye while still trying to keep my gaze from travelling to his well-muscled torso.

Arthur finally opened the wardrobe... but he opened the wrong side and nothing happened. I frowned in disappointment and threw myself back onto the bed, this time lying on my stomach with my face hidden against the covers. Which smell like him. I likey.

"Elyan did not ride out with us," Arthur noted as he returned behind the screen. I could finally sit up and breathe properly again, and I used the oxygen allowance to scoff at his words. "Could he be the traitor? My father killed his father."

"No! No one from the round table would betray you!" I quickly protested. Did someone throw his brain into a blender, or something?! How can he even think this way of the team?!

Arthur hummed in response. "Could you pass me my ceremonial sword?" he then asked Merlin as he stepped away from the screen again – thankfully fully clothed this time. My brother smirked as he went to get said weapon and Arthur turned back to me and responded, "I find it hard to believe that Elyan would think ill of me, but I cannot trust anyone."

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"In fact, I think that you and Merlin are the only people I can trust," he stated.

"Aren't ya' sweet," I shot back.

Suddenly, the door bursted open to reveal Gwen and Gaius, both looking strangely worried. I frowned at the strange intrusion.

"I know, I am late," Arthur said as he began to move towards them, only halting beside me for a second to press a kiss to my forehead.

I started when I heard a thud near me, then my eyes widened when I turned to find Merlin passed out face-down on the floor, the ceremonial sword discarded beside him. "Merls," I gasped before shooting towards his side and rolling him onto his back. Thankfully, he was breathing properly.

With a stunned look, Arthur picked up the sword and frowned down at Merlin before leaving the room. I watched him go with a raised eyebrow. Only three days ago he was hugging my brother after thinking we had lost him forever! And now he doesn't care to find out why the heck he's passed out?! There must be something really off in his brain! No wonder Merlin wants to prank him!

Merlin stirred beside me. Before I could get a word out, Gwen rushed to us and she hit him with a metal pitcher before turning to me. I scrambled away from her with a gasp as my heart-rate sped up.

"What the f*ck?!" I asked while glancing around for a weapon as she advanced on me.

Is she possessed, or something!? I don't wanna hurt her, but I will if she tries to further attack Merlin!

Gaius raced to grab her arm as he said, "I do not think she is a part of this!" Gwen seemed to relax as she turned to him with a questioning look.

"Part of what?!" I cried out, my heart-beat only accelerating further as my breathing grew agitated.

The physician begged me to trust him and help them carry Merlin to his apartment. To say I was wary of them would be an understatement, but he stopped Gwen from killing me, and my brother is still breathing, so I figured that I could at least hear them out.

Everything was explained to me shortly after. As it turns out, Merlin is the one currently being possessed by something evil. This theory backed up by the fact that he's apparently been trying to kill Arthur, something they learned after they found some dead pigs who had ingested the 'special meal' that my brother prepared in the morning.

Also, there's a black wormy thing writhing under the skin at the back of his neck.

My heart continued to race as I slid down to sit on the floor and made myself small, feeling the colour drain out of my face.

I almost accidentally helped to kill Arthur!

"Astra?" Gwen said softly as she kneeled down in front of me.

"Wha– Why didn't you guys tell me sooner?"

"We thought you might be enchanted, too," Gaius responded with an apologetic look.

I recoiled at his words and was about to reply with something snarky, but then I realised that it makes sense. Whoever enchanted Merlin – Morgana, most likely – could've gotten to me during the time that passed between me sneaking out of Camelot and reuniting with Arthur. And I've been helping my friend with his 'pranks'.

"I-I thought we were just playing pranks," I explained briefly, stopping to bite my lip when my voice faltered. I don't want to cry. As horrified as I am, I can't break down. I need to help them fix Merlin.

Swallowing my feelings, I pushed myself to stand up, with minimal aid from Gwen, and I shakily approached Gaius, who sat at the kitchen bench. "What do we do?" I asked. He reached to squeeze my arm reassuringly and then patted the spot next to him. I hesitantly sat down and then he handed me a book he'd been analysing.

Gwen moved to stand behind me, looking over my figure at the open page.

The section is titled 'Fomorrah'. On it is an illustration of a fat wormy body with about a dozen snake-y heads sticking out from the top. My eyes widened at the horrifying sight.

"What does it do?" Gwen inquired.

"In the days of the Old Religion, they were used by the High Priestess to enslave the minds of their enemies. Once a thought was planted, the victim would not stop until they had accomplished it," Gaius replied gravely.

"So... he got Winter Soldier'ed?" I questioned in a mumble.

The physician nodded slowly. "In a way."

"How do we get rid of it?" I asked.

Gaius motioned towards a bowl on the work table, which Gwen quickly went to retrieve, and then he soaked a gauze in a clear liquid that was inside it. "First we must paralyse the serpent," he narrated as he dabbed the gauze above the writhing thing on Merlin's neck. Within seconds, it stopped moving.

"Is it dead?" Gwen questioned.

"Sadly not. Merely dormant," the physician replied, then he looked sadly down at the sorcerer and sighed. "Now for the tricky bit. Pass me the blade," he asked the girl, who quickly complied. "Astra – I suggest you cover your eyes."

My heart skipped a beat when I realised what he was going to do and I scrambled away from the scene, moving to rest my forehead against a wall while I squeezed my eyes shut.

I winced when I heard a faint slicing sound, then something squishy, a clang against metal, and finally a relieved sigh.

"Is that it?" Gwen asked.

I chanced to turn around and relaxed when I saw that there was no blood in sight.

"I believe so," Gaius answered with a small smile.

The girl sighed in relief as well and she looked down at Merlin with a fond look in her eyes that made me grin slightly. "We have the old Merlin back," she stated with a smile. "Arthur is safe once more."

"Yeah, for now," I mumbled, still feeling my stomach twisting and burning with guilt.

An eager knock on my door pulled me out of a deep slumber. After the exhaustion of the rollercoaster that was yesterday, I slept like a baby. I looked around in slight disorientation, feeling like I've been in dreamland for a very long amount of time. Not a complaint, just an observation.

More pounding on wood followed when I went to check my phone for the time.

"Yeah?" I called out. My eyes widened when I saw that it was almost midday.

The door flew open, making me sit up in alarm.

I sighed when I saw that it was only Merlin, who sported a big smile on his face. "Hey, buddy. How're ya' feelin'?" I asked with a grin.

"Do you want to play more pranks?"

My breath hitched at his words. Could he still somehow be under Morgana's control? Or does he genuinely wish to play a prank? I can't tell anymore! However, I don't wanna raise any suspicion that we are onto him if he's still possessed, so I tried to play it cool.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked while forcing a smirk.

"A bath that will leave Arthur itchy!" he chirped and revealed a glass jar from behind his back, waving it as he smirked. It contained a white crystallised powder.

Oh, sheep! I need to get help!

I put on my best smile as I scrambled to get out of bed, trying to appear excited. "You go ahead and I'll get some honey! Let's make him itchy and sticky!" I said. I threw on a hoodie and slipped on some socks.

Merlin beamed at me and nodded before rapidly leaving.

A lump formed in my throat when I noticed that the worm under his skin was back.

With a speeding heart, I sprinted in the direction of Gaius's apartment, only to find him about to start climbing the main staircase, a wary look on his face.

"Great, you're here! Merls is still evil!" I exclaimed as I grabbed his arm and helped him to climb faster.

"I was just coming to tell you that," he replied.

"He beat you to it," I said with a humourless chuckle. "Hurry, he's got another plan to kill Art!"

Atop the staircase we found a very anxious-looking Gwen with her pitcher in hand. That's certainly an interesting choice for a weapon.

"Go go go!" I called out as I sprinted down the corridor, not waiting for them. I peeked into Arthur's room to find Merlin standing beside a bubbling bath tub with his back to the door and a sword in his hand, which he submerged halfway into the water. My heart churned.

"Toss it," I whisper-yelled to Gwen, who was only halfway to the room. She flung the pitcher at me and, by some miracle, I managed to catch it without fumbling.

I ran inside the room just as my possessed brother pulled the sword out of the water – I noticed that the lower half had melted – and I hit him on the back of his head. He instantly fell over and I caught him before he could hit his head against the floor.

Using all of the strength that I possess (which really isn't much), I dragged him out of the room by his arms, passing Gaius and Gwen on my way out. I motioned towards the bath-tub with my head, knowing that the crisis wasn't averted yet 'cause Arthur could still get in. They nodded in understanding and entered the room.

I finally laid my brother down behind a column that stands between mine and Arthur's rooms, and I allowed myself to rest for a few moments, panting from all the running and knocking out that I've done in the no-more-than-five minutes I've been out of bed.

There I waited for a minute or two, knowing that I will need help to carry my best friend down to the physician's chambers if I don't want to accidentally drop and kill him. Unfortunately, after a bit, he started to stir and I had to hit him again, instantly feeling awful for it.

I started to get antsy as I nibbled on my bottom lip.

What's taking Gaius and Gwen so long!?

"Pops! Gwennie! I need a hand over here!" I called out once I grew too impatient.

The duo soon rushed out of the room, both looking strangely flustered. Especially Gwen. And she refused to meet my eyes.

I frowned. "What's wrong?"

Gaius helped me to lift Merlin.

"We saw things that we never wanted to see," he responded.

Gwen remained silent and avoidant as she walked ahead of us.

I pondered the possibilities that his vague answer threw out in my mind while we half-carried-half-dragged Merlin down to the physician's chambers.

Was there a monster in the water? Unlikely, 'cause there would've been a struggle. Maybe some disgusting worm residue was left in the room from when I knocked my brother unconscious? No, why would that make them act so awkwardly?

Then it crashed against my brain. Arthur was about to take a bath, which means that he was probably getting ready for it while everything went down – and how does one get ready for a shower?

My eyes widened in realisation as we placed Merlin face-down onto the work table.

Some unwanted images invaded my mind and I gulped. I'm glad I was out of that room! I focused all my energy to replace the images with mental pictures of the Avengers kicking Morgana's butt, and I grinned to myself when it worked.

"You guys deal with that," I said as I pointed towards my unconscious best friend. "I want something to eat." I left his side and went to raid Gaius's pantry, which isn't very well-stocked at the moment. I settled for a banana muffin, an apple, and a cup of coffee – feeling too lazy to cook something more elaborate – and then I hopped to sit on the kitchen table while the physician inspected the revived worm.

"So, let me get this straight," Gwen finally regained the ability to speak, "if you kill one, another grows in its place."

"Like a hydra," I pointed out as my eyes widened.

Huh… I'm starting to think we might've stepped into the Marvel Cinematic Universe…

If Bucky Barnes is real, I'm breaking up with Arthur.

Just kidding.

Maybe.

"Indeed," Gaius responded with a hum. He carefully applied the paralysing liquid onto the back of Merlin's neck again. "That will silence it for a while," he stated, then he ran a smoking canister under the boy's nose.

My brother instantly woke up coughing and shot up in his spot. "What is that?! Arthur's socks?!"

Yup, he's himself.

I rushed to hug him. He seemed surprised, but returned the embrace with a soft chuckle.

"What are you trying to do to me?" he asked Gaius as he warily eyed the table below him.

"We are trying to stop you from killing the King," the physician responded gravely. Merlin chuckled.

"True story," I said. "And you almost dragged me down with you."

His eyes widened as he turned serious. Then he staggered a little. "Woah."

"Are you all right?" Gwen asked him.

"I am starving," he replied.

I patted his arm. "I'll get ya' somethin'."