mialoco

Answer for question 4358.

mialoco — Sat, 09 May 2015 21:10:27 GMT

I LOVE going to bookstores, I love combing the shelves and choosing books, the feel of books in my hand, the smell of books. I also like the looks of my shelves at home filled with favorite books I have read that I couldn't stand to part with and a stack or three waiting to be read. Books make spaces more cozy.

But, with an ereader I can, and do, carry hundreds of books with me at all times; finish one or it's not holding my interest, instantly start another. The ereader is lighter and easier to handle than most books, takes up less room in my purse or pocket and has many other conveniences, like enlarging the print at night after a day on the computer when my eyes are tired, instead of straining them further. I also like the convenience of ordering a book I hear about instantly an diving in, instead of waiting to drive into the next city, since all the bookstores in my small town closed years ago.

I will never lose my love for my oldest friends, books, but the ereader certainly makes life easier and we are developing quite a close relationship, too.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SILKMOTH101!

mialoco — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 22:03:52 GMT

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Happy Birthday rebeccaann08

mialoco — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 20:07:54 GMT

Hope that your day is happy and your year ahead happier.

Merlin Big Bang Masterpost - The Edge of Darkness

mialoco — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 22:24:43 GMT

Big Bang Story: The Edge of Darkness (Masterpost)

Title: The Edge of Darkness
Author: mialoco

Summary: Arthur has struggled to gain his father's acceptance, but it has always seemed to evade him except in the area of fighting, where he has always shined whether magical beasts, bandits, invaders, or just tournaments. After the dragon attack, his father seems less than impressed with him in that area, as well. As Camelot starts to rebuild, Arthur is determined to prove to his father that he has what it takes to be the future king. When the children and young adults in the Lower Town and an outlying village start acting in strange and disturbing ways, Uther is sure that it is the result of sorcery. This, added to the fact that Morgana is still missing after Morgause stole her away, drives Uther's determination to wipe sorcery from Camelot with troubling results. As Uther starts to break under the pressure and refuses to look further than sorcery for the cause, it is up to Arthur to step up. As he tries to find a cause before the future of Camelot is wiped out Arthur has to come to terms with whether his father's pride in him is as important to him as developing into a King in which he himself can be proud. When Merlin starts displaying the same symptoms Arthur must make even harder choices.

Warnings: Violence, Lots of minor character death (children) mentioned from both illness and executions, some symptoms and effects of illness, mentions of blood and loss of limbs though no graphic description.
Spoilers: Season 1 and 2
Genres: Pre-Slash (Merlin/Arthur despite my fighting it all the way), AU, Canon era - takes place between Seasons 2 and 3
Rating: PG 13 to be safe for some topics
Word Count: 54.500
Disclaimer: The Arthurian Legends are in public domain, but I do not own the interpretation that BBC Merlin has given to it nor the characters. I just like to play around with them for my own amusement and make no money from it.

Author’s Notes 1: A world of thanks must go out to silkmoth101 who literally dragged me kicking and screaming into signing up. She has been there the whole time bouncing ideas with me, cheering me on when I gave up, teaching me the intricacies of LJ that I have never used before and telling me when things were not working. This would have never happened at all without her. She has been my rock.

More thanks goes to my fantastic beta heavenlybodies than I can possible find words to express for taking gobbledygook with spastic punctuation and wrestling it into something readable. If you find mistakes, it is because I don’t follow directions well.

The great music and art were all done by halesmoon .Take a loot at it HERE.

Author’s Notes 2: I started playing with the idea of what if there was disease that could cause symptoms that could be thought to be sorcery. What Kind of havoc would that cause in Camelot? I found the perfect villain in Ergot Poisoning. Evidence of Ergot Poisoning symptoms have been found in writings all the way back to the Middle Ages. Ergot is a fungus that forms in cereal grains, especially rye that was used almost exclusively by the poorer people during the Middle Ages. It is usually formed during wet growing seasons, especially when the field has a lot of shade. The fungus yields alkaloids that cause constriction of blood vessels, which can result in a variety of symptoms in the body, usually affecting children, young adults, elderly and babies; easily passing through mother's milk. It is toxic to humans and livestock, but eating only small amounts can cause some symptoms that get better if no more of the toxins are eaten. The alkaloids are chemical derivatives of lysergic acid, which is used in the synthesis of the hallucinogen LSD. In later research I learned that there has been a long running debate whether Ergot Poisoning might have come into play to cause the actions of those involved in the Salem Witch Trials in the United States. I took a bit of artistic license with the disease and the fact that Gaius has the help of magic, so he found the cause about a thousand years earlier than his non-magical counterparts are on record for discovering it.

Read more HERE.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven

The Edge of Darkness (7/7)

mialoco — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 21:58:24 GMT

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Arthur was sitting in the council chambers listening to some of his father's advisors stroking Uther's ego when a guard came in to announce to Uther that Gaius and his assistant were requesting to see him urgently.

"Show them in." Uther told the guard and sat back to wait.

"Sire," Gaius and Merlin both sketched a small bow.

"What is it Gaius?" Uther questioned.

"Sire, I know what has been making the people sick." Gaius paused as silence descended around the table.

"Merlin here” Gaius indicated Merlin with a wave of his hand, “brought me some rye this morning from the fields that feed the Lower Town that had black, enlarged grains that were weeping. He said that he had encountered the same problem with the rye in Ascetir when they were there. Since both places have had people showing the same type symptoms and people dying, but nowhere else has, I examined and tested the grains as best I could. It looks to be a kind of mold that is producing a poison. I will have to do more testing before I can tell you anything else. I would suggest that you send someone out to have any grain left from last year destroyed as well as the crop from this year in both places."

"Thank you, Gaius. Merlin." Uther told them in dismissal.

After Gaius and Merlin had left, Uther sat there was a strange look on his face.

"I will take some Knights and see that both the fields are destroyed, Father." Arthur said.

"What?" Uther turned toward him with a vague expression. "Oh, yes, Arthur. Very well. See the field in the Lower Town destroyed today and ride out tomorrow or the next day for Ascetir. Council is dismissed."

As Arthur walked out of the council chamber he glanced back at his father still sitting there looking vague. He wondered if his father was hearing the voices of the people that he had executed for sorcery over this illness.

* * * * *

Returning from Ascetir a week later, Arthur left Merlin to see to food for both of them and went to see his father. He found Uther in his chambers reading over some papers.

"Arthur." His father stood to shake his hand and pull him into a semi hug. "Is all well in Ascetir?"

"Yes, Father. We were able to destroy all the affected grain. I have promised them that we will see that they have enough to last them through the coming year. I hope that other areas are expecting a large harvest this year."

Uther nodded his agreement as silence fell between them. Arthur was satisfied to see that his father seemed to have recovered from the stress of the past several weeks. Arthur took a long deep breath and took the plunge he had been planning on the way home.

"Father, do you remember the suggestion I had sometime past about allowing someone else to see to the smaller matters of court?" As Uther took a breath to answer Arthur rushed ahead with his prepared speech. "You were right. It is not needed in Camelot." He paused, and then continued, "As Camelot is now. I do not intend to keep Camelot as it is now, however. I find that like you, I quite like the idea of conquering land to make my own. I fear that I will not have time to spend as you are tending carefully to my people and conquering more lands. I will have need for people to be my eyes and ears in such a large Kingdom. I fear that I will not know how to train people unless I get some experience now, while I have you to help me. I would like to request that you allow me to go out into some of the more distant areas of the Kingdom and establish some minor courts myself. I will oversee them for a time and see how it works. It will be strictly a learning experience right now. Everything near Camelot will remain as it is. While I am gone, I would be able to check the grain of the rest of the Kingdom to see that another incidence such as we have just endured did not happen again. I could also more actively look for Morgana.”

Uther sat for so long that Arthur was afraid that he was going to refuse his request. “Arthur I commend you for thinking ahead. While I do not feel it is necessary at this time, as you say, it might be necessary for you in the future and I would feel better guiding you. You may make your plans and present them to me so that we may discuss them before you leave. We will plan for you to depart in two weeks. That should give you enough time to prepare."

"Thank you, Father." Arthur rose to leave. Just as he opened the door, his father stalled him.

"Arthur, how big do you plan to make Camelot?" His father sounded fondly indulgent.

Arthur pursed his lips. "Well, I had thought to start by uniting all of Albion; I haven't quite decided where I shall go from there." He sketched a nod and closed the door.

He heard his father's roll of laughter as he closed the door. The laughter did not bother Arthur. He had come to realize that his father's thinking was more limited than his own was.

Arthur found a young servant and gave him some orders before he sprinted up the stairs to his chambers to find Merlin there with the fire going and candles lit. There was a tankard of ale on the table.

"The kitchens had to heat something up; they didn't expect us back tonight." Merlin told him. "A kitchen servant will bring it up when it is ready. You can scoot up to the table and I will unbuckle your armor there while we wait." Merlin announced as he came back to the table.

Merlin stood behind Arthur and started working to loose his armor. Arthur swiped the tankard aside and laid his head on the table. "At times like this I almost wish I had magic so I could use it to get this armor off more easily and quickly."

Merlin's hands seemed to freeze on the buckle for a moment before he chuckled. "I can't believe what I just heard from you of all people. Aren't you afraid that it would turn you evil?"

"Not if the only spell I knew was how to remove my armor quickly. Anyway, I am sure I don't have an evil heart."

"Well, in that case, maybe you can ask the next sorcerer locked up in the dungeons to teach you before his execution." Merlin quipped, laying aside a piece of the armor.

"I just spoke to my father. We are going to be away from the castle for some time. Maybe I will just find a sorcerer while we are away from prying eyes and have him teach me. I can reward him by making him court sorcerer when I am King." Arthur shot back.

Merlin dropped the vambrace he had just removed. He picked it up and laid it on the table without a word, turning back and motioning Arthur to stand so that he might remove the chainmail.

There was a knock on the door.

"Enter," Arthur called out slightly muffled since Merlin was lifting his chainmail over his head.

A serving girl entered with a tray of food and a pitcher of water. "Just set it on the table," Arthur told her. "Merlin will serve me."

Merlin moved all the armor to the floor, out of the way by the wall, and took the plate from the tray to place it in front of Arthur, who had reseated himself in his chair. He picked up the tankard on the tray and poured water into it.

"Here, sit down and have a drum stick and some fruit. Gaius will probably already be in bed, so you will not get much when you get back to your room. You take the tankard of water and I'll just finish my mead."

They ate their dinner in silence; Arthur's earlier statement seemed to sit between them like a gauntlet that neither was willing to pick up right then. Merlin finished his food and prepared the tub for when the water arrived. There was a knock on the door and Arthur just sat at the table finishing his mead and let Merlin open the door for the servants with the water and direct them in preparing his bath.

After the boys had left, Arthur was behind the changing screen getting undressed when he had to duck as a toweling sheet was slung over the top of the changing screen almost hitting him in the face. When he settled himself into the tub, he heard the sounds of Merlin loudly stacking the dishes on the tray. It sounded as if Merlin was angry or disturbed about something. Though Merlin was banging and fumbling around, Arthur almost fell asleep in the warm cocoon of water. In a sleepy voice Arthur commanded, "Come wash the grime off my back, Merlin." As he heard Merlin's footsteps come close, he drew himself up, raised his knees and laid his head on them, exposing his back without ever opening his eyes. "I feel like I could sleep here," he said.

"You will shrivel up like an old man and be all wrinkly when I come to wake you tomorrow if you do go to sleep there." Merlin answered as he began to soap up Arthur's back. Even without opening his eyes, Arthur could tell by his voice that he was smiling as he said it. It made Arthur smile into his knees just knowing that Merlin's smiles were back again.

"Once the water gets cold you would probably stiffen up in that position, too. It would be difficult to get clothes on you. I would just have to throw a blanket over you and call some servants to come carry you down to meet with your father like that. It probably wouldn't sit well with him, either."

Arthur could only manage a short huff.

"Wait, stay like that." He heard Merlin command as he disappeared somewhere.

"You forget that I am the one that gives the orders around here, Merlin." Arthur said, simply out of habit and remained as he was.

Merlin came clattering back to stop beside the tub. Arthur felt the warm water poured over his back to rinse it off and realized that Merlin had gone for the tankard on the table. Arthur just sat with his eyes closed and enjoyed the cascade of warm water, until it was dumped over his head and ran down his face.

"Merlin!" Arthur sputtered as he jerked his head up from his knees.

"Don't you want your hair washed for you?" Without waiting for an answer, Arthur felt soapy hands working through his hair. "You look as if you are too tired to lift your arms."

"You could warn a person before you pour water over their head."

"Like you do?" Merlin asked innocently as fingertips massaged the soap into Arthur's scalp.

"I'm a Prince." Arthur's tone gave his comeback a double meaning.

"You're a prat," was Merlin's response.

Arthur found that he was not interested in the banter with Merlin that he usually enjoyed with those fingers massaging his head. Barely holding back a groan, he did allow himself to lean into them in the slightest way hoping Merlin would not notice.

"Consider this a warning," he heard before water splashed over his head and face several times. "There, now you can lie back and enjoy your bath until it grows cold."

Merlin went around the screen and Arthur could hear him moving around the room as he lay there with his eyes closed.

Hearing the creak of the wardrobe door Arthur spoke up. "Put a dressing robe over the screen for me, too."

As Arthur heard Merlin near the screen, again there was a knock on the door.

"Hold. Just a moment," called Arthur loudly as he stood and stepped out of the tub. He wrapped a towel around himself and walked behind the screen where he called to Merlin. "You can let them enter." He wrapped his wet body in the robe.

Merlin opened the door for the serving boys with buckets to drain the tub.

Merlin had just shut the door after the last boy and was turning around when another knock caused him to squawk in surprise. He glanced at Arthur, now standing by the screen for permission before he opened it.

Arthur simply stood with his arms crossed and watched as more serving boys with hot water filed in and Merlin stood there with a look of confusion on his face.

"Arthur has already had his bath." He told them, glancing from the boys to Arthur then back to the boys again in exasperation.

"I asked them to bring extra water," Arthur spoke up as he stood beside the screen in his robe and watched the procession through his room. "I was too dirty to lay back and relax in that filthy water."

"Yes, Sire," the tone made it a mockery instead of homage.

Arthur thought about how much he had missed that impertinence for the past few months as he walked toward the bathing area leaving Merlin to close the doors after the last of the serving boys.

"Will you be requiring me for anything else?" Merlin’s voice sounded wearily from the other side of the screen.

"Yes, come here." Arthur ordered from the bathing area as he sat on the stool and swirled a sachet through the waters that Gaius made to relax him after a hard day of training the Knights. He heard a loud sigh from Merlin as he rounded the corner of the screen and stopped just looking at Arthur in his dressing gown sitting on the small stool beside the tub.

“Do you require help getting your dressing gown off or was there something else?” His tone was weary, but it was good that the bantering was back. "You got it on yourself and getting it off is much easier. You just untie it and it will almost drop off by itself."

"I can manage the robe, I require you to undress."

"Me, undress? But...why?" Merlin squeaked.

"I require you to undress and get into this water and have a bath. You may use the screen while I find you some clean clothes to wear back to your room. You wouldn't want to dress in those filthy things again after you get clean."

Merlin just stared with his mouth open.

"And close your mouth, you're going to catch flying bugs in there. Better get a move on before the water gets cold."

Proving that he wasn't a total idiot and knew when an opportunity was too good to miss, Merlin quickly sat on the small stool and began pulling off his boots as Arthur walked around the privacy screen. The sound of feet padding toward the screen then the sound of rustling clothes told Arthur that for once Merlin was obeying without question or argument. A small yip from Merlin caught his attention.

“Something wrong?”

“I was just in such a hurry that I caught my nose in the neck of my shirt as I pulled it off.”

Arthur heard the sound of water just as Merlin finished talking. He could not hold back a laugh.

"Do you need your back washed?" Arthur asked as he threw the set of nightclothes that he rarely wore over the changing screen a few minutes later.

For once Merlin was quiet for so long that Arthur thought that he had fallen asleep. "Please." He finally managed in a voice that was raspy and did strange things to Arthur's stomach.

As Arthur had done, Merlin sat up while pulling his knees up to rest his head on them without opening his eyes. Arthur wet the soap and worked up lather on his hands then began rubbing his hands over Merlin’s back as Merlin had often done for him. Merlin groaned his enjoyment and with a shock, Arthur realized that he was enjoying it, too.

Although Arthur thoroughly enjoyed having Merlin wash his back and hair on a regular basis, he had never realized before how sensuous it could be to do it for someone else. He enjoyed feeling Merlin’s musculature beneath his hands. Though he was not as muscled as a Knight was, he did have muscles and broad shoulders. He did not look nearly the bag of bones that he did in his ill-fitting clothes.

When Arthur realized that he had been running his hands over Merlin's back longer than necessary, he reached for the tankard Merlin had used earlier to rinse him off and wet his hair. The sudden splashing of water over his head jerked Merlin out of his lethargy.

"Hey!" The sound died on his lips when he heard Arthur begin to chuckle.

"Spoils the mood, doesn't it?” Arthur said as he started massaging is soapy hands through Merlin's hair.

A slight shrug was Merlin's only answer. Just as he was looking like he was about to start purring like a cat Arthur poured another splash of water over his head that made him look as if he had decided he felt more like yowling and spitting. Another two tankards full of water over his head and all the soap was gone. Arthur rose, readjusted the robe, and tightened the belt again.

"Why?" Merlin was looking up at him still clutching his arms around his knees and now looking like a drowned rat. Arthur unconsciously licked his lips as he watched a drop of water slide down a his neck to disappear behind his knees clutched to his chest. Quickly realizing what he was doing he looked away.

"Maybe if you see how it is you will think before you do something like that in the future."

"No, why the bath?"

Arthur just stood and stared at his bare feet for a few seconds. Finally, he replied in a slightly cocky way to cover his embarrassment. "I knew that since you had spent the time attending me that Gaius would be in bed so you wouldn't have a chance to have anything more than a basin bath in your rooms. I am just making sure that I don't have to smell the stench of the days on horseback in the morning or wait forever for my breakfast because you are late from lazing around in a bath."

Arthur couldn't stay any longer, had to put some distance between them. He had not realized how sensual washing someone could be, how much he wanted to keep touching Merlin. He wondered if Merlin ever felt that way as he washed Arthur's back.

As he turned to leave, he threw back over his shoulder, "I'm going to get dressed and go to bed. You stay there until your water goes cold if you want to. I have left you clean clothes on the screen. Use them. They won't be a perfect fit, but I am sure that they will be fine between here and your room." Arthur turned and walked behind the screen.

"I'll leave the candles in there for you to blow out after you have dressed. Take the single one with you to find your way out when you leave. Just leave everything else here until morning. I am sure that you will have plenty of time to deal with it while I meet with my father." Arthur realized he was babbling and shut up.

"Yes, Sire." Instead of the usual mocking tone, that Merlin employed to annoy Arthur, this time it sounded almost like an endearment.

Arthur was still feeling antsy after he had blown out the candles outside the bathing area and climbed into his bed. He lay there for what seemed like hours listening to the sounds of the water that he knew was caressing Merlin's naked flesh much as his hands had been doing minutes ago. He was growing more and more uncomfortable at the memory of his hands on that exposed flesh and it seemed to make his whole body yearn to caress Merlin as the water was doing. The thoughts shocked and confused Arthur as he realized that he had never cared enough for another person to want to show caring through touch. Charming, wooing, and telling women sweet lies was easy for him when he felt the need to bed someone, but this was different, this need to communicate to another through touch. Arthur had always been terrible at dealing with emotions. He tended to stuff all his emotions, but anger, down until he couldn't feel them anymore. How would Merlin react if he knew? Merlin didn't want this, after all the times he had bathed Arthur and dressed Arthur, he had never acted as if he felt this strange yearning for more touch, this awkwardness. Well, he was Merlin of course he was awkward.

With relief, Merlin saved him from further confusing introspection when he emerged to tiptoe across the room with one single candle, his hand shielding its brightness thinking Arthur asleep. The relief was short lived when it took everything in Arthur not to call out to him, to ask him to join him in his bed.

As the door opened, he lost his battle to keep silent. “Merlin.”

The way that Merlin juggled the candle it must have startled him. “Yes, Arthur.” His voice was low, raspy, and relaxed. It seemed to crawl down Arthur’s spine and curl up in his lower stomach.

He opened his mouth to say goodnight. "Stay?" His mouth betrayed him and he closed his eyes, not able to watch the horror and rejection on Merlin's face. Merlin was the one person in Camelot that would not do something just because Arthur asked it of him. Merlin was his own man and Arthur appreciated that.

He heard the door close firmly and Merlin's key turned the lock, then total silence. He let out a shaky sigh, and lay there in humiliation.

"Where do you want me?" The low voice had him jerking his eyes open in surprise. In the light of the fire, he saw Merlin standing there at the side of his bed settling the unlit candle on the stand.

Arthur raised the coverlet in invitation. "Beside me," he croaked through a throat that would hardly work to get the word out.

Merlin crawled into the bed and they both lay stiffly for a few minutes in silence, neither seeming to know how to deal with this new whatever it was. As Arthur was staring through the darkness toward the canopy trying to decide how he was going to relax enough to sleep, the bed moved beside him and he felt Merlin burrow into his side.

"Merlin, you are hogging the bed," he exclaimed.

" M'm cold," came a muffle from under the coverlet.

"It's always something with you Merlin." Arthur answered as he fought against the smile on his face for just the right exasperation in his tone and rolled on his side to draw Merlin into his body. Merlin never seemed to have trouble knowing and seeking out what he wanted. Maybe Arthur could learn from him. "Better now?" he whispered.

"Mmmmm." The muffled sound of contentment was the only answer. Arthur smiled again and brushed a kiss soft as butterfly wings against the dark hair as he realized that it no longer felt new or strange. It felt like that first glimpse of Camelot's turrets when Arthur returned from a long trip away. "Beside me, Always." Arthur whispered then burrowed his nose into Merlin's hair and let sleep claim him.

The End.

The Edge of Darkness (6/7)

mialoco — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 21:56:08 GMT

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Arthur was standing behind a tree waiting. He had sent Merlin ahead to flush out whatever animal they heard tromping around in the woods ahead of them so that he might shoot it. When the beast did not run in his direction and Merlin did not call, Arthur cautiously crept forward to see what was going on. That is when he saw Merlin riding a unicorn, leaning over to stroke its neck and speak in its ear in a low voice.

It was at that moment that he heard someone yelling, "Sorcerer!" from the other side of the clearing.

He looked up and saw his father pointing and yelling. "Kill him, he is a sorcerer. Sorcerers are all evil. Kill him before he turns on us."

Arthur looked back at Merlin to see him still sitting astride the unicorn, rubbing its neck with one of his all-over-the-face smiles that rival the sun in brightness. "Look Arthur. It is magical, but it is only beautiful and good. Don't you see? Evil comes from the heart, not from magic."

Gaius appeared on the other side of the clearing, yelling to be heard above his father. "Only someone completely pure of heart and innocent can ride a unicorn. Only the purest. Completely pure."

Arthur looked from Gaius to his father then to Merlin.

"Trust me Arthur; there is no evil in magic. Come pet it, Ar..."

Suddenly there was a bolt sticking through Merlin's chest with red blooming all around it and Merlin was toppling from the unicorn as Arthur screamed and ran toward him. The faster Arthur tried to run the slower and further away he seemed to get.

He heard his father screaming, "Sorcerer. He must die. All sorcerers are evil."

Arthur was still running toward Merlin trying to go faster, but not getting any closer.

Then Arthur began yelling at his father, "No, all magic is not evil. He is pure of heart or he could not touch a unicorn. You cannot kill him. Don’t you understand that all magic isn’t evil?" He looked up at the unicorn. "You are magic, don't let him die. Save him, there is no evil in him."

"Treason" his father screamed. "The evil sorcerer has turned you against me."

"No, I have simply turned to one with a purer heart to teach me."

Arthur awoke in a panic, heart racing as he looked toward Merlin to see if the man was stirring. He lay there listening, but did not hear a sound other than the sound of his own heart. As he began to relax, he realized that it was a dream that had awakened him. It was the dream about Merlin and the unicorn again. Why did he keep having that dream? He tried to remember as much as he could, hoping to grasp at a meaning.

It surprised him that in the dream he had chosen Merlin over his father when forced to make a choice. After thinking about it for a few minutes, he realized that was exactly the position he was in. If Merlin were a sorcerer, as he feared, then he would have to make a choice. Until that moment, he would have never believed that there was a choice. It had always seemed so clear-cut to him what was right and where his loyalties should lie. Watching Uther's hatred for sorcery cloud his judgment until the mere mention of sorcery, or even something different that might prove to be sorcery, had him executing people indiscriminately before giving people a trial, had him questioning that all his father’s ways were right. Arthur was sure that there were some that had used Uther's hatred to get rid of people that stood in their way or that they had a hatred for without soiling their own hands. That, he thought, was as evil as what his father feared sorcery was. It seemed that evil raised its ugly head with or without sorcery. When he allowed himself to think about the problem of sorcery in Camelot with the perspective of distance, he could see that his father had set up a cycle with the purge. His father killed sorcerers, their families and friends pitted themselves against Uther, and even Arthur, in revenge. How long would it be before they got smart and banded together instead of coming one at a time? Could Camelot withstand an attack of sorcerers in number when they had no magic of their own to defend them? Uther might have been lucky enough to defeat the sorcerers up until now, but Arthur knew that with every killing the numbers against them increased. If Gaius was to be believed, they already had a powerful sorcerer in their midst secretly protecting them. With Merlin, there could be two. Unless... Don't be ridiculous Arthur, he thought, there is no way that Merlin could be that protector, the one to stand by your side as you become King. Glancing at the shape in the darkness that was Merlin, he felt a thrill run through him to imagine Merlin with a great deal of power, standing by him as an equal. It was a bit surprising to realize that he longed for that to be the truth, for he did not know of anyone in Camelot that he would rather have by his side through life. Arthur decided that he loved his father and wished to remain loyal to him, but wondered if his father's way was the only way. If he found that Merlin had magic, he would indeed have to choose between Merlin and his father. It was a choice he was not ready to make. No matter what his father said, Arthur could not believe that Merlin had evil in him. Arthur was beginning to realize that the hatred of magic was beginning to eat at his father so that his decisions were sometimes questionable.

When the sun began to paint the horizon with faint colors Arthur was still struggling with his thoughts. He got up, picked up his boots and weapons and quietly left the house. Putting his boots on outside, he headed for the small wooded area on the edge of Ealdor to hunt for some meat for Merlin’s broth and perhaps clear his head. When he returned with a brace of rabbits later that morning the only conclusion that had come to was that he would protect Merlin in whatever way he could, even from his own father.

* * * * *

Arthur continued to spend a bit of time each day outside with Constantine, giving Hunith a bit of time alone with an improving Merlin. Since one of Constantine's favorite things to play was Knight, they spent a lot of time fighting with their stick 'swords'. The villagers began to drift around while they were 'fighting' to cheer Constantine on. When one of the villagers kept taunting Arthur, he invited him to a 'duel' with their sticks. Arthur was both surprised and pleased to see that the man had improved greatly since the time he, Morgana, and Gwen had come to help the villagers fight off the bandits with Merlin. When the villagers informed him they took any opportunity they could to practice the things that he had taught them on his last visit he was impressed, even when they admitted that they too were usually forced to use sticks, because a lack of proper swords. When they asked if he would practice with them to help them improve even more, he agreed quickly. On the third day after starting the training sessions, Merlin felt well enough to be helped outside to watch. Merlin had even joined in a bit by sword fighting with Constantine from his seated position.

When Arthur was getting a drink of water from the bucket placed in the shade near Merlin, he stooped to correct Constantine's stance a bit. He and Merlin shared a smile over the boy's head. "It looks as if you are building a fine army here." Merlin said.

"I find it almost ironic that when I need to be rebuilding my own troops that I am here in Cenred's Kingdom training his subjects to be better fighters when he is looking for anything to go to war with Camelot over. Someday soon I may be looking down the sword at these men for real."

"Never happen," said a voice behind Arthur. Arthur turned to see Ganis at the water bucket. "Our village might lie in Cenred's Kingdom, but Cenred has no use for us because we are too poor to even pay a tax. We don't even exist to him. Men who don't exist owe no loyalty. If it comes to war my allegiance will be given to the King who does see me and not only acknowledges my existence, but comes to help when there is a need."

Stunned Arthur heard a chorus of agreement all around. He looked to Merlin who smiled at him with a contented smile.

"It might not take as big an army as you think to unite Albion." Merlin seemed to speak randomly minutes later when the men had returned to their practice and Arthur had sank down beside his servant under the tree.

"What are you going on about now Merlin?" Arthur questioned him.

"When other people find out what kind of King you are they may be like the people here and decide to fight with you against their own to become part of your Kingdom." Merlin returned while smiling toward him again.

"Don't be ridiculous Merlin." Arthur said and rose to start back to the men that were still practicing. "It does not work like that."

"It could," he heard Merlin's parting shot as he walked away, "for the right man."

* * * *

Four days later Merlin proclaimed he was strong enough to ride in the wagon back to the village of Ascetir. Hunith had confided in them that she had become much too attached to Constantine to allow him to go to the couple Merlin had originally been planning to ask to raise him and asked if she could keep him. Arthur had immediately informed her that, not only could she keep him, he would be sending funds to help. When Hunith tried to argue that it was not necessary, Arthur reminded her that the boy was a subject of Camelot, thus his responsibility. At the sad look that crossed her face, he reassured her that he would not usurp authority for the boy over her, but it was his wish that the boy train as a Knight when the time came. As she raised her brow and opened her mouth to question him, he assured her that when he was King that everyone would have a chance to be a Knight, not only nobles.

As the cart bounced over the uneven ground toward Ascetir, Arthur realized that Merlin was quiet and that he missed the chatter that Merlin usually kept up on a trip. Searching his mind for a topic of conversation, he started talking about all the nobles that were already angling for positions in his court. He threw in a few funny incidents and even put a funny spin on others just to try to get Merlin to laugh. "So what position have you decided that you want when I am King?" He asked Merlin.

Merlin seemed startled over the question. "I'll be happy to remain your servant. I have already told you that I would be happy to serve you until I die.”

"What kind of ambition is that?" asked Arthur. "Everyone wants to better themselves. Are you telling me that you actually like mucking out my stables?"

"Well, no. I thought mucking out your stables was the stable boys job and you just made me do it when you wanted to be a prat. What I like is being able to help you whenever and however you need. I don't think that will change after you are King."

"But when I am King I will have a host of maids, Pages, guards and others to do all those jobs you do now."

"Oh, I am that valuable am I?" Merlin smirked.

Arthur's brow furrowed as he tried to unravel what Merlin meant.

"If it will take a whole host of people to do what I do by myself now, and mucking the stables besides, that must mean that I am a valuable servant."

Arthur chuckled, "I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

Merlin smiled a real Merlin smile at him and it pierced him with how much he had missed that smile over the past months.

"If you cannot be my servant what would you do?" Arthur tried again.

"Whatever you need me to do." Merlin shrugged. "I have no designs on any specific jobs."

"Well, I promised you a reward for saving my life other than being made a servant, what would you like; land, wealth, position?” Arthur pressed on.

Merlin just looked at him for a few minutes with a puzzled look. "Arthur, you know that I am a simple person with simple wants and needs. I have little use for money or vast lands. I am happy the way things are. If I wished for anything at all, it would be that Mother and Constantine are provided for." Suddenly he brightened. "I know, if you really want to give me something defeat Cenred and make Ealdor part of Camelot. That way I will know that they will be fine and protected."

"You want me to give you Ealdor? I guess that could be arranged." Arthur said thoughtfully.

Merlin gave him a strange look. "No, I don't want to be given Ealdor. I simply want you to be their King so it will be a safer place to live. I think everyone in the village wants it, too."

Arthur shook his head as he looked at his manservant. "Merlin, you are a puzzle."

The conversation lagged into comfortable silence. A bit later Arthur glanced over at Merlin to see that he had nodded off to sleep. Arthur still did not think him recovered enough to travel, he tended to doze off several times a day, but Merlin had insisted that he was fine. Arthur raised his hand to the side of Merlin's head and pulled it over onto his shoulder. He only kept his hand there to keep the head from bouncing off he told himself.

* * * * *

Arthur was weary as he, Merlin, and the Knights rode back toward Camelot from Ascetir. Glancing around he was sure that all the men were as weary and disheartened as he was. While he and Merlin had been in Ealdor, the Knights kept busy with burning the bodies of dying children, young adults, a spattering of elderly people, and most of the animals of the village of Ascetir. Arthur dreaded what they would find with they arrived at Camelot. Would it be more of the same thing?

It was nearing sundown and looking like rain might be coming in from the east very soon. They were close enough that he thought they would be able to make it by the time darkness fell. Even if caught by darkness before they reached home, they were in familiar territory now and he could find his way even in the dark. If the rain caught them, he would rather be riding into Camelot wet than sleeping in the rain tonight. He planned to spend the night in his own soft bed after a hot bath to scrub the dirt and smell of the past few days from his skin.

Swiping the hair from his eyes that a sudden gust of wind had blown into his face he looked at Merlin intending to tell him to prepare him a bath as soon as they were home and saw that Merlin looked worse than he felt. Arthur had delayed the departure from Ascetir for a couple days to allow Merlin to regain some of his strength. It was probably a good thing. Merlin had started getting sick to his stomach again. Arthur had gone hunting and made broth that he had fed him every couple of hours in hopes to keep his strength up. As soon as Merlin had announced that he no longer felt sick to is stomach Arthur made plans to leave the next morning, hoping to arrive in Camelot before the day was over.

Feeling a moment of compassion for his manservant that his father would berate him severely for should he ever suspect it, he decided to not say anything. He would find a castle servant to bring him water when they got back to Camelot and give Merlin a chance to get to bed early, also.

"I thought we had left that stench behind." One of the Knights behind Arthur said, jerking him out of his thoughts.

Arthur realized that the towers of his father’s castle were within sight now and the smell of burning flesh was in the air. "They must be losing people and animals in Camelot as they did in Ascetir," spoke another Knight.

Almost as one, they were urging their tired horses forward as fast as they dared, fearful for loved ones. Thankfully, the wind had picked up enough behind them that it was blowing the smell away from them and making it a bit easier to draw a breath.

A short while that felt like hours later, they galloped through the gates of Camelot. Arthur was dismounting and throwing his reins to a stable boy before his horse had come to a complete stop. He took off in a run toward the castle. Merlin quickly dismounted to follow. About halfway to the castle door someone called Arthur's name. He turned to see Leon striding toward him.

Arthur reached out to clasp Leon in a double-handed handshake. "My father?" He asked.

A brief frown crossed Leon's face before he answered. "He seems well, but he is acting...strangely. There have been several people burned for sorcery since you have been gone based on accusations with little proof to back them up. Some of us suspect that at least one of those executed was unjustly accused because of an ongoing quarrel with a neighbor."

“Burned?” Arthur was confused. “He stopped using the pyre before we left and I thought that Gaius had made Father realize that the people were suffering an illness," Arthur told the Knight.

"As more people and animals died everyone has been in a frenzy." Leon told him. "Gaius was able to convince him for a time, but as more people were afflicted there were more and more accusations. Only today he burned a whole family, including an infant, because of claims that the man was a Dragonlord without even asking for proof."

"A whole family?" Merlin squeaked in a horrified voice. Arthur was so disturbed himself that he forgot to chastise Merlin for speaking out of turn. He wondered if his face was as pale and his eyes as wide as Merlin's before he managed to win a hard fought battle for control of his features. Seeing Merlin made him remember how ill his servant had been lately.

"Merlin, you are dismissed for the night. Get something to eat and some sleep."

At that moment, the doors of the castle opened and Uther swept through them. "Arthur," he called and started quickly down the steps with a smile on his face. When he reached Arthur, he swept him into a one armed hug, armor and all.

"Any word of Morgana, son?"

"No, Father. We have been helping in the village of Ascetir where they have had a heavy death toll among the villagers and animals. There was no information on Morgana there.

Uther's face immediately fell and he seemed to lose several inches in height suddenly.

"I was so hoping that you would find her this time." Uther turned and started to walk away, then seemed to remember Arthur was there and tuned back to him. "Go ahead and get some food then and we will discuss any reports that you have in the morning."

"Yes, Father." Arthur began to walk away. "Goodnight, Father."

"Goodnight, Arthur. It's good to have you home again, son." It was almost like an afterthought.

Arthur walked into his room and looked longingly at the bed before groaning and collapsing into a chair. It was almost too dark to see since he had sent Merlin to his own bed without lighting candles or a fire. Hopefully there was a servant nearby that he could call to attend him. Food would be nice, hot water for a bath even better, and most of all he needed to get up and remove his armor before he fell asleep in his chair wearing it, but he did not want to move. He also did not want to think about what seemed to have been happening in Camelot while they had been gone or the fact that Uther had only asked about Morgana, as if that had been the purpose of their trip to Ascetir, nor the disappointment that was on his father's face when he learned that they had not found her. What was his father thinking by using mass burnings again? As Arthur sat there, it was as if the edge of darkness had befallen his mind and spirit, as well as the land.

Wishing that he had a full wineskin to bring about oblivion, Arthur decided that he would settle for someone to light some candles and get him out of his armor.

As if in answer to his wish, there was a knock at his door.

"Sire, I am here to get you out of your armour." A voice on the other side of the door called.

"Enter." Arthur called back.

"Sire, why are you sitting here in the dark with no fire?" Not waiting for an answer the boy walked back out the door. Arthur's face had not had time to form a complete frown of confusion when he came back into the room clutching a burning rush in his free hand. He sat the tankard he held on the table in front of Arthur.

"Ale," he explained and began using the rush to light the candles in the candelabra on the table. "Merlin stopped me and told me you could use some wine, but this was all I could find tonight.”

"He asked that some food and hot water for a bath be brought up for you, but I thought you might like the ale while you wait," the boy walked around the room lighting the other candles as he explained.

Arthur felt warmth suffuse him that, as tired and ill as Merlin was, he had arranged things for Arthur's comfort.

The boy finished lighting the candles and used the rush to light the wood already laid in the fireplace. "I can remove your armour now if you are ready, Sire."

Arthur sat there while the boy unfastened his armour and removed it piece by piece. After putting chainmail down on one end of the table there was another knock on the door. A girl brought a tray in and placed the food in front of his chair on the table.

“Water has been ordered for your bath Sire, shall I stay to prepare you?"

"No, you may both go." They gave Arthur a bow and a curtsy before the two servants turned and left him. He decided that he did not like well-trained impersonal servants attending him.

* * * * *

Arthur slouched at the table in his room and stared out the window. He was completely ignoring the papers that his father had given him to look over that showed what had been going on in Camelot while they had been gone. He had been shocked to learn how many Uther had executed for sorcery. There were several more awaiting sentencing. Perhaps the most shocking of all was to find that not only had Uther executed an infant the day before, but also there was a four-year-old girl in the dungeon. He was glad that he had insisted that Merlin stay behind to do his chores then see if Gaius needed him for a while. He knew that Merlin took all executions hard, unless they had been flagrant in murdering someone. When it came to the little ones Merlin became almost irrational. Arthur could not help but think of Constantine and be thankful that Merlin was that way.

When Merlin walked in his door without knocking, as usual, he glanced up to see his set, pale face and knew that his servant had heard the news. He started gathering his papers up and stood to walk across the room and lay them on his desk, avoiding Merlin's eyes and hoping to buy himself a bit of time before he had to talk about something that he hadn't even sorted out in his mind yet. His reprieve was short lived.

"How could your father kill children for doing nothing?"

"The father was accused of being a Dragonlord."

"No!" Merlin's emphatic shout startled Arthur to a stop.

Surprised at Merlin's reaction Arthur spoke in a low voice. "There have been rumors since the dragon's attack that a Dragonlord called the dragon down on Camelot."

Merlin left the food that he had been taking off the tray and started pacing from the table to the bed and back. "No. That cannot be true. Gaius." He stopped as if his voice had failed him before trying again. "Gaius said that Balinor was the last Dragonlord. We saw Balinor die." Merlin's voice seemed to give out again and he paced the distance between the table and bed several times before he could continue. Arthur walked to the window and stared out at the courtyard.

"The man they executed can't be a Dragonlord when we watched the last one die.” Merlin continued when he had gotten control of his voice. "Uther killed an innocent man. Moreover, the children. Why did he kill the children? Why kill a little baby? What could a baby be guilty of?" Merlin's was now agitatedly rubbing his hands over his face and through his hair as if he could hardly keep himself from tearing his hair out in hanks.

"My father said that Dragonlord's magic is passed from father to son." Arthur heard a hiss of indrawn breath as he quietly explained all he knew. "As the father died all the children had to be put to death, too, or it would pass through the lineage to the next one all the way down to the infant."

Still grasping his hair, Merlin began muttering under his breath, but Arthur could not understand him. That look that Arthur hated to see was back on his face again.

Arthur was still standing at the window when he heard the door open and close and looked up to find that Merlin was no longer in the room. He lost count of how long he stood there ignoring the food that Merlin had brought, he found that he could do little but stare out the window trying to get control of his swirling thoughts.

He had known that Merlin was going to be upset, especially over the children, but he had not expected him to be this upset. Arthur only hoped that he had gone back to his room and not to Uther. With that thought, Arthur spun on his heel and headed for the door to find Merlin before he got himself executed.

Arthur made sure to swing by his father's chambers first to make sure that Merlin had not gone there. Merlin knew as well as he did that his farther always spent time after lunch in his room getting over the morning and getting ready for the afternoon. When the guard at Uther's door told him that his father had asked not to be disturbed until his afternoon meetings started he felt a bit of relief. Maybe he still had a chance to find Merlin before he managed to get himself killed.

"Is there something I can do for you, Sire?” Gaius seemed a bit surprised to be disturbed when Arthur walked into his rooms.

"I'm looking for Merlin, have you seen him?"

"I thought he was with you, Sire."

"He heard about the family that my father had executed yesterday and was very upset about it." Arthur thought he saw Gaius flinch, but decided he must have just twitched his nose because of the noxious odor coming from whatever he was cutting up.

"He was sure that my father has killed and innocent man and his children. Do you believe that the man Balinor was really the last Dragonlord or do you think that the man my father executed yesterday really did call the dragon to attack Camelot?"

"Balinor was the only Dragonlord that I had heard rumors of still being alive." Gaius answered carefully as if afraid that he would be executed for treason for going against the king. "Until the day before the execution I had never heard of any other Dragonlord. I also have not been able to find any reason that the man would wish Camelot destroyed when his business was one of the ones lost. His wife was also killed."

"That might have been a cover." Arthur was grasping at straws, but he did not want to think that his father had executed a whole family of innocent people. Surely he could not execute four innocent children.

"That is true. True or not, the deed is done and our speculating will not bring them back. If you feel that Merlin might do something to get himself into trouble it might be best if you find him first and get him away from Camelot to calm him down before he does. He has a place that he goes when he is upset. He may have gone there. It is a lake not too far from here. I can give you directions."

In record time, Arthur retrieved his crossbow from the armory while he had his horse saddled, sent a servant after his cloak, and another after a parcel of food. He left a message with his father that he had pressing business that he would discuss when he returned and set out in the direction that Gaius had given him.

Arthur quietly approached the lake where Gaius had sent him. After scouting out the area for a few minutes, he found Merlin slumped amongst the roots of a giant tree growing close to the water. It looked as if high water had washed the soil out around the roots making a natural armchair where Merlin was slouched. Arthur remained quiet, hidden, and just watched Merlin. Merlin appeared to be talking to someone, but Arthur was too far away to hear anything that he was saying. It also looked like he might be crying because he kept wiping his fist under his eyes and occasionally his nose. Arthur found that he could lie down on the soft grass nearby and still see through the growth of weeds to where Merlin was. He decided to lounge there and just keep an eye on Merlin. He did not want to intrude on Merlin in the emotional state that he was in, but he wanted to make sure that he was safe and that he calmed down before he headed back to Camelot.

As the sun started setting Arthur knew that he was going to have to make a decision whether to try to get closer to Merlin so that he could still see him after dark or make his presence known to him and set up a camp for them for the night. Merlin no longer seemed to be talking to anyone. He had settled down for some time now. Arthur decided that he would chance letting Merlin know that he was here and make camp for the night. Maybe Merlin would open up and talk to him now that he seemed to have sorted out his thoughts and feelings. He rose and walked toward Merlin.

"Arthur, what are you doing here? How did you find me? How long have you been here?"

"It's almost dark. We need to get back to the castle or find a good place to stay for the night and gather some firewood. It will probably be cool tonight." Arthur said avoiding the questions.

"The roots of this tree provide pretty good shelter and there is already a fire circle left from a previous fire. If I gather some wood I should be fine here for the night." Merlin was rising even as he spoke. "You can go on back to Camelot. There is no need for you to stay tonight." He moved into the edge of the woods surrounding the lake and Arthur followed.

"I'm staying Merlin. I'll go when you do." Arthur was adamant.

After gathering enough wood for the night, Merlin had a fire going. Arthur had brought his horse closer to tie it up and remove the food and cloak. They ate the cold meat and bread that he had brought with him in silence.

"Do you want to talk?" Arthur finally asked causing Merlin to jump.

"How did you find me?" Merlin asked.

"I searched the castle over and Gaius finally told me that you might have come here."

There was a lengthy silence before Merlin spoke again. "I didn't even realize that Gaius knows I come here when I need to think."

"I'm glad that someone did. It would not have been good to be alone as upset as you were. You might not have seen danger until it was too late. Not to mention that you aren't even armed."

"So how long were you watching over me? Did you hear me ta-- Did you hear what I was saying?"

"I was far enough away to give you your privacy, but close enough to intervene if someone tried to attack you. I'm here now if you want to talk to someone."

Another long drawn out silence greeted that statement before he finally heard Merlin barely above a whisper say, "I can't."

Arthur was surprised to feel hurt at those words. He realized that he trusted Merlin with every part of his life. He had learned that Merlin was a keen observer and was educated as very few peasants were. He had grown accustomed to talking over everything with Merlin. He did not always take Merlin's advice, but just by talking, he usually was able to work things out. It hurt to know that Merlin did not feel the same way.

After a few minutes, Merlin started to speak. His voice was so low that Arthur almost had to lean closer to hear him. "I feel guilty about the family that was burned yesterday."

"You feel guilty? Why would you feel guilty? You were not even here when it happened.”

After a long pause Arthur was about to ask more questions when Merlin continued.

"Balinor," Merlin's voice seemed to fail him and he was quiet for a few seconds before he continued. "Balinor, the Dragonlord, died saving me." Arthur heard a muffled sound much like a sob as Merlin sat looking at the ground as if trying to pull himself back together.

Suddenly Arthur remembered Merlin trying to pull himself together and pretend that he hadn't been crying in much the same way as he held the Dragonlord when Arthur found them after slaying the last of Cenred's men. A thought or a memory started niggling him, but before he could catch more than a glimmer of it Merlin continued.

“One of Cenred's men knocked the sword from my hand and was already swinging toward me while I was still off balance. He swung at the man, but his momentum propelled him into the man's sword." Again, Merlin stopped as if he had to will his voice to go on.

In the quietness Arthur heard another muffled sob and in his mind he heard a quiet "Goodnight, Son" followed by an emotional Merlin saying "Sle...sleep well, Father." Could that have been an actual memory instead of a recurring dream? He remembered Merlin having trouble keeping his emotions in check for days afterward. Merlin had been withdrawn much of the time since then. The picture of Merlin holding Hunith that first morning and both of them crying flashed through his head. Could it be possible that Balinor was Merlin's father? It would answer so many of the questions that Arthur had had about Merlin's strange actions since they started the trip to look for the Dragonlord. No, Merlin had told him that he had never met his father. His father left before he was born. Wait, wasn't that was before they met Balinor? Merlin had acted strangely on the whole trip. Could he have found out that the man he was looking for was his father only to have him die saving his life? He opened his mouth to ask Merlin outright, but that wasn't what came out of his mouth.

"Why do you feel guilty for those people yesterday just because Balinor saved you?" Arthur asked quietly.

Merlin was quiet for a while longer. Arthur stiffened as he realized that if Balinor had been Merlin's father that would make Merlin a Dragonlord. While the shock of that thought was still zinging through his system as if a bolt of lightning had hit him, Merlin continued.

"If he had not died he could have come back to Camelot and gotten rid of the dragon. None of the Knights would have had to die that last night. He would have also known if that man yesterday was a Dragonlord."

As soft as Merlin's heart was Arthur didn't think that was the whole truth. Suddenly he was almost certain that he had figured out the puzzle correctly. It all fell together so perfectly, it had to be true. For a millisecond, he felt disappointment that Merlin was not able to trust him enough to tell him, until reason kicked in and made him realize that Merlin would be crazy to tell the son of the biased King who had executed a whole family yesterday for simply a suspicion created by the father's rival. In a sudden flash of insight, he realized that Merlin would always be trying to save the world around him from unfairness, while his father would perpetuate unfairness just because he had power to do so. He remembered the dream about Merlin riding the unicorn claiming that not all magic was evil. It was in that moment that he made his decision. He vowed to himself that he would do everything in his power to protect Merlin even if he was a Dragonlord, even if he was a sorcerer. It didn't matter what his father thought, he knew Merlin well enough to see that there was nothing but goodness in Merlin.

"Merlin, that's nonsense. It was not your fault or your guilt to take on." Arthur voiced instead of what he wanted to say. He would play along. What he had not had confirmed he wouldn't have to lie about to his father.

He leaned closer and spoke barely above a whisper directly into Merlin's ear. "Though it is treason to say it, I fear that my father's hatred for magic and magic users may have cost some innocents their lives this time. If the man were a Dragonlord, why would he want to call a dragon to attack Camelot? He lost his wife and oldest son in the dragon attack. He also lost his business. If he were a Dragonlord, why would he allow that to happen to him if he could call it off? I know that it can't help that family, but I need to think of a way to convince my father that there needs to be more work done checking out the reports of sorcery that are coming in. We cannot appear weak or vulnerable right now, but we cannot slaughter innocent people because of fear or hatred on either my father’s part or that of the people. I fear that if people are beginning to use the laws on magic against others for their own reasons that we might have something on our hands that will destroy the Kingdom as surely as sorcery."

Merlin's head turned toward him as he sat back. In the last dying gasp of light in the painted sky and the firelight, it looked as if Arthur's lips mesmerized Merlin's eyes. After seconds that seemed like time standing still his eyes dragged up to Arthur's and locked for more timeless seconds. Arthur swallowed dryly and licked his lips. At a loud splash in the lake Merlin jerked his eyes toward the water before rolling to his feet and walking to the water's edge, leaving Arthur wondering what had just happened.

The sound of water gently lapping at the shore of the lake combined with the sounds of night insects and the fire snapping almost lulled Arthur into a doze as he sat watching Merlin. Merlin's body seemed as taut as a bowstring as he stood on the shore. After what seemed like hours, Merlin came back to the tree and lowered himself into its embrace near Arthur.

"This is a beautiful place, restful. I can see why you come here." Arthur threw out as a conversational gambit. When Merlin remained quiet, he searched for something else that he could say that would help defuse the tension in the air between them. He was afraid that his usual bag of complaints and quips would break this brittle man before him. It had been quiet for so long that the low voice startled him when it came.

"I come here sometimes when I need to feel close to someone."

Arthur wrinkled his brow and tried to puzzle that out. Merlin seemed to take his silence for encouragement instead of the confusion that it really was and continued without further prompting from Arthur.

"I fell in love with a girl in Camelot."

Arthur felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach. Merlin in love? When could this have happened? How did he not know? Why had Merlin not told him? He felt his eyes widen and his mouth opened, but before his brain had decided what words would fall out of it, Merlin spoke again.

"She was a lovely girl. She was beautiful, smart, and gentle. We could talk for hours. She seemed to understand me. She understood loneliness, too."

Arthur opened his mouth to ask Merlin why he had been shirking his chores to talk to some girl for hours, but was surprised that the words that came out of his mouth of their own accord were, "You feel lonely? People are always surround you. Everyone in Camelot seems to know you and speak to you."

Merlin sighed. "It's different Arthur. When I was growing up in Ealdor, we had to become close to our neighbors for our survival. The whole village was like a big family. When I came here, I was an outsider. I had no more than got here when Uther made me your manservant. As your manservant, I do not really fit in anywhere. The kitchen staff and other servants do not feel that I am one of them. As you constantly remind me, I am not royalty, so I do not fit with them. The Knights treat me well because I am your manservant, but they cannot really become friends with me. Gaius is the only person that I have really been able to talk to since I came until I met Freya."

"You can talk to me." Arthur could not manage to keep the indignant tone out of his voice. He heard a soft puff that he was sure was Merlin snorting, but chose to ignore it. "Well, you can. I have told you that if I weren't a Prince that I think we could be the very best of friends."

"But you are a Prince, so I guess you can't be and she was like me in a way. We both lived in a world where we didn't really fit in anywhere."

Arthur felt himself frowning at that, but kept silent.

"She had been cursed by a sorcerer. The curse was killing her. She was such a wonderful caring person and she had to live with the fact that the curse made her become something awful that hurt people. She tried to control it, but she couldn't all the time."

"Merlin, you idiot?" Arthur winced at the loudness of his voice. “You should have come to get me to protect you,” he managed in a softer voice.

"No, she was never dangerous when I was around. She would disappear when the curse turned her so that she would never hurt me."

"So what happened? Is she here somewhere? Does she come to meet you? Are you waiting for her to show up? Are we waiting for a dangerous cursed creature?" Arthur's hand seemed to reach to check for his sword of its own volition.

The silence drew out again until Arthur thought that Merlin was not going to answer. Finally, he heard the answer spoken so softly that he could almost believe that it was a thought instead of spoken.

"Sh--She died."

It suddenly felt hard for Arthur to swallow as more of the puzzle that was Merlin fell into place. Luckily, it seemed that since Merlin had started he could not stop, so he just listened quietly. He had been trying to get Merlin to talk for months; he was not going to interrupt him now.

"I was going to take her away and try to find the sorcerer that cursed her to cure her or find someone else that could. I did not have time. She died before I could get her away."

Again, Arthur felt that as a fist punch in the stomach. He forgot that he was not going to interrupt. "You were going to leave?" He stopped himself just before 'me' left his mouth, but it hung there in the air between them. "You were going to leave with a dangerous, cursed woman? What about your job?" He winced as he realized that the 'me' was not hanging in the air anymore, but plopped between them.

"Arthur, there are hundreds of servants in your Kingdom that would be happy to take my place."

"But you said that you would be happy to serve me 'till the day you die."

The shadows were heavy, but the firelight provided just enough light for him to see that Merlin's head shot up and his eyes searched for Arthur's own. "I would, I will be happy to serve you 'till the day I die, but you have a whole Kingdom to serve you. She needed someone and she had no one. I had to try to save her and failing that I didn't want her to die alone."

Arthur studied Merlin in the dim firelight and realized that Merlin would have been able to do little else because that was just Merlin. Merlin seemed to have a need to save people. "So the curse killed her before you could leave to seek help?" Arthur prompted quietly.

"No, she was severely injured in her cursed form. I saw it happen. I followed her."

Arthur jumped to his feet in reaction. His voice loud and becoming more high pitched than usual. "You followed an injured, cursed beast? Are you completely crazy? Why would you do something so stupid?"

"Because, she needed me," was the angry comment.

Merlin was silent as Arthur paced back and forth in front of him. Finally, only a bit less angry sounding he said, "If you want to know the rest you need to sit down and stop reacting. It is hard enough to get through. I can't do this if you keep yelling at me."

Even in the shadows cast by the firelight Arthur could see that the brittle look was not only back, but also worse than ever on Merlin's face. He looked like a small puff of wind could shatter him into millions of pieces and blow him away.

Arthur slowly lowered himself into the spot that he had just vacated. "I'm sorry Merlin. It just worries me that you are always putting yourself into danger and you don't even have weapons to use."

"I didn't need weapons, Arthur. She was so badly hurt that she changed back into a woman before I got there."

Arthur bit his lip to hold on to the words he wanted to say this time as Merlin continued.

"She had told me that she grew up in a beautiful place overlooking the water. She had always wanted to go back or to find a place on the water that beautiful to live. I had found this place one day, not long after I came to Camelot. I felt that she would like it. I brought her here. She did think it was beautiful. She died not long after we got here with a smile on her face and thanking me."

Merlin raised a hand to his face, probably to wipe away tears. Arthur felt weepy himself so he could not fault Merlin if his memories wee making him cry. He remained silent simply because he did not know what to say.

"There used to be an old abandoned boat on the shore near here. It had a hole in one end. I laid her into the boat, filled it with sticks and twigs from the forest, and piled in all the wildflowers I could find. I lit a fire in the boat and pushed it away from the shore. It got a distance from the shore right over there before it burned and sank."

Arthur followed the direction of Merlin's pointing finger as Merlin stared as if he could see the burning boat still. "I stayed all night watching that spot. Now, when things are bothering me, I come out here. It's lovely and relaxing here and I feel that I can still talk to Freya about the things that bother me even though she can no longer answer me."

Arthur felt a pang of jealousy and a bit hurt that Merlin did not feel that he could talk to him. They both sat in the quiet, broken only by the water lapping, the fire snapping, and night insects and birds. Arthur picked up a small stick and started dragging it through the dirt making pictures that he could not even see as he thought.

"You know Merlin. I understand about being different and not fitting in, about being lonely."

Merlin snorted, but did not reply.

"I do." He propped his legs up and hugged his arms around them while resting his chin on his knees. "Being a Prince sets me apart from everyone else. People bow to me and do what I want or what they think I want because I am the Prince. They tell me what they think I want to hear. Everyone wants something from me or is afraid of me because of the power that I have over them. It sets me apart. The Knights are of necessity comrades, a sort of brotherhood, but as their leader, I am not one of them either. I have never really had a friend, someone that I could really talk to that didn't look up to me or want something from me."

He paused, raised his eyes to Merlin, and waited until Merlin raised his own head and found his eyes in the dim firelight. He swallowed and forced himself to do something he had never done before, something that went against all his training since he was a small child. He became vulnerable before another person. "Until you."

Immediately Arthur felt that he had to cover his vulnerability and started talking. "You came crashing into my life and before you found out that I was the Prince you challenged me. Even after you learned I was the Prince, you still challenged me. I have never really been the Prince to you. I have just been Arthur. I think that growing up in Ealdor, in a Kingdom that does not have good overseers, learning to depend on each other made you very different from the people that I am used to being around. It made you not see me in the same way they do.”

"No, you're a prat. That makes me not see you in the same way that everyone else does." Arthur could hear Merlin's smile in the retort and was relieved to escape a situation that was quickly becoming uncomfortable.

"I think we need to bed down now and get some sleep." Arthur matched his words to action by standing to pull his cloak around him. As Merlin banked the fire for the night, Arthur sat down in the embrace of the tree and waited.

"No." Arthur stopped Merlin as he was about lie face to feet. "This is too close for sleeping with boots on. I do not relish waking up to a kick in the face when you dream and you have no bedroll to keep away the chill. There is no one here, so come here and share the warmth of the cloak." Arthur spread the cloak and indicated the space between his stretched out legs.

Merlin sat with his back toward Arthur's chest without touching. Arthur settled the cloak around him then pulled him back to rest against his chest, much as he had done in Ealdor. Merlin sat stiffly. "Relax, will you." Arthur told him.

Arthur was about ready to dose off when Merlin spoke softly. "Arthur, since I seem to be confessing tonight there is one other thing that I need to confess. There's something about me that you need to know. I have wanted to tell you for a long time, but I have been afraid. I'll understand if you feel that I have betrayed you." Arthur could feel the tension rolling off Merlin.

Something about Merlin's voice immediately put Arthur on alert. Joy and fear were at war inside him as he realized that Merlin was about to tell him that he was a sorcerer or a Dragonlord or both. He realized with Merlin's willingness to remove that last barrier between them and tell him the truth that Merlin trusted him with his life. He didn't know what to do with the feelings that suddenly poured through him. He realized that he had never felt closer to anyone in his life, but he was also confused. Deciding to deal with his confusing feelings later, he quickly reached out and gently put his hand over Merlin's mouth before he could utter another word because suddenly he knew what must be. "I have my suspicions about what you want to tell me Merlin and I know all I need to know right now. We won't speak of this as long as my father is alive. If you still feel the need you may tell me then."

Arthur felt Merlin's body relax somewhat, then Merlin looked over his shoulder at Arthur with a look between puzzlement and relief. Before any words could be spoken Arthur could not help but bend those few inches necessary and lay his mouth against Merlin's. Arthur would not really call it a kiss it was more of a promise, an oath between them.

"Get some sleep. Tomorrow we need to figure out how to salvage the situation in Camelot."

Merlin did not reply, but his body relaxed against Arthur and they both slept.

The next morning they finished off the bread Arthur had brought and Arthur swung Merlin up in front of him in the still chilled air so that he might share the warmth of the cloak. The towers of Camelot were visible much sooner than he wanted them to be and he let Merlin down from the saddle before leaving the cover of the woods. As unpredictable as Uther was right now he was afraid he might have Merlin executed for enchanting him if they had been seen riding into Camelot on the same horse.

Part Seven

The Edge of Darkness (5/7)

mialoco — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 21:53:25 GMT

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

The next morning Arthur had gone with Merlin searching out herbs that Merlin said he needed to make some potions to help Constantine, who had started yelling gibberish with that glassy eyed look that Arthur had seen too much of. He had also had a few convulsions. Arthur knew that Merlin was as worried about the boy now as Arthur was, but both refused to voice their concerns, as if that could keep the truth of the matter at bay. Having mixed and brewed most of the afternoon Merlin now had several of the empty vials he had collected in Ascetir before they left filled again. He was explaining to Hunith how to mix and administer it to Constantine when he started shaking and stopped talking. Arthur, who had been sitting near jumped forward out of his seat and caught him as he fell. Lowering Merlin to the ground as he had watched Merlin do to children in Ascetir, Arthur ran his finger into his mouth to make sure that he was not biting his tongue. He placed him on his side in case he began to vomit and moved the bench out of the way so he would not knock against it in his thrashing. Wiping the sweaty hair out of Merlin's eyes, he happened to look up at a horrified Hunith, now kneeling on the other side of Merlin clutching Constantine, who was blessedly quiet for the moment.

"Just don't get close enough for him to hurt you. We will just have to let it run its course. He should stop soon." Arthur reassured the frightened woman, though he could feel his heart galloping in his chest.

He had barely stopped speaking when Merlin stopped thrashing around. Soon even the shaking was becoming less and he opened his eyes.

"Sorry." He said looking guilty.

"Oh, Merlin," Hunith shifted Constantine to run a hand over Merlin's face.

"You should have told us that you were feeling unwell." Arthur could not help but scold.

"I have not been feeling sick. I have just been having some headaches and running to the privy." Merlin's voice was scratchy and he was rubbing his booted feet together oddly.

Arthur immediately tugged off both of Merlin's boots and rolled his socks off him. "Are your feet burning?" He questioned as he picked up a bare foot and inspected each toe carefully, and then repeated it with the other.

"Just tingly" Merlin muttered.

"What is it?" Hunith questioned with even more fear in her voice as Arthur expelled a sigh of relief.

"Some of the people of Ascetir complained of burning in limbs, they then began to get gangrene and later the appendage would fall off without shedding one drop of blood." Arthur explained, while pushing Merlin back down as he tried to sit up. "Just lie there a few minutes then I'll help you up," He all but ordered Merlin before directing his attention back at Hunith. "He does not seem to have the black dots that the other victims I saw had."

As Arthur had been talking, he had started to put Merlin's socks and boots back onto his feet. He chose to ignore the smile that Hunith did not quite manage to hide before she rose and turned away to lay the now sleeping Constantine on the pallet he had been sleeping on near her bed. Arthur supposed that it was amusing to see the Crown Prince of Camelot in a reversal of roles, removing and replacing the clothing of his manservant. He ducked his head before anyone could see the blush that he could feel rushing up his neck to his face as that last thought sent a meaning of a different kind skittering through his head. To distract his wayward thoughts he started speaking to Merlin while still keeping his head down as if fastening boots took all his attention. “I want you to write down the instructions for all the potions for Constantine then, for good measure, include instructions for dosages for yourself. Then I want you to write the herbs needed for the potions and instructions for making them. Better yet, you talk and I will write."

He finally allowed himself to look at Merlin as he offered his hand to help him sit up, then after waiting a moment for Merlin to get his bearings; he pulled him to his feet and helped him to sit on the bench at the table. He did not like the pale look that Merlin had about him, but he had seen the children playing after one of those convulsions as if nothing was wrong with them.

"What do you expect me to write it on?" Merlin asked him in that tone that Arthur should never allow. "It is not like we are able to buy stacks of parchment in Ealdor. Most of the people here have probably never seen parchment."

"Well, don't you have a slate that you practiced your letters on?" Arthur asked. The glance that Merlin shared with Hunith, who had returned to the table to stand behind him with her hand on his shoulder, confused Arthur.

"I used a stick to write on the ground outside by the chopping block or near the edge of the field when Mother was working." Merlin clarified for him.

Arthur could tell that Merlin was not ashamed of the fact that he had learned his letters on the ground instead of in a classroom on slate because no one in his village was any different. Arthur had to admit that their ingenuity was inspiring. Not many peasants ever learned to read or write in the first place.

"I have some paper that I made and pressed so that I might write to you occasionally." Hunith told them quietly. “You will have to burn a stick on the coals to write with because I have no ink."

"Wonderful." Arthur praised, hoping that he had not embarrassed the humble woman that treated him so kindly for her lack of proper writing tools. Actually, the people of this village constantly surprised him with their ability to get by on what was around them. It might not be as fine as Arthur was accustomed to, but when they had a need, they seemed to find a way to fill it.

"Now Merlin, if you will?” he said, once the homemade paper and the charred stick were in front of him. As Merlin spoke, he wrote. He had to stop frequently to char the stick some more, but the list was soon done. He could tell that Merlin's strength was flagging, even though he was trying not to let it show. "Now that we have that accomplished, I suggest that we eat some of that delicious smelling stew and bed down ourselves while Constantine is sleeping as we don't know how long that we will have before he is up again."

Merlin seemed relieved as Hunith moved toward the shelf that she kept the bowls on. Arthur moved to the bucket of water, dipped out a cup full for each of them, and brought it to the table. Hunith told them about the upcoming marriage of two of Merlin's childhood friends as they ate to take their minds off what had just happened. Merlin seemed to find it all hilarious because the two had seemed to hate each other all during their childhood. He told Arthur of some of the slightly malicious pranks the two used to pull on each other. The laughter relieved some of the earlier tension. Soon they were finished and Hunith scooped up the dishes to clean as Arthur tagged along with Merlin to the privy to make sure that he made it safely then walked to the chopping block to give him some privacy. When Merlin came out, Arthur jumped and went to meet him only to have Merlin wave him off when he tried to assist him. When they neared the chopping block, Merlin plunked down beside it on the ground and motioned for Arthur to resume his seat on the block.

"Arthur, I have been thinking about it and I think that it might be for the best if you return to Ascetir in the morning and meet up with your men. I'll stay here with Mother and help out as much as I can with Constantine."

Arthur felt as if he had just taken a blow to his chest as the thought of leaving Merlin and Constantine behind in this condition hit him. "No." He almost shouted before pausing and trying to get more control. "No." This time more quietly. "I am not going anywhere until you are better and can go with me. I am not leaving the burden of caring for both you and Constantine on Hunith's shoulders. You are my responsibility now." As Merlin opened his mouth, Arthur hurried to stop what he was going to say. "If I hear any more out of you I shall have to buy a dress from one of these villagers and make you wear it all the way back to Camelot."

Merlin raised both brows, but did not respond for a few minutes. When he did, his voice was so low that Arthur had to lean down toward him to hear. "I have heard people say awful things when the delirium hit them. It scares me that I might say something to you or my mother that would hurt you. I want you to know that I would never knowingly hurt either of you. Please ignore everything that comes out of my mouth."

Arthur put a finger over Merlin's mouth to stop him. "I too have heard some of the children. I know that they did not know what they were saying. I promise not to hold anything you say against you. I know that it is not you, but the sickness talking. I will make sure that Hunith knows that, also. Now, let's get some sleep while we have a chance."

* * * * *

Arthur awoke with a start and swiveled his eyes around without appearing to be awake to see if he could find what had awakened him. Then it came again and he realized that Merlin was thrashing and gurgling beside him. He quickly leaned over and situated the younger man on his side by feel in the darkness. He ran his hand up Merlin's arm to his jaw and found his mouth only to not be able to pry his teeth open. He got up and headed toward the fireplace hoping the coals were still hot enough to be able to light a twig for the candle instead of having to hunt around in the dark for the striker and get a spark from it. He was in luck and was soon back by Merlin's side where he noticed that Merlin had stopped convulsing and was looking at him with that glassy eyed look that he had seen so often of late.

"Feeling better?" He asked. When Merlin did not answer, Arthur sat down beside him, wiped his hair off his forehead, and kept stroking his head, not knowing what else to do.

"Tired." Merlin mumbled.

"Okay, get some sleep." Arthur told him and stopped the stroking. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Father." Merlin replied causing Arthur to furrow his brow as he looked at the younger man. The periods of delirium had started.

* * * * *

"Only a Dragonlord can kill a dragon," Gaius said standing in front of his father's throne.
"Then we are doomed for all the Dragonlords are dead." said his father.
“I have heard that there is one who dwells in Cenred's Kingdom, Sire. His name is Balinor." Gaius told Uther.
Uther turned to Arthur. "Arthur, you will go in search of this Dragonlord. He is our only hope."
Arthur had been successful in finding the Dragonlord and they were on their way back to Camelot sleeping under the stars.
"Goodnight, Son."
"Sle...sleep well, Father."

Arthur awoke with a start. He lay there listening for a few minutes to see if he heard anything else. All he heard was the soft breathing of someone. He carefully turned his head and could barely make out Merlin's form beside him. The dream had seemed almost as real as it had when it was happening, except he could not understand why he had dreamed of someone saying "Goodnight, son and goodnight, Father." Had that been a memory, too? No, there was no one there in the clearing but Merlin and Balinor. Merlin had been lying near him as usual and Balinor had been sleeping on the other side of the fire. He turned on his side and tried to find a more comfortable position. Before he could puzzle out the meaning of the dream, he was fast asleep.

* * * * *

The next day Merlin had spent a lot of time running to the privy between a few bouts of convulsions and delirium. Arthur was always close to his side fearing that he would go into convulsions and fall, hurting himself. Constantine had also had a few bouts and had still been crying a lot, but he no longer had diarrhea. Looking over at his manservant sleeping on the floor, he realized that Merlin would probably be sleeping on the pallet for the next several days. He jumped up from the table and headed for the door.

"I will be back soon, Hunith. I need to gather some provisions." He told the woman still sitting at the table trying to spoon broth into the boy.

The first thing Arthur did was find someone to send to Ascetir with a message to Sir Kay that he would be longer than he had planned. After that, he asked around town until he found what he was looking for. From one of the women he bought a woven cloth big enough to make a curtain. From a farmer he purchased straw. He hired two women, who were seamstresses that he was told worked quickly and did good work. From another man he acquired a length of oiled cloth big enough to drape over branches and keep rain off. Following directions from one of the villagers, he disappeared into the woods for a while. Returning to Hunith's house, he piled his load of moss against the wall near the curtain giving easy access from either side then set about measuring Merlin and using the dagger from his boot to cut several smaller pieces from the large piece of oiled cloth.

Hunith walked around the curtain from putting Constantine down on his pallet and getting him to sleep to give Arthur a questioning look, but her face quickly cleared as what he was doing dawned on her. She hurriedly grabbed the bucket and headed out of the house. Since the bucket was over half-full, Arthur supposed that the fact that they would probably need the supplies that he had gathered soon had upset Merlin's mother. He started to rise to go comfort her, but realized that someone needed to be there in case Merlin or Constantine had another seizure. He reseated himself and continued with his self-appointed chore.

Arthur had completed his preparations by the time Hunith came back. She set about getting them some food on the table for the evening meal. "Do you think that will be necessary?" she asked, tilting her head toward the moss and oiled cloth that Arthur had set aside.

"I hope not." Arthur told her as he laid his hand over hers on the table. "I have just learned that it is better to plan and prepare for the worst than to be caught out and have to make do." He gave her hand a squeeze. "Merlin will trudge out to that privy until he can't make it anymore even with my help before he will resort to a chamber pot." He drew a deep breath and sighed. "I have seen how weak some of the people have become who have been sick with this illness and how much time they spend unconscious. Before he gets to that point I am going to use the same methods on him that he used on Constantine for the trip." He glanced toward his sleeping manservant. "His pride may take a beating over it, but I hope to make it a lighter blow than some of the other alternatives."

A knock on the door had Arthur jumping up to answer it before Hunith could get to her feet. He took the small pile of folded cloth handed to him then stepped back for the two men to bring in the new mattress they were carrying and place it on the floor near Merlin. On the top was a smaller mattress. Arthur gave each of the men a coin and ushered them out the door. He placed the pile of cloth on a bench then went over to place a piece of oiled cloth on the mattress. He bent to Merlin, slid his hands under the bedding at his manservant's shoulders and under his knees, and lifted him, bedding and all, onto the new mattress. As he started to straighten the bedding a bit, Hunith was there to help. Arthur picked up the smaller mattress he had moved aside and went toward Constantine to do the same. When the child was settled onto his tiny mattress, he returned to the table where Hunith had sat back down and was giving him a tearful smile.

"I know that they will spend a lot of time on that floor in the coming days, though perhaps the time won't be so long for Constantine now. I wanted it to be as comfortable as possible for them."

Hunith smiled softly back at him. "Even though it is still early, I think we should get some sleep while we can. We didn't get much last night and I fear that tonight will be more of the same."

It was Arthur's turn to nod as he picked up his bowl and washed it.

"You don't have to do your own dishes, Arthur." Hunith told him.

"While we have two sick people to care for I think it is best if we forget that I am a Prince and share the load." Arthur replied. "If you do everything, it will wear you down enough that you may become sick yourself. What would I do with three sick people to care for?" Arthur did not wait for an answer as he went to get his pallet and stretch it out on the floor beside Merlin's new mattress. Arthur gave up on the idea of propriety and lay down with his head the same direction as Merlin, well within reach of his manservant if needed.

It felt as if Arthur had just drifted off to sleep when the sounds that Merlin was making woke him. Arthur went through the procedures that he was becoming much too familiar with to insure that Merlin did not hurt himself, choke, or bite his tongue. Walking to the fire to light a small twig in order to light the candle, he noticed that the fire had died down quite a bit which meant he had probably gotten a couple hours sleep, though it didn't feel like it. Taking the candle over to Merlin's mattress, he noticed that his open eyes did not seem to have the glazed look that they often did after a seizure.

"Where did this come from?" Merlin asked, motioning to the mattress.

"I had it made for you today. You will probably be spending a bit of time on the floor for the next few days. I didn't want you getting too sore to move when you are better." Arthur answered him.

Merlin held his hand out to him and Arthur took it. "I need to go to the privy."

Arthur pulled Merlin up to a sitting position. "How about using the chamber pot this time and wait until daylight for the privy?" Arthur asked.

"Arthur, no, not until I have to." Merlin looked horrified.

Arthur pulled Merlin to his feet then reached around his waist to steady him. They started the trek to the outside privy. Merlin had to sit down on the chopping block before he could go on. Arthur thought he needed to sit longer, but evidently his body made that impossible. They finally got to the privy and Arthur reached down to loosen Merlin's breeches before he left him, ignoring the gasp and the hands that reached down to try to bat his away.

"Look, you are already exhausted so I can do this faster than you and I think there is a need for speed at the moment." He tried to reassure Merlin.

Finished with the laces he shut the door. "Call me when you are ready to go back," he ordered through the door. "I'll be on the chopping block."

He heard a murmur that sounded like Merlin had told him that was just where his head should be, but chose to ignore it. Merlin was not in a mood for banter.

After some time he heard Merlin call his name and he bounded for the door. Merlin almost fell out into his arms just as he got there. When he was sure that Merlin was not going to crumple to the ground, he put one hand on the nearest forearm and one arm around his waist. The trip back was more laborious than the one out. Merlin again had to sit on the chopping block. This time he took quite some time before he was ready to go on. Arthur was afraid that he was going to have to carry him before they finally got back inside and to the mattress.

"Do you want something to eat?" Arthur asked. Hunith had taken to leaving broth simmering near the fire to be ready any time Constantine was awake.

"No, I just want to sleep." Merlin responded.

Arthur stooped to pull off Merlin's boots. He had taken to sleeping in them when he was too exhausted to go on because he never wanted to take the time to put them on when he had to go to the privy. Arthur was determined that this would be the last trip to the privy until Merlin regained some strength.

Arthur picked up the top cloth that he had left on the bench and shook it out. He brought the nightshirt over to Merlin and sat him up once again. "I think it will be easier for us all if you wear one of these for a few days." He explained to his servant as he pulled his tunic off over his head and settled the new calf-length shirt into place. He let Merlin lie back onto the mattress then unlaced his breeches again. Taking advantage of the long slits he had requested, he pulled the top of the nightshirt below Merlin's knees leaving the back part folded up high behind his back and gave the breeches a tug, slipping them off over his feet. He pulled the blankets back up around Merlin's shoulders and noticed that he had already dropped off to sleep from exhaustion. Deciding to take advantage of Merlin being asleep, he picked up one of the oiled cloths he had cut, padded it with moss, put a softer piece of fabric over it and slid it into position beside Merlin on the mattress. Moving to the other side, he lifted Merlin a bit in the middle and used his other hand to pull the pad into place under him. Merlin burrowed into the bedding, but did not wake. At least now, if he were too weak to get up it would be easier to care for him without ruining everything.

Constantine started whimpering just as Arthur was about to drift off to sleep. He got up, lit another candle from the fire, and met Hunith just as she was ducking around the curtain. She thanked him for the candle and returned behind the curtain. He heard her change the baby then start rocking him, humming softly. He was asleep in minutes.

It was still dark when sounds woke Arthur. He rose up and looked around only to see the white of Merlin's gown going through the door.

Catching himself before he called out Merlin's name and woke everyone else, he leaped to his feet and took off out the door. He found Merlin clinging to the side of the house and moving as quickly as he was able, but it was obvious he wasn't going to make his destination. Arthur scooped the other man up in his arms, surprised that what looked like a bag of bones could be so heavy. He deposited Merlin in the privy and waited outside as had become their habit, approving his decision to dress Merlin in the gown so that they didn't have to deal with laces.

When Merlin called his name, Arthur picked him up and carried him back to the house. It was a testament to how weak Merlin was that he didn't even protest, simply laid his head on Arthur's shoulder until he was deposited back on his mattress.

When Arthur had deposited Merlin on the mattress, he took the time to take off his socks. It had rained earlier and Arthur had mud squishing between his toes so he knew that Merlin's socks were wet and filthy. Instead of fumbling through Merlin's pack for clean socks Arthur simply lit a candle from the fire and looked for socks in is own pack. He took one of the cloths that he and Hunith kept at the ready and poured a bit of water in a basin to wash Merlin's feet. Bringing the candle near so he could check for black spots while he was doing so, he felt a rush of relief when he didn't find any of the tell tale spots.

He washed his own muddy feet with the cloth then sat the water near the fire. Seeking out Hunith's homemade washing soap on the sideboard he set to work washing Merlin's socks and hanging them near the fire so that they would be dry the next time he needed them. As cold as his feet were staying he would need to wear them all the time and they had both brought a very limited supply.

The next morning when Arthur and Hunith were eating their breakfast, Hunith cast a knowing look at the socks Arthur had hung up to dry the night before.

"You are a good man, Arthur Pendragon. Not many men would do so much for a servant and an orphaned boy, even if he wasn't a Prince." Hunith said to him with a smile. "You have a good heart and it will serve you well. You have the makings of being a wonderful King."

"My father seems to think it will be my downfall." Arthur had no idea why he would admit such a thing to anyone, let alone his servant's mother, a peasant woman from another Kingdom.

Hunith was quiet for a moment. "Perhaps your father has never had experience to allow him to see that people will flock to follow a leader that cares about their welfare."

"He tells me that if a King shows too much care that the people perceive it as weakness."

Hunith was quiet for a moment. "It was no secret that your father loved your mother very much, Arthur. We even heard about it. I think that losing her affected him a great deal. That may be why he sees love and caring as a weakness, because he feels that it made him weak and allowed him to be hurt when he lost her. Possibly, had she lived your father would have been a different man, a different King."

"You may be right." Arthur admitted. "He won't talk about my mother, possibly that is why. My father obtained everything he has through power and he has used power to keep it. I am beginning to suspect that he equates caring with losing control and shuns it in himself and me. Maybe there are other ways to rule that are good and effective and he does not know of them or trust them. Merlin tried to tell me that it wasn't what I was doing wrong, but who my father was that caused the problems between us." Arthur couldn't help but laugh at his next thought. At Hunith's questioning raised brows he decided to share his thought. "When I didn't understand it he thought to teach me by trying to draw mead out of a well of water. Even then I didn't understand it; not until right now." Arthur looked up at Hunith. "Perhaps Merlin gets his moments of wisdom from you, but I understand you better I think." Arthur smiled at the woman whose quiet strength he was learning that he admired.

Hunith continued to smile at him. "I am sure that had you been able to have a mother as you grew up you would have had an easier time learning to use your caring side. It would have balanced out your father's teachings. I always felt that Merlin was at a loss growing up without a father to balance what I taught him. It is one reason I sent him to Gaius. I think he has learned a lot from you, too, though."

"I wouldn't dare admit this in front of my father," Arthur told her, "but I've learned a lot from Merlin, too."

"The two of you balance each other. It's as if you are two parts of the same whole. I'm very grateful that Merlin met you, Arthur Pendragon." Hunith stood and kissed him on the forehead the same as he had seen her do to Merlin and then began to wash their dishes as Arthur picked up the water bucket to take to the well and refill as he pondered her words.

* * * * *

Three days later Constantine ate some of the broth that Hunith kept offering him. Hunith and Arthur had looked at each other with a smile the first time the boy had sipped from the offered spoon instead of having it dripped into his mouth and his throat rubbed to make him swallow. Arthur had not had close contact with the sick people in Camelot that recovered and none had recovered in Ascetir when he was there, but he was sure this was a sign that Constantine was recovering. He planned to ask Merlin the next time he was awake and lucid. Arthur didn't like acknowledging that those times were becoming less frequent and lasting for shorter periods of time.

Merlin slept most of the morning away. After putting Constantine down, Hunith had gone out to do a few chores leaving Arthur to watch over the two as they slept. When Merlin started talking Arthur thought he was awake and walked over in case he needed help up.

"The King cannot die. Arthur loves him, he would be lost without him." Arthur frowned then quickly realized that Merlin was delusional. As Merlin continued to talk from gibberish to distorted versions of things that had happened at court Arthur felt helpless. Finally, he just lifted Merlin's head to scoot under it, settle on the mattress, and cradle Merlin's head in his lap, stroking his head while he ranted his nonsense. Hunith found him still sitting there stroking Merlin's head when she returned, though Merlin had not been ranting for the past few minutes.

"Is he worse?" she asked, and Arthur could see the fear in her eyes.

"No, he was just talking out of his head. It seemed to help soothe him." Arthur used his free hand to indicate what he was doing.

"I am sure it did." Hunith smiled her soft smile at him. "He is a bit too big to rock like we did for Constantine when he did that."

Arthur had to grin back at her as he thought about rocking Merlin, but the idea seemed to catch his imagination and he thought that he might enjoy that. He gently moved out from under Merlin's head, settled him back on the bed, and went over to where Hunith was sorting out herbs that she had collected.

"It is good to see that Constantine ate this morning." Arthur said as he sat down at the table.

"Yes," Hunith smiled toward him before continuing her sorting. "It is. I think the worst is past with that little one. I hope that it bodes well for Merlin."

Before Arthur could answer her, Merlin started talking again. "Hunith is my mother. I'm your son. No, Father! Father don't die; please don't die."

Arthur had risen to go to Merlin, but never made it there before Merlin stopped talking and seemed to settle down. He turned to head back to the table only to see Hunith's face had paled and tears were streaming down it. Arthur went to her pulling her into his arms to comfort her. The action did not seem as awkward to him as he usually found it. It was as if he too found comfort from the embrace. After a few minutes, she seemed to regain her composure and stepped back out of his arms to dry her eyes on her apron. "I know he does not know what he is saying, but it hurts me so much to see him like this."

"I know it does." Arthur answered her softly. "He'll pull through though. You'll see. We have been through a lot together since he came to Camelot and I have found that Merlin is a lot tougher than he looks."

Hunith forced a smile at him. "Yes, you are right. I must believe that he will be fine soon."

The conversation stopped short when they heard a distinct "Mum-mum" from behind the curtain.

Hunith put a hand over her mouth and almost ran to pick up Constantine. Arthur heard her talking to the little boy as she changed him. When Hunith carried the little boy out he had a sunny smile on his face and squealed, "Arrrrtur," holding his little arms toward Arthur. A bemused Arthur reached for the little boy and settled him on his lap, while Hunith busied herself getting some soup cooled for him. Arthur picked up the wooden figure lying on the table that Constantine had been playing with earlier and moved it as if it was loping across the table to him. When it loped right off the table to tickle the little boy and he giggled, Arthur felt a lump in his throat. He realized that, although he had refused to acknowledge it, he had been afraid that the little boy would be like the children in Ascetir. He felt now that there was hope. Constantine seemed well on the road to recovery. Arthur allowed himself to believe that there was also hope for Merlin.

As he handed the figurine to Constantine, he noticed that it was a winged horse. No, on closer observation it was a small dragon similar to the one that Balinor had carved that Merlin made such a fuss over after he died. Arthur wondered if it had been one of Merlin's toys when he was a boy and if that was why he seemed to like Balinor's carving so much. Surly that is all it was. Merlin's illness induced ramblings were making him see things where none exists.

When Merlin woke, he struggled to get up. Arthur realized he was too weak and simply pulled the curtain and helped him use the chamber pot while Hunith was preparing him some soup to eat. When Merlin tried to protest, Arthur reminded him that their roles were reversed not long ago, so now they were even. Arthur despaired that Merlin did not seem to have the energy to reply. When Merlin was resettled and he opened the curtain again, Hunith brought the soup over and Arthur settled himself behind Merlin, leaning back against the wall and settling Merlin against his chest while Hunith spooned the soup into his mouth. His heart fell again when Merlin simply opened his mouth and ate a few bites without even trying to do it himself. Merlin did manage a tight smile at Constantine when he brought the figurine he was playing with and sat beside Merlin's bed jabbering at him with only a word recognizable here and there. Arthur thought he might be telling Merlin a story as Merlin had done for him.

"Enough." Merlin said after a few bites.

Hunith gave him a smile, but Arthur recognized the worry in her eyes. "Would you feel better with a wash?" she asked Merlin.

Arthur felt the small negative movement of Merlin's head against his chest, but after a moment, he relented and said, "Yeah, Mum, that would be great." Arthur suspected that it was more for his mother's peace of mind than out of want for a wash.

When Hunith went to get the warm water and a cloth, Arthur continued to sit behind Merlin propping him up against his chest.

"Arthur," Merlin whispered so quietly that Arthur almost missed it.

He leaned forward to whisper, "Yes," into Merlin's ear.

Merlin turned his head so that his mouth was close to Arthur's ear. "Make sure that she is taken care of. Please. If...If I don't make it."

Arthur involuntarily squeezed his arms that were around Merlin. "Nothing is going to happen to you, but I promise that your mother will always be taken care of, no matter what." He whispered into Merlin's ear.

Merlin shot him a smile that came nowhere close to looking like a Merlin smile. "Thank you." He whispered back just as Hunith started back toward them, pan of water in her hands.

* * * * *

Arthur awakened to shouting. He recognized immediately that it was Merlin. Quickly going to the fire to light a candle, he found Hunith kneeling on Merlin's other side stroking his brow when he got back. Merlin kept screaming and yelling about being a sorcerer burned on the pyre. Hunith gave Arthur a worried look.

"Merlin told me that the people affected with this disease feel as if their skin is burning. I heard children yelling things that made me think they were talking about a pyre, but I knew that they knew nothing of it. It makes sense that after living in Camelot and seeing all the people that my father has burned for sorcery that is what Merlin would think when he starts to feeling the burning. I think it is time that we give him a dose of the sleep draught he made."

Arthur got up and lit another candle from the one he was holding then handed one to Hunith. It was not safe to set them near Merlin's thrashing, but too far away and they could not see. Arthur poured the correct number of drops into a cup and added just enough water. Finding the small spoon they fed Constantine with, he went back to where Merlin was still thrashing around and yelling about burning. He sat his candle down near his mat and handed the cup of potion to Hunith. As she found a place nearby for her candle, he lifted Merlin's head and scooted behind him again. This was becoming a familiar position he thought. Hunith spooned a bit of the potion into Merlin's mouth a few times and rubbed his throat to make him swallow it. It was a bit difficult because Merlin was still flailing about, even with Arthur holding him. After she had gotten it all into him, she sat back on her heels and waited. Arthur continued to sit behind Merlin with one arm around his waist and one hand stroking the side of his head. The screaming was tearing at him. He could only imagine how Hunith felt to watch her only child so ill and in such torment. Within minutes, the screaming quieted and Merlin went limp in Arthur's arms. Hunith sat the cup on the table, retreated behind her curtain as Arthur slid out from behind Merlin, arranged the blankets over him, and tucked them in around him. When he returned to his own pallet, he blew out the candles, but found that he had no desire to lie down. He leaned back against the wall just looking at the dark shape that was Merlin. Even with the sleep potion, Merlin seemed restless.

Arthur wrestled with his sub-conscious for a time as he stared at Merlin's shape in the dark. Why did he always want things that were impossible for him to have? His father was probably right that he would never make a good king. He was not strong like his father outside of battle, too often wanting bits of comfort and having such a hard time wrestling with his conscience. Why not give in, just this once? No one would ever know. The potion would keep Merlin sleeping deeply, Hunith was safely behind her curtain and the darkness was the perfect cover. Scooting quietly across the short distance, he lifted the blankets and climbed carefully into the small space beside Merlin, putting his arm around him so that he could feel the rise and fall of his chest to make sure he was still breathing. Merlin seemed to quiet immediately. Arthur tried, somewhat unsuccessfully, to reassure himself this was only to comfort Merlin. He promised himself that he would only lie here for a few minutes then he would go back to his own pallet before falling asleep. He did not reckon with the way the gentle rise and fall of Merlin's chest under his hand would lull him into sleep.

A voice woke him. It was Merlin talking to him, not shouting this time. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about being a sorcerer before." Arthur felt the shock skittering through his system. However, Merlin continued, not allowing him to speak. "Well, I did tell you, but you accused me of being in love with Gwen. I told you that I would serve you 'till the day I die. I guess that today is that day." The clanging of fear now joined shock still skittering through his body. Was Merlin telling him that he was about to die? "I was told that it was my destiny to make sure that you became King. I guess that I will fail at that since your father is burning me right now." What? Merlin was not really talking to him. He might not be shouting the way he usually did, but the delirium still held him in its thrall.

Arthur sat up and started running his hand through Merlin's hair in the way that he usually did to try to soothe him. Merlin's talking became mumbling then faded altogether. After a few more minutes, or it could have been hours, Arthur crawled back to his pallet and lay down.

He could not dismiss what Merlin had been saying. Could he be a real sorcerer? It seemed a ridiculous idea. Nevertheless, so much of what Merlin had said was true. He had confessed to Uther that he was a sorcerer and Arthur had tried to save him by telling his father that Merlin was in love with Gwen and lying to save her. What amazed him now was that Uther had not decided to burn both Merlin and Gwen without further thought, but Uther had not been quite as unbending back then. Merlin had told him that he would be glad to serve him until he died. Arthur had thought that Merlin was saying goodbye. Arthur had thought that perhaps he had been dying at the time. Wait! What had he just said about his destiny to make sure Arthur became King? What did that mean? What had Gaius said about a prophecy? It simply could not be. Merlin could no more be a powerful sorcerer than he could fly.

Arthur rolled onto his side determined to find sleep.

"The light Arthur, follow the light. It will lead you out of the cave to safety."

By the time Merlin stopped speaking, Arthur had sat up and was staring toward the dark shape that he knew to be Merlin. Chills were skittering down his arms and back. How did Merlin know about that? No one had been there. Merlin had been on the brink of death. Yet Arthur had felt something familiar about the light, something safe and comfortable. However, Uther claimed that there was nothing safe of comfortable about any sorcerer. On the other hand, Gaius had told him that a powerful sorcerer would be by his side to make sure he became King. Arthur rolled to his side again, only to stare at the barely glowing coals while thoughts swirled through his head. He wanted to think that Merlin had only been delirious, but there was so much in what he said that rang true. Was it even possible that...

* * * * *

The sound of Hunith moving behind her curtain was a relief to Arthur. He put his hand on the pillow near his face and pretended to be asleep when she tiptoed out through the room and out the door, as was her habit every day. He knew that he had a few minutes before she would come back, bringing fresh water with her. He took the opportunity to roll to the other side with his back to the rest of the room. Now he could see Merlin's face turned toward him in the low light of early morning. It looked like the same face he saw every day. A face that he had always trusted since the first time Merlin had saved his life and been given the job as his manservant. The first time...how many had there been now? However, there had always been something about Merlin that he could not put his finger on. Could it be magic? No. There was no way that Merlin could be a sorcerer, much less a powerful one like Gaius had been telling him about. However, that could explain so many strange things.

When Hunith had returned and set about getting the fire going again Arthur sat up much as he did every day. He did not know why, but he did not want Hunith to realize that he had been kept awake all night. He wanted no questions about what it was that had kept him awake. Arthur pulled on his boots and stood.

"Good morning, Hunith." He greeted quietly as he drew near her in front of the fireplace.

She greeted back softly; just as she did every morning. Was she watching him warily as he made his way to the door to complete his morning trek out back then fetch more wood as he usually did?

Arthur spent his time outside settling his mind and putting on the unflappable mask that he had learned to wear from an early age. Princes and Kings are not to allow their thoughts or feelings to show. Returning to Hunith's little house with the wood, Arthur found Merlin awake. Hunith was spooning broth into Merlin's mouth. Arthur quickly deposited his logs in the wooden box beside the fireplace, brushed himself off and went over to them to slide underneath Merlin's shoulders and hold him in a half seated position.

"How are you feeling this morning?" He asked his manservant.

"Better, I think." Merlin answered the same way he had every time he was that question. When he noticed a few minutes later that Merlin had managed to get most of the broth down instead of just a few sips, he had hopes that this time Merlin was telling the truth. His hopes rose when Merlin asked Arthur to prop him against the wall after using the chamber pot. Arthur folded his own pallet up and pillowed the wall behind Merlin's mattress as best he could to make it somewhat more comfortable. Folding himself onto the floor, he sat near Merlin and chatted about nothing. Hunith brought him the porridge that he was learning to eat, if not to like, while he was still sitting there talking quietly. When Constantine was awake, dressed, and fed, he came over to sit in the hole that Arthur's crossed legs made, draping his small legs over Arthur's ankles and jabbering to Merlin. Arthur could only understand about one word in every five, but Merlin must have understood him better or been a good guesser because he carried on a short conversation with the boy.

"Since everyone seems to feel better, why don't you take Constantine out to play in the fresh air today?" Hunith asked. She had been wearing an anxious look on her face all morning making Arthur wonder if she had heard Merlin last night, too, and was wondering when the ax was going to fall on her son's neck. "I think I will be able to watch over Merlin this morning."

Arthur and Constantine had walked the small village over, at least Arthur had walked, but he carried Constantine so that he wouldn't tire so quickly, letting Constantine meet some of the people that he had not had a chance to meet since his arrival. Soon they found themselves some small sticks and Arthur was teaching the toddler rudiments of sword fighting. He had to admit that he was impressed with the toddler's grasp of the basics. "You have the potential for a fine Knight someday Constantine. I wish it would be possible to bring you back to the castle in a few years as a Page. Maybe when I am King we can change those laws. His mind went back to the discussion that he and Merlin had had about people with the skills and passion becoming better Knights.

He sank down on the ground watching Constantine attacking small bushes and tree trunks with his 'sword' as his mind drifted back, wondering if any of the things Merlin had said last night were true or if they were simply delusions caused by the illness. Suddenly he felt anger overcome him that Merlin could have been lying to him for two years. He hated liars almost as much as his father hated sorcerers.

Jumping up Arthur headed toward Hunith's house with his hand on the hilt of his real sword. Letting the anger consume him, he did not even know what he was planning to do when he got there. A small hand grasping at his free hand caused him to look down. He realized that Constantine was running at his side trying to keep up with him just as it became too much for the young boy and he tripped and fell. Quick action had Arthur grabbing him before he reached the ground and hurt himself. Taking the time to set him carefully on the ground Arthur looked him over to make sure that he was unhurt and that is what it took to realize that he could not go haring off to exact justice for Merlin's lies at this moment. He could not expose Constantine to that. He was also convinced that it would not give him much satisfaction to relieve Merlin of his head while he was sleeping and he was sure that he was asleep again by now, since his strength never lasted long lately. No, when Arthur exacted his justice, he wanted Merlin aware of what was happening, he wanted the other man to know the fullness of his fury over his deceit.

Arthur turned and made his way back into the edge of the copse a bit further in than they had previously been sitting. Finding a large tree and an array of branches, Arthur stood Constantine in front of his own tree several feet away where he would be safe enough and Arthur could see him the whole time. There was no need for innocents to be hurt. Taking his position near the tree he had chosen he picked up the first thick branch and started in on the tree as if the branch was a sword and the tree was Merlin. Sometime later Constantine gave up beating on his tree and sank down at its base. Even later, with his own strength flagging and all the sturdy branches broken into pieces, Arthur allowed himself to sink to the base of his own tree and lean back, wiping the sweat from his face and eyes with the hem of his shirt. He noticed that Constantine had slumped over in sleep.

With the haze of anger driven away by his physical exertions, Arthur's mind played over what he had heard the night before and again tried to figure out of any of it was true. Scenes and events from the past two years played out in his mind at a dizzying pace. He kept coming back time and again to Merlin always being there when he needed him, really needed him, Merlin being the one person that he could talk to, Merlin the terrible fighter braving bandits and a dragon alike to be by Arthur's side. Loyal Merlin. Merlin who had saved his life several times, that he knew of. Arthur sat up straighter. Were there more times that Arthur didn’t know about? What about that ball of light? Merlin was not even there, yet he had talked about it last night as if he were, or watching, or sent it. Could it be possible that Merlin might have sent that ball of light to save him while lying near death? Would that not take a lot of power? Was it possible for a sorcerer to have that much power?

'I believe that he has saved your life right under your father’s nose.' The words that Gaius had spoken came back to him. "If the sorcerer had any evil in him, he would have had a chance to kill any of you at any moment, or simply allow you to die. It seems that he has become your protector, a protector of Camelot. Much as you protect Camelot from attacks with your sword, he seems to be protecting Camelot from the magical attacks that you are not able to ward off with his magic. Have you never heard the prophesy? It says that a King will reign that will take a powerful sorcerer by his side and unite all of Albion."

He had been so wrapped up in what Gaius had told him about his mother at the time and so busy later that he had not put much thought into the words that Gaius has spoken to him. Now as the words came to him he wondered. Could his bumbling manservant be a sorcerer, his protector? It seemed absurd that Merlin could keep a secret at all, let alone one as big and dangerous as that. As he sat and pondered the things that Gaius had told him and the things that Merlin had said last night, trying to form them into some kind of shape that made sense, he realized that there was no one that he would rather find to be the sorcerer and protector of prophesy than Merlin. There was just something about Merlin from the start. Something that made him ignore Arthur's power as a Prince and instead of bowing and scraping as most subjects did, Merlin acted as though they were equals. The only other men that had ever met Arthur as equals had been equal or higher than him in power and riches. Merlin came from a simple peasant background that could never make him feel equal. Arthur found himself chuckling over the puzzle that was his manservant. He found himself hoping that the prophesy was true and that Merlin was the sorcerer that would stand at his side to unite all of Albion. The thing that could make them equals and allow them to be close friends that their stations forbid now. Arthur leaned back against the tree, propped up his right knee to rest his heavy sword arm on as his mind spun off into the direction of ‘what if’.

Sometime later, he concluded that all of this could wait until Merlin was better, if Merlin got better. The signs all seemed to point to his recovery like Constantine. He rose, scooped the still sleeping Constantine into his arms and headed back for Hunith's house with a more settled feeling than he felt since Merlin started talking last night.

Part Six

The Edge of Darkness (4/7)

mialoco — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 21:51:19 GMT

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Sitting beside the fire, Arthur listened to the murmurs of his men's voices, but their conversations weren’t sinking in. He was keeping an eye on Merlin and the child without appearing to watch them. He had to admit that Merlin had proven to have a way with the child. Arthur had expected crying and tantrums the whole trip. So far, the child, Constantine was his name, had yet to cry. It was hard to tell that he was even along on the trip as smooth as everything had been.

Merlin had taken him up in front of him on his horse and had told him stories in a low voice most of the morning. After a few hours, the boy had fallen asleep. Arthur had taken pity on Merlin then and rode up beside him asking if Merlin thought that it would wake the child if he took him for a while. Merlin had lifted the child's hand, let it drop heavily back to his lap, and pronounced that he thought the child would sleep through it.

After Arthur took the boy and got him situated in what he felt to be a comfortable position in front of him, he suddenly realized the danger that came with small children. When he had voiced his concern to Merlin, it earned him a grin that he didn’t see nearly enough of these days, as Merlin explained that he had positioned dried moss between the cloths covering the child and a cloth that he had oiled to make almost waterproof. Merlin's ingenuity astounded Arthur. Why did he not display that ingenuity when working for Arthur?

"Where are you going now?" Arthur murmured to himself as he saw Merlin pick up the blanket wrapped child and walk into the woods. Arthur got up and walked into the shadows beyond the fire's light, and made his way to where he had seen Merlin and the child disappear. Merlin knew better than to leave the group. "It would be just like him to try to sneak off to Ealdor alone so that he doesn’t have to wear that dress." Arthur mumbled to himself in a low voice.

Hearing a childish giggle only, a few feet into the woods from where Merlin disappeared, he stealthily moved in that direction. He stopped abruptly when saw Merlin and the little boy facing a tree. The child was wearing only a tunic rolled up above his waist. From the waist down, he wore nothing. Arthur was puzzled and about to ask what was going on when he heard Merlin talking.

"Very good, I knew that you could do it." He praised the boy. He seemed to fumble with the laces on his breeches then moved behind the boy to pick him up underneath his arms, take a step back away from the tree and swing him around in a circle, eliciting laughter from the boy.

"Let's get you back into your clothes," Merlin said as he laid the boy on a blanket that Arthur noticed spread on the ground and started putting him back into his clothes. Arthur had to smile that the boy was not making it easy for him. As it looked as if Merlin was almost finished Arthur made his way back to the shadows just outside the firelight near where he expected Merlin to pass.

"Where have you been?" He asked as Merlin drew near. "You know it is dangerous to sneak away from the group. I was about to follow you."

"I was just beyond the light. I had to relieve myself. We do usually do that without the group watching. At least I do." Merlin flippantly replied.

"And I suppose you took him to guard you?" Arthur gestured at the boy.

"No, actually, I was trying to teach him to do it, instead of wetting himself." Merlin grinned at the boy. "It worked. Constantine did very well. He is a smart little one."

The boy smiled at Merlin and seemed to cuddle closer in his arms while Arthur scowled. Merlin started walking toward the fire and sat down, swaddling the child in blankets like an infant then picking him up and cuddling him close again.

Arthur had followed and stood near as he heard Merlin talk softly to the boy. "It's going to be an adventure tonight like the stories I was telling you today. I will hold you until you go to sleep. After you are asleep, I am going to lie down here beside you. I will be right here beside you all night. If you wake up you can wake me if you want to. I won't get mad. If you want us to go wet that tree down again, you can tell me. I like that game.”

Merlin started rocking the boy and Arthur heard him softly humming an old nursery rhyme. Standing over him Arthur could see when the boy's eyes shut and didn’t open again. Giving him a few minutes, he moved closer and sat down on the ground beside Merlin.

"How do you know these things about caring for children?"

"Like I told you, I get lots of practice with you." Merlin grinned what Arthur was sure was supposed to look like an innocent grin.

Arthur reached over and gently pushed his arm making him sway sideways a bit, but not enough to wake up the sleeping child in Merlin's arms.

"I asked some of the servants yesterday, especially Mary from the kitchens. She has eight children of her own. She was a world of information." Merlin sat quietly after he finished explaining.

"You would make a good father." Arthur dropped quietly into the silence that had grown over the last couple of minutes.

Merlin had a wistful smile on his face when he answered. "Maybe, I don't know. When I was growing up, I used to expect to marry and have children someday. I wanted to make sure that my children knew me since I didn't have a father around as I grew up. Since I came to Camelot, it seems that my life may lead in a different direction. Who knows?"

"Merlin, servants can get married and have children. After all, look at...Mary. On the other hand, you may decide to leave my service and be, I don't know, a farmer and have several little Merlins to help you on the farm." Arthur sat grinning at Merlin.

Merlin grinned back. “Yeah, but I’ll probably just be happy to bounce your children my knee and teach them how to grow up not to be a prat like their father.”

The men began to move to their bedrolls around the fire. "Get some sleep; I'll see you in the morning." Arthur moved toward his own bedroll that Merlin had laid out earlier and watched as Merlin stood, moved near him to lay the sleeping boy on one side of his bedroll, lie down to curl his long body around him, cover them both then cuddle the child even closer. He wondered what Merlin thought was standing in his way of having children. Could whatever it was, be what had been bothering him lately.

* * * * *

Looking around the village as they rode into it, Arthur realized that it seemed much the same as Ealdor had been. He imagined that they were just as proud and protective of what they had managed to scrabble out as the people of Ealdor, also. As people began to notice them, several people started gathering in what was probably the center of town. When they drew near the people bowed and one man came forward.

“Sire, welcome to Ascetir.”

“Thank you.” Arthur nodded before dismounting and handing his reins to Merlin. “I am Arthur, Crown Prince of Camelot. Who am I addressing?” He nodded to the man who was evidently the spokesman.

“I am called Gamel, Sire.” The man bobbed his head again.

Arthur had taken the several steps necessary to reach the small knot of people while the man was talking. He stopped in front of the man, who again nervously bobbed his head to Arthur as if he wasn’t sure exactly what he should be doing. Arthur took matters into his own hands and spoke." Word has reached my father, the King, that you are having many people either sickened or ensorcelled.”

The man’s face seemed to pale at the word ensorcelled and glancing up Arthur noted that everyone seemed to become nervous.

“What can you tell me of these people? Have you had any deaths?”

“Yes, Sire, we have had five deaths as yet. All with less than twenty summers, except one who was very elderly.” Arthur raised his eyebrows at that information because it seemed to be the same age group affected in Camelot’s lower village. He allowed the man to continue uninterrupted. “So far, most of our youth and some of our older people are affected. At last count, we had fourteen people still ailing with convulsions or speaking to those not there as if they are having a conversation with them. Most also have stomach complaints. Most of our livestock have also become ill. Some start jumping around and acting as if stung by bees. Usually by the next day, they fall over dead. Last week a horse started jumping, kicking and running in the middle of town and trampled a child to death. It fell dead minutes later, too. Some of the livestock have been limping and a few have lost tails, feet, or ears. They just turn black and fall off with no blood. Three of those have died. We have also found many birds that seem to have just fallen out of the sky.”

Arthur shuddered to think about the limbs falling off. So far, he had only heard of Constantine's father suffering that. He would have to check the livestock when he got home. “Is there someone who can direct the wagon of grain where you need it?” As the man motioned several men came forward from the crowd. Arthur turned to the man. “Now I need you to show me where our animals may be kept and then show me some of the people and animals that have been afflicted.”

“Yes, Sire.” The man was quick to motion them to follow him as he lead them to a stable near the other end of the village than the one they had come in on. “It is not nearly fine enough for your horse and those of your men, but it is the only stable we have in the village that is large enough to hold them.”

The stable was against the side of the blacksmith’s shop. It would do for the few days that they would be there. He looked up and noticed a loft overhead that looked as if it had some hay and straw in it. Looking around he found a ladder about mid-way along the corridor and climbed it into the loft to look around. Sure enough, there was a pile of straw on one end and a pile of hay on the other. Although it was expected of the people to give them shelter, he decided that he and his men would stay here. Since it overlooked the stable area, no one could sneak up on them and a small door on each end of the building would allow air to circulate. They could all be together and the straw would make a better bed than the forest floor that they had slept on last night.

“My men will sleep here also.” Arthur announced as he swung off the ladder several rungs from the bottom.

“I want the Knights with me. Guy and Iwain have your Squires see to all the horses. Kay, I noticed that your Squire was good with Merlin’s little charge here. He shall care for him until we return. Merlin I also require you to come along since you are a physician’s assistant. Maybe you will notice something that we don’t know to look for.” Arthur turned and motioned Gamel to lead the way.

The first place that Gamel led them was to a house across from the stable. He knocked on the door and started explaining as they waited that there were four children in the household and they were all acting very differently lately.

Arthur could hear a baby inside crying before they got to the house. He began to dread being in an enclosed space with a crying baby.

As he feared, the crying got louder when the door opened. The woman that answered the door looked very weary. The weariness turned to shock when she realized that the Prince was standing at her door.

“Sire.” She sank into a curtsy. “My home is very humble, but you are welcome.” She stood back and indicated for them to enter. “Please, have this chair.” She moved a couple steps, pulled the lone chair away from the long scrubbed table and pushed it toward him as two small children gazed at him from one corner where they seemed to be playing with a crudely carved wooden figure. “If you will excuse me I must tend the baby.” She gave another curtsy and at Arthur’s nod of permission, she walked across the room to a cradle and picked up the crying baby.

Arthur allowed his eyes to sweep around the room. It was very simple, similar to the one Hunith lived in when they had visited her, except it was perhaps a bit larger, as was the table with benches on three sides and a lone chair. Just as at Hunith’s house, two large pieces of coarsely woven cloth acted as curtains to provide the only privacy in the house. Unlike Hunith, the family didn’t seem to have a bed. All he could see was the edge of a stack of pallets behind a pushed back curtain.

He supposed that even the woman and her husband slept on the floor.

The woman returned with the crying baby and interrupted his inspection. The volume had gone down a bit when the woman picked the baby up, but it was still crying piteously.

“I am sorry, Sire. He cries almost all the time now. Nothing I do will to make him to stop more than a minute or two. He hardly sleeps now, it seems.”

Arthur gave her a look of sympathy as she cradled the baby against her breast and swayed back and forth. No wonder she looked so weary.

“What are you called?” He asked her softly.

“Elsa, Sire.”

“How long has he been like this, Elsa?” Arthur asked.

“This crying all the time started about two weeks ago. Like this anyway. He has always been a fussy baby, much more trouble than the other three, right from the first. Now sometimes he starts shaking and just bends backwards. I see it and think that his little backbone is going to snap. He seems to be getting weaker. He can hardly even nurse now. I don’t expect to have him long.” She looked down at the baby with sad eyes. “I…”

A noise between gurgling and groaning in the corner interrupted her.

“Mum,” called one of the little boys there.

Arthur looked up to see one of the boys shaking and swaying. Merlin had reacted when the noise started and was already laying the child down on his side. Arthur saw him run a finger into the child’s mouth and evidently was bitten if the shake he gave his finger was any indication.

“What are you doing?” Elsa cried out in a frightened voice.

Arthur glanced back at the mother who was still cradling the baby, but had moved across the floor behind Merlin. “He is a physician’s assistant, Elsa. He has dealt with this many times.”

Merlin lifted the boy and cradled him, much as his mother was doing the baby. Suddenly the boy started screaming and looking toward the Knights with a glassy eyed start. “Run away or I will tell my father that you are here.”

The Knights looked around at each other as the boy kept on. “Don’t hurt me. No. Stop. I’m burning Mummy. Get me out of the fire. Father, can we skip rocks together. It’s too hot.”

By now, the other boy was crying and the mother had moved toward him and slid down the wall so that he could climb into her lap cradled along with the baby. Her eyes never left her little boy in Merlin’s lap that continued to scream and talk. If Arthur didn’t know better he would think the boy burning on the stake from some of the things that he said.

When the drama kept playing out, seemingly with no end in sight, Arthur moved over near the woman and her children and squatted down in front of them. “What of your other child, does it have these afflictions too? And this little one, what of him?”

“The oldest and this one so far have complained only of bouts of dizziness and fingers and toes tingling.” Elsa’s eyes never left the child thrashing in Merlin’s lap, but suddenly as quickly as it had started the thrashing and yelling stopped, but the child started up a mewling sound.

Merlin scooted toward the mother. “Perhaps if you would give me the baby I could examine him and you could comfort this little one.” He told her gently.

Elsa handed over the baby, practically snatched the little boy from Merlin, and cradled him to her breast as she had been doing the baby and the older boy. Arthur watched him begin to calm down a bit as she stroked his hair.

Arthur stood and walked toward the table where Merlin had taken the baby and was in the process of unwrapping him. Arthur could tell by his expression that there was something wrong and moved closer to see if he could spot it without drawing attention of the mother. When he looked down, he didn’t notice anything at first until Merlin gently picked up a tiny foot and he saw it then. One of the tiny toes was becoming black on the end. It was just a small spot, but he had seen gangrene before, so he knew that was what he was looking at. Merlin redressed the still crying baby.

“Can you hold him?” He asked Arthur.

Once he deposited the baby into Arthur's arms, he rummaged around in the bag that he had brought with him and withdrew a small bottle. He looked around and walked toward a bucket of water. He reached up to a shelf on the wall, brought down a small bowl, and filled it full of water. Sitting it down he opened the bottle, poured one drop into the water, and stirred it with a small, shinny wooden stick he had pulled out of his pocket.

“Do you have clean cloths?” he asked the woman quietly. She pointed to a shelf behind one curtain. He walked over to retrieve one that he dipped the very tip of the corner into the water and brought it to the baby that Arthur was now holding. Holding the corner of the rag over the baby’s crying mouth, Merlin squeezed a drop out of it, making sure it slid down the tongue and not just dropping into the throat where it would choke the baby. Still the baby lurched in Arthur’s arms and gave a tiny cough before swallowing and opening his mouth to wail again. Arthur automatically started swaying as he had seen the woman do.

Merlin dipped the rag again and followed the same procedure four more times then went to let the boy that the woman was holding suck some of the water out of it several times, also. Merlin was telling the woman how to use the potion for each of her children when the wailing child in his Arthur's arms quieted a bit. After a few more minutes, it stopped completely. Arthur looked down at the small form in his hands with a bit of surprise.

Merlin stood and came to him to take the baby to put into the crib. Going to the stack of pallets behind the curtain, he removed three of them and laid them on the floor. He went back to the woman, removed the now sleeping little boy from her arms, and laid him on one of the pallets.

“I suggest that the two of you try to get some rest while the two little ones are out.” He told the woman.

Arthur looked around at his men and Gamel and nodded his head toward the door. They all trooped outside and he closed the door and joined them to wait for Merlin who showed only moments later with an expression that Arthur had never seen him wear. He knew that no one in the group was looking forward to the rest of the day.

“How are your crops and grain doing this year?” Arthur asked Gamel to distract himself from what he had seen and what was to come.

“We have had a very rainy spring so we thought that we might have a good harvest this year, but some of the grain now looks as if it will have the same blight that we had last year that made us have a small yield. I fear that we may be contacting the King again before a year has passed for another ration of grain to get us through until next year’s harvest.” Gamel motioned them toward another house. “Here we are. A boy here has already lost an ear and is in danger of losing his other ear and even some fingers and toes are beginning to show black spots.”

* * * * *

Several hours later Arthur was walking on the edge of a grain field with Merlin dogging his footsteps. Arthur had been searching for somewhere quiet, a commodity that was scarce in the small village. He had been shocked and appalled at the shape of some of the people of the town. As Gamel had mentioned, a large portion of the youth and the animals were affected by whatever was happening. There were a scattering of elderly and only two men over thirty, but probably no more than forty.

The people and animals that had what looked like dry rot on their appendages had made him sick to his stomach. He stopped in the shade from the nearby woods and let Merlin catch up so they might talk without raising their voices.

“What did you think? “ He crossed his arms over his chest and waited while Merlin reached out and popped the head off the grain near him and started shredding it from the stalk.

“I don’t think that most of those people have a chance. Some of the ones in Camelot seemed to be making a recovery when we left, but everyone here seems so much worse. So far Camelot has only had one person to start losing appendages, but there are so many children here that are losing fingers and toes.”

“What about the potions that you were giving them?” asked Arthur.

Merlin shook his head. ”Gaius hasn’t really found anything that helps any of them, but a mild sleeping draught can help everyone get some much needed rest. He made up an especially mild one for small children and babies. Well, you saw how it is given.”

“What about that little boy at the first house that was talking like he was being burned on a pyre? Do they always do that?”

“A lot of them talk out of their heads.” Merlin told him. “We have treated people in Camelot that have said things that didn’t even make sense, but you would swear from the way they talked and the way they looked at a spot as if someone was there that they were holding a conversation with a ghost. They almost never make any sense though. It either isn’t really words or like the little boy with thoughts just all over the place and disconnected. Most people say that their skin burns, so that is probably why you thought he was on a pyre.”

“And Gaius can’t find a cause?

Merlin shrugged. “He hasn’t yet, but he is still working on it. You sound as if you are convinced that it is a sickness now and not sorcery.”

It was Arthur’s turn to shrug. “All sorcery that I have come in contact with so far has had a point. What is the point of making poor people sick? I don’t see anything for a sorcerer to gain, so I have a hard time contributing it to sorcery.”

While they had been walking, Merlin had been up to his usual popping the heads off the grain and shredding the grains from the stalk. Suddenly he stopped and looked at his hand. “Ew. This one is weeping. Look! The grains are much larger than the others and black.” He started walking into the field and looking at the numerous stalks that contained the blackened heads. “I guess that Gamel was right. It looks like they do have some kind of blight this year. It is something I have never seen before. I hope that the rest of the Kingdom has an excess. It looks like they are going to need more grain deliveries next year." Merlin threw the grain from him and wiped his hands down his pants.

* * * * *

Arthur awoke to a mischievous ray of sunlight winking in and out between cracks in the barn right into his eyes. He had been awakened during the night by a downpour and was glad that they had the barn to shelter them, though he had heard a few of his men shifting their pallets around to get out from under leaks. That playful little sunbeam gave him hope that the day would continue to clear up and be dry. He hated traveling in the rain. He sat up and stretched his arms over his head yawning. Using his toes, he reached out and tickled Merlin's nose, barely holding in the laughter as Merlin wrinkled his nose and swatted at his foot. Merlin rolled away, but Constantine was lying on his arm so he couldn’t roll all the way over. Standing to get a better angle, Arthur tickled Merlin's ribs with is toes. Constantine was still preventing Merlin from rolling further away, he squirmed then rolled back toward Constantine, almost felling Arthur in the process as his foot was trapped between Merlin and Constantine.

Arthur woofed out a gush of air in surprise and flung his arms about, much like a windmill, trying to keep his balance, all the time trying to jerk his foot out from between Merlin and Constantine. Suddenly he felt something warm around his other ankle, the one he was using for balance. He barely kept a girlish squeak of surprise from escaping. A sudden, surprisingly strong, jerk of that ankle had him toppling backwards to land on his backside on the pallet he had slept on. Thankfully it was padded well with straw underneath. He looked toward Merlin to see him looking back at Arthur with a smile on his face.

"We need to get moving," Arthur said softly to Merlin.

Merlin carefully pulled his arm out from under Constantine and sat up. His hands went quickly to his head as if he was trying to keep it on his shoulders. Arthur was sure that he hadn’t been out drinking with some of the men last night. He had seen him rocking Constantine and listening to stories the villagers were telling around the fire at the center of town. He had seen him leave after the first one finished, carrying the sleeping child to put to bed. Merlin had already been asleep when he had left the fire not long after to seek his own bed. Having evidently decided that his head was going to stay where it was supposed to, Merlin rose and rolled up Arthur's bedding. Moving over to roll Constantine carefully off the pallet onto the straw, he rolled his own bedding. He picked up both their packs and the two bedrolls then stooped and started to pick up the sleeping child.

"I'll get him." Arthur surprised himself by saying. Bending, he picked up the sleeping child and held him in one arm, placing the little head carefully on his shoulder. He descended the ladder, using only one hand and carefully clutching the child to him with the other.

They had paid one of the villagers for the use of two carthorses and a small cart. The horses they had brought were all too fine to give the illusion that they were peasants. Arthur had entrusted his pack with his seal and clothing to Sir Kay. He would be traveling with a pack and clothing much like those Merlin wore.

When he got to the cart, he noticed that Merlin had already put some straw into the bottom and was now unrolling the pallet that he and Constantine had slept on. Arthur laid the small boy on the pallet and covered him. Merlin had already gone ahead to lead out one of the carthorses and began hooking it to the cart. The stable boy brought the other one and hooked it up. Arthur was pleased to note that when the stable hand went to get the feedbags for the horse and a small ration of grain for them that Merlin quickly went around checking the rigging that the stable boy had done. Merlin left and came back with two bowls and a small cloth wrapped parcel. He handed one of the bowls to Arthur, but all Arthur could do was look at it and reach into his pocket where he had stowed away some of the dried meat that he had smoked over the fire during the last several days they had been in the village. He had learned long ago that the rye porridge that village people ate was an acquired taste that he did not feel that he would ever acquire. Merlin simply transferred the porridge into a cleaned gourd that he had brought along for Constantine, covered it with a cloth and nestled it into the straw. Swinging the skin of water off his shoulder Merlin buried it in the straw where it would be easy to reach from the seat. Picking up the other bowl, he made quick work of eating the contents then looked up at Arthur.

"I guess we are ready to go. I will feed Con when he wakes up, but I would rather he sleep until he is ready to wake. It is almost two hours before his normal rising time."

"Where is your dress? You need to put it on now." Arthur used his best commanding voice toward Merlin.

"Arthur, I am not wearing a dress." Merlin shot back.

"But I am the Prince and I told you to wear a dress so we would look like a peasant couple. You are to obey my orders." Arthur was hoping he could force Merlin back into the fun they used to have bantering.

"If you want us to look like a couple then you should wear the dress. You are much prettier than I am. You would make a better woman." Merlin sounded as if he was not having fun.

"Ah, you finally admit that I am good looking." Arthur did not know which surprised him more, the pink color that bloomed from the edge of Merlin's collar up over his face and ears or how pleased he felt by it. He did what he always did when he was uncomfortable and teased Merlin even more. "Still, I told you, I commanded you as your Prince to bring a dress to wear." Arthur prodded one more time.

"Arthur, I am not wearing a dress into Ealdor to be humiliated in front of my mother and the people I grew up around and that is final. If you insist I shall quit your service and just take Constantine and travel back to Ealdor on foot without you and stay there." Merlin looked Arthur in the eye, challenging him.

"You don't have to quit Merlin. I was only teasing you, though if you had worn a dress I would not have admitted it." Arthur tried to appease Merlin. He wondered if Merlin really would have quit his service if he had pushed and he felt a tingle of something that he dare not name run over him as he climbed up onto the wooden seat of the cart. When Merlin settled on the other side, he put the horses into motion.

As they rode out of the village, Arthur noticed that some of the farmers were already piling wood into a pyre outside and downwind of the village where they would again burn the animals that were dying daily. They had been in this village for over a week helping the people as much as they could. At first, the villagers were just dragging the animals to the edge of the village and leaving them. Merlin had told them that with as many carcasses as they had that they needed to burn them to keep the vermin and illnesses down. The Knights were going to stay and help the villagers while he and Merlin took Constantine to Ealdor. Arthur had planned to stay for a week because Merlin felt that it was important for the boy to have someone near that he knew until he became comfortable around other people. Merlin feared that just dropping him off to strangers would be detrimental after what he had suffered already. Arthur hoped that the short distance they were traveling in Cenred's Kingdom between the border and Ealdor would go unnoticed. Since Cenred did not take much notice of the outlying villages he did not feel that they would have much trouble once they reached Ealdor, but he knew that Cenred guarded his borders carefully, looking for an excuse to go to war with Camelot.

Merlin had been quiet on the trip. All of Arthur's efforts to draw him out had been fruitless. They were nearing Ealdor when Constantine finally awakened. Arthur was surprised to hear the whining that turned into soft crying. Constantine had rarely cried on the trip, generally being a good-natured lad. Merlin crawled into the back of the wagon with him.

"Ewwwww, boy you stink." Merlin told the small boy as he began to dig through the pack he had brought for clean cloths to change for the soiled ones. After tipping the water skin over a clean cloth to wet it then taking a drink himself, Merlin offered the skin to Arthur. Arthur merely reached for it and took a long drink instead of chastising Merlin for not offering it to him first.

While Merlin dealt with the dirty bottom of the child, Arthur avoided looking back. The smell was bad enough; he did not want to see it. Minutes later his stomach lurched as he heard the obvious sounds of Merlin heaving over the side of the cart. Considering some of the things that Gaius and Merlin saw and handled, it surprised Arthur that a small boy had managed to bring Merlin to his knees.

A few minutes later a less smelly Constantine was plopped on the wagon seat beside Arthur, still crying a bit. Merlin crawled onto the other side of the seat with the porridge in his hand. After removing the cloth tied to the top, he offered some to the boy in the small wooden spoon he had carved.

"Nhh." The boy whined, turning his head away from the spoon and resuming crying.

"Smart boy," Arthur praised. "I have been meaning to ask, how can you eat that, Merlin?"

Merlin shrugged. "I grew up eating it. I guess you just get used to it. Some winters it was all we had. It is better than starving. "

A few tries with the same results later Merlin seemed to give up, raked the porridge over the side of the wagon, and turned to put the gourd bowl behind him in the straw. Turning back around, he scooped the boy up into his lap. The boy laid his head down on Merlin's shoulder. A few minutes later Merlin was taking off his jacket and wrapping the boy with it.

Arthur looked over toward them. "Is he cold?" He asked. "You don't think he is getting sick do you?"

"He does not feel hot like he has fever, but he is shivering and I have never seen him cry like this." Merlin looked up and turned his head all around him for a few minutes. "Good, just beyond that rise is Ealdor."

Within minutes, people were coming out to meet them, wary of strangers in their small town. When they recognized Merlin and Arthur a whoop went up that brought even more people to see what was going on. Arthur saw Hunith come out of her house and Merlin bailed off the wagon, Con clutched to him and went running to meet her. Arthur saw Hunith enfold Merlin, Constantine and all, right before some of the men that he had met on his last visit were bowing to him and offering to take his wagon and deal with it. Arthur reached behind him into the straw and brought out his sword then climbed down, while another man took all their packs and bedrolls out of the bed of the wagon, and started toward Hunith's house. He had started slowly toward Merlin and his mother, giving them time to themselves when Hunith looked up and saw him. She smiled at him and held her arms out to him as if he, too, were one of her long lost sons. Arthur stepped toward her and found himself swallowed in her embrace much the way Merlin had been. Arthur awkwardly put his arms around her, returned the embrace, and wondered if this is what it would be like to have a mother when he returned home. He decided that he could very well grow to like it. Hunith kissed his brow and backed up to look at all three of them.

"And who have we here?" she questioned as calmly as if Merlin bringing home a small child was a common occurrence.

"Mum, this is Constantine." Merlin said. "His parents are both dead and we could not find relatives for him. He has no one to go to so I brought him here. He is usually quite sunny, but he does not seem to feel well today." Merlin was looking down at the boy clinging to him as he spoke. The soft crying had gotten louder.

“Well, get inside." Hunith shooed them toward her door.

"Oh, Con, not again." Merlin complained as they got inside the door.

"I'll get you some warm water." Hunith said as she evidently got a whiff of what had caused Merlin's comment and moved toward the fireplace. "You can lay him on my bed. Do you need anything else?"

Merlin looked around for his pack and Arthur held up a finger, opened the door where he had seen them deposited and brought all their things inside. He could hear Merlin telling his mother that he had clean cloths and some extra moss in his pack. When Arthur came back inside, he noticed Merlin on the floor. He must have decided not to chance Hunith's linens to Constantine.

"It looks as if he might have some tummy troubles." Hunith said. "No wonder he is not happy."

"Yeah, he woke up in a bad mood today and he wouldn't eat anything for me." Merlin told his mother.

"I will just make him up some stomach tea then." Hunith told Merlin. As she picked up a bucket she said, "I just need to get some water first."

"I'll get that." Arthur said as he sprung toward her, taking the bucket from her hands. It was his turn to arch a brow as she opened her mouth to refuse. "You stay and talk to Merlin."

She finally gave in. "Thank you, Arthur." She reached toward some herbs hanging from the beam above her as he was going out the door.

As Arthur went toward the well that provided water for the village, he could not help but think how different the lives of these people were from his. They did not have as many advantages as he had, but they still seemed happy with their lot in life. There were times that he would like to forget about his crown and live like these people. He knew it was just a daydream and he could never turn away from his people, yet still it was nice to be able to walk through the village with no cares on his shoulders.

As he returned with the water, Merlin was sitting on one of the benches at the table with Con on his lap telling his mother about their journey. Hunith was busy around the kitchen chopping and grinding things. Arthur put the bucket back where it had been and took a seat on the other bench at the table. He just let the conversation swirl around him as Hunith and Merlin talked, while he sat there comforted by the feeling of closeness and warmth they gave off. He realized that this was what he had missed the most in his rearing. He and Uther would never be this way.

* * * * *

Arthur awoke alone the next morning. During the night, Constantine had fallen into an exhausted sleep, but just before daybreak, he had wakened everyone with his screams. Merlin had gotten up and after changing him, taken him outside. Hunith had followed and Arthur had laid there feeling useless, not knowing how to care for a sick child, until he had fallen back to sleep. Since the sun was shining, he decided it was time to get up. He sat up, pulled on his boots, and rose up from the pallet on the floor that he had again insisted on taking instead of Hunith's bed. A quick splash of water on his face from the bowl left near the low burning fire and a swipe with the cloth lying near and he headed out the door to search for his missing servant. Looking up and down the hard packed path through the village used as a road, he saw several of the villagers that he recognized and raised his hand to return the greetings from them. Seeing neither Hunith nor Merlin, he decided that it was time to relieve himself and walked behind the small house to find the privy that was a short distance away. As he rounded the corner, he stopped when he saw Hunith sitting on the chopping block holding Constantine and crying copiously with Merlin standing beside her, holding her as if he was the only thing keeping her together. From the hitch in his shoulders, Arthur guessed that he was crying, also. Arthur just stood there for some time, unsure whether he should bother the two in their grief, but also concerned that the grief was for the still baby on Hunith's lap. Finally, he took a step back around the corner so that he was out of their sight and slid down the wall.

Arthur was not a crier. He had learned at an early age to stuff his emotions down so far that they could not surface. As a Knight, he could not afford emotions. He sat there and used every method taught to him by his father and the Knight he had Squired to tamp down the burning emotions that were trying to escape when he thought about the small boy that he had grown more attached to during the journey than he would ever have thought possible. He did not know how long he sat there, but eventually crying brought him to his feet; Constantine's crying. He was up and moving around the corner of the house before he even thought about it. Merlin was holding Constantine and Hunith was wiping her eyes on the corner of the apron she was wearing.

"He's alive," rushed out of Arthur's mouth before his mind could even form coherent thought.

Merlin turned toward him with a questioning frown. "Yes, he's alive. What would make you think that he was not?"

Arthur surprised himself as much as the others when he walked toward Merlin and took the baby that was now mewling like a kitten. He gently swayed him and surprised himself further when he planted a kiss on the tiny forehead. "I was coming around the house and I saw Hunith crying." He cast and apologetic look toward Hunith. "Constantine was lying so motionless on her lap that I thought she was crying because he had passed."

"No, I had just delivered some bad news to her." It was Merlin's turn to look apologetically toward Hunith. That look was back on Merlin's face, the one he had worn since the dragon attack, the one that looked like he would break out sobbing any second. Arthur hated that look. He wondered what news Merlin had that was causing him and Hunith that much grief. Suddenly he wondered if Merlin might be sick, too. The thought sent a chill down his back and clutched an icy hand around his heart.

"Well then I will leave the two of you to talk. Shall I take this little one with me?" Arthur glanced down at the mewling boy in his arms then up at Merlin and Hunith who exchanged a look that he could not fathom and then back at him.

"I'll take him." Merlin told him. "I need to give him some more stomach tea and try to get him to eat or drink something."

"Do you think he will be all right?" Arthur could not help keep the concern out of his voice as he handed the toddler back over to Merlin. He refused to think of the children he had seen so ill in Ascetir.

"I don't think he is as ill as the children we have been trying to help." Merlin put voice to his fears anyway.

All Arthur could do was nod then turn to Hunith with another nod as he prepared to leave. "Hunith."

"Breakfast will be ready soon Arthur, so don't go far." Hunith told him. “I have eggs for you this morning since I noticed that you did not seem to care for porridge when you were here before."

"Thank you, Hunith." Arthur felt a lump swell in his throat at her concern for him. This peasant woman did not treat him with the deference owed to his station; it was different, more as she would treat a son. It was something that took getting used to for Arthur.

Part Five

The Edge of Darkness (3/7)

mialoco — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 21:48:58 GMT

Part One

Part Two

"Arthur, to what do I own the honor of your presence today? I rarely get to see your face in mornings, unless I request it. Are you feeling better today?” Uther fired off questions as he walked into the dining hall and found Arthur already at the table.

"I am feeling much better, Father. I managed the day without pain potions yesterday. My head is feeling much less painful today."

"Good, good. Yesterday was a long one. I myself had a headache by the end of the day. I thought that it might have set you back."

"No, but I do want to talk to you about court. I have had some ideas that I thought you might entertain and see if you could do something with them."

"You do realize that you are not yet King, don't you?" Uther said it in jest, but Arthur had no doubt that the warning was real.

"I do, Father. I just realized that the holding court is getting to be a major undertaking right now, with all the dragon damage and people bringing their petitions before you. On top of that, you are extremely busy and pulled in every direction with the rebuilding of the castle and worrying about armies and holding off war with our neighbors."

"Oh, so you were going to offer to hold court for me and allow me to get on with my more pressing business? I think it is a fine idea."

Arthur stopped in the process of reaching for his goblet, his eyes lingering on his father to try to gage whether he was being serious or joking with him.

"Well, that wasn’t exactly my idea, but it runs along the same lines."

"Then spit it out, we do not have all day." Uther sat holding his goblet and cocking his head at Arthur

"If you could set amounts ahead of time that Camelot is willing to pay for each damage and set out rules to govern rebuilding, you could appoint several men to hear the petitions of the people about the damage and rebuilding leaving you free to hear about the same number of cases that you normally hear."

Uther sat in silence with a look on his face that Arthur could not decipher. When he finally spoke, Arthur was shocked at the anger in his voice. “Are you out of your mind? Have you learned nothing about ruling?" His father's face was a bright red and the scars along with the veins on his forehead were standing out. "If we were to put your plan into place the people would see no reason for a King any longer and they would rise up to overthrow us. It may be a lot of work for us, but it is necessary to keep control over the people. They must see us as important to their existence, as having power over them.” The goblet banged down on the table. “Since you are feeling better, but Gaius has not yet approved for you to resume training the Knights, I expect you in all the council meetings, as well as, when I hold court in the future. Maybe you will be able to learn how important it is to keep your finger on the pulse of the people. You are dismissed."

Arthur eyed his half-finished breakfast briefly as he stood. “Yes, Sire.” He bobbed his head and walked out the door quietly seething with rage that he had learned long ago to not allow to show until he was safely behind the door of his room.

"I might have known that Merlin's stupid ideas would make me sound as much like an idiot as he does." Arthur spoke to himself, while leaning back on the door he had just slammed. "My father must be ready to appoint someone else to succeed him at this rate. Just for that I will have Merlin mucking out the stables tonight after he has stood attendance on me all day in council and court." Arthur prowled around the room, leaning on the mantle above the fireplace for a few minutes, leaning against the window for a few more. Finally, he settled himself at his table and followed old scars with his forefinger as he fumed and thought up punishments that would be bad enough for his servant for making him look like a fool to his father.

Unable to sit any longer, Arthur found himself back at the window. Even though Arthur was staring out over the courtyard, he didn’t register any of the movements below until a familiar figure walked through the gate from direction of the upper village. Arthur was about to open the window so that he might yell at Merlin to get his sorry arse up to his chambers immediately, when he noticed that Merlin looked as if whatever had been bothering him lately had settled over his body as heavily as a full suit of armour on a new squire. Arthur wondered again, what might be wrong with his servant.

As Arthur watched, he saw Merlin raise his head and give one of his all-over-the-face smiles at someone that Arthur could not see from his vantage point. As Gwen stepped into view, Merlin stopped near her and chatted for a few minutes, looking almost like he normally acted. Arthur felt something strange curl up in his stomach. He refused to contemplate that he might be jealous of the easy friendship between the two or that she could get one of those smiles out of Merlin when Arthur had not seen one in days, if not weeks. When Gwen picked up the basket she had set down as they chatted and started on her way, Arthur saw Merlin's smile fade and his features take up that weighted down look again. Arthur's anger was back, but this time he realized that it was at whatever had put that look on Merlin and the fact that Merlin refused to share it with him. It was then that Arthur realized that he had been about to add to whatever burdens Merlin carried in his anger at the treatment from his father. He was about to treat Merlin as his father had treated him because of anger, not because he deserved it. Since Arthur did not like that about his father, he decided to make a concerted effort to make sure that he didn’t follow in those particular footsteps.

* * * * *

The following weeks were a trial for Arthur. As his father had commanded, Arthur was at every council meeting and beside his father when he held audience with the people. He dragged to his room every night with stacks of books and parchments to read and study. Anything about the Kingdom or laws that his father could find he piled on Arthur for study. Each day he took all his meals with his father, where Uther grilled him relentlessly over what he had read. Merlin arrived in his room in the morning more than once to find him asleep at the desk, never making it to bed. Luckily, his headache was gone and Gaius had given him a clean bill of health.

It had been two weeks since the first three cases of strange symptoms had appeared. They seemed to be growing by the day. Not everyone was displaying the same symptoms. So far, there had only been two people over twenty-five summers with symptoms. Both had been elderly and frail women in the Lower Town.

Gaius was busy almost around the clock treating those brought to him and looking for answers in his books. The trouble was that symptoms were not the same with everyone. Some just screamed and talked out of their heads occasionally. Some had stomach upsets. Some held entire conversations with absent people. Gaius had found none to have a fever, but said that some had almost icy extremities. One man had limbs that turned black and fell off without any loss of blood. Uther executed that man’s wife after he found that several of the people displaying strange symptoms were people with which she associated. Things seemed to calm down for a few days, until three new cases developed.

As the number of people presenting symptoms grew, Gaius' could no longer keep going to each house and his rooms were quickly overfilled. He got permission from Uther to use a room in an unused tower for treatment of those who were afflicted. Arthur had sent Merlin to help Gaius, instead of standing around during meetings and court to serve him. For the last few weeks Merlin came to wake and dress him in the mornings then checked back at night. More often than not Arthur would simply dismiss him at night after getting out of his armour that he had taken to wearing after Gaius proclaimed him healthy. Arthur's rooms were clean at night when he returned to them, but he rarely saw Merlin after he left his room in the morning to breakfast with his father until again at bedtime.

The villagers were getting more and more nervous, everyone was on edge. Uther was losing patience. He called Gaius into his chambers every morning for a report on any new victims and a report of anything new the physician had found. Uther became adamant about finding the culprit. He pushed Gaius unmercifully. Uther's temper was becoming shorter and shorter every day and he often took it out on Arthur. Arthur had never been happier to return to training the Knights for a few hours each day. Even if it was just short periods that he could find between all the other training Uther had him doing to be a proper king, it was a time that he could work out some of the frustrations that were building up.

It was as he was leaving the training field one day that Merlin caught up with him. "How is king-training going?" Merlin asked impertinently as only he would dare as they started back to towards the castle.

Arthur groaned. "I don't know if I will ever be fit to be king. My father seems to despair of me." Arthur gave his doubts voice for the first time.

"I'm sure that your father is just being a father and trying to push you to be your best." Merlin came back with.

"He's still angry with me over the suggestions I made on setting up Lords to hold court. That is what got me into all this extra training and work. He thinks that all my ideas are stupid. I think that right now he hates me." Arthur surprised himself by revealing what had long been on his mind.

"I think your father just has rigid ideas of how things should be done and he does not accept things that are different." Merlin shocked Arthur by defending Uther. "I know he doesn't hate you, he loves you very much." Arthur snorted his doubt but Merlin continued. "I have seen him with you when you were very ill, when his guard was down. I could see how much he loves you."

"Well, he has a funny way of showing it." Arthur answered petulantly.

Merlin shrugged. "It's just his way. You can't get something out of a person except what is in them, no matter what you want, need, or deserve. He is probably just trying to teach you in the only way he knows. It'll be up to you to take what he teaches you and apply it to your way of doing things to get the best results for Camelot."

"According to my father I’m not capable of even that."

As they got near the well Merlin asked, "Do you want some water? You look hot and thirsty."

"I would rather have a tankard of stout mead right now," answered Arthur. "I guess I will have to settle for water as well as never being able to get it right enough to earn my father's acceptance and respect."

Merlin started drawing the water up out of the well as he responded. "You may never get your father's complete approval unless you become exactly like him and do things exactly like him." Merlin brought the bucket near his face and sniffed at the water. Arthur watched puzzled as Merlin poured the water back down the well and let the bucket down to begin drawing more up. "I think that your father may only know and accept one way to do things. Any deviation scares or upsets him. You aren't exactly like him, so you will do things differently, but it won't necessarily be wrong if you learn the main lesson from what he is trying to teach you."

Arthur watched as Merlin poured the third bucket of water out and began to draw up another. "What are you doing Merlin?

"I was trying to get you some mead out of this well. You deserve it after that workout you gave the Knights. I can't seem to get anything but water."

Arthur couldn't help it, he swatted the back of Merlin's head. "You idiot. You can't get mead from this well. What. Are. You. Thinking?" He leaned over and looked down as though he could see the water below in the darkness. "There is only water down there. You'll have to go down the kitchens where they actually have mead to get mead."

Merlin set the bucket on the edge of the well and handed Arthur a dipper. "Well, you seem to think you can get something from your father that he doesn’t have, so I thought maybe if I wished hard enough I could get you mead from the well."

Merlin walked off leaving Arthur frowning after him, wondering if Merlin really did have a mental affliction.

* * * * *

When another week passed with more people developing symptoms, everyone was ready to point a finger at someone. Rumors were running rife. Uther demanded that Arthur take his Knights and search every house in the upper and Lower Towns for magical artifacts. The search turned up only more afflicted children that parents had been afraid to bring forward. Each day brought more and more people to seek an audience with the King to point fingers at neighbors and family members. The dungeons filled rapidly. Arthur despaired that hysteria, fear even maliciousness were causing innocent people to be executed and wished that his father would look into the allegations more carefully. Uther was talking of instituting a new purge. Arthur felt the need to do something, but he had no idea what or how. He remembered Merlin's suggestion that he talk to Gaius. Gaius had been his father's loyal physician and advisor on magic for years. Arthur knew that his father trusted him and Gaius had been around during the purge, he could tell Arthur something about it. He also recalled that his father had told him once that Gaius had used magic at one time, but had vowed to turn away from it. That set bells jangling in Arthur's head about the validity of his father's belief that any magic turned people evil, but he didn’t have time to work it out when so many things were going wrong in Camelot. His need for answers to the happenings around him took precedence.

Arthur walked into Gaius’ workroom to find both Gaius and Merlin busy at the worktable. “Sire," Gaius said while inclining his head then continuing at the motion from Arthur’s hand. Merlin merely glanced at him, flashing a wide smile before continuing with crushing something in a mortar. Arthur realized how much he had missed Merlin's smile lately.

"What can we help you with this morning, Sire?" Arthur dragged his eyes away from Merlin. Gaius seemed to be doing multiple tasks; his busy hands darting from chopping one minute, to picking up a folded cloth and lifting a bubbling liquid from the fire to pour it into a bowl, to picking up another flask with a different colored liquid and placing it over the flame, to mixing something in another bowl. Arthur watched a minute, slightly amazed at the older man, until Gaius called his attention back to his reason for being here with a single raised brow.

“Have you had any more luck finding if the children are ill or have been cursed?” Arthur directed at Gaius.

“Are you aware, Sire, that five more people were brought in yesterday?” At Arthur’s nod Gaius continued. “We have not discovered anything of importance. We have been carefully observing the children and find that their symptoms do seem more illness related than magical. I have found numerous illnesses that cause one or more of the symptoms in combinations, but have not found any illness that causes all the symptoms displayed at the same time. I have been trying some of the remedies suggested for similar diseases. I have had some success with people that seemed cured and were able to go home, only to return a week or so later worse than ever. I am hoping that your father will give me time to do more research before he condemns any more people to death”

Arthur had been watching Merlin work the pestle in the mortar. “Let me try that.” He commanded. Merlin glanced up at him again, this time with a questioning brow raised, but handed over the pestle. Arthur started crushing whatever was inside.

“No, not like that.” Merlin had been standing to the side reached his hand out and laid it over Arthur’s on the pestle. “More action in your wrist, like this," Merlin demonstrated by moving Arthur's hand in his.

Arthur was surprised to find that the heat down his arm and on his hand felt comforting. He usually didn’t like being touched, but of course, Merlin touched him all the time. He must just be used to it. “Like this then?” He questioned as he demonstrated.

“Um-hmm,” Arthur looked up at Merlin to see him biting his lower lip. Suddenly he seemed to snap out of the daze he was in and quipped. “It seems you can learn some things. There may be hope for you yet.”

“Well, now that you are no longer needed here, I require you to stand outside the door and let me know before anyone gets within hearing distance. I want to talk to Gaius about something important.”

“Yes, Sire.” Merlin gave the answer his trademark lilt that made it more a mockery than homage, but he turned and moved toward the door. Arthur let it go with only an exasperated look at Merlin’s back as he went out.

Arthur waited to hear the door bump into place behind Merlin before launching into his question. “Gaius, is there someone that could tell us if these attacks are magical or not? I fear that my father is coming closer each day to having everyone, including the victims, executed. As you know, between this and Morgana he is not himself.”

“There are those with enough power that they can sense magic in people or when it is being used. Aeridian was not one of those, though he convinced many, including your father, that he was. I learned while he was trying to get me to confess that he used a combination of potions, a few learned simple spells, and misleading talk to fuel doubt of people. After he had convinced the people he went a step further and deprived the person of sleep, food and water then beat them and tortured them in other ways while telling them that if they confessed he would stop. Few people have been able to withstand such treatment long without confessing just to get it to stop, and those that could, died from lack of water or the beatings anyway. It would take someone with powerful magic to be able to detect it, but you know that your father would never allow anyone like that into Camelot.“

“Gaius, my first day back at court after the dragon attack, you might remember that a little girl was falsely accused of magic so that the accuser could get her out of the way and align her own household with the King’s cobbler by marrying her daughter to his son.”

“Yes, Sire. That was most disturbing. It is a good thing that you decided to check into the situation and found out the truth in time.”

“Merlin asked me if I thought that a child could or would perform an evil curse. I told him that I didn’t know enough about magic to know if a child could have that kind of magic or be dangerous. He suggested that I learn about magic before I became King and be required to make life or death decisions about it. He suggested that since you counsel my father on magic and are loyal to the King that you would be the obvious person to ask about it.”

If Arthur read the expression on Gaius’ face correctly, the man was not happy about the conversation they were about to have, but his question reassured Arthur that Gaius would indeed honor his request. “What was it that you wish to know, Sire?”

Forbidden to speak of the subject of magic all his life Arthur hardly knew where to start or what questions to ask. He decided to start with the question that Merlin had asked him. “I fear that because I have been shielded from even the mention of magic, unless an evil sorcerer turns up seeking revenge, that I know very little. Could a child of about ten years have enough magic to perform an evil curse?”

Gaius took his time to think before he spoke. “That is difficult to say for certain, but my thoughts would be no. Most magic users learn spells in a certain area of magic. For instance, as you know, I had learned some magic concerning healing. Others might learn earth magic to try to help crops grow better and spells to keep insect plagues away. Most magic users just learned a few simple spells to help them with their day to day lives such as lighting candles and fires, locking doors from across the room, or even sticking doors when there are no locks on them.”

“So someone like me could just learn a spell to,” Arthur pursed his lips and scrunched his nose, “take off my armor?”

Arthur almost had to laugh as Gaius stopped what he was doing and gave him an incredulous look. Arthur gave him his crooked boyish grin that always seemed to allow him to get away with things with everyone but his father. After a minute, Gaius turned back to his work and continued. “Yes, in theory, though not everyone is able to do magic that tries it. Most would never get beyond loosening all the fastenings so that it would make it faster to take off and that only with a lot of practice. Very few would be powerful enough to use as much magic as it would take to actually take the armor off. “Gaius leaned over Arthur’s mortar. “You might want to dump that and start on more. Just put it in this dish here.” He scooted a wooden bowl toward Arthur.

“So children wouldn’t have magic strong enough to do any of the things that the woman was accusing the little girl of?” Arthur questioned.

Gaius sighed. “It’s not likely according to the magic users I met and the studying I did. Most of it is learned. Very few people are born with enough magical abilities or strength to do a lot of magic as a child. Magic takes a lot of energy. Just a single, simple spell might exhaust a child. Even when a child is born with magic, they have to learn how to control it. Magic usually manifests itself in children under great emotion. A child in a tantrum might make something small shake or explode. One that has had a plaything taken away might take it back with magic or shove someone away from them. Children’s magic is what we call ‘wild magic’. They do not control it, it just happens because of the anger or other strong emotion. Sometimes those people, with the right guidance are able to do many kinds of strong magic when they reach maturity.”

“Do you mean like Morgause?” Arthur was looking at the leaves he was grinding and missed the wince on Gaius’ face.

“Morgause was born with magic to a mother that was born with magic. She seemed a bit more powerful as a child than most, or maybe it was that she was just more willful than most. After her mother died she was taken in by a powerful sorceress who hated Uther. She evidently started training Morgause from a very early age. It seems that her intelligence, willfulness, and magic have been used to make her a powerful weapon to try to defeat Uther.”

“A weapon.” That reminded him of something else Merlin had told him. “Merlin says that magic is a tool, much like a sword, and it is the hand that wields it and the mind that controls it that determines whether it is used for good or evil.”

“Merlin says altogether too much. He will find himself roasting over a fire if he doesn’t learn to control his tongue better.” Gaius huffed.

“I would like to think that he is right about magic not being evil or making people evil.” Arthur picked up the thread of the conversation again. "After all, you were able to turn from it." He dropped his earlier thought into the conversation. When Gaius continued to work silently, he realized that the man wouldn’t comment on that and continued. "There has been so much killing in Camelot because of the ban on magic. I hate to think that innocent people, sick people even, might be killed if there is something that can be done.”

They continued working beside each other for a few minutes longer in silence. Something Gaius had said earlier made Arthur’s mind went back to that day in Ealdor when the whirlwind had been conjured. “Can powerful sorcerers control the elements then?”

Gaius started slowly as though he was thinking as he spoke. “I have seen several that could control fire. It seems to be one of the easiest to master. A few can control water to some extent. Like I said before some learn earth magic to help the crops grow, but most don’t really learn to have other control over the earth.”

“What about the wind, thunder, lightning, rain?” Arthur could not stop the line of questioning.

Again, Gaius was quiet as he thought. “Some of the High Priestesses can control the elements to some extent. There are magical potions and objects that have been used through the ages that can help strengthen or gain more control over one’s magic making some people more powerful while using it. One of these in the hands of a very powerful sorcerer might give them the ability.”

Arthur was quiet for a length of time thinking about the time in Ealdor. “There are no others that you have heard of or studied about?”

Gaius in turn was quiet for so long that Arthur thought that he was going to refuse to answer the question. Finally, he sighed and spoke quietly. “There was only one that I have ever known of to have been born with powerful magic that he had control over at a young age without spells, who was able to control the elements and even slow time.”

Arthur swallowed before breathing out his next words in awe. “He could slow time? He must have been a most dangerous sorcerer." He didn’t like to think that Merlin's friend Will was that powerful or that dangerous. Why had he not protected his village without Hunith having to come to Camelot to ask for help? "He is already dead then?”

Gaius seemed to startle. “He was very much alive the last I heard of him. Your father would think that he is a very dangerous sorcerer, but even from a child he has only ever been known to use his magic to help or save others.”

“Well, save or kill with his magic, he better stay away from Camelot or my father will have him burned. He is convinced that all magic is evil and all sorcerers are living on borrowed time before they become evil incarnate. With what you know of magic, Gaius, do you believe that is true?”

Gaius chewed on his lip a moment as if he was trying to decide to say something or not. Arthur sensed that it must be important so he waited. Finally, Gaius seemed to make up his mind and started speaking. “I believe that this powerful sorcerer has been in Camelot many times already though no one noticed him or recognized him for what he was. I believe that he has even saved your life right under your father’s nose.” Arthur’s head jerked toward Gaius in shock, but Gaius continued, “Even the lives of Morgana and your father himself. I only know that I could not save any of you with my knowledge and as if by magic you not only lived, but also made a sudden and remarkable recovery. Many powerful sorcerers and sorceresses along with magical beasts and undead beings that have been trying to harm you since you came of age have been killed. If he had any evil in him, he would have had a chance to kill any of you at any moment, or simply allow you to die. It seems that he has become your protector, a protector of Camelot. Much as you protect Camelot from attacks with your sword, he seems to be protecting Camelot from the magical attacks that your sword has no effect on.”

Arthur hardly knew what to think after that revelation. "Perhaps he merely wants to manipulate me and gain Camelot through me.”

“With a sorcerer that powerful, he would not need you to rule any Kingdom or many Kingdoms, if he chose." Gaius stated confidently.

"Then why would he choose to save me, allow me to rule?” Arthur paused with his grinding and gave Gaius a confused look.

Gaius stopped what he was doing and turned to stare at him with a raised eyebrow. “Have you never heard of the prophesy?”

Arthur felt shock and confusion rock through his body and mind. “There is a prophesy? About me? A prophesy about me and this great sorcerer? I’m surprised that my father didn’t destroy that and execute everyone that had heard it, too.” When Gaius continued working quietly, he asks in horror, “He didn’t. Did he?”

“No, not really, but it is never spoken of. He did threaten, of course.”

“What does this prophesy say?” Arthur’s body felt as tight as a bowstring as he waited for the answer.

“It says that a king will reign that will take a powerful sorcerer by his side and unite all of Albion.”

Arthur frowned. “Then why would anyone think it would be me? My father will tell you that he despairs of me ever being fit to rule Camelot. He is sure that it will fall in short order under my rule.”

“I don't believe that your father really despairs of you, but if you might have any areas of weakness perhaps this sorcerer would have strengths in that area and you would be strong in the areas that he has weaknesses. Perhaps, together you would complement and complete each other.” Gaius continued working without looking up.

Arthur continued to look at Gaius as he tried to puzzle it out. When Gaius refused to look at him the answer came to him. “You aren’t telling me everything.” It wasn’t a question because he was now sure of it.

“Your father forbids me to speak of the rest. I made a vow to your father, as did anyone else who knew of it. You will not find information from anyone else either. Suffice it to say that there has been enough come true to believe it is you, Sire.”

Arthur chewed on his lip as he dumped the contents of the mortar, refilled it and continued crushing leaves. “Is that what caused the great purge? I know that it had something to do with my mother. She is not the one who prophesied it is she?” He felt his breath locked into his lungs as he waited for Gaius to answer. Luckily for him the answer came quickly albeit loudly.

“Of course not!” Gaius was at his indignant best. “Where did you get an idea like that? It could not be further from the truth.”

Arthur swallowed then bit both lips between his teeth before deciding to tell Gaius what had made him jump to that conclusion. “Morgause gave me a vision of my mother.” Arthur swallowed back his emotions again as he remembered his mother enfolding him in her arms and how he wished it had been a real memory. “In the vision my mother told me that my father had killed her.”

“No, Arthur. I was there. Your father did not kill your mother. Your father,” Gaius paused for a minute whether in thought or to swallow back emotions himself Arthur did not know. “Your mother and father” he started again, “asked for a special magical blessing from a powerful sorceress. She did as they asked, but none of us, not even she, realized that there were consequences to the spell she used. The result was that your mother lost her life. The sorceress and I both did all that we could, but we still lost her. That is what turned your father against magic. She had been a friend and afterwards he turned against her and tried to kill her. He thought, still does, that for some reason, she did it on purpose. She used her magic to get away from him so he banished her from the Kingdom forever then made the laws against magic and started the great purge, killing many of her friends and relatives that had too little powers to save themselves. She is the one who raised Morgause.” He tacked on in a soft voice.

Arthur had stopped grinding the leaves again and stood staring at Gaius as he had been speaking. He couldn’t even sort out how he was feeling as he heard these things about his birth for the first time. The words that came slipped from his mouth unbidden. “I wish my father could have talked to me about my mother. I wish I had memories of her other than a vision from a woman that was raised to hate my father.”

Gaius seemed to be torn. “I don’t have the kind of memories of your mother that your father has. I can tell you that you are much like her in looks and action. You have her kindness and concern for others. She loved you very much. You gave her great joy from the time she realized that she carried you. She clutched you to her chest the moment you were born, rubbing her face against yours and refused to let go even with us working to try to save her. We had to take you from her afterwards. She died telling you how much she loved you and wanted to stay with you, but knew that you would be well loved and cared for and would be a great King someday.”

Arthur knew that he had tears that he could not blink back sparkling in his eyes. Trying to swallow around the massive lump in his throat, he dropped the pestle and tried to speak, but his voice would not come. Giving Gaius a nod, he headed toward the door. As he reached for the handle, he managed to croak out, “Thank you, Gaius.”

He opened the door to find Merlin leaned up against the wall. One look toward Arthur had him asking, “Arthur, is something wrong?”

Arthur couldn’t break down in front of Merlin. He just kept walking, but managed to throw out over his shoulder in a tight voice, “I’m fine. Gaius needs you for the rest of the day. I will send for you when I need you.”

Keeping his head down and using all the knowledge of the castle that he had gained as a child, Arthur avoided having to speak to anyone until he reached the little round tower room above the nursery that was his sanctuary as a child. He had enjoyed sitting there to read or just be alone while looking out in all directions over Camelot. There he allowed the mother he had seen in Morgause’s vision come to him again in his memory. This time she spoke the words that Gaius had told him his real mother had said as she embraced him. ‘At last,’ he thought as tears bled from his eyes unchecked, 'he had a memory of his mother to cherish.’

* * * * *

That afternoon brought even more horror for Arthur. Uther had some of the afflicted children brought to him for questioning. He pressed and pressed them. The only thing that turned up was that three of the children had played with the little girl falsely accused of magic nearly a month ago. Uther ordered her arrested again and sentenced her to execution. Arthur was horrified. He had gone to his father and argued long and hard. That resulted in Uther ordering him locked in the dungeons overnight. Unfortunately, he released him and commanded his presence during the execution. It was the hardest thing Arthur had ever had to face.

Things quieted a bit for several days after the girl's execution and Uther appeared to relax for the first time in weeks. Gaius even pronounced that a few of the children in his care were well enough to go home. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. A week later, when the children that had gone home were back, sicker than ever and several of the animals had died hysteria broke out. Every day the court was full with people accusing neighbors and family members of sorcery. Uther filled the dungeons with those accused. When Gaius could not find a medical cause Uther ordered those stricken into the dungeons. Arthur wondered if his father would start ordering the execution of the affected people soon.

The stench of burned flesh had hung constantly over Camelot for the last week when Gaius came to see Uther with a discovery. Gaius had realized that only people of the Lower Town were coming to him with the affliction. None of the nobles or Upper Town had symptoms. Arthur's stomach turned when he remembered one of the Noble's wives burned on the pyre last week when the man had accused her of sorcery. He wondered if the man had found a simple means to get rid of a wife he no longer wanted. Gaius also told Uther that only children, young adults and older people had symptoms. He had concluded that it must be an illness. He was still researching it since he had not found an illness that presented the exact array of symptoms. The little girl from the Upper Town that Merlin and Arthur had rescued from execution only for Uther to execute her later with only evidence that she had played with some of the children afflicted haunted Arthur.

The information had not seemed to affect Uther. He had just demanded that Gaius keep up his research and the Knights keep up their searching for a sorcerer. The executioners ax kept falling at the drop of his hand. He had switched to the ax after the smell had become overpowering with so many executions.

Arthur was horrified at the procedures. He realized that it was a breeding ground for bigger troubles and was at a loss as to how to stop it. Sometimes at night in his chambers alone, he allowed his mind to turn over the problems and wondered if Uther might not be wrong. He wondered if the people were not teaching him a much bigger lesson about being a king than all that Uther was trying to teach him. He would never be able to voice such a thought though. He felt guilty enough just having the thoughts

It was the first time that he ever acknowledged that his father might not have been as prepared to be King as he had previously thought. He was able to see the weakness that the hatred and fear of magic had become for his father; a weakness that Arthur feared might bring the Kingdom down. Wondering if he could be man enough to step up and overthrow his own father to save the Kingdom if it came to that kept him awake nights. During those long nights, fear that it might not be enough or be too late caused him much anguish.

* * * * *

A few days later, a rider had delivered a message from the small village at the foot of the Ascetir Ridge. They had need of a shipment of grain because they had suffered a damp growing season the year past causing a blight that had made their supply so limited they did not have enough to last until they could harvest a new crop. He had also reported that many of the youth of the village were suffering from unusual symptoms that when disclosed were similar to the ones that had been affecting Camelot. Arthur insisted that he be the one to lead the group of men sent out to deliver the grain and to assess things in the village. Gaius had promised to mix enough potions to take along for treatment and he assured Arthur that Merlin knew what to do. The trip was set to begin in two days. Arthur kept busy overseeing that everything was ready. It would be a relief to get out of the city for a while and be able to think. He would relish being on horseback again and riding away from the castle.

* * * * *

Arthur jumped when the door to his chamber slammed against the wall then ricocheted back into its frame again, barely missing Merlin as he stormed in. Arthur was already reaching for the hilt of his sword and half standing when the message reached his brain that it was only Merlin. By that time Merlin was speaking. No, Merlin was yelling.

“Do you know what your father has done now?” Merlin stalked angrily toward Arthur as he yelled the words.

“Merlin keep your voice down before the guards come storming in here, then you will have sentencing you to thirty lashes to add to whatever it is you think my father has done.” Arthur clipped as he reseated himself and tried to appear much calmer than his blood slamming through his veins made him feel. “In almost three years have you yet to learn that this is my private rooms and I am the Prince. You must learn to knock on the door before entering.”

“Waste of time.” Merlin had the audacity to shrug his shoulders. “I knock, you ask who it is, I tell you, you say enter after you know it is just me. After all, I dress and undress you. It’s not like I am going to barge in on you half dressed.”

“It is still polite to knock before you enter my chambers. You never know when I might have company in here.”

"You never bring your dalliances here."

Since that didn’t seem to faze Merlin, Arthur tried again to shock him. “Or I could be pleasuring myself.”

“You have a whole room to yourself after I leave at night and a whole Kingdom to choose from to take your pleasure. Why would you resort to that during the daytime when you have to take off your amour then put it back on? You also have the privilege of having a lock on your door. If anyone catches you in an embarrassing situation you have only yourself to blame.” Merlin walked across the room and opened a drawer, taking out a sharpening stone he returned to the table to pick up the sword Arthur had laid there and took a seat on the other side of the table from Arthur sharpening the sword with long sure strokes.

“Besides, that is changing the subject. I was just down in the dungeons with Gaius today, checking on the someone locked up down there that is ill. Your father has a healthy baby locked up down there, Arthur.”

“What do you mean he has a healthy baby locked up in the dungeon?” Arthur allowed the confusion to show on his face. No reason to waste the energy to keep a passive face when it was just he and Merlin and Merlin knew perfectly well that he usually confused Arthur.

“Your father has a healthy baby locked up because he is an orphan and no relatives can be found.” Merlin continued to stroke the stone over the sword blade. As Arthur watched, it seemed to calm the surging blood Merlin’s dramatic entry had caused.

”I checked around.” Merlin continued. "His father started having problem with his stomach. Then he started screaming in pain though nothing was found to cause the pain. Eventually some of his pain seemed to ease, though many of his extremities turned black or had black dots on them suggesting gangrene.

Arthur frowned, but Merlin rushed on so he held his tongue.

“The man lost an ear, the end of a finger, toes over a period of a few days. Then he lost a whole foot. No bleeding, no rot, Gaius said it just fell off cleanly, unlike anything he had ever seen. Two days later the man died. Because it was a bit different than the other afflicted people, and the limbs fell off cleanly Uther had the man’s wife arrested for sorcery. For some reason she brought the baby with her and Uther left him in there after the woman's execution. He is about two years of age and has been living in a dungeon cell since his mother died."

“What do you want me to do about it?”

“Wha...Arthur! Don't you care that Uther has an innocent baby in the dungeons? That man is your father. You have to talk to him. Make him let the baby out.”

“Yes, Merlin, he is my father. However, he is also the King and I took an oath to serve him and the laws he makes. I do not have as much influence on him as you seem to think that I do.“

“Surely, you can talk to him. Maybe he has just forgotten about the baby in all that has been going on. If there are no relatives I will take care of him until I can find someone else to.”

“You?” Arthur sputtered. He couldn’t help it, he tilted his head back and let loose with a laugh that shook his whole body. “What do you know about taking care of children?”

Merlin put his hands on his hips and cocked his head to one side. It looked silly when he was sitting down. “I take care of you all the time? How would this be different? But I doubt he will be as much of a prat.” He smirked at Arthur.

Arthur picked up his empty goblet and threw it at Merlin’s head, which missed, narrowly, as he ducked and continued.

“If Uther is afraid that he may have magic, I know a couple in Ealdor that have always wanted children, but haven’t had any in seven years of marriage. I am sure that they would love to take this baby in. We leave for Ascetir tomorrow first light. We can take him along. It is only a short distance from there over the border to Ealdor. I could take him on to the couple and visit with my Mum a bit then meet you back in Ascetir. Merlin’s face took on a deep sadness that Arthur hadn’t realized had been easing somewhat until he saw it back again. “I really need to talk to her anyway. Tell her about… well, things.”

“You are not taking a child into Cenred’s Kingdom by yourself. It is too dangerous. However, my men and I certainly cannot cross the border because it could cause a war. There have already been reports of unrest along the border. Cenred will use any excuse to go to war with Camelot. He has been spoiling for it for years."

“We would be fine, Arthur. I lived in Cenred's Kingdom for years and managed to get over the border and into Camelot by myself without mishap.”

“And we all recognize the miracle that was.” Arthur muttered under his breath. “I still refuse for you to travel by yourself. We can have guards go with us to the border and I suppose I could wear peasant clothes and accompany you myself. Surly two peasant men with a small child wouldn’t be stopped and bandits usually have little reason to attack peasants.”

Arthur grinned widely as a new thought came to him. “Better yet, a peasant family would be even less of a target. You, Merlin, can dress as a woman and carry the child. We should be quiet safe then.”

“I will not be dressing as a woman.” Merlin had a determined look on his face.

“You will if you want to take that child into Ealdor.” Arthur was adamant. “Go talk to one of the servants about your size and find a dress and pack something for me that will make me look more like a peasant. I need to go talk to my father about this.” Arthur rose and took the sword from Merlin then started for the door with Merlin dogging his heels.

“Arthur you can’t be serious. I would make a ridiculous looking woman. Moreover, I don’t even have long hair. It is impossible.”

“So wear a hat or scarf on your head. After all, you seem to have an affinity for women’s dresses. Or do you only have an affinity for silk dresses? “Arthur opened the door and stepped back for Merlin to precede him through it and raised his brows at Merlin.

Merlin just stalked through the doorway and down the hall toward the stairs without commenting, never seeming to realize that he had just committed a treasonous act walking through the door in front of the Prince.

“Don’t forget the dress and extra clothes, Merlin. And that’s an order.” Arthur commanded to Merlin's back as he pulled the door closed. He smiled and realized how much he had missed this.

Merlin kept stalking away without answer.

Part Four

The Edge of Darkness (2/7)

mialoco — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 21:46:52 GMT

Part One

Arthur jerked awake with a pounding heart. He rolled over toward the other side of the bed trying to get away from the cold feeling of fear-induced perspiration and realized that it was not just the sheets, but also the nightclothes he wore. He lifted his hips to bunch the shirt up to his waist then sat up and lifted it over his head, dried his face and chest off with it, then tossed it across the room in the direction of the chairs. He slid his night breeches over his hips and down his legs, dropped them beside the bed, and lay back down. It wasn’t cold enough to worry about getting up and lighting candles to find more clothes. He couldn’t seem to get comfortable. He rolled over the other direction and saw a large white shape near the window. The shirt he had thrown must have caught on a chair. The white shape in the darkness looked eerily like the unicorn he had killed. With a rush, his dream came back to him.

He and Merlin had been hunting and Arthur had sent Merlin ahead to flush out whatever animal they heard tromping around in the woods ahead of them. When the beast did not run in his direction and Merlin didn’t call, Arthur cautiously crept forward to see what was going on. That is when he saw Merlin riding a unicorn, leaning over to stroke its neck and speak in its ear in a low voice.

Just as he was wondering if he could believe his eyes he heard someone yelling, "Sorcerer!" from the other side of the clearing.

He looked up and saw the woman from the court, who had accused the little girl. She was pointing and yelling. "See that. He is not a normal person. No normal person has ever touched a unicorn, let alone ridden one."

Arthur looked back at Merlin to see him still sitting astride the unicorn rubbing its neck with one of his all-over-the-face smiles. "Look Arthur. It is magical, but it is only beautiful and good. No evil. Do you see? Come pet him Ar..."

Suddenly there was a bolt sticking through Merlin's chest with red blooming all around it and Merlin was toppling from the unicorn as Arthur screamed and ran toward him. The faster Arthur tried to run the slower and further away he seemed to get.

He heard the woman screaming, "Sorcerer. He must die. All sorcerers are evil."

Gaius appeared on the other side of the clearing yelling, too. "Only someone completely pure of heart and innocent can ride a unicorn. Only the purest can even touch a unicorn, completely pure."

Arthur was still running toward Merlin, trying to go faster, but not getting any closer.

Then Arthur began yelling at the woman, "No, all magic is not evil. He is pure of heart or he could not touch a unicorn. You cannot kill him. Don’t you understand that all magic isn’t evil?"

Arthur sat up quickly. His heart was pounding so hard it felt as if it was in his mouth. He swung his legs over the side and headed toward the window. He stood there naked just staring at the darkness, until his heart rate returned to normal and the nauseated feeling in his stomach settled down somewhat.

In the dream, he had told the woman that not all magic was evil. Did he believe that? He remembered telling Merlin the same thing once, just before Morgause had played her tricks on him. What Merlin had said today about some people being evil, whether they had magic or not, and magic just being a tool, made more sense than he wanted to admit. He did have to admit that whether he believed his father's stance or not, it seemed that his father's stance had brought more evil magic to Camelot than to the other Kingdoms. If his father was right, why had the Kingdoms that allowed sorcery not fallen already? Arthur couldn’t tell that any of them had a weakness. He hated to admit it, even to himself, but the only weakness he had seen lately was in Uther himself.

Finally, a shiver brought him back to the present and he fumbled to find a striker to get a candle lit. After several unsuccessful attempts, he gave up. He was unsure if his hands were shaking because of the dream or because he was cold. He made his way toward the great dark lump he knew to be his cupboard and felt for the latch. He grabbed what he thought was a nightshirt and took it back to the window, where it wasn't quite as dark, to try to makes neck and tails of it. When he had finally shrugged it on, he climbed back into bed under the blankets to try to warm back up and find sleep again. The day kept going through his head.

That woman from the Lower Town that he realized he now thought of as Crazy Woman and what she had said must have been what had made him dream that strange dream. That had to be the reason.

He and Merlin had talked with many of the townspeople. No one, other than those who had come forward, had anything to tell them about the girl having any magic.

It seemed as if the girl was from a good family. Well-mannered and sweet were the descriptions that most people gave them when asked about her. She seemed liked by everyone that knew her. He had found out that the girl’s parents had recently betrothed her to the son of the cobbler. Actually, he was the Royal Cobbler, so it was a prestigious betrothal for the girl’s family.

From several people they learned that Crazy Woman had been trying to betroth her young daughter to the same boy, but the cobbler had not cared for the woman and had dismissed her daughter’s suit in favor the other girl because he felt it was a better match.

Arthur smiled as he remembered Merlin's indignation that children as young as nine were already betrothed. When Arthur explained that some royal families betrothed their children soon after birth, Merlin had shook his head and ask if no one believed in love in Camelot.

When Arthur had spoken to the cobbler, he was afraid that the whole business might now bring disfavor on his family and his business. The whole family feared execution for joining their family with the girl through betrothal.

Hearing this, Arthur began to realize what a powerful weapon the laws against sorcery could become in the hands of the people, owing to Uther's fear and hatred of magic. If one of the townspeople with little money or power had a grudge against someone, especially someone of a higher class, all they had to do was start rumors of sorcery and stand back and watch Uther exact revenge for them, leaving their hands, if not their hearts, clean. As long as they could convince Uther that a person was a sorcerer, they did not have to worry. Dead people take their secrets to the grave, even when their secret is that they are innocent. Unfortunately, it took very little to convince Uther. Arthur could see that, whether his father was right or wrong, his stance was creating a major problem for Camelot.

Through further investigation, he had also found out from several people that the second witness who had spoke up had owed Crazy Woman a large debt and the young girl that had spoke up was her daughter. Crazy Woman had made a big deal about the debt and the fact that the other woman would not pay her. Neighbors doubted that the woman could afford to pay the debt and several believed the debt unfair and involved trickery.

Arthur had spent the time during dinner telling Uther of all that he had found out. Uther had reluctantly agreed that it sounded as if the woman had used the laws against magic to get the girl out of the way for her daughter to have an advantageous betrothal. Uther still held firm that he needed to talk to the other woman tomorrow and see if he could make her or one of her witnesses admit what was going on or the execution would stand.

Uther had seemed irritated at Arthur. "Don't you see," he had said in that voice that made Arthur feel as if he was a complete failure in his father's eyes, "evidence has been given against someone using magic. Unless that evidence is withdrawn it has to stand and the girl and her mother will be executed."

"The mother? She is to be executed for crying?" Arthur had questioned, confused. "I thought you were using that as an excuse to be considerate and not leave a child in the dungeons alone."

Uther scoffed. "A mother would know if her child had magic before anyone. If she did not report it, she is guilty of protecting a sorcerer. She must die, too." Uther explained, as if speaking to an imbecile.

"I still think that with all that we have learned we should make the woman prove the charges before we summarily kill a little girl and her mother that claim to be innocent."

Uther had sighed loudly and set his empty wine glass down with a thump. "Of course they claim they are innocent. They always do." If we went around trying to find all the details about every accusation of sorcery we would never be doing anything but going around gathering evidence. We risk other Kingdoms perceiving us as lunatics and the Kingdom would fall. Arthur, you will be King one day. It is time that you matured past these ridiculous ideas that you harbor and learn what will be best for your people." That conversation still made Arthur feel like a chastised child thinking about it.

Arthur rolled over again and tried to quit thinking and get some sleep. At least there was hope for the young girl tomorrow if he could use what he knew to get Crazy Woman to break. He would hate to think of the little girl put to death and always feel that it was because someone had found a way to use Uther's hatred of magic for her own evil advantage and wonder how many more would attempt it.

As he was drifting off he thought about the Merlin in his dream, so radiant astride the beautiful unicorn, smiling with his whole face telling him to see how there was no evil in it, it was magic and held only beauty and purity. He heard the echoes of, "Completely pure of heart," and fell asleep wondering if it was Merlin or the unicorn.

Arthur looked around at the crowd inside the throne room as someone droned on and on about something to the King. Since Uther frequently asked his opinion and what he might do to solve the dilemma presented before him, it would behoove him to pay more attention. That was hard to do when this was probably the most boring and hated job that he had to endure and looking out over the room it looked as if the crowd was growing by the minute.

Thankfully, the training of a lifetime allowed his outside demeanor to appear calm while his insides were fidgeting to do something physical. There was no doubt in his mind that he was good at fighting. He had trained until he did not even have to think about his movements. His body seemed to know what to do before his mind even registered what was happening. Sitting still and listening to other people’s problems that often times seemed petty to him was another thing altogether. Then there was the feeling that almost consumed him at times that he didn’t feel that he would ever be wise enough to do the right thing when handing out judgments. No wonder his father couldn’t be proud of him. He was a great warrior but he would never be good at the other things a King had to do. He wondered sometimes how his father knew how to be a great King without training his whole life for the job. Uther had become King by being a great warrior. His spirit took another nosedive when he remembered that his father was about his age when he had become King of Camelot. Arthur, having the benefit of a lifetime of training to be King, was not fit at the same age as his father had been when he became King without preparation.

Indicating that Merlin fill his water goblet, he tried to pull his mind back. The soft voice carried on a warm puff of air in his ear startled him. It was all he could do to keep from jumping and squeaking like a mouse. Training that had started when he was a toddler was all that saved him from utter humiliation.

“Do you require a pain potion?” He finally figured out what the voice had said. He shook his head slightly then almost changed his mind as he noticed that his father glanced his way as if to gage his discomfort for himself. If he had agreed to the pain potion, maybe he could complain after a bit that it had not helped and leave early. A glance out of the corner of his eye at the King strengthened his resolve not to show any weakness. He would learn to do this and do it well. He would make his father proud of him.

As he drank the water Merlin had poured, he brought his attention back to the two farmers bickering over a cow. It seemed that the owner of the cow had bad fences, which he did not fix properly, and the cow kept knocking them down and getting into the neighbor’s garden. Finally, the neighbor had fixed the fence properly with the cow on his side and kept the cow for payment of his expenses for the repair and recompense for the garden that the cow ate. He also claimed that the cow must like it better on his side anyway since he kept coming over.

Arthur inwardly rolled his eyes thinking that there must be a way to settle things like this without involving the King. It seemed that with so many things needing the king's attention at this time it was a total waste of the King’s day to have to deal with petty childish bickering.

“What say you to this situation, Arthur?” Of course, Uther would pick the most mundane thing of which to ask his opinion. Perhaps mundane things were the only ones with which his father felt he could be trusted.

“I think that since the owner of the cow cannot keep his fences up and his neighbor used his resources and labor to fix them that should be taken into consideration. If the repairs and the damage to his garden were not worth the price of a whole cow, perhaps the owner could reclaim the cow and give the neighbor half the milk every day for a year.

“But the milk is my means to support my family, Sire. I already could not afford to repair the fence, how can I feed my family without all the milk?” Arthur thought fast. Never having to worry about feeding a family or being poor, he had little to go on.

“How many children do you have?” Arthur queried the farmer, more to give him time to think than out of interest.

“Ten, Sire; seven boys and three girls.” The man answered.

“And the ages of the children?” Arthur was still stalling hoping that something would come to him quickly.

“The boys are aged two months, six years, eight years, nine years, two at ten years, twelve years and fourteen years. The girls are two years, four years and five years, Sire.”

Arthur fought a battle with his eyebrows that wanted to climb to the top of his forehead. The poor wife of this man was almost like a brood mare having children every year. Peasants must have more time on their hands than nobles because they seemed to have many more children. Arthur noticed that there seemed to be an expectation in the crowd and realized that they were waiting on him to come up with a solution to the problem. Mind flailing he offered up the only thing he could think of. “It seems that you have sufficient hands as well as mouths. You may choose to either leave your cow with your neighbor or to loan your neighbor your sons except the infant for an hour each day of the growing and harvest season this year to help out as he sees fit.” He looked at the neighbor to make sure that he understood the next part. “Within the boundaries of what can be expected for the age of each child.”

Both men seemed to wait along with Arthur for the King to overrule that and tell him how stupid that solution was. Arthur thought he was more shocked than anyone was when the King gave a single nod. "So be it." He proclaimed, and then dismissed the two men. They gave a quick movement of their heads that was more a bob than a bow and thanked the King before backing away then turning to leave.

"Sire." The next man bobbed his head to the King.

"You may speak." Uther gave a vague motion with his hand.

Oh, Arthur thought. He recognized that motion. His father was bored and getting impatient. Maybe his father was not a perfect king all the time. Perhaps he just covered it well. Arthur felt a stirring of hope well up inside him.

"Sire, I believe that someone has ensorcelled my children."

Uther sat up at attention. “What makes you believe this?" Uther inquired. "We have had no evidence of a sorcerer in Camelot of late.”

“The children, Sire, have been acting in strange ways. They see and talk to ghosts or people that are not there, fall down on the floor shrieking and contorting, sometimes even soiling themselves though they have been out of their infant cloths for years.”

Arthur felt his body as well as his mind snap to attention. This was different.

“Sire, if I may?” Gaius received a nod from Uther. “I would like to examine the children before we continue any further. It sounds as if they may have an illness, rather than being ensorcelled.”

“You may examine the children, Gaius.” Uther complied.

After that, there were more boring petty squabbles and a few pleas for help in reconstruction from the dragon damage. Arthur fought to pay attention as his mind tried to drift away from time to time. There had to be a better way of dealing with the less pressing issues of the people that would leave the King to deal with only the most pressing. At times like this, the King could hardly deal with all the things that he needed to do even if he didn’t hold court. Arthur determined to look into the situation and have a different plan by the time he became King.

Finally, Uther dismissed the last of the people and he could escape to his room.

* * * * *

Arthur was standing at his window when Merlin barged in without knocking as usual with his dinner tray.

“So you seem to have been feeling better today. You wouldn’t let me put any pain potion into your water. Headaches gone?”

“Mostly. They are manageable today. I just wanted to see if I could get by without them. I don't like how even the mild potions leave me feeling.” Arthur left the window and seated himself in his chair at the table. Automatically setting out some food, he gestured for Merlin to join him.

Seeming to feel it his right and duty Merlin launched into conversation as if they were simply dinner companions, which perhaps in this room they were. “I cannot believe that someone else was accused of sorcery today. Why is sorcery always the first thought when anything different happens in this Kingdom?”

“Merlin, you have been in Camelot for over two years now. You have seen many sorcerers since you came here. Why would you not believe it?”

“Yes, there have been sorcerers here, but they were all from the outside, except for Tom and he turned out to be innocent, but it wasn’t found out until too late.”

Arthur sat with lowered eyes. He still felt guilty for his part in that debacle. Unfazed by his silence, Merlin prattled on.

“No one has seen any new people hanging about lately. You would think that after a purge of the magnitude that Uther launched that all sorcery that was in Camelot would be already known. It would be hard to hide something like that for over twenty years. Sorcery would have to come from someone new that came from another Kingdom where sorcery is allowed.”

Arthur looked up and quirked a brow at Merlin.

“What? You think I am a sorcerer just because I came from outside Camelot?”

“Relax, Merlin, you are such an idiot that if you were a sorcerer you would have been executed long ago.”

Merlin threw him a strange look then smirked at him. “Well, maybe I am just a better sorcerer than what you are used to.”

Arthur threw his head back and laughed while Merlin just gave him an unusual looking grin. When Arthur was able to stop laughing Merlin continued their previous conversation. “There must be something medically wrong with those children. It doesn’t sound like they act ensorcelled.”

“And just what do you know about how ensorcelled people act?”

“Um, I saw you with that Vivian, the one you fell in love with and wanted to run off and marry two minutes after you met. You and that Sophia girl that you wanted to run off and marry two minutes after you met her.”

Merlin was having too much fun with this and it seemed as if he was about to run away with the subject, so Arthur sought his tired mind for something to change the subject.

“I have got to come up with a better way for the people to be heard without using up so much of the King’s time, before I become King. If I had to sit through something like today everyday I would be all for abdicating or for giving away portions of the Kingdom so that I would have less people to listen to.”

Merlin sat and looked at him silently for a few minutes. “Why does the King have to hear them all?” He finally asked.

“Because he is the King.” Arthur’s tone almost made the obvious statement into a question.

“Does the King grow all the crops?” Merlin popped a piece of bread in his mouth and chewed. Perhaps he was letting Arthur think it over as if the answer was not also a given.

“You know that he has lords who oversee the growing of crops on their manors.” Arthur shot back at him, and then thought again. “You do know that, don’t you?”

“Why can’t a similar system be set up for the smaller things that are normally brought before the King and have him only hear the most serious crimes or things that cannot be decided by his emissaries? Merlin took a sip of water with total nonchalance, but Arthur felt astounded by how simple, yet workable that sounded.

"That just might work. In fact, if I can think up something good enough I can talk to Father about it tomorrow in the Council meeting. We could certainly set up something for the re-building projects that the people keep asking for money on. If there were a few ground rules and guidelines for different things, someone besides the King could meet with the people. It would speed things up since they wouldn’t have to wait through the other kinds of cases heard by the King. I think that the people and the King, as well, should be pleased over that. Perhaps Father and his Council members could think of other ways to parcel out the smaller cases that Father has to sit through now, such as that case with the broken fence and the cow."

Arthur paused in his excited planning and looked up at Merlin for a few moments. "Sometimes Merlin, you really surprise me with how much sense you make."

Merlin shrugged and stacked his dirty dishes on the tray. "I guess I am just not as attached to the traditions as the people who have been around them all their lives. It allows me to see other ways to do things without feeling bound by the way it has always been."

Arthur sat looking at Merlin while he put the last piece of cheese into his mouth then nodded when Merlin motioned at his plate to question if he could put that one on the tray, too. Merlin was a puzzle to him. Sometimes he seemed to be the biggest bumbling idiot in Camelot and sometimes he seemed better equipped to sit on the throne than Arthur did.

"Since you are so full of good suggestions tonight, perhaps you might assist me with a way to find replacements for the Knights and soldiers that we lost." Arthur quipped as he picked up his water.

Merlin poured himself more water and sat back in his seat in a relaxed pose as if they were old friends talking and Arthur realized that he was never this relaxed with anyone else.

"You may not like what I have to say about that as much as not having to listen to complaints all day. I really don't know much about how you do obtain men right now. I have watched you train Knights and choose Knights that come to try out, but not much else. I know that when Lancelot came to try out he was one of the best that you have tested. You said so yourself. Yet, your father rejected him because he didn't have noble blood. That seems much too limiting to me."

“Lancelot was rejected because he lied. I think I could have convinced my father except for that.” As Arthur spent a moment thinking how to explain it all to Merlin he saw Merlin bite his lip and wondered what that was about.

"The simplest way I can explain is that training to be a Knight is an expensive and arduous endeavor. Not everyone is suited for it and of those suited, not everyone chooses it. In royal houses, all children are taught manners and royal etiquette as well as basic education from infancy. When boys turn seven, if they seem interested and well suited, they are sent to the castles and homes of wealthy family members or lords where they start their Knighthood training by becoming a Page. You have seen Pages around the castle; you are familiar with some of their job?”

Arthur watched Merlin nod and continued. “You have probably also seen them on their field playing, too, and seen that all their play is similar to tournaments, only their weapons are safer and don't usually result in harm to one another.” Another nod came from Merlin. “This teaches them proper use of weapons and builds their strength, flexibility, balance, equestrian skills, endurance and all-round fighting skills.”

"So your father sent you away when you were seven?" Merlin asked.

"I mostly did my training as a Page here in the castle. You may have noticed that it is rarely without a host of nobles visiting. I also spent some time with my uncle." Arthur could hardly keep the smile off his face as his thoughts turned to some old memories. He decided to share them with Merlin. "As a matter of fact, from the time I was about three Gaius allowed me to play the role of his Page often times when I would ask. I would run simple errands for him. I suspect he made most of them up to appease me.

From fourteen to about twenty-one these Knights-in-training are Squires. I know you have been around many Squires with their Knights and know what their duties are.”

Again, he watched Merlin nod and continued. “They have even more rigorous training as you have seen. They learn all aspects of being a Knight such as strategy, process and weapons used in siege warfare. They learn bravery, how to withstand extremes in cold and heat, tiredness and hunger. They sometimes get to participate in battle, especially if they prove themselves especially skilled, strong and fit. Of course, their duties are mainly to care for and dress the horses, but many are struck down by arrows while carrying out those duties.

That isn’t all there is to it, of course, but it can give you an idea of how much it would cost for all the training and equipment. That hasn’t even covered how much the horses and the specially fitted amour cost. Destriers cost a fortune. Coursers are worth a King's ransom. It costs a great deal of money to become a Knight so only the wealthy noblemen can afford it. I honestly don't know how Lancelot managed all that he did, probably hiring out as a soldier for anyone who had a need for him. It is Camelot's loss that he got caught in lying about his parentage."

"Well, if Camelot did not have such a stupid law he would not have had to lie and he did not want to do it." Merlin's voice sounded almost as outraged now as it did when Lancelot had to leave Camelot.

"What you are missing is that by lying he broke the very Code of Chivalry; loyalty to his liege lord, other than that I think that my father was very impressed with him. Had he not done that there may have been a way to work things out eventually. Then again, my Father can be very stubborn in sticking to the letter of the law, even when the law no longer serves him well."

Arthur wondered what the expression that flashed across Merlin's face meant. He waited a few minutes to allow Merlin to voice it. When Merlin finally did speak, it wasn’t what Arthur was expecting, but back to their previous conversation.

"You talk of how expensive becoming a Knight is and the fact that if an apprentice is not strong enough, smart enough, and lucky enough he does not even make it to becoming a Knight, even after fourteen years of training. Does that not cut down on the amount of protection a Kingdom can have? Even though sometime around here it looks as if there are a large number of noblemen, it is really a small percentage of the people in Camelot. Would it not be better to set up a system where anyone could apply to be a Knight? Instead of throwing all that money into sending all noble sons into training, only to find out fourteen years later they might not qualify, why do you not require all your wealthy noblemen to provide the funds needed train soldiers that can be provided when there is a call to arms during a siege or war? They are wealthy, let them to pay to clothe and train them. They can choose the soldiers from anyone who has the skills and physical abilities to become a soldier. As a result, you could pick Knights from the best of the soldiers. If wealthy noblemen wanted to send their sons away, according to the old system, that could be left in place also, but he would still be required to provide for a certain numbers of soldiers according to the size of his holdings.

"Where do you get these ideas, Merlin? That is actually not a bad idea. It needs some refinement, but the concept is a good one. It would certainly be better than paying those Roman soldiers who took off back to their own country without care as to what was happening here."

"Wouldn't hurt to give the soldiers something to work for instead of just King and Kingdom." At Arthur's raised brow, Merlin quickly continued. "Vows are great, but didn't you see how hard those people in Ealdor fought to save their food and Village?" Merlin was becoming wound up. "People with a passion are more loyal than ones with only a promise to a King, anyway."

"But they owe it to the King." Arthur started but stopped when he saw Merlin roll his eyes.

"Arthur, it is hard to be grateful to someone who rewards the rich and allows them to take everything away from the poor people in order to make the King give the rich people more."

Arthur sat for a minute and tried to process what Merlin had said. "What kind of rewards do you have in mind?" He wondered aloud.

"Maybe cattle, a sum of money, a small plot of land of his own to work that was exempt from the landlord. Poor people can have a raging passion for anything that can help them feed their children enough.”

"It is my observation that poor people sure have a lot of children to feed." Arthur interrupted.

"They need the children to help them because they can’t afford to pay for help," was Merlin's rejoinder. “When the king levies taxes, where do you think it comes from? Certainly not from the landowners own stores and coffers. The landowner goes to the peasants working his land to collect it, leaving them with barely enough to scrape by. It is as if you don’t deserve to exist if you are born without already having a fortune. The King often rewards those that already have land, money, and standings with more land or large sums of money. When those without do something, he offers them a chance to go from being a free man to being a servant." Merlin shook his head and faked a smile. "There is nothing like an offer to give up your freedom to become a servant to make a man want to swear his loyalty," he said with facetious cheer.

Arthur leaned back in his chair, stretched his feet out and put his hand over his mouth watching Merlin a minute while thoughts swirled in his head. He leaned forward and put both hands on the table without ever taking his eyes off Merlin. "That is exactly what happened isn't it? I had never really thought about it before, but it is. You just came to help Gaius and because you saved my life, my father made you a servant. You must hate him. You must hate me." Arthur leaned forward, raised his right hand and rubbed it over his face then propped his cheek on his hand looking at Merlin again.

"I don't hate you. Well, not anymore. You were a bit hard to stomach in the beginning. You did redeem yourself by saving my life and I think you may be getting better or I have gotten used to you by now." There was that grin that Arthur had been missing lately.

Arthur hardly knew what to say. "I'm sorry, Merlin. I think that my father thought you were already a servant and was rewarding you by moving you up in the ranks by making you one of the highest-ranking servants in the castle. You can leave anytime you want. You know that don't you. You are not indentured."

"Wait, I am one of the highest ranking servants in the castle? Why did no one tell me that?"

"Merlin, to be so smart about how I can change the way the Camelot is run once I am King you are an idiot when it comes to the actual workings of a castle. How can you not know that you are one of the highest-ranking servants in the castle? It is simple. You serve me. I am the Prince."

"How can I...?" Merlin sat forward from his lounging position. "Arthur, when I became your manservant people treated me like I was dirty and I would rub off on them. I have made some friends now, but it was a slow process and some of the servants still give me wide berth."

"Maybe they were jealous or maybe they were angry that an outsider got the job instead of someone being promoted from within. I honestly don't know, Merlin. If someone doesn't treat you well, you can come to me." Arthur sat back against the back of his chair. "No one mistreats you, do they?"

"No, Arthur, everyone treats me well. Some are just a bit odd, that is all. I just want to know why I am the last to know that I have such a high position. There ought to be an instruction book that comes with being a servant if you have not grown up in the castle. There should especially be an instruction book if you find yourself stuck with a prat Prince."

Arthur couldn’t help it; he threw his head back and laughed loudly. "Merlin, few servants could read an instruction book if they had one." Suddenly it dawned on him that Merlin could read not only English, but he had seen him poring over Gaius' Latin medical books. He shook his head at the contradiction that was his servant. "The fact that you can read, Merlin, just makes you more of a puzzle."

"Well, no one told me that boys from poor rural villages were not supposed to learn how to read. I picked it up easily enough. It wasn’t hard."

Arthur rose from the table stretching and yawning. "Now, if you can get me into my night clothes, I think I will call it a night."

A few minutes later, he was ready for bed. Just as Merlin reached the door, Arthur called out to him. "Merlin, thank you."

From the light of the fire, Arthur could see Merlin turn to look at him and nod. Arthur continued. "You have given me a great deal to think about and some very good ideas that I will take into consideration when I can set the laws. You have also given me some very good ideas that I may be able to implement very soon if my father approves. I warn you though, I can never tell him that they were your ideas or he will never listen to them. You and I will know though. In the future I can reward you in a better way than taking away your freedom and making a servant of you."

"Arthur, I have always known that I was free to go if I wanted. I am happy to serve you."

The door opened and closed, leaving Arthur alone with his thoughts.

Part Three

The Edge of Darkness (1/7)

mialoco — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 21:44:25 GMT

MASTERPOST

The Edge of Darkness

As the door closed behind his father, Arthur wanted to jump out of bed and throw everything he could get his hands on, but decided that was a bad idea. His head already felt as if someone was beating it with a cudgel from inside. In reality, a huge dragon had knocked him across a field and slammed him on his head only hours ago. He settled for throwing all the pillows on his bed except the one he was using.

Sometimes his father made him feel like he was two years old again. Along with that feeling, usually came the desire to act like said two year old child and lie on the floor, kick, and scream his frustrations away. Throwing the soft pillows had barely made a dent in his anger and frustration. Arthur wondered if all sons felt this much frustration from their fathers or if it was worse for him because he was a Prince being groomed to take over the Kingdom.

After he and Merlin had returned earlier in the night from defeating the dragon, Uther had demanded that Gaius examine him. Gaius had tended to his numerous bruises, cuts, scrapes, and burns before telling him that the knock on the head had caused some damage to his brain that would require him to rest for the next few days until the headaches went away, but no sleep for a few hours to make sure that he wasn't worse than he seemed. His father had volunteered to sit with him to keep him awake. Arthur wished that Merlin had sat with him instead. Now wasn't there a thought; that he would choose his idiot of a manservant over his father. At least Merlin had a sense of humor. He would have made up jokes and stories or prattled on endlessly about nothing instead of spending the time grilling Arthur on why he didn’t bring the dragon's head or a tooth or something back to show that he had defeated it.

The fact that there was no dead dragon present when he woke up had not seemed a vital fact until his father asked about it. Arthur had been so relieved that the dragon was gone, not to mention being a bit addled from hitting his head that he just hadn’t given it much thought. Merlin said he dealt it a killing blow, which was good enough for Arthur. Checking all his men to see if anyone was alive had seemed to be the priority of the moment.

Uther had not accepted any of those excuses. The usual lectures about what he had done wrong, what he should have done, and what he needed to improve on had taken up the hours until dawn had been painting the sky outside his chamber window. Uther had covered all the usual "I was barely older than you when I captured Camelot and what have you got to show but mistakes, why can't you just be more like me" speech that he knew so well. There were times during the long uncomfortable hours that Arthur wondered if his father ever recognized the things that he did right or if he only saw the things that he considered wrong. Would his father ever feel pride in anything but Arthur's ability in combat or would he always be lacking? He had never been so glad to see Gaius as when he came to examine him again and tell his father that he could go and let Arthur sleep. Gaius had said that he needed to assess Arthur's condition again before he knew which potion to mix for him. He assured Arthur that he would send Merlin up with it as soon as he got it mixed and to sit with him, I but it was fine if he fell asleep in the meantime. Arthur didn’t know why someone needed to be there to watch him sleep.

Still feeling the need to vent and not having anything nearby to throw, he decided to try the two year old method. He started kicking his feet and pounding his fists on the bed. Unfortunately, he only managed to make the blankets slide off the bed to the floor and make the headache that much worse. Leaning over to snag the blankets with an outstretched hand resulted in a wave of dizziness, nausea, and even more pounding in his head. Lying back with his eyes closed, he waited until the worst of it eased up then sat up carefully, untied the bed curtains and let them enclose him in near darkness. Pulling the blankets up over himself as he laid back down, he curled up in a fetal position and shut his eyes as he tried to calm himself. He made himself a vow to renew his efforts to make his father proud of him. He was going to pour everything he had into everything that he did from now on. He would make his choices based on what his father would do or what he knew his father would have him do. He could be a good ruler, a good King. He would show his father.

Minutes later, he felt even more like a toddler when it occurred to him that he was humming the nursery rhyme that his nursemaid had sung to him at bedtime, albeit only in his mind, being afraid that humming it out loud would make his head hurt worse. Infantile or not, the song seemed to calm his frustrations; combined with lack of sleep and fighting a dragon for several nights, he soon started drifting into sleep. Someday, he thought drowsily, he would make his father proud of him.

Just before sleep completely enfolded him, he heard voices.

"Goodnight, Son," came the smooth timbre.

Was his father back? He couldn’t be bothered to roll over to look.

"Goodnight, Son."
"Sle...sleep well, Father," was the quiet reply.

Sleep claimed him before he could puzzle that out.

* * * * *

"Only a Dragonlord."
"There is one."
"His name is Balinor."
"There is one."
"Only a Dragonlord can kill a dragon."
"Arthur, where is the dragon's body if you killed it?"
"How do you know you killed the dragon, Arthur?"
"Where is the body of the dragon, Arthur?"
"You are not a Dragonlord."
"Maybe it is not dead."

Arthur opened his eyes to a world of dancing shadows and confusion. He realized that he had been dreaming. What was he dreaming? Oh, yes, the dragon, the one that gave him this knock on the head. No wonder he was dreaming about it.

"Hello" He heard a soft voice and turned his head trying to find Merlin in the shadows.

"How are you feeling this time?" Merlin leaned forward over the bed, separating himself from the deeper shadows enough to allow Arthur to make out his face in the dim candlelight.

'This time?’ He had been awake other times? It was good to see Merlin and not his father.
"I'm glad that you are here."

Merlin beamed his goofy smile. "That hit on your head may be worse than we thought if you are talking like that."

What? Had he said that out loud?

"I feel like the dragon left its dung in my mouth."

That brought a soft chuckle from Merlin. "That is from the pain potion." Arthur heard the sound of water splashing into a cup then Merlin was sliding an arm under him and helping him lean up enough to drink. "Just a few sips right now. You can have more in a few minutes. We don’t want it to upset your stomach. Is your head better, worse, or about the same?"

Arthur thought about that. "I think I felt better before the potion, maybe a bit better as far as the pain, but I feel all fuzzy and unbalanced."

"That is the pain potion, too. As your head gets better and you stop taking it, the fuzzy should wear away. I have some soup that a serving girl just brought up. It should still be warm. Can you eat a few bites before you have your potion?"

"I would rather use the chamber pot."

"Er, yes. I'll just get it for you then we will get you up. Just lie right there." Merlin dashed off toward the screened area and came back seconds later with his chamber pot and a low stool. "Do you think it will hurt your head to light some more candles so you can, um, see where you are aiming?"

"That should be fine." The candles burning now did not seem to make his head hurt worse.

He waited while Merlin lit the candles in the candle stand near the bed.

"You may be a bit dizzy sitting up, so I want to help you then lean you against the headboard of the bed. I will get everything situated in front of you and unlace your breeches then I can turn my back and give you privacy."

It sounded simple, but Arthur didn’t realize how dizzy he would feel when he tried to sit up. He had barely gotten into a sitting position when he had to stop and lean against Merlin's chest because it felt as if the world was going to throw him off the way his war horse had done the first time he had tried to ride it.

Merlin patiently waited until Arthur thought that he could manage moving again and helped him put his feet on the floor. He was embarrassed to have to lean against Merlin again before the world stopped lurching.

Merlin held him with one hand and reached out to move the pillows out of the way.

"Better now? On three, I'm going to give you a bit of pull and I want you to shift your rear closer to the top of the bed. One. Two. Three." Merlin tugged and Arthur did his best to shift. As the world lurched again, he almost toppled over on top of Merlin. He grabbed hold of Merlin's forearms until things settled again. He looked up to see Merlin with his eyes closed, a strained expression on his face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize that I was holding your arms so tight. Now you will probably have bruises." Arthur closed his eyes and took a deep breath, wanting to just crawl under the coverlet and go back to sleep. Not only was he as weak as a newborn colt and could not even go to the bathroom by himself, he seemed incapable of concealing neither his concern regarding Merlin, nor embarrassment from him.

"No, it's fine." Arthur thought Merlin's voice sounded a bit funny which made him think that he had actually hurt Merlin more than he realized, but the glimpse of a flush on Merlin’s cheeks when he looked up at him through his lashes made him wonder if Merlin was embarrassed, too. What did Merlin have to be embarrassed about? He wasn’t the one that couldn’t stand up by himself. Maybe he was embarrassed because he was as delicate as a girl and could not tolerate a little grabbing. Somehow, that thought helped soothe Arthur’s anxiety a bit.

“You ready?” Merlin started unlacing his breeches, refusing to look at him the whole time. Arthur was glad that he wasn’t looking at him. Somehow, after all the times Merlin had dressed and undressed him this seemed more intimate.

Merlin placed the low stool on the floor between his feet, put the chamberpot on top of it and remove lid.When he had done that, he moved right beside Arthur and turned his back. He was close enough that if Arthur leaned away from the head of the bed he would be leaning on Merlin. That seemed even more intimate to Arthur, too inimate. Arthur got the wretched business over with as soon as he could, but he felt his face heating up. He quickly fumbled his clothes back into placed to cover himself.

“Let’s get you back into bed, shall we?” Merlin had quickly put the top on the chamber pot and moved the stool, pot and all, out of he way. His fingers were clumsy when they tied the laces back. He reached across Arthur for a pillow that he had flung aside minutes earlier, bringing their faces close enough that Arthur could see the fine pores, leaned Arthur against his chest again and put the pillow against the head of the bed. He pushed Arthur back against the pillow, then bent to lift his legs and swing them back onto the bed. Arthur simply closed his eyes and waited for the dizziness to pass and allowed it.

“It’s better if you keep your eyes open and find a focus. Makes it go aways faster.”

How had Merlin gotten all the way over to the table without him knowing he had moved? Usually Merlin sounded like a herd of horses when he moved around.

“Do you feel like eating a bit of soup now?”

“Not really interested in food. I’d like some water.”

Merlin set the tray over his lap and lifted the cup to his lips again. Arthur sipped automatically as his eyes met Merlin’s over the rim. He didn’t know why he was being so docile and letting Merlin treat him like a baby. It had to stop.

He pushed the cup away. "I'm not a child you know? I walked up here with this head injury. I can do things myself. I am just a bit dizzy when I move around."

"I know." Merlin dipped the spoon into the soup and raised it to his lips. He automatically took a bite before he thought about it.

"Merlin, I can do that myself."

"I know." Another spoon full of soup was at his lips and he opened them.

"One thing you have to realize, Arthur, is that it is not always about you. You do not always have to be strong by doing everything yourself. Sometimes it takes more strength to sit back and allow those who care about you to do things for you because they need to for their peace of mind."

The comment took Arthur by surprise. Staring at Merlin's face, he wished Merlin would look at him. He found that he wanted to see his eyes after that comment.

The spoon was back and Arthur opened his mouth. Merlin kept raising the spoon to his lips and he kept opening them without further discussion.

"That's enough." He was surprised to realize that he had eaten over half the soup.

Merlin uncorked a bottle and handed it to him. "One swallow should be enough then we will get you situated for sleep."

Arthur dutifully swallowed the foul concoction and wondered if Gaius found the worst tasting things in the world to mix on purpose.

Merlin took the bottle and sat it aside then helped him sip more water. The water helped get the taste out of his mouth a bit. After Merlin had set the cup on the tray, he put the tray on the floor. "Can you slide down in the bed?"

"Of course, I w..."

"I know," Merlin interrupted. "You walked up here." He waited until Arthur was prone and adjusted the pillow under his head and the blankets over him.

"Anything else you need?"

"No, just more sleep."

Merlin blew out the candles nearby, leaving the ones further away, and sat back down in the chair that he had been sitting in when Arthur awoke.

"Merlin, you can go to bed now. I will call you if I need you."

"I am fine. Besides, I didn’t bring any bedding to lie down. I will just sit here."

"That is ridiculous! This bed is big enough. Lie on the other side."

"I will be fine in this chair Arthur."

"Sometimes you just have to allow those that care about you to do things for you for their peace of mind. Get in the bed Merlin. You might want to make sure the door is locked first so the King doesn’t barge in and you wake up beheaded for being in my bed."

"How could I wake up if I was beheaded?"

Arthur didn’t bother to answer as he waited to feel the bed dip under Merlin's weight at his back. A feeling of contentment settled over him and he was asleep before he could question it.

* * * * *

"Arthur, it is good to see you feeling better. I have been worried over your condition. Take a seat and we can be served." Uther motioned Arthur into a seat.

"Thank you, Father." Arthur gave his father a short nod and seated himself in the seat that he had been occupying during family meals since he was old enough to see above the table. He thought it not prudent to mention that his father couldn’t have been very worried about him since he hadn’t been back to check on him a single time since leaving the first morning. Not that Arthur had really wanted him back, but the fact that he did not come spoke volumes to Arthur about how worried he was. It only seemed to solidify the suspicion that his father had only stayed the first night in order to berate him for his failings in the whole dragon incident. He didn’t doubt for one minute that his father had also taken perverse pleasure in keeping him awake when he was so exhausted.

Merlin caught his attention as he set Arthur's filled water goblet down. "Merlin just set the water pitcher down on the table near me. I will not require you for the rest of the night. Turn down my bed and bank the fire and you may be dismissed. I will see you in the morning."

"Yes, Sire." Merlin spoke in a quiet voice and gave his head a single small nod toward Arthur to acknowledge his orders, turned to give a bit more exaggerated bob that could not really be called a bow to Uther then took his leave. Arthur hadn’t missed the slight look of confusion on Merlin's face, but when he looked at Uther, his father was looking back with a look on his face similar to the one that Arthur was sure he would wear if Arthur made Merlin a Knight.

"What ever possessed you to do that?" Uther questioned, almost making each word a complete sentence in the way he enunciated it.

"I have been in the same room with him for three days and nights. I needed a break from his ever-present company."

"Arthur, it is his job to attend you. If his presence annoys you use some discipline on him or get another servant."

It was all Arthur could do not to sigh. "I think that any person would annoy me when both of us are locked into the same room for days." What Arthur did not tell Uther was that Arthur was sure that he was going to be taken to task over something again since his father had practically commanded his appearance at dinner. He did not wish Merlin to be here while his father was berating him. It was bad enough that other servants hear it; they acted as if they were deaf. Merlin didn't even make a pretense of it.

His father did not even try to hold back his sigh and Arthur knew that he had just made whatever was coming worse. "Then you are the one that needs to learn more discipline. It pains me that I have failed at teaching you the things that you need to know to be King."

* * * * *

He had certainly been right about how bad the dinner was going to be Arthur reflected as he made slow progress back to his room. Uther had expounded at length about the relationship that he should maintain with his manservant and that he had to keep a firm control at all times. He had insisted that dismissing Merlin early had made Arthur appear weak to the servant and would ultimately make him a bad servant. Arthur wondered briefly how Merlin could get any worse than the worst manservant ever. Even as the thought crossed Arthur's mind he knew that it was just something he said, not something he really believed. Merlin still had a few problems, namely being subservient, but he had gotten much better than when he first became Arthur's servant. Merlin was loyal to a fault and could be amusing. Arthur simply couldn’t imagine trying to replace him and did not feel the need for the measures that his father thought he needed to employ to make sure that Merlin stayed loyal to him.

Uther switched topics and went back to the dragon, as Arthur had known he would, continuing to berate him in that tone of voice that induced guilt and anger in Arthur every time his father used it. He also used the same old story again that without a trophy of the dragon after he killed it the people would have doubts and fears that it would heal itself and come back. His father had assured him that these were difficult times. Camelot and those who ruled could not afford to appear weak to anyone or they would begin taking advantage.

Arthur reached his rooms and was surprised at the feeling of exhaustion that swamped him when the door closed behind him. He went over to sit on the edge of his bed to take off his boots, but found himself slumping over resting his elbows on his spread knees, clasping his hands and allowing his head to fall forward as he stared at the toe of one boot instead. Arthur had often felt as if his father was disappointed with him as a son, but it had become so much worse lately. Arthur missed Morgana being there and running interference for him. Morgana had always understood his father better than he did and could defuse volatile situations before they blew up. Arthur knew that Uther was missing her, too. He had insisted tonight that Arthur send another group of men out to look for her, although with so many of his men dying lately, he could hardly afford to spare more men for a search party. He would put every man that he could spare on it. He wanted to go himself, but Gaius still insisted that he not ride. As exhausted as a simple thing like walking to his father's chambers and back made, him he knew that Gaius was right. He also needed to stay close to the citadel for a while to keep an eye on his father to see if there was actually something wrong with him or if it was just worry over Morgana. Sighing, Arthur pulled his boots off and tossed them across the room in the direction of the wardrobe for Merlin to deal with in the morning. His jacket then shirt followed a similar path when he had taken them off. He fumbled the laces loose and stood to slide the breeches down his legs. After quickly getting into his nightclothes that Merlin had remembered to lay out without being told, he crawled beneath his coverlet. Only moments later, he was sound asleep.

* * * * *

"Only a Dragonlord can kill a dragon."
Over and over it echoed. "Only a Dragonlord. Only a Dragonlord. Only a Dragonlord."
Then his father's voice, "Then we are doomed for there are no more Dragonlords."
"It is possible that there is one left alive. His name is Balinor."
"Only a Dragonlord."
"Only a Dragonlord."
"There is one."
"His name is Balinor."
"There is one."
"Only a Dragonlord can kill a dragon."
"Arthur, where is the dragon's body if you killed it?"
"How do you know you killed the dragon, Arthur?"
"Where is the body of the dragon, Arthur?"
"You are not a Dragonlord."
"Maybe it is not dead"

Arthur jerked awake with the sound of his father's voice screaming at him that the dragon was not dead because he was not a Dragonlord. He lay still until his heart had stopped pounding so hard and looked around. By the faint light cast by the glowing coals in his fireplace, he realized that he was in his bed and he had been having a nightmare. He turned over and thumped his pillow into submission and tried to go back to sleep. He reminded himself that he needed to have a talk with Merlin in the morning about what happened with the dragon again and where the body might be. Not only had Uther demanded that he use some of remaining Knights to search for Morgana but also he wanted some going out to look for the Great Dragon’s body. Arthur only hoped that there was no trouble in the Kingdom in the near future with his troops so decimated. He would have to make sure to get to the practice field tomorrow and watch some of the new Squires that were training. He really would like to fight them himself instead of just watching to determine if they were ready to be Knighted, but he didn’t know how long it would be before Gaius would allow him to fight again. He needed to get some new men Knighted very soon. He would rather send new men out with a couple seasoned Knights for searches that should not prove very dangerous and keep most of the seasoned Knights where they could provide the most protection.

* * * * *

"I don't know. Where do magical creatures go when they die? It just...it just vanished." Merlin spilled some of the water he was attempting to pour into Arthur's glass as he answered the question Arthur had asked him.

"Merlin!" Arthur jumped back from the table to keep the water flowing toward the edge from cascading into his lap, and winced as the quick movement and his own raised voice made his head pound for a few beats. He didn’t fancy changing clothes, he had just gotten into the ones he had on.

"Vanished, did it?" Arthur got back to the earlier topic of conversation as Merlin grabbed the shirt Arthur had worn the night before from the back of a chair and started dabbing at the water on the table and floor. "Merlin, that happens to be one of my best dress shirts, not a cleaning rag."

"It's just water and it'll clean," was Merlin's untroubled answer.

Arthur rolled his eyes at yet another example of his manservant's ineptitude. Having wakened this morning without his head pounding had made Arthur think that his head was better, but if he were around Merlin much longer, the headache would be back in full force. "And you saw all this?" Arthur pursued the earlier topic of conversation. "You saw the dragon die and vanish?" Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

"Well, not really."

Arthur's head jerked up to look at Merlin just as Merlin shrugged. "Oh, not really?" Arthur drawled out loudly, while pausing and looking at Merlin then scooting his chair back toward the table. "Not really?” He spoke more softly, but succinctly.

"Well, see." Merlin was now flitting around the room and Arthur watched him collecting dirty clothes and flinging them into the basket with the now wet shirt. "I was so busy trying to get to you to see if you were all right that I wasn't paying close attention, but I was trying to keep a watch out of the corner of my eye in case it moved."

"You were trying to keep a watch out of the corner of your eye, while you were distracted by getting to me after that dragon had killed so many people? Merlin did you even have a weapon?" Merlin glanced at him then looked away again. Arthur's voice had risen in exasperation and he paused a moment to moderate it before his head started a drumbeat inside again. It was hard to speak quietly when faced with such an idiot.

"Well, what were you going to do if it did move, Merlin? You didn't have a sword or any kind of protection and, if you were trying to get to me, my sword wouldn't have done you much good, since it was a good deal away from me on the other side than the one you were on when I woke up."

"I don't know. I guess I would have flung my body over yours and prayed to all the gods and goddesses that if the dragon decided to breath flames that it wouldn't cook you through me." Merlin shrugged and went over to the bed to start plumping pillows. Arthur thought he heard him mummer petulantly, "It didn't matter anyway, if it disappeared."

Arthur sat and contemplated Merlin with a quizzical expression. Merlin was willing to throw his body over Arthur and hope to save him. Flashes of other times, when Merlin did save Arthur with no thought for himself, made Arthur believe that Merlin would have done just that, useless as it might have been.

He glanced at Merlin, still fiddling with the pillows, thinking that was the reason he kept Merlin around. He was loyal to a fault, as loyal as any Knight was and as brave. Just thinking about how he had demanded to go along to try to kill the dragon, knowing all along that he probably wouldn’t be coming back had to take a lot of bravery. It wasn’t even the first time he had been willing to die for Arthur. It seemed to be getting to be a habit with him.

It was disconcerting to think that the fumbling, bumbling man who acted so idiotic at times was probably braver than his Knights were; because he didn’t even have the training to protect himself. On the other hand, maybe he was just that much of an idiot. Either way, he was an idiot that chose to stand staunchly beside Arthur no matter what. Arthur decided to make sure that Merlin had more training in combat so that he would have some protection, or at least know what to do and not have to have instruction in every instance.

With a shake of his head, Arthur used his foot to scoot the chair Merlin always used out from the table. "There was way too much food this morning. Come sit down and eat." He invited. A while back, after he had caught Merlin stealing his food and realized that he seemed to be swimming around in his clothes more than usual, Arthur had stopped by the kitchens and asked that they start sending more food to his rooms. He was sure that Gaius fed Merlin, but obviously, it was not enough for someone still growing. Now there was always enough for Merlin and he found that he enjoyed sharing his meals with him.

Arthur returned to eating his breakfast as Merlin took his chair and reached for the food Arthur had put aside for him. Arthur looked long and hard at Merlin. There was still something wrong that Merlin did not seem ready to divulge to him. As Arthur picked up a piece of meat, he wondered what could be so bad that it bothered Merlin so much, yet still he didn’t want to talk about. He wished that Merlin felt that he could trust him with whatever it was. Merlin not wanting to confide in him felt almost like an open wound. Deciding to leave it for the time being, Arthur continued with his meal.

"So what have you decided to do today?" Merlin asked.

"There are so many people waiting to see the King that my father has decided to hold court both this morning and this afternoon. I shall attend the morning session and see how I feel when the afternoon session comes along. I seem to feel much better today, so I think I shall be fine to attend both. I shall expect you there, of course, in case I need anything."

Arthur almost managed to hide his smile as Merlin made a face. He knew how much Merlin hated standing there waiting to serve him if needed, while his father heard the grievances of the people. The entertainment value of watching Merlin was sometimes all that got him through and he felt that he was going to need it today.

* * * * *

Arthur shifted in his chair trying to find a more comfortable position. He had been sitting for hours, while an endless line of people sought audience with the king. Arthur chaffed to be out on the grounds training what was left of his Knights and helping to repair the damages left from the dragon attack. Gaius seemed to think that he needed to forgo training for a few more days and ease back into activity by sitting in council and listening to grievances brought before the king. The slight thumping behind his eyes made him think that Gaius might be right. He was sure that he could train with a headache but Gaius had explained many times that a brain injury was a very delicate matter and had to be treated as such until healed or it could cause permanent afflictions or death. As much as he chaffed to be back in action, Arthur knew that he would not be effective if he had some affliction brought about by brain injury. He had seen men like that and hoped never to be one of them.

The lines of people bringing their complaints to the king seemed to be getting longer as the days passed. Many had lost their livelihoods in the dragon attack. They wouldn’t be able to earn money until they were able to repair or rebuild their homes or places of work and replace tools and merchandise destroyed by the dragon. They came seeking various kinds of help. They were growing weary and tempers were flaring. The Knights were busy with numerous fights breaking out. The King was trying to deal with too many accusations that would seem petty at any other time, but at a time like this, strife could lead to the townspeople battling each other if the King didn’t help to control the situation. Camelot could not seem vulnerable to her neighbors or they would mount an attack to try to take over.

Arthur flicked a glance at Merlin, who was standing to the side waiting on anything that he might need. He indicated his cup slightly and Merlin moved behind him to lift the cup. He heard a bit of fiddling behind his chair before he heard the water splashing.

“I’ve put a mild pain potion in it. Be sure you drink it all.” Merlin said directly in his ear in a quiet voice as he sat the cup down.

Struggling to contain the shiver the hot puff of air in his ear had caused and keep his face impassive at the same time, Arthur reached for the cup. Catching Merlin’s glance after he was back in position, he offered an almost imperceptible nod of thanks for the potion.

Arthur sat up straight in his chair beside his father and stared in disbelief as two guards dragged in a beautiful little girl that looked to be about nine or ten, but Arthur wasn’t an expert at guessing children's ages. She was screaming and crying, twisting and writhing in the guards’ hands. With mussed blond curls and her blue dress twisted around her body it looked as if she had been struggling for some length of time. Arthur barely hid a smile as she bit one of the guards, almost managing freedom before the guard she had bitten grabbed her around the waist from behind, allowing the other guard to try to control her lashing feet. He wondered what mischief had landed her in the King's Court. Her spirited actions reminded him of Morgana as a child, a thought he pushed away hurriedly because, although he would claim otherwise, he missed Morgana and worried about her since she had disappeared with Morgause. He wished he could find young men with such determination and fight in them to train to be Knights. It was going to be difficult to replace the Knights he had lost to the dragon and the Knights of Medhir.

"Why has this child been brought before me?" asked Uther, bringing Arthur back to what was happening in the room, before his thoughts could continue.

A woman pushed her way to the front and screamed, "She's a sorcerer. I saw her doing magic."

Arthur saw his father sit up straighter in his chair, his body going rigid. "Magic? Are you sure? What kind of magic?"

"She made a deer come out of the woods and walk right up to her. Then she made it talk to her. I could..."

"Liar" Shrieked another voice from a woman held back by two guards that Arthur assumed was the girl’s mother from the resemblance and her quick defense.

"Silence," boomed Uther then looked toward the woman making the accusations to continue as the girl's crying became nothing more than sniffs and the woman Arthur had now labeled in his head as Girl's Mother quieted and stopped struggling, seeming to hang limply between the guards.

"I couldn't hear what the deer was saying, but I heard a voice and saw its mouth move."

Raising an eyebrow, Arthur looked at his father as the King simply sat there looking between the little girl and her accuser.

In the silence except for the occasional sniffle from the girl, another woman timidly spoke up. "I saw her riding a unicorn through the edge of the forest."

At hearing the word unicorn Arthur winced inwardly, at least he hoped it didn’t show, and glanced toward Merlin, but he replied to the woman. "Perhaps some people just have a way with wild animals, a gift. Is it a crime to make pets of wild animals?" He asked.

"She don't." groaned Girl's Mother.

"I have warned you." Uther admonished the woman. "If you speak again I will have you locked in the dungeons." The woman collapsed in a sobbing heap on the floor.

The accuser seemed to struggle against a smirk appearing on her face as she turned toward Arthur to answer his question. "Sure, people can talk to animals, but who but a sorcerer could make them talk? Normal people don’t ever see a unicorn in their life.

Arthur's brow twitched at that and he fought to control another glance toward Merlin. "I have seen a unicorn." Arthur broke in.

A look of consternation crossed the woman's face as she realized that she had just said that the Prince wasn’t normal.

"Well, begging your pardon, Sire, most don't. No normal person could ride one"

"Sire, if I may speak."

Uther looked toward Gaius. "Gaius?"

Gaius gave his head a bob to the King. “Well, actually Sire, a unicorn represents purity in the Old Religion. Only those completely pure of heart are said to be able to touch one. Even if it could be proven that the girl had magic, if she had been able to touch or ride a unicorn it would mean that there was no evil in her."

With a shock, Arthur jerked a look back toward Merlin and away again as he thought about seeing Merlin petting the unicorn. Did that mean that Merlin was pure of heart? Then he remembered Merlin trying to shoo it away so Arthur couldn’t shoot it. Naturally, that led to him thinking about how the unicorn had refused to leave Merlin and Arthur had managed to kill it which had brought down all kinds of havoc for the Kingdom. He pulled his thoughts back from that road and realized that his father and Gaius seemed locked in some sort of wordless communication.

"Well, I have certainly seen men with a gift like that working with horses. They are invaluable to the Kingdom," said Arthur.

The woman looked a bit uncertain for a moment then her face seemed to light up as another woman stepped forward and spoke.

"She cursed a dog that chased after her and it ran in front of a cart was run over. It died two days later."

"Aye," spoke a small girl in the back of the room. "I saw her curse the dog."

Uther made that almost imperceptible movement that Arthur had learned after years of watching him meant he was ready to pass sentence.

"Sire," Arthur started.

"Throw her in the dungeon while we sort this out." Uther commanded the guards. The woman on the floor was screaming more loudly than before. "Throw the woman in there with her." Uther demanded as he stood to leave. "You are all dismissed until after the lunch hour."

Arthur looked up to see Merlin look as if he was about to step forward to voice an objection and sent him a look to tell him to stay where he was, hoping that for once the idiot did as he was told, as he followed after his father.

"Father." Arthur called after Uther.

"Not now, Arthur. You know the laws. I cannot do anything but follow through with sentencing unless there is evidence that the woman and the other two witnesses were lying. You are welcome to see what you can find before morning." Uther kept on walking.

Arthur turned back into the room. As he passed Merlin, he noticed that he seemed paler than usual and had an expression on his face that he couldn’t exactly describe. It looked like he was stunned, disgusted, and fearful all at the same time, with a heavy dose of anger thrown in. Arthur wondered if his face looked the same because he certainly felt all those things.

Merlin fell into step a pace behind him. "How could you let him do that?" Merlin raged.

Arthur spun; putting a hand over Merlin’s mouth, he used his body to shove him into the wall behind a pillar and hold him there. Putting his mouth close to Merlin's ear he spoke quietly. "Merlin, you could land yourself in the dungeons facing death yourself if anyone hears you talk like that. That is treason. In fact, I should put you there myself. You are going to have to learn your place, for your own safety.”

Leaning back he looked Merlin in the eyes to see if he understood before dropping his hand and leaning forward again with his mouth to Merlin's ear he almost whispered, “If it is any consolation I agree with you." He felt a shudder go through Merlin's body; an answering shudder wanting to break free in his own body surprised him. He thanked all his training that it didn’t escape his control. Backing up a step, he raised his hand in an imperious warning as Merlin immediately opened his mouth to comment and continued quietly. "I will see what I can do. I need to do some thinking."

Arthur strode off with ground eating strides. When he realized he didn’t hear Merlin behind him he stopped and turned around to look back at him. "Coming, Merlin?" he threw out then turned and stalked on down the hall. After a few seconds, he heard Merlin trot up a pace behind his right elbow.

When they were in a field behind the stables, ostensibly checking the crop, Merlin didn’t even try to keep the anger from his voice as he asked, "What are we doing here? Are we going to try to help that little girl?"

Arthur sighed and gave Merlin an exasperated look. Slinging a brotherly arm around Merlin's shoulder, he turned him in a circle as he spoke condescendingly. "We are here Merlin, because as even you can see there are no people here to hear us and we have a clear view in all directions so that we can see any one coming long before they can hear us. Grain fields are always a good place to hold discussions."

Realizing where his arm was he gave Merlin a small shove that almost sent the clumsy servant face first to the ground. Crossing his arms over his chest as Merlin regained his balance and gave him a disgruntled look, he continued in a more normal tone. "We are here so that your temper can cool off. It won’t do any good dashing about spouting treason because of your emotions. It would be in the best interests of everyone involved if we clear our heads and make a plan without anyone overhearing.”

Merlin copied his crossed arm stance and asked. "Do you really believe that girl did some kind of evil curse? She is a child."

A feeling that he refused to identify assailed Arthur as the haunted look that Merlin had been wearing lately fell across his face again. He realized that the vibrant anger that had been there since they had left the throne room was the first time in ages that the haunted look had been gone from Merlin's face.

In the slight hesitation while that thought flew through Arthur's head, Merlin drew a breath to continue, but Arthur rushed ahead before he could. "Merlin, it doesn't matter what I think right now." He held a hand up to silence Merlin as he opened his mouth to draw another long breath to argue. "It is what the King says that will be carried out and I don't have enough influence to sway him when it comes to magic. I don’t know enough about magic to know how dangerous a child could be. All I know is that my father hates magic and those who use magic. He swears the magic takes hold of the people and turns them evil. He sees it as something to be wiped from the face of the world and is determined to make sure it is wiped from the face of the area of the world that he has control over."

"Arthur, you just said that you didn't know enough about magic. Don't you think that it would be better to try to learn more about it so that you can make up your mind what the truth is, instead of just taking Uther's word since one day you will be king? The other Kingdoms allow magic and they don't seem a worse place to be than Camelot, only stronger."

As Arthur opened, his mouth Merlin held up an imperious hand just as Arthur had done to him and continued his impassioned speech. "The only magic I have seen since I came to Camelot has been done by evil people who wanted power or people who had family members or other loved ones killed by Uther because of magic and wanted revenge. I think magic is like swords, neither good, nor bad, just tools to accomplish a means. The people who use them are good and evil. There are people who use a sword to kill people for their own means. They have an evil heart before they pick up the sword, the sword does not turn them. There are people like you, who use a sword to defend others from evil people. I feel that there must be good people out there who use magic for good, since other Kingdoms have no laws on magic. If it was that evil would all the Kingdoms not ban it? I just cannot see good people with magic coming to Camelot and offering their services to the King knowing they risk the certainty of execution, so we only ever see the evil kind here. Perhaps if you talked to Gaius he might be able to tell you something about magic. You know that he knows about magic. Your father depends on his counsel on magic. Maybe you could learn about magic from him. Perhaps you could find out things like whether a small child is evil or if someone is just trying to get revenge on the family by having her killed. If the laws were different perhaps someone with magic that had no need for power would be able to help strengthen the Kingdom and the evil people with magic could be overcome or at least wouldn’t show up so often. It seems that Uther's laws against magic are making Camelot vulnerable to the Kingdoms that allow magic."

Arthur had to remind himself to close his mouth. Sometimes the things that Merlin said astounded him in their small bits of wisdom. Except, he covered it by so much gibberish, it was often easy to miss it. "You know Merlin, I am not saying I agree with you, but you do bring up some good points that I have never thought of before. However, Uther is still King and he will always hate magic and want to wipe it out of Camelot.

“Right now that does not help that little girl locked in the dungeon. What we need to do is talk to the people of the village and find if anyone else has ever seen anything unusual from this girl or find out whether the other women might have reason to cause trouble for the girl or her family. We need more than feelings and beliefs when I go to talk to my father and we need to get it fast. He will make a decision tomorrow."

Arthur started back toward the village and Merlin followed him. "So we are going to just leave her in the dungeons tonight and not worry about it?" he asked, reaching out and snapping the head off the grain as they passed by and pulling the grains off one at a time. "You have been in that dungeon; you know it is no place for a child to spend the night."

"There is nothing we can do to get her out tonight, unless we have some kind of evidence to prove her innocence, so it would be best if we try not to think about it and concentrate on getting evidence. We have both spent time in the dungeons. It wasn’t pleasant, but it didn’t kill us. It is good that she has her mother," Arthur pointed out. "I would like to think that was an act of kindness rather than punishment."

Merlin's snort told him what he thought of the last statement.

Part Two