Merlinfic: Born of Magic 2/12
Title: Born of Magic
Author: Destiny_Chicken
Characters: Arthur, Merlin, Uther, Gaius, OC Lord Aden, OC Lady Alys
Genre/pairing: Slash, Merlin/Arthur
Rating: MA Mature Adult due to language, and explicit sexual content
Word-count: 33,833 total
Chapters: 2 of 12
Spoilers: Mention of 1.1 (The Dragon’s Call), 2.8 (The Sins of the Father) and 2.13 (The Last Dragonlord)
Summary: Arthur suffers yet another blow to the head, but this one causes amnesia. He and Merlin are quarantined to Arthur’s chambers in an attempt to avoid revealing the amnesia to Uther. Once Arthur is cured by Merlin’s magic, strange incidents begin to occur.
The next day seemed longer that it should to Merlin. He was anxious to get Arthur back to Camelot so Gaius could assess his lack of memories and advise what should be done. But he knew he couldn’t force the pace to quicken because Arthur’s pain meant he could only tolerate trotting the horses for short periods of time. Finally as the sun was sinking behind the trees, and the sky turning a dusty pink, they could see the flags on the spires of Camelot’s citadel.
Merlin had already decided they needed to enter the castle courtyard quietly and as unobserved as possible, and then get to the physician’s chambers immediately. In the courtyard, Arthur swung out of the saddle, but had to cling to the stirrup leathers to steady himself when he reached the ground. Merlin dismounted, and turned his horse over to the stable boy. He hovered near Arthur and said quietly, “Do you need a hand?”
With a deep inhale and exhale, Arthur replied, “No. I can manage.” And manage he did, putting on a good front up the stairs and the through the gallery. However, once they turned a corner and were out of the public eye, he sagged. “Careful there. I’ve got you,” Merlin said as he put Arthur’s arm over his shoulder, and slid his own arm around Arthur’s waist to support him. Arthur’s head dipped down, but he stayed upright with Merlin’s help and they made it to Gaius’ chambers.
“What’s happened?” Gaius barked as he moved forward quickly from his workbench to help Merlin manhandle Arthur to the patient’s bed in the main chamber.
“He fell down a hill and I think has a concussion. And he doesn’t remember who he is or who I am.”
“Oh dear.” The physician looked at his royal patient closely, seeing a tired Arthur, with cuts and abrasions on his face and deep furrows in his brow. His expression spoke of pain and weariness and, unusually, a trace of fear. “Sire, try to focus on me. Follow my finger with your eyes.” Gaius held up his index finger, and slowly moved it left then right. Up then down. He then used his magnifying lens and peered at Arthur’s eyes. Only then did he unwrap the bandage and probe gently at the back of the prince’s head. Arthur winced, “Oi, that hurts.”
“Sire, do you know who I am?”
Pointing at Merlin, Arthur offered, “He says you’re the court physician.”
“You have no memories of me of your own?” Arthur shook his head negatively. “And what is your name?”
“He says it is Arthur Pendragon, and I am the Crown Prince of Camelot. And before you ask, no, I don’t know because I remember. It is just what he has told me.”
“Hmm.” Gaius puzzled. “Were there any other serious injuries from the fall?”
Arthur rubbed his abraded jaw. “This is the worst of the others. Just scrapes and bruises, a nasty headache and overall muscle aches. And I seem to be unnaturally tired and not interested in eating anything.”
“Alright, Arthur, just lie back and rest a bit while I look through my medications and speak with Merlin.”
\\`·.¸¸.·´´¯`··._.·β¤ȑñ ¤ƒ ɱåğȋç ·._.··`¯´´·.¸¸.·`Gaius inclined his head toward Merlin’s bedroom, and Merlin headed up the stairs with Gaius close behind. Once the door was closed, Gaius asked, with his voice low and slightly accusing, “What’s going on, Merlin? Did some spell you cast go wrong?”
“No!” Merlin protested vehemently.
“Keep your voice down!” Gaius commanded without raising his own voice.
Merlin whispered, “I didn’t do magic on Arthur. “ He shivered at the thought of it-to put Arthur under a spell would be entirely too close to Arthur knowing about his magic. “It really was a fall and a knock on the head.
“Very well. Certainly it is not unusual for amnesia to result from a blow to the head, but it is not common for it to have been so extensive or to have lasted so long. Has it been a full day since he was injured?”
Merlin frowned in concentration, “A bit more than that, it happened yesterday, about an hour or two after mid-day.”
“Definitely not the norm. Can you sense if any magic has been done to Arthur by someone else?”
“No, I thought of that too, but there is no trace of another’s magic in him that I can feel.” Merlin began pacing back and forth in the small room in his frustration.
“Alright, I’ll consider it trauma-induced amnesia. There are only a few things I can try, other than easing the pain, so likely we’ll have to wait for Arthur’s memory to return on its own. He may never remember events that happened just before and after the fall. Stop that pacing, Merlin, there’s not enough space in here.”
Merlin just looked at Gaius, huffed and flopped on his narrow bed. “I’d settle just for him to know he’s Arthur, you’re Gaius and I’m Merlin.” Merlin said. Then a thought struck him and he sat upright. “Oh gods, what are we going to do about the King? He’ll be positive that sorcery is at the root of Arthur’s memory loss.”
Gaius’ brow furrowed deeper as he considered. “You’re right. Uther won’t accept this as a normal response to a head trauma. He’d be likely to increase the arrests of innocents in his hunt to find the sorcerer responsible. We’ll have to hide Arthur’s memory loss from him. How willing do you think Arthur is to hide the amnesia?”
“I think he would be willing-he is really pretty terrified at what’s happening, but of course, won’t admit that. But, hiding it from Uther, well, that will be a challenge. You know Arthur spends part of every day with his father, just the two of them. How can I help cover for him then? And I don’t know everything he and Uther have discussed in the past to tell him what to say.”
“We could probably cover a few days with an excuse of sickness, but that won’t last long. Uther will demand to see his son, even if we say it is a contagious disease,” Gaius offered. “We can't say it's a serious illness, because that could indicate a weakness in the rule of Camelot. If our enemies hear of it they may attack, thinking the King is too distracted by his son’s illness to properly defend his kingdom. But a contagious disease is the best I can think of for now. Let’s go back and check on Arthur.”
While Gaius and Merlin were talking about him in the other room, Arthur waited, sitting on the edge of the bed and staring pensively into the fire. He just felt so empty, and so weak. His mind was spinning to try to find anything even slightly familiar for him to grasp as an anchor to reality. Without one, he felt like he was floating away. His grip on his emotions was very tenuous. He could feel his breathing was unsteady, and moisture was forming at the corners of his eyes. Of course, with his bad luck, just at that moment Merlin and Gaius returned to the main room. He wiped his eyes with the backs of his hands as surreptitiously as possible.
“Arthur.” Gaius seemed to be assessing his condition again, and he felt like the physician’s eyes were baring all his secrets. Arthur avoided looking at him, turning his head back to the fire instead, as he struggled to maintain his composure. Gaius briefly placed a hand on this shoulder in reassurance, and handed him two potions, one green and one clear.
“The green one is for the pain. It’s concentrated, so no more often than one spoon every four hours, if needed. Don’t take more than that. The clear one affects the mind-bringing clarity of thought, so it is said. Take only one spoon three times a day.”
“Clarity of thought? Will that help me remember?” Arthur turned to search the physician’s face for answers.
Gaius paused, and then, returning Arthur’s gaze steadily, said, “I’ll be honest with you, Arthur. We are dealing in unknown territory here. Potions affecting the mind can be very dangerous, and much is unknown about how they work on the mind. This particular one has a history of limited side effects, but whether ‘clarity of thought’ will result, and indeed whether it would result in regained memories, I cannot say.”
Arthur frowned. “So unknown results. Hmm. You said something about side effects?” He rubbed his forehead, trying to soothe the ache pounding there.
“Yes, general body aches, possible nausea, and headaches.”
“Just great. I’ve already got all of those from the bang on the head…let’s just add to it,” Arthur commented sarcastically.
Gaius sat down on the stool by the bed. “Sire, we need to decide what to tell the king about your condition.”
“What do you suggest we tell him?” Arthur frowned. I don’t remember anything about him to be in a position to advise. I don’t know my own father-it feels like I’ve never even met him. You’ll probably have to point him out to me when he’s in the same room.”
Merlin, who had been hovering behind Gaius’ worktable, came forward now. “Arthur, if the King learns you can’t remember who you are, he will immediately jump to the conclusion that you have been bewitched. He won’t accept that your amnesia was caused by the head injury. He is convinced all problems are the result of magic. He is rather prejudiced against sorcerers and only considers them worthy of beheading or burning, regardless of what they have actually done or, usually, not done.” Merlin tried to keep his emotions in check, but he knew some of his passion on the subject had crept into his words. He wanted to impress upon the-Arthur-who-can’t-remember the injustice of Uther’s beliefs, when he wasn’t burdened by what Uther had taught him all his life about magic being evil.
“Merlin’s right, Sire. He’ll assume you’ve been ensorcelled and will hunt down any magic users his men can find, to demand they restore your memories before he puts them to death.”
“I don’t want that. What do you suggest we do?”
The physician continued, “I think the best course of action is that we say you have developed a contagious disease, such as marsh fever, which will require you be quarantined. That should hold Uther off a while, but probably only a day or two before he will insist on seeing you. I’ll allow a brief visit, keeping him at a distance. That will give some time for the potion to work and hopefully restore your memory.” Gaius concluded with another reassuring pat to Arthur’s shoulder, “We’ll manage it, don’t worry.”
Merlin added, “We should move to Arthur’s chambers, where he can be quarantined. I will serve him, of course, as I have already been exposed to the ‘illness’ on the trip.”
“Sire, the symptoms of marsh fever include the headaches you already have, but most importantly the fever, which you don’t have, Gaius counseled. “However, I believe I have something that can be added to your food to cause you to fever quite easily.”
“Great. Now nothing will ever taste good again,” Arthur complained. He amended, “Just joking Gaius,” when he saw the physician’s face fall.
“You’ll need to take it in case someone manages to see you, even at a distance, to ensure the quarantine is not suspicious. Just to be safe,” Merlin added.
Arthur narrowed his eyes and frowned at him. “Now, you, MER-lin, I think, just want to torture me with all these vile-tasting potions and unappetizing meals.”
“Just to protect you as I always do, S-i-i-re.” Merlin rejoined, drawing out the ‘Sire’ into a sarcastic imitation of the title.
`·.¸¸.·´´¯`··._.·β¤ȑñ ¤ƒ ɱåğȋç ·._.··`¯´´·.¸¸.·`Gaius reported to the King in the council chambers that the Prince had fallen ill with marsh fever, so he had returned from the hunt early.
“Is it serious, Gaius?” Uther inquired calmly.
“Marsh fever can be debilitating, as it causes fever and headaches, and can result in unconsciousness and death if the illness is severe.” Uther turned his attention sharply to Gaius at the word ‘death,’ narrowing his eyes. “Fortunately, Your Highness, I don’t think Arthur’s case will be that serious.
“However, marsh fever is quite contagious, so in order to prevent any further spread of the disease, Arthur will need to be quarantined. Currently, he is in his chambers and I would request guards be posted at the doors to prevent anyone from entering or leaving until the illness has abated.”
Uther nodded his agreement, and signaled Sir Leon to pass the command on to the castle guards. “But Gaius, under the quarantine, who will tend to Arthur? He surely can’t be left on his own while he is ill?”
“Oh no, but Merlin was exposed the same as Arthur was on the trip. He has been with Arthur since he took ill, so Merlin is the best one to be taking care of the Prince. He must have some inherent resistance to the disease, as he has not shown any symptoms as of yet. Comes from sturdy country stock, I suppose, even though he hardly looks sturdy. I myself must limit my exposure to them both, so I can continue to serve the court and residents of Camelot as the Court Physician.”
“How long do you think he will be indisposed? I have Sir Aden and his daughter, the Lady Alys, coming next week for a visit.” Uther frowned while a touch of petulance edged into his tone. He didn’t want this not-serious illness of Arthur’s to interfere with his plans.
Gaius kept his face carefully neutral, but inwardly grimaced on Arthur’s behalf. This no doubt was one in the long list of princesses and assorted noblewomen to be paraded before Uther as a bride for Arthur. Her father would whisper in Uther’s ear how worthy an ally he would be for Camelot. For the wooing was mostly of Uther by the visitors, as this would be a marriage of political advantage, not one born in love. If Arthur were lucky, the love would grow over time.
“It is difficult to say, Sire. A few days, perhaps a week.” To himself he added, ‘Hopefully that will be enough time to get Arthur’s memory back.’
“Very well, but I want reports daily and news if anything changes in his condition.”
“Of course, Sire.”
`·.¸¸.·´´¯`··._.·β¤ȑñ ¤ƒ ɱåğȋç ·._.··`¯´´·.¸¸.·`