The Time Meddler (2/?)
Title: The Time Meddler
Spoilers: Up to "The Sword in the Stone", eventually, beginning with "The Nightmare Begins".
Warnings: Character death, violence, possibly incest?
Pairings: Arthur/Merlin; Arthur/Gwen; Arthur/Morgana; Merlin/Morgana; Merlin/Gwen; Morgana/Gwen; Gwen/Lancelot; Morgana/Gwaine - although it's not focused in the romance at all, they all might be mentioned, so you are warned.
Rating: R
Chapter Word Count: 1.982
Summary: They said no man can change his history, but Merlin doesn't believe it. Time is his to bend and his destiny is his to shape. Again.
Chapter 2
It was a loud noise that startled Merlin awake. His body felt stiff and his position was far from comfortable as his eyes opened to see Gwen staring at him - at them, he realized, as he saw Morgana raise her head from her pillow - in utter shock.
“It’s not…”, he started, standing up in a middle jump that caused him to bump in the bed, but the girl didn’t even seemed to notice, as she moved her hands in despair.
“The King is coming” she shrieked, turning to her mistress. “He wishes to break fast with you, my lady, he’s worried about your safety.”
As if he had been summoned by the mention of his name, Uther walked in the bedroom, and Merlin could just picture the scene in his mind: Morgana in her nightgown, Gwen half soaked from the water she spilled from the basin, still laying on the ground, and him - standing there, where he shouldn’t be.
“What is the meaning of this?” he asked, his voice raised in temper. “What are you doing here?”, he turned to Morgana, instead, and there was a dangerous edge in his voice. “What has the boy done?”
The girl smiled at him, her face guarded underneath the smile the summoned to calm the King down, so fast that Merlin didn’t even had the time to wonder what she was doing before she was talking.
“Oh, you know, we were just plotting to conquer Camelot with magic, kissing each other breathless” she said, her tone clearly teasing. “And then we held hands all night and promised each other undying love.”
Uther seemed rather taken aback, unsure if he should laugh or scold her for the appealing behavior she was demonstrating this morning. Gwen, on the other hand, seemed to believe every word of it as she looked from on to the other with her eyes wide and her mouth open in a complete “o” - while Merlin could feel his skin betraying him and turning red in embarrassment. Morgana, of course, didn’t seem to even notice any of that, laughing easily before continuing.
“Actually, everyone seems to be worried about me today. Arthur sent Merlin downstairs to ask me to have breakfast with him, and Gwen says you came for the same reason. I’m fine, Uther, really.”
The King creased his brow, and it was clear that although he had accepted the explanation, he was still displeased by what had happened - both Merlin’s presence and Morgana’s words.
“It’s unseemly for a man to be at a lady’s chamber unattended - especially when she’s on her nightgown.”
Morgana’s eyebrow raised itself again, but before she could say something, Merlin spoke up.
“I’m sorry, sire, I’m so frequently late that I thought Gwen would already be here! It’s my fault…”
He was sure Uther would punish him for that - maybe he’d go to the dungeons for a few days, of maybe he’s be reacquainted with Camelot’s finest vegetables, but the girl spoke before the King could say anything.
“And now we have two men in my bedroom while I haven’t been able to wash myself yet - probably because no one around seems to know how to knock. Honestly, I need to get ready in other to attend breakfast”, she said, gesturing them to the door. “If you’ll excuse me - Merlin, tell Arthur we’ll have a family breakfast. Gwen - I’ll need some water to wash myself. Uther - I’ll be downstairs soon”.
Her tone was a clear dismissal, and the King didn’t seem to enjoy it much, but begrudgingly accepted the reprimand in her tone. Gwen curtsied and hurried out of the door, and Merlin smiled, and bowed saying “my lady”, walking away as fast as he could towards Arthur’s chambers. He was glad that he wasn’t near enough for Uther to declare his punishment right away when he heard the door close.
Merlin could barely keep himself together during the two following weeks. Morgana’s nightmares were becoming stronger, and even with his tips and talks, it was clear that once she was asleep, her magic was breaking free. It didn’t help that she hardly managed to be alone for long enough to cast a couple simple spells without being noticed and refused to tell Gwen anything about her powers in order to protect her friend. All the bottled up magic seemed to explode once she slept, and Merlin had made a habit of waking up an hour earlier than he was supposed to, so he could fix Morgana’s chambers before Gwen arrived.
He and Kilgarrah had talked about the possible consequences of his time meddling, and the dangers of disrupting time as he had done, so he knew they’d have to be extra careful: if he changed too many events, he might create a bigger mess than the one he was trying to clean. He couldn’t write people out of their lives, or major events - so he had decided to use a particular time-window to take Morgana to the Druid’s camp without disrupting everyone else’s life’s too much.
His eyes were steady in a way his confidence wasn’t when he told her it was time.
Morgana walked into the dining room with her sweetest smile. She knew exactly how she should play her tutor, if she were to get her way.
“I’ve been meaning to visit my parent’s graves” she said, when they were almost done with their supper. Uther frowned as he looked at her.
“Why is that?”
She sighed, showing the pain she used to hide within herself, allowing tears to drop from her eyes.
“I feel that, during those years in your house, I’ve been neglecting what I owe them. My condolences, my respect, my love. Although I’ve learned to love you, I still mourn and miss my own mother and father, the family I lost. We have been to my father’s grave last summer, but I haven’t been over my mother’s for more than five years. I intend to do a peregrination and visit them both.”
“Sometimes I forget, my child, that you had such heavy losses, but it doesn’t help to thrive in your pain.”
Before the man could go on, she smiled again, still a bit sad.
“Also, someone’s got to see the old castle; it won’t do you any harm that people remember that the House of Gorlois hasn’t fallen, and that they are still faithful to you, sire, and their people should be as well.”
The king smiled at the girl, patting her lightly.
“Always a strategist, Arthur’s much to learn from you. Yes, you must go. I’ll make sure some of the knights go as well. It will be good for the people of Cornwall to see you again.”
Remembering Merlin’s insistent words, Morgana spoke again.
“I’d like Gwen to come with me” she said, and dropped her head a bit. “I’ll need a maidservant for the journey, and there’s no one I’d trust as much.”
He shook his head, agreeing.
“I don’t see why not. Tell her to get your things ready; you should ride in the morning.”
“Thank you” she said, and she truly meant it, then. Uther smiled at her, and for a moment, Morgana could almost hope that he would, one day, accept her as she was, but, knowing better than to believe in that hope, she just curtsied and walked away.
The following morning, just a few moments after Morgana’s party left the city, Gaius walked into the throne room, Merlin just a step behind. He arched his eyebrows disapprovingly at the boy one last time before speaking to the King.
“I have some bad news, sire” he said, looking gloom. “The old Eldred, that traded southern plants with me died this week.”
Uther looked at him, seeming not to understand why he was being bothered with such news, but still managed to reply courteously.
“I’m sad to hear one of your friends’ died, Gaius, but that’s hardly surprising in your age.”
“You see, sire, he didn’t have the chance to get to get the golden gulmohar flowers this year, and as you surely know, those are vital to brew the potion that relieves the symptoms of lung fever; they will be sorely missed next winter, many will end up dyeing.”
“Can’t you just buy it from someone else?” asked Uther, now alarmed.
“You see, sire, it is a rare flower and too hard to find; not many can find the true golden flower of the gulmohar; there are many yellow and copper ones that can fool the untrained eye, and they’d be useless to the potion. Eldred is the only one I’ve ever seen selling it.”
The king looked that the man for a mere second before saying.
“So, surely, you must fetch the flower, Gaius. We can’t risk our people like that.”
The old physician shook his head in denial.
“Sire, the old Eldred died after falling from his horse and bumping his head, and one has to climb slopes to catch the flower. We are too old for such quests, our body too broken, and that was the curse of Eldred.” He looked really tired and old, his shoulders turned inwards to increase his frailty. “I think Merlin should fetch it, sire.”
Uther looked at the boy for the first time since they had arrived in the room.
“Will he be able to find the right flower?”
“He has dealt with it before” said Gaius, with confidence. “Merlin has helped me with the potions last winter, and is thoroughly capable of recognizing it. Also, he’d young and foolish, and those qualities are good enough to climb slopes and pick flowers, if not for anything else” Said the old man, with a hint of amusement. Merlin gaped at him, shocked, but that was his come back from having told Morgana about his magic, and having her hate Gaius. He deserved it, and at least until she managed to calm herself enough to hear the old man, he’d take it gladly.
“So? Send to boy to it at once! If I remember it correctly, they fall earlier than other flowers, and soon there won’t be many left. I’m sure Arthur will be able to find someone to complete his duties” said the king, implying in a very obvious fashion that Merlin’s abilities weren’t so spectacular that they’d be missed for a few days - or forever, if that mattered. “You can go and tell the prince you’ll be out in an errand for Gaius for a few days.”
“Thank you, sire” said the doctor, and left, Merlin still trailing behind him. Once they were out of anyone else earshot, Gaius said:
“You owe me this one.”
“Thank you, Gaius” said the boy, brightly.
“And Merlin? While you’re in your secret quest to do god-knows-what-and-I’m-glad-I-don’t; please do bring me some of the flowers.”
“But you said last year they were useless” the boy protested. The slopes where it grew were far from where he was going, and it would take half a day detour to catch some.
“Not as useless as you, it seems, if you think that arriving without them will go unoticed” he said, scowling. “Now, hush, you heard the King, you must leave at once.”
Merlin took a deep breath and started walking towards their chambers before Gaius’ voice called him again.
“Merlin,” he said, and there was a glee in his tone that told the boy that he wouldn’t like what he was about to hear. “First you must tell the Prince you’re going to be out picking flowers for a week!”
The boy stopped, looking at Gaius’ amused smile, and started walking the other way around, knowing fully well that Arthur would never pass the chance to spread the story through the knights and tease him endlessly about this story.
Sometimes, he really hated his life.
Spoilers: Up to "The Sword in the Stone", eventually, beginning with "The Nightmare Begins".
Warnings: Character death, violence, possibly incest?
Pairings: Arthur/Merlin; Arthur/Gwen; Arthur/Morgana; Merlin/Morgana; Merlin/Gwen; Morgana/Gwen; Gwen/Lancelot; Morgana/Gwaine - although it's not focused in the romance at all, they all might be mentioned, so you are warned.
Rating: R
Chapter Word Count: 1.982
Summary: They said no man can change his history, but Merlin doesn't believe it. Time is his to bend and his destiny is his to shape. Again.
Chapter 2
It was a loud noise that startled Merlin awake. His body felt stiff and his position was far from comfortable as his eyes opened to see Gwen staring at him - at them, he realized, as he saw Morgana raise her head from her pillow - in utter shock.
“It’s not…”, he started, standing up in a middle jump that caused him to bump in the bed, but the girl didn’t even seemed to notice, as she moved her hands in despair.
“The King is coming” she shrieked, turning to her mistress. “He wishes to break fast with you, my lady, he’s worried about your safety.”
As if he had been summoned by the mention of his name, Uther walked in the bedroom, and Merlin could just picture the scene in his mind: Morgana in her nightgown, Gwen half soaked from the water she spilled from the basin, still laying on the ground, and him - standing there, where he shouldn’t be.
“What is the meaning of this?” he asked, his voice raised in temper. “What are you doing here?”, he turned to Morgana, instead, and there was a dangerous edge in his voice. “What has the boy done?”
The girl smiled at him, her face guarded underneath the smile the summoned to calm the King down, so fast that Merlin didn’t even had the time to wonder what she was doing before she was talking.
“Oh, you know, we were just plotting to conquer Camelot with magic, kissing each other breathless” she said, her tone clearly teasing. “And then we held hands all night and promised each other undying love.”
Uther seemed rather taken aback, unsure if he should laugh or scold her for the appealing behavior she was demonstrating this morning. Gwen, on the other hand, seemed to believe every word of it as she looked from on to the other with her eyes wide and her mouth open in a complete “o” - while Merlin could feel his skin betraying him and turning red in embarrassment. Morgana, of course, didn’t seem to even notice any of that, laughing easily before continuing.
“Actually, everyone seems to be worried about me today. Arthur sent Merlin downstairs to ask me to have breakfast with him, and Gwen says you came for the same reason. I’m fine, Uther, really.”
The King creased his brow, and it was clear that although he had accepted the explanation, he was still displeased by what had happened - both Merlin’s presence and Morgana’s words.
“It’s unseemly for a man to be at a lady’s chamber unattended - especially when she’s on her nightgown.”
Morgana’s eyebrow raised itself again, but before she could say something, Merlin spoke up.
“I’m sorry, sire, I’m so frequently late that I thought Gwen would already be here! It’s my fault…”
He was sure Uther would punish him for that - maybe he’d go to the dungeons for a few days, of maybe he’s be reacquainted with Camelot’s finest vegetables, but the girl spoke before the King could say anything.
“And now we have two men in my bedroom while I haven’t been able to wash myself yet - probably because no one around seems to know how to knock. Honestly, I need to get ready in other to attend breakfast”, she said, gesturing them to the door. “If you’ll excuse me - Merlin, tell Arthur we’ll have a family breakfast. Gwen - I’ll need some water to wash myself. Uther - I’ll be downstairs soon”.
Her tone was a clear dismissal, and the King didn’t seem to enjoy it much, but begrudgingly accepted the reprimand in her tone. Gwen curtsied and hurried out of the door, and Merlin smiled, and bowed saying “my lady”, walking away as fast as he could towards Arthur’s chambers. He was glad that he wasn’t near enough for Uther to declare his punishment right away when he heard the door close.
Merlin could barely keep himself together during the two following weeks. Morgana’s nightmares were becoming stronger, and even with his tips and talks, it was clear that once she was asleep, her magic was breaking free. It didn’t help that she hardly managed to be alone for long enough to cast a couple simple spells without being noticed and refused to tell Gwen anything about her powers in order to protect her friend. All the bottled up magic seemed to explode once she slept, and Merlin had made a habit of waking up an hour earlier than he was supposed to, so he could fix Morgana’s chambers before Gwen arrived.
He and Kilgarrah had talked about the possible consequences of his time meddling, and the dangers of disrupting time as he had done, so he knew they’d have to be extra careful: if he changed too many events, he might create a bigger mess than the one he was trying to clean. He couldn’t write people out of their lives, or major events - so he had decided to use a particular time-window to take Morgana to the Druid’s camp without disrupting everyone else’s life’s too much.
His eyes were steady in a way his confidence wasn’t when he told her it was time.
Morgana walked into the dining room with her sweetest smile. She knew exactly how she should play her tutor, if she were to get her way.
“I’ve been meaning to visit my parent’s graves” she said, when they were almost done with their supper. Uther frowned as he looked at her.
“Why is that?”
She sighed, showing the pain she used to hide within herself, allowing tears to drop from her eyes.
“I feel that, during those years in your house, I’ve been neglecting what I owe them. My condolences, my respect, my love. Although I’ve learned to love you, I still mourn and miss my own mother and father, the family I lost. We have been to my father’s grave last summer, but I haven’t been over my mother’s for more than five years. I intend to do a peregrination and visit them both.”
“Sometimes I forget, my child, that you had such heavy losses, but it doesn’t help to thrive in your pain.”
Before the man could go on, she smiled again, still a bit sad.
“Also, someone’s got to see the old castle; it won’t do you any harm that people remember that the House of Gorlois hasn’t fallen, and that they are still faithful to you, sire, and their people should be as well.”
The king smiled at the girl, patting her lightly.
“Always a strategist, Arthur’s much to learn from you. Yes, you must go. I’ll make sure some of the knights go as well. It will be good for the people of Cornwall to see you again.”
Remembering Merlin’s insistent words, Morgana spoke again.
“I’d like Gwen to come with me” she said, and dropped her head a bit. “I’ll need a maidservant for the journey, and there’s no one I’d trust as much.”
He shook his head, agreeing.
“I don’t see why not. Tell her to get your things ready; you should ride in the morning.”
“Thank you” she said, and she truly meant it, then. Uther smiled at her, and for a moment, Morgana could almost hope that he would, one day, accept her as she was, but, knowing better than to believe in that hope, she just curtsied and walked away.
The following morning, just a few moments after Morgana’s party left the city, Gaius walked into the throne room, Merlin just a step behind. He arched his eyebrows disapprovingly at the boy one last time before speaking to the King.
“I have some bad news, sire” he said, looking gloom. “The old Eldred, that traded southern plants with me died this week.”
Uther looked at him, seeming not to understand why he was being bothered with such news, but still managed to reply courteously.
“I’m sad to hear one of your friends’ died, Gaius, but that’s hardly surprising in your age.”
“You see, sire, he didn’t have the chance to get to get the golden gulmohar flowers this year, and as you surely know, those are vital to brew the potion that relieves the symptoms of lung fever; they will be sorely missed next winter, many will end up dyeing.”
“Can’t you just buy it from someone else?” asked Uther, now alarmed.
“You see, sire, it is a rare flower and too hard to find; not many can find the true golden flower of the gulmohar; there are many yellow and copper ones that can fool the untrained eye, and they’d be useless to the potion. Eldred is the only one I’ve ever seen selling it.”
The king looked that the man for a mere second before saying.
“So, surely, you must fetch the flower, Gaius. We can’t risk our people like that.”
The old physician shook his head in denial.
“Sire, the old Eldred died after falling from his horse and bumping his head, and one has to climb slopes to catch the flower. We are too old for such quests, our body too broken, and that was the curse of Eldred.” He looked really tired and old, his shoulders turned inwards to increase his frailty. “I think Merlin should fetch it, sire.”
Uther looked at the boy for the first time since they had arrived in the room.
“Will he be able to find the right flower?”
“He has dealt with it before” said Gaius, with confidence. “Merlin has helped me with the potions last winter, and is thoroughly capable of recognizing it. Also, he’d young and foolish, and those qualities are good enough to climb slopes and pick flowers, if not for anything else” Said the old man, with a hint of amusement. Merlin gaped at him, shocked, but that was his come back from having told Morgana about his magic, and having her hate Gaius. He deserved it, and at least until she managed to calm herself enough to hear the old man, he’d take it gladly.
“So? Send to boy to it at once! If I remember it correctly, they fall earlier than other flowers, and soon there won’t be many left. I’m sure Arthur will be able to find someone to complete his duties” said the king, implying in a very obvious fashion that Merlin’s abilities weren’t so spectacular that they’d be missed for a few days - or forever, if that mattered. “You can go and tell the prince you’ll be out in an errand for Gaius for a few days.”
“Thank you, sire” said the doctor, and left, Merlin still trailing behind him. Once they were out of anyone else earshot, Gaius said:
“You owe me this one.”
“Thank you, Gaius” said the boy, brightly.
“And Merlin? While you’re in your secret quest to do god-knows-what-and-I’m-glad-I-don’t; please do bring me some of the flowers.”
“But you said last year they were useless” the boy protested. The slopes where it grew were far from where he was going, and it would take half a day detour to catch some.
“Not as useless as you, it seems, if you think that arriving without them will go unoticed” he said, scowling. “Now, hush, you heard the King, you must leave at once.”
Merlin took a deep breath and started walking towards their chambers before Gaius’ voice called him again.
“Merlin,” he said, and there was a glee in his tone that told the boy that he wouldn’t like what he was about to hear. “First you must tell the Prince you’re going to be out picking flowers for a week!”
The boy stopped, looking at Gaius’ amused smile, and started walking the other way around, knowing fully well that Arthur would never pass the chance to spread the story through the knights and tease him endlessly about this story.
Sometimes, he really hated his life.