Queens Betrayal - chapters 1-4
Title: Queen's Betrayal
Genre: Angst, Hurt/comfort
Characters: Merlin, Arthur, Gaius, Gwen, Gwaine, Morgana.
Rating: T
Summary: A small AU piece from the end of Season 5 episode 'The Hollow Queen'. Merlin never really did get over Morgana's poisoning and Arthur finds out. Will the King work out the Queen's betrayal before its too late for Merlin.
A/N: Thank you to my amazing Beta April29roses for this. Shes ACE! This is over on ff.net too. I dont own Merlin im afraid. I wish. Enjoy....
Chapter One
"I still can't believe how lucky I was! I owe that boy my life and I don't know who he was, or where he was from. We need to make sure we give him a decent burial." Arthur turned to his servant as the plate was placed in front of him.
"I'll do that. If you'll allow me the time," Merlin answered.
"Oh, so, you can go and visit that girl again?"
"What?"
"Girl!" Arthur jeered.
"Don't have one." Merlin hobbled back to the table to collect the wine.
"That's not what Guinevere tells me." Blue eyes flashed over to brown ones.
"So, why don't you tell us all about her?" The King waited for a snide remark to followed.
"Right. " None came.
"And why are you walking with a limp?"
Merlin's eyes remained fixed on the Queen's for a little too long. He knew the real Gwen, and she would never in a million years have plotted to kill her husband and friend. It was never in the kind hearted maid's soul to do it.
"Merlin?" The warlock snapped out of his stare as Arthur called back from across the table. "Well?"
"I don't want to talk about it," he said simply then, placing the jug down onto the table with a little too much force. He was feeling weak again. It had been less than a day since Daegal had given him the herbs for the poison and his stomach still riled at the sight and smell of food. He was surprised he had been to keep up his calm aura for so long. His stomach was doing flip flops, while his leg refused to let up any relief from the burning sensation of the wound. Gaius had yet to examine the gash.
"Like, that is it?" Arthur smirked.
"Will that be everything, Sire?" The servant ignored the remark as his abdomen began to cramp up again, yet he refused to show his discomfort and was half way to the door.
"No!" Arthur stopped him in his tracks. "Considering you seem to have been shirking your duties for a girl, for these last two days, I expect to see all of my armor polished by tomorrow morning and you, out on the training ground by sunrise."
Merlin groaned involuntarily both at the remark and his slowly growing pain. "Of course, Sire," he said through gritted teeth.
He was out the door before his master could add to his duties and by the time the door was closed behind him, he was in agony. He doubled over and leaned heavily on the stone wall for a moment, catching his breath between the waves of nausea. This could not be happening right now. He could hear the King and the Queen's hushed voices from within, most likely gossiping about this girl he was supposed to have seen. The servant grew angered at the thought of Morgana's hold on the Queen. How could he have missed it? Why hadn't he managed to stop the kidnapping in the first place?
A minute or so passed and the pain eased, he struggled to stand back up straight. He needed to get his chores done and then maybe Gaius could give him a tonic for this discomfort. Besides, he had hardly seen his mentor all day. The physician had been busy sorting out Sarrum's body, as well as tending to other ailments across town. The warlock had barely seen his mentor, only bumping into him briefly after Sir Leon had discovered him and Daegal on the balcony. He had quickly brushed off his absence and told the old man he would explain later. Although Gaius had accepted the excuse, Merlin could tell he wasn't pleased.
The warlock managed to get to the armory without seeing anyone. He took shortcuts; besides it was getting late now. Many had retired to their chambers. By the time he had gathered the King's armor and lit a torch in the far corner, with a flash of gold, the pain was returning. He clutched his stomach as it revolted again, but this time he retched, bringing up what little, if any food, he had eaten during the day. He noted it was very little.
"For goodness sake," the servant whispered and sank down against the wall, as sweat began to gather on his forehead. He really had thought the poison was gone. He'd managed to run the whole way back to Camelot overnight and although he had felt drained today, it was nothing like this. 'Well, at least I helped save Arthur' he thought as he let himself sink further down to the floor, allowing the agony radiating from his stomach to simply wash through him. Maybe he should try and return back to his chambers for a potion before continuing, he thought.
The warlock stayed slumped there for several minutes. It could have been hours, he didn't know, until he could feel the waves of pain waning again. The annoying buzzing had returned to his ears now. That sound was all he could hear as he lay half conscious and paralyzed on the forest floor the night before. Letting out a small groan he managed to his feet again, placing an outstretched palm over his aching forehead. "Think I might get that potion first, after all," he thought, though the haze of his throbbing head.
"Merlin?" The servant suddenly straightened up at the sound of his master's voice. "Merlin, are you in here?"
Arthur's form finally came into view.
"I'm here," the warlock said, a little too quietly from the far corner. "Is there something I can do for you?"
The king huffed, placing hands onto his hips in annoyance. "I thought I told you to polish my armor?" He scowled at his friends form with a questioning look.
"Ah" Merlin shuffled his feet over to the pile of metal, "I was just..."
"Sulking?" Arthur interjected. "I saw how you were earlier" he continued before the warlock had a chance to answer. "I know you're upset about something, perhaps this girl?"
"Ha!" Merlin stifled a laugh then as his body rippled with another wave of pain. It was definitely not getting any better. He turned sideways letting his face grimace at the agony away from his master. "There is no girl," he blurted out quickly, not trusting his voice much further.
"Then, what is it?" Arthur moved closer, but stopped short as he noticed his servant shaking slightly.
"Nothing" Merlin cried, a little too quickly in response, he pulled a hand to cover his mouth, feeling the bile rising in his throat. Not again. Leaning heavily on the wall, he dry heaved several times.
"You're sick!" The king rushed forward, only to help his friend gently sink to his knees.
"M' fine." The warlock swallowed back the nausea, desperately trying to clear the vile acidic taste in his mouth. "It's nothing." He avoided eye contact with his master.
"Nothing?" Now Arthur sounded concerned, not that he'd admit it. He bent down and placed his hands on his friend's shoulders, steadying the servant from swaying violently. "You don't look like it's nothing," his brows furrowed looking at his friend. Merlin's forehead was now covered in a light sheen of sweat. He was shaking, and even in the dim lit room the King could see all colour had drained from the man's face. His eyes darted from one side to the other in a bid to not look at the King. Arthur shook him gently to try and rouse him out of his state.
"Something I ate," Merlin slurred out, struggling with consciousness and the pain which was beginning to become unbearable. The world was beginning to spin around him, his vision blurring in and out, in waves.
"Don't be an idiot. I'm taking you to Gaius." Arthur tried to pull him up, but his friend's weight seemed to become heavier then. "Merlin?"
The servant let out a short deep moan and then pitched forward into Arthur. The king guided his friend's body gently to the floor and the warlock began to twitch. Subtly at first, until quickly, his whole body was jerking violently and convulsing.
"Merlin?!" Arthur hollered in panic. His friend twisted and writhed on the floor, letting out low moans as every twitch and spasm wracked his body. His eyes rolled back and flicked furiously. A small trickle of crimson coloured saliva tracked down his white cheek from the corner of his mouth. His neck muscles seized up, throwing his head back into an unnatural angle. Merlin's breaths came in short gasps from between his jaws locked together. Arthur had heard of fits and never before had to deal with one, but he remembered Gaius's words from many years ago. He turned his friend quickly onto his side, allowing more of the warlocks saliva to escape his rigid mouth. Ignoring the kicks and blows from his friends twitching and uncontrolled limbs, the King tried not to close his eyes against the sight of his friend so helpless. His heart pounded maybe even faster than the servant's and his own hands trembled in panic as he tried to steady his friend's shaking form.
"Guards!" Arthur shouted. He pulled the warlock half onto his lap, cradling his head so it didn't collide with the stone floor. "Merlin, wake up, you clot pole! Stop playing games" Arthur felt as if his heart was going to beat so fast it would actually break his ribs, surely this had to stop. He thought his friend had been convulsing for an age, yet it had only been around a minute. "Merlin!" The servant made no response except to whimper as the spasms began to subside. Finally, as the twitching came to a stop, his body relaxed. Arthur saw his eyes roll back forward, glazed and unseeing, and then his lids closed.
"Guards!" The king shouted. "Merlin!" He was practically screaming like a girl, "Wake up!"
Chapter 2
"Guards!" Arthur hollered for what seemed like the thousandth time but there was still no response from outside the chamber. "Bloody incompetent fools! Is this castle actually guarded at all!" Arthur would be livid later at the guards for not being on duty, or simply being half awake. They would regret it for a long time to come.
"Merlin?" He jostled his friend lightly and the warlock grumbled in protest. "What's wrong with you?"
Merlin let out a small gurgled response, which the King could not understand. His eyes flickered open. Their deep blue only conveyed the agony the warlock could felt on the inside. He tried to speak again, and for a moment, only great gasps of air could be heard as he struggled for a breath.
"Poison," was all he could manage, before letting out another stifled cry of pain, as his body jolted with a spasm. Tiny flecks of blood appearing on his pale lips as he coughed weakly.
"What?" Arthur's panic rose another notch and he hollered for the guards only, yet again there was no response "Why the hell didn't you say that, you stupid idiot!"
Rushing to stand up, he scooped his friend up behind the knees and chest, cringing at the strangled cry the servant emitted, as he was lifted from the stone flooring. "We don't have time to wait for useless guards! Time to pay Gaius a visit, I feel."
Merlin protested weakly, grasping tightly onto his master's tunic as the waves of pain crashed through his body. Arthur paid little heed, setting off at a run down the corridor and up the stairs, nearly slamming into several guards as they descended.
"Find the court physician," the King bellowed, before the men had even registered who they had almost collided with. "Now!" The men set off at a sprint, ahead of the king and his friend.
"A..thur" the younger man tried to speak again, through the ragged intakes of air.
"Just hold on, Merlin!" Arthur pulled his sickened friend closer to him, rearranging his grip on the young man. He could feel the heat of a fever radiating from the servant's body even through his own tunic.
Arthur didn't notice the stares of the few late night servants and house maids he passed, he hurtled through the castle grounds, towards the physician's chambers. There would be gossiping in the morning in the kitchens for sure! Merlin's breaths were coming fast and harsh and it was all the King could hear over his own pounding heart and feet. Both of the warlocks hands were now curled into fists and his face contorted in anguish.
"Arthur?" The warlock cringed as his stomach heaved again but the King did not stop his momentum, now at the top of the steps and into the main building. As he sprinted up the remaining corridors and into the physicians wing of the castle he started to shout.
It was clear the guards had made it before him, because one was conveniently holding the door open as Arthur burst into the physician's chambers.
"Gaius?"
"On the bed," the old man motioned to the cot in the room. Arthur lowered his friend down only to find Merlin's hand still grasping his tunic, balled into a tight fist.
"You need to let go." He prized the warlocks sweaty hand apart with difficulty, surprised at the strength of his grip. "Please Merlin?" he struggled to hold his voice and it waved with his panicked state.
Gaius was already examining his ward as the king took a step back finally, catching his breath he didn't even realize he'd lost. "What happened?" The old man stripped the younger one of his coat and neckerchief and then his boots, before Arthur could even conceive an answer. "Well?"
"I.. I don't know." Arthur brought a hand up to his forehead, wiping away his own beads of sweat. "He said poison. That was all I could get out of him, and while I was down in the armory with him he had some sort of fit!"
"Poison?" Gaius echoed. He bent over the warlock then, prizing his eye lids apart to glance at his eyes. He gently shook his shoulders to try and rouse the man. "Merlin," he cried. "Merlin, can you hear me?"
The servant groaned incoherently and tossed his head from side to side as if in a nightmare.
"Merlin, what happened?"
"Mm," his throat refused to co-operate. "More" he let out a choked cry as he heaved yet again and fresh blood coated his now blue tinged lips. "Morgana," he finally croaked before his body gave out. He felt himself spiral into darkness and away from the agony finally.
"Did he tell you where he has been these past few days?" Gaius hurried over to the shelves fetching several vials and a couple of old tomes. He returned to the bedside.
"A girl," was all the King could stammer out in return. "Gwen said a girl!"
"I doubt that very much, my Lord." Gaius tipped the warlock's head back, emptying two full vials into his ward's mouth. Merlin swallowed reflexively. "Sounds like the work of Morgana to me."
"But why would Gwen lie to me? And why on earth would Morgana want to poison Merlin?" Arthur's head swam with enough questions to make him feel dizzy.
"There are a good number of reasons why," Gaius shot, opening one of the books, flicking hastily through the pages. "Here!" He thrust a bucket of cool water into the King's stomach. "Keep him cool, he has a raging fever."
Arthur nodded but did not reply, soaking the provided cloth in the cool fresh water. He placed it over his servant's brow. Merlin winced at the feeling of cold on his burning skin and mumbled yet again.
Gaius turned back to the book, scrolling the pages and his eyes flicked over them quickly, trying his best to find what he was looking for. Within moments then, Gwen burst through the door, making her way over to her husband.
"I came as soon as I heard!" She hovered around the bedside for a moment. "Who on earth would want to poison Merlin?" she added.
"How do you know?" Gaius stopped his search and looked up to the Queen suspiciously. "Arthur and I have only just found out."
"The guard," Gwen stammered and Arthur eyed her for a second. "The guard said something about it looking like poison."
Merlin broke the awkward silence then as his body was wracked with coughing, jarring his pale form on the bed. Gaius rushed to his ward's side, holding a cloth close to the young man's mouth. He sucked in short intakes of breath between hacking jerks, lips turning a shade of blue at lack of oxygen. As the servants body finally began to exhaust the physician pulled the cloth back, his worried look reflecting the King's, his normal physician mode had melted away to reveal a very alarmed Gaius. They both glanced at the blood stained cloth, coated with a fresh sheen of crimson, more coated the warlocks mouth.
"I need to retrieve some rare herbs," he said then, leaving the cloth on the work bench. Gaius pulled his bag down and slung his coat over his shoulders. "Keep him cool for the moment, I will not be long at all! I need something to stop this bleeding!" He hurried off, out of the room and down the corridor, faster than Arthur had ever seen the man move.
Gwen pulled a stool up next to the King, taking her husband's free hand in her own.
"I can't believe I missed this!" Arthur shook his head, placing a newly replenished cold compress on his servant's brow.
"Don't blame yourself." Gwen smiled falsely. "You've been busy with matters of court. You know what Merlin is like, getting himself into trouble for no good reason."
"He may be clumsy, Gwen." The King shook his head, "but he's not clumsy enough to get himself accidentally poisoned. And besides, he murmured something about Morgana before completely fainting like a girl." The last few words he spoke as if the other man could hear him.
Guinevere's face dropped at the mention of Morgana.
"He has some explaining to do, once he wakes." Arthur pulled his hand free from hers and dunked the now warm cloth back into the water.
If it was possible Gwen's face became even graver. "Let me take over?" She stopped Arthur's hand midway back to Merlin's brow. "You must be tired, you have an eventful few days."
"I'm fine," Arthur's voice raised in both anger and frustration, he pulled his wrist away quickly and placed the cloth back in its place.
"Arthur?" Merlin's croaking weak voice whispered as he felt the coolness replaced on his fevered brow.
If looks could kill, the warlock would be dead, as the Queen shot a look at him on the cot. Arthur continued, not noticing his wife's bitter face. His own brows were furrowed tightly in concern as he studied his servant's pained features.
"I insist, Arthur!" She pushed his arm to stop him again, trying to pull his attention from his friend. "You need to rest." She took the servant's pale hand in her own then. "I promise I will come and find you if anything changes."
Arthur's brows knitted tighter at her insistence and he looked from Merlin's pale form to her pleading eyes. He considered her desperate look for a moment, wondering why she was so keen to watch over the younger man.
"Okay," he said slowly, looking deep into her eyes then back to Merlin, "but I will be back in a few hours to take over. You need to sleep too."
"I'm sure Gaius can manage." The fake smile came again, but it passed by the King unseen, "I'll sit with him until he returns and then I'll be there."
"I'll send a knight to guard the door." Arthur rose from his seat.
"That won't be necessary," Guinevere shot back, "I mean..." She panicked, backtracking. "I doubt whoever poisoned Merlin, will be returning tonight do you?"
Arthur hummed in response and turned to leave, an unreadable look on his face. "I won't be long" he said, pulling the chamber door behind himself hesitantly.
"No rush." Gwen's face fell as soon as her husband left, and she let go of the servant's hand, letting it drop from the bedside. Once Arthur's footsteps had retreated out of ear shot she kicked the seat aside, maneuvering to Gaius's stash of potions. Hurriedly, she began to sort through them! Surely there was something deadly in here! She pulled the vials and bottles apart, as she searched wildly, until finally, she found was she was looking for. Holding up the small vial she smiled again, she would make the lady Morgana very proud.
Chapter 3
Gwen studied the vial and its contents carefully, watching the liquid slosh around as she gently agitated the bottle. She smiled, looking at the skull and cross bones on the label; remembering this was the poison that Merlin had once used to try and kill the lady Morgana. The thought sent her into blinding anger. She wanted to do nothing more than strangle the warlock in front of her, right there and then, but that would be far too obvious. She uncorked the vial; she was going to savor the moment she killed Arthur's pesky servant.
"What's that?" A voice came from the doorway and Guinevere's head spun in the direction to meet Sir Gwaine's suspicious face.
"Just a tonic Gaius has prescribed him for the pain." The Queen smiled, turning back and ensuring the label was covered fully with her hand she proceeded to tip the vial closer to Merlin's lips. The liquid reached the rim and two drops contacted with the servants lips, sliding outward and then down his pale cheek, not reaching their desired destination. Suddenly Gwaine's gloved hand clasped tightly onto Gwen's wrist.
"What are you doing?" The rough knight growled, forcing her hand backward and away from Merlin's prone form.
"I told..."
"This is deadly hemlock!" Gwaine snatched the vial from her grip.
"So it is." Gwen plastered a look of alarm over the anger simmering under the surface. "I must have been mistaken!" She stood. "I was so sure this was the vial Gaius had told me to give, and I nearly killed him," she joked. "Thank God you were here to stop me." She flustered about and went back over to the vial stash, looking through them.
"Perhaps you meant to give it?" Gwaine did not move from the spot; he eyed her with suspicion.
"What?" Gwen rounded on her heels, this time the look of pure anger clear on her face.
"How dare you! I would never hurt Merlin; we've been friends for years."
"That's what worries me!" The Knight's hard set look told her that he didn't believe a word she had to say. He stepped forward, towering over her threateningly, "So I ask you again. What were you doing?"
Gwen shook her head, "I told you I was mistaken."
"Then we shall see what Arthur has to say about this." Gwaine latched onto her arm, dragging her towards the door. She resisted, struggling in his grip, the vial dropped and it made a shrill pop as it smashed on the flagstones.
"Arthur?" Merlin's weak voice came from the bed, and it was enough of a distraction for Gwen to pull free from his grip, her dress sleeve tearing in the process.
"Guards!" she shouted, racing to the door, Gwaine in tow, red faced and irate. He grabbed her again as she tried to escape the room, just as two burly guards rounded the corner.
"Help!" Guinevere pulled weakly on the Knight's grip in an attempt to look overpowered. The sentinels quickened their pace, they grabbed Gwaine around the arms, forcing them away from Gwen and behind his back.
"This knight was molesting me!" The Queen pointed, "Inform the King, and take him to the dungeons!"
Gwaine struggled wildly in the guard's grip but failed. He said nothing for a moment, his face contorting in unimaginable anger. They pulled him backwards down the corridor, Gwen smirked and made for the physicians chambers.
"Don't you dare touch Merlin!" Gwaine bellowed from down the corridor just as he disappeared.
The Queen reentered the physician's chamber, a smug look gracing her features, she stared at the smashed vial in the middle of the floor.
"What is going on?" Gaius pulled her away from her thoughts suddenly. The old man appeared in the doorway, breathless, holding a large bunch of mixed herbs and bagged powders.
"Oh, Gaius!" Gwen's face melted into worry, "Gwaine, he... he was trying to poison Merlin!" She pointed to the vial of hemlock, now smashed on the floor, the label still very much readable. The physician eyed it with suspicion.
"Where is Arthur," was all he replied, keeping his voice steady and calm against the concern underneath.
"I sent him to retire to his chambers, but when I returned, Gwaine was trying to give the poison to Merlin!" The Queen wrung her hands in anticipation of the old man's reaction, but Gaius did not give her the satisfaction.
"Then I suggest you retire as well" Gaius set the herbs down on the bench and began to work, pulling leaves off of some plants and slicing others, filling a nearby pestle. "It sounds like the castle is not safe tonight; I will find you a guard to escort you" Gaius gave her a pointed look, his eye brow hitched high, eyes examining her false face with skepticism.
"That will not be necessary." Guinevere smiled and bowed, "You know the King's chambers is not a three minute walk from here." She headed to the door, slightly nonplussed at the fact she was being made to leave. "Please inform us of any change." She skirted out the door and away into the night.
The moment she left, Gaius rushed to the bedside of his ward, studying the warlock's face carefully. "Merlin?"
The warlock groaned and shifted on the cot, brows furrowing in discomfort. Gaius studied his lips closely, hastily wiping away the residue of hemlock and flecks of blood which were still evident.
"Merlin. You need to wake up my lad." the physician gently nudged the mans shoulders and his patient groaned again, "Merlin?"
"Gaius?" The servant smacked his lips together, in an attempt to rid them of their dryness. He kept his eyes tightly closed knowing the thumping headache would not be so bearable once a crack of light hit his retinas. He could feel his muscles aching but thankfully he could feel the soft cushioned bed beneath him. He hazarded a guess that he was in his chambers, considering the smell of herbs and spices around him. "What happened?" he choked out.
Gaius brought a fresh cup of water to his ward's lips. "I was hoping you could tell me?"
Merlin took a large gulp of the liquid and then let out a pained moan as he raised himself on his elbows slowly and shakily. Gaius held him steady as his body let out another shudder, but refused to open his eyes "Gwen." He said with a croak.
"I thought as much." Gaius placed the cup down, feeling his ward's burning forehead. "But what about these last two days?"
"Ah," the warlock cracked a small smile which the physician refused to mirror, "Turns out Morgana knows exactly how to lure me out into the middle of nowhere." He shuddered again, letting Gaius push him back into the soft bed gently.
"And what happened while you were in the middle of nowhere?" Gaius pulled the pestle and mortar back into his grasp and began to crush the contents in haste.
"She poisoned me."
Gaius nodded, his face paling. He quickly added more herbs, water and mixed hastily in a bid to rid his thoughts of the image of his boy; poisoned and laying helpless in the forest alone.
"How did you get back to Camelot?"
"Daegal," Merlin's words slurred a little, "He gave me something just in time and I made my way back here, but seems I haven't been completely healed."
The physician hummed in response, he tipped the green substance he had made into a small cup and added a tiny dash of liquor from a small collection of bottles. He gently placed the mixture into the servant's hand and pushed it towards his mouth. "This will help." Merlin complied, downing the liquid in one go with a grimace at the taste.
"Thank you" Merlin let out a sigh, relaxing back into the bed.
"You are not out of the woods yet my boy." Gaius turned his attention to the warlock's leg wound, removing the now stained and dirty dressing. "If Gwen is so intent on finishing you off, then you are no longer safe, even in my chambers it seems."
The servant let out an incoherent mumble before pulling himself to the side and retching over the edge of the bed.
"Merlin?" Gaius face grew grave; he cupped the man's face and quickly wiped his lips clean of saliva and blood. The warlock groaned and twitched involuntarily, the physician held him steady as a convulsion passed as quickly as it came.
"Gaius?" The warlock's voice was quieter and weaker this time. "I think I'm dying from the inside out."
If it was possible, Gaius's face became even graver.
Chapter 4
"What's this about Gwaine?" Arthur bellowed, bursting into the physician's chambers. He had spent much of the night brooding, and dawn was beginning to break. His angry stance in the doorway soon melted away as he noticed the old man crouched by the bed. Merlin was in the midst of another convulsion, body tensing and twitching again. To the King's relief the episode lasted but a few seconds, he watched worriedly as Gaius eased the young servant back onto the cot. Merlin's face was streaming with sweat, his black hair sticking to his forehead. Impossibly, he was actually paler than the night before
"What's happening?" Finally realizing he was still frozen to the spot, the King hurried over to greet the physician.
Gaius looked to at his ward painfully, then back to Arthur. "His body is fighting the poison, my lord," he answered simply. He shifted stiffly to the work bench to prepare more medicine.
"But, he'll be ok?" Arthur reiterated, more to himself. When no immediate answer came he began to panic. "Gaius?"
"I cannot say for sure."
"This is Gwaine's doing isn't it?" Arthur's face almost turned a deep purple as his anger rose, "I'll kill him!" His fists clutched tightly as he turned to look at his friend's form on the bed. The tension surged between the two men against the terrible background of Merlin's ragged breaths from across the room. He was fighting for each gulp of air, his throat swollen.
"No." finally Gaius answered. "This is not Gwaine's doing at all."
"What?" the King could only twist his face in confusion, lip curling up, brows tightening. "What are you trying to say?"
"I'm not sure I am the one to be making allegations right now Sire," the physician kept a poker face, giving little emotion away to the other man. He dropped his voice low so that Arthur was forced to move closer "And I also suggest you refrain from shouting. Any excessive noise or sudden sounds seems to send my boy into another fit. I simply dropped a pot earlier and you walked in on the result."
Arthur's face dropped to the floor, as guilt washed through him. After all, he was here for Merlin. Whether he admitted it or not, he was seriously worried about his friend. He made his way over to the bed, letting himself drop onto the stool beside it.
Merlin's face was still cascading with sweat, his tunic was clinging to his chest as it rose and fell unevenly. Arthur watched painfully as his servant took each labored breath as if it were his last, he watched intently, holding his own exhale between his friends. "I'm sorry." he finally stuttered out, wringing his hands in nervousness. He wasn't sure if he was apologizing to Merlin, himself or the physician.
"Please." The warlock gasped out, drawing both men's attention. His face suddenly pinched in pain, his body shuddering as if his agony was building. Gaius rushed forward, and tried to ease him, gently shaking the servant's shoulders. Merlin only responded by moaning, his voice straining hoarsely. "Please, just kill me, please."
The warlock turned quickly, retching over the side of the cot, Arthur shot back out of his seat. To the physician's dismay, the servant brought up what little water he had managed to get down the man not long ago. But the amount of blood he had seen before was clearly lessening, the medicine the physician had put together earlier seemed to have done the job.
"Is there nothing we can do? No remedy or cure I can go and get for him?" The king looked to Gaius for reassurance, but found very little. The old man's face had melted into despair and Arthur was sure he had never seen the physician so desperate before. For a moment, the King thought the old man had aged overnight; clearly he had got little to no sleep while tending to his ward.
"This isn't like when he was poisoned at the feast with Lord Bayard." The physician shook his head.
"No" Merlin's voice broke the Kings concentration yet again, and both men stepped back toward the bed. "No, no, no," whispered Merlin brokenly, still fighting to breathe as he tossed his head from side to side, as if he faced some horror. Arthur pulled his friend's hand into his own, clasping it tightly. "Please no, not the fire." The warlock's voice was weak and croaky; tears seeped from the corners of his tightly shut lids. He let out an agonizing screech and jerked, his eyes flashing open.
"Merlin?" Arthur rubbed the young man's hand, trying to draw his unseeing gaze from the ceiling. The warlock did not move, but simply stared.
"Merlin?" Arthur grasped his friend's shoulder tightly and the servant turned to him. He gasped, whether in fear or recognition, Arthur was not sure, but the warlock shrank back into the bed. "What's wrong with you?"
"Are you here to kill me?" Merlin squeaked trying to pull away from the Kings grip. His eyes flared in panic from their sunken darkened sockets.
Arthur released his hand as if touching a burning pot, he stepped back. "What?' Why? Merlin, it's me, you idiot."
"Please, no, " he moaned again. He gagged as he fought for another breath. He heaved again, his body jerking painfully, slightly bloody foam pooling and running from his mouth. Even as Gaius reached past Arthur to clear his airway and reposition his ward on the bed, the warlock rolled sideways, curling in on himself as he closed his eyes. He mumbled incoherently and his arms and hands twitched spasmodically, even as he faded from awareness.
"What's wrong with him?" Gaius took his time answering. He cleaned his ward's face and moved soiled bedding aside, as Merlin continued his labored, twitching slumber.
"I'm not sure." Gaius covered his boy with a thin blanket and studied his face for a moment. "It seems he is becoming delusional, it may be the fever, but I'm not convinced. I'm not sure he actually recognized us." The old man looked up at Arthur with a fear in his dark eyes that was as unfamiliar as it was unsettling. Gaius opened his mouth to add something, but after looking at his king, he simply closed his eyes in pain, turning away, and the old man did not speak again. For some reason, Arthur remembered Guinevere's face as she sent him away, leaving Merlin to her care. He felt his unease grow into a swell of disbelief and a sinking suspicion. There was something not ringing true about all of this.
Arthur paced then, backward and forward. He rubbed his brows in frustration. No matter where his thoughts turned, they encountered only horror and confusion.
Gwaine counted the drops of moisture as they dripped from the wall, plopping gently onto the stone flooring in the corner. He pulled the threadbare blanket around his shoulders and shuddered. It would soon be at least half a day he had spent in the cells. He was oddly patient now; it wasn't the first time the knight had spent behind bars.
He'd spent the majority of the night in the prison kicking up a fuss. He was desperate to know how his friend was. There was an untrustworthy Queen roaming the castle with the will to clearly end the young servant's life. Gwaine was jittery. He was thankful to have seen Gaius on his journey that night. He knew the old man would protect his ward without fail. After hours of shouting, he'd finally quelled his urge to hit the next guard who told him to calm down. All he could do now was wait and hope. As he let out another shudder he heard the dungeon doors open. It wasn't time for a guard change yet. The knight looked suspiciously up to see the King stride into his view.
"I expect you have some kind of reasonable explanation for this!" Arthur stopped at the door and crossed his arms, looking more than a little bit angry.
Gwaine had already thought it over enough times. He could have used the excuse of having one too many at the tavern again, but he was certain he wasn't going to let this one slide, not when Merlin's life was at stake. And besides, he had come to one almost certain conclusion. "The Queen is enchanted," he said after a long and uneasy pause.
Arthur sighed loudly, shaking his head. "And exactly how does that explain why you tried to kill my servant?"
The knight let out a short laugh. "I didn't, I saved him!" Gwaine pulled the blanket off his shoulders and stood. "When I arrived at Gaius's chambers, your good wife was trying to poison Merlin, not the other way around."
"You would do well to take care who you're accusing here, Gwaine." Arthur's face turned more serious, if it was possible. The King paused again for a moment. Gwaine could almost see the two different sides of the story begin to conflict within him, his face tensed. "However, I do know there is something about this that isn't adding up."
"Then you believe me?" the knight stepped forward, curling his calloused hands around the rusty metal bars.
"I'm not sure." Arthur stalled for a moment. Gwaine saw the doubt cross his face once again, pinching in frustration. As a knight of Camelot would always do, he seized the opening as soon as he found it.
"Then answer me this one, Princess," Gwaine shot , "How did Sarrum's assassin not only get up to the locked balcony, but also know when you were to be meeting in the great hall? Something tells me Merlin knows a little more about this than he's letting on!"
"It would be helpful if Merlin could actually talk sense." Gwaine's attention intensified as he looked at the king, following his mention of his servant. The knight's heart sank with every word of Arthur's that followed. "The poison seems to have taken hold, he's overtaken with fits. The idiot seems to be making less sense than his usual senseless self." Gwaine could hear the affection in the Kings voice, yet all he could see was Gwen's form bent over his best friend's mumbling and incoherent form.
"Then make him make sense!" Gwaine's voice rose, but he didn't shout, his frustration growing with each worried pound of his heart. "Don't you see Princess?" he growled, "Someone wants your servant dead because he knows something. And something tells me either Morgana or Gwen have something to do with it."
Arthur only nodded in response, pursing his lips together in deep thought. "Thank you Gwaine" was all he managed, turning to leave abruptly. He paused at the door, but he did not look back.
The knight stood perplexed for a moment, his heart thundering in fear for Merlin's health, hoping that Arthur could admit what was he saw in front of him. He watched silently as the King left, the iron doors creaking and crashing as they were slammed shut behind the monarch. The he was alone again, with nothing but his thoughts and his fears to keep him company.
Genre: Angst, Hurt/comfort
Characters: Merlin, Arthur, Gaius, Gwen, Gwaine, Morgana.
Rating: T
Summary: A small AU piece from the end of Season 5 episode 'The Hollow Queen'. Merlin never really did get over Morgana's poisoning and Arthur finds out. Will the King work out the Queen's betrayal before its too late for Merlin.
A/N: Thank you to my amazing Beta April29roses for this. Shes ACE! This is over on ff.net too. I dont own Merlin im afraid. I wish. Enjoy....
Chapter One
"I still can't believe how lucky I was! I owe that boy my life and I don't know who he was, or where he was from. We need to make sure we give him a decent burial." Arthur turned to his servant as the plate was placed in front of him.
"I'll do that. If you'll allow me the time," Merlin answered.
"Oh, so, you can go and visit that girl again?"
"What?"
"Girl!" Arthur jeered.
"Don't have one." Merlin hobbled back to the table to collect the wine.
"That's not what Guinevere tells me." Blue eyes flashed over to brown ones.
"So, why don't you tell us all about her?" The King waited for a snide remark to followed.
"Right. " None came.
"And why are you walking with a limp?"
Merlin's eyes remained fixed on the Queen's for a little too long. He knew the real Gwen, and she would never in a million years have plotted to kill her husband and friend. It was never in the kind hearted maid's soul to do it.
"Merlin?" The warlock snapped out of his stare as Arthur called back from across the table. "Well?"
"I don't want to talk about it," he said simply then, placing the jug down onto the table with a little too much force. He was feeling weak again. It had been less than a day since Daegal had given him the herbs for the poison and his stomach still riled at the sight and smell of food. He was surprised he had been to keep up his calm aura for so long. His stomach was doing flip flops, while his leg refused to let up any relief from the burning sensation of the wound. Gaius had yet to examine the gash.
"Like, that is it?" Arthur smirked.
"Will that be everything, Sire?" The servant ignored the remark as his abdomen began to cramp up again, yet he refused to show his discomfort and was half way to the door.
"No!" Arthur stopped him in his tracks. "Considering you seem to have been shirking your duties for a girl, for these last two days, I expect to see all of my armor polished by tomorrow morning and you, out on the training ground by sunrise."
Merlin groaned involuntarily both at the remark and his slowly growing pain. "Of course, Sire," he said through gritted teeth.
He was out the door before his master could add to his duties and by the time the door was closed behind him, he was in agony. He doubled over and leaned heavily on the stone wall for a moment, catching his breath between the waves of nausea. This could not be happening right now. He could hear the King and the Queen's hushed voices from within, most likely gossiping about this girl he was supposed to have seen. The servant grew angered at the thought of Morgana's hold on the Queen. How could he have missed it? Why hadn't he managed to stop the kidnapping in the first place?
A minute or so passed and the pain eased, he struggled to stand back up straight. He needed to get his chores done and then maybe Gaius could give him a tonic for this discomfort. Besides, he had hardly seen his mentor all day. The physician had been busy sorting out Sarrum's body, as well as tending to other ailments across town. The warlock had barely seen his mentor, only bumping into him briefly after Sir Leon had discovered him and Daegal on the balcony. He had quickly brushed off his absence and told the old man he would explain later. Although Gaius had accepted the excuse, Merlin could tell he wasn't pleased.
The warlock managed to get to the armory without seeing anyone. He took shortcuts; besides it was getting late now. Many had retired to their chambers. By the time he had gathered the King's armor and lit a torch in the far corner, with a flash of gold, the pain was returning. He clutched his stomach as it revolted again, but this time he retched, bringing up what little, if any food, he had eaten during the day. He noted it was very little.
"For goodness sake," the servant whispered and sank down against the wall, as sweat began to gather on his forehead. He really had thought the poison was gone. He'd managed to run the whole way back to Camelot overnight and although he had felt drained today, it was nothing like this. 'Well, at least I helped save Arthur' he thought as he let himself sink further down to the floor, allowing the agony radiating from his stomach to simply wash through him. Maybe he should try and return back to his chambers for a potion before continuing, he thought.
The warlock stayed slumped there for several minutes. It could have been hours, he didn't know, until he could feel the waves of pain waning again. The annoying buzzing had returned to his ears now. That sound was all he could hear as he lay half conscious and paralyzed on the forest floor the night before. Letting out a small groan he managed to his feet again, placing an outstretched palm over his aching forehead. "Think I might get that potion first, after all," he thought, though the haze of his throbbing head.
"Merlin?" The servant suddenly straightened up at the sound of his master's voice. "Merlin, are you in here?"
Arthur's form finally came into view.
"I'm here," the warlock said, a little too quietly from the far corner. "Is there something I can do for you?"
The king huffed, placing hands onto his hips in annoyance. "I thought I told you to polish my armor?" He scowled at his friends form with a questioning look.
"Ah" Merlin shuffled his feet over to the pile of metal, "I was just..."
"Sulking?" Arthur interjected. "I saw how you were earlier" he continued before the warlock had a chance to answer. "I know you're upset about something, perhaps this girl?"
"Ha!" Merlin stifled a laugh then as his body rippled with another wave of pain. It was definitely not getting any better. He turned sideways letting his face grimace at the agony away from his master. "There is no girl," he blurted out quickly, not trusting his voice much further.
"Then, what is it?" Arthur moved closer, but stopped short as he noticed his servant shaking slightly.
"Nothing" Merlin cried, a little too quickly in response, he pulled a hand to cover his mouth, feeling the bile rising in his throat. Not again. Leaning heavily on the wall, he dry heaved several times.
"You're sick!" The king rushed forward, only to help his friend gently sink to his knees.
"M' fine." The warlock swallowed back the nausea, desperately trying to clear the vile acidic taste in his mouth. "It's nothing." He avoided eye contact with his master.
"Nothing?" Now Arthur sounded concerned, not that he'd admit it. He bent down and placed his hands on his friend's shoulders, steadying the servant from swaying violently. "You don't look like it's nothing," his brows furrowed looking at his friend. Merlin's forehead was now covered in a light sheen of sweat. He was shaking, and even in the dim lit room the King could see all colour had drained from the man's face. His eyes darted from one side to the other in a bid to not look at the King. Arthur shook him gently to try and rouse him out of his state.
"Something I ate," Merlin slurred out, struggling with consciousness and the pain which was beginning to become unbearable. The world was beginning to spin around him, his vision blurring in and out, in waves.
"Don't be an idiot. I'm taking you to Gaius." Arthur tried to pull him up, but his friend's weight seemed to become heavier then. "Merlin?"
The servant let out a short deep moan and then pitched forward into Arthur. The king guided his friend's body gently to the floor and the warlock began to twitch. Subtly at first, until quickly, his whole body was jerking violently and convulsing.
"Merlin?!" Arthur hollered in panic. His friend twisted and writhed on the floor, letting out low moans as every twitch and spasm wracked his body. His eyes rolled back and flicked furiously. A small trickle of crimson coloured saliva tracked down his white cheek from the corner of his mouth. His neck muscles seized up, throwing his head back into an unnatural angle. Merlin's breaths came in short gasps from between his jaws locked together. Arthur had heard of fits and never before had to deal with one, but he remembered Gaius's words from many years ago. He turned his friend quickly onto his side, allowing more of the warlocks saliva to escape his rigid mouth. Ignoring the kicks and blows from his friends twitching and uncontrolled limbs, the King tried not to close his eyes against the sight of his friend so helpless. His heart pounded maybe even faster than the servant's and his own hands trembled in panic as he tried to steady his friend's shaking form.
"Guards!" Arthur shouted. He pulled the warlock half onto his lap, cradling his head so it didn't collide with the stone floor. "Merlin, wake up, you clot pole! Stop playing games" Arthur felt as if his heart was going to beat so fast it would actually break his ribs, surely this had to stop. He thought his friend had been convulsing for an age, yet it had only been around a minute. "Merlin!" The servant made no response except to whimper as the spasms began to subside. Finally, as the twitching came to a stop, his body relaxed. Arthur saw his eyes roll back forward, glazed and unseeing, and then his lids closed.
"Guards!" The king shouted. "Merlin!" He was practically screaming like a girl, "Wake up!"
Chapter 2
"Guards!" Arthur hollered for what seemed like the thousandth time but there was still no response from outside the chamber. "Bloody incompetent fools! Is this castle actually guarded at all!" Arthur would be livid later at the guards for not being on duty, or simply being half awake. They would regret it for a long time to come.
"Merlin?" He jostled his friend lightly and the warlock grumbled in protest. "What's wrong with you?"
Merlin let out a small gurgled response, which the King could not understand. His eyes flickered open. Their deep blue only conveyed the agony the warlock could felt on the inside. He tried to speak again, and for a moment, only great gasps of air could be heard as he struggled for a breath.
"Poison," was all he could manage, before letting out another stifled cry of pain, as his body jolted with a spasm. Tiny flecks of blood appearing on his pale lips as he coughed weakly.
"What?" Arthur's panic rose another notch and he hollered for the guards only, yet again there was no response "Why the hell didn't you say that, you stupid idiot!"
Rushing to stand up, he scooped his friend up behind the knees and chest, cringing at the strangled cry the servant emitted, as he was lifted from the stone flooring. "We don't have time to wait for useless guards! Time to pay Gaius a visit, I feel."
Merlin protested weakly, grasping tightly onto his master's tunic as the waves of pain crashed through his body. Arthur paid little heed, setting off at a run down the corridor and up the stairs, nearly slamming into several guards as they descended.
"Find the court physician," the King bellowed, before the men had even registered who they had almost collided with. "Now!" The men set off at a sprint, ahead of the king and his friend.
"A..thur" the younger man tried to speak again, through the ragged intakes of air.
"Just hold on, Merlin!" Arthur pulled his sickened friend closer to him, rearranging his grip on the young man. He could feel the heat of a fever radiating from the servant's body even through his own tunic.
Arthur didn't notice the stares of the few late night servants and house maids he passed, he hurtled through the castle grounds, towards the physician's chambers. There would be gossiping in the morning in the kitchens for sure! Merlin's breaths were coming fast and harsh and it was all the King could hear over his own pounding heart and feet. Both of the warlocks hands were now curled into fists and his face contorted in anguish.
"Arthur?" The warlock cringed as his stomach heaved again but the King did not stop his momentum, now at the top of the steps and into the main building. As he sprinted up the remaining corridors and into the physicians wing of the castle he started to shout.
It was clear the guards had made it before him, because one was conveniently holding the door open as Arthur burst into the physician's chambers.
"Gaius?"
"On the bed," the old man motioned to the cot in the room. Arthur lowered his friend down only to find Merlin's hand still grasping his tunic, balled into a tight fist.
"You need to let go." He prized the warlocks sweaty hand apart with difficulty, surprised at the strength of his grip. "Please Merlin?" he struggled to hold his voice and it waved with his panicked state.
Gaius was already examining his ward as the king took a step back finally, catching his breath he didn't even realize he'd lost. "What happened?" The old man stripped the younger one of his coat and neckerchief and then his boots, before Arthur could even conceive an answer. "Well?"
"I.. I don't know." Arthur brought a hand up to his forehead, wiping away his own beads of sweat. "He said poison. That was all I could get out of him, and while I was down in the armory with him he had some sort of fit!"
"Poison?" Gaius echoed. He bent over the warlock then, prizing his eye lids apart to glance at his eyes. He gently shook his shoulders to try and rouse the man. "Merlin," he cried. "Merlin, can you hear me?"
The servant groaned incoherently and tossed his head from side to side as if in a nightmare.
"Merlin, what happened?"
"Mm," his throat refused to co-operate. "More" he let out a choked cry as he heaved yet again and fresh blood coated his now blue tinged lips. "Morgana," he finally croaked before his body gave out. He felt himself spiral into darkness and away from the agony finally.
"Did he tell you where he has been these past few days?" Gaius hurried over to the shelves fetching several vials and a couple of old tomes. He returned to the bedside.
"A girl," was all the King could stammer out in return. "Gwen said a girl!"
"I doubt that very much, my Lord." Gaius tipped the warlock's head back, emptying two full vials into his ward's mouth. Merlin swallowed reflexively. "Sounds like the work of Morgana to me."
"But why would Gwen lie to me? And why on earth would Morgana want to poison Merlin?" Arthur's head swam with enough questions to make him feel dizzy.
"There are a good number of reasons why," Gaius shot, opening one of the books, flicking hastily through the pages. "Here!" He thrust a bucket of cool water into the King's stomach. "Keep him cool, he has a raging fever."
Arthur nodded but did not reply, soaking the provided cloth in the cool fresh water. He placed it over his servant's brow. Merlin winced at the feeling of cold on his burning skin and mumbled yet again.
Gaius turned back to the book, scrolling the pages and his eyes flicked over them quickly, trying his best to find what he was looking for. Within moments then, Gwen burst through the door, making her way over to her husband.
"I came as soon as I heard!" She hovered around the bedside for a moment. "Who on earth would want to poison Merlin?" she added.
"How do you know?" Gaius stopped his search and looked up to the Queen suspiciously. "Arthur and I have only just found out."
"The guard," Gwen stammered and Arthur eyed her for a second. "The guard said something about it looking like poison."
Merlin broke the awkward silence then as his body was wracked with coughing, jarring his pale form on the bed. Gaius rushed to his ward's side, holding a cloth close to the young man's mouth. He sucked in short intakes of breath between hacking jerks, lips turning a shade of blue at lack of oxygen. As the servants body finally began to exhaust the physician pulled the cloth back, his worried look reflecting the King's, his normal physician mode had melted away to reveal a very alarmed Gaius. They both glanced at the blood stained cloth, coated with a fresh sheen of crimson, more coated the warlocks mouth.
"I need to retrieve some rare herbs," he said then, leaving the cloth on the work bench. Gaius pulled his bag down and slung his coat over his shoulders. "Keep him cool for the moment, I will not be long at all! I need something to stop this bleeding!" He hurried off, out of the room and down the corridor, faster than Arthur had ever seen the man move.
Gwen pulled a stool up next to the King, taking her husband's free hand in her own.
"I can't believe I missed this!" Arthur shook his head, placing a newly replenished cold compress on his servant's brow.
"Don't blame yourself." Gwen smiled falsely. "You've been busy with matters of court. You know what Merlin is like, getting himself into trouble for no good reason."
"He may be clumsy, Gwen." The King shook his head, "but he's not clumsy enough to get himself accidentally poisoned. And besides, he murmured something about Morgana before completely fainting like a girl." The last few words he spoke as if the other man could hear him.
Guinevere's face dropped at the mention of Morgana.
"He has some explaining to do, once he wakes." Arthur pulled his hand free from hers and dunked the now warm cloth back into the water.
If it was possible Gwen's face became even graver. "Let me take over?" She stopped Arthur's hand midway back to Merlin's brow. "You must be tired, you have an eventful few days."
"I'm fine," Arthur's voice raised in both anger and frustration, he pulled his wrist away quickly and placed the cloth back in its place.
"Arthur?" Merlin's croaking weak voice whispered as he felt the coolness replaced on his fevered brow.
If looks could kill, the warlock would be dead, as the Queen shot a look at him on the cot. Arthur continued, not noticing his wife's bitter face. His own brows were furrowed tightly in concern as he studied his servant's pained features.
"I insist, Arthur!" She pushed his arm to stop him again, trying to pull his attention from his friend. "You need to rest." She took the servant's pale hand in her own then. "I promise I will come and find you if anything changes."
Arthur's brows knitted tighter at her insistence and he looked from Merlin's pale form to her pleading eyes. He considered her desperate look for a moment, wondering why she was so keen to watch over the younger man.
"Okay," he said slowly, looking deep into her eyes then back to Merlin, "but I will be back in a few hours to take over. You need to sleep too."
"I'm sure Gaius can manage." The fake smile came again, but it passed by the King unseen, "I'll sit with him until he returns and then I'll be there."
"I'll send a knight to guard the door." Arthur rose from his seat.
"That won't be necessary," Guinevere shot back, "I mean..." She panicked, backtracking. "I doubt whoever poisoned Merlin, will be returning tonight do you?"
Arthur hummed in response and turned to leave, an unreadable look on his face. "I won't be long" he said, pulling the chamber door behind himself hesitantly.
"No rush." Gwen's face fell as soon as her husband left, and she let go of the servant's hand, letting it drop from the bedside. Once Arthur's footsteps had retreated out of ear shot she kicked the seat aside, maneuvering to Gaius's stash of potions. Hurriedly, she began to sort through them! Surely there was something deadly in here! She pulled the vials and bottles apart, as she searched wildly, until finally, she found was she was looking for. Holding up the small vial she smiled again, she would make the lady Morgana very proud.
Chapter 3
Gwen studied the vial and its contents carefully, watching the liquid slosh around as she gently agitated the bottle. She smiled, looking at the skull and cross bones on the label; remembering this was the poison that Merlin had once used to try and kill the lady Morgana. The thought sent her into blinding anger. She wanted to do nothing more than strangle the warlock in front of her, right there and then, but that would be far too obvious. She uncorked the vial; she was going to savor the moment she killed Arthur's pesky servant.
"What's that?" A voice came from the doorway and Guinevere's head spun in the direction to meet Sir Gwaine's suspicious face.
"Just a tonic Gaius has prescribed him for the pain." The Queen smiled, turning back and ensuring the label was covered fully with her hand she proceeded to tip the vial closer to Merlin's lips. The liquid reached the rim and two drops contacted with the servants lips, sliding outward and then down his pale cheek, not reaching their desired destination. Suddenly Gwaine's gloved hand clasped tightly onto Gwen's wrist.
"What are you doing?" The rough knight growled, forcing her hand backward and away from Merlin's prone form.
"I told..."
"This is deadly hemlock!" Gwaine snatched the vial from her grip.
"So it is." Gwen plastered a look of alarm over the anger simmering under the surface. "I must have been mistaken!" She stood. "I was so sure this was the vial Gaius had told me to give, and I nearly killed him," she joked. "Thank God you were here to stop me." She flustered about and went back over to the vial stash, looking through them.
"Perhaps you meant to give it?" Gwaine did not move from the spot; he eyed her with suspicion.
"What?" Gwen rounded on her heels, this time the look of pure anger clear on her face.
"How dare you! I would never hurt Merlin; we've been friends for years."
"That's what worries me!" The Knight's hard set look told her that he didn't believe a word she had to say. He stepped forward, towering over her threateningly, "So I ask you again. What were you doing?"
Gwen shook her head, "I told you I was mistaken."
"Then we shall see what Arthur has to say about this." Gwaine latched onto her arm, dragging her towards the door. She resisted, struggling in his grip, the vial dropped and it made a shrill pop as it smashed on the flagstones.
"Arthur?" Merlin's weak voice came from the bed, and it was enough of a distraction for Gwen to pull free from his grip, her dress sleeve tearing in the process.
"Guards!" she shouted, racing to the door, Gwaine in tow, red faced and irate. He grabbed her again as she tried to escape the room, just as two burly guards rounded the corner.
"Help!" Guinevere pulled weakly on the Knight's grip in an attempt to look overpowered. The sentinels quickened their pace, they grabbed Gwaine around the arms, forcing them away from Gwen and behind his back.
"This knight was molesting me!" The Queen pointed, "Inform the King, and take him to the dungeons!"
Gwaine struggled wildly in the guard's grip but failed. He said nothing for a moment, his face contorting in unimaginable anger. They pulled him backwards down the corridor, Gwen smirked and made for the physicians chambers.
"Don't you dare touch Merlin!" Gwaine bellowed from down the corridor just as he disappeared.
The Queen reentered the physician's chamber, a smug look gracing her features, she stared at the smashed vial in the middle of the floor.
"What is going on?" Gaius pulled her away from her thoughts suddenly. The old man appeared in the doorway, breathless, holding a large bunch of mixed herbs and bagged powders.
"Oh, Gaius!" Gwen's face melted into worry, "Gwaine, he... he was trying to poison Merlin!" She pointed to the vial of hemlock, now smashed on the floor, the label still very much readable. The physician eyed it with suspicion.
"Where is Arthur," was all he replied, keeping his voice steady and calm against the concern underneath.
"I sent him to retire to his chambers, but when I returned, Gwaine was trying to give the poison to Merlin!" The Queen wrung her hands in anticipation of the old man's reaction, but Gaius did not give her the satisfaction.
"Then I suggest you retire as well" Gaius set the herbs down on the bench and began to work, pulling leaves off of some plants and slicing others, filling a nearby pestle. "It sounds like the castle is not safe tonight; I will find you a guard to escort you" Gaius gave her a pointed look, his eye brow hitched high, eyes examining her false face with skepticism.
"That will not be necessary." Guinevere smiled and bowed, "You know the King's chambers is not a three minute walk from here." She headed to the door, slightly nonplussed at the fact she was being made to leave. "Please inform us of any change." She skirted out the door and away into the night.
The moment she left, Gaius rushed to the bedside of his ward, studying the warlock's face carefully. "Merlin?"
The warlock groaned and shifted on the cot, brows furrowing in discomfort. Gaius studied his lips closely, hastily wiping away the residue of hemlock and flecks of blood which were still evident.
"Merlin. You need to wake up my lad." the physician gently nudged the mans shoulders and his patient groaned again, "Merlin?"
"Gaius?" The servant smacked his lips together, in an attempt to rid them of their dryness. He kept his eyes tightly closed knowing the thumping headache would not be so bearable once a crack of light hit his retinas. He could feel his muscles aching but thankfully he could feel the soft cushioned bed beneath him. He hazarded a guess that he was in his chambers, considering the smell of herbs and spices around him. "What happened?" he choked out.
Gaius brought a fresh cup of water to his ward's lips. "I was hoping you could tell me?"
Merlin took a large gulp of the liquid and then let out a pained moan as he raised himself on his elbows slowly and shakily. Gaius held him steady as his body let out another shudder, but refused to open his eyes "Gwen." He said with a croak.
"I thought as much." Gaius placed the cup down, feeling his ward's burning forehead. "But what about these last two days?"
"Ah," the warlock cracked a small smile which the physician refused to mirror, "Turns out Morgana knows exactly how to lure me out into the middle of nowhere." He shuddered again, letting Gaius push him back into the soft bed gently.
"And what happened while you were in the middle of nowhere?" Gaius pulled the pestle and mortar back into his grasp and began to crush the contents in haste.
"She poisoned me."
Gaius nodded, his face paling. He quickly added more herbs, water and mixed hastily in a bid to rid his thoughts of the image of his boy; poisoned and laying helpless in the forest alone.
"How did you get back to Camelot?"
"Daegal," Merlin's words slurred a little, "He gave me something just in time and I made my way back here, but seems I haven't been completely healed."
The physician hummed in response, he tipped the green substance he had made into a small cup and added a tiny dash of liquor from a small collection of bottles. He gently placed the mixture into the servant's hand and pushed it towards his mouth. "This will help." Merlin complied, downing the liquid in one go with a grimace at the taste.
"Thank you" Merlin let out a sigh, relaxing back into the bed.
"You are not out of the woods yet my boy." Gaius turned his attention to the warlock's leg wound, removing the now stained and dirty dressing. "If Gwen is so intent on finishing you off, then you are no longer safe, even in my chambers it seems."
The servant let out an incoherent mumble before pulling himself to the side and retching over the edge of the bed.
"Merlin?" Gaius face grew grave; he cupped the man's face and quickly wiped his lips clean of saliva and blood. The warlock groaned and twitched involuntarily, the physician held him steady as a convulsion passed as quickly as it came.
"Gaius?" The warlock's voice was quieter and weaker this time. "I think I'm dying from the inside out."
If it was possible, Gaius's face became even graver.
Chapter 4
"What's this about Gwaine?" Arthur bellowed, bursting into the physician's chambers. He had spent much of the night brooding, and dawn was beginning to break. His angry stance in the doorway soon melted away as he noticed the old man crouched by the bed. Merlin was in the midst of another convulsion, body tensing and twitching again. To the King's relief the episode lasted but a few seconds, he watched worriedly as Gaius eased the young servant back onto the cot. Merlin's face was streaming with sweat, his black hair sticking to his forehead. Impossibly, he was actually paler than the night before
"What's happening?" Finally realizing he was still frozen to the spot, the King hurried over to greet the physician.
Gaius looked to at his ward painfully, then back to Arthur. "His body is fighting the poison, my lord," he answered simply. He shifted stiffly to the work bench to prepare more medicine.
"But, he'll be ok?" Arthur reiterated, more to himself. When no immediate answer came he began to panic. "Gaius?"
"I cannot say for sure."
"This is Gwaine's doing isn't it?" Arthur's face almost turned a deep purple as his anger rose, "I'll kill him!" His fists clutched tightly as he turned to look at his friend's form on the bed. The tension surged between the two men against the terrible background of Merlin's ragged breaths from across the room. He was fighting for each gulp of air, his throat swollen.
"No." finally Gaius answered. "This is not Gwaine's doing at all."
"What?" the King could only twist his face in confusion, lip curling up, brows tightening. "What are you trying to say?"
"I'm not sure I am the one to be making allegations right now Sire," the physician kept a poker face, giving little emotion away to the other man. He dropped his voice low so that Arthur was forced to move closer "And I also suggest you refrain from shouting. Any excessive noise or sudden sounds seems to send my boy into another fit. I simply dropped a pot earlier and you walked in on the result."
Arthur's face dropped to the floor, as guilt washed through him. After all, he was here for Merlin. Whether he admitted it or not, he was seriously worried about his friend. He made his way over to the bed, letting himself drop onto the stool beside it.
Merlin's face was still cascading with sweat, his tunic was clinging to his chest as it rose and fell unevenly. Arthur watched painfully as his servant took each labored breath as if it were his last, he watched intently, holding his own exhale between his friends. "I'm sorry." he finally stuttered out, wringing his hands in nervousness. He wasn't sure if he was apologizing to Merlin, himself or the physician.
"Please." The warlock gasped out, drawing both men's attention. His face suddenly pinched in pain, his body shuddering as if his agony was building. Gaius rushed forward, and tried to ease him, gently shaking the servant's shoulders. Merlin only responded by moaning, his voice straining hoarsely. "Please, just kill me, please."
The warlock turned quickly, retching over the side of the cot, Arthur shot back out of his seat. To the physician's dismay, the servant brought up what little water he had managed to get down the man not long ago. But the amount of blood he had seen before was clearly lessening, the medicine the physician had put together earlier seemed to have done the job.
"Is there nothing we can do? No remedy or cure I can go and get for him?" The king looked to Gaius for reassurance, but found very little. The old man's face had melted into despair and Arthur was sure he had never seen the physician so desperate before. For a moment, the King thought the old man had aged overnight; clearly he had got little to no sleep while tending to his ward.
"This isn't like when he was poisoned at the feast with Lord Bayard." The physician shook his head.
"No" Merlin's voice broke the Kings concentration yet again, and both men stepped back toward the bed. "No, no, no," whispered Merlin brokenly, still fighting to breathe as he tossed his head from side to side, as if he faced some horror. Arthur pulled his friend's hand into his own, clasping it tightly. "Please no, not the fire." The warlock's voice was weak and croaky; tears seeped from the corners of his tightly shut lids. He let out an agonizing screech and jerked, his eyes flashing open.
"Merlin?" Arthur rubbed the young man's hand, trying to draw his unseeing gaze from the ceiling. The warlock did not move, but simply stared.
"Merlin?" Arthur grasped his friend's shoulder tightly and the servant turned to him. He gasped, whether in fear or recognition, Arthur was not sure, but the warlock shrank back into the bed. "What's wrong with you?"
"Are you here to kill me?" Merlin squeaked trying to pull away from the Kings grip. His eyes flared in panic from their sunken darkened sockets.
Arthur released his hand as if touching a burning pot, he stepped back. "What?' Why? Merlin, it's me, you idiot."
"Please, no, " he moaned again. He gagged as he fought for another breath. He heaved again, his body jerking painfully, slightly bloody foam pooling and running from his mouth. Even as Gaius reached past Arthur to clear his airway and reposition his ward on the bed, the warlock rolled sideways, curling in on himself as he closed his eyes. He mumbled incoherently and his arms and hands twitched spasmodically, even as he faded from awareness.
"What's wrong with him?" Gaius took his time answering. He cleaned his ward's face and moved soiled bedding aside, as Merlin continued his labored, twitching slumber.
"I'm not sure." Gaius covered his boy with a thin blanket and studied his face for a moment. "It seems he is becoming delusional, it may be the fever, but I'm not convinced. I'm not sure he actually recognized us." The old man looked up at Arthur with a fear in his dark eyes that was as unfamiliar as it was unsettling. Gaius opened his mouth to add something, but after looking at his king, he simply closed his eyes in pain, turning away, and the old man did not speak again. For some reason, Arthur remembered Guinevere's face as she sent him away, leaving Merlin to her care. He felt his unease grow into a swell of disbelief and a sinking suspicion. There was something not ringing true about all of this.
Arthur paced then, backward and forward. He rubbed his brows in frustration. No matter where his thoughts turned, they encountered only horror and confusion.
Gwaine counted the drops of moisture as they dripped from the wall, plopping gently onto the stone flooring in the corner. He pulled the threadbare blanket around his shoulders and shuddered. It would soon be at least half a day he had spent in the cells. He was oddly patient now; it wasn't the first time the knight had spent behind bars.
He'd spent the majority of the night in the prison kicking up a fuss. He was desperate to know how his friend was. There was an untrustworthy Queen roaming the castle with the will to clearly end the young servant's life. Gwaine was jittery. He was thankful to have seen Gaius on his journey that night. He knew the old man would protect his ward without fail. After hours of shouting, he'd finally quelled his urge to hit the next guard who told him to calm down. All he could do now was wait and hope. As he let out another shudder he heard the dungeon doors open. It wasn't time for a guard change yet. The knight looked suspiciously up to see the King stride into his view.
"I expect you have some kind of reasonable explanation for this!" Arthur stopped at the door and crossed his arms, looking more than a little bit angry.
Gwaine had already thought it over enough times. He could have used the excuse of having one too many at the tavern again, but he was certain he wasn't going to let this one slide, not when Merlin's life was at stake. And besides, he had come to one almost certain conclusion. "The Queen is enchanted," he said after a long and uneasy pause.
Arthur sighed loudly, shaking his head. "And exactly how does that explain why you tried to kill my servant?"
The knight let out a short laugh. "I didn't, I saved him!" Gwaine pulled the blanket off his shoulders and stood. "When I arrived at Gaius's chambers, your good wife was trying to poison Merlin, not the other way around."
"You would do well to take care who you're accusing here, Gwaine." Arthur's face turned more serious, if it was possible. The King paused again for a moment. Gwaine could almost see the two different sides of the story begin to conflict within him, his face tensed. "However, I do know there is something about this that isn't adding up."
"Then you believe me?" the knight stepped forward, curling his calloused hands around the rusty metal bars.
"I'm not sure." Arthur stalled for a moment. Gwaine saw the doubt cross his face once again, pinching in frustration. As a knight of Camelot would always do, he seized the opening as soon as he found it.
"Then answer me this one, Princess," Gwaine shot , "How did Sarrum's assassin not only get up to the locked balcony, but also know when you were to be meeting in the great hall? Something tells me Merlin knows a little more about this than he's letting on!"
"It would be helpful if Merlin could actually talk sense." Gwaine's attention intensified as he looked at the king, following his mention of his servant. The knight's heart sank with every word of Arthur's that followed. "The poison seems to have taken hold, he's overtaken with fits. The idiot seems to be making less sense than his usual senseless self." Gwaine could hear the affection in the Kings voice, yet all he could see was Gwen's form bent over his best friend's mumbling and incoherent form.
"Then make him make sense!" Gwaine's voice rose, but he didn't shout, his frustration growing with each worried pound of his heart. "Don't you see Princess?" he growled, "Someone wants your servant dead because he knows something. And something tells me either Morgana or Gwen have something to do with it."
Arthur only nodded in response, pursing his lips together in deep thought. "Thank you Gwaine" was all he managed, turning to leave abruptly. He paused at the door, but he did not look back.
The knight stood perplexed for a moment, his heart thundering in fear for Merlin's health, hoping that Arthur could admit what was he saw in front of him. He watched silently as the King left, the iron doors creaking and crashing as they were slammed shut behind the monarch. The he was alone again, with nothing but his thoughts and his fears to keep him company.