Chapter Text
Silence reigns over the usually busy and noisy streets of Camelot, the sun at it’s highest peak. A gentle breeze wafts through the streets, rustling the debris and the leaves in the trees.
As the sun begins the descent into the night an agonizing scream is heard throughout the streets, echoing against the homes. “MERLIN!”
Slowly the city begins to stir, as if this scream was their cue to begin life again, everyone stepping outside their doors, looking around as if confused as to how they got home.
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Arthur had no idea what was going on, but he suspected it was nothing good when he woke to the sun setting, tucked in next to his soon to be wife, Guinevere. Slowly he sits up in the bed, looking around his chambers, making note of the layer of dust that seems to coat everything, trying to figure out what he last remembered.
Quickly he pulls back the covers, noting Guinevere doing the same on the left side of the bed. Warning bells start to go off in his head, what is she doing on the left side? He ALWAYS sleeps on that side of the bed… Arthur swings his legs over the side, realizing his last memory was of Guinevere bringing him breakfast and then sitting down together, and starts to stand up, falling back on the bed as he feels some sort of lump under his feet.
Looking down, He lets out a gasp as the lump turns out to be his manservant, Merlin. Who is supposed to be visiting his mother.
“Merlin?” he asks quietly, going down to his knees on the floor next to the prone warlock. Hesitantly he reaches out and shakes Merlin's shoulder, saying his name louder and louder with each shake and getting more violent as there is no response.
Looking up Arthur sees Guinevere’s face as she kneels on their friend’s other side, looking as confused and frightened as he felt. Gently she reaches out and feels for a pulse on Merlin's neck, a small smile appearing as she feels a faint but steady beat.
“Arthur, we need to get him to Gaius and find out what is going on”
Arthur nods and, as carefully as he can, lifts his friend's limp body, frowning at how light the man is, and makes his way out the door that Guinevere holds open. As fast as they could they made their way down to the physician's chambers, hoping that once again the wise old man would have the answers they needed.
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Meanwhile, in Gaius’s chambers, the old physician is slowly waking up with a faint feeling of deja vu. Last he could remember he was grinding herbs for his pain relief remedy. Slowly, joints creaking he makes his way out of the bed, wondering why he was still in his apron he wears so his clothes don’t get possibly dangerous potions on them.
Looking around, he notices an envelope sitting on his desk with his name on it, alongside one with the king's name. Walking up to the desk he recognizes Merlin’s untidy scrawl and goes to open the letter when his door bangs open, admitting a panicked king carrying his ward in his arms.
“Gaius! I don’t know what happened, but I woke up in bed and found merlin unconscious on the floor next to me”
“Quickly, put him on my bed,” Gaius said frowning and rushed over to look over his ward, The letter was forgotten for now.
Checking merlin’s pulse and finding it weak but steady Gaius quickly divested merlin of his tunic, poking and prodding looking for some form of injury. There was nothing, no injury, and no response at all. As a last result, Gaius rubbed his knuckles along Merlin's breastbone, a very painful process that usually gets some response from even those in the deepest sleep before death… no response.
“I don’t understand sire, there are no injuries, nothing to say why he is unresponsive like this. I can only conclude some form of enchantment, but why only him?”
Gwen spoke up at that moment, “I’m not entirely sure it was just him Gaius. I don’t remember going to bed at all, the last thing was breakfast with Arthur, and we woke up in the same clothes we were wearing that morning in bed together.”
“I’m at a loss, perhaps you could ask around and see if anyone remembers anything?” Gaius responded, “Arthur I would suggest gathering the council and see what they suggest if this is an enchantment, we need to see who else might be affected and maybe find the source as well.”
“I’ll do that now, let me know if anything changes, no matter how small Gaius, please” Arthur gave one last look at his manservant before determinedly strolling out of the physician's chambers, Gwen at his heels.
After the door had closed, Gaius turned and sadly looked down at his ward, “oh my boy, what have you gotten into this time” he slowly made his way to his desk to grab his stool, and once again saw the letter. Eyes widening, Gaius quickly finished opening the letter, and grabbing his glasses from the desk he started to read, tears welling up in his eyes at the words.
Gaius,
I’m sorry. You are the father I always wanted and I want you to remember that I love you. When I came home from visiting my mother, the castle was asleep. Again. I spoke with Kilgharrah and we figured out it was Morgana with the source of the spell being Agravaine. Unfortunately, Agravaine was nowhere to be found.
Time is short, I am unsure how long everyone has been sleeping before I came back, but I know it was at most a week. A week without food or water. We both know what happens to the human body with that kind of starvation. Quite a few villagers were already dead when I went through the town.
So I did the only thing I could to protect you all, to protect my family. The pages are marked in my book and I wrote down what knowledge I gained from Kilgharrah.
I want you to know I don’t regret anything. You are safe, Arthur is safe, Camelot is safe. One person for hundreds, possibly thousands.
I left a note for Arthur as well, explaining everything and all I have done. I wanted to tell him in person about my magic, but this is better. Hopefully, he’ll be too angry to mourn me. I’m sorry to leave you, but I know you are in the best of hands. Please look after my mother and let her know how thankful I am for her and all she did for me.
Kilgharrah is under orders to come if you call, He is staying in his old cave, just in case he is needed to protect Camelot. I want you all to understand, I go knowing my family is safe and I was loved.
Thank you, Gaius, for everything. Please, do not mourn me, I am with my father, and Freya, and Lancelot, watching over all of you and keeping you safe from beyond the veil.
Thank you for everything,
Merlin