𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝕿𝖜𝖔
𝔖𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶: From trolls to dragons to foreign princesses, Astraea Aphelion grows stronger as she
continues to navigate medieval Britain using her wit and heart, standing unshaken beside Merlin and Arthur as they face every threa...
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📍 Camelot
⏳September, 505 AD
We arrived back at Camelot to be met with a dreadful sight as dozens of guards and knights laid on the courtyard. Most of them were alive, thankfully, but unconscious.
"What the heck happened here!?" I asked aloud as my eyes darted around frantically, not expecting any answers. "I will get Gaius," Merlin announced before running inside the castle, only to come back out moments later. "Arthur," he called, his voice shaky. He motioned for us to follow him. The Prince and I shared a concerned glance before trotting up to the boy.
Inside, we were also met by a bunch of people asleep on the floor. I gulped at the sight, subconsciously stepping closer to a tense Arthur. Our hands found each other.
"Why didn't anyone invite us to the slumber party?" was my lame attempt at easing the tension. "It must be some kind of sickness," the sorcerer concluded. "Or a spell," I added, raising an eyebrow. It had to be magic, right? "Or a spell," Merlin echoed with a nod.
"Where is my father!?" Arthur asked as fear filled his eyes, then he dropped my hand and took off running down the hall. Merlin and I shared a worried glance and ran after him. The Prince frantically searched every room we came across, not finding anything that could provide any clues to what was happening. Eventually, we returned downstairs and entered the physician's chambers to find Gaius sleeping with his head and arms resting upon the kitchen bench.
"Oh, darn!" I exclaimed and ran to his side, Merlin following suit. With shaky hands, I checked his pulse to ensure that he was alive. He was. "What a crap-storm," I mumbled, glancing around the room. It was unusually dark, and books littered the floor. It was clear that Gaius had known that something was happening before he'd fallen victim to the enchantment (or disease) himself.
"Come on, we have to find my father," Arthur called warily, and we reluctantly followed him out of the room. But we knew that there wasn't much we could do for Gaius in that moment.
Not long after, we came across a sleeping Gwen in the corridor. Merlin was quick to lift her up and carry her to a nearby bed. I was surprised he was strong enough – not that the girl was unusually heavy, but Merlin wasn't exactly well-muscled. "Awe," I teased him, seeing how he still cared for the girl even after she'd kinda broken his heart. "Shut up," he mumbled with a playful glare.
A rustling sound came from the room next door. We quickly darted in its direction and I drew my bow, aiming it at the general direction of the noise as Arthur went to move a curtain – revealing none other than Morgana, who screamed from the sudden motion. Her eyes were teary and her face was pale.
"Woah! Hey, it is us. Calm down!" The Lady fought the Prince for a second before she realised who it was and froze. "What has happened?" the blond asked the terrified Lady. "People were complaining, saying they were not feeling well," she started to explain. "And then?" Arthur pressed. "They started falling asleep. Everyone, everywhere I went."
