My Guardian Angel

Chapter 4

Merlin arose from his bed before the sun had even broke past the horizon. He blearily rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he dressed himself and made his way to the ballroom. He was going to be serving food at the gala tonight instead of working in the kitchens.

"Ah Merlin, it's good to see you up early we have much work to finish before tonight," Millicent then instructed him to his duties for the day. Merlin was given the chore of washing the dishes and the thought made Merlin groan, the piles of dishes we're stacked so high that the window behind the sink was not visible. As Merlin began to scrub he thought of his encounter with Gwen two days before.

Merlin had been scrubbing the pillars in the ballroom when he turned to walk around the pillar and ran straight into an unsuspecting body.

"I'm am so sorry," Merlin apologized scrambling backwards. In his haste he tripped over the bucket that had been sitting on the floor directly behind him and fell with a hard thud to the floor.

"Oh my goodness Merlin are you alright," The person he had run into said with worry. Merlin looked up to find Gwen, Morgana's maid standing over him with a concerned yet slightly amused face.

"Fine Gwen," Merlin assured her standing up and dusting himself off. "How have you been?"

"Good, I'm good," Gwen said but her sentiment didn't reach her eyes.

"What's wrong Gwen," Merlin asked her.

Gwen worried her bottom lip with an anxious look. She scanned the scene to make sure they we're alone before directing her eyes back to Merlin.

"I'm worried for Morgana," Gwen confessed, "She hasn't been sleeping well. It's beginning to affect her health."

"Has she gone to Gaius," Merlin suggested with a pondering look.

"Yes and he's given her several potions and sleeping drafts but nothing seems to help. They're getting worse Merlin," Gwen said shaking her head.

"What's getting worse?"

"Her dreams," Gwen stated, "I haven't gone home in days. I'm afraid that if I do something will happen to her. That she won't be able to calm herself. I try to comfort her the best I can and urge her to keep sleeping but it's too much for her. She never sleeps anymore and when she does it's never more than a couple hours and she wakes up screaming."

"That's awful. Did she tell you what these dreams are about," Merlin questioned.

"She never says much but what she does say is hard understand, usually incoherable mumblings." Gwen sighed heavily before continuing, "She does say things in her sleep though."

When Gwen stopped to take a long pause Merlin urged her to continue, "What does she say?"

"Many things, none of them good," At this point Gwen was near tears and Merlin thought about hushing her so that she wouldn't have to relive the painful memories but a selfish part of him needed to know. Merlin nodded gesturing for her to go on. Gwen took a deep breath, "She says... she says 'please' a lot. An- And 'don't hurt me'. The worst part is when she mutters about stopping the death and 'too much red'."

Merlin accidentally let slip a quiet gasp. He quickly strode over to Gwen and wrapped her in a hug. She was clearly distraught over her lady's suffering because though Morgana was her lady she was also a dear friend.

"It'll be alright Gwen. Morgana will fight this, she's stronger than most people give her credit for," Merlin soothed as Gwen quietly sobbed into his shoulder. After a long moment Gwen retrieved herself and pulled away. She wiped the tears from her eyes trying to hide the fact that she had been crying before she left.