Merlyn's Last Dream

The Crystal Cave P2

Merlyn had returned to her chambers in time to see a worried looking Gaius sitting in the dim candlelight, awaiting her arrival. Clearly her pale face had given away her preoccupations, although, she supposed that she should've expected the physician to notice. After all, Arthur had seen that something was wrong with her, and he was probably the most oblivious person she'd ever met.

"I can't get these visions out of my head." she exclaimed, sitting opposite Gaius, who she had naturally told everything. She couldn't quite look at him, watching the wax slowly drip from the candle sitting on the table, the amber glow her only means of sight.

Gaius didn't seem to share her distress. "You're extremely lucky to have seen The Crystal Cave. Long before The Great Purge, wizards would talk about it with reverence."

Merlyn couldn't really bring herself to give a shit about the talking of wizards of old, but she couldn't tell the physician that. "That man who led me there, who is he?"

"Who was he? He died, I'd say, about three hundred years ago. Taliesin was a seer to the ancient kings. It is said that The Crystal Cave was the source of his prophecies." Gaius didn't seem particularly surprised that a rather dead man had been talking to the witch. Most people would say that she'd gone mad if she told them that she could communicate with the dead, but then, somehow it wasn't the most unbelievable thing that had happened around her.

"The man said... He said that there was a reason I was brought there at this moment in time. Why?" Merlyn paused for a moment, before answering her own question. "It must mean the events I saw are imminent, that Morgana is going to kill Uther."

Horse. Dagger. Cloak. Crimson. She could see it all, the visions repeating themselves in her head. Still, she couldn't bring herself to believe that the ward could be so cruel, could take Uther's life, no matter how much she hated him. Morgana wasn't a murderer, at least, not yet.

"Well then, you must be careful. The crystals are treacherous. What you saw may not be all that it seemed." Gaius warned, new worry sparkling in his eyes.

Merlyn frowned. "So I do nothing?"

"There is nothing to suggest that what you saw is imminent, is there?"

The witch shook her head. "No."

"So I wouldn't let it put you off your soup." Gaius smiled wryly, taking a large spoonful of his own murky broth.

Merlyn stared down at her own bowl, unsure of its aroma. "What is it?"

"Sometimes, it's best not to know." Gaius smirked. Looking back down at her own soup; the witch was sure he was right. After all, ignorance is bliss.

~

Arthur was struggling to pull his boot on when his servant walked in, almost dropping his breakfast as she stared at him. "You're up." she remarked rather observantly.

"It's Morgana's birthday. I have to get her a present." the Prince stated cheerfully, leaping up from his position on the bed, catching the apple Merlyn had thrown at his face.

"What are you getting her?" she asked, shuffling through the array of parchment on his desk. Arthur bit into the apple before enclosing her in his arms, watching as she smiled, leaning back into him, pressing a kiss to his jaw.

The Prince grinned contently, gazing down at his servant with a vaguely enchanted look in his eye. "It's a secret." he whispered into her ear, enjoying the way her skin flushed under his hot breath.

"Come on, you can tell me." Merlyn looked up at him expectantly, all thoughts of tidying his room disappearing from her mind.

"A dagger." Arthur declared triumphantly, but his self-assurance turned to worry as he felt Merlyn stiffen, the ghost of amusement fading from her features. This, he thought, was a strange reaction. He'd learned long ago that, as long as he got Morgana something pointy rather than shiny, she'd be happy; Merlyn knew the ward almost as well as he did, so would obviously be aware of this. Granted, the only thing that the servant had ever got the ward was a puppy, but Arthur was fairly certain that, given the choice, Merlyn would always go for weaponry over trinkets. It seemed odd that she thought Morgana to be any different.