It was getting late. The sun was setting, although it was a rather beautiful sight. Gaius found himself lost in the orange and dark blue colors, but he was quick to draw himself back to reality.
He stared at his table. Dinner was nearly ready, all that was left to do was wait for Merlin to return.
Gaius worried. He knew Merlin would be very keen on riding out to meet Arthur and the knights due to his duty, but Arthur didn't want him to endanger himself.
It was hard for the boy to leave Arthur alone.
Gaius knew his destiny had been hard on him for the past few years, but he often noticed how Merlin genuinely enjoyed the king's company, despite his many chores. Who could blame him, Gaius thought.
He was meant to be by Arthur's side.
Merlin's relationship with Arthur was difficult to analyze. At times, Arthur made it look like Merlin's life was a living hell, whereas the rest of the time, he praised the boy. Subtly, that is.
The many times Arthur had been on the brink of death, Merlin had been absolutely devastated, knowing he could save him but did not possess the power at the time. He had already shed many tears over Arthur's dying body, but the amount of truly happy tears shed when Arthur had survived, could not be counted.
And Arthur? He didn't show his emotions much, regarding Merlin.
Gaius had noticed, though, how in situations where Merlin's life was at stake, Arthur did not hesitate one bit before trying to save his servant's life.
"I cannot watch him die!"
Gaius remembered overhearing this. Arthur was determined to save Merlin's life, despite his father's opinion.
Arthur had done it anyway though, and if that did not indicate how truly fond of the boy he was, then Gaius was not sure what else was.
They would do anything for each other. If not Arthur was so affected, by Uther's disapproval of their friendship, there would be no hesitation at all.
Gaius let out a sigh. Merlin should be home by now. He remembered how Merlin had told him how much time off Arthur gave him, and that it was rare. He was rather pleased.
Now, it had been a day. Gaius had learned not to worry. He knew Merlin was stressed out, not only because of his duties to the king as a servant but also as a friend and a protector.
Gaius felt for him. It was a lot to place upon such a young man's shoulders, sometimes it was too much for him to carry. The old man found himself wanting to take some of the weight off him, but he knew he couldn't.
Gaius left his chambers, and slowly but surely let his legs carry him to the queen's chambers. He knocked.
The door was opened by the queen herself, Guinevere Pendragon, a former maidservant.
"Gaius" Gwen let the door open wide up, stepping aside to let the physician in.
"I'm sorry to disturb you my lady" Gaius met her offer, and stepped in.
"Is something the matter?" Guinevere asked. Her voice had always been so calm. Her eyes always so kind, and her heart always so open.
"I came to ask you if you have received word from Arthur?" Gaius asked. Guinevere met him with a confused look, one that asked many questions.
"no, I haven't, why do you ask?" Gwen's voice started to sound with worry. No wonder, really, when a trusted friend suddenly makes an appearance and asks you about your husband like that, she could only worry.
"I'm sorry if I bring you unnecessary concern, but it has to do with what Leon said earlier" Gaius did not look Gwen in her eyes while talking. He had not been sure if he wanted to bring this matter up to the queen, but his concerns were real, and he did not want to take any chances.
"About the Saxons? Gaius, what's going on?" Guinevere feared that Gaius' words held more information beneath, that could potentially have her fear for her husband's life.
"They bear the fox as a sigil. I thought they were only rumors, but I fear they may not be. The fox's symbolism is not used by many, although it has several different meanings. In this case, used by the Saxons, it means that they stand on their own. I may not be right my lady, but these Saxons have one way, or another served Morgana in past years but has now created their own association, out of Morgana's range. Their independent way of living contains raiding villages for food supplies and gaining power and what not" Gaius said. This was surprising information to Guinevere. She was not sure how Gaius had received this information, which was a concern she did not want to deal with. She didn't know whether it would be smart to confront him about such matters as his sources of information. She trusted him enough to let it go for now,
"what has that got to do with Arthur? Is he in danger?" Gwen was eager to know more.
"not necessarily, my lady, but if Morgana once had this group of Saxons under her control, surely she would be able to do so again. If Arthur gets in trouble with these Saxons, Morgana might know of it. What I am trying to say, is that Morgana always has needed very little information about Arthur or Camelot, to do anything of her liking, that might put Camelot in danger. I hope I am wrong in these accusations, though" Gaius said. After hearing all of this, gaining all this information about the Saxons and their possible whereabouts had both put her mind to ease, but also increased her heart rate,
"I see," she said.
-
It was about time Arthur returned to the castle, Guinevere thought, as she approached him. The many horses breathed heavily from exhaustion, not to mention the relaxing sound of their hooves meeting the ground as they trotted across the courtyard.
The knights dismounted their horses, and the queen was greeted with a brief hug,
"we need to keep an eye out for these Saxons" Arthur started but did not expect Guinevere to agree so quickly,
"indeed, if they are able to contact Morgana at any given time, we must expect her to strike" Gwen said. Arthur stopped up immediately,
"hang on, why make such sudden accusations?" Arthur was baffled.
"I'll explain soon enough. Come on, you must be hungry," Gwen gently took a hold of Arthurs' arm and lead him inside.
-
Arthur yawned, "where's Merlin?" he asked. The royal couple was ready to isolate themselves for the night, but Arthur kept reminding himself of his manservant. It was rare that Merlin stayed back in the castle when these expeditions took place, so Arthur found himself wanting him there.
The king and the knights had been away for a day or two, and Arthur was rather surprised that Gaius had been able to keep Merlin from leaving the castle. He knew Merlin. He knew about his ridiculous mindset about having to protect Arthur, and the king often wondered what made him think like that. If anything, Arthur was the one to protect Merlin. The boy looked ridiculous with a sword, he was no good.
Obviously, Arthur knew nothing of Merlin's powers.
"I thought he was with you?" Gwen frowned. So, did Arthur,
"no? I told Gaius not to let him leave the castle. It'd be too dangerous- Do not tell me he actually left" Arthur let out a sigh, and almost stood up. Why did he think Merlin wouldn't go after him again? He felt like a fool to expect Merlin to actually follow orders.
"well, he's not here..." Guinevere stated.
Interesting.
-
The king quickly opened the door, to the physician's chambers, "Merlin! Gaius, where is he? he's supposed to actually show up. I didn't give him his whole life off, you know- Didn't I tell you not to let him leave?" Arthur spoke up like someone had offended his pride. Gaius stopped with whatever he was doing, and looked up at the king in a slight shock,
"I assure you, sire, if Merlin had ever shown up here in the first place, I would have informed him about this" Gaius answered, in a confused tone. He took off his glasses and put them on the table beside Arthur. The king looked like someone who had just been woken up from his sleep and been told the most unlikely story he had ever heard.
This whole thing was creating even more unanswered questions for Gaius to ask, although he held himself back for Arthur's sake – it looked like he, too, was beginning to wonder where his servant had gone to.
Arthur rolled his eyes at the thought of Merlin getting lost or whatever had happened to him out there, 'gathering herbs'. He was starting to doubt his word. Again.
"tell me, Gaius. What exactly is he doing out there, I specifically gave him until noon two days ago, but clearly, he doesn't care" Arthur asked, and with the help of his arms, he made it show, just how tired of it all he was.
Gaius was confused. He knew he often asked this of Merlin, but he didn't expect it to go so far as to Arthur not believing it anymore.
The physician was about to open his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. At previous times, he had made Arthur believe that Merlin was slacking off in the tavern. Not this time though, as Gaius genuinely was worried for the warlock.
"I'm... not sure, my lord. If anything, I think he's probably lost, but..." Gaius froze. Could it be? And why had he not considered this before?
Arthur frowned. He did find it funny though, that Gaius and Arthur shared the same mindset about Merlin being lost.
"what is it?" Arthur took a small step towards the old man,
"remember what I said about Merlin and Ealdor?" Gaius reminded him.
The king widened his eyes slightly, realizing what Gaius said was very likely to be true. He looked like one who was ready to leave but found himself stuck in place.
"No, we... Went to Ealdor... They were fine, they hadn't been attacked..." Arthur still wore a concerned expression. Gaius wondered what was going on in his mind, and whether he was going to share his thoughts or not.
"If he's not here, he could be anywhere. It's been two days, almost three, you don't think...?" Arthur indicated his genuine concern for his servant. Gaius was familiar with this expression of Arthurs, and he knew he had to be careful with his choice of answer. To be honest, he did worry for Merlin, but he also knew of his many activities regarding keeping Arthur safe. But there hadn't been any incidents that could have indicated Merlin's sudden disappearance.
The old man looked Arthur in his eyes, "I hope not"
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Greetings! :D
Hope you liked this chapter, I had fun writing it - although I stuggled a bit from time to time.
Ooooh what will happen next? O.O
