The Four Royals

The Sickness

Deep within the waters of Camelot's well a High Priestess is looking for revenge. Revenge against Uther for banishing her. She shapes a monstrous beast and puts it in a shell. She starts chanting a spell with an evil look. The shell starts to glow and beat like a heart. The High Priestess places it in the water and watches her plan unfold.

Merlin's POV:

I have been Arthur's servant for a few months now and so far I have saved him from a magic snake shield and from a whole bunch of bandits in the woods. He also fired me for "making a fool out of him." I still can't believe he did that. He rehired me after he realized what he did. I secretly think he just missed me. On top of that he gives me so much work to do it's draining. I have to wash and polish his chain mail, sharpen his sword, walk his dogs, run him baths, wash his clothes, dress him, get him breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and train with him. I think he likes using me as a human shield because I stopped him that one time. When will I ever get a break?

"Merlin we have to go to the lower town now!" Gaius interrupts my thoughts.

"Why is something wrong?" He nods his head and grabs his satchel. I jump up from the breakfast table and follow him out the door. We walk into the lower town to see a man laying on the ground. We both walk over to the unconscious man. He was dead, but not of natural causes.

"Aren't you scared?" I asked Gaius.

"Of what?" He questioned me back like it wasn't obvious. This sickness could be contagious.

"That you might catch whatever it is?"

"I'm the court physician Merlin, this is part of my job. I nodded and he continued on, "besides I'm sure there is nothing to be scared of." When he turned over the guy my breath caught in my throat. The guy was pale, almost purple, and he had blue fans coming on the side of his face. His eyes were glazed over and all you could see was white. Gaius and I looked at each other with fear.

"You were saying?" I asked trying to lighten the mood.

"People can't see this, they'll panic!" He said urgently. I looked around and saw a blanket on a drying rack. I pulled the rough fabric and draped it over the dead man.

We got a wheel barrow and put the corpse on it and continued on to the castle. There I saw Gwen with flowers in her hands.

"What are you doing?" She asked in her usual cheerful tone. I panicked and stepped in front of the wheelbarrow so she didn't see the body.

"Uh just moving something." I could feel her gaze on the back of my head.

"Looks heavy-" she questioned. I tried to distract her by moving around a lot and then I noticed her flowers.

"Somebody got you flowers?" I asked even though I know they were meant for Morgana.

"Oh no." She said amused. "Would you like one? A purple one" I took it and looked for somewhere to put it. "It suits you, not that I'm saying red doesn't suit you."

"Thanks well uh," I finally put it in my neckerchief and smiled at her. I received her usual angel like smile. We stared at each other in awkward silence for a moment. "Well uh see yea." I said and turned around to help Gaius some more.

"Bye" Gwen sighed as we walked away. We took the body up to our room to examine it.

"Merlin can you come hold this?" Gaius asks me while holding out a vile. I took it and held the smooth glass in my hands. He examined the body. The man was about middle aged, a little muscular, with floppy hair and what looked like to be blue eyes before they turned white.