What If? {Merlin}

Beauty and the Beast Part 2

Arthur POV

The troll is being sneaky, she planted her missing seal and claimed Merlin did it. Leon went with guards to Gaius to see if the warlock was there, this was to distract them from where I was going since I knew his schedule. I walked into my chambers, "You need to get out of here. The King's ordered me to arrest you," I said as soon as I spotted him.

"What?"

"Catrina's accussed you of taking her seal. She knows what you're trying to do. If you value your life, you'll leave Camelot right now. Now go!" I told him, hearing the guards coming to my door, he slipped out the back before I went back to the guards. Now, I had to hold off my Father and the troll form continuing the search. The troll sure is assertive though. My plan didn't work and we had to search more. Unfortunately that meant finding his scarf and an old campfire. Gwen and Mauve had been keeping Gaius company, the physician appreciating the company and was also sure that he would be alright. Although Mauve and Kylynn had pointed out they can sense his energy in Camelot, so Gaius may have been hiding him somewhere.

The taxes had been increased, Kylynn and Morgana were devising a plan for the people. We had a lot of poor people and we didn't want them starving just because the king was in a love spell. I had to stop fights between the people and the guards I couldn't trust, I gave the money back to the guy. I demanded all the money to be returned and when confronting my father and the troll, for the first time I saw the amulet glow. Kylynn had been confined to her room and had been looking quite sickly lately because the troll is still here and my father is still under that spell.

So next thing we know, I'm losing my title as Crown Prince, which I will admit, hurt. Leon and Morgana are having to become my eyes and ears about the business. Catrina was made the new Heir and was revealed to everyone other than my father she was a troll. I was being filled in on the taxes change again by Leon when Morgana came running in, "Kylynn had a day time vision so this is definitely important, Merlin is going to find you and have you take a potion that basically makes you appear dead. Uther needs to cry tears of true remorse, that would be if something happened to you," Morgana explained. I was happy there was a solution to all this, Mauve had me put on the necklace with her magic in it, I was worried about Gaius and Merlin finding out about her, but she said even though it was her magic, Merlin wouldn't be able to trace it.

When I had gone back to get ready for the night, I sensed somebody in the room, "You can come out Merlin," I said. Merlin's head pops out from under the bed and he explained that he had a solution but I needed to help. I had gotten redressed and talked with Merlin and Gaius. "So your great plan is to kill me?"

Merlin looked nervous, "No. Well, yes. It...not exactly. It's...Gaius had made a potion that gives the appearance of death without the actual dying bit. It's fine. There's nothing to worry about. It'll only bring you to the brink of death."

"Oh, only to the brink," I mocked him.

"We haven't got a choice," Merlin said.

"We have to make your father cry," Gaius added.

"He doesn't care about me anymore."

"Nonsense. That's Catrina's influence. I've known your father for many, many years. There's never been anyone or anything he's treasured more than you. It's perfectly safe. A single drop of the antidote will reverse the effects immediately," Gaius explained.

Wait. "Antidote. What antidote? You didn't say anything about the antidote!" Nobody told me about an antidote.

"Er...I didn't think it was important," Merlin spoke. That must be why I was requested to bring Mauve's necklace, but neither Morgana or Kylynn would explain further. Morgana had only been saying what she was told, and with Kylynn being as weak as she was, had been sleeping for long periods of time so as she had her vision and told Morgana, she had fallen back asleep.

"The potion will lower your heart rate and breathing. For all intents and purposes, you will be dead," Gaius told me.

"And the antidote reverses the effects?"

"Yes. If it's administered in time," Gaius said. After a bit more of arguing, especially me telling Merlin to not be late, I took the potion.

Gaius POV

Uther had come in to find Arthur's body, "My son. My son." I had quickly stepped out to check on Kylynn rather quickly. I had been having to give her potions to help replace the food she hasn't been able to keep down. I came back to find Uther demanding the guards to seize the troll. It was pushing the time limit and I swear I saw something glow under Arthur's shirt. Merlin came running in, squeezing his neckerchief over Arthur's mouth and out came the antidote. The troll and Jonas tried to put up a fight but Arthur killed them both. I pulled Merlin aside afterwards, "Did you see something glowing under Arthur's shirt?" I asked him.

"No, I was more concerned about the attacking trolls. What was glowing?"

"I don't know, but he looked better when it glowed, like it was counteracting the potion, protecting him. Maybe he knows somebody with magic."

"Well he did believe the troll thing rather quickly. Maybe he gained some knowledge of it from Kylynn's sensitivity but that wouldn't explain the glowing."

Arthur POV

My father had realized how much he actually changed things, I had gotten my title back, that was very first thing. He had changed the taxes back to normal and gave the people back the money he had taken. He hadn't noticed Kylynn's absence and was shocked finding out how sickly she had gotten because of the troll. We had dinner that night where he had apologized to mainly Kylynn and I.