Power of the Storm

Chapter Thirty-Seven

37. Small Peak Into The Mind Of Uther

Arthur was locking up the door to the cell that Morgana was in once when he heard it, it was a gasping for air than a long deep and rough coughing fit. He went to go see who was in the cell but guards blocked them with their spears, "We have been ordered to let no one into the cell, only the King may enter when he plans on releasing the prisoner." 

"I am not entering I only wish to see who it is," the two knights share a look moving their spears allowing him to look through the bars to see Magdelena slumped against the wall sitting on the straw, her head rested against the wall, a small amount of blood which dripped down her chin, a small stain on her dress and a small puddle on the floor sprayed on the floor as she cough up more blood. 

Without a second thought, he turned running from the dungeons, up the stairs through the halls, through the narrow passageway into the chambers where Merlin and Gaius were hunched over a book, "Did Uther tell you what he has done to Mags?" Arthur asked too enraged to care that he had once again called her Mags. 

"He said he would be working late the next few nights and would need her there to service him," Gaius says making Arthur clench his jaw, "What is it, Sire?" 

"She is chained in the dungeon coughing up blood!" Arthur says, Merlin and Gaius, stand and begin to make their way down to the dungeons, when they arrive at the guards Arthur draws his sword and points them at them both, "You have two choices, let me pass or I make you."

The guards shared a look before dropping their weapons and ran from the dungeons, Arthur was sure they were going to tell Uther what had happened. Arthur could have cared less as he unlocked the door and ran into the room first. She sat up but her eyes began to close as she stared at him, "Arthur?" she whispers before her eyes roll back and she falls her arms bending at an awkward angle. 

"Mags," he says trying each of his keys trying to unlock the chains which held her wrists captive, "None of them are unlocking them."

"That is because they were made special and I have the only key," the voice of Uther made the three turn to look at him. 

"You have to unlock her," Arthur says looking down at the woman, "Do you not see how ill she is!?" 

"This is her punishment," Uther says not happy that he has to defend his actions. The look in his son's eyes stabbed him in the heart and twisted it, "Fine, I shall release her." Uther grabs the key from his pocket and unlocks the shackles, Arthur lifts her from the floor and turns to Gaius and Merlin. 

"Lead the way," he says ignoring his father completely as Merlin and Gaius bow slightly to the King before rushing from the cell leaving Uther in there by himself, trying to understand what it was that had made his son so upset by the actions. Worse had been done to people in these very cells and on the very courtyard. 

Gaius had Arthur lays her on the cot Gaius had motioned to as he grabbed some tools and liquids before he began to check her over, her breathing was beginning to go back to normal and the blood had been cleaned from her chin, but the stain was still on her shirt, "Gaius will she be alright?" 

"Only time can tell Sire," Gaius tells him, "I am not sure what happened to her before or during her time in the cell." 

"I want to be kept informed of her condition," he says before leaving the room in a hurry, Merlin spares a look at his sister before Gaius waves him off as he runs after the Prince. 

Gaius checked his niece once more before he headed to the chambers of the King, knocking he entered  bowing his head to the man who was holding the black leather book, the silver dulled in the sunlight, "Did you figure out what those chains were for, m'lord?" Gaius asks as Uther placed the book down. 

"I-I did not realize what they would do to her," Uther says, "I never meant to kill her." 

"You have done worse than that," Gaius says walking forwards and grabbing the book, opening the to the page which read 'Chains of Weakness: Death's Only Weakness' in curvy black letters, "Chains carved with this symbol alone would cause weakness, a few days time and Death would be weakened. Chains carved with the symbol and chanted over will be the greatest weapon against Death. Using such things on Death cause the powers of death to attack its owner. While Death cannot die before the next death is born, it will be torture, dreams of fears and if enough anger and hate are spoken into the chains can even hurt the soul of Death - if death has one. If bonded to Death no harm befalls thee." 

Gaius reads aloud making Uther flinch as he read the words, "I skimmed the page my mind picked the words I wished to see," he says his head hung in almost shame, "I never meant to cause that much harm."

"I will need to borrow this book see if there is anything I can help to ease her pain," Gaius says Uther waves his hand shooing the man from his chambers. Gaius quickly makes his way through the halls back to his own chambers seeing a very disturbed Merlin sitting while staring at his still unconscious sister, but Gaius almost sensed it was not his sister which caused this face, "I shall prepare dinner." 

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Magdelena had heard what everyone was saying from the moment the Prince had seen her to when he carried her to Gaius' chambers. She wished to protest being carried but her lips would not move and her brain refused to help, her eyes were tightly shut, she tried to open them but she knew it would help very little. She heard Gaius prepare dinner before they sat down, she heard their short conversation, she wished to add input but still, she couldn't move a muscle in her body. Her body ached as if she had been beaten with wooden clubs only to then be trampled by a herd of horses. 

"Is this the book of death?" the voice of Merlin asked from somewhere in the room. 

"Yes, I took it from Uther, I was hoping to find something in the book that might help wake her up," Gaius explains, "even something to ease her pain would be nice." 

"Wouldn't this work?" Merlin asks, she assumed he was holding up one of the medicines that Gaius made for patients, mostly knights after a hard day of training. 

"Unfortunately not," Gaius says with a small sigh, "her pain is not caused by physical pain it is mental. She isn't hurt, her body just thinks she is." The room went silent before she could hear the muttering of Gaius and the flipping of pages of a book. 

"Will she not wake up on her own?" Merlin asks slightly worried, she had fainted, gone into a coma, she woke up on her own for those ones, what made this one so special?

"I have no idea Merlin, I have never treated Death before," Gaius says, once again there is silence before Merlin states he needs to get back to work and leaves the chambers not before trying to leave through the broom closet, "Maggie if you can hear me hang in there. I might have found something." 

She hears the fire, and Gaius rummaging through his things trying to find the right ingredients, the door opens again, "Gaius, I just heard from Arthur what had happened, is Maggie going to be alright?" the soft voice of Lady Morgana was heard worry was clear in her voice. 

"I hope so, I think I may have found something but only time will tell," Gaius explains, "this is almost done." 

"I can't believe that Uther did this to her," Morgana says some hate seeping into her voice as she thought, "I should go, would you mind telling me when she wakes up?" 

"Of course my Lady," Gaius says before her footsteps leave the room and Gaius sighs before chanting magic into the elixir. He walks over and lifts her head before pouring the entire bottle down her throat. He waits a moment watching her carefully before her body tenses and she begins to shake he feels her head to see her head was burning like a fire. He removes her shoes, and some of the layers of her dress hoping to cool her down, but she shivers still sweat begins to build soaking her hair and dress.

Baxon must have felt there was an issue as he was laying under the small cot which Magdelena was laying under. Every few moments he would let out a small whimper after getting up and sniffing his mistress only to lay back down, then when a few moments would pass he would crawl from under the cot and repeat it.