Power of the Storm

Chapter Forty-One

41. The Remedy

Magdelena was still by his side when Merlin and Gaius entered a decorative cateen which oozed life and death at the same time. They were about to have him drink it when Uther entered and stared at them with great suspicion, "What are you doing, physician? What are you giving him?" She sends Uther a small glare but he ignored it.

"It's a... It's a tincture made from the lobelia plant, an ancient remedy for poisonous bites," Gaius says obviously lying, well it was to everyone except Uther and the Prince who was unconscious. 

"A cure?" Uther asks his voice hopeful at the thought of a remedy for his son who wouldn't make through the next night.

"We hope," Gaius says as him and Merlin pours what Uther thought to be a medicine but really was water into the mouth of the Prince.

"Do you really think it will have some effect?" 

"You are questioning if something might help? What is the worse it could do, kill him?" she asks annoyed by his pointless questions which were a waste of time which was sparse, "He is already dead Uther."

"It's our last resort, Sire. Perhaps you should allow him to rest," Gaius says ushering the three of them out, knowing Magdelena wouldn't leave his side just like she had told Uther.

"I will not leave him."

"You haven't taken either of the sleeping draughts Gaius has given you," she says his eyes widen at her words not that it wasn't true, "You will go, making sure that he swallows it before you leave. I will wake you all should the Prince awaken." 

Reluctantly Uther agrees, he knows she wouldn't dare not tell him, and Gaius makes sure he swallows the draught this time before leaving the King to his slumber. Gaius returns to the Prince's chambers and begins pacing waiting for the worst or the best outcome, Magdelena was reading a book though she couldn't tell you what the book was about she wasn't able to focus, as she just flipped through at a random pace. 

Suddenly the room is filled with life and she moves her book to see the Prince sitting up Gaius has stopped pacing and looks at the Prince, "Morning sleeping beauty," she says before closing her book and standing, "I shall go fetch Uther." 

Once Uther had been informed she went to her chambers and changed into a different underdress and had been in that one since Merlin had returned with the Prince. Merlin was pacing and paid little mind to her presence, until Gaius enters and he looks at him, "The Prince lives," Merlin looks both relieved but confused and worried at the same time, "He is asking for you Magdelena." 

She was confused but slowly made her way towards his chambers she stopped outside his door and listened, "I shall inform the court that their Prince lives." Uther exits and she enters his eyes were closed he looked the same only now he was sitting propped against the headboard. 

"I heard from a good source that you were the one by my bed the entire time," he says looking at her as he raises an eyebrow, "I heard you reading stories to me."

"I figured you would get bored stuck with the few thoughts you have," she says cracking a small shy smile at her insult which makes him scoff at her, "Yes, it was the only way to get Uther from your side and into his chambers. I promised to look after you."

"Was it really only because you promised my father that you were by my side?" he asks a smug expression on his face as he stares at her, and she tilts her head at him, "You can be honest with me." 

"What do you want me to say Sire?" she asks, "That I stayed by your side because I wanted to because you were dying. Because I wouldn't dare be parted from your side, because I could have cared less." she says before turning on her heel and leaving the room not wanting to see the hurt expression if he was even hurt. 

"Your lying!" he yelled out as she opened the door she paused for a moment before leaving his chambers and headed to her own chambers fearful of what would happen next if the Prince was alive then who would be die in his place? 

It was the middle of the night when a feeling death appeared on the doorstep of the chambers Magdelena burst up right and stared at the door waiting for someone or something dangerous to enter. The door opens slowly in the doorway is a hooded figure, who begins to fall down, sores on the person's hand, "Gaius!" she calls running forwards pulling the hood off to show her mother wheezing for breath, "Gaius!"

Gaius bolts up with a jolt before seeing Magdelena kneeling next to a figure which was hard for him to see in the dark. He quickly lit a lamp and rushed over gasping at the sight of Hunith on the floor gasping for air, her face and hands covered in red sores, "Gaius. . . " her voice was raspy as she once again gasped for air. 

"Don't speak Hunith," he says rushing from his position on the floor rummaging through his shelves trying to find something, "Get her some water Magdelena!" he calls, she quickly gets from her spot and grabs a small glass before going back to her mother, lifting her head slightly before pouring some of the cool water down her mother's throat. 

The sun rose and Merlin emerged a large smile on his face, "Gaius! I'm alive!" he says but stops when he sees the two people hunched over a figure that was lying on the floor, "What is it? What's happened?" 

"Merlin, stay there!" Gaius says with a bit of a bite to his words as the young warlock took a step forwards.

He took another step forward as he asks, "What's wrong?" 

"No, don't!" Gaius says but it was too late Merlin walked forward to see his mother to be the one on the floor. 

"Mother!" he calls out kneeling down to grab her hand being careful of the sores, she weakly says his name at the sound of her son's voice, "What's happened to her?" 

"She's gravely ill," Gaius says staring down at the woman sadly knowing the cause of her illness, as did Magdelena she could now feel the magic coming from her mother in waves.

"Do something!" he cries as he watches his mother suffer on the floor.

"If I only could," Gaius says sadly, Merlin then turns to his sister.

"Maggie, do something, please save our mother," he begs her tears forming in his eyes as he stares at his sister.

"There is nothing I can do but ease her passing," she says staring down at her mother, though she didn't know the woman well and Hunith was scared of her she was still her mother and loved her dearly. 

"Nothing you can do, or nothing you will do?" Merlin asks bitterly, Magdelena snaps her eyes up to meet his blue ones. 

"What are you implying Merlin?" 

"That you don't care about her because she acted scared of you and with good reason!" Merlin snaps tears now falling down his face, "What kind of a daughter are you?" Gaius went to say something but Magdelena stood from her kneeling position and storms from the hall, Gaius didn't miss the tears that had run down her face as she ran from the room.

She ran through the halls until she could run no more and collapsed in an alcove and sat their and sobbed. She heard footsteps until someone blocked the light that was shining into the small alcove she looked up to see Uther standing there looking at her, "Whatever reason you are crying is not good enough to force me to hear your sobs during a council meeting." he growls at her, she just stares up at him her eyes were broken as if something in her had died. 

"The bond informs you when the one you are bonded to is feeling a very strong emotion," she tries to take a few deep breaths before she stood up, "Sana ho tuulo' amin umbar."

Uther was shocked at the language she had spoken it was nothing he had ever heard before, and he heard quite a few when magic wasn't banned, "W-what spell did you put on me?" 

"Nothing you won't thank me for later," she says before she disappears from the alcove leaving a confused Uther standing there staring at the spot which once held his servant, he would never get used to her doing that. 

She arrived back at the chambers Gaius was there giving her a pitiful look, she ignores him as she walks into Merlin's small bed chambers and grabs his bag and the map to where ever he had gone to get the water that saved the Prince.