Merlyn's Only Hope

The Mark of Nimueh P1

There were reports of a strange illness in the lower town, something tangibly magical in the air. Arthur had given Merlyn the morning off while he trained, a silent thanks for the Valiant situation, and, although she normally joined him, Gaius had asked for her help. It didn't take long to find a body.

Its skin was tinged with blue, its eyes, glazed white, and its veins darkened. It didn't look human, like a cruel imitation of a man, broken, hollow.

"The people can't see this, they'll panic." Gaius exclaimed, his eyes wide with a fear Merlyn had never seen in him. She nodded, throwing a blanket over the body, looking around to ensure that they hadn't been seen. With Gaius' help, she managed to load it into a wagon, rolling it quickly through the gates and towards their chambers, hoping to escape unseen. Unfortunately for them, Gwen, clutching a bunch of flowers, walked past them, probably on her way to see Morgana.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her eyes drifting to the covered body.

"Nothing, just, uh, moving something." replied Merlyn, sidestepping to obscure Gwen's view.

"It looks heavy." Gwen commented, still trying to look past her.

"It's nothing really... Has someone got you flowers?" Merlyn questioned, hoping that Gwen wouldn't press any further. Luckily, from the light blush and her stuttering, the blacksmith's daughter was certainly distracted.

"Oh, no." she chuckled nervously, "Would you like one? A purple one. Purple suits you.  Not that I'm saying red doesn't suit you." She stammered, seeming genuinely mortified.

Merlyn looked down at her red tunic, raising her eyebrow slightly. Feeling rather unsure, she thanked Gwen, tucking her flower behind her ear and, after saying her goodbyes, continued to the chambers.

∆

"I've never seen anything like this before." Gaius stated whilst examining the body. Merlyn, who had been reading some of the books she'd bought on her second day in Camelot, couldn't say that this fit anything in those tomes.

"Do you think it could be some sort of plague?" she guessed, feeling rather hopeless.

"No, I fear something like this could never come from nature. But who has this kind of power?" wondered Gaius. For the first time in many years, he was certain that this was no ordinary illness, that sorcery was involved.

His thoughts were interrupted by Arthur stomping noisily down the corridor.

"Merlyn!" he shouted, causing his servant to sigh.

"So much for the morning off." she muttered indignantly as she swung the door open to reveal the prince's disgruntled expression.

Before she could say anything, she saw him staring at her ear. Reaching up, she touched the flower, ignoring his smirk. "Oh, Gwen, she gave it to me."

Arthur gave her a look but didn't question her further. "Tell Gaius my father wants to see him now." he ordered, turning around as he did so. He started to disappear down the corridor, but as she was closing the door, she heard him call her name again. The servant met his gaze raising her eyebrow questioningly. "Purple suits you." She rolled her eyes playfully, grinning, a feeling of deja vu overwhelming her.

The witch shut the door, not even bothering to relay the message. "Why couldn't he just tell you himself?" she asked, frowning slightly.

"Because that's the way it is. You're a servant." Gaius replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Merlyn sighed. "If he knew who I was, what I'd done-"

"You'd be a dead servant." Gaius interrupted. They were both silent for a moment, morbid in their thoughts.