Between the Storms

Chapter Ten

10. An Ass of Us All

The three young adults sat at Gwen's table with a single candle in the middle, trying to figure how to get their Gaius back, "We need to force the goblin out of Gaius."

"And how do we do that?" Gwen asks from what she had seen herself she believed something was wrong with Gaius.

Magdelena slammed her first down on the table, "We kill it!"

"You can't or you kill Gaius," Merlin says Magdelena frowns at the news she hated the creature but she didn't want to kill Gaius, "I'll try to sneak back to Gaius's chambers. Maybe I can find something in one of his books."

"No, let me do that if you get caught by the Goblin he won't hesitate to get you back under the custody of Uther," Magdelena says, "Who will kill you tonight to keep you from escaping again."

"We need to convince Arthur," Merlin says, "I think if you speak to him, he might listen to you." 

"Why can't Gwen?" Magdelena asks. 

"I need her to keep an eye on Gaius, if he moves too close she needs to let me know and distract him so I can get out." Merlin says, "Please Magdelena, we all know Arthur feels for you. If anyone can change his mind it is you."

"I will give it a try but I can't promise anything," Magdelena says standing from her chair and brushing off her regular clothes which were a bit dusty from sitting on an unwashed floor not too long before.

"You should change into something nicer," Gwen says with a soft smile, "If all else fails you can just persuade him."

"Gwen that is my sister!" Merlin says disgusted which Magdelena laughs, before stopping to pull Merlin into a tight hug.

"Be careful Merlin you're all I have," she whispers in his ear before turning to Gwen, "I will see what I can find." She makes her way from the lower town, leaving Gwen and Merlin to plan their actions better as she made her way through the courtyard, she made sure first that Uther was cared for before stopping at Arthur's door. She changed into a dark red dress which was off the shoulder, with a gold 'V' down her waist which wrapped around with gold designs around the white and black strings of the corset.

She took a deep breath before knocking on the door, "Prince Arthur?" she asks when there is only a bit of shuffling she knocks again a little louder, "Prince Arthur I am coming in, it is me Magdelena." She enters and looks around the slightly messy room, which was only being lit by the windows. 

She walks around trying to find him she goes to the other side of the bed to see Arthur with donkey ears sitting on the floor trying to hide. She smiles softly at him as she bends down, "What's happened to you?" Arthur just brays making her bite her lip to keep from laughing, "Did Gaius do this to you?"

Arthur brays what sounds like a 'yes' and she smiles at him sadly.

"Guess you now believe he is a goblin," she says trying to make the tension less in the room but it seemed to only to annoy Arthur more as he brays what she assumes was him saying, 'Got that.' 

She gets a bit closer, "I am sorry this happened to you, Arthur," she begins to pet one of the rather soft ears as he leans into her touch and brays making her smile at him, "Merlin is working on a plan. We'll figure out what to do. Stay here, though I am sure you don't want to go around looking like an ass." 

He brays something angrily swatting her away making her chuckles before leaving his chambers and heading to see how Gwen and Merlin were going on. She rushes to Gwen's house seeing them both sitting there, "I have some bad news, the Prince has been turned into a donkey."

"What do you mean he has been turned into a donkey?" Gwen asks slightly worried while Merlin looks ready to burst into laughter.

"He has the ears of a donkey," Magdelena says, "And the voice. He-- he's braying."

"He's...braying," Merlin pauses for a moment before he bursts into laughter and Magdelena lets out a few chuckles trying to hold them in but failing a few times.

"It's not funny you two," Gwen says with a harsh tone, "That is our crown, Prince."

"No. No, no, of course not," Merlin says sharing a look with his sister who clamped her mouth shut to keep from laugh, "Arthur with the ears of a donkey, what's funny about that?"

"He looked so pitiful, to be honest," Magdelena says her face falling slightly as she thought about it, "I've never seen Arthur look like that. Did you find anything?" 

"I think so." He places his hand on a book that Magdelena had just noticed, "If the host body dies, the goblin dies with it. So, if Gaius is dying, the goblin will be forced to leave him."

"You want to kill Gaius?" Gwen asks shocked as Magdelena stares at Merlin with an unimpressed look.

"So if I want to kill Gaius I am frown at but if you do Merlin it's all for it," Magdelena says Merlin goes to explain but she sends him a smile to show she was joking.

"Just briefly. Once the goblin's out of Gaius, we have to trap it in a box lined with lead," Merlin says which was oddly specific, "It's the only container that will hold it."

"Where do we get a box lined with lead?" Gwen asks no one in particular.

"Leave that to me," Merlin says smugly.

"I was scared you were going to say that," Magdelena says, "Just be careful. You may not have gotten caught yet, but that doesn't mean it won't happen."