Merlin woke to the kiss of sunlight upon his eyelids, and the tangle of sheets around his limbs. The crisp morning air had drifted in through the open window with the birdsong. Dimly, he was aware that he was shivering.
And then the cold seemed to hit him all at once.
Stumbling out of bed, Merlin pulled his trousers on and his window closed. His whole body ached, the bruise on his side was turning purple, and no amount of yawning seemed to be chasing away his tiredness.
There was a metallic clash from the next room.
Merlin paused. It had sounded suspiciously like someone walking into a bucket. And stranger still, it had been followed by a hush of voices. Plural.
Merlin tugged on a shirt. "Gaius? Is that you?"
No reply.
"Gaius?" Carefully, Merlin inched open his door.
The chambers were a mess, as usual, and smelt strongly of candle wax and old parchment, with the added aroma of whatever new potion sat brewing on the desk. And then there was the upturned bucket. Luckily, and for whatever ungodly reason, rather than water, the bucket had contained an assortment of scrolls which, now strewn across the floor, at least made for an easier mess to clean up.
"Ah," Gaius turned around, "Merlin, I was just—"
"Causing a racket?"
The old man rolled his eyes and continued towards the shelves, moving just far enough that Merlin was finally able to see the figure huddled in the doorway.
"Morgana?"
The lady was still in her nightdress, a shawl pulled close around her shoulders, with her hair falling loosely to the side. "Forgive me," she smiled, "I didn't mean to wake you. I had trouble sleeping — bad dreams — and I wondered if Gaius had anything that might help."
"Bad dreams? What kind of bad dreams?"
"It's nothing, I'm sure. I had a late night last night — I imagine we all did — and it must have just worn me out," Morgana smiled as she was handed a small vial of liquid, "I'll feel better with this, no doubt."
"Take it before bed," Gaius instructed, "it should help to relax you. Any issues and you know where to find me."
As Morgana thanked him, Merlin felt there was something off about her smile. It seemed out of place. It seemed strange — subtle, but definitely strange. It was so subtle, in fact, that he almost missed it. And then he realised. It wasn't the smile. It was the eyes; Morgana's eyes were puffy and rubbed red and glistened, not with tears, but with something else: fear.
Merlin watched as she headed for the door. "Morgana?"
Her smile seemed as sweet as ever. But there was no mistaking her eyes.
"Are you sure you're alright?"
"Positive. Oh, and Merlin? Would you please do me a favour?"
"Of course, my Lady."
"Don't tell Arthur about this. I don't want him to worry."
YOU ARE READING
A Different Destiny / Merthur
FanfictionA Merthur fic set in canon era. After two years of putting up with his useless excuse for a manservant, Arthur begins to suspect that there may be more to Merlin than meets the eye. But Merlin's not the only one with a secret. And maybe destinies...
