Werewolf of London: Chapter 12
London, England February 19th, 1851
Arthur awoke with a headache. He moaned and rubbed at his temples. Then he frowned as he looked around the room he was in. “This is not my room,” he muttered. He sat up and rubbed at his eyes. “Why am I in Merlin’s room?” He saw a robe at the end of the bed, stood up and put it on. Arthur then made his way downstairs, albeit unsteadily as he put a hand on the walls and held on to the stair rail.
“Merlin?” he called out once he hit the bottom step. He walked into the doorway of the dining room and looked around for his lover.
“Oh, you are up. You should have yelled for me,” Merlin replied as he came out of the kitchen. “I was just about to bring you breakfast.” He gestured to the tray of food on the table.
“Why am I here? Last I knew, I was at home sleeping,” Arthur grumped. Merlin guided him to the table and sat him down.
“Here, eat. It will make you feel better.”
“I doubt it,” Arthur replied. However, he began to eat as soon as he sat down. “Merlin, why was I lying in your bed?”
Merlin sighed and sat down next to Arthur. “Listen, Arthur. I know.”
“Know? Know what?” Arthur asked he took a bite of his food.
Merlin touched Arthur’s arm and looked into his eyes. “I know.”
Arthur stared back and shifted in the chair. “I have no idea what you are talking about?”
“Damn it, Arthur! I know you are a werewolf!” Merlin shouted. He rubbed his face. “I have known since I found you! You did not want to talk about it, so I never mentioned, but I have to now.”
“What do you mean? Werewolves? Really Merlin,” Arthur laughed. He took a long drink of tea and went back to eating, ignoring Merlin as the other man got up from the table.
“Do not you dare lie to me, Arthur Pendragon!” Merlin yelled. “I know you know what I am talking about. You probably do not want to talk about it to protect me, which is just stupid because I can protect myself.”
“I dislike being called a liar, Merlin,” Arthur glared. He shoved himself away from the table and walked into the living room.
Merlin followed and grabbed Arthur’s arm. “And I dislike being lied too. I love you, you insufferable prat! I do not care if you turn into a werewolf or if you turned into a...a...merman!”
“How do you know that I am a werewolf, hmm? Tell me that Merlin.” Arthur pulled his arm away and moved to stand by the fireplace.
“I am a wizard!”
Arthur turned to Merlin with wide eyes. “Excuse me?”
“I am a wizard,” Merlin repeated. “I have been magical since I was born. It caused no end of trouble for Mother when I was little. I did not know how to control it, but I do now. I found you because the faeries told me you were important, they led me to you and told me I had to save you. So, I did.”
“Well,” Arthur said stoically. “Were you ever go to tell me?”
“Yes, of course. It is not an easy thing to bring up Arthur. I was not sure how to tell you and then finding the right time...was near impossible. You were raised by Uther to despise and even fear anything magical.”
“Ha!” Arthur laughed harshly. “Father does not believe in magic! He wants nothing to do with those faerie tales.”
“Then why does your father travel all of the continent trying to wipe out anything magical?”
Arthur looked away from Merlin. “I am sure I do not know what you mean.” He glared at Merlin, “I do not believe that you are a wizard.”
Merlin narrowed his eyes. Then he raised his hand and muttered a spell. Arthur watched as Merlin’s eyes turned golden; he was surprised when the couch next to him suddenly lifted up in the air a few feet. Merlin set the couch back down with a thump.
“Do you believe me now?” he asked.
Arthur shook his head and sat down on the recently levitated couch. “This makes no sense Merlin. Werewolves, magic, faeries.”
“Just admit Arthur. Admit you are a werewolf!”
“I do not know what you mean!” Arthur yelled back.
“Yes you do, damn it! You turned into a wolf in Romania. You killed the ones who did it to you, then I found you and changed you back, but it was not for good. You are cursed and you know it! Every full moon you change into a werewolf!” Merlin began to pace as he raised his voice. “Gaius and I made a charm, the bracelet, for you, to help keep the wolf at bay, but it stopped working last night. You killed someone and then came to my home. I found you outside my door, covered in blood. That is why I had to tell you that I know you are a werewolf.”
“I killed people,” Arthur said quietly. He looked up at Merlin with sad eyes. “How many? How many did I kill?”
“I...do not know.” Merlin made to each out to Arthur, but pulled his hand away. “I can help you though.”
“How?” Arthur growled.
“Magic. My magic, specifically.”
“Your magic failed, did it not?”
Merlin flinched. “I am not sure. I will have to check with Gaius.”
“Gaius,” Arthur scoffed. “What does he know about magic?”
“He was once a powerful magician until Uther forced him to give it up. Like I said, he helped with the bracelet. He was the one who knew the herbs to keep the wolf away.”
“They did not work very well, did they?” Arthur snarled. He got up from the couch and began to stalk around the room.
“Something must have happened. Something overpowered the herbs. Gaius said they were stronger than any spell.”
“What happened then? It must have been something important to make me change into that creature.”
Merlin smiled crookedly. “You finally admitted it.”
“I guess I did.” Arthur jerked his head to the side and stopped moving. “I am unsure of what to do now.”
“We will go to Gaius. He might know what to do.” Merlin touched Arthur’s hand lightly. “It will be okay.”
“Perhaps.” Arthur stared at Merlin then pulled away. “Let me dress then we can go.” He began to walk up the stairs and said, “I am still mad at you for not telling me.”
“I know,” Merlin said softly.
“I still love you though,” Arthur kept talking as he reached the landing.
“I know,” Merlin repeated. He watched as Arthur nodded and returned to Merlin’s bedroom. Merlin sighed. This day will not be getting any better, I am sure of it.
The carriage ride to Gaius’ home was uncomfortable and silent. Arthur and Merlin sat across from each other, staring out the windows instead of look at one another. Merlin fidgeted with his coat buttons and thinking of what he would tell Gaius.
“Does anyone else know?” Arthur asked suddenly.
“Just Mother. Well, and probably the whole population of Alba, but I am sure they would not mention it to anyone.”
“No. It is not an outsider’s business.”
Merlin gave Arthur a strange look, but shrugged it off. “I suppose.”
“Gaius?” Merlin called out. “Arthur and I need to talk to you.” Merlin heard nothing but silence and he frowned. “Hmm...he should be here.”
“He must not be home,” Arthur said. He walked into the house and looked around. “We shall wait for him.” Arthur walked into the sitting room and touched an object on the wall. “What a strange house. Look at all these...things!”
“You probably should not be touching those,” Merlin stated as he sat down on a couch. “I do not know where they come from or what they do.”
Arthur snatched his hand away quickly from the thing he was touching. He then turned towards Merlin and sat next to him on the couch, but left a visible space between them. They sat in silence until the front door opened.
“Ah!” Gaius cried when he spotted them. “I was just coming to see you. Have you heard the news?”
“No,” replied Arthur. He glanced at Merlin in confusion. Merlin shrugged. “What is it?”
“Valiant is dead.”
Arthur turned ashen. “I think I am going to be ill.” He dashed to the kitchen.
Gaius turned to Merlin with a raised eyebrow.
“That is why we came to see you. Arthur showed up on my doorstep early this morning, covered in blood. His bracelet was nowhere to be seen. It must have broken. We are not sure why though.”
“I see you confessed then.”
“Yes,” Merlin stood and paced. “I had to force it out of him and then tell him I was a wizard. We have not been talking since this morning.”
Arthur came back into the room, wiping his mouth with a cloth. “How did you find out, Gaius?”
“A friend at the morgue asked me to come by. He knew that I was interested in strange and mysterious cases. Valiant had claw marks and bite marks covering his body. People also swore they heard howling,” Gaius responded. He took off his coat and hung it up, then he began to walk to the back of the house. “Follow me.” The two men followed Gaius downstairs and into his basement. “I keep my laboratory down here, much safer. Now, let me look through some books and you tell me what happened.”
Arthur shifted from foot to foot, uncomfortable with talking about his curse. “I just remember lying in bed and then waking up at Merlin’s. I do not know what happened in the interim.”
“Interesting. Merlin?” Gaius flipped through a large book, pausing every now and then, but never stopping.
“Oh, um, I left Arthur’s home around six-thirty and he was fine. Then he was at my front door at five-thirty in the morning. It is probably a good thing Mother was not home.”
“I did not think to ask where Hunith was. Is she alright?”
“Yes,” Merlin smiled feebly. “She had a minor relapse and was placed in the hospital.”
“Indeed, that is where I was when Edwin asked for help.” Gaius looked up at Merlin. “She is doing well by the way, Merlin.”
“Good.”
They stood around in the quiet for sometime until Gaius closed his book and looked at Arthur. “Arthur, my boy, did you recently have a great...emotional distress?”
“I am not sure what you mean,” Arthur frowned.
“It says here that only a great emotional distress could break the magic that Merlin placed on that bracelet. Wolfsbane is poisonous to humans, but to werewolves it merely keeps the wolf at bay. Combined with Merlin’s magic it should have been enough to keep it away for years. You must have had some kind of issue.”
“Why me?” Arthur barked. “Why not blame Merlin’s magic?”
Gaius laughed loudly. “Merlin is the most powerful wizard in centuries. While he is still young and learning, his magic does not go wrong. Especially when it concerns someone he loves.”
Merlin blushed as Arthur turned to stare at him. “Gaius,” he hissed.
“Do not be shy, my boy! If Arthur is to accept you, he must accept all of you!” Gaius turned back to Arthur, who was still staring at Merlin. “So, Arthur, emotional distress?”
“None that I can think of,” he replied. He blinked then turned to face Gaius. “But I must have had one.”
“Well,” Merlin broke in. “Now that I think about it, Valiant did try to force himself on me and Arthur protected me.”
“That is it then!” Gaius cried.
“But that was weeks ago!” Arthur protested. “Surely, I would have been over it by then.”
“Are you?” Gaius questioned.
“What?”
“Are you over it now? Think about it. Valiant pushing Merlin into a corner and kissing him. Merlin struggles, but cannot fight off Valiant. How do you feel?”
Arthur growled loudly. His hands curled up into fists and his whole body became tense.
“Yes, you are surely over it,” Gaius said sarcastically.
Merlin touched Arthur’s shoulder lightly and that broke the other man out of his spell. “This makes no sense,” Arthur said brokenly. He was panting hard, trying not to become too worked up.
“Your animal instincts take over when it comes to people you love,” Gaius declared as he moved around his laboratory. “When Valiant attacked Merlin, you could not do anything. Even though you have gained exceptional strength and agility, the bracelet kept most of it in check. Once the full moon rose, the wolf, who did not forget the threat, broke out completely. It must have shattered the bracelet, sniffed out Valiant and killed him.”
“If Merlin’s magic is the strongest, why did the bracelet brake?” Arthur asked.
Gaius raised an eyebrow and looked at both of them. “Magic is not immune to love, especially love under threat.” The two men shuffled their feet and did not look at each other. Gaius sighed and continued speaking, “Magic is almost like a living thing. It does what is requested of it, but it also does what it sees fit. Magic believed that Valiant was a bigger threat than Arthur changing into a werewolf.”
“Can we put another bracelet on him?” inquired Merlin.
“I am afraid not,” Gaius exhaled. “Once the charm is broken, it is broken for good. There is a potion, however.”
“What will it do?” Arthur asked suspiciously. He used to have Gaius’ potions when he was a child and he wanted to know what was in store for himself.
“It will not keep you from changing into a werewolf, but it should keep the wolf less aggressive. I will need some time to make it. You will need to take it on the three days when the moon is at its fullest and only on those days. I will have some for you tonight. For now, go home. I am sure your sister is worried about you.” Gaius turned his back on the young men.
“Come, Arthur.” Merlin took Arthur’s arm and pulled him upstairs.
They walked outside and got into Arthur’s carriage. Arthur banged on the roof. “Home, James,” he yelled. “The most powerful wizard in centuries, eh?” Arthur smirked as the carriage began to move.
Merlin blushed again. “Gaius was not exaggerating, but I do not like to talk about it. I still make mistakes.”
Arthur moved next to Merlin and took one of his hands. “You did not make a mistake in not telling me. I understand why you had too. I would not have believed you.”
“I was going to tell you on our European trip. It seemed like the best time, but things did not turn out the way I intended.”
“I know what you mean,” Arthur chuckled. “However, I am glad that things worked out the way they did. Otherwise, perhaps...”
Merlin kissed him lightly. “They did work out for the best.”
“Even if we are a werewolf and a wizard.” Arthur grinned wickedly. “Although, people might think you are the werewolf with that shaggy hair.”
“At least you are still a prat,” Merlin retorted.
Arthur laughed and kissed Merlin. “Some things never change.”
Chapter 13