All the Ships Are Left to Rust (1/6)
Title: All the Ships Are Left to Rust (1/6)
Pairings/characters: Arthur/Merlin, Lance/Gwen, Mordred/Kara and slight Gwaine/Morgana
Rating: R
Word Count: 36,689
Warnings: Minor Character death, blood, violence, mental illness
Summary: (Dinotopia AU) The morning had started off innocently enough, then the warning bells start chiming and suddenly Uther’s mortally wounded, Morgana’s missing, and Arthur (read: Merlin) has the survival of the entire island on his shoulders.
A desperate attempt to save Uther's life finds Arthur and Merlin braving the Great Desert for a sorcerer who brings to light a hidden war on magic and when the two return home, it's to discover that the attack on Uther and Morgana's kidnapping were only the tip of the iceberg: there's a force that wants to reunite the tiny island with the outside world but that in itself may lead to the island's downfall.
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AN: Thank you so much to my lovely, beta Britt, who had to put up with 3am texts complaining about everything even vaguely related to this fic. To my wonderful cheerleader, kitty_fic and my fabulous artist suchaprince who are absolutely extraordinary and had to put up with me going MIA for nearly the entire summer. It's been crazy and working on this silly fic might be one of the only things that got me through in one piece. And thanks also to the_muppet who ran this big bang flawlessly.
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[ 1] - [ 2] - [ 3] - [ 4] - [ 5] - [ 6]
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Dinotopia. Where shelter is freely given and men and beasts find second chances. This island nestled in the middle of the sea, surrounded by gentle waves, by lush coral reefs, knew nothing of war, only peace. The citizens of Dinotopia thrived under the rule of their just and noble king, Uther Pendragon.
Twenty years ago there were rumors of magic on the island but then Queen Ygraine was killed. The Queen and King, travelling with their son and newborn daughter took a caravan through the Rainy Basin. They were attacked in the night. The King, Prince, Princess and Court Physician were the sole survivors of the party.
Or so they said, and really, why would anyone lie about that? The entire island grieved for the death of their Queen. But that was twenty long years ago and to most Dinotopians, the island lived up to its name. It always had. While the rest of the world fell prey to the unimaginable horrors of extinction, the inhabitants of Dinotopia took refuge in the World Below. These tunnels and caverns stretched all throughout the island and as time passed rumors of monsters and unimaginable horrors inhabiting the dark twisting tunnels overwrote fact with myths and legends.
Humans came to the island via shipwrecks and found themselves welcomed on this inviting island. Every inhabitant on the island was a refugee, descended from someone who narrowed missed death. They were survivalists. They didn’t pick fights. They welcomed peace. The island was born from dark days of unimaginable horror but that only make the island stronger. The rest of the world was only a dream most Dinotopians were content to live without.
---
“When’s he going to hatch?”
“She, Merlin. How many times do I have to tell you?”
“I’ll remember eventually.”
Gwen laughed and gently put the egg back into its spot.
Just as she stood up and put her hands on her hips as she straightened out her back, the warning bells began abruptly, as warning bells are apt to do, and both Merlin and Gwen lurched at the sound. Their eyes were wide but their hands already reached for what they had to do. This was a routine that both Gwen and Merlin had perfected over the years helping out in the capitol city’s tiny hatchery. They had to secure all the hatchlings and wait until the heads of the hatchery arrived. They caught each other’s eye and Merlin held up his hands, “I had nothing to do with this!” Gwen looked at him like she didn’t quite believe him, after all, it wouldn’t be the first time-not even remotely so.
Gwen rolled her eyes and moved around the room as the others came to stay with the eggs and then the two raced towards the castle. They caught up with Lance just inside the castle doors. He shook his head silently at their questioning looks. Any jokes Gwen and Merlin might have had about the warning bells died on their lips. Lancelot looked strained and kept glancing around them as if he were expecting someone to jump out at any second. Gwen and Merlin shared an unsure look as Lance led them down the hall to the king’s chambers. Leon stood guard outside the door. He was an Ornithomimus, standing at six feet with dark red feathers covering his body. A sword belt hung around his middle and his claws rested on the hilt nervously. He looked on edge and when he saw the three hurrying towards him his face became grimmer.
“Oh no,” Gwen whispered besides Merlin, “He’s been hurt.” At first Merlin thought she was talking about the king, but then he realized that Leon was sporting a cut on his forehead. Gwen bit her lip in concern but her eyes moved onto the doorway he was guarding. Leon and Gwen had known each other since childhood, and when Merlin saw that her concern was on what lie behind the door instead of on her friend, Merlin felt his stomach drop. There must have been an accident. He tried to remember where Arthur was supposed to be today but the only thing he could recall was Arthur saying he wouldn’t be needing him until that afternoon and at that point Merlin had just stopped listening. The three of them reached the doorway and Leon paused abruptly with one hand resting on the door. He seemed unsure if he should knock or not so Merlin took the choice away from him, he gently elbowed his friend aside and threw the door open.
The king lay pale and unconscious on the bed. Gaius stood next to him, turning around to shoot Merlin a reproachful look for barging in. Merlin let the look slide off of him and his eyes instead locked on Arthur, red bright on his sleeve and side. Arthur glanced to him the same moment Merlin felt Gwen’s fingers wrap around his arm as she gasped. Arthur’s eyes were wide and his face was almost as pale as his father’s and he turned back to the King almost instantly. Gwen released her hold on Merlin’s arm and went over to Arthur, placed a hand on his back gingerly.
“Arthur, you’re bleeding.”
“No-it’s-“ His voice was rough and he broke off quickly when Gwen started to rub her hand on Arthur’s back in comfort.
“Merlin.” Gauis’ voice caused Arthur to flinch. “You and Guinevere take Arthur back to my chambers and dress that wound. I’ll send Sir Leon if they are any changes.” Gaius was a Troodon, standing slightly shorter than Merlin, with dulling green and blue scales.
“No.” Arthur began again, but it was weak, soft and he closed his mouth quickly. Merlin tried to catch Gaius’ eye but the Troodon was almost pointedly not looking in Merlin’s direction. A sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach and he glanced to Uther again, paler and stiller than Merlin ever saw. Was he not going to make it? He wanted to ask what had happened but by the looks of Arthur, he was probably better off asking when the prince wasn’t around. Or, more likely, just wait for Arthur to start shouting at him. It had been a couple of hours since the last time Arthur had rounded on him for something so they were overdue for a shouting match.
Gwen tightened her grip on Arthur and started to firmly lead him from the room. He protested only a moment before he met Merlin’s eye and straightened up. He schooled his expression into the one he wore in official company and made a show of being Okay when the three walked back out of the rooms. Merlin glanced over his shoulder at Gaius but he was now at the King’s bedside, peering down at him looking utterly at a loss, his tail sweeping over the floor in agitation. Shit, that was never good. Leon shut the door behind him, blocking Gaius from sight and Lance, who was hovering next to Leon looking like he wanted to do about six different things but couldn’t decide where to start, stepped towards Arthur.
“Are you-“ Lancelot began at once.
“Are they looking for them?” Arthur’s voice held only a hint of emotion, he was outside is father’s chambers and therefore he was Prince Regent, not just his father’s son.
“Yes but-“
“I want them found, Lancelot. Now.”
“Yes, Arthur.”
Lancelot shot both Gwen and Merlin a wary glance before turning and rushing down the hall. Merlin could only stare after him, trying to process what Arthur had just said. Judging by Leon and Arthur’s injuries, he could only assume that someone had attacked the king.
Which was unheard of because this was Dinotopia and the land is at peace and no one goes without and everyone is happy and all is always well. However…
This wouldn’t be the first time someone had attacked the King. Merlin still vividly remembered when Uther had caught two people plotting against him and had them killed swiftly and silently. That had been the first time he had seen how completely ruthless Uther could be. And from there it got even worse because word got out that they had a son and Arthur had stormed into his chambers that night and started throwing things around because father wants to find the child and execute him as well. He’s just a child. And the following day Morgana had grabbed Merlin on his way to get Arthur’s lunch, her face pale and her hands shaking. She had dragged him into her room where Gwen sat with a small boy on her lap, rocking him back and forth as he stared blankly at the wall. Merlin had known instantly what was going on and Morgana didn’t even have to explain, all she had said was, Merlin, please, you’re the only one who can help us. And he did. Except Arthur had found him, Morgana and the child as they were sneaking out of Waterfall City. To both of their surprise, he had just let out a long-suffering sigh and helped them sneak the boy out to a safe location, fighting with Morgana every step of the way because you should be back home, Morgana, this is too dangerous for you. Of course, Morgana would have none of that and Merlin and the child spent most of the journey rolling their eyes. When they came back to Waterfall City, just as dawn was breaking, Uther had stormed over to the three of them, going on and on about some story Gwen and Gaius had come up with involving Merlin and Arthur drinking too much and Morgana chasing them throughout the night to get them to come back. In all honestly, that story was more absurd than the truth and it was a testament to all of the trouble Arthur and Merlin had gotten into growing up that he even believed it.
But attacks on the King were few and far between. In all the time Merlin had been in the city, he could count attacks on one hand, and word never got out about it. The people of Dinotopia were mostly a laid-back bunch of survivalists. Not many people went looking for trouble. In fact, Merlin hadn’t even known he wasn’t the only one who could do magic until he was fifteen and walked in on Gaius levitating a book down from the shelf. He didn’t know who screamed more loudly, him or Gaius but it had brought his mother running in. That had been back when he and his mother used to spend the winters with Gaius in Waterfall City and spent the rest of the year in Greenglen where he and Will would somehow get into more trouble than he and Arthur (and Lancelot and Morgana) did in the Capitol.
The following year was split evenly between his two homes and the year after that he moved in with Gaius and became Arthur’s manservant completely by accident within two weeks. Will still mocked him for it.
But now it seems like there had been another attack. He was focused on the back of Arthur’s head as he trailed after him and Gwen down the hall. The three didn’t speak until they were in Gaius’ chambers. When they entered the room and Merlin shut the door with a quiet click, Arthur’s shoulders relaxed but he otherwise didn’t change. “Who did this, Arthur?” Merlin asked even though his instincts were warning him to stay away from this topic, that Arthur looked too numb, that he was going to explode any second and he shouldn’t make himself the easy target. However, if this was magic (and it had been, once, and it had almost cost Arthur his life) then he had to get ever last ounce of information that he possibly could out of Arthur as quickly as possible. Unless Gwen or Leon were harboring secret magical abilities, he was the only warlock who would fight to protect the King and Arthur.
“I don’t know. I didn’t get a chance to see their face.” Arthur pulled his arm away sharply as Gwen began to clean the cut on his arm, which was deeper than it looked. The woman shot a piercing glare at him and pulled his arm back to her, keeping it in a firm grip. Arthur looked a little sheepish and his gaze was locked on the door that led to Merlin’s room at the top of the stairs.
“How many were there? Were they human? Dinosaur?”
“There were three. All human.”
Gwen tied the bandage closed and placed her hand gently over the wound, “I have to go to Morgana.” Arthur flinched and Gwen removed her hand from Arthur’s arm, looking guilty.
“No you don’t.” Now it was Gwen’s turn to flinch and she glanced to Merlin, her expression unreadable even to him. Arthur stared at Gaius’ workbench as he continued, “She’s gone.”
Gwen’s eyes narrowed in confusion but Merlin was the one to ask, “What?” and his voice was dark and almost sounded dangerous.
“By the time I reached my father he was already screaming for Morgana…pleading for her really. But when he saw me he stopped. One of the men rounded on me and caught me off guard and ran. But we’ve had the castle searched already. She’s nowhere to be found.”
“Perhaps she’s just out in the city?”
“We were supposed to be meeting for lunch. She should be in her room getting ready.”
Panic started to enter Gwen’s eyes and she stumbled over her words as she stood, “I’ll go help them look for her.”
“Guinevere-wait. The attackers could still be out there. It’s not safe.”
“I’ll find Leon or Lancelot then. No one knows Morgana better than I do, Arthur. What if she’s had to hide? I can help them.”
“She’ll be fine, Arthur.” Merlin spoke softly and rested a hand on his wrist.
Arthur jerked his hand away and started to stand. “I’ll go with you.”
“Arthur you’re wounded.”
“I’ve had worse.”
“Arthur. If these men came here to kidnap Morgana then you can’t go running through the city after her. With your father unconscious, you’re going to have to take over for him. The council’s going to want to meet immediately. You’re the Prince Regent.”
Arthur sighed and he could almost see the war raging behind his eyes. “Fine. Merlin, you go with Guinevere, make sure she gets to Lancelot safely and then you meet me in either my chambers or the council’s chambers. This island isn’t big. The search teams will find them in a matter of days.”
They didn’t.
The days turned into weeks which in turn, faded into months. Uther’s condition didn’t change. He didn’t get worse, which was a godsend, but on the other hand he wasn’t getting any better either. It was madding. There was no hint of Morgana either. His sister had just vanished into the breeze. One minute she was there and the next it was if she had never been here at all. Arthur took to eating his meals inside of his chambers so he didn’t have to face the empty dining hall alone. He cited the fact that he was busy trying to figure out who would do this and how and why and he was sure most everyone believed him. The only ones who showed any hesitation were his friends, but they were usually one word short of treason anyway. Well, Gwen, Lancelot and Leon played it safe most of the time, it was Merlin who was constantly flirting with banishment and spent most of his free time in the stocks. He knew for a fact that Merlin was considered a prime suspect by several of his father’s advisors. The only reason nothing had come of their suspicions was the fact that everyone generally agreed that Merlin was sort of an idiot and therefore unable to manage to get away uncaught. He was also with Guinevere at the time, and had been seen running the streets towards the castle not away. He hadn’t spoken with Merlin for two days after the advisors came to him with their suspicions and he had to take time out of his search to needlessly clear his friend’s name.
Arthur sat in a chair at his father’s bedside. He had held vigil here every day since the attack and he couldn’t bring himself to stop. To stop was to admit defeat and Arthur Pendragon was never defeated. His father was going to wake up. And soon. He was glaring at the bed when the door creaked open and Merlin slipped in.
“You know, if you were glaring at me like that I’d fake a coma to escape it.”
Arthur turned the glare onto him without missing a beat and Merlin froze, “Do you ever think before you talk, Merlin?”
“No.” The younger man didn’t move from where he stopped until Arthur sighed and looked back at his father. Merlin moved so that he stood at Arthur’s side and he crossed his arm. He looked down at Uther in a rather impressive imitation of Gaius that almost had Arthur believing there was something going on in his thick head. Almost. “Gaius gave me this potion to give to Uther. He thinks it might be able to help.”
“He must not be too confident in it if he didn’t bring it himself.”
Merlin looked at Arthur for a heartbeat before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial. “Mr. Williams’ broken his tail again. He’s setting it now and will be up after. Anyway, it takes a while for the potion to work.”
Arthur didn’t quite believe him, when he lied he fidgeted and studied the ground which was what he was doing now. But Arthur trusted him and so he nodded towards his father. “Well then, give it to him.”
Merlin glanced to Arthur unsure and Arthur stood, walking over to the window. He peered out of it and from his vantage point he could see a stegosaurus-Mrs. Williams hovering outside the blacksmith’s shop. There was a small crowd gathered with her. So Merlin had been telling the truth about that.
As he was turning away from the window, Merlin gasped and there was a low groan from the bed. Arthur’s heart froze in his chest and the next second he was pressed against Merlin’s side, staring down at his father as his forehead furrowed in pain. “What the hell did you give him?” Arthur asked sharply, unaware of the fact he was shouting.
But his words fell upon deaf ears. Merlin stared down at the king, undiluted horror etched across every inch of his face and of course it would be Merlin who gave his father a faulty potion. If this killed him…
Arthur didn’t have to continue the thought because just then he realized that his father was saying his name.
“Arthur? Do you have Morgana?”
---
Oh fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck. I’ve killed him. Gaius said the potion was too risky but did I listen? No. I did it anyway and not only that I strengthened it with magic so now it’s going to kill him quicker and oh god I’ve killed Uther. Arthur is never going to forgive me. Arthur’s going to kill me. I’m going to die.
“Merlin.”
My poor mother. She likes Arthur so much. It’s going to break her heart-
“Merlin!”
Merlin snapped out of his daze and looked to Arthur who glared at him in a panic. “Go get Gaius right now.” Merlin glanced down to the king and with a jolt realized he was awake. Not dead. “Now Merlin!” The nineteen year old was in too much of a shock to do anything else but to tear out of the room and go crashing down the hall. He sped past Lancelot who only just managed to keep his balance but Merlin didn’t have time to stop. Uther was awake. He did it. Gaius was probably going to kill him for not listening but it was okay. Uther was awake. He did it. Merlin raced down the front steps of the castle and darted through the crowd, squeezing his way into the blacksmith’s shop. Gaius and Gwen were thankfully finishing up setting Mr. William’s tail and honestly Merlin wasn’t even surprised to see Gwen here. The woman was seemingly everywhere at once now that Morgana was missing and she was relieved of her duties. The entire room looked up as he came crashing into the room and he made his way over to Gaius who narrowed his eyes at him as if he knew what he had done. “Uther’s awake.” He whispered into his ear. Merlin wanted to shout it to the entire island but knew it was too soon-Uther was too unstable, recovery wasn’t guaranteed and new traveled fast. Gaius gasped and immediately turned to Gwen, “Have Merlin help you finish up. Steven,” he said, turning to address the stegosaurus, “rest for two weeks. We don’t want to upset the injury again, that’s why it broke so easily. It didn’t set properly the last time. I’m sorry-I have to go now.” Gaius gathered up his things and the small crowd parted for the elderly troodon to leave.
Almost immediately, Mr. Williams looked to Merlin, “Is the Prince okay?”
“Yes. Arthur’s fine.”
“So it’s the King then?”
“I never said-“
“The only time I’ve ever seen you move that fast is for Arthur so it must be either him or his father.”
What the hell did that even mean? He’d run that fast if Gwen were in trouble, or Lancelot, or Leon or Will. He’d run faster than that if his mother needed help. He was about to argue the fact when Gwen said, “There. All done.” and she grabbed Merlin’s hand to pull herself to her feet. She brushed off her dress and then smiled to Mr. Williams. “Will you be able to get home alright?”
“I’m fine. Go find out what’s got Merlin so worked up.”
She smiled politely but she had a death grip on Merlin’s hand as she dragged him from the shop and through the crowed. As soon as they were inside the castle-for Merlin knew she was leading him straight back to the king’s chambers, she turned to him. “Merlin?” and her voice held a warning.
“Uther’s woken up but it’s too soon to tell what state he’s in.”
Her eyes went wide and she started pulling him down the hall even as she started speaking, “Well come on then-Gaius is probably going to need our help. You’ve told Arthur yes?”
“He’s there now."
When Merlin and Gwen reached the king’s chambers, Leon and a guardsmen whose name Merlin couldn’t remember-Gareth or Galahad or Garret or something probably stating with Ga, maybe-were standing outside. Their stances were rigid and uncomfortable and Leon shot Merlin a warning look as he approached. “Something’s wrong.” He said quietly, glancing to the man next to him who continued to stare at the wall in front of him. “Uther keeps shouting about Morgana.”
“That’s to be expected-for Uther the last thing he remembers is her being kidnapped. Anyone in his place would be confused and angry.”
“No it’s…it’s different. Merlin I can let you in but Gwen, you have to stay outside.”
As Leon opened the door and Merlin slipped outside, he glanced back to Gwen who crossed her arms over her chest and respectively didn’t peer into the room. He head her ask, “What do you mean, different?” right as the door closed behind him.
It turned out that by different Leon meant that the King had woken up mad. Merlin had been in the room for about five minutes before Arthur grabbed him by the shirt collar and physically threw him from the room, telling him to go find out what went wrong with his father and if there was anything they could do about it. Pissed that Arthur had tossed him from the room using brute force, Merlin grabbed Gwen’s hand and brought her with him knowing full well that Arthur wanted no one else to know about it. Gwen would be nothing but an asset seeing as she might be the most level headed person on the island (and Merlin was fairly positive that she was the most level headed person in the world as well but they’d never be able to know for sure seeing that they were never going to leave the island. [Not that he wanted to]).
Fifteen minutes later the two of them sat on the floor of Gaius’ chambers as Merlin flipped through pages of a book of herbs so quickly he threatened to rip the pages right out of their binding. Gwen sorted through the scrolls Merlin had unceremoniously pulled from the shelf moments before and dumped on the ground next to her. “Merlin-explain to me again what he said?”
“He didn’t know who I was. He shouted at Arthur as well until he seemed to realize that Arthur was his son, which I mean, most of the time he treats Arthur just like any other of his guardsmen but this was different. It was like he really didn’t remember the man sitting next to him was his son. He’s focused on Morgana. Arthur hauled me from the room when Uther started to ask if I was responsible for Morgana not being there.”
“There has to be a logical explanation. He’s been in a coma for three months. It’s a miracle he’s survived at all. It’s going to take a while for him to fully recover.”
A knock sounded sharp at the door and then Lancelot poked his head into the room. “Merlin, you might want to get upstairs-Agravaine’s just arrived.”
“Agravaine? But I thought-“
“He’s here.”
“How does he even know that Uther’s awake? It’s been a half hour tops.”
“Merlin-“
“I’m going.”
---
Merlin made it to the king’s chambers about three seconds after Agravaine so he was able to see the tight lipped expression on Arthur’s face and the way Arthur almost fiercely refused to move to let his uncle take over his place at his father’s side. This was the first time Agravaine had been back in the capitol since the attack. Arthur had sent him a message telling him of what happened and Merlin had prepared his chambers for his return but Arthur’s Uncle had simply sent a message back saying he was sorry for what had happened to Uther and Morgana but that didn’t mean anyone should suddenly shrink their duties. The man was due to come back in another two months but for some reason he was back now. And really, this was sort of impossible because he had been on the other side of the island which took a few days to cross, not a few minutes and what were the odds he’d show up right when Uther awoke.
Uther, unlike Merlin, appeared to be absolutely delighted by the man’s presence and looked over Agravaine’s shoulder, “Is she with you?”
“Excuse me?” Agravaine asked, slowly and Merlin slipped into the room. His eyes were on the ground in front of him so he didn’t notice the frown that appeared on Uther’s face as his eyes landed on him. Arthur glanced in-between his father and uncle with a pronounced scowl on his face.
“Ygraine. Is she with you?”
Arthur froze but Gaius sighed and said, “Sire, Ygraine died twenty years ago.”
“No that’s…”
“In the Rainy Basin. It was when Arthur was just an infant.”
“Oh right. Right. I apologize.” And Uther’s eyes stared out at the wall on the far side of the room and he seemed to shrink into himself.
“What’s wrong with him?” snapped Agravaine and Arthur stood quickly.
“Perhaps we should take this outside.”
Gaius nodded his head and adjusted the sheets around Uther, “Yes, I do believe that would be wise.” Merlin slipped out of the room first and stood next to Leon who Gaius addressed as soon as the door was shut behind them. “If he begins shouting again, I want one of you two to come get me at once.”
“Yes, of course.”
“If the two of you would follow me to my chambers, we’ll be able to speak in private.” Gaius began and started to walk down the hall. Merlin let out a little gasp and mumbled, “I’ll meet you there” before running ahead. He managed to catch Arthur’s groan of “oh for the love of…” before he was out of earshot. He had left Gwen and Lance in the physician’s chambers surrounded by a mess of scrolls and books. Shit shit fuck this could be a disaster.
Merlin threw open the door, causing both Gwen and Lance to jump. “Arthur and Agravaine are on their way here right now. You two should go; I don’t think they want word of Uther’s condition getting out.”
“Right.” Gwen stood immediately and glanced about the room. “But this mess-“
“I’ll take care of it. Just-hurry, they’re right behind me.”
“We’ll speak to you later, okay? After supper?”
“Yeah.” Merlin mumbled distractedly and he picked up an armful of scrolls as the two shared a worried glance and then slipped out of the door. The moment the door was shut, Merlin stuffed the scrolls back onto their shelf and then turned to the room. He mumbled a few words under his breath and his eyes glowed golden. The books and scrolls still on the floor lifted up and slowly drifted into place.
There was a fumbling at the door-Gaius’ attempt to alert him of their arrival no doubt and Merlin blinked a few times as the last book slid into place with a faint thud. The door opened and the three filed in but Merlin made sure to keep his back to them a moment longer just in case. Agravaine had his eyes on him, obviously suspicious but Merlin just glanced to the desk and picked up a book that had been lying there. He absentmindedly flipped it open and pretended to leaf through the pages until Agravaine looked away from him.
“I believe it to be a result of a head trauma and the coma he has been in these past months.”
“Will he recover?”
“Only time will tell.”
“Well, is there anything you to do to help him?”
“I can only make sure he rests as much as he can.”
“That’s it?”
“I’m afraid so.”
---
Arthur stormed down the hall. Humans and dinosaurs hastily stepped aside to let him pass. He paid them no mind. He threw open the door chambers, ignoring the way Merlin flinched. Without saying anything, Arthur went over to his wardrobe and opened it roughly, digging through his clothes for something to change into. He’s had to do this more and more often after visiting his father. His skin felt clammy and grimy as if the madness was clinging to his skin. Arthur wanted nothing more than to shake this off-shake everything off. He wanted to find a cure, a lead, a hint of a direction. Not being able to do a damn thing to change anything went against everything he was. Arthur pulled his shirt off over his head and went over to where the wash basin sat behind the changing screen. There was clean water in it, sometimes-although he’d be hard pressed to admit it-he felt Merlin knew him better than he knew himself. Speaking of Merlin, the man was still silent behind him. Arthur was hyperaware of him moving about the bed, his attention on the sound of Merlin’s hands smoothing out wrinkles on the sheets as he scrubbed at his arms with the wash cloth. He threw the cloth back into the basin and then pulled a clean while shirt out of the wardrobe. He pulled it over his head quickly before grabbing a pair of trousers out and pulling them on as well. The noise stopped suddenly and Arthur realized that he was standing hunched over with his hands grasping the doors of the wardrobe tightly. Straightening up quickly, he shut the doors as calmly as he could manage. By the time he turned around, Merlin was pulling the curtains back. He watched Merlin’s gentle expression as he gazed out the window into the courtyard below and he sighed. “He’s not going to live, is he? I’m going to be King.”
“You always were going to be King, Arthur.” Merlin’s voice was soft and patient and that’s when it occurred to Arthur that he was sort of freaking out. Yes Morgana was missing and his father was probably lying in his death bed but he was going to be King. He needed to keep his head now more than ever. He had trained his entire life for this moment, if he couldn’t make it through this, then how could he hope to preside over the island? Arthur took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and look anywhere but at Merlin. “Right, right. Of course.”
From the corner of his eye he could see Merlin raise his eyebrow, trying to read his expression. Arthur turned his back and busied himself with papers on the table, pretending to look through them even though he knew he was fooling no one. “I’m not going to just sit around and do nothing. We’ll have to do something. Merlin, I want you to go out in the city, try to see if we can get any new leads. I’ll send the guard out as well. This has gone on for too long. They might be getting careless.”
“Yeah. Of course, Arthur. I’ll go right now?”
Arthur didn’t respond, not fully realizing that Merlin was questioning him but after a moment, Merlin left anyway. Arthur waited for Merlin to make it out of the castle before going out to the training grounds to where the guards would be gathering. He spent the rest of the afternoon split between patrolling the city with his men and in council meetings.
When he was leaving his last meeting of the day he decided to take the long way back to his rooms so that he could check in with Merlin. As he neared the physician’s chambers he realized that Merlin was talking to someone. At first he thought Merlin must have been talking to Gaius but then he heard a woman’s voice. For half a second his brain jumped to the outrageous notion that Merlin would have a woman in his chambers but then he recognized the voice as Gwen and the world righted itself again.
“But Merlin,” He could hear Gwen say, “during the middle of the morning?”
“I don’t know, Gwen. We just have to have faith that we’ll find her again. This isn’t a big island and everyone is on the lookout. We’ll find her soon.”
“It’s been months now and nothing. How do we even know if she’s-“
“We’ll find her.”
“You don’t think they took her off the island do you?”
“No. That’s impossible. The coastal villages would have seen if someone was building a ship large enough to cross the seas. And everyone knows what happens when you try to leave in a small boat.” Gwen made a small unhappy noise and Arthur took the pause in conversation to knock loudly against the door.
“Come in.” Came Merlin’s voice and Arthur pushed open the door to see Merlin’s frowning at him but with an amused glint in his eye. Arthur began to speak but Merlin cut him off. “I know that you’re the Prince of Dinotopia but you should know by now that it’s impolite to eavesdrop.” Gwen gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, spinning around to look at Arthur guiltily and he quickly reassured her that it was fine. “Of course it’s not fine. Morgana’s been missing for months now but I meant what I said. We’re going to find her. It’s only a matter of time. She just has to be somewhere we’re not looking-the Forbidden Mountains or in the World Below.”
Gwen moaned, “Oh Merlin don’t say that. If she’s down there…”
“We’ll bring her back. I know we will.”
Arthur nodded and Gwen spoke up brightly, in an obvious attempt to change the subject, “Arthur…Leon, Merlin and I are going to head to the Jolly Jeyawati after dinner today, you should come with us.”
“Thank you Guinevere but I really should-“
“Oh come on Arthur, when was the last time you came out with us?” Merlin asked and when Arthur started to protest Merlin put on what he must of thought was a winning smile and said, “Dinotopia can go without you for a couple of hours and if it does need you, Lance will know where to find us. He’s on duty tonight. We only ever get to see you when we’re working anymore.”
“Merlin, you see me constantly.”
“Come on Arthur, don’t be a spoilsport. First round’s on me.”
Arthur found himself accepting the invitation without fully realizing he was doing so after that. Merlin’s eyes lit up and he and Gwen high-fived before he turned back to him and grinned brilliantly.
Arthur’s stomach flip-flopped and he had to put effort into rolling his eyes and not smiling like an idiot back at him. He used to think that it was all in his head. He would feel someone’s eyes on him but when he looked around just only caught the ghost of Merlin looking away. There was nothing concrete. Most of the time Arthur wasn’t sure what he felt and so he pushed it to the back of his mind. He had disastrous short-lived romances with Sophia from Treetown and Mithian from Canyon City who still made fun of him when he visited.
“Merlin, I’ll be taking dinner in my chambers tonight.” Arthur informed him as he turned and started to walk out of the room. As he shut the door behind him, he glanced up to Merlin. There was a warm look in his eyes that Arthur was sure he wasn’t making up.
---
Arthur hated when Merlin was with him when he visited his father. Uther was stared at Merlin like he was a puzzle he couldn’t unravel. Arthur felt his stomach drop. Surely his father couldn’t know? He spent so much effort schooling his expression into something detached and spent so much time over-analyzing every little thing he did to make sure his father didn’t catch on. And it wasn’t even just Uther, whenever Morgana was brought up in front of Merlin, the man would tense up. His expression would become guarded and Arthur wouldn’t know if he wanted to laugh or feel sick. The thought had occurred to him on more than one occasion that he was in love with the woman. But there was something else, something Arthur couldn’t quite put his finger on. It wasn’t just that it seemed the Merlin missed Morgana. Uther and Merlin danced around each other like they both knew something and were waiting for the other to say something first. Something about Morgana, something about him, something about the goddamn island as a whole; fuck it if he knew.
But, at least when his life was falling apart around him, the thing that plagued him the most was still Merlin. That had to count for something, right?
---
The next morning found Arthur, Merlin and Gaius back in Uther’s chambers. His condition hadn’t changed at all but he was starting to become more aware of time passing. He asked about the state of things and gave a few sharp orders to Arthur before returning the conversation to his missing daughter.
“And you’ve searched Ko Veng Island? Morgana did love it there. Do you remember when we went there one summer? I believe your serving boy-“ Uther’s gaze flashed to Merlin standing behind Gaius and amended his words to-“Merlin and the dolphinback came with us and…there was another boy…”
“Merlin’s idiot friend from Greenglen. The two of them almost drowned, remember?”
Uther chuckled, “Yes. Morgana dove in after them, did she not?”
“Yes.”
His father’s eyes trailed over to Merlin who still hovered at Gaius’ elbow. He stared at him disinterested for a moment and then his eyes widened in recognition in a way Arthur didn’t like. Arthur stiffened, ready to lie, ready to get his father’s attention back to him. . He wouldn’t see all that tension between them resolve itself like this. He had guessed his father at least suspected that the way he felt for Merlin was a little more than friendly but he wouldn’t let his feelings come out like this. It wasn’t fair to Merlin. It wasn’t fair to Arthur. He wasn’t even sure what he felt most of the time. If his father started shouting about inappropriateness then anything he and Merlin might possibly have in the future would be dead in the water. But instead of anything along the lines of I know of my son’s intentions towards you (and Arthur silently prayed that’s what he said and not I know of your intentions towards my daughter), Uther instead gasped, “Balinor.”
Merlin glanced to Gaius whose eyebrows had shot up, surprise written on every inch of his face. He looked back to Uther and must have realized the King was looking at him because Merlin then glanced behind him and then back to him.
“Sire?” Gaius questioned, almost pointedly avoiding looking anywhere near Merlin.
“Balinor.” Uther smiled, “My old friend…”
“Sire, you’re mistaken. This is Merlin, your son’s manservant.” Gaius cut in quickly, stepping forward and blocking Merlin from sight. Merlin, however, glanced at the King from over Gaius’ shoulder and Uther’s face changed completely. He went from quiet happiness to outright fury in about three seconds. Arthur was on his feet the second he saw the change come over his father’s features.
“It was you. It’s your fault she’s dead. It was your magic. You were supposed to save her but your magic killed her.”
“Get out of here!” Arthur snarled at Merlin but the younger man stood routed to the spot, his eyes locked on Uther, absolutely horrified. “Merlin!” Arthur shouted again and Merlin’s eyes darted to his for the briefest of seconds. “Get out!” Thankfully this time, Merlin took a few shaky steps backwards before he turned towards the door. The second Merlin turned his back however, the King stopped his screaming.
“Wait! Wait-no. Balinor. No. I need your help. You’re the only one who can help.”
Merlin stopped and turned to look at the King. Uther had his hand out towards him and Arthur didn’t take his eyes off of his father. What kind of fever dream was this?
“Balinor. Please. Help us.”
Arthur glanced to Merlin who seemed rooted to the spot, half horrified half curious. His mouth was pressed firmly together and his eyes were starting to narrow in thought. Arthur wasn’t sure he wanted to know what was going through his head right in this moment. When he turned back to his father, Uther had shrunk back into himself, he mumbled quietly and his eyes were unfocused. Arthur looked to Gaius for an answer but found the physician staring at Uther almost pitifully. A wave of anger washed over Arthur. His father wasn’t to be pitied. He was the king of Dinotopia. Gaius fussed over the King for several moments longer before sighing, “That’s all we can do for him now, I’m afraid. Merlin you should come with me.”
“Gaius
“Later, Arthur.” He sighed and it was only because of the weariness in his voice that Arthur didn’t protest. He watched as the two filed from the room and saw Leon shoot Merlin a questioning glance which Merlin returned with a sigh before the door was shut and he and his father were alone. He tried for several moments to understand what it was his father was mumbling but eventually gave up. He didn’t touch his father or speak; he just sat at his bedside, hoping his presence would calm the man down.
Arthur was in the physician’s chambers within the hour. He opened the door to Merlin spinning around in alarm. Gaius was seated at his work bench, looking older than Arthur ever remembered seeing him look. “Sire.” He sighed as if he knew exactly why Arthur was here, as he always did. Only this time is wasn’t hard at all to guess why Arthur was here, even Merlin obviously knew with the way he was looking between Arthur and Gaius, frozen where he stood, just waiting.
“Who’s Balinor?” Arthur asked, glancing to Merlin for a split second before turning his gaze back to the physician. What of this Balinor was in Merlin’s face? What had sparked his father’s memory?
Gaius looked to Merlin who ran a hand through his hair and sat down before speaking. “Balinor was a friend of your mother’s.”
“He used magic?” Arthur cut in which caused Merlin to tense. Merlin was always jumpy when it came to magic. As if he wanted to protect Arthur from everything and magic was his greatest challenge. The thought of Merlin protecting Arthur though, made him almost want to laugh, even if the younger man had saved his life more times than Arthur cared to count.
“Yes. Arthur, it’s a long complicated story and even I don’t know all of it but…Sit down, Sire. No one has ever told you what happened the night your mother died, have they?”
“What does that have to do with Balinor?”
“I’m afraid it has everything to do with him. Him and Nimueh.”
“Nimueh?” Merlin blurted out, the color had drained from his face and his eyes didn’t move from Gaius. Gaius himself glanced to Arthur and then shot Merlin a warning glance that Arthur knew wasn’t meant for him to see.
“Yes. Nimueh was another friend of your parents, Arthur. She’s a sorceress, and a very powerful one at that.”
“You met her?” Arthur deadpanned, not taking his eyes away from Merlin. He had seen the way the younger man had flinched. He knew what that meant.
“I didn’t know who she was at the time. It was years ago-back when you were injured in Brackmaw Swamp and we thought you weren’t going to make it-remember-“ As Merlin rambled Gaius started to get a panicked look in his eyes and appeared two seconds away from telling the man to shut up.
“Merlin.” Arthur began, putting his hands together and bringing them to his lips. “Please don’t tell me you not only met her but you managed to-“
“It was mostly an accident and I very nearly got myself killed-“
“Even I want to wring your neck most days, Merlin. I’m not sure if I want to know how you managed to con this woman into saving my life.”
“It’s a long story. Perhaps I’ll tell you another time?” Merlin offered trying to look hopefully but all he managed to do was appear to be freaking out even more.
Arthur turned to Gaius, “So Balinor and Nimueh are responsible for my mother’s death?”
“No. They both loved your mother. Your father believes they are responsible but I knew Balinor and Nimueh was your mother’s best friend. Neither of them would hurt her.”
“Perhaps the magic went to Nimueh’s head-perhaps it went to both of theirs-what if it drove them mad?”
Gaius shook his head, “From what I understand they both simply failed to protect your mother. Balinor carried you and Morgana away to safety and until recently I had thought Nimueh had been killed as well. The two had been inseparable as girls. When they discovered your mother’s body I was sure Nimueh had been lost with her.”
“This doesn’t make sense-“
Gaius sighed, sounding old, “Your father was blinding by his grief. He sent Balinor away, put a ransom on his head.”
“So this Balinor, the one person who could have helped my father is dead? Is that what you’re saying Gaius?”
“No. Last I heard he was alive.” Gaius glanced to Merlin who was hanging onto his every word, “And not only that, I might know where he is.” He spoke hesitantly as if he was unsure how Arthur was going to react; after all, he had kept this information from the King. This was treason. Arthur however could only see hope for his father’s recovery.
“Gaius. We must go to him at once-try to convince him to try to help my father. We’ll lift the ransom-we’ll do whatever it takes. He might be my father’s only hope.”
Gaius sighed. “Last I heard he was living in an oasis in the north of the Great Desert.”
Arthur stood as if he planned on riding out that very second, “Merlin, we leave at first light tomorrow. Come on, we have to gather supplies.”
The man began to stand and follow the blond from the room but Gaius’ voice cut out sharp. “Merlin, could I have a word with you before you left? I’m afraid it’s quite urgent.” Arthur glanced at him but Gaius waved him out, “He’ll be right along-it won’t take but a minute.”
After Arthur left Gaius made him sit and Merlin’s heart instantly began racing. “Merlin.” He began and his voice adopted the tone he used when someone had a particularly dangerous-but not absolutely deadly illness. “Merlin, there’s something you should know. I made a promise long ago never to speak of it but neither of us ever imagined you’d…that is…given the circumstances, I’m sure your mother…” But as Gaius tried to find the right words, Merlin’s mind was already miles ahead. His mother? And Uther’s you look like someone I once knew. Gaius had made a promise to not tell. The world stopped. The streets were quiet. Surely not-he couldn’t be-was this man his-
The world rushed forward as if to make up for lost time.
“Balinor’s your father, Merlin.”
Oh.
( part two)
Pairings/characters: Arthur/Merlin, Lance/Gwen, Mordred/Kara and slight Gwaine/Morgana
Rating: R
Word Count: 36,689
Warnings: Minor Character death, blood, violence, mental illness
Summary: (Dinotopia AU) The morning had started off innocently enough, then the warning bells start chiming and suddenly Uther’s mortally wounded, Morgana’s missing, and Arthur (read: Merlin) has the survival of the entire island on his shoulders.
A desperate attempt to save Uther's life finds Arthur and Merlin braving the Great Desert for a sorcerer who brings to light a hidden war on magic and when the two return home, it's to discover that the attack on Uther and Morgana's kidnapping were only the tip of the iceberg: there's a force that wants to reunite the tiny island with the outside world but that in itself may lead to the island's downfall.
---
AN: Thank you so much to my lovely, beta Britt, who had to put up with 3am texts complaining about everything even vaguely related to this fic. To my wonderful cheerleader, kitty_fic and my fabulous artist suchaprince who are absolutely extraordinary and had to put up with me going MIA for nearly the entire summer. It's been crazy and working on this silly fic might be one of the only things that got me through in one piece. And thanks also to the_muppet who ran this big bang flawlessly.
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[ 1] - [ 2] - [ 3] - [ 4] - [ 5] - [ 6]
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Dinotopia. Where shelter is freely given and men and beasts find second chances. This island nestled in the middle of the sea, surrounded by gentle waves, by lush coral reefs, knew nothing of war, only peace. The citizens of Dinotopia thrived under the rule of their just and noble king, Uther Pendragon.
Twenty years ago there were rumors of magic on the island but then Queen Ygraine was killed. The Queen and King, travelling with their son and newborn daughter took a caravan through the Rainy Basin. They were attacked in the night. The King, Prince, Princess and Court Physician were the sole survivors of the party.
Or so they said, and really, why would anyone lie about that? The entire island grieved for the death of their Queen. But that was twenty long years ago and to most Dinotopians, the island lived up to its name. It always had. While the rest of the world fell prey to the unimaginable horrors of extinction, the inhabitants of Dinotopia took refuge in the World Below. These tunnels and caverns stretched all throughout the island and as time passed rumors of monsters and unimaginable horrors inhabiting the dark twisting tunnels overwrote fact with myths and legends.
Humans came to the island via shipwrecks and found themselves welcomed on this inviting island. Every inhabitant on the island was a refugee, descended from someone who narrowed missed death. They were survivalists. They didn’t pick fights. They welcomed peace. The island was born from dark days of unimaginable horror but that only make the island stronger. The rest of the world was only a dream most Dinotopians were content to live without.
---
“When’s he going to hatch?”
“She, Merlin. How many times do I have to tell you?”
“I’ll remember eventually.”
Gwen laughed and gently put the egg back into its spot.
Just as she stood up and put her hands on her hips as she straightened out her back, the warning bells began abruptly, as warning bells are apt to do, and both Merlin and Gwen lurched at the sound. Their eyes were wide but their hands already reached for what they had to do. This was a routine that both Gwen and Merlin had perfected over the years helping out in the capitol city’s tiny hatchery. They had to secure all the hatchlings and wait until the heads of the hatchery arrived. They caught each other’s eye and Merlin held up his hands, “I had nothing to do with this!” Gwen looked at him like she didn’t quite believe him, after all, it wouldn’t be the first time-not even remotely so.
Gwen rolled her eyes and moved around the room as the others came to stay with the eggs and then the two raced towards the castle. They caught up with Lance just inside the castle doors. He shook his head silently at their questioning looks. Any jokes Gwen and Merlin might have had about the warning bells died on their lips. Lancelot looked strained and kept glancing around them as if he were expecting someone to jump out at any second. Gwen and Merlin shared an unsure look as Lance led them down the hall to the king’s chambers. Leon stood guard outside the door. He was an Ornithomimus, standing at six feet with dark red feathers covering his body. A sword belt hung around his middle and his claws rested on the hilt nervously. He looked on edge and when he saw the three hurrying towards him his face became grimmer.
“Oh no,” Gwen whispered besides Merlin, “He’s been hurt.” At first Merlin thought she was talking about the king, but then he realized that Leon was sporting a cut on his forehead. Gwen bit her lip in concern but her eyes moved onto the doorway he was guarding. Leon and Gwen had known each other since childhood, and when Merlin saw that her concern was on what lie behind the door instead of on her friend, Merlin felt his stomach drop. There must have been an accident. He tried to remember where Arthur was supposed to be today but the only thing he could recall was Arthur saying he wouldn’t be needing him until that afternoon and at that point Merlin had just stopped listening. The three of them reached the doorway and Leon paused abruptly with one hand resting on the door. He seemed unsure if he should knock or not so Merlin took the choice away from him, he gently elbowed his friend aside and threw the door open.
The king lay pale and unconscious on the bed. Gaius stood next to him, turning around to shoot Merlin a reproachful look for barging in. Merlin let the look slide off of him and his eyes instead locked on Arthur, red bright on his sleeve and side. Arthur glanced to him the same moment Merlin felt Gwen’s fingers wrap around his arm as she gasped. Arthur’s eyes were wide and his face was almost as pale as his father’s and he turned back to the King almost instantly. Gwen released her hold on Merlin’s arm and went over to Arthur, placed a hand on his back gingerly.
“Arthur, you’re bleeding.”
“No-it’s-“ His voice was rough and he broke off quickly when Gwen started to rub her hand on Arthur’s back in comfort.
“Merlin.” Gauis’ voice caused Arthur to flinch. “You and Guinevere take Arthur back to my chambers and dress that wound. I’ll send Sir Leon if they are any changes.” Gaius was a Troodon, standing slightly shorter than Merlin, with dulling green and blue scales.
“No.” Arthur began again, but it was weak, soft and he closed his mouth quickly. Merlin tried to catch Gaius’ eye but the Troodon was almost pointedly not looking in Merlin’s direction. A sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach and he glanced to Uther again, paler and stiller than Merlin ever saw. Was he not going to make it? He wanted to ask what had happened but by the looks of Arthur, he was probably better off asking when the prince wasn’t around. Or, more likely, just wait for Arthur to start shouting at him. It had been a couple of hours since the last time Arthur had rounded on him for something so they were overdue for a shouting match.
Gwen tightened her grip on Arthur and started to firmly lead him from the room. He protested only a moment before he met Merlin’s eye and straightened up. He schooled his expression into the one he wore in official company and made a show of being Okay when the three walked back out of the rooms. Merlin glanced over his shoulder at Gaius but he was now at the King’s bedside, peering down at him looking utterly at a loss, his tail sweeping over the floor in agitation. Shit, that was never good. Leon shut the door behind him, blocking Gaius from sight and Lance, who was hovering next to Leon looking like he wanted to do about six different things but couldn’t decide where to start, stepped towards Arthur.
“Are you-“ Lancelot began at once.
“Are they looking for them?” Arthur’s voice held only a hint of emotion, he was outside is father’s chambers and therefore he was Prince Regent, not just his father’s son.
“Yes but-“
“I want them found, Lancelot. Now.”
“Yes, Arthur.”
Lancelot shot both Gwen and Merlin a wary glance before turning and rushing down the hall. Merlin could only stare after him, trying to process what Arthur had just said. Judging by Leon and Arthur’s injuries, he could only assume that someone had attacked the king.
Which was unheard of because this was Dinotopia and the land is at peace and no one goes without and everyone is happy and all is always well. However…
This wouldn’t be the first time someone had attacked the King. Merlin still vividly remembered when Uther had caught two people plotting against him and had them killed swiftly and silently. That had been the first time he had seen how completely ruthless Uther could be. And from there it got even worse because word got out that they had a son and Arthur had stormed into his chambers that night and started throwing things around because father wants to find the child and execute him as well. He’s just a child. And the following day Morgana had grabbed Merlin on his way to get Arthur’s lunch, her face pale and her hands shaking. She had dragged him into her room where Gwen sat with a small boy on her lap, rocking him back and forth as he stared blankly at the wall. Merlin had known instantly what was going on and Morgana didn’t even have to explain, all she had said was, Merlin, please, you’re the only one who can help us. And he did. Except Arthur had found him, Morgana and the child as they were sneaking out of Waterfall City. To both of their surprise, he had just let out a long-suffering sigh and helped them sneak the boy out to a safe location, fighting with Morgana every step of the way because you should be back home, Morgana, this is too dangerous for you. Of course, Morgana would have none of that and Merlin and the child spent most of the journey rolling their eyes. When they came back to Waterfall City, just as dawn was breaking, Uther had stormed over to the three of them, going on and on about some story Gwen and Gaius had come up with involving Merlin and Arthur drinking too much and Morgana chasing them throughout the night to get them to come back. In all honestly, that story was more absurd than the truth and it was a testament to all of the trouble Arthur and Merlin had gotten into growing up that he even believed it.
But attacks on the King were few and far between. In all the time Merlin had been in the city, he could count attacks on one hand, and word never got out about it. The people of Dinotopia were mostly a laid-back bunch of survivalists. Not many people went looking for trouble. In fact, Merlin hadn’t even known he wasn’t the only one who could do magic until he was fifteen and walked in on Gaius levitating a book down from the shelf. He didn’t know who screamed more loudly, him or Gaius but it had brought his mother running in. That had been back when he and his mother used to spend the winters with Gaius in Waterfall City and spent the rest of the year in Greenglen where he and Will would somehow get into more trouble than he and Arthur (and Lancelot and Morgana) did in the Capitol.
The following year was split evenly between his two homes and the year after that he moved in with Gaius and became Arthur’s manservant completely by accident within two weeks. Will still mocked him for it.
But now it seems like there had been another attack. He was focused on the back of Arthur’s head as he trailed after him and Gwen down the hall. The three didn’t speak until they were in Gaius’ chambers. When they entered the room and Merlin shut the door with a quiet click, Arthur’s shoulders relaxed but he otherwise didn’t change. “Who did this, Arthur?” Merlin asked even though his instincts were warning him to stay away from this topic, that Arthur looked too numb, that he was going to explode any second and he shouldn’t make himself the easy target. However, if this was magic (and it had been, once, and it had almost cost Arthur his life) then he had to get ever last ounce of information that he possibly could out of Arthur as quickly as possible. Unless Gwen or Leon were harboring secret magical abilities, he was the only warlock who would fight to protect the King and Arthur.
“I don’t know. I didn’t get a chance to see their face.” Arthur pulled his arm away sharply as Gwen began to clean the cut on his arm, which was deeper than it looked. The woman shot a piercing glare at him and pulled his arm back to her, keeping it in a firm grip. Arthur looked a little sheepish and his gaze was locked on the door that led to Merlin’s room at the top of the stairs.
“How many were there? Were they human? Dinosaur?”
“There were three. All human.”
Gwen tied the bandage closed and placed her hand gently over the wound, “I have to go to Morgana.” Arthur flinched and Gwen removed her hand from Arthur’s arm, looking guilty.
“No you don’t.” Now it was Gwen’s turn to flinch and she glanced to Merlin, her expression unreadable even to him. Arthur stared at Gaius’ workbench as he continued, “She’s gone.”
Gwen’s eyes narrowed in confusion but Merlin was the one to ask, “What?” and his voice was dark and almost sounded dangerous.
“By the time I reached my father he was already screaming for Morgana…pleading for her really. But when he saw me he stopped. One of the men rounded on me and caught me off guard and ran. But we’ve had the castle searched already. She’s nowhere to be found.”
“Perhaps she’s just out in the city?”
“We were supposed to be meeting for lunch. She should be in her room getting ready.”
Panic started to enter Gwen’s eyes and she stumbled over her words as she stood, “I’ll go help them look for her.”
“Guinevere-wait. The attackers could still be out there. It’s not safe.”
“I’ll find Leon or Lancelot then. No one knows Morgana better than I do, Arthur. What if she’s had to hide? I can help them.”
“She’ll be fine, Arthur.” Merlin spoke softly and rested a hand on his wrist.
Arthur jerked his hand away and started to stand. “I’ll go with you.”
“Arthur you’re wounded.”
“I’ve had worse.”
“Arthur. If these men came here to kidnap Morgana then you can’t go running through the city after her. With your father unconscious, you’re going to have to take over for him. The council’s going to want to meet immediately. You’re the Prince Regent.”
Arthur sighed and he could almost see the war raging behind his eyes. “Fine. Merlin, you go with Guinevere, make sure she gets to Lancelot safely and then you meet me in either my chambers or the council’s chambers. This island isn’t big. The search teams will find them in a matter of days.”
They didn’t.
The days turned into weeks which in turn, faded into months. Uther’s condition didn’t change. He didn’t get worse, which was a godsend, but on the other hand he wasn’t getting any better either. It was madding. There was no hint of Morgana either. His sister had just vanished into the breeze. One minute she was there and the next it was if she had never been here at all. Arthur took to eating his meals inside of his chambers so he didn’t have to face the empty dining hall alone. He cited the fact that he was busy trying to figure out who would do this and how and why and he was sure most everyone believed him. The only ones who showed any hesitation were his friends, but they were usually one word short of treason anyway. Well, Gwen, Lancelot and Leon played it safe most of the time, it was Merlin who was constantly flirting with banishment and spent most of his free time in the stocks. He knew for a fact that Merlin was considered a prime suspect by several of his father’s advisors. The only reason nothing had come of their suspicions was the fact that everyone generally agreed that Merlin was sort of an idiot and therefore unable to manage to get away uncaught. He was also with Guinevere at the time, and had been seen running the streets towards the castle not away. He hadn’t spoken with Merlin for two days after the advisors came to him with their suspicions and he had to take time out of his search to needlessly clear his friend’s name.
Arthur sat in a chair at his father’s bedside. He had held vigil here every day since the attack and he couldn’t bring himself to stop. To stop was to admit defeat and Arthur Pendragon was never defeated. His father was going to wake up. And soon. He was glaring at the bed when the door creaked open and Merlin slipped in.
“You know, if you were glaring at me like that I’d fake a coma to escape it.”
Arthur turned the glare onto him without missing a beat and Merlin froze, “Do you ever think before you talk, Merlin?”
“No.” The younger man didn’t move from where he stopped until Arthur sighed and looked back at his father. Merlin moved so that he stood at Arthur’s side and he crossed his arm. He looked down at Uther in a rather impressive imitation of Gaius that almost had Arthur believing there was something going on in his thick head. Almost. “Gaius gave me this potion to give to Uther. He thinks it might be able to help.”
“He must not be too confident in it if he didn’t bring it himself.”
Merlin looked at Arthur for a heartbeat before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial. “Mr. Williams’ broken his tail again. He’s setting it now and will be up after. Anyway, it takes a while for the potion to work.”
Arthur didn’t quite believe him, when he lied he fidgeted and studied the ground which was what he was doing now. But Arthur trusted him and so he nodded towards his father. “Well then, give it to him.”
Merlin glanced to Arthur unsure and Arthur stood, walking over to the window. He peered out of it and from his vantage point he could see a stegosaurus-Mrs. Williams hovering outside the blacksmith’s shop. There was a small crowd gathered with her. So Merlin had been telling the truth about that.
As he was turning away from the window, Merlin gasped and there was a low groan from the bed. Arthur’s heart froze in his chest and the next second he was pressed against Merlin’s side, staring down at his father as his forehead furrowed in pain. “What the hell did you give him?” Arthur asked sharply, unaware of the fact he was shouting.
But his words fell upon deaf ears. Merlin stared down at the king, undiluted horror etched across every inch of his face and of course it would be Merlin who gave his father a faulty potion. If this killed him…
Arthur didn’t have to continue the thought because just then he realized that his father was saying his name.
“Arthur? Do you have Morgana?”
---
Oh fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck. I’ve killed him. Gaius said the potion was too risky but did I listen? No. I did it anyway and not only that I strengthened it with magic so now it’s going to kill him quicker and oh god I’ve killed Uther. Arthur is never going to forgive me. Arthur’s going to kill me. I’m going to die.
“Merlin.”
My poor mother. She likes Arthur so much. It’s going to break her heart-
“Merlin!”
Merlin snapped out of his daze and looked to Arthur who glared at him in a panic. “Go get Gaius right now.” Merlin glanced down to the king and with a jolt realized he was awake. Not dead. “Now Merlin!” The nineteen year old was in too much of a shock to do anything else but to tear out of the room and go crashing down the hall. He sped past Lancelot who only just managed to keep his balance but Merlin didn’t have time to stop. Uther was awake. He did it. Gaius was probably going to kill him for not listening but it was okay. Uther was awake. He did it. Merlin raced down the front steps of the castle and darted through the crowd, squeezing his way into the blacksmith’s shop. Gaius and Gwen were thankfully finishing up setting Mr. William’s tail and honestly Merlin wasn’t even surprised to see Gwen here. The woman was seemingly everywhere at once now that Morgana was missing and she was relieved of her duties. The entire room looked up as he came crashing into the room and he made his way over to Gaius who narrowed his eyes at him as if he knew what he had done. “Uther’s awake.” He whispered into his ear. Merlin wanted to shout it to the entire island but knew it was too soon-Uther was too unstable, recovery wasn’t guaranteed and new traveled fast. Gaius gasped and immediately turned to Gwen, “Have Merlin help you finish up. Steven,” he said, turning to address the stegosaurus, “rest for two weeks. We don’t want to upset the injury again, that’s why it broke so easily. It didn’t set properly the last time. I’m sorry-I have to go now.” Gaius gathered up his things and the small crowd parted for the elderly troodon to leave.
Almost immediately, Mr. Williams looked to Merlin, “Is the Prince okay?”
“Yes. Arthur’s fine.”
“So it’s the King then?”
“I never said-“
“The only time I’ve ever seen you move that fast is for Arthur so it must be either him or his father.”
What the hell did that even mean? He’d run that fast if Gwen were in trouble, or Lancelot, or Leon or Will. He’d run faster than that if his mother needed help. He was about to argue the fact when Gwen said, “There. All done.” and she grabbed Merlin’s hand to pull herself to her feet. She brushed off her dress and then smiled to Mr. Williams. “Will you be able to get home alright?”
“I’m fine. Go find out what’s got Merlin so worked up.”
She smiled politely but she had a death grip on Merlin’s hand as she dragged him from the shop and through the crowed. As soon as they were inside the castle-for Merlin knew she was leading him straight back to the king’s chambers, she turned to him. “Merlin?” and her voice held a warning.
“Uther’s woken up but it’s too soon to tell what state he’s in.”
Her eyes went wide and she started pulling him down the hall even as she started speaking, “Well come on then-Gaius is probably going to need our help. You’ve told Arthur yes?”
“He’s there now."
When Merlin and Gwen reached the king’s chambers, Leon and a guardsmen whose name Merlin couldn’t remember-Gareth or Galahad or Garret or something probably stating with Ga, maybe-were standing outside. Their stances were rigid and uncomfortable and Leon shot Merlin a warning look as he approached. “Something’s wrong.” He said quietly, glancing to the man next to him who continued to stare at the wall in front of him. “Uther keeps shouting about Morgana.”
“That’s to be expected-for Uther the last thing he remembers is her being kidnapped. Anyone in his place would be confused and angry.”
“No it’s…it’s different. Merlin I can let you in but Gwen, you have to stay outside.”
As Leon opened the door and Merlin slipped outside, he glanced back to Gwen who crossed her arms over her chest and respectively didn’t peer into the room. He head her ask, “What do you mean, different?” right as the door closed behind him.
It turned out that by different Leon meant that the King had woken up mad. Merlin had been in the room for about five minutes before Arthur grabbed him by the shirt collar and physically threw him from the room, telling him to go find out what went wrong with his father and if there was anything they could do about it. Pissed that Arthur had tossed him from the room using brute force, Merlin grabbed Gwen’s hand and brought her with him knowing full well that Arthur wanted no one else to know about it. Gwen would be nothing but an asset seeing as she might be the most level headed person on the island (and Merlin was fairly positive that she was the most level headed person in the world as well but they’d never be able to know for sure seeing that they were never going to leave the island. [Not that he wanted to]).
Fifteen minutes later the two of them sat on the floor of Gaius’ chambers as Merlin flipped through pages of a book of herbs so quickly he threatened to rip the pages right out of their binding. Gwen sorted through the scrolls Merlin had unceremoniously pulled from the shelf moments before and dumped on the ground next to her. “Merlin-explain to me again what he said?”
“He didn’t know who I was. He shouted at Arthur as well until he seemed to realize that Arthur was his son, which I mean, most of the time he treats Arthur just like any other of his guardsmen but this was different. It was like he really didn’t remember the man sitting next to him was his son. He’s focused on Morgana. Arthur hauled me from the room when Uther started to ask if I was responsible for Morgana not being there.”
“There has to be a logical explanation. He’s been in a coma for three months. It’s a miracle he’s survived at all. It’s going to take a while for him to fully recover.”
A knock sounded sharp at the door and then Lancelot poked his head into the room. “Merlin, you might want to get upstairs-Agravaine’s just arrived.”
“Agravaine? But I thought-“
“He’s here.”
“How does he even know that Uther’s awake? It’s been a half hour tops.”
“Merlin-“
“I’m going.”
---
Merlin made it to the king’s chambers about three seconds after Agravaine so he was able to see the tight lipped expression on Arthur’s face and the way Arthur almost fiercely refused to move to let his uncle take over his place at his father’s side. This was the first time Agravaine had been back in the capitol since the attack. Arthur had sent him a message telling him of what happened and Merlin had prepared his chambers for his return but Arthur’s Uncle had simply sent a message back saying he was sorry for what had happened to Uther and Morgana but that didn’t mean anyone should suddenly shrink their duties. The man was due to come back in another two months but for some reason he was back now. And really, this was sort of impossible because he had been on the other side of the island which took a few days to cross, not a few minutes and what were the odds he’d show up right when Uther awoke.
Uther, unlike Merlin, appeared to be absolutely delighted by the man’s presence and looked over Agravaine’s shoulder, “Is she with you?”
“Excuse me?” Agravaine asked, slowly and Merlin slipped into the room. His eyes were on the ground in front of him so he didn’t notice the frown that appeared on Uther’s face as his eyes landed on him. Arthur glanced in-between his father and uncle with a pronounced scowl on his face.
“Ygraine. Is she with you?”
Arthur froze but Gaius sighed and said, “Sire, Ygraine died twenty years ago.”
“No that’s…”
“In the Rainy Basin. It was when Arthur was just an infant.”
“Oh right. Right. I apologize.” And Uther’s eyes stared out at the wall on the far side of the room and he seemed to shrink into himself.
“What’s wrong with him?” snapped Agravaine and Arthur stood quickly.
“Perhaps we should take this outside.”
Gaius nodded his head and adjusted the sheets around Uther, “Yes, I do believe that would be wise.” Merlin slipped out of the room first and stood next to Leon who Gaius addressed as soon as the door was shut behind them. “If he begins shouting again, I want one of you two to come get me at once.”
“Yes, of course.”
“If the two of you would follow me to my chambers, we’ll be able to speak in private.” Gaius began and started to walk down the hall. Merlin let out a little gasp and mumbled, “I’ll meet you there” before running ahead. He managed to catch Arthur’s groan of “oh for the love of…” before he was out of earshot. He had left Gwen and Lance in the physician’s chambers surrounded by a mess of scrolls and books. Shit shit fuck this could be a disaster.
Merlin threw open the door, causing both Gwen and Lance to jump. “Arthur and Agravaine are on their way here right now. You two should go; I don’t think they want word of Uther’s condition getting out.”
“Right.” Gwen stood immediately and glanced about the room. “But this mess-“
“I’ll take care of it. Just-hurry, they’re right behind me.”
“We’ll speak to you later, okay? After supper?”
“Yeah.” Merlin mumbled distractedly and he picked up an armful of scrolls as the two shared a worried glance and then slipped out of the door. The moment the door was shut, Merlin stuffed the scrolls back onto their shelf and then turned to the room. He mumbled a few words under his breath and his eyes glowed golden. The books and scrolls still on the floor lifted up and slowly drifted into place.
There was a fumbling at the door-Gaius’ attempt to alert him of their arrival no doubt and Merlin blinked a few times as the last book slid into place with a faint thud. The door opened and the three filed in but Merlin made sure to keep his back to them a moment longer just in case. Agravaine had his eyes on him, obviously suspicious but Merlin just glanced to the desk and picked up a book that had been lying there. He absentmindedly flipped it open and pretended to leaf through the pages until Agravaine looked away from him.
“I believe it to be a result of a head trauma and the coma he has been in these past months.”
“Will he recover?”
“Only time will tell.”
“Well, is there anything you to do to help him?”
“I can only make sure he rests as much as he can.”
“That’s it?”
“I’m afraid so.”
---
Arthur stormed down the hall. Humans and dinosaurs hastily stepped aside to let him pass. He paid them no mind. He threw open the door chambers, ignoring the way Merlin flinched. Without saying anything, Arthur went over to his wardrobe and opened it roughly, digging through his clothes for something to change into. He’s had to do this more and more often after visiting his father. His skin felt clammy and grimy as if the madness was clinging to his skin. Arthur wanted nothing more than to shake this off-shake everything off. He wanted to find a cure, a lead, a hint of a direction. Not being able to do a damn thing to change anything went against everything he was. Arthur pulled his shirt off over his head and went over to where the wash basin sat behind the changing screen. There was clean water in it, sometimes-although he’d be hard pressed to admit it-he felt Merlin knew him better than he knew himself. Speaking of Merlin, the man was still silent behind him. Arthur was hyperaware of him moving about the bed, his attention on the sound of Merlin’s hands smoothing out wrinkles on the sheets as he scrubbed at his arms with the wash cloth. He threw the cloth back into the basin and then pulled a clean while shirt out of the wardrobe. He pulled it over his head quickly before grabbing a pair of trousers out and pulling them on as well. The noise stopped suddenly and Arthur realized that he was standing hunched over with his hands grasping the doors of the wardrobe tightly. Straightening up quickly, he shut the doors as calmly as he could manage. By the time he turned around, Merlin was pulling the curtains back. He watched Merlin’s gentle expression as he gazed out the window into the courtyard below and he sighed. “He’s not going to live, is he? I’m going to be King.”
“You always were going to be King, Arthur.” Merlin’s voice was soft and patient and that’s when it occurred to Arthur that he was sort of freaking out. Yes Morgana was missing and his father was probably lying in his death bed but he was going to be King. He needed to keep his head now more than ever. He had trained his entire life for this moment, if he couldn’t make it through this, then how could he hope to preside over the island? Arthur took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and look anywhere but at Merlin. “Right, right. Of course.”
From the corner of his eye he could see Merlin raise his eyebrow, trying to read his expression. Arthur turned his back and busied himself with papers on the table, pretending to look through them even though he knew he was fooling no one. “I’m not going to just sit around and do nothing. We’ll have to do something. Merlin, I want you to go out in the city, try to see if we can get any new leads. I’ll send the guard out as well. This has gone on for too long. They might be getting careless.”
“Yeah. Of course, Arthur. I’ll go right now?”
Arthur didn’t respond, not fully realizing that Merlin was questioning him but after a moment, Merlin left anyway. Arthur waited for Merlin to make it out of the castle before going out to the training grounds to where the guards would be gathering. He spent the rest of the afternoon split between patrolling the city with his men and in council meetings.
When he was leaving his last meeting of the day he decided to take the long way back to his rooms so that he could check in with Merlin. As he neared the physician’s chambers he realized that Merlin was talking to someone. At first he thought Merlin must have been talking to Gaius but then he heard a woman’s voice. For half a second his brain jumped to the outrageous notion that Merlin would have a woman in his chambers but then he recognized the voice as Gwen and the world righted itself again.
“But Merlin,” He could hear Gwen say, “during the middle of the morning?”
“I don’t know, Gwen. We just have to have faith that we’ll find her again. This isn’t a big island and everyone is on the lookout. We’ll find her soon.”
“It’s been months now and nothing. How do we even know if she’s-“
“We’ll find her.”
“You don’t think they took her off the island do you?”
“No. That’s impossible. The coastal villages would have seen if someone was building a ship large enough to cross the seas. And everyone knows what happens when you try to leave in a small boat.” Gwen made a small unhappy noise and Arthur took the pause in conversation to knock loudly against the door.
“Come in.” Came Merlin’s voice and Arthur pushed open the door to see Merlin’s frowning at him but with an amused glint in his eye. Arthur began to speak but Merlin cut him off. “I know that you’re the Prince of Dinotopia but you should know by now that it’s impolite to eavesdrop.” Gwen gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, spinning around to look at Arthur guiltily and he quickly reassured her that it was fine. “Of course it’s not fine. Morgana’s been missing for months now but I meant what I said. We’re going to find her. It’s only a matter of time. She just has to be somewhere we’re not looking-the Forbidden Mountains or in the World Below.”
Gwen moaned, “Oh Merlin don’t say that. If she’s down there…”
“We’ll bring her back. I know we will.”
Arthur nodded and Gwen spoke up brightly, in an obvious attempt to change the subject, “Arthur…Leon, Merlin and I are going to head to the Jolly Jeyawati after dinner today, you should come with us.”
“Thank you Guinevere but I really should-“
“Oh come on Arthur, when was the last time you came out with us?” Merlin asked and when Arthur started to protest Merlin put on what he must of thought was a winning smile and said, “Dinotopia can go without you for a couple of hours and if it does need you, Lance will know where to find us. He’s on duty tonight. We only ever get to see you when we’re working anymore.”
“Merlin, you see me constantly.”
“Come on Arthur, don’t be a spoilsport. First round’s on me.”
Arthur found himself accepting the invitation without fully realizing he was doing so after that. Merlin’s eyes lit up and he and Gwen high-fived before he turned back to him and grinned brilliantly.
Arthur’s stomach flip-flopped and he had to put effort into rolling his eyes and not smiling like an idiot back at him. He used to think that it was all in his head. He would feel someone’s eyes on him but when he looked around just only caught the ghost of Merlin looking away. There was nothing concrete. Most of the time Arthur wasn’t sure what he felt and so he pushed it to the back of his mind. He had disastrous short-lived romances with Sophia from Treetown and Mithian from Canyon City who still made fun of him when he visited.
“Merlin, I’ll be taking dinner in my chambers tonight.” Arthur informed him as he turned and started to walk out of the room. As he shut the door behind him, he glanced up to Merlin. There was a warm look in his eyes that Arthur was sure he wasn’t making up.
---
Arthur hated when Merlin was with him when he visited his father. Uther was stared at Merlin like he was a puzzle he couldn’t unravel. Arthur felt his stomach drop. Surely his father couldn’t know? He spent so much effort schooling his expression into something detached and spent so much time over-analyzing every little thing he did to make sure his father didn’t catch on. And it wasn’t even just Uther, whenever Morgana was brought up in front of Merlin, the man would tense up. His expression would become guarded and Arthur wouldn’t know if he wanted to laugh or feel sick. The thought had occurred to him on more than one occasion that he was in love with the woman. But there was something else, something Arthur couldn’t quite put his finger on. It wasn’t just that it seemed the Merlin missed Morgana. Uther and Merlin danced around each other like they both knew something and were waiting for the other to say something first. Something about Morgana, something about him, something about the goddamn island as a whole; fuck it if he knew.
But, at least when his life was falling apart around him, the thing that plagued him the most was still Merlin. That had to count for something, right?
---
The next morning found Arthur, Merlin and Gaius back in Uther’s chambers. His condition hadn’t changed at all but he was starting to become more aware of time passing. He asked about the state of things and gave a few sharp orders to Arthur before returning the conversation to his missing daughter.
“And you’ve searched Ko Veng Island? Morgana did love it there. Do you remember when we went there one summer? I believe your serving boy-“ Uther’s gaze flashed to Merlin standing behind Gaius and amended his words to-“Merlin and the dolphinback came with us and…there was another boy…”
“Merlin’s idiot friend from Greenglen. The two of them almost drowned, remember?”
Uther chuckled, “Yes. Morgana dove in after them, did she not?”
“Yes.”
His father’s eyes trailed over to Merlin who still hovered at Gaius’ elbow. He stared at him disinterested for a moment and then his eyes widened in recognition in a way Arthur didn’t like. Arthur stiffened, ready to lie, ready to get his father’s attention back to him. . He wouldn’t see all that tension between them resolve itself like this. He had guessed his father at least suspected that the way he felt for Merlin was a little more than friendly but he wouldn’t let his feelings come out like this. It wasn’t fair to Merlin. It wasn’t fair to Arthur. He wasn’t even sure what he felt most of the time. If his father started shouting about inappropriateness then anything he and Merlin might possibly have in the future would be dead in the water. But instead of anything along the lines of I know of my son’s intentions towards you (and Arthur silently prayed that’s what he said and not I know of your intentions towards my daughter), Uther instead gasped, “Balinor.”
Merlin glanced to Gaius whose eyebrows had shot up, surprise written on every inch of his face. He looked back to Uther and must have realized the King was looking at him because Merlin then glanced behind him and then back to him.
“Sire?” Gaius questioned, almost pointedly avoiding looking anywhere near Merlin.
“Balinor.” Uther smiled, “My old friend…”
“Sire, you’re mistaken. This is Merlin, your son’s manservant.” Gaius cut in quickly, stepping forward and blocking Merlin from sight. Merlin, however, glanced at the King from over Gaius’ shoulder and Uther’s face changed completely. He went from quiet happiness to outright fury in about three seconds. Arthur was on his feet the second he saw the change come over his father’s features.
“It was you. It’s your fault she’s dead. It was your magic. You were supposed to save her but your magic killed her.”
“Get out of here!” Arthur snarled at Merlin but the younger man stood routed to the spot, his eyes locked on Uther, absolutely horrified. “Merlin!” Arthur shouted again and Merlin’s eyes darted to his for the briefest of seconds. “Get out!” Thankfully this time, Merlin took a few shaky steps backwards before he turned towards the door. The second Merlin turned his back however, the King stopped his screaming.
“Wait! Wait-no. Balinor. No. I need your help. You’re the only one who can help.”
Merlin stopped and turned to look at the King. Uther had his hand out towards him and Arthur didn’t take his eyes off of his father. What kind of fever dream was this?
“Balinor. Please. Help us.”
Arthur glanced to Merlin who seemed rooted to the spot, half horrified half curious. His mouth was pressed firmly together and his eyes were starting to narrow in thought. Arthur wasn’t sure he wanted to know what was going through his head right in this moment. When he turned back to his father, Uther had shrunk back into himself, he mumbled quietly and his eyes were unfocused. Arthur looked to Gaius for an answer but found the physician staring at Uther almost pitifully. A wave of anger washed over Arthur. His father wasn’t to be pitied. He was the king of Dinotopia. Gaius fussed over the King for several moments longer before sighing, “That’s all we can do for him now, I’m afraid. Merlin you should come with me.”
“Gaius
“Later, Arthur.” He sighed and it was only because of the weariness in his voice that Arthur didn’t protest. He watched as the two filed from the room and saw Leon shoot Merlin a questioning glance which Merlin returned with a sigh before the door was shut and he and his father were alone. He tried for several moments to understand what it was his father was mumbling but eventually gave up. He didn’t touch his father or speak; he just sat at his bedside, hoping his presence would calm the man down.
Arthur was in the physician’s chambers within the hour. He opened the door to Merlin spinning around in alarm. Gaius was seated at his work bench, looking older than Arthur ever remembered seeing him look. “Sire.” He sighed as if he knew exactly why Arthur was here, as he always did. Only this time is wasn’t hard at all to guess why Arthur was here, even Merlin obviously knew with the way he was looking between Arthur and Gaius, frozen where he stood, just waiting.
“Who’s Balinor?” Arthur asked, glancing to Merlin for a split second before turning his gaze back to the physician. What of this Balinor was in Merlin’s face? What had sparked his father’s memory?
Gaius looked to Merlin who ran a hand through his hair and sat down before speaking. “Balinor was a friend of your mother’s.”
“He used magic?” Arthur cut in which caused Merlin to tense. Merlin was always jumpy when it came to magic. As if he wanted to protect Arthur from everything and magic was his greatest challenge. The thought of Merlin protecting Arthur though, made him almost want to laugh, even if the younger man had saved his life more times than Arthur cared to count.
“Yes. Arthur, it’s a long complicated story and even I don’t know all of it but…Sit down, Sire. No one has ever told you what happened the night your mother died, have they?”
“What does that have to do with Balinor?”
“I’m afraid it has everything to do with him. Him and Nimueh.”
“Nimueh?” Merlin blurted out, the color had drained from his face and his eyes didn’t move from Gaius. Gaius himself glanced to Arthur and then shot Merlin a warning glance that Arthur knew wasn’t meant for him to see.
“Yes. Nimueh was another friend of your parents, Arthur. She’s a sorceress, and a very powerful one at that.”
“You met her?” Arthur deadpanned, not taking his eyes away from Merlin. He had seen the way the younger man had flinched. He knew what that meant.
“I didn’t know who she was at the time. It was years ago-back when you were injured in Brackmaw Swamp and we thought you weren’t going to make it-remember-“ As Merlin rambled Gaius started to get a panicked look in his eyes and appeared two seconds away from telling the man to shut up.
“Merlin.” Arthur began, putting his hands together and bringing them to his lips. “Please don’t tell me you not only met her but you managed to-“
“It was mostly an accident and I very nearly got myself killed-“
“Even I want to wring your neck most days, Merlin. I’m not sure if I want to know how you managed to con this woman into saving my life.”
“It’s a long story. Perhaps I’ll tell you another time?” Merlin offered trying to look hopefully but all he managed to do was appear to be freaking out even more.
Arthur turned to Gaius, “So Balinor and Nimueh are responsible for my mother’s death?”
“No. They both loved your mother. Your father believes they are responsible but I knew Balinor and Nimueh was your mother’s best friend. Neither of them would hurt her.”
“Perhaps the magic went to Nimueh’s head-perhaps it went to both of theirs-what if it drove them mad?”
Gaius shook his head, “From what I understand they both simply failed to protect your mother. Balinor carried you and Morgana away to safety and until recently I had thought Nimueh had been killed as well. The two had been inseparable as girls. When they discovered your mother’s body I was sure Nimueh had been lost with her.”
“This doesn’t make sense-“
Gaius sighed, sounding old, “Your father was blinding by his grief. He sent Balinor away, put a ransom on his head.”
“So this Balinor, the one person who could have helped my father is dead? Is that what you’re saying Gaius?”
“No. Last I heard he was alive.” Gaius glanced to Merlin who was hanging onto his every word, “And not only that, I might know where he is.” He spoke hesitantly as if he was unsure how Arthur was going to react; after all, he had kept this information from the King. This was treason. Arthur however could only see hope for his father’s recovery.
“Gaius. We must go to him at once-try to convince him to try to help my father. We’ll lift the ransom-we’ll do whatever it takes. He might be my father’s only hope.”
Gaius sighed. “Last I heard he was living in an oasis in the north of the Great Desert.”
Arthur stood as if he planned on riding out that very second, “Merlin, we leave at first light tomorrow. Come on, we have to gather supplies.”
The man began to stand and follow the blond from the room but Gaius’ voice cut out sharp. “Merlin, could I have a word with you before you left? I’m afraid it’s quite urgent.” Arthur glanced at him but Gaius waved him out, “He’ll be right along-it won’t take but a minute.”
After Arthur left Gaius made him sit and Merlin’s heart instantly began racing. “Merlin.” He began and his voice adopted the tone he used when someone had a particularly dangerous-but not absolutely deadly illness. “Merlin, there’s something you should know. I made a promise long ago never to speak of it but neither of us ever imagined you’d…that is…given the circumstances, I’m sure your mother…” But as Gaius tried to find the right words, Merlin’s mind was already miles ahead. His mother? And Uther’s you look like someone I once knew. Gaius had made a promise to not tell. The world stopped. The streets were quiet. Surely not-he couldn’t be-was this man his-
The world rushed forward as if to make up for lost time.
“Balinor’s your father, Merlin.”
Oh.
( part two)