Enemies Within - Merlyn [3]

Chapter Ten: A Deadly Warning

Arthur hadn't said anything else for the entire journey. Merlyn wasn't sure how to take that. On the one hand it meant he was thinking it over instead of outright rejecting her but on the other Arthur hadn't informed her if this was true or not - Merlyn did not know if Arthur believed her or not, much to her silent frustration. The first thing that was said between them came from Merlyn informing Arthur that they had to get Gaius first. Arthur nodded in agreement and walked beside Merlyn, opening doors for her and ensuring she was still with him ... all without saying a word. It gave Merlyn a false sense of comfort. She didn't want to relax though just in case Arthur did pull the rug from under her.

It hadn't taken long for them to get to Merlyn's chambers and wake up the physician. To say Gaius was confused was a fair statement especially as Merlyn spoke of Morgana's involvement in front of Arthur. But ultimately Gaius said nothing and just went along with it. The trio quickly made their ways through the mostly abandoned corridors, finding themselves unchallenged as they entered Uther's chambers. Though what they saw shocked them more than anything.

Uther's chambers were a mess. The place had been turned upside down. Everything was everywhere, chairs upturned, clothes scattered, candlestick upon the floor but most importantly Uther's bed lay empty. Where was the king?

"Father?" Arthur called out as they began to venture into the room. Merlyn, Gaius and Arthur slowly began to search the room for any sign of their king.

"Over here" Gaius suddenly called. Arthur and Merlyn locked eyes for a moment before they headed towards Gaius. Under a window, tucked against the wall was the king. He was shaking and whimpering as his eyes stayed locked on a part of the room ... that was empty. Merlyn couldn't imagine what the king was seeing.

"Uther?" Gaius asked calmly as he knelt down in front of the king. Both Arthur and Gaius tried to rest their hands on Uther's arm but he pushed them off never letting his eyes leave the space he was concentrating on. Merlyn stayed back and felt sympathy for the king.

Merlyn knew he was being haunted. His whimpers were enough to solidify that belief. She couldn't let this continue. Quickly Merlyn ran towards Uther's bed and dropped down beside it. On her knees Merlyn looked beneath the bed for the source of the enchantment. And there it was. The mandrake root hung from under the bed, a bundle wrapped into a figure that was coated in a black sludge. Reaching forward, Merlyn ripped the root from its place and scanned the room for a way to destroy it. Her eyes immediately landed on the dancing flames of the fire. Grabbing her skirt with one hand, Merlyn ran towards the fire and dropped to her knees in front of it before she tossed the mandrake root straight into the middle of the flames. The moment the root hit the flames and was consumed by its heat, a shriek tore through the air. The root was screaming!

Merlyn flinched at the sound covering her ears in a similar fashion to Gaius and Arthur - however with her eyes looked on the flames Merlyn did not see Arthur's reaction, did not realise Arthur had heard the scream too. The moment the root was destroyed Uther visibly relaxed. Merlyn turned to look at the king and found his body had released some tension, he wasn't horrifyingly staring at the same spot in the room anymore.

"It was an enchantment Sire" Gaius told the king calmly whilst the man just nodded with his eyes flickering back to the space his tormentors had been stood. "You need to rest."

With that Arthur and Gaius moved to get a hold of Uther, each taking a hand under his arm and pulling the older man to his feet. Together they manoeuvred him over to his bed, whilst he leaned heavily on them. As Gaius and Arthur attended the king Merlyn looked back towards the flames that were devouring the last of the mandrake root. A cruel spell that no one truly deserved.