Luminescence ✺ Arthur Pendragon

Le Morte d'Arthur [2]

For two days, Arwen and Gaius continued to tend to Arthur, doing their best to keep him fighting, to keep him alive. But the more time passed, the more his condition deteriorated. At first, Arwen had hated the moments where she could see the pain he was in, but by now, those had stopped. Arthur had stopped showing signs of pain, and the more time passed, the more weaker he grew, doubt started to creep into her mind.

She prayed that Merlin would return soon, because if one thing was clear, it was that Arthur didn't have much time left. Whenever it was Arwen's turn to look after Arthur, she'd always made sure he knew she was there. Some times she read from the book which had been open on the table from before the hunt and everything that happened, and other times, she simply reminded him how close the cure was.

In that moment she was doing the latter. Telling him Merlin was bound to be back any moment and then he'd get all better. And, if she didn't know any better, maybe what happened next would have made Arwen wonder whether she might be clairvoyant. It was the sound of the door opening that cut off her words and made her look in its direction.

At the sight of Gaius and Merlin rushing inside, a smile lit up Arwen's face. She rushed to her brother's side, throwing her arms around him happily. "God, I'm so happy to have you back." She told him as she pulled away, refusing to take up too much time on the reunion before she returned to what mattered most. "Did you manage to get it?"

It was Gaius who answered her question. He didn't do so with words, but instead by simply rising the vial he held in his hand into the air. It was sign enough for Arwen to return to Arthur's side with the two men along with her. With Gaius holding the vial, she sat down by Arthur's head, putting it in her lap so that it was angled and made it easier to swallow the antidote as Gaius poured it into his mouth.

All three of them remained entirely silent, but the quiet didn't last too long before the door opened once again. This time it was the King who had entered, but unlike before, his presence went by unnoticed as the physicians focused on their work. It was only when Uther spoke that they realized he was there. "What are you doing, physician? What are you giving him?"

"It's a... I..." For a moment, Gaius stumbled over his words. In their rush to bring the antidote to Arthur, he hadn't had time to prepare a story with which they'd cover up the truth.

But for Arwen, it was an easy truth to guess. As she watched Gaius try to come up with an answer, she quickly gathered that the reason they couldn't be entirely forthcoming with the origins of the antidote was because it was somehow connected to magic. So, thinking quick on her feet, Arwen cut him off and spoke herself.

"It's a tincture made from the lobelia plant and coriander." She revealed, proceeding to explain the science behind the plants. She knew that Uther wouldn't have the patience for a long winded scientific explanation, not at a time like this. "The main symptoms of the poison are attacking his respiratory system and causing a fever. Lobelia is an effective remedy for the lungs and coriander-"

And just as she expected, he interrupted her, not wanting to know all the details anymore. There was but one thing that truly mattered to the King. "You think it could be the cure?"

"We hope." Arwen gave a small nod.

Walking further into the room to stand at Arthur's bedside with them, Uther's eyes focused on Gaius next. "You trust your apprentice's knowledge?" To him, from the way Arwen spoke, it seemed as if she had been the one to come up with the cure. At the realization, Arwen opened her mouth, ready to jump in and deny it, not wanting the credit she didn't deserve.

However, she never got a chance to speak up. "I do, my Lord." Gaius said confidently. And to prove his point further, he resumed the actions of pouring the liquid into Arthur's mouth.