Royal in Hiding

Chapter 5: Saving the Physician

"HOW COULD SHE!!!" The angry king screamed once more, his court flinching slightly. The King has been known to injure people during his rages. Unfortunately one of his court members didn't know the extent of how far this could go. "Sire, if I may. Maybe we should get back to the task at hand? Like the Pendragon King still out there and controlling the people? Also the Lost Prince has seemed to become even more active in his att-" The young noble started but was soon thrown across the room and hit the wall hard, causing his head to start bleeding on impact. 

"Some one call the physician." One of the Lord's commanded and two men ran from the room to retrieve the old man, with long silvery hair and a face that was so old but held much wiseness. 

When Gaius saw the man on the floor who couldn't be but a few years older than Merlin, who he loved as his own, his heart broke. He couldn't let himself think of Merlin though when the boy needed his help so Gaius pushed the warlock from his mind and focused on caring for the noble before him.

Whispering a small spell, to help the wound heal faster Gaius quickly set to work on stopping the bleeding before he attempted to move him to his chambers, which had been astronomically down sized since the shift in power. "Sire, I need more equipment than what you have provided me to treat him. Please allow me access to my old supply or this boy will die as surely as the sun will set in the west." Gaius told the King who glared at him for a moment longer before conceding, turning to continue his rant on his daughter's disappearance and the lost of some servant boy. 

"How could she help the King's manservant escape. His location was just in my grasps and now he is gone!" The King screamed and Gaius froze for a split second before rushing off to his old chambers with the bleeding noble with the thought of how he now knew that Merlin was alive. 

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Gaius had sighed as he pulled the sheet over the young man's face so that the white covered his entire body. "I could have saved you, you know. If I only had Merlin with me. He could have whispered a spell, it would have been as easy as eating for him, and you would be healed. But instead you are lost, gone from this world to the next. I do hope, for your sake, that the next is better. Here didn't seem to work out so well did it?" Gaius asked the dead boy on his table, a single tear rolled down his cheek as he remembered how Merlin was gone, there was no way Gaius could see him again or he would risk the Prince's safety. 

"Well? Will he be alright?" The King asked as he stormed into the chambers of the old physician, not really caring for the noble but keeping up views nonetheless. "No Sire. He was as good as dead as soon as he hit the wall. Only a powerful Sorcerer or a High Priestess could have saved him. Nothing that I could do." Gaius told the King who looked royally pissed at the mention of "powerful sorcerer" the King's mind flicking to Prince Merlin before back to the Physician in front of him. 

Walking right up to Gaius's face the king grabbed his neck with his hand and harshly pulled him so that his lips were inline with Gaius' ear. "I want no mention of 'powerful sorcerer's' again. You hear. No more excuses. If I learn of another excuse from you old man... You will regret the day you were born." The King threatened and then snapped his fingers. "Guards, take the physician back to his quarters." He commanded and briskly left the room. Leaving fear in his wake. 

"Let's go old man. I doubt the King will allow any food to you tonight." One of the Guard's said before the three left the room, and the body inside. 

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In the dead of night, while the kingdom of Camelot slept, nightmares of the next day plagueing their dreams. A small group of men, not more than seven, crept through the streets and into a house in the lower town. Unknown to the guards on patrol was that this lonely lit house was a loyalist to the true King of Camelot. King Arthur. 

"Hello Milord. I am glad to be of service." The Man whispered as soon as Arthur stepped through the door. "Thank you, sir, for allotting us the use of your house. You are very kind." Arthur told him and the Man nodded. "Of course Sire. Anything for my king." The man said and Arthur nodded. 

"We will need enough horses for us plus one. Can you supply that?" Arthur asked, weary in the knowledge of having that many horses could be suspicious. "Of course I can! I raise horse's and have plenty." The man told Arthur, looking slightly offended. 

Arthur sighed and nodded. "We will need them prepared within the next two hours. If we aren't back by that time send this note to the north east. One of our men will surely intercept it." Arthur told the man whose eye's widened and he nodded furiously. "Yes, my Liege, of course my Liege." 

Merlin was impatiently bouncing in the back of the group. He knew that the escape plan was essential but he still didn't want to leave Gaius in Camelot any longer than they already had. "Alright. Are we ready?" Gwaine asked, obviously not liking sticking around with Gaius in danger any more than Merlin. "Yes, alright I get it. Let's go." Arthur conceded and the group of seven disappeared back into the night. 

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The moon shined in through the small window in Gaius's small quarter's as Gaius lay on his thin mattress, the weakness from not eating that day wearing him thin. Slowly Gaius sat up and went to look out his window, knowing that sleep was a fools dream that night. Staring out upon the court yard Gaius saw seven shadows dart across a hallway at the far side. Not believing what he was seeing Gaius blinked several times before he saw a lanky man strode across the courtyard liked he owned the place. 

With his bad eyesight Gaius couldn't make out any feature's other than body type and that wasn't much to go on, but the man reminded him much of the clumsy manservant he had begun to love. "No, it can't be. Merlin wouldn't be that stupid. Would he?" Gaius whispered to himself in the candle lit room. 

Then he saw the solider the man was talking to run off into the lower town and the shine of armor. 

"Oh Merlin. What are you doing?" Gaius asked no one in particular. Pacing about his room, Gaius awaited the familiar sound of the warning bells but when they did ring he watched all the solider's rush out to the lower town and that was when the bright light of fire illuminated the lower town sky, but none of the houses were actually damaged, and the loud roar of a dragon rung through the land.

 "Oh Merlin. What have you done?" Gaius reprimanded when the voice that he longed to hear but dreaded at the same time spoke up behind him. "I believe it's called a rescue mission." Merlin stated as he leaned against the door frame. "Merlin!" Gaius cried and the two hugged. 

"Oh my boy, I have missed you but you should not have come. I am an old man and I am running off of little food, I will slow you down." Gaius said and Merlin thought for a minute. "Yeah, you're probably right. Although I know something you don't." Merlin told Gaius who looked around the room at the six other people who were there. "What could that possibly be Merlin?" Gaius asked and Merlin smirked. 

"I don't care." He said with a manic grin and pulled Gaius along with him, the eight ducking into rooms and behind pillars as guards went rushing by but soon enough the hallways quieted as the gaurds were either outside the throne room, where Draegan was probably held up, or in the lower town as they attempted to beat Avrae. 

They had just made it to the horses when Arthur stopped. "I can't go further." Arthur stated and Merlin glared at him. "I could care less if you had an arrow sticking out of your throat you are coming." Merlin told him and Arthur shook his head. "Arthur, he is right there. I have to end it." Arthur explained and Merlin looked furious. 

"Do you not think I know that? I am keenly aware of that Arthur. But I also know that going after him now is a fools game. There is no way you are doing that and coming out alive. He is a sorcerer with formidable power, use your head not your heart." Merlin snapped at him and Arthur looked rather shocked but still determined. "No, I have to help my people Merlin." Arthur told him and Merlin ran his hand over his face before chanting a fast spell, his eye's shinning gold as Arthur fell. 

"Gwaine, Help me get him on his horse." Merlin told him and Gwaine nodded as he tied the King to the brown horse provided as they all mounted and disappeared into the night, Merlin calling off Avrae as they rode into the night.