Moonlight Secret

Magical Disease

Both Gaius and Merlyne were walking around lower town to get some herbs for Gaius's medicine.

It was still early in the morning, so there was nearly no one on the streets.

"What's up with him?" Merlyne asked as she stopped by an alley, seeing a civilian lying on the ground.

"I don't know, let's take a look then." Gaius replied and walked to the man, his assistant not close behind him.

The man they found had open eyes, staring glassy at the sky. All colour had left his skin and all veins were visible like the skin was so see-through.

"Pass me a blanket, will you? The people must not see this." the Court physician told.

Merlyne gave Gaius the usual white blanket to cover the dead man's body. "Do you think it's safe to touch?"

"That's the risk of being a physician." Gaius said. "Now, we'll need to get this man to the west wing, the herbs can wait."

Merlyne groaned since it meant going all that way back while carrying the weight of a dead man.

--//--

Both Gaius and Merlyne had been called to the throne room, where the King, Arthur and several councillors were waiting.

There had been found another man infected by the same thing that was occurred by the man the pair had found that morning.

"Gaius, can you tell me what this is?" King Uther demanded.

"I have no idea, it's the second case I have seen today, Sire." Gaius truthfully replied.

"Then why didn't you report it?" Uther asked.

"I was attempting to find out what it is and finding the cure." the physician said.

Uther grunted. "Any luck?"

"What I can tell so far is that this is not a natural disease, but magical." Gaius told.

At the word 'magical', the King's expression went dark.

Arthur knew the drill already. "I must search the houses and chambers of everyone within the city?"

"You know your job! Find that sorcerer!" Uther called out with rage.

Arthur waved Merlyne and Gaius away. "You'd better go, and Merlyne, help Gaius as much as you can."

"Yes Sire!" Merlyne said before leaving with the old physician.

--//--

Arthur rounded up all of his knights to help him search the city after he himself tucked away his magic books underneath a board of his wooden floor, searching the lower town first before messing up the whole citadel. They could not pass one chamber at all.

The Prince ordered his knights to do the rooms of all the noblemen and councilmen while he himself would do the royal chambers and those of Gaius and Merlyne.

He walked in when the two were examining another victim, a woman this time.

The Court physician looked up. "Sire, if you're here for any progress, there's nothing much yet."

Arthur shook his head. "I wish I was, but father ordered me to search all rooms, including yours."

Gaius held up his hands. "I have nothing to hide, search wherever you want."

"At least that's honest." Arthur admitted before looking around in Gaius's room, finding everything quite neat and bed made up. He found nothing, for which he was utterly grateful. He'd hated it if he had to accuse Gaius of the evil sorcery.