Merthur: True Love's Kiss

Hoping

Gaius closed yet another leather bound book (he could've sworn that one had at least a thousand pages) with an exhausted sigh. It was late, very late indeed, but one look at Merlin and his strained breathing told the physician he'd most likely be awake all night.

He was searching for a clue, anything that would lead him to discover what manner of beast attacked his young charge. After all, he couldn't treat him if he didn't know what his ailment was, as frustrated as he felt.

So he read and he read, refusing to let his eyelids close, and he racked his brains for a solution. He had researched werewolves and manticores and all manner of different creatures, none of which could have possibly been the culprit.

Where was it that Arthur said he found him?  Near the Western Hills of Aglion?  The prince hadn't been much more specific than that - when Gaius asked him if he saw any footprints or the like when searching for Merlin, he had simply replied that he had not paid any particular attention to his surroundings.

That was strange in itself, or at least it was to Gaius, for normally Arthur was quite perceptive in such matters. In terms of people's feelings and the like... Well, he left much to be desired.

The elderly man stood up slowly, stretching as he did so; he went to Merlin and changed the damp cloth on his forehead before sitting him up carefully. He opened his patient's  mouth wide and poured some water into it - the last thing he needed was for Merlin to become dehydrated.

He pulled a blanket loosely over him, then turned and headed towards one of his many shelves, pulling out a collection of maps, and sifted through them until he found the one he wanted: the fallen Kingdom of Duune. It collapsed many centuries ago, after the abandonment of the capital, Gdenir - it was often said that it was attacked by a horde of magical creatures, but the truth was uncertain. There were not many who were willing, or brave enough to go there, and of those who did, not many returned.

Gaius had a bad feeling about this.

He deliberated a while longer, then proceeded to rummage in a pile of dusty books to pull out what had once been a treasured work: the cover was ornately designed, the title written in gold and inside, although they were now soup-stained and yellowed with age, there had once been crisp white pages that would have excited any book lover.

The court physician did not have the time nor the energy to notice these details - he hurriedly opened the book and started leafing through, trying not to rip the fragile pages, muttering seldom heard curses under his breath.
When he finally found what he had been looking for, his lips were pulled tightly in a frown, and he wore a grim expression on his face.

This, he thought to himself, is going to prove troublesome.

At the same time that Gaius was doing his research, the crown prince of Camelot was lying awake in his bed. Eyes wide open, he stared up at the rich red fabric that draped around the sides, and thought of many things. Namely his manservant.

Annoyed at his inability to sleep, he flung the bedsheets off, and went to his window, from which he looked upon the palace courtyard and, further away, parts of the lower town. One day, he would rule over it all, and he honestly felt he could wait a couple of decades more before that happened.

The night sky was dark blue and peaceful, devoid of any clouds that might obscure the pale light of the crescent moon. Arthur found himself gazing at the stars, habitually picking out all the constellations he could see - the constellations Merlin was so very fond of. Whenever they camped outside the city, he would catch him looking at the starry sky with an expression of absolute delight on his slender face. Naturally, he used the opportunity to scold the serving boy for his idleness, although secretly, he shared in his immense wonder, and would be far too happy to watch them with him.

Merlin. He really was like no other. No one seemed to understand that, not really - not Gwen, not Gaius, not Morgana... And most certainly not his father.

A shooting star fell from the heavens and he watched it, completely entranced, until it blinked out of sight.
He was worried. There was no denying that. If Gaius could find a cure, then there weren't many who would be able to. Perhaps none.

And then Merlin would die.

The very notion seemed unthinkable. Unimaginable. Yet, underneath it all, Arthur knew it was a possibility - one that increased with every second that passed by.

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of those thoughts. Gaius would find the cure, he was sure of it - after all, he'd done it so many times before. There was absolutely nothing to worry about. And if there was some obscure ingredient that he had to obtain, so be it. After all, he had obtained the mortaeus flower with the odds stacked agaisnt him, with Nimueh and giant spiders trying to kill him. He could do it again with some other plant or what not.

Little did Arthur know, Gaius had indeed found a cure. But it wasn't one that was to his the prince's liking, so to speak.