Hiding

Chapter 24

Merlin led Arthur back to his chambers. Uther was dead; there was no need to hide anymore. Even so, he tried to avoid as many people as possible, trying to keep this vulnerable Arthur away from the eyes of the people. He knew Arthur wouldn't want them to see him like this. Merlin ignored the looks he got from the few people they passed in the hallway.

Once at their destination, Merlin sat them both on Arthur's bed and let Arthur cry himself to sleep. It was getting late in the day anyway. Gaius could prepare the king's body tomorrow, and Arthur could mourn the next night. Merlin had to go tell Gaius about the king's fate, however.

It would be a bit difficult to walk in on the council, where Merlin guessed Gaius was, considering they all thought he was an evil sorcerer and long dead. Still, if he used the glamour that made him unrecognizable, he could drop it long enough for Gaius to know it was him and give him the news so that the council could be immediately informed.

He left Arthur asleep on the bed and made his way to the council chambers, this time putting up the hood and glamour. He managed to avoid enough people to not arouse suspicion, especially as everyone was on high alert after what happened, even though he wasn't making much effort to stay hidden, only unrecognizable. When he got to the council chambers, the guards made to stop him, but a whispered, "swefe nu" was all it took to avoid them.

Merlin opened the door and heard Gaius speaking. He swiftly made his way over to Gaius, who looked up at him with uncertainty. He dropped the glamour briefly, and knew Gaius recognized him when he received a nod.

"Uther has died, Gaius. Arthur did something, and it took the last of him. He's dead, and Arthur is asleep in his chambers." Merlin made sure to whisper, even if he had to be a little louder than he'd like in order to be heard over the murmurs of the councilmen discussing the mysterious man in their presence. They seemed to sense that Merlin wasn't a danger, given that Gaius appeared to know who he was and wasn't calling for the guards.

Gaius nodded and straightened. "The king is dead. It looks as if circumstances out of my control hastened his death. I will, of course, have to return to my chambers to be entirely certain, but I believe that we can start making arrangements for the king's death, and for Arthur's coronation."

The murmurs grew louder after he spoke, but Gaius decided it would be best if he went to verify the king's death as quickly as possible. He motioned for Merlin to follow. If they received any questioning glances on the way, both ignored them. It was becoming a bit of a habit. Neither spoke until they were safe in Gaius' chambers.

"So how did Arthur manage to accelerate his father's death?"

"I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. I went to check on him, he'd been in here such a long time, and when I got here Uther was awake and they were talking. I'm guessing that being awake for so long just took all the energy in him. But I have no idea how Arthur woke his father in the first place..."

"It could've been instinctual magic. He might not have used a spell for it. I just hope Uther didn't damage Arthur too much while they talked."

"I had to practically carry him to his bed, Gaius. I heard what they talked about, and it was...personal. Although you probably already know everything. The last thing Uther said to him, though...He told Arthur he was proud of him. I don't know what Arthur was thinking with waking Uther up like that, but I think he wanted reassurance that his father wasn't going to hate him.

"I think everything else Uther said will eventually be forgiven, just for that last comment. Arthur is going to need time to process it, but I suppose that's what the vigil is for, isn't it? For him to mourn his father and reflect on it all? In any case, I think you need to talk to Arthur about the circumstances surrounding his birth. He needs to hear about it all from a neutral source."