DAUGHTER OF EREBUS
By TIPPER

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CHAPTER EIGHT: KING OF SECOND CHANCES

Arthur just breathed, staring at the place where the sorceress had been, still not quite sure what had just happened.

When he and Leon had arrived, the room had been as dark and silent as a sealed cave; not even the bright light from the hallway seemed able to penetrate the unearthly darkness. Cautiously, he told Leon to stay and stepped inside, sword raised…only to nearly trip over three bodies near the entrance. A quick glance told him that none of their shapes matched Merlin's or Gaius', so he exhaled slowly and ventured deeper into the darkness, eyes slowly adjusting to the gloom. He soon realized that the darkness wasn't complete, and that it had a source—some kind of monster with its arms raised and its back to him, hissing in some language he couldn't understand. And beyond the monster, his features obscured as if Arthur were looking through a heavy, black veil, was Merlin. Brave, foolish Merlin, trying to stand up to the monster with nothing but a carving knife in his hand. She was reaching for him, and his friend was just standing there….

Arthur had moved on instinct—thrusting his sword through the monster's back before it could attack his friend. After that, everything was a bit of a blur. The room's lighting snapped back to normal, nearly blinding him, and the monster turned into a furious looking sorceress who treated being run through with a sword like being stuck by a pin. But once Merlin had stabbed his little knife in the sorceress's back, a knife Merlin had somehow lit on fire (or perhaps she did it herself), it tipped the scales, and her magic clearly failed her. And Arthur had been able to take her down…

He lowered the sword, noticing that it didn't even have a speck of blood on it—it was as perfect as when he'd first put it in his scabbard this evening. What the hell?

"Sire?" Leon called.

Arthur frowned, shaking his head. He didn't understand….

"Sire?" Leon called again, and Arthur turned to look at the knight, who was kneeling on the ground next to one of the bodies. Lady Humphries, Arthur realized horribly, a pool of blood growing steadily from around her small frame. On her other side, Lord Humphries whimpered and shook, like a man possessed. Leon looked extremely confused. "Sire," he asked, covering Eleanor's face with part of her cloak, "what the hell just happened?"

Arthur huffed a laugh, and looked around. He sought out Merlin, for him to explain, expecting to still see him standing where he'd last been, smiling that same, crooked smile he'd given him just before stuffing that knife in her back.

"Merlin!"

Panic exploded in his chest when he saw his friend sprawled out cold on the ground next to the bed. Skidding to his knees next to his friend, he gently lifted Merlin's head up and pressed a hand to the thin chest. Blood deeply stained the bandage around Merlin's shoulder, dripping down his thin arm garishly, and his face nearly blue it was so pale. "Don't," he whispered, the body feeling lifeless in his arms. "Come on, come on, you can't—"

As if in answer to a prayer, the chest measured a soft rise and fall, and Arthur felt faint with relief, bowing his head to Merlin's forehead, whispering a thanks to whomever may be listening. At the touch, he also noticed that Merlin wasn't hot anymore. It was as if…as if he were merely sleeping.

Gaius would know.

Gaius!

Gently laying his friend back down, he stood up, leaving Merlin be for the moment where he was.

"Gaius? Gaius! Where…?"

He trailed off as a soft grunt came from behind one of the upturned tables in the room. A hand slapped the edge of the wood, and Gaius creakily made his appearance, using the side of the table for leverage to get to his feet. Arthur gave him an exhausted grin.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Gaius just blinked, wobbling slightly and pressing a hand to his head. "Sire? What are you…?" He stopped as he looked around the shambles of the room, his eyes widening. "What on earth happened here?"

Arthur's smile fell. "You don't know?"

"No," Gaius replied. "Last thing I remember was sitting next to Merlin, waiting for him to wake so I could give him some water." He noticed the empty pallet then. "Merlin! Where is he?"

"Here," Arthur said, kneeling down again next to his friend. "He's on the floor next to the pallet. I think he's just sleeping, but—"

Gaius, still clearly out of sorts, stumbled around the table and came quickly to their side. Sitting heavily on the pallet, he reached down and pressed a hand to Merlin's head, and then looked at his bandage. He frowned.

"You're right," he said. "That strange fever seems to have broken, at least for now." At Arthur's smile, Gaius quickly shook his head. "No, Sire, don't assume. Not yet. His wound and the blood he lost are still very dangerous. The fever could return far, far worse. All we can do is keep him comfortable, keep his wound clean, and hope that it doesn't worsen. We won't know for a few days whether he's truly out of the woods."

Arthur's smile faded, and he looked down at Merlin.

"What about these two?" Leon asked, from where he was still kneeling between the slumped forms of Lord and Lady Humphries.

Arthur glanced over, heartlessly wondering why he should care. It was fairly clear to him that both of them had been betrayed and then attacked by the sorceress they'd hired, probably out of revenge for the failed theft. He stayed next to Merlin as Gaius hobbled over, unconsciously holding his friend's wrist in his hand, to feel the soft pulse. When the physician reached Leon's side, Gaius used the knight's shoulder to crouch down. He checked on them both before shaking his head.

"I'm afraid that Lady Eleanor is dead. It looks like she was stabbed, except…well, it was a violent death. Terrible." He sighed. "Lord Humphries is still alive, barely, and he's clearly suffering from some sort of trauma. I'll know more when I can examine him more fully." He stood up again, but kept a hand on Leon's shoulder for support.

"What about the third man?" Arthur asked. Gaius gave him a funny look, and Leon swiveled around to where the third body was lying.

No.

Had been lying.

"Where'd he go?" Leon asked, standing up so quickly he almost toppled Gaius. "He was right there!"

"Who was?" Gaius asked.

Arthur stood up as well, hearing at the same time as Leon, the sound of footsteps running down the hallway towards the room.

"I have a bad feeling," Leon said. Arthur couldn't disagree, and as Gwaine burst into the room, his eyes a little wild, Arthur had a feeling he already knew.

"They're gone," Gwaine said. "They're all gone, the thieves we caught. Out of the dungeons in a puff of black smoke. Even the bodies have vanished."

"Damn," Arthur muttered. "Damn, damn, damn."
_________________________________

Gwen had never had a problem speaking up, to make herself heard when it was important, but she also knew the value of being quiet. And for the last four days, everything she had done, she had done quietly.

She had stood quietly next to Arthur as he informed the High Council about preventing the thieves from stealing from the vault (“all but three caskets of gold was recovered”), of the suspected duplicity of the Humphries (“several caskets of Camelot gold were found hidden on the underside of the Humphries’ carriage”), and the capture but then subsequent vanishing of the thieves by sorcery (“disappearing inside a puff of black magic”). Yet another act confirming the evils of the practice of sorcery, he'd told them. “Indeed,” he’d finished, “it appears that both Lord and Lady Humphries were attacked by the very sorceress that they conspired with, resulting in the death of Lady Humphries and the ensorcellment of Lord Humphries, showing once again that you can never trust a practioner of magic, as my father wisely taught us.”

Gwen had flinched at the gasps that rang through the room regarding the Humphries, and wished she could have retreated as a servant would have as the yelling started. They weren’t concerned with the Humphries, though, just his lands and wealth. “Will the land be divided up?” “Who will get it, just his neighbors or can anyone put in a bid?” “Will it be divided evenly by size or by value?” “Did Humphries have any other relatives?” “Who will protect the border with Lot’s lands?” “Were his knights in on the conspiracy as well, or are they fair game?” “Who has control over the hunting grounds?” “Will you divide his gold up amongst the lords?”

All except for Lord Exestan, who had simply asked, “Where is the sorceress now?”

“Dead. I beheaded her myself.” Arthur’s answer to that question had quieted the room briefly, turning more than one face a whiter shade of pale. Then greed returned, and the demands about the property grew in number and pitch, leaving Gwen feeling more than a little sick as Arthur struggled to answer with the limited information he had. She had known then it would be a long few days—the High Council was going to be extended to deal with what had happened.

Later that night, she had lain alone quietly but sleeplessly in their bed for a few hours, having been gently ordered to “get some rest” while Arthur worked into the wee hours studying family tree information provided by Geoffrey of Monmouth: maps of lands, rosters of knights, servants and farmers, and information regarding the state of Humphries’ wealth. At one point, she had heard him leave their chambers—she had known where he was going, and had known that it was something he wanted to do alone. His bond with Merlin should have made her jealous, but it only made her heartsick for him, almost as much as she was for herself. And when she had woken in the morning, he was back at the desk, still going through the papers, the circles under his eyes so dark as to be nearly black.

But it wasn’t until George silently appeared, bringing their breakfast, that Arthur really had looked like he was about to break into a hundred pieces. She had held him for a while after that, neither of them saying anything. Merlin had gotten worse.

She had also stood quietly by his side when the High Council finally left two mornings later, Arthur promising to consider all the options between now and the next High Council meeting, but that, for now, Humphries’ lands, people and protection would fall under the King’s control until a better solution was found. They had left unhappy, but resigned.

But Arthur hadn’t been resigned to any of it, not yet, not really. Eric had been his friend. Merlin was his best friend. Beneath the exterior of calm and acceptance that he exuded as he bid the High Council farewell one by one, she could clearly see the anxious fury boiling inside. He had only gone to visit Merlin one more time after that first night, and, within an hour following that visit, she had been sent for to fetch him from the practice field after he had broken more than a few bones of the younger knights. She arrived to find Percival and Elyan both struggling and failing to hold him back. A touch from Gwen was the only thing that had calmed him, and the two had turned away and gone inside.

But tending to Arthur hadn’t been the only thing she had been doing. She had two loves to take care of, and, when she hadn’t been with Arthur, she had been sitting quietly with Merlin.

Which is where she was now.

As she had for many hours during the last four days, Gwen sat in Gaius' chambers, running a cold, wet cloth across Merlin's forehead, rinsing it the bowl next to his bed, and waiting for her friend to get better. She didn't talk to him, or to Gaius—she simply didn't know what to say. She just sat, trying not to give into the despair threatening to consume her.

The fever had started the night of the attack, creeping up slowly but surely, until it reached a level that had Gaius throwing books across the room in frustration. Considering Gwen had never seen Gaius that flustered, it was a little frightening. All she knew was that Merlin was in pain, shaking and hot, his skin dry as a bone except around the wound, which, despite the many cleanings Gaius had administered, didn't seem to be getting any better.

Gaius himself had finally succumbed to exhaustion, and was lying down on Merlin's bed up in his room, but Gwen didn't imagine he would be gone for long. In four days, she hadn't seen him sleep for longer than a couple of hours.

Messengers had been sent to Ealdor, to fetch Hunith. To tell her to come as quickly as she could. She likely would arrive tomorrow, which would probably be too late.

She sighed softly, placing the cold, wet compress on Merlin's face and forehead again, wishing there was something more she could do.

A few feet away, on another cot, Lord Humphries groaned slightly. Gwen didn't even turn around, knowing the guard watching Eric would alert her if there was any real change. Like Merlin, the lord hadn't woken since that night either, but there was no obvious sickness to explain the suffering he was clearly experiencing. Instead, he just tossed and turned, moaning and whimpering, while Gaius administered sedative after sedative, trying to soothe him.

It seemed there may be no cure for either of them.

She pulled the cloth away, and wiped at the tear running down her face. She hadn't started crying yet, not really, but it was growing increasingly difficult to hold them at bay. It was a good thing the guard was there—Gwen was resolved not to break down in front of him—but even that was becoming less of a deterrent as time went on.

A soft knock at the door caused Gwen to look up, and she smiled to see a young maid standing inside the threshold, her hands filled with cloths. It wasn't someone Gwen recognized, but then, she had to accept that she may not know all the servants anymore.

"My lady," the girl said, curtseying low. "I have brought fresh sheets."

Gwen smirked slightly at the low curtsey—none of the servants she knew ever went so low. Definitely a new girl.

"Thank you," she said, putting the compress down on the bowl and standing, holding her arms out. "Why don't you give them to me and—"

"Oh no, my lady," the girl said, blushing furiously. "I couldn't. If you'll let me, I'll change the sheets, perhaps with his help?" She looked at the guard, who sighed at being mentioned. He'd been playing cards on the table next to Lord Humphries' pallet.

Gwen considered whether she should succumb to her role and let them work around her. Then she shook her head.

"Nonsense," she said. "We'll all three do it together. Let's start with Merlin."

The maid curtsied again, and made her way over, the guard reluctantly shuffling over to join them.

"What's your name?" Gwen asked the maid, as the guard leaned over to lift Merlin off the bed. The girl smiled softly.

"Hemera, my lady. I'm new."

"I guessed that," Gwen replied, smiling in return. She took the cloths from Hemera's hands, and backed up as the maid expertly stripped the stained sheets from off the pallet. The guard shifted Merlin in his arms, looking like he wasn't even struggling with the weight—which showed just how much weight her friend had lost over the last few days. Already thin, Merlin really couldn’t afford to lose much more.

Gwen shifted the sheets in her arms, and suddenly frowned, looking down at them.

"Are these…are these silk?" she asked, looking at Hemera with curiosity.

The maid laughed, obviously pleased as she reached for the base sheet to put on the bed. Gwen handed her a corner, and the two of them shook it out.

"Not silk, no," the girl replied as they tucked the sheet over the pallet's straw mattress, "but I will tell my sisters that you said that."

"Your sisters?"

"My sister, Clotho, is a weaver in our home town. She made these sheets, with the help of my other two sisters. They're quite renowned for their skill. She asked if I might bring some examples up here, for the steward to look at. He has ordered a few sets, but said I could use this set for Merlin and Lord Humphries."

Gwen smiled more brightly, pleased at the steward's usual thoughtfulness. "These are absolutely wonderful," she praised as they placed the top-sheet onto the pallet, tucked it in at the base, and then nodded to the guard to lay Merlin down.

"I will tell her so," Hemera promised as Merlin was settled in. She pulled the top sheet over him. "I hope they help to make Merlin and Lord Humphries more comfortable." As she spoke, she touched a finger to Merlin's cheek, and, curiously, Merlin's shaking seemed to lessen slightly.

"Looks like they already have," Gwen said, picking up the rest of the sheets and crossing to Lord Humphries' side. The guard sighed again heavily, but followed them and, with some reluctance, picked up the lord. This time, he struggled a little, grunting at the weight. Gwen gave him a sympathetic look as the maid quickly stripped the straw mattress.

"Have you been at the castle long?" Gwen asked the maid.

"Just a few days," Hemera replied. "I missed…everything that happened, by only a few hours." She frowned slightly as Gwen handed her a corner of the bottom sheet and they shook it out. "Was there…was there really a witch here?"

Gwen shook her head. "A dark one, yes. But the King dispatched her before she could do further damage." She finished tucking in the sheet on her side, and handed Hermera the top sheet. "Not that the damage she did do wasn't more than enough."

Hemera nodded. "Perhaps it will only be short lived," she said, looking out the window at the bright sunlit day. "The world does not like too much darkness. It also needs light. A balance in all things."

Gwen shrugged. "I hope you're right, Hemera." She stepped back and nodded to the guard, who put Lord Humphries back down on the bed. Like Merlin, the lord seemed calmer once placed on the fresh sheets. Hemera touched his arm lightly as she pulled the top sheet over him.

"That should do," she said, almost to herself. When she looked up at the Queen, she smiled brightly. "Thank you, your highness. Your help was most appreciated." She looked at the guard. "As was yours."

The guard shrugged, but Gwen saw the tiny smile on his face from being complimented by such a pretty girl.

"Of course. And I wish you luck here at Camelot," Gwen said. "I'm sure we'll be seeing you around."

The girl's smile deepened. "Every day," she promised. She curtsied again, and then backed up to the door. "If there is nothing else…?"

"Not at the moment," Gwen said.

"Thank you, my lady. It was lovely to finally meet you." She grinned then, and almost skipped out of the room. Gwen's eyebrows lifted slightly at the girl's good cheer, but found her own heart felt a little lighter than it had before.

"My lady," the guard said then, and Gwen turned around. She smiled suddenly at the sight of Lord Humphries' green eyes blinking muzzily up at her.

"Eric," she breathed, stepping forward, only to be stopped by the guard. Eric frowned slightly, looking between them. Then his eyes abruptly widened, and he tried to push himself up, only to immediately fall back.

"Merlin and Gaius?" he croaked, his voice rougher than sandpaper. "Are they all right? There was a sorceress—"

"Gaius is fine," Gwen soothed, silently ordering the guard to fetch the lord some water. "But Merlin is—"

"Really thirsty," Merlin whispered hoarsely from his own bed. "Is there any water?"

"Merlin!" Gwen called, grinning from ear to ear. Forgetting the lord, she was instantly by her friend's side, kneeling next to the cot and touching her hands to his sweating face. The fever had broken! Merlin squinted at her, but he gamely tried to match her smile with his own, despite badly chapped lips.

"Merlin," she repeated. "It's so good to see you!" She gripped his hand. "We've been so worried. You have no idea."

"I didn't know I'd gone anywhere," he croaked, still smiling. Then he frowned. "Did I?"

Gwen just bit her bottom lip, the word almost on the tip of her tongue, thinking how close they'd come to losing him forever. She rubbed her hand between hers and grinned again.

"But seriously," he whispered after a moment, "I know you're a mighty queen now, but I'd really love some water." He lifted his eyebrows in plea.

Gwen just laughed, and reached for the water next to the bed.
______________________________________

Arthur stood up as Lord Humphries entered the council room, the lord looking slightly less horrendous than he had done the day before. Upon reaching the dais, Humphries bowed before the king and then stood at rest, his hands behind his back, shoulders drooped and eyes on the ground. Slight tremors still wracked his frame, visible even from this distance. Horribly, it reminded Arthur of his father, after Morgana first tried to steal the throne.

"Merlin has corroborated everything that you described happened," Arthur told the young lord, trying to be gentle. "And I am sorry for all that's occurred, including not immediately trusting your fealty. Your lands and title are, of course, fully restored."

Lord Humphries grimaced slightly, but nodded. "Thank you, your majesty," he replied, his voice still rough from his illness. "That is very generous. I do not feel I deserve it, however. I should have suspected—"

"No," Arthur said, cutting him off. "I know a little about betrayal, as you know. This was her choice, not yours, and I believe her fate was purely of her own making."

Lord Humphries said nothing to that, just kept his head bowed.

"And I must thank you as well," Arthur continued. "If not for your intervention, it is likely that not only might both Merlin and Gaius have been killed, but many others as well. A sorceress and a notorious bandit will no longer be terrorizing the people of this kingdom. I only wish I had more I could give you, to alleviate the pain you must be feeling."

Lord Humphries closed his eyes. Slowly, he nodded. "Thank you, your majesty," he said again. "You are just and kind." He opened his eyes again, the shadows under them looking even deeper if possible.

Arthur frowned slightly.

Stepping down off the dais, he walked up to the young lord and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I know," he said softly. "Believe me. The hurt and grief you feel right now, the way the betrayal stabs you like a knife, I know it well. But it will get better. There will be people who you can look to, friends and family who will always stand by you, and I want you to count on me as one of them." He gave Eric's shoulder a squeeze. "My word on that."

Eric sighed, and finally looked up, meeting his eyes, even if only for a moment. "Thank you, Sire," he said, actually sounding like he meant it this time. Arthur gave him a quick smile and dropped his hand.

"And I also know Merlin would say the same thing," he promised. "As well as my wife, and our court physician."

Eric actually gave a half smile at that. Then he shrugged. "Well, I sort of owed Merlin, didn't I?"

Arthur's brow furrowed slightly. "Owed him for what?"

Eric's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "You don't know? I would have thought he'd have told you, or my father might have."

Arthur shook his head. "No."

"He saved my life. A long time ago, now, when I was still just a kid."

It was Arthur's turn to lift his eyebrows. "He did?"

"I'm so surprised he never told you." Eric smiled as he spoke, "It happened when he was on his way here, to Camelot, for the first time, about, what, six, seven years ago? As you know, he had to travel through my father's…through our lands to get here from Ealdor. I was out hunting and got separated from my knights, but, being a cocky kid, I continued on my own, because I had seen a large boar I wanted to take home as a trophy. The nasty thing spooked my horse when I wasn't paying attention, and I was thrown. Broke my leg—"

"Wait, I remember this story…." Arthur said, tilting his head at the memory of hearing it from Eric's father at a court dinner one night. "You were about to get gored, when some peasant came out of nowhere, swinging a big stick like a sword and yelling nonsense, and attacked the boar."

"I still don't quite know how he got it to do so, but the boar panicked and took off. I don't remember a lot, because I had a bit of a knock to the head, but I recall him getting me on my horse and helping me get home."

Arthur's eyes were wide. "That was Merlin?" Actually, if he was being honest, it sounded a hell of a lot like him.

"For saving me, my father welcomed him to our table, offered him a position at the castle even, but Merlin turned it down, said he had promised his mother that he would go to Camelot, to work for his family." Eric shrugged. "Your court physician, Gaius."

"That's how you knew he was from Ealdor," Arthur said, realization coming to him with some shame. "And why you call him friend."

"He saved my life. Of course I consider him a friend. Though…" He bowed his head, the dark pallor returning to his face. "I know that I have abused that friendship, and it has cost him his position. When you mentioned he would no longer be serving you in the council, I knew it was my fault. I'm the one who has been boasting about having a way to get to you, through him. The other lords were only following my poor example, always looking for any vulnerability they can take advantage of." Crossing his arms tightly over his chest, Lord Humphries almost seemed to bow into himself. "I am truly sorry for the damage I have caused. I want to assure you, my lord, that it will not happen again. The shame I feel for that…for what Eleanor did…for everything…." He inhaled a shaky breath. "If I could only make up for that, I—"

"Stop." Arthur was frowning now. "You already have, Eric. There is nothing more to discuss."

Humphries gave a nod, but he still grimaced in clear pain.

"Eric," Arthur said, giving the name a slightly sharper edge to force the young lord to look up. When he did, Arthur gave him his sternest look. "Listen to me. If there is one thing I have learned from all this, it is that you can show strength not only in what you can destroy, but what you can protect. You fought unreservedly to protect Merlin and Gaius against terrible odds and nearly at the cost of your own life. It's that which shows me that you are the right man to rule your father's lands, and protect the border against King Lot. In fact…." He inclined his head. "Because of that, I've reversed my earlier decision and approved the additional military allotment that you requested, plus a little extra. I have no doubts any more of your fealty, or your courage, Lord Humphries. Everything that has happened, you have more than made up for it." He reached out and gripped the man's forearm tightly. "Thank you."

Humphries just stared at him for a moment, and then returned Arthur's grip on his forearm. "It was my honor, your majesty," he said, and he definitely meant it this time. Arthur found himself smiling.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, releasing Eric's arm. Eric let go as well. Arthur continued to smile. "Because I'm hungry, and since my temporary manservant is something of a miracle worker with food, I suggest we take advantage of it. What do you say?"

Eric's smile was slightly forced, but he nodded. "I'd like that, your majesty."

Arthur took it as a win. Now he just had one more bridge to mend.
_________________________...___________________________

To be concluded in Chapter Nine...