Previously on Thrones and Teeth: Merlin managed to prevent the assassination of the Strathclyde King, Graeme, with a bit of help from an old friend. Carrow, under the guise of Queen Mendanbar's maidservant, has also informed Arthur that Morgana and Morgause are plotting with fire, seeking lost dragon eggs.

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Chapter 3: Nightshade

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"What do you mean you're not going to release Gaius? I can't make his innocence any more clear!" Arthur said. The physician had been stuck in his cell overnight as Uther refused to see him. Morgana tried not to smirk, but it was all just so funny to her. Biting the inside of her cheek, she forced her gaze straight ahead. Solemnity, she reminded herself, that was the goal here.

Standing in the throne room with a handful of Camelot's finest, Arthur had begun his argument in very high spirits. The prince had been practical, confident, and proud. It was a shame that Morgana had spent most of the night convincing the king that Gaius was innocent, but needed to be made an example of. The physician was so often in Uther's line of sight, that it was easy to get rid of him. Morgana had grown tired of Merlin's mentor, the voice of reason.

Part of her knew that it was wrong, but another part, a much larger part, knew that Gaius had been there to hide her powers from her. Choking her with that silly remedy to get rid of her visions. He had used magic in the days before Uther's Purge, he could have helped her. Instead, he had chosen to allow her to continue being frightened. He would live and die with that choice, she would make sure of it.

"I'm not convinced of his innocence, but whether he is innocent of this crime is irrelevant. Until the real culprit is found and I am certain that the castle is safe, he will stay in the dungeon. I need to at least create the illusion of safety for the sake of the summit and Camelot," Uther said.

Regaining power over her cheek muscles, Morgana said, "But, Sire, this is madness. Gaius is our friend. Merlin said himself that the physician had told him the cure before he was carted away. Had it not been for Gaius, King Graeme would be dead!" Uther frowned at her. Her quips had begun to sound rehearsed even to her ears.

"Morgana, you said yourself last night that it was unlikely Giaus would even have had time to look at Graeme and yet he knew instantly. Perhaps only to cover himself. Discovering the method used to poison Graeme does not absolve Gaius of guilt - after all, he delivered the salve personally. He could have sprinkled the fungus into the man's trunk then and no one would be the wiser," Uther said. Morgana noted that Arthur was no longer looking at his father, but at her. His eyes were narrowed and accusing. To her they only made him look more like his father and the man who would unwittingly steal the crown from its rightful heir if she didn't do something about it.

The truth was Morgana was just as curious about who had doused King Graeme with that fungus. She thought that Merlin must attribute the entire mess to her but she was far too busy attending to other things to be bothered with Strathclyde's king. She wished she had been the one to do it, though, as it had created the perfect opportunity for her to slip away last night. Still, she didn't like not knowing what was going on in her own castle.

"Father, I have a witness who was present when Gaius delivered the salve, the trunks hadn't been brought up then," Arthur said. Morgana could tell it was the prince's final paltry attempt at getting Gaius released. She could hear the desperation in his voice. Morgana straightened her back, curious about this supposed witness. Queen Sofia had already admitted that she hadn't been in the room at the time Gaius had delivered the salve. Graeme was still asleep, so he could not attest one way or another.

Uther, too, appeared intrigued. "Who, pray tell, are you speaking of?" the king said, sighing resignedly.

"The Queen's serving maid, Sire," Arthur said, waving at the guards to allow the woman in. Morgana's eyes followed the prince's hand and landed on a petite woman who stumbled in, appearing frightened, nervous, and above all, exhausted. Holding her head up slightly, Morgana saw that grisly scars marred her cheek, while watery green eyes and unkempt hair framed her heart shaped face. At one point she may have been pretty, but here and now the girl resembled the lowest of servants - certainly not one fit for a Queen. A filthy grey gown completed the unflattering ensemble and Morgana resisted the urge to giggle. This was all he had to save Gaius?

"What's your name, girl?" Uther asked, sounding less impressed than Morgana.

"Cassie, your highness," the woman said, bottom lip quivering ever so slightly as she addressed him. Fingering a loose thread on her sleeve, she glanced at Arthur nervously. For a second Morgana thought she saw the prince's eyes roll. He must know what a lost cause this was. Still, the prince was unnaturally dependent on Merlin, he had to show he was putting forth effort to maintain that silly little bond.

"You say you were there when the physician brought Gaius his salve?" Uther said.

"Yes, your highness," she answered.

"What color was it?" Uther prompted.

"Um, orange, Sire." Uther narrowed his gaze at her, leaning forward slightly in his chair.

"And you said that your master's trunks were not in the room when Gaius delivered the salve?"

"King Graeme en't my master, Queen Sofia is," the woman said, catching herself and biting her bottom lip. She glanced at Arthur again, whose jaw was clenched.

"Answer the question, Cassie," Uther said impatiently.

"Ah no, the king's things were not in the room at the time, your highness," she responded quickly.

"And you're positive of this?"

"Very, your highness, because my lady's trunks and the kings trunks came in at the same time - I was charged with unpacking," she said, nodding vigorously. The effect made her look a bit like a kicked puppy. Morgana almost felt sorry for her. Uther rose from his throne then and stood in front of her. Cassie flinched and lowered her gaze.

"If I find you have been lying to me, you will be hanged. Do you understand?" Uther said. Cassie raised her head then and met his gaze. For a brief second Morgana thought she saw something like irritation flash across the woman's perverted features before fear overtook them, but she only nodded.

"I'm certain, your highness," she said, before bowing her head once again. Uther looked at her a moment longer before returning to his seat.

"Thank you, Cassie, you may go," Uther said. The guards escorted the serving maid back outside and Morgana resumed her sober facade. She hadn't realized that she'd been smiling. Thankfully, all eyes had been on Arthur's abject witness. As soon as the maid was gone, Uther turned to Arthur.

"Do you expect me to believe a servant's testimony? No, I don't want to hear it, Arthur. If you want to help the physician, find me evidence of his innocence - look for the one responsible, then I will happily admit my wrongfulness and release him," Uther said.

"But, father, this is ridiculous! I - "

"Leave me, I must get ready for this afternoon's council," Uther said. Arthur shut his mouth, frustration burning his cheeks. Morgana thought the prince might really lose it this time. She prayed he would. Every time Arthur reprimanded his father's stupidity, Uther and Morgana grew a little closer. It strengthened their already profound bond. Arthur made Morgana's life so much easier. Unfortunately the prince left before he could do any more damage.

Uther suddenly appeared exhausted once his son had left the throne room. The evening's disaster was now written across his weathered face. He had aged in the past year. Morgana often worried the king would drive himself into the ground before she got a chance to plunge the knife into his back.

"Do you think I'm making a mistake?" Uther asked, sounding disheartened.

Morgana feigned pause, before putting a comforting hand on Uther's arm."I think you've had an impossible choice laid in front of you. But I'm sure Arthur will be able to find evidence to prove Gaius's innocence. The physician will be fine in the dungeons for a couple days."

"Yes. Make sure he's as comfortable as possible," Uther said. Morgana nodded.

"If you didn't do this, Sire, they'd think you a fool or even that Camelot was behind it," she continued.

"Arthur has to learn that sometimes the best decisions are not always the kindest," Uther said resolutely. Turning his head slightly to face her, a fatigued smile found his eyes. "I am grateful to have your advice these days, Morgana. Arthur has seemed distant of late, like he's pushing me away." Morgana bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. She managed to keep her face straight and nodded.

"I think Arthur is as tense as you are, Sire. He worries for Camelot and for you. All this stress isn't doing you any favors," she said, offering him a smile which he returned wearily.

A quiet passed between them and then Uther said, "I'm sorry for keeping you, Morgana, I know you have other things to attend to." She knew this was his polite way of asking her to leave, so she only nodded again before sweeping out of the room.

The hearing, delightfully humorous though it had been, had sucked up most of her morning. She hadn't the chance to contact Morgause the previous evening, what with all the commotion. Morgana had worried that some of the fungus might have found its way into her bed. She had Gwen go through every stitch of clothing just to be sure. She'd seen the ugly scars that those few serving waiters had walked away with, she wanted no part in them.

Arriving at her chambers, she saw Gwen adding a few fresh flowers to the vase beside her bed. "Are those daisies, Gwen?"

"Yes, my lady. Pretty aren't they?"

"A bit common though. What happened to those lovely purple ones you brought me the other day? I'd love more of them," Morgana said. Gwen's face fell slightly, though Morgana ignored that.

"I'll see if I can relocate the woman who sold them in the square," she replied, heading for the door.

"Please do. Also see to it that I'm not interrupted for the next hour or so, I've got a dreadful headache." Gwen bowed slightly and left without another word. Morgana's coldness was finally beginning to rub off on the girl. She was surprised it had taken this long. She had maintained an aloof civility with Gwen out of their past friendship, but lately Morgana had been consumed with nothing but their plot. Every time she was forced into inconsequential chit chat, she began to cultivate the worst itch, as though time were running out and it was Gwen's fault. Or whomever she happened to be speaking with idly.

Listening at the door to make sure there were no more footsteps, she whispered a simple spell to keep it shut. She had seen how the people of the castle took to bursting in unannounced. Taking a seat at her vanity, she pulled out a small silver mirror with roses carved ornately into the handle. Setting it before her, her eyes glowed slightly as she spoke the phrase that would bring the mirror to life. The glass grew supple as a pool of water. Instead of her reflection, she saw a torch burning tirelessly on a stone wall. The image was so clear Morgana thought she might be able to pluck it from the wall herself. "Sister," she whispered into the mirror.

There was a fluttering on the other side, a shuffling of papers, and then Morgause's face appeared in the mirror.

"Morgana, you look tired. Why didn't you contact me last night?" she said, worry in her voice. Morgana's heart warmed at her sister's concern and she explained to her all that had transgressed in the castle.

"Someone else is conspiring against Camelot?"

"Or Strathclyde at the very least," Morgana said, nodding.

"Well this makes things tricky. We must find who they are and what they want before anything else," Morgause said, turning away from the mirror and fishing around on what Morgana knew to be a very cluttered table.

"Unfortunately I've been so focused on The Siphon that I wasn't even aware that the Mendanbars had enemies within the castle. Vaudran has several spies lurking about, but none have managed to find a place within the walls or I would know about it," Morgana said.

"I'll scry for the assassin. Tonight."

"I thought you misplaced your lueg, though?" Morgana asked, frowning. Scrying was a branch of magic Morgana had been gifted with naturally, but she had not yet learned to steer her visions. Scrying was more difficult because one had to initiate tales of the future. Usually it was done on the surface of water or a flat stone known as a lueg, which Morgause preferred. Fire, too, was strong though very unreliable. Morgana preferred fire whenever she had tried it.

"I've got a new one," she said, brushing away the foolish comment impatiently. "Contact me again later tonight, after everyone has gone to sleep. Keep working on The Siphon. Slowly, remember, we don't want it to be noticeable - especially not during the summit. Uther must be himself until his guests are gone. And for godsake, Morgana, keep your eyes open. You must certainly have missed something."

With that, Morgause was gone and Morgana was left in a terribly foul mood.

##

They were back in Gaius's chambers now, and Merlin was trying to wrestle his heart into a more manageable animal. It seemed that Arthur was not able to win Gaius back his freedom, even with Carrow's testimony. Merlin didn't think that Arthur would have allowed her in if he'd thought she'd been lying about it. Lying was a last resort where Uther was concerned.

Arthur was currently pacing, tending to his temper, and trying to come up with his next plan of attack. The cogs in Merlin's head were also turning. They were both well aware of the distinct possibility that Morgana might have something to do with it, though Leon had not found anything in her bedroom and Gwen had complained of having to overturn all of the ward's linens and clothes to be sure there was no sign of a fungus. She sounded as surprised as the rest of them at the attempt on Graeme's life.

The door creaked open once more, causing Merlin to jump and knock over a bottle of God knew what. Once he saw that it was Carrow, he began scooping the thick white liquid up and throwing into a waste bin.

"How's Graeme doing?" Merlin asked.

"What? Oh, oh fine. You did a very good job with the scars," Carrow said. The witch had fled back to her master's chambers as soon as they'd led her out of the throne room. Arthur was looking at her, contempt in his eyes. The prince had confided that he thought Carrow's attestation of events was a bit heavy handed.

"Do you know if it was the Duke of Callai who was behind it or was it Morgana?" Arthur asked impatiently. Merlin's eyes flicked from his task to the witch's face briefly. She appeared paler than usual, and was without that usual glint in her eye. She appeared not to have slept at all.

"Truly I have no idea who physically doused the King's clothes in that fungus," Carrow replied, taking a seat beside Merlin and tucking a wavy strand of hair back into place. Her hair was in a tight bun at the moment, which somehow made her appear much smaller than usual. He was used to it flying about madly, the curls seeming to have a mind of their own.

"Where were you last night?" Arthur asked. "After you left me, where were you off to?"

She narrowed her eyes at the question, as though she might snap. Merlin could tell she was not in a particularly good mood, though he didn't know if it was due to Uther being uncooperative or the situation in general. "Where's Leon?"

"I sent for him, you're not going to make us wait for him before you start talking are you?"

"If your positions were switched, wouldn't you like us to wait?" Merlin was trying very hard now to focus on mopping up the white liquid now, to keep from laughing.

"I'm the prince, I shouldn't have to wait on -"

"Putting on the crown a bit early today aren't you?" Merlin couldn't stop himself from saying. Arthur opened his mouth to reprimand him, but then the unthinkable happened.

Arthur grinned. It was a tired grin, but sincere all the same. Merlin couldn't quite bring himself to return it, but Carrow managed a half smile. Whatever she'd been doing last night, Merlin very much doubted it had anything to do with sleep. She appeared to have been up all night long.

A refined knock on the door followed the banter, Carrow edged the door open to reveal Leon, who looked unsure that he should be there at all.

"Did you bring it?" Carrow asked.

"Bring what? Are you having secret rendezvous with everyone in the castle now?" Arthur asked shortly, the grin now completely gone. Leon nodded at her, looking apologetically at Arthur. Carrow, Merlin knew, trusted Leon probably even more than she trusted Arthur. Granted, who didn't trust Leon? He was about the most reliable soul on the planet.

The knight took out a small package from a bag. A horribly familiar scent caught Merlin's nose as he did so. Leon unwrapped what appeared to be dried flowers and laid them on the work bench in front of Carrow. The flowers were a deep purple - now almost black, withered and frail. Merlin's eyes narrowed as he recognized them.

"Is that nightshade?" he asked, his eyes widening. "You had Gwen bring those to Morgana's room the other day, didn't you?"

"Looked a bit prettier then, didn't they? Couldn't do anything for the smell, I'm afraid," Carrow said. Merlin had only seen nightshade in pictures, he had never experienced the pungent smell.

"I can't believe you got away with it," Merlin said.

"What the hell are you two on about, what's nightshade?" Arthur snapped.

"It's a pretty flower, nothing to worry your head about, sweet prince," she said, plucking a single dried blossom from the sprig. Merlin narrowed his gaze at her warningly. He could already tell this would be a difficult morning. Both of them seemed to be in hostile moods.

"Nightshade is a weed, Sire. Carrow seems to have spelled it to collect Morgana's dreams as a way of spying on her," Leon surprised Merlin by saying.

"So you already had the meeting with Leon, then?" Arthur said.

"The man had to know what he was after, it's rather difficult to collect without spoiling it," Carrow said shrugging indifferently. "Merlin, I gather you know how this bit works then?" Merlin nodded hesitantly. Nightshade was a nasty business. If spelled right, it could siphon dreams from a person, catching the images in the petals. It could be used to relieve a person of their nightmares or in a case like Morgana, deprive them of their visions. Merlin assumed that these must be what Carrow was after. Merlin was just grateful that Morgana wasn't far enough along in her schooling to have been introduced to the stuff. Or at least that the glamour that Carrow put over the flowers had been subtle enough to escape notice.

"How did you even come by nightshade, it doesn't grow but -" Merlin started, but Carrow shushed him.

"You wouldn't like the answer, dear. I need you to work on gathering these images. I was going to do it myself, but, quite frankly I'm exhausted. I need some sleep or I'll be no use to you all," she said.

"Where were you last night?" Arthur asked.

"If you must know, I was stalking the Duke Laurence. I know he's hiding something, but he's quite the slippery little bastard. He does have a taste for prostitutes and fine wine though. Ran up quite the bill at The Slaughtered Lamb last night," Carrow said, sighing as she wrapped the rest of the nightshade back up, handing the singular blossom to Merlin. Merlin was careful not to crack the petals, which were extremely brittle. She tucked the rest of the nightshade carefully into her bosom, still managing to make a bit of a show of it in spite of her obvious exhaustion. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"So you didn't find out anything new? Nothing else you care to reveal to us?" Arthur pressed.

"Not at the moment, no," said the witch who sincerely delighted in being withholding, though Merlin felt that at this moment she was being uncannily sincere. There was something off about her, perhaps more downtrodden.

"Fantastic. Merlin - I want you to stalk her until she reveals something useful. I've got to pacify more of the nobles and assure Gaius that we're working on it," Arthur said, seemingly fed up with Carrow - a record by any account. Arthur turned to Leon. "Head down to the training grounds. It's on you today."

Leon nodded and turned to leave as Carrow thanked him. Arthur followed, leaving Merlin alone with Carrow who gave him a tired smile.

"Are you alright?" Merlin asked.

"Me? Oh yes, quite," she said, collecting a pot and filling it with a bit of water. Merlin raised an eyebrow at her. She rolled her eyes. "Well, not very alright. Just need a bit of rest."

"Why did you take it upon yourself to come here, orchestrate this whole ridiculous… You seem, well, you seem a bit mad. Even by your standards," Merlin insisted. When they had parted ways all those months ago, Carrow seemed, well not blissful, but in the very least she seemed contented. The last healthy image he had of her was she and Gwaine waving them off home, he'd imagined the two had then ventured into a pub and got smashed together, happily ever after. That's what Merlin wanted to believe - that his friends were happy. It seemed that hadn't been the case.

"Well that's not a very nice thing to say," she said, feigning hurt. She tucked a frizzy strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm fine, Merlin."

"Were you serious about the way you happened by Morgana's plot or were you lying?"

She smiled. "May have fudged. Just a tiny bit." She put the pot on the burner to allow the water to come to a boil. Merlin knew the nightshade needed to be steamed very delicately over the right length of time - it was a complicated process that took concentration. He had never done it before, though he didn't think it would be a problem. The images ought to be released in the steam given off by the nightshade - the difficult part was interpreting them.

"Well?"

"I met a very interesting man. He introduced me to his mother, a seeress, who helped me learn how to scry. I'm rubbish at it, if you were curious," she said.

"Why did you lie to Arthur then?"

"I don't know, Merlin, it seemed easier at the time."

"Well, what did you see then?"

"At first nothing, but the next few times I tried it I kept coming across Morgana. I was trying to scry for Camelot, it would direct me to her. I didn't know who she was, or what her significance was until I saw her speaking with Arthur - then it clicked. Yleina and I then joined our powers to make it more… accurate. We saw Morgana chattering with Morgause about the eggs, and eventually it came back round to Yleina's son. Marek seemed to be working with Morgana - it all became very clouded after that and one thing led to another… It's been a long two months," Carrow said, waving Merlins' questions off with a flick of her hand.

"You didn't want Arthur to know there were other magic users involved - you still don't trust him? Hang on, did you say Marek?"

"You know him?"

"I don't know, I saw a Marek sell something to Morgana. I followed her to a pub," Merlin said.

Carrow frowned. "Interesting."

"Did you warn Marek of Morgana? He seemed to have already built up a rapport with Morgause by the sound of it," Merlin said.

"Marek and his mother aren't close. The only reason he brought me to her was because I was… in need of medical assistance," Carrow said. Merlin's frown deepened. Everything was always so one sided with her, she could never just give the full story.

"Marek did not strike me as a man who would lend his assistance to anyone readily," Merlin said.

"Yes, well, I was particularly charming that evening," she said firmly, clearly not wanting to divulge any more. "This is nearly read, have you done it before?"

"No, but I know the basics," Merlin said. Carrow fellow into a chair as Merlin got up to hover over the slowly simmering pot. He picked up the nightshade which she had laid neatly beside the pot, looking from it to Carrow curiously.

"Do you have any expectations for this?"

She shook her head slowly. "No. Do you?"

Merlin narrowed his eyes at the nightshade, unsure how to answer. Part of him hoped that there might be some hidden meaning in these visions - something more than just a damaged psyche to explain her descent into darkness. He couldn't forget the Morgana who would risk everything for a serving maid, who would lay down her life to save his mother's village. He licked his lips and held the nightshade loosely over the pot.

"Let it steam a few minutes before you begin. Remember, it mustn't be rushed. Delicate business - nightshade, if you hurry it along, the images will become jagged and fractured. We'd like something whole," Carrow said softly.

"Have you done this before?" Merlin thought to ask.

"A version of it. Back in Loxley when I thought the village elders were keeping something from me. Such interesting dreams old men have!" she said, a smirk crossing her face as she raised a suggestive brow at him. "Unfortunately, my efforts were in vain."

Merlin didn't care to ask her to elaborate on that. He turned his attention back to the nightshade. "Not even sure this will work, Morgana hasn't been complaining of visions in a fairly long time. Or nightmares for that matter."

"We'll see, then," was all Carrow said, letting out a yawn.

As the steam began to rise, he was choked with an acrid smell. He let out a cough as his eyes began to water. He blinked furiously to dry them. Out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw Carrow grinning. Getting a hold of himself, he focused and began the short spell.

As soon as the last syllable escaped him, images began to form in the mist before him. It was hard to gauge at first, but he was fairly certain it was a field. A red field framed by angry thunderclouds. He blinked and the image was gone, replaced by a familiar face. He bit the inside of his cheek - it was his face. Tear stricken and pained as he hovered over someone. He recognized this not as some vision of the future - it was a memory. This was him as he decided to poison Morgana.

The visions he had been ready for, but he hadn't bargained for the emotions that came with them. He had the urge to throw up as his stomach lodged itself in his throat. What was this? Fear and - sudden anxiety of being alone - this… was it betrayal? This was betrayal. This was the moment that Morgana had come to hate him with all of her being. Her feelings of hatred and his guilt were twisting around in his gut like two angry snakes. The vision shifted again.

Morgause appeared, her face bubbling with some sort of boils - burns. Fear, anxiety - the vision shifted again. This time it was of Gwen, she was on the throne, a smile on her face as she looked to her king - Arthur. Merlin's happiness twined with Morgana's hate - it was her place, that throne. Not Gwen's. Images shifted again and again, each pursuant of Morgana's fears and woes, until finally Merlin's frayed nerves got a break.

It was Morgana on the throne now, wearing Gwen's crown. Knights were bowing to her, none of them familiar - all of them wore black capes with gold dragons. One of them was presenting Morgana with what Merlin instinctively knew to be a dragon's egg. The vision shifted slightly and he saw himself standing behind Morgana looking pleased to be there. He couldn't begin to decipher its meaning when he was suddenly face to face with Morgause once more, a memory - the day that Morgause had given Morgana her bracelet. The one she never took off.

The steam dissolved then and Merlin was released. Carrow was beside him, directing him to a chair. He realized his face was wet - he'd been crying. She took a warm wash cloth and wiped his face, much like his mother used to do when he was frightened. He took the cloth from her and she sat in front of him with a matter-of-fact look on her face.

"It wasn't fun, was it?"

"Why didn't you warn me - about, about all the -"

"Feelings?"

Merlin nodded.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize it would be so strong. It wasn't that bad when I did it. What did you see? Anything helpful?"

"I don't know. She's extremely angry," he said, unable to think of a word powerful enough to describe Morgana's emotions. She was on the edge of sanity. The only thing that kept her from crossing that line was the idea that she could set it right - or at least her version of right. He was embarrassed to know what he knew about her now, just how upset she was with him in particular. He hadn't realized how much she trusted him, cared about him.

Carrow only nodded. It was clear to Merlin that she was not entirely privy to Morgana's relationship with both Arthur and himself. She must know that she was precious to the kingdom, but she had only seen the bad thus far.

"She saw Gwen and Arthur on the throne. A bloody battlefield kept fleeting across the mist… She saw herself on the throne. Her sister dying. My betrayal…"

"Musical chairs in the throne room, unfortunate deaths, anything that stood out of value?" Carrow said.

"The last vision was of the bracelet she always wears. Morgause gave it to her, which was something I wasn't aware of," Merlin said. "There was a distinct sense of relief that went with that one, like the bracelet helped her. I never noticed that it was spelled though."

"It could be subtle - if you weren't looking, it might not be apparent. I'll look into it," Carrow said thoughtfully. "Anything else?"

Merlin wiped his face once more with the washcloth and shook his head, feeling like he needed to go to bed for at least a week. "I'll keep thinking on it, maybe something slipped past me. Though I feel like if this is what's been going on in her head that it must be impossible for her to sleep properly."

Carrow smiled at him wearily. "Look alive, darling, Arthur still needs his armor polished this afternoon." She patted him briefly on the shoulder, squeezing it lightly as she did so before bouncing to the door. "We'll get your physician out of the stocks in no time, promise," she called.

As she left Merlin realized he'd completely forgotten to ask after Gwaine. He thought maybe they'd had a row and she'd turned him into a toad - or maybe one of those damn Gorgons had petrified him after all. His head was going to explode from stress - one thing at a time!

##

I apologize for the ridiculous wait. Turns out all I needed was the new season of Merlin to start up to get my muse flowing again - terrible of me, I know. In any case, I hope this chapter doesn't bore anyone to tears or anything. I don't know that it was worth the wait, but I promise to get the ball rolling next chapter!