Disclaimer: I own nothing, all rights belong to their respective owners.

Here comes another story. This starts off at 1x04, but then goes my own way. Please note that - Merlin isn't as strong as he was by the end of even that series. Nimueh beat him in 1x13 until his grief got too much, he can be defeated, he is not trained and things are still just instinct for him rather than the complexities of magic. I'm only saying this because I know I'll get people moaning as soon as he so much as breaks as nail claiming that his magic will stop that, and frankly, I'm fed up with. So please note I'm not going to make him invincible! That doesn't happen in the show so I'm not going to be writing it!

Sorry, just needed to make the point there! Hope that you enjoy this!

A high pitched wail filled the air and the King of Camelot found himself struggling against the magic holding him in place. He could see his trusted physician being restrained in a similar fashion, both men pinned against the wall whilst the sorceress stood in front of them. The last few days had aged them more than they could comprehend, and Uther knew this was not doing him any good. His eyes were locked on his newly born son, the infant screaming at the unknown arms in which he was being held in.

"Let him go, Nimueh!" Uther growled, struggling against the hold even more as Arthur gave an odd hiccupping noise, exhausting himself with his cries. He had no idea of the battle going on around him, his very existence being in the centre of it all, but could sense enough of the atmosphere surrounding him that something was very wrong.

"Right now?" The witch replied silkily, causing the baby to yell louder as his safe position was titled somewhat. Both Uther and Gaius yelled out in horror, and Nimueh once more drew the infant into her, hushing him and rocking him slightly as she did so. Arthur gave another hiccup, eyes screwed up and his face red.

"You took my wife from me. Don't take my son as well." Uther was hoping to sound angry, intimidating almost, but the grief was still threatening to overwhelm him. He had lost everything over the last few days, for Arthur to be taken as well...

"She knew the consequences!" Nimueh snapped, automatically tightening her grip on the new prince. "I tried to warn you, tried to tell you what would happen. She was my friend, Uther. As were you. She wanted this child more than anything in the world, wanted to give you the one thing that you had always wanted. Ygraine knew what would happen. But you, Uther Pendragon, you have taken everything from me. You made me listen to my family's cries as you had them burnt at the stake. Ygraine was a tragic accident. This is deliberate... listen to your son scream, Pendragon! The way I heard my sisters scream!"

Nimueh tilted the baby again, but Arthur was too tired to do what she had hoped for. He didn't cry out again, but simply made yet another hiccupping noise, tears trickling down his cheeks and his thumb finding his mouth as his eyes slid shut, utterly exhausted. Something in Nimueh's expression softened at the sheer innocence lying in her arms, no idea what his birth had done.

"Leave him be." Gaius interrupted gently, seeing the way the witch's eyes had softened. "It's not the boy's fault, Nimueh. Just leave him be."

Nimueh looked like she was thinking about Gaius' words for a moment, staring at the prince in her arms. Arthur had unknowingly closed his free fist around the fabric of her dress, holding on as he drifted off to sleep. Then she shook her head, stumbling back a pace.

"I have as much right to him as you do, Uther. I'm as responsible for his birth as you are. He's as good as my son as well."

"Arthur will never be yours! Leave my son out of this!"

"Like you left my family out of it?"

Gaius sighed at the arguing pair. Both had lost too much, everyone had over the last few days. The kingdom should be celebrating a future potentially free of war now the bloodline had been continued and the heir apparent. But instead it had been thrown into chaos, a war in which there seemed to be no end. Neither one of the proud pair in front of him would back down, not when they were hurting so badly. Gaius knew that if events were allowed to unfurl, another innocent life would be lost. And if Arthur was hurt, selfish as it sounded, this whole thing would be in vain.

"Nimueh, please... he has lost his mother. Don't make him lose his family as well, don't raise him in the hatred you are feeling now. It will destroy everything, everything Arthur could be, everything he is destined for."

"And how would leaving him to be raised by Uther's hatred be any different?" The witch spat, but automatically rocked the infant as Arthur whined slightly in his sleep at the venom in her voice.

"He won't be alone here." Gaius continued. He could see Uther watching him almost furiously, clearly wondering what the physician was doing, bargaining his son like that. But Gaius knew this was his only chance to get through to her. And once she had gone, Arthur could be protected. "You know he won't... he will be surrounded by people who will love him and help him grow. What would his mother have wanted for him? To be isolated, alone on some island, living his life in fear?"

Nimueh glanced once more at Arthur, deliberately ignoring the way Gaius had revealed just how much he knew about her. The man had a point though... Arthur was hers, she had a right to him far more than Uther did. But she could offer him no childhood. Her eyes flashed gold, and Uther's restraints were tightened even as Gaius was freed.

She looked coldly up into Uther's eyes, locking gazes with him.

"Before he becomes Crown Prince, I will take him." She threatened, before bending forward. A sweeping curtain of dark hair shielded her face from view as she kissed Arthur's forehead before handing him over to Gaius. Arthur whined again, but immediately relaxed, far more than he had ever been in the witch's arms. Somehow, he knew he was safe, and there was a small smile on his face as he nestled into Gaius's arms.

"You have been warned." With a whirlwind, Nimueh disappeared, her threat echoing throughout the room.

"Arthur!" Sitting bolt upright, the king of Camelot fumbled for a moment until he had managed to light his candle, staring around the room with a heaving chest. Swallowing hard, Uther let the usual steely expression slip back into place as he calmed his breathing, reassuring himself that it was just a dream. Even though it had happened twenty years ago, he could still remember every word of that confrontation. He had been furious with Gaius initially, believing him to be responsible for her last threat and tripled the guard around his infant son.

But time had passed. Arthur had turned into an inquisitive child, then a head-strong and stubborn teenager. Now he was a proud young man, fast coming up to his coming of age. A few more months and Nimueh's threat would no longer haunt Uther's dreams. Arthur would be safe once and for all. And after twenty years of watching the boy closer than even Arthur realised, Uther knew that no witch would be able to get near to his son without hell being unleashed. Arthur was talented, but fair, something Uther had to admit came from Gaius' teachings rather than the King's. He would either talk her down, or defeat her. Nimueh wouldn't be able to touch him.

Climbing out of bed, a quick jerk of the curtains revealed that dawn was just beginning to break. Uther knew there would be no more sleep for him tonight, not with Bayard and his court arriving. It would be a signal of new times, and the king was already planning for a way for Arthur to take a more active lead in the discussions. It was only a few months before he would be made Crown Prince, it was time to extend his duties.

As the earliest rays of sun began to flicker through the gap in the drapes, Uther smiled as his gaze fell on something. A rough carving sat on one side of his bed, Arthur's crude attempts still making him smile even now. But down one side, there was a far more intricate pattern – Morgana's work. The pair of them had attempted to make it for him for a birthday when they were still children, only the year after Morgana had come to live with them. It had ended up being practically thrown at his head as the pair of them screamed at each other over it, but Uther's laugh had shocked them into silence. His fingers brushing lightly over the wood, the King smiled. If Arthur was in danger from a vengeful witch, he had no doubt that his ward would do her very best to protect the man she now considered to be like a brother to her. Smiling slightly at the irony, Uther turned away, poking the embers into life in the fireplace. He wasn't sure which would have Arthur more worried – knowing that an evil sorceress had put a claim on him, or the risk of confronting Morgana in a temper.

Hours later as he watched them glare at each other over their goblets at breakfast, Uther felt the last remnants of the dream leave him completely. There were people who would fight for Arthur, even from unlikely sources. His son's manservant, for example, had a look about him that made Uther realise despite the fact they had only been together for a couple of months, the lanky youth was not about to let anything happen to his master. Between the boy and Morgana, Arthur would have nothing to worry about.

Feeling far more positive, Uther listened to the two young royals squabbling like children as they discussed the etiquette of the upcoming feast. Once Bayard's visit was out of the way, Arthur's official crowning would be the next big event.

Nimueh's time had all but run out.

MMM

"You should see what he is making me wear!" Merlin's complaining voice entered Gaius' chambers long before the boy did, the annoyance lacing his tone and making the physician roll his eyes even as the door burst open and revealed the irritated youth. For most people, giving a position in the royal household, especially that close to the almost-Crown Prince of Camelot, would have been something of a great honour. For Merlin, however, it just seemed to be something of a great annoyance.

"Were you late again?" Gaius inquired mildly, wondering if the prince was simply getting his servant back for all of the things Merlin had been doing wrong over the last few months. Whilst Arthur may moan as much as his servant and pile more chores onto him as a punishment, Gaius knew the young prince was happier than he had been for a long time. No other servant had lasted more than a month before they had either quit or been fired. There was something about Merlin that was getting through to Arthur, undermining the barriers he had placed around his heart to stop anyone getting close. Unfortunately, Uther's own betrayal at Nimueh's hands seemed to have left the King with the impression that friends were not to be trusted. The lesson may have been lost on Morgana, but Gaius knew that, as with everything else the King said, Arthur had listened. He was just grateful that Merlin was too stubborn to let that stop him.

"No! I was perfectly on time, thank you very much. And I had got all my chores done yesterday for once, so he has nothing to moan about. Yet the prat still finds a way of making me look like a fool." Dumping the pile of laundry that he had been carrying in his arms onto one of the stools, Merlin missed Gaius' pointed look and turned to shut the door. As he did so, a stray sleeve had somehow wrapped around his leg, causing him to stumble as he moved and pull the whole lot straight back onto the floor again. Finally getting the door shut, Merlin raised his eyebrows in disbelief at the mess he had just created, almost as if he hadn't known it was happening.

"I don't think you need any help to look like a fool, Merlin." Gaius said softly, the corners of his mouth twitching as he watched the indignant expression flash across his ward's face. That coupled with Merlin's announcement to the serving girl that it was up to him to keep the castle running was certainly making Gaius' day more entertaining than it had been for a while. Merlin may have only been staying with him for a few months now, but the old physician wasn't sure how he had gone all these years without him. Arthur had been his entertainment when the prince was younger, especially considering his stubbornness, but as he had entered his teenage years, duties, training and - unfortunately – the desire to impress the nobles had taken him from Gaius' sight.

"And I'm sure it can't be that bad." Trying to sound sympathetic, Gaius couldn't deny his smile as Merlin looked at him in disbelief.

"It has feathers." The young warlock declared dramatically, deciding that now the laundry was on the floor anyway, he was going to take the seat. Throwing himself onto it, Gaius watched, his smile becoming more prominent as he did so. Life was never boring when Merlin was around, that was for sure.

"Ah."

"Exactly." The servant moaned, burying his head in his hands. As Gaius watched, he visibly relaxed, and the physician knew enough to know that Merlin was almost falling asleep where he was sitting. Despite constantly seeming to have lots of energy, Gaius knew that the boy was still adapting to life in Camelot, especially considering his numerous duties. This was the first event he had to help prepare for on top of everything else, and Gaius knew it was beginning to wear him out. Giving him a few moments to relax, the physician then lent across and gently prodded Merlin in the side.

"Come on now, you have things to do." He chided gently, not wanting to push the boy too far considering Arthur was apparently already doing that. As soon as Merlin had mentioned feathers, Gaius knew precisely which hat it was the prince was making him wear, and wasn't sure if it would cheer Merlin up or not to know that he was not the first servant to be forced into that particular garment. He didn't even know where Arthur had got it from, but the young prince certainly enjoyed making his servants wear it. Gaius couldn't help but wonder precisely how long the thing would last before spontaneously combusting; he was beginning to get to know Merlin rather well.

"Merlin?" As Merlin raised his head, Gaius frowned. He knew the boy was tired, but that didn't quite explain how dark the bags under his eyes were or the fact that he was clearly struggling to keep them open.

"Mm?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yep." Yawning, Merlin pushed himself into an upright position, his usual smile slipping back onto his face as he bent down, clearly intending to pick up the laundry and actually get on with his chores like he was supposed to be doing rather than half falling asleep over a work bench. Gaius, however, reached out a hand and closed it around Merlin's wrist, stopping him from going anywhere.

"How much sleep did you get last night?" Merlin opened his mouth, the innocent expression in place that Gaius had come to realise meant his ward was about to lie and he tightened his grip in warning. Merlin almost seemed to sag, sinking back down onto the stool and dragging his free hand through his already untidy hair.

"Not much," he admitted quietly, smiling softly as Gaius let go, but pulled his own stool around so that he was facing the boy, clearly prepared to listen. "My magic was acting weird last night."

"Define acting weird." Gaius prompted, not knowing what that was supposed to mean for Merlin. It wasn't as if he followed the usual rules when it came to magic. Despite all of his years, Gaius had never seen anything like what came naturally to the gangly youth sitting in his chambers.

"It's like, I don't know, like almost a warning. That something is going to happen."

"To you?"

"To Arthur." Merlin corrected, his previous attitude towards his master disappearing and a concerned frown taking its place instead. "I feel like I'm supposed to be protecting him from something, Gaius. Like something is going to happen at these talks that he is going to need me there for, I just don't know what and it's frustrating." Gaius grimaced sympathetically. He remembered the feelings of being helpless against a threat, having to watch those he cared about suffer and know that there was nothing he could do to help. Merlin, however, was powerful. The chances were that he was getting these feelings because there was something that he could do to help.

"Do you have any idea of what?" He asked gently, not wanting Merlin to think that he was being pushed, but Gaius immediately felt his mind snap into overdrive. He knew security would be tight at these talks, but would Merlin sense if something was going to be a physical threat to Arthur? Or only if it was going to be a magical threat? Gaius knew enough of Bayard to know that the man didn't have a magical hint in his body, but he would be travelling with a large party. Some of them could potentially have magic, it wasn't as if it was outlawed everywhere, and the physician knew enough about politics to know that not everyone would want this treaty to be signed.

Merlin shook his head, clearly frustrated but also thinking hard. Gaius stayed quiet as his ward's eyes almost seemed to go unfocused as he thought back onto what his magic had clearly been trying to tell him the night before. Suddenly, Merlin looked up, his expression startled.

"It's something, or someone, who is already here." He blurted out, sounding shocked. Gaius nodded encouragingly.

"How do you know?"

"The feelings returned after I had been speaking to Cara. It was someone in that corridor, I'm sure it was. Gaius, I've got to go, I'll see you at the feast!" Merlin clearly had an idea lodge itself in his head, and Gaius didn't even have the chance to say anything before the warlock was gone, the pile of laundry still sitting in the middle of the physician's chambers. Gaius shook his head almost fondly as he pushed himself to his feet, nudging the pile out of the centre of the room and heading towards the door himself. Merlin may have got an idea in his head about what he needed/wanted to do in order to unravel the mystery that was keeping him awake, but Gaius was determined to do some poking around himself. He was sure that Merlin was a bad influence on him, for never before had he gone sneaking around the castle the way he seemed to be doing of late. Then again, he had never had a ward with a destiny before.

There had been something about the girl Merlin had met in the corridor. Something that made Gaius feel like she was obscuring her appearance slightly with magic. Not a powerful enchantment, something so simple that Merlin probably didn't even sense it himself, especially considering how his eyes had been drifting and a blush rising to his cheeks. But Gaius had been able to sense that something was off about the girl, especially as she had kept all of her attention focused on the young warlock in front of her. Not that was anything unusual, having been around Arthur, Morgana and now Merlin, Gaius knew what the youth of the castle were like. But it had been more than that. It was as if she had been using Merlin as a reason not to turn and face Gaius in the slightest. He had seen the tension across the back of her shoulders, the way her upper body had almost been stiff even as she had let her hips sway seductively. But it wasn't the stiffness of someone who was afraid, but of someone who had something to hide.

Frowning, Gaius made his way to his chamber door. Maybe it was time that he did a little investigating of his own? That was the one thing he truly appreciated about being the Court Physician. People didn't tend to question him, no matter which part of the castle he was found lurking in. After all, everyone from the scullery maid to the King got sick on occasions, there was no reason why Gaius shouldn't be there. And after such a long journey, surely it was only right he enquired after the health of the guests Camelot was housing at this moment in time?

Making his way swiftly and reasonably silently through the castle, Gaius was glad that he didn't run into his young ward again. Part of him was concerned that he wouldn't be the only one snooping around the guest quarters, and whilst Gaius might have an excuse to be in this part of the castle, but Merlin did not. Despite having been in Arthur's almost constant presence since he had arrived in Camelot, there were certain things that still hadn't lodged themselves in Merlin's head. The correct behaviour for a servant unfortunately being one of them.

Now that he was here, Gaius wasn't sure what he was looking for. Something that proved Merlin wasn't imagining things. Ever since the incident with Valiant, the old physician had found himself listening to the boy's instincts more and more, especially considering issues of magic. If something had woken Merlin up in the middle of the night and left him with the feeling that something was going to happen to Arthur, Gaius knew better than to ignore it. Uther wasn't the only one still dreading when Nimueh tried to make good on her promise, and the old man considered the prince to be like a son to him, despite the boy's faults. When it came to Arthur, Gaius would help Merlin protect him.

But as of yet, Gaius didn't know what he was supposed to be looking for. He was standing in the middle of a corridor, looking at the doors blocking his view to the chambers beyond and contemplating which one could potentially hold a threat to Arthur's life. If he had been hoping one of the doors would simply open for him and give him access to all the answers he was seeking, Gaius was severely disappointed.

But yet, there was something. Something that kept drawing his eye back to one door in particular. The physician couldn't say what it was that was troubling him, but he was sure there was something familiar, something niggling away at him. If he had to put a name to it, Gaius would have said that it was almost as if there was a type of magic calling to him, stirring his own dormant gift. It was not a feeling he had felt in a very long time, even with Merlin now around him on a day-to-day basis. This was stirring something old, something he hadn't felt since the beginning of the Purge. Whoever it was occupying this particular chamber had been around in those times as well, Gaius was sure of it. But why would someone with magic come back to Camelot if they knew full well what happened to those of that kind here?

Gaius swallowed hard as he realised the implications of what he was feeling. There was only one reason why someone would return to Camelot after all of these years – revenge. Judging from what Merlin had felt during the night and again in the corridor, the revenge was to be inflicted on Uther in a way far more painful than a physical blow. They were going after Arthur. Glancing around him, Gaius made sure the corridor was deserted before tentatively making his way over to the door. Merlin was definitely rubbing off on him if he was going to enter an unknown chamber without permission based on a feeling that he couldn't put his finger on. His hand was resting lightly on the door by this point, and feeling a stab of courage, Gaius pushed it open.

The room was neat and tidy, a small trunk standing at the end of the bed. Making sure he shut the door behind him, the physician crossed the room. The trunk seemed the most obvious place to start and lifting the lid, Gaius blinked in surprise. It was empty. Forcing his aged bones to straighten again, the man made to walk over to the small cupboard by the grand bed, wondering whether the occupant had already stored their belongings.

"Looking for me, Gaius?" The physician whirled around, the surprise doing nothing for his heart. There she was, that Cara that Merlin was talking to earlier. But there was no way that she could have known his name, unless... Squinting, Gaius peered at her. The woman stood by the now closed door, a self-satisfied smirk on her face as she watched the physician realise that she was blocking the way out.

"Who are..." Gaius' voice trailed off as he stared at her. The feeling of familiar magic, certain that she was altering her appearance in some way or another. Merlin's belief that whoever it was posing a threat to his destiny had been with them in that corridor.

"Nimueh."

"Hello, old friend." Nimueh stepped away from the door and moved fluidly across the room. Sweeping past Gaius, she perched on the edge of the bed, either not noticing or ignoring how much he had stiffened. If she was the woman he had once befriended, Gaius knew that she was just ignoring his discomfort.

"When Uther finds out..."

"Uther won't find out I'm here, Gaius." Her tone was cold and sharp, and with a sinking heart, Gaius was reminded of the last time he had come face to face with the sorceress.

"What makes you think that I'm going to keep your presence quiet?" The physician straightened up, lifting his chin tall and proud as he glared down at her. "After what you did, after what you threatened..."

"Merlin."

The one simple word had him snap his mouth shut and stare at her. Nimueh simply smirked coldly up at him, his reaction proving what she had witnessed through her scrying. It had come as something of a surprise, and an unwelcome one at that, to find out the youth that had stopped her from destroying Camelot before was staying with the old man. If their interaction was anything to go by, the lad had wormed his way into Gaius' heart.

"Leave the boy out of this."

"I will. But say anything to Uther about me being here, and all it will take is a whisper in the night and Merlin will be dragged before the King under accusations of sorcery. Do you really think Uther cares who he executes as long as he makes his point? The boy will be dead by dawn, you know this, Gaius."

"What do you want?" It had been years since Gaius had felt a rush of anger this strong, even longer since he had felt his dormant magic stirring, looking for a way to strike down the witch in front of him. Had Merlin really changed him that much he would go back on twenty years of promises after just a few months with the boy? Deep down, he knew the answer and felt the roof of his mouth go dry as Nimueh simply smiled sweetly at him.

"I think you know. I did make a promise, after all."

"Leave Arthur alone, Nimueh. He is a good man, he will make a fine King. He's not like his father, regardless of what people think. He has a pure heart, don't twist him now..."

"Gaius, you hurt me. I have no desire to twist him. But I swore to Uther that day that Arthur belongs to me. I still stand by that promise, and am fully aware that my time frame is almost up. I've let Uther think that he has won all these years by letting him keep his precious child. But how much more will it hurt now? I don't take a defenceless child from him, I take a strong warrior, a proud prince. And when Arthur returns – for he will return – Uther will see just how much of a mistake he made declaring war on sorcery. Arthur will be completely mine!"

The woman's voice had risen into a shout, and part of Gaius hoped that some passing guard would hear her. Hear enough to go to the king and warn him of the threat to the prince without Merlin ever having to know anything about it. But at the same time, he knew it was a foolish hope, that she wouldn't have waited twenty years to be stopped now by someone simply eavesdropping.

"Let him be, Nimueh."

"Keep out of it, Gaius. Unless you want Merlin executed."

"If you know about Merlin, then surely you know that Arthur is protected? He is the boy's destiny, something surely you can understand? Together they can do great things, do not interfere with that, not now." He knew he was pleading, but Gaius didn't care. Both boys had come to be like sons to him, even Merlin within just a few months. He didn't know who he needed to protect more.

"If you truly believe in their destiny, then you have nothing to worry about, do you?" Smiling at him, Nimueh stood up. "Now, I believe you have a banquet to prepare for?" Gaius barely even saw her move until the door was being held open for him. He knew that he had no choice but to leave, and it was with a heavy heart Gaius set off towards his chambers. What should he do?

He could protect Arthur, the Crown Prince and future King of Camelot and lose Merlin.

Or he could protect Merlin, the boy who had given an old man more happiness than Gaius thought would come to him, and risk losing Arthur.

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