I hear a noise in Gaius' workshop which usually isn't normal so early in the morning. So, I quietly get out of bed, and slowly open my door only to see Gaius preparing something. "Oh, Merlin you're up."

"Unfortunately." I say as I go down the small flight of stairs and into the rest of Gaius' workshop. I look onto the table and I see two large satchels. "Gaius, please tell me...we aren't going to get herbs this early in the morning?"

"Then I have nothing to tell you, because we are in fact doing that. I've already told Uther and Arthur and they know how important the supplies are. I only wish you knew."

"I do know, but does it have to be so early?"

"Sometimes, yes. Maybe this trip will cause you to have a little more appreciation for what I do, not only for the king or Arthur but for the entire kingdom." I can hear the sarcasm without even having to look at him, but I can clearly see that he knows I can hear it.

"Gaius, it's not even dawn."

"My, how observant you are today, Merlin. Perhaps you can go observe your wardrobe for clean clothes." He smiles at me, and I can't help smiling back.

Once I got dressed we started heading downstairs, but we were stopped by few guards. "Gaius, there's a situation in the lower town, can you and Merlin come with us?"

"Of course." Gaius says and we follow them to the lower town where we see three separate people laying still in the ground. "Merlin, come here for a moment."

"Yes, Gaius?" I watch as Gaius examines one of the bodies. It was a young woman, perhaps only a little older than me. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure, but her skin, lips, and even her mouth are completely dehydrated."

I look up at one of the guards. "Are the other two this way as well?"

"Yes, exactly the same. All of the witness reports say that they were fine yesterday."

Gaius got up and walked over to the other bodies, and then came back. "You are right, they are all the same...though I don't know why this has happened. Alright, allow me to take this woman to examine her, and tell the king what you've told me."

"Right away, thank you Gaius." The guards leave and Gaius and I take her up to his workshop. "Lay her there Merlin. I'm going to need a flat surface."

I place her down carefully on the long table and I make sure that I didn't make anything worse. "Please tell me we're cleaning this table before eating on it again."

"Of course we are, Merlin, but right now is hardly the time for jokes."

"Do you think its another Afanc?"

"No, but it happened to three different people, one of which was a guard. This woman and the other man were commoners. That's too wide of a gap to be an Afanc and if it were a plague, it would be far worse."

"You think it's sorcery then?"

"Merlin, three people don't just immediately become dehydrated like this over night. This is as if they've gone without water for weeks, but the others say they were fine yesterday."

"Alright, sorcery...have you seen this before?"

"Honestly, no I haven't." We both heard the door open and found Arthur walking in.

"I'm sorry Gaius, we just had four more people collapse in the same way. My father assumes it's sorcery."

"And your father may be right. Like I was telling Merlin, people don't suddenly get dehydrated like this...I think this is some sort of curse or spell that's been cast on Camelot itself, especially if there are already new victims."

"Do we know what's causing this?"

"I truly don't know at the moment, but since this will likely take a while...Merlin, do you want to go with Arthur for the rest of the day?"

I wanted to say 'No' but I couldn't...suddenly I felt myself getting thirsty. "Gai...us..."

"Gaius! He's getting dehydrated!" I could hear Gaius turn around as I fell into Arthur, not by choice. "What happened?"

"Nothing...I merely asked him if..."

"What Gaius!"

"Merlin, whatever sarcastic remark you were going to say you have to change it. Tell the trut, Merlin. Do you want to go with Arthur today and get out of working for me for the day?"

"Y-YES!" I finally breathe out from my practically breathless lungs, but once I say it I can feel myself beginning to be able to breathe just as easily before and I no longer felt thirsty.

"Gaius, what happened?" Arthur asked as I continued to try and catch my breath.

"I fear that this may be a curse. A truth curse."

"A truth curse!? What's that?"

"It's exactly what you witnessed. I asked Merlin a question, he was going to lie...and he almost died for it. If you don't answer the truth when you're asked a question...ANY question...you die within minutes, thankfully for Merlin we were here for it."

"Is it like this all over Camelot?"

"I think so, but right now we only know of the cases on the castle grounds."

"So, we're cursed...to tell the truth?" I heard Arthur ask, and I noticed the concerned tone in his voice that he usually uses when he is anxious about something.

"That is exactly right, Arthur...but that's not all. Not only are we forced to say the truth we have to say the entirety of the truth if it is a question that is more than a simple yes or no."

"So..." I started to ask, "If we don't tell the truth, at least until we figure out whose causing it, we die of dehydration within a matter of minutes."

"That's also correct. We must be careful with what we ask each other."

"Why is that?"

"Well, Merlin...other than the reason I just explained, if someone were to ask us a question we would hope to never be ask...we either answer our secrets or we take those secrets to our graves. At least until the culprit is found, of course."

"Great, and I assume you'll be working on that Gaius?"

"Yes, as long as you keep Merlin from being bored." Both Arthur and I smiled as we left Gaius' chambers.

"What did you want to do today, Arthur?" I ask with genuine curiosity, because really...who would want to do anything in this situation?

"I'd rather just sit in my room. If I go training with the other knights and they ask me a question, I'll have to answer...if I go hunting and we get caught by bandits and they ask me a question...Camelot will be doomed, and if I go to a council meeting with Father and I'm asked my opinion, it won't be good. So, yeah, I think I'll stick to being in my room."

"Then why am I going with you?"

"To keep me company. If I'm going to be vulnerable to anyone, I'd rather it be a good friend."

I look over to my left and Arthur looks as if he didn't want to admit all of that so I nod my head and say, "Thank you."

"No problem. I would figure you'd feel the same. You are a mystery after all."

"How am I a mystery?" I ask as we go into Arthur's room.

"I can never figure you out. You're a bumbling fool, you whine about hunting, you're always late, and sometimes I wonder if you even know how to address royalty...but other times...You show odd moments of wisdom, you can fight when you need to and I know this because I've seen it, you're there when I need you the most, and I'm sure if there was an absolute need you could disguise yourself as a prince and properly act like one just because we needed you to. I don't understand how you can be...all of that." Arthur sat on his bed, worn out from explaining himself to me and I couldn't help the look of complete shock that came over my face, and apparently he noticed. "Is everything alright, Merlin?"

"I'm surprised." I answer with wide eyes.

"Why? I've told you these things before."

"You've only told me about being lazy and showing odd moments of wisdom...I didn't know about the other stuff."

"Well...now you do." He gave me a wry smile and it made me laugh a little. "What?"

"Nothing, truly. It's just that sometimes its the same for me but thinking about you."

"Oh, really. How so?"

"Sometimes you're foolish, impatient, arrogant, pompous, and quick tempered but other times you're quick minded, extremely patient with the people, selfless with your actions, humble when the need arises, and your use sarcasm and laughter where there would usually be anger and hate. It makes me proud to be your servant."

I can see the shocked expression along with his jaw having dropped nearly to the floor. "Merlin...that's...I never knew. Thank you, you're a good friend to me, I hope you know that."

"I do, Arthur."

We both turned when we heard a knock at the door. "Sire, may I come in?"

"Of course, Gaius. It's just Merlin and I." He answered and Gaius had opened the door, and for some reason he looked extremely anxious to me. He looked to me first and then to Arthur. "What's wrong Gaius?"

"I'm afraid I've found out who casted the curse."

"Well who is it?"

"I'm afraid it's a druid woman."

"But the druids are a peaceful people! Why would they do this?"

"Although I am glad your opinion is different than your father's, I would advise you to not take this lightly. I found a note in my chambers that wasn't there this morning."

"Hand it here..." He handed me the note and said, "Read it Merlin."

"Please, Gaius, the court physician, hand this note to Arthur Pendragon and no one else. We wish to tell him why we have created this spell, which is indeed what it had started off as. A witch altered our spell into killing innocents, we did not want that to happen, and we have recently dispatched the witch so now the spell does what it originally was created to do...FORCE the truth out, even without the affected realizing it and without pain. We merely wanted to assist the prophecy and his destiny. Now, this is for Arthur Pendragon. You are so different from your father and for this we are a grateful people. We wish to speak with you at nightfall to discuss something with you. Since this spell was placed on all of Camelot, you can rest assured that it affects us as well. We ask that you bring only one person with you, and that this be a person you trust above all else, and no, it cannot be your father. He will kill us simply for breathing. I hope this letter found you alive and well. Meet with us in the valley of the fallen kings and we will speak with you there." Once I was done reading it I could hear my heart pounding in my ears and I could feel my chest aching, somehow knowing what the druids wanted to talk about.

"Gaius, do you think I should go?"

"Well, considering they wanted to cast this spell in the hopes of moving something as strong as destiny and prophecy...forward...as if they wanted it to happen soon...I would talk with them. They placed this spell knowing it would affect them too. I would take that in good faith. Plus, they said the spell is safe now."

I looked at Arthur waiting for him to say something...anything but all he did was nod his head and thank Gaius. Gaius left and briefly gave me a knowing look. Once the door had shut I looked to Arthur once more who apparently now found the floor interesting. "Are you appreciating the hard work I put into cleaning your floors or are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"I'm going to tell you whats wrong." I knew it was the spell, and for once, I appreciated a spell being casted on my friend by someone other than me. "I don't know what they mean of destiny and prophecy. That's a big deal, Merlin. I know I'm eventually to become king...but that doesn't require important and heavy words such as destiny and prophecy. What if its something dangerous?"

"It won't be." 'Dear God, Arthur...don't ask me how I know that!'

"You're right...and even if it were I would still want to know. Okay, so...Merlin I will need you to prepare the horses at nightfall."

"Me? But they said someone you trust above all else?"

"Merlin, you probably know me better than my own father or Gaius. I can think of no one better. You are my servant for crying out loud and a good one at that. A clumsy one, but still good."

"Alright then..." I clear my throat, trying to push of my anxiety at what might be said. "Valley if the fallen kings at nightfall. What could go wrong?"