Chapter 16: Uneasy Feelings

The Past

The morning after the feast, Merlin made his way to the king's bedchamber. The feast had gone on without a hitch. While he had been the subject of a great deal of ill-concealed gossip, curious stares, and the occasional mistrustful glare, nobody had done anything outwardly hostile. Even better, Kessa had charmed her way into the hearts of even the most steadfast supporter of former King Uther. The most eventful moment was when Arthur and Gwaine, after both indulging in a bit too much wine got into a heated discussion over who was the best swordsmen. It was only the efforts of Merlin, Gwen, and Leon that prevented them from putting it to the test, right there in the middle of the banquet. It was not soon after that the King and Queen retired for the evening, leaving Merlin to usher a drunk Gwaine back to his chambers. Merlin was thankful that Gaius, with Percival volunteering to act as a guard, had taken Kessa back to the physician's chambers about an hour earlier to put the young girl to bed.

Merlin had been a bit irritated with his two friends the previous night, which was why he had cheerfully volunteered to take Gaius' hangover remedy to the king. It would give Merlin a chance for a little friendly payback. He turned down the corridor that housed the king's chambers. As he approached the doors, he saw Gwen exit, quietly closing the door behind her.

"Good morning, your majesty," Merlin said with a smile.

Gwen smiled back. "Good morning, Merlin. What are you up to?"

Merlin plastered on his best innocent face. "Who said I'm up to anything?"

Gwen gave a laugh. "I know the look," she said. "You may have changed, but not that much."

"I'm just bringing the king his royal hangover remedy. That's all I'm doing."

"Hmm," Gwen hummed, clearly not convinced.

"Is he awake yet?"

"No," Gwen said. "He didn't even stir when I got up and dressed."

"Well then, I'd best get him up. I'm sure he's got all sorts of important, kingly sort of work to do. I can't in good conscience allow him to waste away in bed on a beautiful day like today." He grinned at Gwen and then strode past her.

"Good morning, sire," Gwen heard Merlin proclaim, a bit louder than necessary as he pushed open the door, allowing it to bang loudly against the wall.

Arthur gave a startled yelp, followed by an annoyed, "Merlin!"

Gwen laughed and continued down the hall. It seemed that no matter how old they got, boys will still be boys.

In the king's bedchamber, Merlin walked to the window and flung open the curtains. Arthur winced as the light struck his eyes, sending a stabbing pain shooting through his head. He groaned and covered his head with the blanket to shut out the light.

Merlin turned and stomped towards the bed, making as much noise as possible. "Up and at 'em! Rise and shine! Seize the day!"

"Merlin," the king growled in warning from under the covers.

Merlin ignored him. He grabbed the blankets and yanked them off the king. "Things to do; places to go; people to see! The sun's now up, and so should you be!" he said in a sing-songy tone.

Arthur grabbed his pillow and flung it at the annoyance that was Merlin. "There's a reason you're not a bard, Merlin," He said through gritted teeth. Then he groaned and flopped back down, digging the heels of his hands into his closed eyes.

"What's the matter?" Merlin asked, with obvious fake concern. "Got a headache?"

Arthur just growled in response.

"Hmm," Merlin said. "It's almost like you got drunk last night and had to rely on your wife and your best friend from the future to keep you and Gwaine from making complete fools of yourselves. And here I thought you could hold your liquor."

"I can hold my liquor," Arthur muttered, sounding a bit sulky.

"In that case, I suppose you don't want Gaius' hangover remedy that I so graciously brought to you," Merlin said, leaning over Arthur slightly and dangling the bottle in front of the king's nose.

"Give it," Arthur said, snatching the bottle from Merlin's hands. Merlin blinked. Even with a hangover, the king's reflexes were impressive. Merlin took a step back from the bed as Arthur downed the potion, grimacing at the taste. He tossed the vial back to Merlin, who caught it and set it down on the small table next to the bed.

Arthur lay in bed with his eyes closed for a moment more. The throbbing behind his eyes gradually reduced. Just as he thought he was going to drift back off to sleep, Merlin spoke up, "Better?" he asked, thankfully in a more subdued tone than earlier.

"Yes," Arthur said.

"Good. In that case, you really should get up. You've already slept longer than you usually do." Merlin walked away and went to the wardrobe. He grabbed a tunic, trousers, and belt, without really looking at them and then laid them out for the king.

Arthur sighed, and then pushed into a sitting position at the edge of the bed. He sat for a moment, waiting for his equilibrium to restore, before standing and walking over to the dressing screen.

"Do you think you could stomach breakfast?" Merlin asked as Arthur dressed.

Arthur considered. He felt much better now than when he first awoke. Gaius remedy seemed far more effective and faster acting than normal. He paused as he thought about what he had learned of Merlin's future. Merlin admitted to learning some healing magic. Could he have done something to the remedy?

"Arthur?" Merlin asked when Arthur didn't respond right away, "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Arthur said, realizing he had taken too long to answer. He decided that if Merlin did use magic to make the remedy more effective, Arthur did not want to know about it. "I'm fine. And I would like to eat something."

Merlin nodded, even though he knew Arthur couldn't see him from behind the screen. "Very well. I will send something up. I'll have one of the servants bring you something. I have to go make sure Kessa is up and has something to occupy her for the day. Then I will probably be in the library, if you need me. I want to look through the books to see if I can find anything that may help us get home."

Arthur came out from behind the screen and nodded at the other man. "Thank you, Merlin." He said and then headed to his desk to sort through the ever growing stack of paperwork.

After Merlin left the king, he swung by the kitchens to send food up to Arthur and grab something to eat for Kessa, and himself. The kitchen had a great deal of food left over from the previous evening's festivities, so Merlin did not feel bad helping them to use it up. Merlin grabbed enough to feed the two of them, as well as Gaius, and whichever knight would be acting as a guard.

When he arrived, Kessa was up, dressed and perched on Elyan's shoulders. Merlin watched, amused, as Elyan pranced around the room as the small girl shouted directions.

"Faster, noble steed," Kessa said. "If we don't get there in time, the prince will be turned into a duck forever! We need find the cure. Quick! Jump over the Werewolf Mountain of Doom! The cure is in the Spooky Ghost Forest on the other side." She pointed to a cot that was generally used for Gaius' more critical patients. Luckily, it was currently unoccupied

Elyan eyed the cot that he was directed to jump over. "I think maybe it would be best to just go around it," he wisely suggested. "Besides, if it's forbidden we should probably avoid it. It sounds dangerous."

"No time!" the girl exclaimed. "It would take us too far out of the way. We will just have to risk it. Hurry!"

Elyan hesitated. Merlin could tell he was trying to figure out how to convince the young girl that jumping over a cot two feet off the ground and four feet wide while wearing chainmail and carrying a small person on his shoulders may not be the best idea. Merlin decided to rescue him.

"Good new!" he said walking in the room towards the table, where Gaius was grinding herbs using a mortar and pestle. Merlin set the food down on a clear spot on the opposite end of the table. "The unicorns heard about your predicament and brought it to this side of the Mountain. Now all you have to do to break the spell is eat an apple, a piece of cheese, and one of these sweet rolls," he said as he dished her a plate that had those very items.

"Why can't all spells be that easy to break?" Elyan asked as he brought Kessa over.

Merlin grinned and lifted Kessa off Elyan's shoulders. "But first, you need to go through the Whirling Winds!" He spun his daughter in a couple of circles and Kessa shrieked in delight. He set her down on her feet, and they both stumbled a bit before the dizziness passed.

"Do it again!" Kessa said.

"This whirlwind is tired for now. Eat your breakfast before you continue to play." She sat beside her plate and took a bite of the roll. Merlin turned to Elyan. "I brought enough for you and Gaius, too. Help yourselves." As Elyan took another roll, Merlin asked, "Will you be staying with her today?"

Elyan nodded. "I'm here until lunch, then Gwaine will be taking over."

Merlin nodded. "If you get tired of catering to her imagination in here, or if Gaius needs a bit of quiet to work, she likes to play in the gardens. It's a nice day and she can occupy herself outside for hours. Just keep eye on her to make sure she doesn't run off." Elyan nodded and Merlin continued. "I will be in the library. I want to see if I can find any books that may help us. Tell Gwaine that after lunch, he should take Kessa to the library too. She needs to practice her letters."

"You want Gwaine to teach her to read?" Elyan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"But I can already read," Kessa said indignantly.

Merlin smiled at her. "She can read," he said, "but she could use some practice."

Kessa pouted and then turned back to her food.

"Kessa, will you be good for Elyan, Gaius, and Gwaine?"

"Yes, Papa," she said.

Merlin kissed the top of her head. "Good girl." He said. Then turned to Elyan, "come find me if you need anything." After a confirmation from Elyan, Merlin left them to it and made his way to the library.

Sir Geoffrey looked up from the book he was writing in as he heard someone enter his library. He frowned when he saw it was Merlin. "I'd heard you managed to get yourself into trouble," he said gruffly. He sighed, "well, I suppose you're here looking for a way to get out of it."

"You suppose correctly. Do you know if there are any books that may have survived the purge?"

"Hrm," the librarian said and crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. He frowned in thought and shook his head. "I doubt it. Anything that wasn't burned would have been taken to the vaults with the other artefacts King Uther kept guarded."

"Do you mind if I look anyway?"

"Help yourself," Sir Geoffrey said, and then turned his attention back to his work.

Merlin took the dismissal for what it was and made his way to the back of the library where he remembered finding the hidden room. He entered the room, closing the door behind him. Outside of himself and Gaius, nobody knew of the existence of the room yet and Merlin felt it was best if it stayed that way.

When he entered the room, he cast a quick spell that would alert him to anything dark or dangerous. A few books, three vials on various shelves, and a couple of other knick-knacks emitted a red glow, indicating that they were laced with dark magic. He decided to avoid those for now. If there was not an answer in any of the safe books, then he would cast a curse breaker to remove the dark spell. But he did not want to take the time to do that unless it became necessary in order to limit how much he tampered with the past.

Merlin scanned the titles and chose three that showed potential. While the room had a desk that he could use, he had told both Arthur and Elyan that he would be in the library. Because Merlin wanted to remain available to them, he would have to take the books, a few at a time, out to the main room of the library.

He approached the door with his first few books. Before opening the door, he cast out his magic to alert him if there was anyone nearby who would see him. The coast was clear, so he slipped out, shutting the false wall behind him. He sat himself at the closest table and began to flip through the books.

Several hours and six books later, Merlin was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Merlin looked up. A servant the Merlin vaguely recognized but could not remember the name of was standing there. He was shifting from foot to foot, looking like he would rather be somewhere else.

"Can I help you?" Merlin asked, trying to keep his tone as non-threatening as possible. The servant was clearly uneasy with Merlin's situation.

"The king wishes to see you in the council chamber," the servant said.

Merlin nodded and gathered the books. "Thank you," he said, "I will be there in a moment."

The servant nodded and dashed away. Merlin gathered the books. He glanced in the direction the servant headed to make sure he was out of sight before entering the hidden room to return the books. It would not be good to leave out tomes that were clearly magical in nature.

Once the books were stored and the hidden room was secure, Merlin made his way towards the council chamber. When he arrived, he noticed that all the Round Table knights were present, including both Elyan and Gwaine. At Merlin's questioning look, Gwaine said, "Gwen has Kessa while we are meeting."

Merlin nodded and took the remaining empty seat, which happened to be next to Arthur. Merlin wasn't sure if it was intentional or not. While in the future, Merlin's place was always next to his king, in this time, Merlin's younger self was just a servant so very rarely sat at official meetings. But nobody made any comments about it so Merlin decided it was unimportant.

"What's going on?" Merlin asked.

"There has been a report of a group of bandits attacking an outlying village, about a half day's ride from here. According to our scout, a woman matching Morgana's description was among them."

"Morgana?" Merlin asked.

"Yes," Arthur nodded, looking grim. "Merlin, I understand that you do not want to tell too much of our future, but before we ride out to meet this threat, I wanted to check with you if you have any memory of this event. If the woman is Morgana, I want to be as prepared as possible. Anything you can tell us would be very helpful."

Merlin frowned and searched his memory. "I can't remember anything specific. She was actually pretty quiet in the first few years following your wedding."

"Maybe it's not her then," Leon suggested.

"Are you sure you cannot give us any information about this event?" Arthur asked.

"Sorry, sire," Merlin said. "I don't remember every skirmish that happened."

"Very well," Arthur said. "We ride out in an hour. Be on guard, men, in case it is Morgana."

"Wait," Merlin said, "Don't you think the timing is a bit convenient?"

"There's nothing 'convenient' about a village being attacked," Arthur said, annoyed.

Merlin ignored the comment and explained, "What happened to me isn't exactly a secret. If Morgana found out, which would not surprise me, it is possible she is going to try to take advantage of the situation."

"How exactly would your little trip to the past be useful to Morgana?" Arthur asked.

"I don't know," Merlin said, "but I don't think we should just ride out without more information."

"And let these bandits continue to roam free on the countryside? I cannot allow a threat to my people to go unstopped."

"I'm not suggesting we ignore the threat," Merlin said, "but we need to be careful. I just," Merlin paused and took a deep breath. This situation was not sitting right with him. Morgana showing up right after his public appearance? He didn't like it. And he felt a slight tingle from his magic that he got whenever he was about to walk into a dangerous situation. "I have a bad feeling about this," he finished.

"A bad feeling?" Arthur asked, raising his eyebrows. "So you still get those? Merlin, I cannot leave my people to the mercy of bandits just because you have a 'feeling.'"

Merlin winced; life was so much easier in the future when he could be completely honest and Arthur actually listened to him. "I don't like it, Arthur," he said.

"And I have always been terribly concerned by what you like," he said.

"It could be dangerous," Merlin said, making one last feeble attempt to get Arthur to listen to reason. "If you could just,"

"I am the king, Merlin," Arthur interrupted. "I will not allow my people to suffer when I am perfectly capable of dealing with a few bandits. It is nothing we have not encountered before."

Merlin was not going to win this fight. He ran his hand over his face. "Fine," he said. "I'm going with you."

"No, you're not," Arthur said.

"Yes, I am," Merlin replied.

The knights glanced at each other with raised eyebrows and a few smirks at the argument between king and manservant.

"It's too dangerous," Arthur said.

Merlin sighed, "That's what I said."

Arthur scowled. "We," he said gesturing to the knights and himself, "are trained warriors. You are not. If it is as dangerous as you claim, we cannot distract ourselves with trying to protect you."

"I can take care of myself," Merlin said.

Percival and Gwaine exchanged a glance. They had seen his power first hand and had no doubt that he could take care of himself. He could probably take care of the entire bandit problem on his own. If anything, it would be the knights that would be getting in his way, not the other way around. But they couldn't exactly tell Arthur that.

"Most trained knights your age don't even go out to battle," Arthur argued.

"Most trained knights my age have spent so many years abusing their bodies in tournaments that they are not physically capable of going out into battle. I, on the other hand, have never felt the need to get thrown off horses and bashed in the head for fun. I am, therefore, in top physical condition and more than capable of riding out with you."

Arthur's scowl only deepened. He did not need a reminder of how taxing a knight's lifestyle was on the body and did not like to think that Merlin did have a point about that. "And what of your daughter?" He asked, changing tactics.

"She will stay here," Merlin said.

"What would I tell her if you didn't come back from this trip?"

"The same thing you would tell any knight's family, I imagine. But you won't have to, because unlike the knights, I do have a small amount of common sense."

"Merlin,"

"Arthur," Merlin interrupted, "If you insist on going, I will go with you, whether you want me to or not."

Arthur searched Merlin's face. "I can't talk you out of this, can I?"

"Nope," Merlin said.

"Fine, but you do exactly as I say."

"Of course, Arthur," Merlin said with a smile. "Don't I always?"

Arthur just gave him a narrowed eyed look before turning to the others, "We leave in an hour," he said, and they all went their separate ways to prepare.