"So, it seems that you saved Arthur once again." Merlin couldn't help but smile at Gaius as he walked through the physician's door, the relief still coursing through him at a tremendous rate. Indeed, the plan had worked far better than he had dared to hope. The revealing of the snakes nearly hadn't been enough, but thanks to Morgana's quick reactions, Arthur was once again safe from Valiant. Permanently, this time. Coming to a stop as he entered the room, Merlin shot Gaius a quizzical look. The physician was leaning against Merlin's door, obviously trying to keep it shut.

Even as Merlin frowned at him in confusion, the door shuddered with an almighty thud. Leaning back hard, Gaius strained against the wood, using all of his strength to keep it shut.

"Now that you've finished saving the prince, I don't suppose you can get rid off your new pet, could you?" the physician asked, the effort almost too much for him to handle. He was getting too old for this, and had been battling against that demon dog all morning whilst Merlin was off saving Arthur. With a knowing grin, Merlin looked towards the table expectantly. When he saw that it was bare, his face fell.

"What?" Gaius questioned, not liking the look that was on his ward's face.

"The book is in my room," Merlin responded sheepishly, looking at the door with something close to alarm as it shuddered again.

"You mean…you mean that you have bought this beast alive, and then left the book that could turn it back to stone in the room with it. Are you completely mad?"

"I forgot! I was a little preoccupied with trying to save Arthur's life!" Merlin's response was slightly heated, but the warlock couldn't help it. The thought of removing the book from the room hadn't even crossed his mind when he had run out in elation that morning, finally being able to do the spell he knew would save Arthur. Now, however, he was regretting it slightly.

"Well then, I suggest you go and fetch it before anyone realises what is in there."

"Me? Go in there?" Merlin's face fell even further when he realised that Gaius was being completely serious. Swallowing nervously, he approached the door cautiously, eyeing it with trepidation as he did so. When he was level with it, Gaius stood aside, not wanting to get in the way. He had been battling against the thing all morning, it was Merlin's time. As if the dog knew that the barricade had been moved, it once again threw itself at the wood, causing it to creak ominously. Merlin turned even paler and tried to turn back, but found his way blocked by Gaius.

"You caused this mess, you can clean it up again. Before that beast destroys everything in the room and then breaks through the door. The wood will only hold for so long, you know."

"Fine." Merlin took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, looking like he was about to march into battle, not simply go up against a dog. Albeit a rather ferocious one that shouldn't technically be alive.

"On the count of three," he continued, rolling up his sleeves, "open the door. I'll run in grab the book, and then try and turn it back from this side of the door." Bouncing on his toes, Merlin slowly counted down.

"Three!" With a sudden spring, Gaius threw the door open and Merlin darted into the room. The moment that the warlock had entered, Gaius slammed it shut again, not wanting to let the beast out into his workshop, there were far too many breakable things lying around. Standing on the other side of the door, Gaius winced as he heard several loud thuds and a yell of pain. Instinct was telling the physician to open the door and make sure that his ward was alright, but not knowing what was going on behind the wood, he knew he had to wait for Merlin to tell him to do so. He didn't have to wait very long, as suddenly, Merlin began beating on the door frantically, yelling at Gaius to open it.

The physician complied and once more pushed the door open. As soon as there was a big enough gap, Merlin fell through, landing sprawled at Gaius' feet. Shutting the door once more, the old man bent down, noting that the warlock was shaking as he helped the boy to his feet again. There was a gash on his forearm, but his hands were empty.

"You didn't get the book?" he asked, his heart falling. That would mean that Merlin would have to go up against it again; there was no way that Gaius was going in there.

"That thing is like a hell hound," Merlin panted, clutching his arm to him. He had never met an animal that was that ferocious before, and that included all of the wild ones that used to roam around the outskirts of Ealdor.

"And before you say it, no, I am NOT going back in there!"

Gaius looked at his young ward and raised an eyebrow. Before Merlin had time to comprehend what the old physician was up to, found himself pulled to his feet by a surprising strength. Gripping his uninjured arm, Gaius ignored the protests that came from the boy and forced him back through the door, holding it tightly shut. For a moment, there was a silence. Then the snarling began.

"Gaius! Gaius, please! Open the damn door! Gaius!" As Merlin's pleads became more and more persistent, Gaius relented. Letting go of the handle, he stumbled back a few paces when the door was wrenched open and Merlin came flying out, the dog hot on his heels. Spinning around, Merlin sent the door crashing shut again with a simple flash of his eyes. He turned accusingly to his mentor, who met the stare unabashed. He had managed perfectly well for all of these years on his own, who could blame him for trying to solve a problem in his own chambers? Merlin, it transpired, did not feel the same.

"Were you trying to get me killed?" he asked pointedly. His mother had always told him what a pleasant old man the physician was. She had obviously not seen every side to him.

"Nonsense," Gaius responded, even if a little too quickly. If the truth was to be told, he did feel slightly guilty in sending the warlock back into the room without preparing him for it first. But he also knew that if Merlin had his way, then the dog would simply remain behind the wooden door until the door gave out. Anything to avoid going back in the room again. And judging by the ferocious snarling that could easily be heard, the dog wasn't going to stay put for a lot longer.

"Wait," Merlin began slowly. Gaius could tell just by the expression on his face that he was thinking of a plan. Hopefully one that would enable them to make this dog once again sit in the courtyard, preferably without moving. Suddenly, a look of relief darted across his face, swiftly followed by a shout of laughter. Staring at him in disbelief, Gaius waited anxiously, not sure whether or not he was going to approve of whatever idea it was Merlin was coming up with this time. His last idea had left them with the problem in the first place.

"I've been doing this all wrong," Merlin started to pace up and down the stairs excitedly whilst Gaius looked on, bemused. "I don't need to go in there. All we need is for the book to be out here. So it is simple, I'll use magic to bring the book to me, then turn the dog back. That way, the door only needs to be open for a few seconds and no one needs to go in there."

Gaius smiled at the young warlock in something close to disbelief. He couldn't believe that it had taken Merlin this long to think of it. It had been one of the first thoughts that had crossed his mind, but he was so anxious to stop Merlin using magic for every small little thing that he had been reluctant to suggest it. Now that the boy had thought of it for himself, however…

"Three!" Merlin yelled, bracing himself in his position by the door. Gaius once again flung open the door, shuddering as he saw the massive bulk of the dog hurtle across the room towards the freedom that the door offered. Something, however, was quicker than the charging dog. Gliding gracefully through the air, the book floated towards them with far more speed than Gaius thought possible, especially with that much elegance. Even the dog stopped as the book flew over his head. His eyes followed the path of the magic, as if seeing something that Gaius could not. Ears cocked forward, the beast simply sat there as the book continued on its journey and soared into Merlin's outstretched hand. As soon as the book touched the skin, the dog snapped out of its trance and shot across the room as fast as its bulk could carry it, as if aware that its bid for freedom was about to vanish.

Gaius jumped as the door shut with an almighty bang. He too had been transfixed by the ease in which his ward had moved the book and had forgotten his important role of shutting the door afterwards. Turning to Merlin, he saw the triumphant smile on the boy's face before he could register anything else. The plan had succeeded so far.

"See if you can hold the door shut for a little longer," Merlin told him, already rifling through the dusty pages of the book. It became quite clear to the physician that Merlin had meant what he said about studying every word, the front half was already well leafed through, but there was also a clear dividing line that showed just where he had got up too.

"What do you think I have been doing?" he grumbled, once more taking up his position against the wood. Merlin read frantically, his eyes moving so fast that Gaius was sure that he can't have actually been seeing the words at all. The door shuddered and groaned as the dog once more resumed its attack, and to Gaius's alarm, he felt the wood begin to give.

"Hurry up, Merlin," he cried, bending his knees to try and brace the door more, but could still feel it shuddering behind him.

"I'm trying!" Merlin responded distractedly, his eyes moving faster than ever. When no spell revealed itself as the answer to their problems, he cursed under his breath. Ignoring the scolding coming from his mentor, Merlin flashed his eyes and the book fell open on a page near the back. Reading the spell illustrated, the warlock swallowed, he had never attempted anything this difficult before.

"What are you waiting for?" By now, Gaius was starting to get extremely worried. He could definitely hear the wood creaking and knew that it was now only moments before it gave out completely.

Taking a deep breath, Merlin shouted the spell out, not caring if there was anyone around the hear him or not. A flash of gold accompanied the spell, and for a moment, all fell still. Gaius carefully moved away from the door, watching it cautiously. The two of them stood watching, holding their breath. And still nothing happened.

"Whew," Gaius wiped a hand over his brow and sat down at the top of the stairs, feeling exhausted. Merlin let out a shaky laugh, looking at the book in his hand in amazement. He had actually done it.

Thud!

Maybe not. With nothing to brace the door, the wood finally gave out. Splintering into a thousand pieces, it shot out into the room, showering the inhabitants on the other side. With a leap, the dog made to jump through the hole he had created and enjoy the freedom that would be waiting for it the other side.

Looking back with alarm, Merlin realised in the same instant what was about to happen. With a flash of his eyes, everything stopped still. Trying the spell once more, the warlock was still not sure whether it had worked or not when time resumed itself and what was left of the door continued to rain down on him, embedding pieces of wood into his hair.

Gaius stood quickly, looking back to the hole in the doorway. The most comical sight met his eyes. Its front paws in midair, its back in a crouch, a statue was frozen in the midst of jumping through the gap. However, it was the look on the creature's face that got the old man the most. It had a mixture of surprise and outrage on its ugly snout, as if not knowing what to make of what had just happened. Starting off as a weak chuckle, the physician soon couldn't control himself, the absurdity of the situation finally getting to him. It didn't take long for Merlin to join in, and before long, both had tears of mirth running down their cheeks, pieces of wood covering the floor and a frozen dog sitting in the doorway, slightly bewildered.