It's not Betrayal

3- Younger Than She Looks

"We will ride at dawn tomorrow in search of Princess Mithian's father."

Arthur's voice boomed in the spacious halls of the throne room, his most trusted, loyal knights and council members gathered around the round table. Arthur tried to ignore the absence of a certain figure against the wall; he refused to look at it, because whenever he did it seemed like a blow to the face that even his most trusted friends could be his foe.

Despite the strong grip of tension around his body and the lump like a rock in his throat, Arthur had an air of calmness and control; just as a good king should.

Am I so bad, father?

On top of discovering the side of Merlin that he had never wanted to see, deep down, Arthur was still hurt by his father's cruel words. Blow after blow, the scalding blade of his father's insults had struck his insides like death itself.

"How can I be proud of a son that ignores everything I've taught him?"

Stab.

" I did not spend my entire life building this kingdom just to see my own son destroy it."

Stab.

"It is your duty to strengthen and protect the kingdom. You have failed."

You have failed.

The last words would forever be branded into Arthur's memory, never fading or forgotten. Guinevere's delicate hand rested upon his reassuringly.

"Are you alright my love?" She whispered, still wary of the council meeting. Arthur merely nodded, and continued on making plans, shaking the feeling of loss and sadness away as if nothing had happened.

~

Gaius, as usual, was in his chambers, mixing up a potion of sorts. Muttering as he grabbed vial after vial, he carefully measured out the ingredients before adding them to the brew that sat over a dancing flame. Gaius was completely immersed in his thoughts, forgetting about the simmering liquid that was starting to burn. There was something strange about Princess Mithian's maid, Hilda; she had acted very suspiciously on her first night, and the aura that hung around her was like one of a truly heartless, and evil person. The physician was determined to find the root of his suspicions before he leapt to any conclusions, however. Gasping in annoyance, Gaius hastily removed the potion from the flame as he realised it was burning. It was ruined; he would have to make another.

~

Hilda's head whipped around at the sound of a knock on the door. She sneered at the watching Princess and raised a finger to her dry and pasty lips.

"Oh, Gaius, what a pleasant surprise." Hilda's emotionless face betrayed her words. Gaius nodded his head,

"I have a potion for you, you must be very tired after your long and stressful journey."

Hilda glanced at the vial between Gaius's fingers with narrowed eyes. She smiled, almost painfully. "Ah of course, thank you Gaius. How thoughtful." The maid began to close to the door, but Gaius hindered the door with his foot.

"I have also come to check on the Princess." Only then did Gaius acknowledge the curious girl watching them from her bed. Hesitantly, Hilda stepped aside, letting the court physician walk through.

Not looking at Hilda, Gaius called "the potion is best to be taken straight away."

While Gaius made a fuss over the Princess, ignoring her protests that she was fine, the sorceress Morgana stared daggers through Gaius's back. It wouldn't have been a surprise if red-hot lasers had shot out of her eye sockets. Nevertheless, she downed the potion in a mouthful, and shuddered at the foul taste.

When Gaius turned around, he was not surprised to find Morgana standing before him.

"It's amazing what a potion can do against the effects of ageing, isn't it?"

"Funny thing you say that Gaius," Morgana sneered. "Thought you would've taken it yourself."

The venom in her voice could not conceal her shock at the reveal of her ageing spell. She had not suspected that Gaius, no matter the extend of his wisdom, could be suspicious of a poor, elderly servant.

Eyes flashed gold and Morgana's powerful magic surged through her as Gaius was aggressively thrown against the wall. Though she would rather die than admit it, Morgana was scared that Gaius had so easily seen through her facade. She turned to the Princess cowering from the cover of her blankets.

"One word of this to anyone, and your father won't live to see you again."

~

Hey guys,

I'm Peter, the author of this, although that is obvious, I'm not sure where I'm going with this.

I guess to say thanks for reading. I've put quite a bit of effort  into this fic, and it's hard to write stuff! It really is... Anyway, if you like it, please vote or comment, that'd be super cool and I'd like to know that people actually like my writing.

Have a nice day/night!

-Peter