Queen of Camelot ~~~ON HIATUS~~~

Chapter Three

Merlin opens the door trudging in veggies and fruits dripping off him. He takes a seat angrily across from Gaius glowering. "Do you want some vegetables with that?" Gaius offered clearly enjoying the moment.

Merlin let out a small snort as he said, "I know you're still angry with me."

Sighing Gaius nodded. "However, Your mother asked me to look after you."

"Yes." Merlin said in agreement. He knew he was a bit of a handful but he couldn't let that knight even if he was the prince treat a man that way.

Doing Merlin a favor Gaius decided to change the subject. "What did your mother say to you about your gifts?"

It was Merlin's turn to sigh. "That I was special."

Gaius could hear it in his voice that he did not believe those words to be true. "You are special. The likes of which I have never seen before." Gaius said in what he hoped where reassuring words.

However, Merlin found them extremely hard to believe since all he seemed to do with his magic was get him and those around him into trouble. He even Gaius now treading in deep waters. "What do you mean?" Merlin asked he hated feeling like his mom just said those words since he was her son. That was what she was supposed to say to her child.

"Well, magic requires incantations, spells. It takes years to study. What I saw you do was... elemental, instinctive." Gaius complements doing his best to boost the young man's self esteem.

Merlin didn't see it as a complement but rather a reminder of what he could not do, nor show. It was frustrating living in the one place where magic was the most clearly banned. He felt restricted here closed off at home he had to keep it a secret but if he made a tiny or maybe not so tiny mistake death was normally the punishment.

"What's the point if it can't be used?" Merlin argued defeated by the kings rules.

Gaius shrugged, "That I do not know. You are a question that has never been posed before, Merlin." Gaius wanted desperately to help him grow and come to understand the good and importance of magic. He knew it would be hard and dangerous extremely when Uther was in one of his moods, but Gaius vowed to himself he would help Merlin understand magic.

Gaius seemed so knowledgeable about magic and its dangers, but he also seemed to have the respect and light about it as well, something Merlin couldn't comprehend. His knowledge did pose a question, however, "Did you ever study magic?"

"Uther banned all such work twenty years ago." Gaius gave him an unclear answer, but all Merlin could take from it was that he didn't say no so that could mean he did and that meant Merlin wasn't completely alone.

"Why?" Merlin asked not knowing what had happened to Uther all those years ago.

Gaius did his best to explain, "People used magic for the wrong end at that time. It threw the natural order into chaos. Uther made it his mission to destroy everything from back then, even the dragons."

Merlin gasped, "What? All of them?"

He shook his head, "There was one dragon he chose not to kill, some might call it mercy but the sad truth is he kept it as an example. He imprisoned it in a cave deep beneath the castle where no one can free it." Gaius felt the need to pull away from the topic because Merlin seems to be interested in it and from what he had already learned that it never meant anything good when Merlin was interested. "Now, eat up. When you've finished, I need you to take a preparation to Lady Helen. She needs it for her voice." Merlin nodded quickly eating his food. He quickly changed into new clean clothes before grabbing the remedy for Helen and heading towards her room. Merlin having not quit got the layout memorized got directions as he went.