Merlin: The Secret

Two Sides of a Coin

Arthur frowned. "Most magical poisons?" he repeated. "But Gaius, how did you acquire that?"

"I got it in return for a good friend a favor many years ago. I believe it is worth a try, Sire."

Arthur nodded without hesitation. And so Gaius took off the cork and asked Percival to keep Merlin's mouth wide open so that he could pour the antidote down his throat.

"You must keep the blankets ready," Gaius instructed. "His body temperature will have fallen. Still, we can only hope this will work. Without further examinations, it is impossible to tell how long this exact poison needs to do its work." Gaius poured the antidote down Merlin's throat with shaking hands. It was hard to concentrate on hitting the mouth instead of the eyes and ears. But he had to do this for Merlin. If nothing, he at least owed his young friend that. The silence got tense; every eye stared at Merlin, waiting for any sudden movements, but the first twenty seconds none came. Gaius began to fiddle with Merlin's shirt. Carefully, very carefully he began to wipe away some of the blood. Still, Merlin didn't move an inch. Gaius began to wonder if he had done something wrong... then he decided to pour some on the antidote directly onto Merlin's wound.

Then Merlin's breast lifted itself into the air and his eyes opened, colored in gold, a sign of the great magic the young man possessed.

"Oh...!" Gwen exclaimed. "What is happening?!"

That same second Merlin inhaled a large dose of air that filled his lungs completely. He stared around, meeting the happy, but shocked faces of his friends. He sent them all a little smile, his eyes blinded by the light, making him dizzy. He heard Gwen scream his name and felt her friendly embrace, as it all became more and more distant, until he simply fainted once more.

"Do you think he can hear us?"

It had been an hour since Merlin had made that very dramatic return to life. Everyone had thought it to be completely impossible, but as it turned out that it wasn't, each of them found a way to feel again - but not all of them saw the light.

"He needs a moment, Gwaine," Elyan said. "But Gaius said he will recover. That is what's important."

"But he hasn't woken up yet," Leon said, turning to Gaius. "Is that normal?"

"My dear friend, Merlin survived only by a miracle. It could easily have been too late. We must assume that it is his magic that this strong, but..." He took a deep breath.

"I don't like but's," Gwaine mumbled.

"... I am afraid there might be consequences," Gaius continued, frowning.

"Consequences?" Gwen repeated, concerned. "What do you mean?"

"It is possible that Merlin will not be quite the same when he wakes. It is possible that he will have both physical and spiritual scars, considering all the trials he has gone through lately." Gaius looked deathly serious as he spoke these words. "But for now, it is impossible to say. We will have to wait for him to awaken. I thought it best to warn you."

It resulted in a very thoughtful silence.

"No matter what he is still our friend," Gwen said. "I will take care of him."

"So will I," Elyan agreed. "If anyone deserves it, it's Merlin."

Gwaine, Leon, Gaius and Percival all agreed without hesitation, even though none of them liked the thought of Merlin being a different man. But Arthur didn't say a word. He neither agreed nor declared himself differ in opinion. He just observed the conversation without any need to join; for he had nothing to say, no opinion to share. He only felt strange numbness that was slowly being replaced by a rising anger.