"Prince Arthur?! Where are you?! You're going to be late!" The nursemaid's voice echoes from outside the door.
The prince stiffens at the sound, having long forgotten about his angered nursemaid hunting him down.
"What was that?" Merlin asks from his little room. "Is there someone else?" There's a hint of excitement in his voice at the prospect of another person.
"It's my nursemaid," Arthur says with annoyance, "she's looking for me."
"Why? Did you do something bad?"
Arthur puffs out his cheeks, crossing his arms over his chest. "Of course not! I'm a good boy!"
Merlin giggles and the sound makes the prince smile rather proudly.
"Arthur!" His nursemaid yells again, voice much closer.
"I-I have to go," the prince says quickly, scrambling to his feet. He looks down at the grate and suddenly doesn't want to leave. He feels the urge to hide here, talking with the boy in the dark room forever so they'll never be alone again. But the ever increasing volume of his nursemaid's voice shatters that dream. "I'll come back."
"When?"
"Tomorrow. I'll come back tomorrow and we can talk again, okay?" He smiles widely down at the grate despite knowing that Merlin would probably never see it.
"You will?"
"Of course!"
"Okay, then tomorrow!"
Arthur smiles then pushes open the door, turning around to give the abandoned closet one last look before walking out into the hall. Once he shuts the door behind him he spots his nursemaid rounding the nearest corner, spotting him almost instantly. "Prince Arthur!" She shrieks at him, stomping over, "we must go. Gaius is already asking for you and you mustn't keep him waiting!"
She takes his hand and guides him towards Gaius' chambers hurriedly. With no choice the prince reluctantly follows with a wide grin on his face. Even when he enters the physician's chambers the smile is still there, making Gaius raise his eyebrow in question as the boy sits down at the work table and the nursemaid leaves.
"Did something good happen?" He asks quizzically with a tilt of his head.
Arthur grins with a glint in his eyes that hinted at a secret. "I made a friend!" He says proudly.
-----
"So where do you live?" Merlin asks from down below the next day, sounding interested.
"Me?" Arthur puffs up his chest a little in pride. He sets his back straight against the wall he's sitting against, acting as though he had just received a compliment from the king himself. "I live in the royal palace of Camelot!" he announces proudly.
"Amazing!" the boy exclaims in awe, "where's that?"
Again Arthur is taken aback at Merlin's lack of knowledge but he supposes its not the boy's fault he lives alone in that room. "It's where we are right now. The greatest kingdom in all the lands! And I'm going to be the king of it one day!"
"A king! You're a king?" Merlin asks with enthusiasm.
The prince grins to himself, proud to have impressed the other lad. "Not yet but in a few years I will! Father said so!"
"You must be good at lots of things."
"Of course I am," Arthur says, sounding more than just a little egotistic, "I need to lead the best kingdom ever after all."
"You sound so talented. I can't do anything," Merlin mumbles, sounding embarrassed.
"Well, not everyone can be as talented as me, but I'm sure you can do something."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. You need to find out. Just think about it."
Merlin is quiet for a moment as he thinks and after a few minutes Arthur peers through the grate again with concern. Just as he's about to call for the other boy, Merlin answers, "I can make things fly."
Arthur frowns at the grate, wondering if he's joking with him. "Make things fly?"
"Yup! See, I'll show you!"
Within a few seconds there's a flash of gold from the darkness and a small pebble floats up through the grate, hovering a few inches off the ground before him. Arthur stares at it in awe and at first all he can think about is that the rock really was flying and how Merlin is a very special child if he can make things fly. He smiles while he waves his hand around the object, finding no strings attached to it. He pokes the pebble and sure enough it stays aloft, staring back at him. He lets out an amused chuckle but it quickly dies away when a sudden realization hits him. Sorcery. This is sorcery.
The prince reels back, crashing into a box behind him in his frantic attempt at escape. A plume of dust rises up as the crate crashes to the floor, further separating him and the sorcerer down in the cell. It doesn't stop him from hearing Merlin calling out to him, voice filled with worry and concern. "Are you okay? There was a loud noise," the boy calls out.
Arthur finds his throat tightening, closing up until words can no longer escape from his mouth. He remembers all the stories his father and nursemaids used to - and sometimes still - tell him. He remembers the ones about blood thirsty sorcerers and treasonous witches. He remembers the stories about how they would bewitch young and unsuspecting children into their homes before they would cook them up into stew. He remembers his father's warnings about them. About how they aren't human. About how they aren't the same as him and the other townspeople around him.
Suddenly, the pebble that just moments before had seemed so extraordinary now seems like a harbinger for death. He scrambles back even further, not stopping until his back hits the wall behind him. He shivers and trembles, not wanting to be enchanted and lured away into some pot of a warty old witch.
"Arthur?" Merlin calls, voice quiet and afraid, "are you still there?"
The prince doesn't reply, but instead starts pushing the crates around him, shielding himself with the piles of empty boxes. He ducks behind the small mountain he's erected around himself, holding up a piece of timber as a weapon before calling back. "Get away! Sorcerer!" he shouts, feeling his eyes tear up at the thought of perhaps dying here in this dusty old closet.
Regret starts to naw away at his mind, the guilt from not listening to his nursemaid and his father making him feel ill to the stomach. Despite this he keeps a firm grip on the piece of wood in his hands, using all the tactics and skills his father had taught him thus far in his knight training. His eyes are focused on the pebble and his arms shake when he sees the stone falter momentarily in the air. He lifts his arms up, ready to strike in case the little rock comes flying at him but instead it clatters to the ground.
Arthur lowers his guard, letting his grip on the timber loosen. He frowns at the grate on the wall then looks to the door in front of him that leads back out into the hall. After crouching on the ground motionless for a few more seconds he gets to his feet, quickly crawling over the crates and rushing towards the door.
His steps are loud as he tromps over to the door, having yet to learn any form of stealth at the age of eight. He almost trips on another crate as he stumbles to the door, already thinking of how he should tell his father when he hears Merlin speak from his little room down below. "Arthur?" He calls timidly, "d-did I do something wrong? I'm sorry, please don't go..."
Arthur pauses for a moment, hand midway to the handle as he hesitates. There's a second that he considers turning back around, considers stopping and returning to the boy, but the words echoing from the king makes him grasp the handle and push the door open.
He steps out, quickly slamming the door shut before running down the hall without another look back. He returns to his chambers, running inside to find his nursemaid pacing back and forth in his room, face creased with worry lines. She jumps the moment the door opens, turning on him in an instant with a hiss of fury. "Prince Arthur! Where have you been! I was worried sick about you! This is the second time in two days you've disappeared on me!" she sighs, shaking her head, "Now, come on. We need to hurry and get you changed for your lessons with Gaius."
She turns towards his cupboard, starting to rummage through the closet for a fresh outfit as the prince scowls at her back, highly doubting that she had worried much about him. Probably was only worried for her job. "Where's father?" he asks.
"He's out on a hunting trip with Lord Bayard. He won't be back for another few hours I'd suspect," she answers without turning, "now here, lets get you changed." She walks over with a fresh set of clothes, reaching forward to pull off his old tunic.
Arthur frowns, but lets her do as she wishes. He holds his arms up, letting the nursemaid change him as he mumbles to himself about what to do. Should he tell one of the knights? They should know how to handle the situation, they're hand picked by his father after all. Besides, the faster the sorcerer is dealt with the better right? Isn't that what his father taught him?
"Come on now, let's go. You're going to be late!" his nursemaid says, taking his hand and guiding him down to the physician's chambers for the day's lesson.
It's not until they're half way to the physician's chambers before Arthur spots one of his father's knights wandering through the corridor. Quickly, he pulls his hand away from the nursemaid, earning a few angered shouts from her, and dashes towards the knight. He grabs on the man's sleeve, pulling him to a stop. The knight, Sir Galahad, turns to him with a bow. "Ah, prince Arthur. How may I be of service to you today?"
Arthur opens his mouth to answer, about to warn him about the sorcerer hiding away in that little room when suddenly he chokes on his words. They lodge in his throat, not wanting to come out no matter how hard he tries. He can tell the knight's losing his patience as the man taps his foot, raising a quizzical brow but not having the courage to question the young prince. Arthur continues to struggle with his words, hoping he can force them out but the only sound he's able to make are quiet mumbles.
Before long his nursemaid catches up to him, grasping his wrist and tugging him back the way they had come. "I'm sorry, sir. Please carry on with your duties," she says to the knight with a sweet smile before turning on him, "Come along now your highness. Gaius is waiting."
The prince allows himself to be led down the hall as he tries to piece together the reasons as to why he might have suddenly stopped. He's never choked up before - aside from perhaps the first time he had to address one of his father's noble friends - so why would he now? What's stopping him? Did that boy cast a spell?
He still doesn't find the answer when he arrives at the physician's door and is led inside. There, he finds the old man in his usual red robe hunched over his table of bubbling concoctions. Gaius looks up at them as they enter, sending the young prince a beaming smile before hobbling over. "Ah, Arthur my boy. How are you doing today?" He asks, bending down on his old knees to the height of the blonde.
The prince just grumbles then turns away, still puzzled at the question about the sorcerer. The nursemaid sighs, muttering a quick apology to the old man before turning to leave.
Once she's out of the room Gaius turns his attention back onto the little prince. He raises an eyebrow at the boy, "Is there something troubling you?"
Arthur shakes his head without meeting the physician's gaze.
"You know you can come talk to me about anything," he says, hoping that'll probe the words out of the boy's mouth.
Arthur looks up. "Anything?" He asks.
"Anything."
"And you won't tell father?"
Gaius frowns at the odd question. For as long as he's known the boy he's never wanted - or dared - to hide anything from the king. What could be enough to change that?
The physician guides the prince onto one of the benches then sits down across the table from him with a smile. "Of course I won't. Now tell me what's been bothering you?"
Arthur stares down at his hands in his lap, twiddling his thumbs as he chooses his words carefully. "Can sorcerer's make things fly?"
Gaius is taken aback at the odd question. "Why would you want to know that?"
"Do they, Gaius?"
The old man sighs and replies, "yes, in a way they can."
"Can normal people do that too?"
"No, they shouldn't. Not without some tricks."
Arthur slumps down in his seat, looking rather disappointed at the answer. There really wasn't any point in asking. There's no way Merlin isn't a sorcerer. Only sorcerer's make things fly...
"Arthur," Gaius says, making the boy look back up, "do you want to talk about it?"
The prince thinks for a moment, hesitant, but this is Gaius. He's old, wise, and promised not to tell his father. Maybe he can help. "I um... made a new friend, but..." he stops, not wanting to go further. After all, what he's about to say is bordering on treason.
Gaius smiles calmly at the boy, "it's alright. You're safe here. No one will hear you and I won't tell anyone. You have my word."
Arthur swallows then continues, "I... I think he's a sorcerer. I don't know what to do. He's bad, but..." the moment before he says his next few words he knows it was the reason why he had choked up earlier, "I also thinks he's not bad too." Tears start to flow from his eyes at the frustration and almost immediately he reaches up to wipe them away. He sniffles then looks to Gaius expectantly, hoping for some kind of words of advice.
The old man ponders the issue for a moment, knowing how stressful the situation must be for the young prince. He doesn't know what he should say in all honesty. He wants to let Arthur know the truth, not the distorted lies Uther has spread, and allow the child to decide for himself what magic really is, yet he cannot defy the king lest he wishes to lose his head.
He looks at the boy and his frustrated eyes again, feeling a tug of pity. No child should need to make such a choice. A choice between a friend or family. After much deliberation the old man comes to a conclusion. He gets up from his seat and moves to sit beside the young prince. He leans in close until he's able to whisper into the boy's ear. "You told me your secret, now let me tell you one of mine," Gaius says, "though you must also promise not to say a word."
The prince nods, staring in anticipation at the elder man before him. He turns in his seat until he's facing the physician and sees him grab an empty potion vial from the table, holding it up between them. Arthur stares in confusion when suddenly, with a few uttered words and a glow of the eyes, the vial floats up into the air. Gaius removes his hand and still the bottle remains aloft. "Is this what you saw?" the physician asks as he lets the object spin in place.
The prince nods, having been shocked into silence as he watches the potion twirl in the air. Gaius can make things fly too. Does that mean Merlin isn't a sorcerer? Gaius isn't and he can make things fly.
The physician smiles at the expression on his student's face then carefully lets the bottle drop back onto the table. "Now, I want you to answer me honestly, did you think I was going to hurt you?"
Arthur shakes his head.
"Did you think it was bad that I can make objects float?"
Again, Arthur shakes his head.
"From all the years you've known me, did you ever think I was a bad person?"
Arthur shakes his head in a vigorous 'no'.
"Now are you still afraid if I told you I was a sorcerer too once?"
This time the prince reels back, leaping off from his seat and moving as far as he can away from the old man. Gaius is a sorcerer? He's bad too? With that thought in mind he suddenly sees the caring old man in a whole new light. He sees a dark shadow looming up behind the physician, darkening his smile, devouring his goodness. He trembles at the sight. Oh how right his father was. Sorcerers are truly the masters of deception.
The physician frowns at the reaction, getting up and seeing the boy flinch at the action. "I won't hurt you, Arthur."
"Liar!" Arthur shouts, brandishing a broom that's larger than him as a weapon, "all sorcerers lie!"
Gaius sighs then walks up closer to him. "I think you know me well enough to know that I won't hurt you or anyone my boy."
The prince looks the old man up and down, seeing his warm smile, his kind eyes, the hands that have healed his own father and many others numerous times. He tries to force the image away, to replace it with what he's been taught about sorcerers all his life, but it just feels so... wrong. No matter how hard he tries it never comes out right. Everything good he knows about the physician always manages to dissipate all the bad that comes with the title of sorcerer. His grip loosens and the the hardened look in his eyes soften slightly. The shadow that had been growing behind the old man disappears in a sudden ray of light and all the boy can do is drop the broom, running up to the old man and throwing his arms around him in a wide embrace.
Gaius smiles as Arthur buries himself in the red robes of the physician. He sniffles, uttering quite words of apology while the old man runs a gentle hand through his hair. "Now, what do you think about your new friend?"
Arthur sniffles again, pulling away. He looks up at the physician, eyes red and puffy as he speaks, "He's not bad."