Chapter Text
Merlin busied himself putting his newly gathered herbs away as Gaius finished stitching their guest's arm. When Merlin had come in with his strange burden and even stranger story, Gaius had been understandably surprised, but he went to work with his usual professionalism. He had given the young man a mild sleeping medication, so he didn't wake up in the middle of receiving his stitches. Gaius said that other than the wound on his arm and a mild concussion, he didn't see anything else to be concerned about with their new patient. Merlin hoped he'd wake soon so they could find out more of his story and how he got involved with the snake.
"There, that should be finished," Gaius said.
He cut off the thread he was using and reached for some bandages he had lying on the table next to him. Merlin finished his sorting and came to sit at the table nearby. He idly watched Gaius finish bandaging the young man's arm, then pull down his sleeve to cover it. The physician adjusted the pillow under his patient's head, then came and sat down at the table.
"Tell me, Merlin, do you have any relatives we don't know about?" Gaius asked with a smile and a teasing tone. "This young man looks somewhat like you."
Merlin smiled at him, then tilted his head as he studied the stranger more closely. It was a little difficult to notice these things when he was fighting a gigantic snake monster, but he could see what Gaius was talking about. The young man was tall and lanky, with dark hair and pale skin. He looked to be about the same age as Merlin as well. Merlin thought that if they traded clothing - his red shirt, brown jacket, and blue handkerchief for the stranger's blue shirt and black jacket - they could definitely be mistaken for each other at a distance. That might be a beneficial trade for Merlin, as the stranger's clothes were obviously high quality and well made for use and travel.
"Maybe I have a cousin I don't know about," Merlin said. "I should send him to look after Arthur tonight in my place. Do you think he would notice?"
Gaius chuckled, then stood and moved about the room, putting his supplies away. The stranger began to stir, shifting a little on the bed, mumbling a little to himself. Merlin tried to hear what he was saying but could only make out something about a cordial and a sleepy refusal to take it.
Gaius came and sat down at the table near Merlin again. "There's something I've been wondering about," he said. The stranger's sword had been placed on the table, and Gaius picked it up to get a closer look at it. "I'm no weapons expert, but this sword looks very well made, and not in the same make as Camelot's swords. Where did you say this young man came from?"
Merlin shrugged. "I don't know. He just showed up when the monster attacked those people. He distracted it long enough for me to get them to the main road."
"Rather impressive," Gaius mused. "Did he use magic?"
"Not that I saw. But he did get some good hits in before the snake took him out."
"Could you tell if he does have magic? If he's far from home, he might need to know about the dangers here in Camelot."
"I'm not sure I could tell without just asking him. But I could try."
Merlin held his hand out to the stranger and closed his eyes. He took some deep, calming breaths, removing all of the random distractions around him and calming his mind. He felt his magic leap to attention and let it expand past himself, reaching out into the room. He could sense Gaius next to him and feel the little spark of magic within him. He then turned his attention to the other presence in the room. Tendrils of magic brushed up against the stranger. He frowned, tilting his head a little in a confused reaction. There was no magical presence inside him, but there was strong magic around him. Instead of coming from within the young man himself, it was surrounding him like a cloak, shielding him like a layer of armor. Merlin hadn't seen anything like it before. He opened his eyes, reeling his magic back in. Gaius raised a curious eyebrow.
"He doesn't have magic as far as I can tell," Merlin said. "But there was something..."
He trailed off as the stranger stirred again, and Gaius moved around the table to take a seat by the side of the bed. Merlin got up and made his way over as well. If the stranger reacted the same way most knights did upon awakening in an unfamiliar place, Gaius would need his help.
Sure enough, the stranger startled awake, jerking up and automatically reaching out for his sword. Merlin jumped up and took ahold of his arms, gently holding him back.
"It's alright, you're safe here," he reassured him.
Merlin saw recognition dawn in the stranger's brown eyes, and he relaxed somewhat. Merlin released him, sitting back in his chair. The stranger sat back against the pillows, a thoughtful frown on his face as he took in the comfortable cot, the shelves piled with books, and the long tables cluttered with bottles and containers. Merlin gave him a cheerful smile when his attention turned back to him.
"Welcome to Camelot," he said. "You're in the court physician's chambers. He's the one that fixed you up."
The stranger noticed the bandage under his sleeve and fiddled with it a bit before turning to Gaius and Merlin. "Thank you," he said seriously.
Gaius nodded his acknowledgement.
Merlin grinned. "What's your name?"
The young man hesitated for a second, then a half smile quirked his lips up at the corners. There was a bit of a mischievous look in his eyes as he answered, "Just call me, 'Ed'. My friends do."
"Nice to meet you, Ed," Merlin replied. "My name is Merlin, and this is Gaius."
"Nice to meet you."
"How are you feeling, Ed? You took a pretty hard hit back there."
Ed sat up on the cot and swung his legs over the side so he could sit more comfortably. "I think I'm alright," he said. He moved his arms and legs and turned his head back and forth.
Gaius observed him during this, and when his patient showed no discomfort except for a slight wince when moving his injured arm, he proceeded to do his own checkup, listening to his heartbeat and breathing and checking his eyes and his head. Ed submitted to this quite easily, unlike many of the knights Merlin had seen Gaius care for. Arthur especially got extremely impatient with anything that prevented him from getting back on the sparring field or tournament grounds. This had led to many times when he left before Gaius was confident, he was ready, leading to an embarrassing collapse later. Merlin didn't mind; it was all just more ammunition for teasing.
"You seem like you're used to this," Merlin remarked.
Ed smiled a bit ruefully. "From experience, unfortunately. I have a few friends who would've given me a lecture for ending up with the court physician my first day in a new place. They would say I attract too much trouble."
Gaius finished his examination and nodded, satisfied with what he observed. Merlin gave Gaius a grin as he moved to another table to continue work on his various treatments.
"I think Gaius would say the same about me," Merlin said.
That earned him a raised eyebrow from his guardian, but he didn't give Merlin that satisfaction of any other response. The three sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the only sound in the room being the cheerful bubbling of Gaius' potions over a small flame. Merlin noticed that Ed seemed a bit preoccupied, staring out the window after the passing shadow.
"Do you remember what happened?" Merlin asked.
Ed must've been thinking deeply, for he startled a little at Merlin's question. He thought for a moment, then nodded carefully.
"I seem to remember a giant snake," he said a touch sarcastically.
Merlin laughed, undaunted by Ed's dry tone. It was no different than how he and Arthur spoke to each other, and besides, even though Ed held a straight face, there was a smile in his eyes.
"That's something you won't forget in a hurry," Merlin replied. He gave Ed a sincere smile. "I wanted to thank you. It was pretty brave what you did, protecting those people."
"It was you that did most of the saving back there," Ed replied. "You got those people out, didn't you?"
"Yeah," Merlin admitted with a bit of a sheepish grin and a shrug of his shoulders.
Ed tilted his head, brow furrowed as he thought back to his encounter with the snake. "After I went down, the next thing I remember is you. Did you scare the snake off? I didn't see a weapon on you."
Merlin glanced aside at Gaius, who shook his head slightly in reply. Merlin couldn't reveal exactly how he had driven the snake away, but he also wasn't used to his companions remembering enough after a battle to become curious. Usually, he was quick enough with an explanation that Arthur just accepted what he said. If Ed was this observant even after a giant snake attack, he'd have to be careful.
Merlin shrugged. "I guess you hit it enough times that it lost interest. By the time I got to you, it was already leaving."
Ed's gaze flickered from Gaius to Merlin and back again, a slightly skeptical look on his face. He didn't press the issue, choosing instead to ask more about life in Camelot, and Merlin breathed a little sigh of relief. He was more than eager to share. As much as he complained sometimes about his job as Arthur's servant or the misadventures, he constantly found himself at the center of, he could honestly say there wasn't anything else he'd rather be doing. He found himself telling Ed of a few of his and Arthur's adventures together. He had to stay away from his more magical escapades, of course, but even leaving that out there was still plenty to tell. Life was never dull for long in Camelot. He thought his new friend was proof enough of that.
Merlin was an enthusiastic storyteller, and he found Ed to be a ready listener. Ed settled on the edge of the cot, giving Merlin his full attention, even laughing along as Merlin made light of the messes he often got into with Arthur. He didn't interject or comment very often at first, unlike one of Merlin's more talkative friends like Gwen. Merlin didn't mind. He didn't get many chances to sit down and speak of his experiences with anyone outside of Gaius, or Gwen occasionally.
The longer they talked, Merlin found that Ed gradually opened up more. He spoke of his journey to Camelot, of the different people he met and the lands he'd seen. Hearing about someone else's adventures was just as fascinating as relating your own, Merlin found. One of his favorite parts about living in such a big city was all of the people that came through. It seemed like there was always someone new to meet, each with a different story. Soon Merlin found himself asking Ed more about where he came from, and what made him start out on his journey in the first place.
"I don't think I've seen you around before," Merlin said.
Gaius glanced over at this question, seemingly curious as well. There was a pause as Ed seemed to gather his thoughts.
"I've never been here before," Ed explained. "I was on the road because...I've been looking for a bit of an adventure. It was getting a little too dull around my home."
"Where are you from?" Merlin asked.
"My family lives on some land near Archenland, some distance east of Camelot. My older brother has been put in charge of our land, and with the help of our sisters has everything well in hand. I thought I could spend a little time exploring, meet some new people, and find some adventures. I've heard wonderful things about Camelot, so I chose this general direction when I started out."
"Well, I'm sorry about the giant snake," Merlin said. "I can't say finding one of them in the woods around Camelot is an everyday thing."
"I'm glad I could help," Ed said. He glanced around the room again. "Did you happen to find..."
Merlin picked up the sword from the table. Ed took it and smiled gratefully.
"Thanks."
"That looks very well made," Gaius observed.
Ed's expression softened as he traced the edges of the sheath. "My brother had it made for me specially for my birthday last year. It has protected me well ever since."
There came a knock at the door. Gaius went to answer it, and a servant entered the room.
"Prince Arthur requests your presence at council, Merlin," she said. "He says it's urgent."
"Of course he does," Merlin muttered to himself. "Thank you, Anna," he said aloud.
Anna smiled at him, then turned and left.
"You better see what that's about," Gaius said.
Merlin got up from his chair and started to make his way to the door when a thought struck him. He turned back around.
"You know, Ed, this is probably about the monster attack this morning. The king is going to be hearing those that were involved and most likely sending Arthur after it. You should come along, after all, you were the main one that fought it."
There was a flash of something in Ed's eyes, hesitancy maybe, or caution.
"They would want me in a court session?" he asked.
"If you're afraid of speaking up, please don't be. The king can be intimidating sometimes, but he honors those who protect others. Arthur will like you, I'm sure of it. You're the one who got close to the thing, they're going to want to hear from you."
A sort of half smile quirked Ed's lips, and he looked like he was going to protest again, but then he trailed off and looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "You're right, they would want to hear from a witness. I suppose it's alright."
"Let's go, then, before I get in trouble for being late," Merlin said. "Will he be alright if he leaves, Gaius?"
Gaius watched Ed grab his jacket and stand from the bed, strap his sword to his side, and walk towards Merlin at the door.
"Yes, I believe so. Please return if you have any problems."
"I will," Ed replied sincerely. "And thank you."
...
Gaius watched the two young men leave. He sighed as he went back to mixing the medicines he was working on. As he completed his tasks, he couldn't help but wonder about Merlin's new friend. His young ward had a tendency to connect with people easily and often showed up with someone who needed Gaius's help. The fact that they had a visitor wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but there was something about Ed that didn't quite sit well with Gaius. There was the slight hesitation when Merlin asked his name. Ed also had been very vague about where he came from and his purpose in Camelot. Neither was enough to paint a suspicious picture on their own; his story of going out to find himself through adventure could very well be the reason for the evasive answers.
Then there was his sword. Gaius didn't claim to be a weapons expert by any means, but he had been around them enough through his work and friendship with Gwen's father to know an extraordinary weapon when he saw one. This wasn't a sword from some local village's blacksmith. It's quality and strength against a magical beast such as Merlin had described made it a weapon fit for high nobility, even a king. Wherever he obtained it, Ed was in possession of a treasure.
"And it seems he uses it for the protection of others," Gaius mused.
He shook his head at his own suspicious thoughts. Not everyone who came to Camelot under slightly mysterious circumstances had malicious intent. Merlin was generally a good judge of character, and he seemed to like Ed well enough. Gaius resolved to keep his eyes open and went back to his work.