A Woman
Chapter 12: A Woman
Two arms were not enough, Merlin thought, as he tried to cover all the children's eyes simultaneously.
"Lianora! You didn't tell me your tavern was this kind of place!" He growled irately at the woman in front of him. She shrugged, mischievousness glittering in her eyes, a tray of ale tankards balanced on one hand.
"I said I was offering you a free meal. I didn't say it was going to be a wholesome one." She winked at Merlin who grimaced at the badly worded pun.
"You are incorrigible." He turned all the children towards him and gave them each a stern look. Behind them, drunk men called borderline obscene comments at waiters and waitresses alike as they passed, serving food and drinks. "You are not to look behind you, under any circumstances. I wasn't aware it was like this or I would have insisted we go somewhere else." He leveled an aggravated look at the boisterous woman calling out orders to her fellow waiters.
"Oh come on. As if you and your boys haven't frequented such taverns before?" Lianora raised an eyebrow and Merlin flushed at the memory of Gwaine dragging him to one such establishment on his 19th birthday. He could practically feel the tips of his ears burning in embarrassment.
"Still not the kind of place I would suggest to a person with children."
"Oh don't be such a ninny. This is the real world and the sooner that they see it for what it is, the better." She waved her hands dismissively and sat down at the table with them, having distributed the drinks. The red head clasped her hands and put her elbows on the table, leaning forward eagerly.
"So, tell me." When Merlin didn't answer, she raised an eyebrow expectantly, "well? You don't seriously believe that I'm going to just give this up do you? I haven't seen anything this exciting since Sir Gwaine managed to drink an entire barrel full of ale, only to vomit it on to the King himself." It was Merlin's turn to gape at her.
"Gwaine? Are you telling me the King's knights come here often?" Lianora seemed slightly concerned at the urgency in his voice, but nodded in affirmation.
"They do, although," she turned and craned her head, glancing around the tavern. Then she shook her head at Merlin.
"They aren't here right now. At least, Sir Gwaine's table is currently empty, but that could be because he usually doesn't show up until mid -afternoon." His shoulder's sagged in relief, resting his head in his hands. Merlin remembered with fondness, the many many times he'd had to go drag a piss-drunk Gwaine from the premises. He spared a glance towards the kids, who were eating happily from the plates that Lianora had put in front of them.
"You don't want to run into the Knights." Lianora noted, observing the way Merlin's eyes flickered at the mention of them. "Why?"
"I have my reasons." Her eyes brightened at that, intrigued by the non-answer. Merlin suspected it was this curiosity that had landed her in the company of the slave traders all those years ago.
"Ooh. Did you do something? Are you a criminal?" Merlin groaned, seeing the way Salazar's ears perked up at that.
"I'm nothing of the sort, thank you kindly. I just...wish to avoid complications." Lianora suddenly seemed to remember that he possessed magic and she hunched forward, no doubt to appear more secretive.
"Oh save the posh talk for someone who cares, the bigger question is are they -?" she jerked her head toward Godric, Salazar, Helga and Rowena. They stared back at her miffed at the thought of being discussed as though they weren't there.
"They are." He affirmed. Lianora squealed in delight and quickly cut off, as Merlin stomped on her foot when heads turned curiously in their direction.
"OUCH! You know, for a man, you sure are stompy. I've only ever seen wenches pull that move." She grumbled massaging her feet. "What's wrong with you anyway? If you were so desperate not to be seen here, then why did you come?"
Merlin shot a look at the kids and Lianora understood immediately.
"Ah. They canoodled you into it, did they? Well, if you keep your wits about you, it's quite possible that you can spend today without seeing anyone of them. I mean, how long do you plan to stay?" Merlin thought for a moment, he couldn't stay away unannounced from Carhaix longer than a day. But since he could apparate, they were safe to leave by sometime after nightfall.
"Probably no longer than sundown tonight." Merlin knew that now that he was here, there was one thing he had to do before leaving or he may not get another chance.
"Lianora," Something in his tone made Lianora focus on him a little more seriously." If I asked you to, could you arrange a meeting for me?" The ginger haired woman nodded.
"Sure. Depends on whom you're asking to see though. Obviously I can't go getting you an audience with King but anyone else I can probably do."
"It's his physician actually. Gaius." Lianora nodded again.
"Oh yes. I know him. When I opened my tavern here, he came once to get Sir Gwaine. But, " Lianora bit her lip, as if debating whether or not to say it.
"What?"
"Huh?"
"You want to ask me something. Go ahead."
Her eyes wavered a moment, and then she let out a little laugh.
"It's just, well, who shall I say wants to see him? That night, you never gave me your name."
Merlin reached out and squeezed her shoulder.
"I'm sorry I didn't but at the time, I couldn't afford to tell anyone who I was. My name, " he lowered his voice enough that Lianora had to strain to hear the words. "Merlin, but what you will tell Gaius, is that an old friend wants to see him, and he's staying here." Merlin rummaged through his pockets and handed Lianora a handkerchief, one that Gaius had given him, a cloth of blue and red. "Hand him this and he should understand." Lianora pocketed the item and sat back.
"Alright. I'll go now then. But what will you do then, in the meantime? I have a room in which you can meet him, but what of -" She gestured to the kids, and Merlin had to honestly pause for consideration. There was so much he needed to say to Gaius, he wanted to introduce the children as well, but how would he... then he had a flash of insight.
"Your sister has children, does she not?" Lianora motioned to a group of youth sat in the back room of the tavern. They seemed to be sitting in the back sorting herbs and packing meats for curing.
"That’s them. Della, she's the blonde, Earna, that’s her tossing the venison like a brute, honestly that child. And over in the corner, the moron that's trying to drop a mouse on Della's head, is the eldest, Rowley." She shook her head.
"Why people have children I'll never understand. Horrid trolls, all of them. I can't believe Ma even put up with us. I know I was an absolute nightmare." Merlin saw, despite her merrymaking, the small flash of envy in her face.
"You're not married then?" Her expression turned back into the one of mischievousness that Merlin was beginning to think was her default and nudged him in the shoulder with her own.
"Why? Are you interested?" Merlin feigned an expression of horror.
"God's no. I think we'd throw each other off a cliff before the nightfall of the first day." He turned serious again. " But honestly, why aren't you? You're attractive, and you possess a keener mind than I've seen in most people." Lianora gave him a sort of self – deprecating look, as if to say, can't you see?
"That's just it see? Here, the menfolk don't want a woman that speaks her mind. They want a trophy piece, a lady that can slop food on the table and do well in the services she ought to provide her husband." She wrinkled her nose in disgust, a clear indicator of what she thought of that concept. Merlin wholeheartedly agreed, the last 7 years, spent unwillingly as a woman had taught him much about the life they led. The honest to god rubbish they dealt with from men even from other women was incredible. Lianora shrugged her shoulders.
"Besides, what kind of a man would be willing to marry a woman who runs a tavern?" She looked wistfully off into space, her eyes showing Merlin that she had gone to another place in her mind.
"There was a man. Once. I thought I might've had a life with him. But I guess the Lord's had more need of him in the afterlife than I did here." She came back to herself suddenly, and Merlin could literally the curtains slam shut over Lianora's eyes, cloaking the vulnerable side of to the world. She stood up abruptly, stretching her arms overhead, a vulgar gesture for a woman to be making if the looks she was receiving from people was anything to go over. Lianora ignored It.
"Well then. I'll be off to find this physician of yours for you. See that room upstairs? On the right side? Yeah just wait there, and I'll get the kids to meet. You just sit tight there."
With that, Lianora grabbed Godric, Salazar, Helga and Rowena, and with an enthusiasm that was in all honesty a little frightening, she carted them off to meet her sister's kids.
. . . . . . . .
"Oh for god's sakes!" Gaius sat down heavily as a vial of rosemary extract shattered on the floor from an errant move of his hand. His grey hair mussed messily on his head, and his head pounding, Gaius found himself sorely missing the young boy that had been an integral part of his life for the better part of the 5 years. He hadn't thought it, but when Merlin had turned up, 12 years ago with nothing but the bags on his back and a note from his mother, he'd gained the son he'd never been able to have.
It had been with a heavy heart that he'd listened to Lancelot's hushed recounting of what had transpired that fateful day in the courtyard. Lancelot had come to tell him in advance so that Gaius would be able to conceal the books of magic that he had loaned the young warlock. So when the King arrived, a veritable human blaze of anger, he'd found nothing in Merlin's personal possessions to confiscate.
He'd then rounded on Gaius. It wasn't a look he was soon to forget either, despite 7 years having transpired since that particular event. The cold fury that had sat in the forefront of Arthur's gaze was terrifying and almost a mirror image of Uther's, all those years ago, when the death of Ygraine had started the Purge. The physician had been wary of the new King, worried that perhaps he'd read the youth wrong and that he would be destined to follow in his father's footsteps with the same anger that head to the deaths of hundreds and still continued to this day, beyond his demise.
"You knew didn't you? Tell me!" At Gaius's hesitation,Arthur did something he'd never done before. He crowded in so close to the physician that Gaius had had to take an incredulous step back. Maybe Arthur had seen the surprise in Gaius's eyes but it was like he'd been slapped. He quickly looked contrite, like he was horrified to be raising his voice at the man who had been present at his own birth.
"Please Gaius. I have to know."
"I did, sire." Arthur closed his eyes, another confirmation of Merlin's corruption.
"Why?" He whispered. So quietly in fact, that Gaius didn't hear him the first time.
"Sire?"
"Why didn't you tell me Gaius?" His blue eyes snapped open, and now they held accusation in them, swimming amongst the unshed tears of other emotions that Gaius hadn't the heart to identify.
"We could have saved him." Silence encompassed them for a moment as Arthur looked wildly around the room and then covered his eyes with one hand, head down.
"If you had told me, maybe Merlin wouldn't have -" The words caught in the young King's throat, thick with emotion and he looked up once, at Gaius, who was thunderstruck at the display. Then he turned curtly and strode out of the physician's chambers, the clanking of his armor audible until a loud bang sounded, signaling the slamming shut of the gate at the end of the corridor.
It had been a trying few weeks after that. Arthur had gone into something like a stunned depression. It manifested in a stony silence that seemed to lie over the castle like a freezing blanket. Gwenivere had tried to talk to him about Merlin and all that had resulted from that was a row that echoed throughout the corridors and hallways.
Arthur put his foot down. No one was to mention Merlin in front of him. At all, ever. Once things had died down, Gaius knew that things would change, and the last thing they needed was Hunith coming to the castle because she suspected something was wrong. So Gaius took out Merlin's pay from his own and sent them monthly down to Ealdor. He had to do it, knowing that the last place the boy would go, would be his home village.
He got up again, and sighed, reaching for the broom and sweeping the shattered glass into a corner and watched the clear liquid seep into the floor beneath the wood. A clatter behind him, made him turn around to see a young woman staring at him. Her hair, shocking red, surrounded her oval face like a ring of fire and she looked at him, smoothing her fingers over the pockets in her dress.
"Can I help you young lady?" Gaius asked mildly, resting the broom against the wall.
"I'm uh, I'm Lianora. From the tavern in the upper town?" She looked doubtful that he would know who she was.
"Ah yes." He shook an amused finger in her direction as he sat back down in a chair. His back had begun to give him trouble of late, making it difficult to remain standing for longer periods of time. "The Terry Tavern. A favorite of the Knights I believe. Now what can I do for you."
She shuffled forward, unconsciously hunched over like she was trying to seem inconspicuous.
"There's a guest at my tavern that would like to meet you." Gaius shook his head before she had finished her sentence.
"I'm sorry, but I don't do house calls anymore I'm afraid." He rubbed his aching hip and smiled apologetically. That was when Lianora pulled the handkerchief out of her pocket and held it out to him.
"Here. I was told you would know who it was if you saw this. I can't tell you their name."
Gaius snatched it out of her hands, clutching the small square of fabric. He looked up at her, and Lianora found she had tears in her eyes, mirroring the ones in Gaius's.
"Truly?"
She nodded and Gaius wiped his eyes, and got up. Tottering around, unsteady on his feet as he grabbed a small satchel and filled it with the fruit that sat on his table and a couple books off of his shelf. Then he turned, and holding the bag to his chest.
"Take me to him." Lianora walked out and Gaius walked out behind her, a spring in his step that had been absent in recent times.
. . . . . .
Gwenievere blew out the candle in her bedroom, the one she had been using to heat a bun. As she put it in her mouth, she noticed Gaius's figure, a small miniature of light grey, and with a woman, tall and voluptous.
A pair of hands came to rest on her hips and Gwenivere turned her head slightly, pecking Arthur on the cheek before he rested his forehead on her shoulder.
"Hello you."
"Hey to you as well. What are you looking at?" Gwenivere knocked her head into his slightly, Arthur returning the affectionate gesture.
"Gaius. He's leaving the castle with his physician's bag. I haven't seen him do that in ages. Where do you suppose he's going?" Arthur shrugged against her back, uninterested.
"Maybe he has a patient, one that needs him?"
"Yeah but, he gets even the urgent cases brought to him. So what's making him leave here on his own?"
. . . . . .
Merlin felt everything in him rattling with anxiety as he paced in the room that Lianora had pointed to him to. The room was bare except for a bed and a table on which was a lone candelabra. There was a window opposite him, through which sunlight shone reassuringly through.
Below him, he could hear the sounds of Godric and Salazar laughing as Rowley told a joke that had the girls shrieking in indignancy. Perhaps that was the reason why he was taken by surprise when the door to the room swung open, the hinges squealing in protest at the movement.
"Merlin!"
And suddenly his vision was all gray as he was being squeezed and he managed to gasp out in exasperation.
"Gaius! Can’t breathe!"
Suddenly the pressure eased off, and Merlin could finally see him. Older and graying more than he had been before, but it was still him. It was still Gaius.
And with the way the physician looked at him, it was almost enough to convince himself that nothing had changed.
"Why in God's name are you a woman?"
Well. Almost nothing.