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He came to in a soft place, but oh, his head hurt! There were voices and he groaned because he couldn’t make them out. But as he came further awake, he identified the voice saying, “Arthur? Arthur?” Merlin.
“What happened? Where am I?” he asked. It felt familiar, but not a whole lot was making sense right now.
“Can you remember anything?”
“Oh! My head! There was a girl. Sophia, she . . . I asked my father something about her, I asked him . . .” Oh no! He sat up in bed (that’s where he was). “What was I thinking?” Arthur said.
“Well, we did wonder. Especially when you eloped with her last night.”
“I did what?”
“Merlin had to bring you back to Camelot,” Gaius said.
He was here too? “I don't recall any of this.”
“Must've been some blow,” Gaius mused.
Huh? “What blow?”
“Well . . . uh . . . when I caught up with you, I couldn't persuade you to return, you were beyond reason. So I had to make you,” Merlin explained.
“You managed to knock me out?”
“Yep. With a lump of wood.” He looked way too cheerful about it.
“He only did it to bring you back safely,” Gaius added.
Arthur pointed menacingly at Merlin. No one . . . can know about this.” He turned to point at Gaius. “Any of it. Is that understood?”
Merlin and Gaius looked at each other and nodded; Arthur fell back on his pillows. “Does this mean you remember more of it?” Merlin asked.
“No! And if you want to live, you’ll forget it too.”
Merlin snickered. “Not likely.”
“Merlin!” Gaius interrupted.
“Fine. I’ll stop. But will he ever regain his memories? Not that he’ll want to . . . “
“What do you mean?” Arthur asked.
“Sophia had you under an enchantment, so your behavior was quite . . . interesting.”
“Explain.”
“She made you fall in love with her really quickly. People got suspicious. You also treated me horribly, but that’s not new. You shirked your duties—”
“Okay, now I’m sorry I asked.”
“Merlin, stop needling him. Now come on; he needs his rest.” Gaius stood and pulled his protégé with him. He looked over at Arthur. “I’ll be back in a few hours to check on you. Please get some rest.”
“Will do.”
Gaius and Merlin left while Arthur settled back into his pillows. His headache was fading; Gaius must have given him something while he was asleep. He closed his eyes and relaxed, but a sudden thought made him open them again. Whatever happened to Sophia and Aulfric?