Gaius' Chambers (also known as the Physician's Chambers) are the personal quarters and workspace of Gaius, the Court Physician, and his apprentice Merlin.
Located in one of the castle towers, these chambers contain numerous tables, chairs, shelves, and cots made of worn, dark wood. Most available surfaces are cluttered with potions, bowls, vials, papers, and other tools of Gaius' trade.
Gaius also owns a vast library containing books about science, medicine, magic, and magical creatures, many of which are stored on an interior balcony.
Gaius' chambers also have a small adjoining room that serves as both Merlin's bedroom and additional storage. It contains a bed, table, cupboard, desk, and chair. It also has a secret compartment in the floorboards, which Merlin uses to hide his grimoire.
History
When Merlin entered Gaius' chambers for the first time, he saved Gaius' life from a fall from the balcony. He used his magic to slow time and move a bed beneath Gaius before he hit the floor (The Dragon's Call).
Ewan was taken to Gaius' chambers after he suffered a mysterious snakebite during the Tournament of Camelot. Gaius concocted an antidote after Merlin discovered the bite had come from the snakes on Valiant's shield, but Valiant sent another snake to kill Ewan before he could testify before the court (Valiant).
When Camelot was stricken with a magical plague, Arthur conducted a door to door search for evidence of sorcery. When he searched Gaius' chambers, he nearly found Merlin's grimoire on the floor of his room (The Mark of Nimueh).
After Merlin was poisoned by Nimueh, Arthur carried him to Gaius' chambers, where Gaius and Gwen tended to him until Arthur returned with an antidote (The Poisoned Chalice).
When Lancelot was injured saving Merlin from a Griffin, Merlin took him to Gaius' chambers so the physician could treat him. Lancelot stayed with them while pursuing his dream of becoming a Knight of Camelot, but was forced to leave after he was banished for using a forged a seal of nobility (Lancelot).
Gaius briefly moved out of his chambers when Edwin replaced him as Camelot's court physician (A Remedy to Cure All Ills).
Morgana frequently visited Gaius' chambers for sleeping draughts to help with her nightmares (The Gates of Avalon).
Merlin used medical supplies stolen from Gaius' chambers to treat Mordred's infected arm (The Beginning of the End).
Arthur was brought to Gaius' chambers after he was bitten by the Questing Beast. Merlin used several healing spells in an attempt to save him, but was ultimately forced to make a bargain with Nimueh. He thought he was making a deal to trade his own life for Arthur's, but she tricked him and struck his mother with a deadly plague. Hunith used the last of her strength to travel to Gaius' chambers, where she stayed until Gaius bartered his life for her's (Le Morte d'Arthur).
Merlin returns to find their chambers in shambles.
While helping Arthur with his plan to enter the annual jousting tournament in secret, Merlin frequently got in trouble with Gaius because he was neglecting his chores (The Once and Future Queen).
After Catrina accused Merlin of theft, he was forced to become a fugitive. He hid in a barrel of grain during the initial search and later helped Gaius create a potion that would expose Catrina's true form (Beauty and the Beast).
When Aredian accused Merlin of sorcery, he organized a search of Gaius' chambers for evidence. The guards ransacked the place, throwing books, overturning tables, and smashing potions and furniture until they found a magical amulet that Aredian had hidden ahead of time. Desperate to save Merlin, Gaius claimed that the amulet was his and was subsequently arrested and sentenced to death (The Witchfinder).
Merlin used a length of rope from Gaius' chambers to help Arthur escape from his chambers (The Sins of the Father).
After Morgause struck Camelot with a powerful sleeping enchantment, Merlin and Arthur returned to find Gaius passed out on his work table. They left soon afterwards to search for Uther, but Merlin later came back to try to wake Gaius with his magic (The Fires of Idirsholas).
When Merlin accidentally released a Goblin, he and Gaius tried to recapture it by luring it to their chambers. However, the Goblin escaped by possessing Gaius. Later, Merlin and Gwen came up with a plan to force the Goblin out of Gaius by tricking it into licking poisoned gold. When the Goblin left Gaius' dying body, Merlin rushed to capture it while Gwen administered the antidote (Goblin's Gold).
After Gwaine was injured helping them in a tavern brawl, Merlin and Arthur took him back to the citadel so Gaius could treat him. He stayed with Merlin and Gaius while recovering, but left after he was banished for attacking a pair of visiting knights who were threatening Merlin (Gwaine).
When Morgana suffered a serious skull fracture, Uther spent most of the following day in Gaius' chambers sitting vigil at her bedside. It was during this time that he revealed to Gaius (and, unknowingly, Merlin and Morgana) that he was Morgana's father. Later, after watching her friends and family struggle with her fate, Merlin used his magic to heal her (The Crystal Cave).
Merlin battles the Sidhe Elder.
After Merlin discovered that Princess Elena was a changeling, the Sidhe Elder snuck into his room during the night to kill him. Fortunately, Merlin woke before the Elder attacked and destroyed him with his magical staff (The Changeling).
When Gaius invited his former fiancée Alice to stay with him, she was given Merlin's room and Merlin slept on the floor in the main chamber. As he tried to get comfortable during the night, Merlin heard Alice speaking to someone and peered through the door to see her harvesting venom from a Manticore (Love in the Time of Dragons).
When Morgause and Morgana conquered Camelot with their immortal army, Merlin found Gaius hiding in a cupboard in their chambers and collected his grimoire and the Avalon Vial from his room (The Coming of Arthur).
Gaius' former apprentice, Julius Borden, visited his chambers to try to persuade the physician to help him find the last dragon egg (Aithusa).
While possessed by a Fomorroh, Merlin used aconite from Gaius' chambers in an attempt to kill Arthur (A Servant of Two Masters).
After Alator of the Catha kidnapped Gaius for Morgana, Agravaine planted a book of sorcery in his chambers to make it appear as though Gaius had turned traitor and left of his own accord (The Secret Sharer).
When Lancelot miraculously returned from the dead, he temporarily moved into Gaius' chambers. Merlin was happy to have his friend back, but soon became suspicious of his story and used a pentacle enchantment to determine that Lancelot was actually a Shade (Lancelot du Lac).
When Arthur accidentally released his father from the Spirit World, Uther tried to rectify some of the mistakes he felt Arthur had made as king by attacking Percival and trying to kill Gwen, both of whom were treated by Gaius in his chambers (The Death Song of Uther Pendragon).
When Mithian fled to Camelot after the fall of Nemeth, she was taken to Gaius for treatment (Another's Sorrow).
Gaius looks after Merlin as he recovers from the Gean Canach.
When Mordred was mortally wounded by the Disir, Gaius soon determined that only Merlin's magic could save him. Merlin refused, however, and said he could not save the life of someone destined to kill Arthur (The Disir).
After Percival and Leon were bitten by Morgana's snakes during Gwen's kidnapping, they were taken to Gaius' chambers for treatment (The Dark Tower).
After Mordred revealed that Merlin was her enemy Emrys, Morgana sent one of her men to hide a Gean Canach in his room. It attacked Merlin when he returned from the tavern and devoured his magic, after which Gaius killed it with a shovel (The Diamond of the Day).
Appearances
- Series 1
- The Dragon's Call
- Valiant
- The Mark of Nimueh
- The Poisoned Chalice
- Lancelot
- A Remedy to Cure All Ills
- The Gates of Avalon
- The Beginning of the End
- Excalibur
- The Moment of Truth
- The Labyrinth of Gedref
- To Kill the King
- Le Morte d'Arthur
- Series 2
- The Curse of Cornelius Sigan
- The Once and Future Queen
- The Nightmare Begins
- Lancelot and Guinevere
- Beauty and the Beast
- The Witchfinder
- The Sins of the Father
- The Lady of the Lake
- Sweet Dreams
- The Witch's Quickening
- The Fires of Idirsholas
- The Last Dragonlord
- Series 3
- The Tears of Uther Pendragon
- Goblin's Gold
- Gwaine
- The Crystal Cave
- The Changeling
- The Castle of Fyrien
- The Eye of the Phoenix
- Love in the Time of Dragons
- Queen of Hearts
- The Sorcerer's Shadow
- The Coming of Arthur
- Series 4
- The Darkest Hour
- The Wicked Day
- Aithusa
- A Servant of Two Masters
- The Secret Sharer
- Lamia
- Lancelot du Lac
- A Herald of the New Age
- The Hunter's Heart
- Series 5
- Arthur's Bane
- The Death Song of Uther Pendragon
- Another's Sorrow
- The Disir
- The Dark Tower
- A Lesson in Vengeance
- The Hollow Queen
- With All My Heart
- The Kindness of Strangers
- The Drawing of the Dark
- The Diamond of the Day: Part One
Trivia
- Among Gaius' possessions is a leech tank, which Merlin is occasionally tasked with cleaning (The Once and Future Queen).
Gallery
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To view the Gaius' Chambers gallery, click here.
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