TITLE: The Choice

AUTHOR: finn1013

SUMMARY: When a young girl is accused of sorcery both Merlin and Arthur have a choice to make, the outcome of which will change everything. Set mid S4 but not episode specific. No slash.

SPOILERS: None that relate to specific episodes

RATING: T

Maisie was the only daughter of Ulric, the Steward of the Royal Household. She was small for her age, snub-nosed, with a thin, wiry build and a gangle of arms and legs and awkwardness that showed no sign of being ready to smooth out into young adulthood.

She had tousled hair the same shade as the ripened wheat that grew in the fields to the east of Camelot, and her hair hung in perpetual disarray past her shoulders, hair that to her mother's continued despair was always in need of a good brush. Merlin had been witness many times to her mother's fond threat of that hair is getting cut short Maisie, if you don't tidy it up right now! yet somehow, this never happened.

Merlin remembered Maisie's tenth birthday a few months ago, her mother worked in the castle's kitchens and had made a huge cake, lovely and moist and bursting with fruits and nuts. She'd slipped two pieces on Arthur's dinner tray, one for the king and, she'd said with a grin at Merlin, one for his manservant-advisor too.

Maisie's oldest brother had joined the castle's guards recently, Maisie had chattered excitedly about it for days to Merlin and anyone else who would listen, and dragged Merlin over more than once to the postern gate to admire her brother in his new, smart uniform.

And she was just a child, bright-eyed, happy and talkative, innocent to the bad in the world, but now she was locked up in Camelot's dungeons, accused of practicing sorcery.

Arthur paced back and forth in his chambers. He was covered in a layer of sweat and grime, he'd just returned from a half day patrol with his knights where they'd had a minor skirmish with a handful of bandits. He waited impatiently as Merlin fumbled in his wardrobe for a change of clothes, he hadn't seen the child yet, but the news of her arrest had been relayed to him as soon as he'd returned.

Agravaine had delivered the news personally, the child was Arthur's first case of sorcery since his father's death. Agravaine was baying for her blood, his words were still ringing in Arthur's ears; magic is dangerous, and this threat to the kingdom must be eliminated. There was more unspoken, his uncle hadn't said so, but the words were still there, silent but insistent, Sire, you know what your father would have done.

Arthur glanced across at Merlin, his manservant was tense, his back was stiff and his movements more uncoordinated than usual, but that was no surprise, the child was so young and he'd been well aware of the colour draining from Merlin's face when he'd been told what happened. Arthur continued his pacing and tried pretend he wasn't going to justify himself to Merlin but he knew he had to make him understand, for some reason he didn't care to examine too closely, he needed Merlin's good opinion, and his manservant, no, his friend, was too inherently soft-hearted for his own good.

Arthur cleared his throat, and Merlin's head swivelled around, but one darting look at Arthur's face was apparently enough and then he was presented with Merlin's rigid back again.

Arthur sighed. "Agravaine said there were witnesses, many of them." He ticked them off with his fingers. "Geoffrey of Monmouth. Gaius. The blacksmith who took over Gwen's father's forge. The apothecary from the lower town." He grimaced and stripped off his dirty shirt, draping it over the dressing screen, not bothering to go behind it.

Merlin finally spoke. "What happened, what did she do?" Merlin had been on patrol with Arthur, he'd missed the buzz of news spreading through the castle on his return as he'd made his way straight to Arthur's chambers to prepare a change of clothes, the king had been running late for a council session.

Arthur dipped a cloth in the bowl Merlin had placed on the table, and wiped the damp fabric across his face. Water trickled down his neck. "It seems one of my hunting dogs escaped, the new one Sir Walter gave me last month. The child was playing with the miller's baby near the town well and the dog went for them. She threw the dog in the air, it snapped his spine."

Merlin knew the animal. He was huge and vicious, the perfect hunter but not a dog to be let loose amongst the general populace; he'd once escaped from his pen and bitten several people before he could be captured again.

Merlin grimaced. "Maybe it was ... a lucky kick, or something. It mightn't have been magic."

Arthur tossed the cloth back into the bowl, water splashed and slopped over the edge. His clenched fists hit the table with a thud. "Her eyes were gold. They were gold, Merlin! The dog ended up on the roof of a house, dead. It can't be disputed, there were too many witnesses. Leon and Gwaine saw it too, I've spoken with them."

Merlin turned away from Arthur's anger, feeling his own simmering. He cursed his inaction, his failure to do something earlier. He'd sensed weak stirrings of magic in Maisie on and off for months now. Why hadn't he done something about it? He should have spoken to her father, or her mother. But they had no trace of magic themselves, he'd had no idea how to approach them. He'd thought about suggesting a visit to the druids, but the family had so many ties to the castle, he couldn't have seen them believing him until she'd shown some sign.

And he was sure Ulric would have been furious at the suggestion, while he had no idea about the man's actual stance on magic, the Steward was a man who liked to play by the rules of Camelot, to him everything was either black or white, there was no in-between.

Merlin felt like he'd failed her. But he hadn't thought her magic would intensify so soon, the last few times he'd noticed her over the course of several weeks, her magic was always dormant, barely perceivable. And a child who had the faintest trace of magic did not necessarily ever gain the strength to use it, inadvertently or not, Gaius had told him that often enough. Merlin had hoped if her magic did become active in some way it wouldn't manifest itself in a public display.

He should have spoken with her mother, Ulric may not have been approachable, but what if her mother had already noticed something? Why hadn't he done it before now, before it was too late?

He'd been standing motionless, crushing Arthur's clean shirt and breeches between his hands. He realised what he was doing and smoothed out the fabric, placing them both on the bed with unsteady hands. He asked slowly, "What are you going to do?"

Arthur ran a dry towel over his chest and arms and yanked the shirt over his head. "I don't know yet. But the law must be upheld."

Merlin felt sick, surely Arthur wouldn't execute her? He couldn't, it wasn't his destiny to be another Uther. Merlin ran a hand across his eyes and forced the words out, words that hadn't left his head in months. "You told me once that magic was pure evil." He remembered the look on Arthur's face when he'd said them, he'd never forget. "Do you believe that of Maisie?"

There was silence for a moment. Arthur's face was grim. Then he said, "Pure evil? No. She's a child. But the potential is there. Magic can corrupt, it will corrupt, I see it time and time again."

Merlin turned to stare out the window, seeing everything and nothing. He didn't know how much more of this he could take, sometimes he wondered if the dragon had got it all wrong. He struggled to find the words, to keep them temperate, to not let his hurt and disappointment show. "Arthur, if magic was developing in you, if you discovered today that you had magic, do you really think it'd change the essence of who you are, that your values, beliefs and ideals would warp into something completely the opposite?"

"Me? Probably not, Merlin. But you see, I am the king, so I already have power. Magic can give too much power to those who are not capable of wielding it responsibly."

Merlin fought to keep his emotions in check. "So that alone warrants her death? Her potential? Because you seem to think she'll grow up into another Morgana you'll execute her now before it happens?"

Arthur was irritated. "What's gotten into you today?"

Merlin tipped his head back against the wall near the window and closed his eyes. He didn't want to have this argument with Arthur, he shouldn't have to. Arthur was meant to unite Albion and return magic to the land. But when would that happen? In another year? In twenty? How would it happen if he started his reign killing a child with magic? It would never be forgotten, and possibly not forgiven, not by those with magic. And Merlin didn't know how much longer he could keep watching and waiting, and doing nothing. Uther was dead, his legacy couldn't live on, not like this, it couldn't be. Merlin's eyes stung and his nose prickled. "She's just a child ... and it's not her fault."

Arthur tugged his dirty boots off and they hit the floor with a thud. "My father would have executed her, and her family. That I will not do, she's a child. Maybe we'll have to keep her confined somehow and test her capabilities as she grows older, Gaius might have some ideas, he'd have seen magic in children prior to the Great Purge."

Merlin turned around, horrified. "Keep her in the dungeons? Arthur, surely not?"

Arthur gave him a sharp look as he pulled on another pair of boots. "I know you're fond of her Merlin, I saw you talking to her last week, but you have to understand, things have to change when you discover that someone has magic. You're too soft-hearted, but still, maybe there's another option. Perhaps banishment."

Merlin felt his breathing speed up. He shook his head, but took care to keep his tone controlled, to appear calm. "Arthur ... but where? Her life is in Camelot, her family is in Camelot, they've been here for generations, surely they'd go with her whatever happens, they're a close family, they love her." He remembered the fear on his mother's face when he'd done something magical and visible as a child, he'd not understood until he was almost Maisie's age just what could happen to them. He bit his lip. "Ulric is the Chief Steward, your Seneschal, he's worked for your father for over twenty years, he's completely loyal to you, as are her mother and brothers. To banish her would be to banish them all."

He could see Arthur was growing impatient with the discussion, his mind was moving ahead to the judgement he'd have to pass in the throne room. Yet when he spoke, his voice wasn't entirely unsympathetic. "But at least they'd still have a life, Merlin. That much I can give them." He gripped Merlin's shoulder briefly, and Merlin knew his face must look as terrible as he felt.

But Merlin couldn't stop now, he tried again, he knew this was his last chance, while they were alone, before Agravaine had the king's ear again. "Arthur ... you've always shown compassion to your people, you always look after their best interests. Please don't take them away from the only life they've ever known. She needs help, not punishment."

"I don't have a choice, Merlin. Which is the lesser of the evils, execution, imprisonment or banishment? Agravaine believes she's got the potential to damage the kingdom, I know he'll want her executed."

Agravaine again! Merlin tried unsuccessfully to hold back his resentment. "Well, he's wrong!" The words were out before he could moderate them.

Arthur's anger was a warning. "I beg your pardon? You think you know better? Agravaine has years of experience in combat and tactics, including defeating magical threats. Stick to what you know best, Merlin."

That hurt, it did, a reminder that he was considered to be nothing more than a worthless servant. He swallowed past the lump forming in his throat and tried not to let the pain show on his face. Regardless, he knew Arthur well enough to know he didn't mean it, not totally anyway, Arthur lashed out under pressure, Merlin had to hope he was feeling a twinge of conscience prickle at him.

Merlin looked at Arthur and said quietly, "I know more about magic than you'd think."

Arthur's reaction was as predictable as it was dismissive. "Look, I know you're just trying to help. But you're not." His tone eased. "You're a good friend, Merlin. But I'm the king, and sometimes the decisions I make aren't going to be popular, but they will always be in the best interests of the kingdom, always. You have to understand that."

Merlin hated this feeling of helplessness. He needed more time to think, he wasn't ready, he hadn't prepared for this. He should have thought, he should have planned. He tried again, knowing he was sounding like he was openly begging. "She needs help to control the magic. She's a child, Arthur. Her parents don't have magic, her siblings don't, sometimes it happens that way. She's alone with abilities she cannot control. She needs someone to help her, someone to teach her to control it, so she doesn't unintentionally hurt someone."

Arthur was losing patience with this discussion. "I see. And who's going to do that, Merlin? Hell, I know, why don't we invite Morgana back to Camelot, the child can learn from her, so she'll be another great adversary in a few years, someone else who'll kill my people. Now enough of this, they'll be waiting for me, I have to go."

"Arthur ..." Merlin couldn't let him go, Arthur had to understand, it was about more than one little girl, the future of his kingdom hung in the balance, Albion would never be united if Arthur treated her unjustly. Merlin's hands were shaking with the enormity of what he had to do.

But Arthur shook his head and yanked open the drawer of his bedside table. "No more of this. Come on, now where did you put the bloody crown?"

"Arthur ..." The crown was in the wardrobe under a pile of clean shirts, but he didn't say so.

Arthur slammed the drawer shut. "I don't have time for this Merlin!"

And Merlin knew. He knew what he had to do. Something had to give. The moment had come. He had to make a choice between right and wrong, between doing nothing and saving this child. He had to up the ante, to make Arthur really think.

Merlin had been waiting so long, for the right moment, never daring to push his destiny in case he was wrong and everything he'd worked for shattered in an instant. But as Arthur had a destiny, so too did he, he was Emrys, and he had a responsibility to this child, to get the best possible outcome for her. And Arthur was the Once and Future King. He was king now. And Merlin had to give him the opportunity to do what was right, Arthur could not start his reign by wronging a magical child.

In the end it was so simple.

Merlin turned slowly. His shaking had ceased. He'd remember it all. The tiny spider in its web in the corner of the window pane. The distant hum of people in the courtyard below that filtered through the open window. And Arthur's voice, he'd remember that too, and right now it was coming from so far away, a faint thread of sound that barely registered.

Merlin looked at the dirt coating the sleeves of his brown jacket. Suddenly he felt hot, and he took it off and dropped it on the floor. Merlin had always wondered how it'd go, and this would be it, the moment of truth. This child would be the catalyst for change for both of them even if he didn't know exactly how it would end.

Arthur was in front of him. "Merlin, what is wrong with you today? You're not even listening now, are you?"

He'd made his choice, for better or for worse. There could be no more like this, no more who were children, no more who had innocent motives, no more like Maisie. He said calmly, "I need to speak with you."

Arthur heaved a great sigh of annoyance and shook his head.

Merlin leant back against the wall. He felt eerily calm, and his voice was soft. "Arthur. Not execution, not imprisonment, not banishment. You have another alternative."

Arthur barely glanced at him, he was stalking around his room, clearly irritated but not entirely surprised by this discussion, after all, oddness was normal for Merlin. Arthur peered under his bed. "Make it quick. And where did you put the crown?"

Merlin was certain now, of what he had to do, even if he didn't know how it'd turn out. "I'll do it. I'll teach her. I'll help her."

"What?" He had Arthur's attention again now, the incredulity on his face would have been comical in other circumstances.

Merlin met his eyes steadily. "You heard me. I'll help her."

"What the hell? You?" His disbelieving scoff was almost insulting. "Merlin, what makes you think you or anyone else can help her? Just because you've read a few of Gaius's books you're suddenly an expert on magic? That's a stretch. Magic is dangerous, she may kill you by accident! You're a bigger idiot than I'd thought if you think I'm going to let you get caught up in this."

Merlin issued his challenge. "Think, Arthur. Do you trust me?"

Arthur didn't want to hear. "That's not what this is about, Merlin. Sometimes you need protecting from yourself and this'd be one of those times."

"But it is about trust. You see, I trust you. You're my king. I trust you, Arthur, to do what is right and just. But you're misunderstanding me. Maisie could not possibly hurt me with magic. And I can help her. I'm the best person to entrust her with, Arthur, if you trust me."

Arthur stared at him blankly. "Merlin? What are you saying?"

"What do you think I'm saying, Arthur?" He paused and looked at his king openly. "What do you want me to say?" Did he understand he'd just been told his oldest friend, his trusted friend, had magic? Or did he think Merlin the idiot was getting in over his head again and meddling in matters beyond him?

Arthur almost spoke, but then he didn't, and Merlin realised he didn't know what to say.

Merlin ducked his head to hide the brief flash of gold in them, then looked back at Arthur. "It's on the table."

"What?"

"Your crown, it's on the table, beside your washing water."

Arthur's face was uncomprehending. He turned slowly and stared at the crown, and then at Merlin. The crown hadn't been there a moment ago, but Merlin could tell Arthur was now unsure if it had been or not, in light of the conclusion he'd have to draw if it hadn't already been there. Merlin breathed and waited. The silence grew.

There was a sharp rap on the door, they both jumped, and Agravaine's voice called out, "Sire, are you ready?"

Arthur gave Merlin an unreadable glance then strode over to the table and picked up his crown. He yanked open the door, then paused and glanced at Merlin, who hadn't moved. He said tightly, "Follow me. Now."

He didn't wait to see if he was obeyed, and Merlin hurried after him. Arthur was striding in quick, angry steps, beside him Agravaine was hurrying to keep up.

Merlin trailed behind, and Arthur didn't look back.

tbc