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DISCLAIMER: IT'S NOT MINE!

Merlin snuck round the back off the crowd surrounding the stake, this was the second burning he'd seen today, the first had very interesting consequences including an old lady appearing in the crowd vowing revenge on the king. He definitely didn't want to be near the front row for this execution.

There was already a crowd surrounding the base of the stake so Merlin was standing farther back than he was at the previous one yet he was still close enough to have a decent view of what was to unfold.

Suddenly a drum beat started playing. Uthur Pendragon walked onto one of the many balconies surrounding the castle. He surveyed the crowd before speaking; " People of Camelot, this is what happens for the use and practise of Magic, let this be a lesson to each and every one of you."

He motioned to the guards standing by a shadowy arch way and they marched forward, dragging a young girl in chains with them. An immediate, stunned reaction swept the crowd - this girl was different in two ways to any of the other burnings the crowd had witnessed- she looked terrified, too scared to move so she was dragged towards the stake and she was also only about fourteen years old.

The Prince Arthur who was standing next to the king, turned to his father saying angrily- forgetting that the whole crowd could hear him - " Father, look at her she's too young please she's still a child. Let her go back to the dungeons, it's hardly a better fate there than being burned at the stake! Please, don't kill her, she hardly looks like a dangerous sorcerer!" Uthur looked at his son, thinking how he might show some mercy on one so young- for now. He turned to the guards holding the girl harshly in their grasp, Merlin looked at her as well the girl looked up for the first time to reveal a pretty and tear streaked yet suddenly hopeful face, as if she might be saved.

She looked so overcome with the whole ordeal that she collapsed, the guards roughly picked her up and looked at Uthur, expectantly. The King glared down at them before yelling: " Clear the square and take her back to the dungeons!" He then turned to Arthur and said "We'll keep her there and we might find a use to her if ever we need to fight magic with magic. Now get out of my sight."

Arthur answered horrified, " Father that's not what I meant! You cannot do that-'

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do! Now get out of my sight!" Uthur yelled before striding of down the corridor. Arthur looked sideways at Morgana before walking off, her following behind.

Merlin looked away from the girl once she had gone out of sight before continuing on the previous route he had been going in order to find Gaius, the court physician. He found him in his quarters on the west of the castle, as soon as he got there he questioned Gaius on the girl, Gaius was as troubled as he was but said that he'd never heard of anything like it in the castle gossip.

"You should ignore it Merlin." Said Gaius before sending him out to get some wolfsbane leaf for a bout of flu going round. But still Merlin lay in bed at night thinking about the girl, who was she? Why was she called a sorceress? Where was she being kept? What was happening to her? Merlin rolled over and fell asleep, ready for his first days work in Camelot.

Three months later.

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted stalking down the corridors of Camelot Castle as he looked for his manservant. Merlin was in fact helping Gaius load the cart for their routine check of the city. Arthur strode down the stone steps into the courtyard to find Merlin and Gaius just leaving with their cart fully loaded.

"Merlin I told you to clean my shield last month and it still isn't finished! finish it today or there will be consequences, understand? why isn't it finished anyway?" he said with a frown. Merlin looked sideways at Gaius who was looking sternly back at him, he turned to Arthur and tried to look for an excuse, "Well, um... yes, you see I was just... going to get some Polish? for the sword..." he finished lamely.

"Polish?"

"Um... yeah all the rage at the moment... sword Polish, we're just going to get some, sorry Arthur got to go and get some before it sells out, Bye!" Merlin ran as fast as he could hoping that Arthur wasn't chasing him, he caught up with Gaius who was just approaching the lower town. "Sorry about that," he said. Gaius looked at him and said "Well thank you for that Merlin now we have to go on a detour to the blacksmith which means you will have lunch late today," Merlin shrugged and looked around for a shop were he could by some food, he suddenly spotted a body lying on the ground face down. Gaius strode over to it- "Don't touch it, you might catch whatever he's got!" said Merlin, alarmed.

"And what sort of a physician would I be if I didn't?" answered Gaius, turning the corpse over. Merlin recoiled in horror. The corpse was a very pale blue, almost white, It's veins were blue and bulging and the body didn't have eyes, instead it had white orbs. Gaius quickly threw a sheet over the body, "This is no ordinary sickness," he said. Gaius and Merlin hoisted the corpse onto the cart so that they could examine the body back at Gaius' quarters. On the way there they discovered more and more bodies in the same condition as the first- and many more who looked as if they'd be going the same way...

The Next Day.

"Merlin!" shouted Arthur, walking through the castle, Merlin came outside his and Gaius' quarters to find himself face to face with the prince. Arthur said, "Merlin, tell Gaius he is needed in the throne room now," and then he walked off. Merlin went back inside and told Gaius what Arthur said. He and Gaius hurried to the throne room.

"You wished to see me sire?" said Gaius as they walked in.

"Yes," answered the king. Uthur looked behind him and Merlin saw a courtier, dead from the same plague as all the commoners. "Why, Gaius do you think this is happening?" Uthur asked the physician. Gaius looked troubled. "What do you think is the cause of this disease?" he pressed. Gaius looked very worried as he answered the king,

"I believe that this is an ailment made of sorcery."

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