Arthur had never felt more isolated in his entire life.

Everyone he had thought trustworthy was taking the traitor's side.

It had started with Gwaine. As he had been making his way back from the dungeons, he had heard fighting and discovered the source of the commotion was a slightly intoxicated Gwaine holding his own in a fight against four royal guards.

The knight had gone completely berserk and, from what Arthur had understood from the drunken ramblings, he had been making a foolish attempt at freeing the sorcerer.

Arthur had sent him to the floor with a single punch and then ordered the battered guards to put him in a cell until further orders. The man had sworn an oath to him but the king worried about where Gwaine's loyalties truly laid.

Then, it had been Gaius. The old physician had approached him just as he was making his way back to the royal chambers. He had expected it, of course. The old physician loved Merlin like a son and would be eager to defend him. He would never believe his ward capable of treason.

"Don't try to defend him, Gaius," warned Arthur.

"That amulet was cursed!" affirmed the old man. "It had to be destroyed."

The king's eyes widened as a realisation dawned on him.

"You knew. About Merlin's magic. YOU KNEW!"

Gaius did not flinch at the king's outburst. "I did, Sire. But–"

"I should have known," the king was fuming. "Guards! Arrest him!" he ordered.

Royal guards quickly appeared at Gaius' side, grabbing both his arms.

"What? No! Please hear me out!" pleaded the physician in a desperate appeal while pointlessly trying to shake off the guards.

"Your are under house arrest until I figure out the extent your implication in this treachery."

"I don't care what you do to me, but please don't hurt Merlin!" begged the distraught old man.

"Take him to his chambers," Arthur ordered before hurrying away to his own chambers.

Slamming the door behind him, the king grabbed the jug on the table near the door and threw it against the opposite wall. It crashed into pieces, water splashing all over the floor.

Turning away from the mess, he noticed his work table where maps and important documents lay. Carefully laid there by Merlin himself. With a furious yell, he swept the table clean, correspondence, legal documents and everything else on the table falling to the floor in a great mess.

He stood there for a long time, gripping the edge of the table, until he spotted a speech Merlin had written for him on the floor. It was a good speech, too. One Arthur would never get to read in public. He would not read the traitor's words.

Overwhelmed, he slumped in a chair and held his head between his hands, letting out a long sigh.

He was still there when his queen entered the room, just as intent as Gwaine and Gaius to have him free the sorcerer. He turned away, unable to look at the despair in her sweet face.

"I saw the pyre in the courtyard" exclaimed Gwen. "Arthur! You can't mean to go through with this."

"I can and I will."

"He didn't even get a trial," she petitioned. "Had he been some unknown sorcerer, he would have at least gotten one."

"What need is there for a trial?" the king turned to face his wife. "I saw him talking with the very same dragon that attacked Camelot. One he told me I had killed. He stole a priceless gift from the vaults and then destroyed it using sorcery. At this rate, he is lucky he cannot be executed thrice."

"What kind of justice is this?" she argued.

"I am the king and my word is law." The monarch's voice was flat, inflexible.

"I tried to go speak with Merlin. To find out what happened," said Gwen, modifying her strategy. "The guards wouldn't even let me see him."

"No one is to speak to him, on my orders."

"What? Why?"

"I am merely protecting you by keeping him from spreading more lies."

"I don't need protection from Merlin!" Gwen looked bewildered at the thought of Merlin being a danger to her. "Arthur, there has to be a good explanation."

"How can you be so naïve, Gwen? He betrayed me!"

"He is your friend, Arthur!"

"If he has ever been my friend, then he has turned against me," The monarch stood up, sadness and betrayal etched on his face. "They all do."

Gwen's gaze fell to the floor, still feeling guilty at her own betrayal. It took her a second to recover. Merlin's life was on the line. Now was not the time to wallow in her past mistakes.

"Please Arthur. If you won't hear him out, at least listen to what I have to say before you do something we will all regret."

"How do I know you are not being magically influenced?"

Gwen approached her husband and took his face between her hands. Confident, she stared straight into his eyes.

"I know your trust is shaken right now but this is me, Arthur. This is us."

He took one of her hands in his own. How warm and soft they were.

"Right now, you are not thinking straight. I understand why. You said you saw Merlin use magic and I believe you. But it doesn't mean that you get to immediately jump to conclusions. To betrayal."

"Can't you see he was only feigning to be on our side. Everything we went through together was a lie. He is not the person he was pretending to be."

How could he be so furious but still grieving the loss of a friendship that never existed at the same time, he asked himself.

"I can't believe that. How many times would we have come to harm if Merlin had simply stood by doing nothing?"

"Then he needed to gain my trust, to spy on Camelot."

"Merlin would never do anything to hurt any of us," the queen objected, observing her husband pacing back and forth in the room.

"Magic is evil," he proclaimed. "It corrupts everything it touches. You know that!"

"It's Merlin we are talking about here! If he has magic, then it cannot be all that evil."

"Listen to yourself, Gwen. You and I have lost so much to magic."

"We have lost to cruel people who used their powers for evil. Merlin is not like that. He has helped so many people in Camelot without ever looking for any recognition. No spy or traitor would have done what Merlin has done for us!"

"Nonetheless, he was always sneaking around", Arthur accused. "Don't tell me that's not suspicious."

"He has shown again and again that he would lay down his life for you. Can't you see how much Merlin is devoted to you? You cannot feign that kind of loyalty."

"Stop trying to envision Merlin as some sort of wicked sorcerer, it won't ever make sense," the queen continued in earnest. "Instead, just try thinking of Merlin as we know him, kind hearted and recklessly loyal. Then, add magic and everything suddenly becomes so clear."

Arthur closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. Gwen's logic did make some sort of sense.

"He told me he used magic for me," he said, unsure. "That it can be used for good, but that can't be."

"He told you? About what he did?" She leaned forward, eager to learn what Merlin had to say.

"He tried to. I shut him out," admitted Arthur, looking away when he saw the shock in his wife's eyes.

"How can you expect to find out the truth if you won't even listen?" Gwen pointed out.

"What point is there to listening to what a liar has to say? Because that's what he did, lie! About the magic and that bloody dragon, and who knows what else!"

"Arthur, he is a sorcerer living in the heart of a land where his very existence is a capital offence. Of course, he was afraid."

"In that case, why even stay in Camelot in the first place?"

She shook her head. "I am not surprised."

"What, that he is an idiot?"

"In fact, it's consistent with what we know of Merlin. He never hesitates to put himself in the way of danger if he feels he can help. Is it that much of a stretch to think that he would stay in Camelot to help you despite the threat to his life?"

Indeed, what kind of life would there be in Camelot for a supposedly good-intentioned sorcerer, Arthur wondered, feeling his determination wavering.

"I trusted him. I thought we were friends."

"You are friends. However your father and Gaius were friends and he still nearly had him executed when he suspected him of sorcery."

"I am not my father."

"Then prove it," she challenged him, grave. "Because, in the end, he was right to be worried about your finding out. You signed his death sentence, Arthur."

"He stole a invaluable gift from the vaults," accused Arthur, feeling his logic failing him. "A peace offering from King Boric. When he finds out it was destroyed, we will have a diplomatic incident on our hands."

"If he destroyed it, maybe it was dangerous?"

Arthur frowned. "Gaius told me it was cursed."

"Cursed? What kind of curse?"

Arthur crossed his arms, sullen. "I don't know what kind of curse. Just ask Gaius if you want."

"You should ask Merlin, and maybe give him a chance to explain," Gwen suggested with a slight smile

Arthur looked at her dejectedly.

"If it was dangerous, he could have just told me."

"If he had, would you have listened to him? I think that, if Merlin had came up to you, saying that you should destroy such a treasure, you would have shut him out."

Trying to think of a comeback, he found none. Gwen was right. If Merlin had told him to destroy the amulet, he would have laughed at him and called him an idiot.

"I, for one, trust Merlin a lot more than I trust those so-called peace envoys," she resumed, "and so should you."

"But he has magic!"

Gwen rolled her eyes. "I know, Arthur. That fact has been made abundantly clear, for what else could so thoroughly cloud your judgement?" she scolded.

The queen took a moment to compose herself. When she spoke again, the exasperation in her voice had vanished.

"There has to be more behind it," she added in earnest. "And if you have him executed tomorrow, you will never find out. I am not asking you to forgive him this very instant. But I am begging you, please, please spare my friend's life. Your friend's life"

With a sweet kiss on his cheek and hopeful eyes, she took her leave. Arthur knew Gwen trusted him not to go through with the execution. Would she ever forgive him if Merlin was executed? Would he be able forgive himself?

He had a choice to make, between a man who might have been his friend but had lied about what he was, and his deep-rooted beliefs about magic, impressed on him by a father who had been killed by it.

It was his responsibility, as a king and as a husband, to make the right call here, he reflected, collapsing in a cushioned chair. But how could he make sense of all the contradictions?

He knew for a fact that Merlin had lied to him about the dragon. He had protected it by telling Arthur he had defeated it.

He also knew that Merlin had restored his faith in himself as a king by leading him to Excalibur and then helped him take Camelot back from Morgana. So he couldn't possibly have been working for her.

But then, two days ago, he had thought that Merlin couldn't possibly have been a sorcerer. Thinking back to all the coincidences, all the strange occurrences and strokes of luck that had happened since Merlin first arrived in Camelot, he realised how blind he had been.

It had all been Merlin.

His thoughts were stuck in a loop. Had Merlin been pretending to be his friend, manipulating him for his own selfish purposes? Could there really be a hidden agenda? Or was there, as Gwen thought, really no ill intent?

Who was the real Merlin, he wondered.

He has seen clumsy incompetent Merlin at work. He had been the target of snarky Merlin's sharp wit. Compassionate Merlin was well known all over Camelot. He had occasionally bumped into shifty Merlin. He had listened to wise Merlin's intelligent advice. He had seen magic Merlin performing spells, talking with that dragon. He might even be able to imagine misguided Merlin, duped into learning magic.

No matter how hard he tried, he could not envision evil Merlin.

Gwen was right about one thing. Having Merlin executed would be a decision that would haunt him for the rest of his days.

In a swift move, he raised from his seat and marched to his chamber's heavy wooden door. Pausing for a moment, he exhaled loudly before opening the door,

"Guards!" he called, the two guards patrolling the corridor promptly obeying their king's call.

"Have my manservant released from the dungeons," he ordered, his head held high. "He is to be sent to the physician's quarters and is not to leave them until further orders. The guards at the doors are to remain there at all times. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sire." The guards bowed down before taking their leave.

That night, it took a long time for the young monarch to find peace, unsure of what would have to be done about Merlin on the following day.

He even found himself toying with the idea of visiting the physician's chambers when Gwen, sensing his restlessness, turned in her sleep, settling in his arms. Wary not to disturb her, he stayed in bed. His business with Merlin could wait until the morning.

Eventually, Arthur dozed off, his queen sleeping peacefully by his side.

TBC

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited this story. Lots of angst coming up in the next chapters (sorry!), but I do promise a happy ending.