Chapter Three:

In all honesty, Merlin had not expected to ever wake again. Or, at least, if he did, he thought it would be to the smell of smoke and the feeling of flames licking at his skin as he burned on a pyre for his sorcery.

So it was somewhat disorienting to wake up alone in an unfamiliar room that smelled very strongly of alcohol. Even more surprising was the fact that he was relatively unharmed, save for a raging headache and a bone-deep ache in every inch of his body.

As far as he knew, the soldiers should have found him unconscious at the grate. He should have been caught red-handed at the scene of the crime and arrested for treason immediately. He should be on the chopping block, or at least imprisoned awaiting his execution.

But instead, he was here. Wherever 'here' was.

It took him a few tries, and he nearly passed out more than once, but eventually Merlin was able to get to his feet and stagger over to the door. When he cracked it open, he discovered to his great bewilderment that he was in a tavern.

There was a moment where Merlin seriously questioned his sanity, wondering if he had somehow drunk himself into a hallucinogenic stupor and imagined the entire rescue operation. Light was filtering through the windows and panic flared within him as he realised that dawn had come and gone; all twenty-three people could have been executed by now. He had failed to save them after all-

"Ah, you're awake."

Merlin spun and regretted the sudden movement when his vision blacked out for a few seconds. A hand took his arm in a gentle but firm grip, guiding him over to a chair. "Sit down before you faint," a woman's voice chided.

He blinked a few times and the world swam into focus.

A homely woman in an apron stood before him. He didn't recognise her.

"I-I'm sorry, who-?"

"Name's Lunete," she said, sticking out a hand for him to shake.

Merlin took it hesitantly, still feeling very confused. "I don't think we've met…?"

"No, we haven't. But I believe you know my husband, Lludd."

The name took a few seconds to process, and then Merlin's eyes widened.

"As in-"

"-the innocent man condemned for magic whose life you saved last night. Among others."

He was greatly relieved to learn that he had not imagined the whole thing. But in light of his expectation that he should have wound up dead or captured, Merlin was even more confused to be sitting in a tavern talking to the wife of one of the prisoners. "What-? How-?"

"As I understand it, you broke the lot of them out of the dungeons, single-handedly took out the guards along your path, led them through a tunnel to the edge of the city and practically killed yourself blowing a hole in the grate to let them escape."

"Right…" That was about as much as he remembered, as well. "So how…?"

"Well you told them to leave you behind, but they knew what that would mean and none of them wanted to abandon you to the very fate you had saved them from. But apparently you didn't want to go with them. So my husband," her chest puffed out a bit with pride, "passed his supplies to someone else, picked you up, and legged it back over the wall with you in tow before the soldiers got there."

Merlin gaped.

"He snuck you back here. Scared the living daylights out of me when he woke me up, let me tell you, but I was so glad to see him. He told me everything, said I should take good care of you and made his own way out of the city before the sun came up."

Merlin was at a loss for words; even more so when the woman suddenly wrapped him in a tight hug. When she released him, there were tears in her eyes.

"You saved my husband. I can't thank you enough."

"Um… you're welcome," he stammered, not accustomed to receiving gratitude for the things he did. Most of the time he was saving Arthur and if Arthur found out about it he was more likely to kill him than thank him. "I'm sorry that any of this ever happened."

She waved him off. "It's Uther that is to blame, not you. I've had enough of that tyrant. I'm waiting a few days for things to cool down and then I'm leaving to join my husband."

Merlin smiled a little. "I'm glad you'll be together."

"Me too. Magic or no magic, I love that man. Besides, if someone as brave and selfless as you can have magic, I reckon magic can't be evil after all."

Merlin's heart warmed at her words. "Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me."

She squeezed his shoulder, a wordless support. "Now, young man, what do you say to a little headache cure? I'm seen my share of horrible hangovers, and I can recognise the ghost of pain in your eyes. I've got something that should do the trick."

Merlin smiled gratefully. "Yes, please."

She bustled around behind the bar for a few moments before handing him a mug.

"Looks and smells horrible, and tastes even worse," she warned him cheerfully. "But it'll have you feeling better in no time. Bottoms up."

Just as Merlin began to tilt the liquid into his mouth, the door to the tavern slammed open. He winced at the bright light and the noise, almost dropping the mug.

"We're not open," Lunete said crossly.

"There you are, Merlin!" Arthur snapped, storming in. "I have searched half of Camelot for you - where the hell have you been?"

"Uh-"

"Do you have any idea what has been happening? The sorcerers we arrested yesterday escaped last night, and you were nowhere to be found – what is your explanation, then? And it had better be good!"

"Um-"

"He's been in here since sundown yesterday," Lunete answered promptly. "Got drunk off his head and passed out. Only woke up a few minutes ago and he's feeling as sick as a dog."

Merlin's stomach chose that moment to agree with her; a wave of nausea swept over him, causing him to groan and double over. He nearly fell off the chair.

Arthur caught him, his expression torn somewhere between relief, exasperation and amusement. "That's what you get when you spend all night drinking, Merlin, you idiot."

"Won't – do it again," Merlin mumbled, grasping at the mug. Arthur helped him tilt it, holding the mug steady until Merlin had drained all of the liquid.

"See that you don't," Arthur said. "I can't have my manservant spending all his time in taverns when he has work to do."

The headache began to recede, allowing Merlin to breathe a little easier. "Yes, sire."

"Come on, then, up we get." Arthur hoisted him off the chair and dragged him out of the tavern. Merlin glanced back, flashing Lunete a quick smile of gratitude. She nodded, the same sentiment shining in her eyes.

They walked in silence for a few minutes (well, Arthur walked and Merlin stumbled along) before Arthur sighed, slowing and turning to look at him. "This was about the girl, wasn't it?"

"What?"

"The little girl, yesterday. The one we arrested."

"Juliana," Merlin supplied.

Arthur shifted uncomfortably. "Yes. Her. You were upset."

"She was three years old," Merlin said, perhaps more sharply than he should have.

"When the Sentinel Device was activated she blacked out. That indicates strong magic."

"Magic that she was no doubt born with. It's not like she chose it, Arthur. And do you really believe she was capable of using it to hurt someone or to bring down the kingdom?"

"She was dangerous."

"She was a child!" Merlin exclaimed. "She had done nothing wrong. In fact, none of those people had done anything! What kind of kingdom would sentence people to death for being born a certain way? Where is the justice in that? Uther might as well condemn people for having brown eyes or black hair!"

"Merlin," Arthur growled.

"No, Arthur, you need to hear this! You are going to be king someday and you need to ask yourself if you are going to be the sort of man who is so blinded by hate and prejudice that you would slaughter innocent children, or if you are going to be a king who is just and fair, who will defend innocents. I know which I would prefer. I know which Camelot deserves. But at the rate you're going, I don't know which you will become."

"Merlin, you are being dangerously insubordinate. Do not forget your place. You are nothing but a servant, and I could have you locked in the stockade for what you just said."

"Then do it, because I don't regret a single word and I would say it again if I thought it could get through to you." Merlin didn't know where his sudden boldness was coming from, but he thought of Juliana, and he thought about how she was a little girl who might never see her parents again. He thought of the families that had been torn apart, of all the innocent lives that had been lost. He thought of his destiny and he realised that staying silent forever had never been an option.

"I dream of a brighter future for Camelot," Merlin said quietly. "And I have always believed that you would be the one to make it happen. There is a great man of honour and integrity inside of you, Arthur. But he would never have arrested twenty-three innocent people who had only the potential for magic, nor would he condemn them to death when they had committed no crime. He is better than that. You are better than that."

Arthur stared at him for a long moment, the anger slowly fading from his eyes.

"I don't agree with everything my father says and does," he said at last.

"I know."

"And I think… I think I'm glad that the prisoners escaped." He said it softly, almost like it was a shameful confession, but Merlin had never been more proud of him.

"Me too. They didn't deserve to die."

"No," Arthur agreed. "No, they didn't."

It was a small shift, but to Merlin it felt like a victory.

"I suppose, in a way, this is better for them," Arthur mused as they continued walking again. "The Sentinel device would have slowly killed them if they stayed. That would be a horrible way to go."

Merlin swallowed, silently.

His head throbbed.

ooOOoo