A/N: Eh I won a follower yesterday! Welcome to you! Thanks for being here! :)
3. The Witchfinder
Lily woke up with a gasp. Again...
Behind her closed eyelids, she could still see Merlin's shape, as if he had been a shadow in sunlight.
She sighed deeply before looking over at her alarm clock. 4 am.
Well... She'd only have to try and have a dreamless sleep then...
But something told her that as soon as she'd close her eyes again, the shape would grow and plague her with memories again.
"Come on, Merlie. You know I miss, please let me sleep..."
But her prays were unheard...
It was a long time after her conversation with Merlin.
They had agreed he'd teach her the basics of magic, and to be careful within the castle walls no to ever be caught practising.
But apparently, their time was running out...
Merlin came home on day, after fetching firewood in the forest, and burst into the room Gwen and Lily were taking care of: Morgana's.
He asked Gwen to leave them both alone, and at his tone, Lily understood something was off.
"Lily, I... I..."
She walked up to him and took his face between her hands. "What is it Merlin? Breathe... Tell me."
He took a deep breath, and put his hands onto hers. "I've been caught doing magic in the forest."
She gasped. "How?"
"It was foolish. I turned the smoke of our fire into a horse-shape, and a woman saw the change and panicked and...she's come back here to tell Uther."
Lily stepped away and gasped again. "We...we'll be in trouble if he-"
But Arthur chose that moment to enter the room without knocking. "There you are, Merlin, you git! The King has asked your presence in the great hall. You too Lily. Everyone in the castle."
They exchanged a frightened look, and followed the crown-prince.
The woman who witnessed the smoke-turning was standing before the king, while Merlin came to stand beside Gaius, and Lily beside him.
"So you've magic, you're certain of it?"
The woman cast her eyes down. "I am Sire."
Arthur spoke up. "Perhaps your eyes deceived you. Trick of the light."
"The smoke was alive, I tell you. I feared for my life."
Gaius cast a discreet glance at Merlin, clearly displeased.
"I thank you for bringing this to my attention. Your loyalty will not go unrewarded."
"Thank you Sire." A knight then escorted her out of the hall.
The King sighed. "It cannot continue."
"I'll bring down who's responsible for this, father. I promise they will not escape unpunished."
"No. Stronger methods are called for." He paused a moment. "Send for the Witchfinder."
A rumour spread into the ranks. Morgana, who had discovered she had somehow magic running in her veins, lost all colour.
Lily didn't despair. She didn't know what a Witchfinder was.
Gaius walked forward. "Sire. Is it necessary to resort to such measures?"
"The Witchfinder is a trusted ally, Gaius. His help will be unvaluable."
"Of course."
At this Lily's heart stopped beating. Gaius, the quiet Gaius, the tough Gaius, afraid of a charlatan? She needed to be very very careful then...
The meeting was called off, and Lily left Merlin be chastised by his uncle, walking a few yards behind them not to disturb until she could ask what burnt her lips.
When both her friends didn't escape their office, she resorted to ask someone with better knowledge.
"Kilgharrah, are you there?"
"Of course I am here, young one."
"I need to ask you something. Will you answer truthfully?"
"I will."
"Good." She entered her now emptied room, and sat on her bed, pretending to massage one of her feet should anyone come in. "What's a Witchfinder?"
"Ah... The King, this Uther, has once again called the man named Aredian, I see." She didn't say anything, but nodded. She knew he'd feel her affirmation. "You must beware, Dragonlord. Your magic is so powerful that it leaks through you like water. You have to shut your mind from anything magical. Stop talking to me. Or to the boy."
"I will, I promise."
"And if he finds you, run. You are too a precious sorceress to be killed."
"Thank you, Kilgharrah."
She shut the connection.
"Well then... This is going to be fun..."
That very night, the dorm woke up in a spreading rumour around the walls of the castle.
"He's here! I've seen him with my own eyes!"
Lily sat up in bed, and watched as one of her roommates, Aleera she thought was her name, was shaking from head to toe.
"He looks like the devil. His voice is like poison. I fear even us unmagical people are not safe with such a person in Camelot."
Lily sighed and fell back into bed. The urge to speak with Merlin – or Kilgharrah – was extremely tantalising, but speaking with them in mind could very well call for a quick death sentence.
She closed her eyes and forced herself to think of something not bound to magic.
Leon for instance...
The following morning, one of her fellow maids ran to Lily as she was cleaning a knight's room.
"Lily! The Witchfinder sent for you."
Her heart stopped beating. "Me? Why?"
The maid shook her head. "No idea, but some say he's investigating everyone who's new in Camelot."
"Oh, I see. Thank you, I'll go this instant."
She knocked twice on the door, and a deep, soul-piercing voice answered. "Come in!"
The man himself wouldn't have been this terrifying, had he not been wearing all sorts of charms around his belt, had he not been writing with a skull as an ink-bottle, had he not been gifted with extraordinarily piercing blue eyes.
"Ah, you must be Lily. Sit, girl."
She sat, and forced herself to stare at the man right in the eyes. "You've sent for me, sir?"
"Indeed I have. It seems you are new in town."
"I am, sir. I've arrived only a few months ago."
"When gargoyles attacked the castle, if my informations were correct."
She shook a little. "Yes. Gaius said the tomb of a powerful sorcerer had been opened, and his soul had plagued the castle for a time."
"Had you anything to do with it?"
Her eyes met his again. She remained calm. "No, sir, nothing."
"I've been told you were in here when the smoke was witnessed turning. Is that true?"
"Yes, it is. There is a bunch of maids who can testify that I was working at that time."
"What exactly is your relationship with Merlin, Gaius' assistant?" The way he emphasised "assistant" made her cringe.
"Merlin is my friend. We often do laundry together."
"Very well. One last question for you then. Do you have magic?"
Silence stretched between them. Lily's eyes were glued to his. But she had sworn she wouldn't flinch, she didn't.
A small smile played at her lips. "I think you overestimate me, sir. I do not have magic."
Aredian shadowed her smile. "You can go. Lily."
And even that, this simple use of her false name, made her think he knew perhaps a little too much about her.
How he did however, she wondered.
Later on, Merlin was accused in front of all the court that he was the sorcerer. His chambers were searched, and an amulet was found. An amulet Lily was certain she had never seen in her life.
Gaius, however, said it was his, and was arrested in his stead.
When Merlin returned to Gaius' trashed office, Lily was already tidying.
They stared at each other for a short minute, and then she launched herself at him, and hugged him the strongest she could.
"He'll be alright, Merlin. We'll find a way."
"I know. I know."
Days passed. Lily attended to her work, Merlin to Gaius', but she could feel in the air that the warlock was losing his flame. He was paling every hour, refused to eat, and couldn't sleep.
After he sneaked into the dungeons, he surprised Aredian torturing Gaius.
Morgana had also been called into the cells, and had come back as pale as a sheet, thought she claimed nothing had been said.
Lily sensed a new trick from the Witchfinder, and it quickly appeared.
One day, Aredian called Arthur, the knights, Morgana, Gwen, Lily and Merlin to the great hall, for Gaius had finally decided to confess his crimes.
The old physician was weak. He surely hadn't eaten or drunk in a far too long time.
Lily gasped at the sight, and gripped Merlin's hand.
Leon cast her an understanding glance, and tried a comforting smile which didn't work.
Aredian grasped Gaius' tunic and forced him to get up on his knees. "Confess!"
Uther's gaze was unforgiving. Lily thought that he clearly wasn't the kind of king to choose for himself.
Gaius looked over at Merlin, and Lily. His eyes were full of pain, and she then understood the whole matter: Aredian had threatened their lives, Gaius was sacrificing himself for them.
"I...I am a sorcerer, Sire. I am responsible for conjuring the smoke. I'm guilty of practising magic in Camelot. The goblin, the faces in the well. I am the sorcerer who conjured the toads from his mouth."
Uther got up of his throne, implacable. "You've betrayed me, Gaius. Betrayed your friends. And above all, you've betrayed yourself. By the laws of Camelot, I must sentence you...to death."
Aredian threw Gaius back on the floor, and turned to the assistance, his eyes looking from Merlin to Lily. "The sorcerer will be purged of his magic by means of fire. He shall be burnt at the stake tomorrow at dawn! Bear witness and hear this lesson."
Gaius was taken away from the hall, barely standing on his feet, and Merlin couldn't take it anymore. He advanced in the crowd, Lily wasn't fast enough to catch his arm to stop him.
"You're a liar." Arthur shot up from his chair, and caught him, taking him away from the scene. "You're a liar!"
"Guards!"
Arthur dismissed the guard. "I'll deal with this."
And they both escaped the hall.
Aredian smirked at Lily, who just glared at him before hurrying out of the room as well.
"Lily?"
She stopped in her tracks, and whirled around.
Leon took several strides and stopped right in front of her. "I am sorry. I know how you like Gaius. I'm sorry."
She shook her head, trying to prevent the tears from falling. "He is innocent, I know it. This man is the devil. He has done things to him. He's deluding. There has been no such thing as a sorcerer conjuring toads from his mouth!"
Leon took another pace forward and carefully wrapped his arms around her shoulders to comfort her.
Lily sobbed and clutched his mailcoat. The tears were wetting his tunic under the metal, but he wasn't paying attention.
After a long minute, Lily's sobs turned into sniffs, and then stopped altogether.
She pulled away from her knight and gazed in his so blue eyes for a moment.
"Thank you, Leon..."
And again time stood still. They gazed at each other, for seconds, minutes, decades, centuries.
Lily's face was leaning dangerously in...
And Arthur came bolting in the corridor at this precise moment. "Leon! Come over here, I need you!"
Lily shot back and quickly dismissed herself. "Thanks again, sir knight. I will see you later."
She turned around and hurried as fast as she could to her chambers.
Her heart racing...
That night, Lily couldn't sleep. She decided to spend the night with Merlin, waiting for the dreaded dawn to come and claim Gaius' life.
They were both pacing aimlessly when Gwen came bolting into the room.
"Merlin? He won't let go, he won't stop!"
"What happened?"
"The Witchfinder is questioning Morgana again. I'm worried, Merlin, she's close to breaking point."
"Yeah, that's what he does. He breaks you down and in the end you confess, whether you're guilty or not."
"What do you mean?"
"Gaius was set up! Aredian planted that amulet."
Gwen's eyes narrowed. "Why would he do such a thing?"
"Aredian's paid to catch sorcerers, maybe he doesn't care whether someone is guilty or not, maybe he gets confessions by lying, by planting evidence, just as long as he gets a confession, he gets his money."
"But... Even if it's true, what can we do without proof?"
Lily shook her head at Merlin, already knowing what he had in mind.
"Get some." He bolted out of the room before any of the women could stop him.
Lily, however dangerous, soon contacted him by mind. "Merlin, no!"
"I have to, this is the only way. Make a diversion. Make sure he doesn't go from Morgana's chambers, do something to buy me time."
"But-"
He cut the connection.
"Stubborn old goat!"
Lily waited for short seconds before Morgana's door before it slammed open and Aredian got out.
His eyes settled on her. He was clearly glaring now. "And what are you doing here, girl, eh? Spying on me? Has your magical friend entered my chambers to search them?"
She forced herself not to say anything.
It only made him more suspicious. "Tell me this instant, girl, or I'll have you on this pyre as well as your teacher!"
As she was opening her mouth to reply – something quite inappropriate and rude – Leon came striding by the corridor. "Ah, there you are, Lily. Hope I haven't kept you waiting!" He stopped by her side and looked over at Aredian. "Witchfinder. I hope you haven't scared my date."
The devil glared at them both, grunted, and ran in the direction of his chambers.
Lily didn't have time to tell Merlin, as Leon caught her hand and pulled her in the opposite direction.
"What were you thinking?"
"I... I... Nothing."
He sighed. "Look, I know you want to prove Gaius' innocent, and I want to believe it as well, but..."
"Leon, please, I don't want to talk about that now."
"Very well then."
He pulled her into an empty alcove, and before she could say anything, his lips came crashing on hers.
She stopped thinking altogether.
What was this man doing to her?
She pulled at his shirt – he had taken off his chainmail, which wasn't a bad thing if you wanted her opinion – and let out a soft moan as his lips moved softly on hers. She pulled at his hair too, those soft curls she found so alluring when ruffled.
But all too soon, they had to pull off for air.
Leon's eyes were blazing – unusual for blue eyes – and he smiled a little. "I was under the impression we had been interrupted earlier."
Lily got out of her daze and chuckled. "I didn't know you were this...bold, sir knight."
"Well, apparently, I am."
She smiled tenderly at him and caressed his cheek for a second. "As much as I'd enjoy kissing you in a dark corner, my lord, Merlin needs my comfort. His uncle is sentenced to death."
Leon sighed. "Go. If you must."
She smiled. "I must." She pushed herself on her tiptoes and pecked him on the lips. "Goodnight, then."
And she walked away.
But as she entered Gaius' office again, Gwen was alone, and pacing as a caged bird.
"Lily! Where have you been!"
Lily blushed. "I've been...detained. Where's Merlin?"
"We found the evidence! Aredian has been poisoning his witnesses with belladona. They've all had delusions. Merlin's gone make sure Aredian couldn't make his way out of this."
Then Merlin came in. "Done."
Lily smiled. "Then we wait. Dawn is close."
She sat on a stool, Gwen before her. "Lily? Why do you have red hair on your dress?"