Part two of the trial! This picks right up where the last chapter left off.
Also, many thanks to everyone who has thus far reviewed/favorited/put this on alert, as well as the awesome anonymous reviewer who recommended the story Healing Spells to me.
"Why have you been working for Arthur when you have magic?" Morgana demanded, glowering down at the prisoner before her. "Countless times I have tried to help the cause of magic, only to be defeated by you! You are a traitor to your own kind."
"Please…" Merlin took a deep breath, and then began again, "Please, do you remember when we defeated the Afanc in the vaults years ago?"
Morgana paused for a moment, wondering what relevance this could possibly have. Finally, she replied, "Yes, I remember."
"You told me you knew my secret. You told me you knew I was in love with Gwen. And you were right."
At this, Arthur looked up for the first time since Merlin had declared his magic. The pain in his expression was obvious, and it almost stopped Merlin. However, the things at stake were far more important than Arthur's precious feelings. So he continued, trying to forget how much he was hurting his friend.
"Every time I've stopped you from taking control of Camelot, it was because your attempt would have hurt Gwen. If I hadn't poisoned you, the Knights of Medhir would have killed her. Please understand. I couldn't let that happen."
By now Merlin was begging her to accept what he was saying.
But Morgana was yet to be convinced.
"Even if that is true, you have still protected Arthur countless times. Why?" she demanded. "Why are you loyal to Uther's son?"
Merlin sighed. "I foolishly believed a dragon's prophecies. The Great Dragon promised me Arthur would restore magic to Albion, but I have since realized that it was all a lie. You, your majesty, are magic's greatest hope." He bowed his head before his queen.
Morgana looked at her prisoner for a long moment, contemplating how to react to this statement. Finally, she addressed her maid.
"Gwen, do you share these feelings? I know you have had affections for Arthur."
Gwen paused for a moment, then stepped forward from the crowd to kneel beside Merlin. "Your majesty, it is true that I have recently been involved with the former prince. However, I…I have had feelings for Merlin for much longer. I had no idea he felt the same way."
The entire crowd watched in awe as the humble maid confessed to feelings for both Arthur and his servant. Several people who had been uninterested in the political trials stood enthralled as this potential scandal unfolding.
"Merlin," Morgana began solemnly, "in the past we have certainly had our differences. However, I cannot punish a friend of Gwen's or a fellow sorcerer. As much as I never thought I would say this, welcome to Camelot!"
Gwen and Merlin embraced each other as the pair of guards released him. The crowd erupted into half-hearted cheers, the majority rather unsure of what had just happened.
Upon Morgana's command, Arthur was led out of the throne room in chains. He did not resist the rough hands pulling him along, nor did he look back at the happy couple.
"Lancelot, would you sit down for one minute? Your pacing is giving me a headache." Elyan told his friend who had been walking the length of their cell for the past quarter of an hour.
"I'm just nervous is all," Lancelot replied. "They should have been back by now."
"I know that, but worrying isn't going to help anyone."
Lancelot sighed. The other knights just didn't understand. Morgana could be tearing Merlin's limbs off for all we know, and Elyan thinks I shouldn't be worrying?
"Relax," Gwaine said, placing a hand on Lancelot's shoulder. "Merlin probably just decided to give Morgana a piece of his mind."
"You mean like you did? Besides, that's exactly what I'm afraid of. Merlin can be an idiot when he wants to be and doesn't understand the concept of keeping quiet."
The cell door opened, abruptly ending their conversation. Arthur stumbled in, and the door closed again behind him.
"What happened to Merlin? Where is he?" the knights ambushed him with frantic questions about their missing comrade.
Arthur barely acknowledged them, slowly slumping against the stone wall. He turned his head away from them, as though to shut himself off from the world. The knights were stunned. What kind of horrible thing could do this to their strong leader?
Leon, the one who knew Arthur best, crouched down next to him. "Where's Merlin? Did Morgana hurt him?" he asked cautiously.
When Arthur finally lifted his head to face the other men, his eyes were not brimming with sadness as they had expected. Instead, they were filled with a bitter mixture of hatred and pain.
"Merlin's a sorcerer," he said, his voice trembling with rage and disbelief.
"What?" Gwaine asked quizzically. This was the last response he had been expecting.
"He lied to us," Arthur continued. "To all of us. He joined her. And…he took Gwen." His voice caught on the last sentence as he tried to suppress the memory of the woman he loved hugging his best friend.
"That's impossible. Merlin would never do that," Elyan declared.
"I saw him do magic! He betrayed us!" Arthur was yelling now. He thought that Merlin had cared about him, had cared about Camelot. But now he could see that the past four years of friendship had been a lie, as evil and malicious as the sorcerer he had once trusted with his life.
Confused? Don't worry, everything will be explained. In the meantime, please review!
