How do you steal a man's soul? In pieces. That way he may not even realise it is gone.
"My methods are infallible," boomed Aeridian's confident voice, "my findings incontestable. The facts point to one person and one person alone."
And with one satisfied look, Aeridian twisted suddenly on his feet and pointed to the back of the room.
"The boy, Merlin!" he concluded.
"Merlin," said Arthur, disbelievingly, "you can't be serious."
Morgana made her way slowly to Gaius' chambers; her head spinning with how quickly everything had happened. Aeridian had been in Camelot for a mere day and yet he had already found several witnesses, arrested Merlin, released Merlin, and then arrested Gaius.
Even now, the gentle white-haired man sat in a cell waiting for his interrogation. She had to see Merlin; had to know that he was okay. There's no way Gaius is a sorcerer, she thought, but what was he doing with a magical amulet?
She found the door to the Physician's chambers open and froze at the threshold in shock.
Merlin was in there, his back to her as he picked through some of the carnage the Witchfinder had made. He sighed and she stepped gingerly into the room.
"Merlin?" she said softly, just to let him know she was there.
He picked up a set of broken beakers between his fingers and stood there looking at them in silence for a long quiet minute.
"I can't quite believe it," he said, finally, "it all happened so fast."
He dropped the beakers and they smashed on the floor.
"It's my fault."
"No, it is not your fault," said Morgana, sternly, "don't you dare blame yourself. Blame Uther, blame the Witchfinder, blame those idiot women with their ridiculous stories, but not you. This was not your fault."
"You don't know," he said, turning to show her his red-rimmed eyes and cheeks that even paler than usual. "You don't know. I did this. I should have been able to stop it but I didn't and..."
"Merlin," she interrupted him, striding across the room to stand in front of him, "we were warned but it all happened too quickly. Aeridian was too smart. But we will find a way to stop him."
Merlin nodded, the tears beginning to well up in his eyes. It made her heart ache to see it; maybe because Arthur was so loathe to show these kind of emotions.
She felt a wave of urgency to pull him into her arms, as he had done for her only a few nights before, but she didn't know how. Such affection was as alien to her as every other aspect of a peasant's life. She bravely took one of his long, slim hands in hers and clasped it tightly.
"He's like a father to me," he wept, "he is a father to me."
He pulled back from her touch and wiped the tears away. Then his mouth took on a determined cast and he nodded.
"There's no way he can prove that Gaius is a sorcerer because he isn't. I don't know why he had the amulet but it's irrelevant. Gaius is innocent and there's no way Aeridian can prove otherwise."
"No legitimate way," noted Morgana and Merlin's determination faltered slightly. Then he recovered his composure and he nodded.
"There must be a way. I need to think. I can't just stand by and let Gaius die. I won't let it happen; not when I could save him."
He looked at her and smiled slightly.
"Thank you."
And despite the horror unfolding around them, she found a wide smile form on her face at his thanks. It was a good feeling to be of use to him after all that he had done for her.
"You're welcome, Merlin."
And then he was gone.
She made her way slowly back to her chambers, her thoughts consumed with images of him, her strangely euphoric mood lasting until the guards came to take her to Aeridian for interrogation. Apparently his investigation wasn't over after all.
"Are you alright, My Lady," asked Gwen with concern, when Morgana returned, "what did the Witchfinder want?"
The noblewoman turned and pulled her servant into an embrace without thinking; needing to be steadied, needing to feel ground beneath her feet.
"It was all about Gaius," she whispered, "he's determined to prove his guilt and I don't know what to do."
"What about Arthur?" asked Gwen, with such faith, "I'm sure he will try and do the right thing."
Morgana pulled away and found for one small moment a spark of her old anger.
"Arthur won't help. He is bound by his oath to his father and to Camelot. He may sympathise, he may even want to help, but unless we're able to provide him with a good reason he won't stand against his father."
"But..." Gwen tried to argue.
"No buts, Gwen. He stood by and let your father get executed, didn't he?"
Gwen's lips thinned at that and she turned her back and began to go about her tasks again.
"I'm sorry, Gwen," she said, "I can't believe I said something so insensitive."
Gwen smiled forgivingly, "it's fine, My Lady. I understand that you're upset. And besides... you're not wrong."
Morgana didn't know what was worse: the shameful feeling of relief that had coursed through her when the Witchfinder's questions had been about Gaius and not her own magical gifts, or the wild look of the man now as he was dragged before the court.
Gaius had been there for her always. He was Camelot. Always polite and kind and interested. A servant to all who needed him. Like Merlin was. To see the Court Physician like this; heaved humiliatingly across the floor of the Great Hall while Aeridian yelled at him to confess. It was horrific.
Gaius threw one appealing look at Merlin and then confessed to every ludicrous charge. She saw the Witchfinder's smirking self-satisfaction, heard Uther accusing Gaius of betrayal and ordering his execution, and felt her blood boil with impotent rage; at Uther, at Aeridian; at Arthur; at every other member of the Court who just stood there and let this atrocity go on in front of their...
"You're a liar," yelled a voice. Gods, it was Merlin. What was he thinking? He was the one person in the room without any power. Was he mad?
He stormed toward the Witchfinder and Arthur shot off his throne with one fluid movement and grabbed him before he could attack the man.
"You're a liar!" screamed Merlin, as Arthur dragged him out of the room.
"I'll deal with this," the Crown Prince told the guards and Morgana shut her eyes against it all. She trusted Arthur enough still that he would not lock Merlin up. He was as uncertain about all of this as she was; if less terrified.
But through this defiance, Merlin would undoubtedly have incurred Aeridian's wrath and Uther's attention. He was Gaius' assistant. He would be next.
She stood at her window watching them build the pyre to burn one of the most loyal men in Camelot.
"How can Uther do this?" asked Gwen, coming up beside her. Morgana could see the deep pain in her eyes.
"Because," was all she could manage. She was going to burn. She and Merlin and Gaius and all the others. Burn.
"I don't know anything anymore, My Lady," continued Gwen helplessly, "I don't know why Gaius had a magical amulet, I don't know why he confessed to everything. Those charges were..."
"Strange," agreed Morgana, "bizarre, ridiculous, ludicrous," her voice began rising as she listed all the synonyms she could think of in her otherwise limited vocabulary, "preposterous, absurd, risible, nonsensical, a set of pathetic lies that Uther nonetheless bought wholesale and that the toad of a man Aeridian has convinced everyone Gaius is guilty of."
"My Lady," counselled Gwen, worriedly, "you have to calm down. You will make yourself ill if you keep on like this. There's nothing we can do."
"Exactly," said Morgana helplessly, "there is nothing I can do except end up imprisoned myself. Not that it matters because Aeridian is not going to stop with Gaius. Merlin may have avoided the cells for now but we will all be in them soon."
Gwen sighed and nodded in sudden clarity, "I understand now. You had one of your dreams. Why didn't you tell me?"
"You know how dangerous my dreams are, Gwen. You know how Uther would react. It's better if you don't know."
"But you... told Merlin?" she inquired.
"Yes, I told Merlin."
"I'm glad," said Gwen, simply. "I promise you, My Lady. If he doesn't stop with Gaius, if he keeps interrogating you, I will get Merlin's aid and we will stop this."
"Thank you, Gwen, but there's nothing you or Merlin can do."
She turned back to the window.
"The pyre he's building is for me."
"Have hope, please," begged Gwen, "even if Aeridian tries to accuse you, surely Uther will not harm you."
Morgana laughed, humourlessly.
"Don't fool yourself, Gwen. If he is willing to murder a good and loyal man who has served him faithfully for more than twenty years, then he will turn against any of us just as easily. He may not execute me but he will imprison me permanently.
"And now that Aeridian has talked him into killing someone so close to him, he has a hold on him. To turn against the Witchfinder after this would be akin to admitting that he executed the closest thing he has to a friend for no reason. He would never do that. No, it's Aeridian who has his soul now. May the Gods have mercy on us all."
She was still standing there, looking out the window at the growing pile of wood, when the Witchfinder came for her. As she knew he would.