A/N: Another Monday come, soon to be another Monday gone…

Someone asked me the meaning of the title: Ligna et Lapides. Its Latin for "Sticks and Stones"… a play off the phrase "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me". I thought it was cute and witty but that's just me.

I had a wonderful review from The Bibliomaniac about the last chapter. They said: thank you, thank you so much for acknowledging that a cut jugular does not mean instant death. It actually takes quite a while to die from a sliced jugular, a lot longer than most people realize (you have to die of blood loss, and there's not a lot of blood kept in the head, so there's not a lot being lost. Now if the carotid had been cut...).

Out of curiosity (and yes, I am probably analyzing this a little too much), I'm assuming the sword was at an angle, that is, not directly under the chin: more towards an ear. That would explain how Merlin's larynx wasn't damaged, or at least not damaged bad enough that he couldn't speak. And it would explain why only one (I'm assuming it was only one?) jugular got hit. Either way, there are a few muscles to get through to the jugular. So far you've been awesome at maintaining continuity of injuries (he acts injured: he limps, he gasps, etc). Will you be including the neck muscle damage in the continuity?

To answer your questions The Bibliomaniac… I picture the sword at an angle (as you assumed) and was pressure more against the soft tissue of the neck, just underneath the jaw. When Merlin pushed away from Lord Harris, just as he drew to slice his throat, the sword cut upward into that soft tissue and curved towards the ear. This allowed the sword to miss any major veins and arteries but still cause enough bleeding from the jugular for Merlin to pass out from blood loss. The vocal chords weren't damaged because the cut would have occurred just above/near the Hyoid Bone, far enough away from the larynx so that it wouldn't be damaged. Now, let me remind you that this is what I picture in my head as an outcome of how Merlin survived his throat being slit. I am in no way a doctor or medical genius… any discontinuities with how I described it and probable reality are to be taken up with a lawyer on the judging that I am a lowly author who had to write her way out of a rut. I hope this answer satisfies you, The Bibliomaniac, and thank you so much for the review.

Enjoy!

*This story is set during season 4. Arthur is king but Gwen is banished and Lancelot is dead.

Disclaimer: I don't know why I bother to put a disclaimer in every chapter…its kind of pointless and everyone knows I don't own Merlin. You do know that, right?

Chapter 10 (The Trial)

The next day, just after the passing of the sun at its zenith, the council gathered for the trial and judgment of Lord Harris. There were fifteen council members and five high council members – a total of twenty presiding over the court. Upon an executive decision by King Arthur, it was declared that the trial would be made open to the public – as opposed to a private judging – and was moved to the throne room to accommodate the watchers. The number that showed up was astonishing. Noble and servant a like gathered to hear the trial and judgment of the disgraced Lord Harris.

Once everyone was assembled, ceremoniously the king entered the chamber. All rose in respect. Standing before his subjects, King Arthur announced to the congregation, "Upon my request this council has been gathered today to judge Lord Harris, son of Baltier, in the affairs of the abuse and murder of his own servant and the further abuse against his replacement." The young monarch did not need to mention that Merlin was the replacement; everyone already knew it was him who was nearly killed in the crypts. "Let all the evidence be shown and witnesses stand before this council with honest testimony, as is their civic duty, so as to uphold the law and bring justice to where it is needed." Then King Arthur motioned to a guard standing on the far wall and called out, "Bring in the accused!"

The nameless armored man bowed and pulled open the thick, heavy wooden doors to reveal two more armed guards escorting a sour looking Lord Harris. The nobleman was forced to walk the length of the chamber before coming to stand defiantly before King Arthur and his throne. Stiffly, Lord Harris bowed and grumbled, "Sire."

The king did not verbally respond to the man but simple dipped his head in acknowledgement, trying to contain the evident scowl that graced his features. Regally, King Arthur lowered himself in to his throne. Addressing the council, he stated, "Let us begin."

The high council member charged with directing the trial, Lord Cabot, stood up and made his way toward the front of the hall so that he could be seen and heard by all. Lord Cabot came from one of the oldest, most notable families of Camelot – second only to the Pendragons. He was a portly, middle-aged man whose salt-and-pepper hair and beard gave the illusion that he was wise. But the fact was Lord Cabot was more cunning than anything else. The man loved to twist people's own words against them and he was clever at finding even the smallest of loopholes in an arrangement. Words were his weapons, complete master and manipulator. One could say that he was not the ideal choice to reside over this particular trial because he had little tolerance for the lower classes and, unless the evidence was rock solid, always favored the nobility in every subject, no matter how small. So as Lord Cabot stood and began with the formalities of the court everyone could clearly see that this case would not be in favor of Merlin.

"Lord Harris," the bearded noble addressed. "You have been brought before this council with the charging of two accounts of abuse, an account of murder, and an account of attempted murder collectively upon two of your subordinates. This directly violates the laws of Camelot. What have you to say for yourself?"

"With the respect of the council," Lord Harris began, his words dripping from his mouth like honey, "I deny any involvement with the beating and murder of my own manservant."

"And that of his replacement?"

"I have nothing to say on that matter."

Murmurs erupted from the crowd.

Trying to ignore the whispering masses, Lord Cabot articulated, "Very well."

The trial then proceeded relatively quickly. At first the council addressed the murder of Lord Harris' manservant, whose name was revealed to be Terrence. Quite a few servants testified that they had seen Terrence limping and sporting bruises long before his apparent disappearance. Next King Arthur, and a few of the knights present at the event, recounted that Lord Harris had told him that Terrence was "ill" and requested that a replacement be provided for him until his servant regained full health. From there Gaius was called forward to inform the council that no ailing servant had been brought to him. The old physician then informed the council of all the injuries that the young teen had sustained and his cause of death.

After this report Lord Cabot stood and asked, "Who discovered the body of the boy?"

After remaining silent for the whole trial until then, Merlin took a shaky breath and finally stepped forward, saying, "I did, my lord."

"The victim?" Lord Cabot questioned, shocked. "Interesting. Very well. Where did you find the body?"

"In the crypts, my lord."

"The crypts? Why were you down there? That area is restricted to anyone not of royal heritage."

Merlin froze. He couldn't say that the real reason he was down in the crypts was to perform magic away from prying eyes. But, luckily, before he had to think of a quick lie King Arthur intervened. "We are not here to cast judgment on the victim. If it concerns the council so much that Merlin was trespassing then we should then also concern ourselves about how the boy's body also got into an area that is strictly off limits."

Lord Cabot bowed respectfully. "You are correct, Sire." He turned back to Merlin. "Please continue. Describe what you found."

Merlin straightened and confidently spoke, reciting what he had practiced in his head the night before a thousand times, "At first I believed that Terrence-" Merlin was careful to use the serving boy's name so to have the boy not just be a body but a person "-had wandered where he shouldn't have been, gotten lost, and frozen to death because his lips were blue and appendages were frost bitten. But I noted that his neck was at an awkward angle, undoubtedly broken."

A few of the council members nodded, recalling that Gaius had clearly reported that a broken neck had been the announced cause of death.

Continuing on, Merlin said, "I looked around the immediate area. Terrence's body was in the far corner, completely isolated from anything else in the room. I concluded that only explanation would be that Terrance had not perished in that room but somewhere else because there was nothing near him that could account for the neck injury that he had sustained. So since Terrance couldn't have died in that room then he had to have died somewhere else. But if Lord Harris' servant had had an accident somewhere else in the castle – even if he had been alone at the time of the calamity – his body would have been found, brought to Gaius, and given a proper burial. But this had clearly not been the case."

Everyone now was intently listening to Merlin's recount of events. Some of the council members were questioning themselves how Merlin, a fabled dimwitted servant, could have such objective thinking about the situation. But regardless of their thoughts they continued to listen.

"Someone must have taken the time and effort to hide Terrance. So he couldn't have been killed by accident – either by his own or someone else's mistake… I assumed that if a stranger or someone in the castle had killed the boy then surely Lord Harris would be looking for his missing servant. However, these were not the circumstances. Lord Harris claimed that his manservant was 'ill', not missing. He said so to the king himself. But this was not the case; Terrance was dead. Therefore, Lord Harris knew his servant was dead… and lied about it!"

A few council members gasped, to them Merlin's reasoning seemed to wholly accurate and fully probably. But Lord Cabot was not one of those few. "You assumed?" the high council member sneered, finding a loophole to which he could pry open and create a black hole that could consume Merlin and his accusations.

Merlin faltered, unsure of exactly what to say. "Well, yes but-"

"One should not assume," said Lord Cabot superiorly.

More murmurs issued from the gathered congregation.

Merlin could tell he was losing the audience. Some of the council members who seemed to agree with him before began to look at him suspiciously. Desperate to have people back on his side he said stridently, "You cannot deny that Terrance was murdered." He paused dramatically. "The only possible explanation is that Lord Harris killed his own manservant." Whispers grew in volume causing Merlin to speak even louder so he could be heard over the noise. "Lord Harris is abusive! I have to bruises to prove that. What would stop him from murdering someone? He almost killed me… He meant to kill me!"

An explosion of noise drowned out anything else Merlin could have said. The crowd began exclaiming their own musings and disbelief to their neighbors. Lord Cabot tried to regain order but all his efforts were futile. After several minutes of attempting to calm the crowd, King Arthur finally had enough. Standing up, the fair-haired monarch called out, "SILENCE!"

Almost immediately the spectators hushed, obliged to obey their king.

Smoothing his crinkled robes Lord Cabot thanked King Arthur. Grudgingly the nobleman stared down at Merlin and warned the servant, saying, "Proceed carefully."

Gulping, Merlin continued, "I examined the body even closer. Terrance's chest was partially caved-in and was completely covered with colorful bruises. He also had a nasty gash on his arm and a broken wrist and leg-"

"Yes, yes," Lord Cabot interrupted impatiently. "We already know this."

"Oh, umm."

"Do you have anything else to add that the council doesn't already know?"

"I don't believe so, my lord," Merlin admitted.

"Very well. I don't believe we have any more questions right now."

The raven-haired manservant stiffly bowed and turned back to return to his original position next to Gaius. Once Merlin was gone Lord Cabot addressed the crowd, inquiring, "Who removed the boy's body from the crypt?"

"We did, my lord," Sir Elyan announced, stepping forward with Sir Percival.

"Did your observations about the room and environment concur with those of the victim?"

Speaking again, Elyan said, "Yes, my lord. The room was not disturbed and there was no evidence that a fight had taken place. I can soundly say that Lord Harris' servant did not die in that crypt but was hidden there."

"Thank you, Sir Elyan."

While Percival and Elyan bowed and slid back into the ranks of knights Lord Cabot turned toward his fellow council members and shared a few whispered shifted anxiously from foot to foot. The trial had been going smoothly until he had been called up as a witness; it now seemed that it would be more likely that Lord Harris could get off with a lenient punishment or simply a slap on the wrist and a word of warning. Merlin shook his head; he couldn't afford to think like that. The trial wasn't even half over. The council had yet to begin the investigation of Merlin's injuries and attempted murder.

As if reading the young servant's mind, Lord Cabot finished talking to his peers and turned back to address the king and the crowd. "The council requests to postpone the rest of the trial until tomorrow so that the evidence may be discussed and possible judgments drawn. The second half of the trail – concerning the treatment of the replacement servant – will be investigated tomorrow at high noon."

Ceremoniously, King Arthur rose from his seated position on the regal throne and dismissed the proceedings. The masses stood in respect and watched the king silently stalk out of the chamber. Once their beloved monarch had disappeared the thunderous conversation began. Lord Harris was quickly ushered back to the dungeons and the council escaped for fear of the outraged congregation's reactions. Gaius gently took Merlin by the arm and led him through the crowds. Gwaine trailed closely behind, warding off anyone who might try to talk to or detain Merlin. The threesome, after some pushing and shoving on Gwaine's part, soon found themselves alone in the corridor far from the throne room.

Once they were in the deserted hallway Gwaine turned to his friend and gently embraced him. Drawing away from his strangely quiet friend, the knight asked, "Merlin, are you alright?"

The raven-haired manservant took a shaky breath before honestly answering, "I don't think so Gwaine, not this time.

"Mate, don't talk like that! There is no way the he will get away with what he has done. Once the council hears your story they will have no choice but to convict him." Merlin noticed that his bearded friend refused to say Lord Harris name aloud – be it for Merlin's sake or his own. But Gwaine continued on, saying, "I believe we can do it!"

"You really think so?" Merlin asked timidly.

"I know so," Gwaine responded, puffing his chest out in confidence.

Merlin smiled at his friend's enthusiasm. Gwaine's infectious demeanor lifted the young servant's morale.

The, placing both hands on Merlin's fragile shoulders, the commoner knight intently gazed at his serving friend. "Mate, you were my first, and for a time only, friend," Gwaine said seriously. "You have helped me so much; you have given me a peaceful home, a loving family, and more loyal friends a man could hope for." Gwaine paused slightly, struggling to find the right words to say. Slowly Gwaine's hands dropped away from Merlin's shoulders before he continued, "I promise that I will return the favor of friendship you have given me. I will be the best friend you were to me, no matter what!"

"Thank you, Gwaine."

Dropping the serious tone, the bearded knight responded loftily, "Think nothing of it!"

The two began to walk again, trying to catch up to Gaius who had continued strolling when the two friends had stopped to talk. Upon approaching to old physician, Gwaine cheered, "Now let's celebrate! I hear the tavern is open now because of the receding snow."

No matter how much fun it was to go drinking with Gwaine, Merlin just didn't feel up for it. The raven-haired warlock's throat was starting to bother him and he was feeling quite drained. Luckily Gaius came to Merlin rescue and said, "I don't think Merlin should be drinking in his condition. However, if we win this trial then we will defiantly have something to celebrate. Then, possibly, I will allow Merlin to accompany you to the tavern for a short while."

"Gaius is right," Merlin added. "And I think I should probably get some decent sleep before the second part of the trial tomorrow."

"If you insist."

"I do."

"Then I will see you tomorrow," Gwaine replied, turning to take an adjacent corridor to the tavern. The knight waved and strode away from the twosome. "Good night."

Merlin and Gaius turned away from the departing Gwaine and headed in their own direction towards the physician's chambers. Upon entering their respective rooms, Merlin settled himself down for a quite nap before supper. Just before he fell asleep the young servant smiled to himself, thinking of Gwaine and his confession of friendship.

A/N: So ends the first of a two-part trial. I found it necessary to add a new original character to preside over the trial: Lord Cabot. Lord Cabot represents a more historical, and stereotypical, nobleman of the age. He is favorable to the nobility and thinks himself superior to all, even possibly the king. Lord Cabot will hopefully continued to resurface during the rest of the story, giving everyone from Merlin to Gwaine a hard time. Any comments or suggests about Lord Cabot's character are greatly accepted; criticism and improvement is critical for any author.

I am still trying to showcase the knights more and more but I am finding it very hard. There are just so many of them and so many things to write without adding little scenes with them in it but I will continue to try. But I can't help but be astounded by Percival's sharp, witty banter; he get s me every time. ;)

Part two of the trial is set to come out next Monday. Be wary!

Please Review!