Chapter 10: The Jig Is Up

She ran, ran, ran, as fast as her well-trained legs could carry her. Down corridors, up stairs, past people – she ran through them all. A large wave of emotion threatened to immobilize her, and she wanted to be in the privacy of her room when that happened. Adria had just gone through a huge breakthrough by disposing the vile her mother had bestowed upon her, which now put an emotional burden upon her soul. The future was now a closed book to her. Without a doubt her mother would learn of her traitorous actions. Would she come to kill Adria, her own daughter? Even if she did manage to evade her mother for the rest of her life, could she really expect to make a home in Camelot and act as if nothing ever happened when there were so many wary of her? Thousands of questions swam inside her confused head, and she could not find an answer for any of them.

Adria ran for what felt like three hours, even though it was only several minutes. Eventually she made it back to her chambers, where she quickly entered before slamming the door shut. From there, Adria seated herself on her soft, plush bed. Gingerly placing her head in her hands, she began to cry like she had never cried before.

———

"Interesting . . . very interesting . . ."

"Can you identify it?" Morgana asked, hopeful that the answer would be in her favor.

Gaius held the three-quarter empty vile up to eye level, swishing it back and for so as to examine it.

"Hmm . . ."

"Gaius?"

He looked over at Morgana, who was gesturing towards the vile he was holding. "Hmm? – Oh, my apologies. I cannot identify it simply by looking at it, no." Seeing the disappointed look which swept across the lady's face, he continued, "I can, however, run a test and, hopefully, figure out what this is. Now, you said you saw the grass had burned where the liquid made contact?"

Morgana nodded, "Yes, there were large patches of brown grass when I picked it up."

"Interesting . . ."

"What's interesting?" Merlin entered the room, catching the tail end of Morgana and Gaius' conversation.

"Lady Morgana found this, which we think may be vital to our operation." Gaius explained. Morgana nodded.

Merlin studied the brown liquid for a moment, squinting his eyes so to get a better look. "Okay . . . am I supposed to be impressed or something?"

Gaius let out an exasperated sigh. Morgana stepped in, "It was Adria who had tried to dispose of it, but as she tried to pour it out, she began to cry and then ran off. I brought it back to Gaius to see if he can identify what it is. I believe it to be something she planned on using on Arthur."

At these words, Merlin looked over to Morgana and raised an eyebrow. "You mean you believe me now?"

She could not help but smile slightly, "Yes, Merlin, I believe you now."

"Now, all we need is the king to believe you, Merlin." Gaius interrupted as he began to grab the necessary tools. "Hopefully, for Arthur's sake, this won't take long . . . ."

———

Arthur briskly walked down the corridors of the castle. Since the previous night's incident, he had been unable to keep his mind on anything else but Adria. He was quite frustrated when he was pried from her side, but he knew Gaius would send her to him once she was well . . . he would do that, right? Shaking the thought off, Arthur shirked his duties paced the hallway, seeing as he was incapable of keeping his mind on anything for longer than a few moments. During his tenth time pacing the hall, Arthur saw a blur run past the end of the corridor. He was unsure of what it was, so he gave in to his curiosity and headed towards the end of the hall. When he poked his head out, he saw the last part of a foot rounding the corner of another corridor. Arthur was about to go investigate when he heard a groan next to him. There, lying on the ground was a young servant girl who had, obviously, been knocked over by the blur.

"Are you okay?" Arthur asked, not even hesitating to help her up.

"I – I – yes, thank you, sire." The young girl stammered; she had never been spoken to by the prince.

"What happened?"

"A – a – I –" the girl looked down at her shoes, unable to work up the courage to openly speak to Arthur. He urged her on, however, and was able to get a few more words out of her. "A – girl with dark red hair, sire. She – she – she seemed upset."

Arthur looked at the girl for a moment, trying to figure out why the description sounded so familiar. Then, it snapped into place. Without warning, Arthur bolted down the hall, leaving the stammering young girl behind.

He followed the 'girl with dark red hair' throughout the castle, barely catching which hall she kept entering. After some while she had entered her room, allowing him to stop and catch a quick breath before knocking furiously on the large wooden door.

"Adria, it's Arthur!" He said, knocking as loud as he could, for her sobs were drowning him out. When he heard nothing, Arthur tried again.

"Open up! Adria, Adria!"

———

Merlin and Morgana stood outside of Gaius' chambers, waiting for the final conclusion. The two would have been inside with Gaius, but they had continuously asked questions, annoying the physicist to the point where he casted them out of the room. So, there they stood, waiting and hoping that they could finally expose Adria for who she was.

"Merlin," Morgana began after moments of silence, "I have been thinking . . . if her motives were to kill Arthur, why hasn't she done so yet? Have there not been many times when she could have killed him by now?" asked she, her eyes transfixed on a wall while she was in deep thought.

To this, Merlin just looked her with a puzzled face. In truth, Merlin was wondering the same question. "I don't . . . I don't know. Perhaps –"

"Morgana, Merlin, come in!" Gaius' muffled voice exclaimed from behind the closed door.

They both looked at each other for a moment, and then Merlin opened the door and allowed Morgana to enter first. "Did you figure out what it was?" Merlin asked with a hopeful tone, looking at the vile in Gaius' hand.

"I am pleased to say that I have identified the potion." He said, causing the two to smile. He continued, but with a grave face. "I am not pleased, however, to figure out what the potion actually does."

Both Merlin and Morgana looked at Gaius with a slightly worried face. "What do you mean?" Asked Morgana.

"This potion," Gaius began, walking around the table, "is used only by those who wish to kill another. You recall the potion that you consumed which rendered you severely ill, Merlin?"

Making a face at the memory, Merlin nodded, "How could I not?"

Gaius almost smiled. "That was a pretty powerful potion – but this is much, much worse."

"Worse? How?" Morgana asked, not quite following.

"When this potion touches any surface – and I mean any surface – it burns the object until there is nothing left. Now, that sounds bad already, but that is just the half of it. When this potion is consumed while mixed with any liquid, it kills the consumer."

Morgana placed a hand over her mouth to cover up a gasp. "It kills them? How long do they have once they drink it?"

"They die the instant the potion enters their body. There is no cure."

"Then we must tell the king!" Merlin eagerly exclaimed, his stomach forming a large knot just by listening to Gaius explain the purpose of the brown liquid.

"I agree; anyone with this type of potion in their possession can only use it for evil. Come, we must leave immediately." And with that, the three left to go speak with the king.

———

"Adria, Adria! Let me in!"

No matter how many times he yelled, banged the door, or threatened to knock it down with a small army, Adria did not want to open up. Her emotions were in a fragile state, and she needed time; time to think about what path she was going to take. Her first thought was to escape Camelot and hide in some other kingdom. She could hide her unique red hair and change her name, that way it would be harder for her mother to locate her. Or, perhaps, she could return back to her home and take her punishment. . . . No, no, she wouldn't do that. She surely would receive the worst punishment her mother could give. Just thinking about it gave her a tingling sensation down her spine. Maybe she could . . . she could . . .

"Adria! Are you alright? Adria!"

Finally shifter her gaze to the door, she watched as Arthur continued to pound his heart out. She could barely suppress a smile. Maybe she could stay, after all. Arthur seemed to care enough to allow her to stay indefinitely. Contemplating this idea, she continued to watch as the door began to shake due to Arthur's loud poundings. After a few moments of watching, she broke out into a sob once more. She came to the conclusion that, no matter how much her heart wished her to stay, it would never be. Merlin already knew of her secret, she was sure. It would only be a matter of time that she was captured and burned alive. Still, she could not help but feel the need to be comforted by the only person who deeply cared for her. Muttering a quick spell, Adria turned her back to the door and tried to dry her face with her hands.

Arthur immediately burst into the room. He stumbled because he did not expect the door to unlock quote-so-suddenly, but caught himself before his face met the floor. Casting a wary glance to the door, Arthur turned his attention towards the one thing that really mattered; Adria.

"What happened? Why wouldn't you open up?" he immediately asked, maneuvering around the bed so he could get a better look at her. She turned her head away so her dark red hair would cover her face, yet Arthur was smart enough to gently grab her and make her face him. Adria's eyes were full of water and her face was almost as red as her hair. Arthur frowned, "Who did this to you?"

Again, she could not help but smile slightly. "N-no, nothing of the sort. It's just . . just . ." Taking in a deep breath, she covered her mouth and began to sob once more.

Not being very skilled in comforting women, Arthur simply stared at her for a moment and watched as she had a breakdown. He didn't know what action to take next, so he took heed of what his urge was telling him. Clearing his throat, Arthur seated himself next to her and gently slipped his arm around her shoulders.

"I don't – I don't – know what to do, Arthur . . . I – I just don't know." She sobbed, burying her face into Arthur's chest.

———

Gaius, Merlin, and Morgana entered through the large wooden doorway; all had focused looks on their face.

"Gaius, Morgana, it is always a pleasure to see you. What is your business?" Uther pleasantly stated, looking up from his pile of parchment.

"I'm afraid our business is not pleasurable, my lord." The court physician said which in turn received nods from both Merlin and Morgana.

"Really? What troubles you, then?"

"We believe the advisor to King John is an imposter." Morgana piped in.

Uther had an almost skeptical look upon his face. "How so?"

"First, we have a witness who saw the advisor as the one who tried to kill Arthur. Second, Morgana saw her leave behind a vile of brown liquid, which I believe to be one of the most – "

"Her? What do you mean, 'her'?"

Gaius looked puzzled at Uther's sudden interest in gender. "Well, my lord, she is a woman – "

"That's impossible," Uther shook his head with a scoff, "I know John's advisor – Ulric is his name. Unless I suddenly cannot distinguish man from woman, he is indeed a male. A female advisor? I've never heard of such an absurd concept."

A loud slap suddenly echoed throughout the large room, causing everyone to turn their attention to the source of the sound. They found that it was the manservant, Merlin, who had swiftly smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. When they all gave him bewildered looks, he replied with three simple words.

"Arthur, you prat."

———

"It's – it's okay . . ." Arthur mumbled, holding Adria close. He was fine and dandy with the physical comfort, but he was never the world's foremost leading expert on emotional comfort. So, he simply patted her shoulder and kept her inside his warm embrace.

"N – no it's not okay!" Adria pried herself away from his grip (although she hated leaving his safe embrace) and moved to the opposite corner of the room, her face now redder than ever. "It is my mother . . . she wants me to something – something horrible. And – and if I don't she will surely kill me, if I'm lucky. I don't know what to do, Arthur . . ." she attempted to hold back her tears once more, but they just came spluttering out. Adria quickly turned her back to the prince and silently cried into her hands. Almost instantly, a hand gently touched her shoulder and made her turn around. Arthur stared back at her with a tender expression.

"Adria," he softly began, bringing his thumb up to try and dry her red cheeks, "as long as you reside here in Camelot, I shall protect you."

A large wave of relief washed throughout Adria at those words. He cared for her, he really did. With a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips, she whispered "thank you."

Quite suddenly, the distance between them closed as Arthur leaned forward, finally finishing what he had started the previous night. He had gently placed a kiss on her red lips. Once she got over the initial shock and her heart started back up, Adria happily returned the kiss. Finally, she felt safe. She felt joy. She felt bliss.

Pure bliss.

It was like nothing she had imagined. The rush of adrenaline coursing throughout her veins, his warm embrace, it all was absolutely wonderful. She wanted it to last forever, yet in the back of her mind she knew something was going to break them apart. Nothing this wonderful could ever last. Her prediction was right. In a matter of moments, King Uther charged into the room with a raged expression, causing the two to pull apart.

"Seize her."

Several guards had entered the room, two of which pushed their way past Arthur and took hold of Adria's arms. She tried to scramble away, but the strength of the two men proved too much for her.

"What is the meaning of this?" Arthur protested, completely outraged.

"That woman is a witch. She is the one who tried to kill you and she has been planning your demise this whole time, so she shall be burned."

"That's insane! Father, do you hear yourself? She is not a witch! Adria is an innocent woman who – " Arthur began on a rant, but his voice trailed off and died when he saw the guilty look Adria was carrying.

"Arthur, please, you must understand! It was not me – I mean, I did not – I never wanted to – "

"Put her in the dungeons. She shall be burned tomorrow." Uther commanded. The guards dragged Adria away with ease, no matter how much she squirmed and protested.

"Please, Arthur, I beg you, listen to me! Arthur!" Adria tried to free herself from the men's grasp, but she failed miserably. She was forced out of the room; just barely catching one last glimpse of Arthur's shocked face. Deciding that it was of no use, she let herself go limp and allowed the guards to drag her down the corridor. By the time they got halfway, Adria had come to the conclusion that she was not going to allow herself to be killed. Looking up at the two men, she scowled. Without warning, she swung her leg under one man, and then brought her elbow up to the second one's face, sending both of them hurdling to the floor. Uther and Arthur obviously heard this, for they both ran out of the room just in time to see her escaping down the hall.

"Guards, sound the alarm! Find that woman!"

Although she was weak from her emotional breakdown, Adria still ran through the castle with speed and elegance. Several guards rounded corners, forcing her to take a sharp turn down the nearest hallway. More and more guards enclosed on her, and at one point she seemed as if she was stuck. Several groups of guards marched on either side of the hallway, disallowing her to go either left or right. But, the corridor beside her was wide open. At the very end of that said corridor was an open window. Adria knew that it was her chance to escape and begin the new life she was thinking about. Even though it pained her to have to leave Camelot and Arthur, she knew she was dead if she didn't. So, she ran down the hallway just as the men were arms length away. Fast as a horse, she was, and in no time she was only five yards away from the window, and only five yards from freedom. Closer . . . closer . . . closer . . .

Wham!

A long, silver arm had appeared from behind the corner of the wall. It hit Adria square in the face, sending her in a backwards somersault. The hard ground made contact with her back as she landed, sending pain to shoot up from all places. She was dizzy. She couldn't see. Adria was mere moments away from blacking out, yet she forced herself to open her eyes and see who it was that had bested her. At first she thought her mind was playing tricks, but when her eyes fully focused, she saw who had knocked her down. Letting out a moan of pain, she allowed the darkness to engulf her.

The last image she saw was of Arthur, standing over her with a metal glove on his arm and an angry, disappointed expression across his face.