Beauty and the Beast
Part Four
(Final)
I immediately knew that there was something wrong when Merlin and I entered the physician's chambers.
"We did it!" Merlin exclaimed. "She took the potion." There was a tone of pride in his voice that was rare to hear.
"What's wrong?" I asked when Gaius did not answer.
"Uther has disinherited Arthur and made Catrina his heir." Gaius said.
"What?" I asked. If there were ever any doubt that she was in his head it was gone now. Uther would never do that to Uther.
"So if Uther dies she sill rule Camelot." Merlin stated, the fear apparent in his voice.
"This is all part of her plan." I said as I shook my head.
"They are having a ceremony this afternoon where she will be crowned." Gaius said.
"Do you think she will become a troll in time?" I asked.
"We can only hope." Gaius said.
I held Arthur's hand as Catrina was crowned heir. I looked over my shoulder and saw Merlin and Aleya standing in the balcony, out of view to anyone who was looking for them. I knew that this was difficult for Arthur. Uther had insisted that he attend the ceremony, out of respect for the Queen. That line had made me want to puke.
"Do you solemnly swear to govern the people of Camelot, to uphold the laws and customs of the land…." I stopped listening to the oath when Catrina's expression dropped. I could not help but smile because I knew exactly what was happening.
"Will you, to your power, cause law and justice and mercy to be executed in all your judgment?" Geoffrey asked.
"I will." She said quickly as she began to scratch her hand.
"Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the laws…." He said.
"Yes, yes." She interrupted. She pulled up her sleeve to reveal a patch of brown, troll skin. I looked back at Aleya who was smiling.
"I'm sorry, you must let me finish." He said, "The wording must be exact for it to be binding."
"Get on with it then." She said, "I mean really, where did you dig up this old crow from?"
"She's right, get on with it." Uther said with a smile.
"Will you to the utmost of your power…."He began again.
"Yes, yes." She said.
"Maintain the laws and customs." He said.
"I will." She interrupted again.
"Of the land and serve the people." He said.
"Yes! Just shut up and give me the crown." She said. I bit my lip to avoid laughing. Geoffrey held the crown in his hand. "Will you hurry up?" She said as she took the crown from his hand and ran down the aisle. Uther followed after her. I smiled and followed Arthur out. Morgana ran behind me.
Merlin grabbed my hand as we ran down the stairs and into the hallway where Catrina had led Uther and the others. We hid behind a pillar and Merlin closed and locked the door with the help of his magic. Catrina ran desperately for the door.
"What is the matter?" Uther asked as he walked in.
"I'm sorry." She said as she held up both of her hands. Her left hand now looked just like the troll. She realized her mistake and pulled it behind her. "I don't know what came over me, I just suddenly felt so hot." She said as she backed towards the door. "You know, I think I need to be on my own." She said.
"Are you alright?" Samantha asked with a sadistic smile on her face.
"Yes, I'm fine, really. Thank you." She said as she turned around and worked on the door. She began to pull on the door as Arthur walked over to her.
"Allow me." He said. He looked down at the handle and backed away as he saw her hand. "What the hell is that?" He asked. She turned to them and revealed her hand. Before she could speak she began to transform.
"What's happening?" Morgana asked in terror. "Somebody help her." She said. There was nothing to be done to help her now, and after a moment there was a hideous troll standing in front of them.
"You're a troll." Arthur said.
"I hate to say I told you so." Samantha said smugly although she was looking shocked as well. Uther continued to smile. I made a note of the necklace that Uther wore glowing red.
"How dare you speak of her like that." Uther said sounding offended.
"What is wrong with you?" Arthur asked in disgust. "Look at the state of her!" Arthur said.
"I don't believe it." Morgana said as she shook her head. Catrina turned and ripped the door off of the hinges. I flinched back as she did and she ran out of the room grunting.
"She just ripped the door off of its hinges, doesn't that tell you something?" Arthur said as he stared at his father.
"Enough!" Uther yelled.
"She's a troll." Arthur said, "A giant, grey…"
"Stinking." Samantha added.
"Stinking troll." Arthur said.
"Stop it!" Uther said as he walked over to the door. He picked up the crown and shoes that had been discarded by Catrina. He turned to face Arthur, Samantha, and Morgan. "Haven't you hurt her feelings enough" He asked , "Insult my wife again and it will be the last think you ever do." He said before walking out and leaving them speechless.
I paced in front of Aleya and Merlin who had delved into Merlin's spell books looking for an answer to our current predicament.
"Uther must be enchanted." Gaius said as he looked up from his own book.
"It has to be the pendant." Aleya said, "I noticed it glowing today."
"I saw it too." I said, "There's definitely something magicky going on with that thing."
"We just have to find a way to break her hold on him." Merlin said.
"Can't you just rip the necklace off?" I asked.
"I fear that it has already taken hold." Gaius said, "You won't find anything in your spell book, Merlin. Troll magic is too powerful."
"Then what are we going to do?" Aleya asked.
"Merlin, you must speak to the dragon." Gaius said. "If there is a way to break Catrina's hold on Uther he will know it, but be careful, dragons and trolls have been close allies in the past."
"Great, I love that old lizard." I said with a smile.
Samantha, Merlin, and I walked down the stair case to visit the dragon. When we made it into the cave Merlin went about explaining our current situation to him. Samantha added several adjectives when Merlin was describing the troll. As soon as Merlin finished explaining the dragon simply laughed.
"This isn't funny." Merlin said.
"Oh, it is, it is. The thought of Uther marrying a troll. Was it a very public affair?" He asked.
"Public enough." Samantha said.
"Don't laugh, if she can't be stopped Arthur won't become king and Albion will never be born." Merlin said.
"I'm sorry. You are right." The dragon said.
"How can we break the enchantment?" I aske.d
"These are not trifling tricks. Troll magic is very powerful." He said.
"There has to be a way." Merlin said.
"The only way you could break this enchantment is if Uther were to cry tears of true remorse." He said.
"How do we make him do that?" Samantha asked, "Have you met the man?"
"That I cannot answer, Uther's heart is as cold as stone." The dragon said, "He's never been sorry for anything."
"Thanks, I think." Merlin said as he turned to walk away.
"Young Warlock." The dragon called. We all turned to face him. "It was some time ago you promised to set me free. The help I give is not unconditional." I looked at Merlin, eyes wide. He promised to set him free? Merlin nodded and started up the stairs.
"What the hell, Merlin?" Samantha said when we reached the top of the stairs.
"You promised to set him free?" I asked.
"I had to, to save Camelot." He said.
"What do you think that he will do to Camelot when he is released?" I asked.
"I don't know." Merlin said.
"The dragon said that he had to cry tears of true remorse to break the enchantment." Merlin said as he paced around the room.
"Well, that's not going to be easy." Gaius said, "Uther's heart is closed to everyone."
"Not everyone." I said and everyone stared at me, "Arthur." I said.
"Then there is only one course of action we can take." Gaius said.
"And that would be?" Aleya asked.
"Uther must see his son die." Gaius said.
"Now, that's not what I meant." I said.
"It will be perfectly safe." Gaius said as he stood and started on some sort of potion. "Merlin, you and Aleya should go and explain this to Arthur. Samantha and I will brew the potion and meet you there." He said.
"This is becoming a habit." I whispered as Merlin and I hid beneath Arthur's bed.
"I don't know, I kind of like it." Merlin said as he looked at me with a smile.
"Shut up, you flirt." I said. I heard Arthur walking towards us. He got into bed and blew out the candle that was placed on the night stand.
"Watch this." Merlin whispered. "Arthur. Arthur." He said. I saw Arthur get out of bed and draw his sword.
"Who's there?" He said.
"Merlin." He said as he slid out from under the bed. I saw Arthur jump.
"And Aleya." I said as I pushed myself out. He pointed his sword at us.
"You're back." Arthur said in surprise.
"We never left." Merlin said.
"You mean to say….."Arthur trailed off.
"Yes." Merlin said.
"You've been under there this whole time?" Arthur said.
"No." Merlin and I said in unison.
"Because if you were." Arthur said as he pointed his sword at Merlin.
"I wasn't, I swear." Merlin said as he stood up.
"So, your stepmother is a troll." Merlin said.
"If you say I told you so." Arthur said.
"I wasn't going to. I wouldn't." Merlin said.
"I would, I told you so." I said. Arthur gave me a cheesy grin.
"Gaius believes that your father has been enchanted. We found a way to break the spell but…." Merlin said.
"We need your help." I added.
"So, your great plan is to kill me?" Arthur asked.
"In a nutshell, yes." I said, "Gaius and I made a potion that will make you look dead, but without the actual dying part."
"It's fine, nothing to worry about." Merlin said, "It will only bring you to the brink of death."
"Oh, only to the brink." Arthur said.
"We haven't got a choice." Aleya said, "We have to make your father cry."
"He doesn't care about me anymore." Arthur said.
"Of course he does!" I said, "You are the only thing your father actually does care about."
"It's completely safe, one drop of the antidote and you'll be safe." Gaius said.
"Antidote? What antidote?" Arthur asked, "You didn't say anything about an antidote."
"I didn't think it was important." I said.
"The potion will lower your heart rate and breathing. For all intents and purposes you will be dead." Gaius explained.
"And the antidote reverses the effects?" Arthur asked.
"Yep." I said.
"If we get it to you in time."Aleya said.
"If it isn't?" Arthur asked, although I sensed that he knew the answer.
"You will be dead." Gaius said.
"I thought you said it wasn't important?" Arthur said angrily as he looked at me.
"I lied." I said with a smile. "It will be fine, Arthur. Merlin and Aleya will get it to you in time." I said.
"Great, so my life is in their hands." Arthur said.
"Once I have administered the poison…I mean the potion, they'll have half an hour to get it to you." Gaius said.
"Don't be late." Arthur said as he looked at Merlin.
"Am I ever?" Merlin said with a grin.
"I'm not going to answer that." Arthur said.
"Are you sure that you want to go through with this?" Gaius asked.
"It's the only way to save Camelot." Arthur said.
He took the potion and downed it. Nothing happened for a moment and he just stood there looking confused. Then he fell backwards onto Aleya and I who caught him with difficulty. We gently lowered him down to the ground.
"Time to break the bad news to Uther." Gaius said. Gaius handed Merlin the antidote.
"Aleya and I can't be in here when Uther comes." Merlin said.
"That's right, he still wants our heads." Aleya said.
"I'll make sure that Uther believes Arthur is dead." I said with a smile, "Those acting lessons I too will pay off."
Merlin and I walked down the hallway. Our plan was to get far enough away so that Uther would not see us, but close enough that we could get to Arthur in time. He walked in front of me, clutching the antidote in his hand. Suddenly a vase fell from above him and hid him in the head.
"Merlin!" I yelled as I knelt down next to him. I watched in horror as the potion rolled down the stairs. I dove for it and grabbed it before it hit the ground. I stood up and looked towards Merlin and saw Jonas standing in front of me. Before I could act he pushed me and I fell backwards down the stairs. The last thing I remembered was a sharp pain in the back of my head before the darkness overtook my vision.
Merlin and I walked down the hallway. We were just going to get far enough away so that Uther wouldn't see us. He walked in front of me clutching the antidote in his hand. Suddenly a vase fell from above him and hit him on the head.
I heard someone walking towards me from down the hall so I knelt down over Arthur and began to sob. I cradles his head in his lap and waited. It was not very hard to get the tears to come due to the fact that Arthur appeared to be dead. Uther threw open the doors and walked in.
"He's dead, my lord." I said between sobs.
"My boy." Uther said as he leaned down in front of Arthur.
I awoke to Merlin shaking me. My vision was blurred at first but it quickly cleared up as I realized what had just happened.
"Are you alright?" He asked as he helped me up.
"I think so." I said, "It was Jonas, he dropped the vase on your head. Are you alright?" I asked.
"Never better." He said with a weak smile. "Where's the antidote?"
"Oh no." I muttered when I saw the shattered bottle at the bottom of the stairs.
"It was my fault." Uther said. "I pushed you away."
I could see the tears forming in Uther's eyes. Soon Catrina's hold over the king would be broken and Arthur would be safe, provided Merlin and Aleya did their job.
"How could you have known what would happen, my lord?" I asked solemnly.
"One drop." Merlin said, sounding deflated. "One drop was all we needed." I looked at him and then at the blue piece of fabric tied around his neck.
"Give me your neckerchief." I said.
"What?" He asked, sounding confused about the strange request.
"Neckerchief, give it." I said.
He obeyed and handed it to me. I moved down the spilled substance and began trying to soak it up with the fabric. When I was confident that there was enough I handed the neckerchief back to Merlin.
"Have I ever told you you're a genius?" He said with a smile.
"We have to get it to Arthur." I said.
I looked over at the door and saw that Catrina had walked in. She really was revolting when she was in full troll form. Uther's enchantment had to be pretty strong to make her seem beautiful.
"Come away." She said as she walked in. "There is nothing you can do for him now." She said. Uther had taken Arthur into his arms.
"I killed him, I killed my only son." Uther said.
"No, no, no, no!" She said as a tear rolled down Uther's face. We had done it. Uther looked at Catrina and his face palled anymore.
"Catrina?" He said as the pendant on his neck stopped glowing. "What kind of trickery is this?" He said.
"How I've suffered for these past weeks." She said. I saw Merlin and Aleya walk through the other door. "Allowing you to touch me. Having to share a bed with you." She said. I was shocked, Uther got freaky with a troll." "It's repulsive." She said.
"I know the feeling." Uther said with regret in his voice.
"I've been looking forward to this." She said.
"Guards!" Uther yelled, "Seize…..it." He said. Merlin ran around the corner and noticed that he no longer had the antidote.
"Where's the antidote?" I asked as he knelt down next to Arthur.
"Jonas dropped a vase on his head and pushed me down the stairs, sorry but we dropped it." Aleya said.
Merlin began to try to get a drop of the antidote out of the neckerchief while Catrina fought her way through the guards. As soon as the drop of the antidote hit Arthur's lips he began to wake up. Merlin and I helped him up and as soon as he was on his feet he ran over to Catrina who was getting ready to make her move on Uther. He rammed into her and the Catrina lifted him up by his shirt.
"Now, is that any way to treat your stepmother?" She asked before she flung him into the wall. I ran over to him.
"Arthur!" I yelled as I went. I watched as Arthur slumped down to the ground and I knelt down next to him.
Jonas went after Arthur and I. He pulled a tiny dagger out only to be met by a sword to the stomach. The person wielding the sword was Aleya. She looked as hurt as Jonas as he fell to the ground. Arthur stood up and she handed the sword to him.
Merlin muttered something and the rug that Catrina was standing on flew out from beneath her. She fell to the ground which left her open to attack. Arthur ran the sword through her. After a moment she was gone, but her odor lingered.
"Right, so the troll infestation is over." Samantha said as we walked back to my chambers.
"Yeah." I said as I yawned.
"Be honest with me, when was the last time you slept?" She asked.
"I slept a bit when I hit my head on the stairs." I said.
"That doesn't count." She said.
"Three days ago? I think I've been running on adrenaline."
"You need to go to bed now." She said. It did not register to me that we were in my chambers until I felt myself lying down in bed.
I helped Aleya into bed and as soon as her head hit the pillow she was asleep.
"Good night, Aleya." I said as I walked out of the room.
Camelot was safe once more, as was Arthur. I walked out into the hallway and saw Merlin and Arthur talking. I slid into one of the alcoves and listened.
"I want you to know that I never doubted you." Arthur said. Merlin gave him an incredulous look. "Alright, maybe I did. But it's your own fault. You've got a suspicious look about you. Shifty, like you've got something to hide."
"I am an open book." Merlin said, liar.
"I don't believe that for a second, however, I do know that without your help I'd still have a troll for a stepmother." Arthur said. There was an awkward pause that consisted of them both nodding. "well, good job today." Arthur said as he put his hand on Merlin's shoulder. Merlin must have thought that he was going for a hug.
"Woah." Arthur muttered.
"Woah." Merlin replied.
"What are you doing?" Arthur asked.
"I thought you were going for a hug." Merlin said.
"No." Arthur said.
"No." Merlin replied while shaking his head. They waited a moment before they both lowered their hands. Arthur began to walk towards me when I vacated my hiding place.
"I'll give you a hug, Merlin." I said with a smile. Arthur stared at me for a moment before he began to laugh.