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Chapter 37

Arthur

To be quite honest, Arthur did not really see Aredian the following day. He was woken by Merlin, threw a goblet at his head for the trouble, then had breakfast and prepared for a long training session with the knights, while Merlin went into town with Gaius to collect pots ('Every Thursday it's the same stupid pots!').

Aredian was busy trying to uncover the sorcerer and Arthur found himself wondering if he would be any more successful than he had been in the past. Part of him very much wanted this dangerous sorcerer gone, but another, very irrational, part of him did want to deny the Witchfinder the satisfaction of being triumphant again. His chat with his fiancée the previous day had made him think. Apparently no other kingdom suffered from magical attacks like theirs. Alina had more or less suggested that might be because sorcerers just were not amused with a regime that outlawed them, hunted them like animals. It would only be a natural reaction to be angry, though she admitted that that was no excuse to turn to the evil side.

There was something very disturbing she had told him as well, about a sorcerer named Emrys, who was supposed to be protecting him. He had laughed at the idea. Why on earth would any sorcerer in his senses even want to protect the son of a magic-hating king?

But then, he may have laughed, in truth he did not doubt this prophecy as much as he tried to make Alina believe. Because in the last two years he had been lucky more than once. There had been a light guiding him when he was going to get Merlin's antidote, obviously a magical light, whenever bandits attacked they would trip over their own feet, get hit by falling branches or suddenly drop their swords. There had been other moments as well and once Arthur started to list them, there was no end to it. What if his good luck wasn't luck at all? What if his only good luck was to have a powerful sorcerer watching his back?

Thoughts like this were distressing to the prince. There simply could be no way that magic, in any way, was a good thing. He had faced its evil nature more than enough to be certain of that. But still, the doubt gnawed at him. To silence this he trained as hard as he could, forgetting everything else, completely losing himself in the dance of the swords and maces.

It was late in the afternoon that he was summoned to the throne room. Arthur suspected this had something to do with the Witchfinder's investigations. Could he have results for them so soon already? It seemed like a miracle. But, of course, Aredian was known for working miracles when it came to hunting down magic-users.

He positioned himself behind Alina's chair.

'What's going on?' he asked.

'Apparently our dear Witchfinder has something he'd like to say to us.' She shrugged.

'You still don't like him, then?'

'I'd be surprised if there was someone who liked him,' she retorted. 'Well, his mother maybe.'

He chuckled. 'It's really sweet to see you like this, Alina.'

'Like what?' she demanded.

'Angry, sulking.'

'Very funny, Arthur.'

Aredian entered then, which put an end to their conversation. He led three very nervous women in. They all looked like they would prefer any other place over this one.

Aredian let them halt a few meters before the throne. 'Speak,' he commanded. 'Do not be afraid.'

The first woman looked up at the king, not quite meeting his eyes. 'I… I was drawing water from the well, sire,' she spoke. 'When I saw them, faces in the well, sire, terrible faces. Like people who were drowned! Screaming, screaming!' She broke down into sobs.

Aredian moved on to the next woman. 'Tell them what you saw.'

'A goblin,' the second woman replied. She was a little braver than the first. 'Dancing on the coals. It was dancing in flames. And it spoke, sire. My heart near stopped for fear of it.'

Aredian shot Arthur and his father a triumphant look as if to prove how right he had been to accuse the king of not being harsh enough in his measures against magic. No matter how Arthur believed in the evilness of magic, right now he would not mind a bit if it was Aredian himself ending up being roasted for that look. He was enjoying that mental picture a little too much here.

Alina had tensed as well, looking daggers at the Witchfinder. Arthur laid a hand on her shoulder to calm her. It worked a little, but not much.

Aredian had moved over to the third woman by now. 'As you've heard, my lord,' he said. 'The incident in the woods was only the beginning.' He poked the last woman. 'Hmm?'

'There was a sorcerer, sire,' she spoke. 'In the square. There were creatures jumping right out of his mouth.'

'What manner of creature?' Aredian pressed.

'Toads, sire,' she replied, sounding scared now. 'Great, green, slimy things as big as your fist!'

His father looked positively horrified. No doubt he was wondering how something like this could happen in the very heart of his city, something Arthur was asking himself too. If there was a sorcerer coughing up toads in the middle of the central square, you'd say that more people would have noticed that.

He stopped this thought before he could go any further. He wasn't calling Aredian's abilities to detect magic into question, now, was he? Even though the man was probably the most ill-mannered prat he had ever come across, he still was famous for rooting out magic. He had years and years of experience. Arthur reprimanded himself. He should be learning from him instead of questioning his methods.

'The sorcerer laughs in your face!' Aredian declared. 'Even now magic flourishes on the streets of Camelot!'

'I scarcely believe it,' his father said.

'Yet it is the truth, my lord,' Aredian insisted. 'Fortunately I've utilized every facet of my craft to bring this matter to a swift resolution.'

Big words, Aredian, Arthur thought mockingly. Showing off, aren't you? Showing us all how good you are. These hateful thoughts had popped into his head before he could stop them. Get a grip! he told himself. This man is doing a lot of good, despite his lack of manners and humility.

His father stood up. 'The sorcerer? You have a suspect?'

'I do, my lord,' the Witchfinder said. 'And I regret to say they stand among us in this very room.'

Shocked whispers buzzing, people shooting each other horrified looks, glancing around them. Arthur felt a sudden urge to do the same, but he managed to remain calm. Unlike Alina, who had tensed again. That was strange. She was not afraid of sorcerers, she had admitted as much last night. Surely she had no reason to be frightened?

'My methods are infallible, my findings incontestable!' Aredian announced in a dramatic voice. The man had a talent for theatrics. 'The facts point to one person and one person alone.' He waited a few moments to let the tension and expectation build even further, before turning around and pointing out his suspect. 'The boy, Merlin!'

There was a shocked silence as everyone tried to process this. Arthur's mind worked at top speed. His first impulse was to deny it all at once, to declare Aredian a blind fool and tell him to investigate again, because there was no way that Merlin, Merlin of all people could ever be a sorcerer. The whole idea was beyond ridiculous.

But then, another thought entered his mind, because Merlin had always been somewhere around when something remarkable happened to him. Somehow Merlin always seemed to be in exactly the right position to drop a heavy branch on an attacking bandit. He always seemed to know what was going on before anyone else did. He remembered what Alina had said about this sorcerer that was supposed to protect him. What if…?

He spoke up before he could stop himself. 'Merlin?' he repeated in a dismissive voice, as if this idea was the most stupid idea he had ever heard. 'You. Can't. Be. Serious.'

'This is outrageous!' Gaius shouted. 'You have no evidence!'

'Tools of magic cannot be hidden from me,' Aredian said. 'I'm certain that a thorough search of the boy's chamber will deliver us all we need.'

Alina had gotten up. 'Sire, I really must protest. There is no way Merlin could ever be a sorcerer!'

The king ignored her. 'Merlin?' he said.

Merlin was braver than Arthur had given him credit for. He looked him right in the eye. 'I have nothing to hide from him,' he said in a clear and loud voice.

'Very well,' his father said. 'Guards, restrain the boy. Let the search begin.'

Alina grabbed his arm as he prepared to walk away. 'Arthur, you can't do this,' she begged. 'Please?'

He lowered his voice. 'Do you have such a low opinion of me? He's my friend too. Don't tell him I said that,' he added quickly.

'So, you promise to not let anything happen to him?' she pressed.

He nodded. 'Leave it to me. Go back to your chambers and wait there. I'll come as soon as I can. Trust me.'

She nodded and left, taking Morgana with her. Arthur went with the guards. Oh, Merlin, what have you gotten yourself into?

Alina

Morgana was pacing restlessly around Alina's room.

'What if Merlin doesn't come back? What if they kill him?' This and more like this she was constantly saying, driving Alina very nearly mad. She had trouble focussing as it was. She knew this would happen and she knew that there was nothing she could have done to prevent it from happening, but she still felt guilty. Her brain was working at full speed, trying to think of a way to get rid of this Witchfinder as soon as possible.

'What if Uther won't listen to reason?' Morgana went on. 'What if he is dead already?'

'Shut up, Morgana!' she exclaimed.

That shut her up nicely. Alina was not usually rude, but her patience had been tried more than enough for one day. And she needed to think, to remember what happened in this episode. But she found that her memory was a mess. She had never really like this episode, so she had not watched it a lot. The result of that: having only a few ideas of what was going on and what had to happen. She wanted to cry out in frustration.

The door burst open and Merlin came in.

'Merlin!' Morgana exclaimed in relief, not caring about etiquette now, but simply pulling him into a hug. 'Thank God, you're safe.'

Arthur came in after his servant, closing the door behind him, a solemn look on his face. 'Alina? They've taken Gaius.'

On Morgana's shoulder Merlin began to sob.

Fury boiled in her. 'How on earth could you have let that happen, Arthur Pendragon?' she snarled at him.

He held up his hands. 'There was nothing I could do, Alina!' he said. 'There was an amulet found in his chambers. Gaius swore it belonged to him. I heard him say so myself!'

She walked over to him and slapped his face. 'And you believed that? Are you really as stupid as you look?'

'Ow!' he complained. 'He swore to it, Alina. What else am I supposed to think?'

She had a whole lot to say about that, but she saved it for later. There were more pressing things at hand right now. 'Where did you find it?' she demanded.

'What do you…?' Arthur asked, not understanding.

'In Gaius' chambers, where did you find it?'

'Eh… in a jar from the cupboard on the right wall, I think,' Arthur replied, still confused.

'What jar?'

'A glass one,' the prince said. 'There were some kind of greenish blue grains in it.'

'That is impossible,' she stated, feeling somewhat relieved.

'It was there, Alina!' Arthur started to protest.

'It's impossible,' she repeated. 'I refilled that jar only this morning only before I went into town with Gaius and Merlin. And I swear that there was no magical amulet, or any kind of amulet, at all in his chambers, let alone that jar.' She was absolutely positive on that one.

Merlin stared at her, disbelieving. 'None of us has gone back there since this morning. If that amulet was not there when you refilled it…' he whispered.

'Must mean that someone has put it there,' Morgana understood. 'Which means…'

'That Gaius is set up,' Alina finished.

Arthur looked like he just saw a ghost. 'But he swore to it,' he stuttered.

'Yes, to protect Merlin,' Alina said slowly, as if explaining something to a child. On reflection, this looked very much like speaking to a child, really. It must be a Pendragon thing to be so slow of mind on important occasions. 'It doesn't change the facts. We were out all morning and Gaius never locks his door, so anyone could have slipped that thing into the jar, but I think I already know who did it.'

Merlin looked at her with hopeful eyes. 'Who did?'

She grimaced. 'The Witchfinder,' she sighed.

The hope in Merlin's eyes disappeared. He understood how hopeless it would be to go up against such a powerful man as the Witchfinder on so little evidence.

Arthur eyed her warily. 'How can you be sure, Alina?'

I'm from the future, that's how I know, she thought, but that she could not say, so she made up another explanation, that would sound reasonable.

'Let's sit down,' she proposed. 'And I'll explain.'

They all did as she asked. She noticed that Morgana held Merlin's hand to support him. Even now the situation was so serious, Alina almost smiled. Even if I change nothing else, it will be good to know that these two have found each other, she thought. She felt even proud of that. After all, she had succeeded in keeping Morgana on the side of good. If that wasn't a huge achievement, she wouldn't know what was.

'What makes you say that Aredian is responsible for framing Gaius?' Arthur asked. He seemed to have accepted that for the fact it was. She was grateful for that.

'Because I hear stories, a lot of them,' she replied.

Legend? Merlin asked.

You bet, she replied.

'Stories?' Arthur said dismissively.

'If people tell stories, there always is some ground for them,' she said coolly. 'And I've spoken to an eyewitness. He came to my father's court, begging for protection. He did not possess magic, yet in his house there was all of a sudden this magical bracelet. He had never seen it before, but Aredian used it to brand him a sorcerer and to arrest him.'

Arthur still looked very sceptical. 'How did he escape if not by using magic?'

'His brother stole the key, drugged the guards and broke him out. The way I heard it Aredian was not so pleased with that.'

'It makes no sense,' Merlin spoke up. 'Why would anyone try to arrest people for crimes they did not commit?'

She shrugged. 'Greed, I think. Aredian gets paid for every sorcerer he catches. The more he arrests, the more money he gets.'

Arthur nodded. 'That would make sense. But still, there must be a real sorcerer out there. We all heard what the witnesses said.'

'What if they were bribed?' Alina demanded. 'Or threatened?'

'They were genuinely afraid, Alina,' he pointed out.

Yes, because they saw visions, hallucinations, thanks to our dear Aredian, she thought, but that was something she wasn't supposed to know, so she had to approach this differently. 'Arthur, imagine you're a sorcerer.'

'I'm not!' he protested.

'I know,' she said in a voice like she was trying to explain a very simple thing to a very stupid child. 'But let's just say, for argument's sake, that you were.'

'Right?' The prince still sounded not very pleased with the whole idea.

'Well, imagine you're a sorcerer, here in Camelot. What would you do?'

Arthur thought about that for a moment. 'I think I would try to keep my head down, I guess, not to attract a lot of attention.'

She nodded. 'So…?'

She could see the realisation dawn on him. 'I would most certainly not risk exposure by coughing up toads in the central square for everyone to see, is that what you mean?'

Alina was relieved that he understood so quickly. Really, the real Arthur was a whole lot more intelligent than the character from the series. Well, she was glad. It made all of this a whole lot easier.

She nodded fiercely. 'Add to that the fact that all these things started happening when Aredian came into town, not before, and I think we can all come to the conclusion that there is more to the Witchfinder than he would have us believe.'

'But then he is a fraud,' Morgana said.

'Maybe,' Alina said. 'There might also be another explanation.'

Arthur's jaw dropped. 'That he is a sorcerer himself? He did all those tricks and is now trying to blame someone else in order to get money?'

'That would be very low,' Morgana said. 'Very low indeed.'

'It would also be the perfect way to create chaos in the kingdom,' Alina pointed out. 'Gaius is one of the most trusted advisors to the king. If Aredian manages to take him out, that could have grave consequences.'

'So, what do we do?' Merlin asked.

'We prove Gaius' innocence,' the princess said.

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