The Witch finder

Part Two

(Final)

I walked into Arthur's chambers without bothering to knock. He was sitting at the table working on some form of paperwork. He stared up at me as I walked over.

"You listen to me." I said, "You're going to go to your father right now and tell him to release Aleya." I said.

"Listen, Sam, I know ho…." He began, I did not let him finish.

"Arthur have you met my sister? She doesn't have magic!" I yelled. I was not angry at Arthur in particular, but I needed to yell at someone.

"Be that as it may, she was still in possession of a magical amulet and that in itself is punishable by death." He said. I shook my head.

"What if she didn't know the damn thing was magical?" I asked.

'Then I am sure if she tells Aridian he will be more than happy to release her." He said.

"As though he's going to take her word for it. Are you really that thick?" I asked.

"Samantha, I promise you that I will talk to my father before I see her executed." Arthur said. "She's my friend too."

"Thank you." I said.

"We'll just see what the morning brings." He added.

I was awoken by the wonderful sensation of water being thrown onto my face. They had taken my dress and left me in my night gown which did not provide much warmth.

"It's time for you to confess." Aridian said. Two guards grabbed me by the arms and dragged me out of the cell. They shoved me down into a chair while Aridian paced in front of me. "Why did you have the amulet?"

"I found it." I said. "On the street."

"And why did you hide it in the physician's chambers?" He asked.

"Merlin said I could." I said, "It was a gift for my sister Samantha, I had no idea that it was magical." I said. Aridian smiled as he leaned closer.

"I don't believe you." He said.

"It's the truth whether you believe it or not." I said.

"Guards." He said.

The men grabbed my arms and flung me back into my cell. They came several times throughout the night and every time that Aridian interrogated me the questions grew louder and louder, angrier and angrier. I still did not allow him to break me.

I fell asleep at some point and I was awoken to someone shaking me. I opened my eyes, hoping for a moment that this had all been some sort of bad dream. I had no such luck. I saw Aridian sitting in front of me.

"Are you ready to confess?" He aske.d

"I have told you the truth." I said. "There is nothing that you can say to change the truth."

"How about this, if you do not confess you will be burnt at the stake." He said.

"I assumed that much." I said. I had tried not to dwell on my fate.

"The Lady Samantha and Merlin will join you as well." He said. With those words my heart sank. "Will you confess?"

I walked into the physician's chambers, not really wanting to see the place destroyed as it was when I last saw it. I knew that Merlin would most likely be there and I needed to be there for him. I stood in the doorway and saw Merlin sitting in the floor.

"The amulet." I said, "Was it yours?"

"No." He said without looking. "I don't know why it was here."

"Where's Gaius?" I asked as I sat down next to him. He continued to look at the floor, but I could tell that he had been crying.

"Someone got sick in the lower town and he had to go see to them." Merlin said.

"I know that it wasn't Aleya's." I said.

"Then why did she take the blame?" He snapped. He looked at me for the first time since I had come in.

"To protect you." I said. He was quiet as he looked back down at the floor. "Now, we can sit here and bicker amongst ourselves or we can try to figure out a way to get Aleya out."

Aridian had gotten an audience with the king, again. I stood next to Morgana who still looked terrified out of her mind. Aridian walked in first and behind him two guards dragged Aleya. It took all of my self control to not go to her. She was not fighting her captors, so I knew that something was wrong. The guards shoved her down on her knees in front of the king and Aridian circled around her like a vulture.

"Confess." He said. Aleya remained silence. "Confess!" She looked over her shoulder at me and then at Merlin and then back at Uther.

"I…..I am a sorcerer, sire." She said. "I am responsible for conjuring the smoke and I am guilty of practicing magic in Camelot." Uther stood up.

"Aleya, I took you in when you were in need and you betrayed me." He said, "By the laws of Camelot I must sentence you to death."

I did not know what Aridian had done to make her confess, but I was going to make him regret the day that he set foot in Camelot. The guards grabbed Aleya who was now silently sobbing. Merlin walked towards Aridian, looking enraged.

"You're a liar!" he yelled. Arthur quickly stood up and grabbed him.

"Guards!" Uther yelled.

"I'll deal with this." Arthur said as he dragged Merlin out of the throne room. Merlin fought with him every step of the way. I simply stood there in shock, fighting back tears.

I wiped the tears from my eyes once I had been locked in the cell again. More just kept coming. Apparently I was going to meet my end here. Being burnt at the stake did not seem like a pleasant way to go. I heard someone walking towards the cell which made me involuntarily hunker down more. I saw Arthur open the door and let Merlin in. I stood up and wrapped my arms around him.

"I've missed you." I said.

"They wouldn't let me see you." He explained. "I will get you out of this."

"I don't regret anything, Merlin." I said.

"This should be my fate, not yours." He said.

"Your fate is to protect Arthur. Mine is to protect you." I said, "And I would do whatever it takes to protect you."

"I don't understand, why did you confess?" He asked.

"Aridian threatened to burn Samantha and you as well and I couldn't let that happen." I said.

"Then that cannot be considered a true confession." Merlin said, sounding angrier now. "You were threatened."

"He's a liar and a cheat." I said, "But there's nothing you can do now."

"You just wait, I will make sure that nothing happens to you." He said before kissing me and running out. I could only hope that he would be successful in his attempt. He was my only hope now.

Merlin and I sat in his chambers, trying and failing to think of a way to prove that Aridian was a liar. As we pondered a solution to the problem Gwen ran in.

"Aridian won't stop." She said.

"What?" I asked.

"He's taken Morgana again, she's close to breaking." Gwen explained.

"That's what he does." Merlin said, "He breaks you down and in the end you confess whether you're guilty or not."

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked.

"Aleya was set up, Aridian planted the amulet." I said dryly.

"Why would he do such a thing?" Gwen asked.

"Aridian is paid for catching sorcerers, maybe he doesn't care whether they are guilty or not, maybe he gets them to confess however he can." Merlin said.

"By planting evidence and threatening them." I said.

"Even if this is true, what can we do without proof?" Gwen asked.

"Get some proof." Merlin said.

Aridian walked into the cell. I wanted to be brave and not let him frighten me, but I could not even look at him.

"I trust your confession has brought you some peace?" He asked. When he said this I got the courage I needed to meet his stare.

"Lying to my king?" I asked, "Yes, that has brought me a lot of peace, thanks." I said.

"Don't be like that." He said. I did not respond. "I just wanted to inform you that my investigations have begun."

"Begun?" I asked, "But you got your confession."

"From you." He said with a wicked smile. "Now I just need to get one from Samantha, Morgana, and Merlin."

"But we made a deal!" I raised my voice.

"I don't make deals with sorcerers." He said as he walked out of the cell.

"You're a lying snake, Aridian!" I yelled after him.

Merlin and I snuck into Aridian's chambers. I began going through the several papers on his desk while Merlin looked through the cabinet. He used his magic to open it and began to go through the contents.

"Look at this." He said. I walked over to him and examined the jar in his hand. It contained several flower petals.

"What kind of flower is that?" I asked.

"I don't know." He said.

A sound came from down the hall. He pocketed the jar and we both hid under the bed. Aridian walked in and immediately saw the cabinet door was open. He closed it and pulled out the key as he locked it. He paused for a moment before he walked over to the curtain. He swiftly pulled it away and saw that there was nothing behind it. He walked out the door again and Merlin and I both let out a sigh of relief.

Merlin and I had returned to his chambers and we began to follow our first real lead. After about an hour of sifting through several different books I was beginning to question whether or not this was the best way to be spending what little time we had.

"This is hopeless." I said as Merlin got a new book off of the shelf.

"Keep looking." He said.

"We don't even know if this flower means anything." I said.

"No, but this is all we've got." He said. "Here!" He said, sounding hopeful.

"Belladonna." I read from the book.

"Listen to this, under certain circumstances a tincture of the flower can produce hallucinations." He said.

"Aridian used the flower to make those women see things?" I asked.

"Apparently." He said.

"Why were only the women on this acid trip?" I asked. He looked at me in confusion for a moment.

"I don't know." He said.

"Well, what would women buy that men would not?" I asked.

"You're a woman, you tell me." He said.

"Um…Makeup?" I said.

"What?"

"Um….stuff to make them beautiful."

"Of course!"

Merlin and I ran down the street, it was late at night so there was no sign of anyone for miles. We made it to our destination and Merlin knocked on the door.

"First question, how do you know where this place is?" I asked.

"I came here to get something once." He said. His face flushed. "For Aleya"

"Aww, that's adorable." I said with a smile.

"How may I help you?" The man asked as he opened the door.

"Do you sale a tincture of belladonna?" I asked.

"Why do you ask?" He said as though he was hiding something.

"It's really important." Merlin said.

"I think I've got something." He said.

He moved over to one of the shelves and pulled off a small, glass bottle. He gave it to me and then looked at Merlin.

"What you be wanting with eye drops in the middle of the night, I really don't want to know." He said.

"Eye drops." I said as I connected two and two.

"Yes, women use them to make their eyes more beautiful." He said.

"Where did you get this?" Merlin asked as he held up the bottle.

"My usual suppliers." He said.

"You're sure that you didn't get it from somewhere else?" Merlin asked.

"Of course I am sure, now if it's all the same to you, I'd like to get some sleep." The man said.

"It was Aridian who gave it to you, wasn't it?" I asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said. He tried to walk past us but Merlin stopped him.

"Listen, an innocent girl is going to burn at the stake tomorrow morning unless you tell the truth." Merlin said with fire in his voice that I had never heard before.

"That has nothing to do with me." He said.

"That has everything to do with you." I snapped. "Aridian's witnesses saw visions produced by the belladonna in these eye drops. If we can prove that we have a chance at saving my sister."

"He forced me to sell it." He said, "He told me that he'd kill me if I told anyone."

"It was him, it was Aridian?" I asked. We had to be sure.

"Yes, it was him." The man confirmed.

"Thank you." I said.

"Thank you." Merlin said, looking happier than he had since this ordeal had begun.

When Merlin and I made it back to his chambers I was not very confident that Uther would believe our story. Merlin grabbed the flower petals and the eye drops and looked at them.

"We've got all we need." He said.

"Will it be enough?" I asked.

"We've got a witness as well, surely that's enough." Merlin said.

"It's still our word against Aridians."

"Sam, we don't have a choice." Merlin said, "By dawn tomorrow Aleya will be dead and I can't let that happen."

"Merlin, we've only got one shot at this." I said, "We've got to give Uther something that he cannot deny. Something even Aridian cannot talk his way out of."

"I'll be as quick as I can." He said before he ran out.

"Hurry Merlin." I muttered.

It was with dread that I saw the light of the sunrise glowing through the window. It had been a couple of hours since Merlin had left when the bumbling idiot came back in.

"Where have you been?" I asked as I stood up.

"It's done, everything is in place." He said.

"It's too late." I said, "They've already taken her."

"We'll have to delay the execution."

"How?"

"Go talk to Arthur, he can do it."

Aridian roughly pulled me out of the cage and I fell to my knees onto the ground. I ignored the pain that erupted from my assaulted legs, there would be worse to come. He pulled me up roughly by the collar of my night gown. That was when Arthur intervened.

"Careful." He said. "Show some respect." He said as he looked Aridian in the eyes. I looked at him pleadingly, hoping that he could do something.

I shoved through the crowd in a mad dash to get to Arthur. Merlin stopped and watched as they tied Aleya to the pyre. I could not even look at the sight. I could see Arthur standing in the crowd and when I made it to him he looked at me.

"Arthur, you've got to stop this." I said.

"You know I can't, Samantha." He said remorsefully.

"We have proof that she is innocent." I said.

"My father has already passed sentence, there is nothing I can do." He said.

"You can do the right thing, Arthur Pendragon! You can show faith in a friend who has been nothing but loyal to you or stand by and watch her die."

"Samantha…."

"If you won't do it for her, do it for me." I said, "Do it because I promised my mum that I would protect her."

I watched as Aridian lit the torch. The chains that they had used to tie me to the pyre were cold and heavy against my wrists. Aridian moved towards me, torch burning in his hand. He leaned the torch down to the dry wood. I closed my eyes and awaiting the pain.

"Wait!" Arthur yelled. I looked up and saw him and Samantha standing side by side. Aridian lifted the torch and looked disappointedly at Arthur.

"Sire, the witnesses saw nothing but hallucinations." Merlin said as he stood before Uther. I stood beside of him, ready to produce the evidence. Aridian glared at him and I felt joy in his anger.

"Hallucinations induced by the belladonna in these eye drops." I said as I held up the bottle.

"Gaius, is this possible?" Uther asked as I handed him the bottle.

"The belladonna plant has been known for causing such visions, sire." Gaius confirmed.

"And you bought this belladonna from this man?" Uther asked. The three women who had been called in all nodded nervously.

"And where did you get this from?" Uther asked the man who we had spoken to at the shop. "Don't be afraid, no harm will come to you here."

"The Witchfinder gave it to me." The man said.

"Did he tell you what it was for?" Uther asked.

"No." The man said, "Only that if I did not sell it he would have me burnt at the stake."

"How do you answer to these accusations?" Uther asked Aridian.

"They are all lies." He said, "The boy and girl have obviously concocted these accusations to save their friend."

"Then you won't mind if we search your chambers?" Merlin said.

"Silence!" Uther said, "You have no authority here."

"Father," Arthur said as he stepped forward. "we'll settle this once and for all. If what they say is wrong, they must bear the consequences. If there is some truth to what he says, then we must entertain the notion."

"I have nothing to hide." Aridian said.

After we arrived at Aridian's chamber Merlin and I stood and watched as the guards tore the room apart. Aridian looked satisfied that he had nothing to hide.

"There is nothing here." Aridian said.

"That cupboard, over there." Arthur said.

The men obeyed and walked over to it. When they opened it several amulets like the one they found in Merlin's chamber fell out. On the shelf below there were also several bottles of eye drops. I smiled knowing that they were not there before.

"These don't belong to me." Aridian said, "This is a trick." He said as he began to cough. Arthur drew his sword and stepped in front of me. "The boy plots against me." He said as he continued to cough. He bent over the table and then lift his head up. He coughed up a toad I looked back at Merlin who was smiling.

"Sorcerer!" Uther exclaimed as he drew his sword. Aridian grabbed my arm and pulled me over to him and drew his knife to my throat.

"Aridian, let her go!" Arthur commanded.

"You will never escaped from Camelot alive." Uther said calmly.

"I will if you value her life." He said. I rolled my eyes and kicked him in a place that I'd rather not mention. He flinched and I was able to slide out. As he backed up the knife in his hand began to burn and he dropped it to the floor. He continued to back up, obviously disoriented, until finally he fell out the window.

After the execution had been delayed they had taken me back to the cell. I waited there, to find out my fate. The guards opened the door and I saw Samantha run in. I stood up quickly and hugged her.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Aridian fell out a window after Merlin and I proved he was a liar." She said.

"So it's over?" I asked.

"Yep, you're safe now." She said. I hugged her again, relief overwhelming me.

"Thank you!" I said.

"Thank Merlin, he made Aridian cough up a toad."

"Served him right."

"Come on." She said.

After seeing Aleya off to talk with Merlin I went to speak with Arthur and thank him for what he did today. I knocked on the door and he opened it smiling.

"Samantha, come in." He said.

"I just wanted to thank you for stopping the execution and standing up for Merlin and I." I said.

"It was nothing." He said, "Besides, I didn't want to see her killed anymore than you did."

"Thanks." I said with a smile.

There was a knock at the door to my chamber. The moment I opened the door I felt Merlin wrap his arms around me.

"I thought I would never see you again." I said.

"I would never let them hurt you." He said. And we just stood there, arms wrapped around each other, for along moment. In that moment I felt the safest I had felt since this ordeal had begun.