Rhabdophobia

by LizzeXX

OUAT/Merlin/DW - Uther Pendragon has outlawed all magic in Camelot, creating a fear of it. Unfortunately, the Vortex, wielded by the Time Lady Angel, could easily be mistaken for sorcery. When she is arrested, along with two women, the Pied Piper and Marayna, it will be up to her Mate (the Doctor), Piper's True Love (Rumpelstiltskin), and Marayna's brother (Merlin) to save them.

A/N: Wow! It has been...9 years to the day that I published my first story, Reunion, featuring my OC, the Professor. That story sparked many, many more stories, series, and OCs :) I originally planned to celebrate each year on April 13th with a Crossover event, taking 3 stories/OCs and combining them into a one-shot adventure. Sadly that only happened 1 more time after my original Wibbly-Wobbly, Timey-Wimey story with 'Oh Come On!' :( Life :( BUT! I've managed to keep on track more recently and I'm back :) So, to celebrate my 9 year anniversary of writing fanfiction we finally get another one-shot crossover adventure: Rhabdophobia, the fear of magic ;)

For this story, I would recommend new readers to read the Draconian Prophecies (the BBC's Merlin), the Heart of Time Saga (Doctor Who), and Bedtime Stories (Once Upon a Time), to fully understand Marayna, Angel, and Piper, their relationships with other characters, and where they fall in this story.

Just a brief timeline for where in the series this story is occurring:

Doctor Who - Angel is in her 11th incarnation with the 10th Doctor, a few trips after Mars but before Children of Earth
Merlin - Merlin and Marayna have just said goodbye to Lancelot, but before 'A Look Into the Past'
Once Upon a Time - a few months after the Queens of Darkness try to kidnap Piper

~8~ is a scene break
'italics' is telepathic communication

I really hope you like this story. Enjoy! ^-^

I do not own Doctor Who, Merlin, or Once Upon a Time...or I'd never have to work again ;)

~8~

Rhabdophobia

"I must say, Rummy," the Pied Piper began as she and Rumpelstiltskin stood at the edge of a courtyard within a large castle, watching knights run through their training, him magically concealed from sight while she was wearing her shadow cloak with the hood up, "When you mentioned the incompetence of the King, I did not quite imagine said 'king' to be as skilled with a blade."

For the knights were not merely training, but attacking a blonde man who stood in the center of the ring of them, the man seeming to egg them on and all but beg for the challenge and chance to show off his skills. He was quite good, if she was being honest, she could tell the knights around him were actually trying to put up a fight and not merely letting him win. The calls and cheers of 'Arthur!' whenever he took down another knight left no mistaking that this man was King Arthur himself.

A trip to Camelot was in order, had been for a long while, ever since the so-called Queens of Darkness had tried to attack her to obtain the Gauntlet he'd taken from Camelot. He had been irate at the fact that the women would dare lay a hand, claw, or tentacle on her, whereas she was more amused and curious that they'd found a gauntlet that only showed a person's weakness so important they were willing to risk the Dark One's wrath to obtain it. She had begun to wonder what other treasures and weapons Camelot had to offer, beyond the legendary Excalibur. For if a mere gauntlet could lure three villains to challenge the Dark One…what other artifacts could there be that others, perhaps heroes, would be dying to obtain? Willing to do anything to have?

The traps they could set alone, whispers of how 'such and such an object had been taken from Camelot' and 'hidden away' in a specific place was sure to lure all manner of individuals to it. It could be an amusing sight to see them attempt to steal it and fail. Perhaps a pit of lava and a floor that disappeared from under someone? Or spikes that shot out of the walls? Or a curse upon the artifact that would perhaps corrupt whomever stole it? When she brought up the thought to Rumpelstiltskin he'd stared at her for a good five minutes before grinning and giggling and wondering why, in 300 years, HE hadn't thought to do something like that? 300 years was a long time and one could only occupy themselves with spinning straw into gold for so long while waiting for some desperate soul or another to seek him out.

And so a trip to Camelot was organized, with the man telling her all about what to watch out for, where to look, who to be wary of, where to keep away from. According to him, the great and powerful Merlin was trapped in a tree, the Queen was far more intelligent than the King, his knight, Lancelot, skilled but gone…and the King was a paranoid, envious, impatient man with delusions of grandeur who would sooner soil himself than successfully manage to fight off an actual opponent.

This…this man in the middle of the Knights did not appear anything of the sort.

"Yes…" Rumpelstiltskin frowned, "For that is not the king," he said, "Not the one I have known."

He may have looked into the queen's future, he had been torn between delighting in the idea that she would be unfaithful to her husband and run off with his favored knight, another way to cut down the heroes, and feeling a small sliver of empathy for the man as he had experienced the same once upon a time. Delight had won over, because as far as anyone else was concerned, the people of Camelot were all heroes too. For the Queen to have gone on her little quest to aid her husband and then betray him in such a way? How villainous. And no other hero, he thought, would ever accept the two as true heroes for that betrayal of such a sacred vow. Piper loathed Milah and would likely murder the woman if she hadn't already been dead, for breaking that same vow to him and abandoning her child. This woman would have betrayed not only her husband but abandoned her people as well. Forever and appropriately labeled a villain, cast out of the realm of 'hero' forever.

But the man he saw in his vision was not this blonde man before them.

"What do you mean?" Piper looked over at him.

He sighed, "It appears, Pip, we're in the wrong Camelot."

"The wrong Camelot?" she scoffed, shaking her head, "How is that even possible? There is only one Camelot in the Enchanted Forest."

"Exactly," he nodded, "It appears we are not in the Forest any longer. We're in a different realm."

"How did we end up in a different realm?" she wondered.

"Your guess is as good as mine," he murmured. He HAD thought he'd felt an odd energy when he'd been magically transporting them there, but he'd thought nothing of it. He'd assumed perhaps the King, now that his wife had betrayed him, had found someone to cast a minor protection spell over his kingdom that was nothing to the power of the Dark One.

Apparently it was something else entirely.

"Hmm…" Piper murmured, tilting her head in thought, "I suppose that works out even better."

"How so?" he glanced at her, a little disappointed, he knew where some artifacts were in the real Camelot, not this version of it.

"Imagine how many more will come looking for an artifact that does not exist in our realm?"

The dark grin on her face made him smile in return, "Have I mentioned how much I love the way you think, Pip?"

"Not since yesterday," she smirked.

He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips, wiping the smirk off her face, "Well then, now we need only find an artifact."

"Let us make it a bit more interesting then," she offered, "Each of us searches for one. And the one who possesses the most valuable come end of the day wins a prize."

"What prize would that be?" he wondered.

"I suppose that would be up to the victor."

He grinned widely, giggling at the thought of what he could 'claim' from her in victory, "You have yourself a deal, Pip," he held out a hand to shake…before he disappeared in a swirl of magic.

"Cheater," she muttered under her breath, though she expected as much. She looked around, spotting a village in the distance and decided to head in that direction. For all she knew, there were some plants that might not exist in the Forest and perhaps some might have magical properties. She would start there and then work her way into the castle.

~8~

Angel smiled as she sat with her back against a tree in a lovely meadow, the Doctor lying on a small picnic blanket he'd found, his head resting on her lap as he pointed at the sky, picking out pictures in the clouds. It had been a needed respite for the two Time Lords. After what happened on Mars, all the TARDIS seemed to want to do was to give the Doctor light trips, ones where things were calm and he could do good. He needed it, the guilt was so heavy in him Angel could feel it, how he loathed what he'd become near the end, what the Vortex had made her do to rectify it.

She'd been determined to help the TARDIS find places where he could do the most good, where he could be a Doctor, and she had. The old box hadn't disappointed at all, but with each adventure came a certain amount of danger and running and she'd taken the reins this time, feeling that, perhaps, this one would be lovely, a nice little picnic, just the two of them. She'd asked the TARDIS to take them somewhere…magical, somewhere that wasn't the Eye of Orion but somewhere new. It was a beautiful meadow, with strong, old trees, a clear sky, flowers everywhere. It reminded her of the garden she'd made in the TARDIS, but it had happened just as a result of nature and not someone planting the flowers, which made it all the more lovely.

"…and that one," the Doctor pointed at it, "Looks JUST like a Scaltop Miffler, doesn't it?"

"Mhmm," she nodded.

The Doctor snorted, turning his head to look at her and not the sky, "Scaltop Mifflers aren't real, I made them up."

Angel laughed, looking down at him, caught not paying attention, "You never know," she argued, "They could be."

There was a brief glimpse in her mind of the Toclafane, how they were a myth, a story, made up and not real…but became very, very real in the end.

"Who knows," she smiled at him, "Maybe things we think aren't real are just things that haven't been discovered yet."

"Well if the Scaltop Miffler did exist, I wouldn't call them that," the Doctor looked back at the sky, "It's a rubbish name."

"Oh?" she chuckled, "And what would you name them?"

"Angels."

"Oh, there's already too many of them," she teased, "Actual angels, robot angels, weeping angels…"

"You," he looked back at her with a wide grin.

"I don't think I'd want anything named after me, though," she argued lightly, glancing across the meadow, a little distracted.

The Doctor shifted, tilting his head more to look at her, she'd been doing that for a while now, she'd start focused on something and then end up looking in the same direction, at the same part of the meadow. At first he'd thought she was just thinking and happened to look one way, but it kept coming back to that single spot, "Everything alright?" he asked her, knowing by now that she was likely sensing something he couldn't, something pulling her in that direction.

"Hmm?" she hummed, before looking back at him, "Yes, of course," she smiled at him, "I'm here with you," she told him, making him beam.

"And I'm here with you," he took her hand and kissed the back of it, "And I'd go anywhere with you, so if you want to move across the meadow…"

"It's not that," she shook her head, "It's more just…" she let out a breath, "I feel like there's something there…or in that direction…that just won't leave me alone. Like something's waiting for us."

The Doctor's mind flashed to the Gate, whatever that was, that the Trickster had mentioned was waiting for him.

"It's not that," Angel assured him, absently moving her hand to his hair and stroking it, smiling a bit when he groaned at the feel, "I know what I felt when the Trickster said that, it's not the same feeling. This is more…" she tried to find the right words, "Like we're needed, somewhere."

"Well then," he grinned, rolling onto his feet and tugging her up by the hand he was still holding, "What are we waiting for?"

"Are you sure?" Angel looked at him, "We've been so busy, you've done so much…I thought you'd like a rest, some peace."

He smiled softly at her, reaching up with his hands to cup her face, "I'm always at peace when I'm with you," he told her, "I've never felt so peaceful than when you smile at me or kiss me or even just hold my hand. My woman of peace, my psychic."

"My thief," she returned.

"And neither of us have it in us to stand by when someone might need our help," he added, one of the many, many things he loved about her, her hearts, her desire to help and do good.

"I love you," she told him with a light smile.

"Not more than I love you," he leaned in to kiss her.

"Debatable," she teased, before taking his hand, "Come on, it's coming from this direction," she told him, leading him to that spot in the forest that had drawn her eye before, the two of them stepping past the tree line and into the forest.

It was just as lovely as the meadow, it felt just as magical, and Angel smiled at the sunlight peeking through the leaves above them, it was just…so full of life. It wasn't long, though, before it wasn't just the sounds of nature that brought the area to life, but the sounds of people too. They quickly came to the edge of a village of sorts, medieval in nature, judging by the clothing the villagers were wearing and the look of the tools they used and houses they lived in.

There was a grand castle in the distance, likely at the other end of the village, and, looking at it, Angel knew that was where they were supposed to go, closer to the castle. So she squeezed the Doctor's hand and off they went, smiling and nodding at the people they passed, ignoring the odd looks they got for their 'strange' clothing along the way.

They'd probably only gotten about halfway through the village, when Angel began to slow…

…a rope began to snap, logs being hefted up by it putting too much weight…

'…watch out! Get back!...'

...people scattered as logs fell from above, a small child crying as one came towards him…

Angel inhaled sharply and looked around, frantic to find the location of the accident about to happen, her head turning to the left just as they began to hear men shouting to 'heave!' The Doctor gripped her hand tightly, having seen it in her mind, and ran off in that direction with her, the two racing around a corner till they spotted a group of men trying to heft a platform with half a dozen logs on it up on a pulley…

And, just like in her vision, the rope began to snap under the weight of the logs, the platform tipping to the side.

"Watch out!" the warning calls went out, the men trying to move to the side, trying to get out of its path, but also trying to lower the rope with enough time, without letting go, but it was too late, the rope snapped and the logs began to fall towards the scattering crowd.

"No!" Angel gasped, throwing her hand out and causing a golden wall to appear, just over a young boy as his mother rushed towards him to try and pull him away from where a log was heading for him.

The crowd froze at the sudden light, looking up at the logs as they held in midair, cushioned by the light, before it slowly lowered, the logs dipping to the side and into a pile where no one was standing, before flickering out.

Angel blinked, the gold of the Vortex fading from her eyes, as the gaze of everyone there turned to her…

~8~

Merlin just barely kept his laughter in as he walked with his sister down the streets of the village outside Camelot, through the market, following Gaius as he made his rounds. Marayna had accidently let Gaius know that, apparently, according to a giant lizard (which, according to her, was not something she thought anyone should lend credence to), she was going to be Camelot's future Queen, which meant one day she'd be married to Arthur.

Gaius had not reacted well.

It was surprising, to them at least, to hear their uncle ranting and raving about how he would not allow it.

Gaius had faith in Arthur, thought he was a better man than Uther, especially after what he risked to save them from Nimue's poison. He truly believed that Camelot would be better with Arthur as king than Uther, one day in the future.

They both knew it.

Which had led Marayna to thinking that Gaius meant he didn't think SHE would be a good queen or right for Camelot or anything. Not that she thought she would be a good queen or was right for Camelot in her own mind but she didn't need her uncle, her flesh and blood, her family, confirming her worst thoughts.

Gaius had explained it wasn't that, it was just…he worried, and he was afraid. For so many reasons, that Arthur would break her heart, being a prince and her a servant and him meant to marry royalty. That Arthur might come to love her deeply, but upon discovering her magic, turn on her. Or he might accept it but then, if he lost her, blame magic and become even worse than Uther had ever been. That he might do something foolish that would make life worse for all in Camelot, like if he abdicated the throne to marry Marayna and left the throne to one of Uther's family line who was just as cruel and hard as Uther.

He loved her, he did, he wanted the best for her and he wanted her to be happy. But he had been the physician in Camelot, he had seen everything, from before the Purge to now, and this was his home. His duty as royal physician meant looking at what was best for the wellbeing of the kingdom. And so he had to look at this as a whole, his niece and his kingdom.

They had somewhat patched things up, but Gaius still wasn't happy to learn that his niece's fate and the safety of her heart would be in Arthur's hands.

He knew Arthur would fight to do what was right for people, but a part of him worried that he wouldn't fight for Marayna in all areas of life, and she deserved to have a man who would fight to be with her and know how important she was, how unique, and to love her fiercely. Arthur was young and he had his entire life ahead of him and perhaps he would only be interested in Marayna for her fire but once he grew used to it she would be just another servant like Gwen was. That was his greatest fear. He didn't know how Arthur actually felt, he didn't know if the man loved his niece and would love her still years later. And if he found out about her magic? His heart nearly stopped at the thought.

He glanced back at his niece, feeling himself smile when he saw her walking arm in arm with her brother. No matter what happened, they would be fine, he was sure of it, they would look out for each other.

Marayna huffed under her breath, whispering to Merlin, "Think I should make him work a little more?" she asked her brother.

Merlin rolled his eyes, "You know he didn't mean it like that, Aya," he reminded her, "You're just doing this to mess with him."

"I don't get to do it often," she reminded him, "He doesn't usually walk right into something like this."

Merlin could only chuckle and shake his head, she was right about that. After everything their uncle had seen and experienced, how careful he usually was, he rarely ever put his foot in his mouth the way he had before.

"Don't drag it on too long," he offered, "He makes our dinner," he whispered to her to remind her.

She snorted and patted his hand, "I'll be sure to forgive him come supper," she rolled her eyes at him this time.

"Thank you," Merlin grinned.

"Oh, er, Merlin, Rayna," Gaius called, causing their whispering to stop, "I need more bandaging material, if you could…"

"Of course, uncle," Merlin called out, leading his sister off with him to the stall Gaius usually purchased the cheap cloth he used for bandaging. It felt like there was always a tourney of some sort happening around the corner, and if it wasn't that it was some sort of magical attack, or some creature in the woods getting too near the walls, or training with the knights got a bit too brutal...or Marayna tripped on her gown and scraped her hands or chin...or HE tripped in the woods rushing after Arthur on his hunts.

Point was, bandages were always in need.

"I see you've been spending some time with Morgana…I mean, Gwen," Marayna teased when Merlin took more special care to examine the fabrics than normal. Usually he'd be the one to gather the cloth anyway, she'd never been one to bother with it whereas he'd been in Camelot a little longer than her and had more experience helping Gaius, learning his preferences, what to look for in the quality of the bandaging material.

"I have not," Merlin spoke, though he flushed at the implication that he spent time with Gwen...so that he'd have an excuse to be around Morgana more.

"Sure," she reached out and patted his arm, about to tease him some more when a shout rang out.

They both looked over, turning sharply to see that a group of men who had been trying to lift something by rope were in trouble, the rope was about to snap! They took off towards the scene, hoping to use the chaos to conjure their magic…

When a bright golden light flared to life, spreading into the air above them, like a shimmering net that caught the falling logs and slowly deposited them to the ground.

"That wasn't me," Merlin murmured to his sister.

"Nor me," she agreed, both of them spinning around to try and find who had done it because they needed to get that person out of there as quickly as possible.

"Witch!" someone shouted, pointing, and chaos erupted, people screaming and running.

They could see it then, a woman with black hair, her eyes not flashing with magic like theirs but seeming to blaze with the same golden light though it was flickering out to reveal a very shocked expression on her face, confusion as well, since she didn't appear to understand the reaction to her actions.

"What's she wearing?" Merlin asked, frowning at the woman's attire which was…scandalous to say the least, a gown that revealed her arms and her legs?

But there was no response, because Marayna was already running towards the woman who had just been grabbed by one of the guards and yanked to the side.

"Don't!" Gaius appeared at his side, grabbing his arm.

"But she…"

"If you get caught now as well you can't help her later," Gaius hissed at him, his grip on Merlin's arm tightening, revealing his own discomfort with what was about to happen to his niece.

This would not end well…

~8~

Hearing screams wasn't unusual to Piper, not after living so long in the Dark Castle with Rumpelstiltskin…but hearing them in the middle of a village in broad daylight was unusual enough that Piper turned from the small market stall she had found herself in front of, her shadow cloak in a bag across her shoulder so that the vendors could see her.

Everything happened so quickly she almost missed it.

A team of workers was hefting a platform of logs up along a rope that had just snapped, sending the logs plummeting down towards the people below, large enough to crush a few and seriously harm others.

She blinked, seeing that something interesting was finally about to happen…only for a flare of golden light to erupt in that single blink, flattening out and spreading, catching the logs and protecting the people below. She watched, her head tilted in curiosity, as the light seemed to drift down to the side, depositing the logs in an open area before it flickered out.

There was a girl just across from where the light had shown, that same glow around her hands and in her eyes before they too began to flicker out as she blinked.

There was a moment of stillness, of silence, before a woman screamed, pointing a finger at the girl in a blue dress that went to her knees with black boots on, "Witch!" she accused.

The cry was taken up by many others, all shouting, "Guards!" and "Sorceress!" and "Magic!"

Piper looked to the side as five men in guard attire ran past her, into the market, and right at the very startled girl. Her grey eyes were wide, her black hair flapping in the wind as she turned her head left and right when her arms were grabbed and they tried to drag her away, two other guards demanding what happened.

She blew a snort through her nose at that, they were reacting to the woman and attempting to haul her off without even knowing what had actually happened.

Another woman ran forward, black-haired as well though she could see blue eyes looking around at the crowd, as though searching for help but none was coming, and so the girl raced over to the guards, clearly trying to stop them.

"She just saved everyone's life, you can't arrest her!" the second woman was shouting, surprisingly loud for having such a small mouth.

"If she used magic we can!" one of the guard shoved her back, sending her stumbling away.

"This isn't right!" the woman snapped, "You can't condemn her for using magic when it's to save people!"

Clearly the woman had said the wrong thing for another guard came up behind her and grabbed her arm, "Aiding a sorceress is treason!" he nearly growled at her, before yanking her off as the woman struggled.

For a brief moment, she considered remaining where she was, for this was no business of hers…but there was just…something about those women, both of them, that struck at her poor little hardened heart. Maybe it was the black hair, maybe it was how one had risked her life to save others like a hero would, maybe it was the way the other was standing up to what she perceived to be injustice…whatever it was, they both reminded her far too much of her cousin.

And so, before she realized she was doing it, she was striding forward, shouting out, "Release them, now!"

Given what had just happened to the two women, one being arrested for using 'magic' and the other for trying to defend the use of magic, it was, perhaps, not the best idea she'd ever had to use her own magic in the command.

The three guards immediately let go of the two women…which now had everyone there aware that SHE had magic too and the spare two guards were rushing at her.

"Stop!" she commanded the one nearest to her, spinning to order the one coming at her in the other direction, but he was already at her side, clearly a little smarter than the others for he seemed to have noticed her magic came from her mouth and had ripped off a piece of his shirt to shove across her mouth, to gag her. The first guard quickly taking the ends from his fellow knight to tie it behind her head.

She rolled her eyes, sorely tempted to use her song and not her words to drive the men away from her…but, given the crowd, given the attention on her, and given the fact that she very well could escape but the two women probably would not...and she cursed the damn instinct that made her want to help the two Would-Be-Snow-Whites...stilled her voice. She could do nothing but glare at the guards as they grabbed her, the other three seeming to shake themselves out of her initial command to grab the two women again.

The second woman, though, had seemed aware of the opportunity and had tried to grab the other woman to pull her away and run, but the first didn't seem about to leave while SHE was in danger now and they'd both been caught again. The second woman around the middle by one guard, leaving her to twist and turn in his arms, trying to escape till one of the guards holding the first woman let go to help grab hold of the second, seeming to designate the one with actual magic as LESS of a threat than the one kicking and screaming.

Piper sighed as she was forced to march off after the two women, only two thoughts in her mind.

The first, she hoped she would at least get to witness Rumpelstiltskin when he launched his attack on the castle for taking her from him.

And the second…that this would significantly put a damper on her time to find something more valuable than he would before night fell.

~8~

Merlin let out a breath, feeling like the world was moving in slow motion as he was forced to watch his sister be carted off by the guards. It wasn't the first time he or Marayna had spent the night in the cells of Camelot, but this was the first time she'd be down there with someone arrested for using magic, and using it in such a blatant way. Whatever possessed her to run over and try to stop the guards, he could guess, the girl was clearly a stranger to this land and likely had no idea what was going on or why she was being taken in for helping people.

But he saw the wisdom on Gaius stopping him, if he went after Marayna now he'd be marched off with them and then who would help her escape?

Perhaps it was because he himself wanted to rush after his sister so badly that he saw it, a man pushing his way through the crowds in odd brown attire, very fitted, with a jacket of sorts over it. He could vaguely recall seeing the man rushing over to the people nearest where the logs had been about to fall the second the gold flashed to light, checking to make sure they were alright. But now he was rushing through, pushing people away, clearly trying to get after the guards.

He probably wanted to stop them taking the girl in blue, he was dressed as strangely as she was.

He shook his head, pushing away from Gaius to cut through the crowd, managing to grab the man's arm and yank him back, startling him as he opened his mouth to shout something, turning him to face him, "Don't," he warned.

"Where are they taking her?" he demanded, a fierce glare on his face.

"To the dungeons," he said, "Did you not hear them arrest her for magic?"

"That wasn't magic," the man huffed, "That's the Vortex, completely separate things since magic doesn't exist."

Merlin gave him a very odd look, "What kingdom are you from that you think Magic doesn't exist? Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor," he said quickly, "And that was my Mate, Angel, if they hurt her…"

"They won't," Merlin promised him, "Aya…my sister, Marayna, she won't let anything happen to your friend."

"Mate," the Doctor corrected instantly, "She's my Mate, not my friend."

"…right," Merlin nodded slowly, not getting the difference but that wasn't his main concern right now.

"Your sister?" the man spoke before Merlin could, "That's the other one? The one that tried to stop them taking her first?"

Merlin nodded, "Yeah."

The Doctor took a breath, only slightly eased in the knowledge that Angel wouldn't be alone, that someone was trying to help her and look out for her, "Sorry, who are you?"

"Merlin."

The Doctor stared at him, "Oh, you are kidding me."

"What?" Merlin frowned.

But the Doctor shook his head, "Nothing, never mind, how do we get her...them...out?" he asked.

"What makes you think I'd know?" Merlin shifted, he hadn't meant for the conversation to go on this long, he'd only really wanted to just stop the man and get back to Gaius so they could figure out how to get Marayna out of this one.

"You're remarkably calm for someone whose sister is being carted off," the Doctor said, and it wasn't because the man had no love for his sister, he had his own special nickname for the woman that he used with fondness in his voice, so it could only be a reaction born of knowing something more than he was letting on.

"It…does seem to happen a little too often," Merlin could admit.

"And if it's happened before and she's fine then it means you know how to stop it happening to the others," the Doctor said very quickly, "So how do we get them out? Where's this dungeon?"

"You can't just break into the dungeon!" Merlin hissed, just remembering to keep his voice quiet and low in time to not shout that.

"Oh, I can," the Doctor winked, "I'm very good at sonicking and entering."

"Son…what?" Merlin shook his head.

"Never mind, what do we do?"

"We start by telling me what the hell is going on!" a voice snapped and the two men jumped away from each other to see a man with glittering, gold skin, and pale eyes had appeared next to them in a swirl of smoke…and yet no one around them seemed to notice he was there or what he'd done.

"…what?" Merlin shook his head.

"Yes, sorry, what?" the Doctor agreed, glancing at Merlin, not sure if he was seeing the man too.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the man mocked, "Was I being rude? Rumpelstiltskin, at your service, now what they hell have they done with Piper!?"

The Doctor rubbed a hand down his face, honestly wondering if this was the point where he'd finally gone mad if Merlin 'the wizard' and Rumpelstiltskin the 'baby stealing imp' were both standing in front of him…and seemed to be very real.

Once he got Angel back, he was going to have to look into if he'd accidently actually plugged himself into the Library and this was one of CAL's stories coming to life.

"Piper?" Merlin repeated, before realizing it, "Oh, the blonde woman?"

The glare Rumpelstiltskin sent him made him flinch.

"They took her," the Doctor said, "Same as my Mate, Angel."

"And my sister, Marayna," Merlin nodded.

"We need to get them back," the Doctor determined, "All of us. So…what's say we work together to get them out?"

"Or I could just snap the necks of everyone in the way of me getting to Pip," Rumpelstiltskin suggested darkly.

"Do that and they'll kill her," Merlin cut in, "If they see you using magic, Uther will know you're going for her and he'll have her executed for it before she even reaches the dungeon."

"What's…what's all this talk about magic leading to executions?" the Doctor had to ask. People had been shouting about magic and he hadn't thought anything of it because it hadn't connected in his head that the Vortex could be mistaken for that.

Merlin glanced around, everyone was cleaning up the square, but still very on edge, "Not here," he told them, "Follow me."

~8~

"Now," the Doctor began as they gathered in the physician's chambers, according to Merlin. He couldn't help his pacing the second the door was shut, a way of trying to let out his mounting nervous energy at Angel being arrested and thrown in a dungeon, it was only her reassurances in his mind that she was fine keeping him from losing his mind completely, "What's going on? Why are people being arrested for 'magic?'"

Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes at the man's use of quotey fingers regarding magic.

"It's Camelot," Merlin said simply.

"Yeah, got that, thanks," the Doctor nodded, "That's exactly why I'm asking."

Merlin gave them an odd look. He understood this Doctor bloke was NOT from anywhere near there, so perhaps he didn't know the laws of the kingdom…but Rumpelstiltskin appeared to fit in far more and yet the man, too, was looking at him with question on his face. Though, given that the man, who clearly had magic, had USED it in the middle of the market…perhaps that should have been a clue that the man didn't know about the laws either.

"King Uther outlawed magic," Merlin stated, "Anyone caught using it, assisting someone who has it, or hiding anyone that possesses it, are executed."

"King Uther?" Rumpelstiltskin frowned, that would make Arthur still a prince and…given what he'd seen in the courtyard, one who grew up training and knowing himself to be the future king instead of the stable boy who would pull Excalibur from the Stone to prove his inheritance.

"Hold on, how are you still alive then?" the Doctor shook his head, genuinely starting to think that he was dreaming all this if UTHER was there too as well as King Arthur.

What next, Morgan le Fay?

"What do you mean?" Merlin frowned.

"Merlin," the Doctor said simply.

"Yeah, that's me," Merlin nodded slowly.

"The…the wizard, Merlin?" the Doctor tried again, "The greatest sorcerer who would ever live, Merlin? YOU have magic and…"

"What?" Merlin scoffed, his voice a little pitched and indicating the lie to anyone actually listening, "I…I don't have magic. Me? No. No magic, not a sorcerer or a wizard or a…a…magicer…"

Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes, fed up with this mockery, and conjured a fireball to his hand, throwing it at Merlin, who used his 'very much not existing' magic to freeze it mid air until it exploded where it hung.

"Um…" Merlin winced at being caught, "I can explain?"

"You're someone with magic living in the middle of a kingdom that would kill you for possessing it," the Doctor deadpanned, "Not much explanation needed for why you'd hide the fact that you and your sister have it."

"Marayna doesn't…" but both men gave him a look until he sighed, "Yeah, she does too. Which is why I know that your friends will be safe with her, she'd never let anything happen to them."

"Yes, because she was able to stop them being carted away in the first place," Rumpelstiltskin scoffed.

"Yes," the Doctor winced at the reminder, "Now the question becomes, how do we free them?" he turned to Merlin, "Well?" he asked, "You're the greatest sorcerer who ever lived…" he gave Rumpelstiltskin an odd look when the man snorted at the description, "Can't you just…" he wiggled his fingers as though to indicate magic.

Merlin gave him an unimpressed look, "We're in the middle of Camelot, IN the castle, if anyone catches any hint of any of us doing magic, we'll be thrown into the dungeon with them, and then were would we be?"

"In the dungeon," the Doctor said, "With them, where it'll be easier to break them out."

"Except we'd be trapped," Merlin reminded him, "Locked away. And before you say it," he held up his hand, "If we use magic to escape then we've only proven we HAVE magic and Uther will use that as proof and execute all of us."

The Doctor scoffed, "Who said anything about using magic?" he pulled the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and held it up with a grin.

"Yeah, flashing a magic wand isn't gonna help us, is it?" Merlin deadpanned.

"It's…it's not a…it's a screwdriver, not a magic wand," the Doctor muttered.

"Anything short of us having the key or someone letting us out means we've used some sort of magic," Merlin argued.

"You speak as though there would be survivors to tell that magic was used," Rumpelstiltskin spoke.

"Yeah, because killing people with magic is bound to help the people who have to live here try and get it brought back," Merlin shot back at him.

"You think I care whether you have difficulty?" Rumpelstiltskin scoffed, "I care only about getting Piper out of there. What happens to you beyond that, I care not."

"But Piper does," the Doctor stepped in quickly.

"If you think SHE would care about anyone in this kingdom you would be very, very wrong," Rumpelstiltskin smirked, "She'd be just as likely to burn it to the ground to escape and exact revenge for being thrown in the dungeon as I am for them taking her from me!"

The two other men winced at the anger in his voice, the threat in it, he really would burn it all to the ground if push came to shove.

"She stepped in," Merlin tried, picking up what he thought the Doctor was trying to get across, "She could have walked on, not said a word, but she stepped in when those guards were taking my sister and his Mate," he nodded at the Doctor, "She tried to stop them. So...in some small way, she DOES care about them or she wouldn't have done it."

Oh he really hoped he was right abut that, the way the man made this woman sound was as though she genuinely couldn't care less about anyone else but herself, or maybe Rumpelstiltskin, but she HAD revealed herself to help them and that had to mean something.

The way Rumpelstiltskin fell silent told him he might be right.

"Then what do we do?" the Doctor looked around, "We need a plan to save them…" he held up a finger at Rumpelstiltskin, "Without murdering anyone, if we could. Doctor," he gestured to himself, "Really a fan of people NOT dying."

"I think I may know someone who could help," Merlin spoke up, looking between the two men as they turned to him, "Uther's son, Prince Arthur."

"Why would he help us?" Rumpelstiltskin scoffed, assuming the man was just like his father.

Merlin sighed and gave probably THE most ludicrous sounding answer either man had ever heard, "Because, according to an overgrown lizard, he's destined to marry my sister and he can't do that if she's a pile of ash."

~8~

"Thank you," Angel spoke, looking over at Marayna as the girl pulled the gag off of Piper's mouth, "For helping me. And I'm sorry I've caused so much trouble for you."

Marayna shrugged, "You'd be surprised how often this happens to me," she said simply.

"What, ending up in cell?" Piper raised an eyebrow.

Marayna nodded, "I'm Marayna, the prince's maid..."

"Nice to meet you," Angel smiled, "I'm Angel."

"Piper," the blonde offered when Angel looked at her expectantly.

"Nice to meet you," she repeated.

Marayna snorted at her chipper attitude considering what happened and where they were, "I end up here, on a good day, if I insult Artie too much," she continued, "Or if I try to speak up to his father about how much of an arse he is. Or if I try to say a nobleman is lying. Or if I defend someone with magic."

"You've helped many people with that last one," Angel remarked.

"I suppose," Marayna sighed, "I try to at least. Uther's a right bastard. He's outlawed magic, executes anyone who has it or uses it or knows someone who has it. He's SO blind to anyone with magic. He thinks they're all just…monsters. That they're all evil. "

"I take it you do not subscribe to that belief," Piper stated.

Marayna scoffed, "Whatever gave you that idea?" she huffed, before sighing again, "I've seen him go after children," she told him, "I don't believe any child is born evil. Don't get me wrong, I won't help anyone that attacks Camelot with magic, but if they've done nothing wrong, or used their magic for good…I'll do all I can, in the limited capacity I have."

Piper was quiet at that, knowing how some felt when they discovered her own biology, how she was classified a dark creature for her Siren half, born this way, with little choice in the matter. But she supposed Marayna had a point, she didn't consider herself evil. Dark, yes, but not evil. She loved Rumpelstiltskin, she loved her cousin, she loved her parents, god rest their souls. To her, those who were evil were incapable of love.

"What about you?" Marayna asked after a moment of silence, eyeing Piper, "You didn't have to help. It wasn't your burden."

It was one thing for her to act the way she had. These were HER people, the ones with magic, the ones needlessly persecuted. The ones hunted down and punished for doing GOOD. What Angel had done, the magic she'd used, it had saved innocent people. She had saved a child, saved a family from having to grieve that loss, and here she was, sitting in a cell, about to be burned at the stake come dawn for her efforts. Being a magic-user herself, it was up to her to ensure she saved as many of her people as she could.

But Piper? She was a mere visitor to Camelot, passing by as near as she could tell, having never seen her in the village before. She had been a face in the crowd essentially and yet she had stepped in, when she hadn't needed to, to try and help. The way the woman held herself, how she spoke, she didn't get the impression that Piper was a particularly feeling sort of person, nor one to concern herself with the affairs or plight of others.

Piper shifted somewhat, before letting out a breath, glancing at Angel, "You remind me of my cousin, Snow White."

Angel's eyes widened just slightly, familiar with the name, with the story, though it appeared Piper wasn't expecting any of this realm to know it for she also got the sense that it was meant to be a secret. She felt herself smile, "You must love her very much," she reasoned, not bringing up her knowledge of the tale to put her at ease.

"I do," Piper admitted, "She is…closer to me than a cousin, she is a sister in my heart," she eyed Angel a moment, "You look a bit like her, your hair, your skin. And you have this…goodness, this innate innocence I just…" she took a breath, "I could not stand aside while others tried to snuff it."

And that was the only reason she stepped in, she felt. Had it been anyone else but her or Marayna, she likely would have stood aside and watched. Marayna was similar to Angel, dark of hair, light of skin, both with light eyes. But Marayna exhibited a fire, a passion, a strength, a warrior's spirit that she did not see in Angel. That was not to say Angel was weak or passive, no. It was more…Angel was soft, and warm, and kind, peaceful, and it felt like the woman saw the best in everyone.

It reminded her of Snow so much it made her heart clench painfully. Equally so when she saw Snow's fighting spirit in Marayna.

It was like both women were representations of Snow, Angel of the time before Regina's attack, and Marayna the fighter she became after.

"You miss her terribly," Angel murmured, frowning now, seeming so sympathetic to her pain.

"I did not say we were separated," Piper reminded her.

Angel flushed a bit, "Sorry," she offered, "Sometimes my mouth gets away from me."

"Why do I feel like you're trying to lie?" Marayna asked her, "And badly, I might add."

Angel laughed, "I'm not very good at it, am I?"

"No," Piper said at the same time Marayna snorted with a, "Terrible."

Angel shrugged, "Among my people it's called being a Visionary, we are few who…can see the future."

"You're a Seer?" Marayna perked up a little at that, even Piper looked mildly interested.

"I suppose that's one way to call it," Angel nodded, assuming that was what they called people like her in Camelot, "Sometimes it's not just the future, it's just…a sense of things. A perception other people can't quite tap into."

"You just know things, sometimes," Piper offered.

"Yes," Angel perked up, beaming at how they were understanding it.

Piper had to look away, god she was so like Snow.

She only looked over once she felt a hand on her shoulder to see Angel had moved onto her knees beside her, giving her an apologetic look, but an understanding one as well, "I've been separated from my family, too," she offered, "My sister," she said, thinking of Rose, of the 'sister' still alive, but that she couldn't get to any longer. Donna was still alive, she could visit whenever she wished, and it hurt too much to talk about her true sister, dead during the War, Rose was a safe middle-way to connect to, "She's trapped in a parallel world. I can never see her ever again. And it hurts," she remarked, growing solemn, but then a small smile grew on her face, "But she's alive," she looked at Piper again, "And that's what's important. That they're alive."

Piper could only give her a short nod of agreement, not wanting to go too much in detail about it. Speaking of Snow was safe, this Camelot, according to Rumpelstiltskin, was not the Camelot to be found in their world but some other version of it. And Angel appeared of another world as well given how her attire did not match with the kingdom's attire. Still, it did not sit well with her to speak too much about Snow, never knowing if the Evil Queen might be listening somehow, some way.

"Which is more than I can say for us come dawn," Marayna sighed, resting back, her head slightly thunking on the stone wall, "Knowing Uther, that's when he'll have us 'executed.'"

"If you have been here before, surely you have been meant for the executioner's block before," Piper reasoned, "Yet you are still standing."

"Most times I didn't defend a magic user quite so visibly," she countered, and, most times, her time in the cell was for irritating Arthur or speaking too vocally, smaller crimes.

"It's alright," Angel tried to tell them, "I…I don't think we have to worry about dawn much."

"What make you say that?"

"Well, I don't think any of us are staying here out of helplessness," she looked at them, "We each have a power, the ability to leave, but we haven't."

"How do you know that?" Marayna tensed.

Angel gave her a look, "You fight too hard for a people to not be part of them."

"You really do have that perception down," Marayna muttered.

"Are you saying we each have a means to escape?" Piper turned to Angel, who nodded, "Then why are we still here?"

Angel blushed a bit, "Well, I suspect it's because we each have someone who wouldn't let anything harm us…and it can be a bit nice to be rescued, every once in a while."

The women fell silent, before they all began laughing.

~8~

"Ah, Merlin, there you are," Arthur spoke as Merlin hurried through the door of his chambers.

"Arthur, we…" Merlin began, only to cut himself off when he actually caught sight of the man. He was standing near the window, his shirt off and in his hand, dirty and sweat stained from his training with the other knights, making his way towards the small basket where he always threw his soiled clothing for washing. He frowned for a moment, eyeing the prince. He'd gone to the training yard first, thinking Arthur would still be there, only to find that the man had ended training a short while ago and headed back in.

Arthur was always one for a change of clothing, perhaps a small bath, after an intense training session…which did explain the tub of steaming water in the corner of the room. But Arthur also was prompt about it.

Why was he only just tossing his shirt now when practice had been over for a long enough time for him to have at least gotten into the bath?

Merlin shook his head, that wasn't a question that needed answering at the moment, "We have a problem."

"What now, Merlin?" Arthur huffed, as he moved over to the changing screen, stepping behind it to ready for his bath, "Come to complain about how you and Mara have to muck out the stables?"

Merlin huffed, "I wish," he told the man, "Aya's been arrested."

There was a thudding noise behind the changing screen and Arthur poked his head out from around the side of it, "What?"

Merlin nodded, "There was an...incident in the market. There was some sort of…of gold light," he said, trying to not make it sound like it was magic, "It stopped logs that were falling from landing on anyone. And a girl was being led off by the guards and…"

"And Mara tried to step in, didn't she?" Arthur sighed, giving him an unimpressed look with his sister's choices.

"Yeah," Merlin winced, rubbing the back of his neck, "She didn't think it was right the person who saved all those people was going to be executed…"

"If they saved someone, there would be a fair trial and they'd be granted leniency."

Merlin gave him a look now, "When has that ever happened?" he asked Arthur, not in the mood to debate or help the man come to his own conclusions or manipulate him into doing something, not when it was his sister involved, "It doesn't, and it won't. That girl is going to be executed for saving lives, and Aya didn't think it was fair. I don't either. But she beat me to trying to stop the guards. She's been taken to the dungeon, along with another woman who tried to stop it."

He wasn't sure if he should mention the second woman also had magic, so he kept his mouth shut about it.

Arthur rolled his eyes but ducked back down behind the screen. A shuffling noise sounded for a moment before Arthur stepped back out, finishing tying a belt around his waist, having pulled his pants back up, "Honestly, Merlin," Arthur muttered, "Should I just start to assume, when either of you is late, that you've been locked in the dungeons then?"

Merlin opened his mouth to agree with that, but then a thought hit him. Arthur clearly knew he and Marayna were later at attending him than normal…and he'd still waited, clearly he'd waited, for them to arrive before actually readying for the bath and…

"Hold on," Merlin frowned, thrown by something, "Is THAT why you were standing around without a shirt on? You thought I'd be Aya coming through the door?"

He would have laughed if the situation with his sister and the other women hadn't been so serious. The fact that the two women were strangers, that one seemed to have no idea what was going on which meant she'd have no idea what to say or how to act around Uther come 'trial,' and that the other (if her partner was anything to go by) was more likely to threaten to end Uther or use her magic on him, meant Marayna would be the one doing the most talking…and there had been more than one occasion where her mouth had gotten the best of her and gotten her into more trouble than if she'd just been quiet.

That Arthur had been standing in his room, with his shirt off, in the off chance that Marayna would be the one to walk through the door first…it was quite funny.

"Don't be stupid, Merlin," Arthur rolled his eyes, heading for the door, "Now, are you going to help me get this sorted or not?"

"Of course," Merlin nodded, "Yeah," he waited a moment though, watching as Arthur just reached out for the handle before calling out, "Arthur?" he waited till the prince turned to him, "A shirt, sire?" he suggested, unable to help the smirk that spread a cross his face when Arthur actually seemed to flush at how he'd forgotten to grab one and put it on in his haste to help Marayna. He just tossed a shirt to Arthur that he'd grabbed off the changing screen as they both headed out the door.

He doubted that Arthur would actually be able to do much. It was likely Arthur would go right to Uther and either demand Marayna's release or argue for it. Uther would, of course, refuse, because anyone who dared aid someone with magic was just as guilty. And, right now, the other two women weren't even a consideration to Arthur.

But…in a sad way…he hoped it would play out like that. Arthur, he'd noticed, always seemed more determined to do something after he'd been told not to. If Uther shot down his hope at freeing Marayna, Arthur would be more inclined to do so himself, and then he could bring up that there were two other men who wanted their partners back as well.

…then he just had to hope the Doctor didn't try to use that magic wand and Rumpelstiltskin refrained from throwing Arthur against a wall with magic first…

~8~

Unfortunately for Arthur, and to Merlin's surprise, when they strode into the throne room to confront Uther and convince him of Marayna's (and Piper's and Angel's) innocence…it was not just Uther they came face-to-face with, but the entire court. Arthur froze, tense, his hands clenched into fists as the realization for why this was happening worked its way into his mind. There was no reason to call court today, there were no council meetings or celebrations or announcements to make.

…which meant it could only be for a 'trial.'

"Father," he called, striding through the room and over to his father, Morgana and Gwen already beside him, Morgana looking murderous…which explained the fury on his father's face. Clearly she had tried to 'reason' with him, in her own way, and only served to upset them both, "My maidservant, Marayna…"

"The traitor!" Uther hissed.

Arthur winced, that was never good. The one woman he could understand being a treat, being arrested, if she used magic. But for the other two, just trying to stop the guards? He never agreed with his father's methods of handing those who 'aided' sorcerers. HE had done so himself a time or two, when they were innocent and had done no wrong to Camelot.

"Uther you can't honestly believe that!" Morgana huffed.

"Father, she was merely trying to ensure the guards didn't harm the…" Arthur tried.

"She was defending a sorceress!" Uther cut in with a snap, "Anyone who aids a witch is just as guilty!"

"A witch who saved the lives of YOUR people!" Morgana reminded him, always the more vocal than Arthur when it came to these confrontations.

"Trickery," Uther spat, "The only reason a sorcerer would have to save anyone is to gain our trust, then stab us in the back!"

"Father," Arthur tried to find the words to make sense of this.

He doubted anyone with magic would do something like that. For one, the Pendragon hatred of Magic would mean that they'd likely be killed in the first attempt and if, IF, they managed to live past that, they would have to save many, many lives, and work for years and years, to gain such trust. It would be a waste of time and energy to do all that just to betray them later. Because even if they gained some of Uther's trust, he would still be likely to be wary and suspicious of them at every turn.

"Gaius used to use magic to save lives," Arthur continued, the only weakness in Uther's defense, speaking quietly so as not to alarm the court to what was being said.

"And he has repented for that error in judgement," Uther spoke, even then Merlin barely refrained from rolling his eyes at the hypocrisy of it.

"He saved lives," Arthur argued, "And this woman…it appears she did as well. She does not even appear to BE from Camelot," he added, thinking of the very brief summary Merlin gave on the way over, "For all we know you could be executing the Queen or princess of another kingdom…"

"Any kingdom that harbors a magic-user is an enemy of Camelot," Uther bit out, before standing, the motion forcing Arthur to stand to the side as he gestured at a guard at the back of the room. A moment later the door opened and Marayna, Piper, and Angel were led out, shackles around their wrists and legs.

'Aya,' Merlin called to his sister in her mind, 'Do NOT make this worse.'

'Merlin, if he's going to condemn them for saving lives…' she argued.

'YOU being executed with them won't help anyone,' he countered, 'If we can get you free, then we have more people to get the others out.'

Marayna caught his eye, not looking pleased, but gave him a nod.

"You stand accused of sorcery," Uther intoned as he glowered down at them.

"Sorcery?" Angel frowned, the court murmuring and gasping as she interrupted the king, "That was the Vortex, not sorcery, not magic."

"The Vortex?" Arthur spoke, latching onto that, because if it hadn't actually been magic but something else it could be the thing they needed to stop this.

"It's…it's an energy," she explained, "It lives in me and helps me when I need it."

It was the simplest way she could explain it to these people, she knew. It was far too advanced and complicated to try and explain time travel, TARDISes, her people, to them in the span of a single trial.

"It is magic," Uther declared, for it was just how magic operated too, "Calling it by another name will not earn you leniency. You have broken the law."

"By saving people?" Angel frowned, sounding genuinely confused as to why she was being punished for keeping other people alive, "Shouldn't it not matter how you save someone only that you have? You would prefer them to be dead?"

Merlin glanced back at the crowd as it murmured, knowing there had to be at least one or two people who agreed with her question, with the idea that those people would be dead and their king was saying he'd prefer that over magic saving them.

"And you!" Uther ignored her, turning to Marayna, "You have gotten away with far too many acts of rebellion."

"She is not from Camelot," Marayna spoke, seeing it was her chance to defend herself, "She does not know the laws. I did not think it right to punish someone for breaking a law they didn't know existed."

Uther grit his teeth at that, she wasn't outright defending the use of magic, nor was she trying to say that she had been trying to stop the guards, but only bringing the knowledge of the laws into question. And, given the offensive attire the girl in blue was wearing, it would be clear to everyone that the girl truly wasn't from their Kingdom.

"And you?" he turned his attention to Piper, the blonde who had been surprisingly quiet throughout the scenes taking place, "Why should I not execute you as well?"

"Honestly?" Piper spoke, her tone bland, almost bored, "Try it," she dared, "I have not had myself a good slaughter in a very long while."

"Guards!" Uther shouted, gesturing with a wave of his hands for the guards to restrain them and remove them from the court at the threat she'd made, he'd heard enough, it was a courtesy to give them a chance to defend themselves, but he knew they were guilty, all of them, "They shall be burned at dawn! Gaius!" he added, gesturing the old man to follow him as he stormed away.

"WHY would you SAY that?" Marayna huffed as she was dragged out of the room with Piper and Angel.

Piper, though, merely smirked, "Because Angel was right," she offered, "I do have someone who would be willing to do anything to free me," her smirk grew positively evil, "I cannot wait to see the utter destruction he rains down to do it."

~8~

"I say we kill them all," Rumpelstiltskin began once Merlin finished telling him what happened at the 'trial,' "And burn the castle to the ground."

"Right, yeah, still a Doctor," the Doctor sighed, "Still very much against slaughtering the innocents."

"You do what you want," Merlin deadpanned, "But you harm anyone, I guarantee my sister will try to stop you, and probably his Mate," he jerked a thumb at the Doctor who nodded, "And if they step up, you think your Piper is going to let THEM be hurt?"

Apparently it wasn't the Doctor or Rumpelstiltskin he needed to worry about making the situation worse, not even his sister, but Piper. Of all people, the woman who was the quietest, most silent among the 'accused' HAD to be the one to open her mouth and earn them the most painful execution.

"They can't do anything if they're unconscious," Rumpelstiltskin muttered.

Merlin looked over at him, "You can do that?"

"Easily."

He nodded, "We could use that," he began, his mind racing as he tried to think of what they could do.

When going to Arthur hadn't worked, he'd told the man he was going to sneak down and speak to his sister while Arthur argued with Morgana about whether to try and help the prisoners now. After the way Piper threatened Uther, Arthur seemed to see them as a threat (except Marayna) and Morgana was arguing that they HAD to help the other two also. Instead of going to the cells, he'd come back to the physician's chambers to relay what happened to the Doctor and Rumpelstiltskin, he could always speak to his sister in his head if Arthur asked any questions.

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded, "Knock everyone out, sneak down to the dungeons, little bit of help from the sonic," he wiggled the 'wand' again, "And we're out. Easy peasy."

"Except that if they disappear from the dungeons, Uther will cry magic and launch a search everywhere for them," Merlin pointed out, "So we can't get them out while they're in the dungeons."

"We can't let them be burned at the stake either!" the Doctor nearly snapped. He was doing well with holding down the Mating instinct, because Angel was with others who were clearly intent to protect her, she wasn't in danger right NOW…but the more he kept hearing about the pyre being built for her…the more he fretted.

He knew, with the Vortex, she could protect herself and the others, teleport out if they had to…but it didn't help him with picturing it getting that far.

"No one said we would," Merlin huffed back, "We just…" he let out a breath, "We need a way to get them out after they've left the dungeons but before…before anything happens."

"And we're sure slaughtering them all is unacceptable?" Rumpelstiltskin had to ask.

"Yes," both the Doctor and Merlin said as one, earning a pout from the Dark One.

Rumpelstiltskin couldn't help it though, if Piper was there this would be MUCH more fun, they could compete against each other for who could kill the most people, perhaps add in a side bet of who had the most creative method.

"Right," the Doctor rubbed a hand down his face and then through his hair, "So they'll be taken from the dungeon, and we probably can't risk grabbing them along the way," he looked at Merlin for confirmation as the man gave him a grim look, "We'll have to wait till they're…at the pyres."

"Yeah," Merlin nodded, equally as serious and reluctant, "But all of Camelot will be there to witness it, Uther will insist. And since there's more than one execution, he'll double the guards…"

"As I said," Rumpelstiltskin cut in, "I can easily stop them…"

"NO killing them!" the two other men huffed.

Rumpelstiltskin glared at them, "Don't tempt me," he spat at them, the more they ordered him about the more likely he was to do it to spite them. As it was, he was displaying an unreasonable amount of patience and 'teamwork' for Piper's sake, but if they kept this up…

"Look, we just…we just need a way for the King to not want to kill them," the Doctor said.

Merlin scoffed, "This is Uther Pendragon," Merlin said, "He's killed children because they had magic."

The two other men fell silent at that, the Doctor with his mouth open, utterly horrified at the thought of someone doing such a thing. While Rumpelstiltskin was grim, his expression hard, he'd had a bit of a soft spot for children, Piper even more so, and to hear this so called king had killed them, for something they could not control?

"Then we pose a bigger threat," the Dark One said, "We make it clear that if he harms them, we will tear his world apart piece by piece."

The Doctor sighed, "No kill…"

"Hold on," Merlin frowned, "It's just a threat right?" he asked Rumpelstiltskin, "You're…you're not actually gonna…"

"No," Rumpelstiltskin sneered, "This time. I possess magic, strong magic. And, I just so happen to have an invulnerability to weapons. They cannot stop me or contain me but I can THEM. I can easily show them the magnitude of my power, that they cannot hope to fight me and win. If I am a bigger threat, I demand to leave with Piper and leave their kingdom standing."

"But what about Marayna?" Merlin shook his head.

"And Angel," the Doctor agreed, "I won't let you risk her just to…"

"Threaten them too," Rumpelstiltskin cut in, "You've darkness to you. Use it."

The Doctor frowned, stepping back a moment, "How do you know I…"

He'd almost forgotten, for a moment, after spending so much time with Angel, about that buried deep within him.

"Takes one to know one," the Dark One said simply, "Make yourself a threat they cannot hope to defeat, get the girl out."

"That still leaves my sister," Merlin pointed out.

"She stays," the Doctor replied, his voice a little soft, thoughtful, before he turned to Merlin, "If we 'abandon' her, then she can't be a threat or an ally, can she? Uther would have to see that."

Merlin was quiet, considering that, before he nodded slowly, "He might, if we play our cards right…" if they could make it seem like she'd been abandoned by those with magic, he could paint it as a 'lesson' that she'd learned not to defend them again, at least in Uther's eyes.

"I can whip up quite the speech," the Doctor nodded, the plan coming together, "I can threaten him, trick them into thinking I'm a danger to them and it's best to leave me and Angel alone…yeah."

"Some darkness, storm clouds, fog rolling in," Rumpelstiltskin detailed, "Show them I can control their pesky world, bend it to my whim…freeze their soldiers in place so they cannot move to protect their king…

"And me?" Merlin looked between them, "What should I do?"

They were silent.

"Oh, come on," he groaned, "You two get to be the heroes and I what? Stand round next to Arthur looking scared?"

"You can't risk using your magic," the Doctor reminded him, "If the King sees you…"

Merlin sighed, "I can still do things from a distance," he said, "I can release their bindings, knock the guards away from them, without anyone knowing it was me so long as they're focused on you two."

The men looked at each other, nodding firmly, the plan was set.

~8~

The ropes were uncomfortable, scratching at their wrists as Angel, Piper, and Marayna were tied to the stakes, all three standing on small platform set just above the logs of wood they'd be burned upon. The ropes, indeed, were grating, but the worst was watching those gathered to witness the event. The people looked horrified and nauseous at the thought of what was about to happen, they were clearly terrified but forcing themselves to be there or risk the king's wrath and questions for why they did not want to witness the punishment of threats to the kingdom.

Even worse, though, was watching the knight that held the torch standing there.

The king was speaking, doling out their crimes and how this was a fitting punishment, though they didn't pay much mind to it.

They were calm, but tense, knowing help was on the way, but…this was cutting it rather fine.

"And now," Uther finished, turning to the three women, "Any last words?"

"Quite a few," the Doctor's voice rang out, though with the way the crowd twisted and turned to try and spot him, they couldn't determine where he was.

"Who said that?" Uther demanded, pulling his sword from its sheath, sensing an attack.

Before another word could be spoken, thunder rumbled in the distance, clouds swarmed, covering the sun, darkening the sky so it looked nearly like night than dawn, lightning flashed and wind began to blow. And then a bright flare of light appeared in front of the pyres, Rumpelstiltskin appearing with black smoke swirling around him giving him a demonic appearance.

"Rumpelstiltskin," he gave a mocking nod of his head to the king, "At your service."

"Sorcery!" Uther spat, "Guards!"

Rumpelstiltskin didn't even flinch as one of the guards ran at him, shoving his sword into his middle…his eyes widening when it just did that…went through him, without any blood or injury to his enemy. In fact, Rumpelstiltskin merely smirked, waving his hand and sending the guard flying backwards against the platform the royals were stood upon.

"Guar…" Uther tried again, but Rumpelstiltskin made a fist in the air, cutting off the man's order, half choking him.

"Going a bit far there," the Doctor said as he ambled over, glancing at Merlin, now beside Arthur, the man nodding as his eyes flashed, using his magic to undo the shackles holding the girls prisoner slowly, so as not to draw attention to them. He took a breath and looked over at Uther when he was released from the magic, "Now, the way I see it…King Uther," he began, "You can either let our friends here go," he gestured toward the pyres, "Or I'm going to be forced to let my new friend here," he patted Rumpelstiltskin on the shoulder, awkwardly stopping when the Dark One glared at him for the move, "Have at you."

"How dare…" Uther began.

But with a wave from Rumpelstiltskin's hand his voice was gone, his mouth moving but no sound came out of it.

"Oh, we dare," the Doctor let out an almost scoffing laugh, "I'm the Doctor, I'm 906 years old, I hail from another planet, one more advanced than anything you have here. Others call me the Oncoming Storm, the Lonely God, the Destroyer of Worlds. And you?" he shook his head, steadily growing more serious as he spoke, "You've taken my Mate, the woman I love, the last of my kind, and I think you ought to give her back to me," the last three words were bit out almost like a snarl, "Or you won't like what happens next."

This time it wasn't Uther who gave an order, but Arthur, for as much as he wanted this sorted, for as much as he disagreed with executing those who had done nothing but save the lives of people, he could not stand there while someone threatened his father, his King, "Guards!" he shouted, "Defend the king!"

It was pure chaos after that.

The guards rushed forward, their swords raised, and while Rumpelstiltskin was able to stop those in his sight, coming at him, others were aiming for the Doctor, who jumped back and kept flicking the sonic at them, doing little against them. The girls managed to get free, jumping down to try and help though Marayna was left on the pyre, part of the plan, while Piper moved to Rumpelstiltskin's side and Angel to the Doctor's.

But it wasn't enough, things were too chaotic and there were too many innocent peasants around for the Doctor or Angel to do much of anything.

"Doctor!" Angel screamed when he let out a pained grunt, spinning to see that one of the guards had managed to strike him through the gut, much like with Rumpelstiltskin, but there WAS blood this time, there was injury as the man fell to the ground.

In reaction, the guards nearest to him went flying in a blast of gold light, Angel rushing to his side, now distracted from aiding the others as a sphere of light went up around her, an orange light starting to shine around the Doctor.

"Pip!" Rumpelstiltskin growled out when she gasped, being yanked back by a villager this time, a knife at her throat.

It was all the distraction another guard needed to step up with an urn, opening it at Rumpelstiltskin, sucking him inside it, Gaius having to look away, knowing it was Uther digging up the past and using one of the magical artifacts in the vault, an urn that pulled an individual with magic within it. It had been how his witch hunters had captured some who fled the kingdom, to deliver them back for trial.

"No!" Piper tried to lunge for the man, but the villager held her back.

Marayna's eyes flashed, throwing the man's knife away with her magic, not about to let the man slit her throat…and revealing herself and her magic in the process.

"AYA!" Merlin cried out when one of the knights rushed forward, torch in hand, to try and burn her before she could be freed.

He threw his hand out, sending the man flying to the ground, revealing himself as well. Arthur could only stare at him, utterly betrayed, as the two guards on the platform with them surged to grab him and hold him down…but all it served to do was make the guard drop the torch, catching on the wood at Marayna's feet, the girl screaming as the flames licked higher and higher and…

Angel gasped awake from where she'd been nodding off, sitting up against the wall of the cell, cutting off the whispered conversation Piper and Marayna were having about the 'good' or 'bad' uses of magic as the two looked over.

"Alright there?" Marayna called as Angel panted.

She swallowed hard and shook her head, "We've got a problem."

~8~

The Doctor, Rumpelstiltskin, and Merlin looked at each other as the first lights of dawn began to peek into the sky, nodding that they were ready, before Rumpelstiltskin waved his arm up with a flourish, dark smoke surrounding the three of them, ready to deposit them at the edge of the town square where Merlin would use the momentary distraction to rush off and make his way to Arthur while the two travelers made their move, ready to begin the fight to save the women…

But when the smoke cleared, it was…not at all what they were expecting.

There were people gathered around...all lying on the ground, the platform that held the royals and members of court only held their prone, slumbering forms. The knights seemed to be slumped over where they stood, a torch lying on the cobblestone, smoldering.

And the girls…

"You have got to be kidding me," the Doctor muttered, gaping at the sight.

"No," Angel was saying as she sat on top of her pyre, completely free, completely at ease, "Paper beats rock."

"In what realm would a piece of parchment be stronger than a rock?" Piper was asking, shaking her head.

"Is it an enchanted paper?" Marayna was asking.

All three women were sitting on their pyre platforms, facing each other...while Angel taught them how to play Rock, Paper, Scissors.

"What the hell…" Rumpelstiltskin muttered.

"Aya!" Merlin shouted, rushing forward, or trying to, the amount of people lying on the ground made it hard to run as he had to navigate around them and over them.

"Merlin," she smiled down at her brother, before hopping off her pyre, the others doing the same though Piper more slid off in a fluid motion while Angel carefully climbed down, "Took you lot long enough."

"What?" the Doctor shook his head.

"I um," Angel gave him a shrug of embarrassment, "I saw how this would go…and it wouldn't end well," she added.

"What?"

"You died," she said, "And regenerated, Merlin was captured when he was forced to reveal his magic, and Rumpelstiltskin ended up trapped in an urn…"

"What?!"

"And, as entertaining as the prospect of being rescued was, we though it best to nip all this in the budd," Marayna nodded, "It was getting a bit boring just standing there, waiting."

"We had quite the plan," Rumpelstiltskin grumbled as Piper came over to him, "I was looking forward to it."

"Be that as it may," Piper remarked, "I was not looking forward to you being stuffed into an urn like genie in a bottle."

Rumpelstiltskin scoffed at that, it sounded ridiculous and impossible to him.

"She's a Seer," Piper told him, nodding her head to Angel who gave him a little wave, "She had a vision of your plan. We all found it quite an impressive one, truly."

"Until the whole, discovery, capture, death, thing," Marayna smirked, "We took care of it."

"Are they…" the Doctor frowned down at the fallen crowd.

"Sleeping," Angel assured him, "Piper has a remarkable voice," she told him, "I asked her to please not kill them."

"And you listened?" Rumpelstiltskin snorted, looking at Piper, sounding amused at the thought

Which had the Doctor and Merlin glancing at each other because he very much sounded like that was not typical behavior for Piper to NOT kill people.

"I was...persuaded," Piper shrugged easily, "A slaughter would have been entertaining, no doubt, but there would be no guarantee they would not harm the others."

Rumpelstiltskin looked over at the other two women, eyeing them, noting their resemblances to Snow White. It made sense now, why Piper had taken the risk to help them, she was thinking of her cousin.

"And we're very grateful for that," the Doctor cut in.

"How are we gonna explain the escape when they all wake up though?" Merlin frowned.

"A memory charm," Rumpelstiltskin said, "It's easily done."

Piper gave Rumpelstiltskin an odd look now, "You are…offering to help them?" she asked, sounding as though she was both surprised he was and also like she had been hoping he would do the opposite.

Rumpelstiltskin smirked at her, "They helped me win our bet."

Piper frowned, looking him up and down, "You possess nothing of value."

"Not all that glitters is gold, Pip," he said wisely, reaching out to take her hand, "And you are worth far more than any amount of it."

"You smooth bastard," the Doctor muttered under his breath as Piper merely tugged the man forward to press a kiss to his lips.

"You're rather smooth yourself," Angel assured him, taking his hand and kissing his scarred knuckles, as she always did when she was being serious and sweet.

"And a little bit foxy?" he teased her, all smiles again.

Marayna rolled her eyes, "Great," she cut in, "Lovely that you all have your true loves back, but my apparent future husband is lying half falling off a platform about to drown in his own drool and we're going to have a hell of a time trying to explain this to him if he wakes up before the memory's erased, so…if you could," she made a waving gesture with her hand, as though to say 'get on with it.'

Merlin chuckled, "Apologies for my sister, she's always cranky when she's nearly burned at the stake."

"That…that happen often?" the Doctor asked with a frown, rubbing at the back of his neck. He knew she was arrested on occasion, but being burned at the stake more than once seemed extreme.

"Enough," Marayna shrugged. Or at least her life had been threatened enough where it would probably take her actually bleeding out or literally on fire for her to actually be concerned she was in some sort of danger.

"I grow weary of this place, Rummy," Piper spoke, "I would appreciate it if we could leave sooner than later," she agreed.

Merlin snorted, "Rummy?" he gave the man a look.

This fearsome man who claimed he could cause infinite destruction and terror…let someone call him 'Rummy?'

Rumpelstiltskin narrowed his eyes at the man, "Keep it up and I'll trap you in a tree here as well."

"What?" Marayna looked at her brother.

"Apparently, they're from a different world," Merlin explained, recalling a few of the things the Doctor and Rumpelstiltskin had mentioned while they'd been waiting to begin their plan, how they both seemed to know of him and his magic, "Where I've been trapped in a tree for a few thousand years."

Marayna blinked, "Alright."

"Oi!" Merlin frowned, "No 'I'd save you, Merlin?' Or 'I'd make sure no one chops you down?' Thanks!"

Marayna laughed, "More, 'that's actually a pretty cool thought and we should look into that.'"

Merlin paused, considering it, and nodded, it WOULD be an interesting way to not-kill someone but make sure they couldn't harm other people, turn them into a tree.

Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes at that, turning to the fallen people of Camelot and taking a breath to focus. He moved his hands together, before swirling them around a few inches apart, conjuring what looked like a black cloud, or wisps of smoke that were floating between his palms, gathering more and more with each pass. As soon as it was about the size of a head and dark as night, Rumpelstiltskin gently pushed his hands out towards the people, the wisps shooting from him, drifting towards the people, breaking off into smaller and smaller pieces of the cloud and snaking through the air till they reached a person. They watched as the smoke seemed to almost be sucked into the ear of the nearest person, who let out a light breath before shimmering and disappearing.

"Where have they gone?" Merlin frowned, watching person after person vanish.

"Back to their homes," Rumpelstiltskin said, glancing at the man over his shoulder, "You leave them here to wake and they'll all be wondering why?" before launching into imitations of men and women asking, "Who did this? Where did they escape to? It would…"

"Be another watch hunt," Marayna finished for him, nodding, "Thank you," she offered, for he'd thought ahead to that when it seemed none of them had given consideration to it.

"And they'll forget?" Angel asked, frowning as she watched more and more people fade away, something unsettling growing in her stomach at the thought of all those people forgetting this moment. It wasn't important to them, she knew, she felt it, it was just 'another one' to them, another execution, another sorcerer caught and stopped…but she couldn't help but wonder what they'd do if something more important had been pulled out of their head. She shook her head, turning to them, "You're certain they won't remember Rayna helping us?" she would hate it if the girl got into trouble and they weren't there to help.

"They won't even remember you lot needing help," Rumpelstiltskin nodded.

"They will have lost a day," Piper remarked, "But they will just think it their own mistake, the monotony of life."

Merlin let out a breath, "We should look into that sort of spell too," he muttered to Marayna who nodded, watching as Uther and Arthur began to vanish, glancing at Merlin to see that his eyes were trained on Morgana.

"I hope you don't take this personally," Marayna turned to the others once all the people had disappeared, Rumpelstiltskin waving his hand at the pyres and turning them to ash, "But I hope you never come back here."

"No offense taken," Angel assured her, smiling lightly, understanding the intent behind Marayna's words and not how they sounded.

The woman wasn't saying it to be nasty, to say she never wanted to see them again after all the chaos they caused. But more that she hoped they wouldn't come back any time soon because of the risk it posed to all of them. If she or Piper returned, the chances that they would use their magic would be smaller, they would know about the laws this time, but that didn't mean they wouldn't use it if they had to. It was a dangerous place to go and she doubted the Doctor would ever let the TARDIS set back down there again after she was nearly burned as a 'witch.' She got the feeling that Rumpelstiltskin fellow also would avoid Camelot after the threat it posed to his love too.

"We should be going," the Doctor picked up on that, looking between the other four as he slid an arm around Angel's waist, "I would say it's been a pleasure but…"

"Don't be rude," Angel nudged him lightly, before stepping over to Marayna, "Thank you," she said as she hugged her and then Merlin, "And be careful, yeah?" she looked between them, focusing on Marayna after a moment, "Fire is uncontrollable and damaging, best avoid it, alright?"

"I have no plans to do that again," Marayna assured her.

Angel's smile grew a bit strained and the Doctor knew instantly she'd gotten one of her feelings, the ones where she couldn't quite grasp what it was trying to tell her, what it wanted her to know, only that something about it was important to voice. Something dealing with fire was going to be a threat to either Marayna or Merlin very soon. He hoped they worked that out before it happened.

Angel just moved over to Piper and Rumpelstiltskin, surprising them when she threw her arms around both of them at once, hugging them too, "And be brave," she added, pulling away quickly, sensing neither were very comfortable with affection from strangers, "As dark as things may get, as much as it may feel like a curse," she gave them a pointed look, "Things always have a way of working out. You just need to have faith and believe it can."

Rumpelstiltskin cleared his throat, sounding a bit thrown off by her words, "Right," was all he could really think to say.

Angel gave them a wink before stepping back to the Doctor.

"Take care," the Doctor offered, giving them a nod of thanks for helping get Angel back, before he took her hand, the two of them turning to walk off…only to disappear in a swirl of golden energy.

Merlin let out a whistle, it didn't quite look like magic, not the kind he and Marayna were used to, but also not like the kind Rumpelstiltskin had conjured either.

"Do not expect a hug from us," Piper warned when the two magical siblings turned over to them.

"Wasn't gonna," Marayna waved it off, "You should go," she added.

"Get out while you have the chance," Merlin joked, since the two of them were sort of trapped there by their various responsibilities, friendships, family, and prophecy (if the damn dragon was to be believed).

Rumpelstiltskin nodded, moving his arm around Piper and waving his hand in a flourish, surrounding them with a dark smoke, revealing they were gone when it cleared.

Marayna and Merlin looked at the spot the two had vanished in, before turning to each other, and uttering just one word, one thought on all of it.

"Showoffs."

The End

A/N: I know, I know, I pulled a Twilight moment at the end with the epic 'threat' moment being a vision. Most of it came from an indecision whether to have the big threat moment or have the guys just stride up, ready for war, and the girls are just like 'oh, bout time you got here' already free and having tea or something lol. I felt like not having the threat would be a let down, but also couldn't see Uther, even if his own life was being threatened, just letting them walk off into the sunset with the 'traitors' and 'sorceresses.' This way we got both :)

I was debating having it be some sort of magical creature that had to be dealt with, but, in the end, that felt a bit too much like the other crossovers I've done and, really, with how paranoid Uther was I could easily see Angel using the Vortex to save someone and having it be mistaken as magic. Not all things are deadly creatures, sometimes it's the wrong place at the wrong time :(

If all goes well with updating and staying on track with the stories, we'll be getting another 'crossover' in October, more of a continuation of the Wibbly-Wobbly, Timey-Wimey series, featuring the children of the Professor, Evy, and Angel all meeting :)

I hope you enjoyed this anniversary one-shot :)