The Witchfinder

Evaine kept glancing at Merlin as the court was gathered in the throne room, a young woman standing before Uther.

"It was sorcery you saw, and you're certain of it?" Uther asked.

"Yes, Sire," Cathryn confirmed.

"And you swear this before your King?" Uther pressed.

"I swear it," Cathryn promised.

"Perhaps your eyes deceived you, a trick of the light," Arthur suggested, and Evaine prayed the woman would agree with his words.

"The smoke was alive, I tell you. I feared for my life," Cathryn said fearfully.

"I thank you for bringing this to my attention. Your loyalty will not go unrewarded," Uther tells her.

"Thank you, Sire," Cathryn said, curtseying low to him before being escorted out by a knight.

"It cannot continue," Uther muttered, walking to stand beside Arthur. Evaine moved closer to Merlin, the two sharing a small look.

"I will hunt down those responsible, Father. I promise they will not escape unpunished," Arthur vowed.

"No. Stronger methods are called for. Send for the Witchfinder," Uther announced, and the court gasped, Evaine glancing around in surprise.

"Sire, is it necessary to resort to such measures?" Gaius asked.

"The Witchfinder is a trusted ally, Gaius. His help will be invaluable," Uther told him, silencing him on the matter.

"Of course," Gaius said, the court bowing as Uther left, followed closely by Arthur and a few knights.

"Is he really that terrible?" Evaine asked, standing close to Merlin and Gaius.

"Most of the poor souls executed during the Great Purge was brought to the fire by Aredian," Gaius said, and Evaine paled, glancing at Merlin who stared at the floor. "We must be extra vigilant when he arrives," Gaius warned, patting Merlin on the shoulder before returning to his chambers. I glanced at Merlin, who still stared at the floor.

"It will be fine, Merlin," she told him quietly, her friend looking up at her with a weak smile.

It was later that night when horses were heard clattering through the courtyard. Evaine stood from her seat beside Gwen, the two moving to stand beside Morgana as they looked at the large carriage. An older man emerged, and Evaine glanced at Morgana.

"Is that him?" Gwen asked.

"Yes," Morgana answered.

"What's that cage for?" Gwen asked, and Evaine shook her head.

"I do not think we should ask," Evaine said. Aredian looks up at Morgana's window, seeing the three of them watching him, and they gasp, moving away from the window.

XXXXXX

Only a few days later, Evaine and the others were called to the throne room once more, this time on Aredian's orders. Evaine stands nervously beside Anna as three women stand in front of Uther and Arthur.

"Speak, do not be afraid," Aredian ordered.

"I...I was drawing water from the well, Sire, when I saw them: faces in the water. Terrible faces, like people who were drowned, screaming. Screaming," Beatrice said.

"Tell them what you saw," Aredian asked the next woman.

"A goblin dancing on the coals. it was dancing in the flames, and it spoke, Sire. My heart near stopped for fear of it," Annie told them.

"As you've heard, My Lord, the incident in the woods was only the beginning, hmm?" Aredian said, looking to Uther who looked pained at what he was hearing.

"There was a sorcerer, Sire, in the square. There were creatures jumping right out of his mouth," Rowena told him.

"And what manner of creature?" Aredian asked.

"Toads, Sire. Great green, slimy things as big as your fist," Rowena answered, and Uther sighed, shaking his head.

"The sorcerer laughs in your face. Even now magic flourishes on the streets of Camelot," Aredian states.

"I can scarcely believe it," Uther muttered.

"Yet it is the truth, My Lord. Fortunately, I've utilised every facet of my craft to bring this matter to a swift resolution," Aredian said, and Evaine glanced at Anna.

"The sorcerer? You have a suspect?" Uther asked.

"Oh, I do, My Lord. I regret to say, they stand among us in this very room. My methods are infallible, my findings incontestable! The facts point to one person and one person alone: the boy, Merlin!" Aredian shouted, pointing to the boy standing beside Evaine.

"Merlin? You can't be serious," Arthur said, and Anna gripped tightly onto Evaine's arm at the accusation, Evaine holding her hand tightly.

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

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

"Merlin?" Uther asked, the room silencing as it waited for his answer.

"I have nothing to hide from him," Merlin said.

"Very well. Guards restrain the boy. Let the search begin," Uther commanded, and Evaine and Anna watched as Merlin was dragged away by the guards to the dungeons.

That night, Evaine was sat rigidly beside Aredian, having been asked to dine with Uther. Morgana had also been asked but had managed to feign an illness to avoid it. Evaine wished she had also been that clever. She was grateful that Merlin was no longer in the dungeons, but she couldn't help but think of Gaius who had taken his place.

"Gaius served me with unfailing dedication. Without his knowledge, his wisdom, I would not be sitting here today," Uther said.

"You show great faith in him, Sire. Great faith, indeed, considering he was known to practice sorcery," Aredian pointed out, and Evaine and Arthur looked up in surprise.

"Gaius? You are mistaken," Arthur told him.

"No, Arthur. He speaks the truth. I'm well aware of his past, but I have every reason to believe he's turned his back on sorcery," Uther said.

"Until now," Aredian said, glancing at Evaine and making her shiver. Arthur clenched his jaw, looking at the table.

"We don't know that. And this amulet you found, it could just be a stupid mistake," Uther suggested.

"Or maybe he's fallen back into old habits," Aredian argued.

"Gaius is a good man, I have been here a year and I know that," Evaine said, meeting Aredian's stare with one of her own.

"We must give him the benefit of the doubt, surely?" Arthur asked, agreeing with her.

"Why? Anyway, there's a sure way to establish his guilt," Aredian said.

"I know your methods are effective, Aredian, but Gaius is an old man. He could not withstand such treatment," Uther said, and Evaine glanced worriedly at Arthur.

"It's the only way to rid your mind of doubt," Aredian said, a pause between the group before Uther reluctantly nodded.

XXXXXX

Evaine winced as Gaius was dragged and pushed before the court a few days later, seeing the bruises on his arms and the tiredness in his eyes.

"Confess! Confess!" Aredian shouted, pushing him to his knees and gripping onto Gaius' shoulder so he wouldn't fall.

"I...I am a sorcerer, Sire. I am responsible for conjuring the smoke. I'm guilty of practicing magic in Camelot, the goblin, the faces in the well, I...I am the sorcerer who conjured the toad from his mouth," Gaius spoke, his voice breaking. Evaine glanced at Merlin, who had tears beginning to form in his eyes.

"You've betrayed me, Gaius. Betrayed your friends. And above all, you've betrayed yourself. By the laws of Camelot, I must sentence you to death," Uther announced, standing and turning away from the court physician.

"The sorcerer will be purged of his magic by means of fire! He shall be burnt at the stake tomorrow at dawn! Bear witness and heed this lesson!" Aredian told the court. Two guards drag Gaius from the room, before Merlin begins to charge Aredian.

"You're a liar," Merlin said, Evaine stepping forth to grab his arm as Arthur runs to restrain him.

"Guards!" Uther shouted.

"I'll deal with this," Arthur told the guards, Evaine's hand falling from Merlin as she watched her friend be taken from the room.

Evaine and Anna were in her chambers when an urgent knock sounded on the door later that night. Anna began to stand before Merlin burst through, looking between the two women.

"I need your help," he stated quickly, and Evaine doesn't hesitate to nod.

"Anything," she vowed. Merlin glanced to Anna who was also nodding.

"Come with me," he told them, hurrying out of the room followed quickly by Evaine and Anna, until they reach Gaius' chambers. Gwen is already flicking through a book, looking up with a relieved smile as she saw they had more people to look. "I need you to look through the books and see if you can find what this flower is," he said, lifting up an orange petal. Evaine narrowed her eyes, taking it from him.

"This is Belladonna," Anna says, looking at it from next to Evaine. Merlin pauses in his step, turning to look at the two. "It helps with ulcers and allergies and such," Anna said, remembering her mother having some.

"But it can produce hallucinations," Evaine added, sharing a glance with Merlin as his eyes widened in realisation.

"So?" Gwen asked, looking between the two.

"Aredian's witnesses. It wasn't magic they were seeing, it was visions," Merlin explained.

"It makes sense, if he's faking the evidence. But how can we prove it?" Gwen asked.

"No, Aredian's too clever to have given the tincture to them directly. The witnesses, they must've got it from someone else," Evaine pointed out.

"They could've been getting it from anyone," Anna said.

"Is there anything, anything at all that these people had in common?" Merlin asked.

"They were all women?" Gwen answers.

"No, that doesn't tell us anything," Merlin said, shaking his head.

"Yes, it does. What's the one thing only women would buy?" Evaine asked, glancing at Gwen who nodded.

"Things to make them look beautiful," she said, the two sharing a smile before turning to Merlin. "Come on, we have to go to the lower town," she said. Merlin looked confused between the women but nodded.

"We'll wait here," Evaine said, nodding at the two as they left.

XXXXXX

Merlin and Gwen were not gone for very long and returned successfully with the Belladonna tincture used to create the illusions.

"That's it. We've got everything we need," Merlin said, and Evaine glanced worriedly at Gwen.

"But is it enough?" Gwen asked.

"We've got a witness as well. Surely that's enough?" Anna asked.

"It's still just our word against Aredian's," Gwen told her.

"Gwen, we don't have a choice! By dawn tomorrow Gaius will be dead," Merlin stated, and Evaine shook her head, walking over and grabbing his hand.

"Merlin, we've only got one chance at this. We've got to give Uther something he cannot deny. Something not even Aredian can talk his way out of," Evaine said, Merlin thinking for a moment before sending her a wink.

"I'll be as quick as I can," he promised, before rushing from the room.

They waited with worry, watching the sunlight slowly trickle through the window as Merlin runs in.

"Merlin! Where have you been?" Gwen asked, the three turning to him.

"It's done. Everything's in place," Merlin told them.

"It's too late! Gaius has already left the dungeons!" Evaine said.

"Then...then we'll have to delay the execution," Merlin said.

"How?" Gwen asked.

"Arthur. I'll speak to Arthur," Merlin said, and Evaine shook her head.

"No. Leave Arthur to me," Evaine said, and Merlin nodded, before the they rushed out the room and to the courtyard.

"Sorry. Excuse me. Excuse me. Sorry. I must get through. Sorry. Excuse me. Arthur! Arthur! Arthur, you've got to stop this," Evaine begs, finally managing to push through the crowd to Arthur's side.

"I can't, Evaine. You know I can't," Arthur mutters.

"Merlin has proof that Gaius is innocent," Evaine says.

"My father's already past sentence. There's nothing I can do," Arthur tells her, and she huffs, glancing to see Gaius being tied to the post.

"You can do the right thing, Arthur Pendragon! You can show some faith in a loyal friend, or you can stand by and watch an innocent man die!" she yells at him.

"Evaine-"

"You did it once before for Gwen's father; are you really willing to let it happen again? And you can stop looking at me like that, I know I'm only a woman! I thought you were a prince, so start behaving like one!" she adds in frustration. Arthur hesitates, staring at her before glancing to see Aredian lowering the torch to light the pyre.

"Wait!" Arthur shouts, stopping Aredian. Evaine breathes out, smiling softly at Arthur.

"Thank you," she whispered, Arthur glancing to her and nodding slightly.

XXXXXX

The court gathered in the throne room, Merlin standing before them all.

"Sire, the witnesses saw nothing but hallucinations induced by the Belladonna in these eye drops," Merlin said, holding the bottle out to Uther.

"And you bought this Belladonna from this man?" Uther asks, the three witnesses Aredian used nodding. "Where did you get it from? Don't be afraid, no harm will come to you here," Uther asked the apothecary.

"The Witchfinder. He gave them to me," he answers after hesitating.

"Did he tell you what it was for?" Uther asked, and he shakes his head.

"No. Only that if I did not sell it, he'd have me burnt at the stake."

"How do you answer to these accusations?" Uther asked, turning to look at Aredian.

"They're absurd. The boy has clearly concocted these lies in the hope of saving his master," Aredian states.

"Then you won't mind if we search your chamber, will you?" Merlin asked.

"Silence! You have no authority here!" Uther shouts, Merlin dropping his head in respect.

"Father...let's settle this once and for all. If what Merlin says is wrong, he must bear the consequences. But if there is some truth in what he says..." Arthur points out, walking to stand beside Merlin.

"I have nothing to hide," Aredian says. Uther nods.

"Guards," he calls, walking from the room to Aredian's chambers. Evaine follows Morgana with them, wanting to see the witchfinder be found out.

"You're wasting your time," Aredian says, watching as the guards destroy the room in their search for evidence.

"The cupboard over there," Arthur points out to a guard, who opens it and backs away from it as dozens of amulets fall out, and a stash of Belladonna tincture is inside.

"These things don't belong to me! This is a trick! That boy plots against me!" Aredian coughs, pointing to Merlin. He tries to clear his throat, but a toad jumps out.

"Sorcerer!" Uther whispers, the guards and Arthur unsheathing their swords. Aredian grabs Evaine's arm, pulling her towards him and holding a dagger to her throat. Evaine tenses, watching as Arthur takes a step forward and Aredian moves the dagger closer. "Aredian, think carefully about what you're doing. You will never escape from Camelot alive."

"I will if you value the life of her. Hmm?" he says, walking closer to the window. Aredian gasps as the handle of the dagger heats up, making him drop it and release his hold on Evaine, who rushes to Morgana's side. In his pain, Aredian trips over a box, and breaks through the window, falling to the floor below, his screams abruptly cut off.

"Are you alright, my lady?" Uther asks Evaine, who nods, smiling softly.

"At least the truth has been found out, Sire," she says, sharing a glance with Arthur before leaving the room, her heart still racing.