"The Confession" (Rose)
Shortly after lunch, we are once again standing amongst the members of the royal court with Alvarr on his knees in place of where Gaius was just days before.
The king stands before the guilty party, "So you admit to stealing the Crystal of Neahtid?"
"I do," Alvarr admits.
"You admit to plotting against your king?"
Alvarr takes a couple deep breaths, "I do."
Uther steps towards him, "And you acted alone?" He furthers the question, "You were not aided or abetted by any citizen of Camelot?"
He looks at nothing but the stone floor, "I acted," he pauses, lifting his eyes to the king, "alone," he finishes the confession with defiance.
Morgana is clearly sorrowful as Uther turns, "Then I find you guilty of treason," he returns to his throne. "You are an enemy of Camelot, Alvarr. You are sentenced to death."
"Then I die with honor," he declares in a quiet voice, resulting in a quizzical look from Prince Arthur. "To be an enemy of Camelot is no crime!" he elaborates.
"Take him away," King Uther commands practically nonchalant, but definitely irritated.
"You, Uther," Alvarr upholds his rebellion, "You are the criminal!" he proclaims as they force him out of the room. The soldiers disband along with Arthur and the rest of us make our way out. Uther remains and it isn't exactly a surprise to us when Morgana does as well.
"Out on the Table" (Merlin)
Come dinnertime, Gaius is obviously aware something isn't right. "Merlin?" he addresses me gently, "Is something interesting in there?"
"Sorry?" I look up from my soup.
"What's the matter?" he asks keenly.
"It's the crystal," I decide to lay it out on the table. There's no point in denying what I saw last night. "It harbors a terrible power, Gaius."
"But it's locked away now," he reassures me, "It can do no harm." He glances at Rose, and then looks closer at me, like he's comparing our expressions, "Unless the damage has already been done."
"I held it," I whisper, submitting to my guilt, "I knew I shouldn't. I knew no good would come of it, but it compelled me to look. I couldn't resist it." I continue with restraint, "I saw things- terrible things."
"Then you've already paid the price," he says directly.
"What I saw has not yet come to pass, and I am scared, Gaius. I am really scared of what the future may hold," I finish in a whisper.
"There is nothing on this Earth that can know all possible futures. Even the crystal-"
I interrupt, "But what I saw, it was so real."
"It was real," he agrees, "But it was just one reality. The future is as yet unshaped. It is we that shape it. It is you, Merlin. The decisions you make, the actions you take- remember that," he nods. "Eat your soup before it gets cold- both of you."
I hesitantly do as he says. A small, sad voice fills my ears, "I saw it, too." I fix my eyes on my friend's frightened face. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about," she continues in the same tone.
"You saw the images?" I am not sure whether to be relieved I'm not alone or scared and pained for her sake.
"I imagine I saw everything you did- the dragon, the city on fire. Merlin," she finally looks me in the eye, "What are we to do? We were shown this for a reason, but why?"
"I can't be certain," I omit my train of thoughts. I do have some ideas as to why, but I'm not sure I should tell her. "What I do know," I change the subject, "Is that we could both use some uninterrupted sleep tonight, Alvarr is behind bars, and we are safe at home with Gaius. Let's not take this for granted."
"Agreed," she nods.
We finish our supper and grab the chance to rest.