A/N: Here is the next part. Enjoy and reviews are appreciated.

He rubbed his neck and headed to the other cell where Gwen reside.

"Sir Leon?"

"You are free to go." He said opening the cell.

"How?" she stepped from her confinement.

"A sorcerer came forward."

"But there was no..." She was confused. She looked so fragile, so scared, almost broken. Leon wanted to hug her, but there were guard nearby.

"I know, there was not. But you do not have any proof and someone wanted to save you for whatever reasons, be thankful for it." Loen took her arm to support her.

"But now they will dye instead of me."

"She knew what waited for her, when she made her decision, her coming here was a miracle, maybe there are some more left in this world," he smiled at her, "now you must go home and rest."

"I must go to Lady Morgana."

"I will take you to her and I think she will give you the same order as me." Gwen nodded, she looked tired, Leon could only imagine what night in a cell like that did to someone and seeing her pyre being built just under the window, must have been excruciating. Gwen seemed so small, the girl who, was always so strong, smiling and dear to everyone, was broken. He did something he had not done in years he placed his arm around Gwen's shoulder and pulled her closer.

When he left Gwen with Morgana, he went back to the meeting, he had missed almost two hours of it.

And he missed everything else. The next six hours went past like a blur. He did not hear anything, nothing. Only thing he could think of was Merlin in a cell facing her death on a pyre. Seeing her burn, flames making their way up over her body. He knew she would not scream at first, but then the flames would be unbearable and...

He closed his hand to fists, he pushed so hard, that his fingernails left mark, cold shivers ran over his body. Merlin will not dye in the flames tomorrow, he will find a way to save her and she would smile her goofy smile again.

And then what? Small voice asked back from his head, what if she really had meant all what she said, what if she really saw him like that. What then? Leon knew the answer to that, he would let her go and then sign up to every patrol, every quest, every battle until someone killed him.

He pushed his teeth together, to stop thing, these were a thoughts for another day. He took a deep breath, first he needed to save Merlin.

No one noticed how quiet he was, how he did not participate, how he disappeared into the background, being away for seven month had it advantages. He was forgotten, left for his own devices and actually he figured he was not even needed in this meeting, otherwise King Uther would have pointed his quietness out. Leon almost laughed, really the meeting was so important that he needed to be there, king wanted just to torture him.

When the meeting was finally over he tried to catch Gaius, but the older disappeared like he had never been in the room.

He went to around to physician chambers but the older man was not there. Leon went almost all-around the castle to find him, but he had no luck. When he reached back to starting point, Gaius was returned from where ever he had been.

"I have been looking for you." Leon said sitting in front of the table, on the other side Gaius was mixing some kind of potion.

"I went to the dungeons to talk to..." Gaius did not finish his sentence. He looked up alarmingly.

"I know it is Merlin, her eyes betrayed her, why too you think I wanted to escort her there." Leon let out a heavy sigh.

"She told me what she said to you, she regrets her words, you had looked so hurt when you left. It crushed her even more than you can imagine."

Leon refined from shaking his head, he did not need Gaius explanation. "If she would have shut up for a moment, I would have find a way to save her."

"She told me that as well."

"But tell me Gaius, how the hell did you come up with that plan? Why did you let her do it?"

This time it was Gaius' turn to sigh, he let his hand drop, with just second he gained ten years to his shoulders. "The plan was to let someone see her entering to prince's chambers and coming out again. Then escape. But she did not calculate that Arthur would return sooner and that her older body is not as agile as her younger one is. So she was captured."

Leon gulped down a bitter feeling, held back curse what was forming on his tongue and focused on the moment. "What is the plan and how I can help?"

"I am brewing a potion to help her turn young again, he enchantment is too strong for do use a spell. But the potion is difficult one, I am afraid I need lot of tries to get it right." Leon could read form the other man's eyes that he was actually afraid that he won't get it right.

"If someone can make the potion, it is you even if you need many tries." Knight smiled reassuringly.

"If I myself had such confidence in my abilities." Then he shook his head and continued, "I will try to give her the potion before she reaches the pyre, and then she will find a way to escape. If she does not we need a distraction to help her , before she is placed on the pyre."

Well, that he could do, he could create distraction, it was strategies on thing he was best at. "I will find a way, there is always possibilities to make commotion, the guards usually cannot pick it out, the knights usually too," He smirked and rose, "I leave now you, my presents will distract you and I really want to get Merlin back as she should be." He was almost at the door when he turned. "To you have a sleeping potion?"

Gaius raised his head so quickly that Leon was afraid, he would snap his neck. "Why? Do you have trouble with sleeping? Why did you not tell me yesterday when you returned?"

"No, I have no problem, with sleeping, I just do not wish to see Merlin burning again." He knew, that when he closed his eyes, it would be only thing he saw.

"Again, Leon?" He held back his sigh, why did he have to let that slip. Now he had to admit it all.

"The witchfinder incident, night before your sentence, I saw you and Merlin eaten by the flames, after that, the dream has returned countless times. It is the price to me, for loving you and her."

"My lad, why did you not tell me? Why did you keep it to yourself? I thought you have learned to talk about these things."

"It was my burden to bear."

"You are a fool, Leon." Gaius shook his head, "I give you the potion, but only on a promise, when this nonsense is over, you will come and talk to me, damn it, Leon I love you like a son, I can help."

Leon knew well that Gaius would give him the potion, but he did not had the energy to go for negotiation and it would take time away from Gaius to prepare the potion for Merlin.

"All right, I will come talk to you." Leon knew he would to anything to get out of that conversation.

"I will hold you to that promise and I know that you are plotting a way to get out of it." Gaius handed him small vial.

"You know me well." Leon nodded his head, was out of the door before Gaius could say anything.

Leon's dreams were blank, the potion kept the dreams at bay. In the morning he knew that they had wanted to come forward to haunt him. When he got himself out of the bed before dawn he felt tired, he figured that his body had worked with the potion to give him dreamless sleep.

He made his way to the courtyard where the pyre had been built, there were many people who had come to see the spectacle. He did not know how they could enjoy it, for him it was one of the most sickening sight he could see. Seeing someone burn, smelling the burning flesh.

He shook his head quick, no he did not let himself think on that. He let his sight roam around the mass of people and his eyes fell on two men, friends, and a sneaky smile formed on his lips. They were hotheaded, how many times he had separated those two in lower town. He had a plan.

He positioned himself behind the two and waited. Few moments later the guards came with Merlin. Accompanied by Arthur and two guards.

Uther stood on the balcony. "You have been found guilty of using magic and enchantments. In accordance with our law, you will be burned at the stake. Let this serve as a lesson to all those who seek to destroy Camelot."

Merlin looked with a sneer at the king, then her eyes roamed she found someone in the crowd. Leon followed her gaze and saw Gaius, thank the Maiden the old man had finished the antidote

Old Merlin lunged at Gaius and yelled: "A curse upon you all! I will have my revenge!"

The guards grabbed her and pulled towards the pyre. Merlin fought and chanted: "Intend lig, intend lig." and the pyre burst into hugs flames, everyone backed off.

Merlin ran, few moments Arthur reacted. "After her!" his eyes found Leon from the mass of people. "Sir Leon with me!" He commanded and took after Merlin.

Leon followed as quickly as he could, he tried to stall, he later would explain, that he could not get pass the people.

When he finally got up with Arthur, he was standing in front of an alcove and there stood Merlin, as she always had been.

"Are you telling me you let him run straight past you?" Arthur was yelling

"He was- he was- he was too fast for me." Merlin stammered.

"He's a doddery old man. This is what happens when you spend all day in the tavern." Arthur yelled accusingly, Leon almost wanted to say that Merlin seen frequented the tavern only with Arthur himself or when he was looking one of the knights, but he stopped himself, and held back a curse, Gaius' excuses of course.

"What?" Merlin was confused.

"Perhaps mucking out my horses will help sober you up." with that Arthur was gone. Merlin shot a flabbergasted look at Leon and wanted to say something.

"Leon with me!" Arthur command sounded from the other end of the corridor. Leon smiled apologetically and followed his prince. As he could predict, they never found the sorcerer.

"Alright, that it, end of training." Leon yelled when Sir Garett made Sir Maron eat the dust. He smiled at the sun, the day had turned out perfect one. Merlin escaped and the winds of trouble had turned other way.

"Sir Leon." Leon turned behind him stood Merlin.

"Yes, Merlin."

"I think we need to talk." She was shewing her bottom lip.

"Yes, we should." But at that moment Leon did not know if he wanted to have that conversation.

"Sir Leon." This time both turned. Beneath the archway to the armoury stood Arthur.

"My prince." There were few of the knight loitering near the archway, he held him back from using the princes given name.

Arthur came closer. "Patrol reports came in, something is going on near Cenred kingdom. On king orders you need to take group of knight and go and see what is going on prepare at least two weeks patrol."

Leon almost wanted to ask why him, he had just returned, there were many knights who were as good as him to lead the patrol. But he saw on Arthur's face that the prince had fought about it with his father and lost.

"As my liege commands." He bowed and turned to Merlin, "We will talk when I return."

She nodded and smiled sadly. Leon winked at her so Arthur couldn't see and followed the prince.