Krysia sat at the council table, staring at Gwen as the guards brought her in and dropped her on her knees in front of Uther. Uther held out the poultice, putting it before her face. Krysia knew the question and answer before they were asked, and she couldn't help feeling this whole matter was fruitless, futile.

"You recognize it?" Uther said.

"I've never seen it before in my life," Gwen said steadily.

"Really?" Uther said. "I believe you planted it in Arthur's chambers to enchant him."

He placed the poultice in a guard's hand and Krysia stood. Uther startled, looking at her with a peculiar expression she couldn't name.

"Surely, sire, there is more than one possible explanation?" Krysia said.

He shook his head and said, "Why else would Arthur fall in love with someone like her?"

Before Krysia could make a case, Gwen said from the floor, "I don't expect someone like you to understand that."

Uther slapped Gwen, and Krysia gasped. Morgana stepped forward and said, "My lord! Gwen has always been a loyal and trusted servant!"

"One of the best in Camelot," Krysia said.

"I have no doubt she's feigned loyalty while using her position to get close to my son," Uther said, entirely unconcerned.

The doors opened, and Arthur marched in, absolutely furious.

"What is the meaning of this?" he said.

"This poultice was found under your pillow," Uther said. "Some kind of love charm. You are under its spell."

"Sire, as I said," Krysia said, "there are multiple explanations—"

"What would you know—" he began, but Arthur cut him off.

"Because I know how I feel," Arthur said. "I'm not enchanted."

"You can you tell me how it came to be in your room?" Uther said.

Gwen gasped, the weight of the situation sitting on her. Krysia strode forward, desperate to find a way to save her friend.

"Even if he does not know," Krysia said, "that does not follow that Gwen must have been the answer."

Uther shook his head and said, "You don't see, but surely the same sorcerer was poisoning you as well. Until the spell is broken, I can't take anything either of you say as truth." He gestured to Gwen and said, "Her father consorted with sorcerers."

Krysia hesitated, wanting and not wanting to remind him that her father had as well, once upon a time.

She didn't have to decide how far to press the matter, because Gwen could not contain herself.

"My father was a good and innocent man and you executed him!" Gwen said.

"So you would seek your revenge by enchanting my son?" he said.

"Sire!" Krysia said, almost desperate, but Gaius stepped forward.

"My lord," he said, "whatever this poultice is, I don't believe that Gwen is responsible for magic."

"I don't care what you believe, Gaius," Uther said. "Arthur is under her spell. It's the only rational explanation for his behavior!"

"Father, you have to see reason," Arthur said. "Guinevere has done nothing wrong."

"She's only ever been an ally," Krysia began, but Uther began to speak over her.

"She has been found guilty of using magic and enchantments," he said. "She will be burnt at the stake."

"No," Arthur said, running at his father, distraught.

"Restrain him!" Uther cried.

The guards did so, and Krysia felt she was caught in the middle of something terrible. Especially with Uther mentioning her case, he clearly was thinking emotionally rather than rationally. But how to make him see that?

"Sire, please don't do this," she whispered.

"My lord!" Gaius demanded. "At least give Gwen a fair trial!"

"I have all the evidence I need," Uther said coldly.

"I'm begging you!" Arthur said. "W-we will leave Camelot and never return! Just, just let us go! I relinquish my entitlement to the throne!"

Krysia saw Morgana look at Gwen, who gasped. The room suddenly felt cold, and Krysia looked at Uther, who was staring at Arthur, silent, horrified.

"Arthur," Krysia whispered, "are you quite sure?"

But before Arthur could answer, Uther said, "My son would never do that. It is proof beyond doubt that you are enchanted."

"I will never forgive you for this," Arthur spat at his father.

"She will die," Uther said. "The enchantment will be broken. You'll see I was right. Take her away."

The guards by Gwen moved toward her, and Uther left the room, ignoring the chaos behind him.

"Sire, please," Krysia called, but Uther ignored her as well.

"No!" Arthur cried. "Guinevere!"

Arthur struggled with the guards holding him, and Gwen lost her own composure as the guards grabbed her arms.

"Arthur!" she cried. "No! Arthur, please!"

Krysia watched her being marched to the door, and Arthur, fueled by his rage, struggled harder against the men holding him.

"No!" Arthur cried.

He pulled free from the guards holding him, and they made to follow.

"Let it be," Krysia said cuttingly to the guards. One of them looked to Leon, who nodded that they should follow her order. Arthur reached Gwen, kissing her until one of the guards near her pulled him off.

"I will always love you!" he cried as they pulled Gwen out of the council chamber.

It was not lost on Krysia that Morgana was smiling, largely unnoticed in the chaos.

/-/

Krysia paced Gaius's chambers as Merlin described for them his conversation with Gwen, her belief that Morgana was at the base of everything that had happened.

"Morgana?" Gaius finally said. "Uther'll never believe that Morgana's responsible."

"Perhaps Arthur will talk him 'round," Merlin said.

"No," Krysia whispered. "No, while he believes Arthur is enchanted, nothing he says will be heard. It is ironic, isn't it, that he's right. The same sorcerer is responsible for my poisoning and this mess, that poultice, but he'll not hear the truth about the sorcerer in question."

"If we can't expose the true sorcerer," Merlin said, "then we must invent one."

"Oh?" Gaius said.

"What if a sorcerer was caught planting an identical poultice in Arthur's chambers?" Merlin said. "Uther would have no choice but to release Gwen."

"Where are you going to find a sorcerer daft enough to agree to that plan?" Krysia said.

Merlin grinned and said, "Me."

He disappeared to his room and returned with his book, flipping through it.

"If I disguise myself," Merlin said, "it won't matter if I'm caught. I can use magic to escape, and then just change back into myself. They'll think that the sorcerer has just vanished into thin air."

"Well, no matter how you disguise yourself," Gaius said, "I fear Arthur will recognize you."

"All disguises are only an adjustment on the base," Krysia said. "Even glamours—"

"Not if I'm eighty years old," Merlin said.

Gaius and Krysia exchanged a nervous look.

"An aging spell?" Gaius said. "Merlin, aging spells are notoriously difficult and unpredictable. If the spell doesn't hold, you'll be exposed."

"If I don't do something, Gwen's going to die," Merlin said, "and I'm not going to let that happen. Can you make a poultice identical to the one found in Arthur's chambers?"

"Yes, that's simple enough," Krysia said.

"Okay," Merlin said.

He gathered a few things from Gaius's materials, then retreated to his room.

"He's lost his mind, hasn't he?" Krysia said.

"Just so long as he doesn't lose his head," Gaius said. "Come, we must get started."

/-/

Krysia examined the markings on the poultice while Gaius finished tying it off. She was satisfied that it would pass as made by the same hand, and Merlin's door opened. Gaius's jaw dropped, so Krysia turned to see a much-aged version of what had to be Merlin standing before her. He grunted, and Krysia nearly laughed.

"You know me better than anyone, Gaius," Merlin said. "Do you recognize me?"

Gaius circled him, trying to examine him.

"There's something of you in the eyes," Gaius said. "But perhaps that's just because I know it's you."

"I can't believe that one day I will actually look like this. Oh, I ache all over."

Krysia snorted.

"Welcome to age, Merlin."

She pressed the poultice into his hand, and Gaius said, "You'll be needing that."

/-/

Gwaine stood when he saw the glow of firelight on the other side of the cell door. Most of the men backed away from the door, but he stood firm. He wanted to know what kind of captor he was dealing with. The man who appeared in the doorframe, flanked by his men, had a long nose and a bald head.

"It's that time," the man said. "Who will fight my champion?"

The room was silent, and Gwaine decided the best way to get the lay of the land was to get out of the cell.

"I will," he said.

The stranger looked him up and down with a sharp, disbelieving gaze. Then he grinned and said, "Very well. Champion, are you ready to fight?"

A large, gaunt, sturdy man in the pack said, "I am."

Gwaine tried to get the sense of his opponent, taking what he'd seen of him while they waited in silence. He had his guesses of how this fight would go, but he knew whatever else happened, he had to survive. Those dreams of Krysia would not be in vain. He just had to live long enough to find a way back to her.

/-/

Krysia sat at the council table trying to focus on work and papers, but all the while she was anxiously waiting for some news. She almost sighed when Arthur came in urgently.

"Father," he said.

"Arthur," Uther said, narrowing his eyes.

The guards escorted the ancient Merlin into the room, and Krysia made a point of expressing confusion and surprise. Better not for Uther to associate her with him at all.

"Who is this?" Uther said.

"I've not seen him in the town," Krysia said softly.

"He is the sorcerer," Arthur said. He handed his father the poultice that Krysia and Gaius had made. "I found him placing this under my pillow."

"Is this true?" Uther demanded.

"How did he get in?" Krysia whispered to Morgana, who looked puzzled. She shook her head.

"Yes," Merlin said.

"What did you hope to achieve with this enchantment?" Arthur said.

"If Arthur were to fall in love with a lowly serving girl, it would bring shame on Camelot," Merlin said.

"Seems a pitiful plan to me," Krysia said, and Merlin hissed at her. It was everything in her not to laugh.

Uther narrowed his eyes and said, "Have I wronged you in some way, old man?"

"You have wronged so many people in so many ways," Merlin said. "You're blinded by your hatred of magic. You have tortured and executed innocent people. You, Uther Pendragon, are a stupid, arrogant old tyrant!"

Krysia imagined this was cathartic for him, and she was almost jealous of this opportunity.

"You will hold your tongue!" Arthur snapped.

"Arthur," Krysia said, "he's an old man."

But Merlin then rounded on Arthur, and he said, "And you. Oh, I have heard how you…mistreat your servants! They do everything for you, but do they ever get any thanks? No! You're a spoilt arrogant brat with the brains of a donkey and the face of a toad."

He broke down coughing toward the end, and Krysia didn't miss Gaius rolling his eyes. She'd have rolled her own if she were brave enough, or perhaps laughed. The guards pulled Merlin back from Arthur, whom he'd been inching toward in his tirade.

"This serving girl," Uther said. "She is your accomplice?"

"Please no," Krysia whispered.

She was hopeful that Uther would believe Merlin. To say she was innocent was one thing, but to be believed…

"I enchanted her too," Merlin said, shaking his head. "The girl is entirely innocent."

"My lord, he has confessed," Arthur pressed.

Krysia glanced at Morgana, who was still very confused, and Uther looked at the poultice, seemingly disappointed.

"Release the girl," he said. "Tomorrow at dawn, you will take her place on the pyre. Take him away."

The guards and Arthur led Merlin away, and Leon got up from the council table to follow them. He spared Krysia a look over his shoulder, perhaps to make sure she was alright before he hurried away. Krysia, Morgana, and Gaius walked into the corridor to watch them go.

"I'm grateful that's over," Krysia said.

"Do you know that man, Gaius?" Morgana said.

"I've never seen him before," Gaius said. He then looked at Morgana, who looked pale. "Is there something troubling you, Morgana? I would've thought you'd be relieved that the true culprit's been found."

"Of course I am," Morgana said.

/-/

Leon found Krysia in her quarters that evening, brushing out Enid's hard work on her hair. She smiled when he entered, and he felt that familiar warm, expanding feeling fill his chest with her smile.

"You must be relieved," he whispered, himself feeling relieved to know that she was safe.

"Must I?" she said, setting down her brush. He looked at the brush, knowing it would smell floral, beautiful, just like her.

"That the culprit is caught," he said. "Surely this is the man who poisoned you."

She frowned, hummed, then said, "I don't think so, Leon. I have never seen him before, have you? For him to plant a poultice in a room while it's empty, that's nothing. For him to dose me with poison over the span of weeks with no one noticing? That sort of man would never have been caught planting a poultice."

Leon hesitated, realizing she was right. Guilty though this man was, her attacker was someone else, someone closer to them, which meant she was still in peril.

"The king believes—"

"The king is blinded," she whispered, pulling her hair over her shoulder. "It's alright, Leon. I doubt they'll be trying again soon."

He wanted to believe she was right, he wanted to believe she was safe, but until that person was found and killed for their crime, he didn't think he'd sleep easy again.

/-/

Krysia stood with Uther and Morgana the following morning, anxious. Merlin was supposed to have disappeared from the cells in the night, but that they were all waiting at the pyre meant that something had gone wrong. She didn't see Gaius, so she could only hope he was working on the problem.

Merlin was being led up to the pyre, a drum being played in a roll. It stopped when Merlin was brought short of the pyre, and Krysia held her breath.

"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."

Krysia watched Gaius weaving through the crowd with a bottle in hand. She knew Merlin had seen it, watching Merlin suddenly lunge at Gaius, causing chaos, since there was no way Gaius could get to Merlin otherwise.

"A curse upon you all!" Merlin cried.

Krysia whispered an incantation as quietly as she could, causing the pyre to catch fire suddenly, causing screams and chaos, a distraction that allowed Merlin to grab the bottle.

"I will have my revenge!" Merlin cried.

The guards were pulling Merlin back toward the pyre, and Krysia silently cursed herself for making it easy for them. Merlin incanted a spell, causing the flames on the pyre she'd created to expand. The whole crowd pulled back, and he slipped away from the startled guards, pushing through the crowd.

She held her breath, relieved as he got away. Now if whatever that potion was took…

/-/

Uther rubbed his eyes in his chambers and he pushed away the papers. He couldn't begin to speak his frustration that the sorcerer had gotten away, slipping through their fingers. With someone powerful enough to enchant Arthur, a servant, and nearly kill Krysia…that was an enemy Camelot couldn't afford.

A knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts, and he told the knocker to enter. He was surprised when Krysia came in, looking every bit as lovely as always. He caught his breath, sitting up slightly, and then he remembered the courtship had been a lie, none of it real, and she wasn't here to see him, or at least not in the way that he wanted her to.

"My lady," he said softly. "It's quite late, and the sorcerer is still on the loose. You shouldn't—"

"A man who can do the things that man did is surely long gone," she said coldly. "You promised me something once, sire."

He stared up at her, uncertain. He thought he must have promised her many things, but for her to be angry (he'd seen Zosia's anger often enough to recognize it, even in this subdued state), he wasn't sure what promise she might be referring to.

"You once said that you regretted what Aredian urged you to become," she said. "You promised you would be more cautious in the future, but the moment you believed someone might be a sorcerer, if half-facts suggested as much, you were ready to burn her at the stake."

"One must be vigilant in the face of magic," Uther whispered. "We cannot afford to let free a sorcerer so that one maid might live—"

This was clearly the wrong thing to say, because she drew herself to her full height and said, "And if it had been me? If the facts had pointed to me planting a poultice? You have already said, if there is the hint that I've even consorted with practitioners of magic, I will be burned. Would you have been so quick to kill me?"

Uther stared at her, uncertain what to say. He wanted to assure her that she was wrong, that he would have given her a trial, that he wouldn't have been eager to execute her. But he was afraid that she might be right, that even in the agony of watching her burn, he'd have burned her regardless.

His face must have spoken for him, because she made a small sound of disgust, and she stormed out of the room, leaving him alone with only the lingering scent of flowers and a bittersweet pain in his chest to suggest she had been there at all.

A/N:

One more episode, and then…the big one. The episode that changes everything. Can't even tell y'all how excited I am.

-C