'Ah, Thalia. Thank goodness you're back.'

'Sire. I leave for two days and the whole city looks like it's trembling. What on Earth have you two been up to this time?'

'There was er,' Uther coughed, 'there was some magic sighted. We thought it was dangerous, so I sent for the Witchfinder.'

'The what?' she asked flatly.

'The Witchfinder. You remember him?'

'From days long past. What magic cold possibly have not waited for my return?'

Uther glanced at the stony faced Arthur sheepishly. 'Smoke was transformed into the figure of a horse.'

Thalia blinked, sending her point easily to the king. 'I'll go make sure there aren't any more,' she half-snapped.

Arthur followed her out.

'It's good to see you back.'

'Wish I was back this time yesterday; we could have admired the smoke in the shape of a horse.'

'Not dangerous then?'

'Not dangero- Arthur, in what world would that be dangerous?'

'If it was poisonous?' he struggled.

'So the conjurer advertises it by making it shape a horse. Obvious.'

'Look,' he said as they rounded a corner, 'father sent for him, I'd never even heard of the Witchfinder before. You've met?'

'We've met,' replied Thalia bluntly, 'in a neighbouring kingdom one day. You can imagine we didn't get on.'

Suddenly Arthur grew incredibly concerned. 'Does he know?'

'Of course not. But he knows not to mess with me. Which means he'll jump at the first chance he gets.'

'Speaking of which,' said Arthur as a guard ran to catch up with them.

'Speak, do not be afraid,' said Aredian, standing on the lower floor in front of Uther, Thalia, Arthur and Morgana who were each on their chair and thrones. Three women were lined along in front of them and Aredian was standing behind a shorter brunette.

'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.'

Thalia found Merlin's eyes and read them. He hadn't done anything. Except for the original smoke horse.

The Witchfinder moved to the next woman. 'Tell them what you saw.'

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

Thalia frowned. Goblins didn't tend to make themselves known, preferring to sneak around.

'As you've heard, My Lord, the incident in the woods was only the beginning, hmm?'

The final woman spoke. 'There was a sorcerer, Sire, in the square. There were creatures jumping right out of his mouth.'

'And what manner of creature?'

'It's usually the one the sorcerer's cursed that spits toads, rather than they themselves,' Thalia murmured to Arthur.

'Toads, Sire. Great green, slimy things as big as your fist.'

'Knew it was toads,' she added.

Arthur tried not to laugh. As tense as the situation was, he trusted Thalia could handle it. And he found the joke funny.

'The sorcerer laughs in your face. Even now magic flourishes on the streets of Camelot.'

'Uhm…'

'I can scarcely believe it,' breathed Uther.

'Wonder why.'

'Yet it is the truth, My Lord. Fortunately I've utilised every facet of my craft to bring this matter to a swift resolution!'

'…'

'The sorcerer? You have a suspect?'

Thalia's eyes twitched and Arthur found himself suddenly nervous, hand tilting ever so slightly in a twitch in her direction.

'Oh, I do, My Lord. I regret to say, they stand among us in this very room.'

Arthur was more worried than Thalia, who was worried not for herself at all.

'My methods are infallible, my findings incontestable!'

Arthur drew in a breath.

'The facts point to one person and one person alone: the boy, Merlin!'

Arthur blinked, Morgana's terror was overwhelmed by confusion, Thalia didn't let her horror illustrate her face. Merlin looked unnerved, Uther looked like he was sure he'd misheard.

'…Merlin?' said Arthur, scrunching his face, 'You can't be serious.'

Gaius stepped forward in front of Merlin by half a foot or less, subtly, but Thalia noticed nonetheless. 'This is outrageous! You have no evidence!'

'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.'

'Merlin?' asked Uther.

Looking Aredian square in the eye Merlin said; 'I have nothing to hide from him.'

Uther nodded. 'Very well. Guards, restrain the boy. Let the search begin.'

'Carefully,' added Thalia in a low and threatening voice.

'What part of "careful" is difficult to understand?' snapped Thalia as she walked into the chambers, greeted by the sight of Arthur standing and supervising as guards demolished all of Gaius' carefully ordered and arranged possessions.

'Comb every inch. The sorcerer is a master of concealment.'

'So aimlessly throwing everything around is going to help,' said Thalia bluntly.

Before the Witchfinder could reply Arthur spoke up. 'There's nothing here, Aredian!'

To prove his point, Aredian turned back to the guards. 'I'll be the judge of that. Over there behind this tapestry. In there, upend that stool. Be sure to check for hollow legs.'

The guard closest smashed the stool over the table.

'Oi!' growled Thalia.

'In there within those powder jars.'

The powder was scattered over a stretch of floor and Thalia turned her head when this action earned a response, the type of which she had hoped not to witness.

'Here!'

Amongst the powder, Aredian picked up something and held it to the light for all to view. 'An amulet of enchantment. Were you aware, physician, that your assistant kept instruments of sorcery?'

'No,' said Gaius, looking incredibly tired.

'Well, our work is done. I must inform the King.'

Gaius called after him. 'Aredian! I know for certain that that amulet does not belong to Merlin.'

Arthur looked between Aredian, Thalia and Gaius.

'Oh? Well who does it belong to, then?'

'… … … It belongs to me.'

'Gaius,' murmured Thalia.

The physician held her gaze determinedly.

Merlin looked up as his cell opened.

'You're free to go.' Arthur stood back.

'Where's Thalia?' was Merlin's first question.

'Goodness knows,' Arthur replied, 'probably saving Gaius.'

'WHAT?!'

'I'm sorry,' Arthur said as a guard held Merlin and walked him out.

Thalia found herself sitting opposite Arthur at dinner that night with Uther and Aredian at the ends of the long dining table.

Uther swallowed a gulp of wine. 'Gaius served me with unfailing dedication. Without his knowledge, his wisdom, I would not be sitting here today.'

'You show great faith in him, Sire. Great faith, indeed, considering he was known to practice sorcery.'

'Gaius?' asked Arthur. He shook his head. 'You are mistaken.'

Uther sighed slightly. '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.'

'Until now,' said Aredian.

Uther tilted his head in impatience. 'We don't know that. And this amulet you found, it could just be a stupid mistake.'

'An experiment, a forgotten tool left in an untouched jar,' said Thalia, before taking a sip of her own wine.

'Or maybe he's fallen back into old habits.'

'We must give him the benefit of the doubt, surely?' said Arthur.

Thalia glanced up at him.

'Why?' asked Aredian.

Arthur had no response.

Thalia did. 'Logical reason to be fair and to ensure events are just.'

Areidan eyed her slightly warily. 'Anyway, there's a sure way to establish his guilt.'

'I know your methods are effective, Aredian, but Gaius is an old man. He could not withstand such… treatment.'

'Nor should he have to go through them, considering the lack of evidence he's guilty,' Thalia said, speaking to the table I general, though Uther understood the words were for him.

'It's the only way to rid your mind of doubt.'

'I disagree, Aredian.'

'Why?'

'Like Arthur just said; the benefit of the doubt. A single amulet in unlocked, publicly visitable chambers. I too have spent years tracking evil sorcerers and evil magic, Witchfinder. Don't be so hasty as to assume you know all there is.'

Despite Thalia's words of caution and warning, and much to her fury, Gaius was questioned for hours a day and denied water. This didn't stop her conjuring a tiny mug into his cell every time she passed its high window in the courtyard.

'Huargh!'

Arthur jumped in surprise as an entire rack of shields, swords and armor tumbled to the floor of the armoury. He whirled around to find Thalia with her fist still where a post of the rack had been.

'Thalia?'

'Argh!' She knocked another one over with a smashing kick.

'Thalia!'

'Huuu…argh!' she sent an open palm into yet another. It fell toward Arthur, who dove out of the way.

'Thalia!'

She picked up a mace head from the pile at her feet. 'ARGH!' It went flying into another one, which had the entire stack of arrows tumble from the shelves. A second later the shelves teetered and fell onto the scattered arrows as Thalia wrenched it downward with one hand. She kicked a helmet across the room. Arthur dove out of the way again.

'Thalia!'

'Arrrgh!' she wrenched a sword from its place and hurled it at the wall where the tip wedged into the stone for a moment before it clattered onto fallen armoury debris and rolled down to the floor.

'Huh,' sighed Thalia, feeling better.

Seeing she'd finished destroying the room, Arthur approached calmly, though ready to dive to the ground if necessary.

'Witchfinder?'

'Evil, selfish, LIAR!' she yelled, kicking yet another something.

Arthur sighed and looked down, then swivelled to survey the chaos of metal and still faint ringing around the room. 'This looks worse than when Gaius' chambers were searched.'

Another innocent object shattered. 'Gaius is being tortured, Arthur! Because Uther trusts that lying, traitorous prat to be honest!'

'What do we do?'

'I can frame someone else, I can make something up, but it will fall apart.'

'Anything else?'

'I can always do something risky…' she said, running a hand through her hair.

'Please don't,' he said earnestly.

'I might not have a choice, Arthur. If it comes to it, I will.'

He looked scared, though not as much as the guard that entered the smashed armoury.

'Sire, My Lady, Gaius is to confess.'

Thalia ran out. Arthur nodded to the guard and hurtled after her.

'Make sure someone fixes that room!'

'Confess! Confess!' Aredian held Gaius by the back of his clothes, and Gaius was on his knees in front of Uther, Thalia, Morgana and Arthur.

With a glance to Thalia, Gaius began to speak. '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.'

Thalia twitched slightly. Arthur glanced at her from the corner of his eye, hoping she wouldn't get put in danger.

'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.'

'Sire,' hissed Thalia.

Uther glanced, going to speak to her, but Aredian spoke up.

'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!'

Guards took Gaius away and Merlin shot out from behind two other spectators, running at Aredian.

Thalia and Arthur leapt up when they saw him do so.

'You're a liar!'

'Guards!' called Uther.

They caught him between them before he reached Aredian and dragged him with ease out of the chambers, past guards who offered their arms to restrain Merlin.

'You're a liar!'

'We'll deal with this,' said Arthur, as Thalia took Merlin's hand.

Merlin took an opportunity in the dungeons to take a swing at Arthur, who caught his arm and pinned it behind his back.

'Argh!' the warlock bent over, trying to escape.

'We know you're upset. We know you're angry. It's alright. We're not throwing you in jail.'

Thalia opened Gaius' cell.

'Then what are you doing?'

Arthur let go of Merlin and gestured to Thalia standing by the open door. 'We're breaking the law. We can only give you a few minutes.'

Thalia and Arthur stayed out of earshot and waited for Merlin to be finished. When he returned with them, he shot Thalia a look that meant he wanted to talk to her.

Arthur clapped a hand briefly on Merlin's shoulder and they went back to the surface levels of the castle.

They ended up going into Thalia's chambers. Arthur sat on the bed and Merlin blinked sadly.

'AAAAARGH!'

Their heads shot up at the noise and a suit of armour was thrown to pieces in a single punch.

Merlin recoiled, and Arthur moved his feet onto the bed.

'Argh! Urgh! Hua!'

The entire room filled with clanging as Thalia continued to demolish unwanted possessions. Dinner plates from an uneaten lunch went soaring through the room, shoes missing Arthur's head by inches, daggers wedging themselves in various woods around the room and a fiery rage.

When she smashed a fist onto her table, Arthur stood up and hurried over, before she broke either the table or her wrist. She went to smash it again with two hands but he caught them, arms being forced down by the weight of her punch. He put his other hand over her arms, holding them tightly as she almost wrenched them free on the first try.

'Stop it,' he said.

'Argh!' Arthur was thrown onto the table. 'Stop it?! Arthur, Gaius has been tortured and God knows what else to the point of him admitting treason! What did that slime put him through?! And now he's sentenced to death, and I'm standing here, easily able to destroy Aredian and half of Camelot with him and I can't! Because that Witchfinder thinks magic is something that's out to get him!'

'It wasn't Gaius',' said Merlin suddenly.

'What?' Thalia turned around to blink at him and Arthur sighed in relief.

'It wasn't Gaius' bracelet.'

'Had you seen it before?' she was asking if it was his.

'No.'

'Aredian planted it.'

Merlin nodded.

'But Gaius asked me not to try and save him, he says Aredian will just get us!'

'Like hell he's getting to me,' murmured Thalia dangerously, and walked out without another word.

'Uh…,' said Arthur quickly, nodded to Merlin and followed her out. He reached out and tugged on her arm. They stopped in the hall.

'Please be careful. If he names you as a sorcerer, then you can't protect yourself. You'll be in incredible danger.'

'I'm not going to stand down.'

'I know.' Arthur took her hands, holding them up between them. 'But please stay safe, Thalia. Please.'

She nodded, looking lazily to the floor.

In relief, Arthur sighed and pulled her hands higher so that their elbows were folding to put their hands in front of their top ribs. Arthur rested his forehead on hers for a moment, then kissed her.

'You worry more than I do,' she said.

He scoffed.

Thalia kissed him on the cheek and walked out of the dungeons.

'So what do we do now?'

'Well, we can try killing him and planting evidence he was the sorcerer.'

'Could work,' shrugged Merlin, perched on Thalia table, unsettled.

'It would never,' she chuckled. 'I could challenge him in front of Uther and hope he lets something slip…'

'How would that work? We've got-,'

A knock on the door made Merlin close his mouth and their heads turn, Thalia stopped her on-the-spot swivelling.

'My lady? Are you in there?'

'Gwen, what is it?'

The door opened and in came a very distressed Gwen. 'My lady, Merlin?! He won't let go! He won't stop!'

'What happened?' asked Merlin, jumping off of the table and standing beside Thalia.

Gwen looked like she wanted to catch her breath, but thought she didn't have the time. 'The Witchfinder's questioning Morgana again. I'm worried, Merlin. She's close to breaking point.'

'Yeah, that's what he does. He breaks you down and in the end you confess whether you're guilty or not.' Merlin adopted Thalia's swivelling movement.

'What do you mean?'

'Gaius was set up. Aredian planted that amulet.'

'The problem is we can't prove it,' said Thalia.

'But why would he do such a thing?!'

'For the gold.'

Merlin nodded in agreement. 'Aredian is paid to catch sorcerer's. Maybe he doesn't care whether someone is guilty or not. Maybe he gets confessions by lying, by planting evidence, just as long as he gets a confession, he gets his money.'

'Then runs away before anyone notices the sorcery is still continuing. It'd be easy to prove Gaius' innocence after his death, but not before…'

Gwen looked around Thalia's chambers anxiously. 'But even if this is true, what can we do without proof?'

'Get some.' Merlin said.

'You got an idea?' asked Thalia.

'No. Let's search his chambers. Might give us a clue.'

'We've got no alternative. Gwen, you stay here, for all we know he'll come for you next. You'll be safe in here.'

'Man, a lot of torturing devices.'

'All show, sorcerers get executed,' Thalia said plainly.

'Wrongly, they do nothing wrong!' exclaimed Merlin, though still quietly.

'The ones I've been present and had something to do with were all evil, Merlin. Uther wasn't the beginning of the Old Religion's corruption.

Merlin nodded and search the bedsheets. Thalia checked the ledge in the fireplace.

'Cabinet?'

'Search everywhere,' she agreed.

Merlin crossed to a small cabinet. 'Tospringe.'

Silence, then;

'Hey, Thalia?'

'Mm? You got something?' she stood up, dusting her hands together to clear the soot.

'What are these?' Merlin stepped back to allow her to look at orange petals in a bowl.

'Magic, definitely. And they certainly aren't innocent. Bring one with us.'

Merlin nodded and slipped a petal into his pockets.

Thalia spun before Merlin, and both heard footsteps, of Aredian, heading towards them. Merlin turned his attention to the bedsheets, Thalia to the cup he'd knocked over earlier.

'Dæfte þæt bedd.'

Thalia's eyes flashed with the storm. Merlin dove under the bed and looked alarmed at the floor, looking for Thalia's feet. They were nowhere to be found.

The doors opened and Merlin shut his eyes. Aredian crossed to the cupboard the petals were in, then thought the curtains had a funny shape. With a silent start, Merlin realised he didn't know where Thalia was. Aredian walked right past her as she stood calmly still, blinking casually and keeping her feet planted firmly, not moving them against the polished stone floor. Aredian pulled back the curtain in a flash and frowned when he saw nothing behind it. Thalia was watching his back as he blinked stupidly, glanced around the room and left.

She heard Merlin's sigh.

'Thalia?' he whispered.

She stepped forward and her spell was broken.

'Please teach me that spell,' he said.

She chuckled and winked.

'This is hopeless!' cried Gwen, shutting another book.

'Keep looking.'

'We don't even know if this flower means anything.'

'Of course it does,' said Thalia, and stood gracefully from her armchair.

'Belladonna?' asked Merlin, looking over her shoulder at her green magical book.

'"For the alleviation of ulcers, allergies, and muscular inflammation..." This is hopeless!'

'Read closer,' said Thalia.

Merlin continued to read aloud. '"Under certain conditions, a tincture of the flower can produce hallucinations."'

'So?'

Merlin scoffed slightly at Aredian's plan. 'Aredian's witnesses. It wasn't magic they were seeing, it was visions.'

'Hallucinations.'

'It makes sense, if he's faking the evidence. But how can we prove it?' Gwen said, hope firing back into her eyes.

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

'Probably a shopkeeper,' said Thalia thoughtfully.

'They could've been getting it from anyone!'

'Think,' said Merlin, 'Is there anything, anything at all that these people had in common?'

'They were all women?' suggested Gwen.

'Gwen, where do you go to look somehow more beautiful than you already are?' said Thalia quickly, throwing in the compliment as a sign of respect of her idea.

She smiled bashfully and nodded. 'I'll take us there.'

'I have to see Uther about something completely different,' said Thalia, heading for the door. She twisted as she left her chambers. 'you two go, and I'll see you later in the night. Find me if you get into trouble!'

They nodded as Thalia left the chambers.

When she went back in Merlin and Gwen had just returned.

'Luck?'

'Lots,' breathed Gwen. 'We found it. Aredian threatened people to sell it.'

'Brilliant work, you two.'

Merlin wrapped up the petal and a bottle with eyedrops. 'That's it. We've got everything we need.'

'But is it enough?' Gwen asked.

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

'It's still just our word against Aredian's!'

'I outrank him,' spoke Thalia, 'if it helps.'

Merlin nodded.

Gwen also nodded, but still didn't look convinced. 'My Lady, 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.'

Merlin thought for a moment. 'I'll be as quick as I can.' He ran out.

'Sit down, Gwen,' said Thalia after Merlin's running footsteps had faded to silence.

'Oh, uh… well.' Gwen gathered her skirts and sat herself on the edge of one of Thalia's armchairs by the crackling fire.

'Make yourself comfortable,' added Thalia.

Hastily Gwen shuffled further back into the chair and settled happily.

'Is Merlin safe?'

Thalia glanced outside. 'It's nearly dawn. If he's not back by the time it lightens I'll go make sure he's alright.' Thalia changed her view to survey Gwen. 'You look tired. Come on.' She stood up, meaning Gwen, who was very polite, also rose. Thalia led her to the corner of her chambers with the chaise.

'Uh…'

'Get some rest, Gwen,' said Thalia firmly and retrieved a blanket.

Gwen made to argue, but shut her mouth, took the outstretched blanket carefully and pulled it over herself.

'Wow, this is comfy.'

Thalia smiled and left the corner, stopping to look out of her large windows for a moment then returned to her armchair.

The light started showing a few hours later and Thalia stood up, leaving her room quietly so as not to wake Gwen.

He was hiding in a corridor.

'Merlin!'

'Thalia! I got it. And pulled a bit of a joke.'

'Good. Can I ask?'

'He'll spit toads.'

Thalia chuckled. 'Good. Come on, sun's rising. We've got to keep you out of sight. Otherwise Aredian will jump you. I haven't seen Morgana all night or day.'

Merlin nodded and they hurried down the corridor. When they reached Thalia's chambers again Gwen was coming toward them down the corridor.

'Merlin! Where have you been?'

'It's done. Everything's in place.' Merlin breathed.

'But it's too late! Gaius has already left the dungeons! Some guards were saying as they walked past!'

'That's too early!' said Thalia, 'Aredian brought it forward.' There was another word after that, though no one but her heard it.

'Then...then we'll have to delay the execution.'

'How?'

'I'll do it,' said Thalia and ran out. The two followed her.

'Hurry!' said Gwen.

Arthur was very uneasy, expecting Thalia to show up at any moment. But he had his focus on Gaius as Aredian shoved the man onto the pile of wood. 'Easy there! Show some respect!'

Thalia stepped through the crowd to the front. Arthur noticed her when she appeared beside him. She opened her mouth and Arthur knew she was going to order them to stop.

'No!' he hissed, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Aredian lit the torch.

'Arthur, what is wrong?'

'If you do that you're in danger!'

'Gaius is going to die!'

'… I know, I don't want him to.'

'Then stop it yourself! You want to protect both me and Gaius? Stop this yourself.'

Arthur looked around, struggling.

Thalia unsheathed her sword. 'If you don't, and if you try and stop me, I will fight my way to Gaius.'

Arthur looked at her, then to Gaius as Aredian approached with the torch. At the same time, the two shouted.

'Wait!'

'Sire,' said Merlin, addressing the court, 'the witnesses saw nothing but hallucinations induced by the Belladonna in these eye drops.' He held them up.

'And you bought this Belladonna from this man?' Uther asked the three prior witnesses.

They nodded.

Uther turned to the man. 'Where did you get it from? Don't be afraid, no harm will come to you here.'

'The Witchfinder. He gave them to me.'

A whisper filled the chambers.

'Did he tell you what it was for?'

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

'Framed, most likely,' said Thalia.

Uther glanced at her, then turned to Aredian. 'How do you answer to these accusations?'

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

'Then-,' said Merlin, though Thalia stopped him, knowing he was about to be rude.

'Then prove it,' she said. 'We'll search your chambers.'

The room was silent.

Aredian glanced at Thalia. 'I have nothing to hide.'

'Morgana!' said Thalia, seeing the woman, who looked pale.

'Thalia!' Morgana fell into a hug.

'Come,' said Thalia, turning to keep walking, 'we're going to give Aredian the same treatment he gave Gaius.'

'You're wasting your time.'

'Rip the seams of his coats,' instructed Thalia, 'and his bags. Check every lining.'

Ripping sounds joined the destruction.

'The cupboard over there.' Arthur pointed at the right one and so Thalia and Merlin settled back to watch the show, Thalia leaning on the wall by Aredian.

A knight opened the cupboard and dozens of amulets identical to the one planted in Gaius' jar fell out, tens more sitting inside, accompanied by rows of the eyedrops.

'These things don't belong to me! This is a trick!' he coughed, backing away from Uther and toward Thalia and Morgana. He coughed. 'That boy plots against me!'

'For good reason,' said Thalia.

Aredian tried to stop coughing. Instead, a toad came spilling from his mouth. Morgana looked at it in horror.

'Sorcerer!' declared Uther.

Aredian made to grab Morgana, but Thalia leapt in front of her. Aredian grabbed her instead. Arthur made to pull her back, but he was too far and so Thalia was pulled away and a dagger held to her throat.

Keen to avoid blood staining the chambers, Uther spoke calmly, sword drawn. 'Aredian, think carefully about what you're doing. You will never escape from Camelot alive.'

'I will if you value the life of dear Thalia here,' he watched Arthur as he said "dear Thalia" then turned to Uther. 'Hmm?'

'You do know that's the Crowned Warrior you've got there?' said Arthur, raising his eyebrows and lowering his head.

Thalia winked at him, then sent her head flying backward into Aredian, who stumbled and tired to cut her with the dagger but she caught his wrist, twisted it round until he dropped it and he tried to grab her by the neck with his left arm. She ducked down, stepped under the right arm she still had by the wrist, causing him to also swivel and threw her weight to the opposite side. He was thrown out of the window from the force of the two second fight and screamed as he fell down. Uther, Morgana and Arthur ran forward to look out of the window, Arthur sheathing his sword and pulling Thalia against his side, and arm over her back, clasping the middle of her upper arm.

'You really were going to fight your way to Gaius, weren't you.' said Arthur, not as a question.

'Of course,' she smiled.

'I'm not sure how that would have played out,' he said.

They were on the grasses behind the castle, swords out and crashing together with a ringing.

'Let's take a break,' said Arthur.

Thalia nodded, then stuck her sword into the grass where it stood.

'You know I always get scared when you bring up your magic. If people find out, then…'

'They won't,' she said simply.

'You can't promise-,'

'Arthur…' warned Thalia.

'Sorry.'

'It's you you should be worrying about. How many times have I saved your life?'

'Uhm… …'

'Countless.'

'Countless. Right.'