Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter twenty-one: Beauty and the beast part 2 and the witch finder.

Arthur sat apart from the group slightly, he was still in a bad mood. Everyone seemed to find it so funny that Uthur had married a troll, a creature of magic he so hated. Even Gaius was laughing, this was the perfect chance after all when it happened he and Merlin hadn't really had the chance to laugh, they had been too busy trying to save Uthur from the enchantment. Arthur was starting to relies that Merlin told the truth about a lot of things and yet not one listened to him and thought he was mad. Arthur glanced over at where everyone else was sitting they seemed to be having a good laugh about what had happened.

Taliesin coughed to get everyone attention. "It time to watch the next adventure."

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In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy, his name…. Merlin.

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"I have to feel sorry for Merlin," Gwen mutters. "Imagine having people hunting you down like that. All because he knew the truth about Katrina being a troll."

Isolde nodes. "What would have happened if he had been caught?"

"He would have been killed," Gaius answers. "Katrina would not have let him live, knowing he knew the truth and had the power to stop her."

"Good thing Arthur knew where his was then," Gwaine muttered. "If the guards had found him, he would never have got away."

Percival nodes. "So Arthur has saved Merlin's life, what is it? Twice now? You really have some catching up to do."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "I didn't know he had saved my life that many times. I suppose I will have to say thank you next time we see each other."

Leon shakes his head. "Our guards really are…. Well…. We really need to work on them. Merlin is always getting past them."

Elyan shakes his head. "No, it's good they are that bad. If they were good Merlin would get caught, or be forced to use magic on them."

"I bet lying to your father like that was hard." Tristan muttered. "I mean he quite clearly insulted you twice and so did the lady Katrina."

Arthur sighs. "I know when my pride isn't important."

Gwaine snorts. "Of course you do."

Gwen suddenly goes a bit green. "Horse dung, she was covering herself in horse dung."

Arthur puts an arm around Gwen shoulders. "You have to feel sorry for Leon, I remember he had to go to a council meeting with her sitting in a pile of it."

Gwen grins at Leon. "Is that true?"

Leon nodes. "I don't know how any of us made it through that meeting. The smell, good god the spell of it. I'm surprised no one passed out."

"You do realise Gwen, that Merlin doesn't need to out run anyone." Gwaine grins.

Gwen glares at him. "He is my best friend! I had every right to be worried about him. Uthur guards would have killed him or dragged him back to be killed."

"That was one good hiding place though." Elyan mutter. "The guards would never have checked it."

"Merlin is an idiot," Arthur growls. "He stayed in the city, while ever guard was looking for him…. And he still managed to spy on the lady Katrina."

"No," Percival mutters. "It proves how cleaver Merlin is. He managed to outwit all the guards and still spy on someone without them knowing he was even there."

"Yeah," Gwaine laughs. "It wasn't like there was much to outwit. I don't think the all guards have a brain cell between them."

Leon coughs. "I'm head of the guard as well as a knight you know."

"My point precisely." Gwaine grins.

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"She really did have a lot of control over him, didn't she?" Gwen mutters. "Such greed!"

"Trolls crave riches and power more than anything," Gaius explains. "The enchantment she placed on Uthur was a strong one. It had to be, Uthur was quite strong minded."

"Higher taxes?" Tristan asks. "The king did must known most of his people wouldn't be able to pay that."

"It was fair to say," Gaius muttered. "That the king wasn't in his right mind at the time."

Gwaine grins. "And Merlin is off sneaking around again, he magic really does come in handy."

Gaius smiled. "Without Merlin and his ability to sneak around and not follow orders, Camelot would be on big trouble."

Percival smiles. "And Merlin came up with the plan to expose Lady Katrina. He really isn't as stupid as he acts."

Elyan raises an eyebrow. "Is what Uthur said true, did he treat you like he did his men?"

Arthur nodes. "For a long time I didn't think he cared about me. I guess it was due to the guilt he felt about my mother's death."

Gwen goes green as she listened to the list of ingredients. "I can't believe Merlin tried that. How was he not sick?"

Gaius smiled. "The things that boy does for the good of the kingdom."

"And once again Merlin gets past the guards." Gwaine laughs.

Leon shakes his head. "How did they not notice Merlin hiding, he was right there."

"More to the point," Isolde mutters. "How did Jonas not notice Merlin hiding? Or Katrina? He was right next to them."

"Well least Jonas heard the door shut." Elyan muttered. "It makes them look a little less stupid."

Gwen smiles as she turned to Arthur. "I'm glad you stood up for that man like that. That's why the people love you."

"Katrina really hated you didn't she?" Gwaine mutters. "She really was making you look bad."

"Thanks, Gwaine." Arthur mutters.

"So it seems some of Merlin's wisdom has rubbed off on you Arthur." Percival smiles. "You stood up for what you believed to be right, just like what Merlin would have done."

Leon shakes his head. "It must have been hard, going against your father like that."

Arthur nodes. "He was wrong."

"Who, in their right mind, would make that troll heir to the throne?" Gwaine mutters.

"You forget Gwaine, that the king was not in his right mind." Gaius answers.

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"So it seems you Gwen have taken Merlin places, while he was sneaking around saving the day." Gwaine grins. "It usually Merlin who gives the 'you're worth it' speeches."

Gwen glares at Gwaine for a moment. "There was no one else who could have said it and it needed to be said."

"Your father made it rather public, didn't he?" Percival mutters. "Declaring you no longer heir to the throne like that, in front of the whole council."

Leon shudders. "I feel bad for not saying anything. The only one who spoke up in Arthur's defence was Gaius."

Gaius raises an eyebrow. "It didn't help that you were the first one to start clapping."

Arthur smiled slightly. "It doesn't matter. It's in the past."

Elyan shakes his head. "It won't be for long, as soon as Gwaine goes to the next tavern, the whole kingdom will know about."

Gwaine laughs. "It is a good story…. Merlin must really like that balcony overlooking the great hall. It seems to be the place he likes hiding."

"He's an idiot." Arthur mutters.

Elyan grinned. "Both you and Merlin knew what was about to happen. Those knowing and victorious smiles, I have seen them to many times before."

"And yet you never noticed what they were linked too, sometimes I believe Merlin uses his magic so openly everyone refuses to believe it is magic." Gaius mutters. "That boy."

"Hahaha," Gwaine laughs. "Arthur finally noticed that something wasn't right."

"She would have got away if it wasn't for Merlin and his magic." Elyan grinned.

"Does Merlin have a death wish?" Arthur asked. "He's hiding in the same room as the people who would more than happily kill him."

Gwen laughs, as Katrina turned into a troll. "The looks on your faces." She finally manages to gasp out. It wasn't long before the other joined in.

Arthur just stood there glaring at them. "It isn't funny, she was heir to the throne!"

"Oh god," Gwaine mutters. "Imagine if they actually did it."

Everyone freezes and turns to look at Gwaine with expressions that varied from disgust to horror to shock.

"Thanks Gwaine," Elyan muttered. "I now can't get that picture out my head."

"Just sayin'." Gwaine mutters.

"Well don't 'Just sayin''." Leon snaps, a look of horror still on his face.

Gwen smiles. "I bet you really had fun, trying to explain to Uthur that his wife was a troll."

Leon shakes his head. "It was worse than that time you made me wear a dress."

Everyone turns to look at Leon.

"What was that Leon?" Arthur asked.

"Nothing." Leon quickly answered. "Nothing at all."

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"Magic books?" Arthur asked.

Gaius nodes. "Merlin did have more than one, but many were destroyed over the years. All the times Merlin was accused of sorcery the books given as evidence were his."

"And so we once again see the dragon and Merlin sneaking past the guards." Gwaine grins. "Merlin really is making the guards look bad."

Elyan smiled. "Merlin really didn't look impressed with the dragon did he?"

Gwaine grins. "Has a good sense of humour though."

"I wounded what Merlin does now," Gwen mutters. "Arthur killed the dragon, so who does Merlin go to with question neither he nor Gaius can answer."

"That I do not know the answer to," Gaius quickly lies. "But whoever it is we must be grateful."

Arthur thinks for a moment. "Its Dragoon isn't it?"

"I couldn't say." Gaius answers.

"Well a good plan that, 'Uthur must see his son die'." Tristan mutters. "Because that could go wrong in hundreds of ways."

Arthur shakes his head. "I must say I was surprised to find Merlin under my bed."

"So Merlin never got the chance to say I told you so." Gwaine mutters. "What a shame."

Percival laughs. "Between you and Merlin, Gaius, I don't know how you ever convinced Arthur to go along with that plan."

Gaius smiled. "If he hadn't taken it, we could always have used Merlin's method. He really doesn't respect royals that boy."

Arthur glances at Gaius. "Do I even want to know?"

"That must have hurt," Leon winced. "That vase looked rather heavy."

Arthur stares at Leon in disbelieve. "Does the fact the antidote to stop me from dying being destroyed, escape your notice?"

Elyan shakes his head. "You're still alive are you not? So therefore Merlin must have saved you."

Arthur just shakes his head. "Yet you all panic when Merlin almost dies."

"Well yeah," Percival answers. "Merlin doesn't have someone to save him, like we all have Merlin. Merlin is on his own."

Arthur just rolled his eyes. "Merlin is always fine."

"Don't believe that," Gaius mutters. "Merlin can still get hurt."

"And Merlin once again saves the day." Gwaine grins. "And he doesn't even get a hug."

"I killed the troll!" Arthur exclaimed.

"Yeah, only because Merlin used magic to trip it." Isolde answers.

"I don't think Arthur can take much more of this," Elyan mutters to Leon and Percival. "He ego is really getting a beating here."

Percival and Leon node. "And we have Merlin to thank."

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In a time of myth and a land of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young boy, his name…. Merlin.

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"Merlin really is an idiot." Arthur mutters. "Who in their right mind creates a smoke horse within a mile of Camelot? I'm surprised the whole city didn't see that!"

"It was beautiful though." Gwen smiles.

"Yes," Gaius mutters. "But that little trick almost cost Merlin his life."

Gwaine talks a drink of ale. "But how could that women have found it so scary? Like Gwen said it was beautiful, there was nothing evil about it!"

Gaius sighs. "People feared Uthur more than they did magic. By claiming to have seen the magic, it cleared they name."

"So Merlin could have claimed to have seen it, even though he caused it and the king would never have thought it was him." Elyan asks.

Gaius nodes. "Uthur believed that sorcerers would not turn against their own. After all he thought being they were all evil, they all worked together."

Percival looks around the group. "Who is the witch finder? Everyone had bad reactions to them."

Leon shakes his head. "The witch finder was feared by all. Even those without magic feared him. It was said he tortured people into confusing they had magic, he didn't not treat those he spoke with well."

Gaius nodes. "Aredian. He was not a pleasant man. How he could sense those with magic I do not know. But I am glad for what Merlin did."

"What did Merlin do?" Isolde asks.

"You will see, you will see." Gaius answers.

"He could have been a druid," Tristan mutters. "I know they can sense magic in people."

Arthur shakes his head. "If he was a druid he would not have turned against his own kind like that. Druids are honour bound to help those with magic, not hunt them down and kill them."

"Aredian had no honour." Gaius mutters.

"Well he look like a lovely fellow, doesn't he?" Gwaine mutters.

Gwen shakes he head. "He really did look scary."

"He could smell it!" Elyan exclaimed. "How the hell can you smell sorcery?"

Percival shakes his head. "He must have had some nerve to insult the king like that."

"You really didn't like him, did you Gaius?" Gwen mutters.

"He was an evil man," Gaius answers. "He did not care what people used sorcery for, he just had them killed regardless."

"Well he picked up on Merlin rather quickly." Leon mutters.

"He used a human skull as an ink pot!" Gwen exclaimed, sounding disgusted.

"Merlin is not as stupid as he looks," Arthur sighed. "I know a lot of people who wouldn't have been able to answers those questions as well as Merlin did. He was trying to trick Merlin into saying something wrong."

"He did say something wrong," Percival mutters. "He said he couldn't prove it wasn't him who did the magic."

"Well he couldn't could he, so he answered the question truthfully." Elyan answers. "If Aredian thought he was answering all questions truthfully he might have though Merlin was telling the truth when he was lying."

"Hey, why are all the witnesses' women?" Percival asks. "I mean couldn't men see what they saw also?"

Gwaine laughs. "Toads coming out a sorcerer's mouth! Why would any sorcerer do that?"

"Why was Morgana so scared, he wouldn't risk accusing the kinds ward would he?" Tristan asks.

Isolde nodes. "I'd be more worried about Merlin or you Gaius."

"I can see why Merlin acting like an idiot helped him." Percival mutters. "No one believed it was him."

"There is method to the madness." Gwaine mutters. "And trust Leon to find the evidence that would get Merlin killed."

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Gwen smiled at Gaius. "It was good of you to take the blame for Merlin."

Gaius smiles slightly. "Merlin would have done the same for any of us. And it was my duty as his guardian to protect him."

"I still can't believe you practiced magic," Arthur mutters. "I have even seen you use it."

Taliesin shakes his head. "That is because you still believe all those who use magic are evil, until you stop believing that, you will never truly understand the greatness magic can do."

"What a way to treat an old man though." Gwaine mutters. "I can see why people never lasted long against him, I mean no food or water, no one would last long. If that's how he treated an old man I would hate to see how he treated someone much stronger and younger."

Elyan nodes. "I'm surprised you lasted so long Gaius."

Gaius sighs. "I would die for Merlin."

Percival smiles. "Well least he went to the dragon for help."

"Not that the dragon was any help." Gwaine snorts.

"And so he decides to question Morgana," Leon mutters. "I'm sure the king wouldn't had been pleased if he found out."

"I have never seen Morgana look so frightened." Arthur mutters. "I'm surprised she didn't just admit she had magic out of fear."

"It was brave what you did, Gaius" Isolde smiled. "Confessing to save Merlin and Morgana."

Gaius smiled. "I cared about the both dearly."

"I would have thought Uthur would have had more faith in you Gaius," Tristan mutters. "If he knew of how Aredian got information from people, he must have known he could force you to say it."

"Uthur was blind where sorcerers were concerned, even when it came to friends and family." Gaius answers.

"It must have been hard for Merlin," Gwen muttered. "Knowing it was his fault and that you would burn, because of what he did."

Gaius smiles slightly. "Merlin would never have forgiven himself if I had died. I hate to think what he would have done, Merlin is capable of doing things when he is angry that he would never do when he is not. His magic and his emotions are closely linked, when he is angry he has less control over his magic and it can lash out and do harm."

"Well I am glad he saved you," Gwen mutters. "He wouldn't have been the only one angry."

"So," Gwaine mutter. "That bracelet didn't belong to either of you?"

Gaius shakes his head. "It was not mine and it wasn't Merlin's. I had thought it was Merlin's, he does seem to have a habit of collecting magical items, but as it turned out it wasn't."

"Since when does Merlin ever listen to orders?" Elyan laughs. "Telling Merlin not to do something, is giving him all the more reason to do it."

Percival grinned. "Well let's hope Merlin can prove Aredian planted the bracelet. Or otherwise I fear to know how Merlin stopped you burning."

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"So your confession was for nothing," Gwaine mutters. "You have to feel sorry for Merlin and Morgana, it couldn't have been fun knowing they were next on the list to die."

"Shut up, Gwaine," Arthur snaps. "You are not helping."

Elyan turns and glances at his sister. "Do you always go running to Merlin when something is wrong?"

Gwen smiled. "Merlin always helps, no matter what. He'll help anyone too. Plus whenever I have gone to Merlin for help things always work out okay."

Gwaine laughs. "And Merlin is off sneaking into other peoples rooms once more. He would make an excellent spy."

"Yeah, but if it wasn't for his magic," Percival mutters. "He would get into a lot of trouble."

"Ironic that," Leon mutter. "The one thing he should get in trouble for, is the one thing that stops him getting in trouble."

"He found some petals," Elyan exclaimed. "How does that prove he was lying?"

"Trust Merlin not to shut the cupboard door." Arthur rolls his eyes.

"Well least he wasn't hiding behind the curtain." Gwaine grins.

"Yeah," Elyan mutters. "He was under the bed."

Percival nodes. "You would have thought Aredian would have looked better."

Leon shakes his head. "No, he knew everyone feared him. So why would someone risk their neck sneaking around in his chambers."

"Well he obviously hadn't meet someone like Merlin before." Gwaine laughs.

Gwen smiles. "Merlin is cleaver, he knew how Aredian worked. I would never have been able to find things out like Merlin did."

"You worked out what they all had in common," Arthur answers. "And how they would have got the plant."

"Yes, but Merlin found the plant and worked out what they were seeing was visions. He also worked out Aredian wouldn't have given it directly to them. It was also Merlin who convinced him to speak up about what Aredian had forced him to do." Gwen replies.

"Eye drops," Gwaine grins. "Quite cleaver. Most women I know use them to make their eyes brighter, my mother used to use them."

"Still that wouldn't be enough proof for Uthur, like Gwen said." Isolde mutters. "What happened that, proved Aredian was planting evidence?"

Gwen shakes her head. "I don't know, but I'm sure Merlin had something to do with it."

"Doesn't he always." Tristan mutters.

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"And so Merlin once again sneaks around," Gwaine laughs. "What did that spell do anyway?"

Gaius smiled. "You will see, you will see."

"What did he do to Aredian?" Arthur asked, sounding slightly alarmed.

Gaius smiled. "You will see."

Gwaine smiled. "Knowing Merlin, it was something truly brilliant."

"It must have been horrible coming that close to being executed." Elyan muttered. "Being burned to death of all things."

Gaius smiled sadly. "I was truly glad Merlin saved me."

"Well good thing Gwen challenged Arthur, or Gaius would have burned." Percival smiles.

Elyan nodes. "Good thing he listened too."

"So now we know what that spell was for," Gwaine grinned. "Tut tut Merlin, planting evidence like that."

Everyone starts laughing as Aredian coughs up a toad.

"Merlin is truly brilliant." Gwaine laughs. "That is the best spell he's done yet."

Arthur shakes his head. "Only Merlin."

"He saved Morgana life," Gwen smiles slightly. "How did no one notice that spell, his hand steamed."

"And the mightly Uthur Pendragon says sorry to a lowly peasant like Gaius." Gwaine grins. "Miracles do happen."

Arthur rolls his eyes. "Don't mock it, he had every right to be sorry."

"As thick as thieves, you and Merlin, Gaius." Isolde smiles. "As thick as thieves."

Gaius smiled. "The toad was a step to far, but it was funny and we have had many a laugh about it."

Gwen smiled. "Merlin is truly one of a kind."

Gwaine grinned. "With a wicked sense of humour, that was brilliant. Think of all the pranks me and Merlin could have pulled, if he had told me."

"I glad he didn't tell you then," Percival mutters. "You're pranks are the worst at the best of time."

"I think you'll find they're the best, Percy." Gwaine grins.

Elyan and Leon just roll their eyes.

Hey thanks for the reviews. The next chapter should be up soon. Hope you liked that. The way I'm writing it has changed aging slightly, they are speaking as they are watching it, so sorry if some of it suddenly changes from one topic from the next. You've all watched the show so it shouldn't be too hard to work out what they are speaking about :)

Blessed be,

TreeOfLife1997.