Author's note: I couldn't think of a good speech for Uther near the end so I borrowed the one from episode 1. And yes, I know I'm mean, but I make good cliffhangers.
The morning was half-gone, and the trio had finally made it back to the castle grounds. They left their horses in the care of the stable boy and entered the castle.
Arthur was at the lead, with Morgana and Gwen in tow. Every step they took felt like the weight of the world was trying to push them down, smothering them into the ground.
Arthur decided that being smothered sounded much better than facing up to his father. He didn't really feel like meeting those disappointed eyes, that furious face, and the tone that would tell him everything he already knew: he was a failure to his father.
Which was why he was not surprised to see his father waiting for them in the courtyard. He fought the instinct to run away to wherever Merlin had gone to, since the warlock probably wouldn't want his company anyway.
As he approached, he noticed a beggar was also entering the courtyard. This beggar wasn't stooped, however; he walked proudly, as the shape to large to be female. And this beggar wore a long brown cloak of a fairly well made fabric. The bag on his back was of fair quality, too, and was fully packed, with a large square on the top.
"He didn't…" Arthur whispered in dismay, slowing his stride.
The figure turned his head to look in Arthur's direction. A few seconds passed before the beggar lowered his hood, revealing raven black hair, pale skin and ocean blue eyes.
Arthur stopped dead, mid-stride. His jaw hung in astonishment, and in a un-prince-like fashion. He could hear Morgana and Gwen had stopped walking behind him, and one of them had gasped, probably Gwen.
"You… idiot!" Arthur stated after a moment. "We got you all the way out of Albion!"
"And I came all the way back," Merlin concluded with a shrug of his shoulders.
"How?" Morgana asked, aware of how stupid it sounded.
"By magic," Merlin replied.
"Why?" Gwen asked, knowing that hers was a question that made the most sense.
"I belong in Camelot. It's my destiny," Merlin answered sadly.
He didn't give them a chance to ask anything else, as he turned round and walked to Uther. The king's face had turned from rage to shock; apparently, he couldn't believe his eyes either.
Merlin bowed respectively to him before walking past and heading straight back to the castle dungeons. Uther watched the warlock with a gobsmacked expression, observing every movement. When Merlin was out of sight, he turned his attention back to his son, ward and her handmaiden. He noticed that none of them had moved, and all of them had the same shocked face.
None of them had been expecting him to return.
Arthur paced. He was breathing heavily, trying to reframe from making enraged comments. He could feel himself getting dizzy from pacing, but he didn't care.
"Arthur you're going to wear a hole in the floor," Morgana stated irritably. "And, I feel dizzy watching you."
"Then don't watch," Arthur snapped.
"It's pretty hard when you walk past me every two seconds!" she retorted, glaring at him.
At this, Arthur stopped. He clenched his fists harder and harder until his knuckles turned white. His fingernails were digging into his palms, but he didn't care. Physical pain was much easier to focus on.
"I… I can't believe he came back," Gwen whispered sadly, on the verge of tears.
"We got him out of Albion," Morgana continued, her irritation with Arthur had quickly deflated and was replaced with empathic sadness. "Why did he return? He knew that he would die if he came back, so why?"
"I should have known that he wouldn't have given in so easily," Arthur added, his tone frosty with bitterness. "He only came with us so we didn't fight about it. The idiot!" Arthur slammed his fist down on the table.
"Do you mind?!" Gaius demanded. "I can't afford a new table!"
Arthur glared at the physician for a moment, before lowering his eyes shamefully. He mumbled something incoherently, but it sounded like an apology. He flexed his hand carefully, he had hit the table harder than he had intended.
Gaius stood up from the chair he had been sitting in, where he had been watching the three youths, allowing them to vent and express themselves. He took Arthur's hand and gave it a quick check for any damage.
"Merlin had to return," he stated factually. "His destiny is in Camelot."
"You know, I'm getting pretty tired of this destiny lark," Arthur swore angrily.
"It is Merlin's destiny to ensure the success of the future King of Camelot," Gaius continued, eying Arthur. "And besides, if he had not returned, what difference would his leaving make?"
"What do you mean, Gaius?" Morgana asked, frowning in confusion.
"The king would have sent out a search for him, beyond his own lands, and would have had him dragged back to Camelot. Merlin probably would have been sentenced to die the moment he got back," Gaius looked sternly at the three youths. "And all you would have accomplished would be the destruction of any and all trust the king has in any of you. By returning, he shows that you did this of your own free will, and that he is willing to accept the consequences of his actions."
"You mean he's willing to die for using magic to save our lives?!" Arthur snapped.
"There is nothing we can do, I'm afraid," Gaius stated sadly, looking much older in the change of a second. "Merlin's fate is out of our hands now," he reported as he returned to his chair.
"It's not right," Morgana whined.
"It's not fair," Arthur whispered in agreement.
None of them said anything for a while. None of them looked at each other. Morgana looked at the ground. Arthur looked at the fire. Gaius was staring out of window. Gwen was fidgeting with the petals of the rose Merlin had given her, the blood red petals.
"I wonder how red the king is," she thought aloud.
"What was that?" Gaius asked, his eyes snapped to her.
"Oh! Err, nothing. I was just–" Gwen stuttered, stumbling for an explanation.
"How did you know what Merlin could see?" Gaius asked.
"See? See what?" Morgana asked, her interest flitting between Gwen and Gaius.
"What are you talking about?" Arthur demanded, his attention equally torn.
Gaius let out a sigh, bring all the focus to him, and away from the petrified handmaiden.
"For the past three weeks, since the incident with Nimueh's spell," he motioned to Arthur, who shifted uncomfortably at the memory. "Merlin has been able to look within a person, and perceive all their deeds and wrongdoings. He sees it in the form of a dull light, and the colour is dependant on the intentions of the action. If a person means ill, then the light will be red, if meant for good, it will be gold. If an action is done with the intentions favouring neither good nor ill, then it will shine silver."
"I don't understand, Gaius," Morgana interrupted. "What does that mean?"
"The light is stored within a person. Magic, as Merlin has discovered, flows inside all of us, but for most, there is not enough for them to be able to manipulate. But it the magic that he sees, and he sees how a person can affect it with their emotions and their intentions. The more good an individual does, the more of the magic within them will shine gold," Gaius explained.
"And the more evil they do…" Arthur summed up. "The more of the… light inside them will turn red."
"Exactly," Gaius confirmed. "This is how Merlin can determine a person's personality, whether or not the man, or woman, in front of him is someone he will like or get along with."
"And the light in everyone is different," Gwen added. "The mixture of red, silver and gold is unique to every person."
"Just like a voice or a face," Gaius finished.
There was a moment's pause as the information sunk in.
"Wow," Arthur muttered simply.
"Magic is inside everyone…" Morgana mused. "If Uther ever found out–"
"My father would kill whoever told him, or have a heart attack. Maybe even both," Arthur's eyebrows rose at the thought, before lowering to frown. "I bet I'm full of red. I've done a lot of things."
"All of them the actions of a young man entertaining himself. You meant no real harm," Gaius assured him, to which he received a doubtful glance.
"Merlin said you were all gold," Gwen commented. "Just like me and Lady Morgana."
Arthur looked at her. He felt hopeful as he smiled slightly, crookedly, at her. Gwen had been speaking to Merlin before he had rushed in to release the warlock. He comforted himself with the knowledge that Gwen wouldn't say something like that if she wasn't telling the truth. Besides, honesty was plastered all over her face.
A that point in time, a flurry of knocking reverberated from Gaius' closed door. The physician rose from his chair and opened the door enough for him to see a young page standing there. Their conversation was heard from the other side of the room.
"Andrew," Gaius greeted the boy, no older than twelve.
"You told me to come to you if I heard anything about that sorcerer, sir," Andrew explained, his voice had yet to break and was squeaky.
"Yes, I did," Gaius confirmed. "What news do you have?"
"The king has ordered that he is executed tomorrow morning," the boy announced. "It's not happening today because they have had to summon the axman."
"He's…" Gaius' voice broke at that point in time, causing him to clear his throat. "He's to be… beheaded?"
Gwen shuddered, her hands gripping the rose tightly. Her eyes watered, and tears ran silently down her face. Her mouth hung in despair, almost screaming silently, and her face was of one tortured.
Colour drained from Morgana's face. She felt her heart sink and her stomach felt cold. She lowered her head, unable to lift it as it suddenly felt so heavy, and she raised a hand to cover her mouth.
Her eyes were shut, but she could see the beheading of a young man who had been charged with magic. The man's mother had vowed vengeance for her son's murder. It was the day Merlin had come to Camelot. But as the event ran repeatedly in her head, the young man changed to another, one with raven black hair and azure blue eyes.
Arthur had grabbed onto the table for support. Now he laid his forearms across it, leaning over. His head was bowed as he tried not to imagine his friend's death the blade of an axe.
He tried not to imagine life without Merlin, a life where he would not be greeted by a stupid smile every time he was seen by his friend, his servant. It had always been an odd feeling for him, to have someone simply glad to see him… it had felt… nice, enjoyable. Seeing Merlin smile simply because he was there had, somehow, always made him feel like a weight had been taken off his shoulders.
He wasn't going to see that smile again.
"Thank you, Andrew," Gaius told the boy breathlessly.
"Does he really have to die, Gaius sir?" Andrew asked, sadly yet hopefully. "I mean, he saved Prince Arthur's life, didn't he? He saved Camelot, didn't he?"
The boy had no idea of the people in Gaius' study. Nor was he aware that his wanting Merlin to live was bringing slight comfort to those people, a comfort knowing that they were not alone in wanting Merlin to be spared.
"I wish he didn't," Gaius answered truthfully, before closing the door.
Gaius said nothing as he returned to his chair. He did not notice Arthur approach him until the prince knelt down to look Gaius in the eye.
"Ask, and we'll leave you be, Gaius," Arthur informed him, gently.
Gaius said nothing but nodded. Taking the hint, Arthur rose to his feet. He tapped Morgana and Gwen on their shoulders before motioning to the door. They all silently left and Arthur closed the door behind him. They left the physician with the privacy to express his grief.
Merlin's eyes flickered over the page. So many spells lay in his book, and he would never be able to learn them. It felt like such a waste.
"I'm not sure if I approve of that," a voice spoke with a stern tone.
Merlin looked up from his book and found that he was glaring at Uther. Despite knowing that he should lower his gaze respectfully, Merlin continued to glare at the man who had sentenced him to death. He didn't care about respect, nor did he care when Uther shifted, uncomfortable with the warlock's gaze.
"I'm not going to run from this," Merlin informed the king, spitefully. "And you can burn the book after you kill me."
Discomfort burned in Uther like a fire. He had a mixture of silver and gold, like most people Merlin had seen, but there was a definite streak of red in him. The red was of an evil he had done a long time ago. Merlin had noticed the same red mark in Gaius, but had never dared ask him about it, although, seeing it in Uther, he had a good idea where it was from.
"Do you ever wonder how many good people you killed in that Great Purge? How many of those sorcerers and sorceresses were kind people, trying to do good in the world with what they were born with?" Merlin asked, pitying Uther as he saw the uncertainty and pain swirl around him. "Do you ever wonder how many warlocks and wiccan you murdered?"
"My focus was keeping Camelot safe from magic," Uther whispered, his voice suddenly strained.
"Not matter how great the cost, or who must pay it?" Merlin asked, doubtful of Uther's resolve.
Uther said nothing. They stared at each other for a moment, before Merlin turned his attention back to his book. They were silent as he read another four pages.
"Nimueh's coming back," he stated conversationally.
"How could you know that?!" Uther demanded, suddenly feeling very afraid.
"I saw her as I was coming back here. She's making her way to Camelot, again. And, although I can't see her very well from here," Merlin craned his head back to look through the wall. "I'm pretty sure that she's picked up her pace. If I'm not mistaken, she'll be here by the time you execute me tomorrow."
Uther stared at him, his eyes wide in shock and his mouth open slightly. Merlin didn't look bothered by the fact, which was unnerving for Uther. But he reasoned that since Merlin was about to die, it did matter to the sorcerer, or warlock as his son called him.
"She's waiting for you to die," Uther guessed. "And then she will let loose her sorcery on Camelot."
"It's pretty pointless to attack before I'm dead," Merlin agreed. "I'd fight her again."
"Would you win?" Uther asked, doubtful of Merlin.
"I'd try," Merlin retorted, not caring that he was addressing the king.
Uther sighed and chewed his lip thoughtfully. It was a rare moment indeed to find the king so uncertain of what he would do.
Merlin decided not to intrude on the man's decision making, and returned to his book. He flipped over the next two pages before stopping, his eye widened. He read the page over and over again, just to make sure that he understood it correctly. And what he understood was that he had a third option ahead of him, although it wasn't very likable, it was probably the best.
"Oh," he muttered interestedly.
"What?" Uther asked cautiously, unsure if he wanted to know what the warlock had found.
"I think I've found a way that works for both of us, Sire," Merlin stated. "That is, of course, if you're willing to here it."
Arthur's grip tightened and relaxed on his sword. His looked around warily. He was very much aware of how much of a shifty individual he seemed. He kept moving, trying to find the best way to get close. However he only met a wall of the crowd, eager to get a look at the sorcerer who had dared lurk in Camelot, and who had stayed there for the best part of seven months.
It was incredible for Arthur to think that he had only known Merlin for seven months. It felt like he'd known the warlock for a lifetime. The life before Merlin seemed like some half-remembered nightmare of feeling cold inside and being alone. The thought of losing Merlin, and of returning to that nightmare, was unbearable.
Morgana gently held Gwen by the shoulders, keeping her handmaiden on her feet, rather than a sobbing, crumpled mess on the floor. She knew that Gaius had expressed the opinion of not letting Gwen see Merlin's execution, but Morgana knew that if Gwen didn't see, she would delude herself into thinking he wasn't gone.
Gwen was absentmindedly toying with the rose. It was such a beautiful rose, so perfect, and it was meant for her. She stroked its velvety petals before stopping in shock. She stared down at the rose.
The tips of the petals were beginning to crisp, curling back like a normal rose. But Gwen knew that this was impossible for this rose. It was a magical rose. It could withstand being crumpled and thrown into a fire, it came out as perfect as it had done before. Surely it could live out of water, surely a creation of fire didn't need water to survive.
Uther stood on the royalty balcony. He was silent as Merlin walked into the courtyard, unlike the previous sorcery, Thomas James Collins, who was half dragged to the execution block. When Merlin stepped onto the raised platform, Uther began his speech.
"Let this serve as a lesson to all: this man, Merlin, has been judged guilty of conspiring to the use enchantments and magic. And pursuant to the laws of Camelot, I, Uther Pendragon, have decreed that such practises are banned, under penalty of death. I pride myself as a fair and just king, but for the crime of sorcery, there is but one sentence I can pass."
Uther nodded and the guards that had escorted Merlin out guided him to the block. Merlin knelt of his own accord and, rather than looking down at the block, he looked into the crowd. The executioner took his place to stand beside Merlin.
As Uther raised his arm the axman raised his axe above his head, waiting for the signal.
Merlin's eyes found Arthur, Morgana and Gwen in front of him. He saw Arthur lunge forward, trying to get through the crowd, trying to stop the execution. Morgana and Gwen were the epitome of despair as they both looked into his eyes, while he looked back. And then, he saw her.
Nimueh. She was right behind everyone, a short distance away, not that it really mattered if she was about to cast a spell. She could have stood anywhere, but she stood out to Merlin, blood red amongst a sea of gold and silver. He could also see her gloating to herself over her victory that was long in the coming.
Merlin turned his head to side, staring up at Uther for a moment, before lowering his head, and his gaze, to the wooden block.
Then, Uther dropped his arm, and the axe swept downwards.