Author's notes: I was slightly worried I wouldn't be able to post this chapter in time, as I've had visitors, which was fun, but time consuming. Plus, since they left, I've had a couple of disasters in the house, nothing major, but just a bit of a hassle.

One thing I have forgotten to do before this, which is very remiss of me, is thank my very helpful beta readers. You have done such great work for me and I appreciate all you do. :)

Again I'd like to thank those who have joined the followers of this story and me, and those who have taken time to write a review. I cannot reply to the guests, but you are not forgotten and I am so happy to read your feedback.

Chapter Sixteen

Midnight Investigations

As was his habit, Arthur was about to barge into Merlin's room when he stopped himself in mid-act. Merlin was now more than a servant and deserved some common courtesy. The King, however, could not restrain his impatience, so he wrapped loudly on the door, then without waiting for answer, he marched inside.

Only, the room was in darkness and Arthur's senses, honed on many a patrol in hostile country, told him it was also empty.

"Damn you, Merlin! Why are you never where you're expected to be?" Arthur left the room, but he didn't return to his own chambers. Experience had taught him that Merlin was probably off investigating Avebury on his own. In fact, the idiot was probably stalking around the corridors in the dark, even now, spying on the one man who hated him with a passion which was, very probably, second only to Morgana's!

Logic told Arthur that Merlin was very capable of taking care of himself, but the emotional bond between Merlin and himself, which Arthur had only recently recognised fully, sent him chasing after his friend in full protective mode.

With that in mind, he went to talk to Geoffrey of Monmouth, who would probably know where in the castle Avebury was housed. He just hoped the old man hadn't already gone to bed.

A short time later, Arthur was prowling down one of the citadel's longest corridors in much the same way as he did while hunting an illusive prey in the forest. At least his strategy to ask Geoffrey had paid off; Avebury was lodged in Agravaine's old chambers, which seemed, strangely, appropriate. Hoping he wasn't too long behind Merlin, he hugged the shadows, quiet and listening, all his senses on full alert, but there was no sign of Merlin. Where was his stupid serv... adviser?

And why was he, The King, sneaking around in the dark in his own castle? He was King! If he ruled in Uther's autocratic manner, he would have called a council, announced that sorcery was no longer outlawed and anyone who objected would be banished or executed.

Then, maybe, he would be snuggled up in bed with his wife, discovering what was troubling her, and not wandering down draughty corridors in search of his foolhardy friend.

But he was not his father. He'd rather rule through consensus, not through fear, and, right now, he wished to discuss what he suspected about Avebury with his personal adviser, who just happened to have gone absent without leave!

For a fleeting second, it crossed his mind that Merlin might be simply visiting Gaius, but the hairs on the back of Arthur's neck warned him otherwise, and he knew from past experiences not to ignore that 'feeling'; something else he'd learned from Merlin.

Athur had searched the whole floor, listened at every chamber door and heard nothing, if you discounted coughing and snoring, and a couple making love; he'd felt envious at that. The one thing he hadn't heard was Avebury threatening Merlin.

Where the hell was Merlin?

Inspiration flashed into his mind. A long time ago, he'd caught Merlin spying on the troll with a mirror on a rope; no, correction, there hadn't been a rope. Merlin didn't need such mundane tools all the rest of them had to use. But Arthur had a good idea he'd sussed his warlock out, this time.

Stealthily, he backed towards the stairwell, almost tripping over a tapestry which covered an alcove, and just in case his first idea was wrong, he slowly slid the heavy material aside to check, but the space was empty.

Once upstairs, he counted down the rooms until he believed he was approximately above Avebury's lodgings, only it was slightly confusing, as these chambers were smaller than the ones below. However, he was guided by a muted glow coming from beneath the door he'd chosen. As all the other rooms seemed to be in darkness, this had to be the correct one. If it was, who was staying in this particular room, and why was Merlin not worried he would disturb the occupant? No doubt he'd put a sleeping spell on them! He'd have to talk to Merlin about not incommoding their guests.

Yet, when Arthur furtively let himself inside, he soon found he was wrong... not only was Merlin not disturbing this guest, but the tall lanky fellow seemed only too happy to aid him in his quest.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" Arthur whispered, creeping up behind the two. "No, don't tell me, I know. You are spying on Avebury."

Fortunately, his friend appeared more in control of his spells these days; though Merlin was startled, he didn't drop the mirror. His partner in crime, however, almost jumped out of his skin.

Merlin's eyes glowed gold for a fleeting second, and the mirror floated back into the room, landing in the warlock's hands as he turned to confront his king. "What are you doing here?" he demanded in a whispered squeak. "You are supposed to be asleep. Gaius gave you a sleeping draught."

"Which I didn't take," Arthur huffed, ignoring the stranger by the window as he confronted Merlin. "You and Gaius are going to have to stop slipping me sedatives. You might not have noticed, but we are in a battle here, and though there are no Saxons and no swords, it is just as crucial and I need to remain alert... at all times," he added before Merlin could get out his excuse. "I wanted to speak to you, and I wouldn't have to be skulking around the castle, if you'd been where you were supposed to be."

This time, Merlin had the grace to look a little sheepish. "Sorry about that, but I couldn't resist the chance of checking up on Avebury; not when I found out who was living in the room above. Look, Arthur..." Merlin pointed to his side, drawing Arthur's attention to the tall, slim man who was looking a little flustered.

"Your Graciousness... Sire," the stranger stuttered, as he bowed low.

"You probably don't remember him." Merlin was about to introduce the man when Arthur interrupted.

"William of Deara! What are you doing here?" Arthur asked, taking the man's hand and shaking it heartily. "This is a... surprise." He was about to say 'shock', but tempered his words, not wishing to appear rude. After all, William had helped him out many years ago, when he'd been an insecure prince, trying to find his place in a world he would one day rule.

He'd embarked on a madcap scheme (probably one of many) to prove his worth, which had eventually worked out well, though completely differently to how he'd planned, thanks to the two people he'd come to love most in the world... Guinevere and Merlin.

It was the time he had first learned of Guinevere's true worth, when she'd had the courage to stand up to him and tell him his arrogant behaviour was unacceptable. Her anger had taken him aback, yet it seemed as if someone, other than Merlin, was actually telling him the truth for his own good, and he'd appreciated her candour... began to love her because of it.

Then Merlin had uncovered an assassin, sent by King Odin, and kept him safe, no doubt with the use of magic. The list of questions he wanted to ask his friend grew longer by the minute, but they didn't have the luxury of time for a protracted stroll down memory lane. He was beginning to doubt they ever would, and he might as well simply accept that Merlin had saved his life on a frequent basis.

Meanwhile, a nervous William was shuffling from foot to foot, and Merlin cut in again, eager to calm the man's anxiety. "I was as surprised as you. Seems William heard the call about commoners being invited to the council and he came to see if we needed help again. Our William is head man of his village."

Now that Arthur was becoming accustomed to the gloom, he stepped back to view William, noticing, for the first time, that he was no longer the skinny, dishevelled farm boy, who Merlin had found in Arthur's hour of need. In fact, his clothes, though of rough homespun, were clean and tidy and his hair was trimmed.

"William, you're looking good." Arthur shook the man's hand again. "I'm glad to hear you've done well for yourself, and that you've volunteered your aid again." The King looked round the room and saw a single chair by a small table and a stool by the wall. "Come on, let us all sit down and you can tell us how you've been faring."

Arthur, automatically, took the chair, causing his friend to grin wryly. There were just some things about Arthur that would never change... and he didn't really want them to. Merlin sat on the stool, while Arthur beckoned William to sit on his narrow bed.

When they were all comfortable, though comfortable might not be the word to describe William's state of mind, Arthur began.

"So, tell us, William. How you've managed to come up in the world?"

William cleared his throat. "It was thanks to you, Sire, and Lord Merlin, and The Queen, of course. I know I was just pretending to be a knight, back then, but you made me see that I could become more than a simple peasant. You taught me I could maybe be somebody... not like you, Sire, but someone I would be proud to be." William grew in confidence as he recounted his story. "And the money you gave me helped a lot too. When I got back to the farm, my da was right glad of the silver, though, at first, he thought I'd been thieving. But my ma said I didn't have the brains to be a thief. At least, not one that wouldn't get caught."

As Arthur and Merlin smiled at their guest's lack of guile, William went on. "Anyway, I started to work harder on the farm. I used the money to buy some new livestock and I started to look into which crops grew better and why they did. My ma and da were proud of me, but, I can tell you, the other villagers thought I was touched in the head... but when I started getting good results, they soon came around. Some even copied me and asked me for advice, and the village did well; grew into a bit of a town, though it's not a place like Camelot. You probably wouldn't think much of it."

"Don't belittle yourself, William," Arthur said with a great deal of feeling. "Seems to me I'd be proud of your accomplishments too. It's not that I paid you a lot of money for your services, and yet you've done a lot with it."

"It might not have been much to you, Sire, but it was a fortune to the likes of me."

"It is what you did with the money that made the difference, Will," Merlin said, using the familiar name of his long dead friend, then lightened the atmosphere by asking a more personal question. "Did you ever get married?"

"Yes, I did, and to the prettiest girl in the village." William smiled at the thought of his family, getting over his shock that here he was having a conversation with The King and The Emrys. "Her father owns the tavern, so she was a bit of a catch. Now we have three children... all girls, but then you can't have everything, and Maeve swears she'll give me sons to help around the farm yet."

"Nothing wrong with girls, William," Arthur offered, sounding wistful. "At least you have children."

There was a definite lull in the conversation, causing Merlin to change the subject. "So when did you become headman?"

"A year or two ago. The last village elder died without leaving anyone to take his place, so they offered it to me. I know it should have been my father, but he said he was too old..."

The King acknowledged, internally, that his own fate might be very similar to that of the former elder, but he roused himself from his dark thoughts. "I'm happy for you, William, but it is getting very late, and we should leave you to get some sleep." Arthur used the arms of the chair to push himself erect. He was getting tired... tired and sore. Perhaps he might take that sleeping draft after all, but first he had to talk to Merlin and discuss what they'd both discovered about Avebury this night. "Oh, and William, thank you for helping Merlin out, but please, this escapade has got to remain secret."

"Yes, Sire. Of course. I would never do anything to harm you or Merlin... and if there is anything I can do to help again, I will."

That brought Arthur up short. "Be careful, William. I suspect that Avebury is a very dangerous man, so don't you be getting yourself killed in my service. Maeve and your girls need you back home, as does your town. If you do come across anything suspicious, you come to me or Merlin. I'll inform the guards that William of Deara is to have full access to both of us, or Sir Leon if we are not available. No, make that Sir Percival. William, this is important. You find anything, you bring it to us, or Percival... no other."

"Yes, Sire," William nodded. "You two, or Sir Percival. You have my word."

Arthur and Merlin wished Will goodnight and, quietly, threaded the corridors back to their own wing of the castle.

"What was that all about with Sir Leon?" Merlin asked, his brow wrinkled in thought.

Putting his finger to his lips, Arthur replied in a whisper. "Wait till we are safe in your chamber."

The midnight hour and the extinguishing of most of the torches cast dark shadows throughout the citadel's passageways, causing monstrous shapes to flicker across the stone walls. Arthur was reminded of numerous pranks he and Kay had undertaken when they were young children, venturing from their rooms in the summer nights to go gathering frogs or hunting foxes, returning in the late hours and stealing down these same corridors, hoping not to be caught, trying not to fear the strange monsters which seemed to inhabit their home in the dead of night.

Arthur gave a quiet laugh at his reminisces as they turned down the final hallway to his chambers, then stifled it when passing his own door.

"What's so funny?"

Merlin's whispered question came at him, which he quickly hushed, but it was already too late. The door of the royal solar opened a crack and Guinevere squeezed outside.

"Where have you been... and where do you think you're going?" she demanded, clearly understanding from their position that neither her husband nor her friend were intending to enter the royal apartments.

Giving the guards at either side of his door a quick glance, Arthur changed his destination and opened his door further, but before entering, he addressed his men. "Not a word of this to anyone," he said, stressing his command with a stab of his finger in the air.

"Nothing to tell, Sire," the older guard commented, still staring straight ahead.

"Good man!" The King gave a quick smile then pulled Merlin inside, before turning to Guinevere. "My love, I told you not to wait up!"

With a frown marring her clear brow, Guinevere followed them into the candle-lit room. "How do you expect me to sleep, while you are off stalking the castle, intent on getting into mischief when you're recovering from a serious injury? Arthur, I've just got you back!" Guinevere's voice rose, approaching hysteria, and Arthur took a moment or two to sooth her.

"Guine... vere." His voice drew out her name, caressing it as only he could. "I'm fine. No harm can come to me here in the castle. There are guards on every corner, and Merlin can cast a spell to knock any enemy out. I'm as safe as I've ever been, and I don't have to lift a sword... and you don't have to worry."

"You went to talk to Merlin, but that was ages ago!" Gwen was too uptight to let the matter drop immediately.

"I did, but Merlin wasn't in his room. He was skulking about the palace again..."

"I wouldn't call it skulking," Merlin objected, hitching his robe up while crossing to sit at the table. "I was... investigating."

"So was I!" Arthur cut in, "And I wanted to talk to you about it, but you'd gone walk about, practising some of your hocus-pocus with mirrors to spy on Avebury with William of Deara!"

"William of Deara is here?" Gwen asked with a smile, sitting at the table with Merlin; her memories of that far off time lifting her spirits.

"Yes, Gwen. He's done really well for himself. He's headman of his village now," Merlin answered, totally ignoring his king who was growing slightly white faced with frustration. "Even got married and has children. I think we inspired him."

"That's lovely. I'd like to meet him again."

Striding to the table and gazing down at his smiling wife and adviser, Arthur said somewhat surly. "And so you shall, Guinevere, but much as I hate to interrupt yours and Merlin's reminiscences, we have important findings to discuss."

A candle guttered in its sconce, making the room seem gloomier. Momentarily, Merlin's eyes glowed golden and the flame revived, while he also lit the brace of candles on the table.

"Thank you, Merlin," Arthur said, still a little in awe of Merlin's use of magic for simple tasks. "You really are a handy person to have around, and you're much less clumsy as a magician than you were a servant."

"Don't mention it." Merlin smirked and nodded his head in acceptance. "I'll take that as a compliment, I think. Now sit down and tell me what you've got against Leon."

Arthur bridled, unable to rid himself of the feeling, ungrateful though he knew it to be, that his life was being taken over by nursemaids. "I'll sit down when I feel like it... and I haven't got anything against Leon."

"Yet you asked William to report to Percival?"

"Only because I don't want to put Leon in the unenviable position of acting against his uncle!"

Guinevere looked confused. "But Arthur, you said everyone has a right to their own opinion. I know Lord Avebury has been impolite and arrogant, but surely he has a right to speak out against magic," Guinevere said, striving to remain fair.

"He does! I meant what I said when I encouraged people to air their views. Though I might take issue with Avebury's manner, he is at liberty to speak up... if I could be sure that was his only motive."

Arthur leaned forward, placing his hands flat on the table and allowing his arms to take his weight. The flickering light highlighted the shadows beneath his eyes, yet he would not give in to his weakness.

Guinevere resisted her natural instinct to comfort him, knowing he was a king first and her husband second, for the present. Instead she offered him a sounding board. "But surely the Avebury family have been Pendragon supporters for a long time, and Sir Leon is your first knight."

"I don't doubt Leon's loyalty, or his friendship, and I'm aware that Leon's grandfather helped my father in his battle to become king. He was also a staunch supporter of Uther's stand against sorcery." Arthur straightened and walked round to his chair, lowering himself into it stiffly, while both his wife and friend noticed a new chill in his voice when he spoke his father's name.

"But you believe the present Lord Avebury might not be so loyal?" Guinevere asked wearily, hoping against hope that no other enemy was plotting the downfall of Arthur and Camelot. The kingdom needed a time of peace... they all did.

"Seems not! I spoke with Leon tonight, asked him about his uncle..." Arthur dropped his head into his hands.

"And?" Merlin prompted, then added when a moment of silence stretched out. "That can't have been easy, interrogating your friend."

Arthur's head came up. "I didn't interrogate him... at least, I hope Leon didn't take it that way, and no, Merlin, I didn't enjoy questioning a friend. But I did learn something. It's not much, exactly, but I think Brennan Avebury quarrelled with his father because he didn't back The Pendragons. Of course, Leon has only heard servants' gossip, but when my father was crowned, Brennan left Albion, and the break with his family must have been a deep one because it was never bridged."

"That's not a lot to go on, Arthur," Merlin stated, playing devil's advocate. "He did return eventually and pledge his allegiance to you."

"But only when his father died, and if he wanted to claim his inheritance, he had no choice but to return and take his oath, though..." Arthur's voice was silenced by a rasping cough, scaring his listeners, who exchanged troubled glances, though they dared not comment. He cleared his throat and began again. "Though you'll notice, since the day he made that vow, he has never visited the court, nor did he send the men he had pledged to me, when I sent out the general muster for Camlann."

"Yet he was the first to arrive for The Grand Council," Guinevere reminded them, valiantly maintaining her stoic resolve not to fuss over Arthur's health. "Though isn't Avebury quite a distance from Camelot?"

"It is!" Arthur turned to Guinevere with a quick smile. "By rights, he shouldn't have had time to receive the summons and travel to Camelot before the opening ceremony."

"Unless he was answering the muster," Merlin offered reflectively. "He arrived with quite an entourage."

The King frowned, running Merlin's reasoning through his mind. "You don't really believe that, Merlin. Do you?"

"No." Merlin shook his head emphatically. "He knew the muster was at Camlann... everyone did, and since Camlann is nearer to his home, he had the time and opportunity to reach the battle site."

"Exactly!" Arthur crowed just a little. "So why arrive in Camelot with a large troop of men?"

"Marauding Saxons?" Guinevere took her turn as sounding board.

"The Saxons fled east; Avebury came from the south west." Arthur bit down on his thumb again, a habit he had developed of late when he was deep in thought. "And I'm assuming you sent out news of our victory, Guinevere?"

"Sir Leon did. Almost immediately. At the same time as he sent the patrols out searching for you," The Queen of Camelot assured her husband that duty had been done. "He didn't mention meeting his uncle, though he did tell me of all the people he'd questioned about your whereabouts."

While Arthur remained contemplative, Merlin spoke. "Then the chances are Leon didn't encounter Lord Avebury, so where was he?"

"Hiding. Lying in wait... but for what?" The air in the room hung heavily with conjecture, until Arthur voiced the suspicion in all their minds. "Was he waiting for Camelot to become so disorganised without a head of state to seize the kingdom for himself?"

"But surely Avebury has no claim to the throne?" Guinevere stated, her hand reaching out to catch Arthur's before he chewed his knuckle to the bone.

"Uther took the crown by force, but he was directly linked by blood to Bruta." Arthur reviewed his history, the facts and not Merlin's fairy tales. "As far as I know, the House of Avebury has no such connection, and I doubt he could rustle up enough allies to place him on the throne."

"Certainly not when you returned from the dead, Arthur," Merlin agreed with a harsh laugh. "If he does have ambitions, that must have come as a nasty shock. It would explain why he looks at both of us with such loathing, when he thinks we don't notice."

Arthur moved to punch Merlin's arm, but he quickly changed his customary action to squeezing his friend's shoulder. "You're onto something there! At first, I thought it was just his enmity towards magic, but it seems more personal than that." Abruptly, he stood up and started pacing. "But this is merely conjecture and gut feelings. We cannot act without proof. Merlin, did your spying tonight uncover anything substantial?"

"He invited a few of the nobles back to his chamber for a nightcap. I've got a list of the names, particularly those who agreed with him wholeheartedly, but there was nothing discussed which was outside the law."

When Arthur looked crestfallen, Merlin threw in a little titbit of information. "He keeps two ravens in cages in his room."

"Messengers?" Gwen enquired, memories of Eira darkening her mood. "I know we've had bad experiences with traitors sending word to our enemies, but does keeping ravens make him a bad person?"

"Not in itself," Arthur admitted, grudgingly, as he stopped by Gwen's shoulder. "And I suppose he could have a completely innocent reason, but if he is sending messages, I would give my right arm to intercept them, and to find out who the recipient might be."

Merlin's eyes twinkled mischievously. "I think I might be able to help you with that, and William is going to keep watch."

"But I don't want him putting himself in danger. Even if what we suspect about Avebury isn't true, I doubt he would be much troubled by harming a commoner who got in his way," Arthur growled, stretching his spine. "Avebury doesn't understand that I hold every one of my people in high regard, noble and commoner alike. I promise you this; if he is plotting against Camelot, I will take him down, no matter what the consequences."

Gwen and Merlin were stricken with dismay at Arthur's word's, yet their fears were somewhat smoothed as The King's fighting talk was stifled by a yawn, though he tried to hide it.

At once, Guinevere rose, bending to snuff out the candles on the table. "Come on, Arthur," she said in her most persuasive voice, taking his hand. "I think we've done what we can for tonight, and I'm tired. We should get some sleep."

The Queen's words closed their clandestine meeting and the royal couple went to bed, unfortunately, with troubled thoughts disturbing their peace.

But for Merlin there was no immediate rest. He had a spell to weave over Avebury's ravens, plus he wanted to check on Morgana; make sure the High Priestess wasn't brewing up more trouble. He was aware Iseldir had her under his control, but he couldn't help but assume responsibility for thwarting Morgana's plan... if indeed she had one.

Once more, aslightly longer chapter, which I hope you have enjoyed. I really loved introducing an old 'friend' from the show and giving him a bit more of a back story. I hope you liked catching up with him too.

Please, I love reading your reviews, and though I know that people have busy lives, I would really appreciate a few words from you to let me know how you think I am doing with this story.I know I am posting on Friday 13th, and I'm not very superstitious, so I hope to hear from you that you actually liked this chapter. I'll keep my fingers crossed! :)