Sorry about last week. I started a job and had a ton of midterms so I didn't have a lot of time to edit. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and followed. I will try to respond to the reviews from this week like normal. I hope everyone has a great week.
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.
Once he exited the room, Lancelot let his emotions flow. He didn't want to give Arthur any reason not to let him search Ulric's chambers. He didn't want to give this man sympathy for what he had done to Merlin. He would tear the chambers apart until he found some evidence that would get Ulric kicked out of Camelot. Better yet, he would find some evidence that would get Ulric imprisoned. But, Arthur would have never let Lancelot go if he didn't think the man's head was full of fury and not the calm he usually felt. No one hurt a child while Lancelot was around, especially Merlin. He cursed Ulric for making him feel this way. He cursed Ulric for disrupting the peace. And he cursed Ulric for ever trying to lay a hand on Merlin. He would teach him a lesson, if it was the last thing he did.
"Lancelot, wait," Leon called after him. He must have seen Lancelot's face when he finally exited the room. He had seen how it had slowly disintegrated it's calm exterior, letting the anger erode away his features. Now, he was going to try and calm him down. But Lancelot was having none of it.
"Leon, he's evil. He needs to be taken out. " Lancelot spat. Leon managed to catch up to Lancelot. He grabbed his arm and tugged him into an alcove. Lancelot was about to protest when Leon held up his hand and shook his head. A warning. Leon still outranked him and could command Lancelot not to search Ulric's chambers. Lancelot wisely buried any comments he had in the back of his throat. He hoped the knight would allow him to say his piece, and allow him to continue on his mission.
"He is also an honored guest. We can't just run around making baseless accusations. We have to do this carefully. If we make so much as one mistake, it could give Ulric the upper hand. That is why Arthur let you go. You're calm and you don't make mistakes. However, as you are now, you may give Ulric reason to suspect us and reason to turn against us. We have to be careful," Leon said. Lancelot let Leon's words bounce around in his mind. Of course he was right. Lancelot was endangering the entire mission like this. He could have made things worse than they already were.
"I know, you're right. It's just, we promised to protect Merlin but we still failed," Lancelot sighed. Leon patted his shoulder.
"First off, we didn't fail Merlin. Ulric cornered him but did nothing to harm the child. I got there in time. Now that we are suspicious of Ulric, now that we know he's up to something, we can be prepared. We don't have to run around here blindly, though. That's what your job is. For all we know, he could just be a danger to the servants, and not at all to Camelot. But we need more information so that we can continue to plan and prepare. We can't just rush in there with no idea what we're up against. However, if you succeed, then we have a chance on bringing a very dangerous man down," Leon said. Lancelot nodded and allowed himself to be led out of the alcove. He had calmed down significantly and no longer wanted to murder Ulric as badly. He still wanted to teach that man a lesson, but that could wait now. Leon was right. He usually was.
"Just trust me. Everything will end up just fine," Leon promised. Lancelot nodded and took a few more deep breaths. He felt he was calm enough now to continue his mission.
The two walked in a comfortable silence. Lancelot was preparing various excuses as to why he was in Ulric's chambers. Leon was preparing to tell the others what had happened. A large group of guards rounded a corner.
"That's odd. They're usually not is such large groups," Leon muttered. Lancelot noticed one of the men whispering into someone who appeared to be the leader. The leader looked towards the knights and nodded.
"This isn't good," Lancelot said.
"There he is," the leader said, pointing at Lancelot. Leon stiffened and his hand went to his sword. If such a large group was here for Lancelot, that couldn't mean anything good.
"What do you gentlemen want?" he asked.
"Sir, Leon, I suggest you step aside unless you want to be tried for treason," the leader said. The guards quickly came to a stop around the pair and surrounded them, allowing for no escape.
"What's going on? What have I done?" Lancelot said, stepping in front of Leon.
"If you don't struggle, things will be easier on you. Now hold out your wrists." Lancelot complied. One of the guards clamped a pair of cuffs on Lancelot's wrists.
"Sir Lancelot, you are hereby charged with sorcery," the leader stated. Lancelot and Leon's jaws dropped. Lancelot's eyes widened as he tried to comprehend what was going on. Leon shook his head viciously before stepping forward.
"What?" Leon cried. "Who accused him?" Lancelot himself wasn't making much of an effort to get free as he was dragged away. He looked to be in shock more than anything. His mouth was opening and closing, never quiet forming words. Meanwhile, Leon jogged to catch up with the leader, trying to get more information.
"You have been sentenced to burn on the pyre in two days time. I hope you've made peace with God," one guard said.
"He hasn't done anything. Answer my questions!" Leon cried.
"I haven't done anything?" Lancelot repeated.
"Sir Leon, if you want to argue against this accusation, I suggest you talk to the king. He was the one that gave us the orders," the leader said. Leon stared at where they were dragging Lancelot away. He paced back and forth trying to figure out a way to free him. The guard was right though, talking to the king would be the easiest way to figure out what was going on. He had a council meeting now and should be there. Leon turned and ran through the hallways, desperate to find a way to release his friend.
He burst through the door to see Uther in a conversation with some of his advisors. Ulric was looking far too smug for Leon's peace of mind. If there was any doubt about this man's intentions before, they were all clear now. Ulric was behind Lancelot's accusation. There was no other explanation for the way he was acting. Arthur and Morgana looked bored, meaning they probably hadn't heard the news yet.
"Sir Leon, is there anything I can help you with?" Uther asked. He didn't look surprised to see Leon there. He didn't look surprised to see Leon looking so angry. Did that mean Uther expected the knight to burst through the chamber doors like this? What was going on here?
"Who accused Lancelot of sorcery?" Leon demanded. He heard a tiny cry and the clatter of a jug. Leon closed his eyes and mentally smacked himself. He should have known Merlin would be here. And now he just blurted out that Lancelot, one of Merlin's favorite knights, was now accused of sorcery. Furthermore, Merlin had magic and was promised that he was safe here. Now, he had just heard that Lancelot was accused of sorcery. He was probably terrified. Leon wanted to go and hug the child and tell him it was alright, that it was all just a misunderstanding. But he couldn't. Not now. He needed to hear Uther's explanation as to why he sentenced one of his most loyal knights to burn at the pyre.
"What?" Arthur cried. He heard a rush of whispers fill the room. Some sounded surprised, some did not. The castle shook, cause Leon to turn and look at Merlin. Percival was currently by his side, trying to calm the boy.
"Lancelot's gone?" Merlin gasped, his eyes flashed gold for a brief second.
"No, it's just a mistake. We'll fix it no time," Percival replied, kneeling down to pick up Merlin.
"I want to stay! I can tell the king it was me!" Merlin cried. Percival hushed him.
"It wasn't you though Merlin. Lying is bad and so you shouldn't lie about this."
"But it wasn't Lancelot either," Merlin whimpered.
"I know. But Leon and Arthur can fix this. You have to trust them though," Percival said before rushing out the doors. Leon was glad Uther hadn't ordered Merlin to be arrested when he admitted to using magic. Perhaps the king did not trust Merlin's word, since Percival had told him not to lie. Whatever the case, Leon was just glad that he didn't have to convince Uther that two people were innocent.
"Sir Leon," Uther growled, "remember your place. And I have proof that Lancelot was a practicing sorcerer," Uther said. Leon tried his best not to start shouting at the king. That wouldn't help Lancelot's situation any and might make it worse. He couldn't risk that. He had to remain calm. He had to find evidence that Lancelot was innocent.
"Who accused him?" Morgana demanded. She looked livid and scared at the same time. Arthur looked as though he was still trying to process what Leon had said. The rest of the council anxiously awaited the outcome, each trying to predict what would happen.
"By me," Ulric said, his voice wavering slightly. Leon furrowed his brows. This man really wanted to try and convince Leon that he was innocent in this whole thing? "It was sometime last week that he was chanting these awful spells," Ulrich said, his voice rising with distress. "It was truly and awfully terrifying. Honestly," he claimed. His hands went to his shirt and began to straighten the garment, smoothing out the wrinkles that weren't really there. "I then went to investigate his chamber and found several stones. I thought they might be used for magic so they were brought to Uther." He looked up at Leon and shrugged. "Better safe than sorry." He smiled. Leon had to fight not to punch him in his stupid face. Morgana stood up. The chair clattering to the ground with the amount of force she used. Her hand balled into fists and her eyes full of fire.
"You targeted him because he was getting close to finding out the truth. You're hiding something! I know you are. Lancelot did too!" Morgana screeched.
"All you of you, be quiet," Uther shouted, effectively stopping the conversation. The council members shifted uncomfortably in their seats unsure of what to do. "While it is admirable that you protect a member of Camelot from any accusations, I have no choice but to conclude that Lancelot has been using sorcery. He will die and that is the end of it. Leon, Arthur, with me. I have some things to discuss." Uther stood up and stalked away. Arthur and Morgana shared one last look at Ulric before standing and following the king. Ulric sighed with relief and sagged back into the chair. Some of the council members went to console him on how scary and hard it must have been for him. Leon didn't bother to stay and argue more. He could do that with Uther in the chambers. Once inside his chambers, Uther collapsed into a chair.
"Father, you can't do this. Lancelot has done nothing wrong!" Arthur cried once the chamber doors shut.
"Will you quit shouting, I don't need the entire castle to hear," Uther said. Arthur snapped his mouth shut and continued to glare at his father. Leon wondered what Uther needed to talk to them about that couldn't be discussed in the chambers of the council. Maybe he was going to fire Leon for speaking out against him. But something didn't seem to fit with that scenario. Uther was hiding something from the men. "The gems Ulric brought to me were authentic, Gaius helped confirm it." Leon opened his mouth to argue. "Do not interrupt me, Sir Leon. Or I will see that you spend the rest of your life on an endless patrol," Uther snapped. Leon closed his mouth and allowed Uther to continue. "I don't feel comfortable with the outcome of these events. Why do you think his execution isn't tomorrow, or tonight?" Uther asked, staring intently at the two men.
"What?" Leon asked. Arthur looked at Leon, trying to see if he knew what Uther was talking about. It was a few seconds before Arthur's face lit up.
"You mean?" Arthur began. Uther held up a hand to stop Arthur.
"You are not to talk with the prisoner. I want to you to find out more about what he's been doing. Ask around the castle, surely there must be something there that will prove who is telling the truth," Uther commanded. "You are dismissed." Leon and Arthur nodded and left the chambers.
"Has Uther been replaced?" Leon asked as soon as the door closed. Arthur shook his head.
"Let's get back to the others and explain tot them what is going on. Morgana should be happy that father wants Lancelot's innocence to be proved." Leon nodded and followed Arthur.
They reached his chambers to hear Morgana's heals clicking across the floor. Leon opened the chamber door to see Merlin in Percival's arms, unconscious. Elyan was comforting Gwen and Morgana was storming back and forth across the room.
"What happened to Merlin?" Arthur asked, rushing to the boy's side. Ulric could have done something to him. He couldn't risk not being able to protect Merlin as well as his own knights.
"I think he's collapsed in on himself. He doesn't seem to be responding to anything I've been doing," Percival said sadly. Arthur nodded. He lifted up the child and carried him to his room where he tucked Merlin in.
"Lancelot will be fine Merlin, you'll see. Don't start doubting me now," Arthur said. He patted Merlin's head before heading back into the main chamber.
"I hope you gave that horrible man a piece of you mind," Morgana seethed. Leon wrapped his arms around her shoulders to stop her from walking anymore.
"Actually, he doesn't think that Lancelot's done anything wrong," Arthur explained. Gwen looked up. Tears were streaming down her face, but she looked hopeful.
"Then why has he been arrested? Why has he been sentenced to death!" she cried.
"Because Uther doesn't want Ulric catching onto his suspicions. The longer we keep Ulric in the dark, the more investigating we can do," Leon explained.
"Then we'll just have to find his plan and get him to confess before Lancelot is killed," Morgana spat, walking quickly out the door. No one got up to stop Morgana, but Gwen did stand up and follow after her.
"I hope we can do this. Uther should have given us more time," Percival groaned.
"He gave us all the time he could," Leon said.
oOoOoOo
Gwaine sat back and looked at the night sky. Any day now Ulric should be leaving Camelot. He wondered if everyone was alright. There was a niggling in the back of his head that told Gwaine that things were starting to fall apart back at Camelot. He shouldn't have left them. He should be there, face Ulric like a man. But there was something about facing that man that caused Gwaine to be scared. He didn't have a conscious. He wouldn't listen to reason. He was an animal, only looking to secure his own gain. He probably wouldn't hesitate is cutting down Gwaine the moment he saw him. Gwaine didn't like being scared.
Besides, it wasn't as if Ulric had that much weight in Camelot's politics. It was possible that the deal would fall through and that Ulric would never return. But could Gwaine live with himself if Ulric continued to rule. Such a tyrant was not needed for the people. Gwaine turned onto his side and stared out at the dark forest. He couldn't help the twisting feeling that that settled in his stomach. Something was wrong. He could just feel it. His instincts were never wrong and given how they were about Ulric, Gwaine was more than willing to bet the right now, Ulric was doing something horrible.
Gwaine sat up and decided he needed to go back to Camelot. He could sneak in at night and spend his days in one of the knight's chambers or even his own. He would stay and fight Ulric if the man stepped one toe out of line. With this decided, Gwaine rolled over and continued to get sleep. He was going to need it if he was to face the man who killed his family. One way or another, Ulric would never hurt someone he loved again.
That is all for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed. I probably won't update this weekend since it is Thanksgiving and I will be visiting family. Have a good week.