Alaia Skyhawk:

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

Music: N/A

"Whom History Won't Remember" Episode: N/A

~(-)~

Chapter 67: To Kill The King ~Part 1~

It was dark in the forge, the only light coming from the red-hot coals and from a handful of candles set about. He didn't normally work this late, wasn't normally this nervous. He steadied his nerves, thinking about the bright smile on his daughters face earlier today, when he'd presented her with a new scarlet and purple dress he'd bought for her with the down-payment for this job. He'd hidden from her why he'd suddenly been able to afford it... He didn't want to worry her.

Tom moved to the bellows, working the handles and sending sparks showering upwards from the coals as the aid blew in beneath them. Right in the middle of those coals sat a small crucible, the metal within it now melted into a silver-grey pool.

That was when the eerie draft swept through the forge, and he became aware of a figure stood in the shadows near the door. That figure came forward, the man revealing the face within his hood as he came into the light.

"It is prepared?"

Tom nodded, once again reminding himself that the money for this job would see him and Gwen through many months, even a year, and that would be if he didn't work. If he continued to work as well, they would be able to live very comfortably for several years at the least.

"It is."

"Very good."

The other man came closer, reaching into a pouch on his belt and pulling out a large amber stone, set into a silver frame resembling three claws holding it at each end of its narrow length.

Tom frowned when he saw it.

"What is that?"

The man frowned at him.

"I'm not paying you to ask questions... The lead please."

Tom warily got a pair of long-handled tongs, using them to pick up the small crucible and take it to the nearby table. There he poured it into a simple bowl-shaped mould and stepped away. The man walked up to it, holding the stone between his hands as it began to glow. Seeing it, the blacksmith started to protest.

"You didn't say anything about magic! I don't want any trouble." The sorcerer ignored him, his attention focused upon the lead which was now turning a vibrant yellow shade. Seeing that as well, Tom's eyes widened. "Gold?"

The spell ended, the sorcerer nodded, returning the stone to its pouch as Tom plunged the mould into the nearby trough of water and waited for the steam to stop rising.

"Pure, priceless gold. It's yours, blacksmith, if you keep your mouth shut."

Tom picked up the now mostly cooled block of gold from the water, staring at it in the wonder of the riches he held in his hand.

That was the moment when the doors of the forge slammed open, a mass of guards surging through them led by Prince Arthur. The sorcerer threw the crucible and the remaining lead in it into the trough, raising a cloud of steam to cover his escape, but Tom was seized before he could move even a single pace. When Arthur saw the gold in the blacksmith's hands, his expression hardened as the words of condemnation passed his lips.

"You're under arrest."

~(-)~

Blue eyes jolted open, their owner instantly awake at the raw and un-ignorable jangle against the senses of his mind. An intense shiver down his spine, setting nerves on end, and it was like nothing he'd ever sensed before. He lay there, trying to place it, for some time until he knew he just had to speak to Gaius about it.

He got out of his bed, going to the door of his room and wandering down the step to the main chamber. Gaius was still awake, reading through some book, and he regarded his ward with a small degree of surprise. Normally once Merlin went to bed, it took something rather significant to wake him.

"Can't sleep?"

Merlin shivered a little, edgy.

"Something woke me."

"What?"

The warlock frowned, eyes distant as he thought about it.

"I don't know... A feeling."

Gaius was frowning now. Merlin looked disturbed, and given his ward rarely if ever bore that kind of expression, he realised it might be something serious.

"What kind of feeling?"

Merlin looked at him, certain.

"Powerful magic, here in Camelot."

Gaius rose to his feet.

"Are you sure?"

Merlin nodded, coming further into the room. He shivered, wrapping his arms around himself.

"It felt... odd. Like a kind of magic that shouldn't really exist, like it was doing something that shouldn't really be done. Not something that could cause a disaster, but still... something that even though it can be done without harm, it was something that maybe shouldn't be done. It's... It's like an itch in the back of my mind, irritating and right where I can't scratch it."

Gaius came closer. Many might have called Merlin mad, or said he was imagining things, but he'd already learnt now that where that might be true of other sorcerers, Merlin was far more keyed into the base magic of the land.

"Can you tell me anything else?"

Merlin seemed to think, before sighing and shaking his head.

"No, I can't. All I know is that it was in the city, and that it wasn't a malicious spell."

Silence fell between them, both thinking. Magic in Camelot, magic other than Merlin that is, always seemed to mean imminent trouble. That thought was proven true just a couple of minutes later, but not in the way they'd expected, when Gwen rushed into the chambers coming to see person she thought might be able to help.

She hurried towards Merlin, distressed and frantic.

"My father's been arrested."

Merlin reacted in shock and disbelief.

"Arrested? What for?"

"They say he was making weapons for a sorcerer. They're charging him with treason."

~(-)~

"Treason?"

Morgana was incredulous, staring at her guarding in disbelief. It hadn't taken long for word of Tom's arrest to reach her, and now she was confronting the one who accused him of that crime.

Uther turned to face her

"Yes, Morgana. Treason. The blacksmith was consorting with a known enemy."

"Enemy? What enemy?"

Arthur's voice answered her question from her left, standing as he was with his hands braced on a table.

"Tauren, the leader of a band of renegade sorcerers sworn to bring down the king."

Morgana frowned.

"And where is this Tauren now?"

"...He escaped."

She raised her chin a little, walking over to him clutching at that sliver of a chance.

"Then how can you be sure?"

"Because Arthur saw him with his own eyes."

Uther brought a halt to that line of conversation, interrupting her firmly. But she refused to give up, refused to stop trying.

"Even if he is who you say he is, you can't sentence a man to death just for being seen with him."

The king's tone was stern.

"We have reason to believe he was forging weapons for Tauren."

"Rubbish, he would never do such a thing."

Uther gestured to his son.

"Every man has a price."

At that signal, Arthur pushed the block of gold into Morgana's view upon the table.

"I found this on the blacksmith."

Morgana started to shake her head.

"So he was paid. He's a blacksmith, he could have been paid for shoeing Tauren's horse."

Uther just stared at her.

"In gold?"

She stared back, her voice rising in volume a little as she continued to protest.

"This is madness! You condemn a man with no proof."

"I have enough proof."

The king walked away towards the window, Morgana now looking pleadingly at Arthur. He'd sided with her in the past, and she had to try. The way he'd held himself, leaning over the table, had shown he wasn't entirely happy with the arrest.

"Arthur, have you nothing to say?"

He glanced at her, knowing how much her maid, Gwen, meant to her, and how that in turn made her greatly value the maid's father as well. After that moment, he sighed slightly and stood straight, speaking to his father.

"Father, the blacksmith committed a crime, but we don't know for certain that he meant treason."

Uther turned and looked at him, seeming to decide to be reasonable.

"No, you're right, nothing is certain." He then started to scowl. "Save one thing. The law stands, or this kingdom falls."

Morgana took a step towards him.

"But the law must give him a fair trial."

Uther nodded.

"He will get a fair trial and he will be found guilty, because that's what he is."

At those words, a hint of fury and rebellion lay in Morgana's eyes.

"You execute Gwen's father and I will never forgive you." She turned and started to storm from the room. "Never."

Uther gave her only a glance as she left, but Arthur watched her more solemnly. He knew her temper far better than his father did. He turned to the king, walking towards him.

"Maybe we should investigate further."

The king was in no mood for any further attempts at reasoning, his orders sharp and final.

"Tauren slept somewhere, fed somewhere. Find anyone who helped him in any way. They must be punished. The people must see the laws of Camelot are not to be trifled with."

"...Yes, Father."

The king strode out of the room as Arthur stood there with a distinctly unhappy feeling in his gut, but he would obey... He had to obey.

~(-)~

"I didn't know Tauren was a sorcerer. I meant no harm, I swear."

Gwen stood at the door of her father's cell, clinging to the bars while he stood the other side of them... So close but so far. Gaius had pulled strings in order to bring her down here, wielding his rank as Court Physician as well as bringing her here at a time when he knew the guards on shift were ones inclined to be at least a little sympathetic. She would not have long to talk to him, but it was better than not being able to at all.

She regarded him with a hint of tears, reaching through the bars to touch his face.

"Why didn't you tell me what was going on?"

Tom bowed his head with guilt, before lifting his gaze again to look at her.

"I knew you wouldn't like it, Gwen. You're cautious. I didn't want to let an opportunity pass..."

"An opportunity?" She looked at the door of the cell, shaking her head. "You call this an opportunity?"

He grimaced, sighing.

"No. I've been a fool. I just wanted to make a better life for us, for you. I wanted to make you happy."

Gwen bit her lip, forcing herself to keep her emotions in check even as her un-shed tears were evident in her voice.

"But I am happy. I don't need anything else, I have everything I want."

Tom endured the same struggle, resting his head against the bars.

"And I've thrown it all away."

Seeing how helpless he looked, Gwen's resolve strengthened.

"Don't worry, we will get you out of this. I promise."

She gave him a small smile, leaving before one of the guards would come and make her leave. Gaius and Merlin waited at the entrance to the dungeon, turning to face her when she came into view. Merlin was the one to speak, urgent for any information that might help get Tom freed.

"What did he say?"

Gwen answered, still anxious.

"He said Tauren approached him at the forge, and offered to pay him a fortune for his help. Not to make weapons, but for an experiment or something."

Merlin frowned.

"What kind of experiment?"

"Tauren didn't say, but he used some kind of stone. Some kind of magic. Tauren asked for him to have molten lead ready for him, and when he came he used the stone to turn the lead into gold."

Gaius raised his eyebrows, but said nothing to that as he gently took her by the arm, deciding that right now rest would be the best thing for her. He led her away from the dungeons, Merlin following behind as they headed back to Gaius' chambers.

"Come, you can use Merlin's room tonight. I'll give you a sleeping draft, and we try figure out how to help your father in the morning. We won't get anything useful done, if we're too tired to see what may be right in front of us."

She nodded mutely, accepting his recommendation. Merlin stayed in the main chamber while Gaius got her settled, holding his silence until the old man came out and stated that she was now sleeping.

Merlin frowned, puzzled.

"I don't understand it. What would a sorcerer want with Tom?"

Gaius sighed, stating what was obvious.

"His forge, Merlin. It's the finest in the kingdom, or at least the finest that Tauren would have access to. The royal swordsmith has his workshop practically against the castle walls, as does Ulwin's best smith have his by the manor walls. Tom was the only one he could have approached."

Merlin's expression darkened a little.

"So do you think Tom was lying? Do you think he was making weapons?"

The physician shook his head.

"No, I don't. When Tom was arrested they found gold on him." He glanced towards where the maid was sleeping. "And from what Gwen was saying, Tauren's experiment bears all the hallmarks of alchemy."

"Alchemy is impossible, isn't it?"

Gaius was thoughtful.

"To change the nature of one thing into something else has defeated all who have tried, but if you used magic..."

Merlin caught the unsaid meaning, dropping his voice to a cautious whisper.

"Do you think that's what woke me?"

Gaius nodded.

"It is possible, I suppose."

There wasn't much else to be said, both of them preparing to settle down for the night. Gaius on his bed, and Merlin on the floor. He might have complained, but then he'd never begrudge Gwen anything.

But the following morning, not long after dawn, what calm he'd managed to find him himself was edged away by that shiver in the back of his mind again. That same magic as before, and yet this time it felt undirected. Just a passive presence teasing his inability to locate it.

He remained sat against one of the wooden pillars that supported the roof above his room, waiting for Gwen to wake, and was still sat there when a quiet voice from his doorway roused him from his thoughts.

"Merlin?"

"Morgana?"

Seeing her there, he quickly got to his feet, Morgana looking to where Gwen was still sleeping under the effects of the potion Gaius had given her.

"How is she?"

Merlin looked at her as well, solemn.

"She's doing ok."

The two of them glanced at each other, until Morgana broke the silence.

"We should let her rest."

Merlin followed her back out into the main room, taking the chance to ask the question he felt he had to.

"Morgana, have you spoke to Uther? He must realise that this is a mistake. Whatever Tom was doing, it wasn't plotting against the king."

Morgana looked grim.

"I know that, of course I do. But Uther... Uther only sees enemies."

"But Tom is the most gentle soul I've ever met."

She sighed.

"But he was seen with Tauren, and that makes him an enemy."

She turned, heading for the main door as Merlin called out after her.

"Then... there's little hope?"

She glanced back, shaking her head.

"There's no hope, Merlin. None at all."

She headed on her way, that thought in her mind. No, there would be no hope of convincing the king to change his mind, which meant if they wanted hope she would have to create it. Once again Arthur was going to find himself missing one of his keys, and if that key found its way into the hands of a certain blacksmith... Then there would be chance.

As for Merlin, he would spend today dwelling on Tom's ordained fate. Enduring while forced to look on as a grim Arthur arrested the handful of men and women who had been found to have had contact with Tauren. When he challenged the thought as to how giving a man a bed for the night was treason, when they may not have known who it was they rented it to, the snapped reply held little impact for him.

'It is not for you to question my father's actions. Is that understood?'

It sounded to him as if Arthur dearly wished to challenge those actions himself... To challenge the injustice of punishment without proof of guilt.

~(-)~

Alaia Skyhawk: It's ironic to think that Uther has no idea how his actions in this became the start of his downfall. Ironic to think that if he'd shown mercy Morgana would never have taken the plunge to try and get him killed. Yes, she forgives him at the end of this ep, but the seed is still sown. Ah well, I'll see you guys next chapter.