It suddenly came to him why he hadn't found the woman yet. If she was such a talented shape shifter, chances were she could perform the same feats of magic on herself. The only problem was wizards and witches couldn't see through each others guises in the same way that he could see through Arthur and Gwen's guise.
He looked around at the wildlife. He had to look for a creature that was behaving out of the ordinary. His eyes fell on a brown rabbit with streaks of gray in the bushes. It seemed to be watching him. When he made a move towards the rabbit, it spun around and tried to hop away. Merlin pounced and with a little magical aid was able to grab it by the ears.
The rabbit shrank away into a fly. It escaped his hand, but he never lost sight of it. It joined a group of flies that were swarming around a dead carcass.
He reached out and grabbed the fly in his fist before it became too lost in the crowd. "I have you now. You might as well return to your normal state, so you and I can have a little chat."
Nothing happened. She was clearly not convinced that he knew he had right fly. To be perfectly honest, Merlin wasn't quite positive himself, but he knew a way he could find out for sure. He walked over to the saddlebag, the fly still firmly in hand. "I happen to have two very hungry friends in my bag, who I know would be happy to see you."
The fly in his hand transformed into a middle-aged woman. The wings in his hands became her cloak that he never let go of. "That was not a very kind thing to do," the woman complained.
"Turning my friends into frogs was not a very kind thing to do either."
"How do you think I survived the Great Purge, boy? It wasn't by being kind to witch hunters."
Merlin felt pity for the woman. Was she really a coldhearted witch or was she simply a frightened old woman? "There are other ways to deal with people than with that sort of magic."
"If you had lost your sons to the purge, you would know them for the animals they are!" Her expression softened as she looked at Merlin, "I can tell you have the gift. That's why I haven't done you any harm. You remind me of my youngest son in your innocence. He was about your age. He didn't think we should return violence for violence and it cost him his life. Their agonizing screams still haunt me. They're just lucky that turning them into animals is all I do."
"I know about the persecution. I've come close to being burned at the stake a time or two myself, but don't you see? If we fight back this way, harming every nonmagical person who crosses our path, we become the villains that they think we are. We become the characters in the stories they tell their children. I've seen it happen to a friend."
The woman's eyes shimmered and he knew he had gotten through to her, but then she hardened again, "Oh, so I suppose when I turn them back, this will all be water under the bridge, right? I did what I did in self-defense. Your king didn't come to the swamp armed to get a little fishing in. He was witch-hunting and I was his prey. And don't think I didn't see the sword that his young wife had."
"I promise you if you turn them back I will protect you. You can turn into whatever animal you choose and I will convince them to give up the search for you."
"You seem to have a lot of faith in these people you serve. I don't suppose they know about your secret, do they?"
"No, but neither one of them is like King Uther was. I believe a day is nearing when we won't have to hide in swamps or behind identities that aren't our own."
She gave him a long, searching gaze before giving a derisive snort. "For your sake, boy, I hope you're right. By all that is holy, I hope you're right. Bring them here."
Merlin let go and took Arthur and Gwen out of the saddlebag. He placed them on the ground in front of her. She undid the spell and flew away as a bird before Arthur and Gwen had time to look up.
Arthur and Gwen looked bewildered as they rose from their froglike positions to standing positions.