"Hateful, spiteful man!" Morgana hissed as she stomped down the corridor leading to her chambers.
Sir Leon cleared his throat. "Um, my lady, you might want to lower your voice," he urged.
"I don't care who hears me!"
"My lady," Leon whispered, "He's the king."
Morgana whirled around. "Thank you, but I don't think I needed that reminder."
Never had Morgana seen Sir Leon so awkward. The usually composed knight didn't seem to know where to look as he gestured for her to enter her own chambers. Angrily, she began to close the door on him.
"My lady, may I ask a question?"
Morgana paused, leaving the door open a crack. "What?"
"I couldn't help but overhear something about an execution. Surely it's not Merlin you were referring to?"
A wave of nausea suddenly hit Morgana all over again as reality set in. She nodded, too afraid that her voice would betray her emotions.
Concern lined his features as Leon stepped back, the shock written all over his face. "I am sorry if this is too forward, but does any of this have to do with that book that was found?"
"Yes, I'm afraid it does. Merlin…he confessed that he put it there."
"Merlin? Merlin is a sorcerer?"
"Hard to believe, isn't it? Not so hard for Uther though."
"No, it can't be true. There must be some mistake."
"I tried to convince Uther of his innocence, but as you can see that didn't go as planned."
"I am sorry."
"There's really nothing you can do…" Morgana trailed off, her eyes lighting up. "Wait, maybe there is."
Leon eyed her warily.
"If only Arthur were here. Maybe Uther would listen to him! If we could get word sent to him I am certain he would travel back as soon as he could."
Leon nodded. "And as far as I know he is due back any day. He could be on his way even now. I would go to him if I could…but the king ordered me to stand guard."
Morgana grabbed his arm, knowing it was a bold move but not caring. "Can't you send someone else?"
Glancing at her hand on his arm and then back to her, Leon seemed to be hesitating.
"I'm begging you," Morgana said earnestly.
"I will alert one of the knights right away. But I'm sorry, my lady. I must lock you in."
"I understand, of course," Morgana said, feeling hopeful. "But please, hurry."
After Leon had left to find a knight to search for Arthur, Morgana paced the floor for what seemed like hours until she heard the sound of a key unlocking the door. She raced over as Leon poked his head in.
"Did you find someone?"
"Sir Allister if on his way as we speak."
Morgana breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Sir Leon. I cannot tell you how much this means to me."
As Leon took his post outside of her door, Morgana realized that all she could do now was wait and pray for a miracle.
"Merlin, I came as soon as I could."
Merlin pulled his hands away from his head, still in a daze. Gaius was standing outside the cell, a grave expression on his features. He jumped to his feet and grasped the bars.
"Merlin, how could you?" Gaius said under his breath, glancing furtively at the guards.
"I'm sorry…I know I've disappointed you."
"Disappointed me? It's not myself I'm worried about…it's you! How could you admit to Uther that you have magic? What were you thinking?"
"I…I wasn't," Merlin said, at a loss for words.
"I can see that. So you've really managed to convince Uther that you hid that book in Morgana's chambers?"
"I couldn't let Gwen die for a mistake I made!"
"The mistake was clearly Morgana's for not keeping it hidden very well."
"It wasn't her fault. I gave her the book."
"Merlin, do you realize how serious this is?"
"Of course I do. I've been watching them build that pyre for the past hour."
Gaius winced. "I'll speak to Uther on your behalf, but I'm afraid it won't do any good. He's keeping Morgana under lock and key in her own chambers."
"What?"
"Yes, apparently she tried to be the hero, but Uther would have none of it."
"Have they released Gwen?"
"I believe so, although I haven't seen her yet so I don't know for sure. Merlin, Arthur is expected here in Camelot at any time. You still might have a chance."
Merlin shook his head. "No…no. Once Uther is set on something there's no changing his mind. I knew he would hunt everyone down until he found someone to blame. And I couldn't let that happen."
Gaius reached for his hand. "I'm sorry, Merlin. I will do everything I can to get you out of this."
Merlin had a sinking feeling as Gaius left that this time he really was trapped. A sudden thought crossed his mind.
Rowan.
Where was he? Was this the terrible future that the Druid boy had foreseen? It must have been. Of course. Morgana had been involved, even if it had been indirectly, and Rowan had warned him that he needed to stay away from her. But all along it had been because of something he had done. Rowan couldn't have known all the details…he couldn't have known that he had already given her the book of enchantments. Surely his dreams were like Morgana's…just bits and pieces. But it was enough to scare him…and the Druids.
And the Druids knew he had a destiny. Had they sent Rowan to protect him from his death?
The sound of horses's hooves pounding on the pavement awakened Morgana. The room was pitch black. Had she really slept for so long? Apparently she was more tired than she thought. She ran to the window, hoping and praying to see Arthur. She pressed her face so close to the windowpane she could see her breath fogging up the glass. It was too dark to see anything but silhouettes moving below, but she was sure it was Arthur and his knights. It had to be.
Forgetting herself, she ran to the door, only to realize that she was still locked in.
"Leon?" she whispered hoarsely. When she received no response, she tapped on the door. "Leon!" she repeated.
The door clicked open, to her relief, and Leon entered. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm fine. But I think Arthur's arrived. I heard something just now. Can you tell him I need to speak with him, and right away?"
"I will do what I can…but I still have to—"
"Yes, yes I know...lock me in," Morgana said, waving him off.
Her heart was racing and every second felt like an eternity as she waited. Arthur could very well be her last chance.
"Father, get up," Arthur roared as he stormed into Uther's chambers.
Uther bolted upright from his bed and instinctively reached for his sword. Relief quickly replaced the fear on his face when he saw his son. "Arthur! It's just you. You nearly scared me out of my wits. What is the meaning of this?"
Arthur yanked back the curtains to let in more light and lit some candles.
"I've been informed that Merlin has been locked away in the dungeons on some preposterous claim that he hid some sort of book."
Uther shook his head and leaned back against his pillows. "Don't tell me you traveled all the way back because of some servant?"
Arthur gripped one of the poles on the bed, his jaw clenched tightly. "He is not just some servant. He is my servant. Besides, I was already on my way back, although I had planned on making camp and continuing the rest of the way tomorrow morning. But when I received word of what was happening here I saw no reason to delay our return any longer. And apparently I was right in doing so."
"Arthur, the boy confessed his guilt. What other choice did I have?"
"What is he even guilty of?"
"He owns a book of enchantments and admitted to hiding it in Morgana's chambers. I was certain it belonged to that servant girl of hers, but clearly I was mistaken."
Arthur's eyes narrowed. "You had Guinevere questioned?"
"More than that, I had her locked away until I came to a final decision. But I was certain it was hers. It was the most logical thing to do."
"And yet I'm sure you never questioned Morgana," Arthur said, a hint of bitterness in his voice.
"Morgana is innocent," Uther said defensively, his eyes flashing dangerously. "She assured me the book did not belong to her."
"So you were going assume Gwen was guilty, even before you had all the evidence?"
"I had all the evidence I needed."
Arthur snorted. "I'm sure you did."
"Arthur, why do you even care? She's been cleared, and now we know for certain that the boy is guilty."
"Merlin is no more guilty than you or me. It's obvious he's trying to protect Gwen from your witch-hunt."
"I also thought the same, but he was so adamant that I had no other choice. I know it's difficult for you, but your servant has been lying to you all these years. I'm sorry, Arthur, but you have to accept it."
"No…no. It's preposterous. There's no way that Merlin has magic or would even think of practicing sorcery. I know him, Father."
"It appears you do not know him as well as you think."
Arthur shook his head. "No, I'm sure of this. Merlin is sacrificing himself."
"So you believe the girl is truly guilty?"
"Of course not!" Arthur shouted angrily. "I am certain neither one is to blame. Who found this book in the first place?"
"A servant girl brought it to me."
"And how do you know she's innocent?"
"Arthur, I don't believe she would have brought it to my attention if it belonged to her. Surely even you see the foolishness in that." Uther chuckled, infuriating Arthur even more.
"Have you questioned everyone in the castle?" he asked as calmly as possible.
"Well…no. But when I had all the evidence I needed, what reason did I have to question the entire staff?"
Arthur was quiet for several minutes as he paced back and forth. Uther watched him warily. Finally, he stopped his pacing and stood by the window, gazing into the empty courtyard where the pyre had been built.
"When is the execution?" he muttered.
Uther sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Tomorrow."
Arthur abruptly turned, his eyes steely. "Delay the execution. Let me speak with Merlin."
"Arthur—"
"Please, Father," Arthur pleaded.
For a moment, Arthur could see the walls beginning to break down as he locked eyes with his father. Perhaps…just this one time…
"Very well," Uther agreed.
Arthur was relieved, shocked. Uther rarely gave into his requests. But surely even he could see how it was impossible for Merlin to be a sorcerer. Wasn't it?
"Thank you," Arthur murmured.
"Arthur, you have one day. If you can't find the sorcerer by tomorrow before midnight, I will have no choice but to execute Merlin.
Nodding that he understood, Arthur turned to leave, his expression grave. It would seem that he would be getting no sleep until he cleared Merlin's name…and Gwen's.
Well, readers. What do you think? You know I love hearing your thoughts. Oh, and if you know anyone who might enjoy this story, I would really appreciate it if you shared it with them. I hate always asking people to review, but sometimes a small word of encouragement is just the thing I need to keep writing. :) I've loved all your thoughts and theories so far. You guys are the best!