"Prince Arthur, the Lady Morgana requests your presence in her chambers immediately."

Arthur had just left his father's room when Leon approached him, his tone urgent.

Arthur stormed down the hall. "I'd like to see what elaborate plan Morgana's cooked up this time," he muttered as Leon followed him.

"My lord, she was very distressed…"

"I'm sure she was. She's always getting herself into trouble," he continued, as if Leon wasn't even there.

"In her defense…" Leon began.

"Yes, yes…I'm sure it's not her fault, but what on earth was she doing with that book in her room?"

"I…I don't know, my lord."

Arthur sighed as they reached Morgana's chambers. He braced himself before knocking on her door. Morgana wasted no time answering. Arthur noted how tired and worn she appeared…he couldn't recall ever seeing her look so poorly.

Morgana practically dragged him into the room, shutting the door on Leon's puzzled face. "Arthur, I'm so glad to see you. Thank you for returning so quickly."

"I traveled as fast as I could. I just returned from seeing my father."

Morgana winced. "I'm sure you've been filled in by now then."

Arthur leaned against her windowsill, looking troubled. "Yes, I have. He gave me a day to clear Merlin."

Morgana's eyes lit up. "This is wonderful news!"

"Is it?"

"Of course it is. Uther rarely gives into anyone. This means we have more time."

"Yes, but if I can't come up with anything, Merlin hasn't got a chance."

"We'll find a way out of this. I know we will."

"Morgana, what was that book doing in here?"

"I…I don't know."

Arthur approached her, eyeing her intently. "You don't know? Now, I find that hard to believe."

"What do you mean by that?" she asked indignantly.

"Nothing, I just find it hard to believe that anyone could sneak something past you, and in your own chambers."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Arthur Pendragon, but I haven't the faintest idea how that book got into my room," Morgana said huffily, feeling more miserable every second for lying. She knew she could trust Arthur, but she also knew that she wasn't ready to tell him the truth. Not yet.

"It's just all…so…odd," Arthur mumbled as he turned away and paced the floor. "First Gwen is accused and now Merlin? I can't imagine either one in possession of such a book."

"Neither can I," Morgana whispered.

"Morgana, are you sure you didn't see something suspicious in your chambers? Someone in here who shouldn't have been?"

"Just that horrid maid…she's the one who found it."

"No…there must be something else we're missing…" Arthur crossed his arms, looking perplexed.

Morgana wrung her hands. "What are we going to do?"

Arthur shook his head. "I don't know, but I want to speak to Merlin before I do anything. I'll be back as soon as I can, hopefully with some news."

"Hurry back," Morgana said as she strained a smile.

Merlin had tried his hardest not to look outside at the pile of wood being built for him, but it was no use. He kept looking back, hoping they would tear it down any second.

"Think, Merlin, think," he muttered to himself.

He knew he could blast open his prison cell any time he wanted to, but what would he do then? Knock out all the guards in the castle and escape Camelot, just like that? He shook his head. No, there had to be some other way, but he had exhausted himself thinking up different schemes. Where was Gaius? He needed him more than ever right now.

"I know you've been pestering me about getting a day off, but don't you think this is a little extreme?"

Merlin turned around and grinned broadly when he saw his visitor.

"Arthur! What are you doing back so soon?" he exclaimed as he rushed over.

"I'm here to save your worthless hide, apparently," Arthur said without a trace of humor in his voice. He leaned closer to prevent their conversation from being overheard. "I've already spoken with my father. He's delayed your execution by one day."

Merlin's eyes lit up. "Then there's a chance?"

"I don't know. How did you get yourself into this mess?"

Glancing down at the floor, Merlin shuffled his feet, suddenly awkward. "I…had to protect Gwen."

Arthur's features softened a bit. "That was good of you to take her place, but you've sentenced yourself to death."

"It was either her or me, and I wasn't about to let Gwen be executed."

Running his hand through his hair, Arthur seemed genuinely distressed. "The problem is that if I somehow clear you in this whole business, my father will go right back to accusing Gwen."

"Oh," Merlin said dejectedly.

"The notion…you and Gwen having magic…ridiculous," Arthur rambled.

"Yeah," Merlin chuckled. He was actually relieved that Arthur didn't believe he had anything to do with hiding the book. A part of him wanted to tell him that he had magic, but something was holding him back. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew somehow that now wasn't the right time. So once again, he faked it, something he was becoming good at.

"I won't let this happen, Merlin. I promise," said Arthur before turning to leave. Merlin had never seen him so serious, but he was relieved he had him on his side.

"Thanks, Arthur," Merlin called out.

Morning dawned on Camelot. No one would have guessed how tumultuous the night had been based on how calm and peaceful the palace was at the moment. But for Morgana, it had been the never-ending night. She couldn't sleep a wink as she went over and over different ways of convincing Uther of Merlin's innocence. And every time, she came back to one simple but terrifying solution. Telling Uther the truth. But she shook the thought away each time, hoping and praying Arthur could find another way.

Morgana dressed herself since Gwen still hadn't returned. She wondered if it was all part of Uther's punishment for her, or if he had even released Gwen. She threw her hairbrush at her dresser, scuffing the polished finish. The anger she felt towards Uther…sometimes she imagined doing horrible things to him…so horrible she felt ashamed of herself. And always during those moments, her magic felt the strongest. All throughout the night, she could feel herself fighting it. And she was getting better at controlling herself.

Slowly, she ventured over to her door, wondering if Leon was still there. "Leon?" she whispered, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat. "Leon, are you there?" she attempted again.

She heard a shuffle of feet and the door opened. "My lady?" Leon asked, poking his head in.

Morgana sighed in relief. "Leon. I'm glad no one's replaced you yet. Have you heard from Arthur?"

Leon shook his head. "I'm afraid I haven't. I'm sorry."

"Oh." Morgana was unable to mask her disappointment. "What about Gwen?" Her heart fell as he shook his head once again.

"I'll be able to find out more once my replacement gets here. I wish I could tell you more, my lady."

"Thank you. You've done all you could." Morgana felt empty as the door clicked shut. Nothing. She could do absolutely nothing. She hated feeling so useless, yet what could she do?

Not more than an hour had passed when Morgana heard the sound of knocking at her door. Was it the new guard? Immediately she felt irritated…surely he knew she was locked in!

"What is it?" she snapped.

"Morgana, it's Uther. May I come in?"

Ok, finally an update! Nothing too earth-shattering in this chapter, but the next one's going to get intense. But yay...more Arthur! I like writing Arthur. He's a fun mix of humor and seriousness. So why do we think Uther has come to see Morgana? (HINT- it's totally not what you're expecting, or at least I'm pretty sure it's not) ;)