Chapter 9: Arthur and Aredian (Part IV)

It had been two months since the execution of Alvarr. All of Arthur and Aredian's efforts were put into the hunt for Merlin and Morgana, yet they still eluded them. It had taken so long that the conference for the first peace talks involving all five kingdoms was upon them. Uther, Arthur and Aredian watched from the battlements as the kings started to arrive, along with their entourages in Camelot.

Uther went to greet the first king as he arrived, King Alined. He appeared shifty to Aredian, as if he could not be trusted. But he could hardly make such a comment of a king. He was a mere commoner, after all. The next king that arrived, Olaf, seemed considerably friendlier. He even hugged with Uther. But he seemed rather protective of his daughter, Vivian. The other two kings were about as he expected. But something felt wrong to him, although he couldn't say what.

There was a feast that day, celebrating the arrival of the five kings for the peace talks. There was an entertainer there by the name of Trickler. He breathed fire from his mouth. Aredian was extremely concerned. With magic, such a feat would be child's play, but without it, would such a thing even be possible? He couldn't mention his concern, of course; he was the servant of a foreign king, over whom even Uther had no authority.

But then Trickler created butterflies out of thin air. This, he knew for a fact, was completely impossible without magic. Then he was certain he saw him cutting a small fragment from Vivian's hair. This was alarming. This Trickler had magic. And it was almost certain that his king, Alined, knew about it. He thought quickly about the tens of thousands of spells he knew of. Which of them requires a lock of hair?

It took only a moment for him to realize the only possible spell that could require a lock of hair was a love spell. He knew that King Olaf was very protective of his daughter. If any of the other kings were to fall in love with his daughter, then the peace talks would be sabotaged, and that would mean war, a war that would be very valuable to a kingdom such as Alined's.

Of all the kings present at the conference, the only one without a wife was King Uther. Any enchantment would probably be done to him. Then again, it could also be done to Arthur. And it would have the same result. If Aredian told the king and prince about this, there would certainly be a war with Alined. Since Camelot and Alined's kingdom are nearly equal in strength, such a war would be long and protracted.

This would be very bad, not only for the two kingdoms but also for Aredian's plans. Aredian had hoped to ask the king for a thousand soldiers to scour the countryside for the warlock and witch who had eluded him for so long. If there were a war, such a thing would not even be conceivable. Again, he had to compromise his principles. Arthur would probably not be able to do what he is planning. But he could.

He would expose Trickler, and Alined, as the coward he is, would probably renounce him. He hated to think he would let a king consorting with sorcery go free. But doing so meant he could get rid of one sorcerer and progress on the hunt for two others. And later, when Arthur assumes the throne, they will attack him when he least expects it, and he will die as the coward he is.

He left the feast early and took a magical amulet that he had brought with him when he first came to Camelot, which he originally planned to use to frame whoever he thought was a sorcerer but couldn't actually prove. He didn't need it, of course. But now it would serve its purpose.

He inconspicuously made his way to the guest chambers of Trickler and placed his magical amulet there. He then went back to the feast to tell Arthur in his ear, "What Trickler did with butterflies is impossible without magic." Arthur's face became full of rage as soon as he heard that, but Aredian continued, "I went to his room, and while I didn't enter, I saw a magical amulet."

Arthur immediately told his father, who in turn accused Trickler. Alined looked terrified. Aredian said, "Trickler, if you are really innocent, you wouldn't object to your chambers being searched." Trickler, sure that there was nothing that he could find, said, "I have nothing to hide." Arthur, Aredian, and the guards searched his room to find the amulet that Aredian had placed. Aredian then asked King Alined, "I could interrogate him to find out if he is a sorcerer."

Uther and Olaf insisted that he do so, both knowing of the witchfinder's reputation. Alined, ever the coward, saw that his best opportunity was to sacrifice his servant. "Of course, interrogate him. If you find he is a sorcerer, I'll be happy to see him on the pyre," he said with a fake smile.

Trickler was apparently a very soft and manipulable man. It took Aredian less than an hour to make him confess. He brought him before the five kings and said arrogantly, "Confess." Trickler said, "I'm a sorcerer." King Alined walked over to him, slapped him on the face, and said with fake hatred in his voice, "How dare you betray me!"

The next morning, Arthur and Aredian enjoyed themselves as Trickler was consumed by the flames. The treaty was signed, and the other kings left in peace. Aredian informed Arthur of his plans to hunt Merlin and Morgana. Unsurprisingly to him, Arthur concurred.

The next day, the two of them went to the king as he was holding court. Arthur and Aredian bowed before him. Aredian hated to do this, but it was the only way to make such a large request of a king. Aredian said, "I have been hunting the sorcerers Merlin and Morgana for many months now, but with my limited resources, it has become an impossible task."

Uther asked, "What would help you in your quest?" Arthur replied, "A thousand men, sire. They would scour the kingdom and even beyond for every whisper and every rumor of the whereabouts of the traitors Morgana and Merlin." Uther said without a moment's hesitation, "You shall have the men you need." Aredian said with a soft smile, "Then it is only a matter of time before the sorcerers are found."

Recently, Arthur's father has become extremely weak-willed. While he could only guess why, he delegated more and more tasks and administrative responsibilities to Arthur. While Arthur was initially reluctant, now he accepted and even embraced his new duties. Aredian was right. He would one day be king. And he must be ready for that.

While his father still sat on the throne, Arthur was getting more accustomed to his new authority. He made court decisions that once could have only been made by the king. Whatever suggestion he made to his father, he accepted immediately. It seemed to him that his power in Camelot was only growing, and as such, he was getting closer to the king he always wanted to be—one who respected everyone and established peace and justice (and, of course, eliminated sorcery).

But for now, Arthur and Aredian would be content in hunting down Merlin and Morgana with a thousand times more reach. No matter if it took a week or a decade, they would be found. And they would enjoy themselves as they were put on the pyre. Arthur and Aredian were of the same mind now. There is now little standing in their path toward eliminating sorcery. It won't be long now; magic will suffer and die, and thus Gwen will be avenged.

A/N: Next chapter, the real meat of this story finally begins. Anyway, thanks for reading! Please review if you have any thoughts, positive or negative.