Chapter Text
The council reconvened late the next morning. The trial was nearing the end, but Merlin claimed he had more to say. While the council would debate on the best course of action, everyone knew the sentence would be Arthur’s choice in the end. Gwen fidgeted with her dress, a nervous habit she tried to school most of the time, but her worry for Arthur had grown in just the past twelve hours. He had barely spoken to her the night before, after she returned, and eventually sent her to her own chambers, claiming the need to be alone. This had happened in the past, but very rarely, and each time Arthur had ensured they dine together the night before and morning after. He never let her feel neglected, even if he needed to consider matters of state before matters of the heart. Last night, she had barely offered him wine and a fire in the hearth before he sent her out. His chambers were locked this morning.
Gwaine was equally twitchy, shifting from one foot to the other, glaring at everyone who dared look at him. He had done his best to stay as close to Merlin as possible during the trial, going so far as to watch the guards in the dungeons, given that he was barred from visiting Merlin in his cell. Gwen wasn’t sure if he’d slept these past few days. After a quick glance around, Gwen noticed that Percival was missing. He must have convinced Gwaine to take a night off and cover for him.
Eventually Arthur strode in, and the whole room quieted. Upon his head, he wore one of his less formal crowns, a symbol he often didn’t bother with in the court. He reached the throne without even glancing at Guinevere, only increasing her concern. She reached toward him, trying to gauge any sign of what was going on. Still not meeting her eyes, he took her hand and squeezed. The knot in her stomach grew, and she took a steadying breath.
“Arthur?”
He let go of her hand and nodded at the guards, signaling to have Merlin brought in.
For spending the past few days in the dungeons, Merlin didn’t look too bad off. Arthur made sure they were sending food regularly and Gwaine’s presence ensured that all of it made it to his cell. Gwen had sent down blankets and had heard that Gwaine even put together a makeshift mattress out of sheets and clean straw for him down there. The only real signs of imprisonment showing on Merlin were the shackles around his wrists and the bags under his eyes.
Mattress or not, Merlin didn’t seem to be sleeping well.
The guards brought him back to the center of the room but before they could force him to his knees, Merlin knelt gently upon the floor himself. The guards backed off, and Percival sidled in, glancing worriedly at Gwaine before sending him a nod. Merlin had been treated well the night before.
Merlin also shot the knight a small smile before turning toward the king, and bowed his head.
“Merlin of Ealdor, you stand on trial, accused of sorcery,” Arthur began as he had the past three days. “You have confessed as much and confessed much harm and treason you have committed against Camelot and her people. Today, the council will pass judgment and sentence.”
Merlin snapped his head up to look at the king. Everyone knew he still had more to say, and any other witnesses had yet to be called. He hadn’t even gotten to the whole situation of Emrys yet, building up their destiny so that the council could understand the future he was trying to build. The room immediately started up in whispers, not even bothering to mask their gossip. The knights, schooled not to speak, shifted uncomfortably and exchanged uneasy glances. Gwaine was staring at Arthur with an unreadable expression on his face.
“My lord?” Merlin was trying desperately to meet Arthur’s eyes as he had the days before. Arthur hadn’t cowed from eye contact, but today the king was staring hard at a spot over his shoulder.
“Silence!” Arthur’s command brought the entire room to a tense quiet. “Your testimony is ended, you shall not speak.”
Gwen reached for her husband’s hand again, but this time he shook her off. Merlin watched the interaction with growing trepidation. Something was terribly wrong… and Arthur still wouldn’t meet his eyes.
Arthur stood, rising to his full height. His crown dully reflecting the light filtering in from the high windows, eyes bright and flashing. He looked down at Merlin, still somehow avoiding eye contact. His vision seemed to keep shifting to points around Merlin, never quite on him, never enough for Merlin to detect anything more in the king’s strange behavior.
Merlin quickly scanned the area where the knights were huddled. The one he was looking for was nowhere to be found. He felt burning rage in his chest at the audacity of it, and almost missed Arthur’s next words.
“Merlin of Ealdor, for the crimes of sorcery, treason, and conspiracies against the crown, I hereby sentence you to death by fire, as is the law of this land. Your execution will be held in two days’ time.”
The air of the room was sucked out. No one breathed. No one moved. Merlin forgot his rage entirely as the sentence washed over him, registering word by word in his mind. He stared, unseeing at the throne. He couldn’t remember how to breathe, the walls of the castle rumbling and crashing around his ears. The world blurred, the king a dash of silver and gold and blood red, swirling out of his vision. All he could hear was the throne room crashing around him, suffocating him, crushing him.
The blur of the king moved and made to pass by him. He snapped out of his daze, vaguely aware he was shaking, and looked up as the king approached. The room still buzzed, sliding in and out of focus, but one figure remained locked in his sight.
“Arthur, look at me,” he said. His voice echoed in the hall, and the buzzing ceased. Arthur paused half a moment, and his eyes flicked, finally, to Merlin’s, if but for half a second.
Half a second was all he needed to see the reflection of red shining behind the pupils, unseeing and unrecognizing.
Arthur stormed out, leaving the courtroom stunned, and Merlin seething.
Gaius was the first to visit him in his cell after the sentencing. He came in a fury, robes billowing around him in a tempest, yelling at the guards who dared deny him entry, and pushed his way through, dragging in tow a spotty young boy no more than 18 years with mail too big for his frame, wide eyes, and a shaking hand that struggled to unlock the cell.
Gaius swept in and wrapped Merlin in a tight embrace. Merlin buried his head in the layers of his mentor’s robes, clutching at him desperately. He breathed deep, trying to commit to memory the feel of the only father he’d ever really known holding him in this moment.
“My boy, my boy…” Gaius breathed through tears. He clutched tight to Merlin’s jacket, not wanting to let go.
“I’m okay, Gaius,” Merlin said. “It’s going to be okay.”
Gaius pulled away, but instead of the silent reprimand Merlin was so used to from him, Gaius simply stared at him, his eyes welled with tears. He cupped Merlin’s cheek and sighed.
“You are good at lying when it’s important.”
Merlin offered a weak smile. “It’s what I do best.”
“We both know that’s not true,” Gaius said, finally letting himself fall back into exasperation at his ward. “Though I suspect…”
He turned around and looked at the young guard who still had the key to the cell in his hand and was standing nervously in the hallway.
“Matthius! I helped deliver you into this world, I know a number of ways to help you leave it as well. A moment’s privacy, for pity’s sake!” Gaius snapped at the dumbstruck boy. He paled, making his spots stand out starkly upon his face, and stumbled over his words and feet for a moment before nodding awkwardly and shuffling off.
Gaius turned back to Merlin, and gave him a meaningful look. “I am sure you are able to get yourself out of this? If nothing else, I suspect Gwaine will try to stage an elaborate escape for you.”
Merlin shook his head. “No, Gaius, I can’t.”
“Merlin,” Gaius warned. “Merlin, I do not want to see you upon the pyre. Ever. I know you are able to get out of this, so how do we do it?”
“No, you don’t understand,” Merlin said. “Something is wrong.”
“Yes, the fact that you are being sentenced to death after all you have done for Arthur and Camelot,” said Gaius. “But we cannot change the sentence, so we must remedy it like this.”
“No, I mean something is wrong with Arthur,” Merlin explained. “This isn’t him.”
“What do you mean?” Gaius asked.
“He wouldn’t look at me the entire court today,” Merlin said. “He didn’t look to Gwen, he didn’t listen to anyone. He shook Gwen off, Gaius. And at the end, when he did look at me, just a moment…” He still didn’t quite know what it meant or how to explain what he saw. “There was something else there, Gaius. Something behind his eyes. It’s not him.”
“You’re certain?” Gaius asked.
“Positive,” Merlin nodded. “I don’t know what it is, but this isn’t Arthur’s decision.”
“Well even if he is enchanted, most people will think it’s you who did so. You’re the only sorcerer in close proximity to the king,” Gaius said.
“Not the only one,” said Merlin. “Where’s Mordred?”
“Mordred?”
“He wasn’t at the proceedings today, Gaius. He wasn’t there.”
“You think Mordred has something to do with this?” Gaius asked.
“Arthur is not himself,” Merlin said firmly. “I refuse to believe that this is his choice alone.”
“Well I can ask around, but if Mordred has fled, he will have covered his tracks. I don’t know what can be done to stop this.”
“Neither do I, Gaius,” said Merlin softly. “I don’t think there is anything that can be done to stop this.”
“What do you…” Gaius trailed off, staring at his ward in alarm. “You don’t mean-”
“If Arthur is under an enchantment, we both know there are few ways to break it,” said Merlin calmly. “Either we find Mordred and kill him, which we can’t do if he’s fled without a trace, or…”
“No, Merlin,” said Gaius. “There must be something else we can do.”
“If the enchantment’s needs are met it will simply fade off Arthur. He will be unharmed.”
“Merlin,” said Gaius. “If you’re not here to protect Arthur, what do you think will become of him? Of Camelot?”
Merlin grimaced and ran his fingers through his hair. There was no way out of this, no way to protect Arthur and Camelot, no way to force Mordred to remove the enchantment in time without killing him, no way to know anything for sure anyway, all while coming out still alive. If he could get out he could call the dragon and ask him for guidance. Well, he could get out, and quite easily at that, but it felt like betraying Arthur and his trust. He was not running.
But if he simply returned to his cell before he was missed…
“Gaius,” Merlin whispered. “I don’t know what can be done, but I think I can get to someone who might. I’ll need your help though.”
“Of course, my boy, anything,” Gaius leaned in conspiratorially toward Merlin. “What can I do?”
“I’ll need to get past the guard tonight-”
They were interrupted by a loud crash in the antechamber, and lots of voices suddenly yelling. One in particular rose above the rest, and quickly they heard the sharp pull of a sword being drawn, followed by several more being drawn.
“You bastards better move out of my way before I cut you down!” Gwaine’s voice echoed through the dungeons.
“No visitors for the prisoner!” said one of the guard, Milo, Merlin thought his name might be.
“I can clearly see Gaius already in there. Sod your rules, I’m going in to see my friend, and you won’t stop me.”
“My orders are directly from the king! I can’t just let you in.”
“I don’t have a high regard for anything that man says at the moment, and I wouldn’t even care if your orders were from the Almighty himself, I’m going in.”
“We will follow our orders to do what we have to in order to stop you, Sir Gwaine.”
“And what if the orders came from the queen?” Gwen’s voice floated through, commanding yet to Merlin, who knew her almost better than anyone, he could hear the fragility behind it. “What seems to be the problem here, gentlemen?”
“Your Majesty,” Milo stuttered. “Uh, this, uh, Sir Gwaine here-”
“This skinny weasel here won’t let me through to see Merlin,” Gwaine said. “Said no visitors. I was gonna fight him over it.”
“Well, Sir Gwaine, while your dramatics I’m sure are appreciated, I think we can all put our weapons away,” there was a moment’s pause as several swords were resheathed with indistinct grumbling. “You as well, Sir Gwaine, I fear no harm from anyone in these dungeons. There is nothing to protect me from.”
Merlin did nothing to stop the sharp tears pricking at his eyes as he continued to listen. He never realized how much he needed to hear those words from his dearest friends.
“But Your Majesty,” began Milo.
“Sir Gwaine and I are going in to visit with our friend. You will do your duty and remain here.”
The guards spluttered a bit, but didn’t stop Gwen from walking into the dungeon, composed as can be, arm in arm with Gwaine, who had indeed sheathed his sword before coming in. Upon seeing Gaius already there, with the door to the cell open and Merlin unharmed, Gwen’s smile shone. Gwaine hurried in and grappled Merlin into a toppling bear hug. He finally let go and Merlin barely had a chance to take in a breath before Gwen was clutching him, if possible, even more tightly than Gwaine had. Eventually she stepped back, still holding on to his shoulders, and offered him a watery smile.
“Hey, none of that,” murmured Merlin, and he brushed away the streaks of tears on her cheeks.
“I’m the Queen, Merlin,” Gwen said. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
His heart panged at the familiar line that Arthur often delivered himself. He smiled a pained smile, and quirked his head at her.
“I don’t wish for you to cry for me,” he said.
“You have no need, I do it freely,” she said. “And I suspect I shall a while longer.”
“I’m glad you are you here,” he said, and looked between her and Gwaine. “Both of you.”
“So what’s the plan, here?” asked Gwaine.
“Plan?” asked Merlin.
“Yes, to get you out and as far from Camelot as possible.”
Merlin furrowed his brows, and shot an uncertain look at Gaius. His face was unreadable, but he gave the minutest of nods. They should include Gwaine on whatever plan Merlin had just been about to relate to Gaius. Merlin turned back and saw Gwaine and Gwen looking at him expectantly.
“Gwen,” he started, but didn’t continue as her face suddenly grew thunderous.
“Don’t think I will not do my part to see you safe, Merlin,” she whispered dangerously. “In fact, I have one of the best positions with which to help you. Arthur has betrayed not just yours, but my trust in him as well. I will do my part for what is right, Merlin. You do not deserve this sentence.”
He smiled. A genuine, relieved, grateful smile. Once again, tears pricked at his eyes as he looked around at his friends, gathered in his dank cell, ready to abuse their power to help him.
“Alright,” he said at last. “Alright. There’s… I can’t say much, because I don’t know much. I don’t know what’s going on with Arthur, at least not for certain. There is something I need you to do for me, if you can.”
“Of course, anything,” Gwen said. Gwaine gripped the hilt of blade, battle ready and awaiting orders.
“I need to get out of here just for tonight,” Merlin said. “I plan on coming back before dawn, but-”
“Why?” asked Gwaine. “Why not just run?”
“I have been sentenced,” said Merlin. “I am not guiltless, and I will not leave Arthur or Camelot, not when they both may need me. I am not running.”
“How does letting yourself get killed solve anything?” asked Gwen. “What will that accomplish?”
Merlin wavered. He wanted to avoid telling them of the enchantment; he had no proof, and Mordred was gone. There was no one who could conduct an interrogation, no one to actually interrogate, and without knowing the specifics of the enchantment, no way to break it short of death. Merlin was willing to kill or be killed for Arthur’s sake, and had no intention of backing down from that now.
“Please,” he begged. “Just trust me on this. But I need to be able to get out and come back tonight, and I’d rather not take out all the guards to do so.”
“I’ll take care of it,” said Gwen. “I can take care of their rotations and make sure you have some friends here tonight.”
“Surely Arthur will be monitoring their schedules,” said Gaius. “If we can access their food, I can give them something that will take care of them.”
“Gaius!” Merlin exclaimed, as they all turned incredulously to face him.
“Simply a mild concoction used to purge the digestive system,” Gaius explained calmly. “It will distract them enough to get you out, and perhaps send them home. If we have one or two knights waiting nearby to take their places, nothing will seem amiss and the watch will remain in place until you get back and the morning guard changes in.”
“That’s brilliant,” said Merlin. “Gwen, could you make sure your servant is the one who brings them food?”
“Of course,” she said quickly. “And you know Mabel, she won’t ask any questions.”
Merlin nodded, then turned to Gwaine. “And you’ll wait nearby?”
“Of course,” nodded Gwaine, solemn.
“Okay… Okay…” Merlin nodded. He quirked a small smile at his friends surrounding him. “Thank you. No matter what happens, thank you.”
Gwen reached for his hand and squeezed. “Be safe, Merlin.”