Disclaimer: To tell you the truth, I'm devastated. But I don't own BBC Merlin

A/N- To celebrate my last day of school (till September), I'm updating with a nice, long chapter :) I was going to wait and give myself more time to read it over, but I think it's safe to publish! I hope it's legible!

3: Acting- In order to draw out a renegade sorcerer, Merlin and Arthur must act out a ruse- where Merlin plays the part of a sorcerer.

|o|

The chambers smelled of smoke and fire, bleeding off the man sitting at the table. The prince of Camelot was kneading the sides of his head, still hearing the clanging of the warning bells inside his skull. His fingers found their way to his forehead where tension had been pooling for the past week. A sorcerer had been terrorizing the castle, evading capture while destroying Arthur's home. The throne room had been the first to go, soon followed by the council chambers and it had only escalated. He was trying to massage his headache away when the door opened and Merlin entered with a frown on his face. He had changed his clothes but Arthur still smelled the smoke on him.

"Any word?" he asked while sinking into the seat across from the prince.

Arthur did not answer right away, instead he smirked at Merlin's nose which was smudged with soot. The servant noticed and rubbed at the spot with the sleeve of his red shirt. He eyed the black stain resignedly but looked at Arthur again for the answer to his question.

The prince heaved a sigh. "Nothing. There's no sign of him." Merlin glanced away in displeasure but was not surprised. "This is ridiculous," Arthur growled.

"What?" Merlin wondered in a droll tone of voice, "Your father imprisoning innocent people? Or their saviour escaping every time?"

"Watch your words, Merlin," Arthur snapped, his pale eyes narrowing threateningly.

"Well they were innocent," Merlin maintained and picked his nails defensively.

The prince straightened in offence. "Are you defending this sorcerer?"

Merlin groaned. "No! You can't blame me for being glad that no one is being executed." Arthur glowered at him but kept silent. "But I do agree with you that this sorcerer is becoming a problem."

"It's a miracle no one died tonight," Arthur said in response. Merlin nodded gravely and let the prince continue. "My father hasn't placed anyone in the dungeons for days, why is the sorcerer still attacking?"

Merlin did not have an answer right away. He thought for a long moment before venturing, "I imagine he's angry. Not that it's any excuse."

"No. This was the last straw." Arthur said ruthlessly, slashing his hand through the air to exemplify his frustration. "The people of Camelot are innocent in all this. It isn't fair if they are made to suffer all in an attempt to get to my father."

"You're right," Merlin admitted but not seeming happy about it. "But what do we do?"

The prince shook his head before getting up to pace. Merlin's eyes trailed after him, crawling left and right. He was resting his arms on the table, thinking how to best deal with the marauder. Before, Merlin had secretly supported him. The man- obviously a sorcerer, had been breaking people out of dungeons whom Uther had thrown in there on suspicion of sorcery. But when the dungeons would continuously be purged and acts of rebellion executed, the king had refrained from collecting more prisoners. The last straw for Uther was when his own chambers were ransacked last week- nowhere was proven to be beyond the sorcerer's reach. But the sorcerer continued to spread chaos throughout the castle, and was now moving into the city. It was as Arthur said, the citizens did not deserve to suffer for the actions of their king.

And after setting fire to the Rising Sun Inn, Merlin knew that the sorcerer needed to be stopped. So like Arthur, he settled down to think. A seed of a plan spouted in his mind and Arthur noticed him straighten.

"What is it? Have you thought of something?" Arthur asked him seriously, with not even a little bit of incredulity, which Merlin would be smug about any other day.

Merlin nodded slowly. "I'm just not sure you'll like it."

"You're probably right," Arthur admitted but strode closer all the same.

"Alright," Merlin said and took a breath. "We know this sorcerer breaks other sorcerers out from the dungeons. So we'd need to catch him in the act. And in order to do that, well, we'd need to control every angle-"

"Merlin, get to the point," Arthur interrupted impatiently.

The servant pressed his lips together and then declared, "what if I pretend to be a sorcerer?" Merlin braced himself and waited for Arthur to speak, but the prince only blinked. When the servant had enough of waiting in silence he attempted to elaborate but Arthur typically overrode him.

"Absolutely not. Are you mad?" Arthur said in disbelief.

In response to Arthur's doubts, Merlin's decided to flee. "It'll work!" he insisted, "he'll break me out and then you will be right there to nab him."

"Merlin," Arthur reasoned as though speaking to a small child, "everyone knows you are my servant. My loyal servant. If you just get shoved in the dungeons for being a sorcerer, doesn't that seem a little too convenient?"

"That's why we'll have to sell it. I can still be loyal and a sorcerer at the same time."

The prince rolled his eyes. "How exactly?" he mocked, not intending to receive a good answer.

Merlin faltered and looked away, pretending to think, all the while trying not to let his sudden panic show on his face. Then he started to sweat. What was he thinking? He could only imagine how Gaius would lecture him about this.

"Em… what if I see good in you and since you will become king one day, I think you can change things?" Arthur only frowned deeper. Merlin fidgeted. "That way, I'm still a traitor but the sorcerer will be sympathetic to me."

The prince shook his head and paced some more. Merlin let him, knowing that this silence could be beneficial. "Merlin... I don't know. It's too risky," Arthur said upon stopping.

Merlin knew exactly how risky it was but could not very well let the sorcerer keep terrorizing Camelot when he could do something about it. "He's becoming more and more dangerous, Arthur. We need to do something before anyone gets hurt."

"So you'll need to be a sorcerer... but still you," Arthur declared hesitantly.

The warlock swallowed, relatively certain but far too unsure that Arthur wouldn't figure out that he really did have magic. So Merlin kept quiet, not daring to contribute anything incriminating. He glanced at his hands as Arthur reclaimed his seat.

"Alright…" the prince heaved a sigh. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Merlin pressed his lips together, his imagination informing him how spectacularly this could go wrong. The warlock nodded.

Arthur started to smile before he decided to frown. "Then you would have to do something relatively innocent." Arthur's brow furrowed deeply in thought.

Minutes passed with no ideas being put forth. Arthur would glance at Merlin to see if he had any thoughts and Merlin would pretend he did not have a clue. There were dozens of things Merlin knew he could say, all that he had done himself.

It was as Arthur took a long look around his chambers for a hope of inspiration that is lips parted and his eyes widened. Merlin waited and prevented himself from holding his breath.

"I've got it!" Arthur announced brightly, "You can do magic to do chores!"

Merlin blinked a few times, marvelling at the surreal quality of this conversation. Arthur was grinning at him, expecting praise but Merlin was doing his utmost to not glance at the armour he had polished with magic this very afternoon. It was laid out on the prince's chest at the foot of his bed, gleaming ridiculously bright in the candlelight.

Arthur was still staring at him so Merlin tried to smile. The prince smirked and told him proudly, "It's exactly your kind of stupid."

Merlin's eyes narrowed. "It's not stupid," he defended himself but then cleared his throat. "I mean, well, if I did have magic, it could be- uh- useful."

"Ha!" Arthur rolled his eyes and laughed. "If you had magic, I hardly think that you would be a servant, Merlin."

The warlock had been feeling his secret dangle dangerously toward the light since he had realized his mistake in volunteering himself, and it made him so anxious his stomach twisted. But realizing he needed to divert Arthur's attention, Merlin indulged him. So he laughed weakly and said, "Hmm maybe you're right. I could be a prince."

Arthur couldn't resist an amused laugh. "Then I'd fear for whichever kingdom you decided to run."

A large smirk came to rest on Merlin's lips. "I could definitely run a kingdom better than you could," he decided.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Merlin," the prince jeered.

"I would be a good king," Merlin said thoughtfully, "it would be dreadfully dull though."

He got Arthur to laugh again but the prince then chose to get them back on track. "Luckily you only need to be a good sorcerer. A convincing one at least."

Merlin evaded Arthur's eyes. "By doing my chores," Merlin reminded himself. The prince looked at him oddly because of his strange tone of voice.

"You don't have to do this, you know," Arthur told him.

The dark haired servant shook his head and went silent to think a little longer. "I think we will need something stronger than your word to convince everyone I have magic."

Arthur glanced out to the window to the dark sky outside. By now, the people who had helped with the fire would be back in their homes. Except for Evoric and Margaret who had just lost theirs. He hadn't known the proprietors' of Camelot's largest inn until Merlin told him tonight, before he had apologized for the sorcerer's work.

Merlin waited for the prince's response as Arthur scowled. He looked at Merlin and said, "You will have to fight back."

The young warlock stared unblinkingly at his friend. "You're not actually suggesting I do magic are you?"

"What? No!" Arthur scoffed ardently. "Don't be ridiculous. No… You're going to have to pretend to do a spell."

Merlin bit his lip to cover his mistake. He had meant to say learn magic. "Erm, alright. Good idea. I should- I should get angry," Merlin said and nodded his head. Arthur mimicked the movement and both men fell silent again to think.

The warlock eyed Arthur and shifted in discomfort. "Maybe you'll want...me to be burned or something." Arthur winced but Merlin continued. "That may stop your father from killing me right on the spot. And I could get mad. I could say, erm, that I've served you for years now." Merlin's words became faster as he tried to think of a scenario. "That I thought we were friends, I'd never hurt you. Hm… Should I actually hurt you? I mean you'll pretend to be hurt."

Arthur's face was just as grave as Merlin's. "Probably not. I don't actually want you to be killed."

"Really?" Merlin quipped.

The prince ignored the joke. "It makes sense if I'm angry at you too. I mean, you betrayed my trust after all." Merlin took in an indignant breath of air but Arthur handed him an exasperated look and carried on. "I'll have to try and kill you and then you can pretend to throw away my sword."

Merlin's mouth was already open and waiting to argue before he shut it and nodded his head in consideration. "That could work. Are you sure we could pull it off?"

Arthur managed an unconvincing nod. "People see what makes sense. They would never expect me to actually throw my own sword away."

"And coupled with the circumstance… it could work," Merlin noted.

Arthur breathed out decisively. "We need to practice."

And so they did. That night neither of them got much sleep. Despite the seriousness of the situation, they gained far too much amusement construction a little scenario after they got over how silly they felt. At one point they dissolved into giggles when Merlin acted out his own death and Arthur feigned overblown guilt, even going on his knee and shoving his sheathed sword under his armpit. It was shortly after that, they decided to call it a night.

"Are you certain we shouldn't practice more?" Arthur questioned when Merlin started to head toward the door.

Merlin gave a nod. "We don't want it to look too rehearsed."

The prince uttered a noncommittal noise and just as Merlin opened the door called, "Don't be late tomorrow."

"Am I ever?" Merlin asked innocently with a mischievous smirk upon his lips. The door then shut behind him and Arthur was left to second guess their plan. A crease formed on his brow and stayed there even after he climbed into bed. There were an abundance of things that could go wrong with this plan- no one believing them for one, though that was the most harmless. The prince had never done anything like this in his life, and while Merlin said he was convincing, Arthur secretly had his doubts. He was surprised though at Merlin's talent- when the servant had acted being furious, the fire in his eyes had looked real. But it had extinguished the moment Arthur reeled back in surprise.

No, what the prince was really worried about was after. When Merlin would be with the sorcerer alone. The knights would have to be away from the dungeons so as to not alert the sorcerer and that would leave a chance for Merlin to give himself away. Perhaps he should call this off… But the smell of smoke still lingered in the air and he had the safety of his citizens to consider. Merlin was a citizen, his mind pointed out. But a brave one, despite Arthur's jokes to the contrary. He could not stop thinking well into the early morning until sleep washed over him in a gentle wave.

It was nearing afternoon when they decided it was time. But unbeknownst to Merlin, Arthur needed a little more assurance and had told Leon of their plan. The knight alone would know that Merlin was not really a sorcerer. Until it was time to ambush the sorcerer of course, then Leon would collect two more trusted knights like Arthur had planned.

"You ready?" The prince and his servant stood in the antechamber of Arthur's room, waiting by the door.

Merlin offered him a half shrug. "...I suppose. Are you?" Arthur took a small breath and tried not to scowl. "Arthur, remember you have to sell it. You have to pretend to hate me."

The prince eyed him in annoyance. "Well that shouldn't be too hard," he jibed, his voice lacking the intended humour.

Merlin smirked and then sucked in a breath. "Shall we?" He motioned to the door.

Arthur nodded, taking an uncertain step forward still uncomfortable with their plan. "Alright." A few seconds later he loosely grabbed the scruff of Merlin's collar. Watching Arthur frown at the door, Merlin debated kicking his friend to get him angry. Deciding that it was the best course of action, the warlock knocked Arthur's shin with his boot.

"Ow!" Arthur shouted overdramatically, stepping back from Merlin. "What was that for?" His face was tinted a slight red from indignation and his hands balled into fists. In retaliation he cuffed the back of Merlin's head.

Merlin scowled and replied self- importantly, "You need to act the part, we need to sell this remember?"

"Shut up, Merlin," Arthur chided but grabbed Merlin's shirt again. This time he did not hesitate and began to drag the warlock to the door. Merlin almost tripped but Arthur steadied him with a disparaging glance before wrenching his door open. It hit the wall with a slam that echoed through the empty corridor, and Merlin's voice filled the silence thereafter.

"Arthur please!" he begged loudly and was pleased to note that the fake furious expression on Arthur's face did not waver. "Arthur!"

The prince ignored him and Merlin tried to break free from his grasp. Even though the halls were currently empty, they kept up their act and it was finally witnessed when they descended a staircase and into a wide hall leading to the council chambers. Three servants were chatting happily as they carried baskets of laundry, but each of them stopped upon noticing the prince and servant.

Merlin noticed them mid plea and the sudden audience made his heart jump in his throat. His body momentarily froze but was thrown forwards as Arthur hauled him along. Merlin gazed at the stunned servants and let his mouth gape open and closed, secretly proud of his acting skills. "Arthur!" he called, wrapping his fingers around Arthur's and trying to pry them off. "Don't do this, please!"

In response, the prince gave him a mighty shove forwards- a bit of advice suggested by Merlin- and the warlock stumbled to the ground. One of the servants, Clara if he remembered correctly, cried out as Merlin's knees hit the marble. He had no time to wince as Arthur grabbed him again, this time with his other hand clamped around Merlin's arm.

"Silence, sorcerer!" Arthur spat convincingly disgusted.

The warlock glanced back at the servants just before they turned a corner to find them frozen in shock. Keeping up their pretence, Merlin kept struggling all the way to the council chambers. He'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy seeing people's faces a little bit. But when they arrived at their destination, the appropriate response awakened. It was Uther who caused him the most fear- what if the king didn't listen to Arthur afterwards? What if Arthur actually figured out the truth? What if Merlin really did have to use magic?

He was tempted to dig in his heels and tell Arthur to call it off. Merlin knew the prince would listen but since this was the only chance they had, he allowed his genuine fear to show on his face.

"Open the bloody doors!" Arthur shouted to the guards as they approached the council chambers. Fiercely alarmed, the men did as asked, stumbling into each other in their haste. Arthur shoved Merlin through before the doors were fully open and the commotion brought a heated argument inside to a halt. Uther took his bored eyes away from the two standing old men to have them widen in surprise upon viewing his son.

There was a moment of hesitation which Arthur took to gather himself, small enough to only be noticed by Merlin. "He's a sorcerer," Arthur stated. Merlin had thought in the grand announcement, the prince would shout it for the whole castle to hear. But Arthur had only summoned enough breath to make his voice heard. The warlock commended his choice Merlin carried on with the act.

He shook his head frantically and made his eyes wide. "No, no I'm not." He craned his head around and looked Arthur in the eyes. "Arthur, you have to see-"

"Shut up!" Arthur roared so loud Merlin cringed away. It was the volume he only used in battle to shout orders, which Merlin knew would carry to the outside halls easily. The warlock had no time to recover before he was pushed closer to the king. "I want him dead!"

Uther was surprised, but not alarmed like all the other council members. Gaius was not here, having been informed by Merlin of their plan and carrying out his excuse. But the king stood up and the two quarreling men sank back into their seats. "Arthur, the boy has been accused of sorcery before," he pointed out.

"Then we've all been fools," Arthur seethed.

Merlin rushed to defend himself. "No! Arthur please, I-"

"I caught you!" Arthur yelled and gave Merlin another push. At this rate, he was going to be bruised all over, Merlin thought as he tumbled to the floor. He would swear later, that Arthur enjoyed shoving him around. The prince was a rather intimidating sight, looming over him. "Doing chores of all things! What were you doing, waiting for the perfect moment to kill me?" Arthur demanded viciously, waving his arms to the sides.

"No!" Merlin yelled, "I'd never hurt you!"

"You're a sorcerer!"

"I'm your friend!" Merlin countered, vaulting up from the ground. Barely remembering to add what was Arthur's suggestion. "If I wanted to kill you I'd have done it ages ago!"

The prince pretended to be surprised, doing his best to ignore Uther who suddenly looked gravely serious. "…Is that a threat?" Arthur hissed.

"What?" Merlin made his voice high pitched, "No!"

In response, Arthur took out his sword and raised it threateningly. Merlin backed up, his alarm real because Merlin still had to take his turn to push Arthur. But judging from the lack of distress in the prince's eyes, Merlin knew that he had planned this. "Do you want to kill me, Merlin?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Arthur," Merlin said and raised his hands slowly- defensively. They played their parts well for more than one council man flinched backward.

The prince reacted quickly but did not remember to act surprised. He drew his arm back to prepare for a blow and give Merlin time to react and then and brought it down toward the servant. Merlin ducked his head and snapped his arm outward, trusting Arthur to execute the most important part of the plan correctly. The prince cried out in surprise, something he'd never actually do in reality but cued Merlin into looking back up. His sword hurtled into the wall and fell to the ground with a heavy clang.

Both of them were unsure if it worked until King Uther shouted for the guards. "Arrest him!"

The guards who had been too surprised to shut the doors hesitated, absolutely shocked at what they had seen. But they moved forward, and Arthur allowed them to pass by stepping to the side. Merlin pretended to be too shocked to move and kept his eyes on the prince as they grabbed him.

"How dare you?" Uther growled, striding menacingly forward. When he rounded the corner, he stopped to take Merlin in. His eyes were disbelieving and so very angry- causing a look of genuine fear to pass over Merlin's features. "I made you my son's servant," he realized horrified. Uther's face contorted with rage. "Call for the headsman!"

"No," Arthur spoke up. All eyes turned to him though the prince kept his on Merlin. He swallowed before speaking. "I want him burned."

They practiced this. Merlin expelled a shattered breath, and let himself fall to his knees. Luckily the guards held him up and his descent was slow. It was not hard for Merlin to summon tears, remembering all of the nightmares he had of Arthur watching him burn. His friend did not have a cold and wicked face but Merlin did his best to recall his dreams. Merlin shook his head, not speaking and knowing everyone would think he was unable to.

"I want a pyre built by dawn," Arthur said calmly.

There was silence for a long moment before Uther barked. "Take him to the dungeons."

The prince then took his leave, giving Merlin a final look before turning his back. As the guards dragged Merlin after, the warlock felt Uther's disgusted gaze on his back and couldn't contain a shiver. He only hoped he wouldn't be killed before he reached the dungeons.

Merlin's fear luckily proved to be just that. Hours skulked by and he was sure it was passing midnight now, not that he could judge. The cell he was in was small, grimy, and windowless. It was deep underground and the floor was a half mixture of stone and earth. Merlin could not see a thing, as no one had left him a torch, not that there were any brackets this far down. Sir Leon had 'just happened' to cross paths with them as the guards were escorting Merlin to the dungeons. Once told what happened, the knight ordered Merlin to be taken to these cells to repent for his treachery. He was somewhat stiff in his delivery, but Merlin took solace in the fact that he was always like that.

The reason being was that there were no guards here, any watch being further up the crumbling stairwell that led down here. No, the only company Merlin had were the rats moving about in the darkness. He could hear their chattering and little claws pattering as they scurried around. For the umpteenth time, Merlin hoped the sorcerer would hurry up, having no wish to be canvased by the filthy rodents any longer. The absolute darkness and leeching cold frayed his nerves.

Another hour passed with him shivering- his knees pressed against his chest and his back to the wall to salvage some warmth. Merlin did not know how much longer it would be but had the presence of mind to wallow in self pity, and cultivate his fears. He needed to look the part of betrayed friend whenever the sorcerer came to get him. But he couldn't help but admire his and Arthur's acting skills, their plan worked perfectly. And now that King Uther was a good distance from him, Merlin was more at ease. As much as he could be in a damp and dreary dungeon unable to see two feet in front of him.

Merlin once again took a guess at the time but was not sure if it was just passing slowly. He was thirsty, but relieved that he was too anxious to feel hungry for he did miss lunch and dinner. The warlock sighed and flexed his fingers to try and work the stiffness out of them. He was sorely tempted to get up and stretch, but knew that if he really was to be executed, he'd feel too hopeless to move.

Then a dull light swelled at the edge of his vision in the thick darkness. Merlin's stomach flipped and he waited to see if his eyes weren't tricking him before he stood up. It came closer and soon became too bright for his acclimatized eyes to handle. The warlock flinched and used his arm to block the light. His eyes watered but he squinted to see a pale orb of light hovering beside a slim figure. They were cloaked in a heavy fabric of indistinguishable colour and watching Merlin unnervingly.

He stood up with difficulty, his limbs stiff from having been sitting for so long. Merlin put his hand on the wall for support and regarded the figure tiredly. He waited for the sorcerer to speak and was not disappointed.

"I thought you would be the last person to have magic," they greeted.

Merlin's eyes widened in surprise and his heart dropped. The voice coming from the shadow of the hood did not belong to any man.

"You're a woman!" Merlin stated in disbelief. The voice was young and though Merlin could be imagining it, familiar but unable to be placed.

"Is that so surprising?" she asked angrily.

Merlin thought quickly and made a decision. "Surprising?" he asked and then gave a short and bitter laugh. Merlin slid down the wall and sat down, stretching his legs in front of him. "I suppose not." He turned his head away and allowed his weariness to creep into his voice. "What do you want? Have you come to mock me? Tell me how I've betrayed our kind?" Merlin was taking a gamble, hoping that the sorceress would not want him to actually be killed and wouldn't want to do it themselves. He did have grounds to be cautious after all.

"I've come to release you," she stated.

Her zeal surprised him. "Why?" he asked without thought.

"You do not deserve to be executed. None of us do," she explained.

Merlin decided to take an even bigger gamble and argue with her. "But I do. I thought… I thought I was doing good," he said, the strain in his voice less than half faked. "I helped him. I- I thought we were friends, I thought he would be a good king. I wanted it so badly. But I'm a peasant. A bastard. He's the future king... How could we be friends?... I've lied to myself all this time."

The sorceress did not appear to be sympathetic. She waved her hand and uttered a spell, causing the door to unlock. She pulled it open and the bars groaned. Merlin looked up at the figure who was now standing right over him. A pale hand was outstretched in offering. "We all make mistakes," she said and now that she was closer, it sounded like her voice was forced. Odd. "But use this chance to learn from them."

Merlin did not take her hand. "For what? My life is here."

"Was here," she corrected sharply. "I'm giving you a chance to save your life! Don't you know how many would have killed for this?" Her voice became higher with incredulity and it tugged something in Merlin's memory. The warlock stared up at her, and she waited a split second before extending her hand again.

This time, Merlin slowly took it and allowed the girl to pull him to his feet. He was taller than her, though not by much. That and the vague familiarity of her voice struck him like a slap to the face. Realization had the blood drain from his face. "Beatrice?" Merlin breathed.

She stiffened before letting down her hood. Light eyes stared at him and when she spoke she did not bother to lower her voice. "Yes, it's me. You must tell no one."

Merlin could not find his voice. This was all wrong. The sorcerer was supposed to be a vengeful man bent on the destruction of Camelot, not a pretty tavern maid with a nice singing voice who Merlin had been sweet on for a time when she had worked at the apothecary.

"No. No, no, no," Merlin muttered before snapping to his senses. "How could you?" he demanded, "you nearly killed all those people in the tavern!"

"I didn't mean to!" Beatrice snapped, "Sir Roderick was saying horrible things. I only meant to scare him."

"It was a mistake?" Merlin asked.

Beatrice's lips pressed together and her pale orb of light shone into her eyes where Merlin saw the guilt. "I didn't want to hurt anyone. But the king needs to know he's wrong."

Merlin groaned at her naivety. "You're only proving that he's right!"

That made her angry. "Well, at least I'm doing something, not slaving away for a monster!"

Which in turn made Merlin angry. "He's not a monster!"

Beatrice's eyes widened. "He wants you to be burned! The whole city knows!"

Merlin paced away restlessly, unable to believe how this all went so wrong. He just knew that he couldn't let Beatrice be executed. The warlock spun and gripped her narrow shoulders. "This was a trap," he whispered forcefully, "Arthur is waiting with Sir Leon to arrest you!"

The girl paled and betrayal shone in her expressive eyes. "You- you're not a sorcerer."

Merlin paused and gritted his teeth. "That's the funny part. I actually am."

Beatrice shook her head, unable to wrap her mind around it. "No. Then the prince knows about you, he-"

"No," Merlin said before she could get hopeful. "And now he won't believe it if you tell him."

Like so often with her, she resorted to anger- a useful instinct when dealing with rowdy tavern patrons. "Then you really are a traitor! You're helping them to kill us!"

"I'm not!" Merlin argued. "Arthur is a good man, he will be a better king than his father. He will bring magic back to the land! Don't you see? Magic is not meant for revenge, you're only hardening them to it."

To his horror, but not surprise, tears welled in Beatrice's eyes. "So while you wait and hope, innocent people are being killed. Children are being drowned and their families made to live on!" The pain in her voice was raw.

"What happened?" he asked gently.

Her lips trembled but her voice was even when she answered. "My little cousin. In Yarrowstead, killed because he recovered from the Cold Sleep. We sent them medicine when he could, for months. And when he finally recovered he was killed! We got the letter a fortnight ago." Her voice finally broke and tears overflowed. "I've had enough of waiting."

She whirled around, but Merlin seized her hand. "You go out there, and you'll be caught."

Beatrice snatched her fingers away and glared at Merlin. Feeling wretched, the warlock ran a hand over his eyes wearily. "I'm sorry, Beatrice, I really am. But only Arthur can get magic accepted to be again. And the more magic is used for ill, the harder it will be. One day, Arthur will accept it, and I'll be the one to help him."

"So you are going to hand me over then?" Beatrice spat.

"No." The anger left Beatrice's face and was replaced with uncertainty. "But you will need to stop what you are doing. If not, I will have no choice but to turn you in."

His fellow magic user glared at him and decided to focus on her own salvation. She nodded. "What do we do then?"

Luckily for her a plan had been working itself out in Merlin's mind from the moment he realized her identity. "How did you get past the guards?"

Beatrice crossed her arms over her chest. "I put them to sleep."

"Tell me they had a wine with them," Merlin said.

The sorceress snorted. "Not this time."

Merlin pulled a disappointed face but wasn't stumped for long. "Alright, you were a hostage."

"What?"

"Yes, the sorcerer threatened to harm you in order to get by. But when the guards refused, he knocked them out with a spell so strong they don't remember you at all." Understanding dawned on Beatrice's face as Merlin explained. "Once down here, the sorcerer did not need you. So after releasing me he was going to kill you. But I stopped him."

Beatrice nodded. "And he got away?"

Merlin sighed. "Exactly."

"Did you put up a good fight?" she asked primly.

It was Merlin's turn to look confused. "I should think so, yes."

"Then I should hit you to make it look convincing," Beatrice said.

Merlin blinked and thought for a moment. Unfortunately she had a point, so he sighed and nodded. Without hesitating like a decent person would, Beatrice punched him right in the nose.

"Ow!" Merlin cried out, covering his stinging nose. He glared at her while reassuring himself it wasn't broken.

She looked coolly unrepentant. "You deserved that," she defended herself.

Merlin huffed and shed any politeness he would have hung onto. "Take off your cloak," he ordered while stemming the blood now leaking from his nose. Then he raised his hands before she could hit him again. "You can't wear it if you're an innocent damsel."

Beatrice narrowed her eyes but did not protest. She undid the clasp before shrugging out of the cloak and holding it out to Merlin. He took it, and without opening his mouth, set it aflame. Beatrice flinched and gaped at him with wide eyes, forgetting all about her cloak which had puffed into a pile of ash.

"How did you do that?" she demanded, "you didn't say a spell."

Merlin sighed. "I'll tell you later. For now you're going to need to faint."

Beatrice frowned, looking into his eyes but soon relented. "And how am I supposed to do that?"

"Do you trust me?" Merlin asked her.

"No," she said hotly.

"Will you trust me?"

Beatrice hesitated. "Do I have a choice?"

"Not if you want to live, no," Merlin said.

The sorceress sighed through her nose and nodded. Merlin gave her a reassuring smile before incanting a spell to put her to sleep. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she crumpled into Merlin's waiting arms. Darkness spread throughout the cell as Beatrice's orb of golden light vanished.

Merlin carefully put her onto his shoulders, securing the back of her knees with one hand and using the other to rest on the wall. "Time for act two," he sighed.

The only thing left to do was wait. Midnight came and went and still Merlin and the sorcerer had not emerged from the lower dungeons. For the countless time, Arthur feared that their act had not been successful. But he would wait in the shadows until dawn arrived, with Leon and a small handful of knights hidden in dark recesses as well. Wane moonlight fell onto the shabby stone floors from the small window set high on the wall. To tell time, Arthur tracked its progress along the floor as the moon meandered through the sky.

He took another glance at the empty cells lining the dungeon more out of impatience than anything before looking back at the iron door to the lower dungeons. This was the only way out. Sir Leon was the closest and he stood sentry behind the half crumbled column beside it. Arthur spotted his eyes through the shadow and at the moment where they met his own, the prince noticed smoke start to creep through the gaps in the door.

With a swift hand movement, Arthur ordered Leon to wait. The prince was still wary for Merlin's safety and did not want to risk his friend's life by being too hasty. Leon waited, and his eyes in the dark quickly became obscured by the smoke. Everyone jumped as the door slammed open and Arthur could wait no longer. "Defend!" he shouted and the three knights moved into position just before the whole room filled up with fog.

A tense moment of silence descended upon them as they readied their swords. Arthur's eyes flitted everywhere trying to see any sort of threat. A loud bang accompanied a blinding flash of light and a staggering gust of wind blew into them. Arthur kept on his feet but he heard one of the knights were not so lucky. The sound of their breathing was loud in the dark dungeons though Arthur strained his ears to hear anything else.

Eventually the fog cleared without any visible disturbance to reveal the empty dungeon. "Damn," Arthur cursed. Deciding that if the sorcerer escaped Merlin would be safe, he would put his best knight on the job. "Leon," Arthur growled, "get to the city, follow him if he's there. James go with him, Damien with me."

The prince moved forward at once, hoping that Merlin had not done anything stupid. Lit torches lined the stone wall on the way down and he did not hesitate before leading the way with his sword in hand. The open door above let a draft in, breathing on the flames and causing them to flicker. They had made it half way to the junction leading even lower when Arthur heard something. He stopped to listen and Sir Damien nearly ran into him. Heavy breathing was coming from down the steps, recognizable by Arthur.

"Merlin?" he called in alarm, picking up his pace.

"Arthur?" Merlin's voice drifted up, strained and out of breath, "did you get him?"

"Are you alright?"

"Fine," Merlin huffed, "just hurry up and help me."

Not having been convinced of his health, Arthur advanced faster than was safe for keeping balance on the stone steps. The stair well was narrow but soon from the shadows, Merlin appeared.

Arthur slowed and took in his friend in surprise. He was carrying a girl on his shoulder- the only thing Arthur could see of her was the backside of her dress. "Take her shoulders," Merlin said tiredly.

The prince obliged him, putting his sword away and holding his arms out for the girl. Arthur helped Merlin ease the girl up and hooked an arm under her shoulders, having to allow her head to hang backward. He glanced at Merlin who reaffirmed his hold on the girl's legs and nodded. A thick trail of blood led from his nose and dripped down his chin, but the appendage did not appear to be broken.

"What happened?" Arthur asked harshly, starting to make his way up the stairs. Sir Damien, a seasoned knight and experienced with his prince's relationship with the servant, remained silent and led the way back up- helping by grabbing a torch and raising it to give better light to the two encumbered men.

Merlin expelled a heavy breath. "He used her to get past the guards down there. Was going to kill her when he released me. Arthur, tell me you caught him, he's getting more dangerous."

The prince scowled and saw Merlin's tense features fall. "No, a damn fly would have made more noise," Arthur reported. Merlin swore under his breath. "But Leon and James are going after him."

A grimace passed over the servant's face, letting Arthur know he did not have much faith in that plan. But as ever, Merlin saw light where there was darkness. "We'll get another chance. He can't run for long."

"We won't get another like this," Arthur grunted. "Dammit. Was she hurt?"

Merlin glanced at her, but quickly back up when he could not see her face. "Don't think so. Just fainted."

"Small mercies," the prince muttered unhappily.

They finally reached the short distance up the stairwell and made it to even ground. Making a joint decision, Arthur and Merlin lowered the girl to the ground. Merlin sighed in relief and immediately took of his neckerchief, using it to clean up his nose. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice muffled.

The prince rolled his eyes. "Don't be, I'm sure you did your best," Arthur sighed. Merlin did not look appeased. When he looked at Arthur, his eyes were ashamed. "You saved her life, Merlin. You should be proud."

Merlin did not smile but he shook his head as if to dismiss the subject. "Are there guards waiting in the city?"

Arthur nodded and stood up. "Stay here. And don't worry if anyone comes down here, Damien will explain your innocence."

The knight offered Arthur a bow and a smile to Merlin. "Be careful, my lord," he bid.

For his part Merlin sent him a look that said much the same thing. Arthur dipped his head in acknowledgement and then hurried to the upper levels of the castle. Once away from Merlin, Arthur allowed his anger to show on his face.

"I don't understand," Gwen thought out loud. "You didn't catch him, but the attacks have stopped."

"Hmm, maybe we scared him," Arthur guessed.

Merlin smirked after placing a fruit tray on the table and nabbing one of the grapes. "We? I'm the one who did all the work."

"How exactly? By being punched?" Arthur teased.

The servant had a reply ready but Gwen jumped in. "I can't believe you two. Don't you know how dangerous that was? Merlin could have been killed!"

Arthur eyed her sideways. "Why thank you for your concern, Guinevere," he deadpanned.

Merlin did not even try hiding a grin as he gathered the remains of lunch. "Is the king still angry?" he asked, saving Arthur from another scolding.

The prince smiled but it appeared to pain him. "Please, one week isn't nearly enough time."

Gwen laughed softly. "Morgana said he wanted you to join an acting troop, Arthur."

This made Arthur wince. "No, not enough time at all."

Merlin pulled a face. "Well at least he's not disappointed that you're still breathing," he muttered pointedly.

The prince shared an amused glance with Guinevere. "Yes, yes," he said dismissively. They all knew that Merlin was never going to get on Uther's good side, this whole incident just insured it. "Now stop acting like you're cleaning up and actually take away the dishes will you."

Merlin rolled his eyes but did as asked. "Yes, Sire!" he mocked and whisked out of the chambers with the dishes. A smile rested on his lips as he walked, figuring that everything turned out pretty well. Despite having to lie to Arthur, the biggest injury had been to King Uther's pride if Merlin didn't count his nose. And Beatrice had listened to him, seemingly abandoning her solo rebellion. The warlock was grateful, happy that she had not seen fit to abandon her life for a fool's quest.

As if his thoughts summoned her, he spotted Beatrice walking down the hall. She caught his eye and smiled, veering toward him. "There you are. You are a hard man to find, Merlin."

He could only offer her a grin. "Sorry. Did you need anything?"

She shrugged and placed a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "You said that Gaius needed some motherwort leaves," Beatrice said and held up a small burlap sack.

Merlin's eyebrows shot up. "You didn't need to do that, I would have gone out to collect some."

"Nonsense," she scoffed. "I was able to get work at the apothecary again." The sorceress stepped around him to grab his jacket, avoiding the tray of dishes he was carrying. Flustered, Merlin froze. She beamed at him and placed the bag in the inside pocket of his jacket. "And I wanted to say thank you. I should have said so sooner."

"Y-you're welcome," he stuttered, still a bit thrown off by having a pretty girl so close to him. Before he knew it, Beatrice leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

Then she was gone, prancing back down the hall in self-satisfaction. "See you later, Merlin!"

And Merlin wasn't a good enough actor to prevent his ears from burning red.

|o|

Yep, so once again, I didn't expect an OC to be given so much spotlight. But she has the hots for Merlin, who was I to deny her?

I hope you guys liked this, I'm excited to be updating this story again! Please review, and remember I always take criticism (and prompts). And I don't bite so that's a bonus, right?