Merlyn's Fate

The Beauty and the Beast P4

When Uther had ordered his son to arrest Merlyn on the account of stealing Lady Catrina's seal, Arthur immediately knew that something was wrong. For one, the servant would never take anything noticeable, such as the only item the Queen had managed to take from her kingdom, and wasn't stupid enough to do anything that would inflict the King's wrath. Hence, he was wondering what she'd really done for Catrina to accuse her of such a crime. His thoughts went back to the discussion he'd had with Merlyn, vaguely wondering if there was any truth in what she'd told him about the new Queen, but decided to dismiss these notions for now, prioritising his servant's safety.

"Search the stables! You, check the kitchens. Alert the guard on the south gate." he directed his troops, knowing full well none of them would find the fugitive. He knew her schedule, and as long as she'd stuck to it, they'd be fine. He was surprised at the efficiency of some of the guards, probably those Merlyn had outsmarted one too many times, but couldn't keep the smile off his face when Sir Leon, who he'd ordered to check the lower town, began to look under buckets and other objects far too small to hide a human, chatting carelessly with some of the locals, all of whom seemed mildly amused at the process. He watched some of his other knights and most of the guards follow Leon's lead, talking to shopkeepers rather than hunting for the terrible thief. Proud and honestly a little worried about their loyalties, Arthur marched to his chambers, sure that Merlyn would be changing his bedding at that precise moment.

"You need to get out of here. The King has ordered your arrest." The Prince demanded, shutting the door behind him.

"For what?" Merlyn wondered aloud, probably trying to work out what she'd done recently that merited imprisonment.

Arthur sighed, glad to know for sure that she was innocent. "For stealing Catrina's seal." He made his way to the servant's exit, looking through the door and along the dark passageway. He couldn't see anyone approaching from that direction, so beckoned her over.

"I didn't steal it." Merlyn didn't seem particularly concerned, making her either incredibly brave or stupid. The Prince was fairly certain that it was a mixture of both.

"I don't want to know and you don't have time to explain. If you value your life, you will leave Camelot right now." Arthur pushed her through the door, looking back when he heard a knock on the door to make sure nobody had burst into his chambers.

"It's because I know she's a troll. I'll go, but you need to listen to me. She's dangerous." Merlyn exclaimed, trying to sound serious. She stood on her toes, giving the Prince a chaste kiss. "Thank you."

"Good luck." he murmured as she hurried down the tunnel, a little dazed. He shut the door swiftly after her, going to open the main entrance, ready to shout at some foolish guards.

∆

Merlyn made it out of the small passageway and into a main corridor. Hearing guards, she ducked behind a piece of wall that jutted out next to a tapestry, hoping that they were either incredibly thick or not in the mood to arrest her. As they walked past, the one closest to her turned his head. He stopped his partner, and placed a finger to his lips. She recognised the man from a hunt she'd been on, where Cedric had taken the credit for her saving the Prince's life, and felt a strange sense of comfort. The other guard grinned sheepishly; neither of them looked like they were going to bring her to the King.

"The guards are all heading this way. Take the passageway behind the tapestry before they find you." The one that she didn't recognise hissed. She nodded thanks, watching them walk out of sight before lifting the tapestry. Indeed, there was a door, but when she pushed it, she realised that it was locked. Hearing voices at the other end of the corridor, she fished out the duplicate ring of Arthur's keys from her pocket. She didn't normally carry them around, but with Catrina, she couldn't be too careful. Checking them one by one, she winced as the voices got nearer, so close that she could see the men's shadows bouncing off the walls due to the candlelight. Eventually, she found the right key; she managed to reposition the tapestry just as she heard the footsteps of guards stamping around the corner. Closing the door behind her as silently as she could, she stumbled along the passage, vaguely trying to understand how the two guards had known she'd be able to get into the tunnel in the first place.