The Royal Scandal *Book Two*

Dignity in Death S2 E9

*those of you who are rereaders of this chapter you will notice that I have changed a very key plot point in this episode. I hated it pretty much as soon as I posted it originally but I just never changed it. In all forms, I hate cheating and I have absolutely no clue as to why past me added that in as a plot point. So that is no longer part of the story and I will change the next few chapters to follow this*

Pushing passed the gut feeling that I shouldn't go to Gaius', I ignored it and walked alongside the man himself out of the main town where yet another set of bodies had been found. Seeing us approaching, people would move to the side allowing us to get closer and closer to the house quicker than I would have liked.

"Do you have any idea what this creature could be?" I asked Gaius in a low voice as we paused a group of whispering women.

"I have a couple but nothing certain as of yet," Gaius answered. "Chelsea, can I ask you something?"

"Of course," I replied immediately.

"Has Merlin seemed a little... odd to you recently?" Gaius asked, making my breath catch in my throat.

"I haven't really seen him a lot recently," I admitted, wishing that that was the truth. If I hadn't seen him then I wouldn't have initiated that argument between the two of us.

"You haven't? Surely you must have thought that odd," Gaius said.

"I've been a bit occupied lately," I lied.

"Oh, of course. Maybe it's because of that Druid girl escaping," Gaius continued, and I felt his gaze on me as if testing my reaction but I managed to keep my face neutral. So Gaius restarted muttering away to himself as we got back to his house.

Gaius pushed the door open, and it was just my luck that as I walked in, I made direct eye contact with the one person I really did not want to see.

"Gaius. I was just—" Merlin began but stopped when we made eye contact.

"Merlin, sit down. I want to talk to you," Gaius told him before he turned to me. "Could you be a dear and look in the book on my desk? Go to page 283."

"Ok," I nodded, walking straight past Merlin and to the book.

"Is everything alright? You look worried," Merlin asked Gaius as they sat at the table.

I found the book and sat behind the desk, flicking page by page to the number, all while I was glaring a hole into the back of Merlin's skull.

"The beast struck again last night. Two more deaths in the lower town," Gaius informed him.

"Do you know what it is?" Merlin asked, his voice alone making me want to chuck the book at him.

"Once again, no tracks by the bodies, but human footprints were leading away from them," Gaius said.

"Right," Merlin nodded.

"It doesn't seem to add up. The footprints indicate that a human is responsible, but the wounds inflicted, are definitely the work of a beast," Gaius continued.

I glanced down at the book and began flicking pages in bunches rather than singularly.

"Strange," Merlin muttered.

"Yes. Until I remembered what Halig said about the Druid girl. That she's cursed," Gaius said, making me look up at him with raised eyebrows.

"What's that got to do with the monster?" Merlin asked.

"Ancient chronicles speak of a heinous curse. It dooms its victims to turn at the stroke of midnight, into a vicious and bloodthirsty beast," Gaius explained as I reached page 283. "The writers of old called this creature a—"