Albion's Destiny

21. Efennes

Author's Note: The name of the chapter means equality and justice.

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"Nathan Blackwood."

There was a moment of stunned silence. With a collected in-drawn breath, every person in the room started to comment on this reveal, heads tilting and eyes squinting in search of the man in question.

Merlin felt the disgustingly familiar sense of betrayal grip him. He had thought Nathan an ally, a good man... Had he made the mistake of trusting the wrong person once again? He saw Arthur's spine stiffen, saw the betrayal in the tense set of those shoulders. He wished he could walk the few steps that would take him to his friend. He wished he could hug Arthur, take him away from such ugliness.

But his lover was a king, a man sworn to uphold the justice of the land. So Merlin said nothing. He stared at Nathan when the man stepped forward.

The whole room was staring at Nathan, waiting for him to start... something. Maybe he would spew obscenities. Perhaps he was going to plead his innocence. It was like the most dramatically macabre theatre ever conceived.

"I am innocent, Your Grace," he said in soft tones that forced everyone to pay attention to his words. If he had been hysterical or screaming, it would have been far easier to dismiss him. "But a traitor would say the same, so... " He thought for a minute, and even though his hands shook with fear, he maintained a calm exterior. "I have full faith in the king's justice," he said at last.

Merlin stared at the stoic stance and panicked eyes, wondering. Nathan was not behaving like a guilty man... Any guilty noble worth his salt would have alibis and proof of innocence at the ready. They had known for a while that their accomplices were rotting in dungeons. Why was Nathan still here?

"Lord Cathal," continued Reagan.

Merlin's head whipped around to look at the man who was taking obvious pleasure in naming these men. Reagan sat on his knees, his back straight. His mouth smiled even as his eyes laughed. He had the wicked look of someone who was doing something very, very wrong and doing it very, very well. Even before Cathal strode forward to stand next to Nathan, Merlin knew that Reagan was lying. He was going to get rid of everyone that openly supported Arthur.

The next name to fall from his lips only confirmed it. "The court physician, Gaius."

The throne room erupted in scandalized uproar. Everyone knew that Gaius had been the first person to hold the king in his arms. They knew that he was like a father to Merlin. He was the oldest man at court, and had been here forever. That he would work against the king was not only surprising, it was dangerous. Gaius was seen as a man who would do whatever was best for Camelot. His apparent support for the traitors' cause could turn them into martyrs in the public eye. It could legitimize this movement against Arthur.

Merlin didn't know what to do. He couldn't force the truth out of Reagan with magic, because everyone would think he was protecting Gaius, and perhaps the others. If he used magic, all the courtiers gathered wouldn't believe the truth out of Reagan's mouth. They would suspect that they were hearing exactly what Merlin wanted them to hear.

He racked his brains even as Reagan kept naming the most loyal of Arthur's subjects. Pretty soon, the best of Arthur's knights had joined the others--Gwaine, Lancelot, his wife Gwen, Leon and Percival were all awaiting the king's justice. Merlin could see the excitement of the crowd, the stoic anger and frustration of the knights.

He had to do something.

"Stefn sé sóþcwide," he whispered under his breath, hoping no one would see the telltale gold flash in his downcast eyes.