Throne Room, Citadel of Camelot, Saturday Morning-Ish Fandom Time
Arthur
"So where has he been all this time?"
It had been two days since Uther sent for the Witchfinder. Two days in which Arthur had had the joy of becoming increasingly more antsy.
He paced after his father into the smaller throne room, trying and failing to keep his hand away from his sword. All this tension was making him teether on the brink of battle-readiness.
Uther
"Anywhere the pursuit of sorcery takes him," Uther said, firmly. He was taking long strides past his throne. He was antsy, too, but for a different reason.
He wanted the witch or wizard found.
Arthur
Lovely.
"In your name?"
Uther
"The Witchfinder serves no one. He is a law onto himself."
Uther came to a full stop, clapping his hands together.
Arthur
"Then surely he can't be trusted--" Arthur attempted, but he was swiftly interrupted by the clicking of boots on the floor.
. . .
The man who belonged to those clicking heels had a voice like a low baritone.
"Do you smell it?" he asked, stepping around a pillar into the room. "Do you smell it, Uther?"
Arthur
Arthur didn't need his father's surprised "Aredian!" to know this man was trouble, and then some. His fingers drifted over the hilt of his sword again, twitching.
Aredian
"It is all around us," said Aredian, pacing towards them with measured steps, "The foul stench of sorcery. It has infected your great city like a contagion."
He looked severe in his heavy black cloak, and his bearing did not help impressions any.
Uther
"I welcome you to Camelot, Aredian," Uther said, rushing forwards. He was radiating all the seriousness of a man who knew his cause was just, and hopelessly necessary. He clasped Aredian's wrist. "I thank you for making such haste to be here."
Aredian
An odd little smile formed on Aredian's face. "Well, let's hope I'm not too late, hm?" He clasped Uther's wrist in turn. "Every hour counts in the war against sorcery."
He glanced over Uther's shoulder, at Arthur. "Unchecked," he said, "It spreads like a disease. It seeks out the young and the old."
He let go of Uther's wrist, and stepped past him then, carrying on towards Arthur. "The weak and the able, the fair..." He looked straight at Arthur. "...And the foul of heart alike." He turned. "You've grown lazy, Uther. You've grown idle. Your once-noble Camelot is now rotten to the core. You stand on the brink of dark oblivion."
Arthur
Did Aredian know?
The thought came to Arthur unbidden. His fingers tensed, and he had to forcibly draw them away from his sword.
No. He couldn't know. He would have already accused Arthur of treachery if he did.
Arthur cautioned himself to keep his calm, and find some way to keep the damage under control. "My men are at your disposal, Aredian. My knights will aid you in whatever way they can."
Aredian
"Ah," said the Witchfinder, as if his earlier looks in Arthur's direction had merely been intended to study the wall behind him. "You must be Arthur."
Arthur
"I... must be," Arthur agreed, doing his level best not to radiate unease.
Aredian
"You're a great warrior," Aredian said, after a brief moment of... consideration. "The finest this kingdom has ever known."
Arthur
Why did this feel like walking into a trap?
"Thank you."
Aredian
"So you won't be offended when I say that I will have no need of you. Or your knights."
He turned away from Arthur rather abruptly.
"The subtle force of sorcery can only be fought by yet subtler means. Methods honed over decades of study. Methods known only to myself."
Arthur
Aredian and Uther talked some about prices or food or whatever it was. Arthur wasn't paying attention, at least not for the next few scraps of conversation.
The roiling sense of danger that had permeated the air for the past few days suddenly crashed violently into his stomach.
If he could not be involved in the investigation - if Aredian did not let him steer him casually away from the worst evidence - then what? Then what could he do? What if he found out about Merlin?
The magic book. He'd better make damn sure Merlin had hidden it somewhere useful, instead of shoving it back under his bed. Fuck. And what if someone got near Francine or Katchoo or Karla? He'd have to make sure they stayed as far out of the citadel as he could.
Sending them away wouldn't work now, either. Their faces had been seen around - their absence would invite questions.
Fuck. Not even Katchoo's vocabulary could cover this.
"Aredian," he called out, at last, fighting the queasiness in his entrails, "When do you begin?"
Aredian
Aredian smiled, as he walked towards the doors once more, and spoke the absolute last words Arthur wanted to hear.
"I've already begun."
[[ nfb, nfi, ooc-okay, and taken and adapted from the Merlin episode 'The Witchfinder'. ]]