Teach Me

Chapter 2

"Oh and Arthur," said King Uther as his son was leaving the Great Hall, "tell the executioner that his services will be needed."

Uther smirked to himself and strutted back to his throne as Arthur looked at him in surprise, "who are you executing?"

"The Druid of course."

"Father, the Druids are peaceful people. Yes they practice magic but they've never harmed anyone."

"All magic must be stopped, Arthur. If the Druids see that we let even one of them go then they will think we have grown soft and attack us."

Arthur rolled his eyes, "you don't know that, father."

"Yes. I do. Now tell the executioner that he'll be needed tomorrow morning, and if anyone finds his young accomplice, he'll be executed too."

                                                                                         * * *

"It's not fair," said Merlin as he watched the execution from Morgana's bedroom window.

Morgana joined him at the windowsill while Gwen was taking care of the boy, "I can't believe Uther is doing this."

"I get that the man practices magic, but he doesn't seem like he would use it for evil."

"Well you know how Uther is, anyone says the word magic and they face execution."

Merlin let out a small chuckle at the truthfulness of that statement. Morgana cringed as she saw the man below being forced onto the platform for execution, "I can't watch this."

Merlin squeezed his eyes shut as he heard the sound of the axe hitting wood and he heard a young boy's agonized scream inside of his head, "no!"

As soon as he realized that Mordred knew what was going on, the mirror next to him shattered and Merlin watched as a tear traveled down the sick boy's face.

                                                                                        * * *

"Why is King Uther making such a big deal about the Druid boy?" Merlin asked, resting his head in his hands as he sat on the stairs to his bedroom.

Gaius looked up from his medicine making and dried his hands with a towel, "in Uther's mind, anyone who practices magic is evil, and what kind of king would let evil go unpunished?"

Merlin hung his head, "but he's looking for a boy. The child hasn't done anything wrong. I thought Druids were peaceful."

Gaius raised an eyebrow, "why this sudden interest in the boy?"

Merlin hung his head and sighed, "I heard him calling to me yesterday."

Gaius looked alarmed, "it would be best if you had nothing to do with the boy."

"Of course."

"No I'm serious, Merlin, harboring someone that the king wants executed is serious. And for someone with such a big secret, you're a terrible liar."

Merlin gave him a lopsided grin, "pretty cool isn't it?"

Gaius shook his finger at Merlin sternly, "no."

                                                                                     * * *

"It's Merlin," Merlin announced quietly as he knocked on Morgana's bedroom door.

She opened it up a crack and she let him in quickly, before someone spotted him and gossip spread around the castle.

"How is he?"

"He hasn't spoken yet," she said as she joined him by the child's bedside. He leaned up against a post as she said to him, "I still really can't believe that Uther wants to kill him."

Merlin shrugged, "well, he has magic."

"Well," she sighed, "maybe not all kinds of magic are evil. What if there are certain kinds of magic? What if this child has the good kind? I think you can choose to be good or evil with your magic and I don't think people should have to hide who they are for fear of execution," she paused, looked up at him, and gave him a small grin, "why are you looking at me like that?"

Merlin was confused for a moment before he realized he had been giving her the biggest, happiest grin ever, "oh sorry, nothing," he said, returning to his normal face, "Morgana, we have to get him out of here."

"Like help him escape?"

Merlin nodded and she thought for a moment before relenting, "you're right, we do."