Accused

Even on the day where Morgana's fate was about to be decided, the weather appeared to be as warm and inviting as ever. The early morning breeze accompanied the girl as she was dragged by dozens of guards and knights, with even more of them surrounding the courtroom.

Each of her limbs was chained tight and, even though Morgana was already completely bound, all guards standing at her sides always had one hand grasping the handle of their blade, ready to strike at any time.

Several figures were seen in front of her. King Uther, the almighty man sitting on his throne and naturally accompanied by his aides, Prince Arthur and two golden knights of Logress. Several court ministers dressed in luxurious silks could also be seen standing on the sides. It was apparent they came to watch the proceedings.

One aide who stood next to the king announced. "We called upon the accused, for it is time to be judged by the Laws of the Kingdom."

Morgana was brought in front of the throne, the chains which bound her arms and legs were digging coldly on her skin.

"You are in the presence of the great king of Logress, Uther Pendragon."

Morgana utterly ignored the aide in favor of staring at the man seen on the throne. Her glare not doing much in the way of masking her intention.

The king didn't seem to be bothered, however, and he turned towards his aide before saying.

"Did you manage to get any information from the girl?"

"Sadly no, my king, she refuses to say much of anything."

The king nodded and locked gazes with his son who stood on the other side.

"Do you have anything else to add, Arthur?"

"Yes, Father." Arthur said and looked at the crowd. "I have invited someone today."

He gestured with his hand towards the crowd and then suddenly, the crowd parted, revealing the figure standing next to Gaious. The figure nodded and walked towards the center.

"Father, I present to you, Merlin, a Wizard."

King Uther looked at Merlin from top to bottom, the glimmer of excitement was evident in his usually serious stare.

"Aaah, so this is the Merlin I have heard so much about. I didn't know that you were so young… Considering that you managed to become a wizard at a young age, you must be very talented."

Emery didn't answer. He merely walked forward and stood next to Morgana, before giving the king a deep, respectful bow.

"I am merely a simple magician, my Lord."

The prince stood from his seat, walked to the center and stood next to Merlin and Morgana before saying.

"Father, this wizard standing next to me is very much a trusted figure amongst the Fey and he has agreed to help us with our problem with the Fey people."

The king merely hummed, but offered no answer, silently urging Arthur to continue.

"Therefore, with the wizard's help and this fey girl, I hope to gain better communication with the fey crutin. I hope you would release the girl and grant me some time to understand them better"

The king closed his eyes for a moment and pondered. It seemed Arthur's words had struck a chord in him. After a while, he took a deep breath, slowly sighed, and opened his eyes before saying.

"Well done, Arthur. Now, let me ask him some questions"

The king looked towards Emery with a serious gaze and asked.

"Are you really willing to help us, as claimed by my son, the prince?"

Emery nodded, but out of the king's sight, he gripped his hand tight. He was ready for any surprises or shenanigans the king would try to pull.

"Very good, very good. Then, I would believe you, right after you answer this question."

The king stopped for a second before asking his question

"Tell me, Merlin… Did you, or did you not, kill Sir Bagdemagus, the Knight of the Anvil?"

The question startled Emery a bit, even so, he still managed to keep his expression neutral. On the other hand, Arthur seemed even more shocked than the accused as the disbelief expression on his face was clear as day.

Seeing that Emery wasn't responding, King Uther made a gesture with his hand. It was obvious it was a signal as the moment he did so, a few dozen more knights rushed into the room.

Even though he was completely surrounded, Emery still stood still. From his expression, one could tell he wasn't afraid of the knights nor the king.

The abrupt changes caused Arthur to be startled and he shouted at his father.

"Father, cease this madness, there must be a mistake. My investigation had said that Merlin and Sir Bagdemagus were in a good relationship with each other."

The king shook his head and said, "Arthur, you trust people far too easily… but don't worry you about it. This is just a precaution, as long as he's not guilty, he will be fine."

As the king said, each and every single one of the knights stood still, they were merely standing guard in place.

King Uther looked back at Emery and said.

"Merlin… The truth is, I was the one who asked Bagdemagus to recruit you. Wizards are always welcome here, especially one as young and talented as you. But their mission becomes the death of them, please tell me what happened?"

The king glanced at his son and continued.

"You may be able to fool my son, but you can't fool me! I have been looking for you these last few months and here you finally come. Now, tell me did you or did you not kill sir Bagdemagus?!"

Arthur's stare towards his father full of questions and bewilderment.

"Father." Once again, Arthur attempted to reason. "You know about their wounds. The one who killed Sir Bagdemagus was either a beast or…" Arthur stared at Morgana for a moment before continuing. "Either way, there is no way the culprit is Merlin."

Emery smiled looking at Arthur trying to defend him and said to the golden prince.

"As I said Arthur, you are too optimistic."

Emery looked back at the king, grinned, and said.

"Yes, it was ME. I was the one who killed Bagdemagus and his knights."

As if to prove the words coming out of his mouth, Emery's right arm slowly changed under the gaze of everyone in the room. Silver-colored furs gradually covered it while the nails began growing into sharp claws.

[Fey Transformation]

While showing his newly transformed hand he said "This is the beast that kills the golden knight!"

All the knights quickly shouted, "Protect the king!"