Merlin and I wait with baited breath for the next day. I know I'm certainly distracted as I go around, looking after Morgana. Merlin and I hardly talk, for fear of being hauled before the King and this scary dude. He is scary, too. Because I can't help feeling like he's hiding behind every corner, watching - waiting for the right opportunity to strike.

"Belle!" Gwen startles me as she comes up from behind me. I jump, twisting around, calming down when I see it's her.

"Oh, sorry." She smiles gently. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I missed you last night, though." I give her a blank look and shrug my shoulders.

"Sorry?"

"Last night? We were meant to have dinner together after duties, remember? It's OK, Morgana's not mad, she understands."

I rub my head. "I'm sorry. I was out late uh... I got locked out of the castle for some reason. I think I was after curfew. I'm sorry." I shrug helplessly.

"It's OK." She smiles. "Really, it's fine. I'll catch you later?" She walks past me.

I take a second to gather myself before I take a step forwards and bump hard into someone.

"Sorry." I take a step backwards, and that's when I freeze. It's this Lightman guy. He's staring at me.

"What's your name?" He asks.

"... Belle..." The words stick in my throat. It's just my name, gosh, how hard can it be?

"I want you to come with me for a moment, Belle." He points down the hallway. I look back, but there's no one coming to rescue me.

My heart thumps wiildly, but there seems to be no escaping. I try to calm myself down. It's not like he can read minds or anything. I won't admit to anything. He can't have seen anything anyway. I didn't dare practice the force when I knew he was around.

"So what's this about?" I calm my shaky voice. He opens the door to a little side room and points inside.

"Have a seat, Belle." He points to the chair. Heart still thumping, I obey.

He looks back at me intently. "When you were talking to that other maid, you said you got locked out of the castle, right?"

"Uh... yeah." I shrug. "Why? Is that important?"

"It was a lie." He says nonchalantly. "Where were you really last night?" 

"I..." I start. This guy's trickier than I thought.

"The King so kindly told everyone I was here to sniff out magic and sorcery. Well, I am, but that's not all I do." His eyes narrow. "I also spot lies. Belle, I'm not a mind reader, I'm a facial expression expert - a doctor of science."

In other words, you can tell when I'm lying?

"And before I go on, you might want to rethink that look." He gives a half smile. "If you want me to think you're innocent, you might want to wipe that fear off your face."

________________________________________________

I stare at him. "What are you implying? I have... magic?"

He looks intently at me. "No, clearly you don't. First, I want to ask you something - what's your favourite memory?"

Confusion circles me. "What?"

"Do us a favour, love. Answer the question. Come on - favourite memory. Was it with a sibling? Mother? Father?"

"Actually..." My favourite memory... "It was when my mother took me out to barter with the merchants. She let me buy all the produce and then she let me buy this." I hold up the bracelet on my arm. It's made out of  hand crafted beads, and it probably looks a little tacky now but it's still my only link to her.

"Alright, so now tell me something else - do you have any powers at all?"

My eyes flicker. "No. No! What do you think I am?"

"Deflection." He mutters quietly.

"I.. do not... have powers." I stare at him the whole time, emphasizing slowly.

He gets up and points to the door. "You're free to go. But you're lying, aren't you."

He doesn't say this as a question - more matter-of-factly. I shiver and almost run out of that room, almost colliding with Merlin, who has a look on his face that tells me he's itching to find out what went on.

"I can't tell you here." I hiss. "Meet me in the woods."

Right now, my only instinct is to get the heck out of here. I run towards the front entrance, relieved. I'm going to make it. As soon as I'm outside I'll run and live in the woods until this is all over. Just as I'm about to breathe in the fresh air, the guards cross their swords, blocking my exit.

"Lightman asked us to stop you from exiting the castle." One says boredly.

Without a second glance, I walk back the way I've come. If I got caught running away it could mean I'm in even more danger. The best way is to try and sneak out.

I search for Merlin, but he's nowhere to be found, so instead I try to resume normal duties. But for some reason, I just can't stop thinking about the way that he looked at me. He doesn't believe me. And that means that unless I can convince everyone I have no powers, I could be facing death.

__________________________________________________________

I'm about halfway through my duties when a shadow falls over me. I look up to see a guard standing there - unusual - seeing as they hardly come into the palace. He eyes me.

"You need to come with me."

"What?" My heart rate speeds up. "Why?"

"No questions." He says sharply. Trying not to start shaking, I follow him down the hallways. Where is Merlin?! He should be here helping me!

The guard marches me straight past everyone and into the throne room where the King and a few of his nobles have gathered. And standing beside them is Lightman. I try and decide how I want to play this - arrogant and denying or quiet and subtle.

"Belle, somehow I didn't think we were finished with you." Uther says, rising as I bow to him and then look up.

"I beg your pardon, Your Majesty?"

"Well, when you first came here - that show you demonstrated for us. I thought it was an old wizard who had done that, but it appears like you fooled us all there, too. My friend here says you are lying about having powers." 

"I don't. I have never had powers, Your Majesty. I wouldn't be here if I did. Why do you think I would come to a kingdom so against magic and sorcery if I knew that I could be executed for demonstrating them?"

"Maybe because you didn't know you had them?" Cal suggests quietly from beside the King's chair. I glare at him. If he kept his mouth shut I might be able to reason my way out of this one.

"What do you mean?" Uther turns to his new best friend.

"It appears she didn't know she had these powers until she moved here."

"I don't have any powers!" I say desperately. Where the heck is Merlin when you need him?

Lightman sighs, slowly enunciating every word. "We both know that's not true."

I frown, but words can't get out.

"So... you're going to believe him, Your Majesty, over someone who asks for no great title in this kingdom, only to be a common servant."  We all look up as Morgana enters the room. Behind her, I can see Merlin sneaking in. He gives me a worried glance and I give him an annoyed one. About time he showed up. 

"It's not about believing, my dear." Uther takes Morgana's arm. "This man is an expert."

She looks at him, eyebrows raised. "Oh? So what may I ask do you think of me?" 

"I can tell what you think of your father..." Lightman says. Morgana laughs softly.

"I love him very much. As I was saying - I don't think it's right for you to blame Belle. She had nothing to do with any of this, I'm sure." Her hands rub together. 

"You don't believe that. Neither do I." Lightman nods towards me. "She does have powers. And someone else, I believe, too. Someone else she was talking to instead of being locked out of the castle like she said..."

He looks around the room. I hope to God Merlin is hiding. "Ah, the young boy there. Merlin, I believe? Can you come forward?"

Darnit Merlin! Have you no brains?! Merlin steps up beside me, nudging me. "Belle - and I have nothing to do with this. You have no proof that we have, or even practice magic." Merlin says bravely. "You can't prove anything."

He steps down casually from the podium, eyeing us both in turn. "I may not have proof, but I can spot lies, and I know what I saw through the window of that physician's home." He gestures to Merlin. "These two were with the physician. One of them was pouring a glass of water for the other." He looks at us both. Isn't that right?"

I feel a gentle pressure on my hand. I don't dare look down. I know who it is. I'm grateful, but no matter how much he's trying to reassure me, things look pretty bleak.

"Yes, pouring a glass of water for the other - using magic." He whirls around. "These two are guilty, Your Majesty. No other in the Kingdom was found. You may do what you like." He stepsout of the room. I look at Merlin in terror.

"Send them both to the prison - until I can decide what's to be done." Uther says.

With no further word, we're dragged out and shoved into one of the tiny, smelly cells. Oh dear. This looks like the end...

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Hey, so until I can think of a movie that has 2 people in prison I don't know what to do. :P Any ideas? The only one I can think of is the Shawshank redemption and I haven't seen it - only heard of it. Maybe I should watch it. Does anyone else have any ideas about what movie I could do next? And are you liking it so far? Thanks.