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| - KILGHARRAH -- NIMUEHBerbay odothay arisan yeldo NIMUEHDiegol cnytte, gewitte me yst, aliese hine, to Camelot he cymþ -- MERLIN Aren't you scared? GAIUS Of what? MERLIN That you might catch whatever it is. GAIUS I'm the court physician, Merlin. This is part of my job. Most of the time there's nothing really to be scared of. MERLIN You were saying? GAIUS People mustn't see this. They will panic. -- GUINEVERE Dad, here's your sandwich. TOM Ooh. Mmm, what's in it? GUINEVERE It's smoked pigeon. But I'd say there's more smoke than pigeon. TOM [Laughing] You're such a good girl to me. GUINEVERE And I've done you some watercress soup tonight. TOM Don't tell me, with more water in it than cress? GUINEVERE I'll see you later. TOM Okay. Bye. -- GUINEVERE What are you doing? MERLIN Er... just moving something. GUINEVERE Looks heavy. MERLIN Earm, it's nothing really. Erm... did someone got you flowers? GUINEVERE Oh! No. [giggle] Would you like one? A purple one. Purple suits you. Not that I'm saying red doesn't suit you. MERLIN Thanks. Well, er... MERLIN Er... see you. GUINEVERE Bye. -- MORGANA You look happy. GUINEVERE I picked these for you. MORGANA Oh, that's so sweet. GUINEVERE Something to cheer you up. I know you're not sleeping well. MORGANA You cheer me up. GUINEVERE Would you like me to put them in water for you? -- GAIUS I've never seen anything like this before. MERLIN Do you think it could be some kind of plague? GAIUS No. I fear that something like this could never come from nature. But who has this kind of power? MERLIN You think it's caused by magic? ARTHUR Merlin! MERLIN Erm... I'm on my way. Sorry I'm late. ARTHUR Don't worry. I'm getting used to it. MERLIN Oh, er... Gwen, she gave it to me. ARTHUR Tell Gaius my father wants to see him now. MERLIN Okay. MERLIN Gaius... GAIUS I heard. MERLIN Wait, why couldn't he just tell you himself? GAIUS Because that's the way it is. You're a servant. MERLIN Wha... if he knew who I was, what I've done... GAIUS You'd be a dead servant. Right, get this covered up. MERLIN Hey, I'm not your servant. GAIUS No, you're my dogsbody. Come on, hurry up. -- UTHER What's happened to him? GAIUS I don't know, Sire. It's the second case I've seen today. UTHER Why didn't you report it to me? GAIUS I was attempting to find the cause. UTHER What did you conclude? GAIUS I don't think it's time to hurry to conclusions. The scientific process is a long one. UTHER What are you concealing from me? GAIUS Sire, I have seen nothing like it. The victims are dying in 24 hours, and it's spreading fast. UTHER What is the cause? GAIUS I think you should say that the cause, the most likely cause, is sorcery. UTHER We must find who did this. ARTHUR I will, Father. UTHER Conduct door to door searches. Increase your presence in the town. Double the guards on all the gates. And lend the physician your servant. ARTHUR Merlin? But... UTHER I'm going to need Gaius to find a cure. He needs all the help we can give him. If Gaius is right, believe me, this city will be wiped out. This is the kind of magic that undermines our authority, challenges all we've done. If we cannot control this plague, people will turn to magic for a cure. We have to find this sorcerer, and quickly. ARTHUR Yes, Father. -- MERLIN Gaius? Gaius. He's still alive. GAIUS I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for him. MERLIN But we haven't tried. GAIUS If we don't know what a disease is, then how can we cure him? MERLIN With magic. GAIUS Have a look. They're suspicious of everyone. This is not the time to be using magic. Science will lead us to the source of the disease. -- MERLIN What are you doing? GAIUS I'm examining the contents of that man's stomach. MERLIN Will that tell you who did it? GAIUS No, but it might tell us how it's spread. One thing I do know, this is magic of the darkest kind. MERLIN Why would someone use magic like that? GAIUS Magic corrupts. People use it for their own ends. MERLIN But not all magic is bad. I know it isn't. GAIUS It's neither good nor bad. It's how you use it. ARTHUR [To Guard] Over there. [To Gaius] Sorry Gaius, we're searching every room in town. GAIUS What for? ARTHUR A sorcerer. GAIUS But why would he be here? ARTHUR I'm just doing my job. GAIUS We've nothing to hide. Go on, then. Search. ARTHUR All these books and papers? GAIUS My life's work, dedicated to the understanding of science. You are quite welcome to read through them if you wish. ARTHUR What's this room up here? MERLIN Er, it's mine. GAIUS And what do you expect to find in there? ARTHUR I'm looking for material or evidence suggesting the use of enchantments. GAIUS What've you done with the magic book I gave you? ARTHUR Merlin, come here. Look what I found. ARTHUR I found a place where you can put things. It's called a cupboard. ARTHUR How long do you think it may be before you find a cure? GAIUS It depends on how many interruptions I get. ARTHUR Of course, I'm sorry. [To Guards] We're finished here. GAIUS We have to hide that book. MERLIN No. We must use it. GAIUS Don't be stupid. MERLIN If I have this legacy then what is it for? You keep telling me it's not for playing tricks. GAIUS You want to practice magic when the King is hunting for sorcerers? Are you mad? Merlin, your life is destined for more important things. MERLIN But if I don't practice, then how will I get to be this great warlock?! GAIUS There will come a time when your skills will be recognised. MERLIN When?! How long do I have to wait? GAIUS Patience is a virtue, Merlin. MERLIN Sitting by and doing nothing, that's a virtue? GAIUS Your time will come. MERLIN I could cure that man we saw. GAIUS I know it's tempting to use the way you find easiest, Merlin... MERLIN It is when it would save a life. GAIUS It's no good just saving one person. We have to discover how this illness is spreading. MERLIN Arthur is out there right now looking for the sorcerer! GAIUS A sorcerer who's powerful enough to do this will never be found searching the town. MERLIN [sigh]So what can we do? GAIUS Hope that science can find the answer before it kills us all. -- -- ARTHUR We searched everywhere, the entire city. UTHER Nothing? ARTHUR I don't know where else to look. UTHER I want you to impose a curfew. No one is to be allowed onto the streets after the great bell. ARTHUR Father? UTHER And cordon off the lower town. ARTHUR Why? UTHER Because that's where most of the victims are. Let's isolate it, stop this disease from spreading. ARTHUR What about the people who live there? UTHER Don't you think I haven't considered it? What else can I do? I have to protect the rest of the city. -- GAIUS What's different about this victim? MERLIN Er... she's a woman. GAIUS Sometimes I do wonder whether you're a magical talents were given to the right person. Anything else? MERLIN Erm... she's a courtier. GAIUS Ah. MERLIN How does that help us? GAIUS Courtiers seldom go down to the lower town. So what does that mean? MERLIN Erm... that, that she hasn't spoken to any townspeople. GAIUS Yes, it suggests that the disease is not spread by contact. MERLIN Oh, and they probably ate different food. GAIUS Good. Anything else? MERLIN Erm... I doubt they breathe the same air. GAIUS So what's the only thing they do share? MERLIN Water. Water? You think the disease is spread through water? GAIUS Merlin, you're a prodigy. -- GUINEVERE It's time to get up, Dad. Dad? TOM Gwen. MERLIN Gwen? Gwen! -- GAIUS Gwen! GUINEVERE Gaius. GAIUS You have the sickness? GUINEVERE My father! Please, Gaius, he's all I have. GAIUS Gwen, I have no cure. GUINEVERE I am begging you! GAIUS I wish there was something, anything, but so far the remedy is beyond what I can achieve. GAIUS I'm sorry, Gwen. MERLIN There must be something we can do. GAIUS My best. Let's hope that this can provide some answers. MERLIN But that'll be too late for Gwen's father. GAIUS I fear you may be right. -- GUARD ONE What about over...in there? GUARD TWO Certainly, sir. MERLIN [whispers] Onstyrian, onbregdan. MERLIN þu fornimst adl fram guman. GUINEVERE Father? TOM Gwen. GUINEVERE What's happened? I can't believe it! -- -- GAIUS Don't touch it. I had this in the water for no more than a few hours. UTHER Where's the water from? GAIUS The pump from where the people take their daily supply. ARTHUR We have to stop the people from using it. GAIUS The city cannot survive without water. UTHER We have to find this sorcerer! ARTHUR I don't believe that they're inside Camelot. UTHER Then extend the search to the villages! ARTHUR We've started, but I can't search the entire kingdom. UTHER And I can't stand by and watch our people dying. -- MERLIN How's your father? Is he feeling better? GUINEVERE Yeah, it's incredible. It's a miracle. MERLIN His skin's clear, back to normal? GUINEVERE Yes. MERLIN Great! GUINEVERE You don't seem surprised. MERLIN No, no, I am. It's a miracle. GUINEVERE But how did you know he was well? MERLIN Er... because you're smiling. GUINEVERE That's really weird because I haven't told anyone, but you know. How could you know? MERLIN Yeah. Alright. You finally found out, I'll tell you. [swallows] I'm psychic. GUINEVERE [Giggles] No, you're not. MERLIN It's true. GUINEVERE Alright, what am I thinking? MERLIN That I'm not psychic. GUINEVERE [Giggles] You're strange. I... I don't mean that in a nasty way. You're just funny. I like that. MERLIN Erm, er, I'm pleased for you. GUINEVERE Thank you. MERLIN What for? GUINEVERE Don't know, just for asking. MERLIN I didn't like to see you upset. I have to...get on. -- ARTHUR The story is you were sick. TOM Not any more. ARTHUR Perhaps you were suffering from some other ailment? TOM Oh, you're joking. I felt like death itself, not enough strength in me to stir the air. ARTHUR Then... what happened? TOM Oh, I don't know. Suddenly it was gone. I'm fitter than I was before. ARTHUR That's remarkable. Was anybody with you when all this happened? TOM Just my daughter, Gwen. -- ARTHUR Seize her. GUINEVERE No. ARTHUR Guinevere, I'm arresting you for crimes and contraventions of the laws of Camelot, that you did practice enchantments. MORGANA Gwen? GUINEVERE But what have I done? I haven't done anything! Help me, please! MORGANA What are you doing? ARTHUR I found a magic poultice in her house. MORGANA Oh, that's ridiculous. ARTHUR Then how else do you explain her father's recovery? MORGANA Well, she's innocent! I know she's innocent. ARTHUR What can I do? I can't turn a blind eye! -- GUINEVERE No, please. You've got to listen to me! Please, I haven't done anything wrong! You have to listen to me, please! I am innocent, I swear! Let me go! I swear to you! [Guinevere turns her head and sees Merlin approaching her] GUINEVERE Merlin! Merlin, please help me! [to guards] Why won't you listen to me?! GUINEVERE Please listen to me! -- GAIUS What have you done?! MERLIN What? GAIUS I warned you! Oh, I understand. You thought you were doing good. MERLIN I couldn't let her father die knowing I could cure him. GAIUS Didn't you think it might look a bit suspicious, the curing of one man? MERLIN Well then, all I have to do is... I'll cure everyone! No one will ever have to know it was magic. GAIUS It's too late! They think Gwen's a sorceress! They think she caused the disease! MERLIN But she didn't! GAIUS Oh, and how are you going to prove that?! -- GUINEVERE Please listen to me I have done nothing, please! I swear I haven't done anything! UTHER [to Arthur] Well done. GUINEVERE Why will no one believe me?! He got better, he just recovered. I didn't do anything! MORGANA I believe you. Perhaps this is a disease that is not always fatal. Have you thought of that? Perhaps he recovered naturally. UTHER And what of this poultice that was found? GUINEVERE What poultice? I don't know anything about a poultice! UTHER It was found in your house. Undo this enchantment. Put an end to this contagion. GUINEVERE I can't! UTHER I will show you no mercy. GUINEVERE I am not a witch. I don't know how to stop the illness! UTHER If you will not undo your sorcery, you force my hand and I must find you guilty... GUINEVERE But I told you, I... UTHER It is therefore my duty to pronounce judgment. And under the circumstance I have no choice but to sentence you to death. GUINEVERE No. UTHER I can only hope that when you die, this evil plague dies with you. GUINEVERE No! No! UTHER Take her away. GUINEVERE Please, no! I'm innocent! Please, please, no! Please help me! Please, I beg you! No! MORGANA I know Gwen, she's my maidservant, not an enchantress. UTHER Have you ever seen an enchantress? Believe me, they bear no sign, no mark. There is no sense of evil in the eye. MORGANA I've seen the way the girl works. Her fingers are worn, her nails are broken. If she was a sorceress, why would she do this? Why would she kneel on a cold stone floor morning after morning when she could make these things happen with a snap of her fingers? Like an idle king! UTHER You have no right! MORGANA You have no right to cast a judgement on that girl! UTHER I have a responsibility to take care of this kingdom! I take no pleasure in this! MORGANA But you're sentencing the wrong person! ARTHUR She's right, Father. You hear the word magic, you no longer listen. UTHER You saw it for yourself. She used enchantments. UTHER Yes, maybe. But to save her dying father, that doesn't make her guilty of creating a plague. One's the act of, of kindness, of love, the other of evil. I don't believe evil's in this girl's heart. UTHER I have witnessed what witchcraft can do. I have suffered at its hand. I cannot take that chance. If there is the slightest doubt about this girl, she must die or the whole kingdom may perish. ARTHUR I understand that. UTHER One day you may become King. Then you will understand. Such decisions must be made. There are dark forces that threaten this kingdom. ARTHUR I know. Witchcraft is an evil, father. So is injustice. Yes, I am yet to be King, and I don't know what kind of king I will be, but I do have a sense of the kind of Camelot I would wish to live in. It would be where the punishment fits the crime. UTHER I fear you're right. She's played with fire, and sadly she must die by fire. -- MERLIN I thought I was doing good and that curing Gwen's father would help her. I thought I was saving a life. It seemed so simple. GAIUS An easy solution is like a light in a storm, Merlin. Rush for it at your peril, for it may not always lead you to a safe harbour. MERLIN I can see that now. GAIUS How many times have I warned you about the responsibilities of being a warlock? MERLIN I must see her. -- MERLIN Gwen. GUINEVERE Thank you. MERLIN What for? GUINEVERE For coming to see me. MERLIN I'm sorry. GUINEVERE It's not your fault. MERLIN Well... GUINEVERE It's alright. Don't worry about me. There's no point crying about it. I mean...I mean, I'm not saying that you were going to cry about me. Obviously I don't think that. MERLIN Oh, Gwen. I can't have this happen. GUINEVERE Please, one thing. You, you don't have to, but... MERLIN What? GUINEVERE Remember me. MERLIN You're not going to die. I'm not going to let this happen. -- UTHER What if burning this witch doesn't stop the poison? How do I protect my people? My men have closed down the water pumps. GAIUS But the emergency supply won't last for much longer. We have to find a way of cleansing the water of the disease. UTHER But how? GAIUS Well... MERLIN It was me! It was me who used magic to cure Gwen's father! MERLIN Gwen is not the sorcerer. I am! GAIUS Merlin! Are you mad? MERLIN I cannot let her die for me. [to Uther] I place myself at your mercy. GAIUS He doesn't know what he's talking about. MERLIN I do. UTHER Then arrest him. ARTHUR Father, please! I can't allow this! This is madness! There's no way Merlin is a sorcerer. UTHER Did you not hear him? ARTHUR Yes. UTHER He admitted it. ARTHUR He saved my life, remember. UTHER Why should he fabricate such a story? ARTHUR As Gaius said, he's got a... grave mental disease. UTHER Really? ARTHUR He's in love. MERLIN What? ARTHUR With Gwen. MERLIN I am not. ARTHUR Yes, you are. MERLIN No way. ARTHUR I saw yesterday with that flower she'd given you. MERLIN I'm not in love with her. ARTHUR It's alright. You can admit it. MERLIN I don't even think of her like that! UTHER Perhaps she cast a spell on you. ARTHUR Merlin is a wonder, but the wonder is that he's such an idiot. There's no way he's a sorcerer. UTHER Don't waste my time again. Let him go. -- MERLIN Arthur's the idiot. GAIUS No. He was right to do what he did. And, thankfully, he saved you from your own stupidity. MERLIN What else could I do? It's my fault Gwen's going to die. GAIUS Yes, but you don't prove her innocence by offering to jump into the flames. You do it by finding out what's causing the disease! MERLIN Well, whatever it is, one thing's for sure: Arthur isn't going to find it. He thinks he is so sharp! But even when I told him I was a wizard, he still couldn't see it. GAIUS Sometimes they're pretty hard to spot. MERLIN Well, maybe I should go around wearing a pointy hat. GAIUS I don't think you'll find one big enough. Anyway, forget that. If we're going to save Gwen, we have to find out what's contaminating the water. -- -- -- GAIUS The water from here supplies the whole town. Take a sample. GAIUS Let's take it back and examine it. MERLIN What the hell was that? -- GAIUS Here. It was an Afanc. MERLIN An...a what? GAIUS A beast born of clay, and conjured up only by the most powerful sorcerer. Now we have to find a way to defeat it. But where? [looks at shelves of books] MERLIN That could take days. Gwen'll be dead by then. GAIUS Have you got a better idea? MERLIN Gwen? I'm going to get you out. I will. -- MERLIN Hello? KILGHARRAH Hello. [Flies down] The great warlock returns, as I knew he would. MERLIN I need to know how to defeat an Afanc. KILGHARRAH Yes, I suppose you do. MERLIN Will you help me? KILGHARRAH Trust the elements that are at your command. MERLIN Elements? But what is it I have to do? KILGHARRAH You cannot do this alone. You are but one side of a coin. Arthur is the other. MERLIN I, I don't understand. Just tell me what it is I have to do. MERLIN No! Please, help me! KILGHARRAH I have. [Laughs] MERLIN Oh, yeah, right. Thanks. -- UTHER Have you found anything more? ARTHUR I've tried. I can keep looking. UTHER People are dying, we can't delay any longer. We must kill the witch. Bring her execution forward to tonight. -- GAIUS Merlin, what are you doing? MERLIN Looking for a book. GAIUS You going to tell me which one? MERLIN A book on elements. GAIUS Elements? MERLIN Yes. Which one would I find them in? GAIUS Well, most of them. The study of base elements is at the very heart of the scientific process. MERLIN But how would they help me kill the Afanc? GAIUS Well, the Afanc is a creature made from earth and water. That's two of the four base elements. MERLIN What about the other two? GAIUS Well, perhaps they will destroy it. You want fire. Wind and fire. How did you find this out? MERLIN Erm... I just knew, you know? One of my powers. GAIUS What else do your powers tell you? MERLIN That I am only one side of a coin. The brighter side, obviously. GAIUS And who's the other side? MERLIN I think that might be Arthur. MORGANA They're bringing forward the execution. We have to prove Gwen's innocence. GAIUS We're trying. MORGANA Please, just tell me what I can do to help. MERLIN We need Arthur. MORGANA Arthur? MERLIN There's a monster, an Afanc, in the water supply. That's what's causing the plague. MORGANA Well, we must tell Uther. GAIUS The Afanc's a creature forged by magic. Telling Uther wouldn't save Gwen. He'd just blame her for conjuring it. MORGANA So what are we to do? MERLIN We need to destroy it. Then the plague will stop and Uther may see sense. MORGANA And that's why you need Arthur. MERLIN He's our best chance. But he won't want to disobey the King. MORGANA Leave that to me. -- ARTHUR You alright? Sorry about all this. [He indicates the mess on the table] Merlin's not been in today. MORGANA Poor Merlin. ARTHUR Yeah. MORGANA To offer to give up his life to save Gwen's. I certainly can't imagine any man loving me so much. ARTHUR No, I certainly can't imagine that either. MORGANA That's because you're not like Merlin. He's a lover. ARTHUR Yeah, maybe that's because I haven't found the right person to love. MORGANA Sadly the age of gallantry seems to be dead. You look around and all you see are small men, not big enough to fill their armour. There's not one of them that' s able to stand up for what is right. [Arthur smirks at Morgana's obvious manipulative insult] ARTHUR What do you want me to do? -- ARTHUR You'd better be right about this, Merlin. ARTHUR You should stay here. MORGANA I'm coming with you. ARTHUR No. MORGANA Scared I'll show you up? ARTHUR Father will slam us both in chains if he knew I'd endangered you. MORGANA Well good thing he doesn't know about it then. ARTHUR I'm telling you, Morgana, turn back. You could get hurt. MORGANA You could too... if you don't get out of my way. MORGANA How are we going to find it? MERLIN I just hope we do before it finds us. [Arthur spins around] ARTHUR Stop. MERLIN What? ARTHUR It's just a shadow. [They keep moving. The Afanc creeps out of shadows behind them. They reach the water source] ARTHUR Spread out. MORGANA What is it? Are you alright? ARTHUR Yeah. MERLIN Did you see it? ARTHUR Yes. MERLIN What did it look like? ARTHUR It... it's quick. ARTHUR Where is it? MERLIN I think it's gone this way! MERLIN Arthur, use the torch! MERLIN Lyfte ic þe in balwen ac forhienan. -- NIMUEH Merlin. Mah! -- UTHER It's very good. GAIUS Good news, Sire. There are no new deaths, and those that are sick are recovering. UTHER Good. Strange, I've never heard of an Afanc before. GAIUS It's conjured from clay by powerful magic. The type that can only be invoked by an ancient sorcerer. One that has the power to mirror the spirit of life. I found this at the water source. GAIUS It bears the mark of Nimueh. We must be vigilant, Sire. UTHER Will I never be rid of her? GAIUS Sire. UTHER Leave me! -- GUINEVERE Dad! TOM Oh, my little child! GUINEVERE Thank you! MORGANA Don't thank me. It was more Merlin. GUINEVERE Really? MORGANA He's the real hero here. GUINEVERE I don't know what to say. MERLIN [shrugs] I didn't do anything. TOM I'm- I'm grateful to you all. Come on, Gwen. MORGANA Merlin. I wanted you to know, your secret's safe with me. MERLIN My secret? MORGANA Merlin, don't pretend. I know what you did. MERLIN You do? MORGANA I saw it with my own eyes. MERLIN You did? MORGANA I understand why you don't anyone to know. MERLIN Well, obviously. MORGANA But I won't tell anyone. You don't mind me talking to you about it? MERLIN Er...no. I, I, it's, er...you have no idea how hard it is to keep this hidden. MORGANA Well, you can continue to deny it, but I think Gwen's a very lucky woman. MERLIN Gwen? MORGANA It's our secret. MERLIN [sigh] -- MERLIN This fish didn't come from the water, did it? GAIUS Well, where else is it going to come from? The water's fine now. That's not your worry. This is the work of a very powerful sorcerer. I only hope you didn't come to her attention. MERLIN Doubt it. Well no one else seems to appreciate my skills. I just want someone to see me for who I am. GAIUS One day, Merlin. One day. MERLIN One day what? GAIUS One day people won't believe what an idiot you were. MERLIN Thanks. -- NIMUEH Merlin, you will pay for this!
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