It was a warm sunny day and Aria was once again cooped up in the library. She had been in the library whenever she could, going through book after book. She was trying to find out what Morgana had done to make Gwen hate everyone but Morgana.
Aria was in her usual corner in the east wing. She was wearing her beautiful red dress.
And she had her hair was down in curls.
She was sat at the table flicking through a book. The window was once again open letting the warm summer breeze in.
" How did I guess, I'd find you cooped up in here?"
Aria spun round startled but then smiled when she saw Mordred. She got up from her seat to give him a sweet kiss. Aria closed her eyes in pure bliss as she and Mordred kissed.
Mordred placed his hands around Aria's waist and Aria placed her hands in Mordred's curly hair.
Pulling away, the two just stood there holding each other.
" What did I do to deserve someone so beautiful?" Mordred said quietly brushing a lock of Aria's hair behind her ear.
Aria giggled, blushed and look down at her feet.
Aria was about to replies but the sound of Violet's voice echoed throughout the library as she quickly ran towards the couple.
" Aria? Aria?"
Violet stopped when she reached them, panting and out of breath.
" Violet, what is so important that you had to run all the way here?" Aria giggled
" Arthur..." Violet breathed " ...In Gaius' chambers"
Aria's eyes widened with worry " Why? What happened?"
"....He and Gwen were attacked on their ride" Violet said finally catching her breath.
"What!?" Aria gasped
She gave Mordred a quick peck on the cheek before she and Violet ran off out of the library. Mordred looked at the book, Aria had recently been reading and had a look of confusion on his face when he saw it was about plants. More specifically, Mandrake roots.
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Aria and Violet burst into Gaius chambers to see Arthur being treated by Gaius as Merlin and Gwen watched.
" Arthur!" Aria cried as she entered the room" Are you alright? What happened?
" Aria, calm down I'm fine," Arthur told his sister
" Yes and very fortunate, sire. A fall like that, you could've broken your neck." Gaius tells him as he bandaged Arthur's arm.
" What about the men who attacked us? Have they been questioned?" Arthur demanded
" I'm sorry, sire. Their wounds were fatal" Gaius answered " We were unable to learn anything from them"
" We know one thing" Merlin speaks up " It can't have been a coincidence that they were there"
Gwen frowned her eyebrows at Merlin when the door opened once again and Leon, with a guard holding Arthur's saddle, entered the room.
Violet blushed when she made eye contact with Leon and look down at her feet. Aria noticed that Leon too was blushing slightly and smirked.
"Sire. We recovered your saddle from the forest trail. The girth has been unpicked and restitched. It was designed to break, sire" Leon informed the king as Arthur went ot have a look at his saddle.
" It appears, Merlin, on this single, solitary, occasion" Arthur turned to look at Merlin" You may be right"
Aria glared slightly at Gwen as she knew she had something to with it. Merlin noticed Aria glaring at Gwen and looked confused.
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In the council chambers, Tyr Seward, the king's stable hand, stood before the king, queen, and princess. He had been arrested on suspicion of treason.
Gwaine and Percival were stood on either side of Tyr.
" The thread that we found at the boy's home matches that used to sabotage your saddle, sire" Leon informed from where he stood on Arthur's right. Gwen and Aria stood and Arthur's left.
Aria was starting sympathetically at Tyr. He was her friend and she knew he was loyal to the king and would never do something like this.
" Who put you up to this Tyr?" Arthur asked with his arms crossed.
"No one" Tyr answered and Aria could tell he was frightened " No ones put me up to anything, sire."
" Are you saying you acted alone? Had no help, no accomplice?"
" I don't know anything about these things you're talking about. I've done nothing, sire" Tyr replied " Save look after your horse and tack like I always do"
" The evidence is staring you in the face. You can't deny it" Arthur said
"Sire, I swear on my mother's life."
Arthur, looking annoyed, walk up to Tyr.
" Just give me their name. Why protect them? They can't help you now" Arthur told him gently
Aria caught Gwen narrowing her eyes at Tyr. What had she done now?
" Just give me their name" Arthur tried
" I have no name" Tyr trembled "There's no name to give"
" Then you leave me no choice. Though it saddens me greatly to do so, I must charge you with treason. Is there anything further you'd like to say?" Arthur questioned
" You're my king, sire. I'd never do anything to hurt you. Never" Tyr shakes his head.
Arthur walked back to where he was before and faced Tyr again. Tyr glanced fearfully at Aria and saw the worried and saddened look on her face.
" Tyr Seward, by the power vested in me, I hereby sentence you to death."
Aria gasped and exchanged looks with Merlin.
Arthur nodded to Percival and Gwaine who stepped forward, took Tyr by the arms and took him to the cells.
Aria attempted to run after them but Gwen roughly caught her forearm keeping her in place. Aria turned and glared hardly at Gwen, ripping her arm from her grip and storming out of the council chambers. Violet shared a concerned look with Leon before rushing after the princess.
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That night Aria was walking down to the cells with a bowl of food in her hand to visit Tyr.
She had changed into her blue dress.
And Violet had styled her hair
The guard opened the cell door, allowing Aria to walk in before shutting it behind her. Tyr looked up and almost smiled when he saw Aria.
" Aria? What are you doing down here for?" Tyr asked
Aria went and sat next to Tyr on the bench and held out the bowl of soup
"I thought you might be hungry" Aria smiled slightly.
"Thank you, Aria" Tyr took the bowl from the princess and started to eat the soup.
" I know you didn't do it, Tyr. You wouldn't do something like this. I'm going to help you. You're not going to die" Aria promised her friend.
" You heard the king. No one can help me now."
" Tyr, please. I can't help you if you don't tell me what happened" Aria pleaded
Tyr went to deny but Aria cut him off. " And I know something did happen. Didn't it? Please Tyr, be honest with me"
"No, the-" Tyr cut himself off so he wouldn't reveal anything.
" Who? Tyr please tell me. You won't get into trouble, I promise." Aria encouraged
Tyr thought for a moment before placing the bowl down and faced the princess properly.
" This was a few days back; one of the horses came down with colic so I had to sleep in the stable to watch over him" Tyr pauses.
" Go on, it's alright"
That night, I was woken by a sound. There was someone there, going over the king's saddle. I knew it wasn't right. I tried to get away and warn someone, but they saw me. They told me, if I so much as whispered a word of what I'd seen, they'd take my mother. They'd take her and they'd cut her throat." Tyr chokes out. He looked really shaken and scared.
" I believe you. But who was it?" Aria enquired
" I can't " Tyr shakes his head.
" Tyr please, you'll be hanged if you don't"
" and they'll kill my mother if I do"
" Tyr, you trust me, don't you?"
" Of course I do, Aria. We're friends aren't we"
" Then trust me when I say, no harm will come to your mother. I'll have some guards watch her to ensure her safety. " Aria promised
Tyr was really thinking about this.
" No. I do trust you Aria. But if it means me dying instead of her. I'd rather die." Tyr looked down at his hands.
" I understand," Aria said quietly placing a comforting hand on Tyr's shoulder before standing up and leaving the cell. The guard imminently locked it after Aria was out. Aria gave her her friend one last sympathetic look before leaving the cells.
This was Gwen's doing. She was the person going over Arthur's saddle. Was the person who threatened and framed Tyr.
Aria suddenly thought of someone who could help her save Tyr and she hurried down the hallway as fast as she could.