“The Witchfinder” · Season 2, Episode 7
In this episode: Arthur Pendragon (3), Gaius (3), Uther Pendragon (2), Merlin (1), Gwen (1)
It cannot continue.
I will hunt down those responsible, father; I promise they will not escape unpunished.
No. Stronger methods are called for. [pause] Send for the Witch Finder.
[startled whispers]
Sire! Is it necessary to resort to such measures?
The Witch Finder is a trusted ally, Gaius – his help will be invaluable.
Of course.
Do you smell it? Do you smell it, Uther?
Aredian.
It’s all around us, the foul stench of sorcery. It’s infected your great city like a contagion.
I welcome you to Camelot, Aredian. Thank you for making such haste to be here.
Well let’s hope I’m not too late, mm? For every hour counts in the war against sorcery. Unchecked, it spreads like a disease; seeks out the young and the old, the weak and the able, the fair and the foul of heart alike. You have grown lazy, Uther. You’ve grown idle. Your once noble Camelot is rotten to the core. You stand on the brink of dark oblivion.
I am at your disposal, Aredian. The knights will aid you in any way they can.
You must be Arthur.
I must be.
You’re a great warrior – the finest this kingdom has ever known.
Thank you.
So you won’t be offended when I say that I shall have no need of you, or your knights. The subtle arts of sorcery can only be fought by yet subtler means, methods honed over decades of study. Methods known only to myself.
I don’t know what to say.
You don’t have to say anything.
Yeah, I do… the amulet isn’t mine either.
Then how did it get there?
Aredian.
Aredian?
There’s no other explanation.
But why?
It doesn’t matter why, all that matters is if I can prove he planted it you’re saved –
No. You must let this go.
No? But you’re falsely accused, I have a chance to prove that, I must take that chance –
No, Merlin, you must not!
I don’t understand. Do you want to die?
No – but neither do I want you to die. And die you surely will if you get too close to Aredian. He will trap you, Merlin. He will manipulate you and without ever meaning to you’ll incriminate yourself.
But –
You must let this go.
...I must let you go... (eyes bright with tears)
(nods gravely)
Arthur! Arthur! Arthur, you’ve got to stop this!
I can’t Gwen, you know I can’t.
Merlin has proof that Gaius is innocent.
My father’s already passed sentence, there’s nothing I can do.
You can do the right thing, Arthur Pendragon! You can show some faith in a loyal friend or you can stand by and watch an innocent man die!
Guinevere –
You did it once before to my father; are you really willing to let it happen again? And you can stop looking at me like that, I know I’m only a servant – I thought you were a prince, so start behaving like one!
(to Uther) You see foes where there are friends, you see sorcerers where there are servants! I am not the first to be falsely accused of magic and not all have been as lucky as I.
These quotes come from Wikiquote's Merlin pages and are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
