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ARTHUR
Am I really letting this sorcerer near my father? Even if he does save the King, at what cost? A promise to free magic? How could I give my word on such a thing? If Father ever found out… I tear my eyes away from Dragoon and back to my father. Could he forgive me for this? It’s his life. Surely… Something’s wrong about this picture, and it isn’t the sorcerer standing over the King of Camelot.“Wait.”Dragoon pauses and scowls at me. “Now is not the time to be changing your mind, sire.”I glare at him. He straightens his back.“There’s something around his neck,” I say.The sorcerer’s movement is far too quick for someone his age. He leans back down with wide eyes and pulls the King’s shirt aside to reveal a chain. Dragoon yanks it off my father’s head and grips the charm. His eyes flash gold, and his frown deepens.“Congratulations, your majesty. You just saved your father’s life.”“What do you mean?”“This,” he holds up the charm and melts it to a crisp before my eyes, “would’ve reversed any healing spell performed on its wearer. Whoever put it around Uther’s head wanted him dead no matter what you did to try and save him.”“And now?”“And now you can stand back and let me do my job.”I hesitate.“You still do want to save the King, right, sire?”“Will he know?”Dragoon stares at me with all-too-familiar eyes and sighs. “Uther will never learn from me that you sought aid in magic. I’m sure Gaius would be more than happy to take the credit for his recovery.”“You say that like he’s done that before.”“Time is of the essence, sire.”I let him avoid the unspoken question.Dragoon focuses back on his task, eyes shining gold at seemingly random intervals, and my father growing less pale with every second. The sorcerer speaks particularly loudly in that forbidden language, and then he backs away with a slight bow. I look to my father who is breathing deeply, almost like-.“He’s sleeping now,” the sorcerer says. “He’ll awaken within a few candle marks. You have my word.”“Then you won’t mind waiting in my chambers while I have Gaius check the King over.”“Of course not.”“I can escort you.”Dragoon smiles, again oddly familiar. “I know the way, sire. We did meet there, after all.”“Right. Perhaps we should discuss that along with your reward.”“I seek no reward for myself-.”“Only peace for your people.”Dragoon nods, packs his belongings and leaves the chambers.Gaius soon enters and examines my father.“It appears that Dragoon succeeded. I’m not sure a lesser sorcerer would have in his place.”“There was a charm, Gaius, around my father’s neck. I found it before Dragoon could begin healing the King. Before destroying it, he claimed it would have reversed the effects of any healing spells. Is there a chance, is there any chance that Dragoon could have-?”“I swear to you, sire, that he would do no such thing. Consider what he asked for as compensation for his services. It does not make sense to make an enemy of the one man capable of granting that just to get petty revenge. If Dragoon wanted Uther dead, he would never have come into the heart of Camelot in the first place.”“Then I’m supposed to just grant his request? I’m not even King, and to go against the main values of my father once I do reign…”Gaius raises his eyebrow. “Do you intend to rule exactly how your father does? There’s a difference between respecting your predecessor’s decisions while moving forward for what’s best for your people and disregarding those decisions out of spite.”“You think I should promise it then? Freeing magic?”“I think that I am not the person you should be discussing this with.”“Right.” I shake my head. “Send for me the moment my father shows signs of wakening. You... You will be the one who takes the credit for saving his life.”Gaius bows. “As you wish, sire.”He was right then. Dragoon. This isn’t the first time Gaius has had to claim credit where magic was involved instead. But who has been performing this magic? Surely, Dragoon has not been sneaking around the castle the entire time. And how am I meant to handle his request? It was not one made out of selfishness or greed. It is certainly not one I can grant as Crown Prince. Surely, he realises that. Dragoon’s an old man. Would he even still be alive by the time I take the throne?The sorcerer in question is leaning against the wall in my chamber, next to the window but unseen by those outside it, even if it were day.“He will live,” I say, by way of announcing my presence.Dragoon nods. “I expected as much.”“Confident in your power then?”“I am yet to meet someone who could match me in raw power. Skill and experience, many times, but never power.”“Yet you live in a hovel.”“Appearances are deceiving, my king.”“Perhaps you are mistaken. You saved the King. I am still Crown Prince.”“Uther is not my king, Arthur. That has always been you.” Dragoon turns around with a sigh. “But your time is yet to come. I have delayed it before and I delayed it again today.”“Have you tried not speaking in riddles?’The sorcerer laughs. “An old friend of mine taught that way of speaking to me. It always used to aggravate me when I wanted a plain answer, still does whenever I concede to call for his help.”“So you choose to frustrate me in the same way?”“It’s only fair for the years you’ve spent frustrating me, Arthur.”“There you go again, acting like we know each other better than we do.”Dragoon stares at me with sad eyes. “You are here to tell me that you cannot grant my request.”“How-?”“I know you better than you know yourself, my king.”“That is impossible.”“You would be surprised.”I cross my chambers, trying to regain some sort of control over this situation. “I can pardon you for saving the King, but as Crown Prince I cannot…”“That is not what I asked for.”“You expect me to go against my father while he is still King then?”“No, sire.” Dragoon pushes off the wall and closes the distance between us. “I asked that you give me your word to free my people. And you did. I never gave you a time to do this by, but I ask of you to start now. I do not expect you to change the laws before you are King, but I do ask you to start looking at magic-users objectively, without the lenses of fear and hatred that your father has placed over this kingdom.”“But what if you’re wrong? What if I start looking and all I see is magic causing death and destruction? What then? Do you expect me to still free that carnage onto my kingdom? Would you not prefer me to grant your request to you now, in case I find no proof of the goodness of magic later?”Dragoon shakes his head. “And this is why I never told you the truth. I cannot be the only exception, even if that means waiting for the right moment, for you to be King.” He lifts a potion. “This will reverse the aging spell.”“Aging spell?”Dragoon laughs. “I’m a lot younger than I look, sire.”He downs the potion and bows like a servant, well overdramatically mock bows like a very specific servant. Dragoon lifts his now dark head.“Merlin?”He grins. “Told you I could take you out with less than one blow.”

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MERLIN
Arthur doesn’t speak for half a candle mark. In that time, he opens his mouth to speak countless times and promptly shuts it. If I weren’t busy trying to figure out if he’s about to throw something at me or throw me out of Camelot, I’d probably find his expressions funny. As it is, I shuffle from foot to foot, waiting, just waiting.“You saved my father,” he says slowly.I shrug. “Wasn’t the first time.”“It’s the first time you’ve asked for something in return.”“It was the first time you were willing to give it.” He frowns at that. “Look,” I say, “other times it’s been me and Gaius-. Don’t look at me like that; of course he knows. It’s been me and Gaius working in the shadows trying to defeat some magical or non-magical threat against Camelot or you or the king, though I tend to do most of the heavy lifting.”“You? The heavy lifting?”Well, at least he’s back to being Arthur.“I am the greatest sorcerer to ever live, so yes, me.” Arthur goes back to imitating a fish. I sit at his table. “Most of the time, you don’t consider a magical solution even when it’s the only option. It’s like you hear Gaius say ‘this creature can only be defeated by magic’ and you go ahead and think your little sword tricks work when you’re looking the other away or knocked unconscious.”“So you’re telling me that you’ve spent the last several years saving Camelot?”I don’t think it’s possible for more disbelief to be ringing in his voice. At least he finally sits down across from me.“Yes, but it’s not been the easiest thing to keep secret.”“Why did you? Why did you keep it a secret? Why did you choose to save a kingdom in a way that would get you executed if you ever got caught? Why did you save my father when he’s the one that started a purge against your kind?”“Because you chose to seek out a magical solution without being prompted,” I answer, but that only seems to confuse Arthur more. “There have been so many times when I wanted to tell you. I didn’t want you to have me executed or banished or end up distrusting me or anything like that. Most of all, I didn’t want you to feel like you were being manipulated. I have tried my best over the years to remain impartial whenever you speak to me about magic. I couldn’t risk influencing your decision in my favour or when the day came that you found out, you’d think I had some grand plan in coming to Camelot.”“And you don’t? Have some grand plan?”“No, Arthur.” I smile. “Since when have you known me to think ahead?”“Do I know you?”I don’t dare look away. “Apart from Gaius, who knew what I had done, you were the only one to recognise me when I had aged myself to be eighty-years-old. You were sure that you knew Dragoon, even if you couldn’t place it. If that doesn’t tell you just how well you know me, then I don’t know what will.”Arthur breaks eye contact at that, neither of us speaking for a long time until he looks up again.“So, you saw that I was willing to seek out Dragoon and decided I was suddenly worthy to know about your magic?” he asks.“I saw that you were finally ready to accept it.” I lower my eyes. “There’s every chance that I might be wrong, though. If you think you are ready, then you should at least know the full extent of my crimes.”“Crimes?”“I’ve been breaking the law on a daily basis, Arthur. It’s only fair that you learn all about it before you make a decision, instead of me keeping more secrets from you.”Arthur sighs. “Fine, write them down and have them ready for me by morning.”“Uh...”“Merlin.”“Yes, sire?”“Just how much have you kept from me?”I jump to my feet and back towards the door. “I’ll have the list ready by nightfall tomorrow.”“Fine, just try not to use magic until I’ve come to a decision.”It’s my turn to gape like a fish. “But-.”“That’s an order, Merlin. Greatest sorcerer or not, I am your Prince and you will do as I say.”“Of course, sire. I’ll start doing that tomorrow.” I dodge a goblet. “Really, sire. Do you expect your armour to be perfectly polished without magic?”“One day, Merlin. Surely you can last one day acting like a proper servant for once.”I sigh, supressing a grin. “I guess I can try.”Arthur shakes his head as I leave his chambers grinning.Well, I’m not dead, so better than expected.

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ARTHUR
The moment Merlin leaves, another servant informs me that I’m needed in the King’s chambers. No time to think about harbouring a sorcerer then. My first priority right now is ensuring that my father is alright, then I can worry about what happens after this. I catch Gaius’s arm on his way out of Father’s chambers.“Don’t retire just yet. We need to talk about Merlin once I’m done here,” I whisper.Gaius nods. “I expected as much, sire.”“Just tell me now, Gaius. Is he a good man?”“The best.”I release his arm. I know I shouldn’t trust Gaius’s judgement when it comes to his ward, but it’s not like there’s anyone else who knows that I can ask. I want to trust Merlin, but he has a lot of explaining to do first. My father is still sleeping lightly when I reach his bed. There’s no sign of injury whatsoever, and I know that’ll be the first step in trusting his healer, even if nobody can know. Not until I’m King, not unless it turns out Merlin’s right and magic isn’t pure evil.“I’m alive?”I clutch my father’s hand and smile. “Gaius was able to work fast enough to save you, Father.”“He truly is a miracle worker.”Yes, it turns out Merlin is.“I never lost faith that you would survive.”Father smiles at me. “Even if I did not, I am sure you would have been a fine king in my stead.”“You probably need your rest,” I say. “I’ll see you in the morning?”“Yes, we can plan a tournament to take place as soon as possible. A show of strength, so other kingdoms don’t get the wrong idea about my being bedridden.”I smile. “A good idea, Father.”Gives something to distract me too.*“Of course, he suggests a tournament,” Merlin complains from the table in the Physician’s Chambers, head bowed over a long piece of parchment. “Do you know how many people have tried to kill either you or Uther in tournaments since I got here? Well, you’ll find out when I’m done my list. A hint though, so many people. From magic shields to disgruntled sorcerers to reanimated knights. Tournaments are always a pain, and that’s not counting all the weapons and armour I have to polish.”“You’ll be taking care of lesser injuries too, Merlin,” Gaius says. “I’m not letting all these years of training you into a half decent physician go to waste.”“I should invent a spell that stops me from needing sleep. Maybe then I’ll get everything done.”Gaius swats the back of his head. “No messing around with that kind of magic. You’ll end up killing yourself and then who would perform all your duties?”“Nice to know you care, Gaius.”I fold my arms. “So Merlin’s just more reckless than I originally thought, then?”“You’ll find that Merlin will always be more reckless than you believed possible, sire,” Gaius says. “Luckily for Camelot, it usually pays off.”“And when it doesn’t?”Merlin snaps the quill he’s holding, immediately fixing it with a flash of gold eyes. “I pay the price. But sometimes another person pays for my mistakes, or all of Camelot pays. If it were up to me, I’d take whatever the cost was, but magic does not care whether an innocent person or an evil one suffers, only that balance is restored.”“I thought you said magic wasn’t evil.”“It’s not. Magic is neither evil nor good; that lies in its wielder. Like any form of power, magic can corrupt, but that does not mean it will.”“Meaning it’s possible that one day you could…”Merlin carefully places his quill down and looks up at me. “Under the right circumstances, anyone could crack, no matter how pure their intentions were at the beginning. Just look at Morgana if you want proof of that.” Merlin shakes his head. “Or your father,” he mutters under his breath.I automatically reach for a sword that’s not there. “My father?”Gaius shoots Merlin a disappointed glare. “What he means to say, sire-.”“What I mean to say is that everything is going down on this list, Gaius. Everything.”“You can’t-.”“I’m done hiding secrets. All my mistakes, all my triumphs, and all that I’ve learned. Arthur chose to seek out a magical solution of his own will. He deserved to know before that, but now, keeping anything from him would be wrong and a complete breach of the trust that’s keeping me from the pyre right now.”“But telling him everything may end with you there regardless.”“I know.” Merlin looks to me with that blinding admiration I sometimes catch. “But I trust my king to continue on his path with or without me there to guide him.”“You can’t call me that in public, Merlin,” I say, because what else am I meant to say to that?Merlin grins. “I’m not that reckless, sire. At least, not right now. Ask again on a bad day, and that might not be the case.”“My father almost died today. How is that not a bad day?”“Because he lived.”“If he hadn’t, would you have fled Camelot?” I ask.“As Dragoon, yes. As Merlin, never.”I nod. “I’ll be dining with my father in the morning. Be sure to wake me on time.”Gaius bows as I leave. Merlin keeps writing. I stop myself from asking how far through he is. The list is already longer than I first thought possible. I may not be able to accept all that he has done, but I can at least see that he’s the same Merlin I’ve always known. Perhaps that will be enough.

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MERLIN
I don’t know what I hate more. Tournaments or the people who inevitably ruin them. Right this second though, I’m leaning less towards those two options and more towards the idiot of a King that I only just finished saving. But no, the Pendragon line are as insufferable as ever. This entire situation has Morgana written all over it. Uther’s made everything worse, like he always does. And Arthur, Arthur is this close to having a book as big as his head thrown at him.“What do you mean this is the list?”“I’m really starting to think being hit in the head all the time is affecting your hearing, sire.”“But this is a book.”“I’m surprised you even recognise what a book is, Arthur. And here I was thinking that you were only good for stabbing things.”Arthur frowns. “You can’t talk to me that way.”“I knew I forgot to add something to the list.”“I’m being serious, Merlin.”“So am I. I bound the list into a book to make it easier to carry.”“By hand?” Arthur asks, that usual ringing tone of disbelief.“Yes, Arthur, I spent over a day writing out that list then decided to bound the entire thing by hand.” I drop the book into his arms. “I bound it by magic, made it easier to place an enchantment on it so that only the two of us can read its contents. You’re welcome, by the way. I doubt you’d want to explain what you were doing with something like that if the wrong person picked it up. The only thing they’ll see is a list of nobles and their crests.”Arthur flicks through the book without reading. “But the list really is this long?”“Yes. Maybe you can get a start on that while I work out what exactly we’re dealing with.”Arthur closes the book. “Dealing with? What are you talking about?”I will not turn him into a toad. I will not turn him into a toad. I will not turn him into a toad. But maybe it’s time for the donkey ears to make a comeback.“Did you really not notice the fact that your father’s crown has been enchanted?”“What do you mean enchanted?”“An enchantment is a special spell that lasts over a period of time, changing the behaviour of the enchanted object or person, or in this case, the object is affecting its wearer,” I say really slowly to get it through his thick head.Arthur drops the book on his desk. “I know what an enchantment is, Merlin. I meant, how can you tell?”“I’ve been spotting these things for years, Arthur. It’s also extremely hard not to notice that the same man who once had someone executed for so much as implying they knew better than him, has suddenly started to agree with every suggestion. Plus, his crown has been reeking of magic since the tournament’s opening feast.”“And you didn’t think to tell me?”“I thought it was obvious. So when you asked if the list was finished, I thought you wanted to be far away from me while I dealt with this mess.”“Well, that just goes to show that you shouldn’t be left alone to think while the King of Camelot is liable to agree to something more serious, like war with another kingdom.”I raise an eyebrow. “You want to come with me?”“What’s the point in making a list if you’re going to add to it before I’ve started reading the damn thing?”“Okay, but I’m going to have to consult my magic book first.”Arthur grabs his sword because that’s exactly what he needs to consult a book of magic, the great prat. “Lead the way, Merlin.”“We’re really not going that far.”He stays in his pre-battle stance. I internally sigh.*Arthur follows me up to my room. “Your magic book is up here?”“Has been since Gaius gave it to me.”“But I’ve searched this room multiple times.”“And you almost found it all of those times.”I reach under my bed and pull the book out.Arthur opens his mouth twice, falters, and closes it. He sits on my bed, head in his hands. “That’s a terrible hiding place.”“My magic staff is under there too.”“Of course it is.”“Don’t feel so bad, sire. I’ve been concealing my magic for my entire life. You’re just one person among many to not see what’s right in front of you.”“I’m Crown Prince of-.”“And if it weren’t for me, you’d be King.” I sit next to him and open my book. “Actually, if it weren’t for me, you and everyone in Camelot would be dead several times over. If you had found out earlier, who knows that you would’ve done, and how many lives that would’ve cost, including your own.”Arthur flinches. “You think I would’ve had you executed?”“I think there’s every chance that you still will.”“And yet you continue to aid me and Camelot?”“You know how destiny is. Every attempt to escape it ends in others getting hurt. It’s not too bad though. I do like a couple of people in this kingdom, maybe even a knight or two worth protecting.”“Who have you lost?”“It says here that the enchantment has an easy counter, but there’s another, more draining spell that will block the original from working again.” I flick through the book to find it. “The drain shouldn’t be a problem for me, but chances are, the incantation will be complicated, so it’ll take me a little while to get it right and memorise it. I’m better at instinctual magic. Makes precise spells harder for me.”“Merlin.”“Here it is.” I wince. “This will take at least an hour. Early days, it used to take me all night, so be glad I’ve gotten better.”“Who have you lost?”I snap the book closed. “The only woman I’ve ever imagined a future with, my father, and my best friend. Countless others who sacrificed themselves for me because they believe in a destiny I know barely anything about. Too many people, Arthur. And if you want to keep anyone else from dying, I suggest you distract Agravaine while I work on this spell.”“Agravaine?”“He’s working for Morgana. Unless you know someone else aside from the two of us who knew about using magic to heal your father, and who had enough time to procure that necklace that almost killed the king. If you want evidence, I have nothing. If you want other times I either spotted Agravaine working against Camelot or suspect as much, I have a list the length of Excalibur.”“What’s-?”“Sword forged in dragon’s breath. It’s yours when I get to it. I left it embedded in a giant stone in a forest somewhere. I’m unsure about the exact location. Only you or I can retrieve it.”“You left a sword in a stone and proceeded to lose said stone?”“Well, I tossed it in a lake first, so the stone’s an upgrade.”Arthur shakes his head. “When did you move it?”“After I needed it to slay an immortal army. That time with Morgause and the Cup of Life. Uther used Excalibur once, but it wasn’t meant for him, thus the lake tossing.”“A natural reaction.”“You act rationally after a literal dragon yells at you. If I couldn’t block fire, I’d be a roasted warlock.”“You can fight a dragon. Of course you can.”“I can control dragons. Couldn’t back then, but now it’s as easy as breathing.” I reopen the book. “It’s all in that list of crimes against Camelot. Go read that while I do my thing.”“You realise I’m the one who gives orders to you, right, Merlin?”“You’re welcome to stand there silently while I illegally practise magic in front of you. But I think feigning ignorance will be a little harder if you’re caught with me, sire.”Arthur stands up. “I think I’ll review that list.”“Of course, sire.”He swats the back of my head. “Do try to actually mean it for once.”“You’re the only King in my eyes, therefore the only one I’ll mean it for.”“You meant in then, as Dragoon? That you’ve never seen my father as your king?”“The only lie I told you from the moment of healing your father to now, was that we first met in your chambers.”Arthur straightens at that. “Tell me when you’re ready to remove the enchantment.”“Am I excused from my normal duties until then, sire?”“Just this once.”I reopen the book, hiding my grin behind it. Arthur leaves my room muttering again about rubbish hiding places.*Turns out, it wasn’t Morgana who did the enchantment, but a merchant who wanted the King to reduce taxes. Arthur was the one who retrieved Uther’s crown, claiming that such an unpolished thing was unfit for the King of Camelot’s head, and promptly shoving it my way to fix. So not only did I perform a frankly powerful spell that even Morgana would struggle with, I also polished the King’s crown while Uther’s own manservant watched me with unbridled anger. I overheard the merchant responsible muttering about failed enchantments, while I was mucking out the stables afterwards. And if I happen to threaten him into helping me with the stables before turning him in to Arthur, well, that’s what he gets for having such a boring reason for such a dangerous enchantment.

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ARTHUR
Merlin’s refused to meet my eyes all morning. He keeps glancing at the book he gave me like it’s about to suddenly attack him. I haven’t had time to read any of it with all the extra duties Father’s been giving me lately. Merlin finishes polishing my armour and marches across my chambers. He opens the book with a flash of gold eyes, flicking through the pages and marking certain ones with a gold dragon insignia unlike Camelot’s crest. Merlin pauses halfway through the book. He clenches his fists and shakes his head, before marking a particularly bright dragon on that page and closing it.“You need to read every page that I marked,” he says gravely.I put down a report on outer village bandit attacks. “Is there any reason why you’re suddenly ordering me around, Merlin?”“I promised not to lie to you.” He meets my eyes with the kind of intensity I’ve only recently recognised as a sign of his very real power. “I need to do something that you would never approve of. The only way you could possibly understand why is if you read those pages. If anything in that list were going to make you hate me the most, it’ll be that last marked page. I only request you read the ones before it to understand why I had to do what I had to do, and why I need to do what I must now.”I take the book. “And you won’t tell me what until I read this?”Merlin tenses more and slowly nods as if it pains him to wait.“Is somebody’s life in danger if you wait?”“No. There was … someone who tried doing what I want to do for very different reasons, but I dealt with him. I’d prefer you read quickly though, sire.” Merlin forces a smile. “I might not be able to hold myself back for much longer.”“Yes, because you’re clearly a master of self-control.”“Uther’s alive, isn’t he? Even after all he’s done to my family.”“What-?”“Just read the list, Arthur.”I shake my head. “You really shouldn’t keep ordering me so much.”Merlin shrugs. “That’s nothing compared to everything else I’ve done.”“And what you want to do now?”“You’ll find out when you finish reading.” He stares at the book, guilt, apprehension and resignation in his expression. “If you let me live long enough to tell you.”Merlin turns on his heel, sweeps my armour into his arms with magic and cross my chambers. He pauses at the door. “Whatever you choose to do, Arthur, you’ll still be my king.”What could Merlin possibly have done that was so bad?I push the report aside and open the book. The dragon insignia is familiar, even if it’s so different from Camelot’s crest, but where else could I have seen a golden dragon?‘The first time I heard Kilgharrah was my first night in Camelot. I still sometimes wonder if it would’ve been better to ignore his call. Surely, I would’ve heard about our destiny from someone else eventually. But Kilgharrah’s always been a stubborn ass, and it was only a matter of time before I answered the Great Dragon’s call.’I think I already know what’s on that final page. Merlin was right to be scared.*Two guards slam my chamber doors open and search for a threat. I stab my sword through the overturned table.“Get Merlin,” I order.They nod and leave, not daring to comment on my thrashed chambers. A servant passes the open doors. I hurl a goblet at the wall next to him. He scurries away. Nobody else risks passing my chambers, not even any knights. Father will have already heard about this. Good. He won’t question what I do to that traitor when he shows his face. I should’ve known from the start. Who else would be idiotic enough to purposely release... I throw another goblet. It doesn’t hit the wall.Merlin stands in the doorway, flanked by the two guards, and holding the goblet.“You asked to see me, sire?”“Leave us,” I bark at the guards.They bow and close the doors behind Merlin. The traitor glances around the room unsurprised. He places the goblet on the floor and meets my glare with grim resignation.“Why?” I ask.Merlin steps towards me, undeterred by the sword I point his way. “You already know, Arthur.”“Don’t call me that!”His eyes turn gold. I grip my sword tighter as if that could stop him from tearing it from me with a flick of his gaze. Merlin doesn’t disarm me though. He strides across my chambers, eyes bright with power, and kneels before me.“You already know my crimes, my king. You already know why I did it. If you have decided that my actions are unforgivable then kill me now.” He looks me in the eye. “But don’t waste my time with questions of the obvious.”I rest my sword on his shoulder. Merlin bows his head again.“What could possibly be worth telling me?”Merlin raises his head, unrelenting determination in his golden eyes. “Your trust. The tiniest chance that magic will one day be free. A dragon egg locked away in a tomb that I now have the complete key to unlock.”“If I let you live today, would you swear to me to destroy that key?” I ask.A flash of anger crosses his expression. “No.”         “You dare decline my generous offer?”“I have to do this, Arthur.”“You would bring another one of those creatures of destruction into this world?”Merlin doesn’t even hesitate. “Yes. Letting that egg go unhatched would go against my every instinct. I have to go to the tomb. I have to save that egg. I have to deliver it to Kilgharrah. If I don’t do this, Arthur, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”“And yet you waited until after I had read all about how easily this Kilgharrah manipulated you for years before asking this of me?”“I promised to tell you about these things. I am not about to destroy whatever tentative trust you have in me by going behind your back to do this, my king.”I withdraw my sword. Merlin unclenches his jaw.“I don’t trust you,” I spit. “I don’t know if I ever can after what you did.”Merlin recoils.I toss my sword aside. “Clean up this mess. We leave after dark. You have until we reach that tomb to convince me not to destroy the monster egg.”For a moment, Merlin looks as though he’s about to attack me. His eyes fade to their usual blue and he twists his expression from an angry scowl to reluctant subservience.“Thank you, sire.”I grab the book that narrowly avoided being pierced by my dagger. I shouldn’t have let it go unread for so long. It’s time I reviewed Merlin’s crimes start to finish.*It was surprisingly easy to convince the King to allow a hunting trip without a knight escort. Though that might be because even he knows how much my manservant despises such trips, and everyone in the castle heard that my rage was targeted solely on Merlin. Said warlock repaired the furniture in my chambers with a flick of his hand and a scowl when he thought I wasn’t looking. I spent the remaining afternoon reading the list responsible for my loss of control.Merlin doesn’t so much as blink at me bringing the book on our journey to the Tomb of Ashkanar. He also doesn’t try to convince me to not destroy the egg. I set the book down after reading about the unicorn incident. Merlin passes me dinner without meeting my eyes.“Why are you not begging me to spare the dragon egg?” I ask.“If the countless times I’ve saved your life, and the rest of Camelot, don’t convince you, then nothing will. Releasing Kilgharrah was one of the worst mistakes of my life. I-.”“Then why did you let him live?” I cut in.Merlin sighs. “I thought I already made that much clear in the book.”“Because he’s a valuable asset?”“Because he was the last connection to my father, to my heritage as a dragonlord. Because he was the last of his kind. To kill him then, even after all that he had done, it would be like killing a part of myself. And after what I did to Morgana and losing my father, I just couldn’t do that.”“And now? This egg would be a connection.”Merlin’s eyes flash gold. The fire turns the same colour.He glares at me. “Kilgharrah will never hurt Camelot again. He’s under my control now. Even without my orders, he has more than made up the lives he stole. I am the only one who could kill him, and I won’t. I’d sooner bow to Uther than erase all the knowledge Kilgharrah carries because you don’t think he’s served his punishment. You may have power over me, Arthur, but that does not mean you have the right to choose whether a dragon lives or dies.”The fire flickers brighter and returns to its natural state.“You agreed to let me decide whether to destroy this egg,” I remind him.Merlin laughs. “I agreed to let you join me, sire. The only way you will be destroying that egg is if you kill me first. I won’t fight you for it. Kilgharrah is under orders to not avenge my death if you decide that my actions are unforgivable. You and Camelot will be safe from his wrath.”“Why are you so eager to die at my hand?”“I don’t want to die, but if giving you that choice is the only thing that will earn your trust back, then I’ll do what I must.”I look down at the book. “You love dragons as much as you do unicorns?”“More. They’re my kin as much as my mother and father.”“Will you swear to me that this new dragon will be under the same orders as Kilgharrah to not attack Camelot?”“I swear it.”I meet Merlin’s eyes. “Don’t make me regret this.”He smiles. “Thank you, Arthur.”“Yes, well, it seems I may owe you my life several times over.”Merlin’s gaze drops. “When you reach Freya… Just don’t talk to me about it. Living it once was hard enough. Writing it… Know that I forgave you years ago and leave it at that.”I stop myself from asking what I might’ve unknowingly done that needs forgiving in the first place. “And Lancelot? He knew all that time and never-.”“Lancelot died for both of us, Arthur. Never doubt his loyalty.”“I haven’t. For either of you.”I may not be able to trust him right now, but when it comes to Merlin’s unflinching loyalty, that’s the one thing I can be sure of.*Merlin hasn’t glanced away from the egg for more than five seconds. It’s hardly surprising that he hasn’t looked away once he hatches Aithusa, not even as the Great Bloody Dragon himself chuckles at Merlin’s behaviour. Kilgharrah is surprisingly civil in my presence, most probably too distracted by his own happiness over Aithusa. Merlin doesn’t look like he’s willing to part with the baby dragon. It’s going to be a problem, isn’t it? After five minutes straight of Merlin making faces at the baby dragon, I clear my throat.“You can’t bring it back to the castle.”Are you coming back to Camelot? Or are you choosing the dragon over our supposed destiny together?He doesn’t respond, instead making cooing noises at Aithusa.I roll my eyes and smack the back of his head.Merlin tears his eyes away from the baby dragon. “What?”“I said you can’t bring it back to the castle.”The warlock looks offended. “I’d never put Aithusa in that kind of danger. If Uther ever knew…” He shivers. “I’d end up revealing my magic to protect her.”I was right then.“Father would order me to hunt you both,” I point out.“Don’t worry, sire. You wouldn’t be able to catch us.”How can you be so calm about this?“But you promised that you wouldn’t leave Camelot. Yet if it came to it, now you’re saying that this dragon is more important than all the years you’ve dedicated to protecting this kingdom?”Merlin shakes his head, grinning. “I’m not about to leave your side, you prat. Aithusa will stay with Kilgharrah, far away from Camelot and your father. I’ll have to spend whatever free time I can find to get updates on her, but…” His smile falters as he looks back at the white dragon. “I certainly won’t be performing all the duties a dragonlord should. Maybe if you choose to accept magic years from now, I’ll be better for her, but not now, not with Morgana out there going against everything I do.”“Oh. I thought…”“I’m as likely to abandon my king as Gwaine is to willingly stay sober for a year.”I cross my arms. “As you should. I won’t accept any less than the most powerful sorcerer ever as my guard against all magical threats.”“Does that title include a pay rise?”“Don’t be ridiculous, Merlin.”“But I just hatched an egg. That makes me a father, sire. Surely, you wouldn’t let a new father go underpaid.”Kilgharrah laughs. “You need to work on your manipulating, young warlock.”“I’m sure you could teach him a thing or two,” I mutter.Merlin turns his attention back to Aithusa. “Don’t listen to your uncles. They don’t know what they’re talking about.”I freeze. Twice today Merlin offered to let me kill him, and he considers me a brother? I don’t have it in me to deny the casual claim. Certainly not with Kilgharrah giving me a knowing look. How can a bloody dragon look knowing anyway? I swear, the more time I spend with Merlin and his magic, the more ridiculous my life gets. I’m not entirely opposed to it.

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MERLIN
Arthur has been… Well, he’s been acting every bit the Crowned Prince of Camelot he’s meant to act, which is to say, like a giant prat. Every single time I get back from visiting Aithusa, he has a list of tasks for me to do around the castle that stretches from one end of his chambers to the other. I can’t even do most of the tasks with magic because they’re in absurdly public locations. He’s not acting like this because of Aithusa though. No, Arthur takes the time I’m visiting her to read through my list of crimes.Suffice to say, he’s not particularly happy about how many attempts on his life there’s been.To make matters worse, Agravaine has been taking advantage of Arthur being distracted to try stirring up anger between the ‘commoner’ knights and the noble knights. Gwaine has been complaining about it whenever I’m sent to drag him up from the tavern, or whenever I’m working throughout the castle, or whenever he’s meant to be training. I just wish he’d stop suddenly, and loudly, changing the topic when Arthur is in hearing range. The prat doesn’t need to think that I’m still trying to keep secrets from him.Uther has demanded that Arthur dine with him alone tonight, well, alone apart from servants, which means the same thing as far as Uther’s concerned. Agravaine’s face at being obviously excluded was worth Arthur snapping at me to pay attention. What I’m not sure about is why Arthur’s suddenly acting like a meal with his father is the worst thing to happen since I hatched a dragon. He’s pacing his chambers, while I’m trying to get him ready, tossing his furniture aside because it was ‘looking at him wrong.’        “Arthur, I have never in my life enchanted your furniture!” I snap, using his moment of surprise to get a tunic over his head. “Your boots, yes, your armour, more times than I can count, but your furniture? I can guarantee that it isn’t looking at you wrong because there is absolutely no magic imbued in any of it.”Arthur stares at me incredulously. “My boots?”I huff. “Them suddenly changing spots is a good way of distracting you. Stop gaping, and tell me why you’re acting so strange. And don’t you dare claim that someone’s enchanted you because I check that at almost every candle mark. I am not going through another pair of Sidhe trying to drown you in a lake again.”Arthur’s expression softens, letting the worry his annoyance was covering show. He drops onto his bed, face first, like I wasn’t just trying to get him ready.“This is the first time I’ll be alone with my father since I found about Kilgharrah.”I try, and fail, to tug him into a sitting position. “You realise that I’m going to be there, right? And Uther’s manservant. So you aren’t actually going to be alone, even if for royals and nobles, servants are meant to be practically invisible or something ridiculous.”“Just because you’re the worst manservant in all of Albion-.”“Arthur, it’s going to be fine. Your father isn’t going to suddenly know that you’re keeping secrets from him. You’re not nearly as bad as Gwaine when he’s trying to be subtle.”Arthur flops onto his back. “What has Gwaine been gossiping with you about anyway? Before my birthday, I’d say it was some shared antics that you two got up to in the tavern, but now I know you rarely have time to go down there, even if it’s to drag that drunkard’s behind back to the castle.”“He isn’t planning on dragging me to a random quest if that’s what you’re thinking.”“You say that like he’s done it before.”I laugh. “Those times are mostly all on my list. If I were an ordinary servant, Gwaine and I would be dead many times over.”Arthur finally sits up. I take the opportunity to get his jacket on.“Does he know?” Arthur asks.“I certainly haven’t told him, but…” I shrug. “I’m pretty sure Gwaine suspects. He hasn’t said anything though.”“He wouldn’t.”“Suppose so.”He hasn’t said anything to anybody else about his noble blood either, but that isn’t my secret to tell.I manage to drag Arthur back to his feet and start putting the final touches on his formal wear. “Gwaine’s just a little worried about some of the older knights trying to exclude him, Percival, and Elyan,” I say. “I wouldn’t confront the other knights, if I were you though. It’s probably best for them to handle it themselves. Leon has stopped any outright fistfights or duels from happening yet, and the noble who prompted it all should be leaving the castle soon enough.”“And which noble has taken offense at how I choose my knights?”“Is that a trick question, Arthur? Last time I so much as implied a noble was in the wrong, you had me in the stocks for three days.”“That was different, Merlin. You were acting suspicious of my uncle of all people.”I try not to roll my eyes. Key word: try.Arthur swats the back of my head. “I saw that.”“Did you want to know who Gwaine overheard belittling your knights, or not?” I ask.“Didn’t know you knew words like belittling,” he says while belittling me.I shove Arthur’s crown into his hands and fold my arms. “Funnily enough, I am the most powerful being in all of Albion and not just some illiterate peasant from a tiny village on the outskirts of Essetir. I happen to need to know the meaning of words, so that I can understand my magical and medical tomes because I don’t know if you noticed, sire, but I am a fully trained physician as well. Now, did you want to know which noble has been sowing the seeds of dissent in your knights, or would you rather live on in ignorance?”“Well, it can’t be Agravaine this time because he’s not leaving the castle soon, so who’s going to be on the other side of my lecture about respecting their Crown Prince’s decisions?”“He’s not?” I ask. “I thought with your regency over that-.”“Wait, it was Agravaine then?” Arthur interrupts.I shrug. “I’m sure it sounds like I have some sort of vendetta against him, but that’s what Gwaine said, and yes, he was sober at the time. I mean, after that he drank half the tavern dry, but he was sober when overhearing and telling me about it. As sober as Gwaine can ever be in any case.”
“We’re going to be late,” Arthur says, sidestepping me and the topic.I sigh and follow Arthur out the door, returning the furniture to their places with a spared thought as the chamber doors close behind me. If Arthur happens to notice my eyes flash gold for a moment, he doesn’t say anything, marching ahead to the dining hall in complete silence.*Uther is as pleasant as ever, picking apart every little thing Arthur did during his regency, even though the king was too caught up in Morgana’s betrayal for little over a year to take notice of anything beyond his chambers. It isn’t until Uther gets onto the topic of Agravaine that I stop gritting my teeth and start paying proper attention. I just hope it isn’t the complete opposite for Arthur. The prat’s loyalty to his family would be something to be commended if his family didn’t keep taking advantage of it.“I think it’s time for Lord Agravaine to return home,” Uther says. “Now that I have finished my leave from the throne, there is no need for his kind of input in person.”I agree with Uther Pendragon. I actually agree with him. What has my life become?“But, Father, the Lord Agravaine has offered invaluable advice during my regency. Surely, he deserves a more permanent position in court.”Uther laughs. “I raised you better than to rely on others, Arthur, especially nobles who come to the castle at your weakest moments. Ygraine’s brother or not, Lord Agravaine has never been one that I would call trustworthy. It is my fault that he came to this castle, and I shall be the one to ensure that he leaves before the week’s end.”“But-.”“You’re not about to disregard your king’s decision, are you, Arthur?”Arthur hangs his head. “Of course not, Father.”“Excellent, now remind me why you thought it was a good idea to knight four commoners.”And back to wishing Uther would hand over the throne to the rightful ruler of Camelot. At least Agravaine won’t be a problem for much longer, and it’ll take a while for Morgana to get herself another spy. I’ll have to start checking anyone who regularly comes close to Arthur for enchantments once she hears the news. Well, checking more thoroughly than normal.

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ARTHUR
Father has declared that I will be the one to break the news to the Lord Agravaine. I’m almost entirely sure that doing so is another of the King’s tests to ensure that I follow his orders regardless of personal sentiment. It has been a while since Father’s last test after all. He’ll most likely feel the need to make up for any missed lessons from the time he was absent from the throne. If it’s a choice between dismissing my uncle from his duties in the castle and keeping Sirs Elyan, Gwaine, and Percival knighted, then the choice is simple.Agravaine will always have his estate and be able to visit the castle.I sent Merlin to the armoury when I invited Agravaine to my chambers for the discussion. It wouldn’t send the right message if I had anyone intruding on a private discussion, even if it is just Merlin. I’m not sure my uncle yet understands the extent of my manservant’s loyalty. I’m not quite sure I fully understand it on most days myself, and I have a literal book of the many times Merlin has sacrificed himself in some way for the good of Camelot, or when my life is in danger. Agravaine arrives in my chambers two candle marks after breakfast, with a warm smile on his face.“Arthur,” he greets. “I have heard rumour about some of those more recently knighted stirring up trouble with their more experienced peers. Perhaps you would like me to have a word with them and handle this matter.”Maybe Merlin got it the wrong way around with who’s causing trouble with who. I’ll be sure to talk to Leon about it. He’s bound to be more objective in the matter. Merlin rarely is when it comes to Gwaine, and while I would like to trust my uncle, he does happen to be one of many nobles to take preference with the older knights.“That won’t be necessary, Uncle. Sir Leon is handling the matter for me already.”“Ah, Sir Leon. He has been a knight since you were first learning to swordfight, has he not?”“He has, but I didn’t call you here to discuss my best knight.”Agravaine smiles. “Of course, not. What is it, Arthur? You know I am always here for you, whether it be troublesome times or peaceful.”“I know, and I am thankful for that.”His smile drops. “I am sensing a ‘but’.”“It’s nothing to worry about, I assure you. It’s just that Father and I were discussing my regency over dinner last night, and, while you have been a truly wonderous advisor during the King’s absence from the throne, Camelot no longer requires you at her heart. It has been decided that you would be better served returning to your estate by the end of the week to ensure that we have our strongest borders so soon after an almost successful attempt on the King’s life.”“Have I not given you adequate advice over the past year?” Agravaine asks.“You have.”“Then why has the King seen fit to dismiss me? Honestly please, Arthur, instead of a pitiful attempt at averting blame. I believe I deserve that much.”If I tell him the truth, then Agravaine could attempt to overthrow the throne in his anger, and he’d have the support of the council. My uncle has made plenty of allies among the other nobles. With their help, he could put Camelot to ruin in his rage. It’s not an impossibility after what his brother did when Mother passed. If my families are to remain united, then my mother’s last living relative cannot gain a reason to quarry with Father. Today, I must take the blame. When it comes for my time to take the throne permanently, then I’ll explain to Agravaine what I had to do, and hopefully, he’ll accept my apology.“I told my father how grateful I was for you taking up the position of advisor in a time of turmoil, yet I worried for your estate, close as it is to Camelot’s border with Caerleon. Now that the King has returned to his throne, I thought you would have preferred to return home.”“Well, nephew mine, this only proves how desperately you need my continued advice. After all, you cannot believe that a Lord as experienced as I would be so careless as to leave his estate defenceless for months. I have been ensuring that everything there has been running smoothly for every day that I have spent in the castle. There is no need to rush ahead into foolish decision-making without bothering to simply ask your dear uncle what he thought of the matter. It is lucky that the King made a miraculous recovery. Who knows what kind of trouble you could’ve already gotten Camelot into with your reckless choices.”I try not to hang my head like some sulking child.Agravaine’s expression softens. “Really, Arthur, there’s no need to be sullen. You’re still young, inexperienced. You’re bound to still be making mistakes. That’s why I’m here. To make sure you don’t hurt the kingdom while you learn to be a stronger King, like your father is.”But I can’t tell him the truth now. It’ll make my decision sound like I’m a liar, rather than protecting Father. I’ll just have to take the fall by acting like a… What does Merlin call me? I’m pretty sure it was ‘a royal prat’.I straighten. “Are you implying that the Crown Prince of Camelot, the very same one that slayed the Great Dragon, protected this kingdom from the traitor Morgana on multiple occasions, and journeyed through the Perilous Lands unassisted, is somehow inexperienced? Tell me, Uncle, how many times have you risked your life to save this kingdom? Spare me the days you served as a knight, for we both know that those occasions were as few as you could manage without being declared a coward.”My closest knights, Merlin, and Guinevere always manage to forgive me for having to play the part. Surely, my own uncle will when I become King. He’ll understand this was all to protect the stability of Camelot. The kingdom always comes first. It’s what I’ve been taught since the day I was born.Agravaine’s demeanour completely changes from concerned uncle to offended noble.“I see,” he says. “Tell me just this, sire, was your worry over my estate merely a façade that you thought up yourself, or did you need the King to instruct you in what to say to sound like you had even a semblance of skill in diplomacy?”“My worry was genuine,” I answer. “Though that does not change the fact that Father has agreed with me, and you will be leaving Camelot by the week’s end with a personal escort from my best knights and myself.”“Is that a threat, Nephew?”“Of course not, Uncle. The late Queen’s brother deserves only the best protection Camelot can provide.” “I was wrong about you, my prince. Over this past year I thought you were more Ygraine’s son than Uther’s. Now I see that you resemble your mother only in her features and your father only in his worst traits.” Agravaine shakes his head. “Tell the King that I am eternally grateful for his recovery. It would’ve been a dark day indeed should the throne have passed over to his heir.”With that, Agravaine leaves my chambers, scowling at an eavesdropping Merlin who quickly scurries inside before the doors can slam shut.“That sounded intense,” Merlin says, hands behind his back.“Is every single sword in the armoury shining?” I ask.The warlock shrugs. “If you look at them the right way.”“Merlin.”“I knew how hard that was going to be for you, Arthur, so forgive me if I’d rather be here, making sure my friend was okay, than polishing a bunch of swords that other servants are in charge of maintaining.”“You don’t even like my uncle. In fact, you’ve been positively giddy since my father announced Agravaine would be leaving.”Merlin passes me a platter of my favourite fruits that he was holding behind him.“Well, considering I saved Morgana’s life, even when I knew she was evil; working against Camelot; and had tried to kill me at that point, just because I couldn’t stand how sad you and Gwen were over the witch being on her deathbed, I’d say I’m pretty good at still feeling empathy when it comes to someone you and I disagree about.”I almost wish I hadn’t read enough of Merlin’s list to understand what he means. We still need to discuss Merlin believing too much in visions of the future. Thus far, he’s ended up fulfilling the prophecies by acting on them. But that’s a topic for another time, hopefully, before someone shows ‘Emrys’ another glimpse into the future.“Do you think Agravaine will hold this against me when I take the throne?” I ask, setting down the platter for now.“If he truly cares about you, then he’ll understand. If he doesn’t, then it’s better you find out now, rather than when you are King, and he uses your loyalty to family against you.” “You’ve thought about this,” I comment.Merlin half-shrugs. “I think about the motives of every new person who enters your life, Arthur. Too many of them have tried to kill you in the past for me not to.” He smiles tiredly. “And I think over the motives and loyalties of the people who regularly see you as well. I’ve stopped a number of people who thought to smuggle some enchanted object over a perceived slight, despite years of loyalties before that moment. Most of the time I don’t even need to use magic to do it, so it won’t appear in the list.”“And what happened to these would-be-traitors?”The warlock grins. “I sic Gwaine on them.”“Gwaine? Are you jesting?”“Course not. Gwaine’s the best at annoying people into submission; intimidating them; challenging them to an honour duel; tormenting them through pranks; or tricking them into earnestly defending you by subtly, and sometimes not so subtly, insulting you.”Probably best that I don’t think about that, at all.“And what did you do before becoming one half of the nightmare pair?” I ask.“Gwen and I would-.”“On second thought, I don’t want to know.”Merlin smiles what I’m sure he thinks is innocently. “Aren’t you going to eat, sire?”I narrow my eyes at the platter. “You haven’t … done anything to it, have you?”“Of course, not, sire. Wherever could you have gotten that idea from?”“That shifty look about you for starters,” I say.Merlin grabs an apple from the platter and bites into it.       “See,” he says, mouth full of apple, “nothing wrong with the food.”“Just your ability to eat with your mouth closed.”Merlin swallows. “I knew there was something Gaius was still annoyed with.”“It couldn’t at all be the state of your room.”“Nah, that just hides all the forbidden magical artefacts better.”I sigh. “How you are still alive, I will never know.”“Mostly Gaius, luck, Gaius, knowing a dragon, Gaius, and occasionally the best swordsman in all of Camelot. I guess you’ve helped once or twice too.”“I am the best swordsman in Camelot!”Merlin shrugs. “If you say so, sire, but there is Gwaine to contend with. At least you’ll always be the greatest king in all of Albion.”“Thank y-.”“Gwaine would be a terrible ruler after all. Maybe Leon could have a go one day. I reckon Leon would be an excellent king.” Merlin grins. “Never as good as you though, Arthur. There’ll never be another king like you.”I’m not sure how to respond to all of that at once, so I slap Merlin upside the head and sit at my table. Merlin just laughs and lounges in the chair across from me.“If my father walked through that door, he’d have you in the stocks, Merlin.”“Good thing I always know when someone’s about to come in, then.”“Your magic tells you that?” I question.Merlin shakes his head, grinning. “My ears do.”“I suppose as big as they are, they must do something.”“For that, I’m taking another apple,” Merlin declares.I grab his wrist. “I thought this platter was to cheer me up, not thieving manservants.”Merlin’s eyes flash gold. The apple appears in his other hand. He slowly takes a bite. I release his wrist with a roll of my eyes and grab the final apple for myself.“Are you?” Merlin asks, this time swallowing before speaking.“Am I what?”“Cheered up?”“As much as one can be with the worst manservant in all of Camelot.”Merlin beams. “So better off than anyone else than.”Most probably.“Impossible,” I lie.The idiot warlock keeps on smiling though, so I suppose he hears the truth regardless.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

MERLIN
Agravaine is finally going to be leaving Camelot in two days. Trouble is, he’s seemed to have taken it upon himself to be the most entitled noble the castle has ever seen. At least he’s been acting like that to all of the servants. I’ve swapped tasks with three different servants that Agravaine was trying to have thrown into the dungeons for some make believe error, including a distressed Gwen. She insisted that it wasn’t necessary, but she’s the least likely for Arthur to get mad at if he sees her doing something he assigned me. I thought about just telling Arthur what’s been going on, but it’s only for the next two days, and he was feeling bad enough over his last talk with his uncle, so I figured that considering I’m not using magic, I don’t have to tell him about it.There’s just one little problem with my plan. Agravaine seems to know that I have no intention of telling Arthur what he’s been up to. And he’s been taking advantage of it.I finish hauling up the final bucket of water after Agravaine claimed that the temperature wasn’t quite right for the third time. I’ve considered just magicking it right, but then I’d have to mention something to Arthur about it, and then he’d ask questions, so I just resign myself to doing it manually. I can’t wait until Arthur finally trusts me enough to use magic without having to tell him every single time. I get that the prat needs time to accept everything, but I’m still not sure he realises just how restricting it is to not use magic as often as before. I hope he hasn’t forgotten about it with this whole Agravaine mess.Agravaine tests the water again and grimaces. “It still isn’t right, but I have a meeting soon, and I doubt you’ll be able to manage any better. Why Arthur sees fit to keep you in his employ, I’ll never know.”“Will you be needing anything else, milord?” I ask, somehow keeping the sarcasm at bay.“Yes, actually. My armour needs polishing before the day’s end. The King has agreed to a friendly spar tomorrow, but I’m afraid that it almost looks like someone has dragged my armour through the mud and left it there to harden,” Agravaine says, sending me an accusing glare, even though I’m sure that he did it himself. “My chainmail needs to be repaired as well. I expect you to do it yourself, boy. No pushing off your responsibilities to another just because you’re feeling lazy.”“Of course, milord.”Agravaine spits at me, actually spits at me. “Get out of my sight.”I bow and leave his chambers, my jaw clenched. A bunch of older knights barge into me in the corridor, one of them going as far to shove me to the ground while the others jeer. I merely stand back up and walk away, the same way I have every other time I’ve left Agravaine’s presence in the past couple of days. No matter what Arthur seems to think, I’m not actually an idiot, and as such, I worked out after the second ‘coincidence’ of these knights passing by at the right time that Agravaine has gotten them to target me. He probably pointed out how close I am to the Round Table knights and used the other knights’ jealousy to his advantage.And if I ever mention anything to a certain protective group of knights, then it’ll just further the divide between the Knights of Camelot. I can’t be responsible for that. Arthur’s already blaming me for so much, thanks to that list, and I know that I deserve that blame. But if I’m even somewhat responsible for a feud between his knights, then it could be the final thing that Arthur decides is one too many. It’s not like he’s made it clear what’s going to happen once he’s finished with that list. He may have been ready to accept my magic right after I’d saved his father’s life, but with the full knowledge of what I’ve done, that could still change.I’m halfway to the armoury when I bump into two knights, literally. I apologise without lifting my gaze from the floor and try to sidestep the knights when a familiar hand clasps my shoulder.“You alright, Merlin?” Gwaine asks.“Yeah, of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be? I’m fine. Everything’s fine, and I’m fine. It’s all just-.”“Fine?” Percival asks with a smile.I grin. “Yep. Anyway, I was just heading down to the armoury, so…”“The Princess overworking you again?” Gwaine asks. “Figured that’s why we haven’t seen you much lately.”“Arthur hasn’t been overworking me,” I say, and I must place a bit too much emphasis on the prat’s name because the humour in their expressions fades.“Then who has?” Gwaine asks.I shrug. “It’s just general duties, you know. I might be Arthur’s personal servant, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have responsibilities in the castle as a whole. I’m busy with those right now. It’ll be back to normal in a couple of days.”Gwaine folds his arms. “As in when Lord Aggravating leaves?” he asks.I snort at the nickname.“There are a lot of preparations involved when a long-term guest leaves the castle,” I point out. “I just happen to be the one who ended up with all the tasks involving Lord Agravaine directly.”“Do you want us to accompany you to the armoury?” Percival asks.“So long as you two don’t end up giving me more work,” I answer, relaxing a bit at the idea of walking between two knights.Gwaine slings an arm around my shoulders and clasps his heart with his free hand. “I am shocked, Merlin. Truly shocked at how little you think of us.”“Right, I forgot,” I say dryly, “you don’t actually need to be anywhere nearby to give me more work.”“Now you’re learning,” Gwaine says, half-dragging me half-walking alongside me.“Don’t you two have somewhere important to be?” I ask, not bothering to duck out from under Gwaine.“We’re seeing how long it takes for Leon to realise that we’re not on patrol,” Gwaine says.Percival shakes his head. “I’m claiming that I was trying to drag Gwaine out there the entire time.”“You don’t seem to be doing much dragging,” I point out.“Ah,” Gwaine says, “but then we came across a damsel in distress who was in dire need of escorting throughout the castle.”I glare at him. “Do I look in distress to you?”“Anyone who’s been forced into the service of Lord Aggravating would naturally end up very distressed,” Gwaine says knowingly.“Well, I’m fine.”“You’ve said,” Percival says. “It’s getting less believable.”“There’s also the small problem of what Elyan overheard between you and his sister,” Gwaine adds.I shrug. “We were just swapping duties, so she could spend more time with Arthur. It’s been a pretty normal thing for us over the past year.”Gwaine nods. “Normally, I wouldn’t second guess that, but word is our lovely Gwen was worried about you, and that she isn’t the only servant you’ve been swapping duties with. Funnily enough, every one of them had a task that would bring them in contact with Lord Aggravating.”This time I do duck out from under Gwaine’s arm. “You do realise that you have actual duties, right? And that those don’t involve investigating which servants are performing which tasks.”“Merlin-”“I know what I’m doing, Gwaine. I was dealing with noble prats long before you came to Camelot. Sure, you’ve helped me out when it was bad before, and got yourself banished for defending me, but this isn’t one of those times. I’m handling it. Agravaine isn’t that bad. And I am fine.”“Then where’d you get that bruise?” Gwaine asks, pointing at my cheek.I force a smile. “Tripped and fell. You know how clumsy I am.”“Yeah, I do,” Gwaine says in a tone of someone who’s also used to making others underestimate him.“Right,” I say, not meeting his eyes.“Right.”Percival clears his throat. Gwaine and I both jump.“We’re blocking the corridor,” Percival points out.Gwaine chuckles and slings his arm back around my shoulders. “Well, let’s get this damsel to the armoury and be on our way then.”“If I’m meant to be the damsel here, does that mean you’re going to fight for my honour?” I ask. “Because let me tell you, knights brawling, or duelling, whatever you want to call it, in an armoury tends to give certain servants more work to do. It also makes Crown Prats grumpy, and I’d rather not be the target of Arthur’s wrath for at least the next week. I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t have an instinct to duck flying goblets and such. Gwaine hasn’t dragged me into enough barfights for that.”“Didn’t the two of you meet in a barfight?” Percival asks.Gwaine beams. “Yep. That time it was Merlin and the Princess who started it though.”“Literally every single time after that has been your fault, Gwaine,” I point out.“At least it made it easy for you to hunt me down when you needed my help.”“It was tracking the barfights or start spreading rumours about your terrible hair.”Gwaine gasps. “How dare you? Insulting a knight’s hair is practically treason.”I roll my eyes. “So is denying them an apple.”“Or not believing their made-up tales of heroics,” Percival adds.“I’ve never made up a tale in my life,” Gwaine claims.“What about that time you supposedly journeyed to the Perilous Lands to rescue a princess?” Percival asks. “Didn’t you claim that you did it to repay the favour of a raven-haired damsel?”I duck my head. “That actually happened. Not that Gwaine should be ever speaking about that quest. We were sworn to secrecy after all.”Gwaine laughs. “Completely different princess from the one we all know and love, of course. But the ah raven-haired damsel was most certainly Merlin here.”I narrow my eyes. “How many times have you been referring to me as a damsel anyway?”“That would be something you already knew if you stopped declining my requests to come down to the tavern with me,” Gwaine says.“I’ve only just gotten Arthur to believe that I don’t spend all my spare time there. I don’t need to show up with an actual hangover instead of a concussion, or he’ll have me in the stocks before I can say ‘Sir Gwaine’.”“How is it that a perfectly ordinary servant such as yourself can get concussed frequently enough for the Princess to think you spend your nights drinking?”I shake my head. “It’s only happened occasionally, but coupled with Gaius being terrible at excuses, Arthur ended up believing I had a drinking problem for years.”“What changed?” Percival asks.I shrug. “I told him what I really do in my spare time. He’s still working through it all.”“And what do you do in your spare time, Merlin?” Gwaine asks.“Save the kingdom,” I deadpan.Gwaine and Percival nod like this makes perfect sense. I almost say something to make it more of a joke, but then Leon and Elyan come marching down the hall, the former clearly trying to be mad, and the latter practically bursting in laughter. Gwaine squeaks and shoves me at Leon before hightailing it out of there.“I’ll get him!” Percival yells, before bolting after Gwaine.Leon sighs and sets into a jog, while Elyan almost trips over himself laughing as he follows. I shake my head at the knights’ antics and walk the rest of the way to the armoury with an unshakeable grin.*The armour wasn’t that bad, all things considered. Arthur’s managed to get his in a worse state during training several times, and I couldn’t always use magic to clean it then, so dealing with Agravaine’s armour now isn’t that difficult. His chainmail on the other hand, that is in a state so bad that if Gwen or Elyan ever saw it, they might just murder the person responsible. It’s been purposely wrecked. That much is obvious. The rust patterns aren’t natural, and they aren’t from a magical fight either. They’re the obvious result of someone wanting to create as much work as possible for whoever is in charge of repairing it.I have to clean each individual link and reshape over half of them, so that they fit together properly. Agravaine obviously took Arthur’s jab about his lack of fighting experience to heart and decided to make it seem as though his chainmail has been through hell and back. By the time I finally finish the process, my fingertips are numb, and the rest of fingers are throbbing. My healing magic is pathetic at the best of times, so even if I wanted to explain to Arthur why I had to heal my fingers, I wouldn’t be able to do heal them in the first place.I’m going to have to wrap them when I get back to Gaius’s chambers and hope that nobody questions it. I could always say I got them jammed in a door by accident or something. That sounds somewhat believable, doesn’t it? I stifle a yawn. At least this means I’m finished with Agravaine for the day. It’s just tomorrow, and then he’ll be leaving at the next dawn. I feel sorry for his usual serving staff. But at least they got a year-long holiday from having to deal with Lord Aggravating. Gods, Gwaine’s nickname is wearing off on me. That’s one thing I cannot slip up with, or I really will be thrown into the dungeons for insulting a noble.The armoury door slams open, but servants, squires, and knights alike do that often enough looking for something urgent, so I don’t look up from carefully laying out the finished chainmail with Agravaine’s armour. Someone shoves past me, knocking my head on the armour rack, but again, it’s a common enough event that I don’t bother glaring at the culprit while I stumble to my feet, sighing as I wobble a bit. But then someone grabs my arm and yanks me around to face them, and that isn’t okay.“What?” I snap, holding my throbbing fingers behind my back in a mockery of subservience.And it’s Lord Aggravating, surrounded by a bunch of knights that I know have been complaining about ‘commoner’ knights for the past year.“Is that really any way to speak to your better?” Agravaine asks.I open my mouth to apologise, but then his hand cracks against my face in a sharp backhand.“I take it you’ve finally finished your task then, boy?” Agravaine asks, like he didn’t just hit me out of nowhere.“Yes, milord,” I choke out, my head bowed.Agravaine laughs. “See, even the most unruly of servants can be trained with just a little bit of reinforcement.”I snap my head back up at that. “You can’t seriously be encouraging them to treat other servants badly.”This time when Agravaine raises his hand, I’m expecting it, but that doesn’t stop the force of his ringed hand from sending me crashing into the unforgivingly hard floor. My magic surges through my body and begs me to retaliate, but I force it back. He’s not worth the consequences if Uther finds out. Forcing Arthur to choose so soon is going to end up with me at the pyre and Aithusa hunted by the Knights of Camelot. I won’t allow it. If that means a couple of cuts and bruises, then so be it. I stumble back to my feet and meet Agravaine’s gaze.“Nobody else,” I spit out. “You want to abuse your power so much, then here I am. But if you dare go after anyone else, I will show you just what happened to any other noble who dared try since I came to Camelot.”The knights shuffle back at that, no doubt having heard the tales of sudden misfortune; marriages that suddenly fell through, rumours that completely decimated a noble’s reputation, and falling out of favour with the future King of Camelot to name a few. I will not be tested when it comes to the safety of my kingdom, magic or no magic. There’s a reason this hasn’t been a lasting problem before. Camelot is protected. And in these kinds of cases, I’ve never needed a drop of magic to do it.Agravaine scoffs. “You dare threaten me, boy?”“I do what’s necessary to protect my kingdom,” I say, narrowing my eyes. “Your dear friend Morgana knows that.”Agravaine laughs it off, but the knights shake their heads and leave, no longer risking it. The moment the final one leaves, Agravaine snaps forward and slams me against a wall.“You know nothing, you stupid peasant.”I glare at him. “Do you really want to risk that, milord?”“You’re nothing. You’re just some serving boy who sticks his nose into everyone else’s business. I’ve no clue how you managed to trick Arthur into keeping you around, but that won’t be a problem much longer. I’ll see you fired before I even leave the citadel.”“And how are you going to manage that?” I question.Agravaine smirks. “You did just threaten me in front of a group of knights.”He tosses me to the ground and slams his boot into my ribs.“I do believe that gives me the right to defend myself,” Agravaine says, kicking me again.I roll away and look around for something that could ‘miraculously’ fall on his head, but Agravaine marches forward and blocks my view. He grins suddenly, dark eyes focussed on one of my outstretched hands. Gods, no. I try to yank my right hand back to my body, but, before I can, Agravaine’s boot crunches down on my fingers. Magic snaps out of me, sharp and instinctive, yet not attacking Agravaine. It surges through the castle and finds Arthur, alerting him to danger before I can stop it. I really hope nobody else is around him right now, or else they would’ve seen that stupid blue ball of obviously magical light randomly circle the Crown Prince.Agravaine thankfully doesn’t notice my eyes flash gold, probably because they were clenched closed in pain at that very moment, and he resumes his spiel about servants not knowing their places. I’m having trouble concentrating on the particulars over the roaring in my ears and the blinding pain threatening to send me into unconsciousness. I think the armoury door might slam open again, and frankly, I feel sorry for that poor thing. What did it ever do to have all these people slamming it about like doors don’t have feelings too? And wow, has Aggravating finally stopped talking? That’s nice.“Merlin! Merlin, are you okay?”I force my eyes open and smile at Gwaine. “This doesn’t mean you can keep calling me a damsel,” I point out, before coughing violently.Gwaine carefully sits me up against the wall and checks over my injuries.“What happened to Lord Aggravating?” I ask, but then I notice the noble talking to a red-faced Arthur, whose hand is resting on the pommel of his sword.“Not that bad, huh?” Gwaine mutters, cradling over my hands.“You may have been right this time,” I admit.“Oh, may I?”I sigh. “Sorry.”Gwaine shakes his head. “Don’t apologise for this, Merlin. Just trust me next time.”“Trust has been kind of hard for me lately.”Gwaine glances between me and Arthur with a frown, but he doesn’t say anything. I wonder for what seems to be the hundredth time whether Gwaine knows, yet once again it just isn’t the right time to go into it.“You wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with a certain blue light that had Princess sprinting down here, would you?” Gwaine whispers, because apparently it is the time to go into it.I shrug and immediately regret it. “No idea what you’re talking about Sir Gwaine. Such things would surely be an executable offense in Camelot.”“Is Merlin alright?” Arthur asks, eyes still trained on Agravaine.“Still an idiot,” Gwaine says, scooting over to sit next to me. “But I guess that’s just our Merlin.”I move to swat him, but my ribs and fingers all ache at once, so I just end up shifting a little and let out a groan of pain.“I’ll be fine, sire,” I manage to say before slumping against Gwaine.“This is all the theatrics of an attention-seeking servant, sire,” Agravaine says. “He actually threatened me in front of a handful of your knights. I thought he was going to reach for a dagger, and I defended myself.”“You were encouraging them to hurt other servants!” I exclaim, and descend into a coughing fit that wracks my already injured ribs.Gwaine holds me steady until I recover, his concerned expression shifting to a sharp glare as it moves from me to Agravaine. Arthur’s expression is perfectly neutral, his Crown Prince mask holding firm.“Really now, there’s a difference between knowing when discipline is necessary and encouraging assault,” Agravaine says dismissively. “It’s no wonder this idiot of a servant had the audacity to try attacking me.”“I swear on Aithusa that he’s lying, Arthur,” I say.Agravaine scoffs. “Now he’s swearing on an Old Religion deity. I had no clue that your manservant practised the forbidden arts, sire. He-”“Aithusa’s the name of Merlin’s daughter,” Arthur interrupts, his jaw clenched, and sword drawn. “Which means he isn’t the liar here.”“You have a daughter?” Gwaine whispers.“Long story short: she’s a dragon. Now’s not really the time,” I whisper back.“You can’t just say that and expect me to not have questions, Merlin,” Gwaine whisper shouts.I shush him and risk a glance at my right hand.“I’m gonna need Gaius,” I realise, grimacing at the broken bones.“You’re only just realising this?” Gwaine questions.I turn my head to glare at him, wincing at the black dots that swarm my vision. I’m pretty sure Arthur’s yelling at Aggravating right now, but the only thing I can really hear is this weird ringing noise. I try to ask Gwaine whether the castle’s under attack because the warning bell must be ringing, but my mouth just kinds of flops uselessly. I glare down at it in betrayal, well, as much as I can glare at my own mouth. It’s really blurry for some reason. No, wait that’s the room. It’s all just really bl…*“That’ll be his magic,” Gaius says, which is odd because he’s not meant to talk to anyone about my magic.“Huh,” Gwaine says. “Guess my hunch was right.”Arthur sputters; I’d recognise that sound anywhere. “You mean you figured it out?”“Flying plates, Princess. Wyverns not attacking us, despite them being vicious bastards most the time. Merlin going out with us on ridiculous quests, without any armour, and coming back with barely a scratch. It was either magic or incredibly good luck. And the poor bugger’s stuck being your servant, so it could hardly be the second option.”“It might’ve been a balance,” I croak, reluctantly opening my eyes to the sight of Gaius and Gwaine sitting on either side of my bed, the latter with his feet up next to mine.Arthur’s awkwardly hovering at the door, though I’m not sure why. He did just trust my magic and help me after all. That’s always a good thing.“But sadly, I’ve got magic and bad luck,” I say.Gwaine laughs, shaking his head. Gaius starts poking and prodding me, and weren’t my ribs meant to be hurting? Ah well. My hands seem to be better. They don’t hurt to wave around, or to smack Gwaine at all. The knight just smiles and lounges back in his chair, occasionally poking my leg with his feet. I glare at him a little and consider making his chair suddenly fall over, but something tells me that tapping into my magic right now would be a bad idea.“What’s got Arthur so grumpy?” I ask Gwaine in a loud whisper.“Oh, he’s just gotten into his head that the entire Lord Aggravating thing is his fault,” Gwaine answers in an equally loud whisper.Gaius rolls his eyes at our antics. “No using magic for at least the next several hours, or you’ll find yourself experiencing dizzy spells and sudden collapsing. You’ve used a large amount in self-healing, which is a wonder in itself considering how terrible you are at that when doing it consciously.”I shrug. “Always was better at the instinctual version of spells.”“You’ll be fine to join the group escorting Lord Agravaine out of Camelot for his banishment,” Gaius says.I turn to Arthur with wide eyes. “Banishment?” I question.“Assaulting the Crown Prince’s manservant as a means to get back at the crown is a punishable offence in itself, and that, combined with several Knights of Camelot admitting that Lord Agravaine was purposely stirring discord between them and my newer knights, led to the King deciding that my uncle’s presence is no longer welcome in the kingdom. We’ll be following through on plans to escort him out of Camelot tomorrow morning.”Tomorrow?“Guess I slept for a bit then,” I say.Arthur sighs. “Merlin, I want you to know that-”“It’s alright, Arthur. None of what happened was your fault. Uther’s the one who decided to send Agravaine back to his estate, and you took responsibility for that, so there’d be less backlash against Camelot as a whole. At least now I know that the kingdom will be safe from one of Morgana’s allies.”“One of her what?” Gwaine questions, sitting up a bit.“He pretty much admitted it in the armoury. Well, admitted it, slammed me against a wall when I said it. Same thing, really. The point is, he never outright denied it.”“Welcome to the world of Merlin’s logic,” Gaius says with a sigh.Gwaine grins. “Seems like a wonderful place to me. So, what other magic can you do, Merlin?”Arthur looks between us with an expression of dawning horror. Gaius shakes his head and leaves the room. I sit up with a wide grin that matches Gwaine’s and answer every one of his random questions about magic. If my smile happens to grow a little more when Arthur doesn’t flee my room at all the open talk about magic, but gradually starts joining in on the questions, well, I can blame it on being glad that Lord Aggravating will be leaving us tomorrow.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

ARTHUR
Merlin’s an idiot. Yes, I may have given him the impression that I wanted to know when he’s breaking a law that could get him killed if the wrong person catches him in the act. But that doesn’t mean I need to know every single time that he uses magic, especially not if that means he stops being able to defend himself. Of course, if I tried telling Merlin that, he’ll argue about how I told him not to use magic until I’d reached a decision. I don’t remember doing that. In fact, I remember Merlin being the one that wanted me to wait before pardoning him because I didn’t know all his crimes yet.I haven’t exactly had the luxury of time and privacy to tell the idiot that I finished that too-big book of his last night. And now we’re in hearing range of my traitor of an uncle and the Knights of the Round Table, so I’ve had no opportunity to tell Merlin without risking him reacting and blurting out his secret in front of everyone here. If I hadn’t insisted that we leave the castle to escort Agravaine out of the kingdom at first light, then maybe I would’ve had time to tell Merlin that I am not under any circumstances going to punish him for his crimes. I’m not sure how things will be going forward with this, but I at least understand the different choices Merlin has made out of his duty to Camelot and me.The moment we get back to Camelot, I’ll tell Merlin as much.“Morgana.”It’s just a whisper. A barely there murmur even. And maybe before my father almost died, I would’ve ignored the source. But now I know exactly where Merlin’s so-called hunches come from. It’s easier to trust Merlin’s magic in the moment than I thought it would be.“Ready yourselves!” I call, jumping off my horse. “Morgana’s here.”I toss Merlin a crossbow, which he easily catches. The warlock nods to me and loads it, no doubt understanding my unspoken order. Not here. Not now. Not with Morgana and Agravaine watching. We’ve handled Morgana without blatant magic before. We can do it again. The witch saunters into the clearing, her hands out like she’s greeting an old friend, or an estranged half-brother.“Arthur,” she says, “I thought I was the only seer in the family.”My knights bristle at that, but none more than Merlin, who steps forward, defiant as ever.“It was obvious Agravaine was working for you, Morgana,” he says, as if making light conversation. “I can’t really blame him if he got his lessons in subtlety from you.”Morgana’s eyes flash gold and the trees all quake. “Not everyone can pull off being a backstabbing sneak as well as you, Merlin,” she snaps. Her scowl twists into a distorted grin. “Does your precious Arthur know what you did? Does he know what kind of monster he has following him around like a stray animal?”Gwaine lurches forward with a sharp curse. Merlin holds him back with one hand and the smallest head shake.“Arthur knows my crimes,” Merlin says. “What he does about them is up to him. I’m prepared for whatever his decision may be.”“Stop sounding like I’m going to chop your head off, Merlin. One life for the rest of the kingdom is no decision at all.” I turn to my sister. “It used to be that you knew that.”“He poisoned me!”“And you knowingly worked with someone who wanted the King dead,” I point out. “How many times have you tried to kill Father? I imagine carrying that much hatred, all the time, must be exhausting. Maybe you wouldn’t look so terrible if you dedicated your time to something other than revenge. There are plenty of kingdoms who don’t have laws against magic. You could be a noblewoman there, or a scholar, or anything really. I’m sure Father would grant you clemency if you swore to never step foot in Camelot again. It’s quite fair considering all the suffering you’ve caused the people.”“You would try bargaining with me when I could kill you where you stand?” Morgana questions.“I don’t want to fight my family, Morgana. Surely, you know that considering you used my own uncle to spy on me and sow discord in Camelot.”“I took advantage of your weakness, and I’ll do it again and again until you can’t trust anyone who stands by your side. I’ll make you understand what that’s like, little brother. By the time I’m through with you, you’ll be handing over Camelot of you own volition. Uther will simply stand by and watch it happen. He’s too weak to face me.”Merlin scoffs. “Regardless of his many faults, Uther does love his children, Morgana. He took a sword for his son, and would no doubt do the same for his daughter. Why else do you think he took you hating him so badly?”“He was clearly shocked at having magic at the heart of Camelot,” Morgana says.As someone who’s gone through that shock twice now, I can safely say, “Merlin’s right. Father has barely mentioned your magic since you fled Camelot with Morgause. He may still despise magic, but he’s never hated you.” I can’t say what I think about magic as a whole, but I know that I could never hate Merlin, even if he is the most powerful sorcerer to ever live.I just wish I could convince Merlin of that, especially if he’s still under the impression that I intend to have him executed or banished. The idiot does have a habit of exaggerating things after all. I wouldn’t put it past him to have a bag filled with emergency supplies should he find himself suddenly banished on pain of death. That is, if he doesn’t have some overly elaborate disguise to sneak back into Camelot in. Most people wear a low hood. Merlin just has to make himself eighty-years-old like the over-dramatic imbecile he is. I wonder if being dramatic is the only real personality consequence of having magic. Or maybe that’s just the sorcerers who get caught.“And you expect me to what?” Morgana asks. “Accept a pardon for all those innocents I killed when my people, who’ve done nothing wrong except have magic, are still being hunted? You must be more of an idiot than I originally believed if you ever thought I would accept that.”Her words remind me of Merlin’s when he was disguised as Dragoon. It’s disorientating to hear them have such similar goals yet go about them in completely different ways.“I cannot promise to pardon everyone who breaks Camelot’s laws. There would be chaos, and–”Morgana scoffs. “Expected words from Uther Pendragon’s son.”“And I can’t change the laws on magic as Crown Prince,” I finish, trying not to look at Merlin, whose breath hitches.Leon’s, “Sire,” goes ignored as Morgana bursts into a fit of laughter.“Oh, I knew your heart was your greatest weakness, brother, but I didn’t know you would be so willing to change Uther’s favourite law for my sake. You truly are as easy to manipulate as Morgause said. It’s too bad you’d never change the law after I kill the King. And I will have my revenge, Arthur. I’ve sworn as much to the Triple Goddess herself.”“I never said I’d do it for you,” I point out, aiming my sword at Morgana. “Now, you have one last chance to rescind your threat to the King before we bring you in on charges of treason against the crown.”Morgana narrows her eyes. “It was Emrys, wasn’t it? That traitor to his kind finally grew a spine and approached you.”“Really now, Morgana, if you just wish to speak nonsense–”Her eyes flash gold. “Do not lie to me, Arthur Pendragon! I know it was him. What I don’t understand is how he conned you into trusting him.”“He saved our father. The one you used Agravaine to try and murder. But I found the pendant, sister. Emrys saved the King, and then swore fealty to me.”Leon gasps at that, and I really need to have a talk with my oldest friend. I know he won’t tell Father anything of this, but it’s only right that he knows more than the minimum. It’ll be up to Merlin how much the Knights of the Round Table know about his exploits. I’m sure Gwaine is dying to gloat about being among the first to know.“You really are consorting with sorcerers then,” Agravaine says from his position between Percival and Gwaine.The latter scoffs. “Says the noble literally working for Morgana.”Two trees behind Gwaine splinter down the middle. Merlin seems to take that as the signal to shoot at Morgana with his crossbow. She lazily freezes the bolts before they reach her, turns them around mid-air, and sends them back at Merlin. He dodges them without using his magic and flashes Morgana a sharp grin.“You’ll have to do better than that, milady,” he snipes.I roll my eyes and charge Morgana with my sword. She flings me back with a flick of her hand. Elyan and Leon rush forward next, but Morgana pays them no attention, sparing them a brief glance and a shared fireball. They thankfully dodge by leaping to the ground, but the horses scatter, and the knights have to move quickly to escape the flying hooves. Morgana stalks across the small clearing, her golden eyes focussed on Merlin. She cackles when Merlin runs out of arrows, and simply tosses his crossbow aside with a wave of her magic. The warlock glances back at me, shrugs, and then runs straight at Morgana.“Merlin!” I shout, but the idiot keeps going.Thankfully, Morgana is as shocked as the rest of us by Merlin’s sheer audacity and doesn’t throw a fireball at his face. She seems to forget that she even has magic when Merlin tackles her to the ground, immediately leaps back to his feet and sprints towards the nearby valley. Morgana lets out an inhuman shriek, practically floats back to her feet, and takes off after Merlin, verbally cursing him all the while, and no doubt falling for Merlin’s ploy to draw her away from the rest of us. But I know that idiot isn’t going to go revealing his magic to Morgana of all people, which means he’s probably relying on luck that he can lose her. Except, Morgana on the other hand is openly using her magic, and she has Merlin’s footprints highlighted in a dim glow as she chases him.Gwaine doesn’t hesitate to follow the both of them, and I’m right behind him, shouting a “keep an eye on Agravaine” as I go to keep my idiot servant from getting himself killed.“I blame you for making him so reckless,” Gwaine says, while running.“Me? You’re the one who encourages him to go on dangerous quests all the time.”“Well, at least I invite Merlin. You go on the quests by yourself, even knowing that Merlin will end up following you.”“You say that like I have any control over what that idiot chooses to do. I don’t know if you noticed, but he doesn’t actually listen to me.”“Please, he hangs off your every word.”“He’s got an odd way of showing it.”“He still works for you, doesn’t he? Even though I’ve offered dozens of times to run away together.”     “You’ve what?”Gwaine glares at me as enter the valley. He doesn’t offer an answer, focusing instead on following the glowing footprints. We follow them in near silence, save for the thudding of our running, and our breathing. There hasn’t been a sound from Merlin or Morgana, which I’m not sure whether to be glad for or worried about. On one hand, we haven’t heard Merlin yell out in pain, but on the other, Morgana was the one who conjured up this trail and could easily be leading us into a trap, while Merlin has already circled back to the knights and is wondering where Gwaine and I have gotten to.As much as I don’t want to face an indignant lecturing Merlin, I would much prefer that than leaving Merlin to face Morgana alone. I know he has survived such encounters without openly using his magic before, but that doesn’t mean that today won’t be the day his unending luck finally runs out. I’ve only just come to the point where I can safely say that I know all his secrets, and truly understand the man who has stood by my side, protecting me, for all these years. I won’t let Merlin foolishly throw that away because he thinks he makes good bait.That, and I want to interrogate him about these times Gwaine has apparently offered to run away with him. I wonder if Merlin even realised those offers were genuine, or if he simply thought that Gwaine was joking around. I wouldn’t put it past Merlin to be that utterly oblivious to what’s right in front of him. A trait, we apparently share considering the amount of times the warlock has gotten away with magic right in front of me, various nobles, and the King himself. It’s truly a wonder the idiot hasn’t gotten himself killed yet, though I suppose today might be another attempt at that.His luck will win out again. It has to.Gwaine curses, as the footprints disappear. I blanch, but keep following the trail nonetheless. Merlin wasn’t exactly careful, and he’s left enough physical markers in the valley that we can follow those. But I’m not ignorant of what Morgana’s magic disappearing could mean. Either she’s given up, which is unlikely, or the two of them are facing off right now, and Merlin doesn’t even know for sure that I’d never dare execute or banish him, so he’s bound to behaving even more reckless than usual. If I had just told him that I finished the book and am willing to pardon his crimes, would he have even run off in the first place?“How do you keep surviving?” Morgana screams, her voice echoing through off the valley walls.Gwaine and I both draw our swords and slow down to a jog.“It’s all really quite simple, Morgana. You see, I’m smarter than I look. I know, I know, but even smart manservants shouldn’t be able to escape a serket nest when left there chained up, and I’ll admit that I didn’t manage that one on my own. In fact, I had some help from an old friend of my father who owed me one. He’s quite a good healer, which is lucky because I really should’ve died from the serket venom that I had an unhealthy dose of, not that any amount of serket venom is healthy of course. I thought I should clarify that before you go getting yourself killed in a hovel somewhere and not doing Camelot the courtesy of telling us all that we no longer have a vindictive witch after our current and future kings.”   The idiot servant lounges back on a rock, his leg a bloody mess, while Morgana looms over him, eyes gold with fury.“You will tell me the truth, or I’ll kill your precious prince,” she spits, her eyes snapping up to meet mine. “He and the knight of yours were stupid enough to follow you after all.”Gwaine runs at Morgana, his sword raised. The witch swats him aside with a wave of magic. Gwaine crashes into the rock wall and slides to the ground unmoving. Merlin lets out a growl not unlike one of his dragons. For a moment, I almost think he’s summoning them, but that hopeless look in his eyes says otherwise.“Don’t you dare,” I start.But the he’s already made up his mind. Merlin’s eyes flash gold. Boulders crash down between us, blocking my path, and leaving the idiot sorcerer on his own. I search the boulders for a way around, even though I know Merlin would’ve been as thorough as possible. He always is when it comes to protecting me. I wish he’d just trust me to fight alongside him properly for once. If he weren’t so used to handling these kinds of situations by himself then this wouldn’t have happened.“Wha?”I curse Merlin ten ways and turn to Gwaine. “The idiot got himself captured,” I snap out.Gwaine scrambles to his feet and looks ready to punch his way through the boulders. I clasp his shoulder before he can.“We need to regroup with the others and establish a search pattern,” I say. “There’s no point in trying to catch up with Morgana and Merlin now. But we won’t be stopping until we find him.”Gwaine looks again to the boulders, clenching his sword tight. He shrugs off my hand and strides back the way we came.“This wouldn’t have happened if he could fight back without consequence,” Gwaine mutters.“I know.”“You’ll be fixing this.”“I will.”“And if the King–”“He won’t be a problem.”“Good.”We storm back to the others, both us seething silently, and liable to tear apart anyone who dares stand in our way. Suffice to say, when we do enter the clearing where Leon, Elyan, and Percival guard Agravaine, my uncle actually whimpers at our entrance. Gwaine picks up a loose arrow and twirls it between his fingers, advancing on Agravaine with narrowed eyes.“You’re either going to tell me where Morgana is most likely to take Merlin right now, or I am going to happily force it out of you, finger by finger.”Percival grabs Gwaine’s arm. “He wouldn’t want that.”“What the damsel doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”“Merlin always finds out,” Elyan argues.“Well, if everyone here keeps their silence, then he won’t.”“Sir Gwaine,” I snap. “Do you really think Morgana would be stupid enough to return to a location that Agravaine is already aware of?”Leon pulls Gwaine back. “We can check the locations just in case, sire.”I nod. “Do that on your way to escorting Agravaine to the border. Gwaine and I will conduct a search for Merlin within this area and possible nearby hideouts. If we haven’t found him by the time you’ve returned, then send out more men to widen the search. Should my father have anything to say regarding the amount of resources I wish to spend on this, then feel free to remind him that he’s recently been encouraging me to take on more responsibilities, and as such, I will not leave the most loyal man in Camelot at that witch’s mercy. I will not stop until Merlin is back with us, and I’m sure each of you agree.”The knights nod, their jaws clenched.“Good. Let’s bring our idiot home safe.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

MERLIN

“You must kill Arthur Pendragon.”
My magic screams as the Fomorroh takes over my body, whispering Morgana’s order over and over again. I shove back my magic with every bit of willpower I can muster, and I hide it way in the depths of my mind, far from the Fomorroh. I won’t let that vile thing touch it. I won’t let it use my magic against Arthur. I won’t let it kill him. Even if it means locking my magic away from me as well. Arthur can defend himself against a powerless manservant, but he has no chance against the most powerful sorcerer to walk the Earth.Besides, Arthur’s bound to notice that something’s off about me, and if not him, then someone else in Camelot will.*Arthur greets me with a hug. A hug. And the thing controlling my body hugs back like it’s the most normal thing in the world. I yell out in my mind for the Fomorroh to leave him be, even as it drowns me out by repeating Morgana’s orders. Arthur at least has the sense to not scold me for using my magic to separate us, too caught up in me being alive to question how Morgana let me go. If there were ever a time that I wish Arthur would ask how I managed to miraculously escape, it’d be now. But no, he just goes on and on about the search efforts, and how his father tried to stop them, which means the King will no doubt be angry when we return to Camelot.Gwaine has a simple solution to this. “Let’s just not go back for a while,” he says, and if it weren’t for the fact that the Fomorroh latches onto his suggestion with glee, I’d agree with him.“Every day away from that dump is a good day in my books,” the Fomorroh says.Gwaine just laughs at that, even though he knows, he knows that I love Camelot and would do almost anything to protect it.“Merlin, I could have you thrown in the dungeons for saying something like that,” Arthur says.“Better the dungeons than stuck serving you,” the Fomorroh says.“I could always give you back to Morgana if you really think that,” Arthur teases.“The company would certainly be better.”Arthur frowns. “What’s got you like this? You’re the idiot who got himself captured instead of doing the smart thing and not goading a witch into targeting you. It’s not like you’ve reason to be mad at me.”The Fomorroh twists my mouth into a smile that wouldn’t look out of place on Kilgharrah. “I think we both know that I’ll never be out of reasons to be mad at you, sire.”Gwaine claps my back and puts himself between me and Arthur. “Now, now, Merlin, you’re going to hurt the Princess’s feelings if you go on like that. He has so few of them as it is. It wouldn’t do to go after the emotionally stunted royal, now would it?”    “I’m just following the Crown Prince’s lead. He so does love to hunt the helpless and weak after all,” the Fomorroh says.That is it. I rail against the serpent entwined around my spine even more for that. The beast will regret the day it aided Morgana. I’ll not have anyone harming Arthur, and I don’t care one whit how much it costs me to expel it from my mind. I’ve spent weeks convincing Arthur that he can trust me, magic and all, with his own life and the lives of his people. This stain on all things magical won’t make all my efforts pointless in less than a candle mark. I won’t let it. I certainly won’t let it harm Arthur, let alone kill him. And I won’t let it besmirch the trust I’ve so carefully built with the prince.
“You must kill Arthur Pendragon.”
I’d sooner cut out my own magic than do such a thing.
“You must kill Arthur Pendragon.”
Get out. Get out. Get out!
“You must kill Arthur Pendragon.”
I’m going to purge the kingdoms of your kind, and then I will take their remains and incinerate them in dragon fire.The Fomorroh stumbles.I latch onto it like a Dorocha with a soul.Don’t underestimate me, serpent. I will be free of you soon enough. Morgana’s experience with me should tell you that much. And when I am free, I will first hunt you down, and then the next of your kind, and then the one after that, until I have eradicated each and every one of you from existence. I won’t so much as allow a rumour of you to survive. You’ll find I can be a very patient man when it comes to performing my duty. Any who’ve so much as thought about standing against Camelot or her Prince will tell you that. Leave me now, and I just might spare you.The Fomorroh falls to my knees. Gwaine’s concern climbs, and Arthur’s ire all but disappears. The Fomorroh wipes at my nose and recoils at the sight of blood.If I have to, I will gladly take you down with me, serpent.“You must kill Arthur Pendragon,” the Fomorroh chokes out, making its final mistake.Gwaine’s sword is against my heart before I can blink. I laugh, heedless of the blood that spills from my mouth as I do, because the action is my own, and I can feel the serpent burrowing out of my neck and fleeing.“Thanks, Gwaine,” I say, my voice raw, as though it too felt the effects of my mental screaming. “I think you managed to scare it off.”“Scare what off?” Arthur asks, his voice hard.I smile at the prat. “Why the Fomorroh, of course. Annoying serpent enchanted by Morgana to control my body, if not my mind. Be grateful I kept my magic away from the thing, or you’d both be scorch marks against the ground.”Arthur doesn’t flinch at the casual admittance of my power. I wipe the blood away from my mouth to make my wide grin a little less insane-looking.“I wasn’t the one to scare it off, was I?” Gwaine asks, sheathing his sword and helping me to my feet.I shrug. “You helped a little. Though it might’ve been my promise to purge Albion of all its kind that got the message across.”Arthur and Gwaine look a little frightened at that.“It shouldn’t have tried to make me kill Arthur,” I point out, because really, there shouldn’t need to be more explanation than that. “Speaking of, the next time Morgana tries to do something like that again, I’m throwing a fireball at her. It’d be the least she deserves, don’t you think?”Gwaine’s grin is strained but genuine when he slings an arm around my shoulders. “Good to have you back, Merls.”“Good to be back. Morgana is terrible company. You’re meant to offer old friends a drink and some food, not torture and a mind controlling snake.”Arthur looks one second from hunting down his half-sister. I roll my eyes and make a tree root trip him with a small burst of magic. The prat faceplants the ground, sending Gwaine and me into a fit of laughter.“MERLIN!”Much better.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

ARTHUR
There are times when I think my manservant just might be the most noble man in all of Albion. There are times when he shows such great bravery that I must simply stop and watch, as he faces down a beast all others would flee from, and yet he handles without flinching. And then there are times when Merlin proves, once and for all, that when it comes down to who he truly is at his core, past all the magic, and destiny, and immense power, he is, quite simply, an idiot.“Yes,” I repeat for the fourth time this evening, “I really have finished reading through your overly long list of crimes, and I am still no longer feeling the urge to punish you for them. Your constant doubting of your self-claimed King though, is quickly leading me to the conclusion that you actually want to be thrown into the stocks and face your long-time fans there.”“So sorry that I wanted to be sure, sire, when it happens to be my head on the line. I quite happen to like this head. It’s gotten me this far, and I’m quite attached to it, you see. I’d really rather not risk you deciding to lob it off if you change your mind.”I sigh. “I swear on my honour as a Knight, Crown Prince, and future King of Camelot that I will not, now nor in the future, sentence Merlin of Ealdor to death, nor banishment for the crime of magic, nor anything else. Grateful now, or would you like even more leeway to commit crimes at your own leisure? I swear, if I find out that you still think it necessary to report to me every time you use your magic, I’m going to start reporting to you every time I use my left arm.”Merlin gapes at me, like the mind-addled idiot he is. “You didn’t have to really mean all that, Arthur.”“When are you going to get it, Merlin? I am grateful for every choice you have been forced to make for the good of my kingdom. Do you need me to make it clearer, or has it finally gotten through your thick, and no doubt hollow, skull?”“Thank you, my King,” Merlin says, all quiet awe and utter sincerity.I clear my throat and look away. “Yes, well, you too. Thank you, I mean. On to the next topic, can we tell the rest of the Knights of the Round Table yet, or am I going to have to put up with Gwaine being the only other one who knows if we encounter a problem that needs your special breed of assistance on a patrol, quest, or hunt?”“You want me to tell Leon, a knight who is almost as loyal to your father as he is you; Elyan, a knight whose father died because of accidentally associating with someone who had magic; and Percival, who…? Actually, I think Percival might take it just fine, but Gwaine will be unbearable about being the first to figure it out, and I don’t think Percival deserves to have to deal with that.”“They’ll accept your magic because I’ll order them to accept it.”“That’s not how that works, you prat, and you know it,” Merlin points out. “If they are afraid of magic, then there is nothing you can do to change that. If you tried, you would be no better than your father demanding that everyone should share his view.”I roll my eyes. “Fine, I won’t order them to accept you, but I will tell them all that you have done that is good and pure with your magic, and if they cannot accept that, then I will order them to secrecy. Obviously, it’s your choice whether we do tell them, but I believe the benefits far outweigh the potential losses, so it’s no decision at all.”Merlin folds his arms. “But it’s still my choice?” he asks.“If it really must be.”“Fine.”“You’ll tell them?”“I’ll think about it,” Merlin corrects.“Merlin.”“Arthur.”I sigh. “What’s there even left to think about?”“I don’t often have the chance to properly think about telling people something that could get me killed if they take it badly, so excuse me for wanting to savour taking longer than a few seconds to properly think this through,” Merlin snaps.“But you’re going to say yes anyway, so why delay?” I ask, and it doesn’t come out as a whine, no matter the way Merlin’s clearly holding back a jab saying exactly that.“Because I actually have the choice to do so for once, Arthur. Let me have at least that.”I groan. “Fine, but I want your decision by the end of the day.”“It’s night-time!”“Hurry up thinking then.”“You’re a prat.”“And you’re a clotpole.”“That’s still my word.”“And it yet it still suits you better.”Merlin rolls his eyes and turns to leave.“Where do you think you’re going?” I ask.“Somewhere else.”“But I wanted your decision by the end of the day.”Merlin glares at me. “Yes, well, I can’t think with you standing there being all prat-like, so I’m going to go think somewhere else. You’ll still have my decision by the end of the day, sire. If that happens to be right before the midnight bell, well, maybe next time you’ll give me more time to think.”The warlock stalks out of my chambers before I can find a suitable retort.I guess I can maybe look at those grain reports while Merlin thinks. Besides, he’s not really going to stay out until the very last minute. This may be Merlin, but he’s not that insufferable.*Merlin enters my chambers a few minutes before midnight with a resounding bang that has me jumping up from where I was just resting for a moment at my desk. The wide grin on Merlin’s face says he doesn’t believe for one second that I wasn’t just drooling over grain reports again. Thankfully, the warlock is smart enough to not mention as such, even when I have to unstick a parchment from the side of my face.“You’ll be glad to know that I’ve made my decision, sire,” Merlin says, his voice mimicking that of a noble’s.I raise an eyebrow. “After taking advantage of every minute I so graciously allowed you, you mean?”“That’s not quite true,” Merlin points out, leaning against my bed post. “It isn’t the end of the day yet, Arthur. If you really want me to wait until the very last second, I will. It’s no problem for me. I’m usually in bed another hour from now regardless.”“But you wake up at dawn.”The warlock shrugs. “Nobody said I got a reasonable amount of sleep.”“Maybe that explains your constant insolence.”“Or how much it takes to keep your royal backside safe,” Merlin says.“That might be a little easier if more people knew about your talents.”“I know.”“And really now, Merlin, some days I’m half certain the Round Table Knights are more loyal to you than they are to me.”“That’s why I’ll tell them the truth.”I’d be a terrible knight and an even worse friend if I didn’t notice the fact that Merlin’s shaking like a leaf.“You’re certain?” I ask.Merlin puts on a smile that’s so obviously forced that I almost ask if he’s being mind controlled again.“I’m sure that if any of them try to run me through that Gwaine will fight them off,” he says.“Alongside me.”Merlin studies me like he’s looking into my very soul and judging its value. He smiles, genuinely this time. “Alongside you,” he concedes. I stand up. “We’ll tell them all in the morning then. You won’t be expected to attend to me until after breakfast, but that doesn’t mean you’re allowed to collect herbs for Gaius, stumble into a threat against the kingdom and handle it all before half the castle is even awake.”“But that’s the best time to deal with plots against the crown,” Merlin complains.“And it’s time that will be better spent catching up on sleep.”“Or visiting Aithusa,” Merlin argues.Somehow, I managed to go an entire day without thinking of the baby dragon.“Don’t tell me that the reason you took so long to make a decision was because you were out discussing it with your scaly daughter,” I say.Merlin grins. “Okay, I won’t tell you the truth then.”I shake my head. “Will you be telling the Knights about her?” I ask.“Well, Gwaine’s already met her, so–”“When did Gwaine meet Aithusa?”“Just now.”“Just– You discussed your choice with a baby and a drunk, but not me?”Merlin shrugs. “I needed someone objective.”“I can be objective.”“And I needed someone who understood what it’s like to keep such a big secret from his closest friends.”But that would mean Gwaine…“What would Gwaine have to hide?” I ask, my voice incredulous, even though I know from the knight’s serious moments that he would be very capable of it.“That’s not my secret to tell, but Gwaine has given me permission to say that it’s about his past, one that he’d rather stayed buried.”“And how long have you known about this?” I ask.“For as long as I’ve known him,” Merlin answers.That doesn’t surprise me. The two of them have always been close, almost as close as Merlin and Lancelot once were. I’m not ignorant enough to not realise that Gwaine’s loyalty has been to Merlin first from the start. If the warlock asked, I’m sure Gwaine would happily burn Camelot to the ground. But Merlin would never ask, not even if his life were on the line.“You can go tell Gwaine that I couldn’t care less about the details of his past, so long as they don’t impair his current duties, well, any more than he already skips them.”Merlin mock bows. “Of course, sire. Do you have any more requests?”“Go to bed, Merlin.”The warlock grins. “Good night, Arthur.”“It’s morning now,” I mutter.Merlin laughs and strolls out of my chambers. I say nothing about the flash of brown hair that accompanies Merlin when my doors close. Somehow, Gwaine has ended up even more protective of Merlin than Lancelot was. After recent events, I hardly blame the knight. Merlin needs all the people he can get looking out for him. He certainly attracts enough trouble to warrant it.*I’m not sure why it surprises me that Merlin is late. Gwaine is too, but there’s no question of where he is, or rather, who he is with. Leon has taken to seriously discussing the Agravaine incident and the implications that a traitor in our midst for a little over a year has on the kingdom’s security, not to mention how long nobles have been getting away with treating the serving staff as second-class beings. It is a conversation that needs to be had for members of the Round Table, and I regret that Guinevere and Gaius aren’t here to offer their opinion. Merlin and Gwaine’s absence is their own fault, so I feel a little less guilty on them missing out.The two finally arrive in a series of outright giggling, somehow managing to knock over every item hanging from my walls, and identical expressions of ‘oops’ when they see everyone seated at the table and waiting.“Dare I ask?” I wonder aloud.Merlin shakes his head. “Best that you don’t, sire.”“On a completely unrelated topic, that has absolutely no bearing on how we might’ve lost track of time, the feathers were Merlin’s fault,” Gwaine says, flopping down onto a spare chair.The warlock sits next to him. “To be fair, the noblewoman had it coming,” he says very seriously. “She insulted Gwen.”On the one hand, that is a perfectly acceptable explanation, but on the other, Father is going to end up blaming me for whatever trouble these two just got in. I suppose I can give them a pass just this once.“Why did you call for this meeting, sire?” Leon asks. Good reliable Leon. “I assume from Merlin’s presence that it has something about him choosing to not defend himself against Agravaine. While I understand being reluctant to use magic in the heart of Camelot, he never seems to hesitate when someone else is danger.”I choke on air.Merlin shakes his head so hard I fear it might fall off. “Magic? You think I have magic. Was there any specific occasion that you thought you noticed me have magic, because I can assure you that it was just the trick of the light or a well-time concussion.”Gwaine laughs. “I knew I couldn’t have been the only one to notice. You’re terrible at hiding your gift, Merls. Absolutely terrible.”Elyan looks absolutely confused. “Were we not meant to know?” he asks. “I thought it was just one of those things that we all knew but weren’t meant to talk about. Gwen somehow doesn’t know, but I’m pretty sure she tries hard every day to ignore the faintest hint.”I look to Percival, my one last hope that I wasn’t the only one who needed it pointed out to me.He shrugs. “Lancelot told me about his two friends in Camelot, the sorcerer and the servant. When I met Merlin, I realised they were one in the same.”Merlin is so pale that I wonder for a moment if he is even breathing. Gwaine must think the same because he slaps Merlin on the back and tugs him into a one-armed hug.“Told you it’d be alright,” Gwaine says.Leon, the still maybe reliable Leon, frowns. “So this isn’t about Merlin’s reluctance to defend himself?”“No,” I say. “We already covered that. This meeting was meant to be about informing you all about Merlin’s magic and swearing that you would never breathe a word of it to my father or Camelot’s enemies. Apparently, that is unneeded.”“Apparently,” Merlin faintly repeats.Gwaine just hugs the warlock closer.“Now all that remains to be discussed is which noblewoman and how many feathers,” I say.Just like magic, the bravest knights in the realm scatter within seconds, the door to my chambers slamming closed behind them and my insolent servant. It’s surprising then, that one knight remains, especially considering he was the one who mentioned the feathers in the first place. Gwaine leans back in his seat and stares me down.“That could have gone worse,” he says.“If I had believed for one moment that they could have reacted badly–”“You would have had to fight Merlin to drag him away,” Gwaine interrupts. “He would’ve taken any level of yelling and insults without pause, and if it got violent, he’d take that as well. I spent the majority of last night and this morning trying to convince Merlin that he wouldn’t have deserved that kind of treatment, but he never believed me, not completely. I don’t think he even fully believes that you’ve accepted his magic yet. He’s still waiting for that moment when he says or does the wrong thing and you go back on your word. And it doesn’t matter how much you say it or how loudly you yell that you’re not going to wake up one day and decide that he deserves the pyre, he won’t believe you. I’m not sure how long it’s going to take to finally get it through his head that he’s safe, but I doubt it’ll happen while your father’s on the throne.”“What do you want me to do then?” I ask, exasperated.I know that Gwaine sees himself as Merlin’s closest friend, but seeing the normally light-hearted man so serious scares me more than I’ll ever admit aloud.“Trust him. Keep trusting him. No matter what happens, just keep trusting that Merlin is doing what he thinks is right and maybe one day he’ll learn that we aren’t scared of him and his magic.” Gwaine doesn’t wait for a response to that. He merely stands and walks to my door. “That noblewoman didn’t just insult Gwen by the way. She also declared that you’d never be fit to be King. I did all I could to stop Merlin from tearing her life apart. He wouldn’t need his magic for that.”Merlin may be an idiot above all else, but he’s a loyal one. And he’s definitely worth the trouble.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

MERLIN
Gaius has been short with me lately. Well, more so than usual. He’s been scolding me for every bit of magic used in my own room or out in his chambers. At first I thought it was because of the Round Table knights knowing about my magic without needing to be told, but then Leon stopped by for a headache remedy, and they shared a look. I’m not sure if it was a conspiratorial one or one of concern, but those tend to go together whenever I’m nearby lately. I’ve seen Leon trade the same kind with Arthur a couple of times this past week and once even with Gwaine.My favourite knight wouldn’t even tell me what it was about. At least not until I bribed him.“Ask Arthur,” Gwaine says, chewing on a conjured apple. “He should be the one to tell you.”I rip the apple out of his hand, ignoring the startled ‘hey’, and vanish it. “You don’t deserve this.”“But I only got one bite!”“Should’ve given me more than ask Arthur, then.”“Only because I didn’t want to be the one yelled at. You would’ve known already if you hadn’t snuck out to meet up with Aithusa during the King’s last announcement.”I narrow my eyes. “You were with me, so how’d you find out what everyone’s weird behaviour is about?”“Leon told me while he was giving us better knights our orders for the situation.”“And those orders have something to do with keeping an eye on me?” I guess.“Most orders usually do in some capacity.”I conjure the apple back. “Tell me how serious the situation is, and you can have this back.”Gwaine’s eyes shift from me to the apple and back.He sighs. “Leon’s assigned a Round Table Knight detail on you at all times. We’ve had more trouble staying out of your sight than that of the other knights and any guards. I’ll be sure to tell him that you’re aware, and we can switch to acting as though one of us just happens to be spending time with you. It won’t be suspicious to anyone in the castle or outsiders given how everyone knows that you’re our favourite servant.”“Why? What did Uther announce that could possibly warrant this kind of protection for me of all people?”“Ask Arthur.”I toss Gwaine the apple. “Come on then. You better escort me to the Prince’s chambers. Oh, and tell Elyan that the next time he tails someone, he shouldn’t stop to talk to Gwen every time. It makes him terribly obvious.” I smile at Gwaine’s shock. “He is the one whose shift follows yours, isn’t he?”“How–?”“I’ve been protecting this kingdom from magical threats and assassinations for years, Gwaine. I do happen to be aware of my surroundings.”Gwaine laughs. “You’re terrifying sometimes.”“Only sometimes? I better work on that.”“But then how would you make everyone constantly underestimate you?”“Ah, but that’s the great secret, Sir Gwaine.” I grin. “I can always be more terrifying.”Gwaine bows. “Allow me to escort you, Lord Merlin the Petrifying.”I tilt my head to the side. “You know, I think I actually could petrify someone. There’s bound to be a spell for that, and if not, I could always make one up.”Gwaine’s eyes dart to the door and back. Listening for eavesdroppers then. Interesting. Uther’s announcement must be magic related. It’d certainly explain everyone’s concern. Hopefully, they’re all overreacting. The King probably just went on another of his tirades against magic as usual. Hardly something to be so worried about.“After you, Sir Gwaine.”The knight takes a bite of his apple and strides out of Gaius’s chambers. I follow at an equal pace. If this is how they all react to a standard tirade, I dread to think how they’d deal with an actual threat. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the knights attempted to lock me in my room, forgetting that I can knock even Percival out without lifting a finger. Said knight has actually been the best thus far at following me unnoticed. He’s remarkably light on his feet for his size, and if it weren’t for his shadow, I’d have never noticed him.Some of the older knights and nobles have been looking particularly satisfied since this apparently disastrous announcement, but that’s no real surprise considering they’re always vindicated by executions, especially pyres. I’m sure it means nothing that they haven’t been this excited in years, before I failed Morgana even. There’s a particular moment twinging in the back of my memory, but I can’t quite recall it. Anything I’ve dealt with before should be fairly simple now, so I’m sure it’s nothing to concern myself over.It’s only as we reach Arthur’s chambers that the memory surfaces. But it can’t be that. Not again. Someone would surely have mentioned it earlier. They wouldn’t have attempted to keep me in the dark about this. Not when there’s a Witchfinder involved.I grab Gwaine’s arm. “How serious?” I whisper, my voice wavering.Gwaine squeezes my hand. “We’ll protect you, Merls.”I tighten my grip. “Please.”“I swear it on every drop of alcohol in all of Albion.”“And every apple?”“And every apple.”I let him go. “Not at risk to your own lives.”Gwaine opens the door and gently pushes me inside. “Can’t promise that.”“Gwaine,” I hiss.He closes the door.
“Merlin?” Arthur scrapes a chair against the floor behind me. “What are you doing here? I thought you were doing physician work for Gaius.”I turn around. “Tell me it’s not a Witchfinder.”Arthur’s eyes widen. “Who told–?”“Tell me it’s not a Witchfinder, Arthur! Tell me one of those nightmares isn’t on their way to Camelot.”Arthur sighs. “I won’t lie to you.”My magic flares, as I storm across Arthur’s chambers. “Why did nobody tell me? What good does it do to not let me properly prepare for this?”“We didn’t want to frighten you.”“Frighten me?” I glare at him. “Sure that you weren’t hoping that this Witchfinder would catch me off-guard and have me on the pyre before you can give a token protest? Sure that you weren’t just glad to finally have a solution to your warlock manservant problem that doesn’t require you dirtying your hands? Sure that you weren’t lying about truly have accepted everything that I’ve done to your kingdom and its people, sire?”“Never,” Arthur swears. “I would never. I understand that it’s difficult for you to come to terms with, Merlin, but I have accepted your magic and every single implication that it carries. I would never turn your over to this Witchfinder, and best in all the land or not, I won’t allow him to learn of your magic.”I hide my hands behind my back in mock servitude to hide their shaking. “Oh, the best in all the land, is he? Lovely. Absolutely brilliant. What was the previous one? Mediocre? Barely adequate? A fraud he may have been, yet he still singled out Gaius, still accused me, and still interrogated Morgana. And this one that’s coming now is meant to be the best? I’d better never use magic ever again if I’m to escape his eye then. Only, you’d like that wouldn’t you? It’d make you feel so much better if every time you turned around you didn’t have to see my eyes turn such an inhuman gold.”“Why can’t you accept that I’m not going to change my mind about your magic?”“Why didn’t you tell me about the Witchfinder?”“Because you already have to live every day in fear of my father finding out, and I didn’t want to add to that. I thought I could convince Father that this isn’t necessary before it came to it, but now the Witchfinder will be here within days, and the King is convinced that there’s another Morgana hiding in our midst. I’ve done my best to avert the entire situation, Merlin, but I failed. Do you really blame me for wanting to protect you from all of this for as long as possible the same way you’ve protected me for years?”Yes.But Arthur’s been trying. It’s another Witchfinder. But the knights are trying. The pyre will burn at a moment’s notice. But I’m not alone this time. Nobody else can suffer for my sake. Too many have already.My magic thrashes at its bounds. Something shatters. A vase, I think.Arthur grips my shoulders. “It’s okay, Merlin. Calm down. It’ll be okay. If you just stay calm–”“Stay calm?” I snap, jerking away from him. “I’m not just going to stay calm, Arthur. The last Witchfinder to come to Camelot tortured Gaius, planted evidence, and still managed to find out the three magic users closest to the throne. So forgive me if I’m a little unnerved when the King calls this one the best!”“We’ll keep you safe this time, Merlin. The knights and I won’t let him touch you. I swear it.”I scoff. “And if your father orders my pyre, sire? What then? Do you really think he’d just let me go because you ask nicely? There are no exceptions when a Witchfinder is around, Arthur. He’ll have the full authority of the crown. The only one in charge over him will be the King himself, and if Uther’s invited that kind of monster here, then he won’t be likely to get rid of him, if even you were to beg it.“I only managed to get rid of the last one by planting evidence in his chambers. Somehow I doubt that’ll work just as easily this time around. Everyone in Camelot is in danger, the sorcerers especially. And I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’m kind of a prominent figure among the druids these days. The name Emrys has been spread around more and more lately. You might’ve heard it once or twice. Perhaps from the former Lady Morgana herself?”Arthur clenches his sword hand. “You won’t be alone in this, Merlin. I understand that you’ve only had Gaius in the past, but you have the Knights of the Round Table on your side now. Perhaps you’ve heard of them? They’re awfully stubborn and particularly protective of their favourite warlock servant.”“I won’t have them risking their lives to protect me.”“Good thing you don’t have a choice then, Merlin. Or have you forgotten already that you’re not in charge here?”“This is a magic related situation, and I’m the foremost expert–”“That would be Gaius actually,” Arthur corrects. “But you’d be quite right that you’re our best magical fighter. Too bad that this situation calls for the exact opposite of that. Come now, Merlin. You’re practically Camelot’s unofficial Spymaster at this point, and that’s without your magic. You’ve enough of a head for strategy to understand that it’s best we all work together on this. Standing alone will only bring the Witchfinder’s attention onto you. We can’t have that now, can we?”I sigh. “Fine. I’ll work with Gwen to get the servants prepared for the Witchfinder’s arrival. Gather the knights and we’ll come up with a strategy for that walking nightmare.”Arthur rolls his eyes and slaps the back of my head. “You’re still not in charge, Merlin.”“Of course not. Then I’d actually have to treat nobles politely.”“You should be doing that anyway.”“Sorry, sire, I can’t hear you over my justified panic regarding Camelot’s future guest.”Arthur grips my shoulder, and only now do I realise that I’m still shaking. “Everything will be fine, Merlin. If worse comes to worse, we’ll smuggle you out of the citadel faster than Gwaine can start a bar fight.”“I don’t know. That is pretty fast.”“We will protect you, Merlin. Just as you have protected us in the past. Please, trust us in this.”I nod. “Okay.”*The Witchfinder arrived yesterday, and they’ve already built the pyre. Nobody has been sentenced yet, nobody has even been questioned, but the pyre is there in the courtyard nevertheless. It’s like a taunt. Use magic if you dare, but if you do, I will find you, and you will burn. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting the Witchfinder yet. I’ve no clue if I’m even on his radar. Thus far, he’s been very quiet according to the knights and Arthur. He’s been preferring to dine in his own chambers, and only once was even the King invited. I can’t stand this silence. It’s like the kind right before a great storm.I dread the damage this one will bring.Every single one of my incriminating belongings, including the wood carving of a dragon that is the one thing I have from my father, is hidden deep within Kilgharrah’s old cave. I covered them in all the concealment spells that I know, and hid them through non-magical means as an extra precaution. Both Gaius and Arthur have advised me to not use my magic during the Witchfinder’s stay. Gaius because he understands more than anyone the fear of a Witchfinder, and Arthur because he’s somehow convinced himself that the living nightmare would have some obscure artefact that detects magic. Any attempts to explain to him that such a thing doesn’t exist, and even if it did, it would be a form of magic, have fallen on deaf ears.If I could just figure out which incident exactly prompted Uther to bring another Witchfinder to Camelot, then maybe I’d be able to determine who the nightmare’s targets will be. Last time, it was my fault that one of them was brought here. This time though, I can’t recall any significant time that I used my magic in a public enough location to warrant this level of investigation. Arthur mentioned that Uther fears another Morgana, but what was the cause of that? Agravaine was working for her, sure, and that was reported to the King shortly after we returned, but he didn’t seem surprised. He never trusted his brother-in-law in the first place.Has Morgana somehow been fostering fear of magical infiltration in the King’s mind, even as far from here as she is? Does she want to flush out Emrys by setting a Witchfinder on his trail? It would make sense as a plan, if it weren’t for the fact that Morgana understands all too well the fear of one of these men, and I don’t believe she’d force her worst enemy to go through that kind of fear. Then again, Morgana has changed from the once kind Lady she was during the first Witchfinder incident. Maybe her heart truly has darkened so much as to take advantage of a profession that’s entire purpose is to eradicate our kind.But if Morgana has brought this nightmare onto Camelot, then I do not doubt for a second that the Witchfinder is searching for signs of Emrys, of me. Not only would him hunting down Emrys be disastrous given that if he figures it out, then I’ll be sentenced to the pyre, but Morgana would also learn of my identity. I’d be stuck in the dungeons unable to know whether my fate remains the cursed pyre, or whether Morgana would choose that moment to come for me. If I thought the torture she saved for just Merlin was bad, nothing would compare to the utter fury she’d unleash on when she learns that Merlin and Emrys, her two most hated enemies, are one in the same.It’s difficult to trust that Arthur, Gaius, and the Round Table Knights could possibly protect me from that. Arthur can speak of breaking me out of the dungeons all he likes. I know from experience that Uther would lock him in his chambers before I was even arrested. The King is hardly unaware of how close we are and just how far Arthur is willing to go to save me. The Prince proved that so soon after we met with the Mortaeus flower incident. I’m eternally grateful for his continued loyalty, but I highly doubt it’ll do much to save me from the Witchfinder should the nightmare discover my magic.The door to Gaius’s chambers opens, and I startle from my spot at the desk half-studying medical books.Leon frowns as he walks in. “Are you well, Merlin?” he asks, picking up the book that I knocked to the ground.“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be? I’m fine. I was just reading while Arthur’s having lunch with his father.”The knight crosses the room to close the door and turns to me with a sigh.“I’m sorry for the stress that this current situation puts on you, Merlin. If there is anything that I can do to make this easier for you, you only need ask.”I look away from Leon, the sheer earnest care on his face too much for me to bear.“I don’t understand,” I mumble.Leon must hear me for he takes the seat next to me and gently grips my forearm.“What is it that you don’t understand?” he asks. “Perhaps I could help?”I stare at the hand of a knight who has no doubt taken part in witch hunts, yet somehow the care that it shows doesn’t change.“Why don’t you fear me?” I blurt out. “I expected out of all the Round Table knights that you would take my talents the worst.”Leon doesn’t answer straight away. I’m glad for the hesitation, if only because it means the answer will be more thought out than the standard ‘it was the noble choice’.“I do not think that I could ever fear you,” Leon eventually says. “You are one of the most loyal men I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, and I trust that you would sooner die than turn on Arthur. When I first learned of your magic, I’ll admit that I was taken off-guard, and I debated whether I should report you to the King. But I hesitated. I chose to instead watch and assess whether you were a threat to the kingdom. Given that the first act of magic I witnessed was you threatening the Great Dragon with death should he ever return to Camelot, you had already convinced me that you were not after power. The occasions after that were less dramatic yet no less reflective of your inherent goodness.”I’m not entirely sure that Leon hasn’t taken one too many hits to the head over the years. “You found out about my magic by seeing me choose to not kill the dragon that had laid waste to Camelot, and you decided that was a good example of my magic? Arthur was ready to banish me when I had to tell him, so I could hatch Aithusa.”“Aithusa?” Leon asks.I couldn’t stop my smile if I tried. “Oh, she’s wonderful. Snow white scales, the cutest little chirping noises, and just recently she sneezed and set Gwaine’s tunic on fire. She’s the most adorable baby dragon in all of Albion, but I’m terribly biased because of the whole rescuing her egg and hatching her thing.”“I’d be honoured to meet the Lady Aithusa then.”“Lady Aithusa? She’d love that. Gwaine already calls her Better Princess. Arthur technically didn’t deny that he’s her uncle, so that’s got to make her at least noble, right?”Leon grins, most probably hearing the teasing opportunity. “He didn’t deny it, huh?”“I think he was too shocked at the time. Does that mean he indirectly admitted that we’re brothers? I don’t think the King would be too happy about that.”“More than Arthur having a dragon for a niece?” Leon asks.I shrug. “Good point. Could you imagine his face?”Leon straightens up, stifling his laugh. “I truly have no idea what you’re talking about, Merlin. I’m a proper Knight of Camelot after all.”I snort. “You sound like Arthur.”“So this is what my best knight and manservant get up to when they’re alone,” the prat in question says, closing the door behind him. “Why am I not surprised that it involves mocking me?”I cover up my shock that I didn’t notice him arrive with a wide grin. “Because we also mock you to your face,” I say.Leon doesn’t even bother with following propriety. “So you have a dragon for a niece, then?” he asks.“I regret everything,” Arthur grumbles.“Notice how he still doesn’t deny it,” Leon fake whispers to me.“Why, yes I did, Sir Leon. But this couldn’t possibly mean what I think it does, could it?” I fake whisper back.“Someone has been sentenced.”All good humour in the room fades. Blood rushes from my head, leaving me faint and swaying on the bench. Leon grips my shoulder to keep me upright.“Who?” the knight asks.“A servant. Male with long greying hair,” Arthur answers. “I’m afraid that in my shock I failed to catch his name.”“Eric,” I whisper. “His name is Eric, and he was chosen because he looks like Emrys.”“Is it possible that this is some coincidence?” Leon asks, even though it’s clear that he doesn’t believe that.I shake my head. “Morgana. She set this living nightmare onto Camelot because she wants Emrys dead. I’m not sure how she’s managed to convince him to target Emrys over hunting her down, but she’s as good at disguises as I am, better even.”“Perhaps the Witchfinder came across the name Emrys independent of Morgana,” Arthur suggests.“I’d almost like to believe that,” I say. “But it was either Morgana or a druid and the second would not betray me. Morgana no doubt believes that her attempt with the Fomorroh was thwarted by Emrys, so this is her revenge. I had hoped that Morgana hadn’t fallen that far into darkness that she would dare subject another to a Witchfinder after she had experienced the terror of hiding her magic with one on her trail, but I was wrong. She truly hates me that much.”I guess I must’ve been holding out some sort of hope for her redemption one day, even with all that she has done. But that’s impossible now. For Morgana to do this… She has truly strayed from her goals of saving our kind if she has become so focussed on revenge that she subjects so many to the terror of a Witchfinder. I want to blame myself for this. I want to take all the responsibility from her shoulders like I have so many times before. I want to justify her actions with the many times I betrayed her, the times I hesitated instead of reaching out a helping hand.But this was all Morgana. Her and her hatred. The woman who once spoke out again injustice and knowingly risked the wrath of her king is gone. Dead. Now, all that remains is this shadow of the former Lady Morgana, twisted beyond recognition in her hatred and single minded vengeance. I can’t help the tears I shed at that loss. Maybe if I had made different choices, this wouldn’t have come to pass. But Morgana had her fair share of crossroads to face on her own. She stopped choosing the right path so very long ago. And now she’s lost from us for good.“Merlin?” Arthur’s kneeling on the floor in front of me, his hands gripping my arms. “Are you alright?”I force a smile. “My former friend has sent a Witchfinder after me. Why wouldn’t I be alright?”Leon grips my shoulder tighter. “You hadn’t truly given up on her before, had you?” he asks quietly.I shake my head. “I’m a fool, aren’t I?”“Not at all,” Leon says. “The best of us all, perhaps, to hold onto such unrelenting hope even now.”Arthur stays silent.“Arthur?” I whisper. “You don’t resent me for–?”“I held onto my belief that my sister could come back to us one day until she had that enchanted necklace placed around our father’s neck. Before then, I had hope that somehow she would see her mistakes and choose redemption, but… She tried so hard to have him killed, Merlin, and not through normal means, but through the very magic that she once tried to defend above all else. If I hadn’t noticed the necklace, she would’ve turned my heart against magic forever through her actions. All for the sake of revenge. No, Merlin I don’t resent you for having hope. If anything, I’m glad that I wasn’t the only one.”The door slams open. “I have a plan!” Gwaine announces. He looks between the three of us. “I didn’t interrupt an important moment, did I?”I laugh. “No, Gwaine. Any second earlier and you just might have.”My face must be stained with tears because Gwaine crosses the room and shoves Arthur out of the way before I can even blink.“What’s got you upset, Merlin?” he asks, one hand brushing my tears away and the other pushing Leon’s hand away so that he can grip that same shoulder.“Stand down, Sir Gwaine. There’s nobody that you need to challenge to a duel.”Gwaine’s fingers pause on my cheek. “Are you sure?” he asks seriously.“Definitely,” I answer, batting his hand away. “Now, what’s this plan of yours?”He squeezes my shoulders one last time before standing up. “I’ve been speaking to the lovely Guinevere about our little Witchfinder problem. She’s mad that nobody thought to inform her that the Princess knows and accepts Merlin’s magic by the way.”“Guinevere too?” Arthur squeaks.“If it’s any help, I didn’t know that Gwen knew either,” I say, though that seems to be the new normal in regards to my biggest secret lately.Leon laughs. “Go on, Gwaine.”“The wonderful Guinevere suggested that we take a similar approach to this Witchfinder character that the servants usually take towards particular difficult nobles.”I grin, my mind already racing over the possibilities. “I take back any bad thing I’ve ever said about Gwen. She truly is the best.”Arthur frowns. “You’ve never said a thing against Guinevere.”“I’ve insulted her taste in men plenty. Lancelot was perfectly fine, but then she had to throw all that away for a massive prat. My Gwen can do so much better than some Crown Prince of Camelot.”“Are you incapable of not insulting me?” Arthur asks.I consider it for a moment. “Probably, but in this circumstance, it’s more that I’m praising the magnificent Gwen.”“You just said that Lancelot was perfectly fine.”“Lancelot was my best friend. He knew about my magic from the start and didn’t hide that fact from me. Why wouldn’t I say that he was perfectly fine?”“I couldn’t figure out if you were just really lucky or had magic,” Gwaine protests.I turn to Leon.He shrugs. “You seemed more comfortable without having a senior knight confronting you about your magic. It would’ve been a polite confrontation, but I didn’t wish to impose after all that you had done for the good of Camelot.”“Why didn’t Gwen choose you instead?” I ask, ignoring Arthur’s offended shout.“She’s like a little sister to me,” Leon answers.“Fair enough.”“If you’re all quite done,” Arthur grumbles. “What exactly is this plan for those of us unfamiliar with how Merlin’s fellow spies, I mean, servants deal with troublesome nobility.”Gwaine and I share a conspiratorial smile.“Best you don’t know, sire,” I say.Gwaine pats Arthur on the back. “We’ll handle it, Princess. You just sit back and look pretty.”Arthur turns to Leon, as if the knight holds all the answers.“I believe this is one of those matters that we pointedly ignore, sire,” he says. “Similar to how the King simply acts like Merlin and Gwaine don’t exist whenever they break propriety.”I grin. “We made a game of how fast we can get Uther to avoid looking at our part of the room. Gwaine’s only in the lead right now because he cheated.”“It wasn’t even on purpose. How was I to know that the King would’ve needed the throne room right at the moment I decided to test just how comfortable the big chair was?”Arthur shudders. “You’re right. I don’t need to know. Leon, I believe we have business somewhere else. Anywhere else.”“Quite right, sire,” Leon agrees, biting back a laugh.I wouldn’t say that Arthur runs away, at least not to his face. Well, not without a few added insults.Gwaine turns to me. “We’ll need the strongest wine in the castle.”I stand up. “And Gaius’s extra strength sleeping draughts.”“Should we go for the pig this time or something special?”“See if you and Percival can’t manage to get a cow up here.”He winces. “We’ll need extra time for that.”“A celebration in the Witchfinder’s honour then. For finding a sorcerer so quickly. George can suggest it to Uther’s manservant, who’ll mention it offhand to the King.”“Can you get Cook to help on this one?” Gwaine asks.“Easy. Eric’s one of her favourites.”“Be a shame if there were an accident with a cart in the courtyard within the next hour.”I smile at the thought of the pyre being destroyed. “I’ll see what I can do.”“Meet back here at sunset?”“Don’t be late.”Gwaine winks. “Am I ever?”“Most mornings, yes.”“Are you sure that you’re okay?” Gwaine asks, his humour dropping for a moment.“Better now that we have a plan,” I answer honestly. “I don’t even need my magic for this one.”“You’re just as perfect without it as you are with it.”“Flatterer.”Gwaine shrugs. “Honest.”I roll my eyes to avoid looking at just how honest he is. “Hurry up then. We’re on a schedule.”“Of course, Lord Merlin.”Maybe I really did underestimate how many are willing to help me. I doubt it’s going to be an easy habit to break.*I’ve got to hand it to the Witchfinder. He lasted longer than any of us expected. But the cow waiting for him in his chambers really was the finishing touch. He fainted dead on the spot. It’s a shame that he happened to ‘fall into a coma’ according to Gaius’s best diagnosis. Uther was quick to send him home to Amata after that so that the Witchfinder might recover among his loved ones. Arthur didn’t even want to ask about the cow. It’s nice to see that he’s finally learning.

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ARTHUR
It has been becoming something of a secret mission to keep Merlin and Gwaine from teaming up too much after the Witchfinder incident. While I’ll be the first to admit that they are remarkable at working together, I’m a little concerned that they’ll turn their mischief on me the second I turn my back on them. Neither Gwaine nor Percival will explain exactly how they got a cow into the middle of the castle without being seen, not that I had the courage to properly question them. Even my father decided he wanted to know nothing about the incident, though he has been complaining about the Witchfinder’s lack of fortitude. I’m starting to wonder just how much Merlin and Gwaine’s antics have desensitised him.I’ve left Gwaine behind for this hunt in the hopes that Leon and Guinevere will be able to keep him from dragging Elyan into mischief while Percival, Merlin, and I are away for a few days. Percival appears to have taken his protecting Merlin duties very seriously, well, as seriously as any of the Round Table knights would. This, of course, means acting as if Merlin is some nobleman who is used to having his every demand met in an over exaggerated fashion. Merlin, being the most insolent manservant to grace Albion, is taking this in stride as if he expects nothing else.I’m one loud proclamation away from reminding them once again that hunts are not meant to involve scaring away every creature in the forest.It’s hard to be mad at Merlin now that he’s finally starting to trust us with his magic. I was caught off guard by just how much it hadn’t sunk in for him that he really can rely on others. It was unnerving to witness someone who has handled so much with only Gaius, and for a time Lancelot, helping, unable to stay calm when he’s got four knights and a prince on his side. I’d thought that after the show of acceptance that Merlin would’ve understood, but I still catch him occasionally checking over his shoulder again when he uses magic, as if I’m going to suddenly change my mind and send him to the pyre.Merlin pauses in the middle of an insult that really should get him sent to the stocks.“What is it?” Percival asks, hand on his sword.“Company. Five bandits,” Merlin answers, tilting his head to the side. His eyes widen. “Two have magic.”I draw my sword. “What direction?”“All round us.” Merlin grabs my arm. “This isn’t a coincidence.”“What do you mean?”The bandits launch out of the trees before I get my answer. From there, it’s a matter of battle instincts taking over. Two bandits rush me, no doubt sparing more for Percival because of his size. I duck under the first one’s strike and flip him over with my momentum. The second one gets a cut in on my arm. I dodge his next strike, parry the following, and disarm him with a twist of my wrist. The first bandit scrambles to his feet and runs past me with a war cry. He tackles Merlin to the ground before I can step between them. I take Percival’s opponents on, while the knight picks the first bandit up and tosses him into a tree.Percival grasps Merlin’s arm and pulls him up. “Alright there, Merlin?” he asks.Merlin’s eyes flare gold. “Give me a few moments, and I will be.”I smile, and turn my back to them both. “Have at it.”The trees come to life under Merlin’s magic, apparently signally to the two sorcerer bandits that it’s time to throw their swords down and start their own magicking. The two regular bandits charge Percival and me, while the sorcerer ones start throwing spells at Merlin. I notice Merlin half-heartedly bat their spells away in the corner of my eye, but I have to keep my focus on the bandit in front of me, so I can’t pause to wonder at just how powerful my manservant really is. The bandit is a surprisingly good swordsman considering he let me disarm him earlier. Then again, it might just be a matter of a lofty price on my head that’s encouraging him.Trees splinter like they were struck by lightning, yet I keep my eyes on my opponent instead of looking. I’m sure Merlin’s got it covered. My opponent gets a lucky strike in across my ribs, but it costs him. I pierce his stomach with my blade. He falls to the ground unmoving. Percival needs no help with his own opponent, wearing him down until the bandit makes a fatal mistake. We turn to Merlin’s fight in time to duck, as the sorcerer bandits fly through the air at us. They crash into the ground, which cracks open beneath them. Roots wrap around the struggling sorcerers and pull them deep into the earth. The ground weaves itself back into place, stifling their screams.“Remind me never to get on your bad side,” Percival says, clapping Merlin on the back.“Where’s the other one?” Merlin asks, brushing Percival off.I scan our surroundings for the bandit unfortunate enough to be thrown into a tree by Percival. There’s no body, unconscious or otherwise.“He must’ve seen sense and bolted. I doubt he’ll be a problem,” I say.Merlin curses.“What is it?” I ask.“Those bandits were working for Agravaine. I heard one of their sorcerers mention it right before they attacked.”“And the one that got away…”“Saw me use magic,” Merlin says. “He saw me use magic, and he works for Agravaine.”“Perhaps the knock to the head made him forget,” Percival suggests. “Plenty of knights have lost entire battles after being hit hard enough.”“This was a trap,” I realise.Merlin huffs. “Finally, you’re seeing sense.”“To lure out Emrys after the Witchfinder failed,” I say, dread spreading through my veins like ice. “And we fell for it. I endangered–”“It was my choice to use magic openly, Arthur, not yours. If this truly does get back to Agravaine and in turn Morgana, then it will be my fault and my fault alone.”“We’ll face the consequences together,” I swear.Merlin doesn’t say anything.“You’re part of the Round Table too, Merlin,” Percival says. “And we protect our own.”The warlock smiles, but it seems forced. “You’re right,” he says, yet it doesn’t seem like he believes that one bit. “Let’s head home then. I for one am sick of this hunting trip.”“We haven’t caught anything,” I point out, if only because the second we’re back in Camelot, I’m certain Merlin will close right up again.“You were trying?” Merlin asks, his teasing smile failing to cover the worry in his eyes. “And here I thought the aim was to see how long Sir Percival and I could annoy you before you snapped.”“That is what Gwaine said the purpose of this hunt was,” Percival says.“Of course he did,” I mutter. “And you two just had to go along with it, didn’t you?”“To be fair,” Merlin says. “Leon did mention that this was meant to be a break from the castle, not an official sort of hunt.”I sigh. “Undermined by my best knight.”Merlin pats my arm. “It’s alright, sire. He never really was your knight. You aren’t King yet, after all.”“I thought I was your king at least.”“Depending on the day. Most times, you are, I’ll admit, but not all times. I’ve got to have the occasional breaks from royals, you know. I mean, Gwen will always be my queen, but that’s because she’s Gwen, and she was the first friend I ever had in Camelot, so she gets to be an exception. You’re lucky she chose you, or I’d have to get someone else to be the next King of Camelot. And after all that time I’ve spent saving your royal behind, it’d be really unfortunate to throw it all away.”It’s obvious, really, the way Merlin’s choosing to talk in insults to distract from how tense he is, as we slowly make our way home. I only wonder how many times he’s done this before he revealed his magic, and how many times I fell for the act, either because I didn’t see it, or because I was comforted by the same way of ignoring the bigger problem. For now, I’ll play along, but once we get back to the castle, I’ll see if I can corner Merlin and get him to talk properly. If I can’t, then I’ll get Gwaine or Guinevere to do it.“I’m still your Prince, Merlin,” I say.“Really? I could’ve sworn that Percival was the Prince for the day,” Merlin says. “It was Gwaine, then Elyan, then Leon, then Percival, and then you. Or maybe that’s your guard duty rotation from the Witchfinder incident that you lot still haven’t dropped for some reason. I can’t understand why you keep insisting on taking your turn out of place all the time, Arthur. It’s quite unreasonable of you.”Percival laughs. My knight laughs at me. I fight back a smile.“Perhaps we’re protecting Camelot from your nefarious plots to prank the King,” Percival says.“You should probably cut Gwaine from the rotation then. He’s more of an encouragement than a deterrent,” Merlin says.“Only because the man finds it impossible to say no to you,” I point out.Merlin smiles, a true smile, even if it doesn’t fully erase his worry. “And what’s so wrong with that? Besides, it tends to work both ways, so it’s no matter if we both shamelessly take advantage of it.”“Didn’t the two of you once almost burn down the Rising Sun on a dare?” Percival asks.I stumble on air. “I never heard about that!”“Oh, that was because we were protecting your perception of Lancelot,” Merlin says. “He’s the one who dared us after all. Of course, it wasn’t to try burning down the tavern, but what else juggling flaming goblets between Gwaine and me was meant to do, I don’t know. To be perfectly fair to Lancelot, we did get him drunk first. Gwaine bet that Lancelot would drop propriety after three goblets of the strongest ale available, while I bet that he’d loosen up after the first sip. I was right, obviously, because Lancelot only ever needed the excuse. But the strong ale definitely helped break out the ridiculous dares.”I turn to Percival. “Did you know about this?”He laughs. “I was the one who bet Lancelot that he couldn’t outdrink me in the first place. We visited plenty of taverns across Albion while journeying together, yet he never learned to not rise up to the challenge. Lancelot has outdrunk me once before and once only, though it was after Merlin had almost gotten himself killed defending Camelot, so I’m not sure it counts.”“He used his raging hangover as an excuse to stay by my bedside while I healed,” Merlin says quietly. “He had to pause his lecturing over me not asking for his help to empty his stomach, too stubborn to take Gaius’s hangover cure if it would mean having to leave. By the time I got used to Lancelot’s help, he had to go and sacrifice himself, so I wouldn’t.”“He was the best of us,” I say, even though it doesn’t feel like nearly enough.Merlin scrubs at his eyes. “He’d be so happy that you’ve all accepted my magic. I can practically hear him telling me ‘see, there was nothing to worry about after all’. If he were still here, I’d admit he was right. I wish I could just tell him that much. By the Goddess, I miss him. And now I’ve gone and messed it all up by being careless.”“The bandit might not tell anyone. He could’ve bled out from his wounds somewhere else,” I say.“Don’t give me false hope, Arthur,” Merlin snaps. “It only hurts all the more when I have to face how cruel the world truly is.”I grip his shoulder. “No matter whether the entire kingdom now knows of your magic or not, I will stand by your side, Merlin. You have those willing to protect you. Don’t forget that.”Merlin doesn’t say anything. Again, he refuses to speak. I should be glad that he doesn’t find it so easy to lie to my face anymore. Yet all I can do is wish that he didn’t feel the need to at all. If only he could just believe in the loyalties he’s gained from us. I let go of Merlin. He doesn’t make any sort of jab, doesn’t insult me so thoroughly that I can’t help reminding him of the propriety he’s happily watching burn, and doesn’t start joking along with Percival. Merlin remains silent. Even as we walk closer and closer to the citadel, the warlock doesn’t say a word.It’s not until we arrive in the castle’s courtyard, guards stiffening at the sight of us, and my uncle standing there right next to my father, that Merlin finally speaks, his voice void of any and all emotion.“I won’t blame you, any of you, when you save yourselves.”“Arrest the sorcerer,” the King orders.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

MERLIN
I’ll get a trial. It will be a sorcerer’s trial, so the only debate will be over how they will execute me, at least until someone insists on the pyre, and then everyone will demand it. Perhaps I’ll be lucky and have a beheading. I haven’t had a nightmare about one of those since my first year at Camelot. The pyre proved to be much more frightening. I’ve come close enough to burning when I took Gwen’s place back when Morgana was able to sow discord from within the castle. She’ll be delighted that Emrys is finally going to burn in the very kingdom he’s dedicated his life to protecting.I wonder if she’s gotten word yet. Surely, if Agravaine was able to bargain his way back into the castle, using my magic as a means to undermine his banishment, then he would’ve had time to tell Morgana. I wouldn’t put it past her to disguise herself and be among the crowd that’ll gather to watch the sorcerer servant burn. Uther will probably take my closeness to Arthur as a reason to begin another Purge, especially if he’s been told that I’m Emrys, the most powerful sorcerer in all of Albion. Arthur might one day lift the ban on magic after he takes the throne, but I doubt he’ll be able to do anything to prevent my inevitable sentence now.Not even Arthur is a fool enough to bother trying such a hopeless task. Gwaine, on the other hand, just might be, especially given the fact that he’s loitering outside my cell in the dungeons like the most inconspicuous knight in all of Albion.“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” I ask, not bothering to get up from where I’m sitting against the back wall, cold iron handcuffs around my wrists.“I did have plans,” Gwaine says, leaning against the bars. “But they involved my favourite servant, who happens to be indisposed right now, leaving me bored. The Princess always ends up threatening to send me to the dungeons whenever I take my boredom out on him, so I figured I’d just take myself down here before he decided to sic Leon on me.”Yet another sharp pain surges up from the cuffs and through the rest of my body, but I contain the urge to scream out. Gwaine definitely notices my full body flinch.“Say what’s the difference between you and a regular run of the mill sorcerer anyway?” he asks; the tension in his jaw is the only tell that he’s supressing the urge to fight every single guard and knight between here and my freedom.I take a deep breath and force my body to relax.“Regular sorcerers use magic, pulling it from the world around them. Regular witches and warlocks have their own innate well because they are born with it. I am magic. Despite my human parents, I am considered a creature of magic by the Old Religion.”“Those cuffs of yours then…”“They’re not killing me. It’s more comparable to torture, really. My time with Morgana was far more painful though, so there’s no need to worry.”Gwaine studies me from head to toe. I hold back the urge to cover up how much the cuffs are affecting me. He’s only trying to help. I’ll grant him that much considering I won’t be around to fuss over for much longer.“I’m going to have to tell the Princess,” he says.“You’ll just make him feel guiltier over the whole thing. It’s bad enough that I’m going to burn–”Gwaine laughs, cutting me off. “You really think we’re going to let that happen, Merls?”I lift my cuffed hands and drop them in my lap in a half-shrug.He sobers. “Oh, Merlin, you should know better than to underestimate us by now.”“I’m not worth you all getting executed alongside me,” I declare because really, that should be the end of it.That sets Gwaine off into a fit of laughter that brings the attention of the guards that he sauntered past to get down here. Gwaine winks, snatches the closest guard’s keys and darts off into a sprint, pausing only to toss an insult at the guards as he takes them on a chase that’ll no doubt include most the castle, half the lower town and end in the Throne Room where Gwaine will declare the entire matter a joke. I only know that because he’s done it before. Nine times. It’s a wonder that the guards keep falling for it.I have a bad feeling that my friends really are going to try something. Hopefully, they’ll see reason before they try convincing Uther to not execute me. The Bloody Tyrant isn’t just going to let a sorcerer go on his merry way, let alone the most powerful one to ever live. I won’t see the ones who accepted me for my magic throw away their lives when I’ll be sentenced to death regardless of whether they try stepping in or not. Surely, they’re not all idiotic enough to bother with the effort. Gwaine just might be the wrong combination of reckless and loyal. I hope that someone’s smart enough to stop him from sacrificing himself.*It’s not until after the next shift change that new guards arrive. Both of them seem surprised to see me here, no doubt thinking I would’ve escaped with the distraction Gwaine provided. But that would’ve gotten the too-loyal knight punished, and aiding a sorcerer only ever leads to execution. I can’t resist giving the guards a cheery wave and a wide grin. The both stumble back like my eyes flashed gold.“I’m not going to turn you into toads,” I say. “Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be able to with these cuffs.”“Then why are your eyes gold, sorcerer?” the left guard asks.“They’re what?”I hold my cuffs up in front of my face, so I can see my reflection. Huh. My eyes really are gold. That’s strange. And definitely something that Gwaine should’ve mentioned.“Guess they’re my natural colour,” I say, because really, there’s no other reason considering I can’t exactly cast magic right now. “I must’ve been subconsciously casting an illusion on them since I was a baby,” I mutter to myself.The guards take a step back. I resist the urge to roll my apparently gold eyes.“Is it time for my trial yet, or are you just checking to make sure I haven’t miraculously escaped?” I ask.“It’s time,” the right guard says.I stand up. The guards shuffle back. This time, I do roll my eyes.“Do you really think I’m physically strong enough to take on both of you?” I ask.Neither guard answers. I should remind Arthur to start training his guards as much as he does the knights before my execution. Maybe then the guards wouldn’t be so scared of someone who struggles to lug the royal prat’s armour around the castle. I’m sure I could still escape both the guards while handcuffed and without magic, but that’s not the point. I hardly look like Percival. They shouldn’t be so frightened of me.“Let’s get on with it then,” I say.Hopefully, they won’t take the long route to the Throne Room.*Today seems to be a bad day to hope for anything. The guards somehow manage to escort me through almost every corridor in the castle before finally making it to the Throne Room. I’m not sure if it’s because there’s some sort of rule about confusing prisoners, so they can’t escape well, forgetting that I’ve lived and worked in this castle for years, or if the guards just got lost and didn’t want to admit it.Surprising nobody, the Throne Room is packed with nobles, servants, and knights alike, all gathered to see the Crown Prince’s manservant sentenced to death for sorcerery. I bet there’ll be a feast for finally thwarting such a terrible threat, never mind that this castle wouldn’t be standing if it weren’t for me. Maybe this is what I get for all those times I complained to Gaius about not getting the recognition I deserve. I’d rather live in complete secrecy all my life than get this kind of recognition. At least then, I would’ve been sure that Camelot would be protected.Now, I just have to trust that my friends will manage it without me.“Merlin of Ealdor,” Uther booms from his throne, Arthur standing tense at his father’s side and Agravaine on the other. “You have been accused of sorcery and treason. To sentence you to death after how long you’ve infected Camelot with your dark magic would be a mercy, yet to keep you alive would only spell doom for my kingdom. There is no question that such crimes can only mean the pyre.”I sigh. This is it then. I hope someone remembers to write to Mother. She deserves hearing the news in person, but that would only risk Uther loyalists hunting her down for harbouring a sorcerer. Never mind that Ealdor is in Essetir. I glance at Arthur and frown at his expression. That’s not his ‘stand still and do nothing’ face. I make eye contact with him and try to shake my head to communicate ‘don’t, you prat’. He clenches his jaw and steps forward.Oh no.“If you have Merlin executed, then I should be burned alongside him,” Arthur declares.For the love of magic. Why does the prat have to choose this moment to be so noble?“He has no clue what he’s saying, sire,” I blurt out. “It’s just the shock of not knowing after all this time. Arthur’s too noble for his own good sometimes.” I look Arthur in the eye. “Really, Arthur, I save you once and suddenly you don’t hate magic anymore? That’s hardly reason enough to throw your life away over a sorcerer.”Arthur shakes his head. “I’ve known about Merlin’s magic since the night the King almost died. It was Merlin who saved his life, and it was hardly the first time. My manservant, my friend, is a warlock who has saved us all countless times. If it were not for him then none of us would be here.”“He’s enchanted. I enchanted him. I’m actually quite incompetent at magic, just as much as I am at being a servant, so I even if I tried knocking some sense back into the prat, it might not work.”“Merlin, I’m trying to help you.”I glare at him. “I don’t need your help, so just shut up already, and stop trying to get the both of us killed.”As one, the Knights of the Round Table step forward from the crowd and start declaring that they also knew that I’m a warlock. I stare at them all like they’ve lost their minds, which evidently, they have. All those knocks to the head must’ve decided to catch up to them all at once. If I didn’t know better, I’d say this was the work of Morgana, but she’d never go to this much effort if it risked aiding me in any way.“I’ve enchanted them all,” I try. “It was simple, really. They all trusted me to prepare their food for years, so it’s not totally out of the realm of possibility that they’re all under my dastardly control. Best you just execute me now and forget these concussed too-noble idiots said anything.”“Feel free to ignore him,” Arthur says far too cheerfully considering the circumstances. “He’s an idiot.”“Oh, I’m the idiot now? Says the royal prat who doesn’t know when to shut his mouth. I will not have you all being executed alongside me, so drop this pointless act now before someone starts taking you seriously.”Uther clears his throat.“What?” I snap before remembering myself. “Sire,” I add on.Saved it.“You admit to sorcerery?” Uther asks.“Well, apparently my eyes have bloody turned gold without my permission, so, yeah, it’d be rather stupid of me to claim that I’m not magic.”Uther stares at me blankly.“Your majesty,” I remember to say.I’m pretty sure I hear Arthur mutter about insolent servants, but I ignore it in favour of not getting distracted from my own trial again.Agravaine scoffs. “Even now he doesn’t take his trial seriously. Clearly, this Emrys has grown too confident during his subterfuge.”“You are Emrys then?” Uther asks.“That is what the Druids call me, though I’m more partial to Merlin, considering that’s the name my mother gave me. You know, when I was born and could’ve been immediately sentenced to death in Camelot for being both a warlock and the son of a dragonlord.”Maybe it’s a bad idea to aggravate the King, but I’m already going to be executed. There’s no point in holding back anymore.“You’re Balinor’s son,” Uther says, staring at me with wide eyes.I lift my chin. “I am.”“Merlin,” Arthur scolds.I roll my eyes. “Yes, my King?”“You can’t just call me that,” he says, eyes darting between me and his father.“Why not? I’m going to be executed anyway. I might as well be honest.”“Then why claim you’ve enchanted us?” Leon asks. “We are more than willing to die by the side of our friend.”“Stop saying that!” I snap. “You lot are just being too noble, and I won’t have any of it. Camelot can’t afford to lose its best knights and Crown Prince. Morgana would take over within days, if not by sunset.”“And how do you think we’d fare without our magical protector, Merls?” Gwaine asks.“I’m sure you’d figure something out. Arthur managed to stay alive through some miracle before we met after all, even if he’s been almost dying every week since then.”“It hasn’t been every week,” Arthur says.I scoff. “You were enchanted some of those times or completely oblivious to the threat. It’s not like I always needed my magic to save you, Arthur. If I made a list of all of those times, I’d have needed a second book.”“All the more reason you shouldn’t be executed,” Arthur declares like the absolute too-noble fool he is.“Magic is illegal here, you great prat! It’s been obvious since the day I arrived in Camelot that if I were caught using it, I’d be facing execution. The King isn’t just going to let me go no matter what you say. We’re literally at my trial. There are no sudden saving the day moments left. Anything you try to say or do now is just going to make your life all the more difficult when you finally inherit the crown. So for once in your life, Arthur Pendragon, stand back and shut up. My sentence isn’t your choice.”“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Uther says, glaring at his son.Arthur lifts his chin, still defiant. “I will not let my friend burn.”The King scowls. “I never thought I would say this, but listen to your servant for once, Arthur. This is neither the time nor the place for debate. Your actions today have only served to show how unprepared you are for the throne.”I scoff. “If anything, my King’s capacity for forgiveness only proves how much more he deserves the throne than you. At least he didn’t choose to hunt down all traces of magic because he was betrayed by a single sorceress, high ranking or not.”Uther’s glare turns to me. “You do not seem to understand your position right now, sorcerer, if you still choose to insult me.”“I’m going to die anyway. What’s the point in curbing my tongue?”The King does something that shocks the entire room. He chuckles.“I don’t know how I didn’t see the resemblance between you and Balinor before,” he says. “You truly are your father’s son.”Thankfully, I can’t say the same about Arthur. But I’d like to be able to just this once if it meant getting him to drop this ridiculous bid for my life.“If only we could say the same about the Prince,” Agravaine says, shaking his head. “I’m not sure where this defiance came from. Sweet Ygraine would never defend such a monster.”I flinch.Gwaine tries to draw his sword but is held back by Elyan and Percival. “Let me at him!” he yells. “Nobody calls Merlin that and gets away with it. I should’ve killed Aggravating weeks ago.”“He’s not worth it, Gwaine,” I say.“You’re always worth it, Merls,” Gwaine says, thankfully settling for glaring at Lord Aggravating instead.“For once, Gwaine is right,” Arthur says, glaring at his uncle.“It’s quite clear that either the Prince knowingly harboured a sorcerer for some time now, or he’s been under the sorcerer’s influence for years,” Agravaine says. “I only wonder just what this has cost Camelot in the meantime.”Something inside me snaps. The cold iron cuffs shatter.“How dare you,” I growl, the dragonlord in me coming out. “You betrayed your family for a woman who’s lost her mind, and you dare so much as imply that Arthur would do anything to harm his kingdom? He is the Once and Future King, the greatest King in all of Albion, and more loyal to Camelot than you are selfish. Arthur Pendragon is ten times the man than you could ever hope to be. He is the best of both his parents, while you are a spineless slug who brings shame on the de Bois name and is not worth so much as breathing the same air as him. I regret not burning you in dragon fire for your crimes against Camelot and my King. You are nothing but a leech on all that is good, and I hope you suffer the same fate as so many of my kin.”The Throne Room falls silent.I turn to Uther. “Regardless of my magic, Agravaine de Bois is a traitor to Camelot. I would willingly go to my pyre if it means that he too faces execution. He has been working with Morgana for months, as he hates both you and Arthur for the late Queen Ygraine’s fate. If you believe nothing else, then at least believe that. Please, your majesty. The kingdom cannot prosper with such a traitorous snake at its heart.”The King stares at me in shock, fear in his eyes. “You shattered the cold iron,” he says.I glance down at my now free hands. Huh.“Must be an Emrys thing,” I mutter. “The druids are terrible with telling me what the title actually means. Maybe this is one of those ‘they thought I knew’ occasions.”      Arthur sighs. “You can’t just keep blaming them for not telling you things when you never actually ask,” he says.“But they keep treating me like I’m some druid Lord!” I complain. “You’d think I were magic incarnate or something with how much they praise me even though I barely know what I’m doing half the time, and the other half, I have no clue whatsoever.”“Merls,” Gwaine says. “Didn’t you say just in the dungeons that you were technically a creature of the Old Religion?”“Well, yes, but I meant like a unicorn or a dragon. Cold iron works on the second one, so I figured that it was working on me too. How was I to know that a little surge of emotion-fuelled magic was enough to break it?”“Did you even try to escape the dungeons?” Arthur asks, sounding very tired.I roll my eyes. “If I wanted to escape, I could’ve done it without my magic, sire, so no, I didn’t exactly test if the cold iron could withstand my magic.”“Idiot.”“Prat.”“SILENCE!” Uther booms. “Do you mean to tell me that we have no way of containing your magic, sorcerer?”I shrug. He did ask for silence after all. It seems kind of rude to ignore that considering how frustrating this all must be for him.Uther looks like he very much regrets hiring me to be Arthur’s manservant. It’s a very familiar expression.“Could you use magic to escape at any moment?” he asks.I nod.Uther somehow manages to look even more tired.“Could you kill anyone in this room before we could move?” he asks.I nod.“But you won’t,” Uther confirms.“I mean, if Agravaine insults Arthur again or any of my friends, I might turn him into a donkey. Just for a bit, mind you. And only because my magic is tied pretty closely to my emotions and instincts. His punishment for being a traitor is all up to you, your majesty.”“Would you even burn if we put you on the pyre?” Uther asks.I pause. “Maybe.”“Maybe,” Uther repeats, sounding very much like Arthur.“It’s not like I’ve tested it before. I have been pretty resilient to things that probably should’ve killed me in the past though, so I can’t be certain.”Uther turns to his son. “How have you not fired him?” he asks.Arthur smiles. “He grows on you. Like a fungus.”“Toad,” I retort.“Insulting me while I defend you now, Merlin?” Arthur asks.“You called me a fungus, you prat.”“I said you were like a fungus. Surely, with those ears of yours, you should be able to hear a little better.”“Surely, with that big head of yours, you would be able to think a little better, yet here we are.”“You’re right,” Arthur says, turning to face his father. “I was the one who gave Merlin permission to use his magic in the fight that alerted Agravaine to Merlin being Emrys. It’s my fault that Merlin is on trial right now, which is why I am willing to face the pyre alongside him.”I valiantly don’t throw my boot at my King’s head.“I will not have my son executed, Arthur!” Uther snaps. “Cease this ridiculousness at once.”“Then pardon Merlin,” Arthur says, as if it really could be that easy.“You would have me pardon a sorcerer whose foul magic cannot be contained even by cold iron? You would have me pardon a dragonlord whose very voice can reign destruction on Camelot? You would have me pardon a man who openly speaks treason without care for the consequences?”“I would have you pardon the sorcerer who has saved Camelot countless times despite knowing that most would see him burn for simply existing. I would have you pardon the dragonlord who didn’t even think to take revenge on you for betraying his father, who you once called friend. I would have you pardon a man who is the very definition of loyal to his king.”“You,” Uther says. “The sorcerer has made it very clear that I’m not his king.”Arthur shrugs. “This is Merlin we’re talking about. The fact that he’s as loyal to me as he is to some of my knights is the real miracle. In any case, he is my servant, my friend, and my magical protector. I take full responsibility for all of his actions: past, present and future.”“Think very carefully about what you’re saying, Arthur,” Uther says.“If Merlin uses his magic against the kingdom, then I will forfeit my claim to the throne,” Arthur declares.My jaw drops.The Throne Room erupts into shouts and gasps. Arthur stands tall, seeming not at all bothered by this reaction, even though I’m sure he’s worried about it. He must be.“Are you mad?” Uther questions.“If this does not prove how much trust I have in Merlin, then I don’t know what will,” Arthur says. “I have offered to burn alongside him for knowing about his magic and not turning him in, yet you rejected that. So I must offer what I value most: Camelot. If my trust in Merlin is misplaced then I am not fit for the throne, but if I am right, and he is just as deserving of praise for protecting our kingdom as any Knight of Camelot, then I will not have him living in fear of the pyre any longer.”“I’d take the deal if I were you, sire,” Agravaine says. “Emrys will prove how untrustworthy he is within weeks, and the Prince will learn the error of his ways.”I don’t turn him into a donkey because I have self-control, and it would only prove him right.Uther’s eye twitches the same way it does after Gwaine and I have pulled our latest prank.“Guards! Take the traitor to the dungeons. He hangs at first light.”The guards don’t move. Uther only gets angrier.“Now!”One very brave guard clears his throat. “Which traitor, sire?” he asks.“Agravaine clearly!” Uther snaps. “If I were talking about the sorcerer, I’d say he’d be burning. Are you really all this incompetent?”“Yep,” I answer, as the guards drag an indignant Agravaine away. “And way too easy to sneak past. It’s a real shame compared to how great the Knights of Camelot are, your majesty.”Uther’s eye twitches again. “I never want to see or hear you again,” he says.“I’ll just pop over to the pyre then, so we can see if I’ll burn properly?”The King slumps in his throne and motions to his son. “That’s up to Arthur. You’re his responsibility after all.”What?Leon, Elyan and Percival cheer. Gwaine rushes forward, wraps his arms around me and spins me around. A giant grin spreads across Arthur’s face.“Merlin Emrys of Ealdor, son of Balinor, is hereby pardoned for the crime of magic,” he declares.This can’t be real.“You’re free. You’re free. You’re free,” Gwaine chants.Everyone knows.“Thank you, Father,” Arthur says.I should’ve been sentenced to death.“Please don’t mention it. Ever,” Uther says.It was hopeless.“Merls? Are you okay?” Gwaine asks, setting me back down onto my feet.So how it could it be happening?“Am I dreaming?” I whisper.Gwaine brushes his thumbs against my cheeks. They come away wet. Oh. I hadn’t realised that I was crying.“I swear on every drop of alcohol in all of Albion, every single apple, and most importantly, I swear on every single moment we’ve spent together that you really have been pardoned, Merlin. You don’t have to be afraid of the pyre anymore.”“But I have magic. This is Camelot, and I have magic.”“And that’s alright,” Gwaine says.I shake my head. “It’s not. I should be executed. Why haven’t I been sentenced to death?”“Because you’re good, and nobody can deny that.”“But I have magic. Goodness doesn’t matter.”“Then I’ll just have to remind you every day that you’re wrong,” Gwaine says, like there’s nothing else to be done.“I don’t understand.”Gwaine smiles sadly. “That’s alright, Merls. One day you will.”“Okay,” I mumble, slumping against his shoulder. “I think breaking those cuffs really drained me.”Arms wrap around me again.“Something tells me it’s a little more than that, Merls.”The world lurches, as Gwaine shifts to pick me up like he would an injured damsel. I try to tell him that I’m not one, but it’s too much effort, so I just close my eyes and bury my face against him.“Is he okay?” Arthur asks.Hadn’t realised the prat finished talking with his father.“He’ll be fine, my King,” Gwaine says.Pretty sure he hasn’t called the prat that before.“What happened to calling me Princess?” Arthur asks.“Don’t worry, your majesty. You’ll be back to that again tomorrow. Today you deserve the respect.”I’m not sure what the prat says to that. Not sure what anyone says for quite a bit actually. All I really notice is how carefully Gwaine carries me out of the Throne Room.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

ARTHUR
Merlin has been avoiding me. Well, not me specifically, but it certainly seems that way considering that only Guinevere and Gwaine have been the ones to see him since the trial. Gaius has been swamped by patients faking various ailments for their chance to see the only pardoned sorcerer in all of Camelot. Nobody actually knows where Merlin’s been sleeping, if he’s been sleeping, because it definitely isn’t in his room. The first place that I checked was Guinevere’s home and after being chastised for inviting myself in and spending the better part of the morning apologising, I decided to corner the next most likely target: Gwaine.The fact that he won’t stand aside and let me into his chambers is a sure sign that my guess is correct.“Princess,” Gwaine greets, his hand ‘casually’ resting on his sword.“Tell the prat that I’m busy!” Merlin shouts from inside.“Merlin’s busy,” Gwaine dutifully repeats.“I’m not here to interrogate him about taking three days off without asking permission,” I say.Gwaine turns to pass the message on. The door slams open behind him. Merlin doesn’t look up from his stack of books, as he gestures us in. I try not to stare at the white dragon sprawled across Gwaine’s bed as though it belongs there. Gwaine fails to hide his snickering. He crosses his chambers without a care in the world and drops down next to Aithusa, who should not be here. Then, he just has to cuddle the illegal magical being. I close the door, so that anyone passing by won’t see their Crown Prince doing nothing about a Knight of Camelot carelessly breaking the law.“I cleared her with Uther,” Merlin says, still finding his book worth of more attention than his King.“Did my father think you were joking?” I ask, choosing the lesser evil of sitting at the table stacked with magic books than getting closer to the dragon, who used to be a lot smaller.“Not sure,” Merlin says. “He seemed eager to get Gwaine and me out of his sight though, so he might’ve agreed to anything. I was kind enough to not bring Kilgharrah as well.”Gwaine pauses in his cooing. “Even I wouldn’t have wanted that hot-air-filled pathetic excuse for a magic guide here.”Aithusa chirps. Merlin glances up at his book long enough to glare at Gwaine.“Don’t insult Kilgharrah in front of Aithusa,” he scolds.Gwaine smiles.“Notice how he didn’t deny it?” he asks me.Merlin frowns and starts murmuring what sounds like spells under his breath. I give up on that front and turn to Gwaine.           “Any clue what exactly has got him like this?” I ask. “Aside from being forced out of his home by gossips and anti-magic nobles?”“Morgana,” Gwaine says, scratching under Aithusa’s chin. “He’s positive that the second news of his pardon reaches her, she’ll rain down fire on the castle.”Considering everything involving Morgana in Merlin’s book of crimes…“He’s not wrong,” I say. “Is there anything that I can do to prepare for the assault?”Merlin passes me a stack of parchments without pausing in his reading. I take them and almost drop the stack in shock.“Who wrote these?” I ask because it isn’t Merlin’s familiar scribble.“I did,” Gwaine answers, refusing to look up from Aithusa.“These look like they were prepared by nobility.”Merlin snorts but doesn’t say anything. Gwaine shrugs, still not looking up.“Surprise,” he says without inflection, so very different from his usual tone. “Turns out I was born and raised a noble. Be shocked. Gasp ahead. I await your rant.”That is a surprise, but this isn’t really the time to address it, especially if my sister is on her way.“You don’t secretly have magic too, do you?” I ask.The apparently noble from birth knight sighs.“I wish,” he says.                                           I shake my head. “You would.”“Not going to rant then, Princess?”“I knighted you because of your actions, not because of your status. As far as I’m concerned, whoever your parents are doesn’t matter.”“Were,” Gwaine corrects, not offering anything else.I apparently have a stack of preparations to get through, so I’ll drop the matter for now. I’m sure that Gwaine will drop by my chambers in the middle of the night to rant about it within the month anyway.I turn back to Merlin. “I don’t suppose that you’ll give me an honest answer on how you’re doing after your trial.”Merlin snaps his book closed and glares at me, his eyes a solid gold that I didn’t notice before.“What do you want me to say, Arthur? Am I grateful for everything you all did? Sure. But now everyone knows about my magic, and I’ve been raised from birth that just one person finding out means death. I can’t get a handle on the glamour that’s apparently been covering my eyes for my entire life. I can’t go out without being cornered by everyone who wants to know what makes me so special. And I can’t tell whether this is all some sick form of torture invented by Uther where he snatches me off to the pyre the very second that I even think about relaxing.“Worse of all, after the whole being immune to cold iron thing, I don’t even know if I would actually burn. None of the druids that I’ve sent letters to have gotten back to me on whether the meaning of Emrys really is immortal. And guess where I found that out? Scribbled in a margin of a book that Geoffrey had saved from the Purge. I don’t know what I am, Arthur. There’s a witch whose power is almost equal to mine, and wants nothing more than to see my corpse, and she is on her way here. She could show up today, or tomorrow, or three months from now. I don’t know. I should be celebrating that I’m finally free, but all I can feel right now is that I don’t know anything anymore.“So there’s your honest answer, sire. If you don’t mind, I’m a little busy making sure your sister doesn’t eviscerate your kingdom in her rage. I’ll give you a better thank you when my magic doesn’t feel like it’s about to flatten the castle at any moment.”Gwaine doesn’t give me the opportunity to say anything to that. He just gets up and tugs me out of his chambers.“You’ll keep an eye on him?” I ask once in the hallway.“Isn’t that why you knighted me?” he retorts.“Gwa–”“Yes, Princess, I’ll keep an eye on him. Why do you think I got Aithusa to come here? Merls wasn’t going to pause in his research long enough to go out and call her.”I grip the stack of preparations a little tighter and give Gwaine a sharp nod before turning away.“He’s not angry at you,” Gwaine says, making me pause. “Imagine for a moment that you could be executed at any moment for something you couldn’t control, and then suddenly, that’s not a threat anymore. It’s going to take him a little while to accept it.”“What can I do until then?”“You’ve already done enough, Arthur. Just remember that Merlin isn’t the only one with magic when you’re finally crowned Queen. If you don’t lift that ban within your first month on the throne, I’m taking Merlin out of Camelot, and we’re not coming back.”“He’d fight you.”“I know. But I’d rather have him hate me than hate himself.”I sigh. “Merlin doesn’t want to be an exception.”“See that he isn’t,” Gwaine says before going back into his chambers.I walk back to my own chambers, mind half on the plans in my hands and half on the dragon that’s been relaxing in the castle without me knowing. It’s no surprise that I walk straight into someone waiting outside my chamber doors. No surprise to me at least.Leon has his sword half drawn when he whirls around to face me.“Good, you’re already here,” I say, striding past him and throwing my doors open. “Gwaine’s made us some plans for handling the Morgana situation.”“The Morgana situation, sire?” Leon asks, following without pause and as if he hadn’t just almost drawn his sword on his prince.Good man, that Leon.“Merlin believes she’ll be coming here once she hears word about his pardon. I have to agree. Gwaine found some time outside of being Aithusa’s second father and looking after our favourite warlock to prepare some frankly impressive plans for facing my sister, and…” I freeze. “Since when did Gwaine become a father to a baby dragon?”Leon catches the rolls of parchments before they hit the floor. I hadn’t realised that I’d even dropped them.“Around the third time that he and Merlin snuck out to see her, sire,” Leon says, as if the very idea of Gwaine having that much influence over a dragon doesn’t send pure terror shooting through him. “I could’ve sworn you were at the adoption ceremony.”“There was an adoption ceremony?” I shout and most certainly do not shriek, no matter what any witnesses might say.Leon nods, his lips twitching like he’s holding back a laugh.I clear my throat. “You’re jesting me.”“I am, sire.”“I miss when you used to respect me so much that you’d throw our matches.”“No, you don’t.”“No, I don’t.” I sigh. “Okay, get the rest of the Round Table, all of the senior knights, and the Captain of the Guard up here. We don’t know how long we’ll have to prepare.”“What about the King?” Leon asks.I shake my head. “He isn’t objective enough when it comes to Morgana. Besides, I can’t trust that he won’t have another mental breakdown when he sees how much these plans rely on magic.”“A wise decision, sire.”*                                                                        The sun has just set when Merlin’s head snaps up from the sword he’s enchanting.“She’s here,” he says.“How do you know?” I ask, already gesturing for the knights to start filing out of the courtyard.“She has former druids with her,” Merlin says, tapping his temple and following the knights. “They’re rather loud.”“You hear their voices in your head?”Merlin rolls his eyes. “Just because it’s not normal for you doesn’t mean it’s crazy, Arthur. Druids and dragons are both fond of mindspeech, not that either bothered to teach me how to do it. I had to figure it out for myself through trial and error.”“You don’t mean to say that Aithusa…”“She thankfully hasn’t learned how yet, much to Gwaine’s frustration.”“He wants her to say his name first, doesn’t he?”“He wants her first word to be Princess actually.”I sigh. “Of course.”“Just be glad that I stopped him from teaching her to set fire to your cloak,” Merlin says.“It would’ve been awesome!” Gwaine shouts from the group of knights ahead of us.“And too dangerous!” Merlin yells back.“It’s good to know that one of you is willing to be the voice of reason,” I say.Merlin huffs. “I would’ve been able to enchant your cloak so that the fire didn’t spread, obviously, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to risk anyone trying to hurt Aithusa because she technically set her king on fire.”“Sorry did I say voice of reason?” I ask. “My mistake. You’re clearly both equally mad.”“Yet you’re the one who got me pardoned and Gwaine knighted,” Merlin retorts.Like always whenever my manservant makes a point that’s a little too good, I only have one response.“Shut up, Merlin.”The warlock rolls his eyes and starts muttering insults under his breath. You get a man pardoned from treason once and suddenly he seems to think that he’s free to do whatever he wants. I recognise that that’s not actually the case, and Merlin is far from accepting his freedom, but it’s hard to see that when he’s openly using magic to enchant the knights’ weapons and armour in preparation for the fast approaching battle. If there’s one thing that all of this has proven, it’s that Merlin won’t be remaining my manservant once I become King. I refuse to waste his skills like that. Official Advisor to the King will only be the start.It seems to take forever and no time at all to reach the citadel’s outer walls.“How far out?” I ask Merlin.He rolls his shoulders back, the sight of him in light armour still taking me off-guard. Even Gwaine can’t seem to stop double-taking whenever he looks at the warlock.“Two minutes,” Merlin answers. “Possibly five.”“Possibly five?” I question.“If they stop to send scouts first it’ll be five, but if they don’t, it’ll be two. Well, more like one and a half at this point,” he explains.I roll my eyes and signal the knights to ready themselves.“Feeling nervous?” I ask.Merlin looks like he wants to curse me. “Remember when I asked that way back when our biggest worry was a knight using an enchanted shield to cheat in a tournament?” he asks.“Fair point. I’m sure you’ll be fine though. You are the greatest sorcerer in existence for some reason.”“I’m not worried for me,” Merlin murmurs right as my sister and two dozen sorcerers break through the trees.I’ve never seen my sister so mad, both in the crazy and angry sense. Her fists are clenched, her jaw is set in the exact way that Father and mine does when we’re rendered speechless in our rage, and her eyes burn gold. I’d be a liar if I claimed to not fear her. But I trust that Merlin has her handled. My duty lies with the less powerful sorcerers that she’s brought to the citadel’s doorstep. This isn’t an occasion where we can, nor should we, rely on just our resident warlock. He may have handled previous magical threats alone, but that is no longer possible or necessary.“With me!” I order the knights.Only Gwaine hesitates, but he follows after a sharp nod from Merlin.Within seconds, I’m locked in combat with a sorcerer who looks to be a former druid, judging by the triskelion on his arm. He looks especially excited to be fighting me of all people, which only makes him overconfident. Unluckily for the former druid, his magic isn’t particularly strong, making it easier to dodge or simply shake off. There isn’t time to pay attention to my own fight on top of anyone else’s, let alone the surely widespread battle between Merlin and Morgana, though just enough of my battle focus is cleared for me to at least hear the other sounds of fighting.Or rather, the sounds of Morgana yelling at Merlin about how he betrayed her, how he should’ve taught her to use her magic, and that Emrys is a traitor who sold their kind out to get a pardon from the Blood King himself. Honestly, I don’t think that they’re actually physically, or magically, fighting yet. I’m already onto my second sorcerer, and they haven’t gotten past their scheduled verbal spar of the month. Is this what having a nemesis is like? If so, then I don’t want one. It sounds like there’s not nearly enough actual fighting involved.“DRAGON!” several knights yell, cutting off a rather sharp retort from Merlin that still doesn’t involve an actual attack.“GO, AITHUSA!” Gwaine shouts.    The white dragon bathes the sorcerers in blue fire, forcing them to throw up magical shields, all of which shatter under her flames.“Aithusa,” Merlin growls, going on to say something that must be in the dragon tongue considering the guttural sounds coming from his mouth.The dragon lands next to her lord and bows to him. Merlin huffs at the twin looks of puppy dog eyes from both Aithusa and Gwaine, who’s joined the two now that the sorcerers he was facing have been taken care of.“Alright, but I don’t want to see a single scratch on your scales when this battle is over,” Merlin says. “Understood, young lady?”Aithusa chirps happily and shoots into the sky. Gwaine grins at Merlin and chases after her, working in tandem with the dragon to take on various sorcerers. I share an eye roll with the warlock and turn back to my fight, leaving Merlin to deal with a sputtering Morgana.“You have a dragon?” she shrieks.“I am Emrys,” Merlin retorts before doing something that makes the entire ground tremble with power.“You can’t keep using that defence, Merlin,” I call to him.“Just like you can’t use the defence that you’re the Crown Prince all the time?” Merlin shouts back.“Shut up, Merlin.”“Sorry? What was that? Stop protecting your kingdom from your witch sister?”Wind blasts through the clearing, almost knocking me off my feet.“We are fighting here!” Morgana screams.“Right, right. Sorry, my lady,” Merlin says, before doing something that makes every sorcerer in the area stumble. “Or was it your majesty? I’m a little unclear on how you could be a princess or a noble considering you’re a bastard like me, but you seem to think you deserve the throne for some reason beyond me.”“It was stolen from–”The ground trembles again.Wasn’t that before your time though? I’m pretty sure that whole thing with Uther becoming King had something to do with throne stealing, but I’m not really sure. So long as it doesn’t affect Arthur’s right to his crown, then I don’t particularly care. I mean, sure, the Great Purge was uncalled for, but no part of that involved stealing Camelot’s throne from its rightful ruler. You might be Uther’s firstborn, but if I can’t be a noble like my father was, then you can’t be a princess. That’s just how the world works. Screaming won’t change that.”I tune the two out once Morgana starts shouting about Merlin’s great betrayal again. He’s got the situation handled. I, however, have several angry and slightly burnt sorcerers to deal with. Thankfully, Excalibur and Merlin’s enchantments on my armour work to keep the battle less one sided than our enemies were clearly expecting. Gwaine’s plans emphasising on dodging the magical attacks have been rather helpful as well. I’ll be sure to thank him once I can get the image of him copying Aithusa’s roar while charging enemies out of my head. The fact that the roar seems to work at startling the sorcerers is beside the point.The sorcerers that I’m fighting look from Gwaine to me with uncertainty.“I’m not going to roar at you,” I say, deflecting a blast of magic with my sword.“I could make you,” the middle sorcerer says.The other two give her a considering look. I sigh and attack while they’re distracted. It’d be foolish of me to waste the opportunity after all. I make short work of the sorcerer trio, even if it is kind of disappointing that they were too caught up in deciding what enchantment would work best instead of giving me a proper challenge.Merlin chooses that moment to appear by my side out of seemingly nowhere.“Give me that,” he says, taking my sword without any explanation and leaving me weaponless, as he turns back to Morgana.“Excuse me,” I protest.“You’re excused,” Merlin says, continuing his magical battle with Morgana, and still leaving me without my only weapon.“That’s my sword.”“Is it? I could’ve sworn that I gave it to you.”“For me to keep,” I point out very reasonably.“Well, I need it.”“You have magic.”“If you really need something sharp to fight with, then ask Gwaine for one of his spare daggers,” Merlin says dismissively.“Or you could give me my sword back.”“Once I’m done with it.”“You’re not even using it!”“Not with you distracting me like this.”“Oh, so I’m the one distracting you then? Funny that. I could’ve sworn that you were the weapon stealer in this situation.”Merlin waves a hand and conjures a regular sword into my hands. “There you go, your majesty,” he says. “Now you can stop bothering me.”“Is it even enchanted?” I ask.“Is it even enchanted? No, it’s not enchanted. Sorry, did you want me to conjure you a weapon out of nothing and enchant it at the same time? I’m not a god, Arthur.”“Just an immortal magical creature.”“Oh, don’t even bring that up right now, you prat.” Morgana throws a fireball at me. Merlin bats it away without looking.“I’ll just let you get back to it then,” I say.“Thank you so much for your generosity, my lord,” Merlin says, leaving fissures in the ground behind as he stalks towards Morgana.I’m so glad that he’s on our side. Even if I now have to fight sorcerers without an enchanted weapon. I guess that I’ll just have to dodge more.It’s not until I’ve defeated a pair of overconfident sorcerers that I notice the fighting slowing down. For a moment, I consider that maybe Merlin and Morgana have broken out the truly earth-shaking magic and everyone has turned to watch. But no, there is something even more unusual about the battlefield. I can no longer hear the two most powerful magic-users in all of Albion squabbling like children. I’m not sure whether I should be worried by what that might mean or that it’s something to worry about the lack of in the first place. Suppose I’ll add it to the list of nonsensical things Merlin has brought into my life.I turn to look at whatever it is that has everyone so captivated and feel something dislodge in my stomach. Morgana. She’s… I run to Merlin’s side without really meaning to. The warlock turns away from the witch, his golden eyes revealing nothing but fatigue.“You stabbed her,” I say, finding no better words.“That is what the sword was for,” Merlin says, holding Excalibur out for me to take back.“But why did you need my sword?” I ask.Merlin shrugs. “I wasn’t sure if she was a High Priestess of the Old Religion yet. If she was, then I didn’t want to take any chances.”“Don’t they usually announce that sort of thing?” Gwaine asks, poking at my dead sister’s leg with his boot while Aithusa is crouched at his side.“I honestly stopped paying attention when they do that,” Merlin admits before smacking Gwaine’s arm. “Respect the dead.”“Just making sure,” the knight says.“Are you doubting my stabbing skills?” Merlin asks.“No, but you magicals have a habit of defying death, and Pendragons have the same weird ability. I figured that I’d double check.”“With your boot?” I question.Gwaine shrugs. “I didn’t want to touch her.”“She’s really dead,” I realise.“That is what we’ve been talking about, Princess,” Gwaine says.Merlin has a little more tact. “She won’t show up screaming about her fake right to your throne anymore.”Or not.“Shouldn’t this all be a little more–?”“The Morgana that deserved a proper death died years ago, Arthur,” Merlin says. “And I am too tired to care about the shadow of a woman she became. If you want to do some sort of ceremony for her, then fine. But I’m going to bed. I haven’t slept since I was pardoned, and if I don’t soon, I’m going to pass out.”With that, Merlin shoves Excalibur back into my hand, makes the conjured one disappear, and limps back towards the castle. Gwaine and Aithusa follow him without so much as acknowledging me first. I stare down at my dead sister and sigh.“Leon, Elyan, Percival, let’s get to work cleaning this all up,” I order.“Yes, sire,” they respond.The other various knights do something, I’m sure, but Merlin has the right idea. I’m too tired to deal with anyone outside of my inner circle right now. And I still have to deliver news of Morgana’s death to Father. This is going to be a long night.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

MERLIN       Morgana is dead. Everyone knows I have magic. Aithusa lives in the castle.Nope. I still can’t get my head around it. Maybe repeating it one more time will work.Morgana is–“Merlin, pay attention for a minute,” Arthur demands.I share a commiserating glance with Elyan. “Yes, sire?”“As I was saying, before someone decided to go wherever it is warlocks go when they’re not paying attention,” Arthur says to the Round Table members, not that we’re actually have a round table in the prat’s chambers. “The King has requested that everyone of importance is to gather for an announcement coupled with a feast tonight. I suspect that this may be some sort of declaration that the war with Morgana is officially over, even if she’s been buried for a week. Father didn’t seem to react at all to news of her death, so perhaps it has finally hit him.”“There’s always the possibility that he wants to revoke my pardon and sentence me to death,” I point out, taking a bite out of one of Gwaine’s apples.The knight did offer me one if I felt like it. Sure, that was yesterday, but he never set an ending point to the offer.“Or he could be thanking you for your service to the crown,” Gwen counters, giving me the sort of smile that makes me want to hide under the table.If Uther doesn’t kill me, Gwen just might be the one to do it instead.“Guinevere’s right,” Arthur says.“You would say that,” I mutter.The prat glares at me. “And now is hardly the time to be pessimistic. With Morgana defeated–”“Skewered by Merlin,” Gwaine interrupts.“With Morgana defeated,” Arthur says. “The kingdom is now entering a time of peace for the first time in years. Magical crimes have been at an all-time low, and–”“Because they’re scared of Merlin here,” Leon says, looking like he wants to clap me on the shoulder, but can’t because of the table thankfully in the way.“And apparently that’s a good thing,” I mutter.Gwaine bumps his shoulder against mine. He and Aithusa have been subject to my rants about magicals sending me messages saying that I’m a traitor to our kind and should never have been given the power of Emrys. Like that was something just granted to me one day with an explanation of all there is to it. They don’t seem to understand that Emrys isn’t a title to give or take away. I simply am Emrys, just as I am magic. They’re objections only serve to annoy me.“Am I allowed to speak without interruption?” Arthur asks, crossing his arms.“Of course, sire,” Percival says.“Without a doubt, my lord,” Elyan says.Arthur glares at them. “You’re going to interrupt–”“Sir Percival, did you know…?” Elyan trails off into a fit of laughter.Arthur throws his hands in the air and looks to Gwen for help, but she’s too busy giggling to notice the silent plea. He turns to Gaius next, who merely raises an eyebrow and says absolutely nothing.“I hate you all,” Arthur says.Everyone just laughs harder.“Okay, we’re done here,” Arthur says, scraping his chair back and storming out of his chambers.“Does Arthur really trust that we’re not going to burn everything in here while we’re unsupervised?” Elyan asks, already eyeing parts of the room off.I glare at him. “Don’t even think about it. I’ll be the one stuck cleaning up the mess.”“We could blame it on Aithusa,” he says.“Like that would make it any better.”Gwaine wraps an arm around my shoulders. “Don’t worry, Merls. I’d help you clean up any mess.”“You won’t have to if we don’t make a mess in the first place. Pranks on Arthur are only okay outside his chambers.”He grins. “What are we waiting for then? Let’s go find the perfect spot.”I let him tug me out of the chair and away from the dispersing Round Table.“Are we bringing the Queen into this?” Gwaine asks, doing something to the hand that he’s captured.“Maybe after the announcement,” I say. “I don’t want to remind Uther about how much free reign Aithusa has in his castle.”“Pretty sure it’s her castle at this point.”“And I really don’t want him to realise that.”“But it’ll be a beautiful moment when he does,” Gwaine says. “Hey, we should make her a crown. Do you reckon you could make one out of magic, or am I going to have to collect some flowers?”“If you make the fire-breathing dragon a crown out of flowers, I’ll transform it into a metal or something and enchant it, so she can’t destroy it. I’m pretty sure I can do that.”“One way to find out.”          “Merlin,” Gwen calls.Gwaine finally releases my hand and bows dramatically before strolling away with a wide grin, no doubt off to find the right flowers.“Something wrong?” I ask Gwen.“Does there need to be for me to speak to my dearest friend?” she asks.I shrug. “Course not. Things have just been … eventful lately. Guess I’m still expecting everything to go wrong at any moment.”Gwen links her arm with mine and starts walking through the castle. “I understand that it must be difficult to believe, but I truly think that things will be okay from now on, Merlin.”“Magic’s still technically illegal, Uther’s still the King, Gwaine’s still challenging everyone who’s been loudly disagreeing about my pardon, and the other Round Table knights have been challenging whoever he hasn’t reached yet. Sooner or later, something’s going to snap, and we all know that things will never be the same once it does.”“Maybe this announcement, whatever it is, will be the beginning of everything becoming better,” Gwen says.“I don’t know. The Golden Age isn’t meant to start until after Arthur’s officially King, and I don’t see Uther just abdicating the throne. More likely, he’s gotten sick of seeing Aithusa and me around, and he wants us both dead by dawn.”“Then why throw a feast?”“To get anyone loyal to me drunk, so that they’re too hungover in the morning to do anything.”“You know, Merlin, I remember when you used to be one of the most optimistic people in the kingdom. What happened to that?”“Destiny.”“Is that another way of saying Arthur?”I shake my head. “It’s not his fault. Well, it’s only a little bit his fault. If keeping him alive didn’t involve turning my back on magic so many times… But I don’t blame him, even if it might be easier to.”“Instead you blame yourself?”“Who else is there to blame?” I ask.Gwen sighs. “That dragon friend of yours for a start, the older one. I’ve heard enough from Arthur lately to know that your heart wasn’t behind a lot of key decisions.”“Do you two not have anything better to do than gossip about me?”“We’re just worried about our best friend, Merlin.”“I’m fine.”I have to be.“I don’t believe you,” Gwen says.“I can use my magic freely, Aithusa is allowed to roam the castle, and Morgana is finally gone. What’s there for me to not be fine about?”Gwen stops walking and turns to face me. “Nobody’s expecting you to accept all the good things that have happened when you’re so used to them only being taken away.”“I’m fine.”I’m meant to be.She smiles gently and pulls me into a hug. “It’s okay to not be fine.”“I’m f-fine.”I need to be.“It’s going to be okay,” Gwen says.I bury my face in her hair and let out a sob.“I’m not fine,” I mumble.I haven’t been for so long.“You will be.”“When?” I ask.“When you’re ready,” Gwen says, “and not a second sooner.”*The first sign that this announcement is something to worry about is Arthur telling me that I don’t have to serve during the feast. The second sign is him saying that I’ve been invited as a guest, one that’ll be most probably be squished between the Round Table knights, sure, but still a guest. The third, and most troubling sign, is Arthur not explicitly saying no when Gwaine asks if Aithusa can come along. To be fair, the Prince might be too busy gaping at the golden flower crown on the dragon’s head to pay attention to what anyone’s saying, but I was so sure that he had better instincts for Gwaine’s particular brand of troublemaking.“And it’s made out of actual flowers?” Elyan asks, inspecting the crown.“Collected them myself,” Gwaine says.“Impressive.”“Well, Merls did all the hard work. What else did you expect?”“You gave her a crown,” Arthur says, probably still in shock.“She’ll be a wonderful Princess of Camelot,” Leon says.Aithusa growls.“Sorry, your majesty,” Leon says. “I should’ve recognised that you’re a Queen right away.”Aithusa sniffs dismissively, something I definitely didn’t teach her.“Gwaine, have you been training her to act like a noble again?” I ask.“Parental rights,” he says.“She’s going to act like such a brat once she starts talking,” I say. “It’s bad enough that she’s already spoilt.”Arthur’s back to gaping. “I thought Gwaine being her second father was a joke.”I roll my eyes. “Let’s get going then, sire. Wouldn’t want to be late to the feast that I’m apparently invited to. I don’t even have any nice clothes.”“You can borrow mine,” Gwaine offers.“I have to drop Aithusa off anyway, so I might as well.”“Why isn’t she staying in your room?” Arthur asks.I look at him like he’s an idiot, and considering what he just said…“Nice one, Arthur,” I say, choosing to believe that it was a joke and not pure stupidity.“We’ll save you a spot,” Percival says, as I escort Aithusa out.“One right next to your favourite knight,” Elyan says.“Lancelot’s back?” I ask, not looking back at Gwaine’s offended shout.I share an eye roll with Aithusa. That much I know I taught her.“C’mon, Queen Aithusa, let’s get you back to your royal chambers.”She chirps and runs ahead. I laugh and chase after her. No matter what the announcement means for the future, at least I’ll always have this brat with me.*I sneak past the nobles rushing to their seats and slip into my spot between Gwaine and Leon.“Did I miss anything?” I whisper.Gwaine’s got a weird look on his face, so I turn to Leon and repeat the question.“No, the King seems to be waiting until we finish eating before making the announcement.”“Oh, good. It would’ve been awkward for me to try eating after he revoked my pardon.”That breaks Gwaine out of whatever he was doing. “Nobody’s putting you on trial again,” he whispers. “If they even think about it, I’ll–”“I know,” I assure him. “And I’m grateful for that, truly.”“But you don’t believe you’re safe yet.”I shrug. “Even if I still think this is all going to be turned on its head at any second, I know who’ll have my back, Gwaine. These past few months have proven that much to me.”“I would happily assassinate the King,” he says a little too loudly.I shake my head at the shocked faces of nearby nobles. “None of my dramatic escape plans include assassinating anyone.”“None of your plans maybe,” Leon mutters under his breath.I frown. “Gwaine, have you been briefing the knights on different plans?”My favourite knight suddenly finds his food completely fascinating. I kick him under the table and give him a perfectly innocent smile when he looks at me in betrayal.“It was that or doing something to your food,” I justify.Gwaine looks between me and the piece of chicken on his fork. “What does something mean?” he asks.My innocent smile grows. “Oh, you know. Something.”“How do I know that you haven’t already done the something?” he asks.“You don’t.”I turn to chat with Leon after that, squeezing Gwaine’s hand under the table to assure him that I’m just playing. He decides to kidnap my hand again, and I just let it happen. I can eat perfectly fine with my left hand anyway.The feast seems to both drag on and disappear in the blink of an eye after that. If I didn’t know better, I’d think magic was involved, but my regular checks reveal that I’m the only magic-user in the castle at the moment. There’s a maid who will occasionally use magic to get rid of particularly tough wine stains, but she must not be working tonight. Once the food is eaten, and Gwaine still hasn’t touched a drop of alcohol just in case my pardon really will be revoked, Uther stands and raises his hand for silence.I’ve never seen a feast go silent so quickly before. More than a few people are glancing between me and Uther, no doubt thinking the same thing that I am. This is it. My pardon is going to be revoked, and the Blood King will sentence me to the pyre. It was inevitable really. I don’t know why I expected to have this long of a breather. The only option left to Uther is to legalise magic, and he would never. He’s more likely to just hand the crown over to his son. What if he’s going to disinherit Arthur instead?I don’t think I could ever forgive myself if I got the Once and Future King dethroned before he could even reign.“I abdicate the throne to my son,” Uther declares.What? Did I cast a mind control spell on him without realising it?Arthur must think the same thing because he looks very worried. “Father, are you alright? You haven’t drunken or eaten anything unusual lately, have you? We should get Gaius to look over you.”Uther just sighs. “Arthur, I’m making you King.”“Gaius. We should get Gaius right away,” Arthur says.The physician shakes his head and shares a look of something with Uther.“Merlin, then,” Arthur says. “Merlin! Get up here. Check my father over for enchantments.”I’m halfway out of my seat when Gwaine tugs me back down.“This is why I’m retiring,” Uther says, before setting his crown on the table and storming off.The fact that he doesn’t even react to Aithusa sitting by the doors with her own crown only adds to the likelihood that he’s been enchanted. I hadn’t realised that she’d ignored my explicit instruction, but not order, to stay where she was.“Merlin!” Arthur shouts again.This time I scramble to my feet, if only because Gwaine’s laughing too hard to stop me.“On it, my King!” I yell back, and run after Uther.It’s only when I’m in a corridor alone with a very annoyed Uther Pendragon that I realise this all could’ve been an elaborate trap to get me away from my Protection Squad (Leon’s words). The former king glares at me, as I stumble to a stop. No, actually, he’s glaring past me to the dragon that apparently followed me out.“Gwaine suggested the crown,” I blurt out.Uther just looks tired. “Of course he did.”“So was that real, just now? I mean, I hope it was, but it’s a bit difficult to believe considering you’re… Well, you’re you, and you hate magic, but Arthur’s straight up said he’ll be legalising it, which seems to be a thing that you would want to delay for as long as possible.”“All this time, you were trailing after my son, and I thought you were an idiot,” Uther says.“That’s… No, yeah, that’s pretty much what I thought your opinion of me was.”“And yet, it turns out that you are the most powerful magic-user to ever live, one that I assigned to be my son’s manservant,” he continues.“To be fair, I never asked–”“But you’re still just an idiot,” Uther says, which wasn’t what I was expecting at all, but I guess he is the man who raised Arthur Pratdragon, so, I don’t know why I’m surprised. “I have a small castle a day’s journey from here. Arthur’s familiar with it. If anyone asks for me, that’s where I’ll be. Please, for the sake of my dwindling sanity, don’t you, your dragon, or your knight, ever visit.”And with those final words, Uther Pendragon walks away.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

ARTHUR
I always knew that Father wouldn’t be at my coronation, and yet, it was a bit odd that his reason for not attending was because he didn’t want to be anywhere near the same castle as my manservant. Well, former manservant technically. I haven’t gotten around to telling Merlin that. I’ve been too busy working with Geoffrey to figure out how exactly I can go about repealing the anti-magic laws. And it’s not like Merlin’s been attending me lately anyway. Instead he’s been in council with the druids for the past two days, despite said druids being half a day’s journey away. Instant communication over such a distant could only ever work through magic, yet I can’t help envying it considering how much easier managing the kingdom would be if I could do the same.Even if I haven’t seen the warlock around lately, I have been graced with the presence of his dragon instead. I’m starting to understand why Father abdicated the throne to escape the madness here. Aithusa is still wearing her crown and has taken to chirping or growling at my decisions on the magic repeal depending on her opinion. I figure that I should follow her council, even if she’s a child, if only because she’s liable to start burning my belongings again if I dare disagree. The few times I’ve caught sight of her dragonlord, he’s walked away while laughing. I’m starting to think that he ordered her to annoy me in his place.  Aithusa chirps at me. I fondly roll my eyes and keep scratching under her chin while I read through the latest draft of the revised magic laws.“I think they’re as good as I can get them, ‘Thusa,” I say.The dragon lifts her head from where it was resting against my leg and tilts her head to the side like Merlin sometimes does when he’s talking to someone through mindspeech. Actually, her being able to do that might mean that her opinions on the magic repeal are really Merlin’s. But on the chance that it either isn’t the case or was obviously the case and I completely missed it, I’ll not ask the warlock. I don’t want to set off another one of his laughing fits again. They tend to turn into outright cackling that doesn’t do any favours towards convincing people that sorcerers aren’t all mad.I push away the papers right as my door swings open and Merlin strides in. Aithusa practically falls over herself in how quickly she scrambles to her dragonlord’s side. Why she doesn’t just fly, I don’t know. It can’t be for any reason as sensible as Merlin telling her not to fly indoors. That would get in the way of mayhem. There’s probably some convoluted reason for it instead. That, or the dragon’s gotten herself hurt flying inside before. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s somehow inherited Merlin’s clumsiness. Never mind that ‘that isn’t how it works, Arthur’.“Any chance that you’re not just here for your scaly daughter?” I ask.Merlin ignores me in favour of crouching and hugging Aithusa.“I see how it is then,” I mutter.“She’s been spending so much time around you lately that I haven’t seen her much,” Merlin says.Aithusa chirps.Merlin gasps. “Really? I’ll be sure to tell Gwen.”“Don’t pretend you can understand those noises, Merlin.”“You have no proof that I can’t, your majesty.”Aithusa chirps again.Merlin laughs. “You can go hunting with Gwaine later as a reward, ‘Thusa.”I bite down a complaint that ‘Thusa is my nickname for her. That would just give Merlin more to use against me. The warlock waves a hand, and the magic laws float over to him. He sits on the floor right where he is and grins when Aithusa sprawls across his legs.“There are two tables in this room, Merlin.”“I like it better here,” he says.I roll my eyes and stand up. “Take those down to Geoffrey when you’re done with them. I have a ceremony to organise.”“Don’t need me to write your speech?”“I think I can handle this one.”Merlin hums like he doesn’t believe me. I valiantly don’t kick him on my way out.“Not worried that I’ll change all the laws when you’re not paying attention?” Merlin asks, as I open the door,“I trust you,” I say, leaving before he can start listing the reasons why I shouldn’t.*         My first point of business is organising some new chambers for Merlin. No member of my court should be living in what used to be a storage room. He’ll need somewhere he can go where he won’t be accosted by Gaius’s patients on his way there. According to Guinevere, that hasn’t been happening since my father left, but when I asked what changed she simply laughed at me. Strangely enough, Gaius had the exact same reaction when I was asking him what Merlin would prefer to have in his new chambers. I’m half-convinced that the warlock had cast some curse on me that day.Camelot’s most loyal knights, excluding Gwaine, are more than happy to help me set up Merlin’s new chambers. They keep trading amused glances though, so there’s a chance that whatever Merlin’s cast on me this time hasn’t worn off yet. I try to subtly glance in the mirror to see if it’s something about my appearance, but Percival keeps bumping into me just in time for me to miss my reflection. I frown and return to setting up Aithusa’s bed. I’m not sure how fast she’s been growing, though I’m sure that Merlin can just enchant it to grow alongside her.“Shouldn’t you have left the servants to do this, sire?” Leon asks once we’re finished.“They’re busy enough preparing for tonight’s ceremony.”“Does Merlin know that he’s attending the ceremony as a guest yet?” Elyan asks.No.“Of course he does,” I lie, hurrying out of the chambers with all the dignity of a king.Laughter follows me.*Thankfully, I catch Merlin in the corridors on his way back from seeing Geoffrey, no Aithusa by his side.“You’ll be attending tonight’s ceremony as a guest,” I tell him.“What’s this ceremony even for?” Merlin asks, and I might’ve forgotten to mention that too.“Don’t be late,” I say, if only because explaining would ruin the surprise.I hadn’t intended it to be a surprise in the first place, but I might as well go along with it considering that the warlock somehow doesn’t already know. Chances are, if I had tried to keep a secret, he would’ve known within seconds. Turns out, accidentally forgetting to mention something works far better at keeping information away from Merlin.“How can I be on time if I don’t even know when the ceremony is?” he asks.“Gwaine knows,” I say, more than willing to throw that knight under the proverbial carriage.“Of course, he does,” Merlin says, marching towards the knight’s chambers while muttering angrily under his breath.I don’t let out a breath of relief once he’s out of sight no matter what anyone says. The passing servants are definitely laughing at me. I sigh. Better they feel comfortable laughing in my presence than fearing me so much that they’d never dare think it of doing it. I have the trust of me people, and that’s what matters most. Even if that means I’m free game for any pranks from my friends. At least they’re not trying to drive me out of Camelot like I’m sure that Gwaine and Merlin did my father, whether they knew what their prank war was leading to or not.Perhaps I should consider officially assigning those two to noble wrangling duty. There’s only so much a king can do to get rid of visitors without inviting people to fear him after all. They’re already performing the duty, but there’s no reason I can’t give them rewards for every annoying noble they drive away with their mischief. Guinevere could supervise them and keep them in check. Provided she doesn’t join in with even more terrifying ideas, that is. If she sees fit to get rid of someone, I’m sure that they deserve it anyway. I trust her judgement.*Surprising nobody, Merlin and Gwaine turn up at the same time. Surprising everybody, Aithusa isn’t trailing behind them. Surprising just me, Gwaine does not look at all like he’s been scolded by the warlock. Then again, there’s every chance that he simply told Merlin what the ceremony is for in order to avoid getting on his bad side. Considering the glare Merlin’s shooting me, Gwaine decided it was fair to throw me under the carriage instead. In that case, I’ll be assigning the knight the worse patrol shifts over the next month. It’s only fair that both of us suffer after all.Merlin is in his servant clothes, most probably out of spite, but that’s alright. I’ve already changed the Court Sorcerer’s official clothing to be made out of the finest materials in the kingdom. I considered making it the strongest, but I’m sure that Merlin will just enchant the clothes for protection. If he doesn’t, I can always ask Guinevere to talk to him about it. Nobody can last under her ‘I’m disappointed’ frown. Not even all powerful warlocks. I’m convinced that the stronger someone’s will is, the more effective the frown is. Thankfully, right now she’s gracing me with her ‘I’m proud’ smile.“Let’s get this over with,” Merlin mutters, as he trudges up to join me in Geoffrey.“Now, Merlin, is that any way to say thank you?” I ask.“I’m a warlock. You could’ve at least changed the title.”“It’s the common title across the kingdoms. I thought you didn’t want me to make you an exception.”He frowns. “I’m still the only one allowed to do magic in Camelot.”It seems that Gwaine didn’t spill everything about this ceremony then. I gesture to Geoffrey, and he begins. Merlin spends the entire time scowling at me even when it’s time to kneel before me. I roll my eyes and rest Excalibur on his shoulder.“Do you swear to uphold the laws of Camelot?”“I swear.”“Do you swear to be fair in all your judgements?”“I swear.”“Do you swear to keep Aithusa from accidentally burning down the castle?”Merlin snorts at that, and the Great Hall erupts into laughter.“I swear.”“Arise, Merlin Emrys, Court Sorcerer of Camelot and Advisor to the Crown.”Merlin stands, his scowl replaced with a smile. “No speech then, sire?”I clasp his shoulder and face my people with my warlock at my side.“Today, Camelot welcomes her first Court Sorcerer in over twenty years. Today, Camelot thanks Merlin for all he has done to protect her since he first arrived. Today, Camelot sees the laws against magic repealed. I understand that these will be difficult times going forward, but I trust that together, we will bring Camelot into a brighter future, a Golden Age of peace and equality. For the love of Camelot!”“FOR THE LOVE OF CAMELOT!”Merlin shrugs, as the shouts die down. “I could’ve written better.”I clap him on the back. “And now you’ll be paid to do it.”There’s no feast, if only because of how many times Merlin has complained about feasts in the past, but there is at least a celebration with music, dancing, and wine. I lose track of Merlin quickly under the wave of people trying to congratulate him. Gwaine sticks to his side though, so I’m not worried about him getting overwhelmed or sneaking away. Actually, I probably should worry about the latter, but I trust that they’ll only leave if Merlin needs to escape. As it is, I take the opportunity to dance with Guinevere and worry about how I now have the time to move forward in officially courting her.“Aren’t you worried that Merlin’s going to take advantage of holding two positions in Court?” she asks.“I’m hoping that nobody will point that out to him for at least a year,” I say.“He’ll either give his second vote to Gwaine or Aithusa,” Guinevere says.“What have I done?” I ask, pure dread coursing through my veins. “It’ll be fine.”“I’m holding you to that.”“I thought that Kings were above saying ‘I told you so’,” Guinevere says with a mischievous smile.“In a kingdom of equality, royalty are allowed to be petty.”She laughs. I resist the urge to ask her to marry me right there. Soon enough we pass Merlin and Gwaine who are dancing together, who are looking at each other the same way that I look at Guinevere, and who are laughing and having the time of their lives. I trip on air. Guinevere excuses herself with a kiss to my cheek, a wave to Merlin and Gwaine, and a giggle that is absolutely mocking me. I have a feeling that this is why certain people have been laughing at me for the past few days. They stop dancing, but Gwaine keeps his arm wrapped around Merlin’s waist.“Did you need something, Princess?” he asks.“How long has this been going on for then?” I ask.Merlin shrugs. “A week.”“Months,” Gwaine answers. “I’d argue since we met, but Merls was even more oblivious then.”“Months?” Merlin questions. “But I thought…”“Oblivious,” Gwaine repeats. “It’s all that destiny nonsense. Makes it hard for him to see what’s right in front of him sometimes.”“I’m not that bad,” Merlin says.Gwaine sighs. “Merlin, light of my life, greatest person in all of Albion, and second most oblivious person in Camelot, how old is Aithusa? And how old was she when you declared me her second father?”Merlin opens his mouth. He shuts it and frowns.“Who’s the most oblivious?” I ask.They both give me a look like they think I’m stupid.Oh.“That’s treason,” I say.“Since when has either of us cared?” Gwaine asks.I don’t copy Merlin’s speechlessness no matter what two treasonous Round Table members might say.“I guess you won’t be needing those new chambers then,” I say, and make a safe exit before they can start ganging up on me.Knowing those two, they’d get their dragon daughter involved. Or worse, they’d bring Guinevere in on it. I don’t want to be the shortest reigning king in all of Albion. I’ve got too much to do before we’ve reached that Golden Age Merlin keeps going on about. It’s my turn to do the heavy lifting after all.