Author's Note: This is a one-shot. I will not be turning it into a full length story. However, if anyone is interested in doing so, you have my blessing so long as you give me a heads up and proper credit.
Arthur should have realised that something was wrong.
He should have noticed Merlin's suspicious behaviour – the sudden stiffness in his posture, the slight trembling of his lips, his gaze ever widening, and the furtive glances he kept throwing towards the nearest exit. But as always, any and all clues of Merlin's state of mind, obvious or otherwise, escaped his royal notice. In Arthur's defence, he had just spent the last two years fantasizing about this particular moment. Now that it had arrived, he'd been left somewhat dazed by the event.
Arthur had been crowned King of Camelot.
Naturally, once the large, bulbous, ceremonial crown had been placed upon his head, it was time for him to accept the fealty of his knights. Sir Leon, Sir Lancelot, Sir Gwaine, Sir Percival, and Sir Elyan all performed their duties admirably...
Well, Gwaine couldn't quite keep that smirk off his face. But otherwise, the knights were the perfect picture of composure. Once each and every one of his men had sworn loyalty, and stood proudly at his left side, King Arthur of Camelot proceeded to do the one thing he had set his sights on years ago.
He called Merlin to stand before him.
In his dreams, a great silence had always descended upon his people, as the gangly young man walked towards him. Arthur would raise his hands just so, and commence a moving speech on Merlin's behalf. Relating his trials and triumphs, and emphasizing the fact that, despite being a sorcerer, Merlin was one of his most loyal subjects. Arthur would then lift the ban off magic, stating afterwards that all magical beings had been unjustly condemned for the faults of one. Finally, as King of Camelot he would bestow upon his friend the title of Court Sorcerer, and the audience would break out into thundering applause...
Of course, reality was quite a different matter altogether.
As he had predicted, silence descended upon the room momentarily... and chaos ensued.
Arthur truly should have realised sooner that his beloved sorcerer wasn't so keen on his Kingly plans.
"Merlin! Merlin where are you? Come out and face me you bloody sorcerer!" King Arthur all but shouted across the great corridor.
Merlin whimpered from his hiding place behind the statue of Norbert the Great. He was afraid that someone might have overheard Arthur, though the young sorcerer had nothing to fear. The castle halls were as empty as if they'd been abandoned, the majority of its inhabitants having congregated in the grand throne room. The audience in question was still contemplating the unusual events that had taken place that day.
Why, in the name of the Gods, would King Arthur call his manservant forward in the middle of his coronation ceremony?
Secondly, why would said manservant emit a rather fearsome squeak, paling considerably as he looked upon their smiling King, and proceed to run out of the room on scraggly, shaking legs.
And even more vexing, why would the newly crowned King of Camelot run after the fool? All the while waving his arms enthusiastically at the knights who attempted to follow him, and commanding all in attendance, with a solemn stare and a curt word, to stay.
The knights seemed as mystified by the current turn of event as anyone else in the room, and this did not comfort the chattering nobles in the least. All fidgeted in their places, unsure of whether or not they should break their stance. Gwaine began to joke, saying that the Princess must have been overwhelmed by the glittering mass of jewels upon his head, and thus lost all sense of logic. After all, it wasn't as if he could Knight Merlin, the lad could barely hold up a sword.
Sir Lancelot stood off to the side as the knights burst out into laughter, looking for the entire world as if he had swallowed a lemon on the whole.
Behind the statue of Norbert the Great, Merlin contemplated how his life had managed to spin so far out of his control. So, so far, that hiding behind a lump of carved stone seemed to be the preferable route left available to him. He wished for a simpler time, a time in which Lancelot had been the only one who had known, whom and what, Merlin really was. However, secrets will out sooner or later, and after four years of performing magic right in front of him, Arthur finally produced one accurate conclusion.
Naturally, that's when it had started.
Arthur would spend days talking about Merlin's magic, asking questions and the like. Then he would go on about how much good they could do together – how they would build a better future together. Merlin had stood diligently by Arthur's side, nodding his ascent, and hiding his growing fear of the situation at hand. And then one day, quite out of the blue, as far as Merlin was concerned, Arthur announced that once he was crowned King, he would make Merlin Court Sorcerer.
Merlin had laughed it off, and had done a decent job of hiding the slight tremors that coursed through his frame. The sorcerer would tell himself, that he had nothing to fear. Arthur would never go against his father's beliefs so blatantly, and with so little regard to his reign. Arthur's proposition was simply fanciful thinking on the Prince's part. The idea would leave his mind sooner or later, in favour of whatever new trinket that caught his attention – nothing to worry about.
Nothing at all.
Unfortunately, Merlin had underestimated Arthur's ability to follow through on his promise.
The poor dear had gotten the shock of his life, when the newly crowned King called him forward. In that moment, it truly struck Merlin. That clotpole was actually going to go through with his intentions, and name Merlin court sorcerer. The royal idiot was actually going to reveal Merlin's identity, in a room that was not only full of nobles and dignitaries, who have been known to be prejudiced against magic – but in a roomful of sword happy knights. Some of whom, such as Sir Greer, would not think twice about cutting him down, all whilst sporting a wolfish grin.
Needless to say, instinct took over, and Merlin found himself making a dash for the exit.
With great presence of mind, and cautious footwork, King Arthur stalked his frightened prey. The sorcerer made for a good chase, and eluded him a number of times over the next several minutes. But eventually, Merlin had run himself into a dead end, and was left trapped, dreading his fate.
Arthur smirked.
Merlin pleaded and begged as Arthur all but dragged him along the empty corridors. The sorcerer tried to make Arthur grasp the severity of the situation in which he had placed Merlin. He tried to remind the king of the realm's views of sorcery, and how the current state of events would only lead to Merlin's untimely demise. But Arthur would have none of it.
The King simply kept dragging Merlin forward, bruising the scruff of the poor boy's neck in the process. Once reaching the throne room, Merlin was unceremoniously shoved inside. Regaining his composure, King Arthur soon followed.
The audience twittered about, and gazed on eagerly, anxious for the conclusion of the current drama. The knights gazed on; worried frowns pulling at their features as Arthur determinately hauled Merlin towards the throne. All this, despite the fact that it was obvious for all to see, that the poor lad wanted nothing more than to leave the throne room… and perhaps never come back.
With a curt nod in their direction, the new King ordered his most loyal knights – Sir Lancelot, Sir Gwaine, Sir Elyan, Sir Leon and Sir Percival – to hold Merlin in place as Arthur ascended to his throne. They were all reluctant to follow through on the order, and couldn't quite bring themselves to hold down their friend, when Merlin was clearly so distraught. Instead, the five opted to surround his person, making it impossible for him to escape. As Gwaine nudged Merlin in his ribs, trying to get him to laugh at another one of his jokes, the Sorcerer resigned himself to his abysmal fate.
Without further ado, Arthur set about returning the ceremony on its due course. He spoke about the Great Purge, and how it came about. He spoke of how a sorceress named Nimueh had tricked his father, and how magic had killed his mother. But he also spoke of how his father had unjustly treated those with magic. How he had harmed and killed innocent men and women. How Uther had drowned children, and newborns alike, on his quest to assuage his guilt over the death of his wife. Arthur told his people, that although he loved his father, and that he did believe that Uther was a good King in his own right, he also believed that the man had abused his power. That instead of taking responsibility for his own mistakes, Uther blamed them on others, and set about annihilating an entire race, though the vast majority were innocent of any wrong doings.
Whispers erupted throughout the Hall.
Reprimands where voiced by several egotistical, prejudiced nobles – each keen upon emphasizing their self-imagined import upon matters of the Kingdom. Others, who had lost loved ones during the purge, but kept quiet out of fear, appeared uncertain as to how to react to King Arthur's speech. They stood, disgruntled, uncertain and nervous as Sir Greer and other nobles of prejudiced inclinations reprimanded the new King. These same nobles, however, were more than willing to forgive King Arthur, and file away this unsavory instance under the folly of youth – and as an action of yet untested King, eager to mark his reign apart from that of his father's in some foolish fashion or another. So long as the King retracted his speech, and admitted his imprudence in this matter. The rest of the congregation flittered about, confused as to how they should react, for they had no opinion of their own.
Undoubtedly, King Arthur's current agenda set their carefully constructed moral compass into a tailspin.
The knights themselves remained stoic throughout the chaos that surrounded them. They noted the increased trembling in Merlin's form, and his rapid panting breath, but were unsure of what to make of it. Arthur stood in front his throne looking down at Merlin, trying to coax the Sorcerer into meeting his gaze from a distance.
Merlin bit his lip.
Arthur sighed, and called the room to order, "With the ban on magic having been lifted, I believe that the most prudent course of action at this juncture would be to appoint a Court Sorcerer," Arthur paused momentarily as the din of the audience's chatter threatened to overpower him.
Despite the commotion, the King bravely carried on, "the Court Sorcerer will oversee the establishment of any laws concerning the magical population as well as monitor any individual who may wish to cause harm to the realm of Camelot. He will also be made available for any advisory role the court might require on situations regarding magic."
The pandemonium increased, as the prejudiced realised that they were not going to get their way. They began throwing explicatives about, swearing that King Arthur would regret his decisions, and that such a brash course of action would surely lead to Camelot's downfall. The knights stood their ground, ready to defend their King if necessary.
"Silence!" Arthur thundered, his ire obviously irked, "My decision is final, and no matter how many of you might be displeased with the outcome of my reign, I will not be swayed," the King proceeded to glare at his subjects in a most intimidating manner, "Now then, if you are all quite finished, I would like to present to you Merlin, Court Sorcerer of Camelot."
... Blessed silence.
The nobles and dignitaries remained frozen upon their stoops, most in an utterly undignified pose. The Knights themselves looked upon their newly crowned King as if he had suddenly grown a second head. In the distance, a couple of pigeons could be heard twittering about, though Arthur ignored all of this. He kept his eyes on Merlin's trembling form, as the sorcerer finally lifted his head, and met his King's gaze.
Merlin sighed as he gazed upon Arthur's earnest features. He swallowed back his fear of sword totting knights with a taste for magical blood, and set his eyes aglow.
The End…
For Now