sequal to "knight, warlock, prince." it would really help your brain if you read that first as this whole story is continued from that fic and is chockablock with oc's featured in it.

now i know what you are thinking:"what! W H A T ! ! ! ! but you said you wouldn't post anything yet!" rule one peeps the dr lies :D so yeah it wasn't entirely a lie, after this prolog it WILL be some time before i post the next bit. but i had finnished this and it was laying about not doing anything and i was bored of not posting lol

summery(might be a long one): at the end of 'knight warlock prince' uthur died protecting merlin and arthur, his last words "trust in merlin he knows" spured arthur on to offically name merlin as his brother. merlin now not only is a prince but his magic is widely accepted if not welcomed. he and arthur know what their destiny is, they know where they are supposed to end up thing is, its the gettign there that prooves troublesome. Morganna pendragon has been stripped of her name and title now a ragged traveller called morgan le fey she is weakend and has nothing, but this makes her dangerous and evenin her weakend state she already is plotting. with new allies and new enemies coming forward, the cold war of albion has started, it will only bring peace, or devistation.

i dont own merlin, i do own my OC's also there are charactors from the legand who appear/haventappeardyet in the show which i had already planned on writeing about i here in my own way so yes this is AU/AT(alternate timeline) but yes i dont own merlin. hope you like!

Prologue

Uthurs funeral was a strange affair the people of Camelot flocked to the court yard and the castle to pay their respects. it was a time of great sadness but there was a buzz about the city, a new king was to be crowned, Arthur the young man they had all come to love and respect, a prince who had all of his fathers beliefs but was willing to listen and learn from those who had something to teach, the prince who befriended a servant and fell in love with a maid. The people's prince. No more obvious was the change noticeable than when the regent allowed a tear to fall in front of his people and uttered the words "he made mistakes, but he was a good king, a good father, a good man, and the world will never fully comprehend what has been lost. I will strive to be a good king for you, I will be the greatest king the world will ever know, and I do it in your name father and for the love of Camelot." The people wept and rejoiced for here was a young king who had his fathers fighting spirit and unyielding courage and his mother's kindness. He would show mercy to those who earned it. The 'servant prince.' Stepped forward. "Uthur welcomed me. He knew was a dragon lord. He knew I was a peasant, he knew I was from Cenred's kingdom but he saw the trust and bond his son and I had and he embraced it, I know you are out there, hiding in the shadows, you people of magic, I know you wish to seen another pendragon dead. I command you to adhere to the dawn king truce. Give him a chance to be the king he means to be before you place the noose around his neck. Merlin's eyes burned gold and the air shivered with magic. "Your enemy is dead, at his end he accepted that in rare cases magic was not evil, you have a victory, let us mourn. If you don't then you will not only have the once and future king to fight." His voice was getting louder carried by magic, "you will face Emrys as well." He muttered a spell and a small wooden dragon he held in his palm sprung to life and settled on uthurs chest, to protect him in the afterlife.

Merlin sat in the empty physician's chambers, Gaius had been moved to one of the towers. The young warlock had never felt so powerless, Gaius had chosen his path. It hade saved his life but at such a great cost. "You must not dwell dear heart." Merlin looked up at the door and saw his mother looking tired. "We can not know how long your uncle will be in the deep sleep for. All we can do is make sure he is comfortable" Merlin sighed. "Has that been taken care of?" he asked her she smiled "oh my darling you can be vague have you not noticed my clothes?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Merlin, my sister is disowned, my father dead, my cousin refuses to stake his rightful claim" he turned towards the young warlock. "You are my brother by blood. You are by law now a prince of Camelot. You are heir to the throne." Merlin shook his hand where the scar that marked them as blood brothers was, Arthur raised his eyebrow at the movement before laughing at his 'brother' "Merlin! You can't shake my blood out of your hand." Merlin glared at the king. "Fine but my mother doesn't need frills and finery to wear she likes being a peasant, I liked being a peasant."

Arthurs smile turned sad. "Merlin we are brothers now, you can not be a servant or peasant any more and as for your mothers new wardrobe, my mother died at birth, my father died in my arms, my sister is a psychopath and the man who pretty much raised me in fathers absence, is in a magic induced coma. So excuse me for treating the only parental figure I have left to some nice clothes." Merlin bowed and left the room.

"No" Gwaine said as he swung the sword. "Please?" Gwaine raised his shield blocking the blow before responding. "Merlin please leave me be! " he growled as he swung the sword more viciously watching the blue ripples spread from Merlin's wrist as the warlock's shield of magic blocked his strike. "But your mother was uthurs sister! You are a bona fide prince of Camelot, if you'd only step forward and stake your claim" Gwaine, was tired of this conversation, he was already uncomfortable being a knight, a noble, now Merlin was pestering him to become a royal. "For the last time sire, no!" Merlin went still so Gwaine guessed they were done training. "But you haven't seen the clothes he wants me to wear, the duties I have to attend!" Gwaine smirked. "Why do you think I'm so determined to avoid being a prince." His smile grew larger at the look of indignation on the prince's face. "Well if you must be a stubborn mule sir Gwaine" Merlin's eyes went gold and Gwaine felt the grass latch on to his feet trapping him, he went to protest but all that came out was a donkey's bray. Merlin winked at him wandered off.

Gwen was stood next to her window smiling while Jane sat on a stool by her feet fixing the lady's hem while laughing hysterically. "Did he really trap him in the grass and give him a donkey bray?" Gwen asked the new arrival who had entered the room recounting the incident breathlessly having laughed herself sore. "Oh yes, Gwaine's face when I released him was priceless, he declared his undying love for me then ran down the tavern to calm his nerves." Bellanor was leaning against the bed post. "Well you could do worse, he is a prince" Gwen said with a calculated smile. "Not that he'll admit he is" she replied. "Could your Malcolm talk to him?" Bellanor asked Jane who preceded to stab herself with a needle and squeaked "what no not my Malcolm no what?" blushing furiously she looked up at Gwen who was now trying desperately to not laugh. Jane smiled weakly at her friend. "Shush you."

Cenred's knuckles were white on his throne as he looked at the ragged woman standing in front of him. "You must bide your time my friend. With out morgouse I'm not strong enough to aid you yet, or you me." He growled. "The degenerates father murdered the woman I love his vile offspring will pay" Morgan sighed. "I have been stripped of my power, name and anonymity. I dare not tread within Camelot's borders, I take a risk even being here." Cenred looked at her, she looked sickly thin and pale but he could see the magic, the power bubbling inside her. "Surely he poses no threat to you?" he said standing up, and walking towards her. "You did not see the fury in his eyes." Now he was close to her he saw she was shaking with fear. "Arthur is no threat to you." He said firmly. She looked him in the eye. "Not Arthur. Merlin, his eyes" she shuddered "his eyes haunt my dreams."

Tristain felt the tears flow as the sword pressed against his neck. "I had a right to know!" the force behind the words shook his bones, "how was I supposed to tell you! Tell Arthur!" he shouted back. His otherworldly blue eyes full or remorse. "oh hi Merlin, Arthur, by the way my evil witch of a mother, who cursed my sister, is also the woman who got queen Igrain killed and who you killed Merlin, thanks for that by the way." he said, his words dripped with sarcasm. "I had a right to know" Merlin repeated, his eyes glowing gold moments before the air froze and Tristain's armour cracked under the change in temperature. Tristain nodded and apologised again, he reached out to touch Merlin but the prince flinched away and walked away. Tristain placed a hand to the cut on his neck before he walked in the opposite direction.

"We haven't heard the last of Morgan." Merlin said looking across the table at his blood brother. "You said you banished her a long way away." Arthur said puzzled, usually he would have scolded Merlin for bringing up the subject of his sister, but he could tell Merlin was tired and in no state to be shouted at. "I did but I left her the amulet required to teleport, she is likely to visit her old ally Cenred even if its to tell him to tread carefully. You've said it your self Cenred isn't one to act unless he can be certain things will most likely go his way. They only killed your father because they separated the two of us and distracted your knights, and even that didn't go to plan. They hadn't counted on the king knowing and tolerating my magic. The fact I could openly protect him gave him the chance he needed to kill morgouse" Merlin sighed, "she is likely more angry and furious than she has ever been but now she has the blood guard to follow her orders, its likely she may try and send them in to deal with us." Arthur took a sip from his tankard. "You know I think I preferred it when you were just a bumbling servant" he smiled weakly. "Well its your own fault, you're the one who decided it would be a good idea to make me your 'brother' and prince."

Bellanor sat next to her brother on the highest roof of the citadel, she knew he came here where no one with out magic could reach when he wanted to be alone. It amused her that he had forgotten he had a twin sister who had magic as well. "Have you spoken to Tristain?" she asked quietly, he harrumphed and shrugged his shoulders before shaking his head. "I loved his sister, I burnt her body out in the lake, and I killed his mother. Every time I see him at the moment I'm reminded of the sadness of Freya, and the horror of what nimueh did, so determined to bring about the birth of the once and future king that she tricked uthur and Igrain into using magic to ensure he was born. She started the purge and then she ran away and let the chaos happen. She cursed her own daughter, she killed Gaius so I killed her." Bellanor could feel the tears coming. "Every time I look at him recently, I'm filled with unwavering sadness, guilt and rage." Bellanor pulled her brother into a hug.

"You're not mad are you? I wouldn't ask but." Lancelot and Galahad were standing in the council chamber facing King Arthur, prince Merlin and Hunith. Arthur sat at the head of the table with the other two sitting either side of him. "Ealdor is a safe haven nowadays, as it was in the purge." Hunith spoke after getting a nod form Arthur. "I could get her work and a home there for now, until things are more settled." Galahad spoke up "ealdor is in Cenred's kingdom. I wouldn't want to risk my sister's safety, she is the only mother I have ever know, as Lancelot is the closest thing I will ever have to a father." Merlin spoke this time. "I am the most powerful being of magic ever to live, one day my power will over shadow that of even the great dragon. Yet my mother managed to hide me in plain sight within Cenred's kingdom, ealdor may be in his kingdom but it is off the beaten track and close to Camelot's borders, I could easily place an enchantment on something of hers that would call for help if ever she were in danger." Galahad went to speak back before Arthur spoke up finally "Galahad you are one of my knights and the adopted son of one of the few men I trust without hesitation, I would never under any circumstances allow anyone you care for to come to harm, if they did, the hounds of hell themselves would not stop me form avenging them" Galahad nodded "of course sire I meant no disrespect," he bowed and left the room.

"Come on! Arthur it will be amazing. You have done the mandatory two months leader ship. It is time for you to be coroneted properly" Arthur sighed, looking at his father's tomb. "I know but wearing the crown, its slamming the door on father, on his reign. He was a good king." He took a shuddering breath. Placing a gloved hand on the tomb he whispered something under his breath. "He was a good king. You will be better, you have his determination, his conviction, his strength and steadfast beliefs, but you have your mothers kindness, your own mind, and my." Merlin didn't finish his sentence, he didn't need to. Arthur still suffered 'headaches' now and then when the miniscule fragment of Merlin's magic that was in him, in his blood, would come forward. He couldn't cast spells he didn't have visions, he couldn't perform magic, but he heard it, the whispers of magic, he senses things and senses then with such abrupt force that his head felt like it was on fire. "You will be free Merlin, all of your kind, I will grant them amnesty I will repeal fathers laws, you are the light to my sister's shadow, the love to her hate, you deserve to be seen, and heard. You deserve to speak openly and freely to those with magic, help them to see that there must be balance."

"I will kill you all!" the man wielded two serrated swords and was swinging them at the gathered knights. He wore the crest of the blood guards, he was flanked by four more. Arthur was about to draw his own sword when he felt a change in the air pressure and Tristain came flying over their heads and in one swift move took out three of the four. He turned to the two remaining enemy. "I am Tristain son of nimueh, lord of the lakes, I stand by Camelot's side, and I stand by Emrys's side! Leave now or face the consequences. Remind your master, ten of us defeated his ten thousand. Ask him if he really want to fight us without his pet sorceress." The two enemies turned and ran. Tristain turned round trying to look cool, the effect was ruined by Merlin running forward and lifting him up in a hug like he was a dainty maiden. The others gathered burst out laughing, Arthur calmly looked forward. "Mer-lin, put my knight down. Now, you dollop head." The king's tone just made everyone laugh more especially Merlin.

so? anygood? intrigued to reade more? coment and review if you'd like. like i said, after this prolog it will be a while before i post the next chapter. hey, crazy sugestion but while you wait for the next chapter why dont you read the prequal! (why yes that was shameless selfpromotion i appologise.) anyhoo! how are you all finding the new series? exciting huh! agrivane appeares later in this fic, can you keep a secret? in my head he isn't arthurs uncle, shhh, tell no one heheheheheh. also, dyslexic atempting to write so any gramatical or spelling errors that have slipped past, sorry about that.