A/N: Hi again, everyone. This is my second Merlin fanfic, and I wanted to try my hand at something different. This story is slightly AU, especially after Season 2, and the style is a bit of an experiment for me - but I quite like how it turned out. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.
The Prince and the Servant
There is a great city in the land of Albion – indeed, its capital – called Camelot, that is the marvel of the medieval world. Stories of this fair city, with its formidable walls and tall spires, and its magnificent palace and bustling town, have been told far and wide throughout the land of Albion. There are stories of legend, of a sword in a stone, which could only be pulled out, and only ever wielded by, one king; of a conspiring of fates converging on the city because of the great destiny it bears, as spoken of in the prophecies. There are accounts of history, of the first King Brutë and how he came to the land by ship from the doomed city of Troy, and of how King Uther finally conquered the various squabbling tribes and united them into one great kingdom. There are tales of horror, of the Great Purge that nearly wiped out all magic, of the catastrophic civil war that raged before Uther came to the throne. There are accounts of the city's greatness, of its wealthy economy and lucrative trade, of its elite ranks of noble knights who are regarded as the best in the land.
There is, also, the tale of the Prince and the Servant, a story that began well before the recent time when people started speaking of it, a narrative that has been passed around by word of mouth from citizen to citizen for almost four years now.
As the people tell it, during King Uther's reign, there came to Camelot a young boy from the small border village of Ealdor just inside the kingdom of Escetia. This boy was not the most handsome of men – he was skinny, paler than should be healthy, with overly large ears that protruded from his head with prominence. Yet he had about him an endearing charm, and something about his raven-dark hair and cerulean blue eyes attracted people to him. Despite that, however, by all accounts, there was nothing extraordinary about this boy whatsoever. This was not true, of course, as was later proved.
The boy was taken in to live with the King's royal physician, Gaius, who was in some way related to him through his mother. Within a day of arriving in the city, he saved the life of the King's son, Prince Arthur, and was forthwith appointed servant to the Prince for his noble and heroic deed.
By all accounts, the Prince and his new servant disliked each other with a passion. Reports from the citizens of Camelot attest that on the very day the boy arrived, he not only insulted Prince Arthur in public, but utterly humiliated him in front of his peers by refusing to accord him the respect due to one of his station. The same witnesses speak of a street brawl between the two, during which the Prince, normally so sure on his feet, tripped over various objects a somewhat alarming number of times.
Still, gradually, the Prince and his servant learned to get along, and their initial dislike turned into a mutual respect. It was around this time that the boy, previously relatively unknown, became known to the palace staff and Camelot's general populace as Merlin, manservant to the Prince, and ward of the royal physician.
The relationship between Prince Arthur and Merlin was never a conventional one; indeed, the two shared a friendship that was unlike any other between master and servant. Merlin, for some reason, was undaunted by the fact that Arthur was royalty, and constantly talked back to him, arguing, pushing his point, complaining about his chores, and calling the Prince unflattering and hitherto undiscovered names. The Prince, for his part, was unusually tolerant, even engaging in banter with Merlin and making empty threats that were never carried out. Their quarrels, so claim the Camelotians, however, were legendary. Arthur, especially, was known to have a tendency to throw the closest object at his convenience with unerring aim at Merlin's head whenever he was displeased with the servant's behaviour. Yet all agree, that from the time Merlin entered his life, the young Prince started changing, maturing from a brash, arrogant youth to a courageous and honourable man.
The story continues to tell of Arthur and Merlin's adventures together – far too many to list, let alone fully describe, in one sitting. Nevertheless, the tales of their many exploits – such as that of the poisoned chalice, the unkillable wraith of Arthur's uncle, the horrific sleeping sickness that overtook Camelot in the second year of their acquaintance, the vengeful rampage of the Great Dragon, and countless others – are widely known, told in many chapters by those who know it, and told so often that they are as familiar to the people as their own lives. The reason for this is the very fact that, ever since Merlin's arrival in Camelot, that fair city has attracted the attention of more sorcerers, magical beasts, plagues, and curses than any of the other kingdoms put together – and always, the day is saved, in some form, shape, or way, by Arthur and Merlin. Occurrences like those tend to inspire the imaginations of the people, and encourage them to pay special attention to the doings of the Prince and his servant.
The narrative, which has at this point approached legend, then describes a dramatic turning point, an event that has an undeniable bearing on everything that happens after it. When an assassin infiltrates the throne room one day, Merlin is revealed, through his attempt to safeguard not only Arthur's life, but also the King's, to be a powerful sorcerer – a warlock, he claimed, in possession of innate and potent magic since birth. Naturally, King Uther, having made it his life's work to eradicate all vestiges of magic in Camelot, immediately ordered Merlin's arrest, despite the fact that the boy had just saved his life and that of his son's with his magic, while Arthur looked on, shocked to the core and hurtfully betrayed by one he'd thought was his friend. Merlin attempted to plead his innocence, saying he had only ever used magic to protect Camelot and Arthur, but his protests fell on deaf ears. Uther had Merlin incarcerated in the deepest, darkest, coldest dungeon in the castle, as befitted one who had so thoroughly betrayed the trust of the royal household by being a secret sorcerer despite his honoured position as the Prince's manservant. King Uther, perhaps rightfully, felt that Merlin represented what had always been his deepest fear: an enemy right under their noses, hiding in plain sight so close to the royal family, pretending to be a loyal and trustworthy subject while all along committing treasonous offences and practicing the forbidden art of magic. Such a person was, in Uther's eyes, the most dangerous enemy there was, and he felt compelled to make a firm and immediate example of him.
So it was that Merlin, the Prince's manservant, was sentenced to death by fire; for his crimes, he would burn at the stake the very next morning. Gaius, as well as the King's own ward, the Lady Morgana, a beautiful and spirited young woman, tried to appeal to Uther to lessen the sentence to banishment and permanent exile, citing Merlin's saving of both his and Arthur's lives as grounds to be merciful, but the King would have none of it. Merlin would burn, he said, at first light tomorrow. Upon his adamant declaration, the Lady Morgana disowned herself from his acquaintance and ceased speaking to him, refusing to even look at the man who had been a second father to her. Gaius was not so extreme in his objection, stern as his disapproval might be – he continued to prevail upon Uther, begging him to change Merlin's sentence for him, the King's old and loyal friend, for he had come to care for the boy as if he were his own son, and could not bear to see his death. Uther staunchly refused, and Gaius turned to Arthur.
The Prince 's state of mind was a bewildering muddle of emotions, and he did not immediately respond to the despairing physician's pleas – but eventually, moved by Gaius's persistent entreaties on behalf of his ward, born out of a sincere love for the boy, and remembering for himself how loyal and true a friend Merlin had been to him, Arthur conceded to listen to his accounts of the numerous times Merlin had used his gift for the good of Camelot. Gaius was in an excellent position to reveal the entire tale to Arthur, as Merlin confided every detail in him, and his testimony served to cement Arthur's instinctive belief that Merlin, no matter that he was magic, was a good man, loyal to Camelot and faithful to him.
Arthur knew his father would not be swayed, and so he took matters into his own hands. Together with Gaius, Morgana, and Morgana's maid Guinevere, a kind and gentle-hearted girl with her own brand of beauty, he concocted a plan that would enable Merlin's escape. However, when Arthur sent Guinevere to Merlin's cell to inform the boy of the plan, Merlin smiled sadly and thanked her, but requested that she tell Arthur not to go through with it. Despite the maiden's many pleas and persuasions for Merlin to let them help him, the young warlock gently but insistently refused, and Guinevere, in tears, retreated to inform Arthur of Merlin's decision. Frustrated and worried, Arthur, in direct defiance of his father's orders – for Uther had had the foresight to forbid his son from visiting Merlin – himself snuck down to the dungeons and all but demanded that Merlin follow the escape plan he, Gaius, Morgana, and Guinevere had laid out. Merlin would not commit, and instead asked why the Prince was so intent on saving his life, to which Arthur replied, in words that have now become famous, "Because you're my friend, idiot!"
They were words that unlocked the emotions in Arthur's heart, and in a few sentences following, he revealed to Merlin the depth of his care for him and told him that he was the best friend he had ever had. Arthur made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that if Merlin were to die, he would never forgive himself. Merlin, so the story goes, said nothing for a long while. When he finally spoke again, he looked Arthur directly in the eye and asked if he forgave him for his magic. Arthur impulsively replied that there was nothing to forgive, and was startled to find that this was true. In that moment, Merlin realised that Arthur had accepted him for who he was, and Arthur knew he would never again be the same. Gone was his father's insistence that all magic was evil; the veil had been lifted from his eyes, and Arthur knew he would fight with all he had for Merlin, Uther be damned. He said as much to Merlin, who looked horrified, saying that he could not live with himself if he made Arthur choose between him and his father. To that end, Merlin told Arthur, he had resigned himself to his fate, and he pleaded with Arthur not to interfere.
Arthur, of course, was having none of it. He had come to the dungeons with the sole intention of making Merlin realise that he was being an idiot and forcing him to follow the plan that would ensure his survival, and he was determined to do precisely that. But Merlin was stubbornness incarnate; he refused to budge even an inch, and at last Arthur, in despair, angrily demanded if he wanted to die.
Now, Merlin, knowing he would have but one chance to say this right, took some time to form his words before replying, "I'm not ready to stop working for you, Arthur, but still, know that I am happy to be your servant, till the day I die." To anyone else, the above quote would have been a final goodbye, but Merlin had said those words to his master once before, and Arthur recognised them and inferred the message hidden in them. And so, with one last parting nod and a quiet word of assent that was full of unspoken emotions, the Prince left the dungeon, knowing full well it would be the last time he would see his manservant.
The next day, a great commotion arose when King Uther discovered that Merlin had escaped during the night, leaving his cell utterly empty. Furious, Uther raged at the guards, berated them for allowing such a notorious prisoner to escape, and punished them severely for their failure. Then he called to the throne room the Prince, the Lady Morgana, and Gaius, and questioned them all with barely suppressed anger, demanding to know if they had anything to do with Merlin's escape and warning them that if they insisted on harbouring the boy, there would be grave consequences. Fortunately, since Merlin's escape had been entirely self-engineered, Arthur, Morgana, and Gaius could all truthfully swear oaths on just about anything that they had not done a thing to help Merlin. Uther no doubt noticed the thinly veiled disappointment in Arthur's voice, the vehement coldness in Morgana's denial, and the barely present betrayal in Gaius's quiet negative – but he was satisfied by their oaths and stiffly gave them leave to retire. They did so, each harbouring a new bitterness against the King, however slight, for his readiness to execute one who had done nothing but prove his loyalty and faithfulness time and time again.
Months passed without a whisper from Merlin, though Uther sent out countless patrols to locate and capture the missing warlock. Eventually, when war broke out with Cenred's kingdom Escetia eight months after Merlin had fled, Uther was forced to end the search in order to concentrate on the war effort.
It was a hopeless battle from the start; King Cenred, unlike Uther, recognised the usefulness of magic and had thus procured for an ally the sorceress Morgause (although perhaps it was the other way round, but no matter), a High Priestess of the Old Religion and the Lady Morgana's half-sister. Morgause's magic combined with the might of Cenred's men proved to be a more than formidable adversary for even the Knights of Camelot, and Uther was forced to make several large concessions to Lord Bayard, sovereign of the neighbouring kingdom of Mercia, in exchange for an alliance that was Camelot's only hope of survival against Escetia's advancing armies.
The war raged for over two years, during which time Camelot was in a state of constant anxiety, and much blood was shed. Many horrible things occurred, some even to the royal household – Arthur was nearly assassinated five times; Morgana was kidnapped by Morgause and made to suffer through various tactics employed to cause her to change her allegiance, and when she would not yield, Cenred had her tortured almost to the point of death before she was rescued by Arthur; Gaius, too, was captured and tortured for information, and kept as a prisoner by Cenred and Morgause for almost the entire last year of the war; and eventually, King Uther himself was killed, struck down by Cenred's own sword on the field of battle.
Arthur, now King of Camelot, seeing that there was only one way to win the war, challenged Cenred to a fight to the death, with a promise of surrender from whichever party lost. Cenred, against Morgause's wishes, accepted, eager to bolster his standing by ending the Pendragon line. However, it was Arthur who ultimately prevailed. After an intense duel, he killed Cenred, and Morgause, bound by her word as a High Priestess, was forced to give up the attack and cede the war to Camelot. She retreated with a promise to return with vengeance.
A razed Camelot joyfully crowned Arthur King while simultaneously mourning the death of Uther, then set to work beginning the long, arduous process of rebuilding. Arthur, too, threw himself into the work of restoration, all the while wondering if, now that he was King, Merlin would return.
For the next year, Arthur spent every day looking for Merlin's return. He ruled his people like a true king should, and no one would ever presume to fault his fulfillment of his duty to his kingdom, but it became clear that he was waiting for something, and the people were well aware of what it was. Each day that brought no sign of Merlin crushed Arthur's hopes a little more, and though he never faltered in his obligations to Camelot, he began to change. The war and the incessant waiting for a warlock who never came had taken its toll. Arthur became more reserved, quieter, more stoic. He grew distant, quite unlike the concerned and brave prince he had been. In the later months of that first year, Morgana often ruled in his stead when he felt too weary to do so himself; and although he had taken Guinevere to wife in the second month after his coronation, without Merlin to relieve the burdens of the crown, Arthur became a shell of his former self, retreating further and further into himself as the weeks passed.
Now, a full four years since the disappearance of the warlock, King Arthur of Camelot is still waiting for the return of Merlin, and, by now, so are the rest of the people in his kingdom. To that end, the story of the Prince and the Servant has become the most well-known tale to the citizens of Camelot, and they in turn pass it on to the people of other realms. All in Camelot are awaiting the return of the Servant, none more so than the King himself. For, since the day of Merlin's disappearance, rumours have sprung from various sources, some magical, some mundane, of the great destiny that surrounds both the former Prince and his Servant. It is a belief well-cherished by many that the Servant, the Warlock, will return, and when he does, magic will flourish once again, and Arthur will become the greatest King to ever live, and will unite the Five Kingdoms into a single magnificent nation, an Albion of legend.
And it is here that the story, though by no means complete, ends, for there is nothing left to tell; the fabled narrative has reached the current point in history, and the famed tale of the Prince and the Servant is but waiting to be finished.
A/N: Never fear, there is a sequel coming to this, The Warlock and the King, which should be up shortly. In the meantime, what do you think?