A/N: So I wrote this song, and then decided that there really needed to be some story revolving around it...
I don't own Merlin
Arthur, Merlin and the knights were all gathered around the fire. The patrol had been entirely uneventful thus far, so Gwaine decided to serenade everyone with bawdy drinking songs. Leon jokingly covered Mordred's ears, but Mordred claimed that he had heard far worse.
After a few songs, Gwaine turned to Mordred. "Say, you used to be a druid, didn't you?"
Mordred glanced at Arthur. "Uh…"
Arthur waved a hand. "It's all right, Mordred. I swore an oath several years ago that I would treat the druid people with respect. You have given me no reason not to trust you."
"Right then," Mordred muttered. He cleared his throat and spoke louder. "Yes, I used to be a druid."
"That's great!" Gwaine said enthusiastically. "Know any druid songs you can sing for us?"
"Uh…one…but I really don't think you want to hear it," Mordred said uncomfortably.
"Oh come on, sing it!" Elyan encouraged.
"How bad could it be?" Percival added.
"No really, it's…not a fun song," Mordred warned.
"Well now I'm curious," Leon said. "Don't just leave us hanging."
"Fine," Mordred sighed. "You asked for it." He began singing an upbeat tune that did not match the words at all.
"Hush now my child, dragon men are coming
Hush now my child, time for you to start running
Never let them catch you or you know what they'll do
They will put an end to the child that is you
Steal away, steal away, ere they throw you down the well
Beware of the dragon king who'll send us all to hell
Gwaine's semi-drunken smile faded as he realized what the song was about.
"Hush now my child, dogs have started baying
Hush now my child, you cannot here be staying
If you tarry, they will come and then you will be found
If you tarry, they will come and put you in the ground
Steal away, steal away, ere they throw you down the well
Beware of the dragon king who'll send us all to hell
Elyan flinched at the memory of the druid spirit that had possessed him.
"Hush now my child, hear the sound approaching
Hush now my child, dragon men encroaching
We have only moments now, we must be going soon
We have only moments to avert your watery doom
Steal away, steal away, ere they throw you down the well
Beware of the dragon king who'll send us all to hell
Percival looked around, seeing that the other knights all looked as sickened as he felt. Merlin, on the other hand, had a very strange expression on his face.
"Hush now my child, see the men appearing
Hush now my child, our deaths they will be cheering
Take care where you put your feet, lest their traps ensnare you
Never let yourself believe that they would ever spare you
Steal away, steal away, ere they throw you down the well
Beware of the dragon king who'll send us all to hell
Leon stared determinedly at his feet, unable to bring himself to meet Mordred's eyes.
"Hush now my child, dragon men are here
Hush now my child, never show your fear
Though it seems there's no escape as dragon men are frowning
Know that you will soon be free, as you lie there drowning
Steal away, steal away, still they throw you down the well
Beware of the dragon king who sent us all to hell"
Once Mordred was done, the silence seemed to stretch on forever. Finally, Arthur spoke in a quiet voice. "Is that really how druids see the knights of Camelot? How they saw my father?"
"Yes, Sire," Mordred replied, equally quietly. "Your father's men would attack us entirely without provocation. Or he would attack first and ask questions…well, never. When Morgana sought my clan for help, your father attacked us. I get the impression he believed she had been kidnapped. I was only ten, and I was very nearly killed. All I had tried to do was flee the fighting, they had no reason to attack me except that I was a druid."
"That is not how I rule," Arthur asserted. "I have left your people alone."
Seeing the guilty expression on Arthur's face, Mordred decided to risk speaking his mind. "But magic remains outlawed, and so they still live in fear. You do not hunt them, but neither do you welcome them. Magic is an integral part of druid culture. We continue to hide because we can still be executed for who and what we are."
Another long silence followed this speech, again broken by Arthur. "Mordred…you said 'we'."
Mordred felt the color drain from his face. "I—habit, Sire, I was a druid for much of my life."
"But we already know you were a druid, Mordred, so how are you 'continuing to hide'? Unless…" Arthur's eyes widened. "You said magic is an integral part of their culture. You were taught magic, weren't you?"
Mordred bowed his head. "I give you my word, Sire, I have not practiced it since I came to Camelot."
There was yet another long silence. "Then you have not broken the law, and there is no further need to discuss this," Arthur concluded.
Merlin spoke up. "Arthur…under your father's rule, Mordred would be executed purely for the ability to practice magic, and you have not changed the law. I think there is further need to discuss this."
Arthur turned to give Merlin an incredulous look. "Are you suggesting I execute one of my trusted knights?"
"No," Merlin said quickly, somewhat surprised to realize he was defending Mordred. "I'm suggesting you revise the law so that it does not demand the death of well-meaning citizens who merely have an ability that other citizens lack."
"Well-meaning citizens…with magic," Arthur said flatly.
"You yourself just called Mordred one of your trusted knights," Merlin pressed on. "And technically, he has magic. And despite not actively breaking the law, he has been afraid to confide this fact in people who are supposed to be his friends because he fears that they would turn on him. What if there are others? People who were taught magic when they were too young to question what they were learning? People who live peacefully, but hide who they are even from their closest friends because the law demands their deaths?"
"You sound very passionate about this, Merlin," Arthur noted.
It was Merlin's turn to feel the color drain from his face. It took a few moments for him to come up with an excuse. "My friend Will was a sorcerer, remember? We were best friends and we didn't even live inside Camelot's borders, but I had to find out by accident. He was too scared to tell me."
Arthur gave Merlin a thoughtful look. "Why did he learn magic? He wasn't a druid, was he?"
"No," Merlin said, staring into the fire and avoiding everyone's gaze. "He was born with it. He didn't have a choice."
"He was, or you were?" Percival asked quietly. Arthur, Merlin and Mordred all jumped; they had forgotten the other knights were there. "The look on your face during that song, Merlin…you grew up hearing the same warnings, didn't you?"
Merlin said nothing, seeming almost to fold in on himself. It was clear that he was afraid to answer, which was an answer in and of itself.
"Right before that battle, you wanted to tell me something," Arthur realized. "You weren't trying to tell me about your friend, you were trying to tell me about yourself, weren't you. Will decided to take the fall because he was already dying and there was nothing anyone—nothing I could do to him."
Merlin remained silent for a long time. "Yes," he finally whispered.
Yet another long silence, which was apparently a theme that evening. "You've been my servant for nearly ten years, and you never once thought you could tell me?" Arthur asked quietly.
"I wanted to, but…my very existence breaches a law you are sworn to uphold," Merlin explained, still staring at the fire. "I didn't want to force you to pass judgment on me."
"That's what worried you?" Arthur said, surprised.
Merlin finally broke into a small smile. "Well, I've broken out of Camelot's dungeons multiple times with ease, so execution itself wasn't quite so much of a concern."
"Broken out…with magic?" Arthur demanded. "Have you practiced magic in Camelot?"
"Only for you, Arthur," Merlin said seriously. "I've told you before, you don't know how many times I've saved your life."
"So tell me," Arthur prompted. "Tell me all the reasons why I should revise the laws on magic."
"It's a very long story," Merlin warned.
"I've got all night," Arthur said calmly.
"All right, then." Merlin took a deep breath. "When I arrived in Camelot, the first thing I saw was an execution…"
(And when they return to Camelot, Arthur lifts the ban and they all live happily ever after. The end.)
A/N: Please do not make arrangements of the song. I did write a tune, but that was hard to convey in a text-based medium.