The first gift came on a random insignificant night. Uther stared down in shock at the note in his hand. He had retired to his chambers after a short dinner with Arthur and Morgana only to find a huge bouquet of red and gold roses on his bedside table. The note attached read:
Good evening, my sweet little gem,
I hope my gift finds you well. This will be the first of many in my attempts to court you. I must admit, you've enchanted me Uther. You are the most attractive man I've ever laid eyes on. I have tried, unsuccessfully, to ignore my attraction to you. But I know what you need, and oh how willing I am to give it to you. Through my courting I wish to prove to you what I'm capable of. If you choose to accept me, I shall lay the world down at your feet.
I'll be thinking of you,
Your Secret Admirer.
The king read the note again for the hundredth time. It didn't stop him from blushing at the note's words. He was honestly confused. At first he had thought the gift had been meant for Morgana, but the use of his name cast away any doubts. He went through the note again, analyzing every line. He was apparently being courted. And by someone who was powerful enough to "lay the world down at your feet". Or maybe they just thought they were that powerful? The gold roses certainly hinted at magic.
So he was being courted by a powerful sorcerer. Or maybe this was just a prank from Arthur and Morgana. In the end, Uther decided to wait it out and see what would happen.
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The second gift came a week later. Once again left for him to find on his bedside table with an adjoining note. The gift had been placed next to the flowers from before, which had never wilted. This time the gift was a silk robe. Uther had had silk robes before of course, but this one had to be magic. It was the finest, softest silk he had ever felt. Upon touching the material he immediately took off his kingly attire and dressed himself in the new robe. He laid on his bed before reading the note.
Good evening once more, my sweet little gem,
I hope you like your new gift, the finest silk robe magic could ever create. Perhaps one day, I'll get the privilege to see you in the robe with nothing else on. I can barely wait to have you in my arms. I know you might still be a little hesitant around magic, but allow me to show you the good it can bring.
I'll be thinking of you,
Your Magic Admirer.
Uther couldn't help but sigh like a love sick fool. Yes, his admirer was a sorcerer, but he couldn't help but love the attention. It had been so long since he had caught someone's eye, and not like this, never like this. The closest thing he ever had to being courted was when he was a prince and one of his father's knights had taken a liking to him. It had been decades since then. He didn't even feel like the most attractive man in Camelot anymore, for certainly if such a man did exist, it was Arthur.
It seemed like that's all the kingdom ever cared about anymore. Arthur, Arthur, Arthur. His son had surpassed him in absolutely everything, and he was a proud father, really. But it did sting sometimes, to know that he was no longer the most loved of his people. This feeling of being courted, chased after, and cherished, felt brand new to him. And Uther couldn't help but revel in the fact that there was still someone out there who desired him.
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The third gift came a week after the second, and Uther couldn't help but be impressed as well as a little wary. He was in the middle of a council meeting with Arthur by his side, when a guard interrupted the meeting.
"Sire, there's an ensemble of carriages that have arrived to the citadel."
"And you thought this was important enough to interrupt a council meeting." Uther asked the man.
"I- I think you're going to want to see this, my lord."
Uther looked at his son, who shrugged. The council made their way to the courtyard, all of them curious to see what was so important. When he finally saw what it was, Uther couldn't hold back a gasp. Five carriages, Four filled to the brim with gold coins. Enough gold to double Camelot's riches. But the last carriage, was filled with what seemed to be precious gemstones. Rubies, diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, and more. The five men who were leading the carriages dismounted their horses and walked towards the king. After they bowed one of them stepped forward.
"Sire, we come bearing gifts from the great warlock Lord Emrys. He sends his regards." The man handed over another letter.
This time his note was sealed with what appeared to be a family crest. But Uther did not know of any family who's crest displayed the symbol of a merlin. He opened the letter, careful not to rip the seal. It would be best to have it inspected later. He tilted the letter so no one around him could read it's contents.
My sweet little gem,
I hope you are pleased with this gift. If you so choose to accept me as your suitor, you shall never want for anything. As I mentioned before, I would lay the world down at your feet. But you wouldn't be the only one benefitting. With me as your partner, Camelot shall never have to suffer through drought, famine, or sickness. Together we can make Camelot the strongest kingdom in all the land.
I'll be thinking of you,
Your lord Emrys
The guards next to him went to arrest the men who had brought the gift, but the king dismissed them.
"Father," His son said to him quietly, "We should at least question the men to see what they know."
Uther paused. "Very well, have the guards question them, but under no circumstances are they to be harmed."
Arthur nodded and the king left. The court financial advisor would count up the total worth of the warlock's gift. Uther would have to see Gaius and Geoffrey to see if they knew anything about this 'Lord Emrys'. He was impressed. In his note the warlock had mentioned that he would lay the world at his feet. Uther wondered where the gold and gems had come from. Surely he wouldn't be gifted stolen goods. But one thing was for sure. With this new addition to Camelot's wealth, his kingdom wouldn't be suffering from hardship anytime soon.
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Or so he thought. The five men who brought the carriages to the citadel were all dead ends. All of them strangers to each other who were paid to bring the treasure to Camelot. When asked about Emrys none of them could remember a thing. Arthur suggested sending a search party to comb the woods for the sorcerer. Uther declined. He knew there would be no way Emrys would be caught, not if he was this powerful.
However, both Emrys and his gift were soon pushed to the back of everyone's thoughts, when a new sickness spread over the land. It was affecting both the crops and the people, and was spreading through Camelot faster than a forest fire. It was a total nightmare.
It would seem that soon all of Emrys' gift would have to be spent on buying food for the upcoming winter from other kingdoms. But with no crops and no people, Uther was deathly afraid for his kingdom's future. He wouldn't cry under any circumstance, but it was a near thing to see such a gift go to waste. After a month of the current affairs Uther was desperate. He was sitting at his desk, frantically working to find a solution to the problem when his thoughts were interrupted by a guard at the door.
"Sire, there's a group of villagers begging for an audience with you. They say it's extremely urgent and that it has to do with the recent sickness in the kingdom. They refuse to say anything more because they were ordered to only speak to you or else they'll be killed."
Uther frowned. He followed the guard to the throne room where the villagers were waiting. There was a group of ten waiting for him. They bowed to their king when he entered. Uther took his place on the throne before acknowledging his citizens.
"Your majesty, we bring news about the sickness." One of the countrymen stepped forward.
"Yes?" He beckoned the man to continue.
Well," he looked behind him to the others who nodded for him to speak, "A few days ago, a man appeared in our village. He said his name was Emrys." Uther froze at the sound of his not-so-secret admirer's name. The man in front of him continued with his retelling.
"He was a sorcerer sire. He said that he would arrive to the citadel two days after we gave you the news, and that he would stand in the courtyard and heal the sickness. H-he," the man hesitated, "He said it would be a gift to you, sire."
"In two days time?" He asked himself. Emrys would be here in two days. And he would finally see the face behind the gifts. Uther didn't know if he was excited or afraid. Probably a little bit of both. He dismissed the villagers and his knights, standing alone in the throne room pondering what he would do.
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Two days had passed and the entire citadel had heard the news of Emrys' plans to come to Camelot. His knights were anxious, ready to snap at the first sign of hostility. Uther was dressed in all of his royal finery, as if he were about to meet another king. He knew that he should be more cautious, that he should've never allowed a sorcerer to get to him like this. But the possibility of being chased after, of being desired...it was too good to pass up. And if in the process he could save his kingdom from the worst famine he had ever seen, well, how could he ever justify turning down help in such a dire situation.
His son and the knights had been in position since dawn, awaiting the famed Emrys. Uther had joined them shortly. He was also excited to finally see what Emrys looked like. Was he tall or short? Old or young? Blond or brunette? Or maybe a ginger? The possibilities were too numerous to consider.
Noon had just passed when all of a sudden there was this bright light in the middle of the square. The man that appeared was hidden underneath a blue hooded cloak. Uther wished the man would reveal himself completely but it was understandable why he hid himself. Emrys was also holding a strange staff in his hand.
Gaius, who had been standing next to him, gasped, "A sidhe staff."
He turned to his physician with a questioning look.
"Emrys must have killed one of the Sidhe in order to get a hold of that staff. The kind of power needed for that is unimaginable."
Uther turned back to the figure in shock.
"It is true." Emrys called out to them, "I am no sorcerer, I am a Warlock. Some say I'm the most powerful one to ever exist."
"Have you come to seek revenge for your kind then?" Uther asked. The king became nervous suddenly. He had killed so many magic users in the very square that Emrys was standing in. There was no way a man like Emrys would want someone like him. There had to be some sort of angle. It had to be some sort of trick.
"I believe I was very clear about the reason for which I have come: to cure this land of the famine that plagues it."
"Why? Why would you help Camelot?"
"Because I would like you, and everyone else here, to witness how magic could be a good thing, a helpful tool. Not all magic is evil, my king, and I am here to prove that to you."
"Well, then," Uther motioned, "What are you waiting for?"
Then Emrys began to chant in the old religion, a blue orb forming above him. And in one swift movement Emrys brought down his staff and the orb slammed into the ground. The resulting flash of light was so bright, everyone near the square had to look away. When the light faded the hooded man was gone and the knights began to scramble in search of him.
"How will we know if Emrys actually cured the famine?" Arthur asked him.
"Send out scouts to all the nearby villages and have them report back to me as soon as possible."
A month later it had been confirmed by scouts from all over the Kingdom. The famine had gone away and now Camelot was benefiting from the most lucrative farming season it had ever seen. They had a surplus of food that would last them for many months to come, if not longer. On the day that the scouts returned to confirm what Emrys had done, Uther found another note on his bedside table.
My sweet little gem,
I am glad that the people of Camelot are safe once more and that I could show you for once that magic can be used for good. If the people of Camelot were free to practice magic, I guarantee that you would be the king of the most powerful kingdom in all of existence. And with me by your side, we would be unstoppable.
I'll be thinking of you,
Your lord Emrys
Uther wondered briefly if he was being taken advantage of. If Emrys was only pretending to want him in order to convince him to repeal the magic ban. Perhaps Emrys was right in that magic could be very useful. But was it safe? Uther decided that he wouldn't make a decision until he had the chance to speak with Emrys face to face.
A/N: Hi guys! let me know if you'd like to see another chapter of this! Tell me what you think!