1.
It's been three years since Merlin was taken hostage.
Clusters of storm clouds had been lingering in the sky for almost a week, the good people in Camelot could barely enjoy any winter sun. Icicles were hanging under the eaves. Doors and windows clattered and clicked as wind swept all the way down the alleys and the markets in lower town. The wind was so harsh and bitter that when it was howling and whimpering and gusted up into the royal castle, it sounded like a sad lament of the ancient tribes.
"The touch of winter blizzards feels like a sharp blade." This was just a meaningless metaphor for Merlin when he was living in the warm south. But now he got it. In the north, this was exactly how it felt like when a blast of wind slapped on his face. It hurt like a blade.
It's been THREE YEARS. It's been three years since he had lost everything and grounded in the West Tower in Arthur Pendragon's castle.
Three years ago, Uther Pendragon led his army into the final battle with the King of Druid Balinor Ermrys. Both Uther and Balinor died. The Crown Prince of Camelot Arthur Pendragon led the rest of the army and won the battle. With Arthur's help, Lady Morgana succeeded the throne of Druid. By doing so, the Kingdom of Druid was taken from the House of Emrys and fell under the reign of House of Pendragon.
Knights and lords in Druids were forced to swear allegiance to their new queen Morgana, and those who refused to do so were beheaded brutally. It was a slaughter. Arthur never thought he'd kill people just because they were loyal, honest and decent. But it had to be done. There was no place for mercy in the game of thrones.
"Anyone can be executed by the name of high treason if he crosses a King." Arthur's friend Gawain used to say so when Uther was behaving like a cruel bastard. And now, Arthur thought bitterly, like father like son, he was forced to embark the same sinful path Uther had walked on.
Although most of Druid lords took the oath before their new Queen, but Arthur knew that they only did so for fear of their lives. They still hold loyalty in their hearts to the House of Emrys, and he had to make sure that they wouldn't rise up against the Pendragon's rule. So, when he returned to Camelot, he took Merlin with him.
Merlin was the sole heir of House of Emrys, and he was just a 17-year-old boy by the time of the great battle. When Uther pierced Balinor's heart with a sword, Merlin killed Uther using magic. When Merlin was locked up in the dungeon, Morgana deprived magic from him using dark sorcery.
"Why don't you just kill me?" Merlin asked Arthur.
Arthur smirked: "Believe me, nothing would give me more pleasure than that. But unfortunately, you are more valuable to me alive."
Arthur took Merlin back to Camelot and referred to him as his "Distinguished Guest", but in fact, Merlin was a hostage and a prisoner.
There was no time for Arthur to mourn his father. That was a luxury he simply couldn't afford. The death of the old King was always the most vulnerable point of a kingdom. The new reign of Morgana in Druid is not yet stable, while threatens from Cenred had been detected. Odin hadn't had any moves, but Arthur feared that he had secretly formed ally with Cenred.
Apart from threats from the outside, there were dangers stirring up inside of Camelot. Upon Uther's death, Arthur's uncle Duke Agravaine gathered 2000 knights in his land. Instead of riding south to help Arthur, he took Camelot and attempted to usurp the throne.
When Arthur rode back to Camelot, the court genealogist Geofferey's head was on a spike hang up on the city gate. This was Agravaine's declaration of war: Geofferey was one of the most loyal lords to Uther and Arthur, killing him like this clearly delivered a message of Agravaine's contempt towards Arthur and his ambition of a usurper.
During the time of wars, a small, unexpected event could alter the whole situation. As Arthur was camping outside the city, Agravaine's daughter, the Lady Guinevere, snuck out of the city wall. She told Arthur that she was willing to help him to threaten her father.
Guinevere was born to a duke's household. She had all the makings of a fine lady. She was accomplished in music, poetry and languages; She was beautiful, elegant and exceptionally smart and scheming. And above all, she knew how to make plans on her own when her father didn't want to offer her what she desired most: being the Queen of Camelot.
It was a very bold move, but she won the gamble. When Arthur had his sword on his daughter's neck, Agravaine yielded and opened the gate, welcoming Arthur back to the court as the rightful new King of Camelot.
At the feast after Arthur's coronation, Agravaine raised his goblet, chanting "Long live the King" with everybody else. His face was perfectly masked under a smooth smile, but the flame of hatred was flaring in his eyes. Arthur smiled back at Agravaine and raised his goblet too. They said greeting words to each other like a king and a loyal lord, an uncle and his beloved nephew. They were both acting as if the life-threatening scene before never happened.
It was not like that Arthur didn't want Agravaine out of the picture. It's just that he knew he was not yet strong enough to confront him and fight him. And it's not like that Agravaine didn't want the throne anymore. He just missed a golden opportunity, and he was waiting for another one, like a shrewd spider sitting in his web, waiting patiently for his next catch.