Immortal

Uther Pendragon, King of Camelot stared down with cold eyes as the sorcerer was lead towards the centre of the courtyard and his death. The guards tied the young Man to the hastily constructed pyre keeping their eyes averted whether out of fear or respect it was unclear. They stepped back once the bounds were secure and looked up at the balcony as a Knight, Sir Leon, moved forward with a flaming torch and a sombre expression. The gathered crowed quietened and awaited the words of the king. "Merlin Ambrosious"

He began throwing a quick look to his right where his son Arthur was being held at bay by Sirs Gawain and Lancelot all three wanting to rush down to the square and free their friend.

"You are charged with treason against the crown by the use of sorcery" He spat, "and as such there is only one sentence I can pass" A vicious gleam entered his eye as he said the last word "You are sentenced to burn on the pyre for your crimes" Arthur started to struggle against the grip of the knights whose expressions were stony remembering the promise they had made to Merlin promising to watch over their prince. The prince visibly deflated when he realised he wasn't going anywhere and instead glared at his father, his eyes full of hate and the promise that this won't ever be forgiven. Uther ignored the gaze of his son and continued talking over the soft mummer of the crowd;

"Do you wish to say anything before you die?" the king sneered.

Merlin's head which had until now been lowered towards his chest rose raven hair falling into stormy blue eye, that were filled with gold flecks dancing across the mirth filled surface indicating the power within but giving off an almost playful air, the crowd fidgeted nervously most had know the boy to be kind and innocent helping anyone who needed it and always with a smile on his face, and here he was about to be burned alive but he didn't seemed frightened or even remotely worried about the situation. Merlin raised his head higher so the king and the prince could both see the magic playing just below the surface, his eyes met Uther's and he laughed.

The sound wasn't a nervous giggle or a wiry chuckle to show bravado but a full blown belly aching laugh of pure amusement. Everyone in the square and on the balcony looked round not quite sure how to react to the Warlocks response some even took a few steps back afraid of the insanity before them. After a few minuets the grinning out of breath warlock stopped the sounds of mirth and with tears from the laughter rolling down his cheeks he addressed the King.

"You really are an arrogant toad you know that right?" he asked. Rage boiled up inside the king and he signalled for the fire to be lit, he didn't fear him using magic to escape the cuff around the mans wrists prevented him from using any form of enchantment, a gleeful smile stretched Uther's lips as the pyre caught, and he caught one last glimpse of the young face grinning up at him in the most unsettling manner before it was lost in smoke and fire.

"NO"

Arthur screamed and lurched forward breaking free of the knights hold as his friend disappeared from sight he fell to he knees and the edge of the balcony tears streaming freely down his face. He watched as the entire structure below he was engulfed in the licking flames all he felt was totally disparate at losing his closest friend and anger towards his father. He had steeled himself to turn around and hit the king when a sight in the crowd caused him to pause, there was Gwen the woman he loved weeping onto the shoulder of Gaius the Court physician and a man who was like a father to Merlin, he saw the boy as the son he had never had. Arthur expected the old man to be in the same if not worse shape then Gwen but instead of grief and anger he saw amusement, Arthur was so confused as to the mans behaviour he almost missed the collective gasp that ripples through the crowd. He turned slowly back to the pyre following the gazes of the people below it was curiously quiet he had been expecting the screams of his best friend to echo through out the courtyard but the only sound was the cackling of the flames as the devoured all in their way, and he felt his face go white as his mouth dropped open in disbelief at what he saw. There standing in the middle of the pyre still bound but being untouched by the flames was Merlin, he had the same amused expression as his guardian and blatantly laughing at the king again. Seeing Merlin seemingly unhurt gave Arthur the push he needed he sprang to his feet and back into the castle before the knights or his father had registered what was happening he was in the courtyard pouring water on the fire, the flames sizzling to nothing in a matter of seconds. He locked eyes with the grinning Warlock just as the guards ran forward and restrained him.

"How is this possible" the King was outraged and so voiced the question in a loud voice instead of internally as he had planned, everyone turned back to the Warlock their eyes alight with curiosity all wondering the same as their king.

"In your ignorance and arrogance you failed to spot the obvious Uther" the voice emanating from the bound man was not anything the crowd had heard from him before. Gone was the lowly manservant and here before them was the most powerful man to ever walk the earth.

"Do you really believe I would submit to your rule?" he asked through a chuckle at the absurdity of that idea.

"That is the law of my kingdom! My words! And they are absolute!" the King was almost screaming now and the knights still on the balcony quickly moved away from the enraged man before them. The cheer melted from Merlin's eyes leaving his eyes that glowing bright blue with mirth hard and cold as ice.

"You are so arrogant" the Warlock repeated "to think that you can command me" this was accompanied with a snort that lacked everything but a mocking glint directed at the King. He took a deep breath and allowed his magic to coat his words as he strode forward effortlessly breaking the bound holding him to the pyre. The crowd watched as the magic binding cuffs built to withstand anything disintegrated before their eyes. As the gold swept through Merlin's irises burning away the blue and replacing it gold, burning away the innocent look are replacing it with power. His next words reverberated though out the courtyard and inside the heads of the crowd.

"I am Merlin only son of Balinor, Last Dragonlord, destroyer of Nimuh and Sigan, prophesised by the druids to be the most powerful being to walk this earth foretold to be the doom of the witch Morgana and Protector of the Once and Future King of Albion." As his eyes flickered towards Arthur as he mentioned the once and future king the prince felt a sense of rightness at the title like it was meant to be, but Merlin wasn't finished yet.

"I am EMRYS" he screamed "and you cannot kill me" this was said with such conviction that no-one doubted his words no-one except Uther that is.

"Everyone can be killed, but if fire didn't work then beheading of hanging will, it's impossible that they won't and death will come to all who practice the evil of magic" Uther said with smug satisfaction but Merlin just shook his head.

"First of all Emrys in the druid tongue means immortal and secondly I don't practice magic I am magic, the personification of the old religion I command over the power of life and deaths, the druids are loyal to me, and you Uther Pendragon should know that it's impossible to completely kill magic it's woven into the very fabric of space and time the very fabric of the universe and makes up all of reality as just as you can't kill magic you can't kill me no matter how many times you try to burn me or cut off my head the flames or axe or sword or nooses or crossbow bolts will just either miss completely or bounce off. There is only one weapon and only one person who can wield it that is even remotely capable of ending my life- the sword Excalibur and the once and future king are the only things that even have a chance of ending me. you see I am the one who took the sword to be burnished in the breath of the great dragon so I have it's allegiance against everyone except who it was forged for and I Am really hoping that the Prat doesn't want to kill me just yet do you Arthur?"

The Prince looked down at his sword horrified by what he had just heard not only was it magic but with it he was the only one that could kill his friend, suddenly the sword seemed to be a horrifying instrument and he debated dropping it there and then but seeing the look in Merlin eye he knew he couldn't he had it keep it close to stop others from using it to complete what his father had started this day. He looked at his best friend then straight into the eyes of his father

"Of course I don't you saved my life yesterday and god knows how many times before I want you to stay here like you have always done and now we know you can't be executed I think you should go and get some rest." The Prince and Warlock smiled at each other as they made their way into the castle leaving a spluttering Uther to scream for guards that wouldn't come. Having seen the Prince accept Merlin and he magic so freely had convinced the people and the guards and the knights that maybe magic wasn't do bad after all.

Arthur became King soon after since the events of that day caused Uther to take a nose dive into insanity. Repealing the ban on magic was the first act as monarch that Arthur completed the second was to proclaim Merlin as his Court Warlock.

That day was always remembered as the day that Uther failed against magic and also as the first day in a new age. The age of the Once and Future King and Emrys had begun Arthur brought Albion into a new age of wealth and prosperity with Merlin never leaving his side as they make the greatest Kingdom on Earth.

Thanks for reading; this is my first fanfiction so I hope you enjoyed it,

Sorry anyone is out of character though. ;)

Reviews are much appreciated

Emrys Frost x