Chapter 1
He woke up to the sound of several sharp, electronic pips, all in quick succession. Barracks Camelot's version of a good morning. He rolled over, slamming his hand down on the offending piece of tech. The pips instantly silenced, but that was no relief, as he was then instantly dazzled by the glow of the holoscreen that flared to life inches from his face.
Good morning, Arthur Pendragon. The time is 8:00 am, on December 8th, 2037. It went on to helpfully list his "engagements" for the day, in neat little bullet points.
Ah, that's right. His whole identity now was that of Arthur Pendragon, legendary knight and king. Perhaps giving everyone attached to the Knights Initiative the names of the legendary king's court was a bit over the top, but Arthur personally liked it. It had a nice ring to it—Captain Arthur Pendragon….And besides, with war looming over their heads like a storm cloud straight from hell, over the top might be just what the people needed…
Arthur hopped off his bunk, in surprisingly good spirits despite the rude awakening. The holoscreen followed him, highlighting his first task for the day as he grabbed his uniform top.
"Fitting? What for?" he grunted, pulling it over his head.
"For tonight's meet and greet. The dress code is formal," the tech chirped back at him in its annoyingly girly, perky voice.
"Oh. Right." He and his Knights would be meeting their Navigators for the first time tonight. Personally, he'd pass on such an irritatingly stuffy affair, but the bond between a knight and his Navigator was even more vitally important than the bond between the Knights. This first meeting was crucial to that bond starting on the right track. And besides, he had to set a good example for his men…
Arthur sighed, his thoughts shifting to his own Navigator. What sort of man would he be? Navigators as a rule were serious, dedicated individuals—they had to be, seeing as their bird's eye view of the field often afforded them a kind of life or death power over the knights in their care….
He snorted at the image that created in his mind—a sharp faced, pointy hooked nosed man with huge yellow eyes and a fixed look of serious contemplation.
"For ceremony's sake, I hope not," he muttered to himself, shoving his feet into his boots.
Upon standing, he turned, staring into the full length mirror that sat unobtrusively in the corner of his room. Even their uniforms had been designed with a nod to medieval times. Tunic-like red synth shirt, with synth hide ties at the throat. Ruffled cuffs, brass buttons. Brown synth leather pants with a cord tie instead of buttons…
He eyed the sharp, blue-eyed blond in the mirror with satisfaction. Over the top? Most definitely. But damn he made it look good. Winking at himself, he turned and sauntered from the room.
…..
Several hours later, and Arthur was striding along the almost clinically white boardwalk that connected Barracks Camelot to the Pavilion, the main meeting-place of the Knights' compound.
The new formal uniform was a strange thing, much like his every day one, but looser and itchy in weird places. He resisted the urge to scratch, but only just, as he passed through the doors into the Pavilion.
The maintenance crew really outdid themselves—they turned the boring old room into a ballroom fit for a royal court. Soft yellow light from glass chandeliers above put a light gold tone on everything, making the formerly whitewashed walls and wood paneled floor gleam. Lacy cloth covered tables adorned one side, behind a line of faux Greek pillars. Low strains of classical music reverberated around the room, with no obvious source. It was…surprisingly beautiful. Almost worth all the fuss. Almost.
Though he was not late, the majority of his Knights were already present, mingling with new people Arthur assumed were Navigators. Looking at them, he could almost feel as if he had been sent back in time, to the England of old. Instead of the crisp uniforms he was used to, soft fabrics of various colors caught his eye, the flouncy skirts of long dresses on the women and the ends of tunics on the men moving as the crown shifted.
He didn't have much time to observe, however, before a slender, bangled arm slipped through his, drawing his attention.
"Pretty, isn't it?" Morgana, his raven-haired second, grinned at him, eyes glinting mischievously.
"I suppose that means you had a hand in it? Fishing for complements isn't very ladylike of you." Arthur returned, lips pulling up in a slight smirk.
"I helped! And there's nothing wrong with having a bit of pride in helping to create something beautiful for a change." She pulled on his arm. "Come on. Come meet the other half of our team."
Arthur let her pull him over to the group, trying and failing to hide his slight smile. Morgana, in her bubbly moods, had that effect on people.
She grabbed the wrist of a sandy, curly-haired man in blue, getting his attention, as well as that of the rest of the group. "My Navigator, Leon. Leon, Captain Arthur."
As they exchanged hellos, a beefy arm slung itself over Arthur's shoulders. "And hello to you too, Percy."
"Captain's here? Hide the juice!" A familiar voice called out over Percy's rumbling chuckle.
"Oh shut it, Gwaine." Arthur rolled his eyes. The scruffy defense expert came into view, tottering a bit already, a concerned Lancelot and wary Elyan in tow.
One by one, like eager children, they introduced their new Navigators to him. Percy's was a small, pale, frail-looking young woman named Freya, a striking contrast to Percy's large size and glowing tan. Gwaine's was a stocky, blunt-mannered youth named Will. Elyan's a coffee-skinned, buzz cut young man by the name of Ewan…
Lancelot's…wow. She was dark-skinned, like Elyan, her curly hair pinned up in an elaborate bun. She and Elyan both had proud cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes. Was she his sister…?
"Guinevere, Captain. But you can call me Gwen." Her words were rushed, nervous, her dark eyes fixed on his collar rather than his face, her clasped hands fidgeting in front of her.
Arthur's eyebrow rose. "I can?"
It was too easy. She blushed, stammering out quickly, "Uh, what I meant was, everyone can. Sir."
"Ah, Captain. There you are." Gwen, happy the focus was no longer on her, sidled back to Lancelot as Arthur turned to the new voice. Uther, the official head of the Knights division, clapped a hand on his shoulder, gradually steering him away from the crowd.
"So, I take it they're all to your satisfaction?" There was a hint of playfulness in the elder's tone, not to mention his smile. Gwaine hadn't been the only one nipping at the bottle tonight, apparently.
"Yes, but there seems to be someone missing." Namely, Arthur's own Navigator.
"I'm sorry, Captain. He should be along shortly." This didn't come from Uther but Gaius, the smartly dressed head physician. The grandfatherly Gaius looked uncharacteristically nervous, shifting his glass from hand to hand. His smile looked more like a grimace as Uther clapped his shoulder.
"There you have it. If Gaius said it, it must be true. Enjoy the party, you two."
Arthur had just turned back to rejoin Morgana and the rest, when the music suddenly cut out. With a burst of static, it roared back to life, only what came back was not the soft thrum of musical instruments but a voice.
"You're the voice try and understand it. Make a noise and make it clear, ohhhh woahhhh. We're not gonna sit in silence, we're not gonna live with fear, ohhhh woahhh."
As the new music blasted through the ballroom, the double doors Arthur had come through earlier flew open again, revealing another figure. When he came in, the music died down. He strolled right in, and right up to Arthur. "Navigator Merlin, at your service!" he enthused.
Arthur stared. You've got to be kidding me.
The other Navigators—hell, everyone present—were nicely dressed, well groomed, and professional in look and manner. This one was a train wreck on legs. Black hair, ruffled and sticking up in all directions as if he'd just rolled out of bed, his bright red tunic rumpled and askew, as if he'd run most of the way. But the "cherry" on top was the biggest, widest grin Arthur had ever seen on so slender a face. It made Arthur want to punch him already.
"Really?" Arthur managed, turning to Uther. His barely concealed glare spoke volumes.
The older man's smile instantly turned sharper, distinctly less intoxicated, and closer to something more menacing. "Yes, of course! Merlin here is the best the Navigators have produced in years, practically a wizard with the command center console. The Captain needs the best after all, doesn't he?" Uther clapped his shoulder one last time with a wicked smirk, moving away with an apologetic Gaius.
Arthur glared after the father figure of his later years. His own words from a week prior, thrown back at him. How long had the older jerk been sitting on that one?
Meanwhile, his new Navigator chattered on obliviously at his back. "Was that too much? Gaius warned me it was too much…"
Arthur sighed. God save us all.