Thank you so much for the reviews! I do plan on bringing Morgana into it at some point; I haven't forgotten her. I don't know if she'll go back to being good (sorry, udkudk), but she will come into the story. Right now, I'm just setting everything up with Arthur and "Emrys."
ONE: DOUBTS (361 days)
Arthur and Merlin rode into the courtyard, both exhausted. As they dismounted, Arthur saw someone come down the castle steps, looking perfectly healthy. And even though the Disir had told him he was healed, he was still relieved to see him up and about. "Mordred!"
He hurried forward, letting Merlin handle the horses, and clapped his youngest knight on the shoulder. "It is good to see you alive and well again. We were worried for a while."
The young man smiled slightly. "It is good to be alive and well again, sire. Gaius told me that you went to the Disir, to ask them to heal me. How did you convince them to agree?"
Arthur smiled tightly at the younger man. He was still nervous about the decision he'd made. He wasn't sure if it was the right one. He wasn't ready to tell anyone but a select few people, the people he trusted the most. Gaius and Guinevere would be the first to know, and then the council, which included his most loyal knights. "Don't worry about that."
"Sire, I…Thank you. I owe you my life."
The king was shaking his head before Mordred had even finished speaking. "Nonsense. You owe me absolutely nothing. You have saved my life many times. Go, celebrate your returned health. Is Gaius still in his chambers?"
"I believe so, sire," Mordred said. With a slight bow of his head, he made his way out of the castle courtyard.
Arthur started up the stairs, yelling, "Merlin!"
His servant caught up to him just before he reached the physician's chambers. He barged in without knocking. Gaius did not look very surprised to see him. "My lord. I see your discussion with the Disir went well."
Arthur sighed. "Yes. They agreed to heal Mordred, on the condition that I embrace the Old Religion." Gaius's eyebrow arched nearly to his hairline. "I have one year to bring magic back to Camelot." He had been surprised that they had granted him an entire year. He had hoped for at least six months, but had been expecting them to only grant him one or two months. He hoped a year was more than enough time to do all he needed to do.
Arthur sat down on a wooden stool with a sigh. He rubbed his face with his hands. "I agreed, but now I'm wondering if I made the wrong decision."
"No!" Merlin said, his eyes wide.
Gaius cleared his throat. "Uh, why don't you tell me exactly what the Disir said to you, sire?"
Arthur nodded, and began relaying the Disir's words to the old physician. He told him that the Disir gave him one year, and if he didn't hold up his end of the bargain, he would forfeit his own life. He repeated the Disir's promise of him having a long and prosperous life so long as he did as he'd promised. Then he told Gaius about the sorcerer who was supposedly a friend to Camelot, a man in disguise by the name of Emrys.
"Emrys?" Gaius repeated sharply. He glanced, very briefly, at Merlin. Arthur wasn't sure what that was all about. "The name the Disir gave you was Emrys? And they said this man would help you?"
"Yes. Gaius…" Arthur trailed off, noticing the slight grin on the old man's face. He knew that Gaius hadn't really agreed with the laws banning sorcery. He also knew that Gaius had practiced sorcery at one time, and he was not an evil man. Nor could Arthur imagine him ever being evil, which gave him hope that he had made the right decision.
It also made him realize that Uther had been very wrong. Magic, on its own, was not evil. It was how it was used. Arthur supposed magic was much like a sword. A weapon that could be used in many different ways, to protect or to destroy.
Arthur leaned forward, his eyes on Gaius. "What do you know?" he demanded. It was obvious that the old man knew something about this mysterious Emrys. "You recognized the name. Do you know who this Emrys is? His true identity? The Disir told me that Emrys is only one of the names he goes by, and that he is hidden in plain sight, disguised. He could be anyone. What do you know about him?"
"I'm afraid I can tell you nothing useful."
"Gaius, if he can help me bring magic peacefully to the kingdom, then I need to speak to him. Do you know where to find him?"
Gaius opened his mouth to answer, but Merlin spoke first. "Arthur, they did also tell you that Emrys would find you, not the other way around."
Arthur groaned, frustrated. "I don't want to wait on the whims of some sorcerer!"
Merlin ducked his head. Arthur was certain he was hiding a snarky grin. If they'd been alone, Merlin surely would have told him that he was acting like a spoiled king again.
Gaius sighed. "I'm afraid I don't have any information for you, sire. It sounds like you will have to wait for Emrys to reveal himself to you."
Arthur sighed, irritated. He stood. "Thank you, Gaius. Until I know more information, I think we should keep this knowledge between ourselves. I will tell Guinevere, of course." He did, after all, trust her opinion on important matters. She was a very wise woman. "Please do not say a word to anyone else. I will bring the matter to the council when I feel ready."
Gaius and Merlin both nodded in agreement.
"Merlin, take the rest of the day off."
His servant looked at him in surprise. Arthur wasn't in the habit of giving him time off. "Sire?"
He rolled his eyes. "Just enjoy it, Merlin, before I change my mind and give you extra work." With that, he left the physician's chambers.
He rushed to his own chambers, where he found Guinevere looking out the window. She turned as he entered the room. "Arthur! I saw you and Merlin return nearly an hour ago. Where have you been?"
"We had to speak to Gaius right away."
"What happened? Tell me."
And so he did. He told Guinevere everything he'd told Gaius. "Do you think I've made the right decision?" he asked, once he'd finished. Merlin and Gaius both seemed convinced that he'd done the right thing, but what did his wife think? Would she agree with his choice?
"Oh, Arthur. It doesn't really matter what I think. Do you think you've made the right decision? You've always followed your heart, and it's caused you to become a wonderful man and king. Do you believe your decision was the right one?"
Arthur thought about it. Despite his doubts and concerns, he did feel that this was the right course of action to take. He'd always felt that his father's manic hunt of sorcery was unjust. And even though he'd mostly seen the evil of magic, perhaps there was good in it, too. Perhaps he just needed to give it the chance to be used for good.
Merlin sat across from Gaius at the table. Neither of them had said a word since Arthur had left, but they were both struggling not to smile.
Gaius finally broke the silence. "He agreed to bring magic back."
Merlin's smile broke through. "I know. I never thought it would actually happen. I'd hoped, but…It's really happening. And, according to the Disir, Mordred is no longer a threat. Apparently, he was only destined to kill Arthur if Arthur rejected magic. Now Mordred can have a destiny of his own choosing. I don't have to fear him anymore. Not when it comes to Arthur's life."
"It would certainly seem that way. Will you tell Arthur that you are Emrys?"
Merlin sighed. "Not yet. Not while Morgana is still trying to learn my identity. Besides, I don't have any idea on how we're going to do this. Arthur can't simply lift the ban on magic. Uther was too successful in creating mass hysteria against it. The people would panic if magic was suddenly given free reign again. There needs to be some sort of system to keep magic from being abused. I just don't know what yet…" With another sigh, Merlin got to his feet. He had research to get started on. And perhaps he would make a trip to the Crystal Cave for some answers. At the very least, it would be a good place to meditate and think, inside the birthplace of magic.
I know, I know. The solution is probably really simple to all of you guys. But I can't imagine that it would be so simply for them to think of it. Bear with me, please. Sorry this one's shorter. I'm not really happy about Mordred surviving, but I couldn't kill him. That was the whole point of Arthur going to the Disir. It's not that I don't like Mordred. He's just an extremely complex character, and very difficult to pinpoint to write about.
