Wow, two stories updated in one month! That's gotta be a record for me, but I really wanted to post another chapter before the fall semester started, and I almost made it.

Warning: Agravaine's back, and he continues to be the worst.

Leon, Mordred, Lancelot, and Elena were still waiting outside the throne room when the quartet emerged, along with Arthur's uncle and chief advisor, Lord Agravaine. "I apologize for not organizing a proper greeting for you, my lord; had I been informed that you would arrive today, of course I would have done so."

"That's quite all right, uncle. Honestly, given the circumstances, I was glad not to have all the fuss."

Agravaine then turned his attention to Morgana, ignoring Merlin and Gwen as he took hold of her hand, which she had been just a little too slow in hiding behind her back, and raised it to his lips. "Morgana, how wonderful it is to see you again," he said in an unctuous tone that made her skin crawl. "You're looking lovely as ever."

"Thank you, Lord Agravaine," she replied, placing a subtle emphasis on his title to remind him that it was inappropriate for him to be so familiar with her. "It's nice to see you again as well."

"Yes, you were here the last time we visited too, weren't you?" Merlin chimed in. "I'm surprised your own province can spare you so often."

Agravaine's smarmy smile took on a rather forced quality as he addressed the warlock, which only grew more pronounced when Merlin reached out and, in a single lightning-fast motion, extricated Morgana's hand from his grasp. "Yes, well, we all must make sacrifices. In these trying times, I feel it's my duty to provide my nephew with support and guidance."

"And I'm grateful for all you've done," Arthur said, oblivious to the way his best friend and uncle were eyeing each other with something very close to dislike, as well as the fact that said uncle had held on to Morgana's hand much longer than was proper. "I'll be even more grateful if you'll see that arrangements are made for our guests. Morgana's old room will do for her and Merlin, but Guinevere, Mordred, Lancelot, and Elena will need chambers in the guest wing."

"I've already alerted the servants, sire."

###

Merlin and Morgana were looking forward to spending some time alone together, but it was not to be; Will and Sefa were already in their room, unpacking their belongings under the direction of another servant. When they walked in, he left off bossing Will and Sefa around and greeted them with a deep bow. "Ah, Prince Merlin and Princess Morgana, I presume. I have taken the liberty of having water brought up to your washroom and laying out fresh clothes for you both, as I assume you'll want to freshen up before dining with Prince Arthur. Lunch will be served precisely at twelve o'clock, and your punctual attendance will be appreciated."

The royal couple glanced sideways at each other, confirming that neither had any idea who this officious young man was, before Merlin spoke. "Who are you, and what are you doing in our chambers?"

The unknown man bowed deeply again, apologized for not giving his name at once, and pompously introduced himself as Arthur's manservant, George.

"Thank you for your help, George, but we don't want to keep you from your duties any longer. I'm sure Arthur wants to freshen up too, and he could probably use your assistance. Heaven knows he can't change clothes by himself," Morgana added under her breath.

"Didn't Arthur have a different servant last time we were here?" Merlin asked as George scurried off.

"Yeah, and I wish he'd kept the old one, because this one's an even bigger bootlicker," Will said angrily. "As if it wasn't bad enough that I got stuck driving that plodding old nag because some stupid sissy of a squire couldn't stand a little magic, then when we finally got here that puffed-up prick-"

"Will!" Sefa gasped.

"-Prat, I meant to say prat," Will hastily corrected himself. "Anyway, as soon as we got here, he started ordering us around like he's the bloody king!"

"Well, we'll have a word with Arthur about him." Merlin shook his head in mock disapproval. "I can't imagine anyone letting their servant get away with such behavior."

"I know, right?"

Morgana and Sefa giggled, well aware that Will got away with more than any other servant in Albion, but the joke seemed to go right over Will's head.

###

When Merlin brought up their encounter with George at lunch (which was indeed served exactly at noon; he and Morgana had arrived three minutes late, earning a glare from the aforementioned manservant), it soon became apparent that Arthur had sent him to 'help' Will and Sefa to get him out of his own hair. "Not that I have any complaints about his service, of course. He's probably the most efficient servant in the realm, but he's seriously dull. I mean, the man makes jokes about brass."

"If you dislike him so much, why did you give him the position?" Gwen asked.

"Yes, whatever happened to that odious fellow, Cedric, who used to work for you?" Morgana wondered.

"It's a long story. Do you remember the last time you all were here?"

Gwen nodded. "Of course, the tournament - knights from all over Albion came to compete-"

"And you proved yourself a match for all of them," Arthur said proudly. He and Gwen got lost in each other's eyes for a moment, until a fake cough from Morgana reminded him that he was in the middle of a story. "Anyway, you know that was also when my uncle and I decided to follow through on plans Father had made before he fell ill, to excavate the catacombs beneath the castle in search of the treasures he believed were hidden there by the people who held these lands before he conquered them, and we came across the tomb of that old sorcerer... What was his name again?"

"Cornelius Sigan," Merlin supplied. It was a name he was very familiar with, since a great number of the history books in Dagon's royal library featured accounts of Sigan's legendary accomplishments and untimely death at the hands of a cowardly king who envied the magician's awesome powers. Naturally, he'd been thrilled at getting the chance to examine artifacts left behind by the great sorcerer - until Gaius mentioned a part of the story that hadn't made it into any of Merlin's books. Before his execution, Sigan had allegedly cast a curse that would somehow allow him to return from the dead and wreak his revenge on Camelot. At first, Gaius was concerned that Merlin wasn't taking his warnings seriously enough - while he agreed that the possibility of a curse wasn't to be taken lightly, he thought he would be able to avoid or neutralize any dangerous enchantments Sigan might have left behind - but then Morgana put her foot down and told him that if he wanted to study ancient relics, he would have to find some that weren't cursed.

"I can't believe you've forgotten - it was only the most significant historical find of the age!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you're still upset because your wife wouldn't let you play around in the tomb. Honestly, you were as bad as my uncle; he went on for days about how a little more exploration couldn't have hurt as long as we took proper precautions, although I think it was more Sigan's gold that he cared about. Anyway, the night before the tomb was sealed up again, I caught Cedric trying to sneak in and pocket some of the valuables, so I had to dismiss him. That's how I got stuck with George."

"Maybe I should have him spend a week with Will; that should cure him of being dull and efficient."

"Please do." Arthur felt a moment's guilt over subjecting his manservant to whatever torments Will might devise for him, but the thought of never having to hear another brass joke soon silenced his conscience.

After that, the conversation turned to Uther's burial - which was scheduled for that very night since it was generally considered inadvisable to leave a corpse sitting out too long - and Arthur's coronation. Having started the day expecting that it would take weeks for him to reach Camelot on horseback, he was somewhat overwhelmed at the realization that he could become king as early as tomorrow.

"I know it's all happening a bit fast, but there's really no need to wait any longer - and there's no need for you to be nervous. You're going to be a great king," Gwen assured him, reaching over and squeezing his hand. "Now you can finally do all the things we talked about."

Instead of returning her smile, Arthur dropped his gaze to the food he'd barely touched. "Actually, I'm not sure I can...not all of them. There's something I've been meaning to tell you all, I just wasn't sure how..."

"I assume this is why you only asked the three of us to dine with you and sent the servants out as soon as our plates were in front of us?" Morgana surmised.

"Yes - well, Lancelot and Elena wouldn't have joined us anyway. They wanted some private time together-"

"So what's the bad news?" Merlin asked, cutting off his attempts at stalling.

Arthur hesitated another second or two, and then the words spilled out of him in a rush. "It's... Look, I know I promised to allow magic back into Camelot, and I really have been trying to change the people's attitude toward it, but things haven't been going as well as I'd hoped. You saw what my knights were like - they're all brave men, but they'd rather ride all that way than travel by magic even though it's much faster, and probably safer since it eliminates the risk of meeting bandits. Then there was the outbreak of disease last winter - I gave Gaius permission to try a magical cure on the patients who were too sick to be saved any other way, but almost none of them would accept his help until they were on their deathbeds...and some wouldn't even do it then. Gaius told me one woman was so afraid of magic, she absolutely refused to let him treat her child even when he kept getting worse and worse... In the end, the boy died, and there was nothing Gaius or I could do."

Gwen's eyes filled with tears as she tightened her grip on his hand. "Oh, Arthur, I'm so sorry. You mustn't blame yourself - you did your best..."

Arthur sighed. "I know; it's just hard, realizing that sometimes I can't protect my people from themselves. In any case, until I can stamp out all this fear and prejudice, I don't see how I can lift the ban on sorcery. There'd be riots in the streets if I did, especially with all the damn rumors that keep cropping up-"

"What rumors?" Morgana asked.

"Oh, every other week I hear some story about this village or that one having trouble with someone using magic for malicious mischief. I've never been able to find any of these alleged sorcerers or their supposed victims, but as long as there are stories like that going around, the people are adamant that they won't accept magic in Camelot."

"It sounds like someone's trying to sabotage your efforts."

"Believe it or not, Morgana, the thought has crossed my mind, but who would want to do that, and why?"

###

While Arthur and his closest friends discussed the setbacks he was experiencing as he tried to reintroduce magic to Camelot, Mordred and Agravaine were discussing what further obstacles they could place in his path - or at least Agravaine was trying to, but Mordred's mind was clearly elsewhere. "My lord," he said at last, when his ward's inattention became impossible to ignore, "is something troubling you?"

"Yes, Agravaine, this whole business troubles me. All my life I've been told that Arthur Pendragon was no different from Uther, but now that I've met the man, he certainly seems different. It makes me wonder...is it possible that my mother could have been wrong about him? And if she was...is all this really necessary? After all, I have Escetia; no one can dispute my claim there."

Agravaine stared at him, wondering how any son of Morgause, the most formidable and ambitious woman he had ever known, could entertain such thoughts even for a second. It must be whatever part of Merlin is in the boy, he decided. I should have tried harder to keep them apart; they've known one another less than a week and already Merlin's begun turning Mordred into a spineless, sentimental fool like him!

"It's true that the Escetian throne is your birthright, my lord," he said carefully, "but are you truly willing to settle for only that which is given to you by others' consent? You have the power to take more, so why should you not?"

"This was never supposed to be about conquest," Mordred reminded him. "The prophecies say I must take Camelot in order to liberate my people from the Pendragons' oppression. That's what I find so confusing, because if Arthur is not like Uther-"

"I assure you he is. Oh, he may be clever enough to realize magic can be a useful tool, and he does what he must to maintain his alliance with Merlin, merely banishing many of the people his father would have sent to the chopping block, but he will never truly see sorcerers as his equals. When he takes the throne, he will not permit magic to return to Camelot. Only when you defeat him and take your rightful place as king will your kind receive the reverence they deserve."

Mordred still wasn't entirely convinced. "Very well, I shall wait and see what happens. If Arthur refuses to repeal Uther's law, then we will go ahead with our plans."

"Of course, my lord." Agravaine wasn't worried; he knew for a fact that Arthur wouldn't legalize magic, since he had personally seen to it that Arthur's own people would storm the palace with pitchforks and torches if he did. Creating a climate of fear and suspicion had been shockingly easy - all he'd had to do was pay a few people to spread false tales of being terrorized by sorcerers, and the idiot peasants gobbled up their lies without question despite the lack of any solid evidence.

Agravaine hoped this ploy might drive a wedge between Arthur and his friends from Dagon, but more importantly, it would ensure that Mordred continued to believe in his 'destiny' and played his part...with Agravaine by his side, of course. When he takes over, I will be rewarded beyond measure. Everything I desire will be mine at last!

###

As afternoon faded into dusk, the main courtyard slowly filled with black-clad mourners bearing candles, and Uther's bier was carried out so that the commoners who weren't allowed into the castle to pay their respects could get one last look at their late king. Geoffrey of Monmouth delivered a eulogy lauding Uther's greatest achievements (per Arthur's request, purging Camelot of magic had been omitted from that list, so Geoffrey focused instead on Uther's victories in battle, his long, prosperous reign, and his peace treaties with Camelot's former enemies, Dagon and Mercia). Uther was then taken to the crypts beneath the palace and laid to rest beside his beloved Ygraine, whose stone likeness lay atop her tomb, her hands folded in peaceful repose. The city's best stonemasons were already working on a matching statue of Uther, which would take months to complete.

"Well, I guess that's it," Arthur remarked as he watched the unadorned temporary lid being lowered onto Uther's coffin. "He's really gone."

Merlin nodded. "Uther's reign is over...and yours begins in the morning. You'd better get to bed; can't have you falling asleep during the coronation and drooling in front of everybody."

###

By morning, the throne room was transformed; the black drapes were gone and the sun's rays streamed in, reflecting off the shimmering red and gold hangings and filling the whole room with light. Still, nothing shone brighter than the gleaming golden crown Geoffrey placed on Arthur's head, except perhaps Gwen's adoring smile as he recited his oaths of office and took his place on the throne.

The customary chant of "Long live the king!" went on for several minutes, until Arthur raised his hand for quiet. Then everyone fell silent, waiting eagerly for him to speak. "People of Camelot, and honored guests," he began in a strong, clear voice, "it is my greatest wish to serve you all as well as my father did for so many years - years in which in our kingdom flourished, free of war and strife, thanks to his efforts at making peace with old adversaries such as Mercia, and more recently, Dagon. I hope to follow his example, not only by strengthening our bonds with old friends, but by improving our relations with all the lands of Albion, so that one day Camelot can claim every nation as an ally."

The announcement of such high aspirations set off a flurry of whispers throughout the audience, but Arthur ignored them, determined to finish the speech his friends had helped him craft the night before while it was still relatively fresh in his mind. "Let us all take inspiration from my father and set aside old differences, so that we may all move forward into a new era of peace, cooperation, and friendship - together."

As the crowd burst into applause, he shot an apologetic look at Merlin and Morgana, wishing he could have openly expressed his intention to include sorcerers like them in the new era of peace as well instead of just making general statements about putting aside differences and establishing new diplomatic ties; better yet, he wished he could have lifted Uther's ban on magic right then and there. They responded with reassuring smiles, letting him know that they understood the quandary he was in and trusted him to follow through on his promises as soon as it was feasible.

None of them saw Agravaine's triumphant smirk, or the look of disappointment in Mordred's eyes, which slowly gave way to a cold glare as he stared up at the new king.