9. Golden Age
Beltane's storm, as people had begun to call it, became famous as a good luck charm, the beginning of a Golden Age.
It began with the announcement of the planned christening of the King's second child, together with the names of the designated godfathers.
Hardly ever had a mere symbolic gesture harvested a more solid reward.
Marke – and even Erec – were hilarious in their triumph, and they almost stumbled over each other to show their gratitude. Geoffrey had trouble finding space for the great number of freshly sealed documents, each one containing binding obligations Marke Duke of Cornwall and the newly styled Erec Earl of Bodmin had voluntarily accepted on behalf of the Crown of Camelot.
Men for the royal army in case of war, knights for Camelot's permanent forces, a guaranteed twenty percent share in the nominal revenue of the Christian fiefdoms – their generosity knew no bound. Yet, even more important was the full acceptance of what Arthur thought to be the cornerstone of the New Camelot he had vowed to erect: His and Morgana's edict of tolerance for all religions.
From now on every subject of Camelot, no matter who, no matter where, would be free to choose his or her own believes and practices, magical or otherwise, answerable only to their own conscience and to the laws of the land. Legal and judicial authority in all religious matters would be with the Crown alone and the Druids would neither belong to the Barons nor to the Isle of the Blessed, but directly to the Crown.
Merlin grinned like a Cheshire cat when he came back from helping the old secretary. In his mind, a merry little tune was endlessly repeating itself. "Free at last" it sung. "Arthur master in his own house, Morgana mine, Algernon's problems solved and isn't the world a most beautiful place."
No more 'Emrys this' or 'Emrys that' from the Druid leader. No complaints, no Council duties, no itchy, sticky formal attires, no endless lectures on the intricacies of politics.
Nothing but endless days in the sun (with Morgana), studying magic (without Algernon), enjoying the amenities of Camelot (with Gwaine), talking about the old times (with Gaius or Leon) or about how great they had done and how clever they all were (preferably with Arthur once he'd left the stern King on the shelf for a change).
And at this point the song started all over again "Free at last…"
There was another reason for Merlin to feel relieved. Besides the personal advantages of being his own man again, the warlock had better things to do than listening to boring speeches and reports.
Gaius had invited Alice back into Camelot; she'd arrived six weeks ago and since then the physician was in seventh heaven.
Merlin envisioned the upcoming nuptials in great detail. Although it would by no means be a grand affair, the wizard pondered the guest list and the proceedings thoroughly whenever he found the time.
True enough, so far the future bridegroom and his bride hadn't even discussed marriage at all, but Merlin was already thinking hard on a plan to speed up matters.
The bustling warlock also discussed the catering and the location of the momentous event with Gwaine at great length.
In his opinion, the knight was the perfect choice for organising such an event. So Merlin was very angry with his King when Arthur - in a rare, quiet moment squeezed in between Council sessions and Court duties - not only gave his heartfelt congratulations and good wishes for Gaius, but also strongly suggested to consult Hunith instead.
As a result of the warlock's mood and choice of top priorities, three things were as plain as a pikestaff:
Merlin was so very happy that he willingly chose to ignore the handful of still sour faces in the Court's crowd.
Merlin was still new enough to the political arena to think that it was a job like building a house; it would be laborious but one day it would be finished and then you could go about other things.
Merlin was hell-bent on allowing nothing and nobody to spoil this for him, come hell or high water.
Arthur watched him, wanted to destroy his illusions and thought better of it. When reality would catch up with 'Emrys' it would be a black day for a young man still an innocent at heart and whenever it came, it would dawn on him too soon.
Therefore Arthur decided that the bitter pills which were to be swallowed right now would be pushed down the relevant throats without the warlock's help for once.
As usual, Angus Branguard opened the dance of the cruelly and unjustly bereaved.
As usual My Lord Ravenclaw unceremoniously burst into the King's office before the official audiences began.
As usual the trespassing was possible only because Malcolm had been careless enough to leave his brother out of his sight.
"Sire, this is outrageous. Oh, forgive me Madam." Belatedly Angus bowed to the Queen. As always Morgana's presence tamed him somewhat; but not enough. "Your Graces, the guardianship of the heirs to the throne must lie with me. This Godfathers thing….. Marke and Erec…..how dare they….."
Once Arthur's temper had flared up at the mere mentioning of this subject but since then the King had learned a lot. For example, how to seek refuge in irony. "As your guardianship will only become effective if I'm dead or captured by an enemy, I'll sleep so much better knowing how much you're looking forward to it."
However, the broad but gentle hint was too gentle for the enraged Angus to comprehend. "Your Majesty, this is no joking matter…" he started to instruct his monarch.
Seeing that Morgana was slowly rising, Arthur made haste to bring the unsavoury encounter to an end. "Rest assured My Lord, nothing has changed. My daughter is heir to the throne and your guardianship for her stands firm, the christening will not change that."
"What if your second child is a boy?" Angus dared the King with the madness of a man doomed by fate and the will of God.
Arthur's sister knew when her brother gave up on a conversation and she knew when to step in. So Morgana smiled radiantly at the enraged Baron and her smile showed all her teeth. Especially her canine ones. "Are you implying that a woman is unfit to rule?"
"Yes!" Branguard coughed nervously. There was something threatening in this smile…. "I mean, no. Of course not. I just thought, a strong warrior…. I mean, naturally Your Majesty is a heroine with the sword ….."
Angus got tangled in his own words and looked to the door despairingly. Sometimes his brother made a miraculous surprise appearance, just in the right moment to safeguard his elder sibling's arse.
Alas, today Malcolm was dining with his future mother-in-law and had his own stomach pains to consider.
Branguard winced when Morgana laid her slender hand on his shoulder. "Don't you worry, my dearest Angus" she said softly. "Should bad come to worse, the Lady Guinivere will depend on you to defend her regency. Nothing has changed."
"We still rely on your bravery and your shrewd wits" Arthur's smile was made of iron.
Only now, for the very first time, Angus really understood that he had been fighting for the privilege to grab a double edged blade with his bare hands. "You mean, we Branguards would have to go against the joint forces of Cornwall and Bodmin and Leodegrance's former estate …"
He broke off. The perspective was too terrifying. He wasn't a coward and Ravenclaw was strong, but to be outnumbered like that…and for somebody else's interest….
"Have no fear" Morgana now purred like a well fed cat. "The women of Camelot will always protect you, Angus!"
A second later Arthur looked at Branguard's hastily retreating back and shook his head in awe. "Morgana, I'll never have such meetings without you in future!"
"That was only the beginning. The door knob will not cool down any time soon, you'll see."
And she was right. An endless stream of nobles, commoners, Christian priests, merchants, craftsmen and almost any other group in Camelot's varied society had some complaint or another.
They all were dealt with, some friendly and with understanding, others by Morgana.
At the end of the week, the stupor mundi was complete: Estates, fortunes and titles dispatched, fights settled, claims accepted or denied and no civil war in sight, no rebellions, no death threats – nothing all around them but sunshine and roses.
"Arthur, we did it" Morgana said when the sun set on the last day of this summer's Grand Audiences. "We've squared the circle! Or rather, you did, you and your honey-tongue."
"You too have a marvellous talent for pushing circles into neat square forms, even if they struggle" Arthur replied with a courteous little bow. "It came in handy in some cases."
"So we are a good team?" Morgana teased.
"As if we were brother and sister."
"Who would've thought it possible? The Crown of Camelot and the Old Religion in perfect union!"
Morgana wasn't smiling anymore and neither was her brother.
They both remembered their last encounter with Morgause and Armand too well.
The Isle of the Blessed's future ruler had taken her time, actually she had been among the last ones who came and when she came, she made it a ten minutes call.
Without further ado the High Priestess accepted the invitation to the christening; she accepted the new status of the Druids and she most graciously thanked the King for the annual stipend Camelot would pay to the Isle in exchange for 'an enduring friendship and alliance', whatever that meant.
Armand just stood behind her and said nothing.
Morgause embraced Morgana and her stepbrother formally and swept out with a smile too sweet to be genuine.
"I wonder what that means" the Queen now murmured. "We pay the Isle an awful lot of money and yet…. We lay claim on huge parts of her authority and she doesn't even mention it?"
Morgana banged her fist on the table in frustration. "Morgause must know that we curbed her entitlements and authority. All magicians were once subjects of the Isle, all Druids were its serves; all matters of religion and magic were for the High Priestess to decide."
"I'm sure she does know" Arthur replied drily. "But like us, she can only go so far whilst her power basis is still under reconstruction. As the resources of the Isle will grow, so will her demands."
Morgana gritted her teeth. This had been slow in coming, but inevitable. "Which side are you on, Morgana Pendragon?"
She looked her brother straight into the eyes. "You will give in to Morgause's demands, won't you Arthur?"
"As far as I can, but if she endangers what we've achieved here…."
"….you will defy her" Morgana completed his sentence. "You will side with the Druids. Or with the Christians. But not with my sister and the Isle, after all she's done for us?"
Arthur's answer was calm but firm. "I'll do what's best for our people and Camelot. I promised the Druids and everybody else who's willing to respect our laws a free and independent life in safety within our borders. I intend to keep this promise and I expect as much of my Queen."
"What if the Christians go against your laws?" Morgana retorted. "Or one of the Barons?"
"The knights of Camelot will fight anyone who breaks the peace, without distinction of person, rank, faith or fortune." Arthur's voice reverberated as he said it. It was the very essence of his idea of what Camelot should be. He would not give it up, for no one.
"That's a fine dream, Arthur. But it'll bring you between all chairs in the end."
The young King shrugged angrily. "There are worse places to be!"
"Our father always said you've to side with one group against the other until it is sufficiently weakened before you change sides to keep the first group in check" Morgana repeated one of Uther's most cherished axioms. "A King has varying opponents; therefore he can afford neither permanent friendships nor impartiality."
Arthur cheeks reddened. "Uther despised the nobles' ways to plunder their own peasants; he'd loved to take on able commoners as knights yet he didn't dare. Because he preferred crawling up the aristocracy's arses too get their approval for his private holy war. I will not do that."
Morgana relaxed visibly. "Do you have any idea how many years I've waited to hear you say that, little brother? I thought the day would never come."
"I do have your support then?" Arthur asked urgently, taking her hands.
Morgana flinched inwardly. "Morgause" she thought, suddenly saddened almost to tears. "Oh sister, that's not what we wanted. You were my home once, my one and only refuge."
Outwardly she made a bold face and grinned. "Against a world of selfish, power-greedy, puffed-up men who'd sell their own grandmothers if it served their interests? Sounds like fun!"
From that day on, Arthur had the distinct feeling that he could conquer anything; overcome any obstacle, as long as he and his sister were of the same mind.
As days became weeks and weeks became months, events proved him right.
Some thought, albeit only in their hearts, that their young King and Queen had found a way to finally expel Uther's dark spirit from the realm.
Whatever it was that drove the dark clouds from Camelot's sky, suddenly all evil seemed to flee castle, city and realm; all troubles vanished beyond the horizon and an atmosphere of hope and a spirit of optimism ruled the day.
Lancelot and Alaine got married on a bright sunny day in the shell of what was to become Camelot's first fully rigged and furnished Christian church.
A proud Erec gave the bride away and everyone muttered how very beautifully she was and what a fortune her guardian had spent on her dress and trousseau – taken from her own money of course, but people didn't think that far.
There was a grand feast in Camelot's hall. Everybody was there; only the Lady Guinivere was unwell due to her advanced pregnancy. Under the circumstances everybody thought it perfectly understandable that the King only stayed an hour.
Besides, Arthur and Morgana insisted on seeing the newly weds off when they departed for one of Alaine's estates in the far south of Camelot to begin their married life and the extremely valuable set of jewellery Alaine got for a good-bye present was the Court's nine days' wonder.
During this feast Gwaine got roaring drunk, but with Merlin's determined help – and with some discreet support from Leon – he avoided any brawl.
However, the firework of his charm and his witty – if somewhat incoherent – conversation earned him the special interest of a few Ladies.
Two of them, Griseldis and Marian, decided that he was too fine and adorable a man to be left to the destitution of unmarried life and before Gwaine really understood the danger he was in, one woman had driven not only her rival from the field but also the knight's belated and badly coordinated resistance.
From this day onwards, things developed at a breath-taking speed.
One grey and dreary day in autumn, rain drizzling outside and cold gusts of wind tormenting everyone, Sir Gwaine stood before his King, stammering his way through a declaration of love for the Lady Griseldis and a subsequent petition for a permit to get married.
Arthur not only granted it immediately, he also saw to it that the bachelor's party was an extremely memorable one and that it was held very soon.
Naturally Lady Marian was in dire need of comfort and consolation and who was better suited to give it than Sir Leon.
As a result nobody was really surprised when there was a second bachelor's party within a week after the first and a double marriage at the Crown's expense a week after that.
Both weddings took place in one of the Old Religion's restored temples. As everything had happened so very swiftly, no one thought much of the fact that no priest from the Isle was there.
Only Morgana and Gaius knew that Arthur's polite request to staff the temple with a priest and scholars had been rudely refused by Armand of Morgwyn but neither of the three breathed a word about the deliberate affront to anyone.
The Queen herself made use of the fact that she was, after all, an acolyte of the Isle in her own right and she spoke the words that made Gwaine and Leon married men in a very dignified manner. Some Druid Elders assisted her.
Actually Merlin had been Morgana's first choice for that – the way she saw it, he had to learn to behave like an official of the magic community anyway, so why not start now. But Merlin had given the richly adorned ceremonial robes one long look and then he had, much to Morgana's disappointment, absolutely, categorically refused. He became Gwain's best man and that was that.
Yet the wizard was in for a profound disappointment of his own.
Gaius and Alice thought that another big wedding would be too much of a good thing; as a consequence the two of them, with an unsuspecting warlock in tow, eloped somewhat later to Algernon's camp and came back as a married couple.
Subsequent to their return, all hell broke lose in a quarter from which no one had expected it. Geoffrey tore his hair out in despair about the administrative disaster of having three different forms of marriages, some with certificates, some without. His time-honoured filing system was in complete disarray; this couldn't go on or he would quit, as he told his King in no uncertain words.
That was when Merlin was called to Arthur's office to be thoroughly lectured on the fact that organizing the return of the Old Religion to the realm was part of the Court Sorcerer's job description.
The warlock and the secretary became very intimately acquainted after that.
Merlin frequently repeated that he had imagined Camelot's Golden Age somewhat differently. Less paperwork, more fun; or something in that style.
Naturally it didn't do him any good. Morgana pitied him and tried to make it up to him whenever they were together but that was as far as she went.
Arthur's response was brief and very concise. "Shut up, Merlin."
"Some things haven't changed at all" the warlock muttered irritably when he trotted out. "Dollop-head!"
Arthur's wedding gift to his Court Physician reconciled the angered wizard, however. He knew how very much Gaius and Alice had wished for the old "Healers' Seminar" to be reopened.
Within a month after the first students had been taken on, Gaius was caught up in teaching and experimenting and discussing and organising up to his neck while Alice took over more and more of his duties in castle and city.
All around Merlin people seemed to be content, perhaps even happy. Life was good, and to some it was also fulfilling. No doubt for Merlin, in spite of all his tribulations, life was good too.
Secretly he and Morgana still practised her magic and what they could do with a combination of their powers. They took great care that things didn't get out of hand once more and they told nobody what they were doing. Other than that - ,well…
For the very first time in his life, Merlin was not only deeply and truly in love but he could live his love-story openly and freely and he knew it was the same for Morgana.
It was how life should be. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. But for a few minor irritations only an oversensitive former guardian-angel-in-disguise would notice.
As things settled down bit by bit, the patrols, the occasional persecution of bandits or other criminals were no longer the business of a Prince and his faithful manservant. Gwaine and Leon now too had duties that kept them at Court almost all the time.
Others rode out to defend the good people gallantly and they rode with Percival, Elyan or Tristan in the lead. The King's task was to give the order, to wait for their return, to reward their success or chastise their failure.
Sometimes Merlin looked at Arthur sitting where his father had sat before him, doing the things Uther had done, trudging through the same duties; always controlled, always aloft, always 'The King'. More and more Arthur looked the part of someone bigger than life, forever confined in perfect solitude.
Whenever the warlock had thought about the time Arthur would finally be on the throne, he had imagined that it would make his friend's life complete, that Arthur would be happy and content before all others.
There was no denying that he had been thoroughly misguided in that; what Merlin saw before his eyes day by day was the perfect antithesis to his dreams.
Uther had seemed inhuman at times and the warlock felt a stitch in his guts when he realized that Arthur, in spite of his diametrically opposed policies, was about to become his father's spit image.
Finally Merlin couldn't stand it any more. "Arthur, you're growing fat and lazy. You haven't been on the training ground in weeks. Let's go and have some sword exercise, eh? I promise, you can bash me all you like, I'll not turn you into a donkey."
Arthur looked up from the papers he was working on. His gaze wandered first to Excalibur and then to his own wrists. With a half bewildered, half angry frown he asked "what for?" before he returned to his work.
Merlin's shoulders sank. This wasn't good. He needed to think of something to put this right, and soon.
Only now Merlin began to ask himself when he had last seen Arthur and Guinivere together.
