"They're ready for you, m'lord," said the serving boy. He couldn't be more than ten years old, probably younger, and looked terrified to be speaking to Merlin.
"I'm not a lord," Merlin corrected automatically. "But thank you." He was leaning against the wall outside the council chambers, and had been there almost two hours already. Raised voices had been audible from time to time while he waited. The thick oak door muffled their words, but he didn't need to hear them to know what they were arguing about.
He stood up straight now, and tugged nervously at his tunic. It was new, and made of soft white fabric. Gwen had had it sent to him earlier that morning, correctly guessing that he didn't have any clothes suitable for the royal council chambers. He'd cleaned his own pants and boots, but nothing he did could erase the fact that both were worn from long use. His black cloak was in little better condition, but he wore it anyway. I'm an evil sorcerer. I have to look the part, he thought, smiling wryly. The serving boy bowed nervously and pulled the heavy door open for him. Merlin took a deep breath, steeled himself, and walked in.
The room, which had been filled with heated conversation, fell silent the moment he entered. Arthur and Gwen sat at the head of the table, and the rest of the chairs were occupied by the five councilors, mostly old men in fine clothing. A few faces looked familiar, but he didn't know their names.
"Merlin," Gwen greeted him with a pleasant smile, as though she hadn't just spent the past two hours arguing with a bunch of obstinate old men. "Welcome. Please join us." She gestured to an empty seat near the end of the table. He sat, ignoring the hostile gazes that followed him. "We've been discussing our preparations for the arrival of Mordred's army." The queen looked expectantly at the councilors. "Fill Merlin in on our progress so far, please." A chair creaked as one of the councilors shifted in their seat, and someone cleared their throat. No one spoke. Gwen scowled. "That was not a request," she said sharply.
"I will, if it please your grace," the man beside Merlin finally said. He was in his late fifties, judging by the lines forming on his face and the streaks of gray in his dark hair. His garb was simpler than most of the other councilors, and the clear eyes that met Merlin's were more curious than hostile. "I'm Merek, the castle physician." He offered Merlin a hand to shake, which Merlin accepted, thinking: so this is Gaius' replacement.
"I'm Merlin," he introduced himself. "The castle sorcerer." Merek frowned slightly but nodded, then began explaining the defense of the city: how many men were to be posted along the walls and at each gate, what extra fortifications and weapons were being built, where the people of the city were to take shelter during the battle, the location of food and water stores and the plan for distributing them in case of a siege, and the coordination of healers to treat soldiers wounded in battle. There was a detailed map on the city laid out on the table, and Merek pointed out each location as he mentioned them, marking the places with different colored stones. Merlin listened carefully to all he said. "It sounds like you have things well under control," Merlin commented when Merek had finished. The physician nodded.
"For a normal attack, yes, we are well prepared. But this one is sure to include some kind of magical assault. That's where we need your input, as our king and queen have convinced us." Merlin glanced up at Gwen at these words. She winked surreptitiously at him, and he hid a smile.
"Do we know how many sorcerers Mordred has in his force?" He asked.
"We haven't been able to get a definitive count, but our spies estimate thirty," Merek told him. Merlin raised his eyebrows.
"You want me to fight off thirty sorcerers by myself?" The councilors looked uncertainly at each other.
"Can you do it?" Arthur asked. Merlin didn't answer for a long moment, thinking hard.
"In an open battle, no," he finally said. "But I know a protection spell that might serve. I haven't heard of it used on a whole city before, but I know sorcerers who've done it on castles or small villages. The same principle should apply here."
"How does it work?" Gwen asked.
"It's fairly simple. I'll need to draw some runes along the city walls," Merlin said, running his eyes over the map. "I'll wait until just before the battle starts to complete it, and then the city will be shielded from all but the most powerful of magical attacks."
"Magical attacks? What about other types? Siege engines and such?" A counselor asked. Merlin shook his head.
"This will only stop magic. Different spells would be needed to deflect physical projectiles."
"Can you do those spells, too?"
"Not at the same time as the first one. It takes too much concentration and energy, especially for such a large area," Merlin told them. "Unless…" He trailed off, turning an idea over in his mind.
"Unless what?" Gwen prompted him. "Is there a way for you to do both?"
"No," Merlin said slowly. "I can't do both. But if I had help… other sorcerers, people I trust… they could be positioned on the walls. One at each gate, for example." He picked up a few stones and set one at each of the gates drawn on the map. "They could help defend the walls while I keep magical attacks off." Gwen and Arthur looked thoughtful, but before either of them could speak, another councilor did.
"That's out of the question!" The man wheezed through a long white beard. There was so much gold and jewelry decorating his collar that it was no wonder his back was so bent. "Allowing even one sorcerer into the city was folly! Allowing any more past our gates would be sheer madness."
"My lord, we've been over this-" Gwen started wearily.
"I agree with Lord Wontsworth." All eyes went to the king. "It was a risk to bring a sorcerer here," Arthur continued, studiously ignoring his wife's furious gaze. "But it was a necessary evil. Bringing more sorcerers here is not necessary."
"My thoughts exactly, your grace," Lord Wontsworth said approvingly. "I-"
"A necessary evil?" Merlin interrupted, staring incredulously at Arthur. "That's what I am?"
"Sorcery is an abomination," Arthur said coldly. "Under normal circumstances, I would sooner have you in my dungeon than in my council chambers. But this is a war. Sometimes in war, we have to do things that repulse us in order to survive, like ally ourselves with a sorcerer. So, yes. I would call your presence here a necessary evil." Merlin stood up abruptly, the legs of his chair screeching across the flagstones.
"Maybe sorcery is evil. Maybe it's not. I don't think I would know if it were. But I do know with absolute certainty that burning people alive who have committed no crime is evil," he said furiously. "So is slaughtering innocent children for the unforgivable crime of being born to a family of Druids. So is eradicating entire villages of peaceful people for following the wrong gods and murdering healers for using their magic to help the sick and wounded. I may be evil, Arthur, but so are you."
"What are you doing here, then?" Arthur demanded. "If you hate me so much, why did you come?"
"This is war," Merlin said quietly. "Sometimes in war, we have to do things that repulse us in order to survive." He smiled humorlessly. "I came because you're a necessary evil." Merlin turned and strode out of the room.