Chapter Ten

Merlin ran to the tree line as soon as the gate was clear. Reaching it, he paused and looked back to the city walls, his brow furrowed. Arthur's sudden appearance had been a little too…convenient. And a middle-aged man running out of the stables? Merlin hadn't seen anyone. And he'd been paying a bit more attention to his surroundings than the guards.

This was not the first of Arthur's recent actions that made Merlin pause for thought.

He shook his head slightly, deciding not to question his good fortune. Instead he tightened his grip on his staff and headed east, towards the Forest of Ascetir. He wished he could have taken his horse, but it was a bit more difficult to sneak out of the city on horseback. So instead, he made his way on foot, the bright moon lighting his path until he got too deeply in the forest.

When the path became too dark thanks to the dense trees, Merlin held open his palm and spoke softly, "Golau." An orb of light appeared in his hand and was sent hovering in front of him, lighting the way. For once, Merlin was not worried about alerting anyone to his presence. For once, he wanted to be found.

He had been traveling steadily east for a solid two hours before there was any change in the silent night. Merlin felt a strange tingling sensation on the back of his neck and paused, feeling distinctly like he was being watched.

"I come in peace," he declared loudly. "I wish to speak to Kallen."

There was a long moment of silence, and Merlin began wondering if he'd been imagining things. Then, three men came out from hiding, all from different directions around him. "What business do you have with him?" the one to Merlin's left demanded. Merlin turned to face him.

"Camelot," he said shortly.

The man shifted on his feet at that answer, looking Merlin up and down as though to gage just what he was after. "What about Camelot?"

"I know about the attack," Merlin said simply. "And I wish to speak to Kallen," he repeated firmly.

None of the men seemed impressed. "Are you here to join us?" the second man asked at last, "or to stop us?"

"I'm here," Merlin said slowly and clearly, "to speak to Kallen." The third repetition seemed to finally sink in.

"Stay with him," the first man ordered the other two. He then melted back into the trees. Merlin remained where he was, the remaining two sorcerers staring at him. They remained like that for the next quarter hour. Merlin certainly had no intention of breaking the silence.

At last, the man returned and stopped several feet away from Merlin, studying him again. But at last, he nodded his brief consent. "Come with me," he said at last. "Ranim, Nyr, accompany us please."

The four of them made their way through the woods. Merlin kept his eyes open and alert. They passed more people as they went, though Merlin never saw them. He could feel the gentle hum of their magic, but only because he was searching for them.

It wasn't too much longer when they reached the opening of a cave. Another man stood in front of it, wearing the plain robes of a druid. He had dark hair and a short beard. Merlin felt for his magic, and sensed a rather strong pulse. The three men accompanying Merlin stepped to the side, allowing him to step forward and face this new man.

"Kallen, I presume?"

"Yes," the man responded. "And who, may I ask, are you?"

"My name is Merlin," he answered, but paused. "Though you may know me better as Emrys."

The reaction was immediate. Merlin heard multiple gasps behind him, and Kallen actually took a step back.

"You are Emrys?" he asked, voice cold. Merlin's gut clenched uncomfortably at the reaction, but he nodded. Kallen turned to his men. "Bring me Anye," he ordered. Merlin couldn't stop his eyes widening slightly. Anye was here? The man disappeared into the cave to do as ordered. "What are you doing here?" he asked, turning back to Merlin.

"To ask you to leave Camelot in peace."

Kallen's eyes only hardened. He did not seem at all surprised. "And if we don't?"

Merlin chose his words carefully. "Then you will be making a grave mistake."

"What mistake can there be in freeing magic?"

"You won't be freeing magic," Merlin insisted. "You'll be destroying all hope of peace. For any of us."

"What peace is there to destroy?" Kallen asked, almost reasonably. "The Pendragons hunt us like animals.

"And the magical community has hunted them," Merlin pointed out. "Someone has to stop it."

"And that someone is you?"

Merlin was about to answer when a familiar face and red hair came out of the cave. Anye's eyes immediately landed on Merlin and she visibly winced at the sight. Merlin's stomach clenched again.

"Anye, do you recognize this man?" Kallen asked when he realized she had joined them.

The sorceress nodded grimly. "Yes," she confirmed. "He is the man I told you about. He is Emrys."

Kallen's eyes turned to Merlin again, entire demeanor hardening now that his visitor's identity had been confirmed. "So you are who you say you are," he commented, almost casually. "And I suppose that if we do not stop our attack, you will fight us?"

It was a question, a challenge, one that Merlin did not take. "I do not want to fight you," he insisted. "We want the same thing. But you are mistaken if you think the death of the Pendragons will end magic's persecution."

"Uther is the one who began this bloodshed," Kallen countered. "Magic can never be free while he lives."

Merlin took a step forward. "But Arthur is not like his father. Arthur is at last beginning to trust magic. I understand why you cannot trust Uther. Believe me, I have suffered at his hands. But trust in the prince."

"Why?"

"Because Arthur," Merlin said slowly, "is the Once and Future King."

Stunned silence met his words, and Merlin turned to look at each person in turn. Even Anye looked shocked at this admission.

Kallen finally broke the silence. "You lie."

Merlin shook his head firmly. "I speak the truth. Arthur is the one destined to return the age of magic. I ask that you trust me in this."

Anye winced again at his words, and Merlin got the immediate sense that he had made a terrible mistake. Indeed, Kallen looked furious. "Trust you?" he demanded. "Why should we trust the man who has been protecting our enemies all this time? Why should we trust someone who has utterly betrayed us?"

Anye stepped forward and put a hand on Kallen's arm, urging him to see sense. "It is only a betrayal if he is wrong, Kal," she pointed out. "If he is right, then to kill Arthur would be to doom us all."

"It is not Arthur Pendragon!"

"I assure you," Merlin inputted, "it is."

Kallen stared at him in silence for a long moment, thoughts turning in his head. Merlin tried his best to be patient and waited.

"Very well," Kallen said at last. Merlin breathed a sigh of relief, but something in the man's tone told him that something else was coming. "You claim Arthur is our king, I don't believe you. But," he paused again, "this is not solely my decision to make. Nyr," the man who was still in his place behind Merlin stepped forward. "Gather those on watch. Ranim, wake those who are resting. This is a decision for all of us to make. Together. You," he turned once again to Merlin, "will follow me."

Merlin's grip on his staff tightened at the venom in Kallen's voice, but the druid made no move to attack. He merely turned and walked into the trees. Merlin hesitated, but at Anye's urging he followed.

The three of them came to a large clearing. Merlin swallowed hard, realizing he was going to have to make his case in front of their entire force.

Indeed, more people slowly joined them, in groups of twos, threes, or fours. Merlin counted as they arrived, and at last, there were twenty-eight individuals standing, whispering to each other as they eyed the stranger, mostly they were men, but Merlin spotted a few women in the ranks as well. The majority of them wore druid robes, but a few of them were quite obviously not druids, and they held a more malicious look to them. Anye made twenty-nine.

Kallen motioned for them to be silent, and the whispers slowly died away, everyone eager to hear what Kallen would say.

"This man here," he motioned to Merlin stiffly, "is Emrys."

The whispers broke out again, much louder this time, when Kallen raised his hand this time, it took much longer for silence to return.

"He is here to warn us to leave Camelot in peace." Eyes hardened at that, and Merlin resisted the urge to wince. The words sounded threatening, but he wasn't here to hurt anyone. "He claims," Kallen continued, "that the young Pendragon is the Once and Future King."

No whispers broke out at that statement, though everyone looked around at each other in shock and bewilderment.

"I do not believe him," Kallen responded to the silence.

"But I do," Merlin's eyes snapped to the voice that had spoken. Anye stood bravely, turning to look at each person in turn.

"No Pendragon will ever be my king!" an unfamiliar voice rang out. Merlin followed the sound until his eyes fell on a vicious looking man who had stepped forward from the crowd. He did not wear the druid robes, making Merlin instantly more wary of him. At least the druids had been raised to respect peace. "Like father, like son."

"Arthur is different than his father," Anye countered.

"So he says," he spat, waving his hand in Merlin's direction. "Why should we trust him? You said yourself, he's been protecting Camelot all this time. How many of our people have died while he was supposedly fighting for us?"

Anye flicked guilty eyes to Merlin, and understanding hit him like a rock.

They weren't attacking for revenge, like he'd assumed. They were attacking because they had lost faith in him. They had lost faith that Emrys would save them, because he was protecting their persecutors.

Because Anye had told them he was protecting their persecutors.

Merlin hung his head. They were right, after all. He had saved those he could, but many more had died with him helpless to stop the bloodshed. He could hardly blame them for wanting to take matters into his own hands. Hadn't he done much the same thing whenever he got frustrated with so called "destiny?" "Many have died," he confirmed. "But do not blame Arthur for my mistakes, or for Uther's."

The whispers continued, until Kallen spoke again. "It was not Uther who led the attack on my family," he said firmly. "It was Arthur who slaughtered my people."

Merlin sagged. "I am not saying that Arthur's hands are free of blood, but he has changed. He is a different man now."

"What proof do you have of this?" a woman asked softly. She was among the older of those present, hair turning grey and wrinkles setting into the corners of her eyes.

Merlin looked at her steadily. "He knows about me," he said at last. "He knows a warlock defends him, and he trusts me. He has protected me ever since he has learned of my existence."

The women's eyes widened at that. "He trusts you?" she repeated.

Merlin nodded firmly. "And I trust him."

"Empty words," Kallen spat. "Anye told me the truth. He knows a warlock defends him, but he doesn't know that warlock is you. He couldn't kill you even if he wanted to. How do we know he's not just waiting to discover your true identity so he can kill you, same as everyone else he's ever killed?"

Merlin opened his mouth to protest, but Anye beat him to it.

"Arthur knows."

Merlin's eyes snapped to her at the admission, his heart freezing in his chest. "What do you mean he knows?" he demanded.

Anye locked eyes with him briefly in apology, but her words were for Kallen. "He has known that Merlin here is Emrys ever since the day I attacked Camelot."

"WHAT?"

A/N: Yes. I did just do that. Muahaha! Bet you can't wait for the next chapter, huh?

Once again, thanks for reading! Things are significantly slowing down for me. This week promises much free time. So the next chapter should be up significantly sooner than usual. Thanks for being patient with me in the chaos of school/life!

~Syd