His city was burning.
Fire was a fact of life in any settlement, great or small, and the notion that a small cookfire could grow and spread out of control was a risk people lived with every day. Arthur knew that. He accepted it.
But his city was burning.
There hadn't been a fire like this in living memory, not even when the dragon had attacked. Then, the spring rains had kept the flames from spreading far, despite the fact that the beast returned every night for most of a week.
The past summer, though, had been long, hot, and dry, and the autumn rains had showed no signs of coming. So the fire, once ignited, spread quickly among the tottering wooden structures of the lower town, consuming everything it could find whether it was a house, a stable, or a shop.
Arthur tried not to think about how many of his people had died already, or how many might still be killed before they contained the blaze.
"You!" A grizzled old man shoved a bucket at Arthur, sending a bit of it splashing up into his face. "Take this, and get your ass up to the far side of Ring Street. There's one last coal repository to soak before the fire gets here. Get!" The man shooed him off down the street and turned away without a second glance.
"Yes, sir," Arthur said as he turned on a heel and set off. In the hours since the sound of the warning bells had taken him from Guinevere's arms and sent him into this inferno, the soot and sweat had obscured his identity. In the darkness, he wasn't a king. He was just another man. That much could be said for fire: it made men equal.
But his knights needed to find him quickly, so he splashed a bit of the water on his face and did his best to clear away the worst of the soot.
And it was just in time.
"Sire!" Bedivere's voice rang down the street, somehow louder than the rumbling flames and the cacophony of voices around them. The lanky knight cut through the rush of people and halted in front of Arthur. "Sir Leon's been looking for you. He and Lancelot got here, maybe half an hour ago. Leon said Gwaine was sent on to the citadel because of his wounds, Elyan was last seen in the lower town, and Percival just got here".
"Good. How much longer before the fire gets here?" Arthur handed the bucket off to someone edging by.
Bedivere glanced over his shoulder and shrugged. "It's hard to say. The wind's died down a bit, so that's helped keep it from spreading, but it'd only take an errant breeze or two to kick up the embers and start a secondary blaze somewhere else".
"And the food stores?" Arthur asked.
"The soldiers have been emptying the warehouses and taking everything to the citadel as you ordered, Sire, though the fire hasn't approached that part of the city yet." Bedivere swiped at the hair falling across his face. His mismatched eyes looked more crazed than normal. "The royal stables and kennels have been cleared, too. They took the animals outside the city to keep them from stampeding".
"And the people?"
"Some fled to the river with the animals. Many have taken shelter in the citadel, though some of the more civically minded nobles have opened their homes to refugees. Those with the worst wounds are being sent to the great hall. Gaius, Blaise, and any other available healer, midwife, or herbalist is there taking care of them".
"Good," Arthur said, then coughed. If he survived this, he'd be hacking up soot for weeks. "Guinevere's organizing things in the citadel. As long as everyone and everything gets up there, she'll have it all under control by dawn".
"Assuming the fire doesn't make it there first," Bedivere said. Arthur glared at him.
"Sire!" Leon's relieved smile was short-lived as he came to a halt in front of the king. "They say the wind's picked up again. The fire's picking up speed on its way here, and we still have one coal storehouse left. I wouldn't be too worried about it, except the blacksmiths say it's full of dust, and it's the dust that's dangerous. They say it'll explode if the fire gets there".
Arthur looked up the street to where a few dozen men were rushing about, dousing the buildings with buckets of water. Against the background of the encroaching fire, their efforts seemed almost useless. He closed his eyes and forced himself to keep calm. He couldn't give in to despair. "Then we'd better get moving".
Leon's mouth opened, closed, and opened again like he had something to say, but couldn't figure out how to put it into words.
"Spit it out, Leon. We don't have time to hesitate," Arthur ordered.
"It's just... " Leon glanced over his shoulder and sighed. "Merlin. Isn't there something he can do about this? Anything?"
Arthur swallowed against the dryness of his throat. He glanced up at the red glow in the sky, forcing his thoughts to return to the present. "He followed me here, but I haven't seen him for a while. He was…" Arthur's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure what he was doing. Sending the wind back down the street, creating water. I don't know. I'm surprised he's even down here at all, with all he's been through".
"If he could make it rain…" Leon said.
"I don't know if even Merlin can do much against this," Arthur said. "But we have to keep fighting it, no matter what Merlin ends up doing. We've got to take care of that warehouse before the fire gets there. Bedivere, head back up the street and make sure all the water is being directed toward the coal storage and the forges. And if you find Merlin… look after him". Bedivere nodded and headed up the street as fast as he could. "Leon, you're with me".
Leon grabbed Arthur's arm before he made it three steps down the street. "Arthur! You can't go that way! Not toward the fire. You could be killed!"
"It's no different from battle, Leon. The people need their king. They need to see that I'm willing to fight for them, to risk my life for them." Arthur pulled his arm from Leon's grasp. "Stay behind, if you want. I won't blame you for it. But I'm going".
Leon heaved an exasperated sigh that ended in a hacking cough. "Where you go, Sire, I'm bound to follow".
"That's the spirit". Arthur clapped the knight on the shoulder and offered him a wry, short-lived smile. "We swore to protect Camelot against all her enemies. This fire is just another enemy to fight. It's another battle we're going to win. Do you believe me?"
"Yes." Leon swallowed hard. His jaw clenched. "Yes, I do".
"Then let's go," Arthur said. "We've got work to do".