Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. BBC does.
Merlin moaned as he rolled over, the sun hitting him right in the face. He winced away from it, shoving his head underneath his pillow, blowing out a puff of air. He lay there for a minute, willing sleep to come back to him but knowing that he was not going to win that particular battle.
He pulled his head out from underneath the pillow allowing his eyes to adjust to the bright sunlight before attempting to actually do anything. And the worst part was he couldn't claim a hangover like so many of the others could. He had not had more than that one goblet of wine that had been poured when Arthur had presented the goblet to him. He knew that alcohol did not mix well with his magic so did not want to cause a catastrophe.
He looked to the cabinet at his bedside, smiling at what he saw. He picked up the circlet, feeling the power it held tingling at his fingertips. There was no doubt he would be expected to wear it whenever the occasion called for it. He hadn't been able to quiz Arthur on where he had found it yet and on such short notice as well. He knew that Arthur hadn't had long to plan the ceremony that had taken place the night before, so he didn't know where the king had managed to find such a precious and powerful magical item.
He stretched out, smiling to himself as he looked out of the window. It was his first official day as Court Sorcerer and he had no doubt that he – and half of the court – had most likely slept through most of it. There was no doubt that Arthur was still most likely snoring away (no matter how much he protested he didn't snore).
How Gwen put up with it, he didn't know.
He climbed out of the bed, walking over to the window, seeing the courtyard filled with people. He could see the guards and the knights milling around. It appeared that Gwaine had done something to rile Percival – which was a feat in its own right – because he was chasing him around the courtyard while Elyan and Leon ignored the two of them completely. He smiled to himself at the display, turning when he heard a knock at the door.
"Enter," he called, wondering who would be calling on him. The door opened a moment later and a young man, possibly eighteen years of age walked in with a tray of food, more than enough for Merlin and possibly someone else to eat. He placed it down on the table before turning to face Merlin with a bow of respect before standing there, expectantly. "Um . . . who are you?"
"My name is Jaime, my lord." He stated as if that cleared up why he was in Merlin's chambers, delivering him food. "I am your new manservant, sire."
"I'm sorry," Merlin blinked, his jaw dropping slightly. "My new what?"
"Your new manservant, sire. I was assigned by the Head of the Castle Staff last night." He seemed quite proud of the fact that he had been chosen. It was clear that he thought it an honour to be chosen as the personal manservant of Camelot's new and first Court Sorcerer in nearly thirty years.
"I, um, I'm sorry, I'm trying to understand," Merlin ran a hand through his hair. "The Head of the Castle Staff – a man who used to hate me, mind you," he missed the servant's shocked face at his words, clearly wondering how he could hate a noble. And admit it. "He believes that I need a servant?"
"As the second most powerful man in Camelot, underneath the King, you are in need of a servant, my lord." He stated as though this was the most obvious thing in the world.
Merlin stood there, clearly confused. It had completely slipped by him that now he was the Court Sorcerer, he was a member of the court. And therefore, they would give him a servant. He didn't really feel comfortable with the idea but he knew that if he refused his service, it would be seen as an insult and he didn't want to put him out of a job. Though if he was going to have a servant, he was going to lay down some ground rules right then and there.
"Alright," he sighed, making his way over to the table, Jaime pulling out his chair for him. He stopped, shaking his head. "How long have you worked in the castle?" He asked as Jaime went to pour him some wine. He held up his hand, shaking his head. "I don't really drink, especially not first thing in the morning. It doesn't mix too well with my magic." Jaime nodded, picking up the pitcher of water that was next to the one of wine.
"Of course, my lord," that was one thing that had to go. At least in private, anyway. "I've been in Camelot for eight months, sire-"
"Right," Merlin sighed, putting down the goblet, "first things first, in private, I'm Merlin. In public I understand the titles and stuff for propriety and everything but when it's just you and me, I'm Merlin."
"Yes, si- Merlin," he shrugged and Merlin chuckled, picking up one of the slices of bread on his plate. "Might I ask why? All the other nobles I've worked for would see that as disrespect."
"Hey, I never really adhered to it when I was a servant." He smirked upon seeing Jaime's shocked face. "Oh yeah, I was a servant here for a long time. I left before you started though, for reasons I'm not willing to get into, so you wouldn't have known me. That's probably why the Head assigned you to be my servant rather than anyone who's been here longer. It would be strange to be served by someone that was once my friend, you know?" Jaime nodded slowly, clearly at a loss for words. "Anyway, I used to be Arthur's servant."
"You were servant to the King?" Jaime sounded awed and Merlin laughed.
"I started serving him when he was a prince and let me tell you, he was a prat back then," Merlin smiled at the gasp that came out of Jaime's mouth upon hearing Merlin insult the king. "Don't worry, I used to tell him that to his face. Still do, to be honest."
"And you don't get in trouble for it?" He sounded astonished at the words coming out of his new Master's mouth.
"Nope," Merlin cut up a sausage, eating a chunk of it before continuing. "He likes it, in a way. While everyone else is and was bowing and scraping and agreeing with him because of who he is, I tell him straight. I don't put anything down because he's the king. I don't see why I should need to. How is he going to know what's really going on if all people do is agree with him? He asked for my opinion, even when I was nothing more than his servant, because he knew that I would be honest with him." He looked at Jaime, analysing him where he stood. "And I'm going to ask the same of you."
"Wh-what?" He sounded worried at what had just been asked of him. It was clear that he had never been asked for his opinion by a nobleman before.
"If I ask for your opinion, I want you to be honest with me or if I'm doing something you know is completely stupid, I want to you tell me. You won't get into trouble for it. Even though my history here wouldn't suggest it, I prefer it when people are honest with me."
"What do you mean, your history, sir- Merlin?" His cheeks flushed slightly red and Merlin knew that it was going to take time for the servant to get used to him.
"I worked here as Arthur's servant for six years, Jaime." Merlin sighed, placing his cutlery on his plate and resting his elbows on the table, linking his fingers together. "And the whole time I was here, only one other person knew about my powers." He wasn't going to mention Lancelot, as all that did was open old wounds. "No one else here did until Arthur and the knights showed up at the Isle of the Blessed a little over a month ago."
"You're the one they were talking about," Jaime gasped, a hand flying to his mouth as Merlin raised an eyebrow in question. "Umm . . . when you arrived in Camelot after the King and his knights went to the Isle of the Blessed, some of the staff were whispering about not having known someone was a sorcerer and that you could have killed everyone whenever you liked."
Merlin let out a breath, leaning back in his chair. He had known that the castle staff were talking about him when he came back to Camelot. He hadn't expected anything less if he was honest. He knew that he had deceived all of them the whole time he was here. A few of which had been his friends.
"Essentially, they are right." Merlin gestured for the man to sit, nodding to the chair adjacent to his when he hesitated.
The servant noticed Merlin's resigned look and knew he believed that the servants and people in the castle were speaking ill of him. "They're not saying anything bad," Merlin raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing him. "I believe it's because they knew you when you were here before and it's a bit of a shock to them, finding out that you have magic and none of them knew." He shrugged. Not having been here when Merlin was a servant - not that he entirely believed that, people don't go from being servants to noblemen - he didn't really know how he was with the other servants in the castle. Although, if overhearing what some of the maids were saying was anything to go by, many of them had fancied him and were now lamenting the fact that he was above their station.
Merlin regarded the young man for a moment, before clicking his tongue gently. "What do you know about me?"
"Only that you are a powerful sorcerer, sire." He winced as the title came out and Merlin waved him off.
"That is correct," Merlin sighed, running a hand through his hair. "And that is pretty much all most people know. What they don't know is that I am foretold to be the most powerful warlock to ever walk the earth." Jaime's jaw dropped and Merlin nodded. "I know. Not bad for a former servant, right." He leaned forward again, resting his arms on the table. "If you're going to be my servant, Jaime, then you need to be able to accept that. And all that that entails."
Jaime nodded, standing up, his jaw set defiantly. "I can accept that you are exceedingly powerful, my lord. I can accept that you are the Court Sorcerer of Camelot and I am willing to serve you, with pride." He bowed and Merlin smiled at the no nonsense tone in his voice.
"Well, in that case, I'll be glad to have you around." Merlin started to finish his breakfast, reheating it slightly with a quick spell as it had chilled slightly while he and Jaime had been talking. "Though I can tell you now, the one thing I will definitely not be needing help with, is dressing." He smirked at Jaime who nodded. "I can manage that one on my own."
"Then, I fear you are one of the only nobles who can," Merlin choked a laugh at the servants' words.
He had a feeling that as Jaime became used to him, the more relaxed around him he would be and the more likely to let things like that slip he would be.
~TTOF~
After Merlin finished his breakfast and dressed, he made his way down to the council chambers. He walked in, seeing Arthur sitting there, reading through some paperwork. Jaime followed him all the way there, making his way over to where George was standing with a pitcher. Merlin smirked at the thought that Arthur had been stuck with George since he had left.
Merlin walked over to the table, pulling out a chair and sitting down. Arthur looked up at him, clearly not happy to be sat where he was.
"You look like you spent last night at the bottom of a wine barrel." Merlin laughed and Arthur glared at him.
"Sure feels like it." He growled, grabbing his goblet full of water, downing half of it in pretty much one gulp. "How are you so chipper?"
"Because unlike some people, I didn't drink my weight in alcohol last night." He chuckled, earning another glare from Arthur. "I've told you before, alcohol doesn't mix with my magic. If I drink too much, I lose control of it."
"Wouldn't mind seeing that." Arthur mumbled, running a hand through his hair.
"Um . . . no you wouldn't. It's not good." Merlin shook his head and Arthur chuckled, letting out a low moan, holding his head. "Why don't you leave this for today?" Merlin suggested and Arthur looked up at him. "You're clearly in no condition to do any work today. Anything you were to look through today wouldn't sink in and anything you were to report on would most likely make no sense at all."
Arthur sat back in his chair, sighing gently. "You're right." He ran a hand through his hair.
"Of course I am." Merlin laughed and Arthur narrowed his eyes at him. "You didn't make me your right hand man for nothing."
"Wondering about that now." Arthur mumbled, standing up, rolling up the scrolls and securing them. He passed them to George who had made his way over and was waiting for him to pass them to him. Seeing that he had managed to cross the room without making a sound made Merlin jump. That was not natural.
Not that Merlin could really comment on that.
"Come on," Merlin chuckled, nodding towards the door before leading Arthur out of the doors to the council chambers.
"Where should we go?" Arthur asked, clearly not caring. Merlin chuckled again, knowing that Arthur would not be the only one that was suffering in this way. He could guarantee that at least half the court would be going to Gaius for a hangover cure. Thankfully for Arthur, he wouldn't need to wait for Gaius to be done with his rounds before being able to get his hands on some.
They made their way to Merlin's chambers where Merlin shoved Arthur down in the chair by the hearth before lighting it quickly with magic. He knew that the king would be grateful for the warmth.
"What are you doing, Merlin?" Arthur grumbled, watching as his new Court Sorcerer grabbed things off of the shelves, placing them on the desk in front of him, his eyes flashing gold as he lit a burner he had on the desk.
"Well," he turned, grabbing various jars of herbs from behind him, "I'm guessing I'm right in saying that you want to get rid of your hangover?" Merlin asked and Arthur nodded reluctantly. "Well, Gaius is on his rounds right now-"
"How do you know that?" Arthur asked, narrowing his eyes at Merlin.
"Arthur, I lived with the man for six years. He gets up at the same time, he always has his breakfast at the same time, he goes on his rounds at the same time and he always collects the empty pots and vials from said rounds on a Thursday just after midday."
"Fair enough." Arthur nodded, leaning back in the chair.
"As I was saying, Gaius is on his rounds right now and won't be back for at least two hours." Merlin grinned up at the king as he worked. "So, if you were to wait for Gaius, you wouldn't be able to get it for a while yet."
"And you're telling me this because?"
"Because I know how to make it." Merlin grinned and Arthur perked up as he watched Merlin work. Knowing that there would be some kind of relief coming soon making him a lot happier.
"Couldn't you just . . . use magic to get rid of it?" Arthur suggested and Merlin shook his head.
"No," he looked up at Arthur. "Well, to be honest, I probably could but the mind is very fragile. I wouldn't want to risk doing more damage." Arthur nodded, understanding where he was coming from. They lapsed into silence as Merlin worked, making the potion that would take away the pounding in the king's head.
A little while later, Merlin took the potion off the burner, blowing out the flame, setting the potion on the desk. "It needs to cool but it should be ready in a few minutes." Merlin set about clearing up the workspace he had been using, placing everything back in the correct jars and placing them back on the shelves where he had taken them from. Once that was done, Merlin tipped the mixture into an empty goblet, walking over to Arthur and handing it to him.
Arthur took it, smiling gratefully before downing the whole lot in one go. He grimaced as he swallowed, coughing slightly. "Yup, definitely the same as Gaius's mixture. Tastes as foul as his does."
Merlin chuckled, taking the goblet from him and placing it back on the table. "Unfortunately, it's generally the worst tasting potions and medicines that work the best." Arthur nodded, trying to get rid of the taste in his mouth. "I know that better than anyone." He chuckled, sitting down on the chair opposite Arthur.
"Well, from what I've heard, you got yourself in enough scrapes to warrant trying most of them." Arthur chuckled and Merlin nodded, knowing that Gaius had told Arthur most of what happened while he was here in Camelot.
"So . . ." Arthur looked at Merlin with a smirk on his face. "How are you liking your new servant?"
Merlin shot him a scowl, telling him that he was not pleased. "And you couldn't have warned me about that?"
"I would have thought that you having your own servant would be expected," Arthur shrugged, clearly not seeing what Merlin's issue was. "You're a member of the court, a nobleman now, Merlin. You having a servant is expected." Merlin nodded, having come to the same conclusion Arthur had just given him. "Lord Merlin," he chuckled as Merlin wrinkled his nose at the unfamiliar title. "Who would have thought?"
"Definitely not me." He laughed and Arthur shrugged.
"In the eyes of the court, as my right hand man, you're the second most powerful man in Camelot." Merlin looked up at him and Arthur shrugged. "The fact that you're the most powerful man to walk the earth is not lost on the court either. They know that they will not be able to do anything to stand against you."
"Against us you mean," Merlin corrected. "We are a team, Arthur. You and me. The Once and Future King and Emrys."
"Right," Arthur smirked, nodding his head gently. The potion had started to work immediately and despite its vile taste, Arthur had to admit that it worked.
"But that doesn't mean we can become complacent, Arthur." Merlin warned, his voice as serious as Arthur had ever heard it. He looked over to see Merlin watching him with a seriousness he had never seen on the warlock's face. Even when the situations had been dire, Merlin had always seemed to have a cheerful optimism about him. "There are still people out there that would wish you harm."
"I have no doubt," Arthur mumbled, no hint of sarcasm in his tone. He looked over at Merlin, seeing a drawn, serious expression on the warlock's face. "You know of someone, don't you?" While it had been phrased as a question, Merlin knew that it was more of a statement.
"I do," he nodded, sighing gently. "Do you remember the druid boy? The one you helped escape Camelot?" Arthur nodded, clearly confused. "I didn't have trouble getting out of the castle."
"What do you mean?" Arthur leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Then why were you so late?"
"I wasn't going to come at all," Merlin admitted and Arthur's eyebrows shot up.
"Why ever not?" He sounded alarmed, not understanding why Merlin would have thought to let a child die. "Why wouldn't you have-"
"Because of who he is and what he is destined to do." Merlin cut in, looking at Arthur sharply. Arthur leaned back, awry of the dark look on the warlock's face. It was an expression the king had never seen on his friend's face before. It was an expression that belied the knowledge and power that the young man in front of him held. "His name is Mordred."
Arthur nodded, remembering that the young boy had told him as much. "I don't understand." Arthur wetted his lips, looking over at Merlin, trying to see past the dark look on the man's face. "I don't understand what he could have done to warrant letting him die."
"It is not what he has done, it is what he is destined to do." Merlin's eyes flicked up to him, settling on his face. He could see Arthur's confusion, his wish for Merlin to tell him what he knew. Merlin took a deep breath, wondering if telling Arthur was the right thing to do. He could not risk Arthur not knowing if they came face to face with Mordred again. "He is destined to kill you, Arthur."
Arthur looked confused for a moment before realisation dawned on him. He sat back in his chair, his eyes going blank and seeing nothing in front of him. Merlin left him be for a moment but he would not allow Arthur to dwell on it for long.
"How?" He snapped back into reality, looking at Merlin. "How could he be the one to kill me? He's just a boy-"
"Not anymore." Merlin interrupted again. "It has been many years since you helped him escape the citadel, Arthur. He will not be a boy any longer but a young man. One who has more than one reason to want the both of us dead."
"Why would he want you dead?" Arthur asked, confused. "I thought you were supposed to be some kind of leader to the druids."
"I am," Merlin sighed, running a hand through his hair. "But Mordred, I fear, has little faith in me. I have given him little reason to."
"But you helped him escape the castle."
"And have lead the knights of Camelot to where he was camped twice afterwards." Arthur looked confused at the statement and Merlin sighed, continuing. "When Uther believed that Morgana had been kidnapped by the druids that was not the case." He looked up at Arthur. "I was the one that told her where to find them."
"You knew," Arthur surmised and Merlin nodded, "you knew that she had magic."
"I did," he stood up, walking over to the window, looking out at the courtyard below. "She came to me the night after her chambers caught fire. She was scared and upset and looking for some kind of guidance. I could have told her about my magic then and there but I didn't."
"Why not?"
"Because of what I'd been told, warned of." He leaned against the wall next to the window. "Many times I had been warned that she would become evil, that there was nothing that could deter her from that path. I wish that I had."
"You wish that you'd told her," Arthur said softly.
"Part of me does, yes." He nodded, folding his arms across his chest. "But I have no idea what that would of done. It may have made her more at ease here in Camelot, let her know that she wasn't alone and that she didn't have to be so afraid but on the other hand, who knew what could have happened once Morgause turned up and Morgana found out that she was her sister." He shook his head, dispelling those thoughts. "Anyway, that is all in the past and Morgana is no longer a threat."
"But Mordred is?"
"He is," Merlin turned to look at Arthur, the serious look still on his face. "On the Isle of the Blessed there are many seers and I have the ability myself to a certain extent. I have seen what he is to do Arthur."
"You know what he looks like then?" Arthur asked and Merlin nodded. "Well, it shouldn't be too much of a difficulty, should it?"
"Just because I know what he looks like does not mean I can let my guard down." Merlin advised and Arthur nodded, knowing that he could not become complacent. "When I first saw the vision, I was not sure of who it was but the druids have clarified who he was. Morgana is aware as well. She has had her own visions about him so she is aware."
Merlin had not been happy when Morgana came to him, telling him that she had seen Mordred in a vision. Though Kilgarrah had advised that Morgana was no longer to walk alongside Mordred on the path of darkness, that there was still enough there for her to have visions of him was concerning to Merlin.
She had no desire for the visions and had not conceived of how such a sweet boy could do what he was doing in her visions. Merlin confided in her about all that he had seen and been told. He had previously told her of what had once been her future but had left Mordred out of it, not wanting to upset her further. She had been upset that he had not told her but she had understood.
"The more people there are that know who he is and what he looks like, the less chance he has of succeeding." Arthur sounded confident and Merlin nodded.
"Let us hope so." He sighed, looking out the window again.
~TTOF~
"Come on!" Merlin jumped as the doors to his chambers flew open and Arthur bounded in, closely followed by Morgana and Gwen who were giggling behind him. He closed the book he had been reading, placing it on the table, a little disconcerted by the three of them. "Up you get."
"Why?" Merlin asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. They didn't say anything, only moving towards him, sneaky looks on their faces. If the fact that the king, queen and his personal advisor were all chummy and grinning wasn't enough to be little suspicious then the way they surrounded him set the alarm bells ringing. "You three are up to something."
Arthur walked up behind him, pulling him up out of his chair. "What makes you say that?" Merlin raised his eyebrows, glancing between the three of them and Arthur shrugged. "Okay, so maybe we are." He nodded at Morgana who giggled and walked up behind Merlin, wrapping a piece of cloth around his eyes. Merlin protested and the three of them laughed.
"Come on, Merlin," Morgana laughed. "Don't you trust us?"
"Trust you enough for me not to walk into things? No," the three of them laughed again and he felt himself being pulled along. "What are you doing?"
"It's a surprise, Merlin," he heard Gwen say from somewhere behind him. He could sense one of them in front of him, one of them – Morgana he guessed – had hold of his arm and then the last was behind.
He had no idea where they were leading him and he discovered that asking where they were going yielded no answers. The three of them only laughed and told him that he would find out soon. He couldn't even figure it out from the turns they were taking because they had been walked for far longer than it took to get anywhere in the castle from where his chambers were. He had lived in the castle for long enough to know that they were leading him up and down corridors to throw him off.
"Alright," he walked into Arthur when he stopped, earning an oof sound from the man in front of him. Morgana gave him a soft sorry before giggling again and he heard a key turning in a lock.
"You're all lucky I haven't turned you into toads." Merlin muttered and Morgana shoved him playfully. "I could at least give Arthur back his donkey ears. I will say I am disappointed I missed seeing those."
"You told him about that?" Merlin could practically see the betrayed look on Arthur's face as he turned to look at his wife.
"Arthur, pay attention." She chided, whacking Merlin lightly for trying to get her into trouble.
"Right," Merlin felt Arthur grab his shoulder, pulling him forward as he heard a door opening. Arthur pushed him in front of him and he had to hold his arms out in front of him, not having any idea where he was going. Arthur pushed him forward gently before grabbing his shoulders, stopping him suddenly.
"Alright, what's going on?" He asked, starting to get annoyed at the little game they were playing.
"We've spent a great deal of effort getting this ready for you," Morgana explained and Merlin sighed, his curiosity piqued. He snapped his eyes shut as the cloth disappeared and the light stung his eyes. "Surprise!"
He blinked for a few moments before his eyes grew used to the light once again and he took in the room he had been brought to.
It didn't take long for it to sink in that it wasn't a room that he was in but the base floor of an extremely large tower. Through the size of the tower he was standing in, he knew that it was the Great Tower in the east wing of the castle. It had stood empty for a long time, no one claiming it for their own. He stood, looking around seeing the desks placed around the rooms, items and tools specifically designed to be used for magic littering shelves and as he looked up at the higher levels he saw more books lining the walls than he had seen before in his life. He saw the other doors around the tower were open and he knew that there were other chambers within those.
"Arthur?" He turned, looking at the three standing in front of him, completely lost for words. "What . . .?"
"It was Morgana's idea." Arthur gestured towards the witch and she smiled. "She knew that after you became the Court Sorcerer, you would have to receive people that have magical issues or need help in that area. And she thought that it wouldn't be prudent to do so in your chambers."
"The Great Tower is perfect." She stepped forward, motioning around. "As you can see, there's more than enough space for anything that needs your attention and for you to spread out, should it be needed," she motioned to the desks of which there were three, placed evenly around the room. "There is also the space here in the main room for you to receive anyone that wishes an audience with Camelot's Court Sorcerer," she grinned, a playful glint in her eye as she proclaimed his title and he rolled his eyes. "And . . ." she grabbed his hand, yanking him up one of the staircases that lay littered around the giant chamber, pushing open one of the doors that lay around the first level. They walked in and she grinned, pushing him into the room.
He gasped as he saw the bedchambers that had been set up for him in here. He guessed that by the ornate decorations and furniture that these would now be his permanent chambers and he couldn't say that he was too disappointed. The bed was – if possible – larger than the one that he had in his current chambers, raised on a platform which had intricate runes carved round it. He could see that they were wards of protection and had no doubt been placed there by Morgana. He noticed that the furniture in the chambers were also warded, the wood stained dark and glossy through polishing. There was a hearth, again larger than the one that he had in his current chambers and a wardrobe and dressing screen dyed the same colour as the other furniture in the rooms. He noticed as well that there was a smaller antechamber for where a servant would sleep to be there for whenever their master would be in need of it.
Merlin let out a breath, unable to comprehend what he was being given. He walked out of the chambers onto the upper level walkway which was wide enough for two people to easily walk round and looked around the chamber, seeing all of the books that lined the walls.
He stepped up to one of the shelves seeing that all of them were books on magic, magical creatures and the like. How had Arthur managed to find all of these books?
He looked down to where the king was standing, a huge grin on his face as he watched his friend. He walked down the staircase, making his way over to Arthur.
"How?" He shook his head, glancing around again. "How did you managed to find all of this?"
"You'd be amazed what was hidden in the library and down in the vaults." Arthur smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Finding everything that had been labelled as dangerous magic was not the hard part. Morgana was able to help us determine which ones actually are dangerous – of which there weren't any," Merlin smirked, knowing that anything magical was automatically deemed dangerous by Uther and thrown down in the vaults. "The hard part was getting everything in here without you noticing." Merlin raised an eyebrow, smirking at the king. "What? You're incredibly difficult to get anything past."
Merlin shrugged, smiling at his friend before looking around the tower again, knowing that there was probably more that he hadn't found yet. "This is . . . incredible, Arthur, thank you." He turned to look at Gwen and Morgana, both of whom were beaming at him. "Thank you so much."
"It's our pleasure, Merlin," Gwen smiled at him, her eyes shining at his obvious glee with the tower and his new home.
"We'll arrange to have all your things brought from your chambers to here." Arthur clapped him on the shoulder, grinning at him. "We did this for you, Merlin. You now have your own space to practise your magic and do whatever it is you do." Merlin grinned knowing that Arthur was alluding to when he thought Merlin was in the tavern all the time. "This space is yours, Merlin."
"It's incredible," he looked at all three of them, tears of gratitude stinging in his eyes. "Thank you."
"Well," Arthur looked between the three of them in front of him. "I don't know about you, but I'm famished." All of them laughed, nodding in agreement. "I've told the servants to get some supper ready. Let's go eat."
They all made their way out of the tower, Merlin still in awe of the tower that he would now call his home. He followed them down, marvelling at the fact that he could call the three of them friends.
~TTOF~
Merlin was jarred awake by the sound of the warning bell tolling loudly. He scrambled out of the bed and grabbed his over-robe, not really caring if he was still wearing his sleep clothes underneath. He tied them at the front, so it was not obvious.
"What's going on?" He asked one of the guards that was making their way to the square.
"An intruder has been spotted, sire." He answered before turning and continuing down the hall. Merlin shook his head, still needing to get used to the titles that slipped out of people's mouths at the sight of him. He shook his head, focusing on the fact that the castle was up in arms over an intruder.
He made his way towards Arthur's chambers, Morgana slipping out of her own. "What's going on?" She asked, falling into step beside him.
"Apparently there's an intruder." He muttered and she nodded. She took had forsaken getting fully dressed for throwing on her druid robes to investigate.
Arthur met them in the corridor, a sleepy Gwen behind him.
"The joys of being back in Camelot." Merlin grinned and Arthur shot him a glare with little to no feeling behind it. "Started to miss the sound of those bells." Morgana shot him an exasperated look and he shrugged.
The four of them made their way to the council chambers to await some sort of word. Once the guards found the intruder, they would be brought there. If they could not find them or they were using magic, Merlin or Morgana would search them out, both having the power to do so. Neither were particularly fond of the idea of hunting someone down using their magic but if this person was a threat to Arthur and to Camelot, they would do what needed to be done.
They didn't need to wait for long before the doors to the council chambers slammed open and the knights hauled a bound man in, him fighting them every step of the way. He grunted as they threw him down in front of the king, Merlin standing slightly off to the side, sizing him up.
"Who are you?" Arthur demanded, stepping up in front of them man whose hands were bound behind his back.
"My name is Dreagor." The man muttered, looking up at Arthur and sneering before his eyes flicked to Merlin, a look of pure hatred on his face.
"Why are you in Camelot?" He asked, drawing the man's attention back to the king in front of him. "What did you expect to achieve?"
"I thought that was obvious," the man, Dreagor sneered, chuckling at the man in front of him. "The death of the man that has stolen from us all."
The knights had drawn their swords when they had thrown the man down on the floor and now they lightly touched them to his back in warning.
"So," Gwaine muttered from where he stood, clearly wanting nothing more than to run the man through, "you steal into the castle in the middle of the night to attempt to kill the king."
"Who said anything about killing the king?" The man laughed, sitting straighter as the swords pressed to his back.
"If not the king, then who?" Morgana stepped forward, glaring down at the man.
"I would have thought that was obvious." He glared at Merlin once again, the hatred on his face clear. "Not the king but his pet sorcerer."
Merlin's eyebrows shot up as he stepped forward towards the man. "And what, may I ask have I stolen from you Dreagor?" He stepped up close to the man, not fearing the man who had wanted him dead.
"You know what I'm talking about?" Merlin raised his eyebrows at him again, shaking his head slightly. "Business has dried up since the king legalised magic." He snarled and Merlin nodded, realising that the man in front of them was a bounty hunter. "King Uther paid handsomely for druids and sorcerers delivered to him. Since you came back and magic was legalised, we've all lost a pretty penny. I won't be the last wanting revenge for that."
"So, you blame me for the legalisation of magic?" Merlin mused, smirking at the man. "What about the fact that the law against magic had been repealed before he even knew that I was a warlock?" The man didn't reply, only glaring at Merlin. "Forgot about that, did you?"
"You have just admitted that you attempted to kill my Court Sorcerer." Arthur looked at Merlin who turned away, walking back over to where he had been standing before Dreagor had admitted that he had been trying to kill him. He knew what the man's sentence would be, knowing that the attempted murder of a noble – one of whom, he was now classed – was punishable by nothing but death. Morgana reached out, linking her fingers with Merlin's as a show of support. "For that crime, I am sentencing you to death."
Merlin sighed, shaking his head. "I know you hate it," Morgana whispered so that only he could hear. "But if Arthur doesn't do this, then who knows who else is going to try something. Bounty hunters used to be paid a large sum for sorcerers when Uther was king. Since magic has become legal again and you've been named Court Sorcerer, there are going to be a lot of them that are out of business. And they're not going to be happy about it."
"And they're going to be blaming me." Merlin sighed and Morgana nodded, looking at him sadly.
"Arthur isn't going to let anything happen to you." She said softly, squeezing his hand and he nodded giving a gentle squeeze back.
They both looked up to see the man being dragged back out of the chambers, down to the dungeons no doubt. Arthur walked over to the two of them, crossing his arms, a sombre look on his face.
"I know that you don't want this, even if the man just admitted to trying to kill you but . . . to make sure that this doesn't happen again, or at least that people think twice about trying it, it needs to be public. If it wasn't so serious, I wouldn't make it so but . . ."
"I understand." Merlin nodded, taking a deep breath. "You will want me to be there."
"As the intended victim and my second in command, I will need you to be there, Merlin." He nodded before looking up at Arthur. "I know you don't want to."
"I understand."
Arthur took a deep breath, looking around the room at the individuals and guards that were still in the council chambers. He watched Merlin and Morgana make their way out of the chambers, their fingers still intertwined as they walked and he smiled, wondering what might be going on between those two.
"They are awfully close, aren't they?" He smiled as Guinevere walked up beside him, watching the warlock and witch as they made their way down the hallway. Arthur nodded to two of the guards to follow them, to ensure that they were safe. Though they may have power enough to defend themselves, it made Arthur feel better to know there was someone else there.
"Makes you wonder, doesn't it?" Arthur smirked down at his wife and she smiled back.
"I think they would be good together," she mused and Arthur raised an eyebrow at her. "I know she's your sister and he's your best friend but if you think about it, they're kind of perfect for each other."
"Guinevere," he turned and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Don't."
"What?" She asked, mock innocently not fooling him for a second.
"You know what," he chuckled, pulling her to him. "If they're going to court each other then they're going to do it in their own time. They do not need a pesky queen interfering."
"I do not interfere!" She looked up at him and he raised an eyebrow at her, a small smirk on his face. "Alright, maybe sometimes but they would be perfect together."
"And if they are to be so, they will do it on their own." He repeated as he started walking out of the council chambers and back towards their own.
~TTOF~
When Merlin woke for the second time that morning, he wished that he could say that it was more peaceful than the first time. At least there were no bells going off this time.
Although he did believe that he was now blind.
He grumbled as Jaime threw open the curtains, revealing the blinding sunlight outside. The worst thing about having a tower on the east wing is that no matter what room you slept in, coming morning, the sun would always shine through the windows.
He sat up, stretching as Jaime made his way over to his wardrobe, pulling out the formal wear Arthur had insisted be commissioned for him when he became Court Sorcerer and more casual clothes – which were still finer than anything Merlin had worn before – for later in the day. He sat there confused as to why his servant was pulling out two sets of clothing, setting the formal wear on the dressing screen before he remembered that there was to be an execution this morning.
Someone had attempted to kill him last night.
"How are you this morning, Merlin?" Jaime asked, looking towards his master with concern. "Are you feeling alright?"
"I guess so," he flopped back onto his pillows, letting out a sigh as he landed. "I'm guessing you heard about last night?"
"Everyone has heard," Jaime acknowledged, walking around the side of Merlin's bed, stepping up on the platform. "Though no one can understand why someone would want to kill you." Merlin looked over at his servant, raising an eyebrow. "The servants are confused as to why someone would want to harm you. While they may have been angry that you kept that you're a warlock from them while you were here, they understand and have accepted it. Since you've come back, the amount of stories I've heard is incredible." Merlin chuckled, not needing to wonder what stories were being told throughout the castle staff. "They all love you, Merlin."
"I bet the cook doesn't." He muttered and the two of them laughed. "Always blaming me for pilfering food when I only did once or twice." Jaime laughed as Merlin looked over at him. "Over five years." Merlin grinned when he saw that that knowledge only increased his servant's mirth.
"Right," he chuckled as Merlin pulled his covers up to his chin, clearly not wanting to get up just yet. "The King is expecting you on the balcony this morning," Merlin sighed, knowing that Arthur had expected Merlin to stand with him at the execution of the man who had attempted to kill him in the early hours of that morning. "He is also expecting you to join the Queen and himself for breakfast afterward." He stated, his words sounding formal, yet laced with mirth as he watched his master grumble. Of course, the best time to have an execution was before breakfast, Merlin rolled his eyes under his closed eyelids, wondering about the intelligence of nobles sometimes.
"You know, that's not the best way to get someone out of bed," he muttered not opening his eyes and Jaime smirked at him. "Don't."
"What?" He asked, sounding completely innocent.
"Doing exactly what you're thinking of doing." He muttered and Jaime rolled his eyes, grinning down at Merlin before walking round to the end of the bed and grabbing the covers.
"Like this?" He asked, yanking them away from Merlin, causing the warlock to sit up sharply and glare at the servant, clearly miffed. "You do need to get up if you're not going to be late meeting the king and queen."
"They're used to it," he muttered, knowing that his servant was right. He crawled out of the overly large bed that even after just one night, he had become attached to, walking across the room and over to the washbowl Jaime had set out.
"People are not happy that someone tried to harm you last night," Jaime muttered quietly as he began to strip the sheets off the bed leaving them in a pile just by the platform. "You are still very much loved by the people in the castle, Merlin."
"I called many of them friends," Merlin muttered as he grabbed a towel to dry off with. He dabbed at his face, drying himself before placing it beside the washbowl and making his way behind the dressing screen.
"I believe that were you not now a noble, they would still call you the same," Jaime said softly, fitting the new sheets onto the bed and replacing the covers he had pulled off Merlin moments before. "I don't think it matters that they are servants and you are now a nobleman-"
"With magic," Merlin interrupted, pulling on a pair of breeches that would have cost more than he could earn in a month and that was working as Arthur's servant. "Something they've been taught to fear and hate for over twenty years."
"I know that and so do they," Jaime acknowledged what Merlin was saying before giving his own input. "But from what I've heard, the people still remember you for how you were when you were a servant here. They do not believe that you would harm them."
"And I would not." He said softly pulling on the formal shirt he would have to wear this morning.
"And that is why the castle staff at least are calling for his man's head." Jaime sounded like he shared Merlin's opinions on execution. They were harsh but sometimes necessary. Morgana was right. If Arthur did not follow through with the rightful punishment for this man for what could be considered treason, more would attempt to take matters into the own hands. He walked out from behind the screen after pulling on his socks and sat on the chair next to it to pull his boots on. He allowed Jaime aid him with his jacket, slipping his arms into the soft white leather, Merlin buttoning the jacket deftly, his fingers still nimble at doing so from when he was a servant.
Jaime had remarked that he hadn't had a master before that actually wanted to dress himself so was pleasantly surprised that first morning when Merlin had told him, he wouldn't need help with that.
Merlin had quickly come to the realisation that white would be his signature colour. The majority of the clothes that had been made for him – the shirts and jackets, at least – were either white or off white. Arthur had also commissioned another cloak to be made for him. Again, this one was white but instead of having the druid runes embroidered on it, it held the Pendragon crest on the left shoulder as Arthur's and the knights did. The gold embroidery stood out against the white background as brightly as it did on the red.
Jaime clipped the cloak around Merlin's shoulders and moved away to the chest of drawers next to the wardrobe. He opened one of the small drawers at the top, reaching in and gently pulling out the silver circlet that lay nestled on a small velvet cushion inside.
Merlin sighed when he saw it, allowing his manservant to place it on his head just as a knock sounded on the door to the main chamber of the tower. The door opened and he heard Arthur call up to him as he walked into the room.
He turned and made his way down the steps, seeing that Arthur was also dressed formally, looking every part the king he was. Merlin stopped in front of him, clearly not happy about having to get so dressed up for the sake of an execution. The look Arthur gave him told him that he agreed but the two of them knew that it had to be done.
They made their way out of the tower, Jaime locking the door behind them and following after. It was only Merlin, Arthur, Morgana and Jaime that were able to carry keys to the warlock's chambers. The fact that Arthur had had the magical artefacts from the vaults moved up there, whilst not common knowledge yet, would probably not stay quiet for long. Merlin had enchanted the keys held by the four of them so that if they were to be stolen by any chance, they would immediately melt down into nothing and be rendered completely useless. He had also placed wards on all of the locks within his chambers so that no one could magically open the doors.
Other than himself and Morgana, that is.
Servants moved out of the way as the King and Court Sorcerer walked down the corridors, bowing as they passed on their way to the main balcony.
They walked out, Merlin feeling slightly self-conscious as he stood there, the crowd below looking up at the two of them as the man, Dreagor, was hauled out through the crowd onto the gallows that had been erected in the early hours of that morning. People were throwing things at the man, what looked to be mostly rotten fruit, although it looked as though some had decided to forgo the fruit and use stones instead. It appeared that the word of the attack on the Court Sorcerer had made its way around the city and the people were not happy about it.
"The people love you, it would seem." Arthur mumbled to Merlin and the warlock sighed. "If they didn't, they wouldn't have this reaction to someone trying to kill you."
"I suppose," Merlin muttered, watching as the crowd jeered and yelled at the man in front of them.
Arthur stepped forward, holding up a hand and the crowd silenced immediately, looking up at their King. They could see Merlin standing there in his finery, marking him as the Court Sorcerer. To begin with most of them hadn't known how to take the fact that the man most of them had known as Arthur's clumsy but always optimistic and happy servant. They had been wary at first but then they had begun hearing the stories of how he had protected their king and by extension themselves for years, placing himself in danger everyday just for living to do just that. When the stories began circulating just after his return, the peoples of Camelot knew that though he had magic and had done for years, they could trust him and their love of him grew, matching that of their love of the king.
"This man, Dreagor, did last night, enter the castle with the intent to kill Camelot's Court Sorcerer, Merlin," Arthur began and the crowd reacted, booing and hissing at the man. "Thankfully, he was not successful in his attempt. Dreagor, you stand accused and found guilty of petty treason. The sentence for such a crime is death." He nodded to the guards who grabbed the man and forced him onto the stool on the gallows, the noose roughly placed and tightened around his neck. Arthur took a breath, raising his hand and dropping it quickly, the stool being knocked out from underneath the man, causing him to drop sharply, his neck breaking as the rope snapped taught.
Merlin closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath as the man died. Arthur waited for the guards to take the man's body away, placing him on the cart that would take him out of the city to be burned outside the city walls.
"It brings me no pleasure to end that man's life," Arthur spoke to the crowd below him, "but the seriousness of his crime warrants nothing less. Let it be known that any attacks on the life of our Court Sorcerer will be met with the same punishment. An attack on our Court Sorcerer is an attack on myself and Camelot herself. Anyone attempting it, will meet severe consequences."
With that he nodded to the crowd and made his way back inside, followed closely by Merlin who let out a breath as he re-entered the castle.
"Watching a man die isn't an easy thing," Arthur muttered as they walked down the corridor, Merlin at his side with Jaime and George following them dutifully.
"I've never . . ." Merlin shook his head, not able to form words. "Having someone executed because of me . . . I don't . . ."
Arthur stopped, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's never easy, giving the order to take a man's life but . . . he tried to kill you, Merlin. You are no longer a servant. You're a noble now, my second in command and as many have tried to get into your thick head, the second most powerful man in Camelot." Merlin raised an eyebrow, a small smile gracing his lips. "You know what I mean," he chuckled, whacking Merlin on the arm. "If someone attacks you, they're attacking Camelot and that cannot go unpunished."
"I know," Merlin sighed, starting to walk again when Arthur did. "I just don't really know how to deal with all of it, you know?"
"I do know," Arthur sighed as they walked into the smaller dining hall used for less formal meals. "It doesn't get easier but it's in these circumstances where it's necessary."
"I know." The two men walked over to the table where Gwen and Morgana were already seated waiting for them. The two women stood up as they approached. They hadn't been with them on the balcony, Arthur having deemed it not necessary for them to be there. Neither of them could say that they were too upset at having to miss it.
The servants started bringing over their breakfasts as Merlin and Arthur sat down at the head of the table and the right hand respectively. Gwen was sat on Arthur's left and Morgana was seated next to Merlin. Both the men, removed their headwear as soon as they sat down placing them on the table in front of them, gold and silver side by side.
"It turns out," Arthur spoke after swallowing a piece of ham, "that the people are pretty enamoured with Merlin." Merlin rolled his eyes, not saying anything as he ate. "They will not let any harm come to you, Merlin."
Merlin looked up at him, eyebrow raised. "You really believe that anyone that wanted to hurt me and was serious about it would be put off by anyone, even a crowd."
"It's not that they may not be able to physically protect you but even if they are thinking that, its support. They know that they wouldn't stand a chance against anyone that would want to harm you, as they're most likely going to be magical but they're willing to defend you." Arthur reasoned and Merlin knew that he was right. "Just like they did today."
Merlin nodded, placing a strawberry in his mouth, mulling over how the crowd had been today. He hadn't quite believed Jaime when he said that he had the support of the people but now, after seeing their reactions towards someone that had intended to harm – no, not harm, kill – him, he believed Jaime's words. He believed that they did support him and that they would behave in the same way towards anyone who wished him harm.
He just had to hope that there would not be too many more that did.
Just for clarification: 'Petty treason' as labelled here is an act against someone of a higher rank. A peasant against a nobleman, a servant against a master etc whereas an act of treason against a monarch is known as 'High treason'.