"So, this is the castle of Mercia?"

"Yep. King Bayard should be inside. Hopefully, he won't mind us being unannounced." Being a well known figure of royalty, it wasn't hard getting past the guards and get an audience with the king. Bayard sits on his throne, watching me curiously.

"Arthur Pendragon, Prince of Camelot. Is the treaty between are kingdom not to your liking?"

"No, I was not sent here on my fathers account. In fact, Uther has no knowledge of where I may be at the moment."

Bayard narrows his eyes at me, and then towards Merlin. "Who is he? He looks vaguely familiar."

"This is Merlin. He was my servant when you came to visit Camelot. He drank the poison."

"Was? I'm surprised you fired him after that show of loyalty."

"I didn't fire him. He was sentenced to death for sorcery. I managed to help him escape before dawn." A small shudder of gasps is erupted from the court. "It has been rumoured that you, in fact, have to quarrel with the practice. If this is true, then I would like to ask for your help in dethroning Uther Pendragon and bringing magic back to the realm." I pause, watching Bayard's stunned reaction. "I understand I am asking a great deal from you, but I will no doubt make it worth your wild. A new treaty would be in order, one that benefited you much more, as well as the land you've requested in the Northern Plains for your troops."

Bayard eyes both me and Merlin suspiciously. "How do I know you do not lie? What if this is simply a trick Uther has created to find out who actually is against magic or not? I bet the boy doesn't even have magic." He looks to Merlin at the last statement. I nod to him, who steps, whispering a spell into his unclosed hand. When he opens it, a patch of blue fire burns in it, sparking in the air.

This seemed to be enough to reassure Bayard of our true meanings, but he was still reluctant. We went back and forth, trying to plan when Merlin finally steps forward. "With all do respect your highness, we don't need you to take over camelot. I could burn down the entire citadel with a snap of my fingers. We simply need your men to make us look stronger. The people will never give their loyalty to Arthur with one sorcerer behind him. This isn't a full out war. Your men are simply for show. Yes, there will be casualties, but the death count you're imagining is much greater than the reality."

Bayard chuckles, "You may be able to do some tricks lad, but I doubt you could wield so much power."

"You heard of Nimueh, the priestess of the old religion?"

"Yes?"

"I called down lightning from the sky and struck her dead. I think I can handle a few men with sticks."

After Merlin's small speech, it was clear Bayard would cooperate. Whether it was out of actually wanting magic back or fear of Merlin's scary display of power, I'm not sure. Once the king agrees to help, said warlock leans back in his chair with a smirk on his face.

We stayed the night as royal guests. I couldn't help but feel guilty for what I was about to do. Tonight, Celia would put Merlin under another sleeping spell and take him to Ealdor, where he would be safe. It made my heart ache, knowing I may never see the boy again, but it was necessary to keep him safe. Either way, I found it difficult sleeping, knowing what was happening across the hall.