"You knew. You knew from the moment Merlin walked into Camelot, didn't you?"
Leon shook his head, knowing his father wouldn't answer the question, and that he didn't need to. Of course, he knew. Merlin had barely been in Camelot a week before Manafort had taken his son aside and told him to look after the boy. The request had annoyed him, at the time, unable to understand his father's interest in a peasant with a mouth too big for his stature. That Merlin had already earned the ire of the Prince, was more reason to be wary. Back then Arthur was a bully, and more apt to make his life miserable if he'd shown any interest in the manservant. Still, Leon had promised his father he would keep an eye on him, if only because he was intrigued by Merlin's impertinence and the urgency in his father's request. That interest had eventually diminished as Merlin settled into his role with Arthur, and the court. "That's why you asked me to look after him."
"I asked you for more than that."
"Yes," Leon turned to face his father, frustrated as the older man dropped into an overstuffed chair looking out over the courtyard. "You asked me to commit treason."
"I wouldn't say that."
"He's a Dragonlord, Father. Did you know that, too? Did you spare any thought for my life when you asked me to smuggle him out of Camelot, should the need arrive? If Uther knew his nature, he would have been merciless in his pursuit, even without his lineage."
"Of course, I gave thought to your life; you are my son and heir. I knew you wouldn't come to harm."
"How could you have possibly known that?" Leon asked incredulously.
At that, the elder Knight raked his hand through his hair and sighed. Unsure if he should answer, he turned his attention to the townspeople moving about in the square below them. He almost envied them, living their lives blissfully unaware of the tension roiling through the citadel towering next to them. For all the pomp of the upper class, ignorance was a luxury he and his fellow noblemen could never truly be granted without consequence.
Arthur's sharp dismissal of the council had, of course, made a bad situation, worse. He understood why Arthur had done it, but he also knew the young King had not thought it through. He would need the counsel of those who knew more about these things than him, in the days and weeks ahead. Yet he'd acted on instinct and emotion in the heat of the moment, sparing no thought to the potential repercussions. Of all the traits he could have picked up from his father that one was the most dangerous, both to him and to the kingdom.
The entire castle now felt like a tinderbox waiting to ignite as outraged Lords divided into factions and servants gossiped like barmaids. Meanwhile, the burnt corpse of a Camelot scout had been returned to the kingdom with a scroll attached to what remained of his jacket. The scrolls contents had, understandably, sent Arthur into a blind rage.
Bayard had plenty of reasons to be furious; he'd nearly lost his kingdom due to the uprising in response to Uther's bloodthirsty search. It was not just the Mercian lower class that had their infants ripped from them as Uther incited hysteria in throne rooms across the lands over the threat of a warlock with a kingdom and the power to command dragons. It had taken nearly 15 years for Bayard even to consider holding a conversation with Camelot's King, let alone treaty with him. To find out, now, it had all been for naught. There was no way that Bayard would just let it go; his people would not allow it.
"I asked you a question," Leon demanded, drawing Manafort's attention back to the confrontation that had been simmering for days. He'd managed to avoid being alone with his son during their trip to Geneloie, knowing he would want answers he wasn't prepared to answer at the time. Not that it mattered much now. If Bayard had started mobilizing a response, it was a sure bet the news had spread beyond Merica, and other kingdoms were doing the same.
Manafort, sighed, meeting his son's eyes, resigned to the fact the situation had spiraled much faster than he'd anticipated. He could no longer hold his tongue.
"Between your sword and Merlin, I had faith you could handle a few dogs if it came to that. I also knew it would not come to that, and Kilgharrah gave me his word you would not be harmed."
"Kilgharrah? Who the hell is that?" Leon asked incredulously.
"Dragons have names, Leon; they're intelligent creatures. I think Uther almost convinced himself they were the mindless beasts he tried to paint them as, rather than the sentient and sapient creatures they truly are - until he was forced back into reality."
"The dragon." Leon deadpanned, hoping his father had lost his mind, but knowing he hadn't. Dread gripped his insides as he recalled the dragon's attack and his father's calm in the face of it. He'd honestly thought he was going to die the day they rode out to meet the beast, and to this day he was unsure as to how he'd survived. He'd woken up in the trees alone, with nothing but the corpses of his fellow knights in front of him.
The kingdom had been shocked when he had returned to Camelot without so much as a scratch and no recollection of events - everyone, except his father. Uther had reacted oddly, he remembered that much, and within a few days, Manafort was departing Camelot claiming retirement, leaving him to fill the seat on the council.
"What did you do?"
"What was necessary to protect the Prince."
"Well, I'd say you failed, Arthur was nearly killed by that thing…"
"Yes, that was regrettable. Thankfully, he was not."
Leon's breath caught in his throat as his father's position became clear to him. "Arthur's not the Prince you were protecting, was he?"
"I love Arthur; he's like a second son to me. I would never wish harm to befall him, but you would do well to remember where you come from, Leon. Your heritage, your ancestors, and most importantly your house is a distinguished and noble house of the kingdom of Cerniw. I may have absorbed your mother's estate into my holdings, but my title - your birthright - is from there, not here."
"Please tell me you didn't release that dragon," Leon pleaded, suddenly terrified his father had done the unthinkable.
"No, of course not," Manafort chuckled at the absurdity of the suggestion. "If it were that easy to release him, he'd have been freed a long time ago."
"Then what? I don't understand..."
"No, you don't," Manafort scrapped his palm across his face and regarded his son thoughtfully.
"When that enchantment went up, hundreds of people, from every social class, were left stranded, on both sides of the border. It was several months before we knew with certainty Cerniw's Knights could walk through the enchanted rock the same way animals and carts could. I could have returned, but you and your mother would have been trapped in Camelot, and under a dark cloud of suspicion by Uther. Geneloie would have been stripped from your mother's family, and you'd have been without home or title, seeking refuge gods knows where. Returning to Cerniw was not an option for me. As a result, I spent months in a cell, and then under house arrest as Uther used myself, and Gaius, as leverage against his cousin.
"It was Bal that strong-armed his allies and Uther into an arrangement that allowed me to stay and retain my title. That same arrangement allowed you to become a knight of the realm. Keeping Kilgharrah informed of any plans to assassinate Bal's son wasn't just my duty, it was the right thing to do. If people died as a result, then so be it."
"So be it?" Leon's voice cracked with emotion. "I have no doubt that he was a good man, I only need to look at his son to see a reflection of that, but women and children were slaughtered, and all you can say is, so be it?"
"Thousands of people have died, Leon. By dragon or by the sword, the people are always the unfortunate casualties of any war. It was Uther's responsibility not to put them in that situation."
"Do you even hear yourself! I've never known you to be so dismissive of life."
"Dismissive? Do you know many innocents would have died when Cerniw declared war and attacked over Merlin's death? You cannot conceive the carnage such a war would have brought to these lands. The death toll wouldn't have just been higher, it would have been unthinkable. I hope, nay I pray, for peace and that the two kingdoms will resolve this and coexist as they did in the days of my father, and the many centuries before that. I have to believe Merlin and Arthur can bring that; it's our only hope."
"And if they don't?"
"Then I would suggest you start sorting out your loyalties now, and deciding where you stand. Arthur is not his father, but he is young, untested, and unpredictable, much like his father was. If Arthur makes any attempt to finish what his father started, he will leave me no choice but to fight on the field opposite him, as a knight of Cerniw."
A gentle sea breeze rushed through her hair, sending the ebony locks resting on her shoulders waving like a banner flag in the air. Strong yet small waves crashed near her feet at the edge of the rock washing the debris of the sea onto the smooth stone. It was peaceful here, the only part of this situation she enjoyed. Maybe she'd return, take the mount for herself. She was a High Priestess after all, and the Old Religion sang to her here.
Another ship bobbed in the waters beneath the fiery orange of the morning sun working over the horizon. They came, they left, each crew leering at her as if she couldn't snap their necks with the utterance of a few simple words. Looking around the small isle to the masonry, left in ruins long ago, she found the mutts currently resting in the territory they'd taken for themselves when they'd come off the boats. Each ship brought two more packs, and each arrival meant a day of tension between the beasts. She eyed them warily. They didn't seem to care for her any more than she cared for them but it was little matter, they left her alone, and she them, so they co-existed. They had their purpose, though she'd never cared for regular wolves, she liked these magical dire wolves even less. She wasn't in the mood to challenge them for dominance, not yet at least. At the moment, she'd have been happy to kill the damn things for their howling at all hours of the night.
The slave boats had stopped arriving a week ago, the tunnels continued to be cleared, and they were getting close to where it was said the bridge lay. She didn't particularly care about the bridge or their siege. Ultimately all of it would be hers anyway even if the old woman was too stupid to realize it. She could feel the power beneath her, it lay in the seas somewhere beneath them, but she couldn't pinpoint where. Not yet. She'd been practicing the exercises the old bat given her, teachings of the Old Religion, Morgause had never had the opportunity to explain before Merlin had somehow managed to leave her in an unconscious heap on Camelot's throne room floor.
Shaking off the unpleasant feeling Merlin's name brought her she turned her attention to the small black bird approaching her, parchment attached to its leg with string, and smiled. Mab was not yet awake, and she had lost her patience with the old woman, allowing her to believe she was in charge. No, it was time she asserted herself, and she'd start by finding out what was in the constant stream of messages arriving with the birds.
Camelot does not seem to be mobilizing, nor behaving as if they're preparing for anything. Arthur has made no move to leave the kingdom and made no mention of the warlock. I shall inform you immediately if that changes.
Of Note: Arthur publicly confirmed Merlin is the legitimate son and heir of King Balinor, just as you insisted. He was given an official position at court and has every intention of taking his crown. Things are chaotic.
Awaiting instructions.
Morgana crumpled the parchment into a ball angrily and stared out into the sea. "Unbelievable," she muttered. The rumors were accurate, then. Merlin truly was royalty and heir to Cerniw's throne. It was almost as unthinkable as the idea he intended to be King, let alone the king of a kingdom where magic is legal. Of course, he means to take his crown, she thought bitterly. Arthur would never allow him to pass up an opportunity to spread his influence. Merlin might be King in title, but Arthur would be running things, and the entire kingdom would be subjected to anti-magic laws while its sorcerers slaughtered. Giving the idiot an official position was just a ploy, Arthur would be expecting equal ranking in Cerniw's court. Flashing her eyes amber, the parchment caught fire and floated out to sea carried by the breeze.
Why couldn't Emrys see that? He had to know this would only spread the purge into the protected lands where magic was practiced openly and revered. Surely, he would see sense after he realized how many of his own would be uprooted or slaughtered. If he would just help her get rid of them both, instead of protecting them, the enchanted mountains would cease. Camelot would welcome magic with a powerful kingdom respecting magic on their border. They would finally be free and too powerful for any other nation to even think about challenging them.
No, Merlin would never make it to Cerniw to take his crown, she refused to allow it. Mab had tried to trick him to the border to ambush him, and now she understood why he was such a threat to her. She wanted Cerniw for herself and would never have it as long as Merlin was alive to stake his claim. Morgana would never allow that either. If Merlin was her half second-cousin, then so be it. She had a claim to the throne, too, once he was dead. Morgana didn't care about the old bat and her plans, Mab's only concern was the joining of their armies, and extending her fortunes. Those were never her problems or concerns; she would have what was rightfully hers. An idea quickly took form as she returned her attention to the wolves, and the Priestess smiled for the first time in days.
Still don't own Merlin, though I wish I did. Hope everyone has a happy July Fourth, weekend. I think I'll be settling into a once a month update schedule from here on out. I've got much of the next chapter already written, but need time to fix a few things and edit it. Thanks so much for all of the reviews. I love them. I've tried to answer them, but if I haven't please know that I appreciate you. Many thanks to nljfs for betaing this chapter!