Arthur woke in the morning with a slight headache, but it quickly faded. He sat up, cracking his joints. He didn't remember falling asleep in a chair, but it hadn't been good on his lower back. Looking around the room, he didn't recognise where he was. Chet was sleeping nearby on the floor, his jacket balled up as a pillow, but he didn't see anyone else.

Standing up, he could figure out one thing for certain. This was the inside of the tower; the curved walls couldn't be anywhere else. But what really caught his attention was the large table that dominated much of the room. It, too, was round.

Walking over, he inspected the dark wood. It wasn't a solid piece of wood, but rather many different woods inlaid together, creating designs of complicated knots. There was an inscription in a language he did not recognise around the border, painted in gold. Ten identical chairs were pushed up to the table. Each had a large sun, also in gold, painted on the back. An empty banner scroll was painted on the back below the sun, as if waiting to be claimed.

Merlin opened the door, interrupting Arthur's musings. "Come with me. We are going for a walk to cure you of your bad mood."

"I am not in a bad mood."

Merlin cocked his head to the side. "Oh? Then are you feeling kingly again this morning? Ready to lead your people?"

"I told you, they can find someone else."

"See? Bad mood. Now come on." When Arthur didn't move, Merlin strode over and grabbed his arm, pulling him out the door. It was a sign of Arthur's self-doubt that he didn't even try to resist. "Now, while we walk, I have a small story to tell you."

"Is this another story you found in a book in the library that should've stayed buried? Because the last one you told was not nearly as interesting as you claimed."

Merlin gaped at him. "I'll have you know when I told Gwen the tale of the hydra, she loved it." He continued marching ahead, knowing Arthur was following, even if his steps through the brush were quieter. "And no. This book was not buried. I think you will be familiar with some of it. It is about Brutus, the first king of Camelot." He pushed a low hanging branch out of his way. "He conquered the land of Camelot from local nomadic groups and united them under one banner and secured the roads of trade. He had the citadel built as a show of force against invaders, to prove that he and his descendants were here to stay."

"Yes, Merlin I know the story. Everyone in Camelot knows the story." Arthur shoved at a bush in his path. "I don't see why this is important. And where are we going anyway?"

Merlin looked over his shoulder. "For once, just be patient and listen." He faced forward just in time to duck under a thick branch. "Since you say you know the story, I will skip to the part you may not have heard. As he lay on his deathbed, there were many who gathered around, praising the king, telling him that no king of Camelot would ever do as much for the land as he had done. Even his own son spoke of how he could never live up to his father.

"But the king spoke, and he told them that he had been gifted with a vision of the future, and before he died he wanted to share it with them. He said that someday in the future, a descendant of his would rule Camelot, and this king would make Camelot a shining kingdom to be remembered throughout the ages. He told them to take him out to his favourite lake and there, with the last reserves of his legendary strength, he drove his sword into a rock. He said that one day a man would come to claim this sword, and that man would be the rightful king of Camelot. The one to be remembered."

Merlin stopped speaking, letting the magic of the story linger in the forest air. It felt like the world was waiting, holding its breath.

"That's rubbish." And the world was just punched in the gut. "Who would believe that?"

"Plenty of people," Merlin retorted. "Are you calling the people of Camelot stupid?"

"A sword stuck in a rock? That's impossible."

Merlin smiled internally. He couldn't have planned it any better. "Then what is that?"

Arthur stepped up beside where Merlin had stopped and looked into the small clearing. The land sloped gently downward to a sunlit circle of grass, within which laid a large stone. And in that stone, a sword.

It shone brilliantly in the sunlight, the blade seemingly unblemished by rust. Arthur walked closer, drawn in by the impossible. As he did so, he noticed the crowd lining the clearing. They had been obscured by the trees, hidden in the shadows.

It looked like everyone was here. His knights stood in front of the crowd, Camelot cloaks worn proudly. He noticed that Gwaine stood proudly next to Lancelot and offhandedly wondered when he had arrived. Looking around he also saw a couple of the nobles, looking out of place among the trees, but still watching him with the same hope in their eyes. Still more people seemed to emerge from the trees; Arthur recognised Iseildur among them. He turned back to Merlin.

"All of these people believe in the story," he said gently. "But more importantly, we all believe in you."

Arthur looked again at the people, then at the sword. "No, there is no way I am making a fool out of myself in front of everyone."

"You won't," Merlin said firmly. "You are the king Brutus meant, the Once and Future King. The sword is meant for you."

"It's in a rock. I don't care what your story says, no sword is being pulled out of any rocks."

"Arthur, do you trust me?"

Arthur looked at Merlin. His manservant, his record keeper, his best friend. He looked and he saw that this meant something to Merlin. This was one of those moments when Arthur saw an ancient wisdom in his friend. And really, the answer was simple.

"Yes."

"Then trust me when I say you are going to be the best king Camelot has ever had. Yes, sometimes you will fail, but you learn from your mistakes. Even now, I see you strive to do better every day. You are allowed to doubt yourself, but know that those around you never doubt you. I need you to see that now. Step up and be the leader you are I know you to be. Take up the sword that is meant for you."

Arthur stood, processing Merlin's words for a moment. But then he took his own sword out of his scabbard and thrust it into the ground. He walked forward, Merlin a few paces behind him.

Stopping before the sword, he looked again at his people in front of him, watching him. He reached out and tugged at the sword.

It didn't move.

He tried again. Still no.

"You have to believe," he heard Merlin say from behind him. "Look deep into your heart and know it is true. This is more than your inheritance; this is who you are."

Arthur closed his eyes and remembered speaking with his mother in the cave of flowers. She had said that he ruled Camelot because he loved it. He let that love well up within him, feeling the faith of his people. Yes, this felt right. He once again reached out, curling his fingers around the hilt. And then he slowly lifted.

The sword slid up, out of the stone.

He opened his eyes and held it high, seeing it glitter in the sun. It felt right. Like an extension of himself. It also felt like a perfectly balanced sword.

"Long live the king!" Arthur looked back at his people. Lancelot had started the chant, but now others were joining, everyone smiling. Arthur lowered the sword and glanced at Merlin.

His friend was beaming with pride. He nodded once, then his smile shifted as he mouthed, "I told you so."

With Arthur back on his feet and meeting with the knights of Camelot and Gwaine to evaluate their options, it was time for Merlin to work on his next part of the plan. His own council had met last night and they knew that powerful magic would be needed to combat the invader. Moreover, Merlin's dragonlord powers were likely the only way to stop the dragons from attacking everyone. And that couldn't exactly be done from the shadows. Besides, Lord Menkwet had said that this was a battle of symbols.

Just as the sword was a symbol for Arthur, who himself was a symbol of hope, Merlin needed to become a symbol of magic. Iseildur reminded him that he had a disguise Arthur would recognise as Emrys, and it was a good start, but not good enough. He walked through the forest to the lake of Avalon. The lake of memories.

And there was one memory waiting for him, standing in the shallows, looking like the queen of his heart. He rushed forward. "Freya!"

She laughed as he threw himself into her arms and they both fell backward into the water. It mattered very little to Merlin that he was now soaking wet. "I've missed you, but what are you doing here?"

"Oh Merlin, my love, I have missed you too," she responded and her voice felt like silk. "The goddess has permitted me to be the guardian of the waters. I inhabit all the waters of Avalon. But most importantly it means I can see you on occasion."

Merlin put all the words of joy he couldn't find into a kiss.

"I don't have that much time though, and neither do you," she said when they broke apart.

"Spoilsport."

"I have advice for you and something to aid you." She reached beneath the surface and pulled up a white staff, the wood swirled at the top. He grabbed it and felt it connect to his own magic. "This staff will help you to channel the magic of the earth. You know you have the power within you, but you lack the proper training. Let this aid you as you call upon magic greater than your own."

"Thank you. And the advice?"

"Remember that you are more than the son of your parents. You are the son of the earth and the sky."

"Freya, you have got to stop hanging out with Morgan. I know it is she who has been teaching you to speak in riddles."

"Oh hush." She smiled and shoved water at him. "Morgan is lovely. And I am only the mouthpiece. I don't know what it means any more than you do." She stood back up and Merlin followed suit, using his staff to help him up. "Your aid is knocking on the doorway and I must open it. I will see you again, Merlin. But you have some busy times ahead of you."

"I will try to be patient, knowing that you are so close but so far."

She laid a hand on his chest. "I am always right here, my love."

Merlin laid his hand over hers and leaned in for a kiss. He only got a very brief one before Freya was replaced by pure water and was gone, only an echo of her voice whispering her love.

"I love you too," Merlin replied.

And then he was left alone on the shores of Avalon. Although not for long. The waters stirred again and members of the Unseelie Court walked into his world, greeting him with a bow of their head as they walked past to stand on the shore. There were a few shapeshifters, some hextaurs, and various fae. Only a small group, but Merlin argued for even less. It was dangerous here for them. He filled them in on the details of the plan and led them to the nearby cave that was serving as the headquarters for his network.

His own council then convened again to make sure everyone understood what they had to do. Gilli, Gwaine, Iseildur, and Lord Menkwet were to be the primary points of contact. Merlin added a spell to their rings, creating one for the hextaur, that allowed them to be in communication with each other. And those four would have communication links with Merlin.

They couldn't plan too much since they would only be the reserve. Arthur was leading the battle and he needed to form the plan. He had the best training of any of them anyways, which meant Merlin needed to go find out what the plan was.

It turned out, the plan, for the most part, was simple. His force was small, but if Arthur could cause enough ruckus at the city gates, then Lancelot and Drin would be able to sneak into the castle through the tunnels. They would free the other knights to help take back the city from the inside.

The others would enter over the walls just before dawn. From there it was only a matter of causing enough chaos. If they could force a two fronted battle, they just might have a chance. They didn't know what they were up against, but they were going to give it everything they got.

Merlin told Arthur he would be with Lancelot. Merlin told Lancelot he would be on high.

The morning of the battle was hazy. Perfect for the first part of Arthur's plans. The druids had helped the townsfolk create ladders to scale Camelot's city walls under the cover of darkness. Arthur lead the way, along with knights and stubborn commoners who insisted on fighting for their home.

Merlin surveyed them from the top of the watchtower, a silent guardian in the darkness. But soon he could hold the clouds no longer and the real battle would commence. He turned to Aithusa at his side. "Are you ready?"

"Yes."

Merlin took a deep breath, adjusting his grip on his new staff. He let his magic wash over him to transform his appearance. It was the same as he had looked in the druid camp, but wasn't enough. Thinking back on what Freya had said, he decided to draw on nature. Glancing up, he brought the clouds down to wrap around him as a robe, draping himself in pure white. Then he reached for the water of the River Swale and wove the blue into his new cloak. The sky, the water, and everything in between. "What do you think, Aithusa?"

"You look old."

Merlin rolled his eyes. Good to know his own sarcastic nature somehow transferred to his dragon.

"You look like a high priest," she said more seriously. He nodded. Time to do battle.

Arthur lead his troops through the streets of Camelot toward the citadel. There were hardly any guards so it wasn't difficult. But the clouds were lifting and someone was bound to notice.

One of the dragons roared. Arthur froze in his tracks and looked up to see a dark blue dragon staring right at them. It unfurled its wings and pushed itself into the air, not once breaking eye contact. "Take cover!" Arthur yelled.

The dragon roared again as his men scattered, diving after one of them. The cry of the dragon woke the other creatures and soon the streets were full of two-legged bulls, swinging rudimentary weapons.

Arthur swung his new sword in return and it sliced through the beast like butter. The creature looked down, puzzled, then toppled over. He felt his back grow warmer and turned in time to see a breath of fire ignite a house as a green dragon chased someone down the street.

But then it jerked upward, as if something was tugging it back. And when the fire stopped blazing down he could hear another voice roaring, a human voice even if it wasn't speaking English.

He looked around but didn't see anyone. Someone shouted a warning and he ignored the mysterious voice in favor of fighting his way to the castle.

From the roof of the watchtower, Merlin called out and commanded his dragons to come to him. He could see them falter in their attack, halt their barrage of fire, but they were still under the thrall of the Beast's Burden. He could feel them fighting through his own connection, but it was not enough.

He heard Gilli's voice in his head. The shifters want to know if they need to fight off the dragons.

Tell them to concentrate on the minotaurs still. I just need to be closer. Gwaine, have you made it into the cave?

Just made it up the stairs. Mate, you did a lot of redecorating since I was last down here.

Just keep going, Gwaine.

Menkwet?

We haven't seen anyone trying to flee yet. A city wasn't a great place for the hextaurs to fight, but they could capture anyone escaping.

With everyone in place, Merlin told them he was moving in and jumped to the top of a turret. Aithusa flew over and landed on his shoulder a minute later. She was heavy, but not unreasonable as she wrapped herself around his shoulders. They were hoping that physical contact with Merlin would help her resist the thrall of the gauntlet.

Looking out at the city, Merlin tried to do a more focused call. He saw the blue one, Rhue, snatch up one of the guards in his jaw and biting down. Merlin winced at the crunch and morbidly watched the body being thrown away with a flick of the long neck. He could concentrate on him first.

He reached down deep within him and called for Rhue to listen to his command and retreat to the tower. He could tangibly feel the connection, they were so close, but it felt strained. He pushed more power into the connection and felt Rhue reach back, finally making the connection. He staggered with the reverberation of the thrall snapping. Rhue roared out his freedom to the skies and flew furiously over to the tower to catch his breath. When he landed he thanked Merlin through their connection and Merlin proceeded to the next dragon.

Lancelot and Drin successfully made it through the tunnels and into the dungeons without being detected. Lancelot peeked around the corner and threw a rock, hoping the guards were stupid enough to leave their posts and investigate the noise.

"What was that?"

"I don't know, but you better check it out."

"Alright, you stay here."

Rats. Whoever was currently in charge had found competent guards. He didn't wish to speak ill of Camelot, but from Merlin's stories it sounded like Camelot may want to hire these men.

"Kron, get over here, quick."

Lancelot peeked around the corner and saw the second guard hurrying away, further down the tunnels.

"Who are—?"

There was a thud, and then silence. Lancelot and Drin exchanged nods before walking slowly around the corner, swords held at the ready. The immediate room was empty, but then they heard a crunch and footsteps walking closer. They raised their blades higher.

Gwaine walked around the corner. "I see you have learned some tricks from Merlin," he said, as if they had planned to meet here.

"Who are you," Drin demanded, not understanding why Lancelot had lowered his sword for this apple crunching traveller.

"I'm your backup."

"It's alright, Drin," Lancelot said. "This is Gwaine."

"The one who was banished?"

"That was one time," Gwaine moaned.

"Well a king shouldn't have to banish a person more than once," Lancelot returned. "Usually people obey."

"Let's not bicker over semantics. There's some cloak wearing muscle men that I expect would be willing to fight for us if we let them out."

Arthur watched as one by one the dragons were called back. This time he could see who was controlling them. On top of the tallest tower stood a man draped in a blue cloak, what looked like a small dragon around his shoulders like a shawl. His hair tossed about in the wind and Arthur realised he knew the man.

That had to be Emrys, the druid councillor. But that was strange, he thought the druids were peaceful people. Certainly none of the druids from the forest had joined his charge this morning.

But this man seemed to be willingly joining the fight to save the city.

The last dragon roared out to the sky and flew off to the north. Arthur didn't see where they stopped, but he trusted the man not to let the dragons harm the people in the forest. He couldn't say why, certainly his father would be charging up the castle steps to kill this sorcerer, but Arthur reckoned a man with the power to command the dragons to leave Camelot could stop them from destroying the very forest where he lived.

With the dragons gone, he expected the man to vanish as he had before. However, he raised up his staff and waved it back and forth, like a general signaling his troops. Arthur was forced to turn his attention back to battling the creatures. This one looked like it was a walking swamp. He saw others trying to fight it with their sword, but the creature was basically liquid and they did no good. It was a fool's hope, but Arthur surged forward and plunged his new sword into the creature.

Surprisingly it collapsed into nothing more than a mundane swamp. Arthur poked it once more with his sword to be extra sure. That would take work to clean up. There was a roar from behind him, someone yelled a warning, but the monster was too close for Arthur to move his sword in time.

A gust of air buffeted him back and large talons grabbed the monster before it reached Arthur. He looked up to see an enormous eagle fly away with the creature. Some instinct made him look back toward the man on the tower. Sure enough he appeared to be directing them to pick off the enemy and remove them from the city.

Was he a sorcerer? Yes. Was he powerful? Undoubtedly. Was Arthur going to persecute him? He realised the thought hadn't even crossed his mind. As if the sorcerer had felt his gaze, the man looked down and locked eyes with Arthur, giving a slow inclination of the head. He seemed to say he had Arthur's back. Arthur nodded back in gratitude.

Seeing that the majority of the magical beasts were being taken care of, all that was left were the very human guards. Spurred on by the changing tide of the battle, other people came out from hiding in their homes, armed with pitchforks and garden poles to help defend their town. Arthur felt a surge of pride as they cleaned the streets and pushed up to the citadel.

They had just made it to the gates when Arthur heard the groan of the wooden crosspiece being pulled back. He motioned for the men with him to form up into lines to be ready to face whatever new monster came pouring out.

But what he found instead was Gwaine, leading a small battalion of men who were armed only with stolen weapons and good old fashioned fists.

"How's it going out here?" Gwaine asked.

"Much better," Arthur replied. Someone came running up from behind Gwaine. "Guinevere?"

"Arthur!" she yelled in excitement, pushing past Gwaine to give him a quick hug. "We need you inside."

That's when Arthur looked away from her brilliant smile to notice the sword in her hand. He looked at Gwaine. "You let her have a sword? Guinevere, you should be somewhere safe. Not out here fighting."

"I didn't let her do anything," Gwaine said. "No one can stop her."

Gwen looked at Arthur smugly. "For everything you boys keep saying about swords, they're really nothing more than a large needles, and I have plenty of experience with those." She then marched back inside. Arthur and Gwaine had little choice but to follow.

The other Camelot knights, guards, and knife wielding kitchen maids were working fast to clear out the castle of the invaders. Some had magic and were harder to dispatch, but a good whack with a ladle from behind worked perfectly; a standard shield spell didn't count it as a weapon that needed to be blocked.

They swiftly made it to the throne room. Gwaine figured that if he was taking control of a kingdom, that is where he would sit and wait.

And sure enough, as they shoved open the throne room doors, a stranger was seated on the throne, his crimson cloak draped elegantly around him. There were no guards in the room, but when Arthur stomped forward, he was abruptly stopped by an invisible barrier.

"Ah ah ah, I can't have you coming too close now, Pendragon. Besides," he curled his fist that wore a large silver gauntlet. "You wouldn't want my pets to think you are food." Two large creatures stepped forward. Their lean cat-like bodies were taut with anger, ready to pounce at the sight of food. They growled and revealed three rows of dagger-sharp teeth inside their jaws.

"Who are you?" Arthur demanded.

"I am Meliot de Lyre, at your, well, actually not at your service seeing as I am the one seated on the throne." He stroked the arms of the chair. "I must say, it is a nice throne. Not terribly comfortable, but you can't help feeling more powerful sitting here."

"It's not meant to be a comfortable seat," Arthur returned. He just needed to keep the man distracted, talking. He had his sword pressed up against the barrier and could feel it slowly sinking deeper. "Being in charge of a kingdom is a great responsibility and not anything comfortable. Not when people's lives depend on you."

"But you don't need them. They are weak. And what can they do to you anyways? You have all the power. Even I admit I underestimated your sorcerer, but everyone thought the dragonlords had all been killed. By your father. I would thank him, if he were alive." He frowned not looking entirely happy with this realisation. "Although it is true. Without his madness, this world would be no fun. There would be no army seeking revenge, no lords thinking they could rule this place better than their father. Do you have any idea how fun it was to plot directly behind your back? There are holes in your court and nothing can hold back the flood. It is so much easier to take control from the inside."

"The inside?" Gwaine asked.

"Oh you don't know!" He clapped his hands excitedly, the clank of the metal falling flat even in the high ceilinged room. "He is a better ally than I had hoped for."

"Who helped you?" Arthur asked. The sword was nearly there, he could feel it moving more.

Meliot barked out a harsh laugh. "As if I would tell you!" He paused. "You don't even have a little suspicious of who it could be?" He tutted at the unchanged expression on Arthur's face. "Poor naive boy. I can find out everything about your kingdom, little king."

"You didn't find out about me." A ball of fire flew from the pillars at the side of the room where Emrys suddenly was standing, one arm outstretched.

Meliot dove off the throne, a hasty shield deflecting the fire into a banner. He rolled back to a crouching position behind the throne before pushing himself to his feet and shouting a spell, pushing a wall of water with both hands towards Emrys.

Emrys said nothing, only waved a hand to swirl the water into a cyclone and send it back at Meliot.

Meliot grabbed his cloak and held the red cloth up like a shield, the water seeming to absorb into his cloak.

Just then Arthur's sword broke through the barrier and he stumbled forward catching the attention of both sorcerers.

"Stay back," Emrys commanded and suddenly Arthur couldn't move his feet. He rocked forward with his momentum but caught himself before he fell completely to the ground. He saw that Gwaine was stuck in a similar position, Gwen presumably also stuck even if she hadn't started to run forward.

Meliot took advantage of Emrys's distraction and had managed a spell which knocked him backwards.

"And this is where I must leave you," Meliot said hurriedly, while Emrys rubbed the back of his head and pushed himself to his feet. "But you have not seen the last of me, Pendragon." He ducked under another, more concentrated fireball from Emrys. "And neither have you." He kissed the top of the throne. "Good bye!" and with a twist of water through the air, he vanished, leaving a soaking wet throne behind.

Merlin looked at the throne, soaking wet from Meliot's dramatic disappearance. How rude. He sighed. He would be cleaning it one way or another. Best to take the easy way. He waved a hand in the direction of the throne and the water evaporated away. "Much better." Along that line of thought, there was also that banner which was still burning.

He glanced at it and flicked his fingers, restoring it to how it had been five minutes prior. That was much better. Actually he may have inadvertently fixed some fraying that was only due to age.

"Feel like freeing our feet as well?" Merlin turned back around to Gwaine. And Arthur and Gwen and a collection of six other warriors. He hadn't actually been paying attention to who else was in the room. He felt uneasy. Sure he was in disguise, but he had been seen performing magic, in the heart of Camelot. In front of the king, no less. The nightmares of childhood were hard to shake off.

He mutely waved his hand and released the locking spell. He shifted on his feet, feeling like something needed to be said. He went into this battle knowing he would have to be a symbol of magic. Be the hope for the future.

Distantly he could hear Gilli reporting that the streets were clear and any fires had been put out. Menkwet was chasing down those fleeing and was asking if they should be kept alive. Louder, he heard Gwaine's voice in his head. You alright, mate? Arthur said thank you.

He had missed Arthur thanking him? Darn. Those were so rare. "Oh, err, you're welcome. Do you want them alive? The ones who were trying to flee?"

"There are people fleeing? How do you know?" asked Arthur.

"I have people watching the forest. And they are reporting to me. In my head." Huh. That sounded crazy when he said it aloud. "With magic." Not like that made it any better.

"Yes," Arthur said, ending Merlin's train of thought. "I'd like to question them. Can you have your people bring them in here?"

"Of course, but may I request that Gwaine go out and meet them at the gate? They aren't exactly human and I don't want the people to be frightened by things they don't understand."

"How do you know my name?" Gwaine questioned in an overly suspicious voice. Merlin wanted to roll his eyes.

"Because I am an all powerful warlock. Stop asking silly questions," Merlin sassed, adding mentally, You better run before I share your surname.

Gwaine scurried off, gathering the others in the room to join him, while Gwen stepped up beside Arthur. Merlin glanced at her sword appreciatively. Standing next to Arthur, it was hard to see them as anything other than a perfect couple. Each ready to defend Camelot with everything they had.

"I fear I must have missed some introductions," she said.

"This is Emrys," Arthur said. "He is the one I mentioned who gave me good advice when I visited the druids."

Interesting. Merlin didn't know he had mentioned that visit to Gwen. He certainly hadn't told Merlin about it. "And you must be Guinevere. Arthur told me such wonderful stories about you." Merlin bent low and reached for her hand to kiss. She obligingly lifted it and blushed slightly.

"Really you don't have to do that. I'm only a seamstress."

"A seamstress who is special enough to be courting the king," Merlin countered. "Besides, you have a shining future in front of you."

"You can see the future?" Arthur asked. "Is that how you knew to come here? You knew Tristan and Drin would be returning before we did."

Merlin shook his head. "Only very occasionally do I glimpse the future. I was told that my dragons were being controlled and I came as fast as I could."

"They are your dragons?" Gwen asked.

"Well, mine as much as anyone can claim ownership of a dragon. I am a dragonlord, but goddess knows they are stubborn creatures and aren't afraid to speak their mind."

"They speak?"

Merlin looked at Arthur. "They do. They are intelligent creatures, far wiser than I." Merlin paused to listen to the message coming through in his mind. "Gilli says there is a crowd gathering in the courtyard. We should meet them out there." Message relayed, he strode out of the room, not waiting for Arthur to follow.

This leader thing was hard. Especially when Arthur was there and really war was his area of expertise. He was a symbol. He felt like this was a mantra to keep his chin up. Although, the way his cloak flowed behind him as his long legs took him down the corridors, well, he could get used to that. If this is how the knights felt in their cloaks, he understood why they wore them.

Despite the inner turmoil, Merlin projected an aura of confidence and competence as he evenly walked down the front steps into the courtyard. He felt a bit winded after wresting control away from Meliot, so it wasn't hard to resist running down the stairs.

In the courtyard, many citizens of Camelot watched with wary eyes as Lord Menkwet and four of his tribe held the captured prisoners. Merlin could forgive them the stares, he still had to stop himself from watching the way their six legs moved, so long as no one was trying to kill them social etiquette could wait.

To the side, Gilli and Gwaine were whispering together with expressions that worried Merlin. Nothing bad, just headaches for him if the two troublemakers became fast friends. But then a realisation struck.

They had already met and neither told Merlin. That would explain the rude jokes and silly cartoons drawn on his message boards over the winter. Arseholes. Both of them.

His attention was drawn back to the important proceedings as the hextaurs bowed low to him. "Lord Emrys. We captured these two fleeing into the woods when the city was recaptured." Two men with wrists bound by vines were pushed forward. "We have brought them so you and King Arthur may question them."

Merlin turned to his side and indicated for Arthur to begin. Mainly because he had no idea where to start. He would rather do research before questioning a prisoner.

"What are your names?" Ah, right, the audience. Arthur was demonstrating that he was a kind ruler, unlike his father. The prisoners seemed uncertain, but shared their names. "And can you confirm, you were involved in the conspiracy to replace me on the throne of Camelot?"

The one named Cedric took a breath to issue some conditioned rhetoric about Arthur being unfit for kingship, but the hextaur next to him cleared his throat pointedly. Cedric reconsidered.

"Yes. We were," he admitted.

"And were you aware that someone in Camelot was part of this conspiracy?" Merlin asked.

"We delivered," the other one, Daniel, started to say before he was interrupted by an elbow to the gut.

"So you have interacted with the traitor," Merlin deduced. "Likely as messengers. Gilli, Gwaine, please search them for any objects of interest."

The men moved forward and removed the jackets of the prisoners, searching for something hidden. Merlin watched with interest as Gwaine unsheathed his dagger and started picking apart the seams.

"You can save your clothes if you tell us who you work for," Arthur said, noticing the look of dismay on Daniel's face.

The man seemed to debate, looking around at the show of force around him. He looked at Merlin and Merlin let his eyes flash gold briefly. That seemed to tip the scales.

"Alright, I'll tell you. It's-" He tried to say a name, but the sounds stopped. He tried again, but it seemed to Merlin that something was stopping him from speaking the name. A spell perhaps? He tried a different tactic.

"Does the person live in the city?" Merlin asked.

"Yes," he said. "Yes, he lives in the city," he said, surprised that this information was not censored.

"Does he live in the citadel?" Merlin asked.

"No, but he lives-" Again the prisoner lost control of his voice.

"I found something," Gilli said. He held up a small object and brought it before Merlin and Arthur. It was a small signet ring. Although, Merlin looked at the design, he did not recognise it. He passed it to Arthur.

"Do you recognise the symbol?" he asked.

Arthur rolled it around in his fingers. "I don't." He handed it back to Gilli.

"Hang on to that. I might later be able to trace who it belongs to," Merlin said.

"I understand you can't say who it is," Arthur returned to questioning. "But maybe you can tell us about the person. Is he tall?"

A good tactic. Merlin was mentally arranging the people of Camelot in height order when he felt a warning trip in his mind. Without thinking he turned toward Arthur and shouted out a shield spell.

An arrow slammed to a stop centimetres from Arthur's chest. All eyes turned to look at the arrow, then up to the upper balconies, searching for the archer.

"Emrys."

Merlin turned back to Lord Menkwet. His eyes dropped down. The prisoners were both lying on the ground, and arrow in each of their chests. There were two more archers.

Arthur had already sent guards to find his would-be assassin. But Arthur's people couldn't fly. "Gilli, direct from the ground. I'll search from the skies." Then with a glow of his eyes, he jumped.

"When did he learned how to do that?" Gilli asked out loud. He swore that Merlin seemed to learn how to do something impressive every week. And there Gilli was with his simple ring that he needed in order to even levitate a feather.

"Not that long ago," Gwaine said. "But refuse if he offers it as a mode of transport. With your weak stomach I don't know if you could handle the after effects."

"Not all of us can spend all day in a tavern."

"Just hand over that ring so I can give it to Merlin. I'm sure he will fill you in on the details." Gwaine tucked the ring in his pocket, just before Arthur walked over.

"Gwaine."

"Arthur."

He couldn't tell if Arthur was mad. He wasn't sure if Arthur knew how to feel. He certainly looked like he needed a nap. Or food. Gwaine pulled another apple out of his pocket and offered it to the king.

"How many apples do you have in there?" Arthur asked.

"Twenty," he replied with a grin.

"No, you don't. They wouldn't fit."

"Not every kingdom bans magic, Arthur. You would be surprised at how charms can improve your life." Let's see how he responded to that. Merlin said that Arthur had become more open minded, but he wanted to see it for himself.

Arthur simply closed his eyes and exhaled a long sigh. He shrugged. "Fine. Why are you here Gwaine?"

He just moved on. Here Gwaine blatantly had a magic pocket in his jacket and the king of Camelot did not care. "Merlin said there was trouble. I came to help him."

"And so you just showed up?"

"Of course. Merlin has helped me in the past so I am always there to help him." What a foolish question.

"Kneel."

"What?"

"Shut up and kneel, Gwaine." He looked up and saw Merlin fly overhead on the back of his blue dragon. High enough that the others in Camelot hadn't noticed yet, but clearly not high enough for Merlin to be blind to what was happening below.

He thought back a rude expression, but he kneeled.

Arthur lifted his sword and laid in on Gwaine's shoulder. "I, Arthur Pendragon," he moved the blade to Gwaine's other shoulder, "hereby enoble thee," the blade moved back to the other shoulder, "and declare you a knight of Camelot." He removed the sword. "Rise, Sir Gwaine of Camelot."

Gwaine rose and the gathered crowd cheered loudly, embracing this impromptu ceremony as the culmination of the battle. He can safely say he didn't expect that to happen today.

"I'll null the banishment, of course," Arthur said under the sound of the crowd.

Gwaine smiled widely. "Nah, leave it. Feels more rebellious then."

Arthur only rolled his eyes.

Unfortunately, neither Merlin nor the Camelot guards were able to identify the assassins. It was worrisome that there were still four unidentified members of this conspiracy. At least one was still in the heart of Camelot.

Merlin wished he knew more. He was studying the ring, using any spell he could think of to figure out whose finger it belonged to. But it must have been cleaned in some way to remove any traces of ownership. Technically it was Emrys who was supposed to be investigating the ring, but Merlin would ask the servants if they recognised the symbol in any of the rooms they cleaned.

He wished he knew what the traitor wanted. Clearly not the throne; they were not the one sitting in the great hall. And there was no one standing at Meliot's side either.

The hextaurs caught no one else escaping the city and Iseildur wasn't able to heal the one guard who hadn't immediately been killed. The people of Camelot were understandably fierce when they were reclaiming the city. A massive bonfire had been held outside the city walls to burn the bodies, but Merlin was busy down here in his cave.

Everyone needed to talk with him before they settled in for the night. Gwaine came to have the telepathic speech spell removed and demanded to know why he told Arthur to knight him. Merlin of course had no idea that Gwaine would be knighted that day, but he was pleased that Gwaine would be staying. He already knew which servant he would assign to Gwaine.

Gilli also came to have the spell removed and ask about receiving some magical books to study. Merlin happily gave him a few books and invited him to spend the night in one of the rooms in the cave.

Alator also stayed in the caves after talking with Merlin about the theories of mental communication and what it meant to embody a symbol.

"You need to know what you want to show," Alator said. They were sitting opposite the table in the underground office Merlin had set up. It was a simple table but the chairs were far more comfortable than they appeared. Merlin poured them both a modest glass of wine. "Pick one idea, maybe two and focus on those. The Catha show strength and power. It's why we have our tattoos."

"I thought they helped channel your magic?"

"They do. But to outsiders they look like something to be afraid of. You showed power today when you called off the dragons. Then you showed loyalty when you stopped the arrow from killing the king."

"Those are both things I care about."

"But think about if those are the things you want to show. Someday Arthur will learn of your Druidic name. He will connect the two personas and learn how powerful you are. But what is gained by loyalty? You demonstrate that everyday. Think about what else you want him to know. What do you want to say that is easier to show?"

Merlin took a long sip of wine. What did he want to show? Wisdom? Communication skills? Relatability?

"You don't have to decide now," Alator reassured him. "Sometimes it is hard to verbalise what you stand for. Talk with Iseildur, or other druids. They can help."

Alator said he would stay for a couple days to gather evidence to try to track down Meliot, but then he, too, would depart for home.

So now Merlin was finishing writing up a report of everything they knew so far to distribute to his network. He yawned again. This was the third time in less than a minute. His last word written was more of an ink dribble than a word. It was probably time to sleep. He had used a lot of magic today between fighting Meliot, controlling the dragons, setting up the communication spells, not to mention maintaining his disguise throughout.

He set the quill in its holder and stood, stretching out his shoulders and rolling his neck. He walked to the edge of the outcropping and summoned up a small bit of water from the river. He let it splash on his face. That felt a little better, but not enough.

He rubbed at his face. Merlin turned back to the table and laid a paperweight on his scroll then hung up his new white robes and blue cloak. It was a bit chilly now without them, but he couldn't leave those in his bedroom. He should probably place an anti-theft charm on his staff, but that could be done tomorrow.

Merlin looked around, checking that everything was put away, trying to convince himself that he wasn't forgetting anything urgent. He yawned again. He should really...an echo of a knock cut its way through the fog in his brain. Someone was knocking on the door of his bedroom. Time for bed then.

A quick glance down to make sure he wasn't wearing anything hinting at magic, and then he transported himself upstairs. He landed with a stumble and tripped over a book, barely catching himself on the wall.

"Merlin?" Arthur cracked open the door. "You alright in there?"

"Yeah, just tired." Merlin came over and opened the door the rest of the way. "It's been a long day. Long two weeks, really."

"Yeah." Arthur walked into the room and sat on Merlin's bed. Merlin pulled his stool in front of his wardrobe and sat opposite Arthur, leaning back against the wood. "I know I was doubting my ability to be king last night, and you helped remind me why I am King, but you also reminded me that I can't do this without people by my side. And I realised when I saw Guinevere come through the doors, how much I missed her, had been worried for her. I couldn't stand the thought of her being chained up in the dungeons." Arthur checked himself and stopped talking. He was clearly exhausted as well. "I guess what I am trying to say is I'm going to ask Guinevere to marry me. And I need your help."

Merlin looked at his king, his best friend, and smiled. "Then you shall have it."

AN: *whew* Nearly 123k and you have made it to the end of the story. Well, book 1 of the story. Thank you for sticking around for the ride! And thank you to all of the guest reviewers who left kind comments I am unable to reply to.

This story would not have been here if not for my amazing alpha reader Requiem17. I also have had three amazing betas: Opal, BTC, and Ato. All of them have wonderful stories of their own and you should check them out. Further thanks goes to my best friend who continues to help me brainstorm over skype and to the Merlin chat for answering strange out-of-context questions.

I don't know when I will be starting to post book 2 because I am not quite done writing it and then I have a lot of editing to do. When I do, I will post an announcement chapter to let you know its up so if you follow this story you'll be notified.

In the meantime, I'm planning on posting some bonus materials for this series on AO3. These will be only on AO3 since it is easier to make the formatting do what I want. I hope you will check it out.