Overmorrow they departed for Merlin's native soil, bags packed and heart's heavy with tht knowledge of what they would be asking of the people there – normal people, villagers and farmers, who would not ever have expected a war to involve them. Arthur comforted himself witht the knowledge that they would at least be safe from harm as long as he and the Northumbrian army heald the element of surprise.
Gaius rode with them, heartened by the rest even if only for a day, and excited to see his old friend in Merlin's mother, Hunith. As the day wore on Ealdor came into view between the trees - wood and stone buildings flittering between the remaining yelow leaves of early winter trees until they could see the people there as well, farmers mowing and planting there fields and people doing shores and chatting with old friends.
Arthur took a moment to pause and look over the scene. Change was coming to Eador, a big change. He regretted what he was asking of these people. He felt a presense next to him; as everyone else roe on Merlin stopped next to him and laid a hand on his arm, storking his hand down until it reached Merlin's and they held each other, squeezling breif reassurance.
"Are you kay?" he asked, a small puzzled smile on his face. Arthur could help the answering warm smile, as the clouds parted and a weak winter sun lit on his face an filled him with a warmth and hope for the fututre.
"Yes" he answered truthefully "Yes, I'm good" he smiled beautifically and Arthur felt his heart flip over his chest. He smiled back.
"Then I'll race you!" Merlin said with a wide grin splitting his face as he kicked his horse on kicking up a flurry of leaves behind him.
"Oi!" Arthur cried laughing and followed him, thundering down the path behind him, their laughs mingling together in the chill air, Shadwodancer's black hooves pouncing on the muddy soil as she trailed Brambles's dour bown ones.
They giggled and laughed into the village, villagers giving them bemusied looks and they laughed, untill with a triumphant shout Merlin pulled his horse up next to his mother's house. He leapt from his horse and had only travelled a few steps forwards, when Hunith appeared around the corner, looking pale and tired but the light of motherhood danced in her eyes and her wide and brilliant smile cut across her tired features in a way that reminded Arthur of his Merlin, and realise it was true that the apple does not fall far of the tree.
"Merlin!" she cried. Merlin swung himself into her arms and hugged his mother close.
"I've missed you, darling child." his mother said. Sobbing a little and looking at Merlin's face.
"I've missed you to, Mum." said Merlin, unwrapping his arms form around her, his voice cracking on his last word. He could tell throught the appreance that life was more difficult in Ealdor, as winter approached the villagers always took more care to store food and ration, but aroubd the village everyhing appeared just a little more grey and brown than usual.
"We have to help them, Arthur," said Merlin, with a wiry arm around his mothers shoulder and a small frown marring his forehead as his sharp eyes critically surveyed the schene.
"Arthur?" his mother questioned, with a knowing smirk, "Not Dirk?"
Merlin gasped.
"You knew!" he gasped.
Hunith giggled.
"Not until I saw you together. Arthur, you look so much like your mother" she smiled, lying a hand on her son in laws cheek as heat came over it and the redness of his blood filled his cheeks.
"There's someone you have to meet!" Merlin exclaimed. Gesturing at Gwaine arrived on Rachel the horse, Gaius sitting behind him, he helped the old man off the mount and smiled at his mother. She gasped, voiceless in her shock and joy.
"Oh my Gaius!" she said eventually joyfully, in shock. She smiled and the two old friends hugged closely.
"It's been too many years, Hunith my dear" said Gaius warmly.
"Mum you remember everyone" Merlin said indicating to his friends as they all dismounted.
"Of course it's lovelt osee everyone again" She said, smiling a smoothing her apron.
"And this is Leon and Percival" He indecated to their new compatrots. Both knights bobbed a bow to her and offered her a smile.
"A pleasure to meet you" Leon said friendly.
"We thank you for your hospitality" Perivale said in his soft voice that contrasted with his massive frame.
"Any friend of Merlin's is a friend of mine" She said welcomingly "We wil find you all a place to stay"
"Mum is everythign okay? The village seems..." Merlin asked concerned, guesturing around to the empty garden's.
"No I'm afraid not. Janice used to keep the vegetabe beds warm to produce more food but she's not been able to this year. And Mark's the same he used to help with the watering but they've both had a hard time doing magic recently so we're bit stretched this year. Rations have started early" She smiled ruefully; Ealdor may not have had much, but the villagers all took care of each other and they knew that by pulling together they would see out of the catastophe of winter.
"Oh mum...we have something to tell you. We need to tell everyone. Can you cll a village meeting?" Merlin asked, tense line around his sparkling eye.
"Of course hun, what is it?" concern laced through her voice in a way that reminded him of scraped knees of childhood that he got after Will and he dragged eachother into hairbraned schemes.
"It's best we get everyone together, Hunith" Arthur sait gently, placing a hand on her arm. Her face was firm despite the worried in her eyes as she nodded and patted his hand.
"Of course." she nodded, resigned. "I'll ring the bell. I'm just so glad to see you all agin, Merlin...Gaius." she held his hand for a brief squeeze and then made her way to the village hall.
Lightning cracked through the greystone sky that was mottled with clouds, grey against the sky. Uther stood at his window surveying the rain that lashed the window with his back on Ralph who was prostated on the ground, snivelling in shame.
"What do you mean gone!? He's an old man!? How can he be gone from my dungeon?!" He screamed, voice ringing through the chamber and echoing like the bellow of a bell.
"I'm sorry sire. We'll find him. I have my best men on it." He said, weak and voice trembling. He gestured to two soldiers who stood by his side.
"Your best men were guarding him? This is what I think oif your best men!" cackled Uther, pulling the sword that sat by his side in his scabbard and running the shorter of the two guards through. He collapsed like a puppet with cut strings in a coughing pile of blood, which pooled repugnant on the floor.
"Get better men." Uther snarled.
"Of course my Lord," said Ralph, bowing a deep and respectful bow. Uther stormed, like the weather, to his thrown and sat down.
"Is there any good news?" he asked, sarcastically.
"Ye, your highness. I have word of where the warlock Merlin and his… um, partner are." Ralph said in distaste.
"Oh?" Uther's brow raise.
"There is a village, my lege" Ralph started "called Ealdor…."
The gang folloed behind hunith as the bell rang out across the windy landscape of the village. Arthur and Merlin linked hands to support each other, mirroring the way Gwen and Lancelot were walking, heads together conspirationally.
"What are they up to?" Arhtur asked, leaning in and nodding at the coupe before them.
"No idea". Merlin smiled "Probably just enjoying being home and together."
"Was that a hint?" Arthur asked, brow clocked in challenge. Merlin smiled adoringly.
"Whereever you are is home to me" he said, kissing Arthur as thoroughly as time allowed as they stood by the doors to the village hall and the waiting villagers. Looking into each others eyes- blue on blue- they shared a secret smile and swung the whitewashed pine doors open and headed in.
Arthur stood next to his partner at the front of the hall as the villagers filed in, benches being sat on by the older residents and some pregnant womemn or familys, everyone else stood around looking curious but confused as the hall filled up.
With every person wh came in Arthur saw them and the sense of dread and the weight of his responsibilty around his neck increased by their weight, another human, another life he was responsible for until he felt he was chocking on the lives of a whole village.
"Everyone, thank you for being here today" Hunith called across the hall, to get everyone's attention. "My son and his partner have been away in Northumbria, and they have important news to share with us all." She looked at Arthur with an encouraging smile. MErlin squeezed his hand once tightly, and with a deap preath Arthur stepped forward to address the gathered crowd.
"People of Eadlor" he spake "you know me well as Dirk Wood, your blacksmith. I was given that name by my father, Tom Smith, and he rase me as his own, alongside Gwen and Elyan. I have dined with you, laughed with you, suppered with you, cried and celebrated with you. But, my people, I have soemthing I must tell you, dear people - dear father" he looked to Tom.
"I.. I.. My name is not Dirk Wood." There was a gasp. "In thelast few months I have learned much more about who I am, and where I come from. I am Arthur Pendragon: Prince of Camelot and heir to ther throne." a gasp littered aroundt he room, and a small hubbub started out.
"You all know what hat means: I am the son of the Mad King, and I am supposed to be dead. But I stand here before you now. I was rescued as a babe in the woods, by my family, who, as you know adopted me, but before that I was a shy baby prince kidnapped by the Druids. Taken from King Uther, as he raged his war on the land's magic, and my soulmate: Merlin." Melin smiled shyly and gave a small wave.
"Hello everyone." he said.
"We already know Merlin and his magic!" Came a cry from Gwaine, the baker. A muttering murmer ran through the audience.
Arthur held his hands up to silence them.
"King Uther has committed a great wrong against magic. He has eliminated it from the lands. It is gone. Merlin is our only thether and his link to it has weaken and weakens every day. I know you feel it, I can see it in your village, in your failed crops and your faces. This plague of magiclessness will blight all of Albion unless we stand and fight!" Arhtur rallied the crowd.
"it is my duty to undo the hurt my father has done. Me and MErlin were transported into the heart of Camelot, and the pains we saw there were awful. We learned from Gaius, who is here with us know, the Uther has found away to destroy magic, and take it away from people who use it, often killing the individual." He saw faces in shock among the crowd, Janice and Mark, well known for their magical assitance, and several others throughout the hall had white faces as the reality of what was happening to them struck them.
"Uther is no king and no father to me. We are going to fix thes , I will take his throne, with the help of King Alfred of Northumbria, where we have just returned from, and his armies, which Merlin… convinced King Alfred to leand us." He glanced a look at Merlin at this, who smilked.
"And I will restore magic to the country. You will propser again, you will no longer have to live in fear of Uther and his barborous thugs. Morganna has forseen a terrific battle and we will triumph and your children will have a safe future, free of hatred in a valley of prosperity." He annoucned, Merlin's heart sweltered with pride and love, knowing that everyone would follow such a noble and kind prince wherever he would lead
"In a few days the Northumbrian Army will be here, and then we will leave to lauch our attack on Camelot: The element of surprise is on our side. I'm asking a lot, I do not ask you to fight with us, but you deserve to know what's happening to you, your firends, your family" he geustured to memeber of the assembled crow as he said this.
The audience was silence. Then a voice broke through.
"Uther's men burned my sister's crops, and killed her wife for being a witch" said one man slowly, the sadness evident in hois voice. "I would be glad to stand and fight for the One and Future King"
"The Mad King inprisioned my father for healing a child!" shouted another.
"My husband is dying because of him! I stand with King Arthur!" added a woman.
"Friends, together we can overcome Uther's evil!" shouted Merlin from the stage. The audience cheered, willing to join in their fight – for it was not only their fight, but their fight also, and the fight of all people who believed in the right and truth.
