Arthur woke up that morning by himself and took a short time to gather himself. He thought about the fact that not only Merlin but also Mordred possessed magic and that he would trust both of them with his life. He would already visit Gaius this morning and he hoped to get some information about magic. How was he supposed to rule a kingdom where apparently magicians already lived in secrecy, but where he was completely ignorant? There were so many questions that came up and he had no idea. How could he guarantee a fair trial to a captured sorceress when he knew so little? He was also aware that the verdict could change the trust in Mordred. He did not yet know what to do if Kara was really guilty and threatened a death sentence. It also occurred to him that another council meeting was scheduled for today to discuss the change in the law. This was another reason to visit Gaius and ask him to give him a rough outline of the magic. That couldn't be that complicated, could it?

Arthur stood up carefully because he did not want to wake Gwen and dressed quietly. He realized again that his clothes were absolutely impractical. He could hardly get dressed alone and when he looked at his work in the mirror, he sighed. So he could not go out the door. It looked as if a five-year-old had tried to dress himself. He was wondering whether he was simply incapable or whether it was because of his royal clothes, which were simply not made to be worn alone.
Suddenly the door opened and a surprised Merlin entered quietly. He could not help but grin when he saw Arthur's elevator. Wordlessly he approached Arthur and tugged the clothes at one point or another, tied loops in the right place and walked back a little satisfied.
Whispering, Arthur said to Merlin, "Thank you. I will go and see Gaius for a moment to talk to him. After you are finished here in the room, it is best to go and see Sir Mordred immediately, so that the conversation with the prisoner can take place as quickly as possible. It would be advantageous if the conversation takes place before the council meeting, so that we have answers to some questions and can concentrate on the change of the law. Do you think it was a good decision to allow Mordred to talk?"
Merlin looked at Arthur with big eyes. The king had thanked him and now asked openly for his advice. He concentrated on the question and replied, "I don't know. Kara might have a negative influence on Mordred, but the conversation could hardly be refused. He needs certainty. He needs to see with his own eyes and hear with his own ears how Kara has changed, or if a curse is to blame for her behavior. So yes, I think it was the right thing to do, but the consequences cannot be estimated and only the future will confirm that it was a good decision in the end".

Arthur let the words sink in and wanted to leave the room quietly, when Merlin asked anxiously: "Gaius will be all right, won't he?
Arthur looked irritated and could not make sense of the question at first until he understood. "Gaius has nothing to fear from me. I really just want to talk to him, because I don't know anything about magic," Arthur admitted.
"You could have asked me too," Merlin admitted.
Arthur frowned and said: "Yes, I do, but it is still strange to me that you seem to know so much about magic. I promise you that I will come to you with my questions, but I would like to speak to Gaius first. He has seen me grow up and is like a teacher for me, so ..."
Merlin understood and nodded. Arthur finally left the room and made his way to the court physician.

Gaius looked up in surprise when he saw the king coming into his chamber. He bowed and said, "Merlin is already on his way to you. I am astonished that you have missed him."
Arthur shook his head and said, "I have already seen him. I wanted to speak with you, Gaius."
Gaius frowned anxiously.
"How can I rule a kingdom when I know nothing about magic? All I know is that magic can bring much pain and death, but I hardly know the good parts and know almost nothing about the limits of magic. I want to talk to you, because I feel like a little ignorant boy among experienced adults. I know I could have asked Merlin, or apparently even Mordred..."
Arthur broke off when he saw that the court physician was not satisfied was surprised.
"You know that Mordred is a sorcerer? For how long?" Arthur asked commandingly.
Gaius sat down, took a breath and began to speak: "Ever since Mordred was a little boy. Merlin heard Mordred calling in his thoughts. He called him 'Emrys'. Only people with magic can communicate with each other through thought language, so Mordred had to have it too. How could I explain how I knew Mordred had magic without revealing Merlin's secret?" Gaius had his words spoken to the king. "You must have many questions. What exactly would you like to know?"

Arthur pondered briefly and then asked: "Merlin is considered by the Druids to be a powerful sorcerer, also known as Emrys. What makes Merlin so special?"
Gaius raised his shoulder apologetically and explained: "It's not easy to explain. I have to go further into this. The best way to begin is to start with how I got to know Merlin. I received a letter from Hunith. She hoped that I could take Merlin in and guide him. His announced arrival was known to me, but I forgot that day that he was supposed to come. I was looking for a book high up on the bookshelf when he approached me. I lost my balance, fell several meters to the floor and suddenly landed softly in my bed. This could not have happened at all, because the bed would have been several meters away. Merlin first denied that he had anything to do with it. When he arrived, he saw that a magician had been executed and denied that he had anything to do with it. While eating, however, I intentionally knocked over a bucket of water and it suddenly stopped moving. When Merlin saw the look on my face, the bucket still fell to the ground rattling. I immediately wanted to know which magician he had studied with and how he did magic without using words and spells. He said he had never learned from anyone. He had been born that way. I could hardly believe it. I had never seen anything like it before. To control magic only with thoughts and feelings, that could not work and yet I had seen it in that moment. I had not seen any words or sweeping gestures in Merlin's magic, only the golden flash of his eyes convinced me that it had to be magic. Most wizards don't have much magic and through certain rituals and spells they can create spells. But magic is not a decision, either you have this talent or you don't. The talents often differ in their expression and direction. Some magicians have a special talent for healing spells, others have visions that show the future. Often you have no choice, because you were born as a magician and you don't decide to be one. Only if your talent is very low, you can make a conscious decision not to use magic. However, if you are gifted or punished with a strong talent, you can only learn to use it in the best possible way.
Arthur frowned. "What do you mean by that?" he asked Gaius interrupting.

"The girl Tea is a sorceress with the gift of clairvoyance. She is still young and yet she often gives the impression of being much older. She has visions of the future. These visions are not about how the weather will be the next day, but the visions are mostly about pain, death and destruction. So already as a little girl she had to learn either to suppress the visions or to live with them and use them. She was never asked if she wanted to become a psychic. She became one because she had the ability to do so. And if you now object that she could suppress the visions, then believe me, it is not so easy. Certain visions just can't be suppressed and still reach the visionary whether she wants to or not," Gaius concluded.
"Does Merlin have visions, too?" Arthur asked with concern in his voice.

Gaius nodded. Seeing Arthur's questioning gaze, he explained: "Merlin has visions, but rather rarely. You will remember the Crystal of Neahtid. It is a magical object and an artifact of the Old Religion. Particularly powerful magicians, such as Merlin, can see into the future, present and past through it. He possesses the power of prediction."
"How exactly do these visions work? Does it matter how I act, since the vision will happen in any case," Arthur asked shocked.
"Yes and no. Yes, the scene shown will probably occur exactly as you see it, but the meaning, the context of the scene can be completely different. Merlin once saw in a vision how Morgana would kill Uther. He saw an ornate dagger in Morgana's hand and how Uther, with eyes wide with terror, would wake from his sleep. The vision occurred, but with the difference that Uther awoke not by a fatal dagger thrust, but by an explosion that Merlin had caused to stop Morgana from killing him."
"Why did Merlin protect the King? Even though he was my father, I realize all the more how blinded he was by hatred," Arthur asked himself rather than his counterpart.
Gaius waited until the king looked into his eyes and replied, "Because of you.
"Because of me? I don't understand that," Arthur admitted in amazement.
"You needed your father. You were not yet ready to become king yourself, so Merlin protected Uther to protect you, too, so that you could become the king you are now. There was a comforting silence in the room.

"So people cannot choose to be wizards, either they have magic or they don't. And receiving visions can be stressful and sometimes useful, but it is also no guarantee that you can change the future in your own interest, because the vision is often misinterpreted and Merlin, who is a powerful wizard, not only protected me for years, but even my father, who would have executed him immediately. Do I know enough about magic now?"
Gaius could hardly suppress a laugh and replied: "You probably never know enough about magic. Even scholars who have studied magic all their lives do not know everything about it. One of the reasons Merlin was so successful in protecting you was because he had read up in books again and again. Yes, I own several books that have escaped purification. Furthermore, your father did not destroy all books and magical objects. He kept them safely locked away deep inside the castle. There is a hidden room in the library where many magical, but also dangerous treasures are stored. But promise me that you will never go there alone. Only the touch of a wrong item can enchant you at best and kill you at worst. Merlin once freed a goblin by mistake and he took my body in his possession to get a lot of gold. Merlin was almost executed for the goblin's crimes.
"How could Merlin save you alone?" Arthur asked, astonished.
Gaius smiled and replied: "He did not save me alone. Gwen helped him. They injected me with a poison that forced the goblin to kill my

to leave the body. Merlin locked him in a lead box and at the last second they were able to infuse me with the antidote. The culprit, who had enchanted you as well, was presented to Uther and Merlin was pardoned. The fact that you occasionally gave out an 'ee-ah' even after the goblin was captured was more Merlin's fault, since he found it just too funny. Gaius smiled and looked apologetically at Arthur.
Arthur, too, could laugh about it in retrospect. In his thoughts he was with Merlin and wondered if he had already questioned the prisoner with Mordred. Suddenly something occurred to him. "You have magic too! Why didn't my father have you executed," Arthur asked emphatically.
Gaius pulled a tortured face. "Yes, I have magic, too. I swore to your father I would never use it again. I was very close friends with your father at the time and he allowed me to continue as court physician."
"There's more to this, isn't there?" Arthur asked.
Gaius nodded, but said: "Yes, but please accept this answer for now. To explain the exact circumstances of that time would take a lot of time and would open up old wounds again".
Arthur nodded and listened to him. He was almost glad about this answer, because with the present news he already had more than enough food for thought. He made his way to the throne room where his wife was already sitting to prepare the next council meeting.

Hey guys,

I hope you liked the chapter so far. I know this one is a little bit too short but a new chapter will come out tomorrow. I dont really have much time during the week, only at the weekend when I´m home.

BUT I have something for you...

If you ever asked for how to get good art supplies with less money to spend, then make sure to check out Arteza. You can find their products on Amazon or also on their website. They make good quality art supplies. You can get a full box of 72 colored pencils for under 30 Dollars. And even more cool things like other paints, wood slices and different paper types. Check it out if you are looking for art supplies or just to have a look at them:)

Next time I´m going to show you some of my favourite Netflix shows, films and series:)