Merlin stretched lazily and turned to his side. Blinking awake slowly, he suddenly realised he was no longer sitting at Arthur's table. Oh, he was in Arthur's bed! Merlin sat up quickly and took in his surroundings. Sun rays were peaking through Arthur's curtains, and the blanket that had been draped over him was soft and warm. Arthur must have found him last night... and instead of waking him... tucked Merlin into his bed? Merlin blushed at the thought of it and quickly slid off the mattress. Trying not to get too caught up in his thoughts, he swiftly put on his boots and ran off to the hall. Surely, Arthur would be there!

Merlin arrived just as the council meeting ended. He tried to get Arthur's attention, but he was pushed to the side with the servants as they hurried out to the halls. Before Merlin could reach Arthur, a knight hurried into the throne room and handed him a scroll. Stepping closer, he heard the knight mutter something about a visitor. Arthur nodded, and Merlin saw a tall thin man in an odd outfit approach and bow to the king.

"King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot. It is an honor to meet you."

"The honor is all mine, Ambassador Haldorwin of Bennet. Please, call me Pendragon. There is no need for such formalities with a friend."

Pendragon? Arthur had never introduced himself by his last name in all the time Merlin had known him. And this strange man was most definitely not Arthur's friend. Merlin sent questioning glances to the people around him, catching Gwaine, Leon, and Percival in the crowd. They shrugged at him. It seemed odd to them as well.

"You are infamous in these lands, I must say. The tales the bards tell of you tend to be a little hard to believe!"

"Is that so? You must introduce me to these men so I may set the stories straight." Arthur joked. His body seemed relaxed, and he carried himself with cold and mature confidence. It reminded Merlin eerily of Uther, and he banished the thought quickly.

"They speak of the Great King and his Knights of the Round Table. Knights that come from every corner of the world and serve Camelot, whether of noble blood or not."

The knights prickled at Haldorwin's patronizing tone. Arthur raised a brow at them but paid no mind to the ambassador's attitude. "Every corner of the world is an exaggeration. But yes, I knight those I find worthy in their hearts and minds, not just their blood."

"There are even rumors of …. women?"

"Yes, some of my knights are female. Admittedly, it took me longer to open up to that idea. But I have personally met and fought with many courageous women. To deny them knighthood based on their sex would be to deny my kingdom of half its greatest warriors."

"I see." Haldorwin clearly did not 'see' or agree with Arthur in the slightest. He lifted his nose scornfully and raised an eyebrow as though to say, 'how barbaric!'

"I could introduce you to some knights later this evening. Sir Percival and Dame Gabriella often train together. Although, Gabriella prefers the title Sir as well."

"Perhaps, however, I believe you are aware of the true reason for this meeting. Aside from your irregular choice in military, sire."

Arthur chuckled and clasped his hands behind his back. It seemed this man had no shortage of condescension for the way Arthur chose to rule. "Yes, you would like to address your queen's concerns surrounding Camelot's new laws."

"More so the lack of them, Pendragon."

"What of it distresses you? That I have dissolved the ban on magic? I believe that it was prejudiced and violent. It resulted in the deaths of hundreds. I have no need for it in my kingdom."

"So you will let criminals run loose amongst your people... simply because you are afraid of getting your hands dirty?"

Arthur stilled and stared at Haldorwin. The blatant rudeness was a clear sign of disrespect. Such behavior wouldn't have been tolerated in Uther's court, and Arthur recognized it as a challenge to his authority. An assessment for Haldorwin to report back to his queen. They were testing him for weakness, a young king, in hopes of exploiting them.

"I protect innocents from unjust punishment. People who use their magic for harm, murder, and manipulation are another story. They will be judged for those crimes as any man or woman without magic would be. Do not forget yourself. Those with magic in my lands are still my people. They are not my enemies, they are my subjects, and I must serve them as such."

"Your father would never have allowed such leniency," the ambassador snapped. "It is reckless and immoral. You are but a child meddling with things you do not yet understand. Magic is corrupt. It causes plagues, drought, famine, and disaster!"

"Magic does not corrupt people. Fear does. Power does. Perhaps you are right to fear those with such immense power to cause what you have described. However, that is not the majority. Many can at most light a candle, mend a broken bone, or calm a fever. Magic has existed far longer than man has. If they all wanted us dead, if they had that power, then we simply would be. Hundreds were slaughtered by my father. Do you truly believe they would have allowed that to happen if they had the choice?"

Merlin gasped and the intelligent declaration echoed through the stunned throne room. Arthur twisted towards Haldorwin, his body tense like a hunting predator. The man stuttered under the scrutiny. Knights and servants began to whisper amongst themselves, and Merlin strained to see past their bobbing heads.

"You were not there before the ban. You do not have the wisdom nor the experience to know what you are doing. You will only bring suffering to your people. Camelot will collapse, and you will just be a foolish boy with no kingdom to rule and no allies. Have you no sense?!"

"You fear what you do not understand... what you can not control. It is human nature, and I can empathize with such. But I don't think that is the entirety of it. Are you simply afraid that without fear of consequence your people will defy you? Do you desire respect, power, and money simply from the oppression of others?"

"You watch your mouth, boy!"

The knights reached for their swords and stepped forward. "This is ridiculous," Gwaine growled, "He was invited to Arthur's home in return acts like a stuck-up bloody cad -"

Arthur raised his hand to halt his knights. They resheathed their weapons and stepped back confusedly. Arthur smiled ferally at Haldorwin, "I think it would be wise for you to do the same. We wouldn't want to start a silly feud over unkind words would we?"

"A Camelot with magic is no ally to us. Perhaps we already wish to dissolve our treaties."

It was a lie. Arthur felt the magic in his veins flex and pulse powerfully. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie. Lie.

"You see, I don't think you do," Arthur replied coolly. He was in his element now. He could hear the whispers of Haldorwin's secrets, all the thoughts he wished to keep hidden from the king.

"And why is that, young Pendragon?" Haldorwin scoffed, a perfect opening for Arthur's mortal blow.

"Because you need me much more than I need you. It would be inconvenient for Camelot to lose your trade and support, but for Bennet, it would be detrimental. I hope you are aware of your kingdom's debt to mine. At minimum, my farmers supply your kingdom with grains and my artisans with your merchant's trinkets…. for which you still owe quite a hefty reimbursement. And my 'irregular military', as you put it, is currently the strongest fighting force in Albion. I assure you, the bards did not exaggerate that. My support is the only thing preventing the kingdom to your south from declaring war on you. Now, to suddenly be at war with both your neighboring kingdoms would be rather unfortunate. Your lands are infertile, and your queen is poor. We would conquer you in less than a year. Do you think only magic causes famine, bloodshed, and disaster? I regret to inform you that I hold the same power within a scribble of my pen and a swing of my sword. I will not hesitate. Choose wisely, Haldorwin."

Every single jaw in that throne room dropped. Arthur now sat poised on his throne, his blue eyes cold and piercing. He tilted his head almost tauntingly at the ambassador's sickly white pallor and shaking form. Merlin and the knights stared at their king with awe and shock. Arthur was always cunning in battle, a strategist in times of crisis. But he'd never gone so far as to unleash it in common discussion. It became clear very quickly that he was a dangerous man. A battle-hardened warrior. A fearsome king.

"Your Majesty, I meant no disrespect-"

"You did mean disrespect." Arthur interrupted. His light and mocking voice seemed detached from his intimidating stature, "I'm glad to see you now reminded of my title. You see calling me 'boy', 'fool', 'child', and 'coward' was a remarkable misstep on your part. I offered you the name Pendragon. From now on you will only refer to me as 'my King.'"

"Y-y-yes, my king. My deepest apologies."

"You were correct to spot the differences between myself and my predecessor. Yes, I am a young king, and I don't know what kind of king I will be, but I do have a sense of the kind of Camelot I wish to live in. One of equality and justice." The familiar words rang back to Merlin. Arthur shifted and laced his hands under his jaw. "However, I am still the son of the Mad King of Camelot. Uther was not known for his patience, and neither am I. And I am not 'afraid of getting my hands dirty'. It's only goodwill keeping me from sending your very head back to your queen. Be grateful you face me and not Uther, for he had no such conscience. Your queen was imprudent to send you... to test me. I expect her apologies for your insolence. Remember, I am necessary. You are just a messenger bird with an inflated ego. So, be smarter than to threaten me. I assure you that I do bite. However, I seek peace rather than victory. Now, I hope this has cleared up what you were concerned about."

"Yes, my king!"

"Good. Do feel free to stay for dinner, and be sure to send my good wishes to your lovely queen. I can't seem to remember her name. What was it again? I must go observe my new knights if you would like to accompany me."

"It's Queen Cecily... I mean-t-that would be an honor, my king!"

"Alright, calm down, you look like an idiot. There's still much of Camelot for you to see. Come along."

Merlin's pride for his king was rivaled only by his anxiety. Deciding he couldn't watch any longer, Merlin ducked and ran desperately through the halls. Gaius would have some insight. He'd know what to do. He'd know how to fix Arthur. How to make things go back to the way they were.