Albion would have had a nice ring to it had it not sounded so damn terrifying.
According to Merlin, Arthur was supposed to bring this wonderful land about. The only problem was he had no idea how the hell he would accomplish that. One kingdom was hard enough to keep under control and peaceful. Working with four others that each held varying levels of trust for Camelot would be damn near impossible. Even if the kingdoms were to get along how would they be able to work passed the feuds that would inevitably break out among the local lords who ruled outside the realm of the kingdoms, but held too much influence to eliminate.
And then there was Morgana and magic users like her. A simple apology would not ease the years they had to boil in their hatred of Camelot. Nothing in Arthur's power would change their minds. As Arthur readjusted his grip on Merlin, who seemed to be on the verge of wiggling out of his grasp to walk on his own, he was suddenly struck with the memory of Merlin stopping Catherine and the other Druids from executing him and the knights right on the spot. Apparently that was where Merlin with all of his awkwardness and quirks fit into the story. Merlin would be the voice for peace between the kingdoms and magic. Knowing this there was no way Arthur could hide Merlin's potential in the confines of a servant.
The thought made Arthur audibly chuckle. He wouldn't have realized any sound left his mouth had Merlin not shot him and odd look. However, Merlin remained oddly quiet as he had been throughout the walk. He typically would have joined in with whatever main conversation was going on at the time. Currently, Gwaine was heading the discussion by shooting all sorts of questions at the poor frazzled healer leading them through the complex while Leon, Elyan, or Percival would throw in their own every once in a while.
It seemed Arthur was not the only one thinking about the complexities life had yet to throw at them.
"We've come a long way in just the past day alone." Arthur's voice was just loud enough for Merlin to hear.
"We have." A quiet confidence was held in his tone. "And we'll continue to go farther as we move on from here together."
Arthur felt a swell of appreciation. Merlin always knew how to keep Arthur's head the proper size with his bashing insults, but he also seemed to know the right things to say at the right time. Whenever Arthur was at his lowest, Merlin would be right there to offer him a hand up. Even now after Merlin had told him of his place in Albion, Arthur knew his friend would always be there for him.
They stopped in front a simple door which was decorated with more runes. The healer gave a slight inclination of his head before turning and walking quickly away. Merlin was staring at the symbols to the right of the door that were an indistinguishable language to Arthur, but seemed to mean something to Merlin. His long fingers traced the oddly shaped letters. Merlin realized that Arthur was staring at him and looked slightly flustered.
"It's the language of the old religion."
Arthur cocked his head. "Can you read it?"
Merlin nodded and smiled. "It's just Catherine's name."
Arthur figured that made sense. They had yet to see Catherine's quarters as their tour of the complex had been cut short by savage wyverns. Arthur rapped upon the door three times. Not two moments passed before there was a reply. Catherine's voiced muffled from beyond the door beckoned them inside.
Catherine was sitting surrounded by a pile of papers. He was immediately struck with a memory of his father sitting much the same way she was currently. Her head was resting upon her hand as she stared intently at the text. She slowly looked up. When her eyes stopped on their group they widened slightly. A smile expanded on her face, unlike what his father's expression would have been if he had interrupted him whilst he was busy.
"Well this is a surprise." She stood and extended her arms indicating them to enter. Arthur saw her eyes flash towards his tight grip upon Merlin. It seemed to not escape her notice that there was a certain camaraderie between all of them that had not been present until now. "I thought that I could fit in some work before I came to visit you, but it seems like you won the race. Are you doing well?"
Merlin nodded. "I apologize if we caught you at a bad time."
"There is never a bad time for any of you to visit." Catherine said. She stared at Arthur who got the message. She truly wanted him to know that he was included within her sentiment. "These are my quarters." She pointed to the left of them at another set of doors. "Through those doors are my sleeping quarters. I wanted to be able to leave the stress of my job behind at the end of the day. Blocking where I relax from where I conduct my work was the best way to do that."
Arthur shifted on his feet. Even with her openness towards him, he felt a bit hesitant to talk to her. "I know I oftentimes bring the stress of ruling Camelot to bed. The thoughts can keep me up well into the late hours of the night."
Catherine smiled to acknowledge his statement. "Leading can be a tiring endeavor but one that has to be done by someone." Her eyes flashed to the man Arthur was still gripping. "I thought that Sarah would require you to remain for observation."
"No disrespect to your healers, but I feel like I am fine enough to finish the tour we started without interruptions this time." Merlin succeeded in finally wiggling out of Arthur's grasp. "Besides, this prat won't let me be more than a foot away from him at a time."
Arthur scoffed. "It's not that I think you're not well enough to walk, I just know you well enough to not trust you."
Merlin's eyebrows arched. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're an incredibly clumsy idiot who can barely put one foot in front of the other without ending up on the ground. The last thing we need is for you to reopen your wounds."
"I wasn't the one who caused us all to fall through the ground though. That's all on you and your extra servings of dinner."
Arthur smirked and gave Merlin a quick slap across the back of his head out of habit. Merlin jerked hastily and out of habit so Arthur just missed the back of his head. Suddenly, he grimaced and gripped his chest. Arthur immediately grabbed hold of his arm gently to keep him standing.
"Merlin, are you alright?" Arthur asked in a concerned manner. His worry intensified when he got no reply.
"Answer me. Are you al-" Arthur was cut off as he heard a small laugh. Merlin straightened up with a smile while gingerly holding his chest.
"I'm fine, Arthur." Merlin said regaining his composure. "It's nothing."
"This was a bad idea. You should have stayed in bed." Arthur chastised. Merlin rolled his eyes.
"The pain already passed. I must have twisted awkwardly." Merlin said reassuringly. "I'll visit a healer later so they can finish their treatment."
Arthur gave him a skeptical look to which Merlin responded with a grin.
"Honestly Arthur, I am fine."
Arthur snorted at Merlin's pathetic excuse. "If that happens one more time before then you will go straight to the healers without an argument."
"Since when did you begin to care?" Merlin asked sarcastically.
Arthur straightened up and matched Merlin's sarcastic tone. "The same time I found out you actually aren't as useless as you made out to be."
"That almost hurts more than my injuries." Merlin replied feigning being upset and clutching heartbrokenly at his chest. He put on a small pout which Arthur raised an eyebrow to as if daring him to continue.
"If you would allow it, my lords, we can finish going through the main square while its still a decent hour." Catherine's words broke their test of wills. Arthur saw a real smile in her eyes. Catherine had been one of the driving forces for getting Arthur to see some sense when it came to Merlin. Of course she would be pleased to discover that they had indeed worked passed their differences.
"Yes, of course." Arthur said. "I apologize for allowing Merlin to keep us waiting."
Merlin simply rolled his eyes again at that statement, saving his counter for another time.
They followed Catherine as she lead them through the halls and back to the large courtyard. Merlin's tree swayed back and forth magically in the windless room. The heads of those they passed dipped respectfully before returning back to their own dealings. Several small stands in the market place offering food or other handmade goods were dotted around the space. The more they continued on their tour the more Arthur was shocked at the sheer immensity of this complex. He could actually take in the sheer wonder that magic helped them create without feeling a hatred towards it.
How could he have ever missed this before today?
"The spells which light our complex reflect that of the actual sun." Catherine gestured towards what looked very much like a candelabra hanging high above their heads. The only difference was the amount of light produced by it. Not even ten of Camelot's most extensive fixtures would come close to matching it. "They will dim when the night begins and brighten as a new day forms. It helps us to keep a stableness with when we ought to be sleeping."
Arthur frowned. A surge of anger for his and his father's actions overcame him. He remembered that Catherine had mentioned it had been several months since she had left and that some of the children had never seen the sun because of the great purge.
He had to change that.
"When we return to Camelot I will immediately set about repealing the laws banning magic. You and your children have been in the dark for too long."
Catherine stopped in her tracks She turned around in disbelief to stare at Arthur. Arthur smiled at her reaction and glanced to see Merlin in a similar state. It was as though time had stopped for both of them and the only indication they were still present was the rising and falling of their chests.
"Well, I can't have my newest council member practicing illicit activities and allow it for only him." Arthur said nudging Merlin.
"Council member?" Merlin gaped.
Arthur smirked. "You believed that I would keep you as just my manservant after all you've done for me and Camelot? Laws will need to be rewritten concerning magic and seeing as you are this great Emrys I figured that you can't mess it up that bad."
Merlin looked away ignoring Arthur's jab and shook his head.
"I've made so many mistakes, Arthur. I don't deserve th-"
"Stop," Arthur interrupted in a commanding tone that was still light. "I can think of no one else who deserves this more than you. Besides, before now I couldn't name any one with magic who was willing to protect Camelot." Arthur nodded his head slightly to Catherine. "Now we have an entire city of sorcerers that believe in me because of what you have done."
Merlin grinned at Arthur and laughed disbelievingly. "You're probably going to regret this at some point."
Arthur responded with a light punch in the arm being mindful of his injuries. "Probably. If I do and I sack you then you can just become my manservant again. Although, I'm sure whoever they next send my way will be vastly more qualified than you ever were."
Merlin laughed, but it quickly died out. "The council members will think you've lost your mind when they see me at the meetings."
"I'm sure you'll convince them quickly of your worth. And Catherine," Arthur said turning to the still silent woman. "You and your people will be welcome in Camelot as soon as Merlin here has sorted out all the details of the laws and whatnot. I know that it can never replace what has been lost over the past decades, but I will set about with reparations for those who have been harmed because of my mistakes."
"Your acceptance of magic will be enough for most people." She grabbed his hands which nearly made Arthur jump at the suddenness of her exchange. Her eyes were moist. "I feared the day when magic was allowed back would never come."
Catherine released his hands after a moment. Arthur gestured for her to continue on with the tour, which she did, glowing all the while. She began describing how the complex was set up. The people's living quarters branched off from the center of the complex at the main square. The food and goods were shared amongst the people. The children ran around without fear of strangers as there were none. There were dozens of families who lived here. Those who came without families found new ones within those living here. Catherine explained that there were over two hundred who lived there and that new comers were always being added.
Arthur could barely stand the thought of if his father had found this place.
"If you don't mind me asking my dear Catherine, is there a place a knight can get a drink around here?" Gwaine asked in his charming voice that hinted to anything but his love for cider. "Or do Druids not have anything besides wine because of some perverted religious rule-"
"I'll stop you right there, Sir Gwaine." Catherine smirked at the knight. "We are quite privileged down here to have some of the best brewers in the land. A couple decided a few years ago that we were lacking in a social gathering place, one where people can relax. They built the tavern which has been a successful addition."
Gwaine raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Arthur who scoffed in response.
"It is quite a popular place." Catherine smiled proudly.
You know, I think that a drink would do us all good." Arthur agreed. "Then this dollophead can stop nearly fainting every two minutes and sit down for a while."
Merlin stared at him. "What is with you using my insults?"
"Merlin, I am your king and I am entitled to use any sort of language I want."
"Are you also entitled to being an ass?"
Arthur's eyes narrowed but he ignored Merlin's jab for the idiot's own sake and resisted the urge to shove him. "I chose your insult in the hopes that you might just understand what I am saying."
"I think I preferred when you thought that I was just an idiot manservant." Merlin said sarcastically as they began following Catherine who was leading them to the tavern.
"I will always think of you as an idiot so don't you worry." Arthur said giving Merlin a slight nudge with his elbow.
"Well, if I were you I would stop thinking about it. You wouldn't want to strain yourself from overuse. It might give you a headache." Merlin teased.
Arthur scoffed but didn't respond. They had fallen back into a divergent and offbeat rhythm of their friendship. Arthur knew that Merlin would have noticed it. He would pick up on days when Arthur was down about having a bad meeting within moments of interacting. Merlin felt the strain in their insults and teasing remarks, but he wouldn't mention it, not down here. He would mention it when they had time just between the two of them. When they had time to get the remainder of their emotions out in the open. That's when they would truly begin to stitch back together their friendship.
They arrived to the tavern quickly and through a small side staircase that led them to the square. Unlike the other businesses in the marketplace, this tavern had been built directly into the tunnel wall which created a separate place from the rest of their society. As they entered, there was a familiar nature in the surroundings. It was similar to his and the knight's favorite back in Camelot. A long wooden bar stretched itself across the width of the room and there were many tables. Its stone floors shined and candelabras like the one in the main square lit every corner of the room. It seemed nothing like the taverns Arthur stopped at on long journeys where there would was worry about rats scurrying around their feet or food that was days passed its time. The only similarity was the smell of well aged mead with its oaky aroma.
The atmosphere was far from the raucous taverns the land surrounding Camelot held. It almost had a calming effect even with the many people bustling about while laughing and having an all around good time. Men and women alike were smiling while enjoying each other's company.
As soon as the group following Catherine entered completely the noise dropped to silence.
"Good evening to you all." She said politely. Ignoring the stares of everyone in the bar Catherine walked confidently through the tavern towards an unoccupied table big enough to hold all of them. Merlin shifted awkwardly under their gazes as they walked by and tried to mimic the confident attitude that Arthur was portraying. His head was held high and he seemed to not be focused on anything but the table they were being led to.
Arthur was used to being stared at and handled it like the king he was. Merlin was used to following him in his shadow. Nobody usually cared about him, but here it was different. Everyone noticed him for being Emrys and he was feeling the stress from the constant attention. Merlin nervously pulled Arthur's jacket tighter around himself. How Arthur could put up with this every day boggled Merlin's mind. The thought made him respect Arthur even more.
Catherine sat at a table away from the majority of the people. Merlin pulled out a chair for Arthur, falling back into the habit of being his servant. Arthur noticed and smirked slightly. He walked right passed Merlin and pulled out his own chair to sit in.
"Merlin, you're no longer my manservant and I am quite capable of getting my own chair."
Merlin's bit his lip as he took the chair for himself. "I thought you were going to wait until we were back in Camelot to sack me."
"Only you would complain about being reappointed a position that one has to typically be born into. You really are not making a very good impression as a newly appointed court member." Arthur jabbed Merlin's arm. "You should really clean up your act before I change my mind."
Merlin smirked at Arthur's words. He was still reeling over everything that had happened. Arthur had accepted his magic and he was going to legalize it. If that wasn't a reason to celebrate he didn't know what was. Merlin knew it was still awkward and they still had issues to work out overtime, but it wasn't his main concern at the moment. He smiled to himself, feeling lighter than he had in years.
A smiling short plump woman with round rosy cheeks approached the table they were sitting at. In her arms she balanced a tray with seven empty tankards. She placed them at the middle of the table and gave a slight bow in their direction before turning to Catherine.
"What will it be?" She asked with a grin that spread passed her rosy and plump cheeks.
"We will have your best brew please." Catherine requested politely. "And you can put it on my tab if that would be alright."
The woman's eyes shot to Merlin and Arthur before responding with a wide grin.
"Don't you worry about it, Catherine. It's on the house."
Catherine nodded in appreciation and the woman's eyes flashed a bright gold after she had uttered a spell. The seven mugs filled with the amber colored liquid.
Gwaine's eyes bulged.
"Merlin you ought to either learn that spell or teach me some magic so I can do it myself."
Merlin snorted as Gwaine downed half his tankard in one go. "That's all Camelot needs, Gwaine with an unlimited supply of alcohol."
Gwaine lowered his glass. In his eyes was the twinkle he oftentimes gained while in the presence of his friends.
"I can see it now." Gwaine spread his hands ostentatiously in front of him. "Merlin would be out of his new job within a week as everyone's concerns about magic being permitted and warring over land or power would be a thing of the past. My name would go down in history as the greatest peacemaker of all time. "
Arthur smirked into his tankard. "Perhaps getting rid of Merlin's job would be doing me a favor, Gwaine."
Arthur was met by a very pointed glare from a seemingly ticked off sorcerer.
Arthur nudged Merlin's shoulder and raised his glass directly towards Merlin's still full one. "Come on, Merlin, you haven't even touched your mead. You're no fun whatsoever."
"There's a reason that you've never seen me drunk, Arthur." Merlin answered laughing finally taking a small sip.
"Alright then," The king gestured with his hand for Merlin to continue. "Would you care to elaborate on that or do I even want to know?"
"Will and I got a bottle of my mother's ale once." Merlin smiled fondly at the memory.
Gwaine's head perked up and his eyes left the giggling woman sitting across the room. "I can't even imagine a drunk adult Merlin let alone a wee little one. You must have smelt the alcohol and became intoxicated."
Merlin scowled and shook his head but continued regardless of the teasing. "We hid in the barn and took turns drinking from it. We got- very drunk to say the least. My magic couldn't be properly controlled in that state and I nearly collapsed the roof on us. The cows were spooked and wouldn't give up any milk for a week. My mother was livid." Merlin paused in his story while the others chortled slightly.
"Now that I think about it that day might have been one of the reasons she decided to send me off to Camelot in the first place."
The atmosphere between them became stiff. Each had been curious as to why Merlin had come to Camelot when he would have been executed for simply existing.
"Why did your mother send you to Camelot of all places?" Arthur asked. Merlin would have had no one to advocate for himself were he to get in trouble, magical or not. Just Merlin's existence was against the law in Camelot. It seemed to be be the last place someone like him should be sent.
"She hoped Gaius would help me control my magic. It was growing faster than she would have ever been able to deal with on her own. That had been one of the first times I think I truly scared my mother and I had only been thirteen years of age at the time. There had been other closed calls where my mother feared the villagers would discover my magic and report it to Cendred's men. As Gaius had been a former sorcerer she hoped he would be able to guide me." He smirked as he looked at his tankard. "I guess that where destiny took over and stuck me as the manservant of a prat."
It was Arthur's turn to glare at Merlin as the others laughed. A sudden thought sobered Arthur.
"Did you only stay by my side because of destiny?"
Merlin bit his lip as if contemplating his answer. "At first. I had no idea why I was given so much power so when I was told that it was because of you I was-"
Merlin trailed off. Arthur remembered the feeling when his father had promoted the frustratingly insolent boy that had been brave enough to talk back to the king's son to be his personal manservant of all things.
"You were just as excited to be my manservant as I was to have you of all people working for me." Arthur finished for him. Merlin smirked and shook his head at the memory of their first few encounters.
"You were downright dreadful to work for the first couple of weeks, you know that Arthur? I barely completed my chores everyday with the help of my magic."
"You would cheat on you chores?" Arthur asked incredulously. He really shouldn't be surprised after all.
Merlin gave a look that he must have learned from Gaius. His eyebrow was raised well beyond where it normally rested. "With all the work you assigned you should be happy that it got done at all."
Arthur crossed his arms in front of him and rolled his eyes. "If I was so horrible what did I ever do to make you stay?"
"It wasn't anything spectacular, really, I just felt like it was where I was meant to be. At your side was when I actually felt whole." Merlin's gaze seemed locked on something that was not present in the room, as though memories were dancing across his vision and if he stopped looking he would lose sight of them. He blinked and cleared his throat. Glancing to Arthur quickly he sighed. "I must sound like a pining girl."
"I'm surprised you said it before I did." Merlin scoffed while the others laughed. Arthur didn't join in the laughter. Instead he sat and stared at the complex man beside him. "After you came to Camelot I felt as though a void had been filled that I didn't know needed filling."
"Two sides of the same coin." Catherine whispered as though in awe.
Merlin smiled. "You wouldn't be the first one to say that."
There was a pause in their conversation, one that Gwaine noticed and took advantage of.
"Well," Gwaine began eyeing up the mead barrel. He raised his hand signaling to the tavern keeper. "Now that that's over I think I'll just-"
Percival grabbed Gwaine's hand and lowered it efficiently to the table before his message had been seen. "I think you've had enough for today."
"But I've been to taverns across the lands," Gwaine began dramatically. "And not once has it been one that was entirely underground."
"I"m sure you'll have another chance someday." Elyan assured.
Catherine nodded. "Indeed. I believe that you are all more than welcome here, especially as ties form more steadily between my people and Camelot."
Merlin smiled and looked around the room. He recognized several of the nameless faces and also saw the man who sat by at dinner the previous night. If he remembered correctly his name was Steven. Catching Merlin's eye, the man waved excitedly at him before returning to the conversation he was having with two others. He did, however, point Merlin's way when chatting with his cohorts. Merlin smiled. The man had been terribly conversational when they had been at dinner. They had discussed magic in depth and it had shocked Merlin to realize how little he actually knew when it came to magic. It was understandable as he had little real contact with anything but the book Gaius had secretly gifted him. It was the whole of his formal knowledge of magic. The people in this complex had generations of knowledge at their disposal.
The group approached their table and bowed their heads respectfully.
"Catherine, my dear, it seems the company you are keeping may be more interesting than my own." Steven said with a warm smile. A woman with shoulder length hair rolled her eyes and set her gaze upon Catherine.
"I would beg to differ. Anne has quite a lot to say in manners of all sorts. I would have thought she could have kept you of all people talking for hours on end."
The woman in question smirked. "What better way is there to keep things interesting whilst we live here?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Merlin saw Arthur's entire body tense. Merlin looked to see what the matter was and saw that Arthur was sitting straight up in his chair as though poised to jump up at any given moment. His hand rested upon the grip of his sword in anticipation of the potential need for it. Merlin followed Arthur's gaze which had quickly turned into a glare until it landed on the person Arthur seemed so eager to attack.
Merlin nearly gasped as he saw the man who had lead the attack on them in the caves, Markus. He had also been the man to fight so adamantly against him when his friends had been on trial. Markus' gaze was cold as he glared into the eyes of the man he had entered with. They seemed to be caught up in a heated discussion with his voice continually growing louder. His friend grabbed a hold of his shoulder, but Markus violently shrugged out of it. He straightened his black jacket that Merlin noted the guards wore and turned to glare at him.
"How can the mighty Emrys sit there in support of that monster after all he has done to our people?"
The question was not meant to be answered. It had been a jab at him and Arthur who seemed entirely out of sorts. Arthur was typically the kind to not back down from a fight, but Merlin knew his king had weighed the risks. There was no time for Arthur to get angry at the bitter assaults when he was there to change people's opinion of him. Merlin watched the man's friend try to pull him away from the bar, whispering in his ear as if trying to diffuse the situation, but it only made him angrier.
"I will not relax here while that murderer sits near us." He shouted heatedly and took a threatening step forward.
"Markus!" Catherine shouted, halting any further movement from the man. The entire atmosphere changed. Those in the bar fell silent and seemed wary. The way that Catherine led the people was in a familial way and Merlin knew that it was not often she asserted her rule over the people who had chosen her to lead them. "I believe that is quite enough. Now, if you are not able to behave in a civil manner around our guests then please leave our vicinity."
The man glared at Catherine viciously before turning on his heal and stomping out of the tavern while wide eyed men and woman sat by trying very hard to pretend they had not been listening to the entire conversation.
Steven put a friendly hand on Catherine's shoulder. "I will go try to talk to Markus."
Catherine nodded her appreciation. She gripped his hand gently before releasing it. "Thank you, Steven."
The fire from the argument still rested in her eyes as her attention returned back to them. It extinguished quickly as a sigh broke from her lips. "I apologize for his behavior. It was entirely unjustified."
Arthur reached for her hand and gripped it. Her hand was tensed tightly. "There is no need to apologize for his actions as they are by no means out of place. I hope that one day I will be a leader they deserve, much as you have been.
Cathrine's eyes flickered towards Merlin for a moment before turning her gaze to the hand which Arthur held. She placed her free one upon his after a moment and squeezed gently, all her tension leaving in one moment.
"My son would have been between both of your ages." Catherine breathed deeply for a moment, steadying her rocking voice. "I would hope that he would have been as just and kind as the two of you are."
Arthur was struck by the sentiment. He had never known the loving hand of a mother and his father had often been distant due to the formalities he was now burdened with as king. Catherine gave him a knowing smile at his lack of reply. She stood from the table as all of them but Merlin had finished their drinks. They followed her as she made her exit.
"I'll have someone draw up a bath for each of you to wash before dinner."
"Thank you Catherine." Merlin said. He would very much so appreciate being able to have a proper washing. His wounds may be disappearing, but the residual remedies did not. His entire body smelled as if he had taken every single herb from Gaius' work table and smeared it on him. He knew that he had to be careful to not break any of the areas that could still be at risk of opening, but he longed to feel warm water reaching for his aching limbs.
As they continued walking Merlin caught a glimpse at Steven who was still trying to talk some sort of sense into Markus. He couldn't make out any of the words Steven was saying, but by how Markus looked, Merlin would bet that he wasn't taking any of it to heart. Markus' eyes shot to Merlin and narrowed. He shoved passed Steven, slamming his shoulder into him and stalked off in the opposite direction. Steven caught Merlin's gaze and sent a small smile that failed to reach his eyes and shook his head before returning to the tavern.
It was a sobering thought that even though Arthur's position had switched it was not the only obstacle that had to be overcome. For years Merlin had nearly panicked at the thought that Arthur could discover his magic. Now he feared that it had selfishly taken precedence over the needs of magic users.
A flutter of worry bubbled in his stomach. Had Merlin been wrong to stay by Arthur's side silently waiting for the right time to tell him of his magic when there had been so many suffering while they waited for him to save them or had he done the right thing in abandoning them until now?
He didn't know if either answer would make him feel better.