After bidding goodbye to Moren, Eleanor, Annora and all of the druid children, the group began to ride home to Camelot. A day and a half's ride to reach the castle gave him more than enough time to think.
The thumping of the horses hooves and squawking of birds was the only sound for hours. It seemed that everyone was lost in their own minds.
Merlin himself was creating plan after plan, all of which included hiding his magic. He could don the disguise of Dragoon the Great. He could tell Arthur that Dragoon was only an alias and his real name was Emrys. It would be entirely believable, Dragoon was already established as a powerful sorcerer that most likely resided near Camelot. Merlin remembered suddenly that Arthur's father died by his own hands, or rather Dragoon's hands. Arthur would never trust him and there wouldn't be very much time to gain that trust. The other issue would be the fact that ageing potions fade rather quickly and it would be quite difficult to re-age himself every hour or so. And if Merlin's disguise falters for only a moment and any of his friends see…it would cause havoc, enough to completely distract them and Merlin in the process. A distraction that would undoubtedly cause casualties in such a fight against such a creature.
As Merlin pondered, the contemplative silence was abruptly broken by Gwaine. "We should probably make a plan," he said.
"I was getting to it." Arthur grumbled in annoyance.
A moment passed. "Well…" Gwaine prompted. Merlin laughed at Arthur's pinched expression. "Don't worry Gwaine, Arthur's just a little slow. Give him some time." Merlin commented snarkily, as he rode a little ways behind Arthur to avoid a punch.
The knights, to their credit, tried to smother their laughter behind their hands. Gwaine, however, laughed raucously. Merlin himself laughed along. "You won't be laughing when you're mucking the stables every night for the next month." Arthur's mouth stretched to a smug smirk when Merlin's quiet laughter ceased instantly.
Merlin offered him a mildly vicious glare. "You are aware that mucking the stables isn't my job, there are stable boys for that. You just like to be unnecessarily cruel to your innocent manservant who has been nothing but efficient and respectful" Merlin tutted in disapproval. "Such a tyrant, you are." He remarked.
Arthur audibly gasped, his mouth even dropped open, giving Merlin immense pleasure. That pleasure only increased when none of the knights could stifle their mirth any longer. Percival, Elyan, Leon and Gwaine gwaffed and snorted in uncontrolled laughter.
"Innocent? Efficient?...Respectful?!!" Arthur all but shouted in rage. His indignation and volume rose with every word but Merlin could hear the amusement buried in them. At least he hoped it was amusement. "You are lucky we are currently riding, otherwise you would be nursing quite a few injuries at this moment" He threatened weakly "...and I am not a tyrant." He huffed in residual anger, like a child after throwing a tantrum.
"Mmhh alright…" Merlin hummed in agreement that absolutely wasn't agreement, that was sure to infuriate his king further. It did. In order to calm himself, Arthur had to inhale deeply with his eyes closed and murmur 'i will not kill my manservant' repeatedly in a sort of mantra that Merlin hoped he would listen to.
"As entertaining as it is listening to you two bicker, we do have some rather important matters to discuss." Leon stated, ever the responsible knight he was, Merlin thought fondly. Leon was the perfect knight, respectful, sensible, strong and pure of heart. And he was also one of Arthur's oldest knights, serving Uther long before he did Arthur. However, Merlin knew that Leon much preferred fighting alongside Arthur than fighting for Uther. And although he was raised as a noble, he was much more merciful and compassionate than any noble he knew, besides Percival that is.
"Right.." Arthur started authoritatively. "so there isn't much we can do until we find Emrys…" Merlin's heart twinged in guilt, "So we need to focus on that, I am hoping that Gaius might have some information about him, and if not, we can send out some knights to the outer and inner villages to find out his real name, as i presume he does not go by Emrys if he does indeed live in Camelot. We will not search for him dressed as knights, because if he knows we are looking for him, he might flee." He announced in confidence, though Merlin knew that he was unsure of his plans, and most likely frightened for the fate of his kingdom. The others nodded in agreement.
They all rode in relative silence until the sun lowered below the horizon. They decided to set up camp in a small clearing a little ways away from a small stream. Arthur ordered Gwaine and Percival to hunt a rabbit for their supper and for Elyan and Leon to gather firewood. Merlin unpacked and set up camp with the very limited help of Arthur, the prat. Once the rabbit was caught and the firewood gathered, Merlin skinned the poor creature and prepared a rabbit stew for the group. And soon, they were gathered around a warm fire eating a warm meal.
"I knew there was a reason I always bring you along, Merlin," Arthur remarked while shovelling the stew into his already stuffed mouth. Merlin just rolled his eyes.
Camelot's castle was built hundreds of years ago, it's easy to notice once you really look. Some parts of the stone are chipped and some are stained with burn marks that spoke of a tumultuous history. Despite its age, the intricate, elegant architecture was incredibly pleasing to the eye and it was absolutely wonderful in its luxurious vastness. But that wasn't what made it beautiful to Merlin…it was the people.
Once they reached the castle, Arthur ordered Merlin to find Gaius and Gwen and ask them to meet at the round table. Merlin recounted the information the druids provided to both Gwen and Giaus, the latter of which stared at Merlin intensely. He knew that had Gwen not been there, Gaius would have been asking questions incessantly, and probably calling him an idiot for getting into such a mess.
Arthur, after becoming king, placed the round table in one of the spare chambers near the throne room. It was where Arthur's most important advisors (his friends) met to discuss matters concerning the safety of the kingdom without the council.
Gwen, being the queen, sat on Arthur's right. Gaius being in the position of a trusted advisor and the court physician was seated to Arthur's left. And the knights filled the rest of the seats. Merlin, being of no important position did not have a seat on the table, instead he stood slightly behind Arthur and sprouted his opinions despite only being Arthur's manservant. Gaius had complained relentlessly, to Merlin at least, that he deserved a seat, that no one deserved one more than he. But Merlin understood, he really did. Considering his position, there was no reason for Merlin to even be in the room… but he was, because Merlin knew, just as Arthur did, that the king valued his opinion and advice. Providing Merlin a chair would simply be a formality, an appreciated one, but a formality nonetheless.
"Every one of you is needed to find Emrys. Gwaine, Percival, Elyan and Leon, you will be going into the lower villages and discreetly asking about Emrys. Dress as commoners and ensure no one discovers that you are knights. Gaius, search every book you have for information about the Sekia and for any mention of the prophecy concerning Emrys. The more we know about him the better. Merlin and I will be searching the books in the vaults for any information as well. Convene here at the same time tomorrow to discuss our findings," Arthur spoke confidently, determined and brave even with the threat of Camelot's destruction looming over all their heads. Merlin's heart squeezed watching all of his friend's worried faces and tense shoulders, knowing that they were searching for hope in Emrys. In him…and that he could provide that hope if he only told them. But he was afraid.
Merlin could see how unnerved everyone was, they all could feel it in the air, feel the bone deep chill, feel the tension in the air and the dread in their stomachs. It was such a visceral feeling, almost tangible in its power. But no one mentioned it, no one spoke of how scared they really were. Despite no one speaking of it…they all knew. The Sekia was drawing closer and closer every moment.
Everyone filed out of the room, determined to find Emrys. Only Arthur, Merlin and Gwen remained. "Do you think we'll find him?" Gwen asked in the now silent chamber, her voice coloured in anxious trepidation. "If Emrys really is the most powerful sorcerer to ever live, then…we won't find him unless he wants to be found. And why would he want to? Camelot is the kingdom that started the purge against magic."
Arthur took Gwen's hand gently, rubbing his thumb on her palm. "I know but Moren told us that Emrys will find us, we have to trust what he said. We have to have faith that everything will work out in the end." Arthur and Gwen embraced briefly, comforting one another.
Merlin could not even remember following Arthur to the vaults. His heart beat frantically and he was sure his face was white as a sheet. Arthur was hinging the survival of Camelot on finding Emrys. Every moment that Merlin delayed revealing his most precious secret, the Sekia drew closer. He couldn't selfishly waste their time like this. But no matter what…every time he opened his mouth to tell Arthur that they needed to talk, his throat would close and the breath in his lungs disappeared.
The tomes that the vault held were incredibly old and dusty but the parchment and ink were entirely imbued with magic, every page spoke of whispered incantations and Merlin would swear that he could hear them. The tomes and spell books were thrown carelessly onto the wooden shelves, some pages bent at awkward angles. The knowledge these pages hold, the ancient magic that he could learn, he wanted to consume it all. He eyed the books eagerly and Arthur gave him a strange glance.
Minutes turned to hours and Merlin and Arthur only managed to thoroughly search five books. Arthur was frustrated at their slow pace, as he made abundantly clear by his weary sighs and occasional grunts of annoyance. Merlin, on the other hand, was ecstatic. He read those tomes with an unimaginable interest, avidly devouring the words and muttering the incantations under his breath. Having only ever read the very few books that Gaius had hidden during the purge, all of which were extremely detailed and advanced, but he has read them hundreds of times over the years. These books were more extensive, with new spells he had never even thought of. Honestly he had learnt more in these last few hours than he had in a long time.
"Alright, my eyes are becoming sore, we will continue this in the morning." Arthur sighed, rubbing at his eyes with the heel of his palm.
"You go up, I'll stay here and read through more of the books." Merlin muttered, distracted by a complicated protective ritual that he was trying to decipher.
"Really?" Arthur's surprise was evident in his words but Merlin looked up anyway.
"Why is that surprising?" Merlin frowned.
"Just so used to you being so utterly lazy, is all" Arthur remarked with a tired smirk.
"Ha ha. You should have been the court jester Arthur, really you're hilarious." Merlin replied sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.
Arthur laughed boisterously, his eyes twinkling even in the damp darkness of the castle's vault. "Maybe you should've been a court jester, Merlin" Arthur said fondly, laughter still colouring his voice.
As he turned to leave, Merlin blurted, in a moment of curiosity, "what do you think of Emrys?" Arthur stilled, his brows furrowing at the unexpected question.
"I…well, he's a sorcerer." Arthur answered simply, like the title of sorcerer was enough for him to form an opinion. Like being a sorcerer was all he needed to know before deciding the morality of a man. Merlin bristled slightly. Is that what Arthur will think about him? He'll just hear 'magic' and 'sorcerer' and judge Merlin based only on that. Would he ever understand? Ever forgive him? Ever appreciate him for all he's done?
Merlin didn't know why this answer in particular bothered him so. He already knew what Arthur thought about magic.
"But we know that he's been protecting you and Camelot for a long time…does that not matter?" Merlin's anger, despite being forcefully hidden behind an imagined thick stone wall, still bleeds into his words. Arthur's eyebrow quirks upwards and he squares his shoulders, as though subconsciously preparing for an argument.
"It does matter…but it doesnt change the fact that he's still a sorcerer, and he's still breaking the law." Arthur replies, his voice coloured with confused irritation, and a hard edge that hinted at a slight warning, daring him to continue. Magic has always been a sore spot for Arthur, especially after losing his mother, his father and Morgana to it.
Merlin hesitated for a brief moment, but then, since he never makes good decisions, "You mean the law that's fundamentally flawed" Merlin exhaled sharply at his own words. He always gave Arthur his honest opinion - or at least as honest as he can be - but he has never really opposed Arthur's views of magic outright. His influence has always been subtle, advice here and there when Arthur lost his way or helping him make the right decision when he needed it.
Merlin's words hung heavily in the air for a moment. The tension was almost tangible, a thick fog that almost suffocated him. Arthur's rigid muscles and narrowed eyes warned of an approaching argument. "Excuse me?" he said in surprise, as though he might've thought he heard wrong. When Merlin didn't reply he spoke once again, "Tread carefully Merlin…"
"No i'm going to tell you what i think and you're going to listen for once, Arthur" He took a step forward, wanting to appear more confident than he really was. "The law persecutes anyone who has magic, no matter what they use it for. Don't you see how unjust that is? Emrys is protecting Camelot and you still think that he should be burned on the pyre…" Merlin shook his head in disappointment at his king…at his friend. He thought that maybe after learning Emrys had been protecting Arthur and his kingdom, his views may change.
"I don't understand, where is this coming from?" Arthur replied with a rather funny pinched expression.
Merlin's jaw clenched and he sighed deeply. Did Arthur really disregard his opinion, as though he hadn't even spoken it? "Just forget it Arthur. Go to bed." he mumbled, suddenly feeling exhausted. It had been quite an eventful few days both emotionally and physically. He was not in the best state of mind to have this argument.
Arthur scanned his servant, noticing the hunched shoulders and lowered eyes. After a tense moment he obliged with Merlin's command. "Okay…we'll talk about this in the morning, then" he whispered, deflated.
After his king took his leave, Merlin poured over the magical tomes and spellbooks. He left the vaults in the early hours of the morning, having his fill of ancient magical knowledge.
Author's note: I dont know how I feel about the dialogue in this chapter. I think it might be a bit stilted and awkward, let me know if you feel the same.
Also, I want to know what you think of the argument at the end.
Reviews and likes are very much appreciated!
