Prologue

Merlin Ambrosius never fit in well in Ealdor. Of course, he had his best friend, Will, and his mother, Hunith Ambrosius, who loved him and never saw him as strange. But he always felt that he belonged somewhere else. He had a bigger purpose, perhaps, or friends to be made and family to be found outside of his Irish village. He just didn't fit the puzzle his piece had been put in the box with.

But, Merlin never found a reason to leave. Ealdor was a beautiful village filled with farms, lovely people, and beautiful scenery – and the occasional fainting goat. Merlin learned to bloom where he was planted. Before he was old enough to work, he would run through the fields with his best friend, swim in the river, fish, and make plenty of mischief. The two boys made more than enough trouble for the whole village.

Sometime after he turned fourteen, he recognized his mother's tired eyes and tense shoulders. He decided it was high time he started working himself to help his mother support their family of two. He worked hard as a farmhand with Will and his father. He returned home every night to share supper with his mother and was gone before breakfast the next morning.

Will and Merlin worked hard every day from dawn until dusk and returned to bed with only enough energy to eat and collapse into bed. Each day was the same: Eat breakfast, wake up Will, feed the animals, milk the cows and goats, work the fields, eat lunch, finish working the fields, go back home and relax, sleep, and start the process over.

It wasn't until after Merlin's eighteenth birthday that his life changed. His day started normally. He woke up before the sun had risen and pulled on his boots. He slipped out of the house, silently kissing his mother's forehead and pulling the blanket up to her chin. He began his walk to Will's home and stretched the kinks out of his arms. He yawned and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he looked over the row of houses to see a column of smoke ascending into the air. There was an eerie orange glow radiating from behind the homes.

Merlin broke out into a sprint. His best friend's home was on fire and he was the only one he knew. He cried out to the villagers, calling for help, for water, for anyone to hear him. By the time he made it to the house, the entire house was aflame and none of Will's family was in sight. Villagers rushed up behind Merlin with splashing buckets full of water. Some of the women were wrapped up in their nightgowns and shawls pulling wide-eyed children and carrying crying infants to the scene.

Nothing could be done. The fire had already destroyed most of the home. The flames stretched to the sky and the embers drifted out to the stars.

Merlin collapsed to his knees, completely speechless. His eyes filled with tears and a strangled sob echoed from his throat. Will, he thought. His only friend in the world was gone. There was nothing left of him or his parents. All of it had been burned to a crisp and no one could have saved them.

The sun was nearly directly above his head by the time he moved again. He raised his dirty hands to wipe the tear tracks from his face. He recognized the soft touch of his mother's hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her. She had a sorrowful smile on her face. Her eyes were puffy and red, much like his and she pulled him in for a hug.

Again, he let out a heart-wrenching cry for his best friend. His fingers clawed into his mother's shoulders and he clenched his eyes closed, hoping that he could erase the memory and start the day over again. His sobs wracked his frame and he shook against his mother. Her arms tightened around him and they stood still until neither could make another sound.

The services for Will's family were given at the end of the week. Since there were no bodies to bury and no family to care for, it was a small affair. There were no extravagant headstones sculpted or speeches made. Those who attended left shortly after arriving. Three simple wooden crosses were staked into the unbroken ground.

"Why bury three empty caskets?" one of the men said. "It would only be a waste of time and money. No one here has any of that to spare."

Merlin could only grit his teeth at the man's comments. Hunith clenched his shoulder to calm him. "Will and his parents wouldn't have wanted them to spend things they don't have."

"That doesn't mean he can speak of them that way," Merlin said jerking away. He huffed and made his last goodbyes to Will's grave marker and walked away, vowing never to come back to the graveyard again.

It wasn't until a few days later that Merlin realized that he would have to find employment elsewhere. None of the other families in Ealdor had enough work let alone the money to pay him to his services.

"Mother, what are we to do? There is no work for me here, and you do not make enough to support us both for very long," Merlin fretted. How could they live when they barely made enough when both were working. "I will not let you starve to death because of me!"

"Do not speak like that, Merlin," Hunith pleaded. "Please."

"How would you like me to speak then? I do not know what I am to do! We do not have enough money to make it through the end of the season, and if I do not find work we shall both starve!" Merlin cried.

Hunith knelt in front of her son. "My uncle works for a Lord in England. He recently wrote to me about the Lord's son who goes through valets like a paper sail. I will write to him and ask him to inquire about the position for you."

"Mother, I cannot leave you here on your own!"

"But you must. It will be a better life for you. It is time you find your place in this world," Hunith grew quiet, and tears formed in her eyes.

Merlin leaned down and squeezed his mother's shoulders. "No one could ever care for me better than you have." He kissed his mother's cheeks. "I will go, but I will send you every spare penny I make!"

Hunith smiled and stood. "I will write to him immediately."

"But, you're not meant to be here until Wednesday!" The old man questioned.

Merlin stared back at his great uncle, Gaius, confused. "It is Wednesday."

Gaius lifted his eyebrow. He paused and said, "Ah."

A small grin grew on Merlin's face when he realized he would get along with his uncle just fine. "So, you spoke to Lord…"

"Pendragon. Uther Pendragon." Gaius filled in.

"Yes, you spoke to him about me already?" Merlin asked, hope bleeding through his words.

Gaius nodded. "I did. He wants to meet you tomorrow morning. You'll be trained by his lordship's current valet and be put on a trial for a week. If he approves of you, you will be allowed to stay."

Merlin grinned. "Thank you, Gaius! I will always be grateful for your willingness to do this for me."

"Well, you had best be on your guard. Lord Uther is not so easily convinced. And my reputation is on the line." Gaius warned. "You must be on your best behavior if you really want this job."

Merlin straightened. "I'm always on my best behavior!" he said, smugly straightening his necktie.

Gaius lifted his eyebrow skeptically. "Is that what you told your mother after you let all those goats out of their pen?"

Merlin's jaw dropped. "She told you…"

Gaius laughed. "She told me everything about you, Merlin."

Merlin let out a nervous laugh. "I swear I will do my best to secure this position and not dirty your good name." He placed one hand over his heart and raised the other.

Gaius laughed again. "You, my boy, won't last the day if you act like that."

Merlin shrunk down a bit, sad that his humor would not be appreciated. His downtrodden look only made Gaius laugh harder. He watched his uncle turned guardian walk away. His disappointed face melted into a small grin, realizing that his uncle was probably right. He turned away to find a mirror where he could adjust his necktie again.

Gaius walked back in with a sandwich on a plate. "Here," he offered the small meal to his nephew. "You must be exhausted from your journey. Eat this while I bring your things to your room."

With a full mouth, Merlin said, "You don't have to do that, Uncle. I can bring my things up myself."

"Nonsense! You must be exhausted from your journey. I'll bring your things up and you go straight to bed when you're finished."

Merlin nodded, accepting that he could not persuade Gaius to change his mind. He sat down at the nearby table and continued munching on the sandwich his uncle prepared for him. With nothing else to do, his mind wandered to what his new job would be like – assuming they like him, of course. What would his employers be like? What would his duties be exactly? He hardly knew anything of the Pendragon family or how an estate was really run. He had lived in Ealdor his entire life and never met a nobleman of any title, let alone a Lord.

I suppose I'll have to treat them like royalty, assuming a valet's duties have any interaction with the Pendragon's at all. Are they royalty? Or just extremely wealthy? Merlin honestly had no idea what he should think. He supposed he would have to ask Gaius before he officially retired for the night.

He stood, brushing the crumbs from his hands off on his jacket and pushed his chair in. After setting his plate down in the kitchen sink, he made his way up the steps and walked to his room. He found Gaius taking clothes from his bag and putting them into dresser drawers.

He looked around with wide eyes. He smiled, "I've never had a dresser all to myself, let alone my own bedroom."

Gaius smiled back at him. "Well, now you do. Just so long as you keep it clean and tidy."

Merlin nodded and helped his uncle put his few belongings into the drawers. "Gaius," he asked. "What would my duties be exactly? I've never done anything but farm work my whole life. I'm not sure I'll even know where to begin!"

Gaius sighed. "My boy, you have a lot to learn."

"You mean I'll have to do all that because he can't do it himself?" Merlin cried, shocked at the thought of his workload.

Gaius replied. "It is not that he cannot perform those duties on his own, but that he can pay someone else to do it for him."

Merlin huffed. "Sounds like laziness to me."

Gaius gave him a disapproving eyebrow. "It is their way of life, Merlin. That is how they have always lived. And you should not complain. You are lucky enough that they are willing to pay you to do it."

Merlin groaned. "I suppose you are right. You will help me to learn, won't you, Gaius?"

"I will teach you everything that I know," Gaius replied with a smile. "Now, you had best get to bed, or you will not make it through the first day tomorrow."

"Thank you, uncle." Merlin smiled and closed the door after Gaius had departed. He hung his coat and vest in the cupboard and neatly laid his tie across the foot of it next to his boots. He began unbuttoning his shirt and laughed to himself at the thought of a wealthy man who could not perform the simplest act of dressing and undressing himself.

What a prat.

Merlin stood straighter than he ever had before in his life. He was dressed in his best clothes and he had done his best to tame his hair – though it never did fall just right. His shoes had been spit-shined and his buttons polished with a dishcloth. He stood in front of Lord Uther Pendragon, the owner of the beautiful estate, Camelot, ready to be inspected. He tried his hardest to look dignified and play the part without making eye contact with His Lordship.

Merlin was sure his forehead was dripping with sweat when Uther opened his mouth. "Gaius is one of my oldest friends and confidants. He tells me you were raised on a farm in an Irish village. Is that correct?"

"Yes, milord," Merlin replied.

"And you have only ever worked on that farm, yes?"

"That is correct, milord."

Uther paused. "Gaius are you certain he can perform these duties?"

Gaius spoke. "My Lord, he is a good boy. Well-behaved, kind, and –"

"But does he know what he must do and can he do it?"

Merlin interjected. "If I may speak, milord?"

Uther turned, surprised that Merlin had spoken up. "You may."

"My Lord, I am the hardest working man you will ever meet. I can learn any job I put my mind to and perform it well. My mother is counting on me to make something out of myself, and I swore that I would provide for her. I will not go against her wishes or my own word. If you will give me the chance to prove myself, I swear you will never be disappointed or regret taking me on." Merlin finished and tore his eyes away from Uther.

The Lord stood, stunned by how well Merlin had articulated himself. He had been well taught for a boy who had been raised not only in Ireland but on a farm as well. He turned to his old friend, a questioning look in his eye. When Gaius only shrugged, he turned back to Merlin. "You will begin your training immediately. If you can prove to my butler that you are prepared for these duties by the end of the week, I will introduce you to the man you will valet for."

"Of course, milord," Merlin said.

Uther clapped his hand on Gaius's shoulder and walked into Camelot's front door, disappearing into its vast halls and corridors.

As soon as the aristocrat was out of sight, Merlin let out a huge breath of relief. He laughed and exclaimed, "We've done it, uncle!"

"You have done it, Merlin. Not I. It was your dedication to working for your mother that impressed His Lordship, I think," Gaius smiled. "Well done, my boy. I will show you downstairs where you can find Lord Pendragon's butler and begin your training."

"Milord, Merlin is the swiftest learning young man I have ever trained in all my years as a butler. I think he is more than prepared to perform these duties."

"Excellent, Geoffrey. Arthur and his party were delayed and will not arrive for a few more days so you have until his arrival to continue his training and prepare the boy's uniform. Inform him of his schedule so that he may be prepared."

"Of course, your Lordship," Geoffrey replied. He bowed and turned to exit the library. As soon as he had returned to the lower floor, he passed through the corridor into his office where he found Merlin pacing across the floor.

"His Lordship is giving you the position. His son, Arthur, will not arrive for a few more days so you have until his arrival to continue in your learning and practice in your uniform that will be ready by tomorrow. I shall send for a seamstress to take your measurements shortly. For now, I must inform you that His Lordship's son is very… difficult. The longest he has ever kept a valet is a fortnight. You must be prepared for his grumpy and rather rude behavior."

Merlin spoke. "I will not let him knock me down." He attempted to reassure the butler that he could handle himself, but the man seemed unconvinced.

"I hope that you can teach him a thing or two, Merlin. But he is one of the hardest-headed men I have ever met. I wish you the best of luck because you will need as much as you can get of it." Geoffrey patted Merlin's shoulder.

Merlin had to admit he did not like Arthur at first. The heir apparent seemed very arrogant and self-centered. He bullied some of the other servants who worked at Camelot. The friends he had brought with him seemed to goad him on as well. While they had been away, Merlin learned that Arthur had been without a valet and shared one with the other members of his party. The valet that assisted him complained that he threw things and yelled at him when he did something wrong.

Arthur was not a likable man and being around his "friends" only made him worse. It was almost like he had something to prove to them.

However, the members of Arthur's party soon left Camelot and went to pursue their own ideas. Arthur soon mellowed out. He stopped trying to impress the men he came with and grew calmer. He still seemed to be unhappy with the service he was given by the footmen, chauffeur, etc. but Merlin realized that he had the potential to be a very good man if he only had a guiding hand.

Very quickly, Merlin learned that Arthur was very easy to tease. He often teased his master about his weight, about his intelligence, and other aspects and Arthur never seemed to get overly upset at him. Arthur teased him back about how girly or wimpy he was.

After a few months, Merlin realized that he found Arthur to be a very good friend – probably his best friend. The two did everything together. Of course, Merlin had to, but he found that he enjoyed spending time with Arthur. He saw that Arthur was learning to be a better kinder person. Though they would never admit it to each other after such a long time of butting heads when Arthur first arrived, they both considered the other to be their best friend.

But an innocent visit from some close friends would soon change everything.