"Good luck Arthur. " Merlin says with a ridiculous grin on his face. I'm about to announce that magic is once again legal in Camelot. After months of debates with stubborn Court Advisers, studying old magical laws, rewriting them, and similar tasks, our work was about to pay off. I walk onto the balcony that faces the courtyard. The courtyard is filled with people of all ages. They stop talking when they notice me. I take a deep breath and start to speak.
"I wish to be a just king to all my people. I have tried to be fair to everyone and not to allow status or station to hinder my decisions. There has been one area in which I have allowed prejudice to influence my choices and in return has caused some of my people to suffer." I take another deep breath. Here it goes.
"My father was a good king but he wasn't without fault. My parents were unable to have an heir naturally. My father decided to go to a well-respected member of his court, Nimueh, she was a priestess of the old religion" People are starting to whisper and share uneasy looks. "She warned him that to create a life, a life must be taken to keep the balance. My father agreed to this and nine months later I was born. The life taken was Queen Ygraine and in his grief, my father decided that magic was to blame and that it was evil." I hold by hand out and the crowd settles down. "As you can gather, I only exist because of magic. It was my mother's death that caused my father to start the war on magic. I can no longer punish a group of innocent people because my father decided that a person's life was worth the cost of mine. If my mother hadn't been the one to pay the price then the Great Purge never would have happened.
I know that you have suffered at the hands of magic. I have as well but I can no longer punish the majority for the sins of a few. I have met druids who wish to live in peace. I've seen sorcerers killed for trying to heal a loved one or make their crops grow. These acts are not evil. Magic is no longer a criminal offense." The crowd's reaction is mixed. Most are weary and fearful. Some look angry and a few look thrilled. "There will be laws governing the use of magic. Anyone found guilty of using magic to break Camelot's laws will be punished. Therefore the position of Court Sorcerer is needed." I force myself not to look at Merlin. I hadn't told anyone about this decision, not even him.
"I will also make this person my First Adviser." No Camelot king had named a First Adviser in hundreds of years. "Whoever I choose to take this position will be royal by law" He will have as much power as Gwen. " This person will be in charge of all magical issues and will also help govern Camelot along with your Queen when I am away or if I was to be killed. I know a man who I can trust beyond all others. Who has used his gift for the benefit of Camelot and not for himself."
I turn around and walk up to my confused manservant and best friend. I grip his forearm and lead him to the balcony.
"Kneel," I order. Merlin does so but he seems to be in a daze. "Do you Merlin, also known as Emrys, give your word to be loyal to me and Camelot as long as you live."
"I do" Merlin's voice is strong but his tone implies that I just asked a stupid question.
"Do you promise to advise me to the best of your ability and to use your power to assist in the well being and protection of Camelot and myself."
"I do" I take Excalibur and gently touch both of his shoulders.
"Then I name you, Merlin, my First Adviser, and Court Sorcerer. You may rise."
"Luke, it's time to wake up. Your guests will be here any minute." June's voice pulls me away from my dream.
June is standing beside my bed with an amused look on her face. She's already dressed for the day. She's wearing a red dress with a black belt around her waist. Her black wavy hair has been straightened and her makeup is perfect. "Okay, I'll be down in a minute."
"Alright, just don't fall back asleep." She sighs as she closes the door.
I wish I could go back to sleep. The dream was a memory of one of the best days of my life, though the following weeks were difficult and frustrating. We had to deal with an uncontrolled bond and deal with the repercussion of magic being legal again. After we found out about our bond Merlin had invited a druid to help us learn to shield our minds. It took weeks of practice to master the art. Merlin and I saw many of each other's private and embarrassing memories and thoughts. We also learn a lot of little things about each other like that Merlin went over spells in his head when he was bored. The druid had been impressed by how quickly we had mastered the ability. After we learned to control our abilities we started to enjoy our bond. It was comforting to be able to drop the shield around the surface of our minds at the end of an exhausting day and relax in each other's presents.
Many people had still been suspicious of magic and claimed that sorcerers had harmed them in some way. Merlin investigated the claims and brought the cases that had something to them to me. The first two months were the worst. One out of seven cases involved sorcerers using magic and only in about two percent of those cases, did I find the sorcerer guilty of breaking Camelot's laws. Most of the crimes were small things like stealing apples. I also had my hands full trying to deal with people punishing sorcerers themselves, for their supposed offense. There were quite a few of these cases. Some people had gone so far as to kill the supposed offender. In one case three farmers were convicted of murdering a young witch. They claimed that she had cursed their land. Their crops hadn't been growing but her family's crops had been plentiful Merlin had checked but it was the other way around. The witch had used magic to make her crops grow but she didn't curse the other farmers' land. I sentence them to death by beheading.
These magical issues and other problems kept us at the castle for months on end. It was four months after magic was made legal that I decided that things were calm enough to go on a hunting trip with Merlin and the knights. Even Merlin was thrilled at the idea. He needed a break from the castle as well. It had been my idea to test out how far our bond could reach. Merlin went with Gwaine toward the West while I went East with Leon and Elyan. We traveled on horseback for three hours before I started to feel odd. Merlin got in touch with me and we talked as we continued to move away from each other. After another mile, our abilities became harder to do and the ache in our souls got worse. We decided to quit and met where we separated.
I pick my best pair of blue jeans and quickly put them on. That was a long time ago but I remember it clearly. When Freya woke me up she explained that I was going to be reborn. This would give me time to adjust to the new world and it would make it easier to finish my destiny. She also mentioned that human beings weren't supposed to live twice.
To allow this the Lady of Destiny did something to the magic that gave me life. Doing this had consequences. In some ways I was permanently tied to my first life. No matter how long I lived my body would stop aging after my thirtieth year. The memories of my first life would always be the strongest. To sum it up I would always be who I was when I died. "In an odd way this is perfect. You don't have to relearn who you truly are. When you died you were the Once and Future King not only in title but in every way." Freya had said before asking me to close my eyes once again.
That was eleven years and four days ago. I'm now in an eleven-year-old body but my mind is that of a thirty-year-old. I look into the mirror. Even though June and Samuel Valer are my ' parents, I look like I did the first time I was this age. The only differences are my skin, which is not as tan, and my hair which is shorter because June insists that I keep it that way. It's comforting being able to look into a mirror and see myself. A younger version of myself but still. I look good enough in a blue short sleeve dress shirt and a new pair of jeans. I make my way downstairs and into the kitchen. The sun is shining through the windows. It's another beautiful summer day in Greenbroke England. Samuel and June had moved from Bath back to their hometown of Greenbroke when they found out June was pregnant. Greenbroke is a small country town with a population of five thousand.
"Happy birthday son. There's some oatmeal on the table. I was planning on making a complete English breakfast when you got up but if I do that now you won't be hungry at lunchtime." Samuel says from behind his newspaper. Samuel is a laid back and creative person which makes sense since he teaches art to the upper years at my school. He's more formally dressed than normal. He's wearing a dark gray dress shirt and dark gray dress pants instead of his normal t-shirt and jeans. His light brown hair is combed neatly back instead of falling in front of his green eyes.
"That's okay. I would rather get the extra sleep."
"I can see why. You were still up when I went to bed. What time did you fall asleep?" He doesn't sound disapproving, just curious.
"I'm not sure." I dig into my breakfast. It's already ten o'clock and everyone is supposed to get here at ten-thirty. My new birthday was four days ago. It landed on a Tuesday so June decided to hold my birthday party on Saturday which is today.
June invited her sister, Maggie, her husband John, their three kids Ben, Sarah, and Hannah, Samuel's twin brother Richard, his wife Kimberly, and their twin sons David and Tyler, over to celebrate my birthday. I would rather spend the day lost in memories than celebrate but June would be disappointed.
It's hard to celebrate another year of living this mundane life. The ache and hole in my soul are always there but amazingly I've got used to the sensation. I miss everyone and my old life. I haven't done anything special since my return. My parents think I'm special but that's from my adult behavior rather than accomplishing anything of significance. My relationship with the Valers is not a normal parent and child relationship.
Yes, they love me but they don't understand me. I can't blame them for that. Most people don't have an adult king as a child. Apparently, I was strange even as an infant. They told me that I was the quietest and most behaved baby they had ever seen. The more my mind developed the faster my mental age took over. By the time I was five, I was already reading adult books and was asking if I could take fencing lessons. Samuel accepts my unusual behavior but June has a harder time with it. Another issue is that I don't see them as parents. They're only a few years older than I mentally am. Also, to me, Uther and Ygraine Pendragon will always be my parents.
I rinse out my empty bowl and head to the living room. I wonder what theme June picked this time. I always let June pick out the decorations even though they always cringe-worthy. I've taken away moments that most parents want to experience with their children. I never crawled in bed with them because I had a nightmare or asked to be cuddled when I was ill. This is one small thing I can do for her. It's worth the childish decorations.
"Oh" June has never approved of my obsession, her word not mine, with Arthurian legends. I've been trying to find out what happened to Camelot and everything after my death. The stories are so erroneous that I can barely find any truth to them. I can't trust anything written in them but I'm desperate and bored enough to keep trying. Every time June finds me with an Arthurian book or documentary she shakes her head. That's why I'm surprised that she chose a medieval theme.
There's large banners of different medieval castles on the walls. There's fake swords hanging by the fireplace. The side tables have medieval-themed snacks. There's sugar cookies in the shapes of swords and shields. There's also crown-shaped brownies next to the cookies. The larger table has more choices. There's a fruit platter made up of grapes, strawberries, and apples. Next to that is a deli tray with different cheese, lunch meat, and crackers. It's actually low key for June.
"Do you like it alright Luke." June comes to stand beside me. "I'm going to decorate the kitchen next."
"Yes, thanks mum. Do you need help."
"No, your dad already volunteered. Everyone should arrive in ten minutes. Just stay in here so you can answer the door."
"Alright." June goes back into the kitchen and I take a seat on the couch and wait for my family members to arrive. Unfortunately, that means I'll soon have to tolerate the nitwit twins. David and Tyler are three years older than me but they're not the sharpest tools in the shield. They once had an argument about where Ireland is located. David thought it was in Wells and Tyler was trying to tell him it was in Finland. They're also under the delusion that they're God's gift to the world. David is a successful hooker for our school's rugby team. Tyler is an equally successful player on our school's soccer team as the goalie. They like to make fun of my reading habits and that I'm on the fencing team rather than the two most popular sports at our school.
Their mother, Kimberly doesn't help. She is blind to her sons' faults. She also doesn't like me very much; not that her behavior isn't cordial. I don't think she had ever forgiven me for breaking Tyler's arm. Last year, Tyler tried to scare me. I didn't know anyone besides June, was home. I was in my room listening to my music. The music must have covered up any sound Tyler had made when he entered my bedroom. He managed to sneak behind me and grabbed my arm. I responded as any knight would. I had ducked down and used one of my legs to kick him to the floor. Unfortunately, he had landed wrong and his left arm broke. Neither of the twins has tried to sneak up on me again.
The doorbell rings. That will be Richard and his family. They always arrive a few minutes early. I force a grin on my face and open the door.