AN: I am cold, sick, and tired. I am extremely stressed about some stuff and that includes this chapter. This chapter is the entire reason I went on that 8 month hiatus (sorry btw). I am moving into my apartment tomorrow and starting my sophomore year of college on Wednesday. But dang it I am posting this tonight. This chapter gave me quite a bit of trouble and I struggled immensely through it, it was only due to one of my most dedicated readers JoanneSBlack that I actually got through this chapter. She gave me several pieces of advice and when I had written it and thought it was awful she looked it over for me. SO this chapter is in dedication to her. Thank you Joanne and I want you to know that you are a major reason I didn't just ditch this story.
Longest chapter so far at 4,736 words!
Enjoy guys and I know I say this a lot but especially on this chapter please please review, I'm so nervous about this one.
As Merlin rode into the city he was greeted with the sight of the towns people beginning the day. Vendors setting up their wares, women making their way to the market to begin early, their husbands leaving their homes to go to the fields. Knights and guards walking to their posts, and blacksmiths lighting their forges. Little children met up with their friends and began playing. There were many druids too, selling healing potions and poultice. The young king was filled with warmth at the use of magic by the towns people
The second Merlin's horse set foot in the market place the druids began looking up, sensing him, expressions of shock and awe on their faces. The druids stopped what they were doing and looked to the young warlock. The others in the market began turning to see what had drawn their attention and many of the older citizens, who had likely been there during his father's reign recognized him. The gasped when they saw him, and soon they were whispering to their younger neighbors, explaining to them exactly who had just walked into the city. Richard and Robert spurred their horses forward, riding in front their king, making a way through the crowd that was gathering, the knights who had been riding in front of the group had ridden ahead to the citadel to warn them of who had returned.
Many of the druids bowed or knelt as he passed, as did many of the towns people. Merlin rode, back straight and smiling gently at the people he passed, waving here and there. Whispers had quickly broken out among the people and now the crowd was getting bigger as people came out of their homes to see what the commotion was about. Merlin knew that by noon the entire city would know that he was back. Some people gasped in fear when they saw the Knights of Camelot but when they realized that none of the Arian Knights were worried they calmed down, though most still eyed the men warily. Suddenly a voice rang out from the crowd.
"The Prince had returned!" it cried. "Long Live Prince Merlin!" soon, the cry became a chant as the people picked it and the city was filled with the call of "Long Live Prince Merlin!" Or "Long Live the Prince!" Merlin thought he also heard a voice call "Long Live House Ambrosius!". The guards and knights filled the sides around the young king, keeping the crowds back. Finally, they reached the gates to the citadel, by now the knights who had ridden ahead had convinced the men to open the gates, and the gates lay open, knights on either side swiftly moved aside to let them pass.
Merlin and the group rode into the large open court yard, the knights at the back of the large group falling behind to keep the crowds back. *The court yard was designed so that the King could consult with a dragon, the House of Ambrosius had always ruled Aria and it had always been a lineage of Dragon Lords. The young king rode to the center of the court and he dismounted, The Knights of Camelot did the same and Richard, his knights and Robert quickly followed suit. The crowd that had gathered in the courtyard once the news had spread stared in shock and awe. Joy was spread on many faces, curiosity on others. Merlin turned to Richard.
"I just want our original party coming with me, Robert may come as well." He said, and Richard nodded, disappearing to relay the message. Merlin turned back to the waiting crowd of guards, knights, and servants. He was painfully aware of his clothes which displayed a status of servitude and were covered in filth from the weeks of travel. Before he could say anything, however, Richard returned.
"We need to alert the council of your return" he whispered in his ear "you can address your people soon." Merlin nodded in agreement, happy to not have to make a speech to these people quite yet, though he would now have to make one to his council. Richard and Robert walked one step behind him as he walked with all the confidence he could muster towards the doors to the castle. The others followed behind. Merlin didn't miss the glares that were sent in the direction of the Knights of Camelot or the hands that had gone to their swords at the sight of the red clad knights. The others didn't miss it either, eying the Arian Knights wearily. As they passed one particularly stunned looking knight Merlin could have sworn he heard Richard mutter "I told you I would find him" but Merlin dismissed it, there were more important matters.
As Merlin walked through the halls he couldn't help but admire the architecture. The tall walls were polished white stone, gleaming in the early day sun. Royal blue tapestries hung every so often, the dragon of the House of Ambrosius stitched into it in silver. Exquisite paintings hung in between the banners. The castle itself had carvings in the wall, they told the stories of battles and wars fought and won, heroes who fell for their kingdom and the evil they defeated. Plenty of walls were still blank, ready for more stories and heroes. Heavy tapestries also hung from the walls in a few of the hallways they passed through, telling stories and fables, some even told prophecies about events that had long since come to pass and events yet to come. In one corridor they passed, large marble statues of long dead kings stood proudly, looking down at the men as they passed them.
The guards stationed in the halls stared as they passed and servants stopped what they were doing, Merlin could feel himself getting increasingly nervous. A slight bump in his arm told him Richard was there, no matter what happened in the next few minutes. He took a deep breath and released it slowly as they rounded the corner and say the doors to the council. At the doors two of the knights who had been sent ahead were arguing with the guards, the four had not yet spotted the group.
"You have to let us through." One of them was saying, aggravation clear in his voice.
"I'm sorry sirs but the council specifically instructed that no one be let in, only Sir Robert is to be allowed to enter." One of the guards said, the poor man was obviously anxious at standing up to a knight. The Knight growled.
"We have urgent news for the council and-" he began but Merlin cut him off.
"If the issue is that Sir Robert is not here then that problem is solved, isn't it Sir Robert?" he asked, turning to the man. The guards at the door looked at him in confusion but the Knights hastily bowed and Robert nodded.
"Indeed it is My Lord." He said, emphasizing the last two words to get the point across to the two men guarding the doors. Instantly the guards paled and bowed.
"Forgive us, sire," the one on the left said, "We didn't know you had returned."
"All is forgiven, now, I believe it is time to address my counsel, if you would please open the doors." Merlin replied, his tone kind. The guards hesitated a second longer but quickly heaved the doors open. The men inside stopped talking and looked up. Merlin strode into the room and looked at the men at the table. Some he recognized, others he did not, they were likely new men who replaced those on the council that had died. One of the younger council members who Merlin didn't recognize stood up. The tall man had dark brown hair and handsome, hard features.
"What is the meaning of this?" he asked, his voice booming. "You two were instructed to allow no one in." he said, glaring at the guards, who backed away from the powerful man.
"I instructed them differently," Merlin said, calm.
"And who are you to make such an order?" he asked, equally as calm, though his tone held a hint of danger in it. Merlin could immediately tell this man would make a dangerous enemy or a very powerful ally
"My name is Merlin Ambrosius." He answered "and you?" he asked the man. The nobleman looked remarkably calm though a flash of surprise had crossed his face.
"Lord Malcolm," he replied, "My lord." He finished a second later, bowing slightly. The rest of the council quickly rose and bowed.
"Prince Merlin," said one of the noble men, an older man who Merlin recognized to be Lord Gransley "We did not expect your return." He said, nervous at the sight of the Knights of Camelot, he had likely realized that the fact that those men were with Merlin meant he had sent men to attack his prince.
"Indeed, though I can't exactly say I enjoyed the welcome party." Merlin answered, shooting a knowing glance at the lord.
"Forgive me, sire." He said "we did not know you were with the Knights of Camelot and feared them hostile, we were only told the Knights of Camelot were approaching and that there may have been ten of them, the villager who warned us had not seen Sir Richard and his men. We feared they meant to harm us and acted in defense of Aria."
"With only 10 knights you feared them to want to attack an entire kingdom?" Merlin questioned, doubt obvious in his voice.
"I-" the Lord said, realizing what he had suggested he thought, now Merlin know the man could either continue with the lie and make himself look foolish or admit the truth and admit that the true reason he sent the man to attack was because he hated any Knight of Camelot. During this Lord Malcolm was eyeing the young king, seemingly impressed. Eventually, Lord Gransley sighed in defeat. "Forgive me, my prince." He said and Merlin nodded, satisfied. Another nobleman spoke up then, another of his father's men.
"Sire?" he asked and Merlin turned to him "I mean no offense but I am sure that everyone is wondering, where have you been all these years?" he asked, curiosity filling his voice, those around him nodded, signaling that they too wanted to know where the prince had been for so long.
Merlin sighed wearily. "That, my lord, is a long story, one that I am far too tired to tell at the moment. But in short, I have been in Camelot for six years, before that I was in Ealdor, a small village in the kingdom of Essitir." He answered and gasps went up around the room, the only ones who didn't make some noise of surprise were the men that he had arrived with and Lord Malcolm, who was looking at him in a calculating way.
"How did you end up in Camelot?!" questioned another nobleman and they all eagerly looked at him.
"As I said, my Lords, it is a long story and I am too tired to tell it, it has been a long journey and I wish to get out of these clothes, bathe and rest." He said, running a tired hand through his hair, the men at the table then noticed his clothing and looked at each other. Why was their prince in such ragged clothing?
"Of course, sire." Lord Malcolm cut in, cutting off any protests "You must rest, I'm sure it has been a long journey and there is much to discuss, but that can wait until tomorrow when you are well rested." His voice was kind but Merlin could tell he wasn't doing this purely for his benefit, in some way the noblemen would benefit from the extra day as well. The rest of the noblemen reluctantly agreed and bid them farewell, promising to answer their questions the next day.
As they walked away from the throne room Richard called a servant over and talked to him for a minute, the servant bowed in Merlin's direction before hurrying off.
The young king raised an eyebrow at the knight.
"I instructed him to prepare 4 guest rooms and to fetch the tailor." He said, answering the silent question. A servant came up at that moment.
"Sire," he said, bowing "if you would permit it I will show the" here he hesitated a look of fear crossed his face "Knights of Camelot to their rooms." Merlin nodded and the man bowed once more before walking over to the knights, a moment later the four bid them all a good day and followed the servant. The Knights of Aria soon did the same, leaving Merlin and Robert alone.
"the tailor?" the king questioned. Richard looked at him skeptically.
"Surely you don't plan on speaking to the council tomorrow in that?" Merlin blushed slightly "I thought so, you are king Merlin, it is time you dressed like one." He said, lowering his voice when he said king, highly aware that the entire castle didn't know yet.
Merlin sighed but nodded, however much he hated to admit it Richard was right, he couldn't dress like he usually did anymore. The two began walking down the hallway in front of them.
"Tomorrow I will have the royal blacksmith measure you for chain mail and armor, we should also get you a sword." He said and Merlin nodded in agreement again.
"Very well, I suppose both of those are important." He said, turning a corner, suddenly he stopped.
"What's wrong?" Richard asked, concern written on his face.
"I just- I haven't been in my room since…" Richard nodded.
"I understand, if you wish we can put you in another set of rooms." He offered but Merlin shook his head.
"No, no it will be fine, though I suspect my chambers may be a little dusty." He chuckled. Richard smiled in return.
"I had them cleaned when I left, they should be perfectly suitable." He said and Merlin looked at him in thanks.
"Thank you, were you really so confident I would be found?" he asked, surprised that Richard had gone to the trouble of making sure his chambers would be ready for him.
"I knew someone would and I knew it was more likely for you to be with Gaius." He answered, shrugging.
Finally, the two arrived at his chamber doors, on the floor were two blood stains, the stains told a story of a battle long past and Merlin couldn't help the memories that welled, he felt a lump in his throat form as he thought of the knight who had died in front of his chambers all those years ago, and the man who had done it. Richard rested a hand on the younger man's shoulder, staring at the stain as well.
"We will avenge him, we will avenge them all."
Merlin nodded, his determination rising. "Yes, we will, and when we do my uncle will know exactly how big of a mistake he made. He never should have angered me, he never should have attacked my home." The powerful warlock felt a rage that he had only felt a few times in his life, a rage so powerful that he feared the day it would be released. "He will regret having ever even thought of betraying my father." He vowed.
"Indeed he will my lord," Richard said and the two stood for in silence for another moment. "You should go in, the tailor will be here soon, I will send a servant to draw you a bath and get some clean clothes for you, they may not fit perfectly but at least you'll be out of those." Merlin fingered the neckerchief around his neck and nodded.
"You should rest as well, you were traveling twice as long as me." He shot back and Richard shook his head.
"There is too much to do, I will sleep tonight." Merlin frowned.
"At least go to the physician and have him look at your wounds, tell him the details of your wounds and the spell that hit you as well, I don't want any unknown side effects popping up." Richard chuckled but agreed.
"Very well, but only if you get looked at as well." Merlin glared but eventually gave in.
"Fine, I'll go to him tomorrow."
"Rest well, my lord, the next few weeks will be long ones." Richard said, bowing deeply.
"You as well Sir Richard, I will be needing you at your best." The knight smiled and nodded before bowing again and turning on his heel and walking away, in the direction of the barracks. Merlin rolled his eyes, he just hoped the man would go to the physician at some point. Turning back to his chamber doors he reached a hand towards the handle. The doors themselves were made of deep brown wood, carved with dragons on the edges, smooth in the middle. As his shaking hand grabbed the handle and pulled Merlin couldn't help but think of the last time he had entered the room.
*Flashback Begin*
The Prince walked beside his father as the two walked back to their respective chambers for the night, their guards walked a respectful distance behind them, silent.
"I look forward to the celebrations tomorrow father." The prince said, excited for the annual spring festival.
"Me too my boy, it will be the first time you take part in a tournament, I trust you will make me proud." The king beamed at his son. The two reached the Prince's chambers. "Remember son, no matter what happens, your mother and I love you and are very proud of the young man you are becoming."
"Thank you, father," Merlin said, beaming up at the king. "I'll make you proud."
"I'm sure you will my boy, I'm sure you will my boy, I'm sure you will."
"Goodnight father." The young man said, opening the door to his chambers.
"Goodnight son." He replied, both unaware that everything was about to change.
*Flashback End*
Merlin entered his chambers and felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him as he looked around. The room was larger than even Arthur's room in Camelot. Blue draping hung from the windows and the large bed in the center of the room. To the left was a particularly large window that looked out at the court yard below to the right was a changing area with a bath to the left and a finely carved wardrobe to the right.
The handles were carved into the head of a roaring lion and on the doors of it were images of four wooden thrones. The wardrobe had been there as long as he could remember really, he had once asked his father about it but even he had been confused as to where it had come from. Dismissing the odd thing he went over and sat on the bed. It was just as soft as he remembered but now that he was bigger it seemed smaller, though still very large.
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts and he went to answer it, opening the door he saw a short, rotund man standing there, a measuring tape in his hand and several bolts of cloth in the arms of a young man that stood behind him. The young reminded him of himself when he first arrived in Camelot, tall and skinny, though this man seemed rather timid, Merlin assumed he was the tailor's assistant, as it was rather obvious who the first man was. Both men bowed deeply when they saw him.
"Sire," said the rotund man, straightening, the young man behind him straightened as well "I am here to measure you for some clothes." He said, holding up the measuring tape as if to prove what he had said. Merlin nodded and stepped to the side as he opened the door wider.
"Of course, please come in." the two entered at the invitation and Merlin couldn't help but noticed the servant looking nervously around the room. Dismissing it, Merlin closed the door and walked to his dressing area.
"Whenever you're ready we will begin, your highness." The tailor said, following the prince, Merlin nodded and they began. After several minutes of being measured and the tailor bustling around him, lifting his arms and measuring them, wrapping the tape around his waist and chest and muttering numbers to himself the tailor stepped back, nodding in satisfaction.
"Very well, now we must decide on fabrics." He said and so he began pulling the bolts of fabric away from his servant, holding a swath of it up to Merlin before tisking and putting it away. Only on a few colors did he seem satisfied, among them were the deep royal blue of the Ambrosius house and a deep red color. When the pile of cloth was all gone the tailor scooped the bolts up and shoved them back into his assistant's arms, who hadn't spoken a word the entire time.
"I will have some clothes prepared by tomorrow morning Prince Merlin." He said, bowing and Merlin nodded.
"Thank you, I trust they will be wonderful." He said, guiding them to the door. Opening it he allowed the other two out and after they bowed again and left, he closed the door behind them, he breathed a sigh of relief as he rested against the door, now he just needed to be alone. Staring down at his filthy clothes he grimaced in disgust before pulling the tunic over his head, he threw the filthy garment into a corner of the room and made his way to the bath. Looking into the large mirror that stood beside the bath he inspected himself. It had been a long time since he had been able to look at himself in a mirror, he was a servant in Camelot and couldn't afford such a luxury. Staring into the mirror he was shocked at how much he had changed. Looking at himself he finally realized why his knights had been so shocked at his scars, seeing them in a mirror was different somehow, he could see them all at once now and he realized how many he truly had. He also noticed that his shoulders were broader, idly he noted that Gwaine had been right, he had gotten muscles, not muscles like Percival but he was much more toned and defined. His cheek bones were less prominent, his face more rounded. He didn't look like the young boy that had fled his home, he looked like a man, he looked like a King.
Sighing he turned back to the bath. Just as he was about to magically fill the tub there was a knock at the door. Merlin, grumbling to himself about too many interuptions, made his way to the door, he opened it, forgetting that he was still shirtless. Opening the door, he saw a young man there, a servant. Behind him stood two knights, both fully armored. The stared at him in shock as he opened the door, his scars prominent as the sun coming from the window hit him.
*Lord Malcolm POV*
Lord Malcolm moved swiftly down the hallway, his stride powerful and his black cape fluttering behind him, looking to make sure no one was in the hallway he turned into an abandoned corridor. He turned into an alcove and waited. A few seconds later he heard a pair of footsteps approach from the opposite direction. The steps got closer and closer until finally they turned the corner into the alcove.
"What happened? What did you find out?" the nobleman asked the knight who had just appeared. The knight frowned at the greeting but answered the man anyway.
"We were going to attack when Sir Richard was spotted, so we blocked the road instead. We surprised and surrounded them. The prince's face was hidden from us so we didn't know what happened." The Knight reported, the noblemen rolled his eyes.
"Enough of the play by play, I'll be told that tomorrow I'm sure, I want to know the important things." The knight huffed but complied.
"The prince is no longer a prince, he is king, King Balinor is dead. What's more is that the Dark King's soldier knew the truth, he told us and the king confirmed it, though he doesn't know how the soldier knew. His magic has grown more powerful too, it was… he did magic without a spell." He reported, his voice filled with awe. Lord Malcolm pondered this, how did the boy have such powerful magic? Was he really king? What happened to King Balinor? What did it mean that the Dark King knew the truth?
"There's something else," the Knight said, interrupting the nobleman's musings. The Lord noticed the discomfort in the man's voice.
"What is it?" he asked, eager for something he could use.
"He has scars, lots of them. No one's sure of how he got them, though some of us think he told the men who went with him to the council meeting this morning, they were talking late into the night last night. A-and the Knights of Camelot treat him like a friend, call him by his first name, he seems protective of them as well."
"You've done well." The councilmember said, handing the knight a small pouch, filled with gold coins. "If you discover anything else come to me at once.
"Yes, my lord." The knight said, taking the gold, and disappearing into the corridor, his footsteps quickly fading away.
"Well then King Merlin, what are you hiding?" the man wondered aloud.
*Richard POV*
Richard swept down the hallway, having just left his king in his chambers. Walking into the barracks the men immediately rose to their feet or stopped what they were doing, saluting him.
"Sir," one of the knights said, surprise showing on his face "When did you get back?" he asked, his voice holding another question in it, one Richard was sure the rest of the men wanted to ask as well. So they hadn't heard yet, interesting.
"I got back a little bit ago, I had something to attend to first he answered, refusing to give the men what they wanted without a direct question.
"Did you find him?" someone finally asked and Richard turned to the knight, everyone listened eagerly.
"Yes, our Prince has returned." He replied and cheers went up around the room, knights clapped each other on the back and laughed in relief. After a moment of celebration, Richard pointed to two of his most trusted knights, besides Alaric and those who had traveled with him to find Merlin, motioning them forward.
"Prince Merlin is resting now and while his magic is strong he is still royalty and needs to be protected. I want you two to guard his chambers until I personally assign guards, I will bring them myself, do not leave your post until then and let no one enter except the servant I send. When you get there tell him you're there, he should still be up." He ordered and the two men nodded, saluted him, and both men quickly put on their capes and their swords and walked out the door.
Richard left a minute after and went to the servant's quarters finally he spotted the man he was looking for.
"Andrew!" he called and the said servant looked up, seeing Richard he jumped up and walked over, bowing slightly when he stopped in front of the head knight.
"Sir," he greeted "What can I do for you?" he asked, tilting his head to the side slightly in curiosity.
"I am assigning you to be Prince Merlin's manservant." He answered and the man looked at him in shock.
"Me- me?" he stuttered, "But why me, surely, surely there's someone better than me- more- more experienced than me."
"Perhaps but no servant is more loyal or trustworthy than you, I trust his care to no one else." Richard replied and the servant puffed his chest in pride.
"Thank you, sir, I will prove you right, I swear." He said, passion filling his voice.
"Good, now the prince is in need of a bath, go." The servant hurried off and Richard sighed, exhausted. There was still so much to do but perhaps resting for an hour or two wouldn't hurt.
AN: Thanks for reading, hope y'all enjoyed. Sorry LB didn't make an appearance in this chapter just not feeling up to it.
*This idea came from JessieJay13 who wrote To Be a King which is a really great fic and y'all should read it, I have acquired permission to use some of her ideas and will note when I use one.
Guys I am so worried about this chapter and what you think so please review! May be a bit before I can get the new chapter up but I will try to get it up soon!