Okay, so here's another one for tonight. I was on a bit of a roll earlier, but now I think the roll has been paused. It might be a little bit before I get the next chapter up. Anyway, enjoy.
THREE: MAGIC ITSELF (344 days)
Merlin sat in shock in his room. He couldn't believe it. He had just gotten back from a trip to the Crystal Cave, only to hear the shocking news from Gaius, who had been at the council meeting that morning, the meeting he was sure to get into trouble for missing.
Arthur had made an announcement to the court that the punishment for practicing magic was no longer a guaranteed execution. The punishment would be decided based on the crime itself, and not the means by which the crime was committed.
It was really happening. Magic was coming back to the kingdom. Arthur hadn't made magic legal again, but he had taken that first step. It was a small step, but it was nevertheless a step. Merlin knew that he had to be careful about how quickly he made the changes.
He just hadn't expected Arthur to take that first step so soon, but he was glad.
He supposed it was time for Emrys to make his appearance. Arthur had shown that he had every intention of keeping his word with the Disir. Merlin had finally come up with a solution, and he'd learned some things about himself in the Cave that he hadn't expected to learn. He'd only gone in there to meditate. It was time for him - or rather, the older version of himself - to work with Arthur. He gathered his things, and made his way to Arthur's chambers.
He nodded to the guards outside the door, smiling cheerfully as he started to walk past them - he didn't need them saying that they'd let Merlin into the king's chambers only moments before a sorcerer appeared inside. Only a moment later, they slumped against the wall, unconscious. He was fairly certain they hadn't seen the gold in his eyes as he'd thought the spell - he'd never seen the glow himself, but he knew that sorcerer's eyes changed to gold whenever they performed magic. Merlin made sure the corridor was empty before pulling on a red robe. Then he donned the ever useful aging spell.
He barged into the room, not bothering to knock - he knew Gwen was spending the afternoon with her brother, Elyan.
Arthur, who was sitting at his desk, was writing on a piece of parchment. He didn't look up as he said, "Merlin, if I find out that you've spent the morning in the tavern again, I will happily strangle you. Where have you -" his voice cut off with a yelp as he finally looked up, and he nearly fell out of his chair.
When he saw Merlin - not that he knew it was Merlin - he narrowed his eyes and reached for his sword. "You," he spat. "Dragoon, wasn't it? You killed my father."
Merlin grimaced. Dragoon? What had he been thinking when he came up with that name? That was a ridiculous name. He really was an idiot. "I did not kill Uther. This did." He pulled the necklace that had actually killed Uther from his pocket and threw it to his king. "This was around his neck, though I didn't know it until after the fact. It belonged to Morgana."
Arthur caught it and studied it, frowning. "Morgana?"
"Yes. Agravaine told her what you planned, I believe. She enchanted that necklace to reverse the effect of any healing spells performed on him. I tried, Arthur." Merlin's voice was pleading. He needed his friend to understand that he truly had tried, even if he didn't know that it was him. "If I'd known about the necklace, I would have removed it before trying to heal him."
The king narrowed his eyes further. "Even though he would have gladly killed you?"
"How can I prove the good in magic if I use it for evil purposes? I am not sorry that you became king, but I am sorry that Uther's death was an unnatural one. I never liked him, but I never wanted him to die."
After a brief moment, Arthur lowered his sword. He dropped the necklace onto his desk. "Who are you and what are you doing here? How did you get past my guards?"
Merlin snorted. "They have absolutely no training against sorcery."
Arthur's eyes widened. "You can train against sorcery?"
And Arthur always called him an idiot. "Of course. But it takes sorcery to do so. Defensive and shielding spells, for example."
"Hmm. Who are you?"
Merlin arched an eyebrow and plopped into one of the chairs at the table. "You haven't guessed? I thought the Disir told you I'd find you?"
"You're Emrys? I thought Emrys was -" Arthur stopped talking, looking confused. He was studying Merlin carefully, searching his face for something. Merlin was confident he wouldn't recognize him - he hadn't either of the last two times he'd seen him. Arthur was amazingly unobservant sometimes.
"You thought I was what?"
The king hesitated. "I thought you were…younger."
"Who says I'm not? I could be older, I could be younger. You'll never know my exact age. I could be a girl, for all you know."
Arthur, amused, sat across from Merlin. "You're really a girl?"
Merlin scowled. He should have known that would be the wrong phrase to use with the prat. "No. Of course not."
"Hmm. So is Emrys your real name? Or is Dragoon your real name?"
"Emrys."
Arthur's eyebrows rose in surprise. It was clear he hadn't been expecting that answer. It made Merlin wonder what answer he had been expecting. "Emrys? The Disir told me that you went by a different name. Who are you, really?"
With a cheeky snarl, Merlin said, "I am who I am, and I am who I was, and I am who I will always be!" Then he sighed. Perhaps that wasn't the best approach to take with the king. He needed to have a serious conversation. "Names do no matter, Arthur. Names - and titles - don't make the person. Actions do."
Arthur's answer was a sincere one. "I agree...Emrys. Your actions, in fact, have shown you to be a true friend to Camelot. I'm only beginning to realize all the times that you have saved me and my kingdom. The orb of light when I retrieved the Morteus Flower. The defeat of Cornelius Sigan. The reversal of the sleeping spell Morgause placed over the entire kingdom. There are so many more, I'm sure. I'm be willing to wager that you've had a hand in every magical obstacle we've overcome in the past several years. Am I right?"
Arthur was watching him closely. Merlin scratched the back of his neck, his cheeks flushed. "Well, yes," he admitted. It was strange for him to admit something like that. All these years, only Gaius had known the truth.
The king nodded, looking satisfied about something. "I thought so. You have been using magic, at the risk of your own life, to protect others. You have proven to me that magic can be a source for good. Will you help me bring magic peacefully back to this kingdom?"
Merlin tried to hide his smirk as he placed his feet on the table. He saw Arthur's eyes narrow and knew the only thing stopping the king from throwing something at him was the fact that he didn't look like himself. He was sure he would hear all the complaints about it later. "You've got a decent start."
"I do? Oh, the announcement I made today. Wait. Only my council knows about that. My own manservant wasn't even there - he was probably wasting his morning in the tavern. How do you know? Are you someone on my council?"
Merlin rolled his eyes. Why did Gaius always say he was in the tavern? Merlin could count on one hand the amount of times he'd been to the tavern since he'd moved to Camelot. "No. I'm a very powerful sorcerer. I know things. I am most certainly not on your council." And that wasn't even a lie. He was often at the council meetings, to serve Arthur, though he hadn't been there that morning. But he was not an official member.
Arthur huffed, annoyed. Merlin knew that he was anxious to discover his identity. "So you agree with what I did?"
"Oh, yes. It's an excellent place to begin."
"What should I do next? Lift the ban altogether?"
Merlin's eyes widened. "No, not yet! Before you do that, you need to implement a judicial system for magical crimes, to decide the severity of the crime and the punishment that should go with it. If you lift the ban without some sort of guidelines in place, the people will panic. And the council will never agree."
Arthur winced at that. It was obvious to Merlin, who knew him so well, that he'd had these same concerns. "I know. I don't know that I trust myself to judge these crimes fairly, though. I don't know the first thing about magic."
"You need a Court Sorcerer, someone well-versed in the different types of magic and spells."
The king looked interested. "There are different types of magic?" he asked, leaning forward.
Merlin put his feet on the floor, nodding. He stroked his long beard as he spoke. "Oh, yes. The Sidhe have their own kind of magic, one that only they can use, which they channel through enchanted staves. Well, some humans can wield a Sidhe staff, but that's very rare. There is troll magic, which you've seen." Arthur shuddered visibly. "There is the magic of the Old Religion, which is the source of all human magic. Dragons and Dragonlords also use it. Dragonlord magic is a branch of the Old Religion. Dragonlords are able to talk to and control dragons. Then there is the gift of prophecy. It's not a power that can be learned. One is either born with the gift, or not. There is a Crystal Cave which can give someone with magic a glimpse of the future." Merlin couldn't help the slight bitter note that crept into his voice when he mentioned the Crystal Cave. He had been happy in his ignorance, thank you very much.
"Have you been to this Crystal Cave?"
Merlin scowled. "Yes. Just this morning, in fact. And I do not recommend it. Knowing the future is a burden more often than not. And sometimes, when we try to change the future, we only guarantee it."
Arthur nodded thoughtfully. "Are there any other types of magic?"
"Yes. Elemental magic, which is self-explanatory. Time magic. This is mostly only used by magical creatures. Human sorcerers can't perform this kind of magic. Well, there is one human sorcerer who can." Merlin suppressed his shudder. He'd never understood why Gaius had been so frightened that first day they'd met, when he'd slowed down time to save him. But he'd realized that time magic wasn't something that a human sorcerer was supposed to be able to do. And Merlin had been doing it as long as he could remember. Sometimes, his own power frightened him. "Anyway, there is goblin magic. They mostly use it for pranks."
Arthur scowled, lightly touching his ears as if to make sure they were still little and round.
Merlin sighed. "Then there is dark magic, which is what you've seen the most of. Magic itself is neither good nor evil. The morality of magic is determined by how it is used and what the motives of the sorcerer are. There is no evil in sorcery, only in the hearts of men."
Arthur frowned. "You talk as though magic is a living thing."
"In many ways, it is. Magic is all around you. It is woven into the very fabric of the world."
"You've said that to me before."
"It's true. Arthur, every living thing has a spark of magic within it. With practice and study, one can learn to connect that internal spark with the magic of the world around them. Some people have bigger sparks than others and can more easily learn to manipulate magic."
Arthur studied him for a long moment. "I'm assuming you have a larger 'spark' than most?"
Merlin laughed without much humor. "I was born of the magic of this world. I am magic itself, apparently."
Arthur looked shocked. And a tad frightened. "You are…magic itself?"
"Basically."
The king was silent for several minutes. Then he sat up straighter. "Then you are probably very well-versed in the types of magic. Considering the explanation you just gave me, I would believe that. Perhaps you should be my Court Sorcerer."
Merlin's eyes widened, and he was already shaking his head. "Me? No."
"Why not? Isn't that what you want? A title with authority? A seat on the council?"
"No! I don't want any more power than I already have." Merlin gave a self-deprecating laugh. He wasn't exactly thrilled with the discoveries he'd made in the Crystal Cave that morning. It was a bit daunting, to know that you were magic itself. "I don't want to risk the temptation of abusing that power. I just want magic to be free again."
"And it will be, Emrys. You have my word. If you won't be the Court Sorcerer, who will? You're the only good sorcerer I know at the moment."
"I can begin a search, sire," Merlin suggested, though he wasn't sure how he would manage that without Arthur figuring out exactly who he was. If he was to do this properly, he would have to do a lot of traveling. And he didn't need Arthur thinking that he was spending even more time in the tavern. "Perhaps I'll start with the druids."
"Hmm. I suppose. I don't have any better ideas, at the moment. How will we communicate with each other? It would be much easier if I knew who you really are…" Arthur trailed off, clearly hoping that Merlin would tell him. He was apparently still convinced that Emrys wasn't his only name.
Merlin shook his head. "It's too dangerous. Morgana is determined to discover my true identity, and I cannot allow that to happen."
Arthur almost looked…hurt. "I would never betray you to Morgana."
Merlin smiled slightly. "I know that. But it's safer if I keep that information to myself. As for communication, I will contact you."
"But-"
"Goodbye!" With that, Merlin rushed out the door. The guards were still unconscious, which he'd expected. He rushed to the end of the hall and quickly shed the red robe and the aging spell - he no longer needed the potion to undo it. Since his recent trip to the Crystal Cave, he'd found a new confidence in his own skills. With one last spell, he woke the guards just as he turned the corner. They never saw him.
Arthur shook his head, watching as "Emrys" left his chambers. The man was an idiot. Did he honestly believe Arthur hadn't recognized his stupid boots when he put his feet on the table? Though the beard and old man façade was certainly a good disguise. It was obvious to him, now that he knew who the old man was, that it was Merlin beneath the wrinkles and white hair. Arthur could see Merlin in the old face, mostly in the eyes.
Arthur had agreed to his idea of searching for someone to fill the role of Court Sorcerer, even though he had every intention of appointing Merlin with that title, whether he wanted it or not. In fact, it was better that he didn't want it. That would make Merlin perfect for the role and much less likely to become corrupt from it.
He stroked his chin thoughtfully. How to convince Merlin to accept the job? He would probably have to enlist some help. Guinevere would certainly have some ideas.
He was still wrapping his mind around the idea that his clumsy best friend was magic itself. He was almost...frightened of him. Or, he would be frightened, if it was anybody but Merlin who held that kind of power.
All of the information about magic came from the Merlin Wikia website. I explained it the best way that I could. Hope it made sense. I love the idea of Arthur knowing, but Merlin not knowing that Arthur knows. He, he.
And, obviously, I took some of the stuff from the last two episodes and put it in here. I think, in the show, going to the Crystal Cave to get his magic back, Merlin learned a lot about himself. When he walked out of the cave, he just seemed so confident. I think that's when he really kind of grew into his powers. So, I gave him an excuse to visit the Crystal Cave, so he could learn all that cool stuff about himself. And I feel like it might freak him out a bit. Now he knows exactly what he's capable of.
