FOUR: Court Sorcerer (343 days)
Arthur waited until morning to talk to Guinevere. As they ate their breakfast, with Merlin gathering the dirty laundry, he said, "I met Emrys yesterday."
Merlin paused for a very brief moment. Arthur pretended not to notice. This could be fun.
Guinevere looked at her husband in surprise. He hadn't said anything to her the night before. Partly because she had been excited about her day with her brother. But mostly because he'd wanted to watch Merlin's reactions as he talked about him. "You did? Was he helpful?"
Smirking slightly, Arthur leaned back in his chair. He was watching Merlin out of the corner of his eye. "Hardly." He saw Merlin's fists clench around the basket as he lifted it. "The old mad did suggest that I appoint a Court Sorcerer to oversee the punishment of magical crimes, but I probably would have come up with that on my own. Eventually. When I offered he position to him, he declined. Well, it was probably for the better. I'm sure he's an idiot."
Merlin stormed toward the door.
Guinevere looked rather confused.
"Oh, and his teeth, Guinevere. Absolutely horrid. The stench, though, that was the worst. He -"
Merlin left the room, slamming the door loudly behind him. Arthur laughed. It was so easy to ruffle the man's feathers.
Guinevere looked between the door and her husband. Her brows were furrowed. "What was that all about?"
He leaned forward, lowering his voice. The doors and walls of the castle were thick, so he wasn't necessarily worried about being overheard. But he would rather err on the side of caution. "I know who Emrys is, who he really is. He came to me as an old man, about eighty years old, but I think he was using a spell to make himself appear that way."
"Who is he? Do I know him? And what does that have to do with Merlin?"
He nodded. "You see Emrys every morning. And most evenings."
Guinevere's eyes widened. She looked at the door again. "Merlin?" Arthur nodded. "Our Merlin is…a sorcerer? No. I don't believe it."
"I'm certain that he is. It makes sense, Guinevere. Very strange things happen when he's around. I'm sure you've noticed that. What I don't believe is the fact that he's been able to keep it hidden for as long. He's terrible at lying and keeping secrets."
"Except when it's truly important, apparently. Does he know that you know?"
Arthur shook his head. "I want him to tell me himself. I don't think he will, not until Morgana is destroyed. He said that she's intent on finding out who 'Emrys' is. That might be why she hasn't openly attacked us. Perhaps she knows how powerful 'Emrys' is, and that he's been protecting Camelot."
"I have wondered why she hasn't done anything recently. Why Emrys? Why would he choose that name?"
Arthur shook his head again, chuckling. "I don't know. He claimed that it's his real name, though we both know better. It's better than Dragoon."
Guinevere stared at her husband. "Dragoon? He's the sorcerer who healed my father! And the one who…" she trailed off, looking uncomfortable. Neither of them liked to discuss the death of Arthur's father.
The king sighed. His father's death still caused him pain, but there was no longer anger attached to that pain. He understood that Merlin had truly tried to heal Uther. "The one who tried to heal my father," he said. Guinevere had not been there either of the times that Arthur had met "Dragoon," but she had been told of the encounters. "Morgana found a way to reverse his healing spell. Merlin didn't kill my father. Morgana did."
"Of course Merlin didn't kill him. He never would." She chuckled softly. "Dragoon. I always thought that was a ridiculous name."
Arthur snorted. "Only Merlin could come up with something so stupid."
"Be nice," Guinevere rebuked. Then she looked thoughtful. "Merlin has magic. It makes sense. I have seen some very strange things happen around him. Did you really ask him to be the Court Sorcerer?"
"Of course I did. Don't tell him I said this, but I wouldn't trust anyone else with the title." He frowned at her, watching her quietly finish her breakfast. "Why? Do you think it would be a mistake?"
She shook her head. "No, no! I think it's brilliant. But you know Merlin won't accept. I think he prefers working from the shadows."
The king grunted in agreement and frustration. "The damn idiot doesn't want the position because he's worried about the power corrupting him. He's afraid he'd abuse the authority. I know he never would. He couldn't, even if wanted to. He's too…Merlin."
Guinevere laughed softly at that.
"What? What's funny?"
"It's just…I've seen Merlin try to be evil, and he's absolutely terrible at it. He tried to kill you once, you know."
Arthur couldn't believe that. One thing that he had never doubted in all these years was Merlin's loyalty. Merlin was fierce in his attempts to protect his master. And while they insulted each other constantly, he believed that Merlin never truly wanted him harmed in any way. He couldn't imagine Merlin trying to kill him. "Me? Merlin tried to kill me? When?"
She struggled not to laugh as she explained. "Do you remember when he went missing, and you later found him in a bog? It was before we were married."
Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Yes…"
"Morgana had captured him. She used dark magic on him, so he was consumed with the thought of killing you. He was a terrible assassin, though. Even under a spell of dark magic, he was a terrible assassin. He later managed to break the spell - maybe using magic himself, I'm not sure."
Arthur should have been angry. He, at the very least, should have been worried that Morgana had managed to come so close to killing him.
Instead, he was amused. And satisfied. "I knew it! He doesn't have an evil bone in his body. Guinevere, Camelot needs him as Court Sorcerer. He may prefer to work in the shadows, but the kingdom needs him working in the open. I just don't know how to make him see that."
"Hmm. I'll have to think on it."
Arthur sighed. "As will I. In the meantime, I need to talk to Gaius again. I like Merlin's idea. I just don't know how to word it to the council in order to get them to agree. Gaius might have a suggestion."
Arthur sat back once he'd finished telling Gaius what "Emrys" had told him the day before. "What do you think? Is a Court Sorcerer the best course of action?"
Gaius looked thoughtful. Arthur wondered if Merlin would have discussed his idea with his mentor before he'd mentioned it to Arthur. Gaius had to know that Merlin was Emrys. His reaction when he'd heard the name told Arthur that he knew. "Yes, I think that would work. How will you decide who the Court Sorcerer will be?"
Arthur studied the old man. He wondered if Gaius would ask for the position, as he had once been practiced magic. As much as he respected Gaius, he was hesitant to give the title to him. Gaius was very old. "Emrys said that he'll begin searching. I think he was going to start with the druids. But I don't know any sorcerers well enough to simply appoint someone. Except Emrys. I feel I can trust him. I want him as my Court Sorcerer."
Gaius seemed shocked by that. "Sire, you've only met him once."
"Three times, actually. But I feel like I've known him for years. I feel like he's a close friend, someone I can trust with my life."
Arthur was watching Gaius carefully. The old man was looking decidedly nervous. Yes, he definitely knew Merlin's secret. How long had Gaius known?
Before either of them could say anything, the door opened.
Merlin walked in, covered in mud and hay and manure, a scowl on his face. He was carrying a pitcher of water, probably to clean up with. His scowl only deepened when he saw Arthur. "Come to give me more chores, sire?"
"Merlin! You stink worse than Emrys!"
Merlin's scowl deepened further.
Arthur stood, struggling to keep his face neutral. "I'm going to use Emrys's idea. I'm going to appoint a Court Sorcerer. While he's out searching for a possible sorcerer to fill that position, I'm going to bring the proposition to the council. Just as soon as I figure out the best way to phrase it to them."
Arthur left, his mind reeling. There was so much to do. He had to get Merlin to reveal his magic to him, he had to convince Merlin to accept the role of Court Sorcerer, he had to get his council to agree to having a Court Sorcerer - he didn't necessarily have to have the council's approval since he was king, but he knew the transition would be better if he did have their approval.
And on top of all of that, he needed to eliminate the threat that Morgana had become. In all honesty, though, he wasn't too worried about her at the moment. It had been a long time since Morgana had done anything against the kingdom, and it seemed like she was too afraid of "Emrys" to launch any full-scale attacks.
He laughed, shaking his head. He could only imagine how angry Morgana would be if she ever discovered that Emrys was Merlin, of all people.
Merlin poured the pitcher of water into a bowl and then he stripped off his tunic. He set to work trying to get rid of the stench that clung to him. He hated mucking out the stables.
"Was Arthur asking you about my suggestion of Court Sorcerer?" he asked, using a rag to scrub at his face.
Gaius sighed, nodding his head. "Yes. He liked the idea. Good job, Merlin. In fact, he wants you to fulfill the role. Well, he wants Emrys to fulfill the role."
Merlin scowled, shaking his head. "That is not my destiny. I'm meant to serve Arthur, not be a member of court."
Gaius arched that eyebrow of his. "There are more ways than one to serve, my boy. Everyone on the council serves Arthur in their own way. You would be able to serve the king just as well as Court Sorcerer as you do now, if not better."
"I might be able to serve him as Court Sorcerer, but I wouldn't be able to protect him, not like I can now. As his servant, I'm expected to be by his side. The job of Court Sorcerer would put me on the council. And as a council member, I wouldn't be able to be his servant any longer. I couldn't protect him as well as I do now. Besides, I don't want the power that would come from such a title. I have enough power as it is."
"You are more capable of remaining pure of heart than you believe."
Merlin didn't argue with his mentor, though he didn't exactly agree with him.
