Five: Round Table Mutterings (330 days)
It took Arthur nearly two more weeks before he felt comfortable bringing it up to the council. In that time, he hadn't been contacted by "Emrys" again. Merlin was still looking exhausted. Arthur tried to go easy on him without making it obvious what he was doing. He really did appreciate Merlin's efforts.
Arthur watched as his council gathered at the Round Table - mostly made up his most loyal knights, in addition to Guinevere, Gaius, and Geoffrey of Monmouth. And, of course, Merlin was there to serve Arthur. He didn't hold an official seat on the council. Not yet, at any rate. Arthur still hadn't thought of a way to convince his stubborn friend to take the position.
Once everyone was seated, Arthur stood and cleared his throat. "As you all know," he began, "I recently traveled to speak to the Disir. They hold a lot of authority within the Old Religion."
As he'd expected, many members of the council began murmuring at the mention of the Old Religion. He could hear fear and mistrust in their voices. He held up his hand, cutting them all off. "Please. We must not fear the Old Religion. We -"
"Sire," Sir Brennis interrupted. It took Arthur by surprise. Merlin was usually the only person brave enough to interrupt him in public. He wasn't used to his knights doing it as well. "Have you already forgotten all that Morgana has done in the name of the Old Religion? All of the destruction that she has caused?"
"Of course I haven't. But Morgana is one person, abusing the powers of the Old Religion." Out of the corner of his eye, Arthur saw Merlin not just once, looking…proud. That gave Arthur a small boost in his confidence - not that he'd ever tell his servant that. He stood a bit straighter. "I know that we have all seen the evils that magic can do. But it can also be used for good."
"Good," Sir Geraint scoffed. "My sister was killed by sorcery."
Arthur sighed. Then he repeated something that Merlin had said to him. "Magic is neither good nor evil. There is no evil in sorcery, only in the hearts of men." He suddenly was very glad that Merlin didn't know that Arthur knew his secret. He was actually smirking, the smug little -
"Magic is corruptive," Sir Brennis argued.
Arthur struggled to organize his thoughts. "It…can be. But not in the way that you mean. Magic is…" he trailed off, floundering. He wasn't sure what to say, how to explain it.
Guinevere squeezed his hand as she stood. She smoothed her skirts. "Magic is power, it is authority. We all know that any type of authority can be corruptive. Having a position of power can lead some people to greedy and selfish behaviors, and that is not limited to magical power."
A poignant silence filled the room. Guinevere nodded to her husband and sat back down. He smiled gratefully at her. "We have spent so much time worrying about the evils that have been inflicted using magic that we haven't seen much of the good it can do."
Murmurs ran through the council again, but there was a little less fear and a little more speculation. Arthur felt himself smile slightly. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
"I myself have been on the receiving end of good magic on more than one occasion. Leon was saved by the druids a while back, and he believes they used magic to do so."
Leon nodded in agreement. "I would not be alive today if they hadn't done so."
Arthur took a deep breath before saying his next statement - he knew it wasn't going to be received well. "In fact, Camelot would not be standing today were it not for magic."
Silence, then:
"Preposterous!"
"Of all the ridiculous…"
"Sorcery has nearly destroyed Camelot!"
"Silence!" All eyes went to Percival. Not another word was spoken. The large knight nodded to his king. "Continue, sire."
Arthur nodded gratefully in return. He was glad that the giant of a man seemed to be on his side in this. "Thank you. I was told of a sorcerer named Emrys. He is very powerful, and he has been using his magic to protect this kingdom. And he never once asked for credit or recognition. He never asked for authority or status. He is a good man, I believe that. He is proof that magic can be used for good."
"Sire, you've obviously been lied to. Sorcery can only be used for evil," Sir Caridoc said.
Arthur heard Merlin sigh sadly, even as Gaius slowly rose to his feet. "Sire, if I may speak?"
The king gestured, signaling Gaius to continue. The old man was always polite at council meetings. He looked out at his fellow members. "Many of you are too young to remember much of the days before the Great Purge," he said. And in fact, he and Geoffrey were the only two on the council who had been adults during the time of the Purge. "I do remember. Magic was used to cure illnesses or heal the wounded. It was used as protection. Yes, there were some who abused it, but there were many more who used magic to do good."
Sir Brennis sneered. "And there will always be those who will abuse it."
"Which is why," Arthur cut in, "I propose that we appoint a Court Sorcerer, someone who is able to regulate the use of magic in Camelot and ensure that it is not abused. Someone who we can consult on matters of sorcery. Someone who can use his or her own magic to protect this kingdom. I wish to establish a Court Sorcerer. Then I will lift the ban on magic."
The uproar was immediate. It took Arthur nearly ten minutes to quiet everyone down. When he finally did, he said, in a tone that left little room for argument, "I fully intend to lift the ban on magic within the next year. I would rather do it with your approval, but I will do it without, if necessary."
"Sire, you can't -"
"I can, Sir Brennis. I respect the opinion of every person on this council. And I will give you all a chance to speak your minds, but in the end, I must do what I feel to be right. I know that this is not an easy change, but it is what is best for Camelot. I will not make the same mistakes that my father made. My father was a great man and king, but he was blinded when it came to sorcery. I've been blinded when it comes to sorcery. We have all formed a hatred toward magic, a hatred that is not entirely warranted. This hatred has left our kingdom vulnerable."
Gwaine frowned at him. He didn't look particularly angry, not like many of the other members of the council. In fact, none of his closest friends looked angry. Leon, Elyan, Gwaine, Percival, and Mordred all seemed to be listening to him closely and without any anger or fear. Mordred was even smiling happily. "How so?" Gwaine asked, sounding more curious than anything else.
Arthur sighed. "How many times have we have been attacked by magic? Often. I know now that not all sorcerers have ill intentions, but there are many out there that feel that they have been wronged and have tried to take retribution for that. Gaius, how many of these offensive spells against Camelot have required magic in order to defeat them?"
Gaius, looking a little uncomfortable, replied, "There have been several, sire. I'm not sure of the exact number."
Arthur looked out at his council, meeting each of them in the eye. "I had always thought that we had managed to find a way to defeat these spells without using magic. I was a fool. No matter how mighty the sword, there are some spells that can only be countered with other spells. Camelot would have been destroyed long ago without magic being used in our defense. It was quite fortunate for us that we had Emrys to defeat those spells using his magic. Think how much better we could protect ourselves from magic if we used it as well."
The council was silent, mulling it over. That was a good sign. He still saw several faces that looked extremely angry, but nobody else spoke out. And many of the council members looked as if they were at least giving the idea serious thought.
"I don't expect any answers today. Think on it. I would much prefer having your approval for a Court Sorcerer. Dismissed."
Chairs scraped across the floor. Whispered conversations began as the members left the room. Arthur and Guinevere remained sitting. Merlin was still there, of course. He hadn't said anything during the meeting. He didn't usually.
Mordred paused near the door and looked back at the king. "For what it's worth, sire, I think it's an excellent idea." He shared a small smile with Merlin before leaving. The strange thing was that Merlin returned the smile.
Arthur frowned at that. Merlin had always distrusted Mordred, for some reason. The king had never understood it. And now, suddenly, they were on good terms? Arthur added that to the list of things he would get clarification on once Merlin revealed his secret.
"I don't know if I'll get them all to agree," he said, once the council had dispersed. "It would be much better if I could get the full approval of the council before I implement it."
Guinevere patted his arm. "I'm sure they'll come around. You can't implement it until you find a sorcerer to fill the position, anyway."
Arthur scowled. "I've heard nothing from Emrys. I feel like this is such a slow process. I know we still have three-hundred and thirty days to bring magic back, but I just wish we could get it done sooner." He was accutely aware of exactly how much time he had left to complete his task.
The queen nodded, opening her mouth to respond. Instead, she yawned widely.
Arthur narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you all right?"
"I'm just tired."
"You've been tired a lot in the past week. Are you feeling ill? Merlin, does the queen look ill to you?"
"Arthur," Guinevere protested, even as Merlin studied her face. "I am fine."
"She doesn't look ill, Arthur."
"See? Listen to Merlin. I'm fine. There has just been a lot going on. That's all. Don't worry."
Merlin sent his master a small smirk. "Yes, Arthur. Listen to me."
Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Shut up, Merlin."
