FOURTEEN: OFFICIAL (303 days)
Merlin fidgeted, uncomfortable in the new clothes. Arthur had somehow convinced him that he needed a new wardrobe to accompany his new title. He'd kept it all in the same color scheme and a similar basic style, just much better quality.
He could afford it, with the new salary he was being given.
But the new formal over robe was more cumbersome than anything else. He would definitely be taking it off as soon as he could. He pulled at it again, adjusting the sleeves, just as the door to his chambers opened. He'd also been given new chambers to go with his new title, which he'd moved into just the night before. They were very nice chambers, along the outer wall of the castle. Arthur was planning to have an enclosure built coming off of these quarters, large enough for a full-grown dragon. Aithusa would have a place to grow up in once Scathach returned her.
In some ways, though, he regretted taking the job.
"Stop," Arthur commanded. He was leaning against the wooden door, his arms folded over his chest.
"I can't help it."
"Why are you so nervous? Magic is no longer illegal. You're not going to be executed."
Merlin sighed. The council had approved a Court Sorcerer, and today was the day that Arthur was going to announce the role - and the person who was going to fill that role - to the rest of the kingdom. The council already knew that Merlin was to be the Court Sorcerer, but they were the only ones who knew. Not even the castle staff knew yet. "Not everyone on the council is happy with having a Court Sorcerer, let alone me as a Court Sorcerer."
"There were only three objections."
The warlock snorted. "Sir Brennis, Sir Caridoc, and Sir Geraint hate me, Arthur. They all want to kill me."
"No, they don't." Arthur winced. "Well, Sir Caridoc doesn't hate you. He just hates magic."
Merlin glared at him. "That's reassuring," he muttered sarcastically. He knew that Sir Brennis and Sir Geraint would always hate him. They had both lost a lot at the hands of magic. He honestly believed that they wanted to kill him.
"Out of twenty-seven votes, three objections is an excellent number. And only five members abstained from voting. Merlin, the clear majority are in favor. I knew it wouldn't be unanimous. These results are much better than I expected they would be. You've already sworn your fealty to me, in front of the council, and the official ceremony for that will be tomorrow afternoon. They'll come to trust your magic."
Merlin sighed. "Can we just get this over with?"
"You do know that there's a feast right after the official announcement today?"
Of course he knew. It was all the castle staff could talk about for the past few days - they had been especially talkative since they hadn't known what, exactly, the feast was for. "Do I have to go?" he whined, even as he walked out of his chambers.
The king easily caught up with him. "Yes, of course you have to go. The feast is in your honor, idiot."
They walked in companionable silence. In the nearly two weeks since Arthur's return, Merlin had noticed a difference in their relationship. It wasn't necessarily a bad difference. Arthur was now more likely to treat him as an equal. He didn't insult him quite so much.
In some ways, he missed how it was before Arthur had known about Emrys. He missed the simplicity, the structure. As Arthur's servant, he knew exactly what was expected of him. Now, he had no idea.
And he and Arthur were still trying to get back into an easy routine. They had moments of awkwardness as they tried to adjust to the new dynamic of their friendship. They teased back and forth still, but it didn't come quite as easily as it had before. At least there were no more secrets. The day after Arthur had returned - upset that Merlin had simply magicked himself home after all the effort they'd put into rescuing him -, the king had forced him to tell him and the queen everything. Merlin would have lost his voice if he hadn't been able to use his magic, several times, to heal his throat.
While there were some things that he missed, there were several things that he enjoyed about his new position. His new chambers were very nice. The bed was simply wonderful. He no longer had to wash Arthur's socks - that was one of his favorite parts.
Merlin was especially glad that he could finally talk freely about his magic. He didn't have to hide his gift from anyone anymore.
The king and the sorcerer stepped onto a balcony together - ironically, the same balcony Merlin had seen Uther speaking from on his first day in Camelot. Merlin stood just behind Arthur as the king looked down into the courtyard. A large crowd had gathered to hear this announcement. And every word that Arthur said today would be recorded and announced throughout the villages of Camelot.
Arthur cleared his throat. "My dear people of Camelot, today I am making an announcement that may be difficult for many of you to accept right away. I hope that you all know that I would never do anything to jeopardize the safety of the people of this kingdom.
"My father declared war on sorcery, many years ago. He was wrong. Yes, sorcery can be used for evil. This kingdom has had personal experience with the evils of magic. But it can also be used for good. By outlawing magic, my father unintentionally paved the path for its abuse.
"And so, as of today, I declare the ban on magic to be lifted. Citizens of Camelot, you are once again free to practice sorcery."
The crowed began murmuring wildly. Merlin wished he could hear exactly what they were saying. Were they scared? Angry? Relieved? He couldn't get a good view of any of their faces to be able to tell. He imagined there was a lot of fear. He hoped there was a lot of relief as well.
"Be warned," Arthur continued, "that any crime - regardless of the means by which it is committed - will be punished according to the crime itself. I admit that I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to sorcery. For that reason, I have created the position of a Court Sorcerer. This person will serve on my council, as an expert adviser on matters of sorcery. He will also handle the investigation and judgment of all magical crimes. I present to you, my Court Sorcerer, Merlin Emrys."
They had decided it would be best for him to use his druidic name as well as his given name. It was well-known and well-respected amongst the magical community. Those who knew the name would know just how powerful he was, and would hopefully be less likely to plot against Camelot while he was protecting it.
Arthur painfully kicked Merlin's shin when he didn't move. Merlin forced himself to smile and nod at the crowd.
Arthur glanced to his right, where Guinevere regally sat, watching the festivities around her. "I thought you were resting," he said. She hadn't been feeling well all morning - all week, in all actuality. She always managed to deflect him whenever he asked her about it, though. He had a sneaking suspicion that Merlin knew what was going on, but the stubborn man refused to give anything away.
And Arthur had been so busy making plans and sending invitations and getting Merlin settled in as Court Sorcerer that he hadn't really put much effort into discovering his wife's secret. He knew that she had been to Gaius, and the old man assured him that she was in good health. He wouldn't tell him anything beyond that.
Guinevere smiled warmly at her husband. "I'm feeling fine now. I wanted to come and join celebrations. For Merlin."
"He would understand. You should have Gaius look you over one more time, just to -"
"Arthur." She laid her hand over his own. "I am fine, truly. But I fear Merlin may end up drinking himself into a stupor if someone doesn't intervene soon."
Arthur looked down the table. Sure enough, Merlin was draining a goblet of wine. He wasn't drunk yet, as far as Arthur could tell, but he was close. The knights, instead of trying to pace the sorcerer's drinking, were encouraging him.
The king rolled his eyes. "That idiot," he muttered. He hurried to his friend and easily plucked the goblet from his hand. "I think you've had enough for now. I need you to have your wits about you if you're going to make a good impression."
Merlin narrowed his eyes. "And just who am I making a good impression on?"
Arthur grinned. "The ladies of the court, of course. You are now a prominent member of my council. It would be good for you to make an advantageous match."
The knights started chuckling. "Match?" Merlin repeated.
"Marriage."
Merlin just stared at him.
Arthur was mostly teasing his friend, of course. He didn't expect Merlin to marry anytime soon. Nor did he expect him to marry for any reason other than love - how hypocritical would that be? But he couldn't resist nudging Merlin along a bit.
It was also extremely entertaining to watch Merlin squirm.
"What about Leon?" Merlin demanded. "He's been on your council for ages, and he's still unmarried. You're not trying to arrange a match for him."
Leon held up his hands. "Don't drag me into this argument. I happen to be courting someone at the moment."
"Merlin," Arthur said, pulling his friend to his feet and ignoring his many protests. "Just go mingle." He pushed him into the crowd of noble men and women.
Instead of introducing himself and mingling, as he'd been told, Merlin just stood there. Arthur sighed, shaking his head. "Gwaine, perhaps you should go help him."
It was only after Gwaine clapped Merlin on the shoulder and started leading him toward a group of ladies that Arthur realized he'd been manipulated by his wife. She had distracted him on purpose.
Merlin was finally able to make his escape when Gwaine got distracted by the flirtations of several of the court ladies - not to mention the many goblets of wine he'd consumed.
Merlin had had absolutely nothing in common with any of the women. And he had seen the fear in their eyes. They were scared of him, of his magic. Terrified, even. It wasn't as if he hadn't expected it. Nearly every person in the castle was afraid of him now that they knew he was a sorcerer. Ever since Arthur's announcement earlier in the day, he'd been getting looks of fear from all the people he'd encountered. He hoped it would change in time, but he wasn't too optimistic.
Until then, he had absolutely no intention of flirting with women who so obviously feared him.
He slipped into the hallway, and leaned against the stones. He closed his eyes. He was glad that no one had followed him.
"Merlin."
He started, looking around. On a chair against the opposite wall sat Gwen. Her face had a very slight green tinge to it. She gave him a small smile. "Overwhelmed?"
He nodded. "I'm not used to having so many people stare at me. I've become more accustomed to being in Arthur's shadow. I didn't realize how much I liked being in his shadow."
The queen chuckled softly. "I know the feeling, believe me. It's quite an adjustment."
Merlin nodded again. It was nice to know that he had someone else who understood his situation. "It doesn't help that Arthur is trying to…basically marry me off."
"He isn't trying to marry you off, Merlin. He just wants you to be happy. And he thinks that having a lady to dote on will help you be happy."
"That's stupid. That is...That really is incredibly stupid." Merlin scrubbed his face. He sighed. "I am happy. Magic is free once again. I don't think now is the time for me to be worrying about romance. I want to get settled into my role first."
Gwen nodded in understanding. She had a sheepish expression on her face. "I suppose I should apologize. I sent Arthur your way, to keep him from asking questions about me. He was worried that I wasn't resting as I'd said I would."
"You still haven't told him." He didn't state it as a question. He knew she hadn't told Arthur. If she had, he would have heard about it. "You have to tell him soon. I don't know how much longer I can keep this secret from him."
She gave him a knowing smile. "Merlin. We both know that you are incredibly capable of keeping large secrets for long periods of time."
He sighed. He supposed he deserved that comment. "Gwen. Please. Just tell him. I'm tired of keeping secrets, of any kind."
"I'll tell him tomorrow."
He arched an eyebrow in her direction. "You said that yesterday, and the day before that. And you still haven't done it."
She winced. "I know. I'll tell him, I promise I will."
"Tomorrow, Gwen, or I'll tell him myself."
She sighed. "Tomorrow," she agreed.
I imagine that now that Arthur knows the truth (and Merlin knows that he knows), they're friendship is going to have a slightly different dynamic than it used to. I mean, Arthur has spent years belittling Merlin only to find out that he could destroy him if he really wanted to. So it will take some time for them to get back to the way things were - and I don't think they'll ever get back to exactly how things were. Enjoy!
