Sorry that this is a little late. I wasn't allowed on the laptop on Thursday because I had to help get the house ready for Christmas.

The Crowning of Merlin

Merlin stared at the clothes that were laid out in front of him. It still didn't feel real. He had been training for this role for a year but he had hoped that he would have had longer. He had hoped that he could have a family for once. Now it had gone back to just being him and his mother … and Arthur and Morgana.

He allowed himself to smile for the first time in five days. It wasn't just his mother and him any more. They may have lost his father but they had gained much more than they had lost.

"Do you need any help sire?"

Merlin turned to George. It was taking him longer than it should do to get use to people to call him sire.

"I would like to dress myself. It is the last time that I might be able to."

"Milord, you are nothing like Prince Arthur."

"I know. That prat doesn't know how to dress himself."

George allowed himself to chuckle but Merlin knew he wanted to laugh. Everyone would complain that their relationship was right when they were master and servant but they act exactly the same as they did then and everyone just sees it as them being cousins. Merlin hated the double standards.

He sighed as he stripped out of his night clothes and started to change into his ceremonial wear. It was nothing like he had to wear when Bayard was there. Merlin stopped changing and smiled at the memory of it. Yes he was poisoned that night and almost died but it showed his loyal to Arthur and vice versa.

Merlin pulled on the brown trousers before sitting on the bed to put on his boots and lace them up. Next he put on a white tunic. He picked up the sleeveless coat and held it for a moment. It had been his father's. He had always hoped that he could have an occasion to wear it other than his own coronation. He had always hoped that his father would be alive to see him wed and he would have worn it then.

Merlin skimmed his thumb over the emblem. To begin with it had been weird for the halls to be filled with blue and silver rather than red and gold. It was the only thing that his father had been certain on. The halls needed to change. It was the Eorðdraca that were the main house in Camelot, not the Pendragons any more. He had always been uncertain about the crest but his father said that it was fitting. It wasn't their real crest because that was left in the north when they were disowned. This was the crest that Edmund made when he reinvented his family. A dragon with a crown.

Merlin smiled as he put on the coat. He looked up to see Arthur standing in the doorway.

"Nearly ready?" He asked.

"Getting there."

Arthur laughed. "For once I am ready before you."

"I have been thinking a lot. About my father."

"He would be proud of you."

Merlin nodded before he picked up the gauntlet. Arthur walked over and picked up the cloak while he was doing it.

"I expected Morgana to be here."

"I told her not to worry. I said that I would be fine."

Merlin stood in front of Arthur and he threw the cloak around his shoulders and fastened the clasp.

"Do you think I will be a good king?"

Arthur looked at his cousin in disbelief. He placed his hands on his shoulders.

"Merlin, if you are only half the man your father was, you will still be a good man. If anything you cannot do worse than what this kingdom has had. My father lowered the respectably of Camelot."

"You still haven't forgiven him."

"One day I will." Arthur dropped his hands to his side. "I would have thought that he would have learnt his lesson. We could have grown up together rather than not knowing."

"But without your father's betrayal, you may have never been born and my father may have not met my mother. It was circumstance that brought things to pass."

"Ready?" Arthur asked.

"As I will ever be."

"Then by the sacred laws vested in me, I pronounce you Merlin Eorðdraca, the first of his name, King of Camelot!"

Merlin took a shaky breath before standing up and turning towards his people. He gave a smile to his mother before Arthur started off the chant.

"Long live the king!"

The hall soon filled with their voices and for a moment, Merlin believed that it was the right thing to do. He had his time to mourn. This was his time to rule and he knew how he wanted to do it.

"Arthur, a word."

Arthur turned to his cousin and nodded before finishing up his talk.

"Anything the matter?"

"I am appointing you as my personal advisor and I need your advice on something. My father was obviously assassinated. I want to find out who did it and who sent them."

"I will see what I can do. It would be the right thing to do."

Merlin nodded.

"You are still coming to terms with it."

The new king sighed. "I didn't know him for long but I wish that I could have known him for longer."

"Why don't you leave the castle for a little while?" Hunith took her sons arm and held it tight. "It will do you some good. You haven't left your room since …" She let him fill the rest of the sentence.

"It's alright for you. You can be in mourning for the rest of your life and everything will been seen as fine. I was meant to be king four days ago."

"And that is why getting out of the castle would be good for you. Arthur will think that it would be a good idea. I know how you are going to want to carry on with his work and I know how you want your reign to mirror his as he wanted to mirror his father. But would you make the decisions that you want to when you are still thinking of Balinor?"

Merlin pulled his arm of out his mother's hands and put it around her shoulders. "I just want to make him proud."

"As long as your reign isn't like Uther's, he will be proud whatever you do. He followed his heart as I am sure you will."

"I will take a couple of days out then. I will come back to court a fresh man. Everything will get back on track. We will finish his work."

Hunith smiled as they carried on walking to her chambers. Everything was going to turn right now. She knew it.