It was early to mid morning when Merlin woke up. He looked around the room he was in, glancing at the sleeping forms of Lancelot and Arthur. Merlin sighed and got out of bed. He dressed in a simple blue shirt, black pants and a black robe. He walked over to Arthur and shook him. "Come on sire, wake up." Arthur groaned and rolled over. Merlin sighed and went to open the windows. Sun filled the room, causing the two sleeping men to groan. "Alright you two, up you get." Merlin yelled.
Lancelot groggily sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "I'm up, I'm up." Arthur followed a few minutes later. Merlin helped Arthur dress and they left the room. Gaius and Uther were already up, sitting by the fire. Gaius was reading something at the table. Gwen walked out of the room followed closely by Elyan. "Where are the others?" Lancelot asked.
"Probably still asleep" Arthur huffed.
"I'll be right back." Merlin sighed and went into another room.
The others went to sit down around the living area.
"What are you reading Gaius?" Gwen asked.
"Oh, I don't really know what it is, but has interesting things written inside of it." He held up the gray, flimsy paper and showed the rest. Pictures moved above neatly arranged words.
"You shouldn't be touching anything belonging to a sorcerer Gaius, who knows what it could do." Uther said.
"I don't think this can do anything. I think that is just a means of information." Gaius opened the paper again. A few minutes later, Merlin arrived with the rest of their group.
"So, Remus is supposed to come back today. Do you think he will tell us more about what he knows? I mean, Dumbledore did say he would give us a history lesson." Merlin said.
"I think it would be interesting to know what role we play in this." Lancelot said.
"I have no wish to know, this sorcerer will lie just like all the rest of his kind." Uther spat.
"Father, I think we should here him out. I don't think he would lie to us. Besides, if Merlin has magic, then it can't be all that bad." Arthur said.
"What?" Merlin asked
"Well, look at you; you and evil don't belong in the same sentence." Arthur said, causing most to chuckle.
"Good morning everyone, I hope you slept well." A voice greeted.
They turned to see Tonks carefully walking down the stairs. "Yes, thank you" Arthur nodded.
Tonks walked over to the table and picked up the paper that Gaius had been reading. "Hmm, it seems that the last of the death eaters have been caught." She said to herself.
"Death eaters, what are those?" Gwaine asked.
"They are followers of an evil wizard named Voldemort. He died about four years ago. We fought two wars against him, he finally died." Tonks explained.
"Wow, two wars" Lancelot whispered.
"So what are you reading?" Gaius asked, "I was looking at it earlier."
"This is our newspaper, The Daily Prophet. Haven't you heard of it?" Tonks asked.
"Can't say that I have" Gaius responded, "What is it for?"
"It's a paper that helps spread news around to whoever reads it. It's a way for people to keep updated on what is happening around the world." Tonks explained.
"Sounds effective." Arthur said.
"Yeah, but sometimes, especially during the war, things they were publishing were lies." Tonks frowned. She looked up at the clock and walked to the stairs. "Teddy, it's time for breakfast." There was no response. She took a deep breath, "Teddy Remus Lupin, you get down here this instant!" She shouted. Muffled footsteps were heard and soon a panting boy came running down the stairs. "Good you are here. Now, let's go to breakfast. Your father should be there." She led the group out to the Great Hall.
When they got to the Great Hall, they saw Remus talking to one of the Professors. "Dad!" Teddy shouted and ran to his father. Remus smiled and stood up to take his son in his arms. "Hey Teddy, how are you?"
"Great now that you're here." Teddy smiled and hugged his father tighter.
"What, your mother isn't enough company for you?" Remus chuckled.
"No" Teddy replied
"Hey, I'm great company" Tonks huffed and ruffled her son's bright turquoise hair.
They all sat down and Albus came in, "Ah, administrators, I see you have settled in quite nicely."
"Yes" Arthur said.
"Good, school starts tomorrow, you have till then to work out your schedule with Mr. Lupin." Albus smiled. They nodded.
After breakfast, Tonks left for work and Teddy went to a friend's house. Remus walked into his quarters with the group behind him.
"I'm glad you are feeling better Remus." Gwen smiled
"Thank you Gwen."
"Is it okay that Tonks is going to work? I mean, isn't she pregnant?" Merlin asked.
Remus chuckled, "She is only three months pregnant. She can still work; they just have her on desk duty. She isn't any part of the action." (I don't know when women go on maternity leave…nor do I want to look it up ^-^)
"Times have certainly changed." Arthur said.
"Yes, they have. So, Merlin, what is your new name?"
"Balinor" Merlin replied
"Good, not a bad name at all." Remus smiled.
"Remus, Dumbledore said that you could tell us more about the past, could you?" Merlin asked.
"Oh, of course, follow me." He led them to a door on the other side of the living room. He opened it to reveal a large library. "Sit" he gestured to a large table in the middle.
"I guess I should start with the prophecy." He looked around, when he saw no objections, he continued, "Back when time was just beginning, a prophecy was written. The Once and Future King will unite the lands under a just rule. He will become the greatest king the world has ever known. However, the ones who wrote the prophecy knew that this king would face many challenges and threats on his life so they created a protector, someone who had the power to defeat any foe trying to hurt the king."
"So I am supposed to be this 'Once and Future King', and Merlin is my protector?" Arthur asked.
"That is correct, has your life not been in danger?" Remus asked.
Merlin snorted, "Yes, many times. I've saved his royal backside more times than I can count."
"Well, there you have it. You are the prophesied king. Though, I already knew that from the books and legends."
"Continue with the story Remus, where do we fit into this?" Leon asked.
"When Arthur became king, he made a new type of government. Though he was the king, he was just as important as anyone else. When people think about King Arthur, they mostly think about the noble knights, Excalibur, and the round table."
The knights looked at each other. "Round table, what is that?" Uther asked.
"It is what is what is; a round table." Remus smirked. Uther scowled.
"The old kings used it; we found one in an abandoned castle when Morgana still had control of Camelot." Arthur explained.
"What does the round table have to do with anything?" Percival asked.
"The round table is what Arthur used when he had meetings with his knights. Since the table was round, everyone was equal since there was no head. Everyone had a right to speak and to be listened to."
"What about Excalibur, I've never heard of it." Arthur said.
"Oh, Excalibur is Arthur's fabled sword. Legend says he pulled it out of a stone. Only the true king would be able to pull it out."
"Wow, I wonder if it exists now." Gwaine said.
"It does." Merlin said.
Everyone looked at him, "How would you know that Merlin?" Arthur asked.
"Because I made it"
"What?" Everyone said.
"When Tristan came, I couldn't let you die. I asked Kilgharrah how you could defeat the living dead and he said that only a sword burnished by a dragon's flame could do it. I went to Gwen and asked for her best sword, then had Kilgharrah burnish it. Unfortunately, Uther used it. Kilgharrah got really mad so I hid it in the Lake of Avalon. Later on, I went to retrieve it so we could fight Morgana's army of the living dead. I used it to kill the soldiers and empty the blood from the cup of life. After that, I took the sword and pushed it into a stone."
"Well, you learn something new every day." Remus chuckled.
"So, are we part of the knights?" Gwaine asked.
"Yes, Lancelot being the most famous." Gwaine huffed.
"Gwaine died in the king's service." Most gasped and looked at Gwaine.
"No one knows how you die, just that you were protecting Arthur." Remus frowns.
"Eh, that's alright. If I'm dead, then I can have all the mead I want." Gwaine smiled. Remus laughed.
"So you are all the original knights of the round table?" The knights nodded and smiled.
"We were knighted before we left to take back Camelot from Morgana." Elyan said.
"So what about after Albion is united. What role do I take?" Merlin asked.
"Well, that's where everything differs. The Legends depict Merlin as an old man who mentors and advises Arthur. Since Arthur became king at a young age, Merlin was a mentor and a friend. I wouldn't have guessed Merlin was the same age as Arthur."
"Well, I guess not all history can be correct." Arthur said.
"What about me and Morgana?" Gwen asked.
"Gwen was said to be a princess that later became Arthur's queen." Remus said. Arthur and Gwen smiled at each other.
"Morgana was killed by Merlin" Merlin sighed and hung his head.
"What about Mordred?" Merlin asked.
"That druid boy that escaped Camelot?" Arthur asked.
"It doesn't say when, but well after Arthur has established his life, Mordred kills Arthur."
"What? But he's just a boy." Arthur gasped.
"Well, he grows up and it is his destiny to kill you." Merlin said.
"Don't worry Merlin, Arthur's son takes over and, with your help, he was as great a king as his father was." Remus assured.
"Wait? I'm still alive?" Merlin asked.
"Of course, you stay alive for quite awhile. Most think it was due to the fact that your magic was so powerful. A few generations pass in the Pendragon family and an ancestor of Arthur's turns against you. To my knowledge, he targeted those with magic. In an attempt to save his kind, you take everyone with magic and disappear. You create a world separate from those without magic. You create the world we live in today."
"So I live to be what?" Merlin asked.
"At least 2,000 years old" Remus said.
"Wow" They said.
"Did Merlin ever have children?" Arthur asked.
"Um, I don't know, no one really knows." Remus said.
"What does that mean?" Gwaine asked.
"Merlin hid his family. No one knows for sure he even had a family until they found some things at his manor."
"What is a manor?" Merlin asked.
"It is larger than a house, but smaller than a castle." Remus explained.
"So no one knows who Merlin's heir is?" Percival asked.
"Exactly, Merlin didn't have a last name, so it could be anyone." Remus said.
"Well, does anyone else have an heir?" Lancelot asked.
"I know for sure that Arthur's ancestors still live, but they are muggle and probably don't know their origin. I don't think Gwaine has any. Lancelot does for sure, again, they are muggles. Leon's descendents have recently died, making their family line die. Percival, I believe you still have a few people around the muggle world. I believe that that is it." Remus said.
"Wow, I get married." Lancelot whispered in awe.
"Good for you Lancelot." Gwaine smirked
"So are there any similarities with our world and yours?" Gaius asked.
"Well, the wizarding world hasn't changed much, but the muggle world has advanced beyond anything anyone can imagine. Even though our world and your world are similar, there are a few major differences. For example, we use wands while you don't. Our spells are in Latin instead of Old English (forgive me if Harry Potter spells aren't Latin). Also the power of magic has been diluted."
"What do you mean?" Arthur asked.
"Well, sorcerers in your time learn magic, very few are born with it. In this time, to be a witch or wizard you have to be born with it. Also, magic isn't always passed down from parent to children; many pure blood families have non-magic children, or Squibs, as we call them. Muggles can also have magical children, so magic can be found in almost everyone." Remus explained.
"What about the level of magic?" Gaius asked.
"I believe that in your time, only the weaker sorcerers needed an object to focus their powers correct?" Remus asked.
Merlin and Gaius nodded.
"Well now the average wizard needs a wand to perform spells. The simple ones are easy to do without a wand and nonverbally, but most can't even perform those without the use of a wand." Remus demonstrated by creating a small ball of fire in his hand. Merlin stared at the blue flame in amazement, then brought his hand up to his mouth and blew, creating his own fire.
"So you can do these nonverbal spells?" Percival asked Remus.
"Yes, I have found that I don't really need to use my wand. I only use it to not draw attention to myself." He smiled.
"Then you must be powerful." Gaius said.
"Not really, my friend Harry can do just as much as I can, maybe even more." Remus blushed, but Gaius gave him a disbelieving look.
"What about the Old Religion?" Merlin asked.
"Ah, yes, I haven't heard that in a while." Remus smiled.
"Do people still practice it? I mean, it has to be still around." Merlin said.
"Of course it's still around; it is what binds the world together. It's just that I only know one person who still practices it." Remus said.
"Who?" Merlin asked leaning forward.
"Me, a friend taught me when I was just a boy." Remus said.
"Wow, do you know the language?" Merlin asked.
"Only a little, my friend died when I was seventeen, she didn't finish teaching me." Remus said.
"Wow, that's great though, the Old Religion is still practiced, even after all this time." Merlin smiled.
"That may be, but you were the last priest of the Old Religion. Now there are only followers, and even then, very few." Remus said.
"Well, if you want to finish your education, Gaius can help." Merlin smiled.
"I'll think about it." Remus chuckled.