Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.
Chapter fifty-four: Meetings and peace talks in Powys.
Merlin enters the council hall, Freya walked beside him and behind them the others walked. Jared was bound with the enchanted ropes Merlin and Freya had been bound with, while Bercilak and Gilli walked either side of him, to make sure he didn't escape. Kara and Eira walked only a couple them, hands resting on their weapons and ready for any sudden attack. Behind them walked Tyr and Daegal, supporting Sefa, who had been injured in the fight.
Ruadan stepped forward at the sight of his daughter.
"How did this happen?" He demands.
Sefa quickly answers. "I'm fine, father, we were forced to attack and kill some Orcs close to the outlying villages."
The head councilman walks forward. "You have a prisoner. GUARDS!"
A small group of guards enter the hall and quickly take Jared from between Bercilak and Gilli.
"Take him to the dungeons. His trial will be at dawn tomorrow." The head councilman informs the guards and the council, before turning to Merlin. "You will not be required to attended, due to a prearranged event."
Merlin nodes. "Thank you... I have some information I think the council would like to hear."
"Then speak." The head councilman nodes.
Merlin steps forward so he stands before the council. "When we reached the outlying villages, Freya and I were caught by Orcs. When we were taken to the village Jared and the Ocrs were using as a base, among the dead were men from Amata... Their cloaks bore no crest, but amount their person they carried the seal of king Sarrum."
The council instantly started yelling, talking and arguing among themselves. Merlin turns and holds out his hand, with flash of his eyes a purple cloak, a ring bearing king Sarrum seal and a letter sealed by the royal markings of Amata, appear in Merlin's hands. He hands them to the head councilman.
The head councilman takes them. "This could mean war, we must be ready to fight a war on two fronts."
"We cannot fight a war on to front," A councilman speaks up. "Our forces would be spread to thin. All those able to fight must be fighting against Mordred and his army if we are to have any hope of winning!"
"We may have no choice, if King Arthur of Camelot signs the treaty with King Sarrum of Amata, we will be at war." The head councilman answers.
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Merlin stood in the council hall, Freya and the others had gone, along with the council. But Merlin still had things he needed to do, tomorrow he was getting married and he still hadn't made any preparations or plans. He needed to ask a druid elder to conduct the hand fasting ceremony and get a messenger to take an invitation to Gaius, in the hopes he'd be able to attend the wedding.
The head councilman had also informed him, before the council were dismissed, that he was to attend a feast in Powys tonight. King Olaf was holding a feast, King Godwin and king Rodor would be attending. All three kings had agreed to sign a peace treaty, so now all Merlin had to do was attend the feast and hope it went well. King Olaf and king Godwin, like Queen Annis, held little respect for King Sarrum and often sided themselves with those who held no alliance with Sarrum.
Merlin spun on his heels as the door behind him opened and Iseldir entered.
"Emrys." Iseldir bows his head.
Merlin smiles and returns the gesture. "Iseldir."
"I trust you are well." Iseldir speaks, having heard about the fight with the Orcs.
"I'm fine," Merlin answers. "But that's not the reason I asked you to come here... I wanted to ask you a question."
Iseldir nodes. "I'll answer to the best of my knowledge."
"It's about the wedding tomorrow." Merlin answers, shaking his head slightly.
"There is nothing to worry about Emrys," Iseldir answers, calmly. "The ceremony is straight forward."
Merlin shakes his head again. "I'm not worried about that... I wanted to asks you if you could conduct the ceremony."
Iseldir stares at Merlin for a moment, speechless.
"I have to choice a druid elder to conduct the ceremony," Merlin explains, trying to fill the silence. "You are the only druid elder I know... I mean I know the other elders, of course I do, I'm the druid king... What I mean is, you're the only druid elder I would trust, as a friend, to conduct the ceremony."
"It would be my honour, Emrys." Iseldir answers.
At that moment the door opens once more and Alator enters the hall.
"Alator." Merlin greets.
Alator nodes. "Merlin. Iseldir. I trust I'm not interrupting?"
"No," Merlin shakes his head. "I wanted to asks you both about the ceremony tomorrow."
"What about the ceremony?" Alator asks.
Merlin shifted slightly. "I wanted to asks, if you could be present for the ceremony... The only family I have is my mother, my uncle and Alice... And Freya has no family... So could you be there for the ceremony."
Alator thinks for a moment. "I will have to speak with the Catha members, we leave for the mountains at dawn... But I would be honoured to attended."
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Merlin sighed from his place on Zafira's back, as they flew towards Powys. These peace talks were important and gaining peace with King Olaf, King Godwin and King Rodor would offer Peryglus great protection from the likes of King Sarrum and his army. A war on two fronts was highly likely, even with alliances with four other kingdoms, King Sarrum could still declare war, if Arthur signed the treaty.
Merlin knew it was unlikely Arthur would sign the treaty. The last time Merlin had spoken to Arthur, he had accepted his magic and was even planning on lifting the ban... But Arthur hadn't seen everything. There were many things Merlin had done that he wasn't proud of, but sometimes doing things you're not proud of, is the only way to succeed.
Merlin had been surprised, when the council told him King Olaf was expecting him to arrive on a dragon. But then news of the last dragon lord was in fact Balinor's son had spread fast. And the fact this dragon lord was also the mighty Emrys and the king of the druids, also gave people more things to gossip about. It seemed everyone knew who he was now... To think only a week and a not before people only knew him as a servant.
'You're nervous.' Zafira suddenly speaks in his head.
Merlin shakes his head. 'No, I'm petrified.'
Zafira considers this for a moment. 'You've been to peace talks before, so why fear it?'
'I don't fear the talks,' Merlin tries to explain. 'I fear I will fail... If I fail to gain peace with these three kingdoms, I'll be endangering the lives of my people and the people of Peryglus even more than I already have.'
'You did not start the war with Mordred the dark.' Zafira points out.
Merlin sighs. 'None of this would be happening if had killed Morgana when I had the chance... I had more than one opportunity to kill her, but I could not bring myself to do it... I felt too guilty, she became what I made her.'
'She chose her own path,' Zafira answers. 'You did not make her turn against Camelot, she chose to side with Morgause... Killing someone is cannot easy, I have seen how you hate doing it. To kill someone who was once a friend, when you can still see what they once were and still wish to see the good in them, couldn't make it any easier.'
'Are dragons born with wisdom?' Merlin questions, shaking his head slightly.
'We are born with knowledge,' Zafira replies. 'And that knowledge gives us a greater understanding of the world.'
Merlin rolls his eyes slightly. 'You may have great knowledge, but wisdom doesn't always come with knowledge... Sometimes true wisdom comes from those who know the least, but have lived the most.'
Suddenly Zafira folds her wings in close to her body and enters a dive. Merlin lets out a yelp of surprise and grabs the saddle and lies low against Zafira's back. As they drop through the clouds, Merlin gasps at the sight of the castle they were fast approaching. Powys was well-known for the castle king Olaf lived in, it was a mighty looking thing.
Grey stone walls and towering turrets, a large court yard, home to a statue of king Olaf and his daughter. Gothic arch styled windows looked down on the court-yard, most of the glass were coloured and held the crest of Powys. Great oak doors marked the entrance to the castle, while the steps leading to the doors were smaller than the steps in Camelot, they didn't seem out-of-place.
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As Zafira landed in the courtyard, many of the knights and guards jumped and turned to face them, weapons at the ready. At that moment a young knight came bursting out the castle, almost tripping over their cloak and looking much like a startled deer. Behind him King Olaf walked, his face red with anger and his shoulders tense. Even though the young knight was running, King Olaf seemed to be gaining on him.
"If you so much as speak to my daughter again, I swear-" King Olaf cut himself off as he spotted Merlin still sitting on Zafira's back.
"Merlin Emrys, king of the druids and lord of the dragons," King Olaf, bellows across the court-yard, his voice surprisingly cheerful. "Welcome to Powys!"
Merlin smiled slightly, as he jumped down from Zafira's back. "King Olaf of Powys, I am glad I am welcomed within your kingdom... For give me for saying, but the five kingdoms have never before been this welcoming of me and my kind."
King Olaf waves his hand in dismissive gesture. "Times are changing, Emrys... You kind was once shunned and prosecuted within this very kingdom. But in the time of my father, magic was once a great force within this kingdom, it did much good, it is time such goodness to enter the kingdom again."
"To welcome magic would dishonour the treaty you signed with the late King Uthur Pendragon," Merlin points out. "It would break the alliance between the five kingdoms."
"Sometimes change is needed... There can be not future if you forever practice the ways of the past." King Olaf answers, saddened by the mention of his dead friend.
Merlin nodes, still a bit uneasy at the fact he was about to enter talks with kings who had one or another hunted his kind. "Wise words, I will grant you that... But words alone do not right the wrongs of the past."
King Olaf laughs. "Indeed they do not... Never before have I seen such wisdom in someone so young, I can see why the druids honour you as their king."
Merlin turned to Zafira. "I will call to you if I am in need of aid."
"And I will answers your call... I will pull this castle apart brick by brick of they so much a harm you."
"What did I do to deserve such loyalty?" Merlin asks, shaking his head slightly.
"You are my rider, our bond is one that can never be broken." Zafira answers taking to the air in one powerful leap. "Be carefully, hatchlings, and good luck."
Merlin smiled and turned back toward King Olaf before walking over to him. King Olaf who was watching the sky as Zafira vanished into the clouds turns to look at Merlin once more and jumps ever so slightly as he sees how close Merlin is now to him.
"The talks are about to begin," King Olaf explains. "Talks of peace that will hopefully change the future for the better."
Merlin follows king Olaf into the castle, knowing things in Albion would soon be changing for the better. The golden age truly was blossoming and Merlin couldn't help but smile, if he hadn't saved Isolde none of this would be happening. Arthur would never have found out about his magic, many kingdoms wouldn't be thinking about changing their laws on magic and those with magic wouldn't have a kingdom to call their own... But like everything this came with a price.
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Hey, hope you liked that chapter. And Quill, don't worry about it, I'm always misspelling names :/
Blessed be,
TreeOfLife1997.