Chapter fifty-five: King Sarrum of Amata.
It was only a couple of hours after dawn and Arthur was already awake and pacing up and down his room, stepping every now and again to look out the window. Last night after they had seen the last of Merlin's adventures in Camelot, Taliesin had returned them to the castle and everyone had gone back to their room. Elyan had kindly let his sister share his room for the night, until a guest room was set up for her, the following day.
Arthur sighed. It was times like this, he needed Merlin's advice. But Merlin wasn't here and probably wouldn't return to Camelot until the ban on magic was lifted. Arthur walked over to his chair and collapsed into his seat. That was another thing he really needed Merlin's advice on... He wanted to lift the ban on magic, he owed that much to Merlin. It was going to take time and if he bought it up before the council too soon, they'd all be yelling he'd been enchanted.
Arthur put his head in his hands. He and his father had done so much damage, and now Arthur was truly retreating all that he had done. What he said at the druid shrine had been the truth, for mouths after it had happened, ever night he fell asleep he would relive what he saw happen there... What he ordered to happened there. He had followed his father orders without question, time and time again. So many he now knew to be innocent had died, died at the Pendragon's hand.
And all this started because Uthur was to blinds to see the true price that came with using magic... Everything came with a price. And the price had been the death of a Queen. The death of a wife. The death of mother. The death of a once noble and fair king. The price was far greater than just one women death. It was the death of hundreds, if not thousands of people. People who had done no wrong, people who had only used magic for good.
Arthur got to his feet and walked back over to the window. He couldn't undo what he had done, but he could make sure the future never had to face the horrors of the past. The horrors of the great purge and the pain that was bought with it. Never again would families be ripped apart by the flames, for crimes they had not committed. The laws against magic had to be changed and so did the sentence.
Arthur shakes his head. He couldn't ask for forgiveness. Some of the things he had done were unforgivable. He felt ashamed that he had followed his father's teaching so blindly... Maybe if he hadn't been so desperate to prove himself to his father, to his men, to his people, many things would have been different. Maybe if he had just said a single thing differently, Morgana wouldn't have feared him.
Maybe she could have trusted him. He would never have turned her over to his father, as much as he hated magic at the time, he would never have sent Morgana to the flames. Maybe if she had trusted him, she would never have turned to Morgause and followed the path she had taken. He could blame Merlin for hot helping her and not telling he had magic too, but it should never have been left to Merlin to do...
Arthur was her family, her half-brother, even if it was only known by their father at the time. It should have been Arthur's job to protect here and help her, not Merlin's or Gaius's... She should have been able to turn to him, to trust him and she hadn't been able to. Merlin, he knew, blamed himself for what happened to Morgana. But everyone played a part in what Morgana became, even if the final choice was hers.
Arthur turns away from the window, as the door to his chamber opens and George walks in. He was going to make the future into the golden age the prophecies spoke of... He might not be able to unite the lands, but he could make Camelot a place where everyone would feel welcome and happy. But first Arthur needed to make sure Merlin and his kingdom of magic users were safe. He needed to break the alliance with King Sarrum.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Arthur stood in the council chamber, around the table stood his most trusted knights and councilman. Arthur couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed that Gaius wasn't present, but he had received a message from Peryglus and had left not long after dawn. Gwen also wasn't present, a couple of maids were helping her set up her room and she wouldn't be able to attend council until she was queen.
Suddenly the door to the council chamber were pulled open and King Amata and his men entered the room, taking their places at the other end of the table.
"King Sarrum." Arthur greets.
Sarrum nodes a greeting. "King Arthur."
There was silence for a moment as Arthur and Sarrum just glared at each other. Finally Geoffrey clears his throat and steps forward.
"This is Camelot's copy of the treaty your father and king Sarrum signed." Geoffrey explains as he hands the copy to Arthur.
Reading the treaty, Arthur was more than surprised his father had signed a treaty such as this. Uthur had always wanted to be the one in control and this treaty allowed king Sarrum to use Camelot as a safe passage for as many armed men as he liked, as long as he was in pursuit of magic users. Arthur shook his head slightly, there was no way Arthur to agree to a treaty like this... Not if he wanted to save Peryglus from war with king Sarrum.
"I will not agree to some of the terms on this treaty," Arthur speaks up. "A new treaty will have to be drawn up."
"Your father agreed to such terms," Sarrum speaks. "And your father was a great king, his achievements in the fight against magic were to be envied."
"You are mistaken if you think I wild agree to such a treaty of this," Arthur answers. "I am not my father. My father was a great and strong king in many ways, but he made mistakes. I believe the war on sorcery he started on magic was a mistake and something that should never have happened."
"Magic killed your mother. Magic killed your father. Your half-sister is a witch and she has claimed this kingdom as her own twice." king Sarrum snaps.
"My fathers desperation for a son and using a power he did not understand, killed my mother." Arthur replies trying to keep his cool. "My father was dying, he was too close to death for the magic used to save him. My half-sister chose her path, she could have stayed loyal to Camelot, but she did not... Her fear of our father and what he would do, if he ever found out about her drove her down a path of hatred and madness."
Sarrum only just manages to conceals his sneer. "Your own manservant was found to be a sorcerer, who knows how much information he leaked to your enemies."
"I think you'll find my ex-manservant, was in fact a warlock, not a sorcerer." Arthur answers, as a servant bought forward a sheet of paper, bottle of ink and a white feather quill.
"What?" Sarrum demands. "He had magic that is all that matters! It doesn't matter what they call themselves, they all practice the devils art!"
Arthur shakes his head. "A warlock is someone who is born with magic, the same as a witch, they have no choice on the matter of whether they have magic or not. A sorcerer or sorceress learns magic through choice."
"They are evil," Sarrum growls. "You and your court have fallen prey to this warlocks enchantments. Uthur would never have let this happen when he was king!"
"And as I told you before. I. Am. Not. My. Father." Arthur replies. "Me and my court have not been enchanted, I simply am not blinded by the hatred you seem so consumed by."
Elyan, Gwaine and Percival all smile, as King Sarrum face grows a brighter shade of red by the second. Whilst Leon and the council seemed more concerned about Arthur starting a war with Amata, king Sarrum certainly seemed angry enough to start a war! But even though Camelot was still recovering from Morgana's latest take over, the kingdom was in no way weak.
"May I make a suggestion?" Leon speaks up.
Arthur nodes. "Of course, Leon."
"We should continue these talks later, it will give time for Geoffrey to draw up a new peace treaty."
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Arthur, Elyan, Gwaine, Percival and Leon return to Arthur's chambers. They quickly take a seat at the table, as George quickly leaves in search of Geoffrey, to inform him the new treaty would be drawn up in the Arthur's chambers, not the council hall. Leon glances at Arthur, who wasn't laying much attention and appeared to be deep in though.
"My lord," Leon speaks up. "I know you wish to change the laws on magic. But you cannot afford to anger King Sarrum, we can not afford a war with such a powerful kingdom."
"Do you think, if we go to war with them, we will lose?" Arthur questions.
Leon shakes his head. "I have no doubt we would win, but a what loses? Our kingdom has already suffered enough at the hand of Morgana and the Southrons."
"I can't sign the treaty with Sarrum," Arthur answers. "And I cannot let Sarrum march an army through our kingdom unchanged."
"Peryglus is a kingdom of magic users," Percival points out. "Their border will be protected by magic."
Arthur shakes his head. "Merlin and his kingdom is at war in the north... They cannot afford to fight battle on the opposite border."
"If you don't sign the treaty, what will Sarrum do?" Elyan asks.
"I don't know," Arthur answers. "I don't believe he would start a war... But why did my father even agree to such a treaty? It left him almost completely powerless, Ling Sarrum could have just marched an army through the kingdom as long as it was in pursuit of magic!"
Gwaine thinks for a moment. "Get Merlin."
"What?" Elyan asks. "How will that help?"
"If King Sarrum sees Merlin signing a peace treaty with Arthur, he'd want nothing to do with Camelot," Gwaine explains. "He wouldn't attack us, because Queen Annis also has a treaty with Merlin."
Leon nodes. "That would work... King Sarrum wouldn't risk war with a kingdom such a Caerleon."
"Then that's what we'll do." Arthur agrees.
"Merlin is only the king of the druids," Leon points out. "He's not the ruler of Peryglus."
"But I doubt Sarrum would know that." Percival answers. "Merlin is a part of the ruling council."
"But how are we going to get a message to Merlin?" Elyan asks.
"Leave that to me." Gwaine grins. "I know a way they will work just fine."
Suddenly someone knocks on the door to Arthur's chamber.
"Come in." Arthur calls.
The door open and Geoffrey steps into the room.
"You required me to write a treaty with Amata, my lord?" Geoffrey question. "What are the terms of the treaty?"
"There's been a change of plan Geoffrey," Arthur explains. "I now require you to write a treaty for King Merlin Emrys of the druids and myself to sign."
Geoffrey smiles slightly, with a bow of his head. "Of course, my lord."
As Geoffrey sets down his writing supplies, Arthur could have sworn he muttered 'the time of the once and future king has truly begun'.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Hey, hope you liked that chapter. Next chapter should be up in the next few days (hopefully)
Blessed be,
TreeOfLife1997.