Chapter 5

'Doesn't look happy, does he?'

'Always too serious about everything. You need to learn to appreciate the journey of life Arthur. Not everything has a deadline, you know. Enjoy yourself.'

Arthur's eye twitched in annoyance.

'What are you doing here?' he demanded.

Merlin looked mildly offended. 'What do you mean? We heard you were in town so we came to say hello.'

'That and it seemed like you were heading towards the Perilous Lands, but that's ridiculous,' added Gwaine. 'Everyone knows that anyone who goes in doesn't come out.'

Arthur took a few deep breaths and prayed to any deity that might be listening for patience. Honestly, with the amount of times he'd had to do this because of these two he may as well take up meditation and be done with it.

'I am here, on a Quest,' Arthur enunciated slowly. 'A very important Quest that will likely determine the man I will become, and one that must be undertaken alone.'

Arthur heaved himself up off the hard stone floor of the Fisher King's castle, using his sword as leverage. He was exhausted. After travelling days through bandit-infested woods to reach the Perilous Lands then fighting off anything that tried to kill him on his way to the castle, he felt dead on his feet. His most recent adversaries had been a half-dozen wyverns, from which he almost hadn't escaped. Actually-

'Well you're doing a marvellous job. I'm sure it takes a truly great man to become wyvern fodder,' was Merlin's sarcastic input. 'You do realise that you'd be dead if we weren't here, right?'

'That's not the point Merlin! I'm supposed to be proving myself as a worthy–' Arthur cut himself off abruptly. He'd almost forgotten – Merlin still didn't know about that particular aspect of his life.

Merlin and Gwaine studied him a moment, before Merlin crowed triumphantly. 'Yes! I knew it was a prince thing! Ten gold pieces Gwaine, pay up.'

Arthur tuned out the rest of the exchange.

Well, that was just brilliant.

'Right! Well, if you two don't mind, I'm off the find the Golden Trident. That was the whole point of this Quest,' he cut in, interrupting their haggling. Deciding that he now wasn't the time to deal with such things, Arthur hobbled towards the stairwell, completely ignoring his companions and grumbling about bloody observant sorcerers all the while.

One Golden Trident later, the trio found themselves back at Merlin's inn, each nursing a cup of mead. It was decidedly busier than the last time Arthur saw it, with nearly every table occupied by human and creature alike. Some people Arthur had no name for, but all were chatting easily, entirely comfortable with their surroundings.

For a moment, Arthur just watched their interactions, marvelling at the diversity Merlin had managed to bring together. This is what I want to see in my kingdom, he thought to himself. Everyone here was an equal regardless of their race or status. They all shared the same roof, ate the same food and listened to the same drunken stories together. However, Arthur was well aware of the dark cloud casting an ominous shadow over the moment – the fact that they were brought here through fear, because no one else would take them in.

I can change that.

Despite not being around any form of magic for the past few months, Arthur found he was handling the atmosphere quite well. He didn't jump when his mug was refilled by a floating bottle, and he only caught himself staring once at one of the creatures he had no name for. At first the creature had appeared human (despite his mannerisms), but then he'd turned to reveal a tail protruding from underneath his cloak and Arthur couldn't help himself. 'That's a troll's thrall, best steer clear of him,' Merlin had helpfully informed him.

As he watched plate of food fly through the air towards one of the tables, a thought occurred to him. 'Say, Merlin? Shouldn't you be, oh I don't know, running your inn?' he inquired pointedly, gesturing to the packed dining hall.

Merlin just laughed. 'You're only thinking of this now?' Arthur scowled. 'When we headed out after you, I left Calvin in charge. He knows how to handle things around here,' he explained, gesturing to a man behind the bar that Arthur thought he vaguely recognised. 'You on the other hand can't exactly take on wyverns alone so…' he trailed off with a grin.

'About that… you knew who I was this entire time, didn't you?' Arthur asked flatly.

Merlin looked sheepish. 'Well, maybe try at least changing your name next time you want to be discreet,' he said.

Arthur hung his head and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes in tired frustration. 'And you were just humouring me this whole time? You couldn't have said anything earlier?' he accused.

'I have magic Arthur, and you're the heir to the throne of Camelot. If you knew I was onto you there's no way you would've trusted me to help. Honestly, I wasn't sure if you would attack me the second you realised because of some misguided notion that pre-emptive strikes are the best answer,' Merlin shot back, frustration creeping into his tone.

Arthur opened his mouth to retort but the words caught in his throat. Merlin was right – again. He would never have trusted a sorcerer who knew his true identity with his life. Of course, there's no way he'd let Merlin think he could keep proving him wrong, so he intelligently responded, 'You're an idiot, Merlin.'

Merlin snorted. 'Well you're a prat, you don't see me complaining.'

'Excuse me, I am royalty,' Arthur began in a mock haughty tone. 'You can't address me like that.'

'Deepest apologies sire. I am but a poor innkeeper trying to keep my home free of undesirables,' Merlin responded with a mischievous grin.

'Are you saying I'm undesirable? I'll have you know I'm rather popular with the Ladies of the Court,' Arthur said smugly.

'And if you want to keep it that way I suggest you keep all interactions with them inside the Court. Five minutes of your actual personality and they'll run screaming – that might put a damper on that reputation of yours, hmm?' Merlin quipped back without missing a beat.

Arthur smacked him over the head. Gwaine, meanwhile, was roaring with laughter.

'Well,' Gwaine said, raising his mug in a toast. 'Here's to a Quest well done.'

'Cheers,' Merlin echoed, tapping his mug against Gwaine's. Arthur stubbornly kept his own on the table.

'Come on Arthur,' Gwaine wheedled. 'You're glad we were there, admit it.'

'I'll do no such thing. This was supposed to be done–'

'-Alone,' finished Merlin. 'We know, you've told us. But it wasn't Arthur. You met the man on the bridge, right? Courage, Strength and Magic. You were never supposed to do this alone.'

Arthur remained mulishly silent.

'Well, either way,' said Gwaine with an easy smile. 'We're all alive, I think that's something to celebrate.'

Arthur finally cracked a smile.

'I'll drink to that.'

Later that night when all the patrons had retreated to their rooms, Arthur had volunteered to help Merlin clear the room of the mess from dinner. Naturally, Arthur's 'help' consisted of stacking some cups and plates, leaving the actual cleaning part to Merlin.

They worked in silence, it quickly went from comfortable to somewhat tense. Merlin was practically radiating tension, lips pressed firmly together as he swept the floors.

'Alright Merlin, what is it? You look like your about to burst,' Arthur said when he couldn't handle the awkward silence any longer.

Merlin jumped about a foot in the air when he spoke. He spun to face Arthur, denial written all over his face but Arthur stopped any attempts at misdirection with a flat look.

'Well,' Merlin dragged out the word. 'It's about today. Your Quest.'

Arthur could feel that stubborn annoyance creeping back in on him.

Merlin sighed. 'Look. You seem to get into these situations a lot, and by now I'm sure you've realised that not all problems can be solved with swords alone.'

'Thank you, for that vote of confidence. Ever the optimist you are.'

A small frown of irritation was the only indication that Merlin had even heard him, as he carried on. 'I just want you to know… if you ever need help, I'd be happy to lend a hand. Within reason, obviously.'

Arthur was floored. 'Are you actually offering me – the Crown Prince of Camelot – magical help?' he clarified in a hushed whisper. They weren't likely to be overheard in an entirely empty room, but even mentioning it still felt like some kind of taboo.

And there's that irony again.

'You don't have to take it,' Merlin said hastily. 'But, well… here.' He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, round bead, pushing it across the table to Arthur. The no-longer-secret Prince picked it up cautiously, examining it closely. The bead was mostly black, interrupted only by a tiny, golden engraving of a dragon, remarkably similar to the Pendragon crest.

'What is this?' he asked, still studying the tiny object. He knew it had to be magic in some way, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't detect anything incriminating about it at all.

'It's a means of communicating,' Merlin explained, eager now that Arthur hadn't outright refused the gift. 'See the engraving? If you need to contact me, tap it three times and say my name. I'll know you want to speak with me and I'll find a way of getting to you.'

Arthur looked at the ceramic with newfound admiration. 'And what about the other way? What if you want to contact me? How will I know if you've gotten the message?' he inquired.

'I'll be able to connect with the bead – it'll react so you'll know about it. Nothing big! Don't worry,' he added, seeing Arthur's alarm. 'It'll vibrate. Keep it in your pocket and you're the only one who'll know about it.'

'That's a nice trick,' Arthur conceded.

'So… you'll take it?'

Arthur hesitated, before pocketing the odd little messenger. 'I'll take it, but it must only be used in an absolute emergency, understand?'

Merlin nodded, beaming smile emerging across his face. Arthur couldn't help but smile back.

Only a little though, he had an image to maintain.

The ancient castle was cold as ever. Icy winds swept through cracks in the flagstones and imprinted their frigidity onto everything they touched. The multiple candles lit around the high-ceiling room did little to stave off the chill, but served to illuminate the faces of those who had gathered in the chamber. They all stood close to the stone alter in the centre of the room where candle fire was the most abundant. Each had warming charms and enchantments on their clothing but shivered still.

They all looked up when Merlin strode across the uneven floor, soft leather boots making little sound on the stone. Some lowered their eyes in deference, to which Merlin grimaced uncomfortably and quickly waved aside the formality.

'No need for that Alator, please. Am I the last? Sorry, I had a minor crisis to deal with,' Merlin said with a sheepish smile.

'So we've heard. Arthur Pendragon, I presume?' inquired Iseldir, one of the druid Chieftains.

'I'm honestly surprised you're still alive,' remarked Taliesin from where he lounged against a pillar, the only one not suffering from the cold.

'You're a Seer,' stated Merlin flatly. Taliesin simply shrugged and smiled benevolently.

'You're not the last Merlin, our summoner is yet to arrive it seems,' Alice noted. The elderly healer was bundled up tightly, her particular brand of magic not quite suited to keeping the cold at bay. Unfortunately, the laws of the Circle dictated that they gather at a place of the summoner's choosing.

The Circle of Magic was comprised of the current leaders of the magical community. The Circle itself had always been present, and was an integral part of magical society. It consisted of seven members; a Priest and Priestess of the Old Religion, a Chieftain to represent the druids, a Keeper of magic, a Medium, a Dragonlord, and representative of the people. This representative controlled the Network – a system of intelligence for magical people to communicate through. Recently, this had meant a means for people to seek help in escaping Uther's men.

For many years after the purge, the Circle of Magic was considered disbanded – there were too few people who met the criteria, and even less who were willing to get themselves involved and risk persecution by Uther. The dissolution was a great blow to the magical community, who suddenly found themselves without leaders for support or a way of contacting anyone for help.

It was Alice who reinvented the Network and decided to gather the Circle once more. After her escape from Camelot, she had travelled all across the lands and offered her healing services, building connections and determining interest. After decades of hard work, she had established a chain of communication that was widely used by those with magic, but was a secret jealously guarded from those without. Evidently, it was an old friend of hers (ironically one within Camelot) that first mentioned the Circle to her, and since then she had worked tirelessly to reassemble it.

The first she recruited was Iseldir of the druids. He has seen her efforts in rebuilding the Network and believed that they had their chance once more. He told her of the prophecies of Emrys and the Once and Future King that heralded a new era, and that he believed Arthur Pendragon to be the one they needed. He convinced her that locating Emrys was imperative, so she began sending out word to her people.

Next, with the druids' help, she had tracked down Alator of the Catha. He in turn contacted Morgause and Nimueh, the last remaining Priestesses of the Triple Goddess at the time. Alice herself took up the role of the people's representative. With more than half of the positions filled and word spreading of the Circle rising again, Anhora, Keeper of the Unicorns had appeared and offered his advice and commitment.

It would be two years after Anhora joined before Merlin was found, and recognised as Emrys. Merlin smiled wistfully at the memory. He'd been living with his father, learning all he could from him when Alice appeared with her offer. She'd come to enlist the help of a Dragonlord, but Balinor had staunchly refused. Instead, Merlin took up the role, despite not yet possessing the ability to command dragons. When he arrived, Iseldir took one look at him and that was that.

When the Circle (bar one) gathered together for the first time in decades, Taliesin had appeared. Casually fading into existence beside Merlin and scaring the living daylights out of him, he proclaimed that he had been the Medium of the Circle since his death three hundred years ago and would be happy to continue the role, thanks for asking.

So the Circle of Magic was complete. Sanctuaries such as Merlin's inn were established all across the realm, though Merlin's was built the closest to Camelot, being a day's hard ride away. Since then however, it hadn't quite been smooth sailing all the way. There were conflicts within the group to be dealt with, and tensions were running high with Uther's continued executions.

Well, Merlin thought wryly, the conflicts were mostly just between me and-

'I apologise for the delay,' came a feminine voice from the doorway, interrupting Merlin's reminiscing. Morgause swept in with a grace only a Priestess of the Old Religion is capable of. She mocked them by wearing a sheer red gown that would do nothing to protect her from the frigid conditions, but considering it was her castle, she probably had some kind of spell around it to keep the chill from touching her.

'We only have limited time, my Lady. I care little for your games,' Anhora spoke in his wizened voice, unflappable as ever.

'And yet you are a Keeper, known for their love of them,' Morgause retorted easily.

'Why have you summoned the Circle, Priestess?' asked Iseldir.

'A situation has come to my attention, and I believe it requires all of our input,' she replied, turning to look directly at Merlin. 'My sources have told me that recently Arthur Pendragon has undergone something of a personality change. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you Emrys?'

Merlin met her gaze coolly. 'If you're suggesting I've enchanted him in some way I'm afraid you're sadly mistaken. That's far more your area of expertise, wouldn't you agree?'

'And yet,' Morgause continued, staring him down. 'It would seem that his views on magic have changed quite drastically in the past few months. He's even looking into old executions – the reasons they were caught, not just the fact that they had magic.'

That caused a stir amongst those gathered. Merlin could feel his eyebrows rising in surprise.

'Truly?' whispered Alator. 'He is questioning Uther's methods?'

'So it would seem,' was Morgause's clipped reply.

'That is news indeed, but I fail to see how it's cause for concern,' said Iseldir. 'This is what we have been hoping for, all these years of isolation.'

'And yet, if he is enchanted, how do you think he will react when it all comes out? And it will. You know it always does, what with your Network, Alice, and Emrys's interference.'

'Well, allow me to ease your worries Morgause,' Merlin said, colder than the castle walls. 'I saw Arthur several hours ago. He was not enchanted, nor has he ever been during our meetings. Unless you would call me a liar?' he challenged.

Morgause smiled, but it wasn't pleasant. 'You are a liar, Emrys. Even now Pendragon doesn't know who you truly are.'

'He knows I have magic. Until we learn to trust each other beyond necessity, that's enough. If there's anything I've learned these past months, it's that Arthur Pendragon is a good man. There is no longer any doubt in my mind that he is the Once and Future King,' Merlin finished strongly, entirely sincere. Despite his royal arrogance and apparent need to mock the warlock whenever he got the chance, Merlin was confident that Arthur could be exactly what they needed.

Before meeting him, protecting Arthur seemed like a duty to Merlin – a chore. He was Emrys, and Arthur was the Once and Future King, so keeping him safe was his job. But now, it was more than that. Somehow, without conscious effort, Arthur Pendragon was well on his way to becoming a friend.

There was silence around the chamber as the occupants let that declaration sink in. Most looked hopeful. Only Taliesin and Morgause varied, the former with a knowing smile and the latter, a scowl.

'Let us hope so. You've let him into your Sanctuary after all. Should he choose to betray you, the consequences will be severe,' she said.

'You have never taken an interest in Camelot's views in such a way before, my Lady,' Alator commented. 'Even less so in Emrys's well-being.'

'Understatement,' Merlin muttered under his breath.

'Why the change of heart?'

Morgause hesitated before speaking. 'My – source – seems convinced that Arthur has changed his ways, and she has seen fit to alter our course of action. I just wanted to be sure of the wisdom of such choices.'

'Right. Remind us again of your original course of action?' jibed Merlin.

Morgause gave a patronising smile. 'Come now, we mustn't talk business during Circle meetings.'

Merlin glared.

'If that is all then, I shall take my leave,' the Keeper stated, then promptly vanished.

'I too, must depart. There is much to be done,' said Iseldir. Alator nodded and the two disappeared in a swirl of icy wind and dead leaves.

'Come on Alice, I'll walk you out. I need to have a word with you anyway,' said Merlin, and Alice studied him in a way that never failed to make him feel like a bug on a pin. Finally, she smiled and thanked him, making her way with him towards the exit. He could almost feel Morgause's stare burning a hole into his back. Wait, could she actually do that?

'What? No dramatic exit from you, Emrys? You really need to work on your flair. We got an image to maintain after all!'

Merlin's eyes glowed and a loose piece of flagstone flew towards Taliesin. Naturally, it went straight through him and shattered on the pillar.

'That's more like it,' Taliesin said, satisfied. Then he faded away, chuckling to himself all the while.

When they were safely out of Morgause's castle Merlin turned to Alice, who met his gaze with laughing eyes.

'You shouldn't let her get to you, my boy,' she said.

'I've lost count of the amount times she's tried to kill me or attack Camelot. How can she not get to me?' Merlin replied, slightly petulant.

Alice smiled indulgently. 'And yet, you're still alive. Now what did you need?'

Merlin turned his mind back to the task at hand. 'I need you to contact your Network members in Camelot. I've given Arthur a way to call for me, should he need it. Knowing Camelot, that's likely to be sooner rather than later, so please just let them know that I may need a safe way in and out of the city in the near future.'

Alice looked stunned, and Merlin called that a win. 'Really? Well, I can see why Morgause suspected magic was involved. This is quite the development.'

Merlin grinned. 'Believe me, I know.'

'Well then, I'll get the word out. But Merlin,' she said warningly. 'Do be careful, won't you?'

'You know me Alice,' Merlin reassured her. 'I'm always careful.'

For some reason, she didn't look convinced.

'Oh, and there's one more thing,' he added. Alice looked back at him questioningly. 'A few months ago, we had some issues with a manticore. But, by the time we'd figured that out, someone had already summoned a Guardian to deal with it. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?'

Alice gave an innocent smile. 'What would an old woman like me know about those creatures?'

Merlin grinned broadly. 'Thank you,' he said sincerely.

Alice's gaze softened.

'You're quite welcome, Merlin.'

When Arthur returned to Camelot, Trident in hand, the entire Court was there to celebrate his success.

As his father sang his praises Arthur felt his smile grow strained once again, and wondered if this was going to be a regular occurrence. It seemed that recently, his greatest accomplishments were only successful due to the timely assistance of his new acquaintances. Or, friends? Comrades? He didn't really know where they stood. Saving each other's lives should equate to more than just passing acquaintances, but could he really call a sorcerer his friend?

His fingers brushed against the small bead resting in his coat pocket.

Yes, he decided. Being a sorcerer's friend was a definite possibility at this point.

'Congratulations Arthur. I told you you wouldn't need that token.'

Arthur turned from where he was seated beside his father for the celebratory feast to see Morgana had taken the unoccupied seat beside him. His previous neighbour had left awhile ago, apparently deciding to try his luck with the Ladies dancing around the Court.

'Of course. My skills are unparalleled, a Quest like this was nothing,' Arthur boasted. Morgana was unimpressed.

'Really? Because you had such an odd look on your face when you presented the Trident. Now that I think about it, it was remarkably similar to when you returned from slaying that beast,' she noted lightly, sipping at her wine.

Arthur's chest deflated a little, and he glanced at her anxiously, waiting for the condemnation.

She caught his look and smiled reassuringly. 'Don't worry Arthur. I promised I would say nothing to Uther, and I stand by that. It's quite the opposite actually. I want to help you with this – the executions, the magic, everything.'

Arthur stared, absolutely floored for the second time in as many days.

She sighed exasperatedly. 'I've never made my displeasure of those killings a secret, Arthur. This can't be that surprising to you.'

'No, not at all. I obviously saw this coming. Definitely.' Arthur tried to sound convincing. Really, he did.

Clearly I should stop forming any preconceptions whatsoever about anyone, he thought. If this keeps up people could take me for a fool.

He absently felt for the small bead in his pocket again.

Suddenly, the doors to the throne room burst open, quickly dampening the festivities. A group of guards Arthur recognised as being on night patrol that evening walked in, dragging a young man in peasants clothing along with them. The youth was white as a sheet and visibly shaking.

Arthur felt a stone drop in the pit of his stomach. Beside him, he could hear Morgana's sharp intake of breath.

'My Lords.' The soldiers bowed deeply. 'I apologise for the interruption Sire, but this man was found practising sorcery in the streets.'

Like water dripping down a window pane, Arthur watched as his father's face melted from one of slight annoyance at the interruption to an expression cold and hard as stone.

It's his obsession

Merlin's voice rang through his head, and in that moment, Arthur believed that there had never been a greater truth spoken.

'I may need that help sooner than expected,' Arthur said into Morgana's ear over the outcry that had erupted throughout the room at the soldier's words.

Not just hers though, Arthur thought. He reached a hand into his coat pocket and gripped the small bead tightly feeling for the small engraving. He tapped it three times and whispered a name, entirely drowned out by the din of the room. After a moment, the bead vibrated in his hand, and Arthur smiled grimly.

Be careful, Merlin.

Hello hello!

Sorry for the delay but 'tis the season. Everything gets busier at the end of December.

Disclaimer: if you recognise anything in this story then it's from the show. I didn't want to go over the whole quest because it pretty much plays out the same as in the episode, minus the eye of the phoenix complication. I also didn't want to spoil too much if there's people who haven't seen it yet.

Thanks again for the encouragement, you guys are brilliant. I hope this chapter cleared up a bit of what's been going on for you.

Happy reading and Merry Christmas!

~Seagrass12