CHAPTER TEN

It was the heaviest downpour Arthur had ever seen.

Spilling from the sky with all the ferocity of a waterfall, the rain drenched the forest in seconds. The smoke was cleansed from the air, and the raging inferno was snuffed out as though a bucket had been emptied over a campfire.

The city of Camelot remained bone-dry.

When the last ember had been doused, the deluge ended as swiftly as it had begun. The clouds receded, revealing the dawn that had crept up on them unawares. The drenched landscape shimmered in the early morning light, making the sodden scene of destruction appear almost beautiful.

There was no sound, save the steady drip of water from the trees.

Arthur's was not the only jaw that had dropped, but he quickly recovered his composure.

"Sir Mordred, see to it that the Druids are given shelter and sustenance. Sir Orvyn, take a patrol and search the forest for any wounded that may have fallen behind. Sir Edric, spread word to the townsfolk that there will be a royal proclamation in the courtyard at noon. The rest of you, hold your positions and stay vigilant. Morgana and her forces are still out there."

And the only one who could challenge her was currently standing atop the castle's tallest tower.

Arthur wanted nothing more than to corner Emrys before he could pull another disappearing act, but he had duties to attend to. He had to remember that if Camelot's saviour wanted to be known, he could announce himself at any time. Maybe once the new laws on magic were announced, he would no longer feel the need to hide.

Tempering his impatience, Arthur followed Mordred down the steps to formally greet the Druids.

"Welcome-"

"King Arthur!" A woman pushed her way to the front of the bedraggled group; he recognised her as one of the elders he had treated with.

"Veleda. I regret that we are meeting again under such dreadful circumstances, but please rest assured-"

"My lord, I'm sorry, but you need to know. This was Morgana's doing."

He nodded grimly. "I suspected as much."

"Her dragon sparked the flame and her sorcerers fuelled it, but our wards should have been enough to protect us. It was only when the fire breached our borders that we realised what Morgana had done."

Arthur beckoned for her to continue, and she tried, but the words caught in her throat. Her eyes glistening with tears, she looked beseechingly towards Mordred.

His head tilted slightly, as if he were listening to something, and a growing horror spread across his face. "The Council of Elders," he said. "Morgana has taken them!"

"What? How?"

"We must have been betrayed," Veleda choked out. "I was out collecting moon blossoms when I smelled the smoke. By the time I made it back to the encampment, the others were nowhere to be found. But there was a valerian root in the dregs of their supper."

"Valerian is used as a sedative," Mordred explained. "A strong enough dose would have rendered them unconscious." His hands clenched into fists. "They had no chance to defend themselves."

"But what does Morgana want with them?" And why not kill them outright? Arthur thought, but was tactful enough not to say aloud.

Veleda shook her head, a tear spilling down her cheek. "I don't know," she whispered. "I should have been there. I could have-"

"There was nothing you could have done," Arthur said gently, reaching out to clasp her shoulder. "You need to be strong, now. Your people will be looking to you for leadership."

She nodded, drawing in a shaky breath before straightening. "We request sanctuary within your walls, King Arthur."

"You have it," Arthur said. He stepped aside, allowing the Druids to pass through the gates. Some were limping, or clutching ragged wounds, and all of them seemed tense and wary as they passed into the city that would once have executed them for doing so. It would take time to earn their trust.

"Guinevere should have supplies prepared," Arthur told Mordred. "And Gaius is ready to care for the injured. If you have need of anything else, please let me know."

"Yes, sire. Thank you."

Once again, Arthur's gaze was drawn to the watch tower. He wanted to meet Emrys face-to-face, to get to know this great protector of Camelot and find out why he would go to such lengths for a kingdom that had rejected his kind for so long.

But he had a speech to write.

Perhaps Merlin could be of some assistance, Arthur mused as he headed back to the castle. Strangely enough, despite his humble origins, his servant had quite a knack with words.

ooOOoo

Merlin couldn't decide whether he was exhausted or exhilarated. He felt as though his every nerve was tingling. The surge of borrowed power had swept through him, leaving him somehow energised and bereft at the same time.

It was with trembling limbs that Merlin pushed himself to his feet, and he had to lean heavily on the staff to keep his balance. He gave it a quick once-over and was relieved to see that, although the wood was splintered and somewhat charred, the crystal and the Sidhe inscriptions were still intact.

The staircases seemed far more treacherous to navigate on the way down than they had been earlier. Merlin had to use all of his concentration to make sure his wobbly legs didn't crumple beneath him, and yet his magic responded in a flash when he needed a quick diversion to make it past a guard unseen.

His magic also picked up on the presence of Druids in the physician's chambers long before he reached the doors. He considered turning aside and finding somewhere else to stash the staff temporarily, until he remembered that they already knew his secret. There was no need to hide from them. However, he was so accustomed to acting in the shadows, safe in his anonymity, that the idea of walking into a room filled with people who knew his true identity was very unsettling. It didn't help that their high regard for him always made him feel like an imposter – he certainly hadn't done enough yet to earn it. But he couldn't deny that having their help had made all the difference to his spell; he wouldn't have succeeded without them.

He trudged onwards and the murmur of their silent voices gradually increased in volume until they noticed his approach, then suddenly it was a clamour of excited voices all rushing to greet him.

"Ow," Merlin said, wincing at the noise. He braced a hand against the cold stone wall and took a deep breath, only to begin coughing as his lungs reminded him that he'd inhaled far too much smoke. He felt woozy.

"Come on, up you get," Gaius said.

Merlin wasn't sure when he had sunk down to sit on the steps, or when his guardian had appeared, but Gaius was pulling him back to his feet and handing him off to a stranger.

"Uh, hi," Merlin said dumbly as the younger man ducked under his arm to support his weight.

"Hi Emrys," he chirped, and then flushed as he heard the way his voice had broken. He was a spry lad, tall and gangly but fresh-faced beneath his mop of tangled brown hair; still just a teenager.

Looking at him, Merlin wondered if he'd ever been that young.

"I'm Aglain," the boy continued, noticeably dropping the timbre of his voice to try to sound more mature. "Apprentice healer. Gaius said I could help him until Annessa is returned to us."

"Trying to replace me, Gaius?" Merlin joked.

Aglain looked mortified. "Oh, no! I would never- I could never-!"

Merlin huffed a laugh. "It's fine. Gaius could use an extra pair of hands about the place anyway." The rest of what Aglain had said sank in, then. "Wait, what happened to Annessa?"

"Let's get a rejuvenation potion into you first, and then we'll catch you up." Gaius opened the door, and Merlin braced himself.

"Merlin!"

The way Arthur yelled his name was very distinctive, and it rang down the corridor as clear as a bell.

In a panic, Merlin wrenched away from Aglain and shoved the staff into his hands. "Get inside, quick!" he hissed. He slammed the door behind him and turned just in time for Arthur to round the corner.

"Where have you been?" Arthur demanded.

"I-"

"Never mind, I don't have time for your excuses. I have a castle full of Druid refugees and a city full of people who believe they are our enemies. I am calling an emergency council meeting to draft the new laws, and I need to deliver a speech in a matter of hours."

"You want me to write your speech?"

"You're the best man for the job." Arthur looked startled by his own words, but he didn't take them back. He did, however, glance towards the door. "Unless Gaius has need of you?"

Merlin mentally sought out Aglain to ask him if his magic was required to help any of the wounded.

'It is mostly scrapes and bruises, some minor burns, a few sprained ankles, and one broken leg,' he reported. 'We can handle it. Not that your aid wouldn't be invaluable, I mean, your powers are unparalleled, I know that, but I think, in this occasion, we can probably- but if you want-'

"They have it covered," Merlin said, coughing to hide his amusement and then coughing again as his abused lungs made a vehement protest.

"Are you alright?"

"Y-yes," Merlin rasped, although his throat felt scraped raw and his chest ached.

Arthur clapped him on the back, knocking another cough out of him. "You're such a delicate flower, Merlin. It's a good thing Emrys was here to save the day before we got into any real trouble."

"Emrys?" he asked disingenuously.

"Yes." Arthur's hand shifted to rub between his shoulder-blades; an oddly comforting motion that indicated his focus was elsewhere. "I'll admit, part of me thought that he was just a fairy-tale the Druids invented, but I saw him. I saw what he can do first-hand. It was…"

Merlin couldn't parse the expression on his face, and it worried him. "Frightening?"

"Incredible," Arthur breathed.

"Oh."

Arthur blinked and dropped his hand back to his side. "Perhaps I should fear him. They said he is the most powerful sorcerer the world has ever known, and I saw proof of that today. But somehow, I just feel… safe."

"Oh." A heated flush crept up Merlin's neck and he fervently hoped his ears weren't turning red.

"That had better not be the only word in your vocabulary, or my speech will be sorely lacking."

"Har-har. Don't you have a meeting to get to?"

"Yes, and I'm already late. Make sure you have a draft prepared by the time I return. And don't forget that the Druids were promised a formal apology."

"I'll make sure to include it."

"Good man."

Merlin smiled at the unexpected compliment, and Arthur punched him lightly in the arm.

"Don't look so pleased."

Merlin only grinned wider.

ooOOoo