Arthur had been doing more and more thinking and decided to have a private word with Leon. He trusted the knight completely. Leon was five years older than him and had always been in Arthur's life. He was Arthur supposed a best friend, although he knew his father would disapprove of any such admission. So he called Leon to his rooms on the pretence of discussing the new training.
"Leon, I want to ask you something, but I need it to go no further than these four walls" Arthur said as they sat down at the table with a goblet of wine.
Leon looked at the young Prince. He might not yet have reached his eighteenth birthday, so could not as such be considered a man, but he had grown up fast and had proved himself in many a tight situation. "Sire, you can trust me. I will discuss nothing outside these walls"
Arthur felt he had no choice he wanted to start making plans for the future that meant he needed help. "I want to build a group of knights who are loyal to me above all. I am fed up with knights running to the King with tales. I need to know I can trust who I have around me. Do you know of any such men who could be encouraged to come to Camelot as Knights?"
Leon raised his eyebrows before asking quietly "Has Sir Codon prompted this Sire"
"Him Sir Caridric and several others. I know I can trust Pallinor and Owain but I need more I would like to have a group of four to six knights who will be my men" Arthur said frankly. "I have my reasons"
"Sire if I can speak candidly as well, is this about the boy?" Leon had noticed the Princes fondness for Merlin and how it had grown.
Arthur hesitated then decided he had to trust someone and Leon was the best person he could think of. "Yes, I found out sometime ago that he is my cousin and Morgana's maidservant is his mother" He looked at Leon's stunned expression and continued. "His father and my mother were siblings. I know this to be true" Arthur gave Leon a concise version of the story he had been told.
Leon nodded thoughtfully "That explains much. I heard of a boy in the dungeons when I was small. My mother's maid had a son who worked in the dungeons and she and my mother spoke of a boy and his mother, when they thought I wasn't listening. But as I grew I put it down to woman's story telling. Some of my toys went missing, when her son visited, I believe her son took them but I said nothing, I had more than most and if he was giving them to some unfortunate well who was I to complain" Leon looked at Arthur "I truly believed them to be stories like the ones about daring deeds and mythical beasts."
"Please think about what I have asked, you think of some noblemen's second of third sons who are looking for advancement." Arthur drank his wine. "We need more knights and I'm sure we could persuade my father to allow more. As he has made me Crown Prince it is time I had my own first knights rather than my father's men"
Leon left just as Merlin was being returned, he had been with the guards having his weekly cold bath and washing his clothes. Leon gave the young man a smile as he went passed him, he could now see why the Prince was fond of the boy and decided that he would also try his best to protect him. He wondered if he had been the precipitant of his lost toys all those years ago. If so they had gone to a good home and in reality he had outgrown them by the time they went missing. He also wondered what had happened to William, he hadn't seen him about for several years. He would ask his mother next time he wrote to her.
Arthur felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, he knew that Leon would now also try to protect Merlin when they were out on patrol. Over the last few years he had got closer to Leon and knew that the knight was as uneasy as he was about the Kings treatment of the magic community. He just hoped that Leon would know some knights that he could use.
The following week when Merlin was due to face Aredian once more Arthur was more prepared. He had made sure Merlin had more rest and food running up to the date. He had also spoken to Gaius who gave him a potion for the boy that would ease the pain, and at the same time dull his magic so he looked less powerful than he was. He gave it to Merlin before he was due to go down "I don't want you to be hurt Merlin, but nor do I want Aredian or the King to know your true powers. So take this for me Gaius tells me it will mask your power"
"The other sorcerers will know" Merlin told him "Ari told me the other day he could sense how they had grown recently"
"Do all the others know and will they tell?" Arthur demanded
"I don't know, I doubt they will tell. I saw Ari when I was washing my clothes we talked then. Ari and Alvarr are my friends, Edwin and Jonus are more likely to tell if they think it will benefit them" Merlin looked at his hands nervously "Since Morgause I have been trying to hide my power but the collar makes it hard. I'm scared" he admitted.
Arthur was surprised at the information he had been given Merlin was usually hard to get anything from without direct questions.