Defiance

Sending virtual hugs to everyone who's read, reviewed, favourited and alerted. And lots of Merlin shaped cookies! I'm sorry it took so long; my computer died on me and it took me a while to work out how to fix it. My dad did it in the end.

Who else thought the last Merlin episode was awesome! I won't ruin it for those who haven't seen it, but it's definitely one of the best yet!

A little bit of Merlin/OC but that's because I'm a sap and would like for Merlin to have a girlfriend in the series, especially after Freya and all the other stuff he's had to put up with. And some Merlin/Arthur bromance that has been non-existent so far. And don't worry about Arthur going to Uther. He's not planning on getting Merlin killed. Quite the opposite in fact.

Rambling over. On with the chapter!

The Kingdom of Camelot was in the midst of a great celebration. Prince Arthur and the Lady Guinevere were to be married and the people rejoiced. A great feast was held a few days after the announcement and Lords and Ladies from all over Albion ascended on Camelot to congratulate the happy couple. Everything was perfect.

Except it wasn't.

It had now been two weeks since Arthur and Gwen discovered Merlin's secret, and they had yet to move onto the next stage of their plan. But, even with the Physician on their side, it had been hard to find the right moment to broach the subject with Uther.

Since Morgana's betrayal, the King's hate of magic had deepened, yet, unexpectedly, there had been fewer executions for the use of magic. The trials were fairer, and more innocent people walked free; some despite their blatant use of magic for mundane tasks.

In his despair, Uther had become a fairer, more just man, unable to persecute those who reminded him so much of his daughter.

For Arthur, the time was right. At the feast, he would make his case with Gaius, Lancelot and Gwaine to back him up if – no, when – the King rejected it.

This needed to happen. There was no going back now.

'Are you thinking about Gwen again?'

Arthur jumped and turned to face his amused manservant.

'What's it to you if I am?'

Merlin grinned. 'Nothing; nothing at all.'

'You do realise she's going to be your Queen in a few months, Merlin?'

'My Queen? I thought she was marrying you.'

'Merlin!'

They stared at each other for a moment before Arthur threw his goblet at the other man.

Merlin ducked instinctively and gave Arthur a mock, disapproving look.

'That's not nice.'

'Don't be nosy then,' Arthur smirked before turning his attention back to the speech he was supposed to be writing for his engagement dinner that night.

'You know, it's not really nosy when the entire kingdom knows that all you do is think about is your beautiful, charming, witty…'

'Merlin…'

'Shut up?'

Arthur nodded, laughing, and Merlin raised an eyebrow at him, but continued picking up the clothes strewn across the floor. The Prince waited until Merlin had his lunch tray balanced precariously in his hands before speaking again.

'What about you and Lucy? You've been spending a lot of time with her recently.'

Clang!

Arthur laughed as Merlin spluttered, the exact reaction he'd been aiming for.

'What? No… I haven't… I mean… We're just…'

Arthur held up his hand. 'Relax, Merlin. I'm very happy for you two. Just… don't give your heart away too fast, okay?'

They were both thinking of Freya now, though only Arthur knew that. Merlin nodded and picked up the tray again, turning to leave.

'And try and be a gentleman towards her,' Arthur added.

Merlin turned back, a disgusted look on his face. 'Just because you're getting married, doesn't mean that you know enough about women to give me love advice!'

'Love? Who said anything about love?' Arthur grinned. Merlin stared at him for a moment, before storming off, leaving a chortling Prince behind.

XxX

The Great Hall was bright and merry for the Prince's engagement feast. Arthur sat on his father's right hand side, beaming. Gwen was next to him, looking flushed, but delighted. Merlin was grinning from where he stood behind them. Across the room, Lucy caught his eye and went slightly red as she served the Knight's. Arthur glanced back at his servant who gave him a look that clearly said shut up.

It was all going perfectly. A very put-out Vivian had informed him that she would wait for the day he came to his senses; Arthur took that to mean nobody had broken the love spell on her yet. On the other hand, a very delighted Olaf had presented him with a beautiful jewel encrusted sword.

Arthur laughed, and talked the night away. Uther spent a great deal of time talking to Gwen, and Arthur was delighted to find that he was smiling the majority of the way through the conversation. Gwen looked relieved too. She kept shooting him glances, and he nodded to her.

As the festivities continued into the night, Uther stood, bidding goodnight to the happy couple, and departing. Arthur jumped to his feet immediately to follow his father out, shaking his head when Merlin made to follow him. The servant raised an eyebrow at him, but shrugged.

In the cool darkness of the hallway, Uther turned to his son, looking curious.

'Arthur? Is something the matter?'

Arthur held his father's gaze for a moment, before taking a deep breath.

No turning back. For Merlin's sake.

'I want to repeal the ban on magic.'

XxX

Arthur made his way down the council chambers early the next morning, thinking about what he had to say.

Uther had been shocked at his sons request the night before and, although he hadn't dismissed the idea, he hadn't agreed to it either. Still, Arthur had high hopes.

The King had called Gaius into his chambers at dawn that morning, no doubt to discuss what could have come over his son. Gaius had agreed to attend the talk that very morning, and had recommended three of Arthur's knight's be present as well; Leon, Gwaine and Lancelot. Although Leon may not know the secret that the other four shared, the Prince knew his second in command would back him up.

The guards opened the doors to allow him entrance as he strode towards them, bowing as he passed. He nodded to them, and approached the table.

'Sire. Gaius.'

Uther and Gaius looked up from where they'd been talking as he entered. Uther nodded briefly to his son, gesturing to the seat next to him.

'Sit down, Arthur. I have made a decision considering your proposition from last night.' Arthur sat back, sighing, already knowing what his father was going to say.

'I cannot allow you to introduce magic back to the Kingdom, Arthur. It would cause untold damage to the citadel, and make us seem weak to our allies, and our enemies. If you cannot see this, Arthur, then you are not ready to run this kingdom.'

'I have been running this kingdom, ever since we beat Morgana,' Arthur kept his voice low and his tone firm. 'I know what this kingdom needs better than anyone right now. And, right now, it needs magic to return! We cannot hope to stop Morgana without magic.'

'We have before…'

'No, father. We haven't.'

Uther stared at him. 'What are you talking about?'

Gaius coughed slightly. 'What Prince Arthur is saying, sire, is that he was aided by a magic user in the retaking of the castle. A warlock.'

Uther's eyes bulged as he rounded on his son. 'You enlisted a sorcerer to help you? What were you thinking Arthur? Do you have any idea what you have done?'

'Warlock.' Four voices corrected him. Uther turned to Gaius.

'You knew?'

'It would be hard not to notice Emrys' work, my Lord.'

'Emrys?' The King went pale. 'Emrys is here?'

'Indeed he is, my lord.'

'But if Emrys is here, then we are all in danger! My throne… you're throne, Arthur!'

Arthur laughed. 'Emrys won't hurt me, father.'

'He is a sorcerer! He can't be trusted.'

'I trust him more than any other person, father. He would never dream of hurting us; not when he's dedicated his life to serving and protecting Camelot.'

Uther sat for a moment, processing this information, before speaking again. 'It does not matter what this man has done for Camelot; he is still using magic in a Kingdom where it is forbidden. If you feel so strongly about the subject, Arthur, I suppose I could have him banished instead of executed. '

'He's not going anywhere, Uther,' Gwaine snapped from where he stood, behind Gaius. Arthur rolled his eyes at the Knight as the King looked outraged.

'Are you questioning me?' he snarled, his voice threatening. This didn't appear to faze Gwaine in the slightest.

'No,' Gwaine said, his tone serious for the first time in his life. 'I'm over-ruling you for the sake of this Kingdom. It's my duty to protect it, and the only thing keeping this castle standing right now is our friend the Warlock.'

'That's a bit of an exaggeration, Sir Gwaine,' Arthur raised an eyebrow at the Knight, who merely shrugged. Lancelot nodded his head in agreement.

'He may not be keeping Camelot standing now, but he most certainly has in the past. Please, sire,' he looked to the King. 'Consider Prince Arthur's proposition.'

'Enough!' Uther slammed his fist onto the table, his face going red as he rose to his feet. 'You will not speak to me in such a way. I understand that you are Arthur's personal Knight's, but I am still your king! I will be sending out search parties until they discover this sorcerer, and he shall be punished in accordance with the laws of Camelot. I will not be making any exceptions, just because you believe that he may not be evil, Arthur. You still have much to learn before I would be confident in your ability to run this Kingdom. I am releasing you from your duties as Prince Reagent.'

Uther stormed away, heading for the doors. Arthur gulped, and forced his hands to stop shaking as he glared at Gwaine. The Knight bit his lip, looking worried.

One last shot.

'Is that that what you would have done to Morgana?'

The King froze, but neither father nor son turned. Arthur stared straight ahead as he continued talking.

'Morgana's magic was instinctual to begin with. She wasn't evil, or corrupted; merely confused and scared. Would you have executed her then, or would you have tried to save her?'

'The laws…'

'Your laws,' Arthur stood, and took a step towards his father, who was looking back at him. 'You broke them once for her. You begged Gaius to use magic to save her,' the King glared at Gaius who merely held his gaze. 'But what if it wasn't Gaius who healed her? What if it was Emrys? Would you have killed him then?'

Uther stared at Arthur. Both Gwaine and Lancelot looked impressed, whilst Leon and Gaius just looked proud, as the Prince stood firm against his father for the sake of a friend who had him so much.

It was time to return that favour.

'I am asking you to give others like Morgana the opportunity to live their lives to the full. Emrys has spent his whole life hiding; he has given up so much so that we may rest easy at night, knowing that some unknown force is watching over us. There are others just like him, who wish to use their gifts to help the people around them, but dare not for fear of what will happen if they do. Imagine the difference they will make to our Kingdom once they are free. The crops will be more yielding than ever; the sick will not suffer with fevers; the Kingdom need not fear magical attacks from those bent on liberation and revenge.'

Uther stared at his feet, biting his lip, as Arthur continued.

'Morgana may even forgive you, if you do this for her kin.'

'Morgana will never forgive me, Arthur,' he whispered, his voice so full of pain that Arthur felt very guilty. Perhaps he'd gone too far…

'But you're right.' Everyone in the room looked up to meet the King's gaze. 'There has been enough blood shed. If Morgana hadn't been too scared to approach me, I might have been able to save her. And you must now do the same for your friend.'

Arthur smiled, looking around his Knight's, two of whom looked delighted. Leon just gave him a look that meant you'll have to explain this one to me later.

'I will announce that the laws on magic are to be repealed immediately. Gather the people,' he turned to leave.

'Wait.'

All eyes turned to the Prince, who was grinning mischievously.

'I have a better idea.'

So, that's phase 2 of Arthur's plan completed. Hope he seemed more Princely in this chapter than he has in the past ones. So, next time: the final stage of Arthur's plan.

I'll get it updated as soon as I can, as long as my laptop behaves itself. Luckily, the majority of the chapter's already written. I only have to edit it.

TTFN
Valkyriexx