~ Chapter 21: Free Fall ~

- Arthur -

It pained me to have to arrest Alistair, but it had to be done. He tried to kill Merlin. I admit, my knighting Merlin may have been a little impulsive, but it was long overdue. Merlin should have been knighted a long time ago.

I didn't regret my decision. I am glad I knighted him and granted him the protections and rights of all of my men; I just regret that Alistar was too stubborn to accept Merlin. I regret that he was knighted under these circumstances and didn't receive the proper ceremony or celebration he deserved. I decided then and there that we would find a way to celebrate this moment.

I was so pleased that, aside from Alistar, my knights accepted Merlin. Merlin was close with most of them. They had one of the relationships that you can't help but form when you're constantly put in life threatening circumstances together. They were friends. And they were able to see past Merlin's magic and realize that he was still Merlin.

I broke the silence. "Does anyone else have a problem with Merlin?" I asked. No one spoke up. No one had to. They had all stood up in defense of Merlin before. They had all stood by while I knighted him.

I gave them a moment to really consider my question. When no one spoke up I continued. "Good. It's time to let the people of Camelot know," I told them.

"My lord?" Gwaine asked me, confused.

"Well I can't very well legalize magic and not tell my people," I told him.

"I know; I just wasn't expecting it to be so soon," he told me.

"I think poor Merlin has waited long enough," I said.

"Poor Merlin?" Merlin said, trying to sound indignant.

I chuckled. "I've arranged an audience that will be held in the courtyard. All people of Camelot are welcome to come and I believe all of them will be there," I told everyone. "Will you help me protect Merlin? Will you help me make sure he's safe?"

"With all due respect my lord, I don't really think Merlin needs our protection," Gwaine said. "I really think he can take care of himself. That being said, I will stand by your side."

"As will I," Leon added.

"And I," Percival said.

Soon all of my knights had agreed to stand by us. I smiled at them. I knew Merlin could take care of himself. I saw it about half an hour ago. I just felt better knowing that someone else had his back.

We walked out to the spacious balcony. Some of my knights came with me, Gwen, and Merlin, but most went out to the courtyard to disperse themselves among the people.

As Gwen and I walked out, we were met with cheers from our people.

As the cheers died down, I cleared my throat. "Hello, people of Camelot. Today, I have you gathered to witness some very important news. Today is a happy day for Camelot," I said loudly. "Queen Guinevere is pregnant with an heir to Camelot. In six months time, we will be blessed with a child." This, of course, was news to my knights, so their enthusiasm was not feigned. The excitement of my people was insurmountable. They were excited that Camelot would have an heir. I guess I could understand their excitement. They went several days believing that there would be no one to take the throne when Gwen died. Who knows what would have happened to Camelot if that happened?

Gwen waved to the people. She was as pregnant women often were, but it was more than that. She was glowing. I didn't think I'd ever seen a more beautiful sight than Gwen right then. I smiled as I studied her. I knew after this, I would have to talk to her. I would have to tell her why I was scared and I would have to tell her I'm not scared anymore. But for now, I was letting her enjoy her moment. I was going to let her bask in the cheers of our people. Because they were not cheering for me; they were cheering for her. I really didn't have to do much for that baby to be made. Gwen had the hard part. Looking at her now, I felt a pang in my heart with the knowledge that I'd done anything to hurt her, whether it be intentional or not.

That conversation would have to wait because we weren't done here. "I have one more announcement to make," I told my people. They stopped talking, eager to hear more news. "This announcement may come as a bit of a shock, but I assure you that there is no danger."

I could see my people talking to one another, confused about what I was talking about. I didn't know how to tell my people that magic was no longer outlawed in this kingdom. Might as well just say it. "As you know, magic is outlawed in Camelot. That is not the case anymore," I said loudly. That silenced them. I saw them exchange uneasy glances. "There was a sorcerer that saved my life. He has shown me that magic is not good or bad. People are good or bad. If someone doesn't abuse magic or use it for evil, then there is a place for them in Camelot. But like any weapon, if it is abused or used incorrectly, the consequences will be severe, possibly even treasonous and will be tried as such."

"You will regret this," I heard a voice say from behind me. I turned, shocked to see Alistar. He was supposed to be detained. He must have fought off the guards… or he escaped. We had a frustratingly long history of egress from our prisons. I guessed I shouldn't be surprised.

What I was surprised to see was him charging towards me. He hit me with his shoulder, causing me to tumble over the balcony. All I was aware of was the uncomfortable sense of falling as the ground got closer. In a split second, I lost all rational thought and I was entirely consumed by the very real possibility that I was falling to my death.

In the back of my head, I heard Merlin yell, "Raedee asce geotan!" I heard it, but I didn't process what it meant until I froze, suspended in air. I sighed in relief. I could hear gasps from my people, but I was a little preoccupied by the very strange feeling of floating in midair to give their gasps much thought. "Lyft sy be in baelwylm ac forhienan se widere." A gust of air came by, pushing me into a standing position. At least I wasn't going to hit the ground head first anymore. Slowly, Merlin lowered me to the ground.

When my feet touched down to the ground, a huge sense of relief washed over me. I was safe. I looked up to see three knights restraining Alistar and I saw Merlin was standing on the very edge of the balcony. He looked exhausted but pleased with himself.

"Thank you, Sir Merlin," I said in a loud voice. Then I did something that had never happened before. Part of being a king is that you kneel before no man. I kneeled before Merlin. This showed my people that Merlin was to be trusted, that Merlin was a friend; more than that, I showed them he was my equal.

It seemed like my actions set off a chain reaction. First one person knelt, then another, then another. Soon almost every person in Camelot was kneeling before Merlin.

I didn't need to look up to know that there would be tears in Merlin's eyes and a smile on his face. I didn't need to look up to realize that my people supported my decision.

In that moment, I understood what Merlin had been saying. It was my destiny to be a great king. Part of being a great king was not only knowing when to be a leader, it was knowing when to step back and give credit to other leaders. Merlin always spoke of his destiny and how it was his destiny to shape me to be the king this land deserved; I was starting to think that he was part of my destiny as well. Perhaps it was my destiny to ensure that he got to thrive in a world built for him. I had never felt closer to my destiny.