Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.
So far so good - update every two weeks isn't a bad score. I hope it's worth waiting for.
The second part is dedicated to my wonderful reader larasmith - I added it because of you and I hope it lives up to your expectations.
Enjoy!
Previously:
"Tomorrow you will tell the whole of the Round Table about your magic."
The next day Merlin woke up late because of the previous night's events. He was worried about the Round Table meeting, becoming even more apprehensive as the morning turned into afternoon. The warlock tried to do some reading, but couldn't focus for long enough and finally gave up. When the right time came, the advisor went to the meeting.
Merlin was the first in the room but soon the king and queen joined him. Gwen smiled reassuringly while Arthur couldn't help a snarky comment.
"You're on time? What happened?"
The warlock just ignored him and a short time later the knights arrived, so Arthur got up and started the meeting. "You're probably wondering why I called all of you here. It's because Merlin has something to share with you all," Arthur announced as the knights listened intently before looking to Merlin The king sat down motioning for the advisor to continue.
Merlin reluctantly got up and quickly uttered. "I have magic." He waited for some reaction but none came.
Finally Leon asked. "That's all?"
"That's all?!" the warlock exclaimed incredulously. "I told you I had magic and that's your reaction?!"
"What did you expect?" Elyan questioned. "It wasn't so hard to deduce. Out of the blue Arthur allows practise of magic and makes you an advisor. It had to be connected, even though I had realised it much later."
"I had known even before," admitted Percival with a calm that worried Merlin. "We had just too much luck on the patrols and you weren't exactly subtle."
Merlin could only stare blankly at this point, since his legs gave way long ago.
"I had known it too," said Gwaine, not liking to stay silent and despite the fact he had already told it to Merlin long ago.
Then Leon's expression changed, his eyes became round and he exclaimed surprising everyone. "You are him! Aren't you?"
"What?" the warlock was truly confused, so the knight elaborated. "You are Emrys, the most powerful warlock to walk the earth."
That got everyone's attention and Merlin wanted nothing more than to disappear.
"Merlin, what is he talking about?" inquired Arthur but the advisor ignored him and turned to Leon.
"How do you know it?"
The knight shrugged. "Ninianne told me a little about druidic prophecies and she might have slipped up that Arthur was the Once and Future King. In the light of the knowledge of your magic it was a fair assumption you would be the Emrys."
"What are you talking about?!" the king was becoming even more curious, impatient and irritated. It was Percival, who answered him.
"Druids have a prophecy foretelling a Golden Age. In time of need the Once and Future King will be born, who will unite the lands of Albion under his reign and create a land of peace and prosperity for all, let them be magical or not." The knight stopped to take a breath, while Arthur was totally speechless and awed.
"But he will encounter many dangers and undergo trials in which the King won't be able to succeed without help. That's why in his destiny the Ruler is accompanied by Emrys, the most powerful warlock to ever live, prophesized to save magic. They are the two sides of the same coin: they complement each other and none can succeed without the other, however together they are invincible."
There was silence after Percival's words, which were said in such a solemn way, that made everyone dumbstruck. Arthur looked totally gobsmacked and perhaps a little fearful, while Merlin became preoccupied with a sleeve of his tunic.
The shared stupor was broken by Gwaine, who at the beginning chuckled, but soon fully started to laugh and couldn't stop. "It's ... just...I," there was another peal of laughter. Everyone was looking at him as if the knight had gone mad. Finally he calmed down a little and managed to utter. "Don't you get it? The most powerful magic user ever was washing Princess's dirty socks! And I bet he did it with magic! Otherwise he wouldn't be able to stand this fragrant odour."
It prompted a new peal of laughter, but no one joined Gwaine in it, at least not until Arthur thrown a goblet at the knight making him shriek in surprise and massage the growing bump with an indignant expression. That released everyone from the shock and now they broke into fits of laughter.
After a while everybody calmed down, but there was still mirth in their eyes. However it soon vanished from Arthur's.
"How am I supposed to do it?" he asked no one in particular, propped his elbows on the table and hid head in hands. "The whole of Albion? That's impossible!" It was one of those moments, when the king needed the gathered people the most. "And even if it's possible, I'm not worthy of being the one to do it."
"That's not true!" exclaimed Merlin turning to his friend, while Gwen put her hand on Arthur in the silent promise and declaration of support. "You are a great king and your people love you! You stopped decades of unjust persecution and are doing everything in you power to remedy its results. You treat everyone like a person, be they peasant or noble. You truly listen to what other people say and admit to being wrong. Yes you made some mistakes, but everyone does!"
During this impromptu speech the warlock got up and gesticulated vividly. Even Arthur stopped his moping and looked up at Merlin. "No matter what some may say you are not weak and a much better king than your father could ever hope to be. Accepting help or advice only makes you stronger." The warlock bent down, put a hand on the king's arm and looked into his friend's eyes. "But the most important is your heart, your desire to make people's life better and safer. Your love and dedication for them."
Arthur was in such an emotional state that for some time he couldn't utter anything. He looked around the table and saw expressions of complete faith, and in Gwen's case of love too. She was even visibly wiping the tears of deep emotion that flew at the warlock's words.
Finally Arthur's sight got back to Merlin who only smiled a little and nodded. The king uttered looking separately at everyone gathered. "Thank you." Then he got hold of himself and continued. "Your support really means alot to me. We have a difficult, some will say impossible, goal before us and I will need everyone of you to achieve it. For the love of Albion!" Arthur finished with a shout, quickly taken up by others. He looked around with a feeling of finally being on the right course.
After the meeting Merlin asked the monarchs to stay behind for a while.
"What is it?" inquired Arthur when there was only the three of them.
"I hate to open old wounds but I feel you should know about this."
The warlock pulled out of his pocket a silver brace. Gwen gasped seeing it and the king sent her a questioning look, but soon they switched their attention to Merlin, who continued talking after taking a deep breath.
"This," the advisor indicating the piece of jewellery in his hand, "is an enchanted bracelet that Lancelot gave Gwen just after he came back." Both the royals were shocked and speechless. "But it wasn't really Lancelot. It was a shade, conjured by Morgana's dark magic to make a rift between you two." Gwen gripped Arthur's hand and was squeezing it so hard the king could barely stand it. "She thought bringing the image of a man Gwen once loved would be enough, but she didn't count on those feelings to have waned and been replaced by other, and those much stronger of true love."
Merlin looked from one of his friend's face to another's before continuing. "Gwen has never betrayed you, and neither did Lancelot. He died a hero's death saving this kingdom and that's how he should be remembered." Having said that, the warlock left the room leaving the husband and wife alone.
Arthur embraced Gwen and hugged her strongly. It was the truth he had forgiven her long ago, but he couldn't forget about the whole ordeal. Now, with the light of Merlin's revelations it seemed as if some weight was taken off his shoulders. Thinking about how he had treated his love after finding her and Lancelot kiss...
"I'm sorry." He uttered. "I'm so, so sorry".
Gwen didn't reply and only silently sobbed snuggled into him. She cried over the pain they got through and over the unjust stain on Lancelot's reputation. But the most of all she weeped for joy at finally being able to forgive herself for what had happened.
It's a wonder how one meeting can go totally differently than planned and totally change lives in so many ways.
I hope it was a little different than usually and the knights weren't too much OOC. How did you like it?