Chapter 14

Wlæc Þēostrung

Disclaimer: I do not own either Danny Phantom or Merlin

Gaius frowned, looking up from his mortar as he heard a strange noise at the chamber door. Carefully he set down the pestle he was working with and turned the burner down to a lower heat. The noise started again, sounding remarkably like something small was frantically scratching at the chamber door. Gaius slowly ambled over; being a physician in a place like Camelot had taught him that patients tended to do the strangest of things, and small children in particular were apt to make odd little noises at his door if they couldn't reach the door handle.

Cautiously he opened the door, opening it just a crack to see who his visitor was. He paused in confusion, noting the distinct emptiness of the hallway, but this was quickly pushed aside when a small black animal raced underfoot and across the chamber floor. Gaius blinked in momentary disconcertion before chasing after the little black tail that scampered up the small staircase to Merlin and Danny's room. From the gap in the door Gaius saw a flash of bright white light, and he sped up his movements to chase after the clearly magical invader that had just raided the room of Merlin and his young ward.

Pushing the door fully open he paused, taking in the sight. The little animal – a black cat – was decidedly absent, instead there was a very disoriented looking young boy panting desperately on the pallet beside Merlin's bed. The boy took in ragged breaths, dazed blue eyes unseeing as he looked towards the ceiling.

"Danny?" Gaius prodded as he stepped fully into the room. It was messy, as usual, with a number of work shirts strewn around. The boy himself sat atop his mattress, the sheets tangled beneath his body as the boy squirmed against the fabric.

"Just..." The raven head panted, his jaw moving strangely s though he couldn't shape the word "Just a moment."

Gaius raised a studious eyebrow, crossing his arms as he surveyed the boy. There didn't seem to be anything discernibly wrong with him physically, but the unfocused look in Danny's blue eyes told a different story.

"What happened?" Gaius pressed, ambling close enough to hand the boy a cup of water from the side table. Danny gratefully took it, holding the cup in trembling hands as he lifted it to his lips.

The boy let out a shaky sigh, looking into the bottom of the cup. "Thanks, Gaius." The boy mumbled, staring into the bottom of the cup as though it held the answers to the world.

"Can you explain why a black cat decided to tear through my chambers?" Gaius pressed. "Had there been anyone else here the guards could have been called."

"Merlin..." the boy began, biting his cheek in clear hesitancy. Gaius raised an eyebrow, silently urging the boy to talk. "Merlin decided to try an experiment. He thought that a cat would be less suspicious if it got caught in Eadric's chambers than a servant who didn't need to be there."

Gaius blinked, choosing momentarily to set aside Merlin's experiment. "Why were you in Eadric's chambers?" He asked, sending the boy a sternly disapproving look that had him shrinking back. Slightly.

"I know him." Danny replied, looking up at him with darkened blue eyes.

"Of course you know him." Gaius dismissed. "He has been in the castle all week and is one of the important visiting dignitaries. Merlin and the knights..."

"No, Gaius." The boy interrupted "I know him. His ghost anyway, from my time. I wasn't sure at first, people change when they die and he's had a thousand years, but every time I see him, the way he acts, it makes me even more certain. It's him." Gaius couldn't help the sinking feeling in his chest at the dark look on young Danny's face.

"And I take that he is not an idyllic persona in your time." Gaius sighed, taking a seat at the foot of Merlin's bed.

"Hardly." Danny snorted. "That's why Merlin wanted me to check things out. Since I don't know whether his obsession kicked in after he died, and Merlin wanted to know what his motivations were, he suggested I use this morning to look around while Eadric and Kilian were out."

"And did you find anything?" Gaius pressed.

Danny frowned. "Maybe. But I'd need to talk with Merlin first. He's the all knowledgeable warlock after all." The boy's tone was dry, and Gaius shook his head slightly as Danny's sudden levity effectively lightened the mood.

A small smile flickered to Gaius' lips. He still remembered the day a younger Merlin had traipsed into these very chambers, brimming with youthful self assurance and too much magic to hold onto. Briefly the image of Merlin's bright grin as the young warlock was handed his first book of magic flashed upon his eyes. "All knowledgeable indeed." Gaius murmured.

Gaius watched as Danny smiled and stood up, setting the cup carefully aside before offering a hand to help him off the bed. The two went back down to the main chambers, and Gaius set about explaining the latest preparation for the younger boy. Under his careful ministrations the boy fully calmed down; Gaius was glad that he hadn't heeded to resort to giving the boy a calming draught or something similar.

He frowned, concealing his concern as he looked across the workbench, watching the dark haired boy as Danny moved a flask off the burner. It had been years since he had truly studied magic. Even before the Purge he had been focusing more on medicine than on the more abstract of magical theory, but he remembered how dangerous animal transmutation was. It was a finicky branch of magic, difficult to perform correctly and disastrous if it went wrong. He had once watched as a young woman died, her heart transformed into a mouse's, but the magic insufficient for her body to make the rest of the shift. People could become permanently stuck in an in between state, half man and half animal. There were so many things that could go wrong that most sorcerers never even considered using the practice at all.

Of course, it was safer for the sorcerer to perform the magic on someone else, unless the sorcerer had both the will and concentration to maintain the magic even while they transformed. But it was still a risk even then. Gaius wasn't sure what to make of the fact that the two boys had been playing around with it. Merlin was outstandingly powerful, so he shouldn't have been surprised that the young man was able to perform a complete animal transmutation. But he had hoped that what had happened to Guinevere the year before would have cautioned him away from the practice. Danny didn't seem to be suffering any ill effects... but the fact that the boy had reversed the spell himself left Gaius feeling unsettled.

Gaius let out a tense sigh, catching the boy's notice and eliciting a flicker of concern in his young blue eyes. He uttered a quiet dismissal, forestalling the boy's questioning. Any further discussion was abruptly interrupted as the chamber doors swung loudly open, allowing a brightly grinning Merlin to come in. As soon as his ward lay eyes on Danny he broke into peals of laughter to which Danny irritably crossed his arms. Gaius concealed a smile, quietly feigning disinterest as he watched the two boys interact.

"You should have seen your face!" Merlin exclaimed, gulping between laughing hiccups.

"A cat." Danny replied dryly.

"Oh it was brilliant. The look on your face when Arthur asked after you." Merlin prattled, apparently missing the look in the younger boy's eyes.

"A cat." Danny repeated deprecatingly.

"And then Gwaine started petting you... what was that like by the way?"

"A cat, Merlin!" Danny interrupted. "Of all the things in the entire world you could have turned me into, it had to be a bloody cat!? What part of half-ghost do you not understand? If you'd asked I could have gone looking without anyone noticing, and then what happened with Gwaine and Arthur wouldn't have happened."

Apparently unfazed Merlin face split into a bright grin. "You liked it, didn't you?" He asked, blue eyes sparkling. Gaius shook his head, taking the draft Danny had forgotten away as the two boys took a seat at the table. "You know, if you like I can find a way to make that spell stick... I'm sure Gwaine wouldn't mind having a pet permanently."

Gaius only briefly caught a flash of green spark in Danny's eyes before a smirk pulled mischievously onto his face. There was a loud thud, and Merlin went crashing to the floor straight through the seat he had been sitting on. Gaius raised a reprimanding eyebrow, although his curiosity was piqued at the fact that both Merlin and the chair still appeared to be occupying the same space.

"How did you do that?" He found himself asking as a grumbling Merlin dusted himself off and got to his feet.

"What?" Danny asked, cocking his head sideways "Turn the chair intangible?"

Gaius nodded, moving over towards the table and cautiously waving his hand through the bench seat, meeting no resistance. "I had been led to believe that it was a non transferrable trait."

Danny blinked momentarily, turning his attention fully towards Gaius. "For weaker ghosts, spirits, yeah I'd agree with you. But most ghosts I know can do it without thinking, so long as we're in contact with it, it can be turned intangible."

"To what degree?" Gaius pressed, curiosity getting the better of him.

Danny just shrugged. "To whatever degree that we're capable of. There's limits, but for me it's more to do with how aware I am of my environment. In order to turn something intangible I have to... I don't know how to describe it... it's a ghost feeling... kinda like pins and needles, but it's not because it's like the thing momentarily is like an extra limb. That's the best way I can translate it, but that doesn't capture it at all."

"And it's off topic." Merlin interrupted. Gaius had to restrain a sigh, his curiosity unsated. "Did you find anything?"

"Sort of." Danny replied. "I think what's-his-name – Eadric's knight – has been in the room fairly often. For the most part the room looked like when they arrived, but there was a little silver box in the wardrobe with a lock of hair in it. And... you know how Gwaine walks around with a dragon scale on his necklace? There was one in the box, only the magic was stronger, like it was new. What can people do with a dragon scale?"

"I don't know." Merlin replied, a frown creasing his brow. "Gaius?"

Gaius pinched his lips in thought, trying to think of any use for dragon scales that could be relevant. "I would have to look." Gaius replied slowly, looking up at his bookcase. "Dragonlords were said to have used shed scales to increase the connection to their dragons, but knowledge of the Dragonlords and their abilities, as you know, was a secretive and oral tradition. There was a ritual, once, that required a dragon bone that was said to summon the great Dragon Spirit to a sorcerer, but that has been lost to antiquity. What I have read was only the most obscure reference, given several days I could perhaps find more but..."

"It's a start." Danny replied. "Thanks Gaius. Actually, I wish I'd had someone like you around when Plasmius was looking around for the skeleton key. I could have stopped that whole disaster before it even began."

"Someday you are going to have to explain all of your references, Danny." Gaius commented.

"But not today, because we're in the middle of a castle where such a story is likely to be interrupted, and Merlin and I have chores to do." Danny grinned. "In fact that reminds me..."

Gaius watched curiously as the young dark haired boy crossed the chamber to the medicine stores, picking up what looked like a tincture of skullcap and valerian, and a vial of maple seeds. "Mind if I borrow these?" the boy asked.

"Do I want to know?" Gaius retorted glibly, noting the distinctly mischievous look in the boy's eyes.

"Probably not. Thanks Gaius." Danny said, quickly burying the vials into his pockets before darting towards the door. "Coming, Merlin?" And then he was gone, light footsteps echoing down the hallway.

"You better follow him." Gaius urged, gesturing towards the door. He could imagine a couple of things that could be done with the raw materials and decided that he distinctly did not want to know what Danny had planned. Merlin nodded and followed the younger boy towards the chamber door. "Oh and Merlin." Gaius called, making his ward pause halfway through the door. "We will be talking about the fact you decided to play with crossing species boundaries with your ward."

Merlin paled slightly, visibly gulping before he nodded and disappeared, the door closing with a soft click behind him. Gaius just sighed tiredly, feeling in his bones that he was too old to be chasing after two young boys. Shaking his head he turned weary eyes towards the bookcase. Research was hardly about to do itself, and he doubted either of the boys had the patience for the task. He only hoped that somewhere amongst his texts he had useful information on the properties of dragon scales.

Gwen smiled tiredly as she looked across the table, briefly catching the eyes of her most trusted friends and family as they gathered in the room. They had all woken rather early, Arthur had been planning the surprise for the last day of the treaty talks, but the sudden insistence of a tournament had forced everything forward a bit. She, of course, didn't mind at all. She was still used to rising with the sun before getting straight to work, and a few months as Camelot's queen was hardly enough to change a lifetime of early morning habits.

In fact, probably the only one who would really have a problem with the disruption in schedule was the person who had disrupted it himself. Gwen stifled a laugh as muffled complaints echoed through the open doors, signalling the imminent arrival of her husband and his manservant. Shaking her head as she concealed a smile she stood up, shaping a knowing smile on her face as Arthur marched into the room. The man somehow managed to look surprised that everyone else was there already, despite the fact that he was easily half an hour late. Merlin, barely three feet behind him shuffled into the corner, the place he usually stood for any of the 'official' meetings of the court.

"Merlin..." Arthur called, sending a dark look over to the servant as he stood loosely behind his own seat. "What do you think you're doing there?"

Merlin blinked twice in confusion as his eyes surveyed the table, his eyes obviously taking note of the seating arrangement and the people currently gathered in the room. Gwen smiled when he noticed the single empty seat, seeming to balk as he realised the inference.

"Yes, Merlin." Arthur pressed smugly. "In this peculiar instance, even you could not fail to notice what is expected of you. Now sit." Gwen sent a knowing look towards Leon and received a half smile in return. Even after so many years Arthur still used Merlin as a way to quell his own anxiety and, surprisingly, Merlin still managed to suffer it with good humour. Merlin meekly sat into his seat, but there was a hint of a smirk dancing behind his brilliant blue eyes.

"Three years ago" Arthur began, and Gwen immediately turned her full attention to her blonde haired husband. Arthur's eyes roved the table, making brief contact with everyone in acknowledgement and acceptance. "An internal threat drove us out of our fair kingdom. In this retreat we saw, I feared, Camelot's darkest day."

Arthur bowed his head, a movement Gwen followed instinctively as she recalled the horrors of Morgana's first takeover. The woman who had once been her closest friend had always had a vindictive streak, but that had been overwhelmed by her kindness and sense of compassion. However Morgana had changed, and seeing her then, the ice cold cruelty in her eyes as she commanded her soldiers to shoot into a crowd of innocents, it had shattered any illusions about the woman's true nature. Magic had destroyed her; if nothing else Gwen was sure of that. And even still Gwen mourned the 'death' of the woman who had once been her friend, the Morgana who had been lost as soon as she delved into the seductive lure of practicing magic.

"However," Arthur continued, his voice picking up the vigour that Gwen had come to adore and breaking her away from her own saddened recollections "in the Castle of the Ancient Kings I saw a change. I saw hope and steadfast loyalty not just for myself as a prince, but for this kingdom and for all she represents. Around that table we were not a prince and his knights, we were equals. And these peace talks, now, are to promote the unity and peace we have striven for in Camelot across all Albion, because I truly believe that together we can bring about a brighter future for all. From that dark day we have brought Camelot to her greatest strength, and with everything you do it becomes more and more clear that those Ancient Kings held wisdom. A King cannot be so without his people, and it is the council of all those here now that has truly brought about Camelot's bright future."

Arthur paused, briefly meeting the eyes of all his knights before turning his gaze to Gwen. She smiled, feeling her heart surge with warm pride at the enthusiasm and courage that sparkled out of his blue eyes. "I would like to thank each and every one of you for all you have done, and although there have been many great sacrifices along the way I can only offer my deepest gratitude to each of you for staying by my side all this time. In honour of this I believe it is time to re-kindle an old tradition; many of the citizens of Camelot have been calling you the 'first circle' knights, and while this is true your position is far greater than this expresses.

"Gwen, my Love, you are the light of my life. You are the reason I can wake in the morning happy, just knowing that you are there and you are safe. Your happiness means the world to me, and I can only hope that, despite everything, you can still find it in your heart to find happiness in me and in Camelot." Gwen's heart fluttered as she felt the prickling of tears in her eyes. Beneath the table she reached for Arthur's hand, grasping it in hers and pressing it in a tight squeeze. Now wasn't the time, she was a Queen now and had to act with at least a modicum of decorum. But moments like this still caught her unaware and made her feel very much the blushing, babbling serving girl she had once been.

Arthur smiled at her before turning to face the next knight in the circle. "Elyan, you are my wife's only living relative, but you are so much more. You are a brother to me, and your kind spirit and humility is an inspiration to all here. Thank you." Gwen felt her brother smile and nod at the young king beside her.

"Percival, without your steadfast defence I can hardly believe Camelot would be the same. The people look up to you as their protector, and through you this last year has seen a great revolution in the relationship between the people of the lower town and the nobles in the castle. I am grateful for all you have done.

"Gwaine," Arthur paused, letting out a soft smile and shaking his head slightly "it is you that seems to pull things together. I won't deny that many times it is through your own unique brand of humour, but nevertheless you are the strength that, without which, I know that I could have not seen the successes I have within Camelot. Although I will ask if you please try to refrain from letting it go to your head."

"Nah, we'll leave that to you, 'eh Princess." Gwaine interrupted with a half laugh and a smile on his face, although there was a barely noticeable strained look in his eyes that seemed to disappear almost as quickly as it had appeared. Gwen smiled herself, ducking her head slightly to preventing herself from joining in with the other knights' guffaws.

Arthur smiled once more before turning to face Leon, dipping his head in warm acknowledgement. "Leon you have been by my side from the beginning. Your loyalty and honour has been the pillar that holds two eras together. You are one of my closest friends, my First Knight. And I know that it is you that has been able to so easily bring together both my father's knights and my own, creating the strength of Camelot's army and the united front we have today. Words cannot express my gratitude for all you have done, nor is there any honour high enough to befit all your efforts on my behalf. Thank you, my brother."

Gwen watched Leon, seeing the bright sparkle that lit the man's eyes. Gwen remembered the young man's excitement, so many years ago when her mother had been serving Leon's family, when the young boy had been accepted as a page for the Knights of Camelot; all this time later she could still see that light shine through, his loyalty to Camelot and to its King, and the friendship he had harboured with Arthur as a fellow knight. A smile pulled at her lips as she met eyes with the loyal knight, sharing a knowing smile as Arthur turned his attention to the next person at the table.

"Gaius, in many ways you have been like a father to me, and your support this past year has been unwavering despite my own inadequacies. I am not a perfect king, I know this, but I am glad to have your knowledge and wisdom as council. Since my father died so much has changed, Camelot is already a far different kingdom than it was in his time and I only hope I can live up to his great mantle. I am eternally grateful to you, Gaius, for helping me find a balance between new and necessary changes, and the traditions that have held this kingdom together for centuries. Thank you."

Gwen smiled at the high praise offered to the silver haired physician. It was what truly set Arthur apart from other kings, from Uther even. Arthur truly cared for all his people, and never once took them for granted. Well, when it mattered at least. Gaius had been loyal to the kingdom since before any of them were born, but it took a man like Arthur to give the kindly man the appreciation he deserved. There was a brief rustling, and Gwen sent a confused look over at Gwaine who seemed to be struggling to stay still. The man gulped, and Gwen calmed herself as Arthur turned his attention to the final seat of the table.

"Merlin, well..." Arthur paused, and Gwen could see the strange glimmer in his eyes that the man often got when talking about his long time friend. "You've been awful, absolutely horrible. But I couldn't imagine anyone else standing by my side." Merlin smiled in reply and nodded, somehow understanding the unspoken words better than even Gwen could.

"Three years ago," Arthur pressed on, regaining his composure as he addressed the group as a whole "we gathered around one table, a group of equals fighting for a common cause. It is my great hope that today we can bring about a new era here in Camelot. For gathered here, I see more than knights and servants to the kingdom, I see a brotherhood united in deeds and ideals and in blood. Each of you, in your own way, has brought something vital into Camelot, and it is in this chamber, around this table that I believe we can form a new council; a council of equals where no one man's voice is louder than any other's."

Gwen felt something warm rise in her chest, the same feeling of something monumental that she had last seen when her husband pulled his sword from a stone before reclaiming Camelot from a tyrant queen. Her eyes roved briefly around the table, seeing the same glimmer in seven other sets of eyes. A brief frown crossed her lips as she looked at Gwaine, who appeared to be squirming uncomfortably in his chainmail, but the moment passed as Arthur spoke again.

"Now I would like to begin a new tradition," The impassioned voice of Camelot's king spoke. "Now I would like to bring about a new age in Camelot. Now I would like to welcome you all to the Brotherhood of the Round Table."

There was a breath of silence, heavily weighted by an age of anticipation. Deep within her Gwen felt a sense of rightness stirring; as though all her life had been waiting until this exact moment. For a brief moment she felt infinity stretching out before her, this monumental shift awakening something that she had never felt before. And for a brief moment it was though every single person at the table caught that strange glimmer that always shone through Merlin's eyes.

For a moment she could see the land; all of Camelot stretching out before her, flourishing and growing happily.

For a moment she felt her people; the blood of thousands pumping through her veins and every single person united in peace and jubilation.

For a moment she breathed in time; an eternity stretching before her, millennium defined within a single moment that existed for her right now.

For a moment she breathed out, and all the burdens and worries seemed to slip away in the sense of rightness and unity that was encompassed in those five words.

Brotherhood of the Round Table

A smile graced her lips as the moment passed, that sublime glimmer slipping away from six sets of eyes, leaving only a raven-haired young man whose bright blue eyes glittered with absolute pride. And for a moment Gwen wondered if that was how Merlin always felt, before dismissing it as silly. But something had shifted, and the Camelot she was in now felt fundamentally different, brighter than the one she had woken in even this morning.

She felt like she was standing at the precipice of a new age.

And she couldn't be more ready for it.

AN: Okay, so I won't apologise for taking so long... except for the fact that I'm sorry for making you wait so long. Which I know is circular, so the non-logician in me is happy.

Seriously though, thanks so much for your patience, I... haven's been particularly inspired lately what with... stuff. Plus uni work has been rather demanding and (for those of you interested in JAMF) I've been working on another story... sorta in the preliminary stages.

I know this is short, but this was a good place to end it and with any luck I'll have the next bit finished sooner this way.

Translation;
Wlæc Þēostrung – Cool Twilight

Adieu,

Bluerose