When Uther hosted the monarchs of the Five Kingdoms for the signing of their historic peace treaty, such a summit had been unprecedented in its time. This meeting in Camelot of all the rulers of all the lands of Albion had never been dreamt of.
The council chamber would not hold them all, so they gathered in the Great Hall at King Arthur's Round Table: white-haired King Gwynllyw and Queen Gwladys of Daobeth, King Olaf and Queen Ysmay of Dyfed, King Alined of Gwynedd accompanied by Queen Elyenora, King Odin and Queen Athelis of Deorham, young King Meliant with Queen Elena, Queen Annis of Caerleon, Lord Bayard of Mercia looking much older than during his last visit to Camelot, Lord Godwyn of Gawant, and King Urien of Rheged.
Impressive in its vast space, the Great Hall was hung with red banners and decorated with pennants sporting Camelot's golden dragon. Standing along every wall of the huge room were soldiers from each of the kingdoms bearing the royal crests of every monarch in the land. A continuous rattle of sheathed weapons and chain mail came from the assembly: green-cloaked knights from Nemeth, black-helmeted soldiers from Deorham, those wearing the silver wolf of Rheged and the red and blue crest of Gwynedd, warriors from Caerleon in their animal pelts, blue-cloaked soldiers from Mercia, and darker blue-breasted knights from Dyfed.
The warmth of so many bodies had raised the temperature in the packed hall and beads of sweat stood on several brows including the royal heads seated around the table wearing an assortment of crowns and heavy jewellery. Each ruler had outdone himself or herself in an attempt to outshine the others in clothing stitched with silver and gold thread, fur trimming, gems of every colour, ceremonial weaponry, and a wealth of rings, bracelets, necklaces, and hair pieces.
Looking at the faces turned toward him, waiting for him to speak, Arthur's gaze came to rest on Queen Guinevere smiling up at him as he stood to address the gathered royalty. The pride shining in her face washed away his lingering nervousness.
"Thank you all for coming together on this momentous occasion to mark the federation of the united kingdoms of Albion. This is truly a historic moment which will long be remembered. I cannot express to you how honoured I am that you have graced Camelot with your presence and chosen to declare your commitment to this union."
"As if we had a choice," muttered Urien. His thin lips were compressed tightly between his thick blond mustache and his bushy beard.
Alined's pinched face was made more unpleasant by a petulant scowl but he said nothing.
"The choice would still be clear," Annis declared. "There is none other I would trust with the hopes of my people for a united land free of tyranny."
"Nor I," Olaf stated. "Even as Crown Prince you demonstrated a commitment to peace over victory after you had defeated me fairly in a duel to the death."
Odin did not speak but a flush crept up his neck.
Queen Athelis glanced at her husband before addressing Arthur. "And you put aside years of bitterness between our family and yours to choose reconciliation rather than retaliation," she said. "Your willingness to listen to the advice of others in the heat of the moment showed remarkably good judgement."
Meliant had reason to recall the events which led to Arthur's clash with Odin. "I, too, thank you, Arthur, for your aid. I owe the peace and security of my kingdom to you twice over."
"Gawant has long been an ally of Camelot," Elena said. "We have seen you grow into a great king as my father predicted and we are proud to reaffirm our allegiance to you."
Godwyn nodded his agreement and patted his daughter's hand.
The elderly Gwynllyw and Gwladys exchanged a look before the white-haired monarch spoke. "I have long awaited the time when I would see an end to the fear and unrest stirred up during the Great Purge, finally bringing peace within our kingdoms as well as among them. This day marks the beginning of a golden age, thanks to you, Arthur."
Camelot's king felt warmth spreading through him at their words.
Not to be outdone by the heartfelt speeches of his fellow rulers, Bayard got to his feet. A general sigh went through the assembly.
"A golden age, truly the beginning of a time of peace and prosperity throughout the lands we share that once ran red with blood. A time of harmony, when everyone regardless of birth can live freely."
While the man's long, wavy hair had grown more grey and his rough face more lined, his voice had gained strength rather than weakened. His speeches which once seemed interminable had impossibly lengthened. As the deep voice droned on, Arthur kept a dutiful smile on his face but his attention wandered around the Great Hall.
The other monarchs wore expressions of varying patience with Bayard's long-winded oration. Several twitched under their layers of formal dress in the warm room. Guinevere flashed Arthur an amused glance before returning her gaze attentively to the speaker. The soldiers stationed around the walls maintained a respectful silence although several shifted restlessly with faint jingles of weaponry and mail and many wiped trickles of sweat from their faces. His own knights had not taken their eyes from their king. Gwaine gave him an appreciative grin and Percival inclined his head in respect.
Beside them stood Merlin, doing his best to be as inconspicuous as possible. By the occasional sideways glance sent his way from those in the room of every rank, it was apparent he was not successful at remaining unnoticed. Gwaine turned his grin on Merlin and punched him in the arm. Rubbing his arm, Merlin gave the knight a long-suffering look which was spoiled by the smile that lit his face.
Merlin turned the smile toward Arthur and gave the king a nod of respect that meant more than the praise of all the monarchs seated at the Round Table. Arthur stood straighter at the sign of esteem from the person who truly deserved the credit for this momentous union of all the lands of Albion. Without Merlin, Arthur would not deserve their praise, if he had even lived long enough to assume the crown of Camelot. It was Merlin's efforts that had earned Arthur his place as head of this gathering today. Yet the younger man had never sought any credit; the only reward he had wanted was to be free.
That freedom was double-edged. Merlin no longer had to hide who he was, but as people came to understand all he had done they also realized all he could do and few understood how someone who commanded such power could resist being corrupted by it. Arthur recognized for what it was the fear underlying many tales being whispered about the powerful sorcerer.
Bayard finished his poetic speech and with a dramatic flourish took up the quill to be the first to mark his name on the treaty which committed the kingdoms of Albion to not only live peaceably with each other, but to swear allegiance to Camelot's king. Once Bayard had signed, he gave a deep bow to Arthur before he resumed his place.
To Arthur's surprise, Alined was the second to add his signature. The grimace on his unpleasant face which he intended to be an ingratiating smile did little to lend credibility to his perfunctory bow.
One by one, each ruler stood to sign the treaty and then acknowledge King Arthur. Urien was the last to mark his name, scowling at the document he had been passed before taking the quill in his beefy hand to scrawl a signature.
Finally the document was slid across the table to Arthur. Guinevere stood beside him as he added his name to the treaty as High King. At that, several of the monarchs led by Olaf slapped their hands on the table causing freshly-filled goblets to jump and slosh their contents onto the round surface. In response, the soldiers who held spears slammed their shafts against the stone floor and Annis' warriors let out a deafening shout that momentarily struck terror into those who had never before heard Caerleon's war cry. The Camelot knights clapped enthusiastically and Gwaine let out a shout of his own.
For a moment the noise level in the room precluded any chance of speaking, but once it subsided Arthur raised his goblet and the royals around the table followed suit.
"To peace," he said simply.
"To peace," they echoed and then each took a deep drink.
Arthur raised his cup in Merlin's direction before he drank himself.
The banquet hall was filled. With the royal visitors, only Camelot's highest-ranked courtiers had been granted places at the long tables which stretched from one end of the room to the other. Arthur had centre place at the head table with Guinevere on his left and Merlin on his right. The other royals occupied the seats closest to them, and ranged further down the long side tables were Sir Ector, Sir Leon, Sir Gwaine, Sir Percival, Gaius, Mithian with Lord Olwyne, Sir Aldric, Geoffrey, Sir Caradoc, and Sir Andred. Aldric's scarred face was more pleasant as he joined in the celebratory toasts being drunk by the knights on either side of him though he studiously ignored Merlin's presence.
Loud conversations and drunken laughter drowned out the musicians in the corner of the hall. The scents of roasted venison, beef, pork, and fish competed with dumplings, pies, and bread. Fresh vegetables and ripe fruits were heaped in bowls. Armfuls of flowers decorated the hall and released their own scents into the air to mask the smell of warm bodies. A group of acrobats performed an especially amazing feat and there was a roar of appreciation from the guests.
Arthur glanced to his right. Merlin's shoulders were twitching as though the shirt he wore was uncomfortable. Arthur shook his head at how his friend could wear coarse wool clothing for days on end without apparent notice and yet squirm when he was properly dressed for once.
As the acrobats executed their finale flip, pretending to narrowly miss crashing to the stone floor in a spectacular fall, a pair of jugglers came forward to take their place in the open area in the middle of the banquet tables. The jugglers faced their audience and gave an exaggerated courtly bow in unison before beginning their act to the applause of revelers on all sides. Arthur chuckled when he saw Queen Annis send Merlin a droll look and raise her goblet in his direction causing him to flush.
The looks King Urien and King Alined shot toward Merlin were far less friendly and Arthur wondered if either had attempted to entice the powerful sorcerer to make one of them High King. Their own ambition and greed would lead them to believe everyone was motivated by the same self-serving desires; neither of them would understand Merlin's loyalty.
In truth, Arthur did not entirely understand it himself. He winced at how often he had made some derogatory remark about sorcerers in Merlin's presence and how the younger man must have cringed inside. Yet he had stood by Arthur, had continually saved his life, bolstered his self-esteem, and even shown his willingness to sacrifice himself for Arthur's sake.
All for this. To see the lands united in peace, in tolerance if not always acceptance of magic. It would take time to change hearts and minds which had long been told of the evils of sorcery, and some would always regard it with fear, but at least Merlin and those like him could be free. They no longer had to live as fugitives, knowing the best places to hide, and endangering people around them simply by their existence. And Merlin had always believed Arthur could accomplish it. Had stood by him even those times when his friend must have despaired of ever seeing magic accepted as a force for good.
How many times had Merlin convinced Arthur that he would be a great king, that he would be remembered in every age, and that there would never be another like him? Yet he seemed to think history would forget Arthur had not done all that single-handed. What would be remembered about the powerful sorcerer who had been at his side? Arthur doubted Merlin would be as forgotten as he believed, but would fear colour the tales about him forever? Or would people remember he was human? That he could be a clumsy idiot as well as a wise advisor? That he had his own regrets and had endured setbacks and lost loved ones in the building of this world he had been destined to help create?
Merlin sat hunched over his plate, doing his best to ignore the curious as well as fearful glances sent his way. Arthur saw Mithian catch his eye and send him a warm smile which relaxed the sorcerer a little. Then his gaze came to rest on the High King.
"Congratulations, Arthur," he said softly. "You accomplished all that destiny asked: the lands united in peace, a just and fair kingdom for all."
"We accomplished that," Arthur corrected. "Together. I couldn't have done it without you, or without the support of Guinevere and my knights and all the others who fought – and died – to create this world."
Guinevere laid her hand over his where it rested on the table. Then she leaned forward to look at Merlin. "Thank you, Merlin, for taking care of him. I cannot imagine it was easy."
She smiled at Arthur to take the sting out of her words but he did not dispute it. In fact, he was glad she had said it for him.
"You have no idea." Merlin grinned at Gwen.
"But I do," Arthur said. "At least, I do now, and I want to say something I rarely say to you."
Merlin waited, a slight frown creasing his forehead, but his expression cleared and erased the awkwardness Arthur felt when he said the words: "Thank you."