Gold
Chapter Thirteen
They had been in the catacombs all night and the dawn was just beginning to break as they found their way outside.
They rode hard to return to Camelot, both of them wanting to return to their loved ones and the comforts of home and a nice warm bed and hot food.
In their saddle bags, they had some of the wealth of Arosslegne, including the strange goblet that had saved Merlin's life. Arthur told Merlin about it on the ride home and Merlin had suggested that it get locked away rather than destroyed as so many magical items had been during the Great Purge. They carried with them gold and jewels, but also some of the manuscripts for Gauis and Geoffrey to look at and study.
-oOo-
They returned to Camelot and they had both been right in guessing the reactions of the two learnèd scholars when Geoffrey and Gauis saw the scrolls. They cooed over them like a new mother with her first-born. Merlin and Arthur both laughed at them and were shooed away so that the men could analyse the manuscripts in peace. Arthur was only too happy to oblige. Instead, he organised with his knights several missions to return to Arosslegne to catalogue and bring back to Camelot all of the riches of the Queen Alianor which Arthur told them was absolutely real, and was no myth at all.
The knights who went there on the missions came home with such stories to tell that no one would have believed them- not even their own families- had it not been for the proof they had with the jewels and golden artefacts and exquisite furniture and materials that were brought home.
Arthur, with Merlin at his side, oversaw that everything was done as it should be, and with the help and advice of Merlin, Gwen, Gauis, and the people he trusted most, Arthur made sure that the people of Camelot profited from the new-found wealth in the way that Queen Alianor would have approved of.
When this was done, Arthur and Merlin returned to Arosslegne to make sure that it was sealed up properly, especially her own tomb. The torches had long gone out and the catacombs and tunnels were harmless, all of the trapdoors now closed up and all of the secret tunnels had opened up. It had been these which the two young men had been particularly pleased about when they'd appeared as they hadn't been sure how to get out of the catacombs when they'd got into them by trapdoor.
-oOo-
A few nights later, in the very deepest archives and secret treasure rooms of Camelot, Arthur and Merlin were to be found one night hidden away from prying eyes.
Arthur hefted the goblet in his hands one more time before he put it in the small chest which he then put inside an alcove in the wall. He shut the door in front of it and locked it, putting the key on to his keyring on his belt and then allowed the curtain in front of the door to fall back into place, hiding it from view.
Her turned to Merlin. "Do you think this is the right thing to do?"
Merlin nodded with absolute assurance. "It's a cup that brings life with no life taken away. It is unique and should be treated with reverence, not thrown away or feared."
Arthur looked up at the hanging, worry slightly on his face. "If our enemies were to get a hold of it, then they could in essence have an immortal army," he said.
"We've already fought the Knights of Medhir," Merlin said, cracking a smile. "And we defeated them."
Arthur's frown stayed put. "I wish we could have spoken to her- the knowledge she must have had... I could have debated with her for years I'm sure about magic and politics." He stopped talking and stared at the hanging, playing with the keys on his belt. Merlin was looking at him intently, mouth open as if he were going to say something. He closed it again though as if changing his mind. Then he opened it again.
"It'll be safe here," Merlin assured him, seeing his concern. "We are the only two people who know where it is, and it will stay that way."
Arthur looked at him then. He clapped a hand to Merlin's shoulder and turned them both away to leave the room.
"You're right," he said. "Let's just forget about it. It's locked away, and this... grail... will never see the light of day again." They left the room and Arthur locked it behind him. He took a deep breath, as if by locking everything away, he had put the whole episode to rest and he felt relieved. "Come on Merlin, I need my dinner and a bath, in that order."
"Yes," Merlin said, not comprehending. "I could do with that too."
Arthur's eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Now," he said, smiling.
"Oh," Merlin said, suddenly realising. He laughed, and Arthur hit him over the head and then he laughed too.
They both slept well that night, free of dreams.