Previously: Arthur sent Balinor a letter asking him to invite prominent members of the magical community to the inauguration ceremony of the new court sorcerer.

Oblivious

Bonus Content #2

Having done his duty, Balinor anxiously waited for the date of the court sorcerer inauguration ceremony. True to his word, Arthur had publically legalised magic in a speech whose fragments were still being repeated around Camelot and the surrounding countries. The purge, he had said, was the tragic result of his father's grief and unwillingness to accept his part in his mother's death. Arthur had talked at great length about the good that sorcerers had been able to accomplish, and he had described many of the acts performed by sorcerers that had played a part in saving Camelot rather than destroying it. Balinor himself had been given an honourable mention as the magic-wielding Dragonlord who had stopped the dragon's razing of Camelot, at great risk to his own safety. The new King had admitted that he too had been as prejudiced as his father, but he had learned since that magic was not inherently evil, it was a tool. A hammer could be used to help build a house, but in the wrong hands it could also be used to break a man's skull.

The King's law change had been met with scepticism from many and in some cases outright hostility from some of the younger citizens of Camelot who had been raised to believe that magic was evil. The King had not been moved by their complaints, and had made another law criminalising hate crimes against those found to possess magic after a young boy who had been making lights dance for his friends had been found lynched. The culprits had been found and executed for their crime, but even this act was not enough to convince many magic practitioners that the King had changed his ways. Some in Balinor's village still thought that it was all an elaborate ruse so that those with magic would reveal themselves, leading to a more effective purge.

Balinor and Hunith ignored their warnings, and as time passed they were not the only ones who believed Arthur's sincerity. They had both acquired some new clothing specifically for the ceremony, Hunith had been in awe of the magic-crafted dress she had been given by some of the more trusting druids, the fabric seemed to ripple and move like the surface of a lake. She had never worn something so fine, and he was pleased that something so minor could bring such a big smile to her face.

Soon enough, the time came for them to set off and head to Camelot. For the majority of the journey they were accompanied by a small group of druids that were interested in seeing the great city, but the closer they got to Camelot the fewer of them remained. When they reached the city gates, there was only a few left. The guards eyed Balinor warily as he approached, and he mustered every bit of courtly nicety he knew from his early days as a Dragonlord.

"We have been invited by the King, let us pass."

"Do you have an invitation?" One of the guards asked, and Hunith handed the formal invite to him. Glancing it over, the guard nodded in approval. "Open the gates." He called to those in charge of handling the gate. As the door opened and the city was revealed, the druids behind him gasped and whispered among themselves. They were the young ones that had been born after Uther had declared war on magic.

They were given an escort to the castle, and as they travelled through the city he noticed that many of the people looked on them guardedly, unsure what to make of the small group. There was some consolation that none of them looked particularly angered by their presence. He smiled indulgently as he answered one of the questions one of the druids had about the city, and he was pleased to see that the question triggered a friendly conversation between the druid and one of the younger guards. This is what Camelot needed, for friendships to develop between the ones that were feared and the ones that used to feel fear. As had been demonstrated by the relationship between Arthur and Merlin, you could not hate all magic if you were close to one or more people that were able to wield it.

Once they reached the castle they were directed to the throne room. Inside the room, Balinor grinned as he recognised many of the people he had visited to invite them to the event. Somewhat amusingly they were all on one side of the room, and on the other side he recognised several non-magical members of the nobility. Arthur and Merlin were both currently absent, no doubt preparing for the upcoming ceremony. He greeted the members of the magic community, noticing that some of them were still tense and looked around anxiously at every sudden movement and sound. Then he squared his shoulders, and determined marched to the other side of the room.

"Lord Albert." He greeted brightly a man he recognised. "It is good to see you again. How is your wife?"

"Good God, Lord Balinor is that you?" At the affirmative nod, Lord Albert's face broke into a wide smile. "It is good to see you as well, Eleanor is well." He looked inquisitively at Hunith who stood loyally by his side.

"This is Hunith, she is to be my wife."

"A please to meet you, my lady." In the corner of his eye, Balinor could see that some of the others were now approaching cautiously.

"I don't believe you have met Alden, Alden this is Lord Albert." He took the opportunity to introduce one of the druid chiefs that had been nearest.

With the ice broken, short hesitant conversations began between those with magic and those without it. The discussions gradually grew more confident as the two sides realised they were not about to try to kill each other, although he noticed that some lords still stood defiantly at the side, refusing to even engage with the newcomers. They must have been men loyal to Uther's regime.

Sometime later, the guards by the door suddenly announced the arrival of his majesty, the King of Camelot. As Arthur walked in, they all bowed deeply. Stealing a glance upwards, Balinor did not see his son. For whatever reason, Merlin had not accompanied Arthur into the room.

"Friends, I am glad to see you are all getting along." Arthur said loudly, pointedly staring at those that had been clearly standing away from the large mixed group. He was gratified to see them shift uncomfortably under the King's harsh glare.

"I know we've had our differences," the King continued, "deep divisions that have seen much hatred and bloodshed on both sides. But today is a time for us to move on together, for us to unite as one people. As such I have decided that we need to reintegrate members of the magical community back into our society, beginning with reinstating the positions and lands that were taken away as a result of the purge where possible."

Balinor's land and titles were the first to be restored to him, and there were a few other of his companions that received what was rightfully theirs. Some of them were sons whose fathers had possessed the titles but been executed during the purge, the land and money would not bring back their parents but it went some way to mend what had been so badly broken. At one of the druid's enquiries, the King was quick to reassure them that anyone else who came forward to reclaim their lands would equally be compensated. It appeared that there was a slight surplus of land available to be given, and it would be later that Balinor would learn that several lords had been banished for attempting to incite a revolution against Arthur for legalising magic. Their lands had been taken as property of the crown, to be distributed again as the King saw fit.

"Finally," the King began again, "it seems fitting that a position that has been vacant since my father began his war should be filled again. As of today I reinstate the position of Court Sorcerer to my council-" Before he could continue the King was interrupted by a mass of hushed whispering among those gathered before him. Balinor and Hunith kept silent, almost afraid that their hastily-made assumption would not be true.

"Silence!" Arthur commanded, and the whispers slowly died back down. "I know many of you must be thinking of various people you believe to be suitable for the position, but I have already found a man I find to be the best possible candidate. This man was the one to prove to me that magic can be a force for good. He has saved my life countless times, and I am certain that if he had not decided to defy the law that Camelot would be lost ten times over. His name is Merlin!"

At that moment the doors were opened again and the man himself walked through, looking more than a little confused.

"The new Court Sorcerer, Merlin!" If anything Merlin looked even more confused as there was a polite round of applause, Balinor and Hunith were obviously those most enthusiastic about the news. Much to Balinor's surprise, he noticed that some of the druids were in a state of shock and had not applauded at all, he felt a pang of annoyance at them.

"What?" Merlin asked in bewilderment, Balinor could only guess that Arthur had wanted Merlin's sudden elevation to come as a surprise.

"You're the new court sorcerer, Merlin." Arthur explained slowly, clapping his former manservant on the shoulder.

"Oh. Ok then."

"Emrys!?" One of the druids appeared to have finally found his voice, this word seemed to confirm the rest of their suspicions and in a united movement all the druids bowed deeply to Merlin. The non-magical community and Arthur looked bewildered by this sudden turn of events, Balinor himself was also stunned even as Hunith pulled on his sleeve.

"What does that mean?" She whispered urgently. Before he could answer her, he watched as Arthur looked incredulously from Merlin to the bowed druids and back.

"Is there something you've forgotten to tell me? … again?" Merlin winced.

"I may have forgotten to tell you I am Emrys." He admitted, looking uncomfortably at the druids. "Could you all please get up? I'm really not that important." After a few more moments the druids rose, and continued to look at him whilst whispering among themselves.

"What is 'Emrys' supposed to mean?" Arthur demanded.

"Emrys is prophesised to be the most powerful warlock ever to live." Balinor answered him, awe tinging his voice. "He is to be the one to help the Once and Future King to bring about Albion." Arthur looked back at Merlin, expression screaming incredulity.

"You're the most powerful warlock to ever live?" He asked loudly, Merlin winced again.

"Yes…"

"And you didn't think to mention this?" Merlin gave a half-hearted shrug at the question.

"I didn't think it was that important…." Arthur looked back at the druids still looking at Merlin reverently and lost his temper.

"MERLIN!"

END

Author's Note: Holy f*ck a duck, I actually got this finished. Woooooow. Thanks again to everyone who has supported this story even though I am totally useless. I'm glad to finally get it finished, and I hope this second bonus chapter is not a disappointment (even though it is years late). This is finally the end of this story.