A/N: So I recently checked my "Author Stats" on here...apparently as of last chapter, I've now uploaded 250,000 total words of fanfiction. Which means all my stories put together (that are finished and online, anyway) are the same length as the fifth Harry Potter book. And this story's still not all up yet. O_o
Enjoy this chapter!
Chapter Fifteen: A New Day
When Merlin awoke, his headache was gone. For a while, he lay there, contemplating the ceiling and processing that he wasn't in a dungeon or in the woods. He was home at last, in his own bed, with the familiar scent of medicine and herbs wafting from downstairs. He let his eyelids sink back shut, contentment filling him for the first time in days. Home. Safe.
He let out a small groan as he rolled over. The faintest rays of amber sunlight peeked in through his window, indicating it was dawn. Arthur would be wanting breakfast soon…
Oh, he remembered sleepily. Arthur knew about the magic now. He could just send it from the kitchens to the royal chambers without leaving bed. That sounded lovely…
A voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Gaius's admonished him to get up. But Arthur was safe now, so why would he…No, wait, Arthur wasn't safe; there were a thousand sorcerers outside trying to get in and kill him. And the shield was…the shield was…
Fully awake now, Merlin bolted upright, groping for the shield with his magic. He calmed when he immediately found it, pulsing at the edge of his senses. It was still there, and completely intact. It was just…lighter, somehow. Like someone was helping him to carry it. Had Kilgharrah arrived, perhaps taken some of it? Merlin hadn't expected him this soon, and the dragon didn't feel like he was near, but then, Merlin supposed, he wasn't exactly running at full strength and had spent the night unconscious. Kilgharrah could have arrived without him knowing.
If so, he'd better get out of bed. Arthur and Kilgharrah might bite each other's head off—in Kilgharrah's case, perhaps literally. And Arthur was going to need help explaining what a dragon was doing in Camelot.
Merlin's body felt stiff but not painful as he emerged from under the blankets. The air felt even colder than he'd expected, but then he realized someone had taken his shirt and wrapped bandages around all his burns, which explained why he didn't hurt so much. Rubbing his face, he could tell someone had scrubbed it free of dirt and blood. The gash on his head had been treated and bandaged as well.
His skin twinged a bit as he pulled a fresh shirt over his head, but not too badly. Whatever Gaius had done to treat his burns was working wonders. The bandages wrapped around Merlin's wrists peeked out of his sleeves as he adjusted his neckerchief, and he tugged the sleeves down to hide them. There. He looked just about normal now.
He hadn't expected anyone to be downstairs except Gaius, so when he opened the door and three voices cried, "Merlin!" in unison, he jumped and nearly bolted back inside the bedroom before realizing it was Gwaine, Elyan, and Percival.
Still, Merlin hesitated at the top of the staircase, remembering the looks of shock on the knights' faces the previous night when they'd seen him use magic.
Keep the magic secret keep the magic secret keep the magic secret KEEP THE MAGIC SECRET…
"Alright, there, Merlin?" Gwaine asked, starting up the staircase in concern.
"We're just about to have breakfast," Elyan said. "Percival's cooking."
"Gaius said you'd need food when you woke up," Percival added. "You should eat."
Gwaine reached the top of the stairs and gently tugged at Merlin's elbow. "Come on, then."
Merlin pushed down his instinctive fear—this was ridiculous; these were his friends—and followed Gwaine down the stairs to sit at the table. All three of the knights were sagging slightly with tiredness, he noted. Had they been up all night?
"How're you feeling?" asked Gwaine. "You look loads better."
"Feel loads better," Merlin said. His voice came out hoarse and raw, so he cleared this throat. "Where's Gaius?"
"Asleep," Elyan answered, pointing with his head toward a lumpy blanketed figure on the cot in the far corner of the room. "He was up all night with you, finally went down about an hour ago. First time I think he's slept in ages. He's slept right through every noise we've made."
"And Arthur?"
"Sleeping, too," said Elyan, suppressing a yawn. "And Gaius fixed him up, so he's fine."
"Might be up by now," said Percival, placing a bowl of soup in front of Merlin. "The knights have all been ordered to report to the wall at dawn."
"Except us, of course," added Gwaine. "Apparently Merlin-guarding trumps city-guarding. Good to know the princess has his priorities straight."
"What did Arthur tell you?" Merlin said guardedly, picking at the soup.
"Didn't need to tell us much, mate. Told us you'd had magic all along, that you'd been using it to protect him, us, Camelot—and I don't know why he felt he needed to tell us you were using it for good, I'd have thought that was completely obvious—"
"Gwaine," huffed Elyan as Percival handed the other knights bowls.
"And he told us that you were single-handedly keeping Morgana out with that shield we saw you casting—and can I add, that was about the most amazing thing I'd ever seen?"
Merlin let a spoonful of the soup drop back into the bowl. "So you don't…you don't hate me or anything…?"
"No, of course not," said Elyan, "I mean, Gwen's probably the most wary, and even she—"
Merlin grabbed the table and choked. "Gwen knows?"
"Princess sort of had to tell her," Gwaine said carefully. "And I don't even know if wary is the right word. She was just shocked, especially because she hasn't actually seen you doing any magic. She didn't believe it at first—said someone must have enchanted Arthur to think you had magic in order to turn him against you—"
Elyan cut in. "And then we all had to tell her we'd seen you doing magic, too, so she believed all of us. And Arthur assured her that he wasn't going to turn against you, and that you were the one who'd kept her from getting executed both times. And that you saved our father when he was sick. I can't thank you enough for that, Merlin. My family owes you so much."
"Anyway," said Gwaine, "Then she said something about you being in disguise and burst into tears. And Princess was quite exhausted by that point, so Gaius ordered him to go to bed. Wouldn't go at first, but Gwen managed to convince him. Then he said he wanted at least three of us guarding you at all times in case Morgana got in or anyone put two and two together and came after you. So the three of us volunteered, and Leon's been our go-between, bringing us news."
Merlin swallowed. "So none of you, you're not…afraid or angry or…"
Percival, who had sipped his soup quietly as the others talked, spoke up. "Are you afraid of us?"
Merlin thought a moment. He'd imagined their faces twisted in fear or hatred before—not nearly as much as he had Arthur's, but enough—but he didn't see that now. He shook his head. "I don't think so. Not really."
"There's your answer."
Gwaine and Elyan nodded in agreement.
Merlin felt the tension roll off his shoulders and a warm sense of acceptance flood him. He couldn't speak for a few moments. Finally he said, trying to keep his voice light, "Well, then I've got to tell you, this soup could use a bit more salt."
He held out his arm and let his eyes flash, and the small bottle of salt zoomed through the air from Gaius's cupboard into his hand.
He accidentally poured too much in when Gwaine clapped him on the back, laughing uproariously, but the salty soup was worth it.
A few minutes passed of eating and laughing before a series of five knocks in an odd rhythm rapped on the door. Merlin stiffened, but Gwaine squeezed his shoulder. "Not to worry, that's Leon."
Elyan unbolted the door, letting Leon in. The knight had bags under his eyes to match the other three knights'. Clearly he'd been up all night as well.
"Don't have much time. The king's called a war meeting and he wants an update on Merlin before it starts. How is he?"
Elyan grinned and waved grandly towards Merlin. "See for yourself."
Leon peeked inside, saw Merlin, and beamed widely. "Merlin! How are you?"
"Much better, thanks. Did you say Arthur's called a war meeting?"
"Yes, he's got to. The sorc—I mean, the magic—I mean…" Leon fumbled awkwardly for a moment, clearly nervous Merlin might take offense.
"What are the sorcerers doing?" Merlin said patiently.
Leon looked slightly flustered at the 's' word, but maintained most of his composure. "It appears they've abandoned the siege to attack the countryside."
Merlin slurped the last of his soup and set the bowl down, thinking. Perhaps Morgana had decided she couldn't get through his shield and had sent her forces to attack the people outside the citadel, trying to lure Arthur out. If that was the case, they needed to act quickly.
He was yanked from his thoughts when Leon spoke again. "If you're awake, you'll be needed at the war meeting. I'm sure the king would want you there."
"I better go then," Merlin said, getting up from the table.
Gwaine grabbed him by the arm, making him turn back. Gwaine didn't seem to know what to say, though. "Just…be careful, Merlin, alright?"
"Do you want an escort?" Percival asked.
Merlin shook his head. "I could get there in my sleep. And you lot look like you could use a rest." He stopped at the door, and cast one glance at the sleeping form on the cot in the corner. "Take care of Gaius for me?"
"Don't worry, we will," promised Elyan.
"He's excused from the war meeting, at any rate," Leon added. "Poor man hasn't slept in days. Better he rests now before he's needed for the wounded during the battle."
"Now go on then," said Gwaine, obviously trying to hide his worry. "Better not keep the princess waiting."
Merlin surveyed the knights, who were all looking at him with various degrees of worry. "Yeah, he's liable to start throwing things at my head again." He hesitated a moment, but then he grinned conspiratorially and added in a stage whisper, "Little does he know I can send them all back."
He headed for Arthur's chambers with their laughter in his ears.
When Merlin reached the royal chamber, he didn't bother to knock, just barged right in. "Arthur, has Kilgharrah—"
He froze when he saw who else was in there. "Gwen."
The queen paused in the midst of straightening the pauldron of Arthur's armor and whirled to look at him. Abandoning Arthur completely, she crossed the room and stopped just in front of Merlin. She grabbed his hands in her own and squeezed. "Merlin, I'm so glad you're alright! Arthur told me—I mean, he sort of said, about the—you know—and I want you to know that it's fine. I mean, of course it's fine, it's you, and you're always fine—I mean, better than fine, but…but not like that!"
She blushed, and took a deep breath. Merlin, meanwhile, just tried to look reassuring and follow whatever she was saying. He hadn't seen Gwen babble this much since before she became queen.
"It's just…" Gwen continued. "I think I knew. I mean, I didn't know, but…there was always something about you. And I always trusted you to bring Arthur home. And I knew that was silly and didn't make sense, but I did anyway. And I guess I'm just trying to say that I still trust you, Merlin. And…Arthur told me what you did for my father, for me, for him, for Camelot, and I just…thank you. Thank you so much. I don't know how you did all that alone, and I'm so sorry I wasn't there…"
Merlin put his hands on her shoulders. "Gwen, you were. You were always there. Thank you."
Gwen pressed her lips together as if trying to hold back tears and hugged him. Over her shoulder, Merlin could see Arthur waiting not-so-patiently for his wife to finish. The king was dressed in full armor and wearing the sword from the stone at his waist.
When Gwen broke from their hug, biting her lip, Arthur marched over to stand beside her.
"Merlin, what are you doing out of bed? You're supposed to be resting."
"I'm bet—"
"If you say, 'better'—"
"I am!"
Arthur pointed a warning finger at him and raised skeptical brows.
Merlin sighed, took a step back from the royal couple, lifted a hand, and let his magic loose.
He heard Gwen gasp at the sight of his eyes changing color. Then she covered her mouth with her hands as the room erupted into a cleaning frenzy. A broom in the corner flew out and started sweeping on its own. Every rug on the floor at once hovered, gathered near the window in an orderly line, and took turns beating dust off themselves out the window before settling back in their proper places. The ashes in the fireplace collected in a neat, tidy pile, then chucked themselves out the window when the rugs were finished. Meanwhile, as Arthur clung to his wife with wide eyes and Gwen shrieked with delight, the royal pillows fluffed themselves and the bedcovers straightened. Arthur's stray weapons, clothes, and dishes on the floor marched back to where they belonged. Guinevere's dresses floated out of her wardrobe, rearranged themselves in midair by season, level of formality, and color, and tucked themselves back inside.
The broom was the last to skid back to its place, where it leaned against the wall lifeless once more. The royal chambers were now completely spotless, and the entire ordeal had taken thirty seconds.
"Ah," said Arthur, looking as if he had been hit by a runaway cart. "Better."
"Merlin, that was amazing!" Gwen gushed.
Merlin shrugged, but grinned at the praise. "Not really. I've been able to do things like that since before I could talk."
"Really? Oh, that's so useful! No wonder you always finished early! Imagine how that would help you with corners!"
"It's dead useful with corners."
"Morgana's chambers always had this one corner up by the window where cobwebs always gathered, and I could never quite reach."
"Oh, yeah, Arthur's got the same. Never noticed how clean that corner was thanks to me, the clotpole."
Arthur seemed to snap out of his daze at the sound of his name. "You…You did cheat at your chores!"
"Arthur!" Gwen admonished him with a light shove.
Merlin, meanwhile, rolled his eyes. "Yes, sire, I cheated at my chores. Anyway, I'm better. How's your leg?"
"Better."
Now it was Merlin's turn to raise an eyebrow.
"I could kick you with it, if you need proof."
Merlin took the slightest of steps back. "Fine, better. Now, war meeting? What's going on?"
Arthur sobered immediately. "It's…not good. Come on, I'll tell you on the way." He started for the door, but Gwen put a hand on his arm to stop him.
"If there's going to be a battle, we ought to have the hospital up and running. I know Gaius hasn't gotten that organized yet, but I thought I might start it for him. And I'll need to make sure the citizens we've evacuated are all seen to."
Arthur leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "Brilliant idea. Get Elyan and the others to help you."
As the couple murmured their usual farewell sweet nothings, Merlin hurried over to the table and seized a pitcher. He shook it. Empty. Ah, well, nobody needed to know that.
Arthur noticed him only when Gwen had departed. "What on earth are you doing?" he asked in absolute bewilderment.
Merlin looked between the pitcher and Arthur. "I need an excuse to be in the throne room. I can be giving you water."
Arthur blinked at him. "Don't be ridiculous. You don't need an excuse, not anymore. Leave it and just come on."
Merlin shrugged and tossed it over his shoulder, where it floated back to the table gently by magic. Then he followed his king out the door.
"Leon kept tabs on everything while I slept and brought me an update," Arthur started as they walked briskly toward the council chamber, "For starters, the sorcerers are leaving in droves. At least three-quarters of Morgana's forces have left the siege. Morgana tried to stop them—even tried to put up a shield of her own to fence them in, but it wasn't nearly as effective as yours. They all left anyway."
Merlin couldn't help but flush a bit with pride at the indirect compliment. "But, wait…isn't that good? They listened to you. They're leaving Camelot alone."
"Except before they leave, they're…well, I don't know what they're doing exactly, but they're doing something. They all keep walking right up to the walls and sort of pushing against it, like they're trying to get in. And then after a while, they sort of give up and leave."
"And they're all doing that?" Merlin asked in bafflement. Why would so many of them go right up to the walls of Camelot and then leave? If it were a few, he might have guessed they were testing his shields, realizing they were too strong, and giving up on attacking. But why would so many of them feel a need to test it for themselves? Surely word would spread how strong it was.
Anxiously he tried to reach out towards the shield to check it again. It didn't feel damaged or diminished at all. Oddly, he still didn't sense Kilgharrah anywhere near, either…
"Most of them," Arthur continued. "And then after they started leaving, we've been seeing these green flashes all over the countryside. You can see them from the battlements. I thought maybe Morgana was switching tactics, getting her forces to attack the rest of the kingdom. She knows I'll have to leave the city to protect the surrounding villages."
Merlin nodded. "But she tried to stop them from leaving. So maybe they're just doing it on their own?"
Arthur groaned in frustration. "I don't know how I'm going to fix this. I want to help these people, but how can I justify legalizing magic if they burn down every farm in the kingdom?"
Something clicked in Merlin's brain. "Hold on, did you say farms?"
"Yes," Arthur replied miserably. "The green flashes are all near farms, as far as the scouts can tell. I can't just let them get away with destroying our crops; I have to do something…"
Merlin halted in the middle of the hallway, mind whirring. "Green flashes? Green flashes near farms? But that's—oh and the shield, of course!" Kilgharrah had not arrived yet after all—the sorcerers were adding their own strength to the shield! Arthur must have gotten through to them—they must have spread his words throughout the whole camp. And how many had Arthur said, three-quarters? Three-quarters of Morgana's forces—almost all the sorcerers!—were willing to take Arthur at his word and give him another chance.
Oh, this was wonderful.
"What are you so giddy about?" Arthur scowled, turning back towards him.
"Arthur, they're not attacking," Merlin said, sure his cheeks would burst from grinning. "Don't you see? They're helping. They're not only abandoning the attack on Camelot—they're helping to protect it. That's why I got better. They're contributing to the shield, taking some of the burden off of me."
"But…but the farms…"
Merlin shook his head, still beaming. "We're going to have a great harvest next season."
Arthur stared dumbly at him for a moment, then let out a whoop of laughter. "But that's…Merlin, do you know what this means?"
"It means they listened to you! You've got your second chance!"
Arthur grabbed his shoulders and shook him in excitement. "It means this isn't going to be a war meeting discussing how to retaliate against their attack—it's going to be a peace meeting! They've given us a peace offering. And...And if we're not under duress anymore, if they're not attacking…That many people, a large group helping the kingdom with magic…If I tell the council, if I tell the people…"
"You could…you could…" Merlin's knees suddenly felt like giving out.
"I can justify legalizing magic."
Merlin felt utterly numb. He'd dreamed of this moment for years, and now that it was finally here, it didn't seem real. He fell back against the wall, a hand pushing his hair up.
Arthur beamed at his reaction. "Look. I've actually made you speechless. I didn't think it was possible, but I guess this is just a day for the impossible, isn't it?" Moments passed with Merlin still standing there, too busy processing that this wasn't a dream, that everything he'd ever worked for was actually happening.
Apparently, the time stretched on too long, because Arthur's grin started to fade to alarm. "Merlin? Say something."
"Thank you," Merlin whispered. His throat was starting to close. "Arthur, thank you so much for doing this."
Arthur put a hand on his shoulder. "No. You shouldn't thank me. This isn't some favor I'm granting you; this is what's right. You should have had this your whole life. And I'm sorry you didn't." He hesitated a moment and said, "And I'm sorry, but the council doesn't know about you yet. No one else really does except Guinevere and the knights who have seen you. Until magic is officially legal—"
"It's alright. I'll stay hidden a bit longer."
"You shouldn't have to, but…"
Merlin shrugged. Really at this point, when freedom was so achingly close, he felt like he could do anything. "I know. But I've been hiding my whole life. For you, for Albion, I can wait a bit longer."
"No man should have to hide his face when he serves Camelot proudly."
"No man should. But for now, this one does." Arthur frowned, so Merlin nudged him on towards the throne room. "Come on, you've got a law to repeal, and we're late."
"I blame you for that," Arthur said, lips twitching.
Merlin grinned, his footsteps light as they neared the throne room. "Of course you do, sire."
A/N: Alright, we're getting to the end. From here on out, it's nothing but council meeting and then ACTION ACTION ACTION. What kind of action, you ask? Well, the next chapter's called "Destiny and Doom." Get excited. And please leave a review. :)