Chapter 19
Gerund and Duranbolt insisted that their incumbent king and queen be fitted for armor. Merlin tried to kick up a fuss, but Gerund simply wasn't having it. Apparently, whether he became king or not, Merlin would be considered nobility and therefore most likely dubbed a mage. At some point or other, he would be expected to fight, and so he would need armor of his own. He could have conceivably used his father's if Balinor had not taken it with him when he left Caledonia, and if there had not been advancements in armor since that time.
The armor was magically reinforced with ever improving protective enchantments, allowing it to be much thinner than any armor Merlin had ever seen in Camelot, lighter and more closely fitted, less cumbersome and restrictive.
The only reason Merlin put up with being measured, examined and used as a dress-up doll for such a length of time was because he had nothing to occupy his mind for the moment as Morgana was also being fitted for her own set of armor with much less complaint.
After the demonstration of his Dragonlord abilities earlier that morning, the councilors had sequestered themselves in the council chambers and barred the door behind them, placing numerous spells on the room to ensure that no one could overhear what was being said inside. He, nor Morgana had any idea how long it would be before they emerged to announce their decision, the ruling that would put he and Morgana on the throne or cast them aside.
Even though Merlin would be far more comfortable never having to don armor, he stood still and allowed his measurements to be taken. Well as still as he could be when he was so full of restless energy. Several times, he nearly elbowed the poor blacksmith in the eye because he was fidgeting so much. He was finally chivied irritably out the door with instructions to pick up his armor in a few hours, and to keep it in good shape so he didn't have to come back.
Morgana had finished her fitting several minutes ago and was waiting for him in the hall way. Both were at a loss. They could go back to their rooms and spend time together, which was always fabulous. However, both were anxious to get out and about.
What did Arthur do all day when he he wasn't busy with kingly duties? He trained with his knights usually. But that was not something that Merlin really wanted to do yet. Or maybe it was, he thought as he remembered something Gerund had said on their way to the dragon mountain came into his mind. Something similar to that at least. He turned to Morgana who had dialed into what he was thinking through their bond. "We should go see the High Priest of Caledonia." she said.
A castle guard kindly gave the directions to where they might be able to find the High Priest.
The high priest's study was up in a tall tower on the east wing. Merlin and Morgana arrived at the place without much trouble. No one stopped them. At least, they assumed anyone was allowed to be there, or they had gained enough respect through this mornings demonstrations to get away with going anywhere they wished.
They found the door open. It was a large study which reminded them painfully of Gaius' workrooms back in Camelot. It had a number of heavy wooden tables covered in teetering stacks of books and papers. Strange instruments that looked to be of science and magic alike. Some were moving of their own accord and emitting small puffs of colored smoke every few seconds.
The magical couple lingered at the doorway for a moment, mouths gaping open as they watched one such contraption spin around under its own power with a high pitched whizzing noise, before a man descended into view down a small set of steps from a back room and drew up short at the sight of the the dark haired couple standing there.
"Ah Lord Emrys, Lady Le Fay" he greeted. He was tall and thin, but not overly so, probably in his middle or late 60's, but still in good health. He had salt and pepper hair that fell in waves to brush against his shoulders and sharp dark eyes that examined the pair from head to toe.
Around his shoulders was a blue cape identical to the one Gerund and Duranbolt wore, except for the much larger and more elaborate royal sigil stitched into the right side of the chest.
"Sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt. Merlin said feeling like a small child under the man's gaze instead of the grown man that he was. If you're busy, we can come back later."
"I don't have anything that needs to be done immediately," the man said, laying the book that he had in his hand on a nearby table, still watching the the dark haired couple with just a slight air of caution owed to any unknown person who should turn up unannounced. "Do you have something that you need to ask of me?"
"Oh, right, sorry," Merlin said hastily, feeling a blush of embarrassment creep up on his cheeks. "My name is Merlin. Er Merlin Ambrosius I guess." he tacked on as a bit of an afterthought. He had a surname now, one that would actually mean something to people and he should probably remember to use it.
"You guess?" the man asked in mild amusement, raising an eyebrow at him. Merlin blushed feeling very silly indeed.
"Well it's... a bit of a new development." he muttered. He cleared his throat and stood up straighter, making a conscious effort to look less awkward than he felt. Morgana squeezed his hand and he immediately felt more confident saying "This is my lovely wife Morgana." 'Merlin smiled pointing to her. She smiled brilliantly at the scholar, curtsying slightly.
"You are the High Priest of Caledonia, are you not?' he asked.
"I am." the man confirmed. "My name is Kane. Did you have something that you wished to discuss with me? Merlin Ambrosius?"
Merlin hesitated only a moment more before entering the room more fully, not entirely sure what he wanted to ask, but eager to do so nonetheless. This man was so full of knowledge and power, the most learned man in the entire kingdom in the esoteric arts, and Merlin wanted to know everything that he did. He wanted to learn, to study, to become half as capable as the world expected him to be.
"I just wanted to ..." he started, "We just wanted to,..." but he stopped and tried again. "Well I am afraid that I have had very little training as far as magic goes. And I would very much like to have more."
Kane watched the couple for a moment, long enough to make Merlin and Morgana want to fidget, but they suppressed the urge."I trained your father you know." Kane said abruptly.
"My father?' Merlin repeated stunned.
"You are Balinor's boy, are you not, Merlin Ambrosius?" Kane asked. "Word travels fast about such things as this. A true Dragonlord has returned to Caledonia at last. Where have you been hiding all this time?"
"In Camelot," Merlin answered blankly, still too dazed by the revelation to be anything but honest. This was the man who had taught his father, just as Merlin had hoped he would train him. He was having trouble processing that for some reason.
"Camelot? Well, then it is no wonder you have no training," Kane exclaimed. "What on earth possessed you to go there of all places?"
I traveled there for the same reason I sought you." Merlin said. " In the hopes of learning more about my gifts. What little training I do have is thanks to Gaius, Viviana, The Druids, Ysira, Vadoma, and my lovely wife Morgana."
Kane's eyebrow rose as he nodded to Morgana, "Beauty and Intelligence."
Morgana blushed slightly and smiled brilliantly at the scholar who she was deciding she liked more with each passing moment.
Passing over the other names, Kane laughed "Not so familiar with the other names, but Gaius, of course," Kane laughed some more, looking delighted. " I studied with the man myself for a few months when we were both much younger men. He was a spectacular healer, and a genius with a potions set How goes it for him?"
"Well as far as I know," Merlin said, "He is currently training Arthur and Guinevere in the ways of magic as per instructions from Viviana who is Morgana's mother.
"Ah, so this mysterious beauty by your side is Morgana." He turned to Morgana, "I knew your mother for a short time, lovely women, and so gifted with the sight and magic,... but I thought she died."
Morgana cleared her throat grasping hold of the raw emotions attached with her mother who had shown her more love in the past year than she had ever felt from anyone barring Merlin. "She did die over 20 years ago. But she has come back as a resurrected being to help us. I am deeply grateful for her presence in my life. It is because of her, Merlin and I are here together."
Kane stumbled back in amazement. "Viviana is a resurrected being? Quite the amazing series of events this day." Kane commented humbly. "I have read of such things. I just saw her appearance this morning. Truly amazing." He cleared his throat "So are you interested in learning more of your magic as well?"
"I was trained for a year by my sister Morgause, who was a high priestess of the old religion before she died. But since I have been with Merlin, I have discovered how biased and limited her training of me actually was. Merlin and I have been sharing knowledge that we have and it has been amazing. If Merlin feels there is something you can teach him, I am anxious to join the process as his training is different than mine and it seems, more complete than mine."
Kane smiled at Morgana, "The story of your Dragonfasting has traveled to my ears and I would be interested to hear the details. Were you trained by Gaius as well?"
Morgana shuffled from one foot to the other and frowned, "Because I was Uther's ward, Gaius was reluctant to train me as he thought Uther would discover my powers and have me killed as he had my mother killed." her eyes started stinging with unshed tears and she blinked several times, finally turning her head into Merlin's shoulder.
Merlin wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead feeling the pain of her loss through their channel.
Kane frowned, "O my dear child, the situation sounds horrible. Such a tragic set of circumstances. I am truly sorry for your loss."
Morgana blinked back the tears and gathered herself with a slight sniffle and gave Kane a small smile. "It is in the past. Because of my mother's intervention, we are here now and so eager to learn from an expert in the esoteric arts such as yourself."
Merlin squeezed her hand. He loved her so completely. Moments like this only confirmed his love and thankfulness for this beautiful woman that was his wife. He was so proud of her and sent all of that through their channel.
Kane smiled at the stunning brunette, impressed with the forgiveness and love he felt radiating from Morgana. "The Goddess has truly blessed you both."
Turning to Merlin, Kane said, "If Gaius had a hand in your training, even in such a place as Camelot, then you surely have a solid foundation." Kane told him. "Come. I have nothing pressing to attend to, if you wish to begin now."
"Really?" the magical pair asked breathlessly, hardly daring to believe it.
Kane smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes showing that it was something he did frequently. He put his arms around the shoulders of the young couple. "There is much to discuss." he said as he guided them to sit at one of the many tables and placed a book in front of them. "Now to start with the basics-"
Several hours later, they were still in the exact same place but now deep in discussion about the storage properties of different crystals and the possible uses that could be developed for them. Books and auxiliary papers were long since discarded as they moved quickly past the fundamentals. Merlin had an innate understanding of magic, as well as years of experience with experimentation. The last two years of doing magic together had brought Morgana very close to Merlin's level. Trial and error meant they hardly needed a concept explained once they understood it well. The lack of structured learning had meant only that they lacked the boundaries in thinking and did not have a notion of impossible. With enough ingenuity, and their own near limitless reserves of magic, they were sure anything was possible.
"But think about it," Merlin was saying fervently. "Transportation spells always use a ridiculous amount of power. If that magical energy could be stored ahead of time in a crystal of some sort, then you could come out of the other side of the transport without being wiped out and exhausted. Think how useful that would be in battle, not having to leave one of your strongest fighters out of the fight because he had drained his magic in transport."
"You would need a very resilient crystal to support the transfer of that much energy without breaking apart." Kane argued, his brow furrowed.
"Maybe a double terminated quartz in conjunction with a dendrite agate? Or maybe a fluorite. You said those handle large amounts of energy without the side effects." Merlin suggested with a quick glance at the reference chart of crystals and their associations they had been studying earlier and which had sparked the thought in the first place.
"Would the addition of runes be of any help?" Morgana inserted. "Something to strengthen and stabilize the crystal?"
"It just might be possible." Kane mused reaching for a blank piece of parchment and beginning to sketch roughly in charcoal.
"Do you really think so?" Merlin asked eagerly. He and Morgana had been experimenting with the transportation spell and had made great improvements. However, this development would open up the capability to other magic users who were not so powerful. It could change the face of magical transportation entirely.
"It just might. It will need some work, of course it will, but this is a brilliant idea. You two are bright, that's for sure." Kane said without looking up. "You both have a head for this. I might make scholars out of you yet."
"Gaius will be delighted." Merlin said, pretty thrilled at the prospect himself. He would have said more, would have asked Kane to take them on as true apprentices or something, but they were interrupted by Bruce.
"Lord Merlin, Lady Morgana," he said apologetically. "Sir Duranbolt sent me to fetch you. He said your armor is completed and ready to be picked up."
Both Merlin and Morgana deflated with a sigh, not wanting to leave this haven of inspiration and magical knowledge. For a short time they had been able to forget about everything outside of that room; about the council deciding their fate.
"Go on. I'll continue working on this. The lower priests will be intrigued by the prospect as well." Kane told them. him.
Merlin put his hand out for Morgana to help her up and crossed to the door where Bruce was waiting for them. "Oh Merlin, Morgana." They turned back. " You are welcome to stop by anytime. I would be glad to have you."
"We will," they promised with wide smiles. They would be back everyday if they could manage it. But sadly there were other things that demanded their attention. Theirs was not the life of scholars, no matter how much they wished it could be. They nodded to Kane and followed the servant out into the corridor. They walked in silence for a ways, Merlin's good mood edging lower and lower with every step back into the reality that he took.
Morgana squeezed his hand sending waves of love and comfort through their channel. Merlin kissed her cheek again, so grateful for this beautiful, intelligent woman with whom the Gods had blessed him. He wanted to do more as just being around Morgana spiked his passions. However, Since Bruce was there, he thought it more prudent to make conversation.
"Thank you for your help this morning with the dragon egg. Have you been busy since then Bruce?"/
"Angela and I joined the training for the secular knights in the morning." Bruce told him. "It is required of the royal servants to participate so we can better protect those we serve. There is a mage's training session that I attend with Angela as we both have magic."
While Merlin and Morgana had been perfectly content to be surrounded by books and discussing the properties of crystals. They were intrigued and asked, "Is it something we should be a part of as well?"
Bruce practically snorted. "Well as you are royalty, you can participate in anything you like. I know the Druids and other battle mage's would be honored to have both of you join them tomorrow."
"They have women battle mages?" Morgana asked stunned.
"In Caledonia, there is no restriction on who fights in battles. If the desire and interest are there, they will welcome you with open arms." Bruce said.
"Did they?" I don't know..." Merlin said nervously, reaching up to adjust his neckerchief only to remember belatedly that he had not worn it. He stuffed his hand in his pocket and held on tighter to Morgana's hand. "I have never really fought openly with magic. I would doubt I would do well against those who have."
"It's training, Merlin, not a duel to the death." Bruce chuckled. "They mean to teach you, not test you."
Still Merlin wasn't sure he wanted to be taught such things. He had already brought about too much death with his magic for his own peace of mind. Being trained in offensive magic, being made even more dangerous, was a scary prospect. He bit his lip and did not answer.
Morgana sent peace through their channel. She was enjoying being able to comfort Merlin instead of the other way around. She was actually looking forward to what they might learn. It might coincide with what she had learned from Morgause and yet she was getting the strongest feeling it would be very different. Everything had been so different since the curse had been lifted. "I would like for you to be there Merlin." she said softly.
"Why is that?" Merlin asked curiously.
"I want to share this freedom with you." Morgana said, coming to a stop and turning to face Merlin properly. Her eyes were bright, a small awed smile on her face. "To practice openly. To be who we are without fear of reprisal. I... I could never describe the feeling, but I want you to feel it ...with you"
Merlin recalled how he had felt that morning, standing before a crowd and speaking in the language of dragons and the nights since they had arrived, using magic without having to worry about being caught and hanged for it. He wondered how it would feel to enter a battle with confidence, with his hands held high as the only weapon he needed, to stand tall on the battlefield instead of crouched behind a tree, to be be able to stand at Arthur's side as equals, with Morgana, as warriors in their own right. "Alright," he looked at her determinedly, "We will join the mage training tomorrow."
Morgana's beaming smile lit up her face in a way Merlin had never seen before. "Come on," she said. " If we are to train tomorrow, we will need our armor." Merlin groaned in a halfhearted protest as they followed Bruce to the blacksmith's hut.
