Night had fallen across the sky as everyone arrived back at Camelot's castle. Gwaine and Leon helped Gaius get Merlin back to his chambers. Arthur stayed behind long enough to make sure Rodor and Mithian were helped and that Morgana was taken to the dungeon. He briefly wondered what kind of spell Merlin had used to keep her unconscious for so long, but pushed the thought to the side. He could ask him once the warlock was better.
Just as he was making sure everything was sorted, he saw Gwen coming down the steps to the castle.
"How did it go?" Gwen asked.
"We saved Rodor, planned a peace treaty with Odin, and captured Morgana after she tried to kill Merlin," Arthur answered. "Speaking of which. I need to go check on him. See if Gaius needs anything."
Before Gwen could process all that her husband had told her, he'd taken off in the direction of the physician's chambers. She quickly decided to follow him because it seemed to her that he was leaving several details out.
Gwaine and Leon carefully laid the unconscious Merlin on his bed, while Gaius gathered the necessary supplies to care for his nephew
"Will he be okay?" Gwaine asked as the elderly man entered the room.
"He should be," Gaius answered. "Despite appearances, he's quite strong and resilient. Some rest and proper tonics and he'll be fine."
"Are you sure about that?" Arthur asked from the doorway.
"Quite positive, Sire," Gaius replied. "He's faced far worse and made it through. Now I'd like for all of you to leave, so I can work." Leon and Gwaine bowed their heads to Gaius and Arthur before departing. "I know you want to stay Arthur, but I don't require any assistance. If you want to wait, you can do so in the main room, just close the door."
The king nodded respectively before closing the door behind him. He sat down at one of the many tables that littered the main room. He picked up a random book and began thumbing through it. Despite appearances, he did enjoy reading every now and again. Even if he didn't understand what he was reading, it relaxed his nerves and centred his thoughts. He'd obviously never admit this to anyone.
About halfway through the book, Gwen walked in and promptly sat down across from him. "How is he?"
Arthur looked up at the closed door. "Gaius said he should be fine, but I want to be sure. Plus I need to ask Gaius some questions."
"What about?" the queen asked.
The king set the book down and took hold of her hands. "I'm not sure if I can tell you just yet. Or anyone for that matter. I need to talk to Gaius first then with Merlin."
Gwen nodded in understanding. "Okay. Then how about you tell me about your mission? This time the whole story. Not just bits and pieces. Start Morgana trying to kill Merlin. That seems like the most important part."
Arthur gave her a small smile. "Sorry. Long day. I went looking for Merlin after he'd wandered off to refill Mithian's waterskin-"
"So I offered him a deal, restore Rodor to the throne and we'll write up a peace treaty, putting an end to trying to kill one another or I kill him right there and start a war," Arthur finished. He intentionally left the part about Merlin having magic. That was a different discussion entirely.
Just as he was finishing up Gaius came out of Merlin's room. Arthur and Gwen looked up at him waiting for him to speak. "Like, I said, earlier; he'll be fine. Hopefully after a decent night's rest and a day in bed, he'll be feeling better. There's no permanent damage to his throat or head. Bruising will fade in a couple of days."
"Thank you, Gaius," Arthur said. "If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to you privately for a moment."
Gwen took that as her cue to leave. "I best be heading off. See you in bed shortly, Arthur?"
"Of course, my lady," Arthur promised, flashing her his signature one side smile.
Once she was gone, Gaius began putting his supplies away. "What do you wish to discuss, Sire?"
"Merlin," Arthur said. Something in his gut was telling him Gaius knew Merlin's little secret. No way could you live in such close quarters for a decade and not know. Merlin needed someone to keep his secret. To guide him.
"What about him?" Gaius asked cautiously. "Is he in some kind of trouble?"
"Some kind," Arthur answered, standing up to lean against the table. "How long would you say you've known Merlin?"
"Since he was born," Gaius answered. "I was visiting Hunith when she went into labour. I helped deliver and name him. Saw him a few more times when he was a toddler due to some health problems he was having. After that, I didn't see him again until he came to Camelot ten years ago."
"In all that time, you've never noticed anything odd about him?" Arthur asked. "Anything of concern?"
Gaius looked over at the young king and raised an eyebrow at him. "Where's this line of questioning going? What has he done that you need his life's story?"
Arthur raised his hand in surrender. "I apologize if I caused offence. Was not my intention."
The elderly man's expression softened a bit, but he still remained on edge, not enjoying this line of questioning. "What happened?"
"I already talked to Merlin about it, before he passed out," Arthur started. "So no need to deny it. What can you tell me about his magic?"
Gaius looked up at Merlin's room, the door was still slightly ajar, inside he could see his nephew resting peacefully. He then looked back at Arthur. "How did you find out?"
"When I went looking for him, I saw him use magic to stop Morgana," Arthur explained. "I get the distinct feeling he's just as powerful as she is."
"More," Gaius corrected. "He's the most powerful being to ever walk the earth. The Druids call him Emrys and revere him as magical royalty. Because of his power, the fate of many rests on his shoulders and he carries that burden alone. I try to ease the stress of it as much as I can, but I can only do so much. For a time Lancelot helped lighten the burden, but after his passing, Merlin had no one left to confide in. I've seen him grow from this optimistic, happy young boy who soaked up knowledge, wanting to help those he cared about, to a man that just seems to be going through the motions."
"Morgana mentioned an Emrys once," Arthur remembered. "I didn't know who she was talking about, but she acted like I knew him. I guess I do."
"Morgana must not ever find out who he is," Gaius warned. "If she does, it would bring nothing but pain and suffering."
"What is his fate?" Arthur wondered.
"His destiny is to protect you and help you unite the land of Albion," the physician replied. "He's meant to help you bring peace and prosperity to all of the Five Kingdoms. As for his fate, that's yet to be determined. Only time will tell us"
The king rubbed his forehead. He thought he knew Merlin, turns out he knew nothing about him. Not only was he a warlock, but the most powerful one to exist. Yet here he was scrubbing floors and mucking out stables. He could easily overthrow all of royalty and rule the Five Kingdoms with just a simple spell. Yet he didn't. He lived the life of a servant and was training to be a physician.
"Why did he come here?" Arthur asked.
"I was here," Gaius answered. "Hunith didn't know who else to trust to help care for and teach her son. I was unaware of his magic when I was told he was coming. It wasn't until he showed up and saved me from a fall did I realise his powers."
Arthur sighed. He had most of the answers he needed. Now came the hardest one. "What should I do? I can't, won't, execute him. I can't lift the ban on magic, at least not right away. I also can't tell him to keep hiding who he is. He deserves recognition for all that he's done for Camelot and myself."
"You could start by talking about it with him," Gaius answered. "I'm sure Merlin has some ideas on what the process should be like, along with how to ease the people through what will be a rough transition."
Arthur glanced up at Merlin's room. He wanted to talk to him now, but couldn't. The younger man needed rest and time to recover. "Any idea when he'll wake up?"
"Probably not until sometime tomorrow," Gaius guessed. "When he does, I doubt he'll be in any condition to talk. The bruising around his throat will make it quite difficult"
"Any idea when he'll be able to talk?" the king asked, feeling frustrated at the thought of having to wait longer.
"I estimate about a week," Gaius figured. "Less, if he doesn't push himself and properly rests for once."
The king felt like that comment was pointed at him and not at Merlin's inability to stay still for very long. In the past, he'd been known to have Merlin get back to his chores before he was ready. He just assumed since Merlin was being himself, he was fine. Only now was he realizing that was in fact not true. Merlin had been playing the role of the idiot servant who was too loyal to know any better.
Arthur rubbed his eyes. "Alright. When he awakes let him know he's relieved of duty until he's better. Once he's able to talk I want to speak to him."
"Of course, Sire," Gaius agreed.
It wasn't until the sun had set on the next day that Merlin finally woke up. He was briefly confused as to why he was in his bed but quickly deduced that he'd been unconscious during the journey home. He opened his mouth to call out for Gaius, who was hopefully in the main chamber, but the only sound to come out was a hoarse squeak, followed by a sharp pain.
The warlock rubbed his throat, wincing in pain from the touch. Deciding that trying to speak wasn't going to work, he'd try getting out of bed to let Gaius know he was awake. Carefully he swung his legs over the bed and slowly stood himself up. He made sure to walk slowly, watching where he stepped.
After what felt like forever he finally reached the door and opened it. When he made it to the bottom of the steps he saw Gaius sitting down grinding up some herbs. To get his uncle's attention, Merlin managed a weak cough.
The elderly man looked for his tasks, surprised to see his nephew. He set his pestle down and moved to help the much younger man. "Merlin, you should be in bed. You're in no condition to be up just yet."
Merlin opened his mouth to protest but closed it shut when he remembered he couldn't talk. He just settled for a nod of agreement and let Gaius lead him back to bed.
Once he was back in bed, Gaius handed him a tonic. "Here, take this. It'll help with the pain."
The young warlock took it, gagging slightly at the taste. He handed the vial back to his uncle and gave him a look as if asking to be filled in on why he couldn't talk.
"Morgana did quite a number on you," Gaius explained. "Your throat is badly bruised, but thankfully the damage isn't permanent. Some rest and not talking for a while and you'll be fine. You also have a concussion from the head wound, hence why you need to stay in bed."
Merlin looked like he had more questions, but decided they would have to wait until he could talk again.
A week later, Gaius gave Merlin the all-clear to return to his duties. However, his uncle stressed to keep talking to a minimum and to come back if he felt dizzy or nauseous.
As he walked toward the throne room to meet with Arthur, Mithian came around the corner, bumping into him.
"So sorry Merlin," Mithian quickly apologized.
"It's quite alright, Princess Mithian," Merlin reassured, his voice sounding hoarse. "No harm done."
Mithian took a step and bit her lip. "But harm was done. And it is all my fault. If I hadn't tried to warn you, you wouldn't have been hurt."
Merlin resisted the urge to reach out and offer physical comfort. "No, it's Morgana's fault. She forced your hand, so you did the only thing you could. If you hadn't, her plan wouldn't have been uncovered. Arthur and Odin wouldn't have made peace and Morgana wouldn't be sitting in the dungeon. What you did gave everyone a fighting chance."
"She could have killed you," Mithian stated.
Merlin shrugged. "Not the first time. Nor will it be the last. She's been trying to kill me for years."
Mithian looked up at Merlin. The bruising around his neck was still there but had faded into a greenish-yellow hue. When he spoke it seemed like every word hurt, yet she could hear honesty in his voice. He held no resentment against her. If anything he seemed grateful for what she had done.
"Well I shouldn't keep you," Mithian said. "I'm sure Arthur has quite the list of chores for you. And I must finish packing. My father and I leave for Nemeth tomorrow."
As she walked past him, their hands brushed up against each other. The princess felt her cheeks grow hot from the touch and her stomach seemed to start tying itself in knots. Something about Merlin was making her feel all giddy. Sadly she would not be here long enough to figure it out. Maybe during her next visit, she could find the time to explore these arising emotions.
Merlin felt a flurry of excitement shudder throughout his body from Mithian's touch. He'd be lying to himself if he hadn't thought about her from time to time. But he knew nothing could ever happen between them. Unlike with Arthur and Gwen. Mithian wouldn't marry for love. She'd end up with another royal in order to strengthen an alliance. No, he'd have to keep what he was feeling buried and maybe, one day, find someone who shared a life similiar to his own.
Merlin walked into the throne room and found Arthur in earnest conversation with one of Camelot's lords. Lord Ector if he recalled correctly.
"Are you sure all records are lost?" Arthur asked.
"Yes, Sire," Lord Ector confirmed. "When your father took control of the kingdom, he had all records of laws before the ban burned. May I inquire what this is about?"
"Just wanted to look into restoring some of the historical records," Arthur answered, glancing over at Merlin, noticing his presence. "Thank you, again Lord Ector. I'll let you know if I need anything else."
"Of course, Sire," Lord Ector bowed before departing, leaving the king and his servant alone.
"Glad to see you up and about," Arthur said, taking a seat in his throne. "We have much to discuss before you go about your chores."
"What do you wish to discuss?" Merlin asked.
Arthur took a mental note of how rough his best friend's voice sounded and decided to keep this conversation short. "I'm considering lifting the ban my father had placed on magic, but I would like your opinion on the matter before I discuss it with anyone else."
Merlin had spent a lot of time waiting for this conversation. He played it out a million different ways in his head on many sleepless nights. His words had to be chosen carefully. "Camelot was built on a rich land, full of magic. Many have used that magic for the wrong reasons. Whether it be for power or revenge. But many more have used it for good. Healing, helping, kindness. Lifting the ban will bring back what makes Camelot so great but at great risk. You'd have to put several new laws in place to keep those with ill intentions out."
"Is the risk worth it?" Arthur asked. He was willing to put in the work to free magic, but only if would be beneficial to all.
Merlin was silent for a moment. His answer had the power to change the course of history. Change the lives of many. This was his only chance to free himself and his kin. He'd no longer have to hide. He'd be recognized for all his hard work. The risk was worth it in his eyes, but something told him he needed to wait for just a bit longer. The people of Camelot were not ready. Then again these kinds of changes took time. If he denied magical freedom right now, he'd be denying it forever.
The warlock bit his lower lip before speaking. "Yes, the risk is worth it."
Arthur stood up from his throne and clasped a hand around Merlin's shoulder. "Great. Let's get started then. I'm officially appointing you as my advisor on all things magical."
Merlin smiled back at his king. This was the beginning of a new era. Everything was changing for the better.
Author's Note: This is by far one of the longest chapters I have ever written. There was so much information that needed to be added to close out the story. However, I'm curious if I should just keep it going. I have some ideas stirring around in my head, but I'm not too sure about writing them out. Let me know if you think I should add more chapters or just end it here.
As always thanks for reading. I hope the story has been to your liking. Please don't forget to follow and share. Also consider leaving a review, I'd love to hear what you guys think of the story.