CHAPTER 3

"King Olaf!" Arthur greeted the King of Amata merrily in the castle courtyard. "You're early. Couldn't resist Camelot's fine hospitality?"

"We moved faster than anticipated." Olaf shook Arthur's hand briskly. "Usually the passes get more snow at this time of year."

Arthur had always known the King to be a cheery sort, but clearly something had happened these past few years to change that. "I am sorry we don't have the full welcome party. My knights are on patrol. However, might I introduce our new Court Sorcerer, Lord Merlin?"

For all Arthur might tease Merlin, he did sometimes know when to observe the proper etiquette. He bowed and greeted Olaf with a respectful, "Sire."

Olaf, however, was unimpressed. He looked Merlin scathingly up and down, gaze lingering on his scuffed shoes and threadbare jacket. "A pleasure to meet you... Lord Merlin, was it?"

"We have actually met before," Merlin told him brightly - too brightly, in fact, so Arthur knew Olaf's disregard hadn't gone unnoticed. "You probably don't remember. I was only a servant then."

"I remember." Olaf's expression was so stony Arthur could have sharpened his sword with it. "You served me and my daughter the last time we were in Camelot. That was the stay during which my daughter was, as I have discovered since, enchanted. I don't suppose you would know anything about that?"

"Let's discuss it over dinner," Arthur hastened to interject before Merlin had the chance. "You and your men must be tired."

An assortment of servants Arthur had hastily grabbed from various corners of the castle surged forward to help the Amata contingent with their luggage. The Kings would all have their own servants with them, but Arthur had also assigned George to see to any extra needs they might have; that was at least one thing Olaf couldn't find fault in, and it was with some relief that Arthur watched his manservant bow and introduce himself.

"If you would follow me, Sire, I will show you to your chambers so you can settle in before dinner."

Olaf was led inside and Merlin, ever one to state the obvious, did so now.

"He doesn't like me."

"No one likes you Merlin.

"You like me."

"I put up with you because I have to. Couldn't be seen not to get on with my own Court Sorcerer."

"Gwen likes me."

"Gwen likes everyone! She's too kind for her own good."

"Gwaine, Gaius, my mother..."

"Your mother certainly doesn't count!"

They continued to bicker all the way into the castle, finally reaching the door to Arthur's chambers where George stood waiting.

"Sire." He proffered a scroll of parchment. "A messenger from Gawant delivered it just a few minutes ago."

"Thank you George." Arthur took the scroll. "Go and er- do whatever you have to do. See to Olaf. I can dress myself for dinner."

George narrowed his eyes at Merlin, who raised his hands and said defensively, "I won't lift a finger. Promise!"

George sniffed. "I would never insinuate such a thing, Lord Merlin." Then left to do as his King bid.

"What does it say?"

"The contingency from Gawant..." Arthur's eyes darted across the page, before he thrust the scroll across to Merlin with a sigh. "They've been delayed."

He strode into his chambers and removed his cloak, tossing it onto the back of a chair. Merlin followed slowly, scanning the letter.

"Would you mind?"

"Hm? Oh." Merlin waved his hand and the cold grate burst into warm flame. He placed the scroll on Arthur's desk. "It doesn't give any reason why. You don't suspect foul play, do you?"

"I don't know. I certainly don't believe it's a mistake that Olaf arrived so early. If his daughter is still enchanted, he can't trust magic. I think he expects the negotiations to break down."

"So why don't we tell him about Alined? Then he'll at least know that I wasn't responsible for the love spell on his daughter."

"An accusation like that could spark a war. It's too risky." Arthur sat on his bed and rubbed at his eyes. Curse Olaf for arriving so early! He had thought he had longer to prepare. All sorts of things would now have to be rescheduled. "And besides, do you actually have any proof?"

"Well no..." Merlin admitted. "I suppose I thought now I was a nobleman, I didn't need any."

"You may be a nobleman, but Alined is a King. Best to act as if you don't know anything."

"Well, I'm used to that." Merlin's eyes glowed - "Clafa cume" - and Arthur's clothes for dinner flew from the wardrobe and folded themselves in half over the dressing screen.

"Didn't you just promise George you wouldn't do his chores?"

"What I said was that I wouldn't lift a finger..."

Arthur went behind the screen, lifting his arms so he could wriggle into a shirt Merlin levitated above him. "You'd best borrow something of mine for dinner. Olaf clearly didn't think much of your clothes. And could you avoid mentioning you were a servant quite so pointedly?"

"He was being an ass." Merlin was looking again at the letter from Gawant. "The way he said Lord, did you hear?"

Arthur snatched his trousers and pulled them on before Merlin had the chance to magic them to life. "In the interests of diplomacy?"

Merlin summoned a red jacket from Arthur's wardrobe and wrested it on with a long-suffering air. "If I must."

"You must." Arthur emerged from behind the screen and nodded approvingly at Merlin's outfit change. "Come on then. Best not leave Olaf waiting."

Olaf spent the next two days hosted by Arthur, eating grand meals and going on hunts. In all that time he didn't once crack a smile and whenever he spotted Merlin his expression turned downright thunderous. As it transpired, Lady Vivian was more 'in love' with Arthur than ever - to the extent that she had had to be physically restrained when Olaf's contingent left for the Summit. Arthur expressed his sincerest sympathies, but Olaf looked unconvinced when Merlin denied any involvement.

"I think it would be best if you avoided Olaf until Bayard and Alined arrive," Arthur advised apologetically after a dinner in which Merlin's absent-minded spell to refill a wine pitcher had left Olaf seething with repressed rage.

Merlin, as ever, had taken it with good humour. "No skin off my nose. I can finally finish the defences for the Lower Town."

"I don't suppose there's any way to rid Lady Vivian of the spell?"

Merlin shook his head regretfully. "Only a true love's kiss. You're lucky you met Gwen when you did, or else Vivian may well have been the next Queen of Camelot."

When the contingents from Mercia and Deorham arrived at the end of the week every uniform had been pressed, every piece of armour finely polished, and even Merlin's new clothes had arrived. The full force of Camelot was on show in all its splendour.

"Er, Arthur?" Merlin caught him just as they were about to head outside, looking somewhat panicked. It was strange to see him without his oft-worn neckerchief, but the new outfit definitely made him look the part of a true noble. "Where am I meant to stand?"

"To stand?"

"Well there's never been a Court Sorcerer before." The knights had already begun to march out of the front entrance. "Where's the official, you know, place?"

Arthur blinked. He had, foolishly, assumed that Merlin would stand just behind him, where he always had before. Anything else felt peculiar. "By Gaius?"

There was not much chance to debate the matter, for they were already out the door. Merlin shot to the physician's side and Arthur awaited the two Kings.

"King Arthur." Alined was his usual unpleasant self, but at least his old jester, Trickler, wasn't with him. "How wonderful to be back again. And under such unusual circumstances..." He looked to George, in position as he should be behind Arthur. "I take it this is your new Court Sorcerer?"

Arthur shook Alined's hand, resisting the urge to crush it in his own. "My Court Sorcerer Merlin is right here, King Alined."

Merlin stepped forward at the mention of his name and bowed briefly. "Sire."

"Ah." Alined squinted. "Of course, my mistake. So hard to tell apart one servant from another."

"Servant no longer," Arthur responded calmly as Merlin bit the inside of his cheek to prevent an instinctual snappy retort. "I should have introduced him by his proper title: Lord Merlin."

"Wonderful," Alined simpered and continued inside to find his chambers.

King Bayard approached now and Arthur felt Merlin squirm beside him.

"King Bayard, a pleasure to see you as always." Arthur shook Bayard's hand. "May I introduce our new Court Sorcerer?"

Merlin bowed respectfully. "Sire."

"I remember you." Bayard stared at Merlin for several moments, then clapped his hands together as it fell into place. "You were the boy who drank the poison!" Bayard shook his head in awed disbelief. "I have never seen such loyalty as I did on that day. A wise choice for your new Court Sorcerer King Arthur, very wise indeed."

Merlin blushed. "Thank you very much, Sire."

"Yes, thank you," Arthur said, before Merlin could blabber on and ruin it. "King Olaf is already here and Alined you have seen. I am afraid Lord Godwyn sent word of delays en route, so we shall have to start negotiations without him."

"Ah. Bad news, that." Bayard glanced surreptitiously around and dropped his voice. "Obviously Alined will side with whoever causes most chaos... What of Olaf? Is he for or against the changes, do you know?"

"Olaf's daughter was enchanted when she was last in Camelot. I believe he is strongly anti-magic, as things currently stand."

"Very well, then." Bayard squared his shoulders as if for battle. "We shall just have to persuade him, shan't we?"

He moved on into the castle, greeting Gaius briefly as he passed, and Arthur and Merlin turned to one another with eyebrows raised.

"Well Mercia has always been a strong ally," Arthur said casually, but his relieved smile gave him away. "It was only to be expected."

"And he remembered me," Merlin said with a twinkle in his eye. "A wise choice Arthur. Very wise indeed."

If the servants from Mercia and Deorham hadn't still been present, Arthur would have pushed Merlin down the stairs and he told him as much.

"But then Bayard wouldn't think you were so wise." Merlin pointed out, with a wide grin that didn't fade until dinner that evening.

The negotiations were only meant to begin the following day, but when it came to diplomacy a dinner could be more crucial than a council meeting. This much Arthur had learnt from his father.

"I was so sad to hear Agravaine wouldn't be joining us." Alined had been strategically seated furthest down the table, but that didn't stop him from butting loudly into conversation as he picked at the welcome feast. "I knew him back when I was only a Prince. But I hear he's in your dungeons?"

"Agravaine was a traitor, working with my sister," Arthur said bluntly; he had explained as much in the missive they sent each Kingdom calling them together for the Summit. "With treason as his crime, he is lucky I have been so lenient as I have."

"Ah yes, your sister. A sorcerer herself, is she not?"

"She is." It was Merlin who spoke now, for he had seen Arthur's jaw clench and worried the King might say something he regretted. Again there had been the question of where the Court Sorcerer should sit, officially, and again he had been placed beside Gaius in the heat of the moment; further down the table even than Alined, although that had not been intentional on Arthur's part. "And she has used magic as it shouldn't be used, to further her own ill intentions. Hence her banishment."

"Well you would know more about magic being used for ill than I would," Alined shrugged with an easy smile. "I must say it interests me a great deal how a simple serving boy has climbed to the dizzy heights you have, Lord Merlin."

This time it was Merlin who found himself in danger of disrespect, but he was saved by Bayard who sat between Olaf and Alined.

"Nothing interesting in that surely?" The Mercian King took a sip of wine and smacked his lips appreciatively. "Hard work, courage and loyalty. I saw this boy save the King's life a long time ago and prevent war between our two Kingdoms. You could say he is the reason we are all able to meet here in peace. I know I would be more than happy to have such a man in my court."

"But we must admit that magic is used for ill rather often," Olaf returned to Alined's original point. "Your sister is just one example, King Arthur. What happened to my poor daughter is another. Your father led an entire Purge because he believed in its evils."

"I can't deny that magic has been used in the name of evil," Arthur admitted. "Or greed, or anger, or whatever we wish to call it. My sister is an example. But what twisted her heart wasn't magic - it was fear. You all-" He looked around at the gathered Kings. "-knew my father. I loved him dearly as a son should, but rather than eradicate the evil for which magic can sometimes be used, his Purge generated deaths, sadness, tragedy... and fear. I-"

Arthur cut off, for the doors had swung open to admit a wild-eyed Sir Leon. The knight remembered himself just in time, bowing to the assembled Kings, before straightening and saying directly to Arthur,

"My Lord, the guards have just informed me that a sorceress has come to petition you and-"

"Tomorrow Leon," Arthur said firmly, irritated to be cut off just as he felt he might finally be getting somewhere with Olaf. "There is a process in place for this."

"No, Sire, you don't understand." And truly Arthur should have known his chief knight would never have disturbed him for anything less. "It's Lady Morgana. She has come to petition for your pardon."