"Let's take you home, now." Arthur said, as he watched the dragon fly off with a deep bow to him, their conversation going much better than he had ever thought possible.
"Did you mean what you said to him, Prince Arthur?" Adelina asked, looking up at the older man and not daring to breathe for fear he would laugh in her face.
"As soon as I am King, the laws will change, Adelina. I do not think magic itself is evil. The people who use it for evil are the ones who possess those characteristics." he told her, letting her see the truth in every syllable he uttered.
"You might have a difficult time convincing those magic users of your intent." she pointed out, her voice catching as she recognised his promise.
"The first step is to speak with the druids. Show them my intention. Ask them to spread the word." he answered, moving to where their horses waited patiently.
"And the next?"
"Go to the kingdoms where laws against magic are 'forgotten' to be enforced. Get their counsel, review their laws from before my father's Purge." Arthur told her, considering his answer carefully.
"I can see why he chose you, Prince Arthur." Adelina said, looking at him thoughtfully.
"What do you mean 'chose' me?"
"The prophecies tell of the great Emrys and his Once and Future King uniting the land of Albion, ushering in an era of peace and prosperity and freedom for all." Adelina answered, looking wistfully as the newly introduced father and son embraced warmly. "Some say you were chosen by the fates, others say Emrys chose who was to be his King. I don't know what to believe, but if it was the latter, he chose well."
"Tell me more of these prophecies." Arthur implored.
"I'm afraid I can't. I don't know them well, they weren't part of my studies." she answered honestly, glancing up as the two men made their way over.
"Are we set to go?" Merlin asked, his voice bright.
"I'm afraid I don't know how we will travel, there's only two horses and four of us." Arthur responded, looking at the two newcomers to their party.
"I'll travel with my son, you can travel with Adelina, Sire." Balinor said, adding the mock at his title, waving for Merlin to mount before climbing up behind him and waiting for the other two to get a move on.
"Too much like Merlin." Arthur mumbled to himself, leading the young girl over and lifting her up by the waist easily enough.
"We heard that." Merlin said aloud, laughing at his friend as he saw the face he was making.
"Come on! It's a long journey. There's plenty of bandits ahead!" Balinor said, spurring the horse forward while Merlin took the reins.
"This is it, Ealdor lies that way. Camelot lies that way." Arthur said as they reached the border three days later, all of them safely on Camelot's side as the father and son held a quiet conversation.
"I shall join you, see you until you reach the gates, then I will leave for Ealdor." Balinor said, nodding to the son of his greatest enemy in a sign of friendship.
"It will be a pleasure to have you." Arthur told him with a nod of his head, urging his horse into a slow walk as they made their way to the gates of Camelot.
"What's going on?" Merlin asked as a contingency of knights approached them urgently, Sir Leon at the front.
"We were told you died, my Lord. Morgause showed up with an army, enough men to overtake us while we recuperated from the dragon's attack. She had your seal, she's taken the throne." Leon said gravely, looking at his commander and King.
"We were attacked, I almost died, if not for-"
"I healed him, that's my daughter, she's injured." Balinor interrupted, nodding at the girl. "Adelina. I am Thomas."
"The Kingdom owes you a debt, Thomas. I'm afraid I bear grim news, my Lord. Your father was executed two days ago. Morgause forced him to kneel in the square, said a few words then brought down the ax." Leon told him, getting off his horse and falling to his knees as the other knights followed his example and pledged life and limb silently in the situation, the ceremony would wait for some other time.
"What words, Leon?" Arthur demanded, knowing the man too well to know he was avoiding that topic.
"She asked if he would apologize for his crimes, end the Purge and willingly abdicate."
"She knew he would never do that. She wanted him dead and the throne for herself." Arthur said lowly. "What was her exact phrasing?" Arthur asked, thinking back to what Adelina had told them just four nights ago.
"The time of your reign is over, Uther Pendragon. Your end is nigh, but you have a choice. Apologize to the magical community, repent for your sins and transgressions and you will live. End this Purge your hypocrisy brought upon the land, and you will live. Abdicate your throne, and you will live. Refuse and sign your death sentence." Leon repeated dutifully, the words burned into his memory as he watched the ax go down on his King's head.
"How many men does she have?"
"Around two thousand. They are holding the city hostage until all the knights loyal to Uther return and pledge fealty to her. If Sir Galahad hadn't recognized you from a distance we would have continued riding."
"And if you don't?" Arthur asked, finding Galahad among the crowd and nodding to him gratefully.
"We die." Leon told him what he already knew.
"Then as my first act as King of Camelot, I hereby grant pardon to Balinor, last Dragonlord and savior of Camelot. No more will he be persecuted. He has my full protection. As does his family." Arthur proclaimed, grasping forearms with the man and looking at Merlin to know if he could divulge his true identity, receiving only a subtle shake of his head no in answer. "How many retinues are still out?"
"We're the last. Every other one is in Camelot. I am unsure what their fates are." Leon informed him.
"We ride for Nemeth! Knights, follow me!" Arthur said, riding hard with the retinue on his heels as they rode through the night, their horses protesting.
"Sire, we need to stop. The horses will not make it if we do not let them rest." Merlin said, his magic spent as he had used it through the night, keeping all the horses from tiring as best he could.
"Merlin's right, King Arthur. We cannot keep going at his pace." Leon said, ever the voice of reason as his steed was breathing hard, his muscles twitching from exhaustion.
"We rest long enough for the horses to recuperate." Arthur agreed, dismounting quickly and helping the girl down as he nodded for Leon and Bors to follow him.
"Sire?" Bors asked as they were a good distance away from the others.
"How is everyone? Has anyone been killed at her hand?"
"None of our knights, as far as I know. I believe she meant to wait for us all to arrive before forcing our hand." Leon answered, having seen firsthand what was going on in Camelot.
"What were you even doing outside of Camelot? With the Dragon attacking…"
"We were evacuating what was left of the lower town and marketplace, taking as many as we could to outlying villages with what provisions we could spare. The ones who couldn't move and those in the Upper Town were sheltered in the castle, in the unused wing."
"That doesn't sound like my father." Arthur said, furrowing his brows in confusion.
"I suggested it, Sire." Bors said, bowing deeply.
"The kingdom thanks you, Bors. Many more would have died if not for your suggestion." Arthur told him, a solemn, grateful pat on his shoulder enough to convey all. "Leon, do you believe Morgause will kill them all?"
"We were given proof that you had died. Your seal, a lock of your hair and far too much blood for anyone to have survived. I believe she will kill those who refuse her."
"They believe there is no successor to the throne. It is up for grabs." Arthur surmised with a weary nod.
"Yes, I'm afraid so, sire." Leon lamented.
"King Rodor has always been a close ally. We will plead our case, and pray he gives us aid." Arthur said at last, calling Adelina over.
"Yes, Prince Arthur?"
"Sir Leon, Sir Bors, this is Adelina, a High Priestess in training and the one who saved my life. If she hadn't found us, Merlin and I would be fodder for carrion birds."
"She's a witch?" Bors asked through gritted teeth, hand grasping his sword hard and awaiting instruction from his regent.
"Yes. And she saved me without a moment's hesitation. She has my trust and my protection. As does Balinor. Magic has provided Camelot a service greater than I can articulate. You know Morgause well?"
"Better than anyone alive, my Lord." she blushed at his trust.
"If she is met with the decision to kill hundreds of knights, thousands of guards. Will she spill their blood?"
"No, she will give them the choice. The question is whether your people will remain loyal to you even after death and no Pendragon to protect them."
"Will she harm the citizens?" Leon asked, worrying about the ones who remained.
"If they fight her decree on magic…I'm afraid so." Adelina told them sadly, eyes downcast.
"The citizens of Camelot know when to keep quiet. I don't think there will be any foolish enough to do that." Arthur said, his own mind thinking to Gwen.
"Will you fight against her?" Leon asked, clearly suggesting that she should use magic in such a case.
"If it comes down to it. Yes. I pledge my magic and my loyalty to you, King Arthur." she said firmly, looking far older than her-not yet- fifteen years.
"Bors, go alone. Cover yourself in soot and claim that you crossed paths with the dragon on your way back. No one else survived. I will not risk my men's lives. Tell them to pledge their fealty to her, to save their lives. Tell no one I live. Not even Gaius." Arthur said, a hand on the other man's shoulders, not noticing when the girl went back to her companions as he gave his instructions.
"For the love of Camelot." Bors agreed, dousing one of the campfires in water and covering himself with all the soot he could before the heat got to him.
"We set out in two hours. Get what rest you can." Arthur told the men before him, nodding at them once and turning to where the three foreigners sat together.