Alan jogged up the steps to continue work on the smoke bombs. He had his work cut out for him. Maybe he should set up an assembly line…. He opened the door, his mind trying to figure out the most efficient way to set up the ingredients.
"About time you got here."
Gwaine was sitting back in one of the chairs sniffing one of the bottles on the table. Percival was flipping through one of Gaius' medical books."
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be helping prepare?"
"We are. Arthur sent us to help you," Percival replied. "With whatever it is you're doing."
"Arthur didn't even tell you?" Alan chuckled. "Basically, we mix the ingredients together and put them in a pouch. Later, you light the pouch and throw it at your attackers so when it explodes it creates a smelly cloud of smoke that disorients them."
"Sounds nasty."
"It can be." Alan walked over to the workbench. "I was thinking of setting up an assembly line to help things move faster."
"A what?" Percival looked at him curiously.
Alan did a mental face-palm. "It's something I've seen on my travels."
He explained the concept of line, made sure they each had scarves for over their nose and mouth. They soon got into the groove and Alan started humming to keep pace.
"What's that you're humming?" asked Percival who was next to him.
Had he been humming? At his puzzled look, Percival hummed it back. Alan smiled. He remembered the pub in Shannon's town where everyone would sing along. They always had a steady beat for dancing so no wonder he thought it would help. "I learned it in a portside tavern."
"Give us the words, man."
It was right up Gwaine's street. "'What do you do with a drunken sailor…'"
Gwaine made Alan go through his reserve of Irish pub songs and they finished to the last chorus of "Seven Drunken Nights". The bombs were packed into crates and delivered to the ramparts. That mission accomplished, Alan headed back to his pallet just wanting some time to recharge before the battle. Part of him thought he could go back home, sleep for 24 hours and then come back without being missed I can't run away to sleep when everyone here doesn't have the option. He sighed as he fell onto the bed. "If I can't get 24 hours maybe five minutes could work." He closed his eyes and took some deep breaths, letting the tensions slip away. Then he heard it: footsteps.
"Alan? You in here?"
He sighed. "In here, Merlin." He sat up as Merlin entered the room. "Is it time?"
"Probably close." He pulled a hand from behind his back. "Just thought you might be hungry."
"You are a star!" Alan took the proffered sandwich and took a big bite. Oh, it was delicious. "Thanks. I was just trying to get a quick nap. Recharge, so to speak." He took another bite. "Any luck with the spell for the smoke?"
Merlin sat on his bed. "Nothing to prevent her from getting her from getting rid of it, but we did find something to make it heavier so it won't dissipate completely."
"That's something." Alan chewed absently, not really tasting. He looked at Merlin who appeared even paler than usual. "You're gonna be fine, Merlin. You've improved your fighting skills and you always have your magic to fall back on."
"Unless I can't hide it." Merlin seemed dejected.
"You can call me." Alan thought for a moment. "When helping with the magic laws, maybe I can work in a clause that will protect users from what went before, an amnesty of sorts."
"You think that would work?"
"It would protect you legally but friends would still be upset that you kept such a secret." He finished his meal and stood. "Okay, let's go stop a witch."
After a brief meeting in the small audience chamber off the throne room with his inner circle, Arthur stood on the main steps of the castle to address the packed courtyard, Gwen at his side. Merlin stood to his right on a lower step, Alan on his right. Gaius stood to the left. Arthur's "chosen" knights stood on a lower step showing they were a little higher in rank yet still with the rest of them.
"We stand here, all of us, from every aspect of Camelot, to fight for what we love, for who we love." He squeezed Gwen's hand. "If you come face-to-face with Morgana, do not treat her with deference. She is no longer a lady of Camelot. I don't want anyone directly confronting her. She has no qualms about killing anyone who gets in her way. If you were friends before, that will make no difference." He glanced at Alan. "Cause a distraction or place obstacles in her way as long as you can remain hidden."
Arthur took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to word what he had to say next. He had to make sure he didn't turn everyone against him as he told of his views. "We are not fighting Morgana because she is a magic user, but because she is after the throne of Camelot. Some may think it was the magic that turned her, but I have learned that she was afraid of what my father would do if he found out combined with learning she had been told lies most of her life. This turned her against Camelot, working with our enemies to bring us down from within.
"I am telling you this because magic will be used in defense of Camelot and I don't want anyone reacting in fear, thinking these men are with Morgana. They have proved themselves loyal and therefor have my permission."
He studied the faces of those gathered. Some were stunned at this change from his father's policy but he could find no outward signs of hostility. "Everyone, to your positions!"
From the ramparts, Alan had a good view of the walls and gates of the town and the outlying land. He flipped down the magnifying lens over his left eye, bringing everything into clear focus with the added bonus of distance. It was much more discreet than a telescope or binoculars.
He looked at the main gate and could see Arthur directing the men, Merlin and Leon helping. Smiling, Alan turned to the next gate where Percival and Elyan were organizing soldiers and civilians in the placement of barricades. The last gate was the pairing of Gwaine and Mordred. Since Gwaine had no issue with magic, it seemed the best move. Plus, Gwaine made the younger man feel at ease.
Inside the castle, Gwen and Gaius were setting up the infirmary, making sure they had enough bandages and medicines on hand. They were safe unless the walls were breached.
Knowing everyone within Camelot was fine, he looked out onto the horizon. The road disappeared beyond the trees a few miles out. Great for a first impression but hard to defend once your enemy was that close. Arthur had posted lookouts along the road further out who would signal once they caught sight of her forces. Now all there was to do was wait.
Merlin stayed out of the way as much as possible while Arthur shouted out orders. The stronger men se5 up barricades.
"Merlin, what are you standing around for? Make sure there are spare weapons available and that we have a good supply of Alan's 'bombs' on hand."
Merlin grabbed a small barrow and headed to the armory to collect a selection of weapons; swords, maces, daggers and morning stars. Using a spell to lighten the load, he pushed it quickly back to the front gate, remembering at the last minute to pretend to struggle. He then distributed them along the barricade. As he did so, he made sure they were stocked with the stink bombs Alan devised. Eve now he could smell them. They would not deter Morgana – nothing at this point would – but it should disorient the soldiers enough to give the people of Camelot an edge.
As his hands worked, his mind wandered back to when he first arrived in Camelot. Morgana was charming and caring, kind to servants, treating them like people when others of her station didn't. Yes, she railed against Uther's "justice" but it was more about the unfairness of it, his blind belief that magic was evil. It was no wonder she was scared when she found out she had magic. Thinking she had no one to confide in for fear of them telling Uther, she accepted the first person to tell her she was special, that magic wasn't evil like Uther had instilled in the entire kingdom. Morgause, her half-sister, fanned the embers of the hatred towards Uther, changing Morgana into the woman she was now.
Merlin still kept thinking of the chance he had to befriend her, confess his own magic, and perhaps all of this animosity between brother and sister and the fight for Camelot could have been avoided. Gaius always reminded him that he could not have risked exposing himself. Morgana might have turned him in to save herself.
All these "what ifs", "could haves" and "should haves" were doing his head in. He sighed.
"Are you bored, Merlin?" came Arthur's voice from behind him. "I can always put you on the front line. That would cure you."
I'm already on the front line standing by your side. "No, I was just thinking of how this could have been avoided."
"Merlin, I don't have time-"
"All Morgana needed was someone kind and understanding to tell her that it was nothing to be afraid of, that she wasn't evil."
"How, Merlin? The two of us had been told that all magic was evil. I understand what pushed my father to make such a decision but I would not have gone to such an extreme for one instance."
"What would you have done?"
"I would have done what I'm doing now, create laws that treat any misuse of magic like any other crime. Those who use it for healing would have nothing to worry about."
"Or in defense of the realm."
"Exactly." Arthur slapped him on the back before carrying on giving orders.
Merlin allowed himself a small smile, feeling a little better about the future of magic – his future – in Camelot. They just had to get through this battle.
After tense hours of waiting, the first signal arrow shot through the sky. Alan teleported there to see what they were facing so he could report to Arthur.
The two men at the lookout point were startled when he appeared, but, as they had been introduced earlier, not afraid. They pointed down the road where Alan could see clouds of dust rising. Morgana wasn't even trying to hide the size of her army. It was more than he expected but not insurmountable.
"Is this a regular vantage point to watch the road?"
"Yes, it has the best view for miles," answered the second man. "It's been used since Uther."
"Then Morgana will know you're here. I'd leave for a backup 's no telling what she might do."
"We do have a new one we discovered earlier in the year."
"Good. If you do get discovered, call me."
Once he had confirmation, Alan teleported to Arthur to tell him what he saw. "At a guess, I'd say _ men. They may have numbers but your men have training."
"And like Ealdor, the people of Camelot have something to fight for," added Merlin.
"Exactly."
Arthur thought for a moment. "I don't think there's any point in mentioning the numbers to anyone else. It could be demoralizing and they could lose their Will to fight. Just let them concentrate on the Saxons in front of them."
"Good luck." Alan went back to the ramparts."
Arthur took a deep breath as he absorbed the information Alan had brought back from the lookout. They had faced large numbers of soldiers before and had won under what could be called miraculous circumstances. But this time he wouldn't just have the best swords in the five kingdoms but magic as well. This would come as a surprise given the well-known stand on magic initiated by his father after he was born.
He knew it was grief over his mother that made Uther lash out. He then would have seen it as a sign of cowardice to repeal it even if he had softened over the years. He seemed to go completely the other way. Merlin was right. I can't believe I thought that! Morgana had no one to turn to when she was in Camelot. It was little wonder she turned to the first person to embrace her magic, to embrace her. And this is what it had come to.
"We will win, Arthur." Merlin. "We always have."
"At what cost, Merlin? The last few times she's attacked, we lost so many. There should be a way to settle this without bloodshed."
"You could make all the peaceful overtures you want, but the desire to change is Morgana's alone. Even if we knew a way to subdue or even remove her magic, it would make things worse and she would still fight for the throne."
After all this time, it still surprised him when Merlin was insightful. Most of the time he was such a fool with that stupid grin. Maybe it was being raised in a village that gave him a different, more open understanding of people. He, on the other hand, being raised as the heir, was taught to believe that he was better than everyone in Camelot, they were all there for him. It was other nobles he had to watch out for as they always had some ulterior motive. As he grew older, he realized that the townspeople looked to the Pendragons to protect them, to care for them and in turn, they would support their ruler. Arthur wasn't sure when – no, it was after Merlin – that he knew he wanted to rule through respect, not fear.
The fact that the people would now fight for him and with him told him he had made the right decision. They had even trusted him when he said there would be two magic users fighting for them today; something unheard of for as long as he had been alive. Since he was indirectly the cause of the ban, it was only fitting that he should be the one to lift it.
"Sire." Leon nodded towards the road where a massive trail of dust was rising.
The wait was over.