The Search ➳ Merthur

chapter eleven

secODN to laST chAPTER OH BOYO BOY

morgana is a babe and I love her

also I have a headcanon that Merlin is good with children

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"We need to have more knights covering the citadel at all times. We have no idea when Emrys will strike." Arthur addressed the Round Table, and his knights looked back at him, attentive. Their king had called an emergency meeting after they'd discovered Mordred, the prisoner, had disappeared. No one had seen him, and it was as if he'd vanished in thin air. Arthur had thought himself to be the problem; if he hadn't decided to spend the night with Merlin, then maybe the entire ordeal could have been avoided. However, he'd given in to his impulses and done exactly what Merlin had asked him to, knowing he would never be able to say no to his smiling face.

"But Sire," Gwaine began, "How are we even sure that he will strike? He's been avoiding us for so long, what's to say he won't continue?" And Arthur could only sigh.

"When he helped Mordred escape, he declared war. Even if he doesn't strike soon, it will not hurt us to up our defenses for when he does. A sorcerer cannot live in Camelot for long without being discovered." He stated, knowing it had already been many months since the sorcerer had made his presence known, and also many months Arthur himself had been trying to capture him. It felt like it was time for him to strengthen his arsenal; to show the sorcerer he would not be backing down.

Gwaine stared at the king, wishing he could just grab the sides of his head and shake him until he understood. If only Arthur knew Merlin was Emrys, wouldn't all their problems be solved? He was very clearly infatuated with the boy, which made Gwaine believe he might be able to overcome his prejudices and realize that magic was not an enemy of the court. In all the places he'd been before he had arrived in Camelot to stay, Gwaine had met numbers of people—though some wished for his death—and many of them had been sorcerers. Magic was something to be harnessed and used for the betterment of life, even if some horrible people used it for death and destruction, it could also be used to protect and nurture. Why couldn't Arthur understand that?

Lancelot, however, stared at their king slightly detesting him. If Merlin hadn't fallen under his charms in the first place, they wouldn't have been in this mess. He knew his king was kind when his stoic persona was looked past, but it didn't change the fact that his opinions on the use of magic were hard lined. No one would be able to drive past the force that had made Arthur hate magic as much as he did. It was something he had grown up with, when his father ingrained it into his mind since he had been born. Habits were never broken so easily.

"...And so, we will have more guards surrounding the citadel during the night, when the sorcerer would think we are the most vulnerable. By doing this, we minimize his probability of getting past us." Arthur said, looking around the table to see most, if not all, of his knights nodding their heads to his conclusion. After a few more statements, the meeting was adjourned and all the knights went back to their posts or to inform those who hadn't been there. Arthur raked a hand through his hair before making his way to his chambers.

On his way there, he wondered about why Emrys hadn't actually staged an attack yet. He'd been quiet for so long, only rising to save Mordred from his death, and then retreating back into his hiding place. It didn't make any sense. He'd clearly been able to reach the castle dungeons, what kept him from finding Arthur and slitting his throat mid-night? The action probably would have been easy for him, considering how he'd gotten in and gotten Mordred out without being seen.

What does he want from me, if it isn't to kill me? Arthur thought, as he entered his chambers. Was Emrys after the crown? Did he want to take over Camelot for his own, by rallying the townspeople against their king? No, there's no way, Arthur decided, because the people loved him. They agreed that magic was not meant to be in Camelot, that it was too dangerous to be tempered with. Right?