The Crest of Ambrosius

Chapter 2

At the King's entrance, the group of visitors looked up and then bowed their heads out of respect. Merlin ducked his head and scurried to the side of Arthur's seat, hoping to remain as invisible as possible. After an incredulous glare at his manservant's unusual behavior, Arthur returned his attention to the visiting knights.

"Welcome to Camelot. I am King Arthur and," he gestured to Gwen, who was seated next to him, "this is my queen, Guinevere. May I ask why you have come here?"

A man who appeared to be the leader of the group stepped forward. He was dressed in a white tunic, brown pants, and worn leather boots, with only light chainmail, a sword at his hip, and a gray travelling cloak. He had unruly sandy brown hair, pulled back into a low knot, and wise hazel eyes that almost glowed with a hidden determination. His companions were dressed similarly, with cloaks of brown or green, though the resemblance ended there. The first man was older, with short black hair that was starting to go gray. He had a beard to match and soft gray eyes that sparkled with mischief. The second man was a bit younger, with reddish-brown hair and green eyes. He carried himself with an air of cockiness that rivaled Arthur's. The last man was much younger than the other two. He had dark, curly hair and piercing blue eyes. The leader glanced back at the other three men before returning his gaze to that of the Camelotian King's.

"Your Majesties." He gave a small bow to Arthur and Gwen in turn, then straightened back up. "My name is Garrick." He gestured to the knights behind him. "This is Thomas, Elias, and Fynn. We come with an urgent matter. We seek aid in reinstating the rightful heir to the throne in our kingdom."

At the stranger's voice, Merlin jerked his head up with a strangled noise. The knights glanced over at him, as this was unusual behavior even for Merlin. Gwaine tried to catch his eye but he only shook his head, refusing to move his gaze from the group of strangers. Gwen looked concerned and Arthur merely shot him another glare before turning his attention back to the man.

"And what kingdom would that be?" Arthur looked skeptical. There hadn't been any recent uprisings in the neighboring kingdoms that he was aware of.

"I am sure you have heard of the kingdom of Dreócræft." At Arthur's nod, he continued, "Seven years ago on this very day, Dreócræft was taken over by a corrupt advisor and his followers. Many innocents were slain and the royal family was forced to flee. The King managed to escape the castle, but we know not where he fled nor if he even survived once he made it past the castle walls. The Queen and the younger Prince disappeared during the battle. No one knows for sure if they survived. And the elder Prince was able to escape with a small band of loyal knights and the hope to one day return to his home."

After a moment's pause, Arthur asked, "And how do you know for certain that the elder Prince has survived for this long? Did he send you here?"

The stranger chuckled and shared a look with the other men with him before turning back to Arthur, "I suppose you could say that, yes." His face suddenly became serious. "I am aware that we are asking much from you, but we are reaching desperate times and must do all that we can to help the people of Dreócræft. That means defeating the false ruler and restoring the prince to the throne."

Arthur paused in thought before answering, "I understand the need to restore the proper ruler to the throne far too well." The mutiny of Morgana was not something easily forgotten. "However, I cannot blindly send my men to help you without taking some time to think this through. I shall take a few hours to discuss this with my council and will give you my answer this evening. You are welcome to wait here in the castle. My manservant, Merlin, will show you to some rooms where you can rest from your journey."

"Thank you, my lord. Your kindness and hospitality is greatly appreciated. However, I cannot in good conscience allow you to make your decision without informing you of the nature of Dreócræft." Arthur merely arched his eyebrow and, after a moment of hesitation, the stranger continued, "Dreócræft is a kingdom that embraces magic. Many of our citizens practice it, and the King and both Princes were born with it. We do not condone the use of magic for evil and have laws in place to help prevent the use of dark magic. I am aware that Camelot condemns the use of magic, but you are our only hope."

As the stranger explained this, Arthur's face began to harden. When he finished speaking, Arthur continued to stare at the man for a moment before responding, "I see. I appreciate your honesty. But as I said before, I will need to discuss this with my council before I make any decisions. Merlin, show them to the guest chambers."

At the mention of his name, Merlin jerked his attention away from the visiting knights to stare at Arthur blankly before seeming to understand what was asked of him. He then scurried over to the strangers and said, "If you'll follow me," before leading them to the doors of the throne room.

After sharing another look of concern with his knights over Merlin's odd behavior, Arthur called Gwaine over. "Go with him and make sure he's okay. There's something off about him today."

"Sure thing, Princess." Gwaine winked as Arthur glared, then ran to catch up with the wayward servant and group of knights.

Arthur then turned his attention back to his remaining knights. "We will have a meeting of the Round Table in one hour. I expect to see everyone there, so someone will have to collect Gwaine and Merlin from wherever they end up. Most likely the tavern." He rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation.

Couldn't they go one day without something happening? Despite what he claims, Merlin is definitely a trouble magnet.