Merlin: Fate Be Changed

Love in the Time of Dragons (Part 5)

Arthur was sitting at his desk the next morning scribbling away on a piece of parchment. As he wrote, his thoughts went to all of the new issues he now had to deal with. Morgana, who he recently found out is also a witch, has been lying to everyone ever since she got back to Camelot. She has been working with the sorceress Morgause to bring down Camelot from the inside. Merlin, who he recently found out is a warlock and has been the whole time, has been the one looking out for Arthur all along. And his father, who is hell-bent on destroying everyone that is like Merlin be they good or evil, grows more and more paranoid of magic by the day.

All of these were issues he didn't know how to combat. Merlin, he supposed was easy enough to deal with. He just had to make sure that the idiot kept his magic hidden until the law against magic could be lifted. But when would that be? Certainly not anytime soon, as his father was healthy as an ox and unlikely to die anytime soon, and he would never wish ill against his father no matter how cruel he's been. It occurred to Arthur just then, that he was actually considering lifting the ban on magic in Camelot. And all of it so that one person in his life could be free to be who he was.

He smiled to himself. Hopefully, one day he would be able to help his friend as a way to thank him for all the times Merlin helped him. The gods know that he would never be able to bring himself to say the words without them getting stuck in his throat. Damn the arrogant pride that his father instilled in him.

Suddenly, the prince was interrupted from his thoughts by someone knocking on his door. "Enter," he said, clearing his throat. The door to his bedchamber opened to reveal the aforementioned warlock himself. "Ah, Merlin, come in," Arthur greeted. Merlin did as he was told and shut the door behind him once he was fully in the room. "Arthur, I need your help with something, and it's of grave importance," Merlin blurted out. The prince arched his eyebrow curiously. "What's this about?"

Merlin quickly explained everything that has happened within the last few days since Alice arrived, including the innkeeper incident, and by the time he finished his explanation, Arthur was dumbstruck. "Wait, so Gaius lied to my father about the innkeeper's recovery being of natural causes?" Arthur stammered. The warlock rolled his eyes. "I just told you that Gaius's former lover is harboring a sinister creature of magic within Camelot's walls with poison that could be used to kill any of us, and that was your takeaway?" Merlin ranted.

"Well, what was I supposed to say?" the prince argued.

"That you'll help me figure out what the creature is so that we can figure out a way to stop it," Merlin offered. Arthur found himself sitting taller in his chair once he realized what was going on. Merlin was asking for his help in fighting a mythical creature. Merlin wanted him to help. He was going to see firsthand how Merlin goes about saving the kingdom, and this time he was a part of it. The prince sighed and tried not to let his eagerness show. "What do you need from me?"

* * *

An hour later, the boys were standing just outside the library hiding around the corner. "Okay, so what's the plan again?" Arthur inquired. "I need you to cause a distraction while I sneak into the magic antechamber to find a book on magical creatures so we can find out what we're dealing with," Merlin whispered to him. "Do you think you can do that?" Arthur narrowed his eyes at his servant. "I know how to cause a distraction, Merlin," he retorted. "Good, then go get 'em!" Merlin declared, shoving the prince out from behind the pillar and right into Geoffrey's line of vision.

"Prince Arthur, what a pleasant surprise to see you here," Geoffrey stated with a smile.

"Uh, yes, it is," Arthur floundered. "You see I was doing some research on the kingdom of... Messolia, and I was wondering if you had any books about their history." Geoffrey squinted quizzically. "You said the kingdom of Messolia?" he asked. Arthur inwardly berated himself, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Merlin slap his forehead in exasperation. He couldn't have come up with a more believable fictional kingdom name? Well, too late to change it now.