"MORDERD?" exclaimed Merlin. His voice rang with shock at the emergement of the Druid youth from the dark shadows of the trees around them.
"Emrys. Arthur." Mordred saud curtly with a bow of his dark curled head.
"Whateve are you doing here? Is the camp okay?" Arthur asked in concern. Merlin's blue eyes shone wide an bright and both visably deflated in relaxation when Mordred confirmed that the Druid camp was still safe.
"We are safe, Prince" he explaned "We came to pledge ourselfs. War is coming. We know that. We will stand with you. We will march with you and stand by your side: your servants." he said, bowing stiffly again more deeply.
Merlin and Arthur glanced at each other. Merlin's eyes glowing in barely conatined violent excitement.
"The honour is ours." Arthur answered gradualy "We know you are powerful allies and I am humbled that you serve me." Merlin smiled, pride in his eye.
"Come, you must sit and eat with us, you must be tired" Gwen invited with a smile to the tables stil laid on with food.
"Why have you changed your robes? We thought you could be Camelot guards!" he said lighting the sabre mood, with a cheeky glint in his smiling eyes.
"These are our ceremonial war clothes. These fibres are enchanted with threads stronger than steal and lighter than gossimer, with the warmth of wool. And the protect rom magic attacks as well" Mordred explained gesturing to his red and black garmet.
The trio sat at the head table by Gwen.
"My lady,I am Mordred, envoy to the Druids" said Mordred with a smile. Gwen smiled in return kindly.
"It is an honour for you to be here." said Gwen with a dipping curtesy. "we chose to have blessings of the old religion today." she explained egsturing around them to the celebrations they had.
"Then let me bestow upon you another" replied Mordred, annoiting her forehead with nearby wine. "May you be blessed many times, with love for all your lives long. The godess shall ease your pain into happiness also." he said stearnly. Gwen grinned and held Lancelot's hand, who came to sat beside her.
"Mordred was just pledging the Druds' allieagence to us" said Arthur conversationally to Gwen and her new husband, to explain his presents.
"Arthur!" said Gwen scandallised punching her brother on the shoulder lightly "we said no wartalk at the wedding! I swear if all little brothers are this bad we'd be best not having lot's of children!" she girped coolly. Arthur smiled at her apologetically.
"You're right, I am sorry; dear siter. Today is you're day and nothing shall spoil it, especally clotpole younger brothers." he said in gracious humour. Gwen smiled at him. Mordred's smile returned to his face.
"You can make it up to me with a dance!" she exlaimed standing and offering Arthur her hand "and then I expect one from your friend and your mate." she finished.
"You might want to skip Merlin if you value your toes" Merlin heard Arthur said as he walked off to Dance with his sister.
"Oi!" He cried after them laughing in protest.
As Merlin and Mordred sat together the darkness couldn't help but creep in a little, shrouding them in it's blanket. Merlin sighed and looked out of the corner of his eyes towards the young precocious Druid. Mordred looked sad and worried.
"A storm is gathering Emrys." he said prophetically in his stoec voice.
"A tempest could not shake my faith in Arthur. I love him and our cause is just. We shall whether whatever storm may come together." Merlin said, his outward calm not betraying the fear that raged like an ocean in his stomach. He smiled and stood.
"Now, I believe you have a dance scheduled with the lovely Gwen. I certainly have one in my card with a handsome blonde clotpole." He grinned and walked towards Athur with springs in his step.
----
The morning that followed the wedding followed with cold grey morning light. A frost lay on the ground, icy fingers like the skeleton shadow of winter to come. The first weak lights of the morning son basked the earth in a cold golden glow and shone throught the windows of the kitchen where Merlin was sitting dappled by trees and dirt on the pane.
He was hunched on a chair, with his elbows rests on his knees and his handsclasped, staring blindly at the floor, face expressionaless, as he had been for some time now, when Arthur came in, yawning, disturbed from his sleep by the absense of his partner in his bed. He frowned at the other mans shape on the chiar.
"What is it?" he asked, gently sidling towards the raven locked warlock. He didn't even look up.
"Gwen's wedding is over. The Northumbrian army is on thir way. it feels like we're standing on the edge of a cliff about to throw outselves into the black and curning ocean. I never wanted to be in a battle. But waiting on the eedge of one we can't avoid is even worse" he looked up finally to Arthur, where he stood, with his blue eyes wide and shining with fear.
"What do we do Arthur?" It worried Arthur to see his usually cocky soul mate so panicked. But there was only one anser he could give. Arthur knew watch he had to do. He stealed his resolved.
"We prepare for war." He said, jaw strong and set in a line. Merlin gulped at the strength his hubsand radianted like the Sun shining finally on a formal cloudy day. With their eyes locked together Merlin could see the iron in Arthur's gaze, and see the king that he would become. They could get throught this, together.
They ate a quick breakfast and set out int the village to start preperations.
As they walked through the streets of Ealdor the little village buzzed with energy, unlike mornings following most weddings. The village had set to its industrious best to welcome the Druids into their mits, and the mysterious figures clad in black and red walked amongst the village folk as though they had been there forever. Arthur surveyed the scene and smiled, slipping his hand into Merlin's as they watched.
"This is what it'll be like, won't it? Magic and non-magic folk living together in harmony? It's like looking into the future we'll build. It'll all be worth it." he beam. Merlin gave his hand a squeeze.
"It will, you'll be the greatest ruler Albion ever knew. Even if you could still do with a bit of training with the sword." he said dimpolomatically with a tilt of his head and a mischivious smirk.
"I do not!" rejoinedered Arthur, scandalised a tht e thought.
"You do. Your backswing's atrocious. You'll be skwered like a kebab if you don't learn to defend yourself! And..." the cloud suddenly fell upon hi face "and I couldn't Arthur, I couldn't watch you die." Merlin said solemnly. "You need to get better. Leon are running weapons sessions....even Gwaine's going and he's already very good. You shoudl to go and train." he insisted.
"And you don't?" Arthur queried, eyebrow aquiver of scorn.
"No, I don't. I magiced my abilities up years ago." he answered No-one can touch me with a broad sword, or a mace, or an arrow, or a mornings star, ju-"
"Yes, yes. I get the point." Arthur cutt him off glubly with a wave of his hand.
"Better my point than the point of a soldiars blade." Merlin pithed. Arthur sighed giving in.
"Fine. I will train, and become so skilled that even you won't stand a chance against me." he said.
"Oh, Arthur, I already never stood a chance against you" joked Merlin pecking a kiss onto his husband's disatisfied nose and shooing him towards where Leon and Percival were training the villagers with a pat on his taught bottom.
As Arthur joined in the fray of sword lessons, Merlin left his partner, swishing his blade through the cut, as though cutting down an emeny, magificantly, and headed through the village, towards his mother's house, and the camp behind it, in the orest, where the Druids had camped, their close presense to Hunit a sign of their respect to Merlin, showiing their wiliningness to protect and watch over his loved ones, and he smiled to himself.
"Merlin!" He turned around to the source of the voice. It was Morgana.
"What's up?" He asked as she joined him, glosy hair shining the in winter sun.
"The druids have told me they've found a way to use there magic despite Uther's Demysting" she told him exitably. He turned to her in surprise - if he could master that as still use his magic they had a chance of beating Uther and stopping his evil plan in it's tracks.
"How?!" He gasped despeartely feeling his magic buzz like it was interested under his skin in exitment.
"Come, we will show you" Morgana smiled at lead him towrds the druids emcampment.
Meanwhile, while Merlin headed to learn the new natural magic that the druids discivered, Arthur was also working on his skill with a sword. Leon was a natural teacher: Even though Gwaine and Will had resisted receiving lessons from a knight, as both of their fathers had been knights let down by their league, they saw that Arthur was not like that; he would never send his men in where he would fear to tred and risk their lives for nothing. They were proud to stand beside him in the sheild wall, to defend him and be defended in turn.
"Keep you guard up Arthur!" called Leon, pulling Prince from his reverie. "Your enemy won't give you time to daydream." Arthur grimaced and pulled his sword up into the fighting positon.
"Begin!" Leon called, and Arthur guttered forward in a lithe parry to hit Gwaine, whom he was practising against whilest Leon watched on.
Gwaine swiftly side stepped and met Arthur's sword with his own in a delicate swing, as he poiroted on his toes.
"Good, Arthur, but remember to be light on your feet. Stay still that long and someone'll see it as an invite to stab you in the back" Leon instructed, as Gwain was swishing his sword through the air before luging at Arthur. It was Arthur's turn to side step the blow and he struck qucikly on Gwaine's upswing, forcing the the knight to step back defending his face with his sword horiztonal and high. The swords slid together as the went down, the scraping of metal on metal ringing as they parted.
"Good!" Leon smiled! "You're getting it Arthur. You'll be a true leader of knights yuet." Arthur and Gwaine shook hands to congratulate each other as they prepared for the next bought.
Soon half the village joined in, those whom has pledged theirselves to Arthur and he caust to rebel against Uther came to learn how to fight, until the air was filled with the sounds of clanging swords and swishing metal.
The days wore through into evening, leaving Arthur's muscles sore and his hands callused with use. All of the people training improved greatly, but none more than Arthur. As dusk fell a week later, Percival, who had come from the forge where he had been helping Gwen and Elyan to forge weapons and armour and defences, smiled proudly to Leon at their prodigy.
"If I didn't know better I'd swear he's been doing this all his life" he commeted.
"He is truely born to do it" Leon remarked back.