Rumours

Summary: Rumours surrounding the elusive warlock Emrys are circulating Camelot. Arthur makes it his mission to find him before such immense power can cause the destruction of his kingdom.

Rumours is set in the break between seasons 4 and 5 of Merlin (after the Sword in the Stone p2). The only changes to the timeline are that Lancelot is alive, and Gaius does not yet know of Merlin's identity as Emrys.

Chapter 1: Emrys

Merlin breathed a sigh, smiling under the first glimpse of sun Camelot had seen in weeks. The birds were singing their tunes to the forest, there were no deer in sight for Arthur to pursue, and best of all, no one was talking. The silence of the forest was calming him like he hadn't felt since before that day a week ago, when Arthur had made the decision to track down Emrys.

Merlin grimaced at the thought. It was the reason he, Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table were out here in the first place, riding through Camelot's forests on their way to visit the surrounding villages. Even so, Merlin was just glad to be out of the castle. He didn't even care that the search remained at the forefront of everyone's minds, or that they were on their way scour every village in the kingdom. He felt like he could finally breathe again, away from the confines of the castle walls, filled to the brim lately with people trying to expose his secret.

It had all started when a middle-aged farmer, tired and weary from his travels, had come to the citadel requesting an audience with the king. From that point on, everything had gone downhill for the secret warlock.

"Sire", the man started respectfully, inclining his head. "I bring news from the village of Bourke, my Lord". Bourke, Merlin knew, was a very small village, situated right on Camelot's western border. This man must have travelled many days on foot to deliver his news.

"What is your name?" Arthur asked, rising from his throne and descending the steps to stand before his subject. The farmer's expression changed to one of confusion, but he answered nonetheless.

"Lewis, Sire".

"Very well, Lewis. What news?"

"A druid, Sire, passed through our village six days past. He told tales of a powerful sorcerer residing within Camelot".

"In Camelot?" Gwen enquired, standing from her own throne and approaching her husband. Muttering began amongst the nobles throughout the room.

"Indeed, my Lady", Lewis replied, silencing the court. "They say he is the most powerful to ever walk the earth".

Arthur crossed his arms over his broad chest, and no one noticed the flush in Merlin's cheeks before he lowered his head.

"What else do they say about him?" the king eventually asked.

"He has the power to split the skies, my Lord. To turn the tide and to move the mountains. His magic is as bright as the sun, they say, and as powerful as the storm".

"What is the sorcerer's name?" Arthur asked, looking somewhat alarmed at what he was hearing.

"It is Emrys, my Lord".

Both Gaius and Geoffrey of Monmouth started at the name, and Arthur shot the pair of them a fleeting glance. Merlin really should have seen this coming.

"I have not heard of an 'Emrys' within Camelot", Arthur continued, oblivious to the discomfort of the servant behind him. "If he is as powerful as you say, surely he would be known to us already?"

"I fear not, sire", Lewis went on. "The druid said he goes by another name, and that name is known only to few. Even he could not tell us what it is".

"Very well", Arthur said again. "Is there anything else you wish to add?"

Lewis shifted on his feet, hesitant for the first time since coming before the court. "The power he wields is enough to bring about the downfall of any kingdom he so chooses, my Lord. I came as soon as I could to warn you of this threat to the kingdom".

"I appreciate your haste", Arthur acknowledged, nodding his head. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will have a servant show you to a room for the night for your trouble".

Lewis bowed his head, a grateful smile on his lips. "Thank you, my Lord. You are most generous".

"The council is dismissed", Arthur called to the room at large, once the farmer had been escorted out. The lords and ladies of the court bowed and left, leaving only Arthur's most trusted servant, advisors, and knights – Gwaine, Lancelot, Percival, Elyan and Leon - in the chamber with the king and queen.

"You have heard of this sorcerer, Gaius?" Arthur asked, calling on the physician's earlier behavior. Gaius sighed and stepped forward, nodding his head as he did so.

"He is not a sorcerer, sire, but a warlock", Gaius began, the attention of everyone in the room on him. "He is a legend, spoken of reverently in druid prophecy. As Lewis said, he is believed to be the most powerful of all those who have come before him, and all those who will come after".

Merlin fought to keep the blush from his face, but it was a losing battle. He was grateful that no one had called him on it.

"It is not known if he even exists, sire", Geoffrey continued for his friend, stepping forward. "He is a myth even among the druids. Such power is… unfathomable".

Merlin cringed. He doubted he could do half the things Lewis had described. Moving mountains? Turning the tide? Sure, he could do some incredible things, but those seemed a bit extreme.

"He may not even be entirely human, my lord", Geoffrey went on, and Merlin felt himself stiffen at the words, even as his heart sank into his stomach. "He is a creature of magic, and a warlock of immense power. The name 'Emrys' itself means 'immortal one' in the language of the druids. No one, outside a select few I assume, knows either his age nor his common name. For all we know, he could have lived for a thousand years already".

Merlin frowned, unseen. Thinking about the future beyond Camelot was painful, and had been ever since he began to entertain the notion of his immortality. A life without his friends was no life at all, in his opinion. But to have lived for an age already? That was a strange thought.

All was silent as Arthur thought through what he had been told. Eventually, the king nodded his head once, as though confirming what he had been thinking.

"We must find this Emrys", he announced, and Merlin could have groaned. "I am no longer of the belief that magic is inherently evil, as my father once taught me, but if this sorcerer is as powerful as they say, he could bring about Camelot's downfall with ease. I cannot simply dismiss this threat to the kingdom. Sir Leon", Arthur called, turning to his first knight, "I need you to arrange a search of the castle and the town. If Emrys is indeed living in Camelot, we will find him. Any signs of sorcery will be brought to my attention immediately".

Leon dipped his head in a bow and left the chamber without a word, Elyan, Gwaine, Percival and Lancelot following closely behind him. The latter spared Merlin a glance over his shoulder as he left, promising a 'chat' later.

"Gaius, Geoffrey", Arthur was saying, "find out all you can about this 'Emrys'. We need all the information we can get". Both advisors inclined their heads and left the room also, leaving only Merlin, standing awkwardly with the king and queen. He hoped they didn't pick up on his discomfort.

"Merlin…" Arthur paused and looked his manservant up and down. Merlin swallowed nervously and tried not to fidget. "Wash my socks, will you?" Merlin exhaled shakily and near ran for the door.

Ever since that day, Arthur had been relentless in his search to find Emrys. Chambers had been searched, servants had been questioned, and yet nothing of importance had been found. Merlin was just grateful that Arthur had put Leon in charge of any questioning that was to be undertaken. The secret warlock had walked into the room and Leon had taken one look at him and chuckled, foregoing the formal questions and simply asking him about his day.

Gaius had been doing his best to redirect the king's efforts, which was made difficult by trying to do so while not raising any suspicion on his part. Instead, he used the time he was supposedly gathering information on Emrys to get ahead in his duties as court physician, preferring to stay out of the whole mess. It was on that first day of the search that Gaius had found out about Merlin's other identity, and had since become accustomed to the fact that he was harboring the world's most powerful warlock under his roof.

The wooden door clicked shut behind him as Merlin entered the living quarters he shared with Gaius. Despite being ordered to tend to the king's socks, Merlin had immediately rushed up to speak with his guardian. The old physician was pottering around, muttering to himself distractedly and picking things up at random, only to put them down again in exactly the same position.

"Merlin!" he exclaimed, glancing up for long enough to find his ward standing in the doorway. "We must be cautious, Merlin. If these rumours of Emrys are true, and he really does exist and he really is in Camelot then-"

Merlin, somewhat bewildered, raised his hands in an attempt to placate his guardian. "Gaius-"

"He will be powerful, Merlin, more so even than you. And we have no way of knowing whose side he's on, but I doubt that it is Camelot's –"

"Gaius-"

"And if Emrys is allied with another king then Camelot will stand no chance-"

"Gaius-"

"Maybe you should speak with the dragon-"

"Gaius!"

The physician finally stopped rambling and looked up at his ward. "Yes?"

"Stop fretting, will you?" Merlin said, having finally realized what the old man was on about. Had he not already told him? "Emrys is no threat to Camelot".

Gaius froze in place. He didn't speak for a long time, and Merlin watched as he tried to piece together what he was telling him. "You know him?"

Merlin grimaced. "In a sense". Gaius 'hmphed' and rolled his eyes.

"Well, maybe you don't know him well enough to know if he is a threat. You'll have to find out more abou-"

"Gaius!" Merlin exclaimed, grabbing onto his mentor's arm to attract his attention. Once again, the physician started at Merlin's tone. "It's me. I'm Emrys".

Gaius didn't move. He stared at Merlin then stared some more, only pausing to slowly look the warlock up and down. Merlin huffed and let go of Gaius' arm, crossing his own over his chest.

"I'm not lying, Gaius".

Gaius blinked several times, then slowly nodded his head and lowered himself into a non-existent chair. Merlin hurriedly summoned one over to catch the dazed physician, before kneeling down at his side.

"Gaius?"

Gaius took a deep breath and looked down at his ward. "How did you find out?"

"The druid boy, Mordred", Merlin explained. "And Kilgarrah confirmed it".

Gaius nodded slowly, his eyes glazed over and locked onto something only he could see.

"So it is him", the physician murmured. "Arthur is the Once and Future King to bring about the golden age". Merlin nodded. "And you are the sorcerer of legend".

Merlin huffed a laugh. "So I'm told". Gaius blinked out of his daze and looked down at his ward, a chuckle on his lips.

"Yes. I imagine some people could find that quite hard to believe".

Merlin rolled his eyes and stood, rubbing a tired hand down his face. "What am I going to do, Gaius?"

"I do not know, my boy. We will have to find a way to convince Arthur of Emrys' true loyalties".

"How do we do that?"

"I cannot say. It is too early for him to know of your powers, Merlin. Even if his mind is changing, he is not yet ready to accept magic back into Camelot".

Merlin sighed. "I know".

Without warning, the physician reached over and grabbed one of Merlin's hands, yanking the warlock down to his level with a yelp. "Merlin…" he started, looking earnestly into the eyes of his ward. "What Geoffrey said, about Emry- your immortality. About your humanity-" Merlin dropped his gaze. "You have a theory?"

"Well…"

"No mortal ever survives the touch of the dorocha". Merlin sighed and nodded in agreement, looking back up at his mentor.

"Or visits the Lake of Avalon".

"Or survives a magical blast of fire to the chest by a powerful High Priestess". Merlin snorted at that, rubbing his chest where the scar still lay.

"You're right".

"Merlin, if it's true-".

"It's alright Gaius, I've co-"

"If it is true", the physician persisted, folding one of his hands over his wards and squeezing, "know that to me, you are no different".

Since that day, the castle had been combed from top to toe – Lancelot had come personally and searched the physician's chambers himself in an effort to deter anyone else from doing the same. It was then that he discovered, to his utmost incredulity, that his sorcerer friend was the very same Camelot was turning itself inside out for. Merlin still chuckled every time he remembered the knight's face.

The hunt - and how he hated that word - had then moved on to the town, and even Merlin had been roped into helping. Arthur had him rifling through the town people's things looking for signs of magic everywhere the warlock could possibly think of. He wasn't any help, of course, but only Gaius and Lancelot knew that.

The search continued for several days, and despite all their efforts, the king refused to be persuaded against continuing. He remained convinced that finding Emrys was the best course of action for the benefit of the kingdom. In what ways, exactly, Merlin wasn't sure. Not until Gaius decided to take a different approach, and visited the king in his chambers five days after the search began.

"Has your research proved fruitful, Gaius?" Arthur asked as the old physician entered his rooms. Neither he nor Geoffrey had been able to offer the king any new information on Emrys, nor had the knight's search provided any new insights. Up until now, that is, and Arthur was eager to begin.

"Indeed, sire". Merlin quickly abandoned Arthur's dirty laundry and hurried over, catching Gaius' eye and hoping that his mentor had a plan. Gwen emerged from behind her changing screen and sat with her husband at the table, the latter inviting Gaius to take a seat as well.

"A prophecy", Gaius revealed, slamming a very large and very old looking book onto the table in front of him. All three of them jumped. "Similar to other passages concerning Emrys, this one speaks of another individual – the Once and Future King". Gaius raised an eyebrow and looked at Arthur significantly. Catching on, Arthur stared disbelievingly back. Gaius heaved the book open to a marked page, and Merlin could see the text was written in a foreign language, probably that of the druids. "It says here that Emrys is destined to aid the Once and Future King in his endeavor to unite the five kingdoms, and restore magic to the land of Albion".

Arthur was speechless for several moments, looking between Gaius and the book with a very un-kingly expression on his face. Finally, he stood and strode around the table to stand behind Gaius, examining the book over the physician's shoulder.

"What language is this?" he asked, frowning down at the dusty pages.

"The language of the ancient druids", Gaius replied, snapping the pages shut and releasing a cloud of dust. Merlin sneezed. Something smashed in the next room. "Sire, I believe it unwise to continue this search".

"Because you believe that I am this… this king of prophecy?" Arthur asked incredulously, stepping away from the table and beginning to pace.

"Yes, my lord. It is Emrys' destiny to protect his king from any danger that may befall him. Seeking him out will only hinder him in his plight to protect you. Ordering his execution will no more save the kingdom than it will destroy it. And if he is to die, sire, you will surely perish as well". Merlin bit his lip, watching the king as he continued to pace up and down the room. Arthur's brow was scrunched in thought, thinking over all that Gaius was saying. "We should allow Emrys to continue his work in the shadows, sire. If he does not wish to be found, he must have a worthy reason".

"These druids… how can they believe that I, the son of Uther Pendragon, will return magic to the land?"

"The prophecies were written at the beginning of magic itself, sire. With the help and guidance of Emrys you can achieve this goal. That is the only explanation I can offer".

The king was silent for the longest time yet, a hand coming up to scratch at his chin as he considered Gaius' words. Merlin thought his heart would beat out of his chest - hoping against hope that the search would be called off and things could go back to normal. It was one thing to be a warlock in a city known famously for it's stance against magic, yet completely another to have your best friend and his own personal army doing everything they could to expose your most carefully guarded secret. The heightened sense of anxiety that had settled inside his chest only continued to grow as the days passed, and it was beginning to make him edgy. It was lucky he had Gaius and Lancelot, who were both doing their best to take his mind off things and keep him sane.

Merlin's breath hitched as Arthur stood straighter. Gwen too was looking uncertainly up at her husband, and Gaius was as collected as always. When Arthur shook his head, Merlin's rapidly beating heart sunk into his stomach.

"No", Arthur eventually said, looking around at them all. "There is every chance that I am not this king. A powerful sorcerer destined to aid another does not bode well for myself or for Camelot. And if, as you suggest, I am the king of the prophecies, we must find him anyway. He needs to be protected, and concealed from our enemies. Besides, how does one receive guidance when he doesn't know who the other is?"

And so the search continued, and had led Merlin, Arthur, and his most trusted knights – Gwaine, Percival, Lancelot, Elyan and Leon - into their current state of travel. It was Arthur's belief that if not in the castle or the town, Emrys was hiding in one of the surrounding villages. Either way, Merlin was just glad to be out in the open. He had felt trapped within the confines of the castle walls, overflowing with people doing their utmost to find him and reveal his secret. He could scarcely imagine what it would be like to be exposed in that way - undoubtedly ending with his head being lobbed off his shoulders. Merlin shuddered at the thought. Right now, he didn't even care that the search was still at the forefront of everyone's minds. He felt like he could breathe again, finally away from all the chaos unknowingly centered on him.

Arthur, on the other hand, was becoming restless. The lack of success concerning Emrys was beginning to grind on his nerves. He, too, was benefiting from being outside of the castle, and Merlin was glad that the king had blatantly ignored all suggestions to stay put. Instead, he had left Gwen in charge of the citadel in his absence. She had been understandably nervous about the responsibility left to her, but Arthur had insisted she would do admirably. The people loved her, after all.

"What do you think he's like?" Percival asked suddenly, drawing everyone's attention. The trip so far had been relatively quiet, despite Gwaine's presence among them. Maybe the knight was just as exhausted as Merlin was.

"What do you mean?" Elyan called from ahead.

"I mean… he's the most powerful sorcerer in the world. I keep picturing him as an old man with a beard and a staff".

"I hope it's not that old sorcerer", Elyan said, over the laughter of the others. "The one with the long white beard. The one who knocked us all around and threatened to kill the king". Merlin had to disguise his laugh as a cough, fondly remembering the incident. Lancelot looked at him strangely. "What did you say his name was, sire?"

"Please don't tell me you think Dragoon is Emrys?! He's a doddering old man!"

"Why not?" asked Gwaine, flicking his hair out of his eyes. "He's powerful, isn't he? Used the three of you as a staircase to mount his horse". He nodded around at Leon, Elyan and Percival with a smirk.

"He did what?" Arthur laughed, looking around at this. The aforementioned knights all looked away simultaneously. To Merlin's surprise, this made Arthur laugh harder. "Dragoon is not Emrys", he said confidently, facing the road again. Merlin rolled his eyes. "And he isn't anyone to fear, either. It was not he who killed my father". The knight's all looked around at each other, sharing perplexed looks. Merlin waited with baited breath for what the king would say next. "It was Morgana. Dragoon only wanted freedom for his people. He tried to help me when I needed it most, and in return, I tried to kill him".

"You are not to blame, Arthur", said Merlin despite himself. He would never hold it against his friend, but Arthur obviously felt bad about it. Merlin couldn't even express how much it meant to him that Arthur did not blame him for Uther's death. Instead, he would do what he could to reassure his friend, even if the king couldn't know his part in the whole incident. "You were not to know of Morgana's involvement in your father's death".

"Even so, I intend to keep my promise". Arthur did not continue, and even though the knights were at a loss as to what this 'promise' involved, Merlin knew. Arthur would free magic – he had given Merlin his word, albeit unknowingly. Merlin had to duck his head to hide the grin on his face.

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