Emrys led the way down the lane into the city. It was a sprawl of houses, ranging from the simple to the borderline ridiculous. Emrys explained that here, everyone was entitled to their own house. And since everyone here had magic, it could look like whatever they wanted. Some people even changed it weekly, deciding one day they like the look of a colonial mansion, and the next week reverting to a small ranch. As they walked down the lane, everyone called out greetings to Emrys, many bowing as well. Confused, Mordred asked him why.

"Ah I was wondering when you would ask that. Just as Arthur was the ruler of Camelot, you could say I am the ruler of Avalon." Mordred looked stunned. "It's nothing big really. They chose me to be their leader. I think it was the remaining druids that mustered the huge support for me."

"Do you live in a castle then?"

"No," Emrys laughed. "I am among those who prefer a simple abode. I will take you to the castle though. No one really lives here so it is our Hotel Avalon, as we call it. The local inn," he added, remembering to watch his vocabulary. "You shall be staying here until a plot of land can be found for you to call your own. I'm sure the grounds committee has already had some ideas of where to place you." They continued walking in silence until they came to the gates of the castle. The great castle loomed above them as they strode up to the guards.

"Declare yourselves."

"Merlin Emrys, Lord of Avalon and Steward of the High Throne, yadda yadda, you know the rest." He seemed exasperated that he needed to do this each time. "This is Sir Mordred, druid and Knight of the Round table, my guest. He will need a room to stay in."

"Yes sir." And he hurried off to tell one of the servants.

"You have an even longer title now?" Mordred asked in amazement as they walked through the archway.

"Yea," Emrys sighed. "Duke of some places, there's some redundant honors thrown in that they seem to want me to say every time. I think I must have more than Arthur by now." He turned and looked at Mordred. "You'll gain some too. They love throwing new titles at everyone who comes. But, allow me to show you around the castle.

"You'll find it is very similar to Camelot. Dining hall is here," he said as they peeked through an open door. "Further down the hall the other way is the throne room. Nothing much goes on there. About once a month we hold court and occasionally a wedding ceremony happens there. But down here," he pushed open the huge wooden doors at the end of the hallway to revel a large room empty except for a large round table with chairs in the center.

"Is that what I think that is?"

"The very round table from Camelot," he said with a huge smile on his face. "I saved it when Camelot fell into ruins and brought it here. Since you died, it has become a symbol of equality all across the Western world. But here she waits for everyone's return."

"Why am I first?"

"Perhaps it is because you are a druid. Perhaps because you have the most to make up for; you did kill Arthur after all." Mordred winced. "Or perhaps it is for some reason that none of us are privy to and will never know. We can only accept the facts and carry on."

Mordred looked out from the balcony of his temporary room in the castle. So much seemed to have changed in the world since he left it, yet many things remained the same as well. The outside world seemed to be a world without magic, no one believed him when he told the ringmaster that his tricks were magic. They only assumed he did not want to share his secret. Yet it was also full of a different magic. The strange carriages they people drove and the way a piece of glass could show you what was happening across the world.

And then here in Avalon, magic was what made the place run. No one hid their powers and they used it to do the most mundane tasks. There didn't seem to be a structure to the daily lives of people, yet everything ran smoothly.

Then there was Emrys, the Lord of Avalon. It was a far cry from the manservant he had been in Camelot. Yet, a part of his mind kept reminding him that this was what all the tales he had heard as a young druid. They spoke of Emrys like a god who would save Albion and bring magic back to the land. Some believed he was the greatest sorcerer who had ever lived and was more powerful than any who were to come. It was common knowledge that he would do all this saving and restoring with Arthur by his side as king. But maybe they were missing a piece of the story. The Emrys he had seen recently was more in control of his powers than ever before. He had seen Emrys change his appearance before to fool Arthur, but it had never been instantaneous. He seemed to hardly use words to work his magic, and if he looked closely, there seemed to be a thin border of gold around his eyes that never went away.

But that was a mystery for another time. Emrys said he would stay here for a few days to help Mordred settle in before going back into the world. He figured that others may soon be following and it would be best to find them before they got out of hand. Especially if Gawain managed to find a bar.

And with that thought, Mordred turned from the window and lay down on the soft bed to get some well deserved sleep.

THE END

A/N: The Road to Avalon 2 is now posted featuring Lancelot.