A/N: Hello, everyone. I'm a bit new here, so if I make any mistakes, please bear with me ^^

Warnings: Spoilers for season 4 and season 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.

Gwen sat patiently at the council room table as the nobles discussed food provisions and war strategies.

"Discussed" was probably not the most accurate expression. It seemed far too pleasant a word. The bickering men closer resembled a pack of wolves, fighting over a piece of meat.

Gwen fought the urge to sigh. It was her obligation as queen to show support for her husband, which meant accompanying him on his daily duties as the king of Camelot. More so than obligation, Gwen endured the quarreling men's rants out of sympathy for her husband. She knew that her presence alone made things easier on him, as he had stated so many times before. So, if sitting in this uncomfortable heat made the day more bearable for Arthur, she would do so without hesitation.

Even if that meant suffering through a drawn-out council meeting that was going nowhere.

"We need to focus our efforts on sending out provisions to the people." Lord Orrick, one of the oldest nobles there, had been relatively quiet throughout the meeting. Gwen had decided he'd been her favorite, as he was not so quick-tempered as the others. "The attack has left many without homes. They need support to find their bearings if they are to survive the upcoming winter."

Lord Litwin, one who was not blessed with Lord Orrick's calm composure, spoke next. "No, our focus should be on finding the witch. Who knows when she'll strike next?"

Gwen winced. A sudden nervousness had overcome her, as it often did when Morgana was involved.

That's right, she thought. She's the reason we're in this mess to begin with.

Two days ago, Morgana had, once again, staged an attack on Camelot. The damage she inflicted was unlike anything Morgana had ever attempted before. Large cracks currently decorated the castle walls, and homes in the outer city were swallowed whole when the earth itself split open. And, once again, Arthur was left to face the consequences of her actions.

Looking to her left, Gwen spared a glance at her husband.

Arthur sat next to her, at the head of the table. He was bent over slightly in his seat, one hand partially covering his face while the other rested on the arm of his chair. His eyebrows were furrowed, and his gaze seemed distant.

Despite the severity of the conversation at hand, Gwen could tell he'd only been half paying attention. He'd been quiet—detached, even. One might think, given the circumstances of recent events, the young king was simply taking his advisors' opinions into careful consideration, but Gwen knew better. She, of all people, would know, being around him more than anyone.

Arthur had been like this for weeks now.

Yes, Arthur's strange behavior began many days before Morgana's attack on Camelot. It started when an old man had appeared in front of the court with news of a great ally. An ally who, apparently, had been protecting Camelot and her inhabitants for years.

He'd spoken of a man named Emrys.

It had been a fairly average morning in Camelot. The quiet of the night was soon overtaken by the busy workings of peasants in the lower town. Servants bustled through their daily chores, ready to finish another day's workload.

In the Great Hall, the king and queen of Camelot sat on their thrones, poised and ready to take on any new challenge the day may bring.

It was one of their many diplomatic duties to meet with informants who had knowledge of a possible threat to the kingdom. Many might think this was a daunting task, but Gwen was inclined to disagree. On most days, the only informants they met with wanted nothing more than to report a fairly trivial matter, such as a wild boar causing minor skirmishes in the outer villages.

Later, Gwen would admit that she had said most days, not all.

Half way through the hearings, Sir Leon entered the Hall. With a few long strides he'd met the two monarchs at their feet with a courteous bow.

"My lord, my lady," both nodded their acknowledgement to the knight. "There is a man here who requests conference with the king."

"Very well," with a wave of his hand, Arthur dismissed Leon. "Send him in."

The man who entered after Leon's departure was not what the royals had expected, if the previous informants were anything to go by. He stood before them adorned in earthy robes that pooled at the bottoms of his feet. His long, white beard and wrinkled face revealed the many decades of life he'd experienced. A staff rested lightly in his hands, and its crooked yet oddly gracious nature resembled that of its owner.

After a deep bow, and a gaze Gwen decided could stop any man in his tracks, the messenger spoke.

"My name is Kealen. I come bearing information of a great ally to Camelot. One that has gone unnoticed for far too long."

"An ally?" Arthur spoke then, his voice rich with uncertainty. "I don't know what you have heard, or who your informants are, but I oversee all of Camelot's transactions and treaties with foreign nations. If one of them were to wish for an alliance of some sort, I would surely know it."

"You misunderstand, King Arthur. It is not a nation I speak of, or any group of people for that matter," the messenger paused briefly, searching Arthur's face, "but a single man."

Arthur's expression must have been riddled with doubt, for disbelief imbued the tone of his voice. "One man? I hardly see how a single man could have an effect as severe as you claim."

"However unlikely it may sound, Arthur Pendragon, I assure you it is true."

Next to her, Gwen heard her husband sigh. She couldn't blame his hesitation; something about this man didn't settle right.

"All right, old man," there was a mixture of curiosity and impatience in Arthur's voice. "I will hear you out. Who is this great ally you speak of?"

"His coming was predetermined ages ago, through prophecies as old as the dragons themselves." The sudden resolve in the man's words caught Gwen off guard. "He is destined to aid the Once and Future King in reuniting the land of Albion."

As if there wasn't already enough about this man that completely baffled Gwen.

"Prophecies?" Arthur repeated slowly, the suspicion in his tone tripling within seconds.

Out of the corner of her eye, Gwen noticed Merlin squirming in his place next to the other servants. She couldn't blame him. She didn't like where this was heading, either. For if this messenger spoke of prophecies, there was not much doubt left to wonder who he was.

Arthur came to the conclusion at the same time she did.

"You are a druid." It was not a question, but a statement. In response, Kealen gave a single nod of confirmation.

Though the man's boldness amazed Gwen, she supposed it was not all that strange for a druid to come to court, given recent events. Shortly after she'd become queen, Gwen had been surprised to learn that Arthur had revised Camelot's laws involving the treatment of the druidic people. Arthur had stopped considering the druids harmful, and even accepted and allowed their presence along the outskirts of Camelot. They were not only to be tolerated, but given aid as well, should they request it.

The change of heart had astonished Gwen, but she fully supported her husband's decision. As she understood it, Arthur had promised peace with the druids after an incident that—to Gwen's horror—involved her brother, Elyan. The whole thing was quite confusing, but due to the fact that she'd been banished at the time of these events, Gwen decided she wouldn't push Arthur very far for the details.

Still, while the relations with the druids had no doubt improved, direct interactions had been fairly minimal as of late.

Well, Gwen thought, until just now.

Arthur, who had been at a loss for words, finally spoke. "Look…" he started slowly, as if talking to a child, "I appreciate your effort. You truly seem to care about the well being of our people. But I cannot build the hope of my kingdom based on fairy tales—"

"These are no fairy tales I speak of, King Arthur. The man of prophecies has many names, though the most well known is one we druids have carried with us for decades." For a moment, Gwen saw the druid's eyes shift to his right, towards where the servants stood at the edge of the Hall. Then, he brought his gaze back to Arthur, and with a look of certainty, he spoke. "He is a warlock by the name of Emrys."

Silence engulfed the room. All eyes turned to the king, pensively awaiting his reaction.

"…A warlock? You mean a sorcerer?" All attempts at humoring the old man had drained from Arthur's mind. "Despite the truce between the druids, magic is still banned in Camelot. This is dangerous ground you tread on, old man."

"And yet, I still find it imperative that I do."

The two stared at one another for several, very lengthy moments. Finally, the druid broke the silence. "Believe what you will. The truth remains the same."

Arthur gave him a hard look. "Let's say for a moment that I believe your tale. Why has this supposed sorcerer not shown himself?"

"Do you honestly think it's that simple?" For the first time since she laid eyes on the old man, Gwen saw a pained look on his face. "You yourself cannot deny the immediate reaction you produce with a single utterance of the word 'magic' or 'sorcerer'. Every day, Emrys protects you. And every day, he watches you make no attempts at the peace he longs for. I have come here today, Arthur Pendragon, to warn you. Emrys is devoted to you now, but if you do not take the steps to meet him half-way, his faith in you may one day run out."

With that, the old druid gave a final bow, and left the Great Hall.

The rest of the day passed rather quickly. Word got around fast, as Gwen heard the tentative whispers of gossiping servants at every turn she made. She tried to make out Arthur's reaction to Kaelen's warning, but he'd been (deceivingly) stoic for the remainder of the day. The king kept his composure until later that night, when he was in the safety of his chambers.

"The man is mad, Guinevere." Arthur paced in front of her, stomping back and forth across the floor.

"I never claimed otherwise," she replied calmly to her king.

"What am I supposed to do with that information? What exactly does he expect me to do, make a public request to meet with a known sorcerer? There is no doubt about it, the man is completely insane."

Gwen gave Arthur a leveled look. "Then why does it seem like you're asking for my agreement?"

Arthur looked at her then, his eyes inquisitive. "Well… don't you?"

Gwen sighed. "I honestly don't know, Arthur." She glanced at her husband, taking in his defeated stance. "But neither do you. You would not be asking for my opinion if you did."

He put his head in his hands then, which muffled his voice when he spoke. "I don't know what to do, Guinevere."

Gwen frowned. "There's something you're not telling me, isn't there?"

Guiltily, he lifted his face from his hands. "I've heard the name before." At her confused expression, Arthur clarified. "Emrys. I've heard of him… from Morgana. She made it sound like he was protecting me. But at the time, I'd never heard of him, so I dismissed it as just one of her ramblings. And that's not all of it…"

Arthur looked at his wife for any signs of disapproval, but he was met with just a supportive nod for him to continue.

"Gaius has also implied that he knows of sorcerers who show support for Camelot."

Seeing the king's uncertainty, Gwen crossed the room and rested her hand on his shoulder. "Whatever you decide, Arthur, I am with you. I believe in your judgment completely."

He sighed, smiling weakly as he did so. "That makes one of us."

"Don't you agree, Sire?"

Blinking out of his thoughts, Arthur refocused his attention to the man who sat across from him.

"Hmm? What?" His face quickly turned pink in embarrassment. "Oh—yes, of course. Thank you, Lord Orrick."

Arthur suppressed a sigh. He really needed to stop this. It was starting to affect his duties as king.

All of this worrying, over a sorcerer.

After the druid had appeared in court, Arthur's fundamental beliefs—ones he thought he would never have to question—were completely thrown.

After his talk with Gwen, Arthur decided he must ignore his past prejudices, and seek this Emrys person out. If there was truly a man such as Kealen claimed—sorcerer or not—then he deserved to be recognized for his bravery. There was just one problem… Emrys was proving bloody difficult to find.

Arthur had started out in the Royal Library, searching through the labyrinth of bookcases for any clue on the sorcerer's whereabouts. No luck. He'd asked Geoffrey if he'd ever heard of such prophecies, but Uther had destroyed any and all things magic-related during the Great Purge. Arthur had even consulted Gaius, sure that the man would have heard something about a centuries-old prophecy. No luck there, either. The old physician was rather odd about it, in fact.

After a few weeks of getting absolutely nowhere, Arthur had resorted to traveling to a nearby druid camp. They, of course, had been no help whatsoever. The druids were as secretive and confusing as always, speaking in riddles that Arthur had no patience for.

Days of searching went on, with nothing to speak for.

Arthur had begun to think that it was for the best. He wasn't even sure he wanted to find him. If Emrys were found—if he proved to actually exist—then Arthur would have to truly reconsider the laws on sorcery. Twenty years of his father's life went into purging sorcery from the lands. It felt like a betrayal to consider reversing everything he'd worked for.

Just when Arthur was ready to dismiss Keanen as senile, and erase Emrys's name from his mind for good, everything changed.

It was the day Morgana attacked Camelot. And the day that Arthur met Emrys.

A/N: Woot! First chapter is done! This is my first story, so feedback would be lovely ;)