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This House believes that registration of all magic users should become mandatory
It was billed as the debate of the generation. Not only was the subject contentious but the proposer was none other than Arthur Pendragon, son of the most anti-magic Prime Minister in Camelot’s history.
That would have been enough to generate press and public interest, but once the team opposing the motion was named, much of the country inhaled a collective gasp of disbelief. Leading the team was Merlin Emrys, son of Hunith Emrys, leader of the opposition and as pro-magic as Uther Pendragon was anti, and also included was Morgana Pendragon, Uther’s daughter and Arthur’s half-sister.
No one had seen that coming.
Including Arthur Pendragon.
**
“What the hell do you think you're doing?”
Morgana Pendragon arched a fine eyebrow at her half-brother. “At the moment, I’m taking notes for an essay. Why?”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it. Father’s raging.”
Arthur slumped into the spare seat by her desk. Uther had not been keen to let either of them attend University, afraid they would come under the influence of what he termed as “unsavoury elements”. The fact both of them had sailed through the Oxford entrance process had softened his stance slightly, as it was his own alma mater. After careful negotiation and once they had agreed to his stipulation that they share a flat, Uther had finally agreed that an appropriate university degree would support his own ongoing political ambitions for his children.
The flat Uther had bought for them was palatial, with an en suite bedroom and study each in addition to the usual lounge, luxury fitted kitchen, laundry room, dining room and roof terrace. It was theirs on condition that they had no parties or more than one guest at a time. Growing up under the yoke of Uther’s control, this was acknowledged as the major concession it was. The fact there were occasional odd individuals in suits wandering about and clearly keeping an eye on their activities was such a normal part of their lives that neither really noticed. Fortunately, as Prime Minister, Uther himself had little time to come to Oxford himself and so both revelled in what was, for them, unknown freedom.
“I’m tired of him, Arthur.” Morgana put her pen down and closed her book with a snap. She met Arthur’s gaze then and he was shocked at the banked fury he saw there. “He’s ruled our lives like some kind of Victorian patriarch and I am done with him. I’m standing up for what I believe in and if he doesn’t like it, he knows where he can stuff it.”
“Christ, Morgana, he’s furious – and if you do break with him, he’ll take it out on me, you know that.” He hoped that didn't sound as pathetic to her as it did to him.
Her features softened, and in a rare show of affection, she curved her hand around his cheek. “Arthur, if you don’t do the same then you will be a pale shadow of the man you should be. You will become a lesser version of Uther and his hate will consume you.”
A shiver travelled down his spine. Morgana had always been a little eery in the way she saw the future. He ran that thought through his mind again, a sudden, horrifying realisation taking root within him. “’Gana,” he whispered, pleading, “tell me it’s not true.”
Her hand slipped away and he missed its comfort fiercely.
“Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies,” she opened up her book again. “Find your backbone, Arthur.” Her tone now was frosty, all the previous warmth gone.
In his own bedroom, he slumped onto the bed, pulling a pillow towards him, and holding it to his body. His phone sounded, startling him and he stared at the screen. His father. Taking a deep breath, he switched it off and lay down, burying his face in the duvet and willing sleep to take him.
**
It was morning before Arthur could force himself to answer the phone and deal with his father. Uther’s anger was always a cold fury that inevitably froze any defiance. Not that he was given much of a chance to speak. He was peremptorily ordered to win the debate and told to stop Morgana speaking against the motion. When the call ended, Arthur stared at the phone, his insides roiling with a myriad of feelings. He had no idea what they were or what to do with them. He only knew he felt sick to his stomach.
Morgana was nowhere in sight when he emerged from his room, headache thumping. He had a lecture he didn’t want to miss, so threw back some painkillers with a cup of instant coffee, grabbed his bag and stormed out, slipping out the back to miss the reporters camped at the front of the building. He couldn’t quite shake them all off, however, until the scout at the college entrance finally stopped them.
As he walked across the quad he saw a tall, slim figure having an animated conversation with another student. All his resentment and anger bubbled up and he changed direction abruptly – lecture be damned.
“You!” He almost snarled the word. “Emrys.”
Merlin Emrys turned to face him, expression morphing from pleasure to wary suspicion.
“Arthur Pendragon, as I live and breath.” The deep tones were mocking but even so, they were a warmth that contrasted cruelly with Uther's cold, a realisation that did nothing to ease Arthur's mental state.
“What have you done to my sister?”
The expression changed from suspicion to amazement.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You’ve corrupted her – made her into a dirty magic lover.” He couldn’t quite bring himself to voice what had entered his mind when he last spoke to her, the knowledge just waiting to be accepted, along with everything it meant. He hated himself the moment the words were out of his mouth. He admitted he was scared by magic and didn't understand it but he'd never been able to completely buy into his father's abhorrence, despite the indoctrination.
Emrys flushed, blue eyes sparking with gold. “My God, you really are your father’s son, aren’t you? Why don’t you do what Morgana has and learn to think for yourself.”
Arthur sneered, hating the response because it hit too close to what Morgana had said, and far too close to the bone.
“And you’re such a mummy’s boy, aren't you.”
Emrys’ face settled into hard lines. “No,” he said, drawing himself up. “I am also my father’s son.”
His eyes flashed gold and the next thing Arthur knew he was blinking and Emrys was striding out of the other side of the quad.
Arthur’s own words came back to him. “Hell,” he muttered, rubbing his hands through his hair. “Bloody hell.”
Balinor Emrys, Merlin’s father, murdered by anti-magic extremists at a peaceful rally. At their trial, they had repeated anti-magic rhetoric straight from the mouth of a young MP from an ultra-conservative area – one Uther Pendragon. The bad publicity hadn’t been enough to derail Uther’s meteoric rise and within ten years he was leading his party into government and was now on his third term as Prime Minister.
Over time, Hunith Emrys had taken up her husband’s mantle and Arthur could not always hide the sneaking respect he had for her views – and her humanity.
“Hell,” he said again. Instead of going in late to a lecture, he headed for the library.
**
“Well, Arthur, have you stopped Morgana?”
It was the afternoon of the debate and he could no longer ignore his father’s increasingly chilly messages.
“I haven’t seen Morgana. She’s not been staying at the flat.”
“Then you should have found her. Never mind. You will see her before the debate. Remind her that without me she has nothing. I will not hesitate to cut her out of our lives. If she goes through with this nonsense we will have nothing further to do with her. Are you clear?”
“Crystal, father.”
“Don’t be facetious, Arthur. You must carry this motion. If it looks as if it is going against you, you may find that the debate is disrupted. Do you understand me?”
Cold seeped into his bones. “I’m not sure that I do. You can’t mean that you’ve organised something like that? The debate is all about free speech, father. You cannot -”
“Cannot? Do not forget your place, Arthur – or my position. I am the Prime Minister of this great nation and as long as I am in power, there is no place for magic. It must be eradicated – and those who use it must be controlled to ensure our society remains safe.”
The call disconnected and Arthur shivered, left feeling uneasy.
Growing up motherless and with Uther Pendragon as a father had not been particularly conducive to independent thinking, but it was only with the arrival of his whirlwind of a half-sister when he was ten and she was eleven, that he even understood that there was anything wrong. All he had ever known had been what Uther allowed him to see, say or think. Morgana was defiant from the first, but even she had been cowed by the frigid authoritarianism, the iron control over their lives that he exerted. For the first couple of years, Arthur had suffered as Morgana took out her revenge on him when she could not get at Uther. Then one day she had been hiding in the study when Arthur was taken to task for some minor infringement that she had carried out. Arthur had remained silent – even when Uther beat him.
It changed everything. After that Arthur had a real friend, someone who understood the life he was living, and also someone who sought out information, other views, and other opinions, and shared them with Arthur. She always refused to call Uther, father, but from that day, Arthur had been her brother. They had worked hard at school, not just because Uther insisted but because, in the end, both could see it would be their only chance at escape.
Oxford had been a godsend and despite the restrictions Uther still tried to exert over them, they had both flourished. It was coming to the end of their first year and they had desperately been looking for ways to ensure they did not have to return to Uther's house and control over the summer break. Over the past weeks, Morgana had become increasingly remote and Arthur had wondered what she was planning, though now he believed there was something else entirely behind her abstraction.
He shivered as if his father was near. He checked the time. Two hours before the debate. Picking up the phone, he called his debating partner – Leon Knight. He had needed to work hard to persuade Leon to be part of the team for the motion in the first place. Leon had been the first friend Arthur had ever made for himself and he prided himself on his choice. Leon was steadfast and honest and didn't hesitate to call Arthur out on some of the opinions received from Uther that occasionally surfaced. Leon would be able to help him now, especially if he did what he had tried to avoid doing all year, and tell Leon about his life with Uther.
**
Arthur glanced around the chamber, hardly surprised to see that it was filling up rapidly. He looked uneasily at the cameras, wondering if it was a good idea for this particular debate to be recorded at all, let alone streamed live. His gaze swivelled back to the door as Emrys walked through, followed by Morgana. He heard Leon’s sharp indrawn breath.
Morgana looked pale, but her chin was raised and her head high. She met his gaze and he found a half-smile for her. Taking a deep breath, he walked forward.
“Mr Emrys, could I have a word?”
Emrys raised an eyebrow, glanced at Morgana and the uneasy form of Leon, and gestured to a quiet corner.
Without thinking too much about what he was going to say, Arthur began. “I wanted to apologise for my conduct in the quad yesterday. I was so out of line. I was upset and took that out on you. I know it was unforgivable but I just wanted to say sorry.”
Emrys' blue eyes, which had held that wary look from the day before had softened and Arthur almost thought he saw a twinkle of amusement. “Well, Mr Pendragon, that was certainly a handsome apology. Or is this a ruse to discombobulate the opposition just before the debate?”
“What? No? I – you’re teasing me.”
“Just a little. I told Morgana what had happened and she persuaded me that your outburst wasn’t in character and asked me to give you another chance.”
Oh, Morgana. He had to swallow the sudden lump in his throat and glanced across at her, not surprised to see that she was watching. He inclined his head slightly, one of the tiny gestures they had perfected over the years to indicate thanks and solidarity. She smiled and turned to Leon, saying something and punching him lightly on the arm. Leon continued looking awkward as he responded. Morgana shrugged and turned away from him. Arthur and Merlin witnessed the distress and longing that suffused Leon’t features for a moment before he walked off towards the front of the chamber. They exchanged a glance, that was suddenly full of a joint understanding and sympathy.
Arthur flushed and cleared his throat. “Thank you for letting me off so easily,” he managed and then checked his watch and glanced over at Elyan Smith, who was chairing the debate and who motioned at them both. “Time to get started."
**
Elyan called the meeting to order and briefly outlined the format of the debate, and the motion, before calling on Arthur as the first speaker supporting the motion.
Arthur scanned the chamber, slightly disconcerted both by the number of people and the number of faces he didn’t recognise. Taking a deep breath, he began.
“Mr Chairman, as the first speaker, it is my honour to introduce your guests this evening. Mr Merlin Emrys will oppose the motion. Mr Emrys is reading medicine at Balliol in his first year and is apparently known for his inability to carry any sort of tune.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Merlin’s shake of the head at Morgana and his sheepish grin. A ripple of amusement passed through the audience.
“Mr Leon Knight reads law at Magdalen in his third year and is a keen rugby player, earning his blue last year. I can offer first-hand evidence that he, also, is unable to carry a tune to save his life”
More amusement and Arthur relaxed slightly, hoping the odd uneasiness he felt would dissipate as the evening continued.
“Finally, may I introduce -” he glanced at his notes but managed not to stumble over the words, still feeling the frisson of shock that he had experienced when the information had been sent to him. “Morgana LeFay from Balliol, reading politics and international studies, and someone who has been a constant thorn in my side since the day I met her. Despite that, I am proud to call her my sister.”
This time it was not amusement that went through the hall but a shocked mutter, with an edge of delight from those who were clearly already thinking about the fallout of those remarks.
“Mr Chairman, these are your guests and they are most welcome.” He couldn’t deny it, the applause was half-hearted at best. What was going on?
He risked a glance at Morgana. She was staring at him, her mouth slightly open in shock, and then she smiled. He managed a grin in response and then turned his attention to the matter at hand.
“The motion proposed is simple:- This House believes that registration of all magic users should become mandatory. The issues and complexities around it, however, are anything but. It has been argued in Parliament that the registration of magic users should be the first step in prescribing what people who either have magic or who seek to learn it, can do with their lives.
I would like to suggest a different approach. I believe that the registration of magic users should be supportive and protective legislation that will help magical and non-magical to continue to live together in peace and to enable magic to be used within a legal framework for the betterment of our society.” It was not his original speech at all but was driven by the thoughts that had gone through his mind when he had finally faced his suspicions about Morgana. It was not necessarily exactly what he now believed but he had worked to find a way around the phrasing of the motion and he glanced at Leon as he spoke, seeing his approval as he delivered the arguments they had developed.
His uneasiness increased when he sat. There had been no interruptions or heckling from the floor and the place was deadly quiet.
“Thank you, Mr Pendragon. I now call on the first speaker for the opposition, “Mr Emrys.”
Arthur had a moment’s satisfaction when he saw Merlin’s slightly shell-shocked expression, then saw the determination.
“I would like to start by thanking Mr Pendragon for his thoughtful if rather paternalistic concern for those of us with magic.” He paused at the murmur his confession elicited, and Arthur realised he had just outed himself as a magic user to the whole country. “Registration as a means of protection? Well, it’s an interesting thought and one I would like to expand on, if I may. Who else requires protection? I am a gay man. Do I require registration to ensure my protection? What about those with disabilities, or those of a different religion?”
In a flash, Arthur saw where he was going with his argument. Oh, bravo, he thought.
“I put it to this house, that those protections are already in place. My sexuality is recognised as a special characteristic within existing legislation. I was born with my magic. It is innate. Surely it should also be recognised as a special characteristic.”
He took his argument through to its conclusion and sat at the end - also to a dead silence. Arthur glanced across at him and their eyes met, both uneasy.
“Thank you, Mr Emrys. I now open the debate to the floor. You all have a copy of the rules for this section of the debate, so please abide by them.”
He had no sooner finished speaking when a man shot to his feet.
“There shouldn’t be a debate. Magic users need to be kept away from decent people. You’re a traitor to your father – both of you are.”
Morgana was on her feet, ignoring Elyan’s call for order. “You’re the one who's a traitor to the human race -” Her words were cut off as, out of nowhere, a bottle flew through the air and hit her face. She staggered and dropped.
In a split second, there was bedlam. People were screaming, one group were shouting anti-magic slogans, another pro-magic. Merlin was bent over Morgana, while Elyan continued to shout fruitlessly for order. Arthur shared a quick glance with Leon and they began fighting their way towards Morgana.
A shot rang out.
Everyone froze.
“On the ground – all of you.”
Arthur and Leon had made it as far as Morgana and Merlin. Morgana was conscious although a thin trickle of blood on the side of her head was being efficiently mopped up by Merlin. They obeyed the barked command, dropping down beside the others. Morgana’s expression was murderous. Arthur heard Leon’s hiss.
“I’ll fucking kill them.”
He closed his hand firmly over Leon’s arm as the man began to struggle to his feet.
“Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Pendragon. Get over here.”
“Arthur,” Morgana’s voice was panicked.
“It’s okay, ‘Gana,” He looked at Merlin and Leon. “Look after her.”
“I don’t need looking after,”
“Okay,” he amended, mildly. “Look after one another.”
He stood and walked away before any of them could speak, his head high.
“What is the meaning of this?” he demanded, channelling his father’s icy tone to perfection, and glancing around at the group of thugs currently in control of the room.
There were four of them, all carrying guns and all of them carrying themselves in a way that rang alarm bells in Arthur’s mind.
“We’re here to make sure the vote goes the right way. Magic is an abomination and those who use it should be locked away – they don’t deserve any rights. We’re fed up with them bleating and whining. It’s time the pro-magic party was dissolved and that Emrys bitch put behind bars where she belongs.”
“Hey, my mother’s worth a thousand of you shit-heads.”
Arthur resisted the urge to roll his eyes and instead met the man’s gaze. “Do you really think you’re getting out of this? I suggest you leave immediately.”
This received a snort of derision in response. “The Prime Minister is on our side. You’ll see just how protected we are.”
Arthur’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by that? What has my father to do with this?”
“Stand there and shut up. Bring them here.”
There was a shout and sounds of a scuffle behind him and then Merlin and Morgana were dragged into view. Leon’s voice was raised in protest, abruptly cut off and Arthur heard Morgana cry out as there was the thump of a body hitting the floor.
He did not break his gaze, but he knew the contempt he was feeling was clear in his eyes. One of the men was watching over the rest of the sizeable audience, the threatening sight of a submachine gun enough to keep everyone quiet. People were comforting one another, but the aura of terror was almost palpable. Arthur took a breath.
“Let everyone else leave.”
“Not a chance. Now, who do we have here?” Cold eyes broke their staring match and Arthur felt the slightest satisfaction before terror took root within him.
Merlin and Morgana were dragged into his eye line. Merlin’s features were set, fury in blue eyes glinting with gold. Morgana looked dazed but no less angry.
“I’ve got a job for you. Time to prove you’re a real Pendragon.” He pulled another gun. “Two filthy magic users in front of you right here. You get to kill one of them right on camera. If you don’t, then I guess I’ll have to kill them both – and any other magic user I find in this place.”
Arthur struggled to maintain his mantle of cold aloofness, trying not to show just how sickened he was. Merlin dropped his head. He probably thought the choice was a foregone conclusion but Arthur was under no illusion that any magic user was getting out of there alive. These men were on a suicide mission.
It was a sliver of sound and for a moment he thought he was having some sort of auditory hallucination.
“Arthur.”
“Arthur, I’ve never tried this before – clear your throat if you can hear me.”
He cleared his throat, hoping against hope that this was not some stress-induced madness. He recalled a flash of gold in the quad and understood now why Merlin had dropped his head like that.
“Can you hear me?” he tried.
Merlin jerked. “ Bloody hell. I didn’t expect that.”
Arthur discounted that as something that could be considered later. “What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know.”
Arthur wanted to roll his eyes again. “What can you do with your magic?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you know?”
“I don’t hear you coming up with a plan.”
“Could you put them to sleep?”
“Not sure I could be that specific, but I could have a go at putting everyone to sleep. If I project the spell forwards and you can get beside or behind me, you’d stay awake?”
“It’s all we’ve got – do it. I’ll give you a countdown of five.”
“Give me the gun.”
“Arthur, no, don’t.”
Morgana’s anguish was real and he wished he had a way - oh.
“Sorry Morgs, has to be done.” He met her eyes then.
Morgs – of all the diminutives of her name, that was the one she hated and the one they used as a code. Trust me. He heard her sharp intake of breath and she said no more.
“Knew you had it in you, Pendragon. Your father will be proud.”
“5”
“You think I give a shit about what that bastard thinks of me?” Arthur looked straight at the camera and then accepted the gun.
“4”
He checked it, hefting it carefully.
“3”
Moving, he positioned himself to the side, giving himself some room.
“2”
He raised the pistol.
“1”
“Go!”
In response, Merlin looked up, his eyes blazing gold and his hand outstretched as he yelled out a single word, and Arthur dodged to his side.
“Traitor,” The ringleader had time to get off one shot towards Arthur before he slumped down.
He was too close and that man was a professional, so Arthur was stunned to realise he was unharmed. In front of him, a bullet hovered, hanging in the air for a moment before dropping and hitting the floor with a metallic tinkle. He spun around to see Morgana, slumped on the ground, her hand outstretched and gold fading from her eyes.
The doors to the chamber burst open and black-clad men swarmed through, terrifying in their body armour, guns and covered faces. But they were gentle with the innocent members of the audience, cuffing and removing the four gunmen efficiently, and were leaving just as people began to awaken.
Arthur slumped down and pulled Morgana into his arms. His face bruised and lip bleeding, Leon dragged himself forward until he could hold Morgana from the other side. Merlin was also on the ground, holding his head.
“Fuck, that hurt,” Merlin slid backwards until he was leaning against Arthur.
“It would do, young warlock. You have expended a considerable amount of energy, and in doing so you brought this dangerous situation to a safe conclusion.”
They stared up at the slim, elderly man staring down at them. He held out a warrant card. “I’m DCI Kilgharrah and I’ll be leading this investigation. I’ll have to interview you all individually but that can wait until tomorrow. We have the footage, anyway, which makes my life much easier.”
“It was Arthur’s idea – to put them to sleep,” Merlin spoke. “I managed to use telepathy but I wasn’t expecting him to be able to talk back.” He directed the comment at Morgana but it was Kilgharrah that responded.
“Of course he can speak to your mind, Merlin. You are two sides of the same coin. You have a link that transcends time.”
That was too much for Arthur to think about given what they had just gone through and he exchanged a look with Merlin. Merlin shrugged and Arthur nodded, as they decided to leave it for another day. It was hours later before Arthur, reviewing the events of the day, wondered how in tune they had been, able to have that silent exchange as if they had been doing it for years.
“We’ll take short statements from everyone and let them go home.”
Kilgharrah turned away and Arthur scrambled to his feet and went after him, stopping him with his hand on his arm, and calling over Elyan. There was a brief conversation and then Elyan moved to the lectern and tapped on it.
All eyes turned towards him.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the police will want to take statements from us all. DCI Kilgarrah has said that for this evening, he will take contact addresses and ask a few questions and let everyone go. University welfare staff are on their way in case anyone needs help. In the meantime, while we do not have the time to complete our debate, I would like to call for the vote. Once you walk through the door, head to the bar as normal and the police and welfare staff will see you there. As you vote, think of what hate and fear nearly led to tonight.”
The debating chamber had two doors, one marked ‘Ayes’ and the other ‘Noes’. The voting was simple with people walking through one or the other depending on whether they agreed or disagreed with the motion.
Arthur, his head held high, reached out his hand to Merlin. After a brief hesitation, Merlin scrambled to his feet, smiled and linked their fingers, holding out his hand to Morgana in turn. Her smile was a little wobbly but warm as she reached out to a bruised and bloody Leon. He held her gaze for a moment and then grinned, raising her hand to his lips before nodding at Arthur.
Without another word, Arthur led them through the door marked ‘Noes’
**
10 years later
“Merlin, where’s my red tie?
“Which red tie? You have hundreds of red ties?”
Arthur removed his head from the wardrobe and scowled at his husband. Merlin grinned in response, walked across to press a kiss on Arthur’s nose and with a flash of gold eyes, handed him a red tie.
Arthur couldn’t even pretend to be cross, grinning in response. “Thanks,” he said and stood patiently while Merlin slipped the tie around his neck and executed a perfect Windsor knot.
“Calm down. I know it’s your first day in a new job but it’s not as if you don’t know everyone.”
He kissed him again and stepped back. “My husband, political advisor on equalities to the Prime Minister. I’m so proud of you, Arthur Emrys.”
His heart melted at the obvious pride on Merlin’s face and he pulled him in for a longer kiss. “When are you on duty?”
“I'm not due at the hospital until later. I’m going to be there with Mum when she arrives. I’ll come and find you in your office. I need to check out your desk – see if it’s fit for purpose,” and with a naughty wink, he left the room.
All Arthur could do was shake his head and laugh.
**
The press was out in full force when the car swept through the gates and pulled up outside Number 10. Arthur joined the rest of the staff on the street to welcome their new Prime Minister. After the debacle of the debate ten years before, Arthur had broken with Uther completely, finding his family in Merlin and Hunith, finally receiving the unconditional love of a parent in his mother-in-law. Morgana had disowned Uther, too, throwing herself behind Hunith’s fight for magical rights, as did Arthur. She had married Leon and he had supported her in her political ambitions. It had taken ten years. Uther Pendragon’s hold on power had been tenacious but he was now where he belonged in Arthur’s opinion – behind bars and likely to stay there for the remainder of his life. Good riddance, he thought and dismissed him from his mind. This was a moment to revel in success and the promise of a new future. He was oblivious to the cameras taking his picture, beaming with pride and love as his husband climbed out of the car and stepped aside to let the new Prime Minister exit.
Hunith Emrys turned towards the news teams, smiling graciously and ignoring the questions flung at her. The car pulled away and she stepped up to the podium set out ready.
An elbow nudged into his side with some force and he winced.
“Stop ogling your husband like that – it just isn’t done.”
Arthur jabbed back. “I’m not ogling, I’m appreciating. Don’t get carried away just because you’re an MP now.” He couldn’t quite hide his pleasure at the fact. Morgana had taken a safe opposition seat with a handsome majority. The elbow in his side was gentle this time.
“Not just an MP, but junior Minister for magical affairs. Hunith phoned me this morning.”
“Congratulations ‘Gana.”
“And you’re a SPAD. Such a delicious abbreviation.”
“Oh, shut up. I definitely didn’t want to be a politician! Skeevy lot.”
Merlin turned around at that point and raised his eyebrows and only then did they realise that some of their colleagues were stifling giggles. Just like that, the importance of the moment sobered Arthur and he squeezed Morgana’s arm. “Well done,” he whispered and turned his attention to the Prime Minister.
Hunith turned and smiled at the people on the steps and streets then turned her attention back to the cameras.
“This is a historic day for our country. It is the culmination of a growth of understanding, of listening to one another, and of becoming more tolerant and caring. This day is not a victory for me, but a victory for all of us. We are one people, one land, one nation and today is a new start for us all.”
Arthur watched as Merlin’s eyes sparked gold and multi-coloured streamers appeared in the air to the laughter and delight of the press. He remembered that first meeting in the quad, when he had railed at Merlin, believing he hated him and all he stood for. He threw his head back and laughed aloud.
Fin