The Legacy of Salazar

A Bedtime Story

"You two still awake?"

Florean had returned the bedroom back to normal after Hermione left. Draco had left much earlier, but the twins had gladly stayed longer and George had actually volunteered to walk Hermione to the muggle side of The Leaky Cauldron when six o'clock came.

The sugar still hadn't left Merlin's system. He and Silas had started a pillow fight after Florean had sent them to bed. Khoshekh was darting about their heels, chasing the feathers that fell to the ground. Silas took advantage of Florean's entry to smack Merlin full in the face.

"Come on, it's almost midnight. Get into bed."

"Okay..." Silas groaned, and he crawled into the top bunk. "I won, by the way," he shot at Merlin grinning.

"You cheated."

"Kids, come on." Florean raised his eyebrow, and Merlin got into his bed as well. Once they were both under the covers, Florean drew up a chair and sat down, stroking his goatee. "Maybe a bedtime story will help calm you down."

"You're going to read us a story?" Silas asked, and he sat quicky up.

"I'm going to tell you one, but you have to lie down." Florean smiled and didn't speak again until Silas had rested his head back on his pillow. Merlin hid his smile. It'd been a long time since he'd been told a story. It made him feel like he was back at home, in Ealdor and his mother was settling him down for the night.

"Now, let's see..." Something in Florean's eyes twinkled. "A long time ago, in a time of knights and ladies, and queens and kings, a wizard befriended a prince."

Merlin's eyes widened.

"Together they would change the world forever, ushering in Albion and help the magical community find it's footing. But before all of that, before the Battle of Camlan, before Hogwarts was even an idea, there was just a prince and his manservant."

Merlin felt his eyes droop as Florean talked, memories playing before his eyes. He saw himself walking through the marketplace. He'd been running errands for Gaius, the court physician. Arthur was there, but he wasn't the king everyone knew him as. The prince was young, arrogant, with a band of laughing knights.

"Oh, don't run away!"

"From you?"

"Oh good, thought you were deaf as well as dumb."

He smiled into his pillow, no longer hearing Florean's story. Or were they the one and the same?

"And how long have you been a prat?"

"Ha—You can't address me like that."

"I'm sorry, how long have you been a prat, my lord?"

Merlin drifted off to sleep, his mind full of jousting tournaments, sword fights, cups being thrown at his head, and loud robust laughter. His heart felt both heavy and light, a bubble of nostalgia in his chest as he remembered King Arthurs court, his home. And, he dimly thought as Florean got to his feet and turned off the light, that had been one of the most accurate re-tellings that he'd ever heard.