Hearing his name called, Kay looked up. While lifting his head before the king officially addressed him was usually considered a major breach of etiquette, Kay and King Uther were so close that he didn't care. He knew for a fact that King Uther wouldn't punish him for such a small thing, despite the King's reputation as a tyrant.
"Arthur?" Kay said, slightly uncertain, as he looked at the tall, blonde young man in front of him. After all, Arthur was only about eight or nine when he left, and ten years was more than enough time for a person to completely change.
"It really is you! Kay!" Arthur didn't bother with hesitation. The moment he confirmed the man was his brother, Arthur completely ignored royal decorum and impulsively rushed forward. He flung himself onto the standing Kay in a tight hug. "It really is you! My brother. I knew it, I knew it—you wouldn't break your promise! You actually came back! You actually came back."
The now-standing Kay somewhat reluctantly caught his impetuous younger brother. He was a grown man now, but he still liked to jump on people—Kay had no idea where he picked up that habit. However, hearing Arthur's emotional words, Kay dropped his expression of annoyance. He smiled, hugged Arthur back, and gave him a firm pat on the back.
"Of course! A knight always keeps his word!"
After a moment, Kay gently let Arthur go. Arthur, too, realized his behavior was a bit much. Hugging was fine, but literally jumping onto someone wasn't the best look. After all, Arthur was a proper knight now, not a kid anymore.
After setting Arthur down, Kay smiled and walked over to King Uther. The King was clearly excited, but expecting him to act as undignified as Arthur? He'd rather die. Kay knew Uther's habit of maintaining appearances, so he decided to greet him himself.
Kay stepped up to King Uther, embraced him, and patted the King's back, speaking softly. "I'm home, Uther." (This wasn't meant disrespectfully; it was a familiar way of addressing a family member, which was perfectly normal in a close relationship, especially back then).
It was only then that King Uther slowly, tremblingly, reached out his hand, gently touched Kay's hair, and spoke with a hint of emotion. "It's good you're back. It's truly good you're back."
The crowd, faced with this sudden turn of events, began to buzz with whispers. Those who hadn't caught on were privately asking what was going on.
Merlin was one of them. He subtly tugged on Sir Leon's arm and asked, "What is going on here? Who is this 'Kay' guy?"
Seeing that it was Merlin, Leon leaned in and quietly explained, "That's King Uther's adopted son. He's Sir Ector's third boy, known as Sir Kay, the Lion Knight. He left Camelot ten years ago, said he wanted to travel the world. I never expected him to return today."
Since it wasn't the time or place for a long talk, Leon only gave him the basic rundown. He wouldn't have bothered wasting his breath on any other servant, but Merlin was different.
Merlin had a special, if unusual, position in Camelot. While he was a servant, his status wasn't low. First, he was the apprentice to Gaius, the Court Physician, a man held in high regard. This scholarly physician was not only an outstanding doctor but also an important advisor to the King, giving him great standing. Second, Merlin was the Prince's manservant. In a royal court, positions like that have huge potential for growth; he was the closest person to the Prince, and while Merlin was a commoner now, things could change dramatically once Arthur took the throne.
What's more, Arthur and Merlin had a very good private relationship, which was evident by the fact that Arthur took him everywhere. At the very least, Leon never treated him like an ordinary servant.
Merlin understood that Sir Leon couldn't tell him much more right now, but at least he'd gotten the key information. All he needed to know was that this knight named Kay was extremely close to King Uther and his family.
Still, Merlin found it a little strange that Arthur had never mentioned anything about this Kay before.
King Uther wasn't a king who enjoyed emotional displays. On the contrary, this stubborn and rigid middle-aged man was very uncomfortable expressing his feelings. So, after a brief moment of warmth, Uther immediately suppressed his excitement. He cleared his throat, pointed at the now unconscious Griffin, and issued an order to the others: "Kill the monster!"
After giving the command, King Uther grabbed Kay's hand, intending to take his adopted son back to the palace.
"Hold on! Don't kill it! I worked too hard to catch it!" Kay quickly stopped the soldiers from acting. "Your Majesty, that's my prey. I have the right to decide what happens to it."
Hearing Kay's shout, nearly everyone stared at the brave warrior, speechless. They weren't just stunned because Kay had defeated the Griffin, but because he dared to openly contradict King Uther's command.
In Camelot, people who would do that were far rarer than heroes who would fight a Griffin.
But the most surprising thing was that King Uther didn't react as he usually would by ordering a punishment for the person who dared to defy him. Instead, he asked, looking confused, "It's a monster, Kay. What do you want it for? It's too dangerous. The best way to deal with these creatures is to kill them."
The King's attitude shocked everyone, including Merlin. This was not the Uther they knew. Merlin, in particular, as a person with magical ability, intensely disliked and even hated Uther's approach to magic. The people executed for magic, many of whom had done no harm, were seen by Merlin as his own kind, yet Uther had sent them to the block.
And yet, the Uther who was always harsh and cold was being unusually reasonable when dealing with Kay. In Merlin's memory, not even Arthur could defy Uther's orders, let alone publicly contradict him in front of everyone.
"I need a ride," Kay explained. "This guy ate my horse, and he forced me to walk for five days and five nights. Plus..." Kay pointed to his armor. "...I don't think anything else could carry this thing."
It was only then that King Uther took the time to inspect Kay's armor closely.
The armor was gorgeous, covered in intricate patterns and some runes that the King didn't recognize. Uther didn't believe there was a craftsman in all of Great Britain who could forge something with that level of artistry and metallurgical skill.
Naturally, the thickness of the armor also caught Uther's attention; it was much heavier than standard knight armor. The King had to believe Kay's claim—this gear had to weigh at least three or four hundred pounds. A regular horse simply couldn't carry a knight wearing that.