A fascinating read! I enjoyed how you wove together show and legend canon, and reined the fantawstical elements back in order to give us something more realistic: Court politics, shifting alliances, the need for a new ruler to prove himself. I don't think I've ever read an account of the logistics of a medieval battle, - all the packing, transport, food preparation, foraging, tending to horses and other animals, striking camp, and not least how many non-combatants of every stripe that followed in the warlord's, knights' and soldiers' wake. Very interesting to get to experience all this through the eyes of one of the (seemingly) ordinary folks in the battle train.

I liked how you had moved the character reationships forward (established A/m, post-reveal) - perhaps especially that Gwen had taken on the responsibilities of chatelaine. Arthur's and Merlin's relationship seemed to have found a good working balance between private and public, and there were many little things that made me smile. Everything from the intimacy of the connected rooms to Arthur not being surprised or cross when Merlin showed up as Myrddin. As well as Merlin's acceptance that Arthur would need to prove himself as a king who could win his battles by conventional means and prowess with arms, not just by hiding behind a warlock's robes and powers.