“But I have noticed this about ambitious men, or men in power, that they fear even the slightest and least likely threat to it.”
The acquisition of power is a central motif in this re-imagining of this Arthurian tale, thus the effort to retain this power develops into paranoid pursuits. Through Merlin, the reader gets a glimpse into power struggle in the Kingdom from Vortigern resorting to murder to secure the succession into kingship as the High King. To his own uncle Prince Camlach attempting to murder him in order to eliminate him as a potential risk in the succession of South Wales. Moreover, due to fear of any threat despite trivial, Vortigern aims to murder Merlin to use his blood as lucky charm to reinforce his citadel. Thus, Merlin’s assertion points out the paranoia harbored by these men in power when it comes to any threat to their authority.
“He was not a man one could love easily…but a man either to hate or to worship. You either fought him, or followed him. But it had to be one or the other; once you came within reach of him, you had no peace.”
In the quote, Merlin refers to his father Ambrosius as a difficult man to get on with, in that you could only either loathe him or respect him. Ambrosius is an honorable leader who possessed the right leadership qualities unlike the other ambitious leaders in the narrative. Even Merlin comes to his full potential in regards to his clairvoyance because of his guidance. As a leader who is not friendly but respectable, he manages to gather a following that he fights with to regain his King of Britain title.
“The gods only go with you if you put yourself in their path. And that takes courage.”
Religion is a significant construct to everyone in the kingdom, each has devoted their faith to an entity and only through pure courage can one bet their life to it. Though Merlin is a devotee of the god of light, Mithras, he views Christianity as path of unity within the kingdom. With the Druid banished and only practiced in secret, the Christian God can be that unifying factor in the Arthurian Kingdom. Thus, according to Merlin, the devotion to an eternal being comes before their intervention which requires audacity on the part of the devotees.
