As Britain slipped towards the end of the fifth century memories of how things had been when it was a Province of Rome began to fade. Petty kingdoms had been established and in the east of the Island Saxon mercenaries who had first come by invitation, "Wolves hired to help repel the ravages of other wolves", had themselves become first the despoilers of a country they had come to protect, then settlers in their own right. The old order had gone, except in the Soth-West. Merlin is the story of one man from that settled order. It is the story of his journey to find himself, and of his dedication to a burden imposed upon him. It is also a love story, and the two go together. In the process it also tells of the efforts of another man, Arthur, to salvage from the wreckage of what was once Roman Britain a viable kingdom. While Merlin is fiction it is also a well-researched portrayal of Arthur"s Britain, based on historical sources.