The Lady of the Shadows

by mithras90

An unusual lady saves Uther's life when he is injured and supposedly killed by The Gleeman.

This story was sort of written in protest to the Merlin Episode 'The Wicked Day' so this is a one-off story and there aren't likely to be any more! I just felt so annoyed that Uther was killed off in Episode 3 so I kind of wrote this story in protest. I don't own the characters so don't sue! (I'm not even sure that the Old English spells are correct either!)

The Lady of the Shadows

She had been hanging herbs in the herbarium when she suddenly felt the chill. She shivered and pulled her shawl more firmly over her shoulders, then she heard his voice, a terrified whisper 'Ailith, Ailith, help me, help me-"

"Uther," she whispered, but there was no response, just a cold wisp of something and she shivered again. "Uther, what's happened to you?" she whispered to herself and she knew that she had to return to Camelot.

It was early evening two days later when she arrived in Camelot's subdued courtyard, reining her roan gelding in, she waited as one of the guards approached her. Dismounting she said, "Would you tell Prince Arthur that the Lady Ailith is here?"

"I will inform His Majesty."

She nodded, her heart suddenly in her mouth, patting the roan's neck she murmured softly to it, gently stroking its nose. She was lost in thought when a familiar voice said, "Lady Ailith! What are you doing here?"

She turned and a smile lit her face, "Gaius! It's good to see you again."

The old man shook his head, "You come in Dark Times, Lady."

"But perhaps not hopeless." She replied, "But enlighten me, Gaius, what's happened?"

"Uther is dead." Gaius replied sombrely.

"But not lost I think," she replied slowly, she turned and saw Arthur coming down the steps, "Good day, Lady Ailith, I am sorry to greet you in such sad tidings."

"As am I, Majesty," she replied, going down on one knee, "May I see him?"

"Of course," Arthur smiled and she wanted to put her arms around him and hold him, but realized that would not be possible in public.

"Thank you," she replied softly.

"Might I accompany you?" Gaius asked, "I would like to say my farewells also."

She nodded and looked up, "Could someone stable my horse."

A man approached and shocked, she recognized Merlin, "Thank you, Merlin," she said softly. "I hope to see you later also."

She reached out and took his hand, "Be there for Arthur," she said quietly, and Merlin heard her voice in his mind, Emrys. He stepped back shocked and then she took her scrip in he left handing and gathering up her skirts, followed Gaius into the castle.

"I will escort you to the Great Hall," Gaius said slowly.

"You look drained," Ailith said softly, laying her hand on his arm.

Gaius nodded. He ran a hand over his face, "He could be obstinate at times; but he was still my King. I never thought that I would outlive him."

She smiled sadly, "Take me to him."

Uther lay on a dais in the centre of the room, his sword was on his breast and the dragon banner beneath him. "Dare I ask what happened?" Ailith asked.

"Later." Gaius promised.

"There is more to this than you have been saying," Ailith said softly. She took a small leather case out of her bag and unrolling it she selected a small, sharp blade. "I dislike causing further harm but there is one test I can do. Would you roll his sleeve up for me, please."

Taken aback, Gaius did as she asked and very carefully she made a light cut on his forearm. Disbelieving he watched as blood slowly oozed from the wound, "I don't understand."

"He's still alive." Ailith said, "Corpses don't bleed."

"Now what the hell do we do?" Gaius whispered.

"We go somewhere quiet to talk." Ailith responded, pulling Uther's sleeve down so it covered the knife incision, "and you can explain the circumstances of Uther's death."

Gaius nodded, "Come with me, I have some mead which I think will help our shattered nerves."

Ailith rolled her instruments up and replacing them in her bag, followed Gaius out of the hall. Once in his chambers, he gestured for Ailith to sit down and poured them both cups of mead. "What do we do, Lady Ailith?"

She looked up at him, "Was there anything strange about his death?"

Gaius frowned, "It was expected. He had been badly injured defending Arthur from an assassin. Arthur decided to try magic and Merlin disguised himself-"

"As Emrys?" Ailith raised an eyebrow.

"He tried to save Uther but somehow Uther died – or appeared to die," he hastiliy amended, "Then I found this amulet around Uther's neck."

"Enchanted?" she queried.

"How did-" Gaius stopped and then shook his head, "Of course, you knew."

"Yes," she responded, "just because I choose to use the gifts you taught me doesn't mean that I am unaware of my other ones. I'm still a sorceress, Gaius."

"All right," Gaius said slowly, "But what the hell do we do now?"

She gently laid a hand on Gaius's, "I suspect that the amulet contains his soul." She gently lifted the amulet from his table, "Have you picked it up recently?"

Gaius turned to her, a puzzled expression on his face as she dropped it into his hand, "By all that's Holy! It's hot!"

"And mostly by all that's not Holy," she replied.

Gaius sat down, "Do you think you can restore him to health."

"I do not know," Ailith replied, "I will need to do some research, but there are other things we must consider."

"Such as?"

"Who put the amulet around Uther's neck." She replied, "Certainly if Uther was to suddenly reappear with no injuries whoever did so would try again."

Gaius sighed, "I suspect that it was Agravaine and that he is in league with Morgana. This situation is perfect for them, a young, inexperienced King on the throne; a Kingdom in turmoil and a young Prince who has been turned against magic."

"Fertile ground for rebellion." Ailith replied. "So we cannot let Arthur know if I succeed in this thing?"

"Nor Merlin." Gaius responded , taking another draught of mead, "Not yet anyway. You know why."

"Yes, I'm afraid I do." She responded, "but we cannot tend the King here. Both you and I must be in public view."

"There may be someone I can trust," Gaius sighed, he finished his drink and rose to his feet, "You will stay here and wait for us?"

"Of course, Gaius." She smirked, "And anyway, it would cost too much power to turn into an owl and fly away."

He laughed and then slipped out of the door. She had taken one of the books down from the shelf and was reading it when the door opened and Merlin strode in. He looked startled seeing her, "Lady Ailith, I didn't realize you were here."

"Gaius has been called to an errand," she replied, a smile lighting her dark eyes, "He asked me to wait for him here."

The boy sat down opposite, "You visited last year with King Uther didn't you?"

"I did," she replied, "There was even talk of us marrying."

"Perhaps if you had then Uther would still be alive."

"And perhaps not," Ailith sighed. "Even with your powers and abilities, Merlin, you cannot see or know the future."

"It would not have helped," Merlin sighed, "I killed Uther. I did not mean to, but that does not matter now. I disguised myself as-"

"Emrys," Ailith said softly, "I know. I felt the ripple in the universe. But I also felt the backlash when your spell failed."

"I should not have agreed with Arthur," Merlin rubbed a hand across his face, "and now Arthur is not going to be the King that he is meant to be. He will be a copy of Uther."

"But you will stick by him whatever happens?" Ailith asked gently.

"Yes," Merlin managed a smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I know, Emrys," Ailith smiled, "He needs you, he'll never admit it of course, but it is the truth."

Merlin stayed for a short while and then made his excuses saying that Arthur would be looking for him. Ailith was glad when he left as Gaius and Gwen were still absent and she didn't want to have to send Merlin away for she knew their arrival would rouse his suspicions. She didn't have to wait for very much longer, the door opened and both of them tumbled into the warm room.

"How are you Guinevere?" Ailith asked, hugging the younger woman.

"Tired." Gwen replied as she sat down, "Gaius dragged me from Uther's chambers. He said that he had some news."

Ailith looked around to make sure that there was no-one within earshot and said quietly, "It would appear that King Uther is still alive, or at least his body is. Gaius found something on the King's body."

As if on cue, Gaius showed Gwen the amulet, gingerly she took it and almost dropped it, "It's hot!"

"Yes," Ailith replied, "Gaius and I have been discussing this. I believe that there is a way that we can restore his soul to him and his life."

"But why call me?" Gwen looked puzzled.

"Because when the King's soul is restored to him, he will still need someone to care for him for a while and we cannot trust anyone else." Ailith explained. "On this occasion we do not feel that Merlin or Arthur can know. We think that Agravaine and Morgana are involved and if we bring Uther back now they could strike again and in a way we might not be able to foresee or prevent."

Gwen nodded, "All right. What's your plan?"

"I wouldn't say I have a plan," Ailith chuckled, "I have a few ideas and that means we employ some subterfuge but I would like your input."

They sat talking for almost an hour, eventually Gaius said, "The main thing is 'How do we destroy this amulet?'"

"I have gone through your books," Ailith said softly, "and none of them have any options but there is one last thing that will destroy it and return Uther's soul to him."

"And that is?" Gwen asked.

"Dragonfire," Ailith replied. "In normal circumstances we need Merlin to summon the dragon, but he's not the only one with skills. If pushed I could do it."

Gaius nodded, "When do you wish to start?"

"Tonight." Ailith responded, "When the Castle is asleep. The King's body will be lying in State alone in the Great Hall. We must use this window of opportunity."

That night, three cloaked figures crept towards the Great Hall. The castle had settled into a fitful slumber and everywhere braziers glowed like quenched dragon's eyes in the darkness. Eventually they stood beside Uther's still form, quickly they moved Uther's still form into one of the chests and then Ailith lit one of the torches and then began to speak, "Ic ábene Þa lyfthelmás oncierre in Cyninge Utheres!1"

Gaius and Gwen watched as mist began to coalesce and formed into an exact likeness of Uther. "How long will it hold?" Gaius asked when it was finished.

"Long enough." Ailith replied, she smiled. "Good. The first part of our plan is accomplished."

"Will he survive in that 'box'?"Gwen asked.

"I should think so," Ailith replied, "his pulse and breathing are so slow that even in that confined space he should be all right."

"How do we get the box out of this room?" Gaius enquired slowly.

"Open the door," she ordered quietly.

Slowly, Gaius did as she asked and standing over the box Ailith spoke, "Ic hwiefe se arc2."

The both watched as the coffer Uther's body was lying in lifted itself from the flagstones and gently floated through the open door to settle against the stairs. Ailith turned to them and grinned, "Phase One complete. Now we move onto Phase Two."

At that moment they heard someone come walking down the corridor, they stopped as they saw the open door. All three of them froze and Ailith hissed, "Act normal for God's sake!"

Arthur strolled into the room and a puzzled look crossed his face, "Lady Ailith, what are you doing here?"

"The funeral's tomorrow, Majesty," Ailith said quickly, "I thought I would say my last farewells tonight."

"Us too!" Gaius and Gwen spoke up, Ailith winced, she didn't need Arthur suspecting anything now. A strange, sad smile curved his mouth, he walked across to the corpse and laid a hand on its forehead, Gaius gave an audible gasp and Arthur looked up, "Thank you." He said thickly.

Ailith bowed and then said, "We'll leave you in peace, Highness."

Arthur nodded slowly, like a man caught in molasses and she wanted to take him in her arms and tell him that everything would be all right. She curtsied again and then ushering Gaius and Gwen from the room closed the door behind her.

"Ye gods! I thought we were for it then!" Gaius hissed.

"We're not out of the woods yet," Ailith warned them. "We still have to restore Uther's soul."

"So what now?" Gaius asked.

"Now we get some help to carry that chest upstairs," Ailith replied, "To the most isolated and highest tower in this castle, as well as all my other baggage."

She smiled at both of them and said, "Now that the hard part is over, I think we may have a fighting chance."

Admittedly it was hard to keep a smile from her face as the servants carried the trunk upstairs to her room, they complained quite vociferously about the size of the box as well as its weight. Arthur had protested that she was being housed in such miserable accommodation but his protests had been half-hearted and again she felt her heart constrict when she saw the bleakness in his eyes. However, he'd allowed her the room she requested, even offering her the old drapes from his father's quarters. Aware that he needed to feel useful she'd acquiesced and now she stood looking out of the casement at the snowy landscape below.

Behind her, Uther lay silent in the bed, Gwen looked up from where she was sitting beside him and asked, "Are you sure he's alive?"

"Just," Ailith replied, "But as I said at the beginning of this madcap Quest, we need to restore his soul to him soon."

There was a soft tap at the door and Gwen got up to let Gaius in. He smiled when he saw Uther and then turned Ailith, "What now?"

"Tell me about his injury," she said softly, "and then we can formulate a plan of action."

They talked throughout that afternoon until eventually Ailith stood up and stretched, then she turned to Gaius and said, "So Uther was injured by an assassin who was sent to kill Arthur, and the injury was too serious to treat. I may have a solution."

Gaius frowned, "I know of none."

"If the body is cooled down suficiently then the blood flow is reduced, meaning that operations which would be too difficult otherwise, can be performed more easily."

"Could you do it?"

"I think so," Ailith bit her lower lip thoughtfully, "but we'll need to enlist the servants again. I need a tin bath and twenty buckets of snow."

"Do you think that this will work?" Gaius asked.

"I do not know," she replied, "but I know that we have to try."

She had expected more protests but in the end, Arthur had just waved his hand and ordered the servants to assist her however she wished. There had been some grumbles though as the buckets were hauled up the five flights of stairs. Ailith had made it a point to thank all of the servants who brought up the buckets and the tin bath. Then all three of them stripped Uther down to his underpants and laid him in the bath. Then they poured the snow over his body until only his neck and head were visible.

Ailith looked down at Uther's silent form, Gaius and Gwen were starting to shiver and she immediately felt sorry for them. "I am going to find Kilgarrah," she said, "I'm sorry I can't have a fire and I have to leave the windows open, but if either of you get too cold then take it in turns to go out and warm yourself up."

Dismounting she took the wrapped sword from her saddlebag and spoke the summoning words, "O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!" The sound of his wings, when it came almost blew her off her feet, she waited nervously for the great creature to land in front of her. She knelt on the dew-wet grass and spoke, "Greetings, Kilgarrah, you are well I trust."

"Dragonlady," Kilgarrah almost purred, "For what reason do you summon me?"

"I come to ask you to destroy this," she held up the amulet.

The dragon's eyes narrowed, "An unusual charm, it holds a man's soul. I presume you wish me to destroy it."

"Yes," Ailith replied.

"May I ask whose soul is trapped within," the dragon asked.

"Uther's," She responded.

"No!" the dragon roared, "Of all men you demand that I restore this man's soul to him? Why? If he knew that you had done this you too would be damned."

"I know this," Ailith replied, "But Arthur is becoming a copy of Uther, and you and I know that Arthur must be the King that heralds a golden age. Besides, all men must have a chance for redemption."

"And you love him." It was not a question.

"Yes, but that is immaterial." Ailith responded, "I just wish to free him." She held the jewelled sword in the air, "I have brought you something."

"A bribe, Lady Ailith? You are losing your touch."

"A present, Lord Kilgarrah." She replied, "You always admired this blade of my father's."

The Great Dragon took the wrapped weapon from her outstretched hands, and delicately unwrapped it. He examined it for a moment or two and then said quietly, "Wait here."

Grasping the weapon he lifted off, Ailith had to steady herself as the backdraft from his wings nearly knocked her off her feet again. She did not have to wait for very long, within ten minutes the dragon had returned, he surveyed her quietly for a couple of moments and then spoke, "Throw the amulet in the air."

She did as he asked and Kilgarrah incinerated it in a burst of fiery breath. She stared at the creature, unsure whether to be frightened or grateful. "Come," he said, "Climb on my back and I shall deliver you to Camelot to face your King."

At the same moment Kilgarrah destroyed the amulet, Uther gasped and Gaius immediately knelt next to the bath and pressed two fingers against his neck. "We've got a pulse," he murmured, "Let's hope Ailith returns soon."

Ten minutes later the door opened and a flushed Ailith almost flew in, "Did it work?" she demanded.

Gaius nodded, "But he's still bleeding internally. Now what do we do?"

"You said that it touched his heart," Ailith replied, "We operate."

Gaius blanched, "I don't have the skill."

"But I do," Ailith assured him. "Can you assist me, Gaius?"

Gaius nodded slowly, "What do you want me to do?"

"Get Gwen to mix three troy spoons of this with a quart of wine," Ailith said, taking a small bottle from her bag, "We'll prepare Uther."

"You do have a plan don't you?" Gaius asked when they were alone.

Ailith sighed, "I've already used enough magic to cause suspicion, if Uther was to be healed immediately and recovered then chances are he would take revenge on me as I am the only stranger here, and because you are my friend, you would be blamed by association. We'll have to do this the old fashioned way with knives."

When Gwen returned carrying the jug of wine Ailith took it from her and poured a cup, handing it back to Gwen she ordered, "Try to get at least 3 cups down him."

Half an hour later, Uther's head was lolling unpleasantly and Ailith was ready to begin, while they were waiting she'd asked Gwen to boil her instruments and bring them up in the vessel they'd been boiled in.

"Does it need to be this cold?" Gwen muttered.

"The cold restricts circulation," Ailith replied, "and should make it easier to repair any major damage to blood vessels." She smiled at Gwen's taut face, "If you want, you can go down to the hall and get warm. We'll be here a while."

When they were alone, she looked up at Gaius, "Ready?" she asked softly.

"Ready." he replied.

Blood welled up as she made the first cut but it was not the spurt that Gaius expected. He looked up at Ailith's face, above the mask her grey eyes were clear and focused. He returned his gaze to Uther's chest and began to wipe the blood away. Eventually she had cut deep enough for them to see the damage and Ailith's eyes cleared, she spared a quick look at Gaius, "The damage to the heart is minimal, if I stitch here," she indicated the tear, "then he should heal with no complications."

"Any more injuries?" Gaius asked softly.

"None that I can see," Ailith replied shortly, "and I cannot cut any more, it's too dangerous."

Two hours later she finished dressing Uther's wound. She looked up at Gaius and a weary smile crossed her face, "We're done." She said, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead.

"I've never seen a surgeon with such skill," Gaius said in wonderment.

"Thank you," Ailith smiled, "but I suspect that it will be your treatment after this operation that saves him."

"Flatterer." Gaius replied, but she noticed the twinkle in his eyes. "What do we do now, Doctor?"

"We can finally close the windows and light the fire," Ailith replied as she straightened up, "We need to increase his blood cell count, I would recommend ground iron filings in apple sauce. You will also need to increase circulation but gently at first."

Gaius nodded, "He was chilled slowly so warm him slowly?"

"Yes," Ailith nodded, "You always were the best physician, Gaius."

"And you the best surgeon," Gaius bowed and she laughed.

Early the following morning, Uther regained consciousness, he stared up into three familiar faces, the woman bent over him and a slow smile touched her lips, "Good morning," she said softly.

"Ailith!" he murmured in relief, "I-I called you – I – what happened-" he looked down at himself and attempted to lift the bandages but Gaius's hands on his own stopped him, "No, Highness. You need to sleep now."

"Where's Arthur?" he whispered, "Is he safe?"

"He's safe," Gaius promised, "Now go to sleep!"

A weary smile touched Uther' lips and he dropped into slumber. All three of them looked at one another and Gaius said, "I think we've done it!"

"We've been damnably lucky so far," Ailith replied, "And now comes the hardest part and one that you may not enjoy, Gwen."

"Tell me," Gwen demanded.

"I need you to go to Arthur tomorrow and tell him that you've had a message from your aunt who's ill and you need to go and look after her."

"How long will I be away?"

"At least a month," Ailith replied. "You are probably going to be bored out of your mind."

"What will you do?" Gwen asked.

"Nights shouldn't pose too much of a problem, I can sleep in the next room," Ailith smiled, "and days I shall spend with Gaius who is going to teach me some of his medical techniques."

"Lady, I do not think that there is much I could teach you." Gaius shook his head.

She waved a hand dismissively, "There is much to be said for gentle care. You have a knack for that Gaius. Now all I have to do is shave a horseshoe."

The following morning Arthur found Ailith standing in the courtyard filing away at a horseshoe held in a vise and watching the flecks of iron tumble into a bowl underneath it. "Lady Ailith," he said quietly, "May I ask what you're doing?"

She looked up at him and for a split second he thought she looked guilty, then she smiled and said, "I'm filing a horseshoe, Highness."

"I can see that," Arthur replied, somewhat exasperated, "What I want to know is why?"

"A minor experiment, Highness," she said quickly. "Just for my own peace of mind."

Arthur turned away running a hand through his blond hair, it seemed that since his father's death things had gone a little crazy. He watched as she gathered up the container she'd shaved the iron filings into and smiling quickly at him walked off in the direction of Gaius's workshop.

"Lady Ailith!" he called, walking after her.

She turned and replied, "Yes, Highness?"

"Arthur will do," he replied fretfully, "I was wondering if you could tell me anything about Gwen's sudden departure from Camelot."

"I had heard from Gaius that she received a letter from her aunt," Ailith replied, "Apparently the poor woman is very ill."

"But a whole month!" Arthur stared at her, "Could she not have taken Gaius with her?"

"I believe her aunt's village already has a skilled physician," Ailith replied, "and I think Gaius feels that he can be of more use here."

"But what if Gwen feels that she can't come back?" Arthur demanded.

"I think that unlikely," Ailith reassured him. "Keep the faith, Sire. She will come back to you."

He made some inarticulate noise and she resisted the urge to smile, bowing she continued, "May I continue with my experiment, Majesty?"

He waved his hand and half-smiling to herself, she turned around and began walking back to the castle. Twenty minutes later, Gwen was carefully feeding a dazed and sleepy Uther a bowl of apple sauce with the iron filings dissolved in it. Ailith smiled at her, Gwen looked up, "Are you going to keep him like this forever?" she asked.

"For a while, yes," Ailith replied, "He needs to rest and heal – the best way to do that is to keep him dopey and relaxed. But it won't be for long."

She was right about it not being for long, within four weeks Uther's colour had returned and when Ailith examined the incision she found it pink and healing. She smiled at Uther as she redressed it, "You're doing very well," she said, speaking slowly and clearly.

A half-smile touched his lips, and she looked up to Gwen, "I think we can start to reduce the sedatives and relaxants now. He'll be stiff and sore for a while, but that I think we can cope with. I think I will stay with him now – you can go back to Arthur."

Gwen's face lit up, "Are you certain, Lady Ailith?"

"Please, Ailith will do. I think we have both been through too much for you to start using my title."

So when Uther woke later that night it was to see Ailith sitting beside his bed, he tried to move to lift himself up but hissed as a shaft of pain lanced through him. Sagging back onto the pillows he looked up at her and then she was easing him up onto the pillows, "I thought you'd been waking up soon." She said gently as she handed him a cup of wine.

He looked at it suspiciously, "Is this?"

"It isn't drugged," she replied, "I think we can wean you off the painkillers now, Sire. Besides which you need to start eating properly and for that we need to tell the King what's been going on."

Uther looked puzzled, "What has been going on?"

Ailith poured herself a cup of wine and said, "On one condition. You lie there and let me tell the story, otherwise I'll put you straight back to sleep."

Reluctantly Uther nodded and slowly Ailith began her tale. Gaius came in halfway through and Uther gave him a grateful look, "I suppose I'm alive thanks to your skill." He said.

"No, Sire," Gaius smiled, "The Lady Ailith's.

"I may have some small skill in the operating theatre." She laughed, "but you certainly owe your recovery to Gaius."

"Then I am grateful to you both," Uther smiled painfully, "But you didn't use magic?"

"That scar on your chest should be evidence of that," Ailith replied. "I would not use magic to heal you, Sire. I've always said that magic has its own pitfalls."

"You know that I'm against it." Uther said.

"Which is why I did not use it to save you. Besides which the problem with any sort of magic is that it has a tendency to turn like a striking adder. I will not use it if there is another way."

"She is an interesting woman do you not think, Sire?" Gaius said softly.

"I have known that for a very long time." Uther responded, his eyes never leaving Ailith's face. He shifted position and winced as his healing wound made itself known.

"Would you like something for the pain?" Ailith inquired gently. He nodded quickly and measuring a small amount of nepenthe she added it to a cup of wine. "Drink slowly," she suggested.

Uther smiled up at her when the cup was finished, "You will bring Arthur to see me tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow. I promise." Ailith replied.

"And then – and then –" Uther's voice was slurry with sleep, "You'll marry-" his voice faded away as he slipped into slumber.

Ailith looked across at Gaius, "What was he going to say?"

Gaius smiled, "I think you know."

Ailith shook her head, "Now what am I going to do?"

The following morning Arthur was sitting alone at the conference table when he became aware of two people standing at the other end. He looked up to see two women, "Gwen!" he said, warmth coming into his voice, "You're back!"

"Yes, Highness," Gwen replied.

"Highness, I appreciate you're busy but would it be possible to borrow you for a moment," Ailith's voice was gentle.

Arthur waved a hand irritably, "Not now, Lady Ailith, I have too much to do."

"Please, Arthur." It was Gwen's voice.

He looked up, suddenly suspicious, "Why?"

"We think that you might see something to your advantage."

Reluctantly Arthur mounted the five flights of stairs to Ailith's room and pushed open the door. He stood on the threshold momentarily stunned into silence. The early morning light poured into the bedroom, and sitting up in bed, eating, sat his father.

Uther looked up and smiled, "Son," he said gently and all of Arthur's resolve left him. He stepped forward into the room and practically collapsed into the chair that Gaius had just vacated.

"Father-" he began, "How? Who?"

"Lady Ailith," Uther replied, "I have her and Gaius to thank."

"And others of course." Ailith spoke softly having just entered the room. "Gwen and the servants helped."

"How do I thank-" Arthur stuttered. Aillith could see the shine of tears on his cheeks.

"You don't have to thank me for anything," Ailith replied, she sat down on the bed so that she was facing him.

"Shall I go and find Merlin?" Gaius asked from behind her.

"Please." Ailith replied, without turning.

Arthur reached out towards his father as if he was an evancescent soap bubble. Uther grasped his son's hand and pulled his son into his embrace. Arthur hugged him, his whole body shaking. Eventually he stood up and reseated himself. Wiping his face he looked up at Ailith, "Thank you." He said thickly.

Uther took her hand and said, "Words cannot adequately express my thanks for all you have done."

"Perhaps I did it for a stable kingdom," Ailith replied, "I didn't do it for you to be indebted to me."

Uther smiled "Then will you finally marry me?"

There was a clatter at the door but Ailith didn't turn around, she was spellbound by the look of love in Uther's eyes, "Can I carry on being a doctor?"

"With your skills I would be hard pressed to stop you," Uther replied, "Of course, sweetheart."

Thus it was on a bright sunny morning, six weeks later, the newly reinstated King Uther and the Lady Ailith of Rathgarn were married in the Great Hall. Uther was still recovering from the wound given him by The Gleeman but he was adamant about standing upright to be married. Arthur was to act as Regent while the couple were away on honeymoon. When they had spoken their vows to one another and knelt before the priest they stood up and faced their people to rapturous applause.

END

1 I command the mist to transform into King Uther

2 I move the chest