I just had seen some episode of "Merlin" in season 2, and I can't help myself but ask if Arthur is some sort of bipolar. It had bothered me and I wanted to explain why such a big change in his character. This fic is my answer to this question.
What had truly happened to Arthur Pendragon
Morgana had never felt so alone in her whole life. Her dear beloved sister is dead and now she is truly alone. She can't return to Camelot, nor she can go to her estate. In the first case Uther would be more than happy to kill her because of her magic power. And if she returned to her home, she already know that someone would told to Uther sooner or later that she hided here, and the result would be the same as if she returned to Camelot. She needed to ran far away from Uther and his beloved son. Arthur had won. Him and his pitiful servant, who was in fact one of the more powerful sorcerer, have managed to kill Morgause. And Morgana would never forgive them for that. She just hoped for them to cross her path one day. If it's happen it would be their last day to live.
Morgana don't take too much with her. She hid her true self under the disguise of a farm woman, and she just take enough food to sustain herself until she found a place where she can heal her broken heart. She walked without no goal but going as far as can from Camelot. Unknowingly to her she take the path of the north. Hours become days who becomes weeks and months, and Morgana still keep her walk. Often she had thought that she had found the right place to live, but after a couple of days she continue her travel. It's a little like if someone was calling her and she can't refuse to answer to this call. So she keep walking, knowing that once she will found the place were she needed to be, then this calling would stop.
This morning, Morgana wake up and looked around for the first time. Since a few days the calling was so loud to her that she had failed to notice were she was. But this morning the calling had stopped. All had happen like in the dream she had the last evening. In this dream she had see her sister, but not the bitter woman she had become, but her true sister, the one she loved so much. Morgause had made some excuse for using her like this, and she had told her that someone is waiting for her. Morgause had also said that she will understand everything when she would meet the person who was waiting for her. She had apologised a lot for what she had done and begged her sister to forget her hate and live again. After that she had faded away, and Morgana had wake up with tears falling on the ground.
Morgana had never seen such a strange and savage place. Everything looked more alive here, like if the magic was still present here. And, for the first time since long, Morgana felt at peace. She walked without any goal but the pleasure of looking around. Suddenly she stopped dead. Right in front of her was a force field. She knows that no one but people with magic can see it, and she wanted to know what this force field was protecting. So, she goes to it and pass through without any problem. At first it stunned her. Why build a force field who even don't repelled anyone ? She looked around but she can't found anything different from the other side of the field. She was so focused on her search that the sound of a voice make her made a double take. She knows this voice very well.
" Hello, Morgana. Nice to see you again after so long."
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Arthur can't believe his own eyes when he saw her go to his side of the force field. How was she capable of doing it ? At his knowledge, only the druids were able to do so, and only because they have magic. So, it would means that Morgana had magic too ? The idea don't frightened him a lot, at last not as much as he would have expected when he was younger. But more than two years spending alone with only the druids who visited him once or twice in a year had give him time to think about a lot of thing, especially his father's hate for the people with magic. When he was younger, Arthur had thought that his father can't be wrong. If Uther was so angry with the sorcerers, then he would have a good reason for it. But now, he is not sure anymore. The druids were anything but nice to him and he had learned a lot with them. Maybe his father was wrong, maybe you can have good sorcerer and bad sorcerer, like you have good human and bad human.
Arthur remembered when he had the first time wake up in this prison. A nice one with clear water, fish, vegetable and everything he could have needed to survive, but a prison none the less. His last memories before he wake up here, was about his fight against the questing beast. He remembered the hurt and him passing out, but nothing else. The first six months after his wake up, he had tried to escape from this prison again and again, but with no success. That's why he was so surprised when he had found at the door of the house he had build for him, Mordred waiting for him. The young sorcerer had explained to him that without any magic power, the people in the force field can't leave this place. Mordred was very sad when he had said this, and Arthur had felt guilty for it. So, he had accepted his fate and made the better of it.
He had first transformed his made up house in a comfortable one with the help of the druids. And he would be eternally grateful for their help. He had also begin he have a real garden instead of searching around for his food. The druids have even give him a horse, some lamb and his most precious animal, a cow, which was a treasure for him. In exchange he had learned their way to live and accepted for them to come here for their ceremonies. With time he had even learn to think like them. Now he was no longer Arthur pendragon, heir of Camelot, but just Arthur. And that's why he hesitated before letting Morgana knows that she had found him.
Since from childhood, he had always loved her, but in his teenage time he had blinded himself by believing that she will never return his feelings. She always teased him and made him uncomfortable, but he loved it. He would not have her being the perfect lady, because perfection is boring. So, he teased her back and fought with her, only to hid his growing feelings toward her. He was such an idiot, he knows, because he had wasted time when he can be close to her by fighting her for nothing. As much as she was the bane of his existence, she also was the love of his life, and he would regret every days for not have heard to her plea to stay at Camelot and not going to fight the questing beast. She don't had ever know how close she was to convince him to stay. And that's why he still can't hide from her anymore. So he talked.
" Hello morgana, Nice to see you again after so long."
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Morgana looked at Arthur like if she had seen a ghost. And Arthur was very worried for her. He take a step to her and tried tho hug her, but she push him away with fear in her eyes. Arthur felt a pang of hurt in his heart at seeing her so afraid of him. He needed to do something, anything, for her to stop to look at him like this. He can't stand it, it hurt him too much.
" Morgana. Please don't be afraid." He pleaded. " It's me. Arthur. You surely remember me."
" Of course, I remember you." She said with anger in her voice. " What are you doing here, Arthur. Does your father had send you to find me ? Would you kill me now, or are your order to take me back to Camelot to kill me like you have killed my dear sister ?"
" Your sister ? You have a sister ?" Asked a stunned Arthur. " Who is she ? Why don't she had come to live with us when my father had take you as his ward ?"
" Don't play dumb, Arthur ! It don't work anymore. My sister was Morgause. "
" Who ? I don't have heard about her." Said again Arthur. " In fact, I have any news of what had happen to Camelot since more than two years."
" What is this ? Some of your twisted joke ? " Asked Morgana with some venom. " Now stop it at once. Do your duty, prince of Camelot."
Morgana still looked at him with distrust and hate. And Arthur don't know what to do anymore. So, he let his arm fall and bow his head in sorrow. He felt like crying but he fought it. After all, even if he is not anymore the prince of Camelot, he is still a knight. And a knight would never cry in front of a woman.
Morgana waited for Arthur to make her prisoner or kill her, but when he don't do anything of this, she really looked at him. That's when she see the difference. This Arthur had a little tan and his hairs were brighter from the exposure at the sun. He looked also much more mature than in her memories. But what stunned her the most was the tattoo he shown to his wrist. Arthur had some druids runes tattooed on his skin. Uther would never allow his only son to have it. Something is wrong, deadly wrong, she can feel it. She needed to find the truth, but for it, she needed to let go of some of her anger toward him. So, she take a big breath and relax a little.
" Arthur ?" She asked in a more nicest voice. " Why do you have some druids runes tattooed on your wrist ?"
At this words, Arthur lifted his head and looked at her. He was very pleased to see that the hate had deserted her face. In spite of everything he hoped that they still have a chance to understand each other. So he answered her truthfuly.
" Because I had asked them to. My father is wrong, you know. The druids don't wanted to kill us. They just wanted to be able to celebrate their cult freely. They are my friend."
" How can you say that ?" Exclaimed Morgana. " After helping your father to chase them ?"
" I have never do such a thing !" Exclaimed Arthur.
" I had see you. You had done this for a year."
" You must be mistake." Said more calmly Arthur. " You can't have see me chasing the druids a year ago, because I'm here since my defeat against the questing beast."
" What ? " Exclaimed Morgana. " That's not possible. Merlin had take you to Camelot after this battle. You were injured but alive."
" Morgana. Think about it. Does I have changed after that. was I still the same Arthur you have known all your life ?"
" No. You weren't. You were so cold and distant to me, like if I had done something wrong. And things have become worst after you have fall in love with Gwen."
" Gwen ?" Exclaimed again Arthur. " As your maid servant ? No way ! She is nice but she is nothing compared to.." (you).
Arthur don't dared to say the last word out loud. Morgana had just begun to talk to him again, and he don't wanted to scare her again.
" I don't understand." Exclaimed Morgana. " What had happen ?"
They were so wrapped up in their conversation that they failed to notice someone coming.
" Morgause had take him after the battle against the questing beast." Said the voice of a young boy. " She had found someone who looked exactly like Arthur and had give him the memories of Arthur. She had imprisoned the real Arthur here, and let her false Arthur being the prince of Camelot. But at some point, her plan had failed. The false Arthur had begin to believe that he was the real one and that's why Morgause had tried to kill him. Morgana, the Arthur who was in Camelot since two year is an impostor. Arthur,here, is the one you have grow up with."
"Mordred !" Exclaimed Arthur with joice. " Since when are you here ?"
" I just arrived. Morgause had send me a mental message just before her death. She had asked me to come here and explain everything to Morgana."
Morgana can't stay silent anymore.
" But if it's true, you have to go back to Camelot. You have to claim what is your birthright."
" I can't. I have no magic power, I can't leave this place. And frankly, I don't want to."
" Why ?" said a stunned Morgana.
" Because, here I have found myself. Don't get me wrong, I miss my father dearly. I miss everyone in Camelot, even my clumsy Merlin. But here I can be myself. Do you remember, Morgana, the place we have imagined as child where we can live together when we have grow up ?"
" Yes." She said hesitantly.
" I have found this place. Here we can be together, like I had always wished. In Camelot I would have to deal with what the other Arthur had done. I would lost you and have Gwen for wife. I don't want it. I don't love her. I have always loved only one person."
" Who ?" Morgana can't helped herself to ask.
Arthur pondered for a moment about the answer to give. But he don't had the heart to lie to her anymore.
" You. It was always you."
" No, you can't. You don't know what I had become during these past years. I have done such dreadful thing. You can't love me."
" But I do. My father also had done dreadful thing during the great purge, and I still loved him. Please, Morgana, forget it, forgive yourself, because whatever you have done I already forgive you."
" You don't know what you are saying Arthur. I have tried to kill you, to kill your father. You can't forgive it."
" But I do. It was also my fault. I was not here anymore. I have let you down. I'm sorry. I just hope that one day you can forgive me."
Morgana can't answer anything at this. She fall on her knee and began to cry. She cried for all of her mistake, she cried for her dead sister, she cried for everything and everyone. And the more she cried, the more her soul found the brightness who was once here. It was only when her cry subsided that she noticed that both Arthur and Mordred have take her in their arm.
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It's been ten years since Morgana had come to Arthur's place. Ten wonderful years, remembered Arthur. It had take a long time for Morgana to forgive herself for all of the evil she had done. But with his help she had managed. Mordred had left them a few days after and Morgana and Arthur have found themselves alone with each other. And the thing were a lot awkward between them for some time. But one evening, a few months after Morgana had come, Arthur had found the courage to open his heart to the woman he loved more than the life itself, and he had asked to marry him. The next week was spend between burst of hope and sorrow for Arthur until Morgana said "yes".
It was one of the druids who had married them and they don't have wanted it an other way. Even if she was able to return to the real world, Morgana don't had left they place once in ten years. It was here that their children were born. A daughter first who was named Elianor. she had his eyes and bright red hairs. Then a son, Richard, with his mother's eyes and sandy blond hair. And for Arthur the life can't be more perfect. He don't feel any regret for not returning to Camelot. The druids had told them that prince Arthur had married lady Guinievre. They still don't have any children, which is such a pity in Arthur's mind. And there is rumor about the queen being in love with a knight named Lancelot. Arthur can see the tragedy coming but there is nothing he can do about it. And he would never change his life for the one of the king Arthur for anything.
Arthur smiled when he saw Mordred coming to him. In the past years the young boy had become a magnificient young man. He was quite a catch for the eyes and even at nine years old his daughter Elianor seems to have acknowledge it. Arthur had nothing against the match. Mordred would be a fine son-in-law in due time, if Elianor still wanted him. But she had her mother's mind, and Arthur really doubted that she would chose anyone else. Elianor and Richard both have magic power and Arthur was glad that for the time being they were safe enough from the priest. The druids were not so lucky and they spend more and more time in this place. Arthur wondered if there is not some magic in this place because it seems to grow with the number of people living in it.
Arthur, with Mordred in toes, return to his home. Before he can open the door his two children ran to him and hug him like if they don't have see him for months, even if they have see him at the morning. His pregnant wife come smiling to him. They both have decided to name the baby Morgause, if it was a girl, in the honor of the woman who had helped them to find the true happiness, far away from the kingdom and his duty. They both know that they would never leave this place. It is home for them and for everyone who possess magic. The druids have give a name to this place : Avalon.
END.
I hope you have liked. I had fun at writing it. There would be no sequel. I think this story suffice by itself. Please give me a review to tell me what you think about it. I will update soon my fic "changing the fate".