AU after 2X05
Spoilers for the rest of series 2 and series 3 and 4 (maybe a few from series 1? But if you haven't watched the first series why are you reading Merlin Fanfiction?)
The world was dark. It had been for so long. For how long he couldn't tell. He couldn't even tell who he was anymore, the only things he knew were the faint blurs of colour, the faded whispers of sound that repeated inside his head non-stop lest he forget them, and with the loss of those dim memory-feelings lose himself forever.
Suddenly, in the vast sea of black, a pinprick of light appeared, wavering in the thick darkness. Slowly but steadily, the light grew brighter and stronger. He froze in fear. The light expanded to show images, flashing like lightning, gone in an instant.
With a shallow terror-stricken breath, Uther Pendragon snapped open his eyes.
Seated upright in a comfortable, plush chair, his eyes fell upon his chambers. Or what used to be his chambers. The bed was the same, with its polished, hardened oak wood and soft billowing canopy, in a sharp Pendragon red. The clutter of papers normally strewed about his desk were missing, making the room seem barren in its emptiness and the emptiness of the person within it. His intricately carved wooden table had been moved before the window he was half-facing towards. Open curtains fluttered in the breeze of a pleasant summer's day. He froze. It had been a harsh, cold winter when he'd closed his eyes.
Memories jumbled around his head – his son, his daughter. Morgana's maid's kidnapping – Arthur disobeying orders. A lady – Catrina? A wedding held at court. A hideous creature standing at his side wearing a crown. Then nothing. Just that sea of black darkness, the cold absence of anything, anyone.
In the time he could not remember, he had grown a beard, a neatly trimmed one, that despite its near elegance, he loathed because it told him how much time had passed. Time he could not remember. No matter how he chased the chains of thought around inside his head, the time remained not even foggy but blank. A clean slate.
"GUARD!"
A little but bulky man burst into the room with the expression of a startled stoat. Their eyes met.
My ... Lord?"
"What has happened? What is happening? What has sorcery done to this kingdom?" The words flew furiously from his mouth. With each question, the guard grew whiter and whiter, glancing at the doors frequently, clearly waiting for someone to walk through them. His unspoken prayer was not unmet.
Striding regally through the heavy oak doors was Arthur. But not the Arthur Uther had last seen. This Arthur stood tall and proud; independent, unlike that confident man Uther had last seen, but still dependent on the words of praise from his father. This Arthur was King. What had happened in The Time He Could Not Remember?
Looking this kingly Arthur in the eyes, Uther searched deep for a sign of the son he had known, what seemed to him to have been moments ago. They both knew it had been longer than moments.
"Ar...thur?" Uther's voice, rusty from disuse, did not hide his shock at the situation he had found himself in.
"Father," Arthur replied curtly. "How are you feeling?"
Uther would have said confused, but admitting such feelings were rare occasions in his life. He wondered what to say.
Sensing his inner turmoil, Arthur continued. "Do you know what happened?"
Uther shock his head, trying to keep his increasing panic off his face at the curt, almost dispassionate tone of voice Arthur was using combined with his stiff form and straight back. He was not relaxed in the presence of his father's private chambers. What had happened in The Time He Could Not Remember?
"Do you remember Lady Catrina?"
"Yes."
"She was a troll. And she enchanted you."
Uther froze in shock. He remembered the lady, his memories from before getting clearer and clearer. A beautiful lady in a long intricate yellow dress, all manners, elegance and smiles. All of a sudden Uther was angry – furious – with this creature that had managed to deceive him, managed to ensnare him. "What did she do?" He spat wrathfully.
"You fell in love with her. Then married her. Then disinherited me."
Uther shook his head with each cold pronouncement. He couldn't remember any of this. He dimly remembered a beautiful woman, a need to protect and love her always, but he couldn't remember her face. Uther supposed this was the Lady Catrina. The guard stared unashamedly from the doorway.
"She was discovered that day though – one of her spells failed so that she was revealed to court in her true form. Then we ran her out of Camelot and her use of enchantments was enough to over-rule your order of disinheritance but the spell on you remained. You didn't do anything – for the first few weeks all you would ask for was Catrina. Then you stopped asking."
"How long has it been?" Uther asked hoarsely.
"Almost six years."
"Why now? Why am I free now?"
"We caught her yesterday and she was killed on the spot."
Uther threw up one hand and with his other shooed the guard from the room. He didn't want to dwell in this beast that had apparently become his wife. "So why did I just awaken now?"
"Gaius said it was due to the length of time you spent under the enchantment. I just got back from the hunt myself."
Uther slumped – regally – back into his chair. Six years. Six years of his life lost. What of his kingdom? His people? His fight against sorcery? Surely all of Camelot was over-run with sorcerers by now; he knew Arthur wouldn't sentence them all to death. In recent times (well, recent to him) Arthur had become softer spoken and kinder, especially when any one resident of the kingdom was involved – look at the incident with Morgana's maid. Gwin? Gwen?
"I'll leave you to your rest," Arthur inclined his head before striding from the room, leaving a deep silence in his wake.
oOo
Uther awoke the next morning and with the assistance of Gaius (who admittedly he was delighted to see) dressed and prepared for the day. Uther sat at his desk going over some of the reports he'd been allowed to see. It was his kingdom! It was not up to Gaius or Arthur, however wonderful a Regent he may have been, to decide what he could and could not know about his people and the affairs of his kingdom during The Time He Could Not Remember.
Uther angrily exploded the doors open, relishing the loud thud as they hit the outside walls. Was there not even a guard outside? As he marched down the corridor, he glimpsed a familiar but unwelcome face. The boy was better dressed than he used to be, Uther reckoned. Perhaps too well dressed. He would need to talk to Arthur about over paying his servants. Especially if they weren't doing work and were just aimlessly wandering the castle like this.
"Boy!"
The boy stopped and slowly spun on the spot, his expression that of a hunted deer.
"Good morning ... Sire."
The Sire on the end of that sentence had taken far too long. What had Arthur been letting his servants do in the time he was Regent? Had all respect for him been lost? He certainly hoped not – it had taken years of hard work to get as respected as he was. All of those years wasted by one greedy magical beast. Why? Shaking himself from the admittedly over the top dramatics, he questioned the servant. "Where is Arthur?"
Merlin – was that the boy's name? – sighed in relief. Glad to see there was some respect for him around then, Uther thought petulantly. "He's in the throne room, Sire."
"Very well." Uther started to stride out down the corridor when he was stopped by the boy. Uther gave him his most fearsome glare. He was pleased to see the servant pale and flinch. He still had it.
"Yes?" He demanded brusquely.
"Erm ... Sire, I think that Arthur's in a meeting of the ... Council and so you probably can't just ... well ... go in, Sire." Merlin looked nervous as though Uther was a viper, coiled to strike. He was right to be. Uther swelled with rage this impertinence and mentally called this ... boy everything foul thing he could think of. He longed to say it out loud, but looking and the dress of the insolent servant he must've done something right in the past six years. Sadly without knowing what he couldn't insult the boy. Too big a risk. Damn it.
"Take me there. Now."
The boy – well he wasn't really a boy anymore – gulped hard and slightly nodded his head. He strolled down the corridor almost unhurriedly – trying to take his time. "If you do not walk faster I will go without you."
"Sire ... this Council meeting will be quite different to how they were when you ... were last in one."
"How so?" Uther asked forcefully.
"Erm ... ah ... erm ... Why don't you wait and see Sire?"
"Very well. I simply cannot wait. So walk faster." Had the boy really been this much of an idiot last time Uther had seen him? Had being Gaius' ward taught him nothing? It would seem so. He really did pity Gaius. At least he had Morgana (did she count as his unacknowledged daughter? Not that anyone knew that of course ...)
oOo
Uther entered the throne room to polite nods from the guards. One's he didn't recognise. Who also seemed to be bowing to the servant next to him. Brushing it off as his imagination, he strode into the hall, haughtily.
The throne room was similar – its elegant tapestries hanging from the walls, tall windows framing the outer walls – a round table in the middle of the room? Where was his table? And what was with it being, well, round? Around this strange round table were a number of people, those he recognised and those he didn't. His son sat in the chair almost directly in front of the throne. There was an empty seat to his right and his left. Gathered around the rest of the table were a variety of people – Gaius, Sir Leon, Geoffrey and a number of knights he vaguely remembered, as well as those who were completely unknown to him.
A strong looking, well-built man, a smaller familiar looking black man, a shaggy haired man and a young (almost child-like) blond boy were amongst the unknown knights. Who they were was one of his questions. The blond one almost looked like Arthur. However his most pressing one at the moment was – where was his table?
Merlin ambled past him and sat in the chair beside the Regent King – a servant at the right hand of a Regent King. Now this was proof that he had a mental affliction. If only he'd had this proof earlier in life. Then the boy wouldn't be sitting at the right hand side of his son.
Assuming the chair on the left has his, Uther started to walk towards it. His was almost immediately waylaid by Sir Leon; who ushered him into a chair to his immediate right. Who was that chair for then? Sir Leon saw his puzzled glance and whispered "That's for the Queen." The what?
The knight looked at Uther's shocked face and continued "Were you not told. What with you under the control of the troll, Arthur took over as King so that he could over-rule some of your more ... influenced decisions on the ruling of the Kingdom."
"WHAT?" Arthur calmly looked up from his conversation with his 'right-hand man' and stared his father in the eyes.
"Would you prefer to have this conversation in private?"
Uther's eyes bulged, frog-like and he wordlessly opened his mouth. After a long moment he nodded carefully. It would seem his son had seized the throne whilst Uther had been under an enchantment. The question now – would he give it back? He was clearly a popular, if radically different King. He followed Arthur through to a soundproofed side room. He was glad this room had stayed the same – it evened his footing a little.
As soon as they were in private, with the doors tightly shut Uther lost his composure. "What on Earth did you did that for? Publically denounce me like that? Seize the crown! All respect for me has been lost – I can tell that by looking at the servants. They question me – King Uther! What possessed you to –"
"ENOUGH!" Uther's rant was cut short by the intervention of Arthur's rapidly shortening temper. "Enough. Yes I seized control of the Kingdom. As already explained," he said, "The troll had you under her control. In the short time you remained King after the enchantment, you'd raised the taxes beyond the people's capability to pay and planned on increasing them further. As you were King I couldn't intervene; so I didn't what was best for the people. I took control."
Uther still looked spitting mad but his pause in his shouting showed Arthur that he was processing what had just been said. After a long moment Uther's posture relaxed minutely, only noticed due to abnormal stillness and silence in the room. He could understand his son's reasoning – he'd done it for the good of the kingdom. But what about the rest of the changes he'd made?
"And everything else?"
Arthur didn't pretend not to know what he meant. "Were things that happened due to circumstance, or due to something that happened in the six years you were enchanted. We'll tell you in time.
Uther was once more raging. In time – they were going to tell him about his kingdom (or former kingdom) in time. In their time. He knew that there was something to do with magic or else Arthur would've told him. He hoped.
"Also, you've been ... unhinged by mothers ... unfortunate death." Uther stiffened. He knew what this meant. He sent an enquiring look towards his son. "Oh yes, I know what happened. One of the main reasons I took the crown. Afterall you were being exceedingly hypocritical – using magic to get a son and way the results don't turn out how you like them you don't blame yourself or Nimueh. You blame the tool. Magic. How many were killed to appease your guilt?" Arthur paced angrily to and fro but his voice grew softer and more dangerous as his speech continued. "How many were murdered because of what you did?"
"You have no idea of the danger magic posed to the kingdom! Nimueh was not the first the use magic in that way, nor would she be the last. I was simply eliminating that potential ... option before it could occur and wreak havoc upon my people."
"You are using the people as your defence?" Arthur sounded disgusted. He couldn't feel that disgust – that would mean he was wrong, and Pendragon's were never wrong, and allthepeoplehekilled-murdered-burned-screamingscreamingcrying-nomercy-Igraine-nomercy-likeher. He couldn't be wrong. Not about this. He wasn't wrong.
"Things have changed Father," Arthur spat. "Wait and see. You'll see how much."
Uther was already starting to see. And he didn't like it.
oOo
The servant had apparently been promoted. To a position that no one was willing to tell him. He guessed it had something to do with magic. However the scariest thing was who that empty seat at the left of his son had been for.
After rejoining the council in the throne room, he had settled back into the chair to the right of Sir Leon. They had continued with their earlier discussion – about a minor skirmish at the Eastern borders – but they were guarded, and many frequently glanced his way before visibly stopping themselves from saying what they wanted to. About half way through the meeting, the doors swung open.
Striding through them was a Lady wearing a golden dress, complementing her darkened skin. She walked tall and proud, dark curls cascading down her back under her crown. The disturbing part was the Uther clearly remembered her being the maid of Morgana's which had been kidnapped and saved by Arthur (despite his orders otherwise). Now she appeared to be Queen.
Yes, Uther decided; feeling a heart attack rapidly approaching, he was beginning to see things had changed drastically.
oOo
One thing he couldn't work out was where was Morgana? No one was willing, or perhaps able under Arthur's orders, to tell him what had happened. All Uther knew was that she wasn't here. And judging by the looks on the faces of some people he asked, she wasn't liked.
The new Knights – the ones who had been sitting around the annoying Round Table (now to be capitalized due to the annoyance it had caused him) – were called Sir Gwaine, Sir Elyan, Sir Percival and Sir Galahad.
Apparently there were only a few of those Knights but he hadn't found out what made them so special yet. Even those that spoke of them with scorn refused to tell him why. He didn't recognise any of the names but he guessed some of them may have been from other Kingdoms. Part of a treaty perhaps? Maybe this was why they were disliked?
oOo
He got the answer to his question about the Knights. It seemed they were common-born. Uther was horrified – it went against all of the ancient traditions of Camelot and his forefather's.
It was a law that only noblemen could become Knights but it seemed his son had disregarded a thousand year old tradition. He wondered why the public liked him. For the majority of the Camelot he had known, Arthur's ideas and policies were too radical.
This meant they had something else even more unexpected to focus on and accept, or Camelot had changed beyond imagination. Or pretty much everyone he'd known had learnt somewhere to become a wonderful actor.
He wondered what else they'd been forced to accept under his son's rule. He had a funny feeling he'd learn what soon.
oOo
He was right. That was the first thought that passed through his head. And then his mind went blank but his eyes kept seeing. Seeing things he'd dreamed of in his worst nightmares.
They had been sitting in a Council meeting, listening to some Lord Uther had never seen before complain about taxes and starvation. He was very concerned for the people but this Lord had a very monotone voice.
All delusions and anticipation for sleep were shaken off as the doors were blasted open.
Standing there was his beautiful, fiery daughter, an angry snarl on her face and her eyes glowing golden.
Golden.
The sight was enough to almost kill him then and there.
As it was he almost had a heart attack.
She was snarling, animal like – his beautiful little girl. She looked insane, her hair wild and her dress tattered and torn, showing the hardships of the life she had been living.
"UTHER!"
A group of Knights slowly, cautiously moved the former King behind them. Morgana hadn't noticed him yet.
"Where is Father?" She spat the last word.
Uther felt closer to death. She knew? She knew he was her father. This was not good – he knew her well, she wouldn't have been pleased at being unacknowledged, she was far too much like him for that. He thought he'd known everything about her – he had known everything about her, before this accursed enchantment. Her moods, her temperament, her kindness. This magic was new. And it had taken the best of his little girl. His hatred of magic deepened further.
She stalked forwards, predatory. Even if magic had taken his daughter, he wasn't going to let it take his son. He moved forwards but was abruptly dragged backwards by Sir Leon. He was being manhandled by a Knight. Among all of the revelations of the night, strangely this one bothered him the most. He supposed the revelations about Morgana hadn't sunk in yet.
The mini-scuffle had gone unnoticed. Another thing that had changed – she'd always been so observant, catching the tiny little details people wanted to forget and hide. She'd used it often to gain leverage over the other nobles and the Court.
"I heard he'd woken up from his trance."
"And who did you hear that from?" Arthur asked politely, disinterested.
"People. The whole town, the whole kingdom, is buzzing – Uther awoken from his enchantment. People are quite willing to gossip."
She'd never listened to gossip before – all of the information had been taken straight to her.
Merlin – the boy whose promotion was unknown to him – slid forwards, subtly shielding his King. This movement was not missed by Morgana.
"Traitor," she spat angrily, almost betrayed.
"I am not the traitor." The boy spoke serenely, but the urge to injurehurtkill anyone that hurt or insulted his daughter was still deeply ingrained. Uther almost hissed in fury. A peasant boy was being insolent to his daughter. His daughter who was a sorceress – an evil sorceress. As this thought crossed his mind, he settled back to watch.
Uther's rage had almost gone unnoticed.
Almost.
Sir Leon and a contingent of other Knights had gradually been ushering him towards the open doors. At the former King's fury at the 'insult' to his daughter, Morgana's attention had been drawn towards them. She smirked gleefully, turning towards him at the open doors; but not leaving her back defenceless. With a flash of gold the heavy wooden doors swung shut with a bang.
"Oh this will be fun," she purred.
She stalked forwards, a hunter and its prey. It was a new experience – he'd always been the hunter before. He knew he'd always be the prey with her like this – he refused to hurt her.
Her eyes gleamed gold as she hissed a spell, the dark syllables dripping from her blood-red lips like poison.
A stream of malicious indigo light was hurled in his direction closely followed by beams of scarlet, black and a dark murky brown. All four tracts of light were halted in mid air by a white shield, swirling with gold and a very pale light blue.
Aah, Uther thought over the complete shock and scrambled trains of thought (and the possibility of yet another near heart attack); this was why the boy had been promoted.
It seemed Arthur had gone 'magic friendly'.
This ruined everything he'd worked for, for twenty years.
No wonder no one gave him the correct respect anymore.
This was not fair!
His own son was completely ignoring his laws. He restrained the urge to either pout or fly into a rage, given the situation (not so certain, certain death by evil sorceress daughter gone mad).
His daughter threw another bolt of light in his direction, once again halted by a shield. Hissing madly, she screeched, "Protecting him? Protecting him? Uther Pendragon? He slaughtered our kind, hunted them down like animals – your own Father included and you're protecting him?"
Who had the boy's father been? Would he remember?
"I protect him for Arthur not for myself. Arthur still loves him. I have not forgotten the way he hunted my father and the way my father was forced to live before he died – trying to save us."
"Save us from your actions. It was your fault your father died. You released the dragon."
The dragon had been released? By this boy?
Who was Arthur promoting?
Had the entire world gone mad in the six years he'd missed?
Or was it just Camelot?
oOo
The 'Council meeting' had been concluded with a small magical battle launched between his illegitimate daughter and his son's former manservant. Morgana had escaped. Several chairs had been damaged, one noblewoman had fainted and sadly the Round Table remained unharmed.
All in a day's work, then.
Everything back to normal.
(Aside from the whole magic being legal, Morgana being evil, Merlin being Court Sorcerer thing.)
If Uther found any more surprises, he really was going to have a heart attack.
(Surprisingly the revelation that Merlin was a dragon lord was fine; it was the revelation that he was King of the Druids that caused Uther to collapse onto the throne room floor.)