A short one-shot dedicated to one of the most underrated characters in all of the Merlin fandom: Hunith. Words cannot describe my love for this woman.
Also, Uther. Cause, as some of you may know, I love him too.
Set during S1E10, The Moment of Truth.
Hunith sat quietly in the corridor, on a cold stone bench, under the proud red banner of the Pendragon Family. A bag of provision, provided by her kind brother Gaius, lay next to her; she had not brought much on her journey to Camelot other than food, and because of the shortage occurring in her village, she had not eaten much. She decided that she would still eat sparingly, to see if she could save some for the children back home.
It had been disappointing, though not surprising, to find that the King of Camelot would not help rid her village of the bandits that had been robbing them of their crops, starving them to death. No one had really expected him to, anyway. They merely thought the true purpose of Hunith volunteering to go and ask was because she wanted to see her son, Merlin, who had left Ealdor not a few months earlier.
In truth, that was the main reason she had gone. She missed her son terribly, though she would never let Merlin know the true extent of her loneliness; otherwise, he would come right home and stay to keep her company. She knew he was happier in Camelot, and it was her duty as his mother to make her son as happy as possible, even if she wasn't the one putting a smile on his face every day.
Still, despite longing for her son, Hunith thought it couldn't hurt to ask for King Uther's assistance. King Cenred had brushed aside the manner offensively easily, so there was nowhere else to turn. And unlike Cenred's cruel indifference, Uther seemed genuinely upset that he could not help, because doing so would put his own kingdom at risk. That she could understand.
Gingerly, she ran her fingers across the purplish bruise near her eye. She frowned as the memory of Kanen striking her replayed in her head. Merlin- and Gaius as well- were infuriated when she had told them, and it made her curse her impetuous actions.
She mulled over this for a while when she suddenly noticed a shadow cast across the floor. Looking up, she found herself once again looking into the face of Uther Pendragon. The King looked uncomfortable, as if he hadn't expected to run into her again. He probably didn't.
Quickly, she stood and bowed, as was expected of her. "My Lord-"
He held up a hand, signaling her to stop. She looked at him confusedly.
"There is no need for that. Please, sit. You must still be tired from your journey."
Hunith did as he said, never taking her eyes off of the man. It was odd; she was supposed to fear, maybe even hate the man. After all, he was the reason her son had suffered so much in his life. And he was the reason her beloved Balinor was forced to leave her. Yet, she was curious, as to why such a powerful man spoke so informally to a lowly peasant (from another kingdom, no less).
He coughed awkwardly. "May I…?"
She nodded slowly. The king sat next to her, though as much on the opposite side of the bench as he could manage.
"When are you headed back?" he asked.
"Today, My Lord. I'm just waiting for my son."
"He is going with you?"
"At his insistence… He wants to make sure I am safe."
Uther hummed in contemplation. "You have a fine son, Hunith. He's been very loyal to my son."
Amused that he remembered her name, she smiled. "Thank you, My Lord." Then, she frowned. "Has been?"
"I don't expect him to come back. A man always puts his family first."
It did seem likely that Merlin would stay in Ealdor with her, even though she knew of his destiny in Camelot. Hunith felt both love and annoyance with her only child.
"I suppose you're right. Though, he seems so much happier here."
That marked the first time she'd ever seen the King smile. "I am pleased to hear that. Arthur gives him such a hard time, I thought he would hate it here. I almost felt guilty, seeing as how I made him his servant in the first place."
"He very much respects Arthur, My Lord," said Hunith. "And Gaius is like a father to him."
"Is his father not…?" he trailed off, suddenly thinking better of his question.
She shook her head, resentful. "No. His father is no longer with us." While she didn't know if Balinor was alive or not, she had heard nothing of him since he left. But she couldn't let Uther know it was he she blamed for his absence.
He looked away, uneasy. "I'm sorry for your loss."
"It happened a long time ago. Merlin wasn't even born yet." Briefly, she wondered why she was being so open with a man she should, in theory, hate, but he spoke again before she could think too long on it.
"I'm sorry, again." This time, he cast his eyes downward, observing the stone floor of his castle. "About your village, I mean," he said hurriedly. "If the treaty was not so fragile…"
"No, I understand, My Lord. Your people come first."
He sighed, satisfied that she didn't appear resentful. "Arthur and Morgana seemed upset. They have good intentions, but…"
She nodded, not wanting him to go on. Secretly she was happy his children so harshly rejected his verdict. Merlin was right; Arthur would be a great king.
Abruptly, the King stood.
"W-Well, I simply wanted to wish you a safe journey home. I hope the manner in Ealdor is resolved as quickly as possible."
She watched the King closely. "As do I, My Lord. As do I."
He tilted his head in some sort of rushed goodbye, and hurried down the hall. She had watched his retreating form when something occurred to her.
It was Uther's fault that Balinor had left her. However, in Fate's twisted design, Balinor would never have come to Ealdor were he not being pursued by the King's men. Uther was responsible for their meeting, and, by extension, the birth of a sorcerer. She could have laughed at the irony. It was that, she realized, combined with his recently-discovered kinder side, that she could not hate the man. Among the many poor decisions he had made, he was, at his core, doing it to protect his kingdom. And there was just something she admired about that.
The sound of footsteps down the hall ceased her thoughts on the King, as she saw her son approach, accompanied by the Lady Morgana and another girl who had been present at Court when she made her appeal. Hunith stood, pack of food in hand, and gave her son a questioning look.
He explained that Morgana and the other girl, her servant Gwen, had insisted on accompanying them. Hunith smiled gracefully and thanked the girls, and they set off towards Ealdor.
Later, when they discovered the addition of Prince Arthur to their little expedition, she felt a twinge of empathy with King Uther. They both had sons who refused to listen.
Maybe, she wondered, as they crossed into the small village, if things were different, they could possibly be as close as their boys. She shook her head, smiling.
Ridiculous.
I don't ship it... I don't ship it- DAMN IT.
Keep in mind that this was written in the span of an hour at five in the morning. If there are any inaccuracies with the episode in question, please tell me. As for out-of-character... ness, I like the idea of Uther acting awkward in situations he's never been in. He's not used to giving sympathy, but he really seemed regretful for not helping.