Shattered

Prologue

"Did you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"There is a new Lady staying at the castle."

"Really?"

"Yes, a married one at that, Lady Destiny."

"Lady Destiny? Didn't she go missing two years ago?"

"Yes, and she has a five month old baby!"

The news of Lady Destiny's appearance spread across the kingdom like wildfire, each peasant coming up with a rumor more ludicrous then the last as to why the foreign Lady had appeared and why she was staying in the castle. However the rumors seemed to just fly over Destiny's shoulders as I watched her care for the small baby as if nothing else in the world mattered. She glanced over her shoulder, her navy eyes shimmering in the early dawn.

"What is it Arthur?" she asked, no longer bending over her son's cradle. She was still dressed in her night gown, having only just woken moments before I. Ever since the day I found her asleep in my bed, the two of us have not separated, though the room next to mine was made up for her for appearances sake.

"I was just thinking, how even though the townsfolk say terrible things about you, you still fawn over your son with the happiest of smiles on your face," I told her, getting up from my bed, not minding in the slightest that I was in my under garments. She laughed her sweet laugh before allowing my arms to wrap around her waist.

"T'is because no matter what they say, Merlin and I loved each other and that love created a being of perfection." She turned in my arms so her hands rested against my bare chest. "You have been so kind to give us shelter, Hunith has been insane with grief since Merlin's death and just her visit upset the baby."

"You will always be welcome here."

Destiny looked up at me, tears of betrayal gleaming in her eyes. "I would hope so; you are the reason my son will never know his father." She turned from me and exited my chambers.


I opened the door that led to Art's room, just one down from my own. It was night, so the moon light streamed through the curtains, bathing the sleeping toddler in a haunting glow. Destiny was sitting on the edge of his small bed, gazing down at him with tearful eyes.

"Destiny," I whispered.

"He will never have a father," she cried, tears streaming down her angel face. She reached out to stroke the small boy's hair. "He will never meet the man that created him and loved him more then anything. He will never have that." She turned to face me for the first time. "What kind of mother can I possible be to him?"

"You," I started, resting my hands against both her shoulders, "are a good mother to him. He is healthy and happy; you have down well by him. I... I know it's not much, but I would very much like to be his father, in every sense of the word. I want him to be the crown prince of Camelot, son of the King."

"But Arthur…"

"No, Destiny, I love him with all my heart and soul and I want him to be my son. Marry me Destiny, let us be a family."

She looked up at me with desperate eyes, she did not love me.

"Yes."


"Art!" I called in excitement as I dismounted my horse and opened my arms for the beautiful six year old. Art ran into them, throwing himself at me as if it'd been years instead of days that he had last seen me. Destiny was right behind him, ever the dutiful mother, waiting to give me her greetings.

"Papa!" the little boy in my arms exclaimed as I stood up straight, placing him firmly on my hip. "Papa what did you see? How was the tournament? Did you win? I bet you did!"

I smiled warmly at him as I swung him around to put him on my shoulders. "You bet I did! I saw the dragon and mountains and hidden valleys and an arena so big you needed a map to get around." He giggled as he fastened himself firmly around my neck in an attempt to keep his balance on my shoulders.

"Hello Arthur," Destiny greeted softly, her voice so sweet my mouth watered.

"Destiny," I whispered taking her hand in my own and kissing it lightly, ignoring Art's gag above me. I looked down at her swollen belly, smiling as I thought of my child, growing inside her. When my gaze returned to her slightly pink face, sadness washed over me. Her eyes held affection, but they held for me no love.


I paced back and forth inside the throne room, not paying the maids and servants any heed as they tried to get me to sit down. Morgana was sitting at the table, my son asleep in her lap.

"Arthur, if you continue like this you will faint and be of no use to Destiny," Morgana warned me, her eyes flickering with something I could not describe. With one last glance to me she rose from her seat with Art firmly clasped in her arms and exited the room. With a sigh I followed her, wanting to remain near my son should the worst happen to his mother.

"Thank you Morgana," I told her as she laid my son in his bed. She flashed me a smile over her shoulder as she tucked him in.

"My pleasure Arthur, he is my beautiful godson after all," she said warmly, bending down to press her ruby lips to Art's forehead.

"Sire!" Gwen yelled in excitement as she came running through the door. "Queen Destiny has birthed a daughter."

My eyes grew wide and my mouth fell open. A girl? I had a daughter? Without a word to Gwen I ran from the room towards my own chambers. When I arrived, Destiny was propped up against the headboard with pillows, looking both exhausted and beautiful. A small bundle of white blankets was cradled in her arms as she gazed down at it in pure adoration. She looked up to meet my eyes when the door opened, a smile on her face.

"Arthur, would you like to meet your daughter?"


"Mama!"

I shot up in bed at Art's scream. I turned in my bed to see my son leaning over his mother with tear filled eyes as he continued to shake her despite the fact that she was not waking. I felt my eyes fill with tears as I looked down on my wife. I knew she was dead, I could tell just by looking at her. She was to still, to pale.

"Art," I whispered, gently pulling the dark haired boy from his mother's motionless frame. I pulled him into my chest as he wrapped his small legs around me and buried his head into my shoulder. I felt like I was walking to a death sentence, preparing myself to tell the court that the queen of Camelot was dead.

The minute I stepped out of my chambers I saw the knights running towards my room, the guards having called upon them after hearing the Prince's screams.

"King Arthur, what has happened?" Sir Leon asked. I looked up at him with eyes broken.

"Destiny is dead," I told him just as Morgana arrived. Her own eyes grew wide at my statement and her mouth fell open.

"What?" she cried, tears forming in her blue eyes. I didn't say anything more, simply handed my son over to Morgana, to far into my shock to comfort an eight year old boy. I didn't see Morgana's sad eyes harden as she glared at me, taking the sobbing boy protectively in her arms. I walked away from her, towards the room that held the Princess of the castle.

Slowly I pushed open the door, to see Princess Emeline sitting up in her cradle, playing with a small doll that Gwen had made for her. When she heard the door she turned to look at me, clapping her hands together in excitement.

"Papa!" she squealed happily, extending her arms out to me.

Having heard my daughter's cries her Nurse Maid, Matilda, exited the adjoining room carrying two towels in her arms.

"Sire!" the teenager gasped, obviously startled by my appearance so early in the morning.

"The Queen has died," I stated, my face void of all emotion. She gasped, tears welling in her eyes as she clasped her hand over her mouth. "You are dismissed."

Matilda looked nervously between myself and Emeline before giving a curt nod and curtsey as she took her leave.

"Papa!" Emeline giggled as she once again reached out for me. I gave her the softest of smiles as I lifted her from her cradle and pulled her close to my chest.

"Emeline," I whispered.

"Papa," she answered, gently laying her head against my shoulder and pressing her arms against me. Tears filled my eyes as my daughter laid against me. I pressed a kiss to her temple, thinking back on the many times her mother had done the same. How was I going to explain to a one year old little girl that she would never see her mother again? "Papa?" Emeline asked, lifting her small head from my shoulder to gaze up at me, blinking her dark blue eyes. Her chubby hand went to rest against my cheek, playing with the tears under her fingers. "Papa cry?"

"Emeline," I whispered, going to sit in the rocking chair Leon had made for her.

"Papa sah?" she asked, looking up at me with large sad eyes. Her wisps of brown hair framed her angelic face, making her appear like an angel.

"Yes angel, papa's sad," I murmured.

On the other side of the castle Morgana sat in her chambers, rocking a sobbing little boy in her arms. Anyone who had not known, would have thought they were looking in on a touching moment between a mother and son. He resembled her, his hair dark brown and his eyes wide and expressive.

"It's ok little one," she whispered, gently stroking his hair.

"Mama Morgana, why is papa angry with me?" he asked, looking up at her with large blue eyes.

"He is not angry with you," Morgana soothed as she pushed the hair from his eyes. He looked so much like his father that at times Morgana felt she was looking at Merlin instead of his son. However he had changed, his hair growing lighter with each passing year.

"He is, he would not look at me. Mama Morgana, I am scared. What happened to mama? Papa said she was dead. Dead means she's gone to Heaven, no? Why did she leave me? Who will take care of me?" he asked, tears welling in his eyes as he looked up at the raven haired beauty.

"Your papa is sad Art, your mama has gone up to Heaven and he is angry that she has gone. He is not mad at you darling. Your mama did not want to leave you, precious, she wanted to stay here with you but she was sick and had to go to Heaven to make a home for you for when you go to be with her." Morgana gave the small boy a smile as she repositioned her godson so he faced her. "I will take care of you Art, I will look after you."