Who is Hunith?
A/N: Have I wet your appetite? Please let me know by leaving a review as it encourages me to continue! Anyway, while doing some research on the meaning of names, I discovered that Ygraine actually does mean 'mother of Arthur' and Uther's means 'farther of Arthur'!
Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin or any of its characters.
Chapter One - A Public Secrete
The maid-servant knocked gently before entering the bedchambers. Inside stood a tall man with dark hair speckled with grey. He nodded at the maid before turning to a seated lady with hair so gold and eyes so blue that she radiated beauty. Kissing her gently on the lips, he said softly, "I have duties to attend to, I shall return later." With a swift turn on his heel, he marched out of the bedchamber.
The maid curtsied before turning her attention to the dresses that were scattered about. She began to sort them into two piles, one for dresses that could still be worn and another for dresses that no longer fitted. It was a task the maid had taken to almost doing daily as the seated lady was heavily pregnant with her first child. She fingered the fabrics; her highness had only been able to wear some of the dresses a couple of times before the growing child had rendered them useless. As she worked, she was aware of her highness watching her.
"It is a shame, isn't it Hunith?" The seated lady asked her maid-servant.
Hunith stopped her work and looked up, "Milady?"
"All of this," the lady swept her arm, gesturing to the dresses, "That such finely tailored dresses, made out of the finest cloths should go to waste."
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Hunith placed the vase of spring blossoms on the dressing table before beginning the nightly task of turning down the bed covers. Fluffing up the bolsters, she mentally made a note to remind herself to arrange for them to be re-stuffed. After completing that task, she started the last task of the day, after this, she would be His.
The queen opened out her arms to allow Hunith to undress her. Hunith drew the overdress carefully over the queen's head and began the complicated task of undoing the laces to her under-dress.
"Before you finish for the night, let Uther know I have gone to bed." The queen told Hunith.
Hunith merely nodded.
"Last night, the child would do nothing but kick. If I have a night like that again, I do not want to be disturbed in the morning."
Again, Hunith nodded and directed the now dressed (for bed) queen to her dressing table. The queen sat down. Hunith removed the clasps that held the queen's hair in place. The golden locks tumbled down her back, "Oh, Hunith, did I tell you? Uther and I have decided on the name!"
Hunith stopped brushing as the queen's hair as she turned towards her. The queen's eyes sparkled in the candlelight, "if the child is a boy, we have decided on Arthur as it means noble strength. If it is a girl, it shall be Adela as that name means noble and serene."
"Milady has chosen such lovely names." Hunith replied as she started brushing the queen's hair again.
The queen looked at Hunith in the mirror, "Yes they are. I am just glad that we managed to agree on them considering how stubborn Uther is. I pity anybody trying to broker a peace deal with him!" She let out a small laugh.
Having finished brushing the queen's hair, Hunith helped settle her into bed. Just as Hunith turned to leave, the queen spoke up again, "Say hello to Gaius for me."
Hunith's face burned as she made a hasty curtsy and exit.
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Gaius sat reading yet another book (he must remember to put some more shelves up) when he heard his door open. Looking up, he saw the only woman he had ever truly loved. He hadn't realized just how late it was. Standing up, he looked at her sheepishly, "I was going to make some supper for …"
Hunith stopped him mid-sentence with a finger on his lips, "it doesn't matter. You do know the queen knows about us?"
The physician considered what she had said. He opened his mouth, closed it, took Hunith's hand and kissed it before replying, "I don't care who knows. I just want to be with you." He kissed her gently on her lips.
All worry inside the maid-servant's body melted away as she led the physician to his room.
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At the most southern tip of Uther's lands, a great dragon roared, "The Prophecy has begun!"
And to the north, a woman of black hair and blue eyes looked up to the stars and whispered as to answer the dragon, "Will he fulfill his destiny?"
The child within the queen was still, for it was in awe.
Laying next to her beloved, Hunith felt a great peace settle over her.