Disclaimer: Merlin does not belong to me and I do not make any monetary profit from these stories I write using the characters and places owned by BBC and Shine.
A/N There will not be much dialogue in the earlier part of Gwaine's history as I wished to move things along and also because I wasn't sure what a five year old would say!
"What do you mean 'an evil old toad'? Merlin asked, not even sure if Gwaine was being serious.
"Well, that's being kind actually. She could've saved our mam if she'd cared enough." Gwaine mused, staring into the flames.
Merlin examined his friend closely in alarm as he started the story of his early childhood...
Gwaine had fond memories of the house he had lived in with his mother and sister for the first five years of his life. It had been a modest but comfortable dwelling in the wealthier part of Castleton, the town which had grown up around the castle where Caerleon's royal family lived. He recalled his mother singing happily in her sweet, gentle voice she did her embroidery and the cold winter afternoons when all three of them sat beside the large fireplace in the living room, cosy and safe from the outside world.
Of course, his father had lived with them too, but spent so much time away fighting for the King's army, that Gwaine had no concrete memory of him.
The day he learned his father had died was etched into his memory forever. He had heard a horse approach the house followed shortly by a pitiful scream of anguish from his beloved mother. By the time he ran outside to see what was wrong, his mother was sobbing frantically and the horseman was standing in front of her looking aggrieved, clearly in the middle of delivering some unwanted news.
"My lady, I am deeply sorry to bring you this sad news but as your husband died right beside me on the battlefield, I felt it my duty to inform you in person."
As the wife of a soldier, Gwaine's mother always feared such an outcome, but she was unprepared for the gravity of her distress when her nightmare came true.
"Your husband was a brave man, my Lady, who fought bravely and died with honour. You should be proud."
As the man of the house, Gwaine was desperate to consol his bereaved mother. "Mam, don't cry so. I'll look after you." He begged her, reaching his arms around his mother's skirts. The sight of his beloved mother suffering so had more impact on him than the loss of a father he'd never known.
The months that followed were near the worst of his life. His mother was in a state of grief to begin with but as the weeks went by, the reason for her distress became more about how she was going to bring up two children without a knights wages and standing in the community.
Gwaine's sister was 10 years older than him and had her own take on the tragic events. Berenice was an attractive, proud and haughty girl, who did not take after her mother at all in looks or character. Even at 16 years old, her prime concern at the death of their father had been the loss of wealth and subsequent drop in social standing that would eventuate. She had her eye and one of the younger knights and was determined to make her way up in the world via a suitable marriage.
She had been working on getting this boy into her clutches for over a year and was beyond angry when it looked as though her plans were ruined.
Clarice was the opposite of her superficial daughter. She was honest, reliable and dignified. She loved both her children dearly and was willing to swallow her pride if it meant they would be provided for. Thus, 3 months after her husband's death when things were becoming desperate, she found herself in front of the King, asking for some sort of allowance or pension. Her husband had been a faithful and brave defender of Caerleon for many years so surely his dependants deserved some sort of support?
The King didn't even respect her enough to meet her eye as he forthrightly dismissed her from the Council Rooms. She returned to her home a shattered woman. All her respect for nobility and faith in her sovereign, gone.
She had heard tales from the market stall holders and other peasants of how they looked after each other in a crisis. In one story, the family of a blacksmith who'd had a horrible accident which rendered him blind, were gifted food and rent until they got another sort of income worked out. One of her previous stable boys had been taken in by a neighbour when he was 3 years old after the death of his family in a house fire.
In her time of need, she had been abandoned by her king. High born acquaintances - they were never really friends - were either too afraid of a backlash from the king or too stingy to offer financial assistance. Many of them lived in chambers within the castle and viewed themselves superior to the few noble families who chose not to. It had been Gareth's choice not to live within the castle walls as he felt it was a hotbed of political manoeuvring and currying of favour amongst the knights and other resident nobles. Perhaps that stroke of independence had been part of the reason why they failed to help her now?
Looking back, Gwaine knew that this was where his mistrust and antipathy of nobility originated. Over the next few years he watched his once beautiful, proud mother become a husk of her former self.
A/N I cannot recall any mention of Gwaine's family members names, so i have made them up. Also, i don't know if the name of the King at the time when Gwaine's father was a knight, has been established so i just refer to him as 'the King". Hope i haven't erred or offended.
Poor Gwaine and his mam, don't you think?