"A girl?!" A loud and displeased voice echoed through a dimly lit hallway.
"Yes, your Majesty. Igraine has given birth to a girl." The mid-wife replied timidly to the king. His face was pinched in disappointment. He sharply turned his back to her and stomped through the stone hallways before she could say anything else. His crimson cape flowed behind him. He treaded through a wide hall, with large windows that showed a sea of tree tops, he then turned to a more narrow hall with no windows. At the end of the hall was a lonely wooden door, it seemed just like the rest of the wooden doors that the kind had passed as he hurried through the halls, but this door seemed very out of place. As he swiftly headed down the hallway he was reaching his destination, but just before he could reach for the handle on the door, the short-lived and subtle cry of a newborn escaped from the room behind the lonely door and the King had stopped in his tracks. He became hesitant to open the door and enter the room. He took a deep breath, grit his teeth and reached for the door handle, placing his hand on the handle, he slowly pulled it forward which caused it to make a clanked noise. He placed his other hand on the door and pushed it open.
It was a candle-lit room with no windows. There was a large carpet which covered most of the stone floor and there were banners hung up on the walls. There was a large bed with thick blankets stretched across it, and there was a blonde haired woman who laid under the blankets. Her arms were over the blankets, they were cradling a bundle of wrapped white sheets. Her eye's met the king's eyes and she smiled warmly at him.
"Forgive me, Uther. It seems my womb can only bear girls." She says calmly. She beckons King Uther with her free hand to come to her side. He slowly walks to her, keeping his eyes strictly on the bundle in her arms. As he walks to the side of her bed, the face of a baby is reveled to him.
"She has your eyes." She says, looking lovingly down at the newborn. She cuddles the newborn close to her face.
"Igraine, are you feeling well?" His eyes look down to the floor carpet from the mother and child.
"I am very well, perhaps a bit tired though." She lays the baby next to her and re-positions herself onto her side.
"Would you like to name her?" She asks as she places her hand over the baby wrapped in white linen. The King does not answer. She looks up as him, his face turned back to disappointment. She opens her mouth as if to speak, but words are lost. The baby makes a quiet noise. Almost a yawning sound. Igraine begins to speak.
"Well, if you don't want to name her, I have a fine name in mind. I think Arturia would be a suiting name for her. It's a name that stands for nobility, courage, and strength." She says, trying to lift the tension away from herself.
"This changes everything. I was supposed to have a male heir." He clenches his fists. He silently walks to the door and opens it. Just before he leaves, the baby lets out a short giggle, his head shoots back and looks at his newly born daughter. His face had changed from a disappointed look into a sorrowful one. He breathes in, and stares blankly at her for just a moment before turns his face forward and walks out of the door, shutting it closely behind. Not far down the hallway is a hooded figure leaning against the right wall of grey stone.
"Merlin..." King Uther announces the name of the mysteriously hooded figure. The King walks up closer to him.
"This isn't what we've planned. Igraine was supposed to give birth to an heir." Uther had slight weakness in his voice. Merlin snickered, his teeth showed brightly.
"But she did give you an heir, my highness." There was a hint of sarcasm in Merlin's words.
"She's given birth to a girl, Merlin. She cannot be the heir to the throne," Uther's hand gestured as he spoke.
Merlin replied."She is the heir, Uther. And she shall be the one who will sit on your throne."
"No, the subjects of this kingdom will not allow for such a thing to occur."
"But they will, Uther. You should spend the rest of your day accepting your daughter's fate to inherit the throne. Now, if you don't mind, I have to make a visit to the village." Merlin turned and walked out of the hall. Before he reached the larger hallway, he stopped.
"Oh, that's right. What is your daughter's name?" Merlin asked without even turning his head.
"Her name..." The king had a hint of sorrow in his voice. "Her, no I mean, my daughter's name is Arturia."
"Ah. Fancy that, it's a suitable name for the future ruler of Britain." Merlin continued and turned left into the windowed hall way. King Uther quickly followed in Merlin's tracks, but when he reached the lengthy hallway, Merlin had vanished.
"How very unpleasant." He said under his breath.