/ / / The Signs Of A Curse / / /
They did not notice anything the first year, nor the second, but then halfway through the third year Gaius came to Uther.
"Sire," Gaius said bowing before his king. "Some of the nobles have come to me over the last year with the same complaint. I did not put it together until recently and have been conducting some enquiries. I fear I might know what the witch meant when she said the kingdom would suffer for the purge."
Uther sat up higher on his throne and watched Gaius with intrigued eyes. "What is it, Gaius?"
"A number of nobles have been visiting me requesting help with fertility; it seems that a number of their wives are having difficulty getting pregnant. It was only a month ago that I realised I have spoken to one in every three nobles that have been here in the last year and all had the same complaint. I sent messages to some midwives I know around Camelot as well as talking to the ones here in the castle and in the town and everyone said the same thing. None of them had put it together either but they agreed there are not as many children being born, less every year. The midwives here in town and I went over their records and the rate has dropped steadily since the purge began. I fear that rather than come at you with brute strength they have attacked the very future of Camelot."
Uther was quiet for a long time and then he looked up at Gaius. "Are you sure?"
"I cannot be sure unless they admit it but it makes sense; given everything."
"Given what exactly?" Uther demanded sharply.
Gaius looked at the knights and nobles gathered in the room with them and chose his words carefully. "Given the circumstances that began the great purge this curse is retribution in kind – an eye for an eye as it were."
Uther stood up and growled at his knights and nobles to leave them alone. When the large doors were closed and Gaius was alone with Uther the king stalked up to Gaius. "What do you mean?"
Gaius took a deep breath. "Sire, the old religion gave you a son. You were warned that there would be consequences for your actions and now the kingdom is having trouble producing children. It is retaliation for the death of so many magic users."
"If the old religion likes balance so much then more children should be born to make up for the people dying."
"The balance isn't in the lives it is in the meaning, you got a child from the bargain and they lost their freedom they cannot take Arthur because he was born of magic so they take from you your kingdom instead."
"Arthur is not magic," Uther spat out.
"No, Sire. He has shown no ability at all but he was born of magic and that will prevent Nimueh from being able to kill him as she gave him life." Gaius explained hoping he was not going to have to test the young prince for signs of magic more regularly.
"No one gave him life but me," Uther said glaring at Gaius who sighed deeply and nodded his head bowed.
"Yes, Sire, forgive me. Arthur is not what is important. I fear that Camelot is having fewer children and I would like to send some messengers to all the villagers in Camelot to find out about the births that have occurred over the last three years."
"Very well," Uther said. "Send the men you need to and keep me informed."
"Sire," Gaius said backing out of the room. "I shall tell you as soon as I know anything."
"Goodbye, Gaius," Uther said sitting down and refusing to look at Gaius again.
Gaius sighed and went back to his chambers to start on the list of questions he would need the midwives to answer. Within a day ten messengers were dispatched out in all directions to gather the information for Gaius. It took a week for the reports to start coming in and in that time Uther was more distant than he had been since the beginning of the purge. Gaius reported to him daily to say there was nothing new and was dismissed each time by a disappointed wave of his king's hand.
The information started arriving and Gaius compiled it - the picture appearing on the parchment in front of him was not good for the future of Camelot. That evening Gaius went to the king.
"Sire," Gaius said bowing. "I have some results from my investigations." Gaius looked around the room. "Perhaps we should speak alone."
"Sir Gorlois, stay, everyone else you are dismissed." Uther said his most trusted knight standing by his side as the rest of the room left.
"Sir Gorlois," Gaius said looking at the tall blonde knight. "How is Lady Vivienne?"
"Pregnant, Gaius. She would like to travel here to have the babe since you provided her much comfort with Morgause and she is worried that this birth will be just as hard as the last."
"She is more than welcome to see me, Gorlois, as always."
"I asked Gorlois to stay since he is proof that your theory may in fact be false." Uther said his tone condescending but Gaius simply straightened his shoulders and stepped forward.
"I fear I was right. I have heard back from most of the midwives in Camelot, I asked them for details on all the births they had been present at since the year before the purges began and what I have found is condemning. The number of babies had dropped steadily each year since the first witch burned."
"I am sure the number of children born each year changes," Gorlois said looking at Gaius.
"That is true however the last few years the rate has been steadily dropping, and the women all said that they had also had requests from a number of couples regarding an inability to conceive."
"How bad is it Gaius?" Uther said sitting forward on his throne.
"The year of the Arthur's birth the lands of Sir Kay produced thirty children, the next year they produced twenty, last year they produced sixteen and this year they have only had ten babies born though there are another two women pregnant. That rate is pretty standard throughout the kingdom."
"What can we do?" Uther asked and Gaius could see the worry there now where before there had been disbelief and betrayal.
"Nothing," Gaius said. "I have been researching but the only way to combat this I see is through magic or through surrender – if you were to stop with the purge."
Uther stood quickly and stalked towards Gaius stopping when the older man could feel the hot breath of his king. "I shall never surrender to the whim of magic; they prove their evil intentions with every man who does not have a son and every woman who does not have a daughter. I refuse to ever stop hunting witches until they are gone from this land and all men are free to complete their day without fear of enchantment."
"Yes, Sire," Gaius said stepping back and bowing his head. "I shall continue to look into possible solutions."
"Gaius, I assume that your support of our mission to remove magic from this land has not diminished."
"No, Sire. I serve you and your mission as always but I felt the need to at least give you all the options available to us at the moment. We will be able to find a solution to this problem."
Uther backed off and returned to his throne.
"Gaius," Gorlois said. "Is there anything else?"
"Yes," Gaius said. "I asked for information about the lineage of the parents. It seems people in the peasant class are having more children than nobles, and couples where one of the parents is from another kingdom also have a greater chance of conceiving."
"Which could be why Vivienne and I were able to conceive as she is from Lot's kingdom." Gorlois said.
"Quite possibly," Gaius said carefully keeping his eyes from Uther's.
"Why would magic users leave the peasants alone?" Uther said looking at Gaius.
"A peasant's livelihood relies on them having sons," Gorlois pointed out pragmatically and Gaius was pleased he had not been the one to have said it.
"Noble houses only survive on the presence of sons," Uther said thumping his fist down on the arm of his throne.
"Yes, Sire," Gorlois said. "However noble houses survive on the backs of the peasants who work their land and who create products from what is grown there."
Gaius kept his mouth closed and allowed Gorlois to make the argument for them both. Gorlois had been a pragmatic and truthful man for as long as Gaius had known him, he was nobler than any of Uther's other knights and he knew and respected all the people under his protection. Gorlois was also right, Uther was a good King but he saw peasants only as the people who worked for him and saw no worth in knowing them as people or in treating them as anything other than the people who should be pleased to do all they could to serve their King. Uther's blindness to the worth of all people in his kingdom was one of the flaws that Gaius had never been able to forgive even as he was forced to accept it.
"Peasants survive on the grace of the noble houses that allow them to find a living on their lands." Uther said sitting forward and watching Gorlois closely.
Gorlois watched Uther warily for a moment before nodding and stepping back, his expression resigned, he nodded once and Gaius could see that he did not agree but like everyone he sat back and allowed the king to believe that his way was true and right and all those around him were in agreement even when he knew it was not the case.
"Gaius," Uther said turning to him suddenly. "You have three days to come up with another plan, something to do to stop this curse. Come back then."
"Sire," Gaius said bowing again and turning to leave.
"Sir Gorlois, would you mind leaving me. I would like to think on this alone."
"Sire," Gorlois said bowing and walking out beside Gaius telling him of the changes in Morgause over the last year since their last visit.
The heavy doors closed behind them and Gaius asked Gorlois up to share his midday meal so they could talk about Morgause, Vivienne and the pregnancy.
Gaius spent the next three days reading every magic book that he could find in his personal collection and Geoffrey's, he spoke to every historian in Camelot, spoke to the old women in the lower town who knew everything there was to know about the kingdom and magic even if they had none of their own.
On the third day Uther sent for Gaius to meet him in the King's private council chambers, Gaius took the only book that helped in any way and made his way to his King. Gaius knocked on the door and stepped in when invited; the king was alone in the room and waved Gaius over to the chair on the other side of his desk. This room was used only for these private meetings or when the king was dealing with matters of state alone, the small room contained current records and other things the king needed but it was used much less regularly than the main council chambers. Gaius had spent a lot of time in this room over the years but this was the first time he had stepped foot into the room and honestly felt as though he should turn and walk out again. Uther was glaring at him from across the table and Gaius now knew the intimidation that Uther caused in his enemies.
"Sire," Gaius said just before sitting down.
"What do you have for me, Gaius?"
"Not much I fear, Sire," Gaius said assuming that Uther's earlier command to call him by name when they were in private would not be welcomed today. "I have read every book that could be of use, from the records, from my own collection and from anyone of learning in Camelot. I have spoken to Aunt Annie from down in the lower town who is older than any other person in Camelot and remembers things from before most books in the records. There is no mention of a curse like this, there is no evidence of anything like this having ever been done before or even written down as a possibility. From everything I have been able to find here is no counter-curse; there is nothing we can do that will end this curse short of ending the purge."
"That will not happen, Gaius," Uther said, his voice cold and condescending. "I cannot bow to the demands of people who would sink so low as to rob men and women of the ability to have children."
"I understand, Sire," Gaius said. "I can see nothing that we can do but I shall continue to do all I can to solve this."
Uther smiled then and Gaius felt the dread sink low in his stomach at the sight. "I have a solution, Gaius. With the help of some of my knights I have compiled a list of people that have been known to use magic in the years before it was banned. I will show people with magic that we will not bow to their punishment of my people. I will show them through our determination that nothing will alter our beliefs and our firm stance on magic. I will comfort my people with my strength and unwavering resolve."
Gaius accepted the piece of parchment but stopped himself from looking over the names; he didn't want to know just yet who was on it, not in front of Uther who was watching him much too closely for comfort at the moment.
"What would you like me to do, Sire?"
"I want you to be in charge of this mission; you know many of the people on that list and will be able to assist the knights in locating and finding them and ensuring that they are returned to Camelot for one group exorcism of magic from the kingdom. There shall be a feast for every person in Camelot to attend to celebrate the death of more magic than any burning that we have had before and to show the people who think they can harm our kingdom that nothing they do will stop us from living our lives by our beliefs."
"Of course, Sire," Gaius said bowing his head to his King knowing this for what it was, a test of his resolve when it came to Uther's mission. Gaius felt it slipping, Uther was losing sight of his determination to purge evil from the land and with every step against him lead by sorcery he lost himself more to the hatred and distrust of magic. Gaius had thought that his help was retribution for the death of his queen but the more innocent magic users who burned and the more women who came to him wanting nothing more than a baby to hold made him wonder if any of this was worth it.
"You have a month, Gaius. You may go." Uther said picking up a sheet of parchment from his desk and ignoring Gaius who stood and walked out of the room, the parchment in his hand growing heavier with every step towards his chambers. The second the door was closed and locked behind him he pulled the parchment open and looked at the long list of magic users. There she was black ink against the fine parchment Uther had used to write this list of witches and warlocks. Alice. The woman Gaius had given up for his king. Without a thought Gaius removed her name from the list and sunk down into his chair. He did not want to do this and yet he had committed himself to his King and to his kingdom and he could see no other option but to round up this list of people who had all helped Camelot in her hours of need and march them to the courtyard to be burned while the people of Camelot were told to celebrate the very actions that would rob them of their ability to have sons to work the land and swell the armies and to have daughters who would look after them as they grew older and provided the very heart of Camelot.
Gaius didn't know what to do as he sat there looking at his list of magic users and let the day pass him by contemplating the fate he had forced upon himself.
/ / /
