Chapter Four
Gaius knew that he could thank his long friendship with Geoffrey for his relative freedom to browse the shelves of the vast library, and to bring books back to his quarters rather than having to read them under the stern, watchful gaze of the court librarian, who had a habit of hovering over visitors to the library, as though he feared that they would do something to damage the books they read. It was also thanks to his friendship with Geoffrey that the other man had kept this volume waiting for him, when there were so many people anxious to lay hands on books about King Bruta.
Lords and ladies to whom the legendary King of Camelot was only a name a couple of days ago were filled with curiousity about him after what had happened at the ceremony the previous day, and Geoffrey was constantly pestered with requests for books about his history.
The volume Geoffrey had slipped to him was old, bound in musty smelling leather. The pages were dry with age and the ink had faded a little but the script was fine and clear, the work of a trained scribe who took great pride in his work. He handled the book with care, knowing that his friendship with Geoffrey would not save him if he returned one of the precious books in his charge to him torn or dirty. At the very least, it would mean an end to his relatively free access to the library.
Most of the tales in the book were accounts of the battles King Bruta fought to unite a divided land under his rule, or of how the newly united kingdom prospered under his rule, of the laws put in place for the protection of the people, the army that defended the kingdom's borders from those who sought to claim it as their own, and the system of taxation that was put in place to ensure that each citizen of Camelot would pay his fair share towards the upkeep of the kingdom that sheltered him. There were even a few anecdotes about cases on which King Bruta sat in judgment over disputes between citizens or when one was accused of a crime, preserved in the annals of his reign so that future generations might know of his wisdom and justice.
Uther had modelled himself after his illustrious ancestor, at least to an extent, seeking to emulate King Bruta's wisdom and justice but, unlike Uther, King Bruta did not shun magic. To him, it was a tool, like any other, and one that could be of great use when wielded wisely.
On another day, Gaius would have enjoyed reading more of the history of Uther's ancestor, as he had an interest in the history of Camelot but not the leisure time to do much reading, aside from his studies of anatomy and medicine but today, there was only one story he was interested in reading. He flicked through the pages in search of it and, when he found it, he read it several times over, scanning the pages for details he might have missed in previous readings.
He was engrossed in the book when the sound of stomping footsteps and a slammed door heralded Merlin's arrival.
"What's the matter?" Gaius asked.
Like everybody else, Merlin was stunned by yesterday's revelation, so much so that he had said very little on the subject to him. He spent the evening attending to Arthur, and Gaius had retired to bed by the time he came in. This morning, Merlin was up unusually early, scrambling into his clothes and hurrying to his duties, barely taking the time to bid Gaius 'good morning' before he left. Gaius would have had to be a fool not to anticipate that Merlin would be far from pleased by the events of the previous day, and what it would mean for Arthur, so it did not surprise him to see the dark scowl on his face, or the way his lips were pressed into a thin line, as though he was struggling to keep from saying something that he knew would get him into trouble.
"Everything," Merlin groused. "I went to Arthur's chambers first thing this morning to light the fire before he woke up but the basket of firewood hadn't been filled yet. And then when I found Bran, he told me that he had to see to it that Sir Lucan and Lady Olwen's firewood was delivered first but he'd deliver Arthur's later," he said, referring to the youth whose duty it was to ferry firewood to the chambers used by members of the royal family and their noble guests. Like everybody else, Bran was kept very busy, with so many visiting nobles in the castle. "I had to wait ages for him to show up with the wood, so Arthur was awake before the fire was lit. The room was freezing! Arthur didn't say anything but I know that it bothered him. I was lucky to be able to get a jug of hot water from the kitchens for him, with the way everybody was pushing past me. One of the maids who came with a guest took a jug out of my hands without a word and walked off with it! And then when I went to get breakfast for Arthur, Audrey hit me over the head with her spoon before I could finish filling a tray, and then made me wait until the other breakfast trays were ready before she would give me anything for Arthur. If one of the kitchen maids hadn't saved some eggs and honey for me, all I'd have had to bring up would be bread, porridge and ale!" Merlin exhaled in frustration, scowling at the memory of his trying morning.
Gaius listened to the tale of woe without interrupting, waiting until Merlin finished his retelling before speaking. "It's not surprising, under the circumstances," he pointed out gently. "You can't blame Bran or Audrey, or any of the other servants for treading carefully, given the uncertain state of affairs at the moment. Not every servant is as lucky as you are."
Although Merlin would dispute it very vocally, he was very fortunate in his master. Few nobles, let alone royals, would have tolerated his clumsiness, his frequent complaints about his duties and mostly good-natured insults, not to mention the fact that it was not unusual for him to be nowhere to be found, when he was occupied defending Camelot from some threat or another. Arthur might deny that he was fond of him but he would not have allowed him to remain as his manservant if he had not quickly come to like and trust him. Other members of the royal household did not share Merlin's immunity, and must be constantly on guard against doing anything that might cause offence to their betters, for fear that they would find themselves dismissed if they did.
Merlin looked ready to object but Gaius didn't give him a chance to. Knowing how vital it was that Merlin be made to understand how things stood now, for his own sake, he seized the opportunity to impress his point on the boy, to make him see why things could no longer be as they were.
"Until now, you have been the Prince's manservant, so it was to be expected that, after the King's chambers, Arthur's would be the first to have firewood delivered, and you could expect to have the kitchen servants make his needs a priority, so you didn't have to wait for hot water, or for Audrey to get food together for Arthur's meals. Things will be different now."
"Arthur's still the same person he always was!" Merlin protested, objecting to the idea that his friend was now regarded as less than he was before.
"The same person, yes, but not the same title." Uther might not have formally stripped Arthur of the title of Prince yet but nobody would ever again address him as such. Even those who sympathised with him would not dare to treat him as a Prince. "Virtually every lord, lady and knight in the kingdom saw him prove that he was not the King's son, so they don't see him as Prince Arthur any longer, they see him as a child of adultery, with no claim to royal status, much less to the throne. Even if they knew the truth about Arthur's birth, it wouldn't change the fact that he has no Pendragon blood in his veins," he added, before Merlin could defend Ygraine from the posthumous charge of adultery. "Quite a few of the nobles who have come to stay in the castle are easily offended and, as Arthur is no longer a Prince, they would object to being kept waiting for his sake. Bran and Audrey cannot take it upon themselves to decide that a lord should be kept waiting for the sake of a... I don't even know what Arthur would be considered now."
He had faith that Uther would make a move to regularise Arthur's position in the near future, for the sake of clarity if nothing else, but until he did, nobody could be certain where Arthur stood. For all they knew, he was no longer to be considered a noble, if it was ruled that even Ygraine's de Bois blood could not entitle her illegitimate son to be considered to be of noble birth, not when there was no way of proving that his father was not a commoner.
"I suppose they'll be falling over themselves to see to it that Morgana is taken care of," Merlin commented bitterly, his scowl deepening.
"I doubt very much that she will notice any difference in the way the royal household treats her," Gaius contradicted in a cool, even voice, frowning at Merlin's bitter tone. While it was true that Merlin was not as close to Morgana as he was to Arthur and Guinevere, Gaius had thought that they were friends and did not like the note of hostility in Merlin's voice as he spoke of her. "Uther has always made it very clear that he expected her to be treated as his daughter."
Uther had never tolerated anything less than that Morgana should be treated with the respect due to a member of the royal family. Gaius could remember the days following Gorlois' death, while arrangements were made for Morgana to make her journey from Cornwall to Camelot, and Uther was always adamant that his new ward was to be regarded as a princess in everything but title. At the time, he and everyone else in the palace believed that Uther's friendship with Gorlois, and perhaps his guilt over the man's death, was the reason why he was so determined to see to it that Gorlois' little daughter would enjoy every comfort and honour he could grant her. Now that the truth about Morgana's paternity was known, Gaius could only imagine how difficult it must have been for Uther to have his child with him but to have to keep from claiming her as his own.
"So it was fine for everybody to treat her like a princess before they knew that she was Uther's daughter but Arthur is nothing now and he's supposed to leave with his tail between his legs!" Merlin exclaimed, angry on his friend's behalf.
"Not nothing," Gaius corrected him sharply, his frown deepening. "Uther loves Arthur, and that's not going to change. I can't imagine that he wants Arthur to leave, or that he would allow him to. He is going to need time to sort things out but I am sure that Arthur will always be welcome to call Camelot 'home', and that Uther will arrange a suitable place for him."
"But he won't be the heir to the throne anymore." It wasn't a question but Merlin still looked to Gaius with wide blue eyes, as though willing his mentor to reassure him that he was wrong, to point out some potential solution he might have overlooked.
"No. I doubt it will be long before Uther formally vests the succession in Morgana and her heirs."
Given that Morgana was born out of wedlock, it would be necessary for Uther to formally acknowledge her as his daughter in order to safeguard her claim against any rivals who might try to argue that her illegitimacy rendered her unfit to take the throne but as Uther had no other children and was at an age where nobody would want to wait for him to remarry and father another child, he doubted that there would be any objections once Uther declared his intention to name Morgana his heir. If anything, it was a relief to people to know that there was somebody in line to take the throne, now that Arthur could no longer be regarded as having any right to claim it. The fact that she could wield the Sword of King Bruta would serve to silence any objections that might be made to the idea of a woman as Uther's heir.
"But he can decree that Arthur is still the heir to the throne," Merlin pointed out hopefully, eager to seize on any chance that Arthur might still be King. "When the troll enchanted him, he was able to disinherit Arthur for her sake, even though she had no Pendragon blood. Nobody wanted to see her become heir but they couldn't stop Uther naming her if he wanted to. He can always declare that he wants Arthur to remain his heir. He could say that Morgana and her children are to rule after Arthur, even if he has a child of his own," he added, half-grudgingly.
While he was certain that Uther would want to see to it that any grandchildren Morgana gave him did not miss out on the throne, he was still hopeful that he would see that he could leave Camelot in no safer hands than Arthur's. Arthur was the one who was born to rule Camelot, and who was taught all that a King needed to know since he was a small child. Once he was King, Arthur would prove to everybody that he needed no Pendragon blood to be a great ruler, and nobody would argue with him if he and Guinevere had a son, and he named him his heir, despite Uther's decree.
"And what reason do you think Uther can give as to why he would rather leave his throne to his late wife's bastard rather than to his only child?" Gaius saw Merlin flinch at his use of the word 'bastard' but there was no sense in him sugar coating the truth. In the eyes of Camelot, and of all Albion once word of what had happened reached the rulers of the other kingdoms, Arthur had no possible right to sit on Uther's throne. Men of royal and noble blood would find it particularly repugnant if he attempted to claim it. It would do Merlin no good to cling to a fantasy that things might somehow be allowed to continue as if nobody had ever learned that Arthur was no Pendragon. The moment he touched the Sword, everything was irrevocably changed.
"Arthur has done everything Uther wanted him to do to prove that he was worthy of the throne! And more! It's not fair to punish him for something he had no control over!" Merlin's voice grew progressively louder and he grew progressively angrier at the thought that, despite everything Arthur had done, despite everything he was destined to do… everything they were destined to do together, Arthur was to be punished for the circumstances of his birth, and Albion was to lose out on the rule of a great King, who would have united the land and led it into a golden age.
"That is how it is, Merlin," Gaius said, more gently this time. "Uther fought for Camelot and won, so his right to be King is respected. Arthur was heir to the throne as Uther's son, not because he won the right to succeed him. If Uther's blood does not flow in his veins, he cannot and will not be accepted as his natural heir, least of all when Uther has a child of his own."
"But Arthur is meant to be King!" Merlin protested, unable to bring himself to give up on the idea that there was some solution to this mess, some way that he could see to it that Arthur became the King he was destined to be, no matter what anybody else might think about who had the right to succeed Uther. "This is a mistake! Something has gone wrong! Morgana isn't the one who is meant to rule Camelot! It's Arthur's destiny to be King and my destiny to help and protect him!"
For answer, Gaius slid the open book across the bench until it was directly in front of Merlin. He gestured to the account he wanted him to read. "Read that," he instructed.
The scowl on Merlin's face faded, replaced by an expression of concentration as he read the tale of King Bruta, his wife, Queen Alyse, and the events that led to the forging of the legendary Sword. When he finished reading and looked up to meet Gaius' gaze, his eyes were wide.
"Queen Alyse was a Seer." He wondered if Uther knew enough of his ancestress to be aware that she had magic. He couldn't imagine that it was something he would want known.
"She was," Gaius confirmed, "but as far as I can tell, her power worked a little differently to Morgana's. Morgana sees the future in her dreams but it seems that Queen Alyse was able to know things that would happen, without needing to it in her dreams. There's very little written about her. Most of the accounts focus on King Bruta, not his wife. I don't know whether she started by having dreams, and developed her power from there, or if it was always different. It is said that she helped her husband win many battles because she could anticipate when and how his enemies would strike. Most of the events she foresaw happened shortly afterwards, but this was different. She knew what was going to happen hundreds of years before it did. She knew that, one day, Camelot would be lost to King Bruta's true heir when a pretender took the throne."
"And when she told King Bruta, he had sorcerers enchant his sword so it would have the power to reveal who was of truly of his bloodline, and to expose any pretenders," Merlin finished.
"That's right."
"But she ruined everything!" Merlin exclaimed, frustrated to think that a woman centuries dead, a woman whose magic could have been no more than a fraction as powerful as his, had been able to ruin everything so thoroughly that even he could not put it right for Arthur. "What does it matter that Arthur isn't really descended from King Bruta? He was going to be the greatest King who ever lived, and he would build a greater kingdom than Bruta or Uther or Morgana ever could! That's more important than whose blood flows in his veins."
"I imagine that King Bruta felt differently. He sought to protect his heir, and believed that he was doing the best thing for Camelot."
"He was wrong!" Merlin all but spat the words, furious with the long-dead King.
"How can you be certain? Did you read the whole story? Queen Alyse didn't just foresee that a pretender would usurp the throne from the true heir! She foresaw the end of King Bruta's line and predicted that the kingdom would fall if the pretender took the throne. It was to be expected that they would seek to prevent this, however they could."
"They cost Camelot the greatest King it could ever have had. Arthur's destiny is to restore magic and unite Albion and rule over a golden age."
Merlin felt a hard lump form in his throat at the thought that everything he had worked so long for might all be for nothing. For two years, he served and protected Arthur, slaving away at a seemingly never-ending list of chores, striving to defend Arthur against threats without being able to let the man he protected know that he used magic to do so, and enduring the knowledge that, as far as virtually everybody in Camelot was concerned, he was just an ordinary commoner, fit only to serve his betters and fortunate that Uther had allowed him a place in the royal household. There were days when he felt so frustrated with his lot that only the shining promise of the destiny he would one day share with Arthur kept him in Camelot.
Now it seemed as though he was doomed never to realise his destiny.
There would be no King Arthur, ruling his people wisely and well, uniting the land under a monarch who would create a proud nation out of scattered kingdoms.
There would never be a day when Merlin could tell a newly crowned Arthur of his magic, finally letting him know of the many times he had used his magic, the magic that Uther had taught him to despise, to save his life and to protect his kingdom, a day when Arthur would realise that, in the right hands, magic was a powerful force for good and know that Merlin was the one person on whom he could always rely. He would not be able to be the protector and advisor of the greatest King who would ever live, serving as a living example of the good magic could do. While it was certain that Morgana would reverse Uther's laws against magic once she was Queen, he would not be part of that decision and she would never trust him as Arthur would have, not when he would either have to confess to having kept his magic a secret from her, despite knowing of hers, or else be doomed to have to continue to hide his gifts, even when others could use their magic freely.
There would be no Queen Guinevere, lovelier, wiser and more gracious than any princess could ever hope to be, showing the nobility how wrong they were to look down on those of common birth, thinking themselves superior for no better reason than that they had had the good fortune to be highborn, and becoming a Queen who could truly understand the needs of her people, as she had lived among them and knew of their lives and their struggles.
There would be no Albion, no new, golden world where every man, woman and child would be judged by their deeds, not their births, and where magic flourished.
Morgana might not be a bad Queen, she might even be a good Queen, but she would never be a great Queen and would never be able to accomplish as much as Arthur would have as King.
"How can you be so certain of that?"
Gaius' question caught him off-guard and for a moment, Merlin could only gape at him.
The destiny that had served as his guiding star for the past two years was so much a part of his life now that there were times when he almost forgot that he was the only one, apart from the Great Dragon, who knew of it. Gaius was aware that he spoke with the Great Dragon from time to time but he never pushed him to tell him what they spoke about.
"The Great Dragon told me, when I first came to Camelot, before I was even Arthur's manservant. Arthur is destined to be the greatest King who ever lived, as long as he has me there to protect him and guide him, to make sure that he becomes the King he is destined to be."
"I see." Gaius raised an eyebrow at this. He didn't have the heart to suggest to Merlin that the Great Dragon might have misled him in the hope of gaining his trust, knowing that there would never again be another with Merlin's power but he couldn't help but have his suspicions. Merlin was already angry and upset enough. "That was just one prophecy, Merlin," he pointed out. "One way that events might have happened, out of countless others. Queen Alyse had another prophecy and, like you, she and King Bruta acted according to the information they had about the future."
"But Arthur…" Merlin's protest was effectively silenced by a stern look from Gaius.
"They did what they believed was best. Who are you to decide that they were wrong to do so?"
Uther had expected that the issue of the succession, and of the respective positions of his children following the revelation during Arthur's aborted investiture, would be the first item on the agenda during the Council meeting and, while part of him dreaded it, he also knew that the best thing for everybody was to have matters sorted and to be done with it. Instead, to his surprise, the lords on his Council shied away from addressing the issue at first, focusing on other, safer and more trivial matters. It seemed that none of them were willing to be the first to address the matter.
Even Agravaine, who he would have thought would be eager to rub salt in his wounds, did not take the opportunity to raise the issue, though that was probably because even he could see that it would be unseemly for Ygraine's brother to allude to her supposed adultery in open Council.
Sir Cador, who was far from shy, also held his peace on the subject though, in his case, it was because he was waiting for the opportune moment to press his claim to Gorlois' lands. The question of Arthur's position interested Sir Cador only in terms of the impact it would have on Morgana's, and therefore his own. Once Uther formally claimed Morgana as his daughter, Sir Cador would be ready to argue that any claim she had to Gorlois' lands was nullified.
He knew that he ought to lay the issue on the table himself, as it would not grow any easier with waiting, but he remained silent, wanting to see which of the noblemen charged with acting as his advisors would be brave enough to be the first to broach a difficult subject. It was their duty to keep him informed and to counsel him about what was in the best interests of the kingdom, after all, even if they feared that he would not like what they had to say. He was curious to learn which of them had the courage to chance braving his anger for the sake of the kingdom.
He would not have expected Lord Dinadan to be the first to speak.
Lord Dinadan was no dullard, nor did he sit silently in Council meeting and leave it to others to do the talking while he did his best to look interested and engaged, as one or two of the lords did when it was their turn to take a seat on the Council despite preferring to remain in their own homes and seeing to the smooth running of their estates, but he was also not usually a man who wanted to be the first to broach an unpleasant topic, generally preferring to let somebody else raise the issue, and only then would he chime in with his opinion on the subject.
"Sire, we must speak of what we learned at Arthur's investiture," Lord Dinadan pointed out, opting not to refer to Arthur by any title, until he was given directions for how he was to be addressed. "The people need the security of knowing who will rule over them when you are gone."
Uther could not deny the truth of his words.
Before he and Ygraine were finally able to announce that she carried the heir to the throne, and before Arthur was born, concern about what would happen if he died without an heir had occupied the thoughts of the lords on his Council and, he was certain, the thoughts of many other citizens of Camelot, who feared to lose the peace, security and prosperity that the stable reign of a strong King had brought them. In those days, even when it was feared that Ygraine was barren, the lords did not believe that all hope was lost, not when Uther had the option of setting her aside and taking a new wife who would hopefully prove to be fertile. At his age, however, remarriage in the hope that he would father a new heir to the throne was not an option. He was not an old man but his chances of living long enough to see a child not yet conceived come of age were slim.
Even if he could bring himself to remarry, even if he was not too old to father more children, an infant heir would be of no use to him or to Camelot.
Morgana was his only child, and the only child he was likely to have.
She was the only Pendragon heir that he could hope to leave.
"It is a blessing that Your Majesty has a child of your blood," Agravaine chimed in smoothly. "Thankfully, the truth was exposed before my sister's bastard son could take a throne to which he has no right. I cannot tell you how deeply it grieves me to know that Ygraine betrayed you and this kingdom by placing a cuckoo in your nest, my lord. I can only be thankful that her boy will not be permitted to usurp the birthright of the true Pendragon heir. That would have been a travesty!"
Uther had to clench his hands into tight fists and will himself to keep from striking the man but he could see the approving nods of virtually every man seated at the Council table, with the exception of Gaius, at his words. He could imagine that they must all think that Agravaine was being very brave to face the unpleasant "truth" about his sister, rather than attempting to deny it, to insist that some deception was at play and to protest the idea of his nephew being disinherited. At least some of them were bound to be wondering if they would have been as willing to face the truth, if they stood in his shoes, or if they would have tried to deny it, despite being presented with indisputable evidence, unable to stomach the disgrace to their family's name and honour.
He knew better.
He knew that Agravaine must be aware that Ygraine was never guilty of adultery but, not only did he refrain from defending her name, he was happy to agree with those who condemned her and who spoke disparagingly of Arthur, the man they all praised to the skies just yesterday, and knew how much it hurt Uther not to be able to defend them.
"Lord Agravaine speaks the truth," Lord Dinadan stated, giving Agravaine an approving nod, while one of the other lords seconded him with a murmured "Well said." Agravaine inclined his head slightly by way of response, his expression neutral, save for the faint gleam of satisfaction Uther could see in his eyes. "Do you intend to recognise the Lady Morgana's claim to the throne, Sire?"
"I do."
At Uther's nod, Geoffrey of Monmouth rose to his feet, fumbling with the stack of documents in front of him to find the ones he wanted. It was no surprise that the man had come prepared. Uther imagined that, whatever decision he and his Council might have come to today, Geoffrey would have the necessary documentation prepared and neatly ordered in the stack in front of him, ready to be presented for his signature, saving the need to wait while papers were drawn up.
"Sire, is it your wish to formally acknowledge the Lady Morgana, formerly of the House of Gorlois, as your issue, so witnessed by the lords here present?" Geoffrey asked solemnly.
"It is," Uther confirmed.
When Geoffrey passed him the first of the prepared documents, he signed it and set his seal on it. It was then passed to each of member of the Council in turn, with the exceptions of Gaius and Geoffrey, so that they might sign and seal it as witnesses.
"And do you intend to confer on the said Lady Morgana Pendragon the title of Princess of Camelot and the status in law of your issue, lawfully begotten?"
"I do."
A second document was passed around, and a second set of signatures and seals affixed to it.
"And do you acknowledge the said Princess Morgana as heir to the throne of Camelot?"
"I do."
After the third document was circulated, signed, sealed and gathered up by Geoffrey, to be safely stowed in the vaults, several of the lords tentatively broached the subject of Morgana's investiture as Crown Princess. Uther knew that, despite the fact that the three witnessed documents would secure her claim to the throne in law, it would also be necessary to publicly present her to the people as the heir to the throne, especially after Arthur's aborted investiture. While it was true that Morgana was still some months away from coming of age, there was no law that forbade her investiture before then, and it was better to get it over with rather than dragging things out. However, he was not in any frame of mind to begin to plan for the ceremony.
"We will speak of that that later," he stated firmly, an obedient hush falling over the Council chamber at his words. "I must first discuss the matter with Princess Morgana." It felt odd to refer to his daughter by her royal title, after so many years of having to pretend that she was just his ward. Before he made any plans for her investiture, he knew that he should speak with her, and give her a chance to voice her preferences. He hoped that she would favour a quick, simple ceremony with minimal fuss rather than taking offence at the idea that he might view her investiture as less of a cause for celebration than Arthur's was to be. The last thing he needed or wanted was for this matter to drag on for weeks longer than it needed to while preparations were made for a suitably lavish ceremony. "It is not the only matter I intend to speak with her about," he added, catching Sir Cador's eye and fixing him with a frown that made it very clear that now was not the time for the man to renew his claim to Cornwall.
Thankfully, Sir Cador had the sense to hold his peace, at least for now.
"And what is to become of Arthur?" Of all of the members of the Council, men who had known Arthur since birth and who spent his childhood enthusing over what a fine young man he was, and what a great King he would be some day, only Gaius was prepared to broach the issue of his fate. The other Council members looked uncomfortable, casting wary glances in Uther's direction, as though they expected him to take offence at Gaius' concern for the young man he had raised and loved as his son since the day Arthur was born. Gaius met his gaze squarely, the determined set of his jaw making it clear that he expected a clear answer to his query.
It was a question that had occupied Uther's thoughts since the truth came out, and one to which he was thankful to have an answer.
"Sir Arthur earned his place as a knight of Camelot six years ago," he pointed out. Arthur had been young for it, so much so that Uther would have been wary of allowing him to take the challenge, worried that the boy would embarrass himself and the Pendragon name if he failed, had it not been for the insistence of his trainers that he was more than ready to pass any tests with flying colours. "He has served Camelot well since then, and it is my hope that he will continue to do so."
"But the First Code…" one of the lords began to protest, only to be silenced by Uther's quelling stare.
"Does not apply in this case. The First Code states that only those of noble blood may serve as knights, and makes no requirement for a candidate to be born in wedlock. I trust that no man present will deny that Queen Ygraine was of noble birth, as a member of the House of de Bois." Even if Agravaine wished to see his nephew downgraded even further, he would never belittle his own House by denying that his sister had passed noble blood to her son. "As no commoner has claimed Sir Arthur as his son, we may only take his mother's bloodline into account, so he must be considered to be of noble blood, and therefore eligible for knighthood."
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Geoffrey frown, undoubtedly ready to point out that it was not usual for it to be assumed that an illegitimate child born to a noblewoman must be the issue of a nobleman if no man was willing to acknowledge her child, rather than the reverse. However, after a moment, the man's face cleared as he realised that Uther knew the Code as well as he did, but was taking advantage of every loophole he could think of to ensure that, while Arthur may have lost his royal status and his position as heir, he would not lose the knighthood no man could deny he had earned and be reduced to the status of a commoner.
Arthur's situation was one that the First Code had not anticipated.
Even if he had had a natural father, no man, be he a nobleman or a commoner, would dare to claim him as his son, not when it would mean his execution for treason.
As Ygraine's son, he was of noble blood, and entitled to every privilege that conferred.
Uther would allow no man to claim otherwise.
"I suppose that, as the boy is my sister's son, I should permit him to bear the de Bois name," Agravaine spoke up, his voice cool and smooth. He sighed softly, as though this was a great deal to ask of him – and most, if not all of the lords present would agree that it was – before looking to Uther for permission. "If you will consent to it, of course, my lord."
Uther nodded stiffly, disliking the idea of his son bearing his mother's family name, something that would serve to emphasise his status as a bastard, but liking the idea of him having no family name even less. As he could not be a Pendragon, the de Bois name was the only one to which he had a claim. "It is gracious of you, Lord Agravaine," he forced himself to say. "I am certain that Sir Arthur will be very grateful to you." The worst part was that, in all likelihood, Arthur would be very grateful to him, never imagining that Agravaine could know the truth and thinking that his uncle must care so much for him that he was prepared to grant him the right to the de Bois name when he must think him to be the bastard son of his sister's unknown lover.
"It is the least I can do and little enough, next to all that Arthur has lost," Agravaine said with an air of benevolence, clearly enjoying the knowledge that Uther was beholden to him for being able to do something for Arthur that he could not. "It is a sad thing that he must suffer for the sins of his mother but there can be no alternative to that, can there?"
"No, there cannot," Uther agreed coolly.
The public nature of the revelation that Arthur was not of the Pendragon bloodline had ensured that there was no alternative but to disinherit him in favour of Morgana. He couldn't say what he would have done had he learned of it away from the prying gaze of others, perhaps if he had allowed Arthur to handle the Sword when he was younger, and begged to be allowed a closer look at the precious relic of his ancestor. He loved the boy and would not have wished to cast him off but, at the same time, he would have hated the idea of depriving his line of the throne. He would probably have arranged that Arthur and Morgana marry, knowing that he was the only one living who knew of her paternity and that, as long as he kept it a secret, nobody could mistake it for incest. He could have left his throne to Arthur with an easy heart, knowing that he had prepared him well for the task of ruling, but also ensured that, in time, his grandson would sit on his throne.
After dealing with the more exciting topics of Morgana's acknowledgement as heir and Arthur's new place in the world, none of the lords were in the mood to make a fuss over any of the other, duller items on the day's agenda so the rest of the meeting passed smoothly. Uther was certain that, if asked, few of the members of his Council would be able to give him an accurate account of what was discussed after Arthur's position was settled. They were all quick to leave the room once he dismissed them, undoubtedly eager to share the latest news with wives and friends. He did not bother to command them to treat the day's discussions as confidential, knowing that at least a couple of them were bound to find the temptation to share the news irresistible. In any case, the outcome would soon be publicly known, and it could do no real harm for word to circulate early.
"Geoffrey," Uther called the man's name before he could leave the room.
Geoffrey waited until everybody else had left before returning to the table, bowing to Uther. "Sire?"
Uther took a red velvet pouch from his pocket and cradled it in the palm of his hand for a moment. It felt far heavier than it should and, though he had resolved to entrust the task of courier to Geoffrey, knowing that he was one of the few members of the royal household who could be relied upon to deliver it to its intended recipient without giving in to the temptation to examine the contents, he was reluctant to hand it to him. If he thought that there was a chance that Morgana would be ready to see him, he would have preferred to give it to her himself but she had closeted herself in her chambers since the previous evening and was seeing no visitors.
"Bring this to the Princess Morgana," he commanded, forcing himself to loosen his grip of the pouch and hand it to Geoffrey. "Tell her that it belongs to her now."
"Yes, Sire." Geoffrey accepted the pouch, bowed low, and backed out of the Council chamber, leaving Uther alone with his thoughts.
Morgana's chambers were spotless, her bed made, and her gowns laundered, brushed and hanging neatly in her wardrobe. Every piece of furniture was arranged exactly as she liked it and vases of fresh, carefully arranged flowers brightened the room and scented the air.
Guinevere had performed every task she could think of, some of them twice over, and time still hung heavily on her hands. As a rule, her job as Morgana's maid kept her very busy but it wasn't until today that she realised how much of her time was spent accompanying her mistress when she visited the markets or the lower town, or attending her in court. Merlin frequently complained about the mess Arthur made in his chambers, theorising that he did it deliberately, to ensure that Merlin was kept busy but Morgana did not share his habits and, once Guinevere finished her morning cleaning duties and saw to it that breakfast was delivered, laid out and then removed when Morgana didn't touch it, there was little left for her to do.
Morgana offered her the day off but she couldn't accept, not after everything that had happened.
There was only one other person that she would have wanted to visit and she knew that there could be no question of her approaching him.
A visit to Arthur's chambers would have been noted at the best of times and, while most would assume that Morgana had sent her to deliver a message, there were bound to be at least one or two who would wonder if she was seen to visit too often, and who might hint to the King that he ought to take a closer look at his son's interactions with one of the palace maidservants, for fear that he might come to be too fond of her. After what had happened, any communication between Arthur and Morgana would be noted by avid eyes and they could not afford the scrutiny. Arthur might lose his position as Prince but he was still a noble and, as such, so far above a servant that friendship between them would be frowned upon, let alone anything more.
Morgana was seated on the chaise in front of the fire, embroidering a fine linen cloth. It was not a pastime she usually enjoyed, although years of instruction from the governess Uther engaged after the nurse he found for her when she first came to Camelot was dismissed had made a good, if not excellent needlewoman of her. Judging by how little attention she was paying to what she was doing, Guinevere couldn't imagine that whatever it was she was stitching would be fit for its intended purpose once she was finished with it. Part of her winced inwardly at the thought of the fine cloth and silk threads that would be wasted on a project that was doomed to be discarded but she supposed that, if it could distract her, even a little, that was a blessing.
Morgana didn't look up from her needlework when there was a knock on the door, and gave no sign that she heard it.
Guinevere brushed her apron with her hands before moving to answer the door, ready to tell whoever was there that Morgana was not seeing any visitors. She had already had to turn away several people, including Lady Bronwyn, who appeared early that morning, announcing her intention to be a shoulder to cry on for "that poor child" who had no mother to confide in after the great shock she had received, and who was certain to need the comfort that only another lady, of more mature years, could provide her with. Her offer was declined as politely as Guinevere could manage. Uther had come to see her himself shortly after breakfast, to warn her that under no circumstances was Sir Cador of Cornwall to be permitted to see Morgana but, thankfully, the man had not put in an appearance, and she was not forced to shoulder the difficult and unpleasant task of ordering a nobleman to leave, knowing that he was bound to take offence.
"Lady Morgana is not seeing any…" Guinevere trailed off when she saw Geoffrey of Monmouth standing outside the door, waiting patiently to be admitted. "Master Geoffrey," she greeted him, dipping a slight curtsey in deference to his higher status in the royal household.
The elderly librarian nodded in response to her greeting. "The King sent me to attend Princess Morgana, if she is free to receive me." He laid a gentle stress on the royal title, lifting one eyebrow, as though to ensure that Guinevere got the message that, from now on, she was to refer to and address her mistress by the title of Princess, as was now her right.
Guinevere nodded, glancing back in Morgana's direction and waiting for her answering nod before she opened the door wider, stepping back to allow Geoffrey to enter.
Geoffrey strode into the room, stopping when he was a few paces from Morgana and bowing low. "Your Highness," he greeted her formally. He began to kneel before her but Morgana was quick to spring to her feet to raise him into a standing position, knowing that kneeling was uncomfortable for him, at his age but that he would never admit to weakness of any kind, least of all when it would prevent him from observing the courtly etiquette he deemed proper.
"That's not necessary, Master Geoffrey," she told him, continuing quickly, before he could protest that it was necessary for him to accord her every honour due to her new status and insist on falling to his knees before her, despite the fact that she had her doubts that he would be able to stand again without assistance. "You have come with a message from the King?"
"Yes, Your Highness," Geoffrey bowed again before holding the red velvet pouch he held out for her to take. "The King asked me to give you this. He said that it belongs to you now."
Morgana accepted the pouch with a quiet "thank you". She tipped the contents into the palm of her right hand before setting the empty pouch aside and dismissing Geoffrey with a nod and a smile, gesturing for Guinevere to escort him out. He bowed again as he backed out of her presence.
"What is that, my lady?" Guinevere asked, once she had ushered Geoffrey out of the room. "I mean 'Your Highness'," she corrected herself hastily, wondering if the royal honourific would ever come naturally to her, when she was accustomed to thinking of another as the heir to the throne since her early childhood. She felt a pang of dismay when Morgana did not tell her that there was no need for the formalities, at least when they were alone, but told herself that, in her present state of mind, she was unlikely to be taking note of how Guinevere addressed her.
"It's a ring with the Pendragon insignia," Morgana told her absently, slipping the ring onto her finger and finding it to be a tolerably good fit. She moved towards the window, so that she might examine the ring in the light, and then extended her hand to allow Guinevere to take a closer look.
The ring was a gold band with a ruby about the size of the nail on her little finger secured in place by the wings of a tiny, exquisitely crafted gold dragon. The design was similar to that of the King's seal, as well as a ring that Uther often wore. Arthur had a ring like it, worn only on state occasions, but the ring on Morgana's finger was too small and too dainty to have been intended for anyone but a woman. Guinevere wondered if the King had commissioned it for Ygraine, when he first took possession of the throne and crowned her his Queen, or if he had had it made with the intention that it would be worn by Arthur's bride, when the time came. She couldn't imagine how else he could have had the ring prepared at a day's notice. He had clearly had no intention of acknowledging Morgana as his daughter before she unwittingly forced his hand.
It felt wrong to see it on Morgana's finger, knowing that it must have been intended for another.
Unbidden, an image came to mind of Arthur placing the ring on her finger, his smile warm and his eyes alight with joy as he bent to kiss her hand.
She rarely allowed herself the luxury of daydreaming, not when the images that occupied her mind were so dangerous, a dream that could never be, but sometimes she couldn't keep herself from imagining what it might be like. She could picture herself wearing a fine gown, as fine as those she helped Morgana into every day, and laundered and mended as needed, if not finer, a gown fit only for a Queen. She imagined crossing the length of the Great Hall to the dais, conscious of the fact that, far from passing unnoticed, as she usually did, all eyes were upon her, with smiles on every face. She imagined kneeling in front of Arthur so that he could place Queen Ygraine's crown on her head, before raising her to her feet and guiding her to the throne next to him so that she might look out on the court, on her new subjects, waiting to pay homage to their Queen.
"By the sacred laws vested in me, I crown you Guinevere, Queen of Camelot."
"Long live the Queen!"
In her daydreams, Arthur's voice was always filled with love and pride, and the voices of the court a joyous chorus as they cried out, welcoming her as their Queen and wishing her a long, happy life.
In reality, she knew that, even if a day had come when Arthur was able to marry her and she became his Queen, the reception would be cooler by far. She had first come to work in the palace as a kitchen maid the month before her thirteenth birthday and, thanks to a recommendation from Sir Leon's mother, who remembered her own mother for her diligent service as a maid in their household, she was recommended for the position of maid to the King's ward some four years later, when Morgana marked her fourteenth birthday by losing her governess and gaining a maid. The role was a coveted one, and she was conscious of the fact that other servant girls in the palace, many of whom had worked there longer and were of higher rank, resented the fact that she was the one chosen to escape the drudgery of the kitchens, laundry and general cleaning duties for service to a lady of the court. Her new position brought her into closer contact with the nobility and she saw how they regarded those who served them. Morgana was a sweet girl who had become a kind and fair mistress to her but, to others of the nobility, she and other servants were treated with disdain, as though they existed only to serve and had no minds and hearts of their own.
Had Arthur been able to make her his Queen, she was certain that there would be no cheers for Queen Guinevere's coronation.
Instead, the nobility would be certain that Arthur had lost his wits, believing that a King must be mad to even contemplate the idea that a mere servant might be worthy of becoming his wife, when he could take his pick of the loveliest princesses and the noblest ladies in Albion. If they did not think Arthur mad, they would be convinced that he was bewitched. It would never occur to them that a King could love a servant so much that he could only be happy with her as his wife, much less that somebody without royal, or at least noble blood could ever be a good Queen.
Short of discovering that her father had been a lord or, better still, a prince in disguise, she could not hope to be welcomed as Queen. Princess Guinevere or even Lady Guinevere might be accepted but Guinevere, maidservant in the royal household, would never be deemed worthy of the throne.
At best, her coronation would be greeted with hostile silence.
At worst… she shuddered to think what might be said of her.
"Gwen?" Morgana's voice jolted her from her musings. "You look miles away. What were you thinking of?"
"Nothing, my… Your Highness," Guinevere replied quickly.
She had not been able to confide in Morgana about her budding feelings for Arthur, even when she noticed her daydreaming and teased her about it, insisting that there must be a man involved for her to be so distracted. It was not something that she could feel comfortable discussing with her.
While Morgana frequently insisted that she wouldn't touch Arthur with a lance pole, it was expected by virtually everybody at court, from the lords and ladies to the servants who had worked in the castle since before Arthur and Morgana were born, that they would marry one day. Why would Uther have kept his ward unmarried for so long if he did not intend to keep her for his son? Part of Gwen feared that, if she confided in Morgana, she would not be pleased to hear that her friend was attracted to a man who was widely thought to be intended for her.
Worse still, she couldn't help but worry that Morgana would be offended to think that her maidservant might imagine marrying Arthur and, as his Princess, later his Queen, being of higher rank than she was. Guinevere thought of Morgana as her closest friend and believed that Morgana felt the same way about her. She couldn't bear the idea that, if she told Morgana of her feelings for Arthur, she might learn that she never saw her as her equal, and see her grow angry at the thought that Guinevere might have presumed to aspire to marry into the royal family.
Now, she would never have to learn the answer to that.
Morgana looked ready to tease her, to renew her theories about which man might have caught her eye and left her to dream of him and, while she looked more animated than she had been since learning that she was the King's daughter, Guinevere had no patience for that game today. Not only did she have her feelings for Arthur to grapple with, Lancelot's return to court had awakened the feelings she had for him, and she had no idea what she was going to do. The last thing she wanted was to lay her personal life bare to Morgana's curious scrutiny.
"Are you sorry?" She blurted the question without thinking of what she was saying and saw the look of astonishment on Morgana's face at her words. "To find out that the King is your father, I mean," she ploughed on hurriedly, "and that you're going to be Queen."
Morgana looked thoughtful as she twisted the ring around her finger, accustoming herself to the weight and feel of it.
"No," she said at last. "I'm not sorry. I mean, I am sorry that Arthur has to be hurt, he doesn't deserve that, but I'm not sorry that I'm going to be Queen." Uther may have made no announcement of the fact as yet but nobody could doubt that, sooner rather than later, he would formally declare her to be the heiress to his throne. Her new title of Princess and the ring on her finger confirmed this. "I think that I can be a good Queen," she continued earnestly, "and that there is a lot that I can do for Camelot, to make the kingdom a better place. Things that Arthur wouldn't do. I know a lot about ruling a kingdom from watching Uther in court and learning with Arthur when we were children, and I can learn more. I want to learn more. I want to be Queen."
She looked to Guinevere when she finished speaking, as though expecting reassurances that she would be a great Queen when the time came, one who would do a great deal of good for Camelot.
It was all Guinevere could do to force herself to smile and nod and voice a few vague, supportive words, hoping that this would be enough to satisfy Morgana.
She felt so angry with Morgana, as though she might shout at her, or worse, if she didn't keep herself under control.
It was all very well for Morgana to predict that she would be a good Queen but what about Arthur, who was raised from birth to be King, only to see the throne snatched away from him for reasons beyond his control? What about the good that he might have done as King? Despite Morgana's claim that she was sorry about the hurt inflicted on Arthur, Guinevere couldn't help but wonder how much thought Morgana gave to his feelings before rejoicing that she was to be Queen.
A few years ago, when she believed that Arthur was going to marry Morgana one day, Guinevere was certain that he would need Morgana to guide him. He was such a bully in those days, seemingly heedless of the feelings of those around him, so she took comfort in the thought that, whatever Arthur might be like as King, Morgana would temper his worst faults and ensure that the needs of the people were met. Even as the King's ward, she made frequent trips to the lower town, to ensure that the poorest families had food, fuel and warm clothes. As Queen, she would be able to do so much more and Guinevere had looked forward to that day.
Now, however, she knew Arthur and knew that he was not the spoiled bully she once saw him as.
He was a good man, a man who always strove to do right by Camelot and its people.
When Merlin was poisoned in an attempt to save his life, Arthur defied his father to seek out the cure needed to save him, despite knowing that he would face the King's wrath when he returned, if he did not die in his quest for the cure.
He did his best to champion Lancelot's cause with Uther, who scarcely deigned to commute his sentence to banishment, despite his heroism in defeating the Griffin, and who refused to hear of a commoner being allowed to join the ranks of the knights of Camelot, regardless of his skill.
When Ealdor was threatened, Arthur rallied the village to drive off Kanen.
When her father died, he vowed to her that she would have a job as long as she wanted one, and that her home was hers for life. She was certain that he must have had to argue with Uther on her behalf, to ensure that the King did not dismiss her from the royal household, for fear of the influence that the daughter of a traitor might have on his ward, and that her father's house, forge and other belongs were not forfeited to the Crown, as a traitor's punishment.
He showed humility when he allowed William of Deira to claim a victory that was truly his, and apologised sincerely for treating her so rudely when he was a guest in her small house.
He saved Gaius from the flames when the King ordered that he be burned.
He was a very different man to the spoiled, arrogant youth she had watched grow to adulthood.
He had it in him to be a great King and she felt so angry to learn that he was to be denied the opportunity to prove this.
Morgana was her friend and, by all rights, the throne was her birthright. She was the King's only child and the Sword of Bruta had confirmed that she was the true heir. She would be a good Queen, a kind Queen and a compassionate Queen, if she did not allow her temper to rule her.
Guinevere knew that she had no right to be angry with her for gaining the throne at Arthur's expense and that, as there was no alternative but that she be Queen, it was better for her to be able to be pleased by the prospect rather than fearing it. She knew that she should be supportive, that she should remember how great a shock it was for Morgana to learn that the blood of the father she loved and whose memory she so revered did not flow in her veins. She should be thinking of how best to help and support Morgana in the days to come, when she was sure to be bombarded with people clamouring to seek the favour of the new heir to the throne and would need somebody to talk to but, instead, she could think only of Arthur and all he had lost, and of all that she had lost… if you could call it a loss when it was never hers to begin with.
The prospect of her becoming Queen was never a realistic one.
She knew that.
Even so, it hurt to lose the dream.
She made herself smile at Morgana, knowing that she needed encouragement and support, not a friend who ignored her while she brooded over something that would never be.
"I'm sure that you will be a good Queen," she told her, forcing herself not to think of the kind of Queen that she might have been.
The Great Dragon had ceased bellowing Merlin's name in his mind's ear by the time he finally deigned to visit the cavern, not really wanting to speak to him but unable to keep away any longer. Even so, the dragon showed no sign of surprise when he arrived.
"Young warlock," his voice was gravelly and his tone sombre as he greeted him, his massive frame slightly hunched, as though in defeat.
Merlin half-expected to hear renewed demands to be set free coupled with pointed reminders that he had sworn on his mother's life that he would do so and thinly veiled threats about what would become of her if he did not keep his word, and he was ready to stand firm against him. Under other circumstances, the fear that his mother would die if he failed to keep his word might have led him to set the Great Dragon free, even if he was unable to convince him to swear that he would not attack Camelot but, thanks to his conversations with Gaius, he was confident that, as long as he did not make up his mind never to free him, his vow to the Great Dragon remained unbroken. He considered the Great Dragon to be in no position to ask a favour of him, let alone demand anything more, given the way he had urged him to kill Morgana when he must have known that there was a way in which the Knights could be stopped without sacrificing her life.
He shuddered to think of what might have happened if he had been able to poison her without Lancelot interfering, if he had not thought to use the water of the Lake of Avalon to revive her.
Even if Uther never learned that Merlin was responsible for the death of his ward… his daughter… and even if he was not forced to flee Camelot to avoid execution, knowing that he would never be able to return, even after Uther's death, as Arthur would never forgive him, let alone trust him, if he knew what he had done, he would have had to live with the knowledge that he killed Morgana.
"Did you know that this was going to happen?" he demanded instead, glaring up at the Great Dragon, too angry to be intimidated by his size or fearful that he might lash out at him.
"I knew that, if the Witch was allowed to live, you and Arthur would never achieve your destiny," the Great Dragon responded simply.
"You said that it was Arthur's destiny to be the greatest King who ever lived, if he had my help. Did you know that he wasn't Uther's son?" Merlin demanded, livid to think that the Great Dragon could have known the truth about Arthur's origins but not warned him of it, despite what it would mean for his claim to the throne. Had he known, he could have... he wasn't sure what exactly he could have done to keep Arthur from being exposed but he was sure that he would have thought of something to ensure that they were not cheated of their destiny.
"Yes. It is why I knew that he was the one who would lead the kingdom to greatness. Albion did not need another Pendragon. It needed Arthur. I sensed him the moment he was conceived, and knew his potential. I knew that he might become the greatest King Albion has ever known, and ever will know, a king who would unite the land and make it strong."
"Might become," Merlin echoed bitterly. He could remember his first visit to this cavern with perfect clarity. How could he forget a single detail of the moment he learned of the greatness that he – the son of a humble village woman, scorned for being fatherless and shunned for his magic – was destined to achieve? He could remember every word the Great Dragon spoke to him.
"Arthur is the Once and Future King who will unite the land of Albion... Without you, Arthur will never succeed. Without you, there will be no Albion... None of us can choose our destiny, Merlin, and none of us can escape it."
The word 'might' was never mentioned.
The Great Dragon had allowed him to believe that the future was in his hands, and no others.
As long as he fulfilled his destiny, as long as he protected Arthur from those who threatened him, as long as he was there to guide and advise him, moulding the clay that was the spoiled, arrogant Prince he first met into a great and wise man that all the people of Albion would one day be proud to call their King, he would live to see the day when magic was recognized as a force for good in the right hands, and where he would be by Arthur's side, protecting and advising him, finally respected for all he did for him and for Camelot, no longer a servant to be pushed around but a man that Arthur would know to be his truest friend and most loyal and most valued ally.
He had endured the indignities heaped on him and suffered his losses in silence because he was certain that, one day, it would all be worth it.
The Great Dragon never told him that there were other forces at play, that though he might protect Arthur from every threat he encountered, risking his life by using magic under Uther's nose, knowing that the man would show him no mercy if he knew that he was a warlock and would never believe that his sole goal was to protect Arthur and Camelot, their destiny was still not guaranteed.
"Would you have been so determined to help and protect Arthur had you known that there was but a slim chance that he would become the King you wished him to be?" The Great Dragon sounded almost gentle as he posed the question, his golden eyes studying Merlin keenly, scrutinizing his reaction to his words. "You had no hope of success if you did not have faith in your destiny."
Merlin scowled but couldn't help but think that this was a fair point.
During his earliest days as Arthur's servant, when Arthur seemed to be determined to make him suffer for the fact that he was obliged to accept him into his service at his father's command, to test his mettle by demanding that he complete an impossibly long list of chores and then to find excuses to find fault with his work, he was sometimes sorely tempted to quit his job. Back then, before Arthur became a friend rather than just his master, there were times when the only reason he did not tell Arthur to find himself another dogsbody to wait on him was that he knew that, if he was to protect Arthur, he needed to be able to stay close to him, and his position as manservant gave him an excuse to stay close. Had he quit his job, then even if Uther did not take offence at the idea that a mere servant should think himself above serving the Prince and banish him from the city, and even if he was allowed to remain as Gaius' assistant, he would no longer have been a part of Arthur's life and would not be in a position to be the protector and guide he needed.
Would he have been willing to pledge his life in exchange for Arthur's when he was marked for death by the Questing Beast had he not believed that he had a great destiny in store for him, that the kingdom he was destined to believe was worth laying down his life for, even if he did not live to see it, or would he have mourned his passing and carried on with his life?
"Did you know about Morgana?" he demanded of the Great Dragon, finding the thought that he might have been prepared to let Arthur die a troubling one and wanting to change the subject. "You kept telling me that she was dangerous. Did you know that she was Uther's daughter?"
"Yes," the Great Dragon confirmed. "Just as I knew that she had to die in order for Arthur to achieve his destiny. You should not have allowed yourself to shrink from killing her."
Merlin opened his mouth, ready to protest that Morgana hadn't been acting against Camelot, that she was a victim of Morgause's enchantment rather than her ally, but then he shut it abruptly, a cold shudder running through his body at the realization that this was not what the dragon meant.
"If Morgana had died when the Knights of Medhir attacked, Arthur would not have been exposed."
It made such perfect sense.
While it was true that Uther would not have refrained from bestowing the title of Crown Prince on Arthur following his successful quest, Morgana's death would have left both him and Arthur in no mood to endure a lavish celebration. Instead of a castle full of noble guests and an elaborate ceremony, Arthur would have been named Crown Prince in quiet ceremony, with only a few lords to bear witness to the occasion. Uther would not have taken the trouble to use the Sword of King Bruta as a prop to emphasize Arthur's claim to the throne and the truth about his paternity would have remained a secret. Even if he had allowed Morgause to take Morgana with her to heal her, as she wished to, instead of reviving her with water from the Lake of Avalon, her abduction would have ensured that neither Uther nor Arthur would want to take part in an extravagant celebration. Instead, their focus would have been on scouring the kingdom to find her and bring her home.
And once Morgause had her…
Morgause knew the secret of Arthur's birth and could have known the truth of Morgana's origins.
If Morgause knew that Arthur was not truly Uther's son, if she knew that Morgana was the only person who could claim Uther's throne by right of blood, if she told Morgana this and Morgana believed her… he could see, all too clearly, the path that might have been taken.
Gaius did what he could to help Morgana come to terms with her magic but it was undeniable that she was frightened of what would happen if she was ever discovered. It was not just Uther she feared; she had watched Arthur follow Uther's commands to hunt down those with magic too often not to worry about the reaction she could expect from him if he learned that she had magic. Unlike him, she did not have the promise of a future where Arthur would restore magic to reassure her that, when the time came, his rule would be very different to Uther's.
If she knew that the throne was hers by right of blood, and if she believed that Arthur would follow in Uther's footsteps and persecute those with magic, she would not be content to leave him to claim the throne, not if she saw herself as the true heir and believed that she would be a better ruler than Arthur, one who could make Camelot a safer place for people like her.
And when she had no way of convincing people that Arthur was no son of Uther's, no way of proving that hers was the true claim, she would grow angry…
"The Witch is a Pendragon," the Great Dragon all but growled. "She would not have cared that Arthur could be a great King, only that he wielded power she believed should be hers. She became a threat to Arthur the moment Uther lay with her mother!"
"But she didn't do anything wrong," Merlin pointed out. "She was trying to help Arthur when she took the Sword from him. She didn't know what was going to happen and he'd probably have lost his hand if she hadn't done it. You didn't foresee that! You just assumed that she was dangerous because of who her father is. You told me that she was a threat and tried to get me to kill her!"
And that was not all.
He couldn't help but think that, if not for the Great Dragon's dire warnings about Morgana, he would not have been as willing to abide by Gaius' instruction that he was to leave it to him to help Morgana to the best of his ability and that under no circumstances was he to tell her of his magic. Gaius did the best he could for her, which was better than nothing, but Merlin was certain that he could have done so much more to teach her about her magic, had he been willing to defy Gaius. Morgana was bound to repeal the laws against magic once she was Queen but how could he hope for her to trust him once she learned that he had known of her struggles with magic from the beginning but never told her that he too had magic?
"I did not foresee that," the Great Dragon admitted reluctantly.
"No, you just assumed the worst about her because she is a Pendragon." He was angry over the loss of his destiny, and angry that Arthur was to lose out on the future he was brought up to expect but the Great Dragon's attitude towards Morgana served to convince him that he couldn't blame her for who her father was, or for the fact that she was to be Queen. She had not asked for this any more than he had asked to be charged with the task of building Albion with Arthur.
The Great Dragon exhaled in frustration, the resulting gust almost knocking Merlin off his feet, but he did not argue with him.
"Do you know anything about what will happen now?" Merlin's faith in the Great Dragon's prophecies would never again be as strong as it was but, if he had any insight to offer, he wanted to hear it, wanted to know that something could be salvaged of his future. "Am I to guide Morgana, as I was meant to guide Arthur?" He truly did not know how he felt about that. While he wanted to hear the Great Dragon reassure him that he was still meant to accomplish great things with his magic, and that he was going to play a part in the building of a mighty kingdom, one where magic flourished and all citizens were treated justly and enjoyed lives of prosperity, it also felt wrong to think of doing it without Arthur.
"Your destiny lies with Arthur," the Great Dragon told him gravely. "It was only together, with Arthur as King and you by his side, that you had a hope of leading Albion into a golden age. Now there is no hope that Arthur will ever be King. Your destiny is dead."