Author's Note: Thank you once more for all the responses I got back regarding the previous chapter - can't believe so many people were surprised! Sorry to any Uther lovers, it had to happen =].
Disclaimer: Merlin is the property of the BBC, not me. I own my characters and I own this plot. End of.
The town was torn. From Gwen's perspective - as a person who was regularly part of the poorer areas of Camelot - it was as if they couldn't decide whether to be happy their king was dead or sad for their newly orphaned prince.
Even Gwen herself was torn. There was no love lost between her and Uther. It was, after all, he who killed her father as well as force her beloved into marriage. She was certainly glad he was finally gone. But then she looked at Edward, wide eyed and ignorant, and realised he had no living grandparents anymore. She thought of Arthur, with no family but the wife he'd recently had shoved at him and a son he did not know about, and her heart broke. He was alone now. Very, very alone. And it was all she could do to stop herself running up to the castle and throwing her arms around him.
In the upper towns and in the courtyard of the actual castle, candles were lit. People came and bowed their heads to the castle, as if Uther himself were still likely to march out. There was silence - not even a bird dared to break the peace which had fallen on the castle.
The lower towns, however, were a different story. Several had had family members, friends or even neighbours exiled or executed for things they did not do or say and so were dancing in the streets. They lit fires too - bonfires to celebrate the death of a tyrant and the dawning of a new king, a new era. But as glad as she was that Uther was gone, it felt like a betrayal in Gwen's heart to celebrate when she knew, somewhere, her own other half was breaking.
He looked asleep. Spread out in the royal chapel, her arms by his sides, jewels still covering his hands and body, King Uther looked like he was simply resting. Arthur had been standing here for well over an hour, watching, waiting. At first, the knights of Camelot had all stood with him, in a half circle around the table where the body lay. But after twenty minutes, Arthur had dismissed them. He'd watched as they all bowed low to him and made their way out and it felt so wrong. So very wrong.
At first Bella had stayed with him, her warm little hand pressed into his, her head resting against his arm as if it were her who needed comforting. Eventually he'd told her to go too - he needed to be alone. Having managed to hold it together for this long, and with the chapel completely empty, Arthur touched his father's ice cold hand before falling to his knees, hands coming up to cover his face. For a moment or two he stayed that way, whole body shaking with sobs, but not a sound uttered. And then he felt someone came down next to him, their arms folding around him, and his first thought was Bella until he realised the figure next to him was too strong. Just as he was about to reach for his sword, the person spoke.
"It's alright...it's just me..." Merlin knelt next to him, holding the prince close. Usually he wouldn't list personal contact under his list of duties but now, to him, they weren't prince and servant. They were friend and friend-in-need and Merlin knew what it was like to lose a parent. Losing his own father had knocked him for six, so to lose one who'd been there since day one...he couldn't imagine what pain Arthur was going through. Just that he shouldn't go through it alone.
For a moment he thought Arthur's pride would get the better of him and he waited to be knocked aside. But then he felt the prince relax a little, falling slightly against him and he held tight onto Arthur as another wave of sadness hit him. Glancing up at the king, Merlin put his own thoughts aside. What he felt about Uther didn't matter now - Arthur did.
They sat there for a good while, with Arthur trying to compose himself only to remember and be overcome with grief again. Merlin wanted to tell him he could cry as much as he wanted - but knew the prince wouldn't listen anyway. Arthur had been brought up to be strong, a figure of strength. Once he heard footsteps approaching, he quickly let go of Arthur - knowing full well Arthur wouldn't want to be seen as weak. As he predicted, Arthur flew to his feet, one hand quickly wiping his eyes. He looked down at Merlin, still on the floor, and held out his hand to the friend who'd stayed with him. Merlin took it just as a knight threw open the door and poked his head round.
"Sire?"
"Yes?" Arthur said, his voice slightly choked. Dropping Merlin's hand, he cleared his throat and answered again. "Yes?"
"Sorry, Sire, I didn't mean, it's just...Well." The knight looked at his feet, clearly uncomfortable at seeing his master distressed. "Uhm, the people are worried about you. They've not seen you since the, uhm, news. We were wondering if, maybe, you could...I don't know, just show them you're alright? Just to reassure them, you don't have to, we just..." He stopped as Arthur held up a hand.
"Of course. No, of course, they need reassuring that Camelot's safe and I am safe, I understand. You go on, I'll be up in a minute." He said, with a nod to dismiss the knight. Once the door was shut, Arthur turned back to the body of his father and a shadow crossed his face once more. Merlin swallowed hard, unsure of what to say, until Arthur sorted it for him.
"Merlin?"
"Yes, m'lord?"
"You will not speak of this to anyone."
"No, m'lord."
She'd heard rumour that Arthur was going to be appearing for the first time, so she'd prepared way in advance. With Edward strapped to her back - he was getting rather heavy for constant arm-carrying - and a hankie screwed up in her hand, she stood in the courtyard with rest of the people and waited.
At first Gwen thought he wasn't coming - they'd been waiting about twenty minutes now - but finally she saw movement at the top of the castle. Two knights came out followed by her - her - and Merlin. And then Arthur stepped out, approaching the edge. He leaned one hand down heavily on the wall surrounding the edge of the castle, a gesture which spoke loud and clear to Gwen - he needed reassurance that the real world was still stable when his was falling apart. She clenched the hankie more tightly in her hands.
"People of Camelot." His voice rose from the silence and carried right down amongst the town. Everyone fell quiet, looking up at the sky. Gwen bit her lip, trying not to get upset, as she watched Arthur struggle with his composure and clear his throat.
"I hope you will forgive me. These past few days have not been the easiest for me since...- His voice caught and Gwen noticed Bella stepping forward, her hand on his arm. He nodded at her and addressed the court once more. "-...since my father's death and I pray for your understanding. I wish you to know that I am well and the court will be in mourning for the rest of the month." He swallowed hard and briefly closed his eyes - a gesture not missed by Gwen, who felt her own heart hurting for him. "Court will be dismissed for the remainder of this week in respect and remembrance to my father, but rest assured - no important matters will be ignored. I thank you for your kindness and good wishes at this very hard time..." He took a breath, shaking a little.
"God bless your Highness!" Someone shouted out and Gwen looked around to see if she knew them. But then others were shouting out too, blessings and kind wishes to their king, and she wondered whether he'd hear her if she shouted as well.
"Long live King Arthur!" Someone else yelled and then they were all chanting it, pledging alligence to their new ruler. Arthur raised a hand in recognition to their cries and Gwen watched as, one by one, everyone fell to their knees. Aware of Edward still on her back, she carefully lowered herself to the ground and bent her head, though not before she saw Arthur smiling back, a look of pain evident across his face.
It was stifling hot, the Great Hall packed to the point of suffocation as well as it being midsummer. His usual court was present, his knights and noble families. But as well as his own court, Bella's father's court had come to attend as well and all in all - in Arthur's opinion - there was far too many people.
Seated at the front of the hall, he listened to the old librarian warble away, remembering to nod at crucial points and answer when required. Next to him, Bella shivered with excitement and grinned over at her father, who was sat in the front row. It made Arthur long for his own father. He spotted Merlin and Gaius, lurking off to a side, although watching as intently as everyone else. The court had just come out of official mourning and although Arthur himself still felt terrible, he knew what was expected of him. And that was what had led him to here. With a room full of witnesses and a man about to crown him king, Arthur found he could barely breathe. After him came Bella's turn, although he wasn't sure he'd be able to maintain consciousness for that long. The old robe, previously his father's, was heavy on his shoulders and made him feel even more tired. He daren't think of how heavy the state crown would be.
In a room full of people, people all eager to watch and admire him, there was one vital person missing. One still alive, still breathing, one who should be here.
Next to him.
"I crown thee....king." He heard, as the heavy collection of gold and jewels was placed onto his head and the room erupted. People shouted congratulations and threw hats into the air in a most ecstatic manner. Bella grasped his hand, a hand weighed down with more rings than he cared to think about, and her face smiled joyfully up at him. He forced a smile back, first at her and then the two courts. Taking a deep breath, Arthur bowed his head - heavy with the new crown - at them and held up his hand to ask for silence. Immediately the room fell quiet and he gestured to the librarian to move onto Bella, not feeling he had the strength to vocalise his intent without collapsing in a dead faint.
And so it was done. He was king and she was queen and she was still a servant. And an unemployed servant at that. The roar of the crowd grew louder, descending from the castle like a ripple and Gwen could not drown it out. It wasn't that she didn't want to revel in Arthur's success, she just didn't want to be reminded of the woman at his side. The woman who, she felt, should be her.
Edward was on the floor, trying to pull himself along using just his elbows. Gwen had tried to discourage at this at all costs, thinking he'd end up scraping the skin off, and had pulled him up to a sitting position everytime she spotted him. But Edward, as determined and as stubborn as his father, simply fell forward again and maintained course for whatever he was aiming at - usually something Gwen didn't want him to have anyway.
She had to admit, the cottage was far more beautiful than she'd first anticipated. It looked right over the lake and forest, and the castle was visible through standing in the garden. She'd taken up washing and sewing for some of the local elderly ladies and many an afternoon she'd sit in the garden, Edward at her feet and a sheet in her hand.
"Edward, stop." She said gently, pulling one of her shoes from Edward's unwilling grasp. The small boy pouted, his large eyes staring up at her in a way which made Gwen feel guilty. She shoved a toy a neighbour had sewn for him into his grasp to keep him quiet - bad mother - and pulled the curtains shut. It wouldn't wash away the outside world but would at least give Gwen a feeling that she was in control of her own world.
It had been a long, painful day and the only thing Arthur wanted to do was sleep. He knew what Bella was expecting - their own private celebration of their crowning today - but he honestly did not feel he had the strength. Instead he pulled his shirt off and flopped down onto the bed, too hot to even pull a sheet over him. Lying with his eyes closed, he could almost pretend it was a year back. When the dragon had been released, when his father was still alive, when Gwen was still here. Until Bella came into the room and he was instantly snapped back to reality. There was no dragon. His father was dead. Gwen had left him.
"That was good today, huh?" Bella said, sitting down on the edge of the bed, brushing her long hair.
"Mmm..." He answered distantly, trying to go back to the place he'd felt happier.
"I was pleased Father came out, it was nice to see my own peo-...Are you there, Arthur?" Her voice piped up curiously and Arthur swivelled half-open eyes in her direction.
"Hmm? I'm here, Bella..."
"No, no you're not...Ever since...Well. Since then you've been somewhere else. Like you're not here." She said carefully, peering at him. He silently groaned.
"Bella, my father just died, I've been feeling a bit..."
"Oh, I know, I know, but...I was hoping you might feel...better soon. Could I help?" At the shake of his head, her shoulders fell.
"It just takes time, Bella...I'll be fine eventually."
"I hope so..." She said, getting off the bed and going to stand by the window. Oh heck, he thought, just what I need. A woman to reassure on top of it all.
"Bella, really, it's fine. Honestly, just...come to bed, it's been a long day, we'll feel better after some sleep." No response. "Bella?" With a sigh he swung his legs off the bed and groaned when the pain hit his head like a boulder and the world shifted before his eyes. He slowly made his way over to her, one hand up to his temple, the other blindly holding onto whatever he could. He stood just behind her, peering at her gently, when she spoke.
"Arthur...you are the king now." Her voice was so soft he almost had to strain to hear it. He nodded, confused.
"Yes..." He answered slowly, wondering what she was getting at.
"And kings should..." She began, but stopped. He frowned, running a hand through his hair and down his face.
"Yes...?"
"Arthur..." She started again and he noted her face was broken with worry, an unusual look to see on Bella. She touched his arm and bit her lip carefully and he drew his eyebrows together in confusion, waiting.
"I am with child, Arthur."
And for the first time that day, although he felt he'd been at risk several times, he fell into a dead faint.
