Disclaimer: I still don't own Merlin. Yeah, I know, I know, it sucks, but what're you gonna do about it?
A Daughter
As much as Arthur hated admitting it, as much as it made him absolutely hate himself, he understood, in the years after Gwen's death, why his father had been so quick to blame magic after his own birth, after his own mother's death. And he almost wanted something like that. He almost wanted someone or something to blame for Guinevere's death.
But he only had himself to blame.
She had died of complications from delivering his child, and he insisted over the years that it was his fault. Merlin had been the only one, after so many years of the drunken sob-story, to agree with him on the matter, if only to get him to shut up about it.
As much as he wanted to dwell on it, however, as much as he wanted to remain shattered and broken, he had a kingdom to run, and a daughter to raise.
It was hard at first, adjusting to fatherhood all on his own. But he wasn't all alone, he found shortly. Aside from the council, the servants, the knights, he found, all too suddenly, that he also had Merlin. He had always had Merlin, he had just… Never noticed it before.
His title was technically, "Court Sorcerer" but, well, Arthur was never clear on what duties the title came with. So one day he would be seeing over a dispute involving magic, the next he would be sharpening Arthur's sword, because no one else could ever get it to such a point that Merlin could. But, in between it all, he would always find the time to take Ingrain off Arthur's hands.
He was fond of the girl, everyone could see that, and doted on her just as much as Arthur did. She had Gwen's complexion, his bright blue eyes, Gwen's hair and kindness, Arthur's stubbornness—she was the perfect combination of the two, but, after so many years, Arthur didn't see what he lost, he saw, instead, what he had gained.
A daughter, for starters, beautiful and reckless, and a closer bond with Merlin, were that even possible. They were as good as raising a daughter together, after all.