No your eyes do not deceive you, this is an update. And after only a month too! I'm super excited about this chapter so I hope you are pleased. :)
Summary: Magic didn't disappear from Albion just because Uther said so. Neither did those who used it. For the second time in his life Arthur finds himself face to face with someone who can tell him truths about his mother. It goes differently than he expected.
"Arthur I am sure you have heard this question more times than you can stand, but I must ask: Were we invited here to give advice on a subject you had already made up your mind about?"
Camelot's king didn't pretend to misunderstand, and matched the other's low volume.
"I assure you Lord Godwin, there is no deception in my request for your advice. If the laws governing magic affected Merlin alone then I would have changed them the day I returned healed by his influence. I would see him free without delay. But as the loyal idiot knows and frequently reminds me of, my goal is peace and happiness for all my people. I need to show them that undoing laws that have been in place for 30 years will not mean subjecting them to the cruelty and deceit my sister and many others have exposed them to. Being able to assure them that other kingdoms have a working relationship with magic and have not suffered for it will do a lot to settle their fears. And it might inspire the rest of Albion to follow suit."
Godwin gave him a proud smile. "I do wish Uther had not been so blinded by his own pain so as to not see the fine son he had at his side. You are doing right by Camelot Arthur. One day I hope all will heal enough to see that. I cannot say I have always thought well of magic but I do agree that people who are not harmed are unlikely to harm in return. I will do all I can to aid you."
"Thank you." Arthur paused. "If I may ask, what is your opinion of Merlin's involvement?"
"How do you mean?"
"He carries some...apprehension over what the revelation of his secret could unearth in the form of people's reactions, to both him and myself. Over what they'll think regarding his presence in Camelot this whole time."
"How long has he been with you?"
"Approximately 10 years."
"And you knew of his magic?"
"Regrettably no. He was only able to tell me after the battle of Camlann."
"And your reaction at the time? It was favorable?"
"Eventually."
Godwin nodded, thoughtfully. "Elena kept her husband's magic a secret until my grandson was born. I knew he was from a tribe that embraced magic but I chose not to seek proof he could wield it. However Lofric's birth resulted in excessive bleeding and Drystan's power was the only thing that stopped it before she was lost. I think the reaction to a secret comes a lot from the circumstances. Your, I use the word servant as you have yet to indicate what else he is, your servant's secret is hardly a secret now. As for what it was before, that is for you to dictate. His concern is admirable, perhaps even appropriate, but in my opinion hardly worthwhile at this point."
Arthur allowed a faint smirk. "I'll be sure to tell him you said so."
Godwin smiled back then paused, clearly debating with himself over something. When he spoke his words weren't at all what Arthur expected.
"If you're willing, there's someone I'd like you to meet before my party leaves tomorrow."
"Very well. Who is it?"
"An elderly retainer of my house. Been with us since before Elena was born. She was a dear friend of my wife's and, if I'm not mistaken, of your mother as well."
Arthur looked up sharply. "She knew my mother?"
Godwin nodded. "I'll be honest, I do not know what she wishes to say to you, only that she approached my daughter in the week before we left home and requested to be allowed to accompany us to Camelot. But it was a rather excruciating journey for someone in her condition, so whatever she wishes to discuss carries great importance in her mind."
"Do you trust her?"
"Her…talents have led me to distance myself from her on what you might call a professional level. But off the record, there has been more than one occasion where my household would have been dealt an incalculable blow were it not for her aid. There has never been a hint of danger or malice against my family in all the more than twenty years I have known her."
Arthur nodded after a moment. "Tell her I'll send for her an hour before dinner."
"It's right this way." Merlin's voice was slightly elevated, whether purposely to tip Arthur off to their approach or just happenstance, either way the king was grateful. Inhaling deeply he stood and wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers.
"Come," he replied to the respectful knock.
Merlin entered slowly, his arm supporting a trim, slightly frail, looking woman with dark, sun aged skin, clear vision, and hair so faded it was almost colorless. She paid Camelot's king a small courtesy and he took her hand, slightly surprised by the firm grip she gave in return.
"Please come, have a seat."
"Thank you." Her voice was quiet and dignified. Aware of the compliment he was paying her but accepting it with only the required amount of gratitude and no more.
Merlin hesitated at the door, the 'You want me to stay?' clear in his eyes. Arthur gave him a subtle head shake. This was for him to hear. His friend retreated, leaving them alone, although Arthur guessed he wouldn't stray too far.
"Well, you know my name obviously. Lord Godwin did not tell me yours."
"Most call me Aria, Your Highness, though Arianrhod was the name I was given at birth."
Arthur paused in the act of pouring a glass of water. "Arianrhod. After the cauldron?"
The woman took in his question, and expression, thoughtfully. "After the goddess of the moon," she finally answered. She was silent until Arthur took his seat.
"Let me start by saying that coming to speak to you was something I decided I would do many years before you took the throne. If what I had to say meant the end of me by your father's hand so be it. In light of recent events, I'm less sure of the outcome but really it's of no importance. I'm not long for this world as it is. All I ask is that you hear me out."
"Of course."
"I have something, it was a gift from your mother." Arthur watched curiously as she pulled a round, flat object from her pocket and handed it to him. His breath caught in his throat as he spotted the sigil on the top of it.
"Do you recognize this my lord?" the woman asked, peering at him closely. Arthur thought he saw a glimmer of hope in her grey eyes.
"I do. Where did you get this? My mother…"
"Had them made for several of her friends amongst the magical community. Magic was no issue for her, she respected it, recognized its power for danger as well as good. She decided that being a good queen meant ensuring an equal voice for all peoples within her realm. Therefore she decided to appoint a small number of individuals to be special advisors to the court. Her special advisors. To allow problems to do with magic in the kingdom to be solved with as little disturbance to either community, so to speak. These medallions were gifts for the ones she chose."
"My father was aware of this?"
"Oh yes, she didn't hide it from him. I don't think he ever really approved of the idea but he never bothered us. Not while she lived. He wasn't… he wasn't always against magic, My Lord. He knew it could do good but I fear he never truly understood it, to him it solved problems he wanted solved, little more. It was the queen who knew how and why and the consequences that resulted from misusing it. Which brings me to another topic."
"My birth."
Aria sighed, a short regretful sound. "I wasn't privy to what happened in regards to your parents' quest for a child. I do know that your mother's health took a sharp decline the longer her pregnancy continued. Then, about a month before you were born, the queen met with each of us individually. I don't know what she told the others but she ordered me to leave Camelot on what she called a special mission. She said she'd heard of a rare flower that grew only on the far western coast. It was said to have a scent so light and soothing that it could make even the most fractious infant sleep through the night.
"Now flowers, herbs and the like are not nor have they ever been where my skills excel. There were others among my companions who would have been a much better choice for such an assignment and I said as much to your mother. She always encouraged us to speak our minds. But this time she would hear none of my protests. I was to leave as soon as I'd packed enough for a potentially indefinitely long trip. She encouraged me to leave nothing behind as I would not be returning until I had found what she sought. And even then I was to send her a message telling her I'd been successful before crossing the border back into Camelot."
She paused but when Arthur didn't attempt to speak she gave a small, helpless shrug.
"Hindsight tends to give one perfect clarity. I now see, of course, that Ygraine must have known something was wrong. Whether she knew that her weakness was a sign of a bigger problem or just the norm for the end of a difficult pregnancy as she told everyone who asked, I fear I can't quite decide. Still she knew enough to fear the possible outcome if one of you two did not survive your birth."
Arthur finally found his voice. "Did my father not worry? If she was as bad off as you say then surely…"
"Oh of course he did, My Lord. For all his many faults Uther loved his wife, of that I have no doubt. As I said, your mother was very adept at explaining away causes for concern. And being, if you'll pardon me, a man, and one with no prior experience in these matters, he had no reason to doubt her words. He did try to urge her to retire from the public eye until after your birth but she refused." The old woman smiled for the first time. "She truly was the people's queen. If she did have reason to suspect those weeks were to be her last, she would have wanted to spend them showing them the same love and appreciation they had always given to her."
Arthur was quiet again for some time. "How did you escape the purge? How did you not want revenge for my father's betrayal?"
"Well to begin with, outside of Camelot the purge wasn't nearly as thorough as Uther wanted to believe, even among his allies. Those of us who made it out, who made ourselves indispensable, or were talented enough to hide just how skilled we were, tended to get by relatively unscathed. We had to be careful of course. It was tacitly understood that if we were ever caught we were on our own." She shrugged. "I never got caught.
"As for revenge," she sighed, "Ygraine was my dear friend. But all lives make an impact on the world. Some of us feel the connection to those lives deeper than others. To purposely remove a person from existing, to rip their life force from the fabric of life itself, it is not something I could ever bring myself to do." She chuckled a little. "You can ask my husband, I don't even like it when he smashes the spiders that like to crawl into our kitchen cabinets. And if I despise one thing in this world, it's spiders. No, I kept to myself. Tried to make a new life and hold onto the hope that a better future would one day exist for my people."
Another silence passed before the woman quietly observed, "If I may say so My Lord, you don't seem very surprised to see my medallion."
"Oh I'm quite surprised. I've had one exactly like it my entire life. I never imagined it was anything but one of a kind."
His visitor exhaled deeply. "So it did find its way to you. I could only hope. It was always meant to be yours of course. For you to give out when the time was right." Seeing Arthur's questioning look she elaborated. "Had your mother lived, you would have had the magical protection of her court, but once you were of age it would be up to you to choose your own. If you turn it over you'll see my name written in the old tongue. It was our way of symbolically tying my power to your mother's service. My pledge to guide and protect her in every way I could.
"Once you'd chosen your protector, that person's name would then be bound to the last medallion and it would serve as a symbol to all who saw it. A way for the magical community to feel at ease with giving you their allegiance. Because they knew you honored and respected them in return. Have you found such a person?"
"I…I think so. Forgive me, this is a lot to take in."
Aria tipped her head in acknowledgement. "No doubt. I'll leave you now, if you wish, any questions you may have of course I am at your disposal. I'd also understand if you don't believe everything I've told you. No, don't protest. You would be wise to seek confirmation of my words from another source. I am sure there are still a few in court who can do such a thing. At least one of my compatriots in particular was well known to all who served the king and queen at the time." She looked at him shrewdly. "I'm certain even you have heard her name."
A quick knock on the doors to both Gaius chambers and Merlin's revealed them to be empty. Breathing a sigh of relief Arthur entered the latter and began rummaging through the various drawers and shelves.
The good news? The room was reasonably clean and put together. It provided the opportunity for his search to be methodical and organized.
The bad news? The room was reasonably clean and put together. And Arthur was…not methodical and organized.
He'd just finished scrounging through the last pile of books - knocking half of them to the floor in the process - when the unmistakable sound of a throat clearing rang out behind him.
"What are you doing Arthur?"
A bizarre mix of apprehension and embarrassment flashed through the king as he turned to meet the annoyed - if slightly amused - eyes of his friend.
"Is this how you felt every time I caught you doing something?"
"Hm, possibly. Let's see if you have my gift for excuses."
"I'm not even going to try. Look I - I came here to ask…"
One ever expressive eyebrow rose slightly. "Yes?"
"Do you remember the Dorocha attack?"
Merlin snorted. "Little hard to forget getting quick frozen."
Arthur winced and he sobered.
"Sorry, not a joking matter. What about it?"
"Do you remember what I gave you before we reached the isle?"
Merlin frowned momentarily in thought then his face cleared.
"The medallion with your mother's sigil on it."
Arthur twirled the ring on his left hand. "Where is it, I need to see it."
Inexplicably Merlin hesitated.
"What's wrong?"
"Um nothing..it just.."
Arthur stepped forward and grabbed both his arms. "Tell me you still have it!"
"Of course I do!"
The king let out an audible sigh of relief before noticing the way Merlin's leaning away from him, blue eyes dark with hurt. "I'm sorry," he let go and raised his hands. "I'll explain in a minute just get it for me," he urged. "Please?"
Merlin nodded and slowly moved past him into the room. Watching Arthur from the corner of his eye he knelt beside the bed and lifted one of the floorboards underneath it revealing a small hidey hole. Reaching inside he pulled out a thick, leather bound book, set it on his lap and continued to rummage. Arthur opened his mouth to ask if the book is what he thought it was when Merlin made a noise of discovery and sat back on his heels, clutching a drawstring bag in his fist. He pulled it open and carefully dumped its contents on the bed.
Among scattered pieces of white shell, a single, dried up red flower, and roughly carved wooden figure of a dragon, Arthur spotted the charcoal colored disc resting on the rough blanket.
He picked it up carefully, curling his fingers around the smooth edges, and ran his thumb over the tiny silver dove at its center. "I forgot how heavy it was," he muttered. Bracing himself, he turned the medallion over.
Blank. Just as the old woman said it would be.
"So it really was this one. If she only knew."
"She? Arthur, what's going on?"
Arthur glanced from the uncarved surface of the medallion to his friend's concerned gaze and back again. He swallowed once then looked up fully, meeting Merlin's eyes straight on.
"What can you tell me about Nimueh?"
Merlin's sense of humor is, as always, just not appreciated. It's sad