AN: Thanks for your reviews and support. I know the first three chapters were hard going but I am going to be lightening up on the angst and tragedy for a while. I'm still in the making-it-up-as-I-go stage so anything can happen.
The next afternoon saw the entire council gather in the great hall along with Gaius, Merlin, Gwen and the knights for Arthur's will reading. None of them were aware that Arthur had written his will but after some thought the concept made sense. Arthur knew he was going to be the one to die and wanted to ensure that the kingdom would be in safe hands after he had gone. As the councilmen seated themselves at the table, the others loitered around feeling a mixture of anticipation and curiosity, wondering what Arthur had asked them to be here. It was when the last council member, Agravaine, arrived; Geoffrey stood up and showed them all the scroll of parchment Arthur had given him the day he left.
"Prior to his death, Prince Arthur gave me his will and insisted that all of you be here to listen to its reading. I have done all the checks and while some of his requests may seem unorthodox, they are perfectly legitimate orders and claims." Geoffrey stated as he looked around the room and everyone held his gaze. Clearing his throat he unfurled the scroll and began reading it aloud.
"The last will and testament of Prince Arthur Pendragon. As I write this document, I know that I am merely days away from my death and if you are reading this, then it means I am dead. The first thing I would say to all of you is not to mourn my death. I know you feel a great loss but people die every day therefore I would ask you not to spend too much time mourning my death. I died for Camelot and even though I fear my impending demise, to give my life to save the people of my kingdom is the only way I would be content with dying. I know that my death will change everything in Camelot therefore I have issued my final requests as well as having vital information for Sirs Leon, Gwaine, Lancelot, Percival and Elyan as well as the physician Gaius, my manservant Merlin and Guinevere.
My first request is that all my clothing be shared out amongst the townspeople, in particular those who need them the most. My armour, swords, shields and crossbows are to be given to the knights as a reminder that I shall still be at their side on the battlefield albeit in memory.
My second request is that my valuable, personal belongings such as my official seals and medals of prince, my crown and such objects of value be placed into the vaults. I assign Merlin to do this task as astounding as it may seem to you all, he does sometimes know what he is doing." Geoffrey read out and there were a few sad smiles and Merlin shook his head. Even in death Arthur was still picking on him. Geoffrey nodded at Merlin before he continued on and addressed Agravaine. Uther was not fit to attend the will reading that afternoon.
"To my father and uncle I can only apologise for the understandable hurt that my death shall cause them. I want both of them to know that they have both been sources of inspiration, guidance and support to me throughout my life and as the kingdom looks towards life without me; I can only hope they will be there to help pave the way for a bright future for Camelot." Geoffrey stated as he looked at Agravaine who stared at the table, his expression unreadable. Geoffrey then turned to Gaius.
"To Gaius, the physician I leave a sum of 300 hundred gold coins to ensure that he will be able to have enough to give every last person in Camelot the healthcare they will need as he has given me over the years. It is also my way of thanking him for being a constant source of guidance, advice and occasionally discipline throughout my life. Though I cannot say I will miss some of his potions and cures." There were some raised eyebrows at that and Merlin looked at Gaius who was maintaining a stoic expression but Merlin could see the tears in his eyes and he patted his mentor's arm reassuringly as Geoffrey turned to the knights.
"After my death, I appoint Sir Leon to lead the knights. I know that he has great experience as a knight and is possibly the greatest man I have seen on the battlefield. I know that he will not disappoint me and that he will ensure that the knights of Camelot maintain their reputation as being the greatest warriors in the land. I also appoint Sirs Gwaine, Lancelot, Elyan and Percival to sharing the role of being Leon's second in command; you men have been like brothers to me from the moment we sat at that old round table, we were brothers. I now ask my brothers to ensure that the kingdom we fought to protect from Morgana is kept safe." Geoffrey stated and Leon nodded his head to show he understood and the knights clapped him on the back.
"I won't let you down Arthur." Leon muttered and Geoffrey smiled slightly as he looked at Merlin before looking back at Arthur's will.
"To my manservant Merlin, I bequeath the sum of 100 gold coins in the hope that he will not be able to work and force another member of court to the same low standard of work that I have had to endure for three years. That was a joke, while I bequeath him the money, I do so because time and again he proved himself to be a loyal and true friend and since I am dead I can say this without having to listen to his reaction to that claim. Also Merlin, I request that for everyone's sakes, you will use some of that money to buy yourself something to replace those annoying scarves of yours." Geoffrey read and for the first time since Arthur died; there was some laughter due to what Arthur had written about Merlin. Merlin however was stunned. Arthur left him an absolute fortune. 100 gold coins, what on earth was he supposed to do with all that money? Merlin ran his fingers over his scarf and Geoffrey looked at Gwen before reading out the final part of Arthur's will.
"To Guinevere, I can only apologise for what my death will mean for you. I want you to know that I love you and will always love you and my only regret is that I never asked you to marry me before my death. I know that we always had to hide our relationship but I want you to know that I was never ashamed of the fact that I fell in love with a servant and I wanted the world to know. I just never found the right time to ask you. I know that you would never accept large sums of gold or jewels and I know they would do little to sooth your sorrows. Therefore I leave you with two things; the birth being my mother's engagement and wedding rings. Had I proposed and married you, those would have been yours as I know you understand more than just their physical value. The second thing I request is that you do not deny yourself that happiness if you do find yourself falling in love again on my account. If you are happy, that is all that matters."
"There'll never be anyone else." Gwen whispered as she wiped her eyes. Queen Ygraine's engagement and wedding rings; she couldn't accept those. They were priceless, not just in monetary value but also emotionally. Could she really accept them? And she meant what she said; there would never be anyone else she would love aside from Arthur.
Geoffrey turned back to the will; this was the most important part of all. Arthur's final requests and his naming of an heir. "As I died without an heir, I know that upon my father's death, the right to the throne would pass to my half-sister Morgana. However I know that my naming of an heir will ensure that Morgana is kept off the throne of Camelot. While my choice of heir may seem unorthodox, I know that this person has the wisdom, strength and compassion to ensure that the kingdom of Camelot maintains its greatness. My chosen heir can not only make just and wise decisions but can also serve as a voice for the common people and I know that I leave the kingdom in safe hands, I have learnt and developed and became a much better person through their constant guidance, love and support. I know that with the support of the counsel and the knights, Camelot can and will be led to future greatness under their command. It is therefore with great pride that I name the Lady Guinevere as my heir apparent meaning that on the death of my father, she shall become Queen of Camelot. Guinevere, I know you must feel overwhelmed but I always told you that had we married, you would be the greatest queen this kingdom has known. It is now time for you to prove it. I know it will be difficult but I know that if anyone can do it, you can. This concludes my will and I am unsure so to end it so I suppose I shall just finish it with a goodbye. Goodbye and farewell to all of you.
Yours, Arthur Pendragon, Crown Prince and Prince Regent of Camelot."
There was a stunned and deafening silence as Geoffrey finished reading as everyone was left stunned by Arthur's choice of heir. Gwen stumbled against the wall in shock. Arthur's heir, her? How on earth could she be Arthur's heir? What did she know about running a kingdom? Everyone else was staring at her in shock; none of them had expected that and after a few minutes, it was Agravaine who shook his head.
"That's preposterous; Arthur could not have named Guinevere as his heir." Agravaine stated. The servant becoming Queen? Impossible! It was a disgrace to the kingdom! However he recalled that Morgana had been claiming to have seen visions of Gwen on her throne. Agravaine made a mental note to inform Morgana of these developments.
"He has, the claims are legitimate. As the sister of a knight Guinevere has noblewoman status and therefore is just as eligible as anyone else to be Arthur's heir." Geoffrey replied. He had checked all the legislation and documents himself. Arthur knew exactly what he was doing when he named the woman as his heir.
"She's a commoner." Agravaine stated.
"She has a name," Merlin retorted. "I don't really understand all this stuff but if Arthur's named Gwen as his heir then Gwen's his heir. Besides, what's the other option? We let Morgana take the throne? Is that what you want?"
"Of course it's not but Guinevere hasn't got the right background; she knows little of court practices, of our relations between other kingdoms and none of them will be willing to recognise a commoner as future queen. This could have massive implications for the good of Camelot." Agravaine lied; it wasn't a full lie. Anyone with half a brain knew that if a commoner was on the throne, the power of a monarchy was weakened. At least under Morgana's hand, the kingdom will be strong.
"So you think my sister wouldn't be good enough to be queen?" Elyan challenged. It was bad enough when he and the others got abuse for their backgrounds but they had proven themselves so why couldn't Gwen?
"Gwen has already proven herself capable of making the right decisions to benefit the people. Had it not been for her challenging you during the Dorrocha attacks, dozens more people would have died." Gaius reminded Agravaine who glared at him. He did not need to be reminded of that act of insubordination; he remembered how Gwen had openly challenged him and made him look a fool in front of them council. Not something he would like a repeat performance of.
"Maybe you should all stop arguing and ask Gwen what she thinks." Leon stated and the men looked around for Gwen but she had gone.
"Where did she go?" Percival asked and the knights, Merlin and Gaius left to try and find Gwen.
Gwen hurried from the hall as quickly as she could without flat out sprinting away. She needed to think. Gwen didn't know where she was going until she stopped halfway down a flight of stairs and sat on the windowsill. She was Arthur's heir; the person who was going to become queen when Uther died. How on earth was she supposed to run a kingdom? Agravaine was right, she didn't have the background or the knowledge of running a kingdom; suppose she did something wrong and started a war? Would she honestly be able to ensure the knights would be victorious in battle or able to command a fight against Morgana? Who would even respect her as queen anyway? Obviously if she had married Arthur it would be a whole other story but who would genuinely think that a commoner would be able to run a kingdom?
"You're lucky you're dead Arthur, I could have killed you for this?" Gwen muttered as she turned and drew her knees up and embraced them as she looked out the window at the courtyard below. There were some people milling around and in the distance she could make out some people in the town. Someday they would be her people. Scary thought.
"Gwen, you alright?"
Gwen shook her head and Elyan sat down on a few steps above her so that they could maintain eye contact. "So, future queen, how does it feel?"
"I am way over my head. How can I be queen; I don't even get referred to or act like a lady of the court." Gwen replied.
"In fairness that was your choice but I know what you mean. Listen, Arthur knew what he was doing when he wrote that will. If he knew you were the best person to take over then you are." Elyan reassured.
"I don't think most people would agree with that. I'm not stupid Elyan; I know that people whispered behind my back about me and Arthur. I've been called every name under the sun and that's just because we were together. What's it going to be like when they find out I'm now supposed to run this kingdom?" Gwen asked, call her crazy but she doubted many of the nobles would be willing to run forward and accept the newest heir to the throne.
"Who cares what they think. Besides when Uther dies, either you take the throne or Morgana does. Speaking of which, why wasn't Uther there earlier, he was at the pyre yesterday." Elyan asked.
"It's strange, Uther goes through these brief phases where he's aware of what's going on, but the majority of the time no clue or interest in anything that's happening. It's like his mind has just stopped working. I think it was only because he knew Arthur was due back and I told him about what happened that he was there. No, today he was as bad as ever. I honestly don't think he will be able to recover from this. I should actually be getting back to him." Gwen reasoned as she slipped off the windowsill and onto her feet. Elyan stood up and offered Gwen his arm. Gwen took it and the siblings made their way up the stairs towards Uther's chambers. Elyan had one more question for his sister.
"So when you become queen, will that make me like a lord or something?" Elyan asked and despite herself, Gwen had to smile and shrugged her shoulders.
"I honestly have no idea."
Morgana paced around her hovel as she attempted to come up with some sort of plan. She needed to figure out a way of getting into Camelot and remaining undetected long enough to kill Uther and take her rightful place on the throne. Her plotting was halted by a knocking at the door. Morgana slipped her dagger from her waist and held it tightly in her hand, ready to use if necessary. The door was hammered on again and Morgana undid the latch and opened the door a fraction.
"What is it?" Morgana asked Agravaine as he pulled off his hood and entered her hovel. He looked angry and frustrated.
"I've just come from Camelot and there's something important you need to know." Agravaine replied. Morgana stared at him, waiting for him to continue. "Prior to his death, Arthur wrote a will and left it with Geoffrey of Monmouth. The will states his choice of heir apparent."
"His what?" Morgana muttered furiously. If Arthur had done what she thought he'd done…
"The person who-"
"I know what it means Agravaine! Who? Who did Arthur name as his so-called heir?" Morgana demanded.
"The serving girl Guinevere. By all technicalities, being the sister of a knight makes her a noblewoman and Arthur claims that had he wed the wench, she would have been his heir anyway. As his heir, she surpasses you in any claim of succession." Agravaine explained.
Morgana let out a yell of fury and caused one of the jars on her shelf to explode. How was that possible? Morgana had expected that any possibility of Gwen stealing her throne died with Arthur! This had the potential to ruin everything! How was it that time and time again Gwen of all people managed to ruin her plans? Morgana ran a hand through her hair as she did some quick thinking. All wasn't lost just yet. She just needed to work around this little upheaval, instead of killing just Uther she would need to find a way of killing Gwen too. Then and only then would she be able to take her rightful place on the throne. Morgana stopped pacing around and turned back to Agravaine.
"Don't concern yourself too much with Gwen. She's no threat and it'll be easy to crush her like the insignificant insect that she is. When she's out of the way, I can kill Uther and then I can take my rightful place on the throne." Morgana claimed as she began considering ways she could kill this usurper to her throne.