Chapter 6
Uther walked at the head of the procession that moved slowly through the lower town and up towards the citadel. Behind him walked Leon, Percival, Lancelot and Gwaine, each of them looking grim and holding one of the corner poles of a simple bier, on which was lain a body covered with a red cloak of Camelot, the Pendragon crest in the centre. And on top of the cloak lay two objects glinting in the sunlight: one was the band of gold - the coronet - that Arthur wore as Crown Prince; the other was his sword, which had been found lying near the body.
Behind the bier followed the rest of the knights of Camelot, bar one. Elyan was with his sister, who could not face either walking with the procession or watching it. The pain of her loss was still too raw, too overwhelming, for her to do anything but sit and weep. And as the body was borne through the streets, the bell of Camelot tolled sadly for the one who had been destined to be its king.
Although Uther walked through the streets stony-faced, unable to show his emotion in public, others behind him wept openly. Arthur had been in the habit of telling his young knights that no man was worth their tears, but that day, all those who bore the golden dragon on their cloaks knew those words to be untrue. But they were not the only ones who wept. Every citizen of Camelot was there, lining the streets, to pay their respects and to mourn their prince. Some of them tossed flowers on to the road in front of the bier, and some on to the bier itself. Many women sobbed as the procession went past, but there were tears shed by the town's men folk too. They remembered hearing of his birth, all those years ago, and seeing him in their streets as a young boy; they had watched him grow up and become the noble prince, who fought their battles and of whom they were so proud. And Uther was confronted by a truth that he had never realised until that day: he, as their king, was respected and feared by his people, but Arthur was loved by them.
And when the bier finally reached the citadel, it was taken to the crypt where the royalty of Camelot were laid to rest, and the body, wrapped in the cloak, was placed within the new stone tomb - hastily carved by the best of Camelot's craftsmen - together with Arthur's sword and crown. The tomb had been placed next to that of Ygraine, and Uther knew that one day he too would join them there, and it chilled and grieved his heart to think that it would only be through Morgana that the Pendragon line would continue.
Late that evening, as a strange stillness hung over the city, Merlin and Gwen went down together to visit the tomb and to say goodbye. Although they, as servants, should not have been allowed into the crypt, the soldiers guarding it let them in without hesitation. Although Uther had still not approved of the relationship between Arthur and Gwen, and had not allowed them to embark upon a formal courtship, the prince's love for the serving-girl was well know to all, and the soldiers knew that Arthur would have wanted her to be able to visit his tomb. And there was never any question about Merlin not being allowed in to say farewell to his master. Again, everyone knew that the two of them were inseparable.
The craftsmen, even though they had had little time to work on the tomb, had excelled in their carving. Both Merlin and Gwen were momentarily stopped in their tracks when they saw, in the light of the torch, the unmistakeable form of Arthur lying motionless, as if he were peacefully sleeping, his stone hands holding a stone sword on his chest. And the two friends held one another and wept again, before standing in silence, beside the tomb, for a very long time. And before they finally turned to go, Gwen ran her hand over the cold stone features, leaned over and kissed the forehead of the figure, whispering "sleep in peace, my love" and a single tear fell on Arthur's stone face. Merlin laid his hand on the stone hands that held the sword, and said in a choked voice, "I'm so sorry Arthur. I failed you". And with that, the two heartbroken friends left the crypt in darkness once more.
But the body lying in the darkness within the newly carved tomb was not that of Arthur. It had been reasonably easy for Alvar to acquire the body of a peasant who had died only days earlier, and then dress it in Arthur's mail and armour, and leave the fires to complete his work of deception. And not one person in Camelot guessed the horrifying truth that was concealed behind the deception.