Chapter Thirty-four

Arthur blinked. His brain felt sluggish through the fog.

He could hear voices all around him from the onlookers, together with frantic whisperings.

He could hear Uther's voice, strained and broken, "What have I done….Gaius! Gaius help him!"

But Gaius was already moving towards Arthur, crouching down over him, examining the wound at his side. Arthur grunted in pain as the physician's fingers brushed the gash.

"If I get it cleaned and closed soon he should be alright," said Gaius. "Merlin! Help carry him to my chambers."

Merlin moved towards Arthur.

"Seize that man!" Uther ordered angrily. "He's a sorcerer! Who knows what part he has had to play in all this!"

Sir Leon was still in a state of daze as he contemplated how nearly he had come to killing Arthur, but the order penetrated his confusion and he grabbed Merlin's arm, holding up his sword at the ready should he try anything.

With a scream of pain, harnessing any strength he had left, Arthur lunged forward and grabbed his sword and holding it up, pointing it at Sir Leon. It shook violently and half the time it probably wasn't even in the direction of the knight, but Arthur was too far gone to care.

"Let…him…go," he said icily.

Staring down at the prince he had almost killed Leon didn't wait for orders from Uther. He let Merlin go.

Arthur dropped the sword and fell backwards, but Gaius was there to catch him and gently lower him back against the pillar.

"Merlin, Leon," said Gaius, "Help me carry him move him now!"

"I will do it," said Uther.

Arthur turned to look at his father, who had moved very close now. And suddenly all the anger he thought had died away in the past months surged back, coursing through him and he just wanted to get away from him.

"No!" he blurted out, fighting through both the pain and rage in an attempt to achieve some coherency. "Merlin and Leon will help me."

"Arthur…" Uther looked completely shattered. "Arthur please…I didn't know…I didn't remember…how could I have forgotten my own son…" He held a hand up to his eyes for a minute, hiding them from view.

Arthur tried to find the words to say he wasn't angry because he had forgotten him, but he was too tired and gave it up.

"Come," said Gaius, "We need to move him now."

Both Merlin and Leon glanced towards Uther but the king seemed frozen in place by his own heartache and the two moved forward. Each taking one of Arthur's arms, they lifted him up, eliciting a yell of pain from him. Between the two of them they carried his weight as he gritted his teeth, and they half carried, half lead him out of the throne room, Gaius hurrying after.

Uther stood in the middle of the room. He knew everyone around was watching him. He knew they were waiting for him to do or say something. But he couldn't. He felt incapable of even walking out of the room after Arthur.

Arthur. His own son. Ygraine's son. He had arrested him. Beaten him. And ordered his execution. Thank every power of good that had ever been, that he had remembered him before it had been carried out.

Eight months. How…how could he have forgotten his own son for eight months…how could everyone…

Sorcery. There was no question about it.

Clinching his fist in anger, Uther felt a burning desire to kill whoever was responsible.

Once again sorcery had sought to take everything from him, and the thought of how nearly it been successfully this time made his blood run cold.

Morgana…that boy, Merlin…Arthur's servant…he had been Arthur's servant! He could easily have been responsible for this!

But what of…

He turned to look at the dead body of Morgause as more memories began to flood back to mind. She had come to the castle hadn't she? She had challenged Arthur to a duel. She had lured him away with promises about his mother. And then she told him the truth of Ygraine's death.

Now she showed up again, telling lies to win her way into the castle.

Merlin had been fighting her and Arthur had killed her.

Whatever part Merlin had in all this, Uther felt sure Morgause was also responsible.

"Your Majesty!"

Uther glanced up to see three palace guards marching in, Guinevere and Morgana between them.

One of the guards bowed. "We caught the Lady Morgana attempt to escape the castle; her maidservant seems to have been helping her."

Morgana raised her chin defiantly, and then seemed to falter as her mind, which had up till now been solely focused on the escape, turned to Uther and memories began to emerge.

But Uther wasn't looking at Morgana. He was looked at Guinevere a completely unreadable expression crossing his face.

Gwen didn't seem to have thought of it yet. She was looking around the throne room desperately. Her eyes took in the fallen Morgause and the blood around the pillar Arthur had fallen against and registering no sight of her husband among the people around.

She looked up at Uther and without a single trace of fear demanded, "Where's Arthur? What have you done to him?"

Uther continued to look, his mouth working silently. Gwen shifted uncomfortably and then a look of dawning comprehension crossed her face. She took an involuntary step back and exclaimed, "Oh!"

"Your married him," was the first thing Uther said.

Gwen now was speechless.

Slowly, Uther turned to one of the knights. "Sir Helrid. Please take Guinevere to see her husband in Gaius' chambers."

At the word 'husband' Gwen blushed furiously, but concern winning over all else she asked, "Is he hurt?"

"Yes," said Uther, avoiding looking at her. "But Gaius says he will be fine. Helrid?"

The knight glanced between the two of them and then nodded. Walking over to Gwen he gave a strange nod of the head as if unsure how he should greet her and then led her out from the throne room.

"What has happened?" Morgana asked Uther, as soon as the two had left. "Arthur's your son. Suddenly I remember everything…I…" her voice faltered as she noticed the expression on Uther's face.

"Sorcery!" he thundered. "Sorcery is responsible for this! Something which we now know you to possess. How long have you practiced witchcraft? When you were plead for that druid boy's life? When you argued with me to spare that blacksmith, Tom? How long have you been secretly working behind my back with the enemies of Camelot?"

"What?" Morgana's tempered flared. "You yourself admitted to being wrong about Gwen's father! I didn't choose magic! Don't you know what I have been through, with the nightmares, with the knowledge of what you would do to me if you ever found out! Do you think I would want any of that? I have never worked against you save when your minded, tyrannical prejudices demanded action!"

"Silence! ...Take her back to the dungeon," said Uther after a pause, his tone ringing with fury.

Hastily the guards nodded, and took her away.