A/N: This story is set about twenty or so years before the show Merlin begins. I was reading some interesting fan fictions, and had an idea about how it was all started. This revolves around Uther and Ygraine's relationship and Arthur's birth.
Title: La Naissance d'Arthur / The Birth of Arthur
Writer: soulful dreamer
Verse: Merlin
Major Characters: Uther Pendragon, Ygraine Pendragon, Gaius, Nimueh, Arthur Pendragon
The afternoon was as bright and beautiful as the morning had been. The King took his lunch, alone, in the dining room after escorting his wife to her chamber to rest. He sent a servant with a message to a family friend, a sorceress named Nimueh, and then went for lunch. He would be riding out with the guard in the forest to check a report of animal slaughtering out in a nearby village.
"Gaius," Uther said. "Please keep a close watch on my wife until I return." Unless one was watching closely, they would miss the concern written in the king's eye. "Should anything happen, send word for me as quickly as possible." The physician nodded.
"Yes, sire," the middle aged man said, giving a gentle bow. Gaius had been a servant in Camelot long before Uther's reign. He was one of the few physicians, and the best, by Uther's opinion. Therefore it was only natural that when Uther became king, he would request the best in the land as his court physician. Gaius turned and began to walk out of the dining room. He was a sorcerer. Uther knew this, and it did not bother him as one might think. In fact, Gaius preferred using science to magic if at all possible.
"And Gaius?" The king questioned. The physician stopped and turned to face the king. "Your healer friend, Alice?" Gaius's ears perked up at the mention of his beloved's name. "Keep her near the castle in case her services are necessary." Given another bow, the middle aged man took his leave of the king.
/.\
"Sir Tristan, I was wondering if you would like to ride out with me this afternoon," Uther announced at breakfast a couple of days after the arrival of the de Bois siblings in Camelot. "I often enjoy taking a brisk ride on chilly afternoons. All in good fun, of course."
"I would be delighted, sire," the knight said, turning to his sister. "You will be alright here without me, of course?" The lady smiled.
"Yes, dear brother, I have plenty to entertain me here," she said, her eyes trailing to the king, who was giving her that look again.
"Indeed, my servants will be happy to oblige any of your needs," the king said.
"Thank you, sire. You have a fine staff. They already have done so much to ensure my comfort during my stay," Ygraine said. The king seemed to beam, if only slightly, at the compliment from the lady.
"Where shall we ride, my lord?" Tristan questioned, eager to get on a horse and go for a ride himself. Though he enjoyed being a guest in the home of Uther, there was nothing quite like taking a long, hard ride through the countryside.
"I was thinking of heading west. There are quite a few open valleys there, perfect for riding," the king said, his eyes finally moving off of Ygraine.
That afternoon, the king and Tristan departed, accompanied by a few of Uther's men for needed protection. They rode for a while, then would slow to a trot to allow the horses a bit of downtime, before heading off at high speeds once again. It became almost a game. Of course, Tristan would never claim to beat the king, but it was good fun to get ahead of him for a bit. They returned to Camelot as the sun dipped down beneath the trees, horses at a slow trot.
"Tell me, Sir Tristan, your sister," Uther began. "Is she enjoying her stay here?" The knight was a bit confused by the king's questions. He did not think the king took much of a liking to anyone beneath a princess status.
"Very much so, sire. She spent the entirety of yesterday, as well as the day before, exploring the many chambers of the castle," Tristan said. "She claims to have found a cave deep beneath the castle." He chuckled. "My sister has quite the imagination."
"Yes, well, I suppose it is refreshing to retain some of that childlike demeanor," the king said, absentmindedly, his thoughts on the beautiful Ygraine, sitting at his castle. As they fell into silence, a day dream overtook Uther. In his mind, he was approaching his seat in the throne room, and standing next to his place was Ygraine, dressed even more exquisitely than she did currently, a beautiful crown worn by many queens before her placed atop her head, and a smile on her face as he took her hand in his. He escorted her to her seat, and then took his own.
"I think we shall stay until your celebration, sire," Tristan said, snapping the king from his day dream. He glanced over at the young knight.
"Of course, you are both welcome as long as you'd like," the king remarked, a smile on his face. He was certain of it now. He could not live unless he had Ygraine de Bois as his queen. He had less than two weeks to make that so.
/.\
"This is the second cow to be slaughtered, sire. We have also lost two goats, and countless chickens," a villager reported to the king as he stood above the remains of a large cow. Something had mutilated it to nearly beyond recognition. What could have done it? While Uther sympathized with their plight, he did not exactly know how to resolve the situation.
"Replenish what they have lost," Uther said to one of his knights. "As soon as you can do so." He turned to the gathering villagers. "I will do whatever it is in my power to ensure this does not happen again. My knights shall return this evening to give you back what you have lost. I will leave a small group of them to keep watch over your livestock to find what has done this."
"It was a dragon!" Screeched an elderly woman as she pushed through the crowd. "It filled the entirety of the night sky! Completely blacked out the moon!" Uther furrowed his eyebrows. He knew of dragons, but none dared come near the city. Uther was tolerant enough to allow them to live, but he could not tolerate them doing such things to villagers.
"Sire, she's not exactly in her right mind," a villager said, stepping forward, as two others restrained the woman and escorted her away. "No one else saw this supposed dragon. The rest of us do not think it is that."
"Well, it shall be investigated, and we will deal with the matter accordingly," Uther said, turning to his men. He ordered three to remain behind, while the rest were to return to Camelot to gather livestock needed to replenish what was lost. The king, however, was eager to return to the castle and to his wife. He knew that his presence was not necessary throughout the proceedings until the child was born, but Uther cared enough to know his wife would need his support. She would need his strength to help her through this. He would give her that much. She was worth every moment they'd spent together. Nothing that would happen now would change that, duty or not.
/.\
The day following his ride with Tristan, the king sent a bouquet of fresh flowers up to the Lady Ygraine's chamber. He had never been familiar in the ways of romance, but he would try his best to persuade her feelings for him. Business went on as usual in the castle. Uther attended court in the mornings, and even went for a training session with Sir Tristan each afternoon. He felt that by getting close to the lady's brother, it may help him win in favor. Following their training, they went to dinner. Uther tried his best to conceal his stolen glances at the lady. He did not want to alert any of the court that he had his eyes set on a particular person. What he loved most, perhaps, about her was that she got on so well with everyone, even the servants. Even Gaius, his servant, thought so.
"Do you perhaps have eyes for the Lady Ygraine, sire?" Gaius teased as he prepared Uther for bed.
"Nonsense," Uther stated, offended. After a moment of silence, however, he gave in to the teasing. "Of course, she is beautiful. I should like to spend some time with her, though, away from the castle and her brother." Gaius was studying to be a physician beneath the current court physician. But he also knew a bit of magic. "I suppose I should start smaller, though. Perhaps a walk about the grounds?" He glanced up. "Gaius?" The servant was standing at the window, looking down upon the courtyard below. "Gaius?" The man snapped back to the room and glanced up at the king.
"Yes, sire, I am sorry," he said. Uther expected the man to give an opinion, but Gaius looked at him with a questioning glance.
"Well, what do you think?"
"I think that is a wonderful idea, sire," the servant replied, still unsure of exactly what they were talking about.
"About what?" Uther tested.
"Maybe you should send for her in the morning and suggest something small enough as a private dinner," Gaius shrugged.
"No, I think a walk would be better, allow us more time to talk without the ears of servants around," Uther said, his body currently in the room, but his mind elsewhere altogether.
"Very well, then, I shall send for her in the morning," Gaius said, taking his leave of the room. Uther stepped away from his seat and toward the window. It was then that he saw his servant meet with a woman. He was curious about Gaius, but, it really was not a worry of the king.
/.\
"Your majesty," a dark haired woman bowed low in the presence of the king. "You sent for me?" Her blue eyes radiated across the room.
"Yes, Nimueh," Uther said, standing from his seat and stepping toward her. "My wife is reaching the time of birth, and she sent for your comfort." The king thought Nimueh to be a valued friend. She had helped Uther and Ygraine in their time of difficulty. While others failed him, this sorceress proved to be a very trusted friend.
"Is she well, sire?"
"I fear not," Uther said, his forehead creasing as he thought of his wife. "She was feeling faint earlier today. I have not been up to check, nor have I heard of any changes, so I guess it best that we head up to see her, don't you think?"
"Of course, my lord," Nimueh replied as the king walked with her to the queen's chambers. She was thankful to have the protection of the king. Some people in other places were not nearly as tolerant of magic. She had the best of intentions, of course. Ever since Ygraine first came to Camelot, she and Nimueh had a bond similar to that of sisters. The two confided in one another, and Nimueh helped her when it came to dealing with her adjustment to becoming queen. Recently, however, Nimueh was spending more and more time outside of Camelot. She was learning more about her magic, the gifts that she'd received at birth, so it was understandable that she had to be called upon to give the queen company.
A/N: Originally, the plan was for this to last a few chapters, but I have recently had more ideas about things to add in to give it a bit more quirks, especially characters that we know and see on the show, but only hear the stories (Gaius, Nimueh, Alice, Balinor, Hunith). It may take a little longer for me to get more of the chapters out, because I am going back and rewatching episodes so I can keep it as close to the show as possible. Thanks for reading! Reviews are love. :D