The Lies of the Bold
Arthur was mildly surprise to find Morgana dining with the King when he got into the council room – usually, when Uther decided to execute someone she would refuse to join him for meal; but maybe his father had left her little choice or maybe, after the latest happenings, she was finally beginning to see some sort of sense.
Of course, he wouldn't hold his breath waiting on this.
His father, on the other hand, didn't seem to find anything amiss on their meal except for Arthur's empty hands, as usual.
"What news of the hunt for the Druid boy?"
Part of him felt rather disgusted to hear the king refer to a child as if it were an animal, but, unlike Morgana, he knew how to choose his battles.
"We have conducted an extensive search" he said, composed. "The boy is nowhere to be found."
His father's face turned into a scowl, as Arthur had known it would.
"You mean you failed to find him?"
Uther had a way of saying this as if Arthur was personally and solely responsible for the failure – and, yes, it was his job to command and supervise the man, but not even Uther could expect him to be everywhere at once.
"Perhaps he has already left the city" offered Arthur, honestly hoping that it was true. He hadn't seen the boy, but from the descriptions, he was still quite a small child.
"You're telling me that a wounded boy was able to evade the guards and escape the city?"
His tone was completely outraged, and Arthur knew he would went on complaining and saying the same things he had said before, so he chose not to point out the flaws in his logic.
(Yes, he was wounded, but he was a boy and children are resilient, he probably would be fine for hours before he started to feel the injure; kids had an easier time hiding and could pass through gaps and holes that grown men could not. Arthur himself had done it often when he was a child, escaping from the tutors and roaming free through the plains around the city.
That was not to mention that just a few moons back they had seen a sorcerer disappear in the midst of the crowded square after cursing Uther; Arthur wasn't about to forget that anytime soon – it had led to a close attempt on his life and he wasn't completely sure he was glad to have been saved since it meant he was now bound to his idiotic servant).
It seemed to Arthur that they were wasting time and resources on something that wasn't important at all.
"He's just a boy." He complained, thinking about his man and how they should be training for real threats. "What harm can he do?"
"He's a druid, and that makes him dangerous"
He had known it was pointless even before saying it, and he wasn't surprised with his father's answer; but Morgana spoke as well:
"The Druid's would see your father's kingdom destroyed."
Arthur spun around to look at her at that, it felt extremely odd. Morgana was generally the first to speak against persecutions, and she gave him a smile that didn't put him at ease. There was some mockery in it (as usual), but it just didn't feel like her normal self – it was almost as if she was defying him to disagree with her.
"I had no idea you were such an authority on druids" he snapped at her, and she smirked.
"Morgana is right" said Uther, and Arthur didn't need to look at him to know that he was glowing with pride – he never treated Morgana with the same harshness he reserved for Arthur, and her smile stayed in place, but it felt awkward and forced. "Double your efforts"
"Yes, father" he said tiredly, turning to leave.
"Keep searching until you find him".
Arthur left the room without another word, the disappointment in his father's voice still in his ears and Morgana's challenging smile burned to his eyes.