cont. from ( x ) @lespendragonsā
The heat of the burning candles reaches his face, causing Arthur to perspire. Morgause watches him intently as magic flows freely through and over them both. He has to find her ā it is crucial that the prince himself draws Ygraine out from the spirit world.
Morgause pauses suddenly, alerted by the shifting currents to another beingās potent life force amongst them. The manservant, Merlin, has clearly become an interesting conduit for the powerful forces pouring into the clearing. The High Priestess takes note of the servantās obviously latent abilities, resolving to tell her sister Morgana of this very interesting discovery as soon as they next spoke.Ā
Finishing lighting all the candles on the altar, she lifts the taper to her lips, blowing out the single flickering flame.
āThe ceremony has begun. The spirit of Ygraine Pendragon will be with us momentarily.ā
The sky darkens visibly overhead. The earth almost stills in its endless revolutions. Something moves in the shadows next to a pillar close by. Arthur breathes in... and opens his eyes.
Itās her. Heās never even seen her before, but he knows, he knows it. Deep in the beating organ of his chest, he can feel the unmistakeable pull of a motherās love for her child. They run to each other, both overcome with joy, falling into each otherās arms as though they were living and breathing only for this moment. Ygraineās arms feel as though they belong to an angelic being as they hold him; too pure, too heavenly for this world. Arthur shuts his eyes, feeling his tears spill onto his cheeks. His mother strokes his hair gently, whispering softly in her sonās ear.
āArthur, my sweet child. When I last held you, you were a tiny baby. I remember your eyes. You were staring up at me. The first few seconds I held you were the most precious of my life.ā
He canāt help it: he cries, holding onto her as she leans back, brushing his cheek tenderly. For here and now he is no longer the haughty prince of Camelot, he is simply a little boy again, held tight in the arms of his long lost parent.
"Iām so sorry, Mother. Iām the reason; Iām the one that caused you to die.āĀ
The unbearable guilt suffocates him, even as he stares into the face of his motherās ghost. I killed you, I took your life. Iām the monster you never should have given birth to- Ygraine will not let her weeping son think any such thing. Throwing her arms around him again, she pulls Arthur closer to her breast, almost as if she were trying to draw him back into the safety of her womb.Ā
āDonāt think that my son.ā She whispers fiercely. āIt is your father who should carry the guilt for what happened.ā
The air grows still. In the deadly silence, Arthur witnesses a truth, light as glass, irrevocably shatter, somewhere in the darkness of his own mind.
āMy father?ā His expression shifts. He draws away from his mother, away from her light. āWhy should my father feel guilty?ā Arthurās brows draw together in confusion.Ā
Hesitating, Ygraine looks away nervously, turning her worried gaze to Morgause.
āTell him.ā The High Priestess commands sternly. āLet the shameĀ be borne those whom it was always meant to fall upon. Your son has carried his own share of it for long enough.āĀ
Morgauseās eyes grow hungry under the glow of the flickering flames. āTell him.āĀ
And Ygraine does. All of it. Feeding Arthur with the knowledge that he was born of magic - created out of a pact made between Uther and the sorceress Nimueh. For Uther to have his much-desired son and heir, his barren wife had to forfeit her life; surrendering it to the boy child that grew inside her. At the moment of his birth, Arthurās mother was meant to die.
Uther had betrayed her. Heād made a living sacrifice of the fair Ygraine.
Arthur shakes his head, muttering brokenly under his breath. Ygraineās heart breaks as she listens to him.
āDo not let this knowledge change you.ā Her tearful voice grows faint, even as she watches her son close his eyes, instinctively fighting against the revelations.
"Itās not true. Please, mother. Tell me itās not true. I canāt live knowing what was done to you. What evils my father has committed against those with magic. Heās nothing but a hypocrite and a liar!"
Morgause feels her lips curve in triumph. Arthur is ready.Ā
āEnough. Youāve had your time with him, Ygraine.ā
Raising a hand, the High Priestess casts her spell. The potent forces that drew her spirit to the altar are released in rippling waves. The ivy wrapped around the broken stone pillars flutters in their dispersal. When Arthur opens his eyes once more, his mother has gone.
He doesnāt make a sound as he gathers his thoughts. Nearby, Merlin watches him anxiously. There is simply no telling what Arthur will do now. Not in this type of mood. At his side Morgause holds her breath; she too is waiting.Ā
Events were being put in motion, even as Arthur Pendragon crumbled from within. Soon, he would return to Camelot. Soon, she would also return to Camelot. Theirs is a reunion that had been long-awaited.
Ā The castle is strangely silent when Arthur returns to the city. The fury that drove him to his stallion and to ride through the night, that compelled him to take the life of his blasphemous fatherĀ - dwindles at the almost somber air that greets him as he passes through the gates of Camelot.Ā
Where are the people gathered to welcome the safe return of their prince from the wilderness? Where is the horn blowing to announce the arrival of his son to the king?Ā
Taking the well-trodden stairs up to the council chambers, Arthur pushes open the heavy wooden doors, hearing them creak ponderously open on their hinges. Beyond the threshold lies only darkness. Arthur swallows, eyes narrowing as he peers into the gloom.
The prince takes a step forward, then two, pace quickening as he sees the motionless figure seated on his throne. The still cooling corpse of the king greets his son like a hideous cadaver drawn from the very depths of Hell.
Uther Pendragon is already dead.
Feeling his heart stop, Arthur presses the back of his hand against his fatherās slackened mouth. A minute passes for him to confirm it. There is indeed no breath left in Utherās body. The young Pendragon struggles with shock, falling to his knees at the foot of his fatherās throne.Ā
His face contorts in agony. Pain ā of the deep, despairing kind, radiates out of him like a plague. The emotional bond linking him with his lover grows saturated with it, dripping with the venom of his suffering like a poison.
He was supposed to kill Uther. Vengeance for his motherās murder was his and his alone to deliver. But yet again someone else had taken that decision out of his hands. Yet again, a parent had been stolen prematurely from the prince. Arthur hugs himself pitifully, feeling himself shaking uncontrollably from the onslaught of all his dark and tangled emotions.
Lost and alone, Arthur loses track of time as he falls into ruin. He doesnāt hear her slip silently into the room behind him. He doesnāt see her as she slowly approaches him from behind.
He doesnāt notice Morgana at all. Ā